Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Rivera has been the best pitcher on the team for a decade and they've done ok.
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**Official YANKEES 2009 Thread** (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter shadyridr
- Start date
cobalt_27
Footballguy
Well. You have quite an extensive history of getting your panties all in a bunch if Yankee fans dare criticize the ballclub. You call your fellow fans "stupid" and question whether they're "true" Yankee fans. I mean, it's gotten comical how insecure you are about this, and everyone but you sees it.I agree with you that Joba should stay in the rotation. It is not, however a "stupid" argument to suggest that he should go to the pen. Take a ####### Ativan.jobarules said:
ohhhhhhhhhhhhh here we ####in go again with you. Sometime I agree with the team, sometimes I dont. I criticize the team quite a bit too. Stop making #### up.
I hope you are right. But by my count (and you counted the same 3 games) the bullpen has blown 3 games. They have 8 losses. 3 of those loses were were all on Wang and 3 of their other 5 losses are due to the pen. So 60% of their "normal" losses are due to the bullpen. Thats bad.
Not that it matters, but when the bases were loaded and I saw pettitte in his full windup I said he better pay attention to Ellsbury or hell steal home just like Toronto did to him two years ago. Lo and behold. BTW Posada is an absolute ####in dreadful defensive catcher. People abuse Jeter but Posada never gets criticized like he should. Horrible
Always a good idea to sign a 36 yr old catcher to a 4 yr deal
It really is depressing what this organization has done to ruin this franchise
I just wanted to defend my position a little bit more here. You can name the good free agent signings that Cashman has made on less than one hand. Mussina and Damon and thats it. Now lets go over all the bad signings (and Im sure Ill forget a ton): Karsay, Farnsworth, Giambi (had some decent seasons hitting but was often injured and its stupid to give a DH a 7 yr deal), Pavano, Wright, White, Lofton, etc. Thats not even counting the horrible contracts he gave Posada, ARod, & Marte. Im assuming Sabathia & Teixeira will work out and Burnett is still up in the air. Now dont get me wrong hes been very good at trades (Soriano for ARod, getting Justice, Abreu, Nady) but hes had some stinkers there as well (Lilly for Weaver, then Brown, getting Vazquez and then Unit). Finally the Yankees have drafted 2 impact players in like the last 10 yrs (Hughes & Chamberlain) and the jury is still out on Hughes. All GMs have hits and misses but Cashman's misses far outway his hits.
Oh come on. Thats twisting facts around to make your argument look good. Most of the key players on this team are over 30. Its the bench and bullpen (things that the Yanks have usually had experience in the past) that Cashman cheaped out and we have a bunch of younger players.
Wang to the rotation, Hughes to the pen. Not sure I agree with this. id send Hughes back to AAA.
AJ is a decent #3 starter and def not worth the money the Yanks paid for him.
What makes you think Sox wouldve resigned him after he opted out? They seem smarter than that. Yanks wouldve probably swooped in and offered him the same giant deal we're stuck with anyway.
Not that it matters, but when the bases were loaded and I saw pettitte in his full windup I said he better pay attention to Ellsbury or hell steal home just like Toronto did to him two years ago. Lo and behold. BTW Posada is an absolute ####in dreadful defensive catcher. People abuse Jeter but Posada never gets criticized like he should. Horrible
Always a good idea to sign a 36 yr old catcher to a 4 yr deal
It really is depressing what this organization has done to ruin this franchise
I just wanted to defend my position a little bit more here. You can name the good free agent signings that Cashman has made on less than one hand. Mussina and Damon and thats it. Now lets go over all the bad signings (and Im sure Ill forget a ton): Karsay, Farnsworth, Giambi (had some decent seasons hitting but was often injured and its stupid to give a DH a 7 yr deal), Pavano, Wright, White, Lofton, etc. Thats not even counting the horrible contracts he gave Posada, ARod, & Marte. Im assuming Sabathia & Teixeira will work out and Burnett is still up in the air. Now dont get me wrong hes been very good at trades (Soriano for ARod, getting Justice, Abreu, Nady) but hes had some stinkers there as well (Lilly for Weaver, then Brown, getting Vazquez and then Unit). Finally the Yankees have drafted 2 impact players in like the last 10 yrs (Hughes & Chamberlain) and the jury is still out on Hughes. All GMs have hits and misses but Cashman's misses far outway his hits.
Oh come on. Thats twisting facts around to make your argument look good. Most of the key players on this team are over 30. Its the bench and bullpen (things that the Yanks have usually had experience in the past) that Cashman cheaped out and we have a bunch of younger players.
Wang to the rotation, Hughes to the pen. Not sure I agree with this. id send Hughes back to AAA.
AJ is a decent #3 starter and def not worth the money the Yanks paid for him.
What makes you think Sox wouldve resigned him after he opted out? They seem smarter than that. Yanks wouldve probably swooped in and offered him the same giant deal we're stuck with anyway.
