So is Sean Henn still on the team?

I was out in Queens last night and by the time I got back to Staten Island it was about 2-2:30 in the a.m. Went out to the watering hole around the corner for a nightcap and assumed there was a Yankee Classic game on the tvs. Then I saw it was Channel 9. A four-hour rain delay?!? Seriously? Why did common sense not prevail and set up a twinbill for either today or tomorrow like the Sawx and Sox did yesterday? We're in town for four days, there wasn't any kind of crazy rush to get it in last night. What a joke.

But that in no way excuses a terrible start by Roger, who either seems to be completely on or completely off whenever he takes the hill. Nor does it excuse Joe for keeping Giambi out of the lineup again. Very disappointing all around. Furthermore, the inability of our better relievers to go more than one inning (maybe Joe's decision-making as well) is very frustrating, as it for the second time this week set up a situation where the 25th man on the roster -- a.k.a. Henn -- has a key game in his not quite capable enough hands.

I'm not going to bury the Bombers yet, not with series still left to be played against Boston and Seattle. But last night was disconcerting to say the very least.

Sounds like some good cookin', Alex.

Who do you think served more toe-may-tahs? You, or the Yanks?

Tonight we win!!

because we have to, right?

Utter BS to start a game that late. Didn't there used to be a rule about not starting an inning after 1:30 am?

Apparently, the same umpiring crew was recently criticized for calling a game too early so this was their way of sticking it to the league. I'm not sure who the ridiculous ball-strike calls were supposed to be showing up.

Pete Abe is reporting that tomorrow's game will be free on MLB.TV.

Here's the story:

http://tinyurl.com/38kqq3

6 I wonder how much their servers will get gummed up. The article claims that you can stream at over 1 mbs with Mosaic--I have some purdy fast internet service and I never get that speed withour mosaic constantly hanging and crashing. Most nights I concede defeat and watch the low quality stream via quicktime.

Props to Torre for using Rivera with the game still tied for the second time on this road trip, but why he didn't try to get two innings out of . . . well, anyone, was beyond me.

4 There used to be a curfew in the AL - I think it was 1 AM. They got rid of it in the not-too-distant past. Maybe when they started interleague play? (The NL never had a curfew.)

9 The curfew is still in effect, but in the Umpires discretion when the game is being played in the teams last visit of the season at the visitors' yard.

6 I take it that means that EI wont have the game out of market? MLB.TV is the only way to watch the game?

11 No idea. The article is, in a word, dull. Much more about the wonderful history of MLB.TV than about how the game will be broadcast (except that it does say that the game won't be available to those within the blackout zones for each team, iirc).

12 Yea, not available on EI. I'll have to wait until the game is over and wait for MLB.TV to upload it and watch it tomorrow afternoon here on the west coast.

I had such high hopes for baseball when salaries fell back to planet earth following the unprecedented ridiculous spending spree of the late 1990's and into the early 2000's. Albert Pujols earing only $13,000,000 this year. Sounds a bit more reasonable than the $18,000,000 given Zambrano and the $28,000,000 that Arod will attract. Network deals and dedicated internet and TV outlets. Granting playoff rights to the utterly inept Fox Sports. Oh well, like they say, steroids didn't and won't destroy the baseball we love, but money sure as hell will. When it costs $75 for a decent upper deck seat, then something is most definitely wrong.

Starting lineup, according to LoHud:

YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Betemit 1B
Cabrera CF

Another day with Johnny on the spot and Jason banished to the bench. Can't say I'm too thrilled.

14 Yeah I don't get it either. With a righty on the mound also. Argh.

10 Kay and Leiter must have said that the curfew has been abolished 20 times last night.

Having few pitchers that can go more then 1 inning is the reason the Yankees held on to Villone so long. I personally would have kept Myers as our long man and dumped Villone long ago.

I think we still have a chance FOR the PS, although I wonder if we have a chance IN the PS. Steve Phillips is an asshole, but he was right about one thing:
We don't have the pitching.

I give kudos to Cashman for willing to vastly overpay for Roger, in an attempt to keep us competative without selling the farm. It is near impossible to rebuild and win at the same time, and we have come pretty close.

No doubt this is a transition year. If Cashman et al continue in their philosophy to develope our own players (again) with the emphasis on pitching, along with our deep pockets, we will be a dynasty again soon.

15 Yea, it makes no sense to me not to have Giambi at DH or 1B tonight. When Wang actually starts getting ground balls again then maybe, but right now we need to score. I don't know what Damon gives us that Giambi doesn't. They both see a lot of pitches and can get on base. You shouldn't be running all that much against Pudge anyway. But what do I know?

