06/25: Around the Web
Posted by: James
ESPN has an E-Ticket piece up on Carl Pavano. It seems odd that they have an article on him now...but whatever, anything to distract myself from the current state of the Yankees.
Update: Just noticed that Steve L. of WasWatching gets a mention in the ESPN article. Good for him.
Also, Carlos Gomez takes a quick look at the bottom third of the MLB draft (and the Yankees pick Andrew Brackman).
Update: Just noticed that Steve L. of WasWatching gets a mention in the ESPN article. Good for him.
This was how his teammates saw him, so this was how the media saw him, and so this was how the fans saw him, as well. Steve Lombardi, of the Yankees blog Was Watching, offered one of the tamer nicknames bestowed upon Pavano in the blogosphere: Lucy Van Pelt. "The Yankees and their fans are Charlie Brown," Lombardi wrote, "and the football is the hope and promise that Pavano will help the team."
Also, Carlos Gomez takes a quick look at the bottom third of the MLB draft (and the Yankees pick Andrew Brackman).
06/25: Amen
Posted by: James
It's depressing again in Yankee-town and Mike Plugh puts all my feelings down on paper far better than I could. It's very easy to read his latest post and find yourself consistently agreeing with him.
The humiliation of the final loss in San Francisco comes from watching a $200 million team starting Melky Cabrera, Miguel Cairo, Kevin Thompson, and Wil Nieves. It comes from the desperation that saw Roger Clemens enter the late innings in relief, only to give up another run. Is this the kind of team that $200 million buys? The Yankees are experiencing the same 2007 that the Red Sox endured last season. One of the sport's highest priced teams playing like a 3rd place plodder. The frustration comes from not being able to put your finger on one major problem. It's endemic.
...
I'll never give up on the season. There's a lot of baseball left, and we've seen what this group is capable of, but I think the 2008 Yankees need to look a lot different than this team. Even if, by some miracle, the Bombers win the Series this year, the signs are all there. You can't count on a team of aging players to stay consistent. They are just as talented as they were in their salad days, but they are old. They can't do it everyday anymore. Consistent are A-Rod, and Jeter, and Posada. The rest, not so much. The pitching is especially guilty of this, but you can hardly blame a pitcher for getting old.
...
I'll never give up on the season. There's a lot of baseball left, and we've seen what this group is capable of, but I think the 2008 Yankees need to look a lot different than this team. Even if, by some miracle, the Bombers win the Series this year, the signs are all there. You can't count on a team of aging players to stay consistent. They are just as talented as they were in their salad days, but they are old. They can't do it everyday anymore. Consistent are A-Rod, and Jeter, and Posada. The rest, not so much. The pitching is especially guilty of this, but you can hardly blame a pitcher for getting old.
06/24: Mel Allen
Posted by: Patrick
Stephen Borelli has a story about Mel Allen's departure and return to the Yankees.
We went to Yankee Day at the Florida State Fair before the 1996 season. I don't remember much of it (I actually got dehydrated, so we left a little earlier than we would have normally, and threw up on the way out), but I met Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Jim Leyritz and Catfish Hunter. My dad and mom/brother met Mel Allen, Hoyt Wilhelm, Ron Guidry, Scott Kamieniecki and probably 1 or 2 others if I recall correctly. Mr. Allen died shortly thereafter, of course.
Via Peter Abraham.
In the mid-1950s, an assistant football coach at Northwestern blindly placed a call to Allen seeking advice on how to get into sportscasting. Allen spent an hour on the phone with him.
"He didn't know me from Eve," said Steinbrenner, that coach. "He cared about the little guy. I tried to never forget it."
"He didn't know me from Eve," said Steinbrenner, that coach. "He cared about the little guy. I tried to never forget it."
We went to Yankee Day at the Florida State Fair before the 1996 season. I don't remember much of it (I actually got dehydrated, so we left a little earlier than we would have normally, and threw up on the way out), but I met Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Jim Leyritz and Catfish Hunter. My dad and mom/brother met Mel Allen, Hoyt Wilhelm, Ron Guidry, Scott Kamieniecki and probably 1 or 2 others if I recall correctly. Mr. Allen died shortly thereafter, of course.
Via Peter Abraham.
06/24: Sunday News
Posted by: Patrick
Josh Phelps has been claimed off waivers by the Pirates.
The meeting between Jason Giambi and George Mitchell won't take place until July, at least.