Michael Brown
Footballguy
Yeah I mean not for nothing Cobalt, but you say pretty much the same things to both myself and to Shady. What's the deal dude? It's almost as if it's not "cool" to support ANYTHING the team does. If we're not being negative and bashing them for everything, we've got our homer blinders on. Friggin team has the 3rd-best record in baseball! If that's not good enough for you, I don't know what to say. It's the precise reason people hate Yankee fans. Because every other team in baseball would have been ecstatic to have the 3rd best record at the halfway point. But Yankee fans look at it and all they see is how much is wrong and how much better the team should be and the fans of other teams want to tell us to shut the eff up and enjoy what we've got.Can you imagine being a Pirates or Orioles fan the past 10 years? They'd LOVE to just be contending...this team is in control of the wild card and some people act like it's the biggest travesty of all-time.
cobalt_27
Footballguy
Clearly, most would prefer driving the Bentley over a Ford Escort. No offense meant to Pirates and Orioles fans, who have much to be unhappy about with respect to their owners and management. However, that being said, if your Bentley is chronically in the shop and sluggish on the turns and always has electrical malfunctions, of course you're going to be p'od. It's no longer a Bentley...not worth the $350k you dropped down on the thing, that's for sure.Michael Brown said:
That's how I feel the Yankees have operated lately. They have this intrinsic advantage over all other teams that, before a single player steps onto the field, should have a definite impact. They have history and location as their two most prized natural resources. If managed with just modicum level of competence, it should translates into great ballclubs year after year. It doesn't give them the inherent right to win a single World Series. But, sure as well sets them up so that they should be winning at least some championships.
But, they have done the least with the most. For instance, when you look around at all the remarkable young talent in the league, which one of those guys was raised in the Yankee farm system? And, don't even get me started on how they evaluate trades and free agents. Teixeira was a phenomenal signing, and I will be thankful over the next 7-8 years that he'll be wearing pinstripes. I think CC can be reasonably effective and was a necessary signing. But, for every "hit" it seems like they have 10 "misses" (sometimes catastrophically bad). And, this speaks to a totally dysfunctional pattern that seems to operate from within the management circles (note, not one circle, but the plural).
So, am I happy we're hanging in there for the Wild Card? Well, sure. It beats calling it a season by the end of April. But, it is not without frustration to know that this team has so much potential and, yet, fails to reach its potential.
All that being said, huge save for Rivera tonight to notch 500. Unbelievable guy he is, and a sure-fire 1st ballot HOFer, imo.
This was a really important recovery series to sweep an average to above-average team.
Reaper
Footballguy
IMO, that potential was based on Wang not falling off the map to start the season (he was actually the ace at one point).. And Arod not rehabbing...Sure, Injuries happen to all teams but, I'm still enjoying the season KNOWING this team hasn't hit it's stride yet... To me, you enter a series with CC/AJ and Tex/ Arod and you have to Potential to roll over anyone....Do I always agree with every single move - Hell NO, and at times I've been among the biggest pessimists - I hated every ounce of Giambi...From where I sit, looking at the big picture, seeing both sides of Yankee moves.. I'm as Happy with this team as I've been in quite a while... But, Unlike Yankeefan, I always like Girardi...With Joba I can see both sides of the issue - A lot depends on Bruney...I just don't get why people here draw line in the sand and call others names and why we can't just disagree on certain issues yet still be great fans??????You just can't explain baseball...(or fans)
cobalt_27
Footballguy
Yeah, what's the big deal with Girardi? I like him. 
I'm with you and shady on the Joba thing...he should stay in the rotation. 
We'll just have to agree to disagree on the current state of the Yanks. Obviously, I hope I'm wrong and you're right. But, I still think they've got problems.
I'm with you and shady on the Joba thing...he should stay in the rotation. We'll just have to agree to disagree on the current state of the Yanks. Obviously, I hope I'm wrong and you're right. But, I still think they've got problems.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
I don't claim any great pillar to stand on with this one. I hated Torre when he came in as well as I was a big Buck fan at the time. But his success couldn't be ignored and I came to be a huge fan, even though he had some major faults. Girardi may grow on me as well. I hope he does.
I don't think Bruney has anything close to what Joba had coming out of the pen. Rivera's 500th save should have been a wakeup call to the Yankees. That is reason these teams were so good for so long - the closer that was unhittable. The pitching staff was never the very best. The offense didn't have 9 all stars in the lineup every year and the defense was never so lights out that you would turn down a Fred McGriff clinic to watch them instead. But there was Mo. It was known to all that the 9th inning, if the Yankees had a lead, would be locked down. Sometimes even part of the 8th inning. If the starter gave a solid 6- 7 innings, and the middle guys could hold for an inning, game over. For a decade. And unlike Hoffman, he was better in the playoffs.Joba has that potential. He was beyond dominate in the 8th inning role. A punch of Joba - Mo right now for 2 innings or 7 outs could be untouchable. And when Mo retires there is someone ready to step in and keep that 9th inning secured. That spot is so important. I just don't see Joba being more important as a starter. I guess it's possible, but there are more starters in baseball that you can rely on then closers and we've already seen a potential stud on the team. Why tempt fate?
Wouldn't be fans if we didn't get a little crazy sometimes.
Tremendous Upside
Footballguy
Eric Hinske acquired
Championship now a mere formality
Championship now a mere formality
Sammy3469
Footballguy
Michael Brown
Footballguy
I HIGHLY disagree with this. By percentage, do you really think it's easier to find a serviceable starter than closer?Look around the league -- not many teams have had issues with the 9th inning this year, and a lot of them are getting it done with retreads and no-names like J.P. Howell, George Sherrill, Ryan Franklin, David Aardsma. Is the game lights-out over when they come in? No, not like Mo. But they're getting the job done at a fantastic rate. The closer doesn't need to be a dominant force to have a good team. When you have one built-in, great. But you don't create one at the expense of a 200+ inning horse.I'd say Col, Phi, Hou, Fla, Arz, Oak, Cle, Was are the only teams that have had serious 9th inning issues this year. That's 8 out of 30 teams. Now how many teams have had issues with starting pitching? You could make a case for just about everybody.
