Kielty will start tonight, but Shannon Stewart is supposed to get the night off. That means either Buck or Walker will be in the lineup.

Chance of rain here in the Bay Area tonight, btw - and earlier in the day tomorrow. Supposed to clear later Saturday however.

Good luck - should be an interesting series to watch, hard to predict.

Losing that bet to Mel Hall being the highlight of the 1989 season, of course... or was it Dallas Green having an emotional meltdown in mid-season? That was so long ago and a much different place in Yankee history, I may not know what I'm talking about >;)

2 Skies are perfectly blue right now. My understanding is that the rain won't hit until around 3am, and is more likely to affect tomorrow evening's game than tonight's. I have tickets for Sunday--Harden vs. Pettitte should be a blast.

3 Re: Green's emotinoal meltdown: how could you tell? All I know is I'm glad Bucky Dent isn't a manager in the Yankees' minor league system anymore. Some folks had Bucky pegged as the next Yankee manager just a year or two ago. Cripes, it's bad enough there's a guy named "Phelps" on the team (I'm rooting for Josh, but there's a lot of cognitive dissonance there).

1 Right...we are crossing (or sharing)turfs tonight with Ken.

I still think Igawa is better than we've seen so far. Again, I have no idea where that confidence came from. However, with the number of people losing patients with him stacking up, his window of opportunity for him not to be labeled as "bust" is closing up rapidly.

6 cough, cough..."patience"...hopefully not too many are losing "patients" tonight. So sorry, doctors...

7 You probably had the Doc Medich post on your mind.

4 Color me Kelly Green with jealousy.

6 I'm sorry, you just can't label a guy a bust two starts into the season. It's freaking twisted. I have faith in Igawa, and Jaret Wright's back on the DL with more shoulder problems, so he's already ahead of the game.

Haren schooled the boys last year, right?

2-0, 2.61 ERA, 19 K in 20.2 IP, 1 CG, 0 BB (!), WHIP <1

5 It was either the twitch in his left eye when he screamed as opposed to the usual right-eye twitch, or the sarcasm; again I can't recall >;)

12 Haren rarely walks batters, but because he's always around the plate, he's quite prone to coughing up an untimely home run or two. A bloop and a blast is usually how you beat him.

Torre just said Pavano has "something in his forearm" and will not be starting until Tuesday. Rasner will pitch tomorrow. This from WFAN. They don't think it's serious, obviously.

14 With our pitching staff, it might take 4 looping bloops, 3 seeing eye hits and 2 mighty blasts.
(and a partridge in a pear tree)

14 But we have Arod.

15 That's a joke, right?

15 Confirmed by Peter Abraham. Wow. Do things ever change?

17 (So did Moses...)

10 I couldn't agree with you more...which is why I said I have confidence in him, guess I didn't make that clear.

I swear I laughed out when I saw that news on Peter Abraham's blog. In contrast to my strange confidence in Igawa, I really thought Pavano with two ok to quality starts were too good to be true. The guy didn't sit on DL for two years for nothing. Maybe in the end, the guy is just not build physically to be an athelete.

15 Ah, Porcelin Pavano strikes again.
4 I'll be representin' the Banter in Sec 107 tonight and will be in the bleachers on Sun. Pray for clear skies.

Pavano better not be seriously injured.

Well at least we have some RHP in the minors. Geez, muscle tightness? After two starts, I really do hope we trade him. Its not that he's bad, its just that you honestly never know when he'll be able to take the ball or not. I was so pulling for him too, sigh.

15 Yeah, they didn't think it was serious after that Mets start in oh, 2005.

Cubs blow 5-run lead vs. Reds, lose 4th straight

Ring-a-ling-a-ling....
ARod: Hello?
LouP: Hello Alex?
ARod: Yeah, who's this?
LouP: IT'S DADDY! I LOVE YOU! PLEASE COME HOME! I'LL EVEN RAISE YOUR ALLOWANCE!

26 Funny how LouP = loopy

My "Pavano out with season ending by ASB" bet is still out there. No takers yet.

24 - why not trade Mussina and Wang too?

Can they blame Pavano's injury on the strength and conditioning guy too? Why not...

At this point, wouldn't it just be better to DL Moose and call up another pitcher?

29 Mussina and Wang weren't ever on the DL for almost two years with no surgery.

31 - Pavano wasn't on the DL for almost two years with no surgery, either.

32 True. He missed 8 "legitimate" weeks after elbow surgery for bone chips. I don't remember: Did he have surgery for the "shoulder tendinitis"?

And broken ribs are definitely legit.

33 Seems to me this is more about some manhood bs than surgery.

Oy, I heard Joe break the news on WFAN. Said the ouchieness is up in Bionic Carl's pitching forearm near his elbow, but is not related to any prior injury.

re: Igawa's last outing: both Joe and Leyritz said on the radio today that they think it was just jitters. Leyritz observed that Igawa was rushing his delivery and not finishing his pitches. Joe said if they don't see some progress tonight (which in Iggy's case would be finding the groove he discovered at the end of spring training) they might have to have a chat with him. Leyritz thinks Igawa is on a short leash and will not be given a lot of learn-as-you-go leeway.

Let's go Iggy!

Woo hoo, Mudhens win their home opener, with a come from behind 5-4 score. Game got over just as the sun was setting, and the temp dropping rapidly from 51 to the 30s.

SWB is in town for the only time May 1-4. I hope Hughes is still pitching for the SWBY* because the original rotation is healthy. Though I think Clemens price just went up another million.

*(SWBY = swabbies?)

I read in the newspaper today that there was some grumblings by players about the new strength and conditioning team and how they eschewed some of the regular stretching exercises that the former coach used to do, which may have contributed to the injuries that regulars are currently suffering from. Though I question anything I find in the paper, I've known for a long time that proper conditioning minimizes injury; these hamstrung and muscle strains do seem indicative of lack of proper conditioning. If so, then the Yanks screwed up in their hiring process and the transition from one program to another; particularly if you are talking about reducing exercise regimens. Cashman denies this in the article, but the unnamed player speaking in the article (yeah, I know) points to the new coach as being more knowledgeable, yet less open to player input.

If that has any truth to it, expect to see more aches and pains for a while not just from Number 1 With The Bull$#&+, but from the rest of the Oldies But Goodies... All that to say it actually might not be entirely Pavano's fault this time.

34 Would you like to take me up on my "Pavano out with season ending injury before ASB" bet? Stakes are two tier tickets for any Yanks game that isn't against Boston. vockins at yahoo

All these Pavano lovers out there, you think there would be one person willing to make this bet.

38 I'm in Toledo, those ducats wouldn't do me any good. Not a Pavano lover, but he did pitch well last game, let's see what happens in the next couple of days -- Prior & Woods are also always injured, but they seem to get a pass; let's give Carl one just for the moment.

Hard to not show any improvement considering Igawa's bar is pretty low right now.

Still though, this trainer thing have to be looked into, why the hell are so many guys injured right off the start? this is even more ridiculas than last year , at least last year people went down with serious freak injuries...

37

That certainly could be a contributing factor. However, as "oldies but goodies," they have been around long enough to know how to properly prepare their bodies (see Clemens, Ripken et al.'s legendary off-season programs) and should not be dependent upon a slew of glorified gym teachers to ensure they are sufficiently prepared to play this game.

Personally I just think its bad luck. That being said, there has been a growing trend in baseball for many years now toward strength and power. No longer are Catchers, 2B, and SS expected to be stellar defensive players first, and offensive threats second. I can't say whether this has contributed to the many hamstring and other muscle pulls that seem more prevelent around the league. Any great free-weight program includes many hours of streching throughout the week. However, there are only so many hours in the day and if bulk is what the players are after, something has to give. There are only so many hours in the day, especially during the season.

Leading up to Jackie Robinson day, here is my daily honor of Larry Doby. Signed in July of 1947 to the Cleveland Indians, was the 1st Black player in the AL, and suffered many, if not all, of the same racist garbage that Jackie Robinson endured. He played until 1959, fought in WWII and was an All-Star 7 times, and was runner up to Yogi Berra for the MVP in 1954. There has been almost no mention of Doby here on the Banter, and a dearth of coverage on ESPN and the like. MLB and MLB.com make almost no mention of him, and the fact that his number has not been retired by the league is a slap in the face to his family. This lack of press for Doby each and every year is a crying shame.

I just noticed the number of the post 42 that my comment fell into. I didn't plan that.

Black out restrictions?! Damn you MLB.TV...

I'm getting the YES feed on EI -- in Minnesota it was the Twinkies feed.

41 Re-reading that article again:

"According to the player, (Marty) Miller and (Dana) Cavalea (Director and Asst, of Performance Enhancement, respectively) have tried to force some of their program on players, many of whom have had successful careers for more than a decade. The response has been a combination of resistance and indifference."