Jeter's hip strain shouldn't keep him out long, if at all.
Via Jim Johnson and Steve.
The meeting between Jason Giambi and George Mitchell won't take place until July, at least.
Jeter's hip strain shouldn't keep him out long, if at all.
Joe Torre said there is a chance Derek Jeter may have to sit out today’s game against the Giants with a strained left hip flexor muscle. As usual, Jeter scoffed at the idea he can’t play.
Via Jim Johnson and Steve.
06/23: Yankees Lose in 13
Posted by: Patrick
I think that, usually, when a pitcher (let's say... Matt Morris) allows 13 hits and 1 walk in 5 and 2/3 innings, you score more than 4 runs off him. Maybe not. Wang allowed 6 hits and 2 walks in 6 and 1/3 innings and they scored that much off him.
We struck first in this one, thanks to an RBI groundout from Jeter (scoring Cabrera) and RBI singles from Jorge (scoring Abreu) and Cano (scoring A-Rod). That gave us a 3-0 lead. Wang gave one back in the 3rd on a Dave Roberts double.
Godzilla took that one back in the 5th with an RBI single that scored A-Rod. In the bottom of the 6th, Bonds singled in Randy Winn to make the score 4-2, Yankees.
The bottom of the 7th started with a Bengie Molina line out. 8 outs to go! Next, Pedro Feliz homers to cut the lead to 1. Omar Vizquel singles to put the tying run on first. Mark Sweeney pinch hits for the pitcher and that's the end of the day for Wang as Mike Myers is headed in to face the left handed hitting Sweeney. Myers does the job, getting him to ground out for the second out with Vizquel taking 2nd.
Unfortunately, Myers proceeded to walk Dave Roberts to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. That's enough for Myers - in comes Brian Bruney. Today wasn't Bruney's day, unfortunately. First, Randy Winn singled, which scored Vizquel and pushed Roberts to third. Then, he walked Ray Durham to load the bases. Then, he walked Barry Bonds, walking in the go ahead. Cripes! Villone came in and got the final out, getting Ryan Klesko to foul out to A-Rod.
The Yankees threatened in the 8th, putting Cabrera on third thanks to a stolen base and an error by the catcher, with 2 outs for Abreu. Unfortunately, he struck out to end that. Villone didn't have any trouble in the bottom of the 8th, getting 3 straight outs after allowing a lead off single.
So, we enter the top of the 9th down a run. Brad Hennessey enters to face A-Rod. A-Rod deposits one to deep center, out of the park, to tie it up. But, Posada, Matsui and Cano go down in order to end the top half.
Luis Vizcaino is in to pitch the 9th. Vizcaino was awesome, actually, retiring 6 batters in a row to keep it tied in the 9th and 10th. Unfortunately, the Giants pitchers kept the Yankees bats scoreless, as well. Although, there was trouble in the 10th. The Yankees were able to get the bases loaded with 1 out, thanks to the Giants intentionally walking Posada. Matsui and Cano wouldn't get a single run in, though, as they struck out and grounded out, respectfully. Ouch.
The bottom of the 11th saw Scott Proctor enter the game. And he did the job, getting through the 11th and 12th innings without much trouble (save a double by Nate Schierholtz in the 11th). The Yankees hitters went quietly in the 12th and 13th. The 13th ended with Scott Proctor striking out. The only Yankee hitter left on the bench was Chris Basak. If he pinch hit, that would have been his first major league at bat. (Edit: Wil Nieves was also available).
Proctor went out to pitch the bottom of the 13th. Ryan Klesko singles and Molina sacrifices him to 2nd. Feliz flies out to center. 2 outs, man on 2nd. We could do this. Vizquel singles, though, pushing Klesko to third. Old buddy Schierholtz singles to score Klesko, ending the game 6-5.
A question I have is why Mo wasn't used at all. Even with 1 and 2/3 innings yesterday. Still, the pitchers excluding Bruney all did a pretty good job, Proctor did make it to 2 outs with a man on 2nd and the Yankees had already used Wang, Myers, Bruney, Villone, Farnsworth, Vizcaino and Proctor. The only reliever left was Mo. Seamus tells me that Clemens was warming up at one point, as well, but it was also his day to throw, so it may have been nothing. Can't keep losing.