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
Remember Tino was a dog in the postseason and while he did hit that grand slam he was bad outside of that. you might also say he should have been struck out on the previous pitch.I do not have late and close stats in the postseason.
Michael Brown
Footballguy
No doubt he struck out on the previous pitch! And you're right, he was a dog in the postseason up to that point. I remember during the 1996 World Series saying to my brother that Tino was a Yankee killer both in the '95 AND the '96 playoffs.Goes to show what the big hits will do to the memories of most New Yorkers. I'm not justifying the treatment of A-Rod, and despite my hatred of him over the years I tried not to boo the guy (only time I did was in the first week of 2005 when he made an error against Boston that could've been the game-ending DP...first time I ever watched Mo blow a save). But I think it does show why some people haven't come around on him. He hasn't had a "moment" like that in the playoffs that lifted them to a win, and I think until he does people will always be ready to pounce.
Tremendous Upside
Footballguy
I want to know Bruney became a "specialist"
He was the default best option out there
Now he's not
Make him the bridge to Hughes
He was the default best option out there
Now he's not
Make him the bridge to Hughes
Reaper
Footballguy
I meant TU not TL
This I don't get though..... And i"ve said this for years - I just feel like when you have a hot pitcher in there you don't take a guy out of the pen. No matter who it is, the guy could just come out of the pen cold.On the radio today they were saing that of Bruney puts up a 1-2-3 inning, no one says peep... I say BS!!! I wanted Hughes to stay in the 8th inning on Sunday... Why take a out a guy pitching great!!
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
I haven't been on line for a little while, but you are right. It makes me cringe when I hear a coach say, "he is my 8th inning guy." That is lazy managing. It is OK to have roles, but part of the role is to understand that flexibility based on situation makes much more sense. If 3 righties were up in the 7th inning that were all lefty killers and in the 8th it looked like 3-4 lefties who were righty killers were coming up, why would you use Bruney in the 8th?Forgetting that, Hughes was pitching GREAT with great stuff and great command. Taking him out was a decision that did NOT put the team in the best position to win. I have said this before and I hate when a manager is "looking" for the guy who is not sharp rather than leaving the sharp guy in there.I understand wanting to get Bruney work, but it will come and when the game is set up for you, you want to take it.
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
I agree, but one thing that is disturbing is Joba throwing 92 MPH. Something is wrong. I do not believe he would go to the pen and throw 97 again, but losing 7 MPH off your fast ball is something that concerns me. I can see throwing a few MPH less as a starter, but anything over 3 MPH is an issue. The people who want Joba to go to the pen would be very disappointed if he is throwing 94 instead of 97, it makes a big difference.Something is not right with Joba and I can't see anything that looks different in his motion...He is still effective, but he is not the same Joba. With the stuff he has now he will not be an ace pitcher; he could still be good and has been good (not counting going only 5-6 innings), but he is not the exciting pitcher we were hoping.
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
Tt is appropriate to honor Mariano after he achieved a milestone only one other player has accomplished…500 saves!
Mariano’s regular season numbers are an ERA of 2.30 with an average of just under 40 saves a year and converting over 90% of his saves.
Mariano has pitched 117.1 innings in the postseason with an amazing ERA of 0.77, 34 saves, a 6:1 k:walk ratio and win loss record of 8-1. Having only one loss says a lot. While he has blown a few saves, he only had one game where he gave up the lead and that was where an error cost them the game and in this case the World Series. If you remember it was Rivera who threw wide at to 2nd base on a bunt attempt in game 7. Another play in that WS was Brosius should have thrown to 1st base on a DP, but decided to hold the ball and only get the one out. Of course the bloop hit cost the Yanks and Rivera his only loss in postseason. Rivera’s 34 postseason saves are more than twice the 15 saves Eckersley (#2) had. Eck had only 36 IP in the postseason but had 3 losses. Hoffman pitched his entire career in the NL so that diminishes his great career a little and his 13 postseason innings he has 2 losses and 4 saves with an ERA of 3.46. Think about this, Eck and Hoffman combined had 49 postseason innings (less than half of Rivera), had an ERA that was more than 2 runs higher and had 5 losses in these less innings!
Rivera's postseason pitching has been remarkable!
With due respect to Hoffman and Eckersley, Congratulations Mariano you are the greatest ever!
Mariano’s regular season numbers are an ERA of 2.30 with an average of just under 40 saves a year and converting over 90% of his saves.
Mariano has pitched 117.1 innings in the postseason with an amazing ERA of 0.77, 34 saves, a 6:1 k:walk ratio and win loss record of 8-1. Having only one loss says a lot. While he has blown a few saves, he only had one game where he gave up the lead and that was where an error cost them the game and in this case the World Series. If you remember it was Rivera who threw wide at to 2nd base on a bunt attempt in game 7. Another play in that WS was Brosius should have thrown to 1st base on a DP, but decided to hold the ball and only get the one out. Of course the bloop hit cost the Yanks and Rivera his only loss in postseason. Rivera’s 34 postseason saves are more than twice the 15 saves Eckersley (#2) had. Eck had only 36 IP in the postseason but had 3 losses. Hoffman pitched his entire career in the NL so that diminishes his great career a little and his 13 postseason innings he has 2 losses and 4 saves with an ERA of 3.46. Think about this, Eck and Hoffman combined had 49 postseason innings (less than half of Rivera), had an ERA that was more than 2 runs higher and had 5 losses in these less innings!