Also in that article:

"During the first day of workouts with pitchers and catchers, the pair's pre-workout stretching program did not include any stretching exercises for the players' arms.
"Right off the bat, (Miller has) got a bad rap," says the player, who calls the team's current pregame stretch routine inadequate. "Pitchers and catchers out there not stretching their arms? Their thing is that the active stretch gets everything stretched out, but that's garbage."

http://tinyurl.com/2xor5q

Bobby!

OH! Abreu!!!!

42 I respect and admire what Larry Doby did, and what Elston Howard did, and what Pumpsie Green did, and every other guy who was the first to integrate a team - they all took garbage, and many of the guys who came after them took garbage too - read Alex's "Stepping Up" and you'll get a taste of what happened to Flood, Frank Robinson, and other non-white members of the Reds in the South in the 50s. Shoot, in 1974, Aaron was getting racially-themed death threats when he was on the verge of breaking Ruth's record. As a practical matter, where do you draw the line? Should EVERYONE who's ever suffered some indignity on the baseball field be so honored? Perhaps, but again, as a practical matter its just not reasonable. The line had to be drawn somewhere, and the choice seems to be to draw it at the guy who was first overall. I don't have a problem with that, and I don't understand why it would be insulting to anyone.

That said, spreading the word about all those guys and what they experienced isn't a bad thing, and it ought to occur more frequently. And, though not recently, I have read many articles on ESPN.com and MLB.com, among other sites, about Larry Doby and the other folks who broke the MLB color barrier.

42 Good post, nice number draw ;-)

44 Are you in the Bay Area?

Own this park like you did back in the day, Jason!

Missed the A-Rod was AB (chrissake, more snow flurries this weekend) was it an intentional BB?

52 nope.

50 No, I'm in Brooklyn. I'm in a ZIP that is supposed to be blacked, but never was, as late as last game.

sweet, MLB.TV just switched to the YES feed - the A's broadcast was sucking (same old garbage about the yankees getting close calls their way, whaaaa waaaa)

If the A's aren't hitting, you gotta go after them. 53 Thanks.

iggy looking better already

I wanna watch!

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

oye. got him 0-2, then walked Swisher (who's looking like a 70's musician) on 6 pitches.

54 Why would a NYY road game be blocked in the NYC area?

Yay, a breaking ball strike!

42 That is a shame. I've always found it strange that Larry Doby is always an afterthought in the story of the integration of major league baseball, though he was no less significant a player. Is it that few ever remember No. 2? (After a quick search) Banter has several posts concerning Larry Doby, I'm quite certain they'll be very authoritative and entertaining reads. Do a search on Larry Doby on Banter's search field and they'll come right up.

That was quite interesting luck >;)

57 This is good, I didn't see his first game.

61 I dunno, but i been on hold for 30 min

In the small sample so far, any takes on if Igawa is "finishing" his motion tonight. I didn't see his first start, so no reference...

This is good?

walked piazza on 4 pitches. christ

I get the feeling this is gonna be a looooooong game.

igawa can throw the fastball for strikes and has thrown several curveballs for strikes ... but he's nowhere close with his change-up, which kept sailing high on the last two batters.

Well, he bent but didn't break (trying to be positive) Maybe it'll help his confidence.

And at least the contact they were making wasn't super solid. this could be a really long night though - and he may struggle to go 5 innings...

65 That sucks, especially given the fact you've paid for the service. At least you have Sterling tonight ;-)

Well now, that wasn't very good.

Bklyn.

I am in LA. Sorry for the late response. Strapping on a feed bag down here.

I can't remember three weaker ABs in an inning since I've known this game...

Any chance Torre will figure out that Minky can't hit? Give Phelps some starts, Joe.

73 Bleah. I'll pass; I'm watching "Gettysburg" for the third time this week. See ya' later >;)

"You don't want to get labelled a player who gets hurt"
Heh.

49 Since there was no interleague play then, both Robinson and Doby were the ONLY black faces (in their respective leagues) where ever they went. So while all Blacks had it very tough for quite a while, Jackie and Doby were truly alone, and both pioneers.

Someone has to be the first, and that was Jackie. However, since he has been raised to almost mythological proportions, and at the same tome Doby is hardly even mentioned, it is a bit of a slap.

76 The only worse thing I remember, Bklyn, is that one time Scott Sanderson (pitching for the Yanks) retired the side on 3 pitches - 1 pitch for each batter. MSG's SportsDesk later said that it was the 12th or 13th time it happened that year alone. Don't know if that's true or not, and I don't know why I remember it, but at least it wasn't that bad. =)

75 No worries, VI. As 69 said, it's gonna be a long night, lotsa time to catch up on things...

How about every NL player wears #42, AL wears #2.

Nice inning by the lizard. (Igawa = Iguana)

80 That is a fair point. I guess I've always seen Jackie's 'elevation', and Larry's lack thereof, as more of a by-product of the blurring between the leagues thats occurred over the last 15-20 years.

But like I said, all those guys' stories ought to be remembered. It'd be nice if one the guys on Cleveland asked to wear #14 on Sunday.

Great hustle by Melky! Great job!

Haren's first two outings are a great illustration as to why wins don't have anything to do with whether you should be the Cy Young Award Winner.

Way to go Walker!

I think Iggy's afraid to pitch to contact. These American's are a lot bigger then they look on TV. I know he can throw strikes. He needs some confidence.

81 Shaun P, Tell me that didn't happen on April 10, 1991 — when Sanderson almost had a no-no against the Tigers. Probably not, based on that SportsDesk stat, but that's the day my first son was born and the boxscore from Sanderson's one-hitter is immortalized next to the birth certificate in the family scrapbook...

87 he is throwing strikes tonight. I really think he is just having difficulty handling the ball and mound.

84

I wish that would happen. Ironically, when I lived in Upstate NY, my girlfriend's sister was dating Eric Wedge, when he was a minor league catcher for the Sox. Oh how I wish I had stayed in touch with that guy.

Hate to say it but Red Sox pitching is looking very good.

Haren must be close to 50 pitches. Would like this guy gone by the 7th.

A productive AB for Bobby!

92 He's well over 60 right now...

Stat padding time

An unclutch HR would be nice...

Wrong part of the park, Alex.

C'mon Yanks, don't let this guy off the hook...

Well, gotta get up early for Aikido tomorrow, good night all. And get some hits with RISP, Yankees.

Really let them off the hook. Crap!!

88 Wow - wouldn't that be something? Its possible: retrosheet doesn't have pitch-by-pitch data (at least I don't think they do), but looking at the play-by-play log, it could have been the 5th, 6th, or 7th. I'll do some googling and let you know what I find!

Meanwhile, Haren has 72 pitches through 3 innings = 24 pitches/an inning. WOW. He might not make it out of the 5th at this rate.

hello?

88 101 Shoot, it wasn't. According to this website (http://tinyurl.com/yos3ee), it happened on 8/12/92. It (a 3 pitch half-inning) does seem to happen an awful lot, which still surprises me.

Let's go Quest!

nice K Igawa!

101 You beat me to the pitch count, which projects to 216 for a complete game ;-) Not much to show for it on our side, considering....

Iggy is not exactly hurting us yet, I'm encouraged so far...

I've gotta say that that curve does look like it has life. I'm still not sure what we'll get from Kei, but I see a lot of potential.

103 Thanks for the clarification, Shaun. If I wasn't in delivery room in that day, I'm sure I would have remembered if something like that happened ;-)

Anyone catch the Det/Tor game? Helluva pitching matchup. Bonderman v. Halladay, Bonderman goes 9.0, Halladay goes 10.0 for the win. Love that.

very nice job Jorge! (after last at bat which was miserable for him)

108 You're welcome, Bklyn. Wouldn't that have been something? Its very cool that you have the box score clipping from that day.

Also appropriate that Sanderson gets a mention, seeing he pitched for both the Yanks and the As. He was a pretty good pitcher, as I recall.

I just got home, anyone can fill me in on what's happened? Particularly Igawa's performance so far? Judging by the score, he's seems more on track that last time?

108 Wow, how many pitches did Halladay throw?

(OK, I just looked it up myself.) 107. That's not even 11 pitches an inning. Unreal to see that kind of efficiency. Though the Tigers do like to hack . . .

At this rate, Haren might get to 107 two batters into the 5th. =)

111 Igawa has looked a lot better, but still has some ways to go. Mos timportantly, he has been using his curve and getting it over for strikes. He has been ahead on a number of batters 0-2. He has also struggled to get his breaking ball over (floating high). They have mostly not made solid contact though either.

112 Halladay, I think, was top 3 in efficiency last year, with Maddux and Wang. I just love great games like that. Mulder, last year or the year before, threw a 10 inning shutout in a low scoring game.

111 Igawa is doing OK, making pitches when he has to. My take is while the Yanks are making Haren work (80+ pitches so far and RISP), not much to show for it...

Well THAT was just the 5th inning handed over to Haren

113

It's the A's in April, 'nuff said.

