Another start for Andy. Did he impress Joe last night?

Torre actually singled him out for his defense in his post-game comments. On the radio Suzyn said she asked Joe about Cano's plays. Joe praised Robbie but then said something along the lines of don't forget about Phillips, pointing out his great work in the field.

Looks like Phillips and Crosby will be part of a complex platoon until Sheffield comes back, with the alignment against lefties being:

LF - Melky
RF - Bernie
1B - Andy
DH - Giambi

And against righties:

LF - Bubba
RF - Melky
1B - Giambi
DH - Bernie

Though it would make more sense to me to leave Melky in left all the time, which Joe just might do.

2 I read somewhere that Joe said Melky told him he was more comfortable in left, so he was just play him there.

So, at least for the first inning, Jaret Wright pitched like an ace. Here is hoping he keeps doing it for five-six more.

Halsey screwed up there. Wang would not have been caught flat-footed that way.

OK I gotta cut the lawn. Wright k's two lefties, great recovery. Maybe he'll allow "Meat" to get the innings he needs before he makes his 2006 ML debut.

Mr. Jeter,
Jaret Wright is pitching. Do not bunt.

Quite a battle by Giambi there. He must have seen a dozen pitches.

According to the YES announcer:
ARod LEADS the AL in driving in the go-ahead Run with 10...
HEY... make that 11!

It's gonna be a blowout according to ARod.

Holy guacamole! HUUUUUUGE homer for A-Rod.

And ARod is "protected" by Bernie(eek.)

How unclutch. Fat Papi would've waited to the 9th inning to hit that dinger!

I'm really happy for A-Rod. Wow what a shot. Maybe he'll shut the clowns up after all.

Course he had Bernie hitting behind him so Halsey was forced to make that pitch... I used to be a big Halsey fan, thought he was the second coming of Whitey Ford in terms of physical resemblance.

I hate to face yankee farm hands.. its so weird, Halsey is a good kid, nice composure, let us wait till end 6th when he leaves the game to score again.. i would like him to perform well for Oakland, 3 runs is enuf.. unless they start tatooing Wright..

Lumber & leather for A-Rod.

I spoke too soon.

Its a great time for ARod to take over the burden and win over the boo-ers

I don't believe it. They're booing A-Rod for that error. Short memories.

I think they were booing that call..

On replay, it was a lot closer than it looked. At first blush, I thought he was safe by a mile.

And he walks the # 9 hitter with the .170 avg. Crap.

Hes not pitched for 10 days, he deserves a std routine too..

Love the close ups of Gator. He's probably thinking "I should be out there, I can do better than that."

Good thing Wang went the distance (almost) last night. Looks like we're going to need some middle relief.

Joe said Rivera's not coming in today. He's too sick, so Farnsworth will be the closer.

16 I feel the same way. Wasn't it Halsey that got called up to face the Dodgers on nat'l tv a couple of years back? Just remember it was like watching a 12 year old pitch altho I think he did okay.

I have NO doubt the Yanks will get another OF'er. Melky will stay put, but Damon will need periodic rest as he is already banged up, and Melky (or a Kevin) will need seasoning to be effective down the line and in the PS.

The 'Bubba will do it' line is the same line they used to make it look like they were NOT going after Damon (which of course they were for quite a while). Getting an OF'er will cost them, so they can't appear to be too needy, or they will really get raped.

Mats is out for the year (as an effective hitter anyway.. he may be able to 'play' late in the season). Shef and Damon make about 1 1/2 OF'ers. We are definitely in need.... assuming the Yanks know Bernie is NOT an OF'er.

So.................
Weigh in everybody.....
Who will be the Yankee's newest OF'er (I'll bet by the end of May/beginning of June).

And I especially want the 'official word' from Cliff and Alex on this question.

Take some pitches.. Wright hasnt even sat down yet..

It appears defense is not Halsey's forte.

27.. same here.. i thought it was at Atlanta though.. i am not sure..

28.. they should not make the mistake of going after Marquee ones, we only need Sheff back and a good defensive OFer, i would say go after some lesser ones.. Shannon Stewart wud b great, cheap too, i would think we should look at Delluci too.. i donno abt Dmitri Young.. isnt he a 1B why is his name around?? or tap Tampa or Cincy.. Gathwright would be great.. but Tampa is tuff to deal with..

Barring disaster, I don't think we'll have a new OFer this month, or early June.

In the longer run...maybe Soriano. As a longshot: Ichiro.

I'd just go after a replacement level OF. League average offense and defense (actually, a better than avg. D plus speed would be nice)

Nice play Bernie, a bit much of an adventure for me.

Yeah, Derek! (What slump?)

33"I'd just go after a replacement level OF". I think we have "replacement level" guys on the farm. I think the FO will want something a little more.

Predictions (as opposed to opionions) anyone? The CW seems to think Tori Hunter. (the Twinkies have no chance this year).

hey is anyone on here living overseas?

I am and for some reason mlb.tv has this game blacked out. Then I try the Cubs game and it works fine. Don't tell me yankee games are blacked out internationally...

16 That's a great point Yankahol. There are a lot of guys floating around with that pedigree that I always root for. Even Willy Mo or at least I will again once he changes his address.

Agree that if they want replacement level, they'll stay in-house.

Don't think it will be Torii. Not yet. The Twins aren't packing it in yet.

Brian Cashman's scouts have reportedly been spotted at Philadelphia games, presumably checking out Abreu.

Wow, Bernie! From 1st to 3rd without even thinking of stopping at 2nd.

Nice take out by Arod.

Ballsy baserunnig there, nice job with 2 out

Is Abreu in his contract year? I can't see getting an even near reasonable deal on anyone unless it's somewhat of a contract dump. We can spend money. We can't give up any of our prime kids.

IF the games are carried by FOX or ESPN (internationally) then some saturday games maybe blacked out.. i have had this happen before.. even though i was watching from Ohio last year

The Phillies have David Dellucci. They don't need Abreu any more. And Abreu is owed something like $25 million this year and next. I bet they'd love to dump that salary hit. And the Yanks could afford to pay it.

I know this might not happen, but why not call Minaya and ask about Victor Diaz, they have Nady and Milledge coming up.. so Diaz maybe the kinda lost player we should go after.. young too

BTW... Boston TV is talking about NOW (without Matsui and Shef) being the time to put the Yanks a distance behind them. They are laughing at the idea of a Bubba/Melky/Bernie OF (and I'm not sure I can blame them).

I'm for getting a decent OBP guy with a decent glove. If we just want a glove man, that's Bubba. We don't need power, but we needs guy who don't always make outs.

This team is in its second year of Giambi. ARod, Shef, RJ and Moose (big money, no Yankee rings). I think this has to be the year.

i didnt mean lost.. i wanted to type low-cost.

I think Bubba is a decent OBP guy with a decent glove. He's not a slugger, but he gets on base: .259/.355/.370

If the Yanks go shopping, I think it will be for someone with more power.

47 I'm note sure the sample size. Is Bubba really a .355 OBOP guy? and .259 is a little weak for an OF'er.

45 The Boston tv guys are delusional then. Even with the outfield, the Yanks offense is superior to the Sawx.

Has anyone checked out the Sawx ops up the middle? Tek, Gonzo, Loretta are absolutely dreadful. The only production they get up the middle is when they throw Wily Mo in cf, and I doubt he keeps his ops up as high as it now.

And, knock on wood, the Yank pitching is much superior to the Sawx so far this year by any statistical measure.

If I were a Sawx fan I'd be less concerned about getting away from the Yankees at the top of the division, and more concerned about not dropping behind the Jays into 3rd.

Who is this guy and what has he done with Jaret Wright?

Knock on wood, Wright is good today, since that bases loaded jam he has recovered well.. our pitching needs to keep it up.

Regding a power guy for the oF, i am counting on Sheff to come back soon (3 weeks max) and i think that should be good enf offense, i see the defense in OF offsetting some of the loss in offense thats y a guy like Stewart or Delluci or Payton or Roberts will be adequate

50 He still walked Scutaro, so the real Jaret Wright is in there somewhere.

I think Bubba will bring his numbers up with more playing time. He seems to get hot when he plays a lot (as in spring training and that stint last fall when Sheff was out injured). Not a lot of extra base hits, but he gets on base, via singles, bunts, walks, and plain ol' hustle.