Rivera's postseason pitching has been remarkable!
With due respect to Hoffman and Eckersley, Congratulations Mariano you are the greatest ever!
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
Am I the only one who is wondering why Pena is in the minors and Ransom is up? Pena has upside, Ransom has none (he is 33), Pena is faster and a better defender which makes him valuable on days he is not starting as he can come in and add something. Ransom will never be used when not starting (barring injury). As hitters they are both weak, but I will give the nod to Ransom because he would have some more power. Ransom is not worthy of a spot in my opinion.
Hinske is OK, but I am not thrilled about him. He can hit righties OK (.829 over the past 3 years), but has a .572 against lefties so he is a spot starter against righties and a pinch hitter against a righty, but we already have Matsui or someone else for that? It gives us a little depth, but we better hope Tex and ARod stay healthy. Nady being done for the year is a shame as he would have been our righty help instead of Ransom
Hinske is OK, but I am not thrilled about him. He can hit righties OK (.829 over the past 3 years), but has a .572 against lefties so he is a spot starter against righties and a pinch hitter against a righty, but we already have Matsui or someone else for that? It gives us a little depth, but we better hope Tex and ARod stay healthy. Nady being done for the year is a shame as he would have been our righty help instead of Ransom
I was wondering who theyd send down. Just a horrible decision by the Yanks. I like the move for Hinske cuz he provides versatility, experience, and pop off the bench but Pena has been a great substitute. Stupid Yanks.
Giantseasonticketholder
Whammy
They sent Pena down so he could get more frequent work. Keeping Ransom on the bench isn't stunting his growth, because he has no upside, Pena can play every day in Scranton and learn a new position (2B/OF), to become more useful to the big club. He certainly has the glove to be an everyday SS, but until Jeter decides to move to LF (hopefully next season), he will be in Pena's way.
Im sorry I dont see Pena as anything more than a good utility man or a slick fielding SS on a bad team.
Giantseasonticketholder
Whammy
Of course you don't.jobarules said:
Darth Cheney
Footballguy
Burnett's turning it around.
cobalt_27
Footballguy
In the last 27.1 innings, he's allowed only 16 hits and 3 ER to go along with his 33 Ks.
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NY/NJMFDIVER
Footballguy
The guys really young, we're not talking a 25/26 year old. i dont' think he'd ever find a power profile, but Omar Vizquel has put together what may well be a HOF career playing the kind of ball Pena plays. Plus I think Pena's faster than Omar ever was.jobarules said:
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
Vizquel would be the ceiling for Pena, but he has similar tools. Speed wise I think they are similar, remember Omar went through a 4 year period we averaged almost 40 SB's a year (157 SB's when he was around 28-31).Pena playing every day is fine, but we could use him up at the major league level and yesterday was the perfect example of Pena being better used than Ransom when Ransom was used as a pinch runner instead of Pena. Also, if you need someone to bunt Pena would be the right guy and if you needed a defensive replacement Pena would be the guy.Pena will never be an OF'r 'NY/NJMFDIVER'
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July!
Hard to get negative when the Yanks are playing solid ball and the teams around us are losing, but please allow me some venting.
I have to say I am getting down on Girardi. I don’t understand the move in the 8th inning where Rivera was getting warmed up in a tie game? Hughes threw ELEVEN pitches and got through the 8th. Why would you get only one inning out of Hughes in a spot where the likelihood of extra innings is pretty strong? Why bring in Rivera when the score is tied in the 9th inning? Assuming Rivera is equally as good in save situations as non save situation (which we know is not true), the way I see it, would you rather get an extra inning out of Hughes or Phil Coke or if the game went longer Brett Tomko? This is a no brainer decision. I used to get on Torre for his thinking that games would never get to extra innings and this was a VERY bad decision by Girardi.
But they won, what is your hang up?
My hang up is that the manager’s job is to put the team/players in the best position/chance to win the ball game. Sometimes you do the right thing and you don’t win and sometimes you do the wrong thing and you do win (yesterday), but if you do the right things, it will without question lead to more victories in the long run. I think Girardi has lost about 4 games for us this year. One could argue that just moving Wang after the injury was at least 2 more losses.
The announcers were praising Wang yesterday but I saw the same pitcher as the past 2 games. Really good movement on his 92-93 MPH fastball, but his control was not good or consistent. Like I have said a few times, I want Wang in the rotation, but he should have worked his issues out in the pen before getting back in the rotation. Now, his arm all of a sudden is hurt and we shall see what happens.
BTW, something I have been noticing about all the Yankee catchers that I would like to see changed. When you have 3 balls, I want to see a target more in the middle of the plate in “no walk” situations. Example: You have a guy like Wang who has a ball that moves a lot and the catchers’ glove is trying to paint a 3-2 fastball/sinker on the corner? Put the glove in the middle of the strike zone and let the natural movement/lack of control move the ball to the corners. BUT STOP WALKING GUYS! Same is true when you have Burnett on the mound. His stuff is GREAT, but his control and release point are very erratic. Put the glove in the middle of the plate and let his 96 MPH fastball with movement get hit BUT STOP WALKING GUYS!