Posada is the worst base runner I've ever seen.

116 Did Posada run into that out, or was he sent on the pitch?

And the entire Doug Mientkiewicz experiment annoys me.

Besides that, everything is great.

119 he was sent on the pitch.

111 Add some sloppy baserunning to helping out Haren. If this trend continues, this smacks of one of those games the Yanks had more than a few opportunites to create a nice lead, but failed. Hope I'm wrong...

120 not a doug fan, but that was a good at bat.

119 I certainly hope we didn't decide to hit and run with Doug Mientkiewicz at the plate.

124 jorge was sent on 3 straight pitches.

I think Haren is at 90.
Iggy's curveball is real.

What the hell was that?

ugh. what the...????

What the fuck was that!

125 That someone is a moron. One of the slowest baserunners in the game and one of the worst hitters is a bad combination to do that on.

Abreu has been pretty bad the past few years in right field. Eeeeeks.

Hair looking good, check.

Glove match uniform, check.

Uniforn formed to body, check.

Fielding drills, ummm, where is my blow dryer?

Nice glove, Bobby. WTF was that? Aside from the A's annoucers having that one in Honolulu right off the bat...

113,115 Thanks.

114 That sounds like a gem by both pitchers. Gotta be a much better matchup than the one we are watching...

nice play by dougie! another unearned run.

122 Thanks.

And thanks, Abreu...

Eyechart does try hard for 1B defense.

Official scorer has that a hit at this writing. Welcome to West of the Hudson...

Piazza is strong. That was a good pitch he hit... low and outside. Iggy's never seen that pitch hit so far.

Nasty curve by Igawa to chase Crosby...

Another K Igawa! :)

What really stinks is how Abreau just added more pitches on Igawa's arm.

damon learned how to catch though!

136 i thought YES guys said it was scored an error!?

Is it out lucky day with YES feed on MLB.TV and without Kay in the booth?

Paul O'Neill he is not.

So, anyone else notice that Phelps hasn't sniffed daylight since April 8th? Despite lefty Santana pitching vs the Yanks this past Monday? Platoon, huh?

Meanwhile - and I know its a small sample size - but Stinky Minky is now hitting .143/.208/.143 - that's right, 3 singles, 2 walks, 21 ABs - and ZERO extra-base hits.

Dude isn't saving nearly enough runs with his glove to make up for that. As long as its not Wang or Pettitte on the hill, why not let Giambi take the field? Might wake him up (once again - career at 1B: .311/.434/.577, 3578 ABs; career at DH: .245/.387/.480, 1374 ABs). Certainly can't be worse than Stinky's .351 OPS!

And, for the record, Tony Womack in his April '05 with the Yanks, hit .280/.330/.329, .659 OPS, in 82 ABs. Let's pray Stinky can top that.

Error in NY, hit in CA

FUCK. Can't someone just smash Barry's knee to pieces with a fastball?

143 Ponson was pitching on Monday.

145 living in pittsburgh, i was already subjected to bonds two hours ago.

124 That's Joe Torre, master of the hit and run for you.

/sarcasm off

140 I'm getting the A's feed on a local channel out here. Ray (Pete Rose) Fosse on color and the play-by-play gent's name I can never remember, but that's what one of them just said...

146 My bad, you're right. But I hope Phelps riding the bench ends soon.

Igawa's clearly showing a lot of improvements, and he hasn't even gotten his changeup over yet.

70 pitches, 45 strieks, great when you consider that he walked 2 guys in the first.

Wow, I can't recall how many times I've seen Pettitte talking to Glass Meat in the dugout.

one pitch!

C'mon Yanks, Haren only needed 20 pitches to get through the 4th, and just 11 pitches to get through the 5th - that won't do!

154 he is over 100 pitches right?

149 ok. bummer.

150 I'm no fan of Mientkiewicz either. I think with Giambi and Cabrera not hitting, we can't afford to carry a glove man in the lineup

igawa needs to settle down.

i now have to hold my breath on routine fly balls.

155 103 so far for Haren. 58 strikes.

145

It's just hype for the casual fan. How I wish there was some way to accout for the distance that Ruth's balls hadn to travel when compared to Aaron's and Bonds's. There is not however, and only those who truly understand how difficult it was for Ruth to get to 714, can graspe what he accomplished. Aaron certainly did something special, over many years. I won't take anything away from him, but when Ruth started blasting Home Runs, there wasn't anyone even in his class, something that Aaron can't claim, and Bonds can claim for a very short period of perhaps enhanced time.

It would be like sorteneing your average Major Tournamnet golf course by 1500 yards, while using Ben Hogan's old clubs.

It is what makes baseball so great, and opens up discussion on all fronts. Dimension changes, mound lowering ect.

160 thanks.

157

Not with the team that Boston is throwing out there every day. If Clement were healthy......eeeeeks!

Man, Iggy is getting the job done. 70 pitches...

another fairly good inning for Igawa. though yeah, i now shutter when Abreu is lined up for a fly ball, then again, remember our O5 starting OFs of Matsui Bernie and Sheff? ouch

161 The wonder that was Aaron was his consistency. All those years with more than 30 homers, but never 50. He walked a lot, didn't strike out, and was clutch, and a great fielder. Ruth was consistent, too, and really was a cut above the rest. I think of Pujols when I think of Aaron. Bonds was a great player pre-steroids, probably goin to the Hall anyway. But he was a lesser complete player.

149 btw, mlb.com shows an error for that ball that abreu dropped. igawa would have a shutout now if it weren't for that.

164

I'm going to hold off until his next start. These are the A's in April after all. Get off the sofa and run to the stadium. I bet you could finish this game off giving up less than 10 runs.

163Not with any team/ We can't afford three players not hitting regardless of what other teams are doing. Giambi and Cabrera will eventually start hitting Mientkiewicz won't. Waiting for him to start hitting because he has a nice glove is killing the team.

Light leg-kick, nice short swing. Its Arodorific.

Nice piece of hitting there, Alex! Haren is out, Embree (?) in...

Dear Jason Giambi,

Now would be a good time to break out of your season-opening slump.

Sincerely,

Bronx Banter

168 Yea, Igawa gave up some big flies that coulda been homers at the stadium...

Jorgie!

171 Uh-oh:

Giambi vs Embree, career: 20 ABs, .100/.174/.100, 2 hits (both singles), 2 BBs, 7 Ks

sweet!!!

175 Nevermind. That's what I'm talking about!

168 LOL! I wouldn't be caught dead in that place.

I dunno, Iggy is showing some good signs tonight. I have a feelin' he's gonna be OK for us...

Cano a bad hitter with the bags full
Young mistakes?

166

I hate to be a Bonds supporter in this regard, but I feel I must. He was the best player I had ever seen before the 60+ HR seasons. He was a perennial gold glover, stole 30+, 40+, regularly, and hit for average and power. Even without the 755+ he'll get, he's still the best all around player I've ever seen. He's just not a good human being, but then again, Williams was an ass, and Cobb was horrific.

179 Ah, well, just don't let him hit, i guess :)

walking cano is just, well, i don't even know what to say about it.

BTW, regardless of what Cano does here, I think Phelps ought to PH for Stinky. I'd rather see Phelps vs. RHP (Calero maybe?) than Stinky vs. LHP Embree.

Nice job with the walk, Cano!

178

What, you didn't bring your drums?

Where's Phelps!!!!!!!!???????????

183 yeah, if only...

Shouldn't this be like 9-0 Yanks by now?

Anyone catch Piniella's rant today? God, I love that guy.

I wonder if Igawa gets better when he's thrown a few pitches? Japaneses starters throw so many pitches...

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ack, i'm not ready to call Mink a bust in april but that was one hell of an annoying GIDP

188 yeah, heard it on the sportsbash. I really enjoyed it. Found a great bar up the street from my new office that makes great grilled veggie sandwich (for my lowly rural community anyway) and was in a real good mood. Lou just made it better.

189 Igawa in Japan was known for slow starts, as he rarely works out in the offseason, so that would be normal if he gets better later on.

188 Yea, and apparently Zambrano was yelling about his contract, too. The guy's gonna be a Met. He already swore off the Yanks and he's an ass. Plus he walks too many. Jerk. :P

187 Absolutely.

I'd like to point out that if Stinky Minky was, say, Andy Phillips circa 2005, and Torre watched him GIDP in two straight ABs - and kill two rallies in the process - we wouldn't see him play for months.

Let's see how far Stinky's "belly full of veteran guts" gets him.

Geez... Piaza can still hit.

EDSP up...

Ugh. Who didn't see that coming?

Chavez struck out on the pitch before that

198 no one. sadly. ugh. why can't Mo just pitch every single inning.

The Yankees scored when I went to take a shower, the A's started scoring since I came back. Perhaps that's a hint that I shouldn't stay up for the game, alright, anything for the Yankees, night all!