And his defense is outstanding. Remember "Bubba can really chase it down" from WasWatching a few months ago?

http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2005/12/bubba_can_reall.html

"When you look at RAA on a "Per 150 Games" ratio, Bubba Crosby was by far the leader of the pack."

what were the chances that RJ would be the worst starter in a rotation consisting of mussina, wang, chacon, and the always sensational Jaret Wright?

Stewart or Delluci or Payton all sound like the right type of guy. Roberts? Did we need a pinch-runner?

Ken's Loaiza Fast would be over now if only it were a Wright Fast.

It's not going to happen, so just eat something, man.

Sooner or later we're going to have to start asking what's the difference between Mel and Guidry/Kerrigan.

The exact same starting pitchers between last year and this year and the difference is starting to be overwhelming.

I don't care about the peripherals. Wright is pitching a shutout through five. Wang last night. Moose. Even Chacon. The only guy not pitching better this year is Unit. And, even if he's injured or not, he's not finished when he's throwing 96 mph.

Of course, Small last year was Mel's doing and we don't make the post-season without the 10-0. So while we don't have celebrate Mel's retirement, RonJoe is doing one heck of a job - whatever it is they're doing.

Sox are rained out. I doubt they will play tomorrow. The will be 3 make-up games (on against us) hopefully late in the season.

Is Giambi starting to suffer from 'DH' disease?

So both Giambi and Cano strike out. Weird.

49 That's too bad. I was looking foward to watching Texas pound on them a little. You know, while they try to put some space between them and us.

A-Rod could not make that play 2 years ago.

Oh, no. Not Sturtze. This is not the kind of situation he needs to be thrown into right now.

Um, cbs gamecenter is showing effin Sturtze warming up.

I really have to ask. Is Torre pulling a Pete Rose here and trying to shave runs or what? I don't understand why this guy is still on the team. For the love of all things right and good.

Crap, now he's coming in.

Can you say 4-3 game?

Hasn't someone shot Sturtze yet? and you guys call yourselves New Yorkers....

What do you think, walk to the big time slugger Jason Kendall?

The good thing is Kendall is not going to hit a HR.

My bet is he gets to pitch but only if he gets guys out. If anyon reaches base, he's gone (I pray)

worse

Kendall hasn't hit a homer in how many at-bats?

Only the power of Sturtze can end that streak.

49, 61 Not that I know the Sox rotation schedule, but since the Yanks saw Beckett, Schill and Wake and Clement pitched last night, I think the rainout just lets them skip DiNardo's spot in the rotation again.

They are lucky.

At least he kept it in the park.

goodnight...

Proctor's warming.

I don't know why they would put Sturtze in a situation like this. It would be a tough situation for anyone to come into, and they pick the struggling Sturtze?

OK, so what is it going to take to convince Torre that this guy is no good?

Sturtz is DFA.

AGH! I walk away from my computer, only to return to TANYON STURTZE!

Jeez, Give Proctor a break.

Ok, he got someone out. Albeit a .170 hitter.

Oh dear lord, why is he still in to pitch to the top of the order!#$%^&^@#@$^&($@

'Destined for Assignment'

We dont have options, we are one reliever down, Farns is for 9th.. Proctor i assume will be 8th, the other 4 outs between villone/myers and sturtze..

Anyone been on Canyon of Heroes lately? Mike Plugh has a noMaas quality picture of Sturtze spliced onto a mushroom cloud for the Thursday post.

Funny.

@#$%^&()(&^%^$#@#$^&(&%###$^*((^$#@!!!

What use is Cashman if he can't get this guy off of the roster? This is unreal.

Define Hell: Game 7, 2006 World Series, bottom 9th, Yanks lead 4-3, call to the bullpen: here comes Sturtze

Sturtze is the undead. Everytime we like he's d-u-n, he rises again. It really is a bad horror movie.

I won't even begin to think that was the last time we'll see him...

If Sturtze had any honor he'd fall on his sword. Or at least quit. For the good of the team.

Of course he is from Mass., so maybe he's pitching for the good of another team.

Hell: 4 outs to go Game 7, Rivera ready.. Torre calls STURTZE to get the last out of 8th, serves up 2run bomb and Rivera can only hold the 5-4 deficit..

I think I'd have put Proctor in, and hope he can get out of the jam. At least let Sturtze start with no one on.

I don't think Sturtze is useless. He's in a slump. He may recover. But he's got no confidence now. You can see it in his face. And now he's been booed off the mound. That's not going to help.

God.... Watching Sturtz is like seeing someone dying of Cancer. He's gone as soon as Dotel or Pavano comes up.

Proctor, however, is really on a roll.

Proctor...the Anti-Sturtze

Sturtze's ERA actually went down there. Is there a way to cut him?

83 There are many circles of hell. Are we talking about getting chewed by Satan (Pujols) in the very bottom, hanging with the suicides (Delgado), or just caught up in the river of excrement (Adam Everett, maybe)?

79 Sorry, man, but I call bullshit.

Mendoza: 5.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 7 SO, 0 BB
Bean: 23.1 IP, 0.77 ERA, 30 SO, 11 BB

Both righties, both can go for more than one inning at a time.

The only reason possible reason for the vampire that is Sturtze is because his owns Torre's soul.

Do you think Matt Smith and Colter Bean at look at Columbus, and JB Cox, TJ Beam and Charlie Manning at Trenton -- all of whom are kicking ass out of the pen -- check the box score after Sturtze pitches and just shake their heads?

aaah...thank god for the Proctologist! meanwhile, Sturtz should be.....exiled. Eliminated. Expunged. Excreted.........etc....

Proctor rules!!!!

Go, Melky!

A Cano-esque AB for Melky!

87 - Sturtze isn't useless. He will always be the perfect example of who not to put in any game under any circumstance.

Heads up baserunning...

Rob, u r right.. i was just trying to figure out today's availability.. by no means is Sturtze numbers half as good..

Maybe TORRE is showing Cashman, unless Sturtze is off the roster he is gonnab sent in and gobbled up..

Hey everybody, Felix Heredia was released by the Buffalo Bison yesterday. . .

Proctor is reminding me a bit of dare I say it...Mariano in '96. Just pumping fastballs (ok, he uses that breaking ball too), looks totally hittable and everyone just keeps missing. Hopefully Torre doesn't overuse him though...

Settle down, Tom.

PROCS windup looks a lot like Harden..

104 I wasn't suggesting he WAS Mariano, just the style of what looks totally hittable pitches and people just keep missing. Remember that was before Mo had his cutter.

Proctor and Melky: this season's Wang and Cano?

Proctor should beat up Sturtze.

102 Unfortunately Tea still believes in Sturtze. That belief is based on one transcendant month in three years. Almost every other month has been horrible.

The problem with the GM is he lacks cohones esp. going against Torre. It kinda makes sense - when the GM was promoted, Torre had already won a World Championship as a manager and a league MVP a player.

But still, some things should be no-brainers. Sturtze is one of them. But the GM resigned him any ways.

Wright should get a few shots in too, since both the runs are charged to his acct.

106 I know. Wasn't suggesting you were making a direct identification. It's just that Rivera was the best middle reliver in the game in '96.

Can't say that for Proctor yet.

If he survives the 107 innings Torre's gonna give him this year with a ~2 ERA, then let the comparisons begin.

Wright needs to take it easy these days.

107 As much as you've got to love what Proctor is doing, you've got to worry that he is the new Sturtze. Scott's record doesn't suggest he'll keep it up. If anything, this is his transcendant month and in three years we'll still be paying for it.

111, reading the Birth of a Dynasty, I'm remembering now how much Torre used Mo in '96. 3 innings here, 2 there, almost always more than one inning. I don't know how he withstood it, except that Rivera's delivery is so liquid smooth it doesn't stress his shoulder/elbow as much as say someone like Gordon. Still, it makes me worry for Proctor, because Mo is clearly the exception in everything, including his endurance in '96.

And there's Andy making the play Cairo should have made against the Sox.

114 We all should be worried.

Proctor already has 24 innings. At this rate, he'll have 120 by the end of the year. Now there's no way he'll survive that, and if he is actually good, and this isn't a cruel joke, it could pooch the pen and a bright career.

Proctor is tired

Agree that Proctor could turn back into a pumpkin again at any minute. It's too early to get too excited.

However, there's good reason to think this isn't a flash in the pan. It's not just a fluke; he's learned a new pitch. He's doing something different.

And damn, it's a joy to watch little Bubba flash that leather.