Melky (3 for 7, 1 run) and Abreu (1 for 7, 1 run) each logged 7 at bats. A-Rod was 4 for 6 with 3 runs, 1 RBI and his 28th home run of the season. Posada was 3 for 5 with 1 RBI and 2 walks. Jeter was 2 for 5 with 1 RBI. He left in the 8th with a strained hip, but it doesn't appear to be anything serious. Cano, who left 7 runners on base for the day, was 2 for 6 with an RBI.
Tomorrow we've got Moose (3-4, 5.10 ERA) vs. Noah Lowry (6-6, 3.74 ERA) at 4:05 ET.
We struck first in this one, thanks to an RBI groundout from Jeter (scoring Cabrera) and RBI singles from Jorge (scoring Abreu) and Cano (scoring A-Rod). That gave us a 3-0 lead. Wang gave one back in the 3rd on a Dave Roberts double.
Godzilla took that one back in the 5th with an RBI single that scored A-Rod. In the bottom of the 6th, Bonds singled in Randy Winn to make the score 4-2, Yankees.
The bottom of the 7th started with a Bengie Molina line out. 8 outs to go! Next, Pedro Feliz homers to cut the lead to 1. Omar Vizquel singles to put the tying run on first. Mark Sweeney pinch hits for the pitcher and that's the end of the day for Wang as Mike Myers is headed in to face the left handed hitting Sweeney. Myers does the job, getting him to ground out for the second out with Vizquel taking 2nd.
Unfortunately, Myers proceeded to walk Dave Roberts to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. That's enough for Myers - in comes Brian Bruney. Today wasn't Bruney's day, unfortunately. First, Randy Winn singled, which scored Vizquel and pushed Roberts to third. Then, he walked Ray Durham to load the bases. Then, he walked Barry Bonds, walking in the go ahead. Cripes! Villone came in and got the final out, getting Ryan Klesko to foul out to A-Rod.
The Yankees threatened in the 8th, putting Cabrera on third thanks to a stolen base and an error by the catcher, with 2 outs for Abreu. Unfortunately, he struck out to end that. Villone didn't have any trouble in the bottom of the 8th, getting 3 straight outs after allowing a lead off single.
So, we enter the top of the 9th down a run. Brad Hennessey enters to face A-Rod. A-Rod deposits one to deep center, out of the park, to tie it up. But, Posada, Matsui and Cano go down in order to end the top half.
Luis Vizcaino is in to pitch the 9th. Vizcaino was awesome, actually, retiring 6 batters in a row to keep it tied in the 9th and 10th. Unfortunately, the Giants pitchers kept the Yankees bats scoreless, as well. Although, there was trouble in the 10th. The Yankees were able to get the bases loaded with 1 out, thanks to the Giants intentionally walking Posada. Matsui and Cano wouldn't get a single run in, though, as they struck out and grounded out, respectfully. Ouch.
The bottom of the 11th saw Scott Proctor enter the game. And he did the job, getting through the 11th and 12th innings without much trouble (save a double by Nate Schierholtz in the 11th). The Yankees hitters went quietly in the 12th and 13th. The 13th ended with Scott Proctor striking out. The only Yankee hitter left on the bench was Chris Basak. If he pinch hit, that would have been his first major league at bat. (Edit: Wil Nieves was also available).
Proctor went out to pitch the bottom of the 13th. Ryan Klesko singles and Molina sacrifices him to 2nd. Feliz flies out to center. 2 outs, man on 2nd. We could do this. Vizquel singles, though, pushing Klesko to third. Old buddy Schierholtz singles to score Klesko, ending the game 6-5.
A question I have is why Mo wasn't used at all. Even with 1 and 2/3 innings yesterday. Still, the pitchers excluding Bruney all did a pretty good job, Proctor did make it to 2 outs with a man on 2nd and the Yankees had already used Wang, Myers, Bruney, Villone, Farnsworth, Vizcaino and Proctor. The only reliever left was Mo. Seamus tells me that Clemens was warming up at one point, as well, but it was also his day to throw, so it may have been nothing. Can't keep losing.
Melky (3 for 7, 1 run) and Abreu (1 for 7, 1 run) each logged 7 at bats. A-Rod was 4 for 6 with 3 runs, 1 RBI and his 28th home run of the season. Posada was 3 for 5 with 1 RBI and 2 walks. Jeter was 2 for 5 with 1 RBI. He left in the 8th with a strained hip, but it doesn't appear to be anything serious. Cano, who left 7 runners on base for the day, was 2 for 6 with an RBI.
