Good write up, Emma.

It's hard to get too excited about these guys, after hearing non-stop about how the Mets' pitching staff was going to be great for a decade ... and then they kinda fizzled.

But damn, Wang, Hughes, Joba, Kennedy ...

re: learning to trust Vizcaino. I was learning to trust Lindsay Lohan, too, before she got busted again this morning.
Poor dopey kid.

In light of this development, Viz will be required to wear his anti-game-blowing ankle bracelet 12 more weeks.

Anybody catch Lupica sputtering and spewing today? Rambling through his anti-Yankee litany in shuffle mode? What a mess.

As far as Joba goes, this is from a Keith Law chat last week at ESPN:

"I was at Joba's start on Saturday night in Trenton. He was 94-98 in the 7th inning, with a plus-plus slider, average change, and an inconsistent but occasionally plus curve. Fastball command is OK, control is at least average. He's a potential #1 starter, and I can't imagine the Yanks trade him, not even for Teixeira.

...I'd trade Hughes before I'd trade Joba."

As for Lupica, he is an irrelevant twerp. I wouldn't waste a second of my time reading his work.

I wonder whatever happened to him.

Man, only nine runs? I guess the bats were tired. Good stuff all around. And Wang tonight.

And no way 8 they trade Joba or Kennedy, especially since they have 10 other arms they could more first, as well as Gardner.

Indeed, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Garnder, Marquez, Ohlendorf, and Smith for Teixeira.

As for that Kansas video, that's exhibit A as to why MTV killed prog rock. Helluva performance, though, and, actually, the keys/vox/bongos guy looks a little like Dave Grohl (though Grohl's '70s stash and mop are, I assume, supposed to be ironic).

If they excel, then Cashman and the Tampa braintrust have a bevy of young arms that can be at least serviceable in a major league role and Joba or Ian could be up in September for cup of coffee.

I'm not sure if that's what explain it....since he wouldn't get work if he was.

In the end it doesn't really bother me that much, because I don't think they're getting dumped down because because they can't hack it.

13 I had the pleasure of seeing Emerson, Lake and Palmer in concert on their last tour in 1998 (along with Dream Theater). They put on an outstanding show, playing for over two hours, and the crowd wanted more. I wish I had discovered them sooner; I had only been a fan for a couple of years at that point.

Their IF coach?

The immortal: Alvaro Espinoza

It was kind of funny that the bunting situation we discussed (1-2 and no outs) popped up again. Even though it would have taken the bat out of Arod hand (Matsui with the bags juiced isn't a bad consolation), I wasn't opposed to trying to push one or two more runs across because it was already the 9th inning and it would have permitted Torre to leave Rivera in the pen without angst (assuming he didn't continue his trend of bringing in Mo most often with a 4-run differential). I find it a little odd that Torre would be more committed to bunting in the fourth inning with the same situation than the 9th.

There was a lot of talk about the value of line drive hitters over home run hitters that was perplexing. Most studies seem to suggest things: (1) Homeruns, hitting and preventing them, are more the result of skill than almost any other outcome; and (2) OBP correlates best to runs scored than any other conventional stat.

Based on statement 1, I would think it would be an asset to have players who are capable of hitting home runs because it increasingly removes luck from the equation. Now, great pitchers are usually "great" because they have the skill of avoiding home runs, so that leads many to the conclusion that in a big game you need contact hitters. Well, I don't really buy that. Someone asked the question whether you'd rather have 9 Ichiro's against Pedro or 9 McGwire's (or similar players of that ilk). Personally, I'd rather have the slugger because it only takes one good swing to plate a run. As great as Pedro was, it always seemed easier to score on a lighting bolt than on trying to string together hits as part of a rally.

Of course, statement 2 makes the debate somewhat "mute" because the best hitters are those who get on base more; how they hit the ball is much less meaningful. In other words, I'd rather have as many guys who makes as few outs possible than any other combination.