17 I agree about Myers, and have said as much. I think his resemblance to Mike Stanton might have something to do with it. They looked only at Lefty splits, not at overall effectiveness and the help he was giving Wang. Oh well, that move shouldn't make or break the team, but sheesh.

The only thing I can think of regarding the lineup is that maybe Torre wants to give Matsui a bit of a day off. But even that makes no sense, because it would be nice to have him as a pinch hitter for Damon if need be who can also play in the field. It seems to me that it would be a stronger and more flexible bench with an outfielder on it (Damon or Mats) that Giambi, who can't play in the field.

19 Except that Stanton was never a lefty specialist. He was just a left-handed pitcher, which is how you and I would have looked at Myers.

20 Giambi a perfectly adequate first baseman. The Mets seem to do ok with a first baseman who is downright awful. The conventional wisdom the Giambi can't play first is baseless.

13 But average attendance around the league is through the roof, so something is very, very right. Baseball is transitioning, I think, in the way all other major sports in North America have. The cost of individual games will continue to grow as the days of the common man showing up game day with his buddies to catch a game in the bleachers disappears. More emphasis will be placed on pregame sales and season ticket packages; most fans will have to plan far in advance what one or few games they wish to attend; as the average cost rises and fans see fewer games per season, the fans will demand that their stadium experience be more memorable--hence new mall parks with restaurants, museums, hotels, etc. It doesn't thrill me, but the business seems to be doing pretty well.

Anyone else concerned at all with the fact that not only has Mike Mussina turned into Kevin Brown (circa 2004-2005), but he has also become a huge dick as well. When asked whether he felt secure with his spot in the Yankee rotation, he responded: "They're going to take me out of the rotation? Who were they going to replace me with?"

Answer: Ian Kennedy.
Other acceptable responses: Kei Igawa, Jeff Karstens, Darrell Rasner, a Jugs Machine set at 67 mph, Ron Guidry, or the lucky fan sitting in Section 504, Row J, Seat 12.

22 Giambi gets hurt basically every time he plays in the field. They're keeping him away from 1B more to avoid injury than because of his perceived defensive failings.

25 But what's the point of keeping him healthy, if he's not going to be the DH? Great, we've got a healthy pinch hitter that needs ABs to get into a grove of sorts. Fantastic.

17 19 21 The thing is, they don't really need a long man, i.e. a reliever who can spot start or pitch for three of four innings if teh starter gets shelled--because he will never be used that way. Also, with five man rotation, is there really a need for a long man in teh traditional sense?

Rather, they need a couple or few relievers who can pitch two--rather than one--inning. Thing is, they already them (Joba, Edwar, now Bruney, in addition to Henn/Villone). Unfortunately, Torre now seems completely unwilling to use any good reliever for two innings.

26 I'm agreeing with you, man. Look back at older threads and you'll see I was hoping for Giambi to return as the full time DH, which would relegate Damon to glorified 4th OF.

28 Damon HAS to be the odd man out in this lineup fiasco. He's in the midst of a miserable offensive season, and we've got a healthy power hitter on the bench who needs plate appearances. You're right. Especially with the starters not really living up to their substantial hype -- save Andy -- we need to pound the cover off the baseball for the time being to stay in this race with the Sawx and the we-never-lose-anymore-apparantly Mariners.

Oh, and free Chris Britton for the love of god.

El Duque es EN FUEGO!

29 My hope is that the we-never-lose-anymore-apparenly Mariners (WNLAAM ?) continue their winning ways and, with seven games left against the Halos, knock the Angels out of the play offs. The Yankees need to catch Boston, or the M's...or the Angels--just one of them.

29 I agree. I am making a complete one-eighty, but I think it might be best to move Jeter back to leadoff to get his head out of his ass, and get Giambi in the lineup. Damon certainly helps us win the occasional game, but his low BA and OBP are not even average for a leadoff hitter. Right now the team has to score as many runs as possible, and that means Giambi in the DH spot. Let Guidry and Kerrigan handle the pitching and just put the best available lineup on the field. Today for example, why have Matsui DH, when we don't have anyone to replace Damon in LF is we need to PH for him later in the game? If he wants Damon in the lineup, then start him in left and DH Giambi and rest Matsui if that is really why he has him at DH, and if we fall behind then bang, Matsui goes right into left. Betemit and Damon should not be in the same starting lineup. But what do I know?

32 This game has Shelley-Duncan-making-a-cameo-in-left-field written all over it.

31 I have been chastised for my "all M's all the time" posts recently, so I won't get into that. We lose and they win today and we are five games behind them, so it doesn't really matter, as they will be out of the picture as aint no way we'll catch them at that point. So you're right, the best we can hope for now is that they bump LAA from the playoffs altogether, and that the Yankees can sweep a few series going down the stretch.

