AL Rumors and Rumblings: Yankees right-hander Mike Mussina is considering retirement at the end of the season, and is unlikely to sign with any team as a free agent other than New York.

Hey, how did the Red Sox get Paul Byrd for a PTBNL??? Esp. considering their rotation woes.

Yeah, they're informative, because they convey information - but really, does 7.3 innings mean that trading for Marte was a bad idea? Of course not, and Pete knows better. But I guess it gets discussion going?

And the Farnsworth thing is funny, because its so not true.

"Really good question. I guess the Yankees didn't want to risk getting stuck with another capable, dependable starter."

It was also pointed out that, his play on defense aside, he was likely to hit better than Melky, making the non-claim by the Yanks all the more questionable.

1 Take it for what it's worth - he's also "considering" playing a few more years. He's been quoted as saying he won't make a decision until November.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hawkila01.shtml

http://tinyurl.com/55uaaa

I like the Rasner that can K the top two bats in the Twins line-up as a fifth starter.

Isn't VORP adjusted by position? Morneau (1B, 116) and Quentin (LF/RF) play at positions that are averaging higher offensive positions. A-Rods comparable raw numbers are, therefore, more valuable relative to a replacement player at his position. Add in A-Rod's base running...

; )

But Robbie's the problem, I guess.

Still, I have a hard time faulting a 25-yo second baseman for the offensive malaise of this team.

Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, so the nautical mile it is.

I'm not fighting the consensus anymore.

I wonder if Robbie plays better if Bowa is still coaching 3rd?

Trade this bum.

And your Bio says:
I am a Grad Student at Duke University, studying mating systems and inbreeding depression in mosses.

I have a question. Did you need to get Mr. and Mrs. Moss's permission to do this?

Ooooh Felipe Lopez is too.

Sigh.

This team sucks and needs more consistent hitters. Especially gritty ones.

We have a veteran team, and they are supposed to be able to motivate themselves, but it is a long, grueling season. Larry Bowa is a walking wakeup call, and I think we miss that.

Hey - where is Sliced anyway? Haven't seen him around in a while.

(From the NYY official tickets FAQ.)

Nobody likes to sell low, but Cano's attitude is forcing the Yankees to do so.

Does my child need a their own ticket?

Children under thirty (30") inches who can walk freely under the turnstile or are carried into the Stadium do not require a ticket to enter. The child must sit on an adult's lap during the game without obstructing the view of any other fans.

For Cano, don't think of Bowa as a third base coach. Think of him as a mentor/big brother. Sure, Cano is a pro and all that, but sometimes we all need a big brother (or sister) to help keep us in line (or get us back in line). Bowa filled that role; who is doing it now? Remember, Cano is just 25. I know I needed some help staying in line at 25.

(Blows smoke away from muzzle of six-shooter.)

I imagine that the mlb.com team page has the info?

74 At some point Cano will get hot and look like the Cano we all fell in love with. It's at this point that Cashman should start working the phones.

RIGHT?!!!

So, either the Yankees are a particularly unmotivated lot, or the current Yankees staff as a whole is significantly worse at motivating the players, or this whole motivation thing is a bunch of hokum.

Trade Cano to Mets for Reyes, straight up. Reyes plays SS. Jeter moves to 2B.

OK, now tell me why that's the dumbest thing you've ever heard.

(Glances sideways at Abreu.)

Hmmm,...Giese in relief. Does that mean he will not start next week? And if not, then Hughes?

We definitely need a new medium.

Didn't they?

If it gets him to hit and play the field competently, F yeah!

What's a truly great Cano worth to the Yanks? And what would they have to pay Bowa? The math works. (And yes, I know this is the Mark Cuban solution - lots and lots of coaches. But I think it makes sense.)

87 Perhaps Robbie has just not connected with any of the current coaches like he did with Bowa.

odd choice to bring in giese here ... just getting an inning or two in?

or is there a move that is going to be made that joey joe joe jr knows about that we don't?

hmmmmm ...

That's my position. I'm sure morale of the team is an important thing. BUT these guys didn't make it to the major leagues because they needed a kick in the ass to get motivated.

Similarly, hitting with RISP is not a repeatable skill and it's largely the result of a relatively small sample size.

And I have no idea what Abreu is attempting to steal anymore, especially with a good catcher.

SB% last three years: 83% 75% 61%

I still think Hughes is ready and they plan to bring him up.

100 That's their problem. Or maybe they shift Cano to SS!

99 All it takes is another collapse where Reyes performs poorly, and I'm sure the traditional media will happily point to him as the source of all their problems.

Hey, that has me thinking . . . don't Mets fans love to blame Beltran for all their woes? Maybe the Mets would throw him in! Melky-Cano for Reyes-Beltran - talk about a win-win!

Does Giese maybe need glasses???

Cano may be one of these guys who was born with all the right tools, but he needs someone to scream at him every once in a while.

Hey super, Young's up with the bases juiced.

Seriously, I think it's time to start rooting for Tampa Bay and Minnesota. If the Yankees are going to miss the playoffs, it would be nice to take Boston with us. At least that way I could still enjoy playoff baseball.

Robertson gets a double play. Or a K and a fly out. You heard it here first.

Sweet.

But it's not exactly a revelation that certain players benefit from being ridden a little or having their buttons pushed in certain ways -- and that the individual doing the button-pushing frequently is someone besides the manager.

Sure, Cano is a grown-up and should be able to motivate himself, and blaming it all on Bowa's absence is probably a bit much. But I don't dismiss the benefit of Bowa's techniques and relationship with Cano as hokum.

NOW WHAT???

This kid is something else

(i keed, i keed)

131 A great idea, but at first at least, there could be sample size issues.

In light of your comment, is it good that Winters is out? (I haven't been paying close attention to Gameday and the strike zone.)

