Monday, June 09, 2008

The writing is on the wall for what this team is and is not capable of. After a handful of "turn the corner" type wins, they enter into a 4 game series, at home, against the league's worst road team. . . . and we split. - well that's just great.

I'm not seeing October as a realistic objective any longer for '08 - what about you?

26 comments:

The Scooter said...

I remember all these "sky is falling" posts from last year. It's a long long season...for some reason this group of Yankees seem to be a second half team; Pettitte is historically a second half pitcher; Wang should be better; and Joba in the rotation should help.

I'm sure there is a trade or two out there that will help the bullpen and maybe the bench, and the law of averages say that we have weathered the injury storm.

Add all that to the fact that other than the Red Sox (who now have injury issues of their own), there really isn't a team out there that scares me in the wild card hunt.

Tampa Bay~I'm sorry, I'm still not sold on them. They will hit a wall soon and go back to being a sub .500 team.

Toronto~ummmm NO

Minny~a very average team

Cleveland~another pedestrian team that will be below .500 for the entire year.

Detroit~The biggest disappointment this side of the New York Mets (Did anyone watch Dontrelle totally implode last night? and to think I was calling for the Yankees to trade for him last year...I got that one wrong.)

Oakland~No way they keep up the pace they are on now. Plus Billy Beane will look to unload some more dollars at the trade deadline.


In fact, I don't think the wild card will take more that 85-88 wins this year. Yankees are in good shape. No worries.

old professor said...

Scooter, while I would hope the Yankees can turn this season around, having said that, they have not been able to put a consistent winning streak together all season and they are playing like a .500 club. The only positive aspect to the season so far is they are now only six games back in the east and are tied for third. This does put them five games back in the Wild Card.

Has there been a Farnsworth sighting out there anywhere. Veras seems to have pitched himself into the eighth inning man. Farnsworth has not pitched in almost a week neither has Hawkins though I believe he is serving his suspension.

Wang pitched extremely well against Oakland. Now if the Yankees can give Rasner three runs, they will have two wins in around.

57 said...

oh my God fire MINAYA

57 said...

what is worse, the yanks troubles or the mets?

Anonymous said...

The Yanks will be better than .500 soon. They may not win the division this year but they will be in the hunt for the wild card. I would guess 95 wins takes the East, maybe 91 for the wild card.

Old Prof, Farnsworth is nursing an injury. I heard his bicep is hurting. I think recent history shows that the road of biceps and forearm problems lead to Alabama and Dr. Andrews. Don't be surprised.

Scooter Billy Beane does not trade players to unload $ or get rid of the expiring contract. He will traditionally hold those guys and collect the draft picks. I do agree with you in that there doesn't seem to be any one team that wants the wild card. Oakland in my opinion is the wild card in the wild card race. You don't expect much from them, but they always seem to finish with 90+ wins with "no one" on the team.

57, the Mets are always worse off than the Yanks. There's just no argument there.

Anonymous said...

I hate west coast games mid-week. I have no idea what happened other than the box score. It looks like Rasner gets pounded for the first time this season. If I had to guess he was probably trying too hard to make every pitch perfect. It was a "homecoming" game for him and he had a lot of friends and family in the stands.

Anyone stay up and watch the game?

The Scooter said...

I watched until Rasner got "pounded". I think it was the third. He gave up something like six hits in a row after an error by Giambi. From what I saw, it was a very sloppy game for the Yanks, defensively; offensively and on the mound.

Not an impressive performance by any one involved.

old professor said...

Jetlag normally kicks in for an East Coast team in game two of a series. Maybe this could explain the teams lethargy. (Look up the word Mid). And then again it could really be that this team is really not that good. They are now seven games back in the east and five back in the wildcard.

Crash for the Yankees to win 95 games this year, they will have to win 62% of their remaining games - NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

Sorry 57, the Muts are worse off then the Yankees. By the way the psuedo-sandman coughed up a three run lead with two outs and two strikes on a batter that had struck out all previous times at bat. (Take heart 57 Gagne could be had from the Brewers for a few balls and a dozen or so bats). To reiterate what has been said so many times before - There is only one sandman and he resides in the Bronx

The Scooter said...

THIS IS FOR 57:

Say your prayers little one
Dont forget, my son
To include everyone

Tuck you in, warm within
Keep you free from sin
Till the sandman he comes

Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land

old professor said...

This site has had information on professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, lacrosse, football, oh yes,baseball and now a prayer from Scooter for the Muts and their outspoken fan. For the Yankees it is the Sandman enters, for the Muts it is the sandman exits. RIP Muts!!!!

The Scooter said...

Hey Prof, I just read this in the NY TIMES:

The Yankees will let the Class AAA reliever J. B. Cox rest for three weeks after placing him on the disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis.

old professor said...

Great news, that is the same shoulder he had the surgery on last year. It is starting to look as if he will never make it to the bigs.

It is hard to believe the SWB is leading their division in Triple A. The pitching staff has an overall ERA around 5 and the most effective pitcher is Kei Igwa. YIKES.

Phil Hughes is now being projected back to the rotation sometime in August. Ian Kennedy is a distant fading memory. Oh and Mid Karstens is active again but his ERA is well over 6.00 and he has a record of 1-2.