199 I don't think so. He checked.

OK, this is where I call it a day. G'night, all - hope the Yanks hold on!

201 or maybe you just need another shower!

201 Back to the shower!

I see it's Friday. That means Scott Proctor gets to pitch. I'm going to keep an eye on the gun...

194

Zambrano shouldn't be barking about anything after the display he put on today. He's a talent, but a bum talent, and that usually means wasted talent over time.

Ok, so that was a 92 MPH fastball from Proctor. Clearly, his velocity is off this year so far. I wonder what's up.

The Colliseum, a pitchers best friend.

191 He's been a bust for three straight years now, so it may not be as premature as you think.

195 To be fair, Phillips was a worse major league player than Mientkiewicz and Torre was helping the team by not playing him.

202 He was all the way in the back of the box and he still went past home plate. He would have hit a double if he made contact.

I don't hear Gammons regrading his boy Crosby these days. I think he's on a Sizemore kick this year. Maybe later on, he'll jump ship to someone else.

Ok, that's better. 94.

67?! Woah. His velocity really is down :-p

209

Phillips was likeable enough, but I'd pull Mark Grace out of the smoking lounge and put him on first before I'd let Andy Phillips on my roster.

211 Has Bobby Crosby ever had a particularly impressive year?

Ok, so just checking in after a very nice evening of watching the sun set over the pacific and drinking wine. How'd Igawa look, seems pretty well until a bad pitch to Chavez?

thank you Melky & giant ass coliseum

215 Not really. He can't stay healthy and when he won ROY, he had an OPS+ of 92. Lots of hype but he hasn't delivered.

215

Nope. He was ROY in 2004 and Gammons began cumming all over him.

216 pretty much; was shaky in the 2nd, still can't get changeup where it should be, but curve pretty good, fastball in low 90's... Not much of a lineup to test against though.

217

Exactly! Wait until you see how Zito does, even in the lowly NL West, without all that foul territory.

215 He was ROY be default. He wasn't any good that year.

216 Think Al Leiter 2004.

222

He batter .238 that year. Talk about default. You better hit 40 HR to win the ROY with that average. Unfortunately, Crosby hit 22.

221 Zito's pitching in a MASSIVE park now...

oh shit, farns is up.....

Christ, another horrible horrible inning...

220 223 Thanks! I think thats pretyt much who Igawa is. he'll get the changeup under control and probably be more Al Leirter 2002, but hes that type of guy. At the very elast, this should stop all the rediculous "bust" talk, no?

Man, mlb.tv premium really messess with my computer's speed

Is this the Joe Torre "throw them back into the fire right away" line of thinking if he brings in Farnsworth?

228 Where are you watching from? I'm in NYC and I'm blacked out...

228 Al Leiter 2002 inspired confidence in me.

And now Farnsworthless is in?

Interesting stat: last year Farns got out 90 percent of first batters faced...

"And Farnsworth misses outside for ball 1 to the leadoff man" how many times are we going to hear that....

226

Its good! Get him in a lot early in the season so we can figure out who our real set up man is. He will do ok in these situations, quiet fans, 3000 miles from the stadium, with a small lead. Otherwise, he's a bum as far as I'm concerned.

230 San Diego...

Oh Good Lord Farnsworth, if you walk him, Joe, you better take him out pronto

I always hated the Farnsworth signing.

236 He'd be the Boston closer if the yanks hadn't signed him...

228

Dell is running a special on the Inspiron E1505 notebook. It works real well with MLB.TV and isn't a bad deal. $699 with options brings it to like $900.

229 no doubt

237 Thats a bad thing?

I really hate you, Kyle.

Farnsy : the gooogles, they do nothing!!!

Jesus Farnsworth, you suck!!!

talk about a broadcaster jinxing it.... yikes.

I actually love all this Farnsworth bashing. Yea, he's a trip, but if he were home-grown, like Bruney sorta is, he'd get a Bruney-like lovefest.

God damnit

any chance this means Bruney has the Farns role now?

Amazing, all of a sudden Oakland has an offense. Leave it to our team to awaken their bats

So that's 1.1 IP, 5 ER over two games for Krazy Kyle.

And the A's just doubled their ENTIRE SEASON's worth of HR output.

236

I liked it if it was for 6 mil., not 18 mil. He was a bum in Chicago, he is just not that good. I know banterers like him, as does Cliff I think. I for one, think he's more trouble than he is worth.

'NUFF SAID! HR Swisher!

245 No, I'm an equal opportunity bad pitcher hater. For instance, the Colter Bean love never made any sense to me.

245 That's a total lie. So far, Bruney hasn't been this craptastically bad over any stretch of his short Yankee career.

Farnsworth for Lidge... anyone? ;)

Pull him now, Joe. Regardless.

Really makes Dougie's bases-loaded double play costly.

Good Lord, Farnsworth is infuriating...Nice haircut Swisher.

TF@F@D^%FD^%F!!!!

253 One headcase for another? No, thanks.

oh good idea, first give up a homer, then walk the next guy to bring up piazza.

247

I'd like to see him get a shot. He had some horrible outings in Arizona, but I'd give him a chance to win that role. Other than his salary, Farns doesn't have a reason to expect to stay there. Ooops, Joe Torre is our manager, I forgot. Go get them Farns, you'll be setting up all year.

o for fuck's sake Kyle could you just throw some heat past these guys!?

250 I always hated it no matter what price. I looked at his career, determined he wasn't very good, and felt he wasn't worthy of our team if he paid us.

256

He's donating it to wigs for breast cancer patients once it grows out. You cant make this stuff up.

262 who should have been signed then? Flash is/was an injury concern, so... who?

The answer I always got for the Farnsworth love was that he strikes people out. Because that somehow counteracts all the runs he gives up. Its really a weak consolation prize.

252 But if he was, he would NEVER get this kind of hate from fans. The two are very similar pitchers, and Farnsworth is better. The only predictable thing about Bruney is high walks and high k's, like Farns used to be.

Why would Torre bring Farnsworth into a close game when he has struggled all year with his control? If the Yanks throw this one away too, it will be at least the third loss you can lay partly at the door of poor managing.

That said, Farns aint worth 6 per

I'd like to vote Kyle Farnsworth for the Chevy Player of the Game. Why can't I do that, YES Network?

262

But he throws 98 MPH. hey, did I mention he throws 98 MPH. By the way he throws 98 MPH.

Isn't that all that matters.....gotta love MLB Gm's.

I think the AP is run by Boston fans. Their stories on the Sox this year have been rediculous this year. They lead today's recap with: "Jonathan Papelbon pitched with his usual brilliance." This in a 10-1 game mind you. Barf

have I mentioned I really dislike Farnsworth

267 This is why I wasn't too disappointed to hear that Steinbrenner had fired Torre after the ALDS last year.

271 Well, Papelbon came in to a three-run game in the 8th and threw 6 pitches all for strikes. It was pretty impressive.

Alex. No Ellis or Swisher walk off calls tonight. Please.

266 I do think that we're paying so much money for such terrible production (I'm sorry, 2006 was bad as well. A league average pitcher as the setup man defeats the purpose of a setup man) has something to do with it. But anyone, homegrown or not, that was this useless would get booed.

264

Flash wanted to close.

Farns wasn't an either or situation. We could have spent the bank to get B.J. Ryan, that I could have lived with.

Woo, A-Rod!

I love Arod.

A-Rod = MVP! MVP!

i am just now checking into the game. how did igawa do? ugh on farns. who made the error? ah, sorry for all the ?'s, i could just as easily find out soon enough...

256 i can't see the game -- did swisher cut his hair off or is it still long? if he hasn't cut it yet, he's letting it grow to a certain length as he's donating it for women who have cancer to make wigs.

i am a long-haired musician - and a guy - and am very sensitive to this sort of thing. 1.5 years ago, i cut over a foot of my hair and donated it to the Locks of Love organization. they procured it and made wigs for young children who undergo chemotherapy. it was tramautic for me but such a great cause. and, my hair is back down toward my waist again... : )

266 I disagree. Farnsworth has always been maddeningly inconsistant and has a penchant for sucking big time in games like this. Bruney, thus far, has not given us any reason like that of yet...

Giambi should really learn how to bunt. He could have had a basehit if he didn't look like an oaf.

Jason! I like it! Keep them thinking my boy!

yeah a-rod, nice way to lead off the inning! is G-Man getting booed lustily in Oaktown? he really needs to go yard. or, at least, xbh...

280 See 263

270 And occasionally 100. Surely nothing bad can happen when a bat makes contact with with a high 90s straight as a pin fastball.

263 doh, ya beat me to it, bro!

Nice hitting there. It would be good to get Giambi started.

276 Flash said he'd set up if the Yanks gave him a 3 year deal, and thank goodness they didnt. Ryan said he wanted to close no matter what. Farns signed for less with the Yanks to be a setup man for Mo and a winner, rather than close for the Braves.