114 good point...but did Torre really abuse Mo by historical standards, though? look at what relievers did in the 70s-80s...

He'll never make it at this rate.

Hey Joe, you have three other guys in the pen (not counting Myers, probably shouldn't count small either, though).

oh my god Torre gave him the go-ahead run?? tell me Game Day is making this shit up...

Unit's going to need to go deep tomorrow.

The Job is Yours!!!!!!

If Dotel has anything this could be one hell of a pen.

119, In 1996 Rivera pitched 107.1 innings. That's certainly very high by modern relief standards. Looking up say Gossage for comparison, he had 3 seasons with higher innings, and one just under. Most were certainly less than that and the 107 was the high point of Rivera's career.

If RJ can get through 5 tomorrow I'll be happy.

Ok, seriously, now give the kid a rest, Joe.

Let that arm cool off for a few days.

Unit? Go deep? Oh, no.

Wait, Street in? But its on the road, and your down. What kind of bullpen management is that? ;)

Bring in Villone/Myers to get the lefties before going to Fans??

good job being patient cano...

Small and Farns warming...

Lately Unit seems more likely a threat to go deep at the plate than he is to go deep on the mound.

Lol 132
Whatever Gator said to Wright, I hope he saved some of it for RJ.

132 ROFL!!!

Maybe we should keep Small to "shadow" the Unit. If it looks like a bad day for Randy, we can send in Archie for long relief.

It is an odd world in which we live when I look forward to Wright pitching more than I do Randy Johnson....

OMG. I can't believe I just saw that.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWCH

Ok, so the Farnz pitches the eighth.

I really doubt he's up for six outs. Does this mean Mariano's in play, or is Joe gonna go all unpredictable-like and put Villone or Small out there?

So where are the boos for Jeter when he makes an error?

Ok, What happened? For the benefit of those without TV's?

138 psst: it's the 9th

140 Jeter booted a DP

Oh ok. Sorry. I feel like I just tossed a ball into the stands on the second out, there.

139 No kidding. A-Rod has two (maybe three) game winning HR's this week. Jeter has one (maybe two) game losing errors this week.

Jeter missed what should have been a pretty routine grounder. I think he closed his glove before the ball was in it. Took his eye off the ball.

Has Jeter ever been booed at Yankee Stadium?

Way to regroup, Kyle.

Yes, Jeter has been booed at Yankee Stadium. When he was in that terrible slump, they booed him. No one is sacred.

Phew!

And we own 1st place....

Jetes ball took a slightly high last hop and hopped over his glove

aaaaaaahh...

146, Jeter was booed when he had that Horribe April-May 3 yrs back..

Farnsworth proved hes got composure..

Good win..

12-0 in daylight..

oh yeah i forgot about The Slump

That was kinda like watching a hot dog get made, but a win is a win is a win. That's 10 out of the last 13, and 2-0 for the IronZilla-less Yanks.

Just think:
Shef out.
Matsui out.
Giambi at DH:
Wright starts:

AND WE STILL WIN!!!

146 Yes, and it was one of the particularly low moments in the last few years.

That is some kind of cheese that he throws.

146, two years ago when he started off batting under 200.

1st place all to ourselves.

BONDS AB

And Bonds Ks.

Hey, they won a one run game.

While getting out hit and charged with two errors.

This win belongs to A-rod, though Proctor and Farnsworth pitched in. Wright was decent too.

Too close for comfort.

But a good win, anyway. Nice work by Wright, Proctor, and Farnsworth. Cabrera looked pretty good, though Andy didn't have much luck at the plate today. I think Bubba saved at least one run with that catch of his, maybe more. I don't think Cabrera or Matsui would have made that one.

And Proctor is the Player of the Game. Deservedly so.

Yup, those Red Sox are just pulling away, now that we're without Matsui and Sheff... ;-)

163 That chatter about pulling away would be more credible if their lineup was more than Ortiz and Ramirez.

Even without Sheff and Matsui, the Yanks still have A-Rod and Giambi, and A-Rod's just getting started. Even though the bottom of the order looks squishy, at least there's no Mark Loretta batting second, or an Alex Gonzales anywhere. And Posada can still hit, while the new-look 'Tek is actually hitting like a catcher.

Their respective rotations look about equal.

Schilling seems to be having trouble since his 133-pitch outing, Beckett has been up and down and is still an injury waiting to happen, Wake has been good, but the lineup hasn't been helping him, and then there Clement, and I think they still have DiNardo.

The Yanks have problems, with RJ especially, but Wang and Chacon have been not bad, even though it's been a chore to watch Chacon lately. Wright is still a big question mark. Then there's Moose.

Pretty even in the pitching department, then, but the Yanks' pitchers have been performing better.

Better lineup (even injury-depleted) and equal pitching: Advantage Yanks. Sheffield will be back sooner than you think, too.

As someone said on this thread, the Sox are lucky to be where they are, and they should be more concerned about staying ahead of Toronto.

163 How bout that Melky-man. He seems a totally different player than the lost kid who paid a short visit last year.

I'm glad for Proctor. Boy has he hung with it over the last couple of years; hard work and a good attitude getting good results. Who knew?

Are those Red Sawx away up there? Why they're so far ahead they almost seem to be just behind us.

Sturtze on the DL . . . .

Sturtze is going on the DL.

Torre seems to think that's what his problem has been.

Ooo. Does DL stand for the Dead to me List?

166 167 Is that for real or are you guys messing around?

It's for real. Sturtze has had shoulder soreness, and apparently has been keeping it secret. It's kept him from finishing his pitches.

He did something similar last year (hiding an injury). Torre seemed pretty annoyed.

No, no, Sturtze onto DL with shoulder soreness. Wahoo!!! And Torre was pissed that he didn't tell anyone, esp. becuase he did the same thing last year. Hopefully we'll never see him again. But I suspect otherwise.

I'm sorry, but don't pitching coaches notice little things like not finishing? Wouldn't they figure out if it's due to injury, just by watching how it doesn't improve even after they point it out?

Maybe that's what happened.

I guess I'm just upset he wasn't removed earlier.

Dude, if you're sucking and you're injured, tell someone. You aren't helping the club any.
BTW, Cleveland appears to be in the market for pitching. Maybe we can give them Sturtze.

Scott Erickson is taking Tanyon's place on the roster.

174 No. No. Stop.

Torre said Sturtze's velocity was still good, so they didn't realize anything was wrong.

173 That's really funny, "give them Sturtze." It reads like "give them herpes."

Hey, it was Jason Giambi who recommended Erickson. He must have something.

178 Two words: Colter Bean.

174 No joke again wsport. My fcuking god...

Here's Bean's numbers again this year:

Bean: 23.1 IP, 0.77 ERA, 30 SO, 11 BB

and

Erickson: 17 IP, 4.24 ERA, 11 SO, 11 BB

And my wife asks: "Why do they keep passing Bean up?"

{Fork into eyeball}

170 Wow. Why do guys do that? He has a guaranteed contract, he has the manager's confidence and he's an inside guy. You'd think the last thing he'd want to do is mislead his boss and compromise that trust. Ok, props for not being a whiner but Jesus Christ you've got 24 other guys and a coaching staff depending on you and your word. Man, I'd be pissed too if I were Mr. Torre and Cash. I might be tempted to 60 day the guy and see how I feel about him in July. I'd have to sleep on this. If I were still this pissed tomorrow I might be tempted to seek unconditional w's on the guy and tell him just to get the F out. Man is this annoying.

Thanks for the info Randym

And Bonds flys out to left on the first pitch.

180 WHAT??????? NO!!!!!!!!! Erickson? Why? Bean has a tough time with some lefties granted, Smith's BA against ain't great but the bottom line numbers are outstanding. Peripherals and experience? Wow.

Whose wife did Bean sleep with to get this far in the dog house and what act does he have to perform to get out?

On to tomorrow's game...

Johnson couldn't ask for a better situation than to face a limping lineup and a struggling pitcher.

But then, you could say the same thing for Haren, except that he'll be facing the still dangerous Yankees while the A's are basically declawed.

173 Reminds me of a game in '99 or 2000. I'm in Section 39. 8th or 9th inning, Blue Jays are clobbering us, 11-1. A few thousand fans are left, but the bleachers are still packed. Paulie is in RF. He'd been visibly slowing down and slumping lately, but would not take a day off. As he trots out to start the inning, the whole section starts singing "If you're hurt and you know it, sit on the bench. If you're hurt and you know it...." And I mean loud and long. He just turns around and glares. It was classic. The RF bleachers loved Paulie big time, but let him have it that night...