Oh one last thing Mid remember Tyler Clippard? He must really like the Columbus area because that is where the Nationals AAA team is now located. He is 4-4 with a 3.41 ERA.

old professor said...

Here is additional pitching news for Yankee fans to consider. Albaladejo (the guy they got from the Nationals for Clippard) will be out for the rest of the year. He apparently has a stress fracture in his right elbow. (Unfortunately, stress fractures have a way of reoccurring).

Here is an oddity - the 20th pick for the Yankees this year was Paul Venditte, a pitcher from Creighton University. The guy pitches from both sides (Mid that would be left and right) and has a specially designed glove with two webs. He has been sent to Staten Island to pitch and will be allowed to pitch from both sides. In college, he was allowed to switch back and forth depending on whether he was facing a right handed hitter or left handed hitter. I believe there is a rule in ML baseball that does not allow a pitcher to switch to the other hand in an inning he has thrown a pitch with the other hand. (Anyone know this for sure??).

The Scooter said...

Wow Prof...I have never heard of that rule...Let's put Crash on it...He's the "rules guru" isn't he?

57 said...

My sources tell me Randolph will be fired today or tomorrow. His job is as good as gone. Howard Johnson and Rick Peterson will also be fired. Get Gary Carter as the bench coach. Jerry Manuel will be the new manager and will be given the year to turn things around. Take this to the bank.

The Scooter said...

I agree Randolph probably won't get out of the weekend...No way they bring in Carter as the bench coach. Manuel gets the manager's job...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

57 said...

Tim Russert dead at age 58. One of the good guys!! Sad, sad story. All the best to his family.

Anonymous said...

I went through the official rules on MLB.com and I found nothing about a pitcher changing which side he pitches from.

I would think the pitcher could change batter to batter but not during an AB. Kind of like a switch hitter picks which side he's going to bat from prior to the start of an AB, but once a pitch is thrown he can't switch. For the record I didn't see that rule either, but I've heard it referenced a couple of times this year already.

Anonymous said...

Yanks send down Shelly Duncan and call up Alberto Gonzalez. They are also openly expressing interest in CC Sabathia if the Indians are looking to trade him. Don't know what it would take to pry him from the Indians...it certainly would be intriguing to say the least. I think Kennedy and Melky make a good package. It would also assume it would be contingent upon a contract extension being completed.

Hope Joba can go at least 5 innings tonight.

The Scooter said...

Good win for the Yankees.

Joba pitched well if not dominant...Veras WAS dominant and Farnsworth actually didn't blow it.

Bats were quiet again, but the "overrated" Captain came through BIG TIME. I have a feeling this is where they will start to run off eight or nine out of ten.

old professor said...

Scooter, you are starting to sound like Michael Kay when it comes to the Captain. When he performs, he is superman and does things no other human being can do, but when he screws up (bad throws) it is put on the first baseman not getting to the ball or (killing a rally), somebody should have had a critical hit before Jeter removing some of the pressure.

57, firing Willie is not going to improve this team. The Muts are flawed. They have a first baseman who is long past his prime, a centerfielder who was paid a superstar contract when he is mediocre at best and a leftfielder who has spent more time on the DL then on the field (maybe the Yankees could trade Pavano for Alou). In addition their starting rotation is average and the closer is dilussional when he believes he is the next coming of Mo.

It looks like the Yankees may have found their eighth inning guy in Jose Veras.

Too bad about Shelly Duncan, but the truth of the matter is he was not getting the at bats needed to become a consistent threat. Why they brought up Gonzalez is a mistery unless they plan on benching Cano.

Anonymous said...

I think with inter-league here the Yanks are just looking for more flexibility off the bench. Gonzelez can play 2B, SS, or 3B and is a better base runner (speed and awareness) than Duncan.

Thought Joba did well. He needs to stop walking batters. I know 2 were IBB but it's almost as if he's trying to strike everyone out...he still has that reliever mentality...so he's trying to make that perfect strike out pitch and is getting into higher pitch counts and walking more batters than he should. Still liked the performance.

I don't think Veras is the 8th inning guy. I think Girardi will go with Farnsworth more than Veras. He got the 8th last night because Farnsworth closed. I think rotating the 2 of them in the 8th is suitable...especially since Farnsworth has proven again this year that he is still ineffective pitching on consecutive days.

I have to admit that when I saw Farnsworth warming in the bullpen for the 9th inning, I turned the channel and expected to see this morning that the Yankees lost it in the 9th.

The Scooter said...

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

The test for Mussina is the July 4th weekend series with Boston. If Girardi starts him, and he pitches well (and by "well" I mean getting a W and not having Manny take him yard), then maybe...maybe, I'll jump on the wagon that is Mike Mussina.

Anonymous said...

By the way anyone else watch the US Open last night. Tiger is amazing. The 66 footer on 13 was sick. The 7 iron out of the bunker that one hops into the cup for a bird on 17, then he eagles 18 on a 40 footer to take the lead. INCREDIBLE

Let's see if he can finish it.

Anonymous said...

April 3, 2008 9:46 AM

57 said

"I will send each of you 5 bucks if the Yankees win a game by 13 runs this year. It won't happen."



June 15, 2008: Yankees 13, Houston 0.

57 don't send the $5, just buy me a beer the next time I'm in town.

Support the Troops