I was getting my hair cut at Astor when Wagner was imploding during game 2. This was the sad result:

http://www.therefor.com.au/static/robertblack/BadHair.jpg

And no, that link is short enough.

2 With groundballing Tiger Wang on the mound, a sub-par defensive OF is probably not a bad thing. Unless Wang leaves the ball up . . .

Long? What? Do they really mean to say that he is the best we have to offer organizationally tonight?

Rob do you have a Motor Cycle, batting or hockey helmet? Would you like to borrow one? Don't lead with your face.

Long? What the F?

Line-ups for tonight. good to have wang on the mound. Look at that outfield, ouch.

what's up with giambi at 1b, damon must be really hurting.

The guy's gotta be hungry. I mean literally, he hasn't gotten a real Major League paycheck in quite some time.

do you guys feel he'll strugle all that much in Fenway's LF?

I'm more worried about the Bernie-Melky combo in CF-RF. That is very tricky in Fenway.

Again Damon must be really hurting...

Sometimes anecdotal info can balance that stuff out, unfortunately the anecdotal stuff may be worse than the metrics in this case.

My head hurts and I feel sleepy.

That being said, how about Brian Cashman earning his salary this year? With many teams remaining competitive in their respective divisions, those established players who would normally be available, are not. I'm sure Selig believes his pointless profit sharing agreement is responsible for the current state of affairs, he'll recieve credit for something he had absolutely nothing to do with. Maybe he'll take credit for the new Twins stadium as well.

Let's just hope we can hang on with what we've got. I would like to see Erickson fly and Matt Smith and Hughes be brought in in lieu of Erickson and Bean, but that would lower the median age in the bullpen, a move which simply cannot stand this year, or last for that matter.

Here's to hoping Arod turns it around tonight. I guess he might be due this attention, maybe there is balance in all things, no one gave a rat's ass about him in Seattle or Texas, this is what superstars can expect in large markets. Open a Chicago paper for God's sake. If Pujols slides to .250 and begins hurting his team, he'd recieve similar treatment. Those of you who continue to believe that Jeter's successes are overplayed and failures minimized simply don't inderstand NY. Maybe those on Oakland or Minnesota or St. Louis love the game for what it is and move on with their lives at the end of the season no matter the outcome, but that isn't the case in NY. If Jete owns 0 rings, he would get the same treatment. Was not Jeter BOO'ed at the stadium in 2004!!!! Once Arod is on a championship team, this will all end. Unfortunately for him, he came to the team on the down-side of a dynasty. Some people are objectively likeable and some are not, that's the way of the world. Arod just doesn't have the charm and likeability of a Jeter or Bernie. Get over it guys. What I care about is that he is batting .250 WRISP while we are suffering injuries to other players.

Let's go Yankees!

Melky hits lights-out, he gets the start in right and Sheff DH's next year. Torre gets his head out of his ass and uses Farny or Proctor for two innings to get to Mo. You know, use you best bullpen guys a la 1996-2000, and forget this silly one inning and lefty-righty garbage. When the opponent knows the game is over after 6, they react accordingly. He uses Mo for more than one inning when he needs to. Wang and Wright continue to pitch well, Chacon comes back strong and RJ returns to form.

I predict that Durazo will perform so well for the Yankees that he'll become the everyday DH, unless Giambi is in that role. In that case you'll see Phillips or Pena.

12 MFD, if you like BP's 'Rate' statistic, Long is a career 96 Rate/Rate2 in LF and 94 in CF, but an amazing 109(!) in RF, though in a much smaller sample vs LF and CF.

I have no idea why his Rate/Rate2 is so good in RF. While trying to find out, I came across this piece from the excellent Elephants in Oakland blog:

http://tinyurl.com/pbubp

I am now more disgusted with Brian Cashman for bringing Long on this team that I was before.

I'm DVR'ing the NBA games so I'm going with NESN to avoid Sportscenter Updates. Just a thought.

Cashman should have been gone years ago.

Not to mention, any excuse to avoid Joe Morgan is a good excuse in my book.

Schilling looks sharp.

And of course the first ball in play finds Long in left. Funny.

Seriously, my brain is hurting.

Nice play Melky! That makes me feel better? I definitely think this kid is for real. A possible silver lining of Sheff's injury.

Since he's on the DL, can we please have Cairo back in LF? He did better than Long.

I only have confidence in Jeter, Cano, Posada and Melky, go figure.

Falling asleep very quickly

Schilling at 82, Wang at 80.

3 runs down and 4, 5 and 6 coming up. I think this should be the yanks' inning or a lot of hope will be lost.

C'MON WAKE UP

Hey, Willie Harris is starting for the Red Sox. Think about how their fans must feel. Let's call it an even trade. (How can you start Willie Harris over Wily Mo Pena???? Is he injured or something?)

In the meantime my confidence in Posada and Cano is lost. I'm down to Jeter and Melky

So is this game A-Rods fault too?

Yuck, this Yanks lineup needs Sheff so bad...

7 pitch inning, nice...

I haven't been this angry during a game in a long time.

It would seem that they are sleepwalking out there, is it such a long drive/train/plane to boston? they look like they just got off a transatlantic flight.

Oh well, if we're within 6 or 7 games of these guys at the end of July, we have a chance. Go out, buy your girlfiend or wife some dinner, spend some time with the family, take in a concert, watch some NBA playoff games, find a hobby, just enjoy the summer nights, no sense sitting home watching these clowns play. It will hurt less watching the Sox and Sox in October.