Tomorrow we've got Moose (3-4, 5.10 ERA) vs. Noah Lowry (6-6, 3.74 ERA) at 4:05 ET.
06/23: A-Rod to Skip Home Run Derby
Posted by: Patrick
From the official site:
... Rodriguez, the Major Leagues' leading vote-getter for the July 10 All-Star Game at San Francisco, revealed Friday that he has no intention of participating in this year's Home Run Derby.
"I've never been good at it, No. 1," Rodriguez said. "I'm going to enjoy watching it this year. I'll have a good seat. I've worked hard for my swing and I definitely don't want to let anything get in the way of it. My only responsibility this year is to the New York Yankees."
"I've never been good at it, No. 1," Rodriguez said. "I'm going to enjoy watching it this year. I'll have a good seat. I've worked hard for my swing and I definitely don't want to let anything get in the way of it. My only responsibility this year is to the New York Yankees."
Posted by: David
Kei Igawa returned from a long minor league stint and looked great until he lost his control in the fifth inning. With the Yankees having a comfortable 5-0 lead, Igawa got wild in the fifth and Vizquel drove in one run with a single and Barry Bonds walked with the bases loaded for the second run. Luis Vizcaino was summoned from the bullpen and almost gave up the lead. Benji Molina took Vizcaino to deep left and Matsui had to make a leaping catch against the wall to end the inning.
The Yankees got their lead early as Cain was wild and walked in a run with Igawa at the bat. A-Rod had his first RBI early and Cabrera added a two run single and Abreu chipped in with a sacrifice fly.
Scott Proctor faced Bonds with the Yankees leading 6-2 and challenged him and lost. On a 3-2 pitch, Proctor unleashed a 95 MPH fastball which Bonds redirected over the right center field fence for his 749th career home run.
Mariano Rivera was brought in to get the last five outs and did so while only giving up one hit. A-Rod was four for four on the night plus a walk and two RBI.
The series resumes on Saturday afternoon with Chien-Ming Wang on the hill for the Bombers.
The Yankees got their lead early as Cain was wild and walked in a run with Igawa at the bat. A-Rod had his first RBI early and Cabrera added a two run single and Abreu chipped in with a sacrifice fly.
Scott Proctor faced Bonds with the Yankees leading 6-2 and challenged him and lost. On a 3-2 pitch, Proctor unleashed a 95 MPH fastball which Bonds redirected over the right center field fence for his 749th career home run.
Mariano Rivera was brought in to get the last five outs and did so while only giving up one hit. A-Rod was four for four on the night plus a walk and two RBI.
The series resumes on Saturday afternoon with Chien-Ming Wang on the hill for the Bombers.
Posted by: Patrick
Ed Price mentions that Clemens, Torre and the rest of the coaches watched the ROGER 2057 video. They all laughed.
06/22: Giambi's Contract is Safe
Posted by: Patrick
From Ken Davidoff:
Via Steve.
Jason Giambi probably had the law on his side. But he lacked the desire to engage in an imbroglio with Major League Baseball, so the Yankees designated hitter officially capitulated Thursday, agreeing to become the first known active player to speak with baseball steroids investigator George Mitchell. ...
The Yankees, by virtue of this arrangement, will not attempt to void the remainder of Giambi's contract.
The Yankees, by virtue of this arrangement, will not attempt to void the remainder of Giambi's contract.
Via Steve.
06/22: Giambi to Meet With Selig
Posted by: Patrick
From Yahoo! Sports:
Giambi announced Thursday he would cooperate with the steroids investigator and publicly admitted for the first time that he had a "personal history regarding steroids." He will become the first active player known to speak with the former Senate majority leader.
No date was set for their session. The former American League MVP said he wouldn't implicate other players and appeared to backtrack on earlier remarks that the sport owed fans a collective apology for the steroids era.
"I alone am responsible for my actions and I apologize to the commissioner, the owners and the players for any suggestion that they were responsible for my behavior," Giambi said in a statement.
No date was set for their session. The former American League MVP said he wouldn't implicate other players and appeared to backtrack on earlier remarks that the sport owed fans a collective apology for the steroids era.
"I alone am responsible for my actions and I apologize to the commissioner, the owners and the players for any suggestion that they were responsible for my behavior," Giambi said in a statement.