I think the reason most people "feel" that having contact hitters makes for a more stable offense is because certain situations standout more prominently in the mind. When there is a man on 1st and 2 outs, most fans probably assume the inning is over, so when a Giambi-type jacks a two run homer, it's a pleasant surprise. On the other hand, when there is a man on 3rd and 1 out and Giambi K's, the missed opportunity sticks in the craw, causing one to lament the pitfalls of the slugger. The same psychological illusion probably explains why so many people think Cairo is a professional hitter. When he makes an out, you think nothing of it, but when he gets a hit, your shock and surprise makes the event standout.

One more anecdote to consider…how many big Yankee post season walk-offs have come on a hit versus a HR? Off the top of my head, the HR column is filled by the likes of Leyritz, Bernie (a few times), Jeter, Chad Curtis, Soriano and Boone, while the hit column has Vizcaino and Knoblauch. The Yankee post season has been littered with huge home runs that changed games on a dime, so I don't think you can make the argument that contact hitters and line drives up the gap win in the postseason, but power doesn't.

33 "Now this is the world we live in (oh oh oh) and these are the hands we've given (oh oh oh)"

At least I don't have Kansas in my head anymore. ;)

5 Yeah, but at least that one set up a great line in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure: "Dust. Wind. Dude."

The Yankees have enough good, young arms that they have an opportunity to be very creative with how they design their staff.

33 "That's All" was on Genesis/Genesis which was around '83. Don't remember the video for it, but Collins tried to do straight up performance videos for as long as MTV would let him get away with it.

Sledgehammer was Gabriel's first video in the MTV era, if I recall correctly, and it seemed to me at the time that MTV was "forcing" both acts to change their tune as it were.

The Sting/Knopfler "I want my MTV" thing was where rock music completely caved in to MTV. Not a terrible tune, but a travesty just the same.

40 "The Yankees have enough good, young arms that they have an opportunity to be very creative with how they design their staff."

Unless Mr. Formula returns next year.

35 Looks pretty good. Cashman has his work cut out trying to generate value from all the B/B- arms our there, Rasner, Clip, White, Wright, Karstens, Desalvo, Igawa, etc. Those guys ought to be able to yield a stellar bench & bullpen though. maybe.

What to do with Clemens though? What if he wants to pitch again next year? Do you let him go to the Sox (though they may have enough of their own young pitching to not need him)? Maybe if the guys buy him a nice, big truck as a retirement gift, then he'll finally retire, in pinstripes.

Starters:
Wang
Hughes
Pettitte
Moose
Joba
Kennedy (mid-year/injury sub?)

Bullpen*:
Mo
Proctor
Bruney
Igawa
Britton
Henn
Edwar

And that doesn't leave any room for Karstens, Rasner, TJ Beam, or J Brent Cox. Pardon me, I have to wipe the drool off my keyboard now.

(* I presume the Yanks will let Myers, Villone, and Vizcaino all walk as free agents, and trade Farnsworth at some point.)

I like trying to acquire Teixeira more than any other possible quick fix (Dunn, Dmitri, Hatteberg) because whether the Yanks make the playoffs this year or not, they are set at first base for the next five years. That is provided they can sign him to a long term deal.

The video for "That's All!" (a year after "Monkey") had the three members of Genesis dressed as bums singing/playing the song around a very sound-stagey Skid Row trash can fire.

Meanwhile Igawa's future is definitely relief. I think he pitches better without advance notice.

For some reason, there is a rumor that the Yankees are interested Jon Garland and Matt Thornton from Chicago. Regardless of whom they'd give up, that would be an awful deal. Garland would presumably take Hughes spot, which would be a net negative, while Thornton's chief talent is his ability to walk batters. I can't imagine why the Yankees would think they need another one those.

That's pretty nice haul for the Rangers. They get one or two potential back of the rotation guys and a CF prospect. I can't imagine any other team offering more unless it involves a true A prospect like a Buchholz or Bailey.