Eeeeks! Watching Lastings Millegde field fly balls is like watching someone try to follow a feather from a tall building to the ground and somehow track its movement.

I'll take Damon's average and OBP in August over Giambi's August any day. Do y'all realize that Giambi has been King more than hitting, and that Damon is hittin .339 this month with an OBP more than 100 points higher than Giambi?

23 This is because MLB is targeting and marketing to corporate America and affluent citizens, instead of everyday families, as seen by the new stadium's abolishment of thousands of 'citizen' seats to make room for hundreds of luxury seats.

The way MLB reaches Joe average is now via TV and the internet, as opposed to tickets to games. This accounts for huge revenues.

How much money does Fox pay for it's TV rights? How much money is generated by YES, TBS, NESN and soon the new Mets station? How about the new Direct TV deal?

If the Yankees profit $40 per seat, times 50,000 seats, times 81 ballgames, that's roughly $160 million. The Yankees cost in the vicinity of $400 million to operate. Baseball is funded by average Americans watching TV, as opposed revenue from tickets. So especially in NY and areas where there is a large corporate and affluent population, stadiums can get away with selling outlandishly expensive luxury seating to a minority population.

Massage and Jacuzzi will be extra.

But if a team doesn't have TV deals? Well, tickets DO account for a large portion of income. So the TBs and Pittsburgs of the league might profit $40 per seat, times 25,000 seats, times 81 ballgames, or maybe $80 million. Thus, much more modest team payrolls. Imagine if there was no 'profit sharing'.

Of 30 MLB teams, 20 have payrolls of $90m or under. 10 have payrolls of $65m or under. (these are 2006 stats).

Thank God for large screen, Hi-Def TV, because this IS what the MLB baseball experience will be for the majority of average Americans.

36 "Thank God for large screen, Hi-Def TV, because this IS what the MLB baseball experience will be for the majority of average Americans."

As it is for fans of hockey, football, basketball...and frankly for most basbeball fans already who don't live within a short commute to a ML ballpark.

14-2? Ozzie Guillen sucks as a manager.

And of course MLB.tv will be free tomorrow -- that's my one Yankee game of the year I get to see in person.

38 Why are they even going to play that game tomorrow? I can't believe the White Sox won the World Series just two years ago. What a pathetic team. They should juggle the schedule for the sake of the rest of the league and have the Pirates and White Sux play every single day til the end of the season for the title of shittiest team alive.

Atta boy, 'Decki! Bonderman continues to suck... bodes well.

Jeepers, Abreu steals second, I step out of the room for a minute, and Matsui hits a 2 run double. I'll have to step out a lot more this evening.

17 The Braves were able to reload while being competetive. The Red Sox, who sometimes seem to be made of spare parts have been able to reload while being competetive.

You don't need to tear down to rebuild, but a team has to be smart about what they need to do to compete.

17 Could Bob Wickman be a multi-inning set up guy?

43 No, but he could be a fat, useless waste of space.

not a great start for Wang..

44 How about Chris Britton?

44 He's only fat.

46 Who? There is no Chris Britton. This is not the Chris Britton you are hoping for.

36 That isn't necessarily true. A team can design a stadium with thousands of citizen seats, as well as luxury boxes. They choose not to.

48 I actually wrote PeteAbe yesterday to ask why Chris was not getting a shot with the big club and here is the response I got.

From: PABRAHAM@lohud.com
Subject: RE: Bruney over Britton
Date: August 24, 2007 9:39:40 PM PDT
To: bobtaco

I believe he is a Communist.

I have no idea as I never see Scranton pitch. But obviously they don't like something about him. If I get a chance to ask Cashman, I will. But I have to tell you, it's not high on my list of issues.

Thanks for reading,
Pete Abraham

49 It doesn't make sense to. The fewer seats (within reason), the greater the demand. This in turn puts pressure on fans to get tickets ahead of time, lest the game sell out. This insures the team against low ticket sales because of weather, poor play, etc.

This happens to me every year. I have always lived some distance from the stadium. My bro and I go to a game every year; as season ticket and advanced ticket sales increase each year, we are in turn forced to but our ticket farther and farther in advance. So, we are compelled to go to teh game no matter how badly the team plays, no matter how much below pre-season expectations.

It just doesn't make sense to build parks with "citizen seats." It makes sense to build the largest possible park that is guaranteed to sell out (that is, generally smaller), and then to maximize the prices within that size.

50 I'm not comfortable with that response. Has he always been this brusque?

52 I never wrote him before, but honestly, I read al