185 That's a great story. I wonder if Paulie remembers that?

astonishing yet predictable.

Erickson's ERA+ since 2000 (he missed 2 full seasons in that time): 60, 79, 72, and 67.
This guy is Sturtze' twin brother statistically. Guaranteed Torre plugs him into the same situations he would've used TS.

186 Good question. I remember Kay and Sterling talking about Paulie around that time (not about that incident), saying he's one of those players who hears everything from the stands. While it was pretty much a lovefest for him out there, I'm sure he has a story or two to tell about Section 39...

Well, disappointing but predictable that it's Erickson and not Bean or Smith. Tho to be fair, Erickson had pitched great iirc until a terrible outing this past week or so in which he walked a bunch and gave up 3 or 4 runs.

Possible silver lining?: three good relievers in Trenton, Cox, Manning and Beam. One of them should be promoted to Columbus to take Erickson's spot, no?

In a better world we could look forward to the coolness of a Bean/Beam middle relief corps.

Erickson promoted ahead of Smith, Bean, or Mendoza? Damn that Tampa contingent!

Surely, Cashman had nothing to do with this decision.

can u guys provide a link for this DL/prmotion thing

Which is more infuriating: Sturtze's refusal to tell his team he's injured or Torre's insistence on inserting a pitcher who is irrefutably horrible?

192 Sturtze by an immeasurably large factor. I would tell him to go pound sand, get out and don't come back. How many games did this cost? Whose development did he hinder? He's not the first guy to pull this crap but I'd sure make an example of him so he'd be the last. This just makes everyone look bad.

191 Sorry, no link yet. I heard it on YES. They interviewed Torre in the lockerroom after the game.

I'm sure it will go up on the Yankees page soon.

191: thanks

oops meant 194

Found a link:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?K14221B1D

"Sturtze was put on the 15-day disabled list after the game with soreness in his right shoulder, while pitcher Scott Erickson was recalled from Triple-A Columbus..."

Hmmm. And this article thinks the Twins might be willing to deal Hunter or Stewart, if it becomes clear they can't keep pace with the White Sox:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5599776

Also interesting is this note, further down:

=====

Proctor is no gamble

After failing to make an impact with the Yankees the past two seasons, right-hander Scott Proctor suddenly looks ready to emerge as an elite set-up man.

"He's going to be in a class with (the Angels' Scot) Shields and (the Twins' Juan) Rincon as soon as he gains more experience," one scout says of Proctor, who is 29. "He's throwing his fastball and slider to both sides of the plate for strikes. You can see the confidence coming with him. Shields came out of nowhere. This kid is coming out of nowhere."

The Yankees acquired Proctor and outfielder Bubba Crosby from the Dodgers for third baseman Robin Ventura on July 31, 2003. The trade is proving to be one of general manager Brian Cashman's best (only?) low-profile moves.

Something to watch: Yankees manager Joe Torre often leans too heavily on the relievers he trusts, and Proctor already is tied for the American League lead in relief innings with the Red Sox's Keith Foulke and Devil Rays' Ruddy Lugo.

=====

198 Thanks Randym. With Farns, Mo, Vilone & Proctor that's a pretty solid 4. He may not need to over work anyone as in the past (see Flash).

With Dotel on the way and Wright headed to the pen if Pavano can get back that may be good enough to share the work. They can keep a couple as insurance and move some for help elsewhere if they need it. We may be ok there. I'm not all that worried.

Well, I hate the fact that we dumped Ventura for Boone, but at least "we" got some good value out of the move on the Ventura side. As far as Erickson, this is the definition of two steps forward and what, one and a half back? And you just know his first action will be in a big spot so Torre can "test him."

I can't see why Mendoza didn't make it. He is a "veteran"- not as grizzled as Erickson I guess but still. He's been a Yankee. He was even a member of the Red Sox in 2004 which has aided in a couple illogical moves in the past. Right, he might actually be able to pitch still, guess that overrides everything else. I forgot Erickson was even down there. I remember watching him get his doors blown off for LA in some mop-up action last season and I figured that was the end of the line for him. And here he is, probably because someone thinks he can be Small 2006. Well, I guess the next move will be to sign the newly released Jeff Fasserro?

God... Sturtze going out was great but Erickson? come on I rather bring in a young guy that may or may not suck than a old one who is sure to suck.. god.

That's like replacing a Sturtze with another Sturtze .. sheese...

The more things change...

That cliche's really tired, I know. But how apropos is it with regard to the Yanks management/front office dogma. Regardless of what Cashman or Torre say about needing to get "younger and more athletic," in the end, it's just a meaningless sound byte.

No news flash here, but this franchise has an unhealthy obsession with once distinguished veterans on the downsides of their careers.

Enter Tanyon Light.

This is a Torre move. Just like a lot of other obviously Torre moves, if it doesn't work out Tampa or Cashman will get 100% of the blame and Torre none.

203 Markp, WADR I can't buy this (Erickson) being "a Torre move". Cash didn't battle Big Stien over the Tampa faction's influence and win control of the front office only to allow himself to be undermined by the manager. No, Mr. Torre may endorse the move, he may even have lobbied for the move but in the end, this was Cashman's call.

In November Cashman outmaneuvered Tampa for the right to control the roster, it's not likely he gave that power away in May.

203 I'll be honest - as far as the Yankees,I have no idea whose purview day-to-day transactions fall under. I'm assuming Cash has the final say, since he is the G.M. If Cashman doesn't make day-to-day transactions, I would sure as hell like to know what his purpose is.

Free Ron Villone!

Cashman has said on a great many occasionas that on things like this he defers to Torre's judgement. The first instance was when the Angels offered Edmonds for Ramiro Mendoza. Cashman said Torre felt Mendoza would be more valuable to the Yankees than Edmonds, and that was good enough for him.
Cashman has mentioned deferring to Torre on quite a few players since, including a lot of the Zeiles and Enriques we've gotten.
I read elsewhere that Reese was also Torre's choice.

I heard that they went with Erickson because they wanted an all-around guy who could go long. (In case of Unit meltdown, maybe?) Bean is seen as a guy who can't get lefties out, and Smith is seen a situational type guy. So it's Erickson.

I can't imagine any logic at all that would come close to justifying Erickson's promotion. He's been a truly awful pitcher since 2000.

Well, it's probably going to be very temporary, anyway.

Has anyone noticed how much Prince Fielder looks like his father?

Meat's comming, Dotel is comming. Erickson will be going.

On trading for Ofers, I can't see it happen unless Sheff is out for longer than a month ...

If we're only looking for replacement level guys or slightly better.. then I can't see why a platoon of Bubba / Melky AND Bernie can't possiblly cut it. Bubba definately has the glove and just might be better than we thought at the plate... Melky has hit in all games he's played now and quiet a few against very good pitchers.. I don't want to see Bernie out there too often but if we need a emergency why not? .. we can bare with it for awhile at least.

If we are looking for a long term solution also, I don't like the implication it will have on Sheff who will probably take it as an indication that the Yankees won't pick up his contract... if he start going nuts that can't be good for the team unless we pick up Ichrio or something.

Remember, before the season started everyone thought the Yankees could only mash and not much else, they thought the Yankees had a very questionable rotation and downright and below average bullpen with dismal defense. so far most of that have been proven pretty wrong... they also thought the Yankees had no bench, let's see how that works out.

I think if anything we learned from disastor of early last season and the eventural recovery plus some of the success of this season so far is definately stick with ur guys, use ur farm, make smart deals and don't take too much on big names.

Going for a big name OFer now is definately not a smart deal .. we either overload our payroll (again.. George is generous but even he won't run the team at a loss) or get robbed on the market losing big prospects and/or young players

The stuff you say "everyone thought" wasn't what a lot of people here and elsewhere that I listen to (nor myself) thought.
When you examine Bubba's minor league career and add it to his major league showing, there's not a shred of evidence that would suggest he's ever going to be much more than a -650 OPS guy who's slightly below average defensively in CF and slightly above in the corners.

Agree 100%, Yu-Hsing. If the right deal comes along, great. But I don't think it's going to. If we want a decent outfielder, it's going to cost us. Probably in money and talent. I don't want to trade Wang, Cano, Duncan, Hughes, etc., for an outfielder.