276 Not about the $$$, B.J. wanted to be 'the man'. No room in The Boogie Down for two...

good time for Jason to wake up

YES! It's the wonderful strategy of pinch-running for Giambi in a tie game. That never comes back to haunt us.

273 What he did doesn't matter, its the tone of the article. I mean, they don't talk about MO like that for crying out loud...

My mlb.tvv seems to have a penchant for crapping out anytime anything happens, wonderful...

289

Ever think that is because he knows deep down, he cannot close ball games?

Giambi over the Mendoza line! Off the interstate! And Arod is hitting 382...

294 He closed great for Atlanta.

292

Ill give Joe a pass. At least the PR came in with no outs. Unlike last week, with 2 outs, down by like 3 runs.

289 So because he was willing to sign for less we determined we needed a crappy set up man?

You know Giambi's run is kinda sorta meaningless, I don't understand pinch running for him here. Especially with no outs...

Damn bad luck for Jorge.

Damn damn damn. Unlucky.

Woah. A 2 BB game for Cano.

Oh Christ. Here comes Mientkiewicz

296

And he figured he better parlay that into a contract. Even a blind squiirel fins a nut. How's Beltre doing?

298 You still haven't answered; alternative?

Here we go, what's the call on Minky right here?

WTF is Joe thinking?

I'd say we should pinch hit for Doug here, but what's the point, won't happen...

Josh Phelps? Josh Phelps? Anyone? Bueller?

Is there no one on the bench to pinch hit?

should pinch; i saw 3rd GIDP for mink

why do we have to have minky up now?

Odds are you can't into back-o-back double plays... that being said, foul out?

Dear Doug Mientkiewicz,

I HATE YOUR GUTS.

Love,
Ben

"You have to realize the Oakland A's are the team in trouble here..." John Flaherty with Minky up, 1-0. Yeah, he managed to hit one over the pitcher's head.

fuck you minky

damn...run him over Arod.

Look Guys, he's got a lifetime ERA of almost 4.500. That......is.......not.....the .......ERA.......of an 18 million dollar........closer!

I DESPISE this Mientkiewicz signing.

well.... it was still a shitty hit in the infield. Paging Richie Sexson...

The Yankees lose a game like this every year in Oakland, it seems like.

People thought Farns had turned the corner in his career. Rare when that happens, but the Yanks didnt have bruney at the time and were desperate for a guy to replace flash

Not how I thought it would happen, but it happened. Why? Why? Why?

Kendall was standing straight up, get your shoulders up under his armpits and drive.

JOSH FUCKING PHELPS IS SITTING ON THE BENCH!!!!!

argh

That was so so so so pathetic...

Melky ain't doing nothing here, but everyone but Minky has hit the ball hard this inning. So maybe he'll square one up...

312 He actually did tonight.

how. pathetic. was. that?

Wait, can I put Giambi back on third with no one noticing?

Now if we had a real first baseman instead of Scrabble, that bases loaded situation could have come out much better.

312 Had Doug hit into a double play there, it would have been his third in a row.

Can we just send Phelps back down to the minors? How many AB's does he have all year, 4?

Melky gets ahead, 2-1...

321 I don't believe in turning the corner. We've been burned enough by people "turning the corner" over the last five years that we should have seen this coming

Oh, fouls back a decent fastball, 2-2

329 I'm telling you, that never comes back to haunt us. Never ever ever ever.

Ever.

The decision to let EyeChart bat determined the outcome of this game...

garbage

Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative.

Fuck

Dammit. I'm really pissed. Joe Torre sucks.

Ugh.

272 Sadly, I don't disagree.

HOW CAN YOU PINCH RUN FOR GIAMBI WHEN HE IS NOT EVEN THE GO AHEAD RUN IN THE GAME!!

DM sucks!

This would be a very frustrating game for them to lose, wouldn't it?

Wow, two totally infuriating games in a row...at what point does Farns and Doug out lose their warrior status they never should have earned to begin with?

I TOTALLY agree that pinch-running for Giambi was STUPID. But doesn't most of the strategy come from the bench coach??

344 ???????? it's tied, of course he's a go ahead run

So the question is does the pen give up the run here or is it a walk off win for the A's? Sigh. Glad Giambi's awakended bat is out of the game, too. At least we know Farnsworth is out of the game, he can't go 2 innings for 6 million a year.

344

Because Joe is going to treat Giambi, who by the way is making 23+ mil., like balsa wood all year. If I am managing, Giambi is at 1B and Phelps is DH, and Eye Chart is late inning defense, until we can grab a decent DH, or Phelps looks good.

348 Giambi was on second base when pinch run for, his run was sorta meaningless, with the go a head run on 3rd.

Will Joe bring in Mo if tied in the 9th? On the road...who knows? Will he bat Ciaro instead of Phelps if Giambi's spot comes up again?

Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative. Not going to be negative.

friggin' myers. stop the bs

347 Yes. For more than eleven years, four different base coaches have been telling Joe Torre to pinch run for his best hitters late in tie games.

Is just me, or does Igawa look like he had no idea where he is? That expression is on his face in every clip.

351 gotcha

Yea, Jete is horrible to his left. Just because he plays it differently than some, the job gets done!

355 Well, Zimmer was BC for a long time, then Maz, who was always overridden by Torre, but Girardi and Mattingly are disciples of Torre...It may lead back to Torre's strategy deep down, but I think the BC makes the call.

We all know Joe isn't the best at in game managing, to say the least. Its these games where the obvious move isn't made that drives us crazy. However, when what is Joe's strength, managing the ego's and protecting players, doesn't seem to be working either, well...

Mientkiewicz is still pissing me off.

359 The BC might make the "suggestion" but the manager makes "the call"

Minky is the new Tony Womack.

This team really misses Matsui in the 6 hole.
That was just pathetic. Minky must have a case of the arods. Hard to believe he has hit the ball so poorly this game.

359 It's all the manager's decision. Joe might say, "Hey, Donnie, should we pinch run here?" Donnie probably says, "Whatever you want, Joe."

We should have at least 8 runs this game.

I'd like to see Pete A. justify Minky after tonight...

Vizcaino is clearly the new EDSP...

Please don't talk about chemistry, John Flaherty. I really want to like you as a broadcaster.

Johnny, let's get it done, baby!

Vizzy is getting the job done.

if Joe don't go to Mo for the 9th, looks like Viz could go another.....

Top of the lineup, time to git'er done!

Like I said, if Minky around = Arod to the max, well...

That was a big inning for the Yanks to hold'em

347 Bench coach makes suggestions...decisions are made by the manager.

348 Giambi was the 2nd run...what's the worst thing that could happen...someone singles and only Arod scores? If that happens, you can then PR if you are worried about that second run.

Also, did anyone scratch their head about having Damon in motion in the third inning. It was 1 and 3 with Jeter up...by sending the runner, you run the risk of a line drive or striek out.throw out DP...both of which don't score the run. If you don't send the runner....you run the risk of a ground ball DP...which does score the run. It didn't backfire, but it was incredibly stupid.

Will Arod see a pitch with Thompson behind him? Did Torre even contemplate that possibility?

I really hope the team has enough talent to overcome the manager this season.

I really hope we win. Losing games of this nature is as bad as it gets. Its like the A's keep handing it to us, and we keep saying 'No Thanks'.

364I think he has a case of the Mientkiewicz's He's a bad hitter

So the A's go with Kiko Calero. Interesting.

This is it.

364 I said over the off-season that the Yanks should have aggressively tried to move Melky. His stock will never be higher than it was last winter.

No Soup for Johnny.

280 So kevin thompson would have been starting all these games?

nice cap

I agree that Torre's moves are old fashioned bad. But how many times do we have 2 men on with no out and don't score? Sometimes the team needs to do it. The Yankees didn't need good managing to win this one. They are refusing to win this one.

Slider, outside, ball one to Jeter. Breaking pitch, another slider, a hanger, Jeter fouls it back, 1-1. Another one, line drive to right for Jete's. Textbook Jeter.

All right Bobby, claw your way on base...

Here we go,

I still have hope for Melky. Let's all remember the kids age, ok?

bobby could make up for that error right here...

280 How much worse could he be doing out here? We're complaining about Farnsworth, but Melky could have been used to secure a better set-up man.

Or how about Melky + RJ = Micah Owings. That's a dream, but you see my point?

389 Thing is Melky doesn't project - statistically or physical - to be much better than he is now. That's the thing.

390 not worth it

390 Ohlendorf was gonna compete with Owings for a rotation spot, so we coulda been talking about Ohlendorf's successes...

Throw to first. Fastball, outside, 1-0 to Abreu. Calero steps off the mound. Curve ball drops in for a strike on the outside corner, 1-1. Another throw to first. Curve ball, low and inside, 2-1. Will Jeter go? He's taking a good-sized lead...

Hmm. Derek was leaning there.