You all know I think Cano has uber talent, but he needs to get out of the 5 hole and relax. I think his main problems are that he needs a rest (has played more than any other Yankee) and he is that he has been swinging at inside pitches that are balls no matter what. He has not been able to lay off the pitches off the plate inside and he puts himself in bad counts. He has hit into more lineouts than any player so that has been unlucky, but his plate plan needs adjusting (I know some guys struggle with this). He also has not been getting the job done with RISP. I think he is a good candidate for the 5 hole as he breaks up the lineup very well there, but he hasn’t been getting it done. Perhaps a day off could get him going? I also want to note that Cano’s defense has been outstanding this year.
A few other items:
Gardner is not a good hitter, but he saves a lot of hits with his defense. In the last 2 games Gardner has saved 2 doubles and a single with his speed; this must be taken into account when analyzing a players worth. It is easy to dismiss that value, but it is VERY valuable. Melky meanwhile turned 2 outs into a double and a single the last few times in CF. That being said, I have no issue the way Girardi has juggled the OF.
While on Melky, he really needs to learn to throw/get rid of the ball quicker. He made a good play yesterday on Rolen’s hit off the wall and then he steps AND crow hops before he throws to 2nd where it was close. While Melky takes all that time to throw the runner moves 3 steps closer to the bag and all hope of throwing the guy out is lost. Melky and the Yanks would be much better served if he took less time to throw it and got less on the throw as it would get to its destination faster. Proof of this is found when catchers throw to 2nd…you would NEVER see a catcher take this much time to throw because he would never throw out a runner, but you see outfielders take many steps before throwing often.
Over the last few days there have been some amazingly close plays. The calls have worked out fairly but I can’t remember 4 or so plays that I had to watch many times and still was not 100% sure of the outcome. Tow points on this that could impact the call. There was a play at 1st base on Friday night where the 1st baseman did not stretch toward the catcher/pitcher throw when coming from down the first base line (such as on a bunt). Some of you may remember me commenting about this when Giambi was at 1st base, but other 1st basemen do it as well. We got the call for being safe, but if the 1st baseman stretched toward the throw we would have been called out. Yesterday a close play at home with Damon showed the reason why I like the straight forward aggressive slide with the feet as he didn’t lose any time and went directly toward home plate and just beat the tag. Too many times the guy goes around the catcher instead of getting too the plate faster. I hope Damon’s play shows other Yankees how to do it. Texiera was thrown out (even though he was safe) because he used his hand to get to the plate, but if he would have slid directly in, he would have easily been safe. I was a catcher and if a guy goes in hard and straight, it is very hard to stop his momentum with just your leg and it is rare when you are blocking the full plate without the ball so it is much better to go into home the fastest way possible.
We have played 80 games and are basically at the half way point. I will go through the team’s stats in my next blog. 1 out is good considering losing all the H2H games with Boston!
Happy 4th all!
Hard to get negative when the Yanks are playing solid ball and the teams around us are losing, but please allow me some venting.
I have to say I am getting down on Girardi. I don’t understand the move in the 8th inning where Rivera was getting warmed up in a tie game? Hughes threw ELEVEN pitches and got through the 8th. Why would you get only one inning out of Hughes in a spot where the likelihood of extra innings is pretty strong? Why bring in Rivera when the score is tied in the 9th inning? Assuming Rivera is equally as good in save situations as non save situation (which we know is not true), the way I see it, would you rather get an extra inning out of Hughes or Phil Coke or if the game went longer Brett Tomko? This is a no brainer decision. I used to get on Torre for his thinking that games would never get to extra innings and this was a VERY bad decision by Girardi.
But they won, what is your hang up?
My hang up is that the manager’s job is to put the team/players in the best position/chance to win the ball game. Sometimes you do the right thing and you don’t win and sometimes you do the wrong thing and you do win (yesterday), but if you do the right things, it will without question lead to more victories in the long run. I think Girardi has lost about 4 games for us this year. One could argue that just moving Wang after the injury was at least 2 more losses.
The announcers were praising Wang yesterday but I saw the same pitcher as the past 2 games. Really good movement on his 92-93 MPH fastball, but his control was not good or consistent. Like I have said a few times, I want Wang in the rotation, but he should have worked his issues out in the pen before getting back in the rotation. Now, his arm all of a sudden is hurt and we shall see what happens.
BTW, something I have been noticing about all the Yankee catchers that I would like to see changed. When you have 3 balls, I want to see a target more in the middle of the plate in “no walk” situations. Example: You have a guy like Wang who has a ball that moves a lot and the catchers’ glove is trying to paint a 3-2 fastball/sinker on the corner? Put the glove in the middle of the strike zone and let the natural movement/lack of control move the ball to the corners. BUT STOP WALKING GUYS! Same is true when you have Burnett on the mound. His stuff is GREAT, but his control and release point are very erratic. Put the glove in the middle of the plate and let his 96 MPH fastball with movement get hit BUT STOP WALKING GUYS!
You all know I think Cano has uber talent, but he needs to get out of the 5 hole and relax. I think his main problems are that he needs a rest (has played more than any other Yankee) and he is that he has been swinging at inside pitches that are balls no matter what. He has not been able to lay off the pitches off the plate inside and he puts himself in bad counts. He has hit into more lineouts than any player so that has been unlucky, but his plate plan needs adjusting (I know some guys struggle with this). He also has not been getting the job done with RISP. I think he is a good candidate for the 5 hole as he breaks up the lineup very well there, but he hasn’t been getting it done. Perhaps a day off could get him going? I also want to note that Cano’s defense has been outstanding this year.