The hottest rumor now is Abreu. The Phillies want to dump the $30 million salary he's due. But it's not worth it, IMO. The guy's hitting .111 these days.

Sheff will be back soon. We can afford to give Melky a real chance, like Cano got. And give Bubba a shot. Defense wins championships. He'll be better on both defense and offense with more playing time, I bet. He probably saved at least one run with his glove today, and that turned out to be the game.

Cashman said he wants to nuture the farm system and not trade the future away. I believe him. There's no need to panic yet.

(Now watch him make a fool of me by trading for Barry Bonds tomorrow...)

213 RandyM, I agree, the more I think about it the less likely I think it is that we make a move to address the Matsui situation, at least short term. With Sheff back, even without Matsui, the offense may be league top 3. If the pen and rotation coalesce it may be down to us and the black sox in the AL. In any event it's going to be the rotation's development that decides the thing. I'm betting Cash saves his bullets for a front line starter should it turn out he needs one.

Mr. Torre should be able to find a decent LF platoon among Melky, the Kevins and Crosby, with hopefully Melky emerging as a starter. Using a RF/1b rotation through the Dh spot should maintain some flexibility and give the veteran starters at those positions adequate rest. It's clear some people would push the panic button but a little calm reflection and a wait see attitude might pay dividends here. Loosing Matsui sucks but it's not an insurmountable blow; there is no need to panic.

Cashman needs to be more assertive when it comes to filling out the team's 25-man roster. He was a few years ago when it came to a player like Clay Bellinger. Torre and Zimmer wanted Bellinger to remain on the team; Cashman wanted him off (rightly so), put his foot down, and released him.

The lack of Cashman's assertiveness in more recent moves has resulted in the bench that the Yankees have now, which is one of the worst in baseball. There isn't one bench player who is a feared pinch-hitting threat, there's no left-handed power, just a bad mix of singles hitters.

Don't even get me started on Erickson, who can't pitch, was a bad influence in Baltimore, and simply isn't needed in New York. The starters have been giving the Yankees decent innings; there's really no need for 12 pitchers.

On the bright side, the Yankees appear to be putting together a power bullpen that is similar to what the Angels have had since 2002. When is the last time the Yankees had two pitchers that could throw 98-99 like Proctor and Farnsworth?

206 MarkP, "he defers to Torre's judgment". Isn't that the point? If Cashman has the authority and defers, its still his "decision". He may have consulted or even acquiesced to the views of another but it's his decision. If he chooses to accept the council of another it doesn't alter that ultimate fact. That's the down side of being at the top and that's why you have to be careful about the advice you take. You don't get to adopt a position that essentially means "Yeah it was my decision but I let him make it for me " and thereby avoid responsibility. Anyone who manages anything should understand that. Delegation is a great thing but you better be careful what you delegate and to whom.

I've been a supporter of Cashman here, but I don't know about this one. It's not earth shattering and it's likely to be short term, but it's annoying just the same.

Who knows, maybe they saw something in Erickson that made them believe he's not the same slob who stunk up both the junior and senior circuit's the last couple of years. Maybe he's not the same guy who helped get Hargrove fired. Maybe he did get a foot back on his fastball and the snap back on his curve. Maybe.

Woah, just read this:

"The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies bid for the rights to Ramirez, with the Yankees giving him $350,000 and the Carp another $175,000.

Ramirez, acquired by Colorado in the Shawn Chacon trade last July, was called up when Mike DeJean went on the disabled list this season. Entering Saturday, he had appeared in 10 games with the Rockies, working 14 scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts."

It was still a fleecing.

214 That's what I'm thinking, too — in terms of Ca$h focusing on a starter instead of a panic move for an outfielder. A full court press for getting Clemens in ASAP could be already underway. No prospects, straight dineros — Yanks would have to be odds-on to land him.

Sheff will be back in a few weeks, Bubba and Melky shouldn't hurt us defensively, while A-Rod/Giambi can carry the load offensively. If the starters can keep us in games, no reason to worry about losing ground in the race.

As Bruce 215 writes above, this bullpen could turn out to be one of the best in the majors — if properly managed. Even while its feeling it's way, they still have not blown a starter's lead to date.

However, the Erickson move does not make sense on the surface — it has Sturtze II written all over it. But who knows? It'll be either another 'lightning in a bottle' result or a total bust. If it's the latter, it had better include a short leash.

If Bean or Smith got the chance and excelled, this club would have such a great mix of HOF'ers and talented youngbloods, it would be electric. We're close to that. Oh, so close...

215 I'm having trouble understanding this bench bashing...

Pinch hitting? who are you going to Pinch hit for? Cano? Bernie? Jorge? the normal Yankee 789 are all very good hitters that you simply don't pinch hit for, with the possible exception of Bernie if you can pinch hit for a Yankee starter you SHOULD be the starter..... and if you have the bench guys out there you could always get the normal guys to PH for them..

The Yankee bench is designed towards the needs of the normal lineup and it is set up pretty well in that sense, Crosby is a above average pinch runner and outfielder. which helps this slow team with even slower outfielders.. Phillips is a decent defensive 1B and supposedly can hit (supposedly...) and any team must carry a utility guy and a backup catcher and for those roles Cairo and Stinnet is fine...

Again.. the main argument seem to circle on pinch hitting.. but like I said.. if they have their normal line up out there... who in the world are you going to pinch hit for?? this isn't a NL team where you have the pitcher hitting.. this is a team where the worest hitter was a .340 + hitter in his prime...

"...there's not a shred of evidence that would suggest he's ever going to be much more than a -650 OPS guy who's slightly below average defensively in CF and slightly above in the corners."

MarkP, completely agree with you on your first point. Your second point...not so much. Bubba's a stud defensively. Is this pure speculation, or do you have some numbers?

Any thoughts on going after OF Lew Ford of the Twins? He's fallen to 4th OF after being a starter for two years. Michael Cuddyer beat him out. Here's his career stats (he's 29):

1243AB .282/.360/.416

That's not great but it's a solid OB% and he might rebound from a down patch in his career playing every day ala Brosius. I like trying low risk deal like Ford before pulling the trigger on somebody huge like Abreu.

For God's sake, we're fine right now. Would it really be worth it to ship off players like Hughes, Duncan, Cano, Beam, and Cabrerra (or some combination thereof)for guys on the downslopes of their respective careers (Sanders, Hunter)? I say this is the ideal moment for seeing what guys like Cabrerra and Smith can do on a ML stage.

Some notes for thought:
BEFORE Mats went down, many thought we were still weak in the OF. With a real OF'er, Shef can DH, Bernie can sit, and we are better on O and D.

NOW Mats is gone.
Here's the thing.
It's the POST Season we are playing for.
Want to go against PS teams, with the WS on the line, with what we have?

If Shef AND Damon stay healthy, we might get by. But both guys are banged up. Nomar returned from his wrist injury 85% of his former self. It is small part of the body, but has a BIG effect on hitting.

I don't want to trade away talent, but if we can get somebody for primarily money (and some non-star kids), it's INSURANCE against...
Damon and/or Sheff needing to DH
Melky not cutting the mustard.
Any injury to ANY of our OF'ers.

In general, I want the kids to play.
But we have to think like a FO that wants to lock in the WS. We are not talking about the year, but are talking about the PS. Our pitching will probably be less than our opponants. Good pitching tends to shut us down.

To win the PS and the WS, we are still gonna have to do some pounding.

I saw the same old Soriano yesterday on TV (against the Braves). Swinging at curveballs a foot out of the zone. Swinging at the first pitch. With 2 strikes, he swung at a fast ball at the shoulders. Way up. Unhittable spot. But Sori hit it, and it landed 40 ft over the wall in dead center. Typical Soriano.

I know Sori is full of faults. But I think of him as a Yankee kid. He has 11 HRs in Washington. He's an outfielder now.

40$ million for 4 years? 45$ million? We paid Damon (and Mats) 52$ million for 4 years.

Sori wants to be a Yankee. He is the ONE guy who might actually give us a hometown discount.

Shef has how many years left as a Yankee?
Damon will stay off the DL and still be effective until when?
I still think we need an above average OF'er. Not a star, but above average.

If Melky turns out to be very good, we keep Shef for another year as a DH, at a lesser salary. I don't want to be in the position of HAVING to sign Shef as an OF'er.

We should not panic. But we should look to BUY someone to help us in the OF.

220 Never really followed Bubba when he was in the minors, but from what Dodgers fans have said, he wasn't expected to be as good on defense as he is.