I have numbers and projections on Melky. I have hope and age on Melky. I choose hope.

391 Neither did Bernie ;)

391 I'm a stat-minded kind of guy generally, but he put up like a 100 OPS+ as a 21 yr old rookie, that ain't nothing. not earth shattering, but not shabby. And cano didn't project, nor did mattingly or bernie or wang or.....

And trading Melky for just one more shitty set-up man certainly wasn't the answer. They are set-up guys for a reason, they cannot start, and they cannot close.

380 For who? Another OF? Maybe Bernie would be filling in for Damon and MatsZilla...

Nice Yankees suck chant.

398

I'm with you. Adams Morgan in the house!

Again, a throw to first. This one was a bit closer, but still got back in plenty of time. There is goes, Abreu fouls off a fastball up over the plate, 2-2. Calero is taking forever. Steps off again. Weak grounder to second. Jeter stops. Ellis to Crosby. Abreu beats the relay to first to keep the inning alive.

WTF was that~!!!~!~!

400 The trade woulda been for Mike Gonzalez, which means no more Sean Henn.

We can't resolve this Melky argument now. It'll take a few years really, but that's my position. He's not doing anything someone else couldn't be doing, and I think we've seen him peak. I hope I'm wrong.

401 when do we not hear that chant? the thing is, if we weren't so good, we'd never hear it.

PHELPS!!!!! On deck. An inning too late.

Can Arod do it again?

at least phelps will pinch for KT

LETS GO AROD

Alex don't go chasing water falls here...

Be afraid, Kiko. Be very afraid.

405 mike gonzo woulda started with melky

oye, he took a meatball

WOW! That was quite a pitch to take.

410 "Hey Joe, don't forget about Josh Phelps."

"Who the fuck is that, Donnie?"

Darn. A-Rod hit it hard but he was on top of a good pitch.

damn

Fastball outside, ball one to Alex. Fastball, strike. Dude, that was a sweet pitch to hit. Aie. Another fastball, just misses, outside, I guess. Man, that looked close. Now a slider, way outside. They aren't going to give him anything to hit here. He'll have to go fishing or Calero will make a mistake. Fastball. A Rod hits it hard, but right at Crosby. End of inning.

Good pich, hit hard. Arg!

dang.

417 he'd be the guy joe chose to take from ST.

Soooooo....Mo?

It is rather funny. Are we going to keep looking to Phelps this year, like so many looked to Andy Phillips last year?

425 grass is greener. when the guy at the plate makes an out, the guy on the bench always seems more appealing.

425 No, because Phelps is by far a better hitter than Minky, so in this case we KNOW the right move

405 Unless I missed it, that was the noise. Until we hear someone on record, we'll never know...

Well... at least it feels good to feel good when ARod comes to bat in a clutch situation.

Why have Phelps on deck for KT? Is he that much better? Also, by doing that, you commit to DM for the game.

Lets GO VIZZY!

Viz.

No, clearly Joe just wants to blow out Viz's arm...Though I can't really argue...As long as Mo comes in next inning, should there be one...

425 Probably. And much like last year with Phillips, I don't think either guy is any good.

But Mientkiewicz is beyond awful.

Looks like Viz is going to pitch the same amount of inning the Unit is going to pitch this year.

430 It's Joe Torre. He'd rather burn his bench in a tie game and then have Doug M. and Josh Phelps in the game in extra innings than do anything sensible.

Lead off walk, start the insanity.

boy. maybe viz can't go 2...

lead off walks are soooo infuriating!!!

3 pitches 2 pop ups, is that too much to ask?

J E S U S H C H R I S T !

426

I know. It just makes me laugh. It seemed pretty clear last year that Philips wasn't any good, and at his age, shouldn't be expected to get any better. But yet some, even banter writers, pushed and pushed him. I think Cliff was one of his biggest supporters. It just makes me laugh is all. If Melky looks as bad at 28 as Phillips did, then Ill eat my words.

I'd hate to lose this without Mo getting the ball...

Looks like this might be headed to a Joe Torre loss...

442 Wow, 6 years from now Arod'll probably be comin' up on 650 homers

Too bad we don't have a dominant closer to shut the door here.

443 if that happens it would join a long list of similar games

444 right, Joe forced failure to get a big inning with bases loaded and no outs. lame.

Phelps should get some shots though. He's there for his bat right? If Joe wants a mediocre fielding first baseman, I think we have one making about 24 million dollars he could put out there.

Walkin swish to get to the poor hitting kielty at lefty. Who's his platoon partner?

We pushed Phillips because he was the best option we had, and, for a few months, he produced. Phelps could do the same. Far more than Minky could. We didn't push Phillips because we thought he was the BEST, just the best we had.

Ginger Kid is up hitting from the weak side...

445

It wont take 6 years. If he leaves, believe me (and this is not a Bonds rant) he won't go somewhere where it will be difficult to hit HR like Pac Bell is. I hope he likes Skyline Chili.

More Scenes from The Big Mientkiewicz

"Joe, this is a high-leverage situation. Maybe we should bring in the best closer of all the time."

"Shut up, Donnie."

"But, Joe, it's a tie game with the winning run on second."

"Shut the fuck up, Donnie."

451 A few months is being extremely generous. He had one good month. Nothing else was really even decent.

yeeeees

at least we have good arms in the ourfield corners

Joe has managed poorly, but the statistical odds of Phelps doing something much better then Minky are not that great. It's not like it was our only opportunity.

Farns and the offense have to take the hit in this one.

Nobody beats the Viz!!!

448 Well, he did fail to pinch hit where he should, failed to pull Farnsworht, failed to put Rivera in. Yup, seems pretty lame to me. Just b/c Viz got out of it doens't make it the right move

phew

I hate to pile on Joe (ok, maybe I don't), but why does it seem like everytime they shoot the dugout, he has his head down. Meanwhile, when they catch Geren on camera he is looking at printouts or having an animated conversation?

If the Yanks drop this one, I can see it mushrooming into a sweep, especially with Rasner tomorrow and Harden on Sunday.

460 first thought knee jerk torre bashing crapola

Lead off with Thompson and speed? Or ph early and let mink bat?

Abreu's error hurt too.
Melky and minky have both sucked this game.
Posada couldn't give us a fly ball.
Lots of failed opportunities.

455

I don't have the time to look it up, but I'd say maybe 4-6 weeks at the outside. Phiilips was so bad, I wanted to see Bubba get the same every day opportunity.

I like leaving in Thompson here

Josh Phelps must be dead. That's the only explanation.

455

I don't have the time to look it up, but I'd say maybe 4-6 weeks at the outside. Phiilips was so bad, I wanted to see Bubba get the same every day opportunity.

I think the Yanks need to call up a fresh arm in the next day or two.... the pen has had a lot of work and now exra innings and Rasner tomorrow.

458 Mientkiewicz is so bad I have a hard time saying the odds were against someone else contributing

470 Eh, Henn is fresh again...

469 Thats pushing it. Bubba's amongst the worst I've ever seen

I think Joe is going with Thompson because he's been up before, and has more time in with the club. As I type he strikes out. But I don't disagree with it. It's not like Phelps' numbers at AAA are any better than KT's, and he has speed.

I officially hate mlb.tv premium. I have a relatively new, powerful mac, and it totally makes my computer go into total system failure lockdown. Its really really annoying!

473

What can I say? I like me some Bubba.

mlbtv stinks. missed kevin's ab

473

....

Why?

The lack of hitting and the amazing ability to run into his own teammates?

475 trick to that is two computers! ok, a bit pricy, but it works for me.

474 Wait, what?

Josh Phelps 2006 AAA OPS=.902
Kevin Thompson 2006 AAA OPS=.773

Bit of a difference there.

Yeah I wouldn't throw a pitch near the srike zone here...

ROBBIE!

here comes the two out rally for minky

oh joy.

Oh come on, Phillips wasn't that bad. He only had two months of even close to consistant ABs. You people want instant results no matter...

And bruney is warming up to come in instead of Mo, oh Joe...

Oh Crap. I forgot who was on deck.

Why isn't Phelps hitting here?

486 me too. what a waste of cano's at bat

487 I'm telling you: He's dead. What other explanation is available?

480

Again with the OPS. It has no meaning. No statistical relevance. Maybe Ill add any two stats together that I like and see what I get. Maybe Ill add ERA and WHIP. Hmm, maybe HR and RBI?

Yeah, 474 Phelps' AAA numbers last year were really good...

487 that is the problem when you start a guy who is known for his defense (right or wrong) Torre doesn't want to hurt his team defensively is my guess.

485 No, he wasn't that bad. He was worse. He didn't hit for average, power, or get on base. He couldn't hit lefties, which was his whole job. He couldn't hit breaking pitches. He didn't get consistent at bats because he was awful.

Steal a base, why dontcha?

