If it is Clippard, can we all sing, "ALL We Are Saying... Is Give Clipp a Chance!"

"It might not be a coincidence that the Bombers' bad runs in the '60s and late '80s and early '90s coincided with eras of rising crime and economic stagnation."

http://tinyurl.com/2d2akj

SF's may be licking their chops, but I still feel good with how the Yanks matchup against them - weird I know.

Someone said yesterday, all they can do is play tonight.

And Clemens - they'd bump Moose? To Sunday or Monday?

They are making a movie too.

So does Clemens pitch next Monday night against the White Sox? Or does he go for the drama of the ESPN Sunday night game, vs. Schilling and the Red Sox? I could easily see that happening, though I hope it doesn't. The Yanks have enough mental issues right now.

Let's win some dam* games so we can stop getting on each others' nerves! And how about an awe-inspiring posting from Alex or some juicy paragraphs from Emma Span to remind everyone why we're here?

Let's Go BAN-ter.

as far as the anger, the tv has been very good about my verbal tirades. no sense taking it out on guys who are feeling as bad as i am.

Maybe what we need is an intrasquad game...

Am I correct in assuming that we a) still can't hit and pitch in the same game b) aren't hitting like we were in April c) can't win a close game and d) still have a BP that shows up sporadically?

I confess that looking at the box scores has given me the feeling that we are already playing for '08 -- this team doesn't seem capable of turning it around anytime soon. But without actually seeing games, it's hard to get a sense of what's happening. Anybody got a quick lowdown for me?

We can keep hoping they get more consistent hitting and pitching. But the sad fact is average teams just ARE inconsistent - just like average pitchers and average hitters.

The sadder fact is the team seems to have gotten old quick - from Abreu to Damon to Giambi - that's a huge chunk of inconsistent production. The same is true of Moose and even Mo, to some extent.

Right now, they've got two consistent pitchers (Wang and Pettitte) and four consistent hitters (Jeter, Jorge, Matsui, Arod). Right now, with that combination, that's barely a .500 team, if that.

Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes (besides shoring up the bench - same as it ever was). Hopefully though they avoid the need for desperate moves (like Clippard and Kennedy for Teixeira - gasp!) that will have little impact.

Thanks. That sounds like the mature way to handle things.

21 "the only thing that has bothered me a little has been the notion (expressed by a small minority) that there is only one way to evaluate the ongoing season"

I've tried to follow the threads and I don't see it this way. The "small minority" you refer to hasn't objected to negative opinions but to the smug way it is sometimes expressed. As in, "This team is going nowhere and you're an idiot if you don't see that." Or something of that sort. And then repeated again and again.

People have made this point previously, and it bears repeating: there's a difference in what one thinks and how one expresses it. It's the latter that's sometimes been a problem here.

Plus, all the losing has made everyone edgy, so some occasional levity a la Chyll Will goes a long way.

Why is he even on this team anymore? FREE BRITTON.

Meanwhile, anyone else catch the MMD interview from two or three weeks back where Torre said that he thinks about what Chris Russo will say as he's considering moves? And he was completely sincere!

I'm still tuning into every game, but a season like this obviously ends the Torre run and hopefully shakes up the GM to the realities of an old roster AND a crappy bench. But hopefully they at least make a more respectable showing in June.

[Always look on the bright side of life...]

30 Does everyone here agree that Torre has no chance of coming back in 2008? If so, I wonder if he'd think of resigning (how weird is it that re-sign and resign are spelled the same but mean the exact opposite) at some point? If the team is dead and Cashman assures him there will be no extension, perhaps Joe will bow out so Mattingly can get a taste. Also, it would give Torre some time to spend with Frank, which I'm sure is important to him.

Why no Britton yet? I have no idea.

I think it should be NY State law that: If you're gonna play centerfield for the NY Yankees, you need to be able to throw a baseball 200 feet.

Damon is comical out there. Looks like he never bothered to learn the proper way to throw a baseball.

The Yanks' starting pitching has been pretty woeful with the injuries. For instance, Tavarez and his 82 ERA+ would be the number 3 on the Yanks right now (ahead of Moose's 72 ERA+ and of course Igawa and Meat and DeSalvo and Wright).

Clippard may still be the real deal (118 ERA+). Hopefully he nails down a spot tomorrow night.

It's impossible to go on a winning streak if the starting pitching is inconsistent. Clemens will help. As will Hughes.

[ALways look on the bright side of life...]

We know this.

Don't we?

Without decent starting pitching, does Torre have any choice but to bring Villone and Vizcaino into a 3-0 game in the fifth. Has he alread trotted Proctor and Bruney out there alot?