And he is good. As that WasWatching article I linked above says, his "runs above average" last year was far ahead of the rest of the league. For 150 games, Bubba's good for +101.4 runs per 150 games. The next guy on the list was good for +86. Johnny Damon is +17.1.

And for comparison:

Cabrera, M -93.6
Womack, T -41.1
Matsui, H -38.4
Williams, B -20.6

In comments, someone pointed out:

"Let's say that it was really a small sample size and Bubba isn't worth 100 runs... but he is definately an excellent centerfielder. Let's say he saves 50 runs.

He'll create probably -15 runs. That is still +35 runs. Bernie created -10 runs this season and had -20 with his glove. That is a +65 run improvement. That's six or seven wins!"

As for his OPS...he's above .650 now. And I like the trend:

2003 .166
2004 .498
2005 .631
2006 .725

Newsday has an article today called "Given a chance, Crosby is ready, thanks to Mattingly":

http://makeashorterlink.com/?X45823B1D

It talks about how Mattingly came to take a special interest in Bubba.

(Yu-Hsing will be happy to hear that Mattingly's trying to break him of that "walkoff homer swing." ;-)

222 Could not agree more. We don't need to mortgage the future for another aging veteran. Not yet, anyway.

223 I agree, and I think we will buy someone. Later in the season, closer to the trade deadline, when more will be available. Especially if it's clear Hideki won't be back this season.

The Yanks would love to get Soriano back, I'm sure. But I don't think we'll get him for a reasonable price. They've made it clear that they want lots of young talent for him. Plus, the Mets are rumored to be interested in him, too, which will drive up the price.

225 This is Sori's walk year. If Washington can't trade him (because they ask for too much in return), they get a draft pick or 2 for him. Trading a player whom you can't afford in their walk year, is different then trading for someone under other circumstances.

The truth may be, that a middle priced guy (Stewart) might have a greater demand because more teams can afford him.

I don't want Bonds, but how many teams can afford him (as a DH). If he moves, there won't be a lot of competition.

Can Sori reject a trade? Does he have any say? I don't know. He want's to be a Yankee again BADLY. He said he wouldn't play outfield for anyone BUT the Yanks. If he is a free agent, we won't have to be the top bidder. But that's next year. Don't know if we can get him now, but Wash. see's the writing on the wall.

I don't want to be a downer, but Mats may be done. He's an average-minus fielder, an average runner. He basically a bat. Wrist injuries are very tough. It took Nomar, who was a GREAT hitter and turned him into... a supersub?

IF Mats come back....
IF Shef avoids injury and IF he is good as an OF'er for another year...
IF Damon avoids injury...
We are probably OK.

But that's a lot of IFs and assumes other positions stay healthy. If we need to replace Posada, ARod, Jetes, Cano, Giambi or Damon, we will lose a lot of offense, and then a good hitting OF'er will be necessary.

This team, as is, can/could only go the full distance baring injury. We have lost Mats for the year, and Shefs '3 days off' will end up being a month or better.

Again, I'm a sentamentalist, and would love to see the kids play. I just don't think our FO is as generous.

I'm 99% sure the Sox anr rained out today. That means they have 2 games to make up with Texas. I don't know how this works.

Is it probably this will eat up 2 off-days in Sept. for the Sox? Texas is in Boston again in 3 weeks, and have a game the day before and the day after the series. Maybe a Sunday double-header will make up 1 game.

Remembering last year, the Sept. schedule seems to have a lot of impact on a close race.

We have a slightly easier SEPT. schedule then the Sox, with more home games the last 3 weeks.

We have only 2 off days in Sept, the Sox have 4.

P.S. Please read Goldman at:
http://www.yesnetwork.com/yankees/pinstripedblog.asp
As he points out, if we DON'T get an OF'er, we will probably see lots of Bernie in the OF. I don't know if that will propel Torre to want an OF'er, but it sure makes me want one.

I do think we'll pursue a big-hitting OFer...eventually. Just not now.

To get Sori now, we'd probably have to empty the bank and the farm system. If we wait awhile, the price may be lower, for the reasons you state. We have every reason to hold tight and wait awhile. (Of course, if Melky, Bubba, and Bernie start to really stink up the joint, and the Sox actually do start pulling away, all bets are off. It will be break glass time.)

As for Soriano...I think he just wants to play for a contender. A contender who lets him play 2nd would be even better, though I don't doubt he'd play OF for us if it came down to that.

I read the Goldman piece yesterday. I think he's right: they should have started working on building up the outfield long ago. But they didn't, so here we are.

Speaking of Bernie, the Post had a cute story about Bernie's reaction to the pink bats they will be using today (for breast cancer awareness/Mother's Day). Bernie was apparently alarmed at how pink they are. He knew they would be pink, but they're really, really pink.

A good bench isn't just about pinch-hitting. It's having capable reserves in the eventuality that starting players go down, which is what is happening with Matsui and Sheffield (for the short term). And with an aging team like this, it helps to have at least a couple of quality bench players that can provide some rest to starting players.

Now in terms of pinch-hitting, on days when Andy Phillips and Bernie Williams start, those are two players I can think of that should be lifted for pinch-hitters in the right spot. Of course, they WON'T pinch-hit for Williams because of his reputation and past accomplishment, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't.

That was a good article on Crosby other than "It is harder to rationalize Joe Torre's decision to start recent call-up Melky Cabrera, whose accomplishments can't even match Crosby's, in Matsui's place." Definitely good logic, don't start rookies because they haven't accomplished anything. It's like when you apply for an entry-level job and when they tell you why you didn't get it, it's because you don't have enough experience.

I think they meant it from Crosby's POV, but yeah, I know what you mean.

Looks like Damon is DHing today. Bubba's playing CF, with Melky in LF and Bernie in RF.

If Bernie sucks now, how bad is he going to be come August after he's played practically every day for months?

Hopefully by August, we'll have traded for another outfielder.

And hey, maybe Torre's catching on. Cano's batting 5th today. Bernie's dropped to 7th.

No new thread for today's game?

Maybe Cliff and Alex are taking their moms to the game. :)

We can just use this thread. We did that last weekend.

Here's the lineup:

Johnny Damon DH
Derek Jeter SS
Jason Giambi 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Canó 2B
Jorge Posada C
Bernie Williams
Bubba Crosby CF
Melky Cabrera LF

And in other news...Torre said the reason they picked Erickson is that they wanted a pitcher they could abuse. If it was a young arm with a career ahead of him, they'd be afraid to put him into tough situations, or have him pitch a lot. With Erickson, his career's behind him, he's just happy to still be working.

"...the reason they picked Erickson is that they wanted a pitcher they could abuse."

Man, that is not good news. I was thinking the bright side would be that Erickson would languish on the bullpen bench, not to be used except when everyone else's arms had fallen off. Now he's going to get abused? I don't like the sound of that.

Oh, boy. RJ walked the first hitter. This is not looking good.

238 Well, he is replacing Tanyon. Look at how much Torre used Tanyon, even when he was clearly ineffective.

I don't want Erickson pitching in "tough" situations. I would rather have Mendoza or Bean or Smith or ....

Dang, Boston's rained out again. This will even us up in games played.

Dam, another homer off RJ

And now he gives up a homer. Get the hook ready, Joe!

Maybe this will be an "abusive" situation that Joe was talking about.

And Erickson's getting loose.

244 It might be. They just showed him in the bullpen, though he's not throwing. Yet.

Oh, this is looking bad.

Never thought I'd miss Kevin Brown....

Did anyone see Torre's comments before the game about Randy? Basically Torre said "Trust me, you'll see a better Randy Johnson today."

This is getting ugly quickly.

That was a high throw to Cano but he really got the tag down quickly. I don't remember him being this good defensively last year.

So, a 5 run first inning again?

At this rate, the A's are going to refuse to auction off their "lucky" pink bats.

I'm just grateful that I don't get to see this game live.

JFTR, Brown's peripherals weren't that bad - he had poor luck on BIP and weak defense behind him to boot.

Oh, a three run first inning -- this is much better. I guess Torre was right after all.

250 He wasn't this good defensively last year. That was the knock on him, really. They didn't think he had the defensive skills. But he learned.

I think this is the first time I've ever seen a line up where all three outfield spots are at the bottom of the order.

Yeah, Johnny! Let's get some back.