A few other items:
Gardner is not a good hitter, but he saves a lot of hits with his defense. In the last 2 games Gardner has saved 2 doubles and a single with his speed; this must be taken into account when analyzing a players worth. It is easy to dismiss that value, but it is VERY valuable. Melky meanwhile turned 2 outs into a double and a single the last few times in CF. That being said, I have no issue the way Girardi has juggled the OF.
While on Melky, he really needs to learn to throw/get rid of the ball quicker. He made a good play yesterday on Rolen’s hit off the wall and then he steps AND crow hops before he throws to 2nd where it was close. While Melky takes all that time to throw the runner moves 3 steps closer to the bag and all hope of throwing the guy out is lost. Melky and the Yanks would be much better served if he took less time to throw it and got less on the throw as it would get to its destination faster. Proof of this is found when catchers throw to 2nd…you would NEVER see a catcher take this much time to throw because he would never throw out a runner, but you see outfielders take many steps before throwing often.
Over the last few days there have been some amazingly close plays. The calls have worked out fairly but I can’t remember 4 or so plays that I had to watch many times and still was not 100% sure of the outcome. Tow points on this that could impact the call. There was a play at 1st base on Friday night where the 1st baseman did not stretch toward the catcher/pitcher throw when coming from down the first base line (such as on a bunt). Some of you may remember me commenting about this when Giambi was at 1st base, but other 1st basemen do it as well. We got the call for being safe, but if the 1st baseman stretched toward the throw we would have been called out. Yesterday a close play at home with Damon showed the reason why I like the straight forward aggressive slide with the feet as he didn’t lose any time and went directly toward home plate and just beat the tag. Too many times the guy goes around the catcher instead of getting too the plate faster. I hope Damon’s play shows other Yankees how to do it. Texiera was thrown out (even though he was safe) because he used his hand to get to the plate, but if he would have slid directly in, he would have easily been safe. I was a catcher and if a guy goes in hard and straight, it is very hard to stop his momentum with just your leg and it is rare when you are blocking the full plate without the ball so it is much better to go into home the fastest way possible.
We have played 80 games and are basically at the half way point. I will go through the team’s stats in my next blog. 1 out is good considering losing all the H2H games with Boston!
Happy 4th all!
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
I did want to comment about the 3-0 count with Cano. I see he supposedly missed a sign?
Here is what I don't get.
1) Why does it seem that so many times this year the Yankee players either missed a sign or didn't know what to do? Are the signs to complicated or are they sufficient enough to get what the manager wants across? No excuse for so many times where the Yankees players are on a different page?
2) On 3-0, is it really horrible to bunt? If you are committed to the bunt, then why not give your batter a chance to bunt with an extra strike. he is not supposed to offer at a ball anyway, so why not tee it up if he was going to do it on 3-1? One could argue (and I would agree that perhaps the pitcher would not throw another strike after 3-1, but it isn't horrible. The issue was the Texiera thought the take was on so he was going back to 2nd base. The bunt was not great, but with a good jump he could have made it close.
3) At 3-0 would you consider giving him the green light or at least take off the bunt?
My main issue was that the Yankees players were not on the same page and that has happened too often.
Here is what I don't get.
1) Why does it seem that so many times this year the Yankee players either missed a sign or didn't know what to do? Are the signs to complicated or are they sufficient enough to get what the manager wants across? No excuse for so many times where the Yankees players are on a different page?
2) On 3-0, is it really horrible to bunt? If you are committed to the bunt, then why not give your batter a chance to bunt with an extra strike. he is not supposed to offer at a ball anyway, so why not tee it up if he was going to do it on 3-1? One could argue (and I would agree that perhaps the pitcher would not throw another strike after 3-1, but it isn't horrible. The issue was the Texiera thought the take was on so he was going back to 2nd base. The bunt was not great, but with a good jump he could have made it close.
3) At 3-0 would you consider giving him the green light or at least take off the bunt?
My main issue was that the Yankees players were not on the same page and that has happened too often.
Hes been dreadful at home, dominant on the road.You could be right about him not being wired to be a starter but Id like to give him a little more than half a season to see what hes got. Everybody has got to remember that he still very young and it takes time to develop starters. He was dreadful today but he usually keeps the team in the game for the few innings he pitches.The Ghost of Common said:
cobalt_27
Footballguy
He's wired to be a starter. It's what he knows best. I worry about him having a dead arm. His fastball just isn't as lively as it used to be. Certainly not an age factor. Give him a bit of a break around the AS break, regroup...I think he'll be just fine.Hughes is doing solid work in MR. No reason to shake everything up right now.I think its mechanical with Joba. Sometimes he throws 89-91 other times 94-96. Today he was consistently in the mid-90's. I honestly have no clue what happened to his velocity, just guessing at this point.He's wired to be a starter. It's what he knows best. I worry about him having a dead arm. His fastball just isn't as lively as it used to be. Certainly not an age factor. Give him a bit of a break around the AS break, regroup...I think he'll be just fine.Hughes is doing solid work in MR. No reason to shake everything up right now.