Then WHY weren't you hitting as well before, hmm?

Wait. Giambi is being allowed to face a LEFTY?! Surely the rapture is nigh!

UPDATE, 3:19 p.m.: The game was delayed for about 13 minutes. Good job by Robertson limiting the damage. But it's 4-1 and the Yankees seem to be in a rush to go home.

UPDATE, 3:24 p.m.: Another "let's get this over with" game for the Yankees. They've had one hit since the first inning.

UPDATE, 3:28 p.m.: That's a new one. Usually Melky and Robbie play poorly individually. They teamed up there.

meanwhile, this team needs an enema ...

(gotta root for some team)

We want a(nother) non-out event!

Doesn't matter which one!

Thanks.

I'm glad I have such self control.

Strikeout, Fly out, Groundout.

Doesn't that just about sum up the whole offense?

C'mon I-Rod!

We're cool.

Yanks, not so much, dangit.

(Then again, you can probably fault Rasner for becoming rattled by the error. Kubel sent one to the warning track before Young got his shot.)

I missed the part where they got to the top, though....seems like it's been mostly dips.

But he has made some disturbing missteps, and he's only done one thing well - bullpen management. Unless that's your sole criterion for judging a manager, it's hard to say that he's done anything to suggest he's a particularly good manager.

Everything? Should A-Rod and Joba be on the table?

His platooning leaves much to be desired. But, in the process, he does seem to have gotten guys more rest than in the past, which I consider a good thing. They ain't getting younger.

273 Some say there is no such thing as a good manager - only bad ones who cost their team many wins with egregious mistakes across the board. (Recent example: Buddy Bell in KC.) Joe G. might not be a good manager, but I do not feel he is a bad one.

He's been on the job for 121 games. Its getting late out there, but not for Girardi - its still early.

274 No effing way. (Ditto with Wang, Hughes, Mo, and the stud prospects (Jackson, Montero, Melancon, DeLeon, etc.).)

Good night, all.

Joe Girardi makes a lot of mistakes. he manages a bullpen well, but as far as I can see, he's shown nothing else up to this point. I'm not at all happy to say that - I had much higher hopes for him. But I'm struggling to see the positives.

I also believe that the fit between a manager and a team is important; a good manager in one situation might not be good in another. Maybe Joe is a good manager with the wrong team, I don't know. Still, I'm unimpressed so far.

To put it another way, what's the difference between the number of wins, say, Bob Melvin adds to a team versus the number of wins Manny Acta adds to a team? The truly great managers add many wins. The truly horrible managers subtract many wins. The difference between everyone else (in terms of wins added/subtracted) is, I suspect, not that great (over a reasonable sample).

Anyway this is more a philosophical discussion than anything else, and best left for when I'm more awake and have less work to do.

So I'll close with this - poor decisions get magnified when a team is playing poorly. And sometimes decisions that make sense are ridiculed because they go against the CW. I don't have the time now, but I might be able to construct a reasonable argument for sitting Damon on Monday. Maybe tomorrow.

The rest is crrrrrrrrappp... !!! >;)

http://www.replacementlevel.com/index.php/RLYW/comments/yankee_offense_pitching_and_defense_since_the_all_star_break_winning_streak

here we are

http://tinyurl.com/5dacak

About Lineups: True, I can't figure out Monday's line up; sitting JD AND Giambi. But in general, it may be possible that the above expectations play by both these guys is attributed to regular rest. On any given day, we don't know the physical or emotional state of these guy, and I assume Girardi does. WE Banterers can make great lineups based on stats and matchups, but we have no real 'human' judgement. Sometimes, we need to give Girardi a pass.

I would say Joe G. gets a B+ for BP management, a A for keeping players fresh and in the mix, a C- for onfield tactics and a C- for subs/PHs/PRs. Again, keeping guys fresh and emotionally involved means you are NOT always going to see the VERY BEST guy out there in every situation.

This team does NOT suck nor need to be 'blown up'. Considering our injuries, but especially the terrible underperfromance of so many players, it's amazing we are a over .500 team. Is Cleveland? Is Detroit? Do those teams suck?

If ARod and Giambi's RISP were the same as their OPS, we are very close to the Sox. If Cano has a .820 OPS, we are at least tied with the Sox. If Jetes wasn't having a career bad year, we are ahead of the Sox. From Melky, any thing other then total suckitude would have helped a little.

Even with all our injuries, we could be easily ahead of the Sox. It's a very good team, that in 2008, had a boatload of position players the performed from poorly to very poorly.

JD is the only (position) player who overperformed. I could say Jason's .915 OPS is GREAT, but adding in a RISP of .659 (in over 100 ABs) makes his contribution hard to call excellent. Same with ARod. After these 3, there ain't a lot of good to say, aside from the fact that Bobby was solid and clutch.

Shit happens. RCNB. Moose, JD, Giambi and a bunch of no-name kids really stepped up... Phil, IPK, Cano and Melky, the core of our 'youth movement' all really shit the bed. Who wudda thunk. Age wasn't the problem. All in all, our elder statemen kept this team afloat.

And BIG Kudos to Cashman. In the face of 'Santanamania' and the 'need to Win', he stuck to his guns. We got NOTHING from 3 of our 5 starters, and yet the kids who throw kept our team ERA exactly at league average. His mid season trades were not bombastic, but he 'dumped' Farns and Tabata while their stock was high, didn't give up any real talent (time with tell with Tabata) we were high on, and got guys that helped us now, and may be in the mix next year. $6m is way too much for Marte, but (as a FA for $3-4m) might be on the team next year, along with Pudge and X-Man.

I don't care who runs or manages the team. The players have to perform.