Just got in for the bottom of the 1st.
Down by 3 already?
WTF!!
RJ up to his old tricks?
The RJ trade may be worse then the Brown trade.

Something about a big menacing Jason Giambi and the pinky bat that breathes "I love you, Mom."

Is anyone else having problems with the Toaster? I know there are at least 259 comments, but I can only see up to #257. And after I post this, I won't be able to see it until I clear my cookies/cache/etc., close this window, and come back. Help!

I read that Derek has his mom's name engraved on his bat. How sweet. So how strange do the pink bats look?

Stealing on Johnson or Jorge?

Not too strange. A lot of gus are wearing pink wrist bands.

The pink bats aren't that noticeable unless the batter is shown in a closeup.

Might be different on a HD set.

The Oakies not using Pink bats??

nice play by Jeter to ARod.

Wow, Jeter.

Jeter could have been an option quarterback.

It's up the individual player. Some are using pink bats, some aren't. A-Rod was using his regular bat (though he is wearing a pink armband and a pink ribbon pinned to his jersey).

I think Cano goes up to the plate already decided if he is going to swing at the first pitch.

Also some of the players decided to use pink bats relatively late and Louisville Slugger was having trouble meeting the last minute demand.

JORGIE!!!!

There's one back. Thanks Jorge.

Atta boy Jorgie!

Jorgie has a pink bat with his mom's name engraved on it, but he didn't use it for that homer. He used the pink one for batting practice.

Why is Cano batting ahead of Posada? I have a feeling this will come back to bite the Yanks.

They are pepto bismol, kind of laxative-pink. Not encouraging but if they use them like Jorge just did, I can be swayed to go along.

Bubba's using a black bat, but it's because he didn't get a pink one.

C'mon, Bubba! I went out on a limb defending you here, don't make me regret it!

And apparently Bubba doesn't love his mom. (just kidding Bubba)

Many of the A's are using pink bats. Crosby has one. Kotsay homered with a pink bat. I believe Kendall has one also.

I hear, to change his luck, RJ is wearing pink underwear. Truly a Johnson in pink.

Nice, Robbie. He really has gotten so much better this year.

Well, that was better. Maybe this will be okay.

282That's the thing. I know how he's been working with Bowa, but he looks like he's been doing this for years. He's smooth where you would expect a level of learner functional proficiency.

And if not in the next two or three years, he's also a .382 American League Batting Champion. Alright, I may be off by a few points...

Well, Johnny broke his pink bat.

In the AL, Oakland is 9th of 14 in SLG and 13th of 14 in BA. This team wins on pitching. We can't allow RJ to give up anymore. Unfortunately, Torre wont yank him until he gives up 2 more and is still in trouble.

If RJ doesn't decide to learn how to pitch 'smart' instead of 'hard', we are in for trouble. He simply can't overpower the entire lineup. He is gonna have to learn that home plate has an outside edge, and good pitches come in many speeds.

He's looking a lot better. Maybe it was just one rough inning.

Looks like Randy's settling down.

285
That just sounds painful.

Damn. Ellis just went into the stands to catch a foul ball. A-Rod was pretty annoyed.

How does Swisher feel? Looks like he was content to give up on that ball. Ellis dives in and takes it. Have't seen a contrast like that since the Jeter catch with Nohmaaa sulking in the dugout.

Randy already started his motion. Calling time there was b.s.

What did they do? Have a special dick recruitment for umpires? Where did we get all these hysterical ninnies?

Enough with the first pitch swinging. Make this guy work.

294 My thoughts exactly. Haren is pitching well, but it's not for lack of help from the Yanks.

Oh, great. This guy hasn't had a homer since dinosaurs roamed the earth, but he gets one off our "ace."

Just when things were going smoothly...

I remember Payton jacked one off of Johnson last year when he was still on the Red Sox.

For his career, I believe Payton's pretty decent against lefties.

Erickson's warming. Looks like we're going to see our new pitcher, since Randy's over a hundred pitches already.

Wow. Talk about weak-hitting DHs. The A's are really scraping the bottom of the barrel with Perez at DH.

I'd rather Erickson get abused than Proctor.

46 pitches for Haren through 5? Yank hitters taking mother's day off?

C'mon, Melky. Get on base, please.

At least Melky made him work.

Hell, at least Melky made him work. He's had innings this game where he's had to throw fewer than 7 pitches.

Apparently, swinging early and often is their game plan today.

Might have worked, if RJ weren't giving out hits for Mother's Day.

And right on cue Damon pops up the 2nd pitch.

Do these guys have somewhere else to be?

I mean, it's not like its getaway day for them. What gives?

Perhaps they don't want to see his strikeout pitch on 0-2?

According to Michael Kay, the scouting report was that your best chance against this guy is the first pitch.

309 I figured that was the case. This may be selective memory, but it seems like when the Yanks have the "swing early" approach, it doesn't work out very well. But again, it's probably selective memory, because when it does work, the pitcher probably gets knocked out in the 3rd and nobody cares about the pitch count.

And the Scott Erickson experience begins...

Uh-oh, Erickson got an out, he's one of Torre's guys from now until eternity.

I will warn you that last year in L.A., Erickson gave up 12 home runs while striking out 15.

Maybe if it's obviously not working, they should reconsider? I mean, I understand "stick with your game plan," but surely there are limits...

Maybe we should have started Erickson instead of Johnson.

Well if Erickson keeps doing this, I don't mind him being one of Torre's guys.

Does anyone realize that this is the last chance for them to win. The eigth inning has the bottom of the order and the ninth they face Huston Street. Its ova.

Don't fall for it. Scott Erickson will bring nothing but pain and misery. He stinks, blames his defense for not helping him, and can't break glass with his fastball.

He is Evil Incarnate. When Satan created a washed up long reliever, he looked at Scott Erickson and then he wept upon seeing what sort of weapon he had let loose upon the world.

Let's just say we in L.A. DID NOT LIKE Erickson at all.

In Oakland in the 3rd game of the year, the Yanks made Haren throw 100 pitches through 6.

And it's not as if they were getting on base that much. 7 hits and no walks, so clearly they must've been seeing more pitches per at-bat.

We scored 4 in 6 innings that game. Seems like that game plan cworked a little better than this one.

316 Huston Street hasn't been exactly "lights out" recently, and after just 72 pitches through 7, I'd say it's likely Haren will still be in for the 9th.

Has anybody told that guy banging the pipes together just how annoying it is?

318 I agree, I don't like this 'swing early' mentality... but this is not the same offense as April.

As someone pointed out, our 3 outfielders are batting 7,8 and 9.

That is a telling story.

Freddy is the guy banging a frying pan, not a pipe. He has been at the games for years. Check out his website:

http://www.freddysez.com

And Villone is in.

Saarloos is warming. Are they really going to put him in?

Well, if Erickson can give us that on a consistent basis I for one will owe B. Cashman a big apology.

Here is a guy with ZERO hits this SEASON.
Should we walk him?

Well, that was a nice throw by Melky and nice work by Jorgie blocking the plate, too.

OK. Now he's 1 for 25.

I blame Michael Kay. That's twice today an A came through after Kay said he was due.

Yeah, Bubba! Bottom of the order comes through!

I guess the whole team wants to take their moms to the early bird special at Denny's.

Dang. I thought for sure Jeter would at least work a walk there. He was up 3-0 at one point.

I think I need help. I get EXTREMELY annoyed when they lose.

Arrrghhhh.

I'm with you, I take it way too hard especially since they've been playing well. At least they didn't really do anything dumb, they are just getting beat.

Well, that was dumb I'm guessing. He's slumping in the field.

Did Cano get an error for missing that tag?

OK, here we go. One 6 run rally coming up ;-)

WTF was that? A mercy killing?

That's a bizarre ending.

Hoo, boy. I guess this is just one of those games. That's got to be one of the weirdest endings I've ever seen.

Just how did that DP go? It seems to be befuddling the Gameday operator because he won't move Cano off of first.

Yeah, can someone explain what happened?

I think what happened was that the ball bounced to Swisher. He tagged ARod, stepped on the base, DP. ARod thought he caught it.

FWIW, I thought he caught it too, until I saw it on replay. It was the correct call.

It befuddled everyone, including the announcers, Torre, and possibly the umpires.

The ball went up the first base line and was caught by Swisher between A-Rod and 1B. He caught it on a hop, but I don't think A-Rod noticed that. He jumped over Swisher to get back to 1B. A one-man DP.