shut it down
Footballguy
Yankees:Hughes::my grandmother:a Ferrari
NY/NJMFDIVER
Footballguy
I would like to keep giving him the shot. That curveball is good enough to me to make him a consistent threat a third viable pitch, and the changeup comes and goes. We've seen what the slider can do, and I'll only hope and pray that fastball will regain its consistent effectiveness.And today, was just, incredibly frustrating, and the guy's been given an opportunity to start, and it seems to me that there's not a start to start focus or intensity that he brings to each outing, and i guess that level of preparation is part of getting used to 30 starts. And given the home/road splits, I'm going to infer that the stadium's in his head a bit. But the thing is, the guy, even if his fastball never regains its 96+ consistency, he's got #2 starter stuff based on the breaking stuff alone, hes' just got to trust it. I don't know whats up with him, but i think he needs his cage rattled. He's just sleepwalking through these starts, taking them for granted, when he should really be viewing them as an audition.if for no other reason, look at his pitching mate. AJ Burnett is a borderline number 2 starter and he got 5 years for 80 mil. CC, an ace's ace, got 160 million. I don't believe any reliever has ever had so much as a 50 million dollar contract. If he wants this job, he should step up and claim it, not just take it for granted.The Ghost of Common said:
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
Sunday was a wild game; at least we won.
Tell me again why Ransom is up? He let that grounder eat him up and it could have cost the Yankees the game (5 unearned runs). Cone incorrectly said, he couldn’t have charged that hard top spin grounder. When you back up on a grounder that will take its second hop you are asking for trouble.
Joba did not pitch well. His ERA is a respectable 4.04 but he has not been what we expected. We all expected a stud throwing 97 with a great breaking ball. I am not sure what happened to his arm, but I do not believe that if he was put in the pen he would all of a sudden throw 97 again. Something is off in his arm strength, but he may do well at some point to miss a start just to rest his arm more than normal. With Wang out, I doubt that will happen, but perhaps they can work that in later in the year? Yesterday, it appeared he struggled with his slider yet his curve ball was decent...of course not enough strikes.
Fantastic game by Aceves and obviously Girardi is reading this "blog" as he stuck with a guy who was pitching great! 4 innings with only allowing 1 hit for Aceves. He threw 43 pitches and 75% for strikes. Of course, Girardi managed well because he wanted to rest Rivera, Hughes and Coke…but maybe he will learn that the unknown in the pen may not be better than a guy who is sharp NOW. Aceves is a pitcher; all of his pitches move well and he throws a lot of different pitches for different speeds; this makes it very hard to guess what is coming. He will be a very effective pitcher with that repertoire. Last year Aceves had 4 starts and his combined ERA was below 3 so this is no fluke. Posada worked the change a lot more Aceves and many of his outs were recorded with the change. Just as he had recorded 3 straight outs with the change and then threw it again to the next batter with one strike; he came back with a fastball that he blew past their catcher for strike 3! Great game of calling pitches for Posada yesterday.
Back to Joba as he had some curious comments after the game. "I did a good job today, I felt like," he said. "They're great hitters. I threw good pitches and they put good swings on them. They've been doing it all year and they just continued to do it… My mechanics were the best they've been all year. We're just going to continue to build. It's a win at the end of the day. I didn't throw well at all, but at the end of the day it's a 10-8 Yankee win so there's really nothing you can be mad about."
Help me understand how the 4 bold parts are tied together; I don’t see it? While you can try and figure out Sybil, let’s move on to the offense…
Jeter and Posada had great hitting games and Matsui had the huge HR to get the Yankees back in the game. After having some prolonged slumps, Matsui has put up numbers consistent with what he has always done for us…an OPS of around .850. Matsui has homered in each of the last two games and is 8 for 17 with three doubles, three home runs and eight RBI since the end of interleague play. Those inconsistent AB’s were hard for him during interleague games…it would appear. BTW, Jeter is right on his career marks as well so he is doing very well.
The Yankees may have already done it, but today they could knock Toronto out as a concern to over take us in the WC or division. There is a lot of time left, but if the Yanks win today and are up by 8 games against Toronto, we would most likely be more concerned with some other team if Toronto gets back into the mix…win today and realistically we don’t have to worry about Toronto anymore.
Tell me again why Ransom is up? He let that grounder eat him up and it could have cost the Yankees the game (5 unearned runs). Cone incorrectly said, he couldn’t have charged that hard top spin grounder. When you back up on a grounder that will take its second hop you are asking for trouble.
Joba did not pitch well. His ERA is a respectable 4.04 but he has not been what we expected. We all expected a stud throwing 97 with a great breaking ball. I am not sure what happened to his arm, but I do not believe that if he was put in the pen he would all of a sudden throw 97 again. Something is off in his arm strength, but he may do well at some point to miss a start just to rest his arm more than normal. With Wang out, I doubt that will happen, but perhaps they can work that in later in the year? Yesterday, it appeared he struggled with his slider yet his curve ball was decent...of course not enough strikes.
Fantastic game by Aceves and obviously Girardi is reading this "blog" as he stuck with a guy who was pitching great! 4 innings with only allowing 1 hit for Aceves. He threw 43 pitches and 75% for strikes. Of course, Girardi managed well because he wanted to rest Rivera, Hughes and Coke…but maybe he will learn that the unknown in the pen may not be better than a guy who is sharp NOW. Aceves is a pitcher; all of his pitches move well and he throws a lot of different pitches for different speeds; this makes it very hard to guess what is coming. He will be a very effective pitcher with that repertoire. Last year Aceves had 4 starts and his combined ERA was below 3 so this is no fluke. Posada worked the change a lot more Aceves and many of his outs were recorded with the change. Just as he had recorded 3 straight outs with the change and then threw it again to the next batter with one strike; he came back with a fastball that he blew past their catcher for strike 3! Great game of calling pitches for Posada yesterday.