490 Now you're just picking a fight...

Perhaps Mientkiewicz should wear batting gloves. Could it possibly hurt?

494 what's the point, if he gets caught Miek leads off, ugh. if he makes it, so what.. Ok well he made it, let's see if Meink can deliver...

490 Um, what? Are you just trying to start an argument? OPS makes sense because a high OPS tells you the guy can get on base and hit for power...

Holy catch. woah.

Woah. Nice play.

And cut Mientkiewicz.

That's just bad luck for no-love minky

That's just bad luck for no-love minky

Nice catch (said through gritted teeth)

Has Minky done anythign today that didn't involve a DP or a crappy pop up?

Bring in MO

490 OPS may be flawed but would you like me to break it down into components? No matter how you slice or dice it, Josh Phelps was significantly better than Kevin Thompson last year at AAA. And Phelps has yet to appear in this game. What's the point of keeping him around?

Maybe it's a good thing that Scrabble choked there. If he had gotten a game-winning hit, Joe would give him a free pass until October. Maybe if he continues to...um...play to his potential, we can get a decent first basemen.

alright, Bruney, hold'em here for the top of the order next inning.....god I wanna go to sleep.....we better win....

490 You're really Joe Morgan, aren't you?

oh lord nice play Chavez, no 3rd times the charm for Stinky

Bruney against Piazza scares me a little, but not as much as Bruney vs. Chavez.

490 You're really Joe Morgan, aren't you?

Mientkiewicz is this year's Womack. When he comes up I have absolutely no hope that he'll get a hit. Not only is he batting around .100, but he rarely makes decent (not even good) contact.

496 I'd go for a little cork in the bat, myself. Just a little...

498

Sorry. Agree to disagree. Didnt mean top start a fight. Its just that statisticians agree that OPS has no actual validity and doesn not measure what it purports to measure effectively.

ok, by cracking open a beer at 1:30, I am demonstrating my faith that we'll go to 11+ innings

i really ought to be sleeping.

oops, sorry for the double post

504 Has he done anything all year that didn't involve a double play or crappy pop up?

502 I think its Minky being Minky.

514 Tell that to Billy Beane

490 wow. that's going to have to be for another day...

my god minky's contact has been pathetic. really really pathetic. The first couple of games he was in it seemed like he was actually making good contact, driving to the outfield and all that... this is shit. he must be taking relaxation practice from the 2006 version of A-Rod

515 Heh. I did that with the wine in the 9th.

496 Over his eyes?

i'm way too tired to discuss the problems/benefits of OPS

514 Can you back that claim up with some documented evidence? Sure, OPS is flawed but people know it has value.

512 Hell, at least Womack was fast.

Bruney throws a fastball and what? A slider?

Piazza just had the same swing that scared the shit out me at the end of the 2000 WS.

526 a fastball and a faster ball.

This whole don't use Mo on the road thing is clearly just a battle that we can never win. joe will never do it unless he has no choice whatsoever...

522 Again, could it possibly hurt?

Nice pitching to Chavez!

525 Yea, but the fucker could only pop up, never bunted or used his speed. And he was a shitty center fielder ;)

529 Actually, I hear Josh Phelps is warming up in the bullpen.

past a not diving jeter

I HATE 0-2 hits

pasta waving jeter

514 not even close dude. abuse of language there man, on so many different levels. in short, OPS ain't perfect, nothing could be (duh), but it's a pretty damn good quick & dirty. THAT is pretty much the stat-head consensus...

pasta. yum.

i am so fading....

527 MY THOUGHT EXACTLY!

532 Yes, but with Mientkiewicz you know its a lost cause. With Womack, his speed could have caused him to trip into something productive.

We gotta win next inning, Bruney shouldnt be goin 2

Maybe Phelps will start getting some starts and Minky can take up his god given role as a LIDR

524

I absolutely will, bu another time. It has relevance yes, but no efficacy. I didnt mean to start a fight. But with two satisticians in the family, I've heard it all. If you are looking for power then bat someone with a high slugging %. If you want OBP, then bat someone with a high OBP. Simply adding the two does not give you what you think it does. But lets leave it for another time.

Bruney looks like someone.

541 Tall order against Street.

544 you've got a friend in pennsylvania

544 An extra in "American History X", with Kyle Farnsworth...

544 Pete Abe

(I was kinda hoping you would get in an argument...)

phew

Has anyone ever gotten a refund from mlb.tv, is it possible? Cause it sucks ass this year...

550 saw your phew before i saw the play. sometimes i'm ok with that.

arrragh i'm holding off my lunch till this ends (i'm in Taiwan) and this is making me really hungry, plz hit something.

551 sort of. of course, they were double billing me (triple billing actually). I did get a free hat once too.

To say OPS has NO statistical relevance is just plain wrong. OPS correlates to run scoring more than both OBP and SLG do individually. Other stats, such as GPA (basically 1.8 * OBP + SLG) even better, but who wants to multiply by 1.8 in your head?

553 I am holding from losing my lunch...

551 What problems are you having with it?

551

I hate to say it, as I like Apple, but methinks it works much better on PC's. I have no problem with it.

I am so tired. End the game soon, Yanks.

Any chance Phelps could learn to play and be a league average OF'er?

554 I would love ot be able to cancel it and switch to extra innings, which is only like 40 dolalrs more, espeically with how unwatchable premium is, but they say very clearly they will only refund for the first ten days. Might be worth a shot though...

551
I've called about 10x, left 8 voicemails, and sent 2 emails to cancel MLB.tv (which I ordered about 3 days before the season started, and 5 days before the Extra Innings settled), and it's still active.

Figure it's a lost cause now but if they bill me for next month I'ma go apeshit.

almost 7am in england, where i'm watching from. top of lineup come through please ...

561 you could emphasize that your computer meets specs but it hasn't improved.

561

I have both, because MLB.tv wouldn't give me a refund. I did send in a voucher to my cable company though, try that.

557 I'm on a cable connection and the computer is plenty able to handle such basndwith, but its just all netweork burps and chop and, worse of all, it destorys my ability to do anything else, as it casues massive slow own and mini freezes...

Huston Street has terrible mechanics.

567 is something wrong with his car?

Call your credit card company and tell them you cancelled your service and MLB keeps charging you. The CC company will take care of it.

I hate this damn ballpark

fuck oaklands foul territory

Wait, Street is their closer, its a tie game, whaaaaa? (Joe Torre's head exploads)

Time for Jetes to try and jerk one....

Man, the team's gonna be TIRED.

568 well played

walk!

this ump has a weird strikezone

Puh-lease, Bobby, come through.

I hate extra innings. As if the bullpen needed more work.

How about Kazmir outdueling Santana today?

okay bobbeee do it

572 at home.

577 was thinking the same thing. can no longer think/type in full sentences.

send jeter, career 80 percent success rate.

another frigin 2 out baserunner.... come on karma, let bobby make up for his error right now

Jetes goes on the first pitch....

damn, they've hit a lot of balls to deep CF tonight

oooooh, sterling made me jump on that one. Oh well, arod next inning

Pray Abreu walks. Then A-Clutch for the lead.

mother of god

Oakland has NO pen for manana

Bruney come out again?

587 Are you serious? That was a medium-length fly ball. John Sterling is bad.

587 We can only hope...

590 Ditto Yanks?

Oh dang.

someone watching mlbtv. can you tell me. are those gloves chasing the pacman ball? They look like blobs.

It was a louder crack than usual.

come oooooon bruney

is bruney this year's proctor?

So, hows everyone elses day gone? I saw TMNT today.

{599} Excepr he's 25, not 30?

590 We might not have much of one either.

599 Thus far, everyone is this year's Proctor.

600 Was it funny? The reviews have been mixed.

604 It was a lot of fun. I had very low expectations, because this was my childhood and I didn't want to get my hopes up and be disappointed with a bad film. But I really, really enjoyed it.

Anyone seen Grindhouse? Looks entertaining...

Bruney and Farnsworth are showing why you never give big contracts to relievers.

shitttt

well, so much for this game.

Maybe let Abreu make that throw, dumbass.

that sucked.

need some bruney strikeouts now

A-Rod's theatrics just won. That was great.

fuck. abreu shoulda grabbed & thrown that...

606 Was very entertaining. Beware it's 3 plus though.

607 That was before that hit

I wonder how Rivera's enjoying his night off.

walk and DP?

A K would be nice right about now!

Mo?

ok, NOW a DP

Good. Go for the DP.

618 Bruney went for the quicker version of the BB.

botched squeeze would be cool now

613 What does that mean

618 what bruney did works just the same...

OK, DP now! ;) SHIT!

I dont mind that bean ball at all. DP in order, a K here would still be nice.

The New Fantastic 4 movie looks like fun as well.

Remind me why Mo is still sitting in the BP? Yet again, Joe's refusual to use his best pitcher will cost us the game...I hate this

Bruney is losing his cool...

i hate to use mo more than an inning, but get him up!