So, presumably, Swisher tagged Rodriguez BEFORE he stepped on first?

Yes he did. Only because Alex was in his way.

I don't know if he tagged A-Rod or not. He tried, may have missed. In any case, you can't have A-Rod and Cano both on 1B.

Yeah. I guess it was caught on a bounce, and Alex thought it was on the fly. If it was on the fly, Alex would be safe on first. And Swisher played it correctly, tagging Alex first, then stepping on first. If he did it the other way, then Cano would have been out but Alex safe, because the force was gone. But if Alex realized that it was caught on a bounce and went to second, I'm sure Swisher would've pulled a 3-6-3 DP (or some variation). There was nothing A-Rod could've done.

To look at it positively, after a bad first inning, Randy settled down (the occasional solo homer doesn't bother me.)

And another positive was that nice play by Melky. That kid has an arm. He was pretty deep when he threw it in to Jorgie. And it was perfectly thrown, letting Jorgie block the plate and make the play.

OK.
I don't feel positive, but I'll say something positive. That was the best game RJ has pitched in a month (pathetic).

Melky made a nice throw (although he also gave up on a fly that caught the chaulk, but was called foul.)

More good news:
"Torre said he hopes Sturtze will be ready to come off the disabled list after 15 days." (politically correct)

Shef..... come back soon!

What was the assessment of Johnson on the YES post-game? Radio wrap-up seemed to indicate that Torre wasn't all that comforted by Johnson settling down.

Things are not good when 2 HRs and 4 earned runs in 6 innings is given a positive spin.

Torre seemed to think Johnson performed adequately after the 1st inning. He said Johnson's mechanics are out of whack.

Agree that Melky should have caught that fly. Or tried, at least. Bubba would have gotten that one.

Dunno if he could throw it in with Melky's power and accuracy, though.

A few thoughts: Hey it was over quickly.

Does Joe understand that the A's know what the scouting report is on their own pitcher? Swinging early in the count played right into their hands today. Never an excuse to change the approach of a lineup like ours, that was horse shit managing. Not only do we have one of the most disciplined lineups in baseball, Haren had an ERA above 5.00 coming into the game. This "only chance" talk is garbage, he's not freaking Johan Santana for crying out loud. Don't change our hitters approach!

I liked RJ following the first inning. He got fired up and began pitching with anger and intensity. This is what he needs to do. Fix the mechanics and dont let NY scare or intimidate you. RJ can turn this around if he understands this. The jury is still out.

A developement which continues from last year. Once we're down, we turn into the same old junk lineup incapable of scoring a few runs past the 6th inning when we're behind. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, but this lineup concedes the game following the 6th, if we are more than a couple runs behind. Might as well grab Alex's book and turn the TV off, we aint coming back, no guts, no heart, no runs.

Erickson over Smith or Bean, enuff said! Joe, for crying out loud, look around the league, it's a young man's pitching game, especially in relief, get over it and give a guy a chance!

Bottom line, we made a mediocre pitcher a stud today by playing right into his and the A's hands. We win 2 out of 3, so that's a positive, but changing the appraoch of the best lineup in the AL, even without Sheff and Mats, was just ridiculous.

Maybe Joe and Larry Frank should have a meeting on completely changing the game plan that's worked for you all along, and how you can cost your team a game. Whatever you do don't run at Shaq, don't challenge and go to the basket, just shoot long jumpers, he might get into foul trouble and you might win the game, can't have that now can we.

This "mediocre" pitcher beat us last time, too, when we had Sheff and Matsui in the lineup, and made him throw 100 pitches in six innings. That being the case, maybe a change in approach was worth a shot. Didn't work out, but I don't think you can blame the kids at the bottom of the order.

If anything, what this game says is that the outfield isn't the problem, the starting pitching is. I hope the Unit gets it together. But if he doesn't, we're going to be in the market for pitcher. (Maybe Dontrelle Willis?)

As for Erickson...now that I understand the reasoning, I'm okay with it. They want someone they can use like they used Al Leiter last year. Someone who can go six innings if the starter melts down, and who won't be traumatized at being put in to eat up innings even if the game's hopeless.

Erickson is better than his numbers show. He got a strong start, then got hit in the arm by a pitch, was out for awhile, and struggled in the first couple of games after his return because his arm was still stiff.

Not trying to be a jerk here, but the numbers you cite for Erickson are a pretty small sample size and in AAA, while his numbers over the last 5 or so years in the majors are downright terrible. But in that role he's fine I suppose, problem is that should also be Small's role, so one or the other needs to go. Why keep hamburger on the team when we have prime rib, or at least a nice sirloin, in AAA?

Small may end up being a starter again, if Randy Johnson can't pull himself together. :-P

They don't want to abuse a young pitcher. I can understand that. We all gripe about Torre using his relievers so much their arms fall off. Well, if this guy's arm falls off, it doesn't matter.

357So we needed Erickson in addittion to Small and Villone? If Erickson is the long man, why carry Small and Villone. The reasoning on Erickson makes no sense. It was just another case of the Yankees choosing relative security and predictability over the unknown possibilities of Smith or Bean. It has nothing to do with eating innings, that reasoning was used to assuage the media, and us, simple.

Remember, it's a very short-term thing. Dotel and Pavano will be joining the team soon. And Sturtze may be back soon, too.

If we were auditioning for a permanent slot in the bullpen, then yeah, I'd say go with a kid. But for a couple of weeks, to be used the way Torre usually uses Sturtze?

God, lets hope this game was what it took to get Randy starting again.. cause if we're going to see him pitch like this much longer the guy Carl Pavano should replace might turn out to be RJ (impossible I know but god.. he has higher ERA than WRIGHT now)

On the other hand, Bubba hit today (while most of the team didn't) and Melky showed he has a a arm... errr why we starting Bernie in the outfield again?

"And Sturtze may be back soon, too."

Now why did you have to go and say that!

George need to hire a hitman to make sure Sturtze doesn't come back anytime soon ):(

363 You know it's true! At this moment, Joe is thinking, "He sucked because he was hurt. I have to give him another chance..."

"But for a couple of weeks, to be used the way Torre usually uses Sturtze?" Sturtze led the team in appearances!!!!! You shot down your own argument or do you believe that a couple of mis-managed losses in May aren't losses just the same? Unless you think 2005 gets repeated endlessly, don't count on a late surge getting us into the post-season. As Yogi says, "It gets late early around here."

A relief pitcher with an ERA close to 8 led the team with the 2nd best ERA in the league in appearances and was surpassed in innings pitched by Proctor just yesterday. This is bizarro world bullpen management.

Yes. I hope Steinbrenner has the man killed for being a bad pitcher too.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Considering there's a lot to be said for having lead arms like Erickson and Sturtze in the pen, maybe we shouldn't get so exercised about their mere presence. It's the poor usage we're complaining about.

I was pretty cheesed off about Erickson coming up, but it's not that bad since he won't be up long, and honestly, How long are they going to keep carrying 12 pitchers? They can't really be idiots.

Cash and Torre have rings, remember?
...
Ok, those last two sentences were hard to write.

366 "Sturtze led the team in appearances!!!!!"

Exactly.

"You shot down your own argument"

No, I didn't.

"or do you believe that a couple of mis-managed losses in May aren't losses just the same?"

No on that one, too.

I'm saying they don't want to ruin any young pitchers by overusing them and constantly throwing them into situations they can't handle yet. The decision was a balance between the desire to win now and the desire to win in the future. Which I can only applaud.

367 exactly... and it's not like he's been any good for a looong time or have reasons that can be excused (which Aaron Small still has... for now...)

Seriously though, Chances are the Big unit will start to show up sooner or later, and overall this staff have just been great... if only Torre knew how to use it properly arragh, I have a real bad feeling that Proctor can't make it through the season in one piece if Torre keep using him so much

370 The Unit had a rocky start last year, too, and recovered. Sort of. But it's rather unnerving, how unreliable he is.

Do you think some of the finesse guys could teach the old dog some new tricks? YES interviewed Proctor today, and he credited Al Leiter and Aaron Small for teaching him how to throw a sinker and other tips.

Torre's not going to change. Doesn't matter who they bring up, he's not going to change.

Part of the reason RJ's performance wasn't impressive even though he appeared to pitch a 'little' better is the oakland offense is weak, and even weaker with injuries.

I don't think RJ will ever be the dominant pitcher he was. A decent pitcher is all you can hope for, if he makes adjustments.