Back to Joba as he had some curious comments after the game. "I did a good job today, I felt like," he said. "They're great hitters. I threw good pitches and they put good swings on them. They've been doing it all year and they just continued to do it… My mechanics were the best they've been all year. We're just going to continue to build. It's a win at the end of the day. I didn't throw well at all, but at the end of the day it's a 10-8 Yankee win so there's really nothing you can be mad about."
Help me understand how the 4 bold parts are tied together; I don’t see it? While you can try and figure out Sybil, let’s move on to the offense…
Jeter and Posada had great hitting games and Matsui had the huge HR to get the Yankees back in the game. After having some prolonged slumps, Matsui has put up numbers consistent with what he has always done for us…an OPS of around .850. Matsui has homered in each of the last two games and is 8 for 17 with three doubles, three home runs and eight RBI since the end of interleague play. Those inconsistent AB’s were hard for him during interleague games…it would appear. BTW, Jeter is right on his career marks as well so he is doing very well.
The Yankees may have already done it, but today they could knock Toronto out as a concern to over take us in the WC or division. There is a lot of time left, but if the Yanks win today and are up by 8 games against Toronto, we would most likely be more concerned with some other team if Toronto gets back into the mix…win today and realistically we don’t have to worry about Toronto anymore.
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
Monday
Considering the following, losing by only 1 run is a pretty good indication that we are a good team:
1) Jeter trying to steal 3rd base with nobody out in the first inning and not making it close (forget the bad call) – what was he thinking?
2) Swinging at 20 balls in the dirt.
3) Toronto made 4-5 excellent plays that really cost us some runs.
4) The umps didn’t help at all, screwing up the Jeter play, the Hinske play at 2nd base (the guy way was off the bag) and all the close plays going against us.
Some days there is a lot against you and we still almost came back.
BTW, if Pena were pinch running in the 9th inning, he would have made it to 2nd base easily as Frasor has no move!!! Why are we hurting our chances of winning just so Pena can be in the minors?
Considering the following, losing by only 1 run is a pretty good indication that we are a good team:
1) Jeter trying to steal 3rd base with nobody out in the first inning and not making it close (forget the bad call) – what was he thinking?
2) Swinging at 20 balls in the dirt.
3) Toronto made 4-5 excellent plays that really cost us some runs.
4) The umps didn’t help at all, screwing up the Jeter play, the Hinske play at 2nd base (the guy way was off the bag) and all the close plays going against us.
Some days there is a lot against you and we still almost came back.
BTW, if Pena were pinch running in the 9th inning, he would have made it to 2nd base easily as Frasor has no move!!! Why are we hurting our chances of winning just so Pena can be in the minors?
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
He is OK, but for fantasy purposes I wouldn't see any value. High strikeouts, but his whip won't be great and the odds of getting a save or win or small. ERA should go in streaks...Look for Aceves if he starts.
Tremendous Upside
Footballguy
He's having a ton of trouble with the Metrodome roof
Righetti
Footballguy
he's been having problems all season. he is blaming it on his eyes or whatever but I think he's completely done as a fielder in MLB
Tremendous Upside
Footballguy
Yeah, he's been bad all year, but has been particularly putrid today with his roof strugglesAt least he still has that cannon for an arm
Liquid Tension
Footballguy
A quick comment from the Tuesday game
“Hirschbeck admitted Jeter doesn’t argue very often.“Yes, in my 27 years in the big leagues, he is probably the classiest person I’ve been around,” he said.
It was a dumb baseball move by Jeter, but the comment from the ump is REALLY something Jeter and we Yankee fans should be proud of. Hail the Captain
The Wednesday game can be summed up with 3 words; THE GENIUS MAKER!
A classic example of Rivera making a manager look good when in reality the manager made an idiotic decision.
What was the purpose of bringing in Rivera in the 8th inning with 2 outs and Hughes on the mound throwing well? What if Rivera allows the run in the 8th or even the 9th? Then what? What if the Yankees score 5 runs in the top of the 9th, why waste Rivera? Why over pitch Rivera when you clearly don’t need to? Save it for the time where you have no other good option? Girardi is managing scared.
The Genius Maker tm is a tribute to Mariano Rivera who makes coaches look a like a genius...
“Hirschbeck admitted Jeter doesn’t argue very often.“Yes, in my 27 years in the big leagues, he is probably the classiest person I’ve been around,” he said.
It was a dumb baseball move by Jeter, but the comment from the ump is REALLY something Jeter and we Yankee fans should be proud of. Hail the Captain
The Wednesday game can be summed up with 3 words; THE GENIUS MAKER!
A classic example of Rivera making a manager look good when in reality the manager made an idiotic decision.
What was the purpose of bringing in Rivera in the 8th inning with 2 outs and Hughes on the mound throwing well? What if Rivera allows the run in the 8th or even the 9th? Then what? What if the Yankees score 5 runs in the top of the 9th, why waste Rivera? Why over pitch Rivera when you clearly don’t need to? Save it for the time where you have no other good option? Girardi is managing scared.
The Genius Maker tm is a tribute to Mariano Rivera who makes coaches look a like a genius...
Its only one extra out. I still trust Mo more than Hughes in that spot.