Sure, none of that explains the hitting problems. But trouble with pitching has killed a great many teams.

36 "Back spasms" and/or "flu like symptoms" would also work. Shoot, I once heard about this guy who went on the DL with "bruised buttocks".

I wish Cashman would also trade Myers - don't the Twins need a LOOGY? - and bring Henn back. It can't hurt.

Finally, if Damon is hurting, screw his pride and tell him to go on the DL and get rest. Call up KT. Ditto with Giambi. Why not see if Shelley Duncan can't mash in the bigs for 2 weeks? Can't hurt.

Exactly. It would have been nice to have a cushion in the standings to have let DeSalvo figure out a way out of that situation. Being a dozen games out and not even sniffing .500, you gotta try to keep the game close. Unless, of course, you're prepared to write off this season.

I do have one suggestion: swap Mattingly and Bowa. Donnie can coach third (& give Cano the evil eye whenever he swings at ball four) and maybe Bowa can give Torre some good in game advice.

Come to think of it, this habit seems to be an extension of Joe's Jeff Weaver syndrome: when on the road, bring in your closer only when you've got a lead (though you may lose the game without ever using your best reliever).

this season is getting ugly!

not giving up though.

if we can get to .500 by the break...a few games above would be a bonus.

arrrgh!

I'm not saying that Torre is still teflon (taking out Clippard early on Friday was plain silly) - but there is a built in excuse with so much pitching down.

We all thought they were fine this year with plenty of league average pitching. But with six starters DL'ed at various times (Moose, Wang, Meat, Karstens, Rasner, Hughes) plus Igawa's troubles, is it really any wonder that they stunk up the joint?

Ask yourselves this: What team could survive that nuclear scenario?

Just because it's the Yankees, folks fixate on other things, but really it's begins and ends with the pitching.

Meanwhile, whoever thought I'd be the voice of reason?

What the best string of quality starts this year?

My guess: 3 or 4 in a row, and even then only once or twice.

and even when we do get a quality starts, its usually borderline...in other words, just well enough to lose...aka Mike Mussina.

Or did you mean for the Yankees?

7 GS 35.3 IP 41 H 23 ER 7 BB 18 K 5.86 ERA 72 ERA+

I bet not.

So then have they even had Wang, Pettitte, and Moose have a string of three in a row? My guess is maybe once - again cause Moose has sucked.

And since those 17 games weren't consecutive and/or the starter wasn't lasting through the 6th, then things were still going to be tough going.

My point: it's hard to get on a roll if only three of the five starting pitchers are doing their job.

54 No argument there from me.

Half a billion dollars! I guess he could recoup that by selling the Red Sox. Not for nothing did I predict that Henry/Werner et al. would be unloading the team by its 5 year deadline for depreciation.

Quality starts of games started:
Pettitte: 8 of 10
Wang: 4 of 7
Mussina: 2 of 7

Rooks is more time comsming.

Here is a breakdown of our record according to opponents runs scored:

0 = 1-0
1 = 3-0
2 = 6-1
3 = 2-4
4 = 0-2
5 = 0-1
7 = 0-2
10 = 0-2
14 = 0-1
15 = 0-1

We haven't won a single game where we have allowed more than 3 runs, and we are 2-4 when we have ONLY allowed 3 runs (remember 3 runs in 6 innings is a quality start).

0 = 0-0
1 = 1-1
2 = 1-0
3 = 2-0
4 = 1-1
5 = 2-7
6 = 1-0
7 = 0-1
8 = 1-2
9 = 0-1
11 = 0-1
12 = 1-0

note, when yankees pitchers have held 17 teams to 3 runs or less, the devil rays have held 5 teams to the measure. we are 12-14. they are 10-14.

60 ESPN.com shows you quality starts for the team: Yanks have 20 in 49 games (26th out of 30 MLB teams). Unfortunately, they don't let you sort it out by month.

Pettitte has 8, Wang has 4, Moose 2, DeSalvo 2, Pavano, Igawa, Hughes, and Clippard 1 each.

Moose's 2 came on May 27th and May 9th. Wang had a QS on May 26th (but bombed on May 10th). Pettitte had one on May 8th. And DeSalvo had one on May 7th. So there's a 3-game QS streak: May 7, 8, and 9.

If Torre had let Rasner get one more guy out on May 6th, he would have had a QS (5.2 IP, 0 ER). Given that Wang had a QS on May 5th, that would have been a QS from everyone once through the rotation.

So yeah, its happened once.

I await your verbal lashings!

;-P