625 I liked how he fell backwards with his arms up after not getting the out call at 3rd. It amused me. I'm very tired.

Not looking good. Mo? Mo?

Who is up after Swisher?

loadin the bases for kielty

630 not scoring runs might have had something to do with it. god.

629 Jessica Alba looks fun as well...

Might as well walk Swisher

629- As long as it has Jessica Alba. (Too lazy to link to the comment)

So how does he winning run score? Walk? Long fly? Hit or not at all???

Cant really blame Joe for this one. The offense had plenty of opportunities to score. The BP did their job.

Good move. Force at the plate. Can Bruney throw strikes?

637- Great minds...

NEED a DP. A k and then Piazza is tough

641 Rivera? Phelps? PR-ing for Giambi?

The scoring runs thing Joe has no control over. Leaving his best pitcher on the bench he DOES, and that means he is not giving us the best chance to win. You can let him off the hook all you want, but thats inexcusable

641 The Mientkiewicz Debacle is the only thing I blame on him

0-2...

645

Still should have scored.

FUCKFUCKFUCK

good thing he was in there for his D.

DEBACLE

Oh good. I'm glad Doug Mientkiewicz made a shitty play to end the game. He's certainly useful as a good defender.

Wow Doug. Great fucking job there. I'm so glad you're on this team

Well, that sucked balls.

So, the one thing that Scrabble is supposed to be good at, defense, fails us.

I don't even know what happened. Aw dammit. Fuck.

we really need to bench dougie. he had one very short stretch where he hit well for like five days and now we're stuck with him.

Good thing we have minky to not make that play. Revolting game...But whoever siad we seem to have a game like this every year in Oakland is totally right. And it always seems to be against Haren...

Maybe, just maybe, this means Scrabble gets cut earlier?

Why is every walk off win celebrated like the 7th game of the world series?

remember jessica alba

So why is DM on this team?

646 This one's on Joe. There was so many moves where he completely screwed up.

I hate to overreact, but this game is a major red flag.

Wow, that was probably the worst throw I've ever seen.

In fairness, with BUck coming down the line, Doug did his best. It would have been tough for anyone to get him there.

I still can't believe that Rivera didn't pitch tonight...yet again...

Good night all. New game later today; may your dreams be filled with Jessica Alba. And Ninja Turtles.

658 I'd rather just waive him. Benching him runs the risk of him re earning trust

let's trade Farnsy straight up for Farney!

665 The man hits like ME. His best has to be better than that to not be the biggest liability on the team.

Wow. I cannot believe I am a voice of reason. Look, Keith Hernandez in his prime would have had a hard time making that play. The offense had plenty of scoring opportunities, and the bullpen did great, giving up only what, 1 run in 5 innings? Cant blame Joe for that one. Maybe the Giambi move, but all in all, the offense failed against a shotty bullpen.

Douggie's WPA: -.348

And no way Mariano gives up a triple to a leftie. Thanks Joe.

Aside from 3 innings, we had them on the ropes the entire game. NO MATTER what Joe does, players have to perform. PHing a guy doesn't help unless that guy performs.

We had what, 6, 7 ,8 chances where a hit would break it open?

PH for EyeChart earlier when the bags were loaded and we wouldn't be here right now...

671 You're missing the point. If we are going to carry DM's bat, he HAS to make plays like Hernandez in his prime.

671 It was a tough play, but he was killing rallies all day. He was a big reason they didn't cash in more runs.

674 MAYBE. If that player PERFORMED!

Trade Scrabble and Ohlendorf for Pujols!

Bite me, it's late.

Remember, that's Josh Phelps on the bench, not Nick Johnson. Don't blame Joe for that one.

673 And who didn't get the hit almost every time! The Yankee offense didn't fail to come up bid. Doug Mientkiewicz did.

Regardless, if Torre manages this game with some semblance of a pulse, they win the game.

We scored FOUR runs in 11 innings.
That does NOT cut it!

Is Phelps seriously that big of a downgrade on defense? Considering he did really well during spring offensively, where has he been?

681

Not after knocking out their ace in the 5th!

681 Why did we score 4?

DM AB2 - DP with the bases loaded.
DM AB4 - FP with the bases loaded.
DM AB5 - Pop up with man on second.

Besides, four runs should have been enough in 9 innings, but Torre felt the need to show Farnsworth he still has confidence in him.

671 No offense, man, but you're hardly the voice of reason. What reasonable person would allow future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera to linger in the bullpen during this game? What reasonable person would allow Doug Mientkiewicz to hit for himself not once but twice late in this game?

Mientkiewicz, by the way, hit into seven of the 33 Yankee outs tonight. Good work.

At this point, I'd be more comfortable putting Hubert Farnsworth on the mound before I'd put Kyle Farnsworth on the mound.

Phelps sucks at D, but its D at 1B, which, over the course of a season, would cost us a few runs, but nothing too serious. Nothing his bat doesn't make up for. The guy walks, can hit for power, and at least stands a chance of doing something positive...Even Pete A. is starting to question Minky now with his latest post...

Well, its even laste here in San Diego, off to a night of grumpy sleep...

681 Minky hit into a double-play with the bases loaded in the 6th, hit that ugly bases loaded pop-up in the 8th, and popped out in foul territory in the 10th with Cano on second. When there were runs to be scored, Doug made outs. He was a lead weight on the offense tonight.

All frustration aside, how many people here think this team would have been better off if Torre had been fired last Fall?

One more negative thought before I head to bed...Rasner...Harden...the Cleveland offense...Boston.

With Wang, Mussina and Matsui down, that could be a real ugly 8 game stretch...the kind of stretch that would get a manager fired when George was in his prime.

The Yankees really needed this game...Geren managed with urgency...Torre did not.

689

Ahhhhhh. Green grass, green grass. No way to know that. I would have loved to see Piniella there, but someone else, who knows? The devil you know is sometimes better than the devil you don't know.

Mo has to be strong all year. If we were at home, I think Joe would have used him in the 11th. Doug M. is what he is, and Joe doesn't sign players. I think its a mistake not to use Giambi at 1B and Dh Phelps et. al., and to relegate Farny to the 6th inning, but other than that, what can Joe do? In a game like tonight's, the O let us down, not just Doug M. It was just one of those games. Given the sorry state of our staff, we might think about being happy just to have been in that ball game.

690

When George was in his prime, we won 2 WS in 25 years before Torre, PO, Jete, MO, and Bernie (a tad earlier) arrived.

DM is on YES talking about how the hits aren't falling and he needs to keep hitting the ball hard. HAS HE SEEN HIS ABs?

I know really hate him...it's reach Nokes and Womack proportions.

692 I'm not saying things were better when George was in his prime...just that Torre would be on the hot seat if the teams keeps playing so poorly and his decisions keep blowing up.

693 I think I pointed it out somewhere in the 100s of the comments, but Womack at least managed an above-.600 OPS in his first month with the Yanks. Stinky might not even get that far.

Unreal. I still can't fathom why Torre didn't pinch hit Phelps back in the 6th. It gets a reliever (Embree) out of there, and force Geren to either go to a righty to combat Phelps, and then switch to another lefty for Melky and Damon - so he burns 3 pitchers in one inning - OR leave Embree in there to potentially get crushed by Phelps. I believe that's known as a win-win situation.

Of course, not bringing in Mo in a tie-game situation on the road is nothing new. I'm still not sure why Torre felt the need to pull Igawa when he did. He didn't look that bad. Why tax the 'pen when you might need it tomorrow with Rasner going, and Henn not available (IIRC he starts in Moose's place on Tuesday)???

I only saw the highlights of the game, thank goodness.

When does Scott Kazmir become a free agent? I love watching him pitch.

Heh, anyone realize it was Farnsy's birthday?

Well, new day, new game, chance to atone for last night's pathetic showing. Of course, Mo and Henn are the only relievers, but, well, you know...

698 Henn's unavailable, isn't he?

Henn pitched a bunch of innings in the game against Minn. three days ago, so he probably shouldn't pitch until tomorrow, but compared to everyone else not named Mo, hes in good shape...

I meant, he's starting for Moose soon, isn't he?

Wowzers. 700 comments on an April game. That's a lot of pissed off people.

I tuned out early on; I'm glad I did. Torre threw that one away. Even I could have told you that you needed to pinch-hit Scrabble with ANYONE. You could have picked a creature out of the bleachers to pinch hit for Scrabble. To quote my man Dimelo, WTF?? And Mo better have had some unbelievable cramps if he actually didn't pitch last night.

I blame the trainers for the team's injuries at this point, but last night was all Joe's fault. Not that he should be fired, but somebody better melt some fireballs into his green tea if he keeps making non-decisions like this.

Okay, breathe in-breathe out... reboot, start over, it's all good. Phelpsstartsatfirsttonight, Phelpsstartsatfirsttonight, Phelpsstartsatfirsttonight...