And Long is just unbelievable.

Wang is a complete pussy. He folds up like a chair when the going gets rough against good hitting teams. He and RJ need a 12 step program for Nancy Boys.

its very bad that they have the injuries but they are all mlb players, posada, cano, bernie, jeter, arod, giambi...

c'mon they are playing this game without any plan or strategy and with no will whatsoever.

to me this is one of the worst games of the season.

I also think our offense sucks, and, as has often been the case all season, seems to have the complete wrong game plan which they then can't seem to change mi-game

And how is what Ortiz did not jus tpiling it on, the thing A-Rod gets accused of?

Torre will use Bean during the next few games, he'll blow, and maybe they'll get off their collective asses and get Hughes and Smith out there. Why everyone thinks a fat, slow throwing, 29 year old career minor leaguer is the answer in the pen is beyond me.

Also, and this isn't just because the Yanks are losing, but this 19 games a year thing needs to go. These games aren't even fun anymore. Since I don't have any of the TV packages, about the only Yankees games I get to see are against Boston and it's getting ridiculous. Even my girlfriend asked the other day if the Yanks play anyone else.

Wang can definitely do better, I alway thought there is a mental thing for him to go against the Sox. However, he still did okay though, didn't he? 110 I don't think it's fair to compare him to RJ. RJ's the one getting big bucks and becoming really wild of late.

Bean's up.

The games aren't fun anymore because they smack us around and we cannot compete with them.

LOL. My theory is that he spent his entire career in the minors for a very good reason.

I agree with the fans, we do suck.

Aren't you paying attention! He is a lefty and we already have 2 lefty's. Torre doesn't care about your ability, rather which arm you write with! Erickson and Bean over Hughes and Smith, enuff said.

Why not just give him a shot. Was Cole Hamels ready? Anthony Reyes, was he ready? Fuck this "ready" crap. Some kids perform in the majors when they're young, Roger Clemens ready? Nolan Ryan? Saberhagen? Valenzuela? Gooden?

Look, ar some point the Yankees have to do what every other god damn team in the leagure is doing, give the kids a shot if you think they might help you. If a few games in the majors will destroy your confidence and set you back, you aren't major league material anyway.

I just get so tired of this lefty-lefty righty-righty matchup garbage. Did Joe pull Mo for a lefty when Wetteland was here? If a guy like Farnsworth or Proctor or Smith can go 2 or 3 and get to MO, why is that a crime? If Mo can pitch a 2 inning save a couple times a week, why is that a crime? It's managing from a notebook, not from what you are actually seeing, and that is horse-shit. I say again, there is a reason Torre was a below .500 manager before joining the Yankees. Francona didnt have any trouble kicking Foulke to the curb, did he?

the bosox are really lucky to have caught lightning in a bottle there with papelbon this guy is toast.

don't worry we'll get them tomorrow and on wednesday.

"Our Long national nightmare" indeed...

lets hope ARod has woken up.. man this guy either hits HRs @ Fenway or in games that Schilling pitches..

well 9-5 makes it look ok.. but i am happy Long will be gone soon

Hey, perhaps Torre is worried someone else would get injuried in the OF so he brought up Long to protect the rest?

Splitter wasn't working at all, and leaving too many sinker up ... at least he got Ortiz and Manny out a few times this time around though :/ (but got hit at bad times hard gah)

BTW, has anyone actually seen Wang striking people out with high cheese? why they keep calling that when no one's ever biting?

Bosox drafted him out of college, went into farm system, and now is on the team. That's the way it's suppose to be. That's not luck, that's by design. You act like he just fell into their lap.

I guess because the yankees are having to look at a trade for a starting pitcher it's because they're just 'unlucky', huh?

Too much 'bad old days George' sentiment here for me right now. "Oh no the Yanks lost 2 of 3 to the Mets, and are 1-4 against the Sox! Down with Colter Bean! Bring up Philip Hughes!" That's the kind of misguided over-reaction George used to have in the bad old days - that's why they were the bad old days. What made being a fan back then tough was not the losing, not the crappy players, but the constant meddling and stupid overreactions by George. I personally don't ever want to see those days come back.

Any chance Long gets handed his walking papers sometime before tomorrow night's game? Maybe he could take Erickson with him.

Free Mendoza!

The advantage here just may be in the fact that we're getting a look at the minor league talent, by necessity — not by choice. Even though it's early, the Mutts and Boston are big games and it may as well be a late September pennant showdown as far the Melkys, Resses and Beans are concerned. They've never seen intensity like this before. If Melky sticks, that's one less blue chip we trade before the deadline. But we find out now. OK, 2.5 back with 75% of the campaign in front of us. I'll take that under any circumstances, let alone the current one.

Great points, Shaun P 173. The Long move smacks of the 80s. I don't think it was George who pressed for that one, but I'd like to know who. They need to be shown the lion cage at The Bronx Zoo.

If we can stay within 3 to 5 games by the break, I'm not worrying. Just hope we don't drop 6 in a row anytime soon...

When all is said and done, the so-called 'decimated' Yankees are only 2 games worse than the 'surging' Mets.

If Giambi and A-Rod snap out of it, the Yanks will keep pace. Good thing we're not in the AL Central this year ;-)

Tomorrow night, I'm thinking Wright gets the job done. It's an important start for him and the team. Don't think we've lost 3 straight yet and a stop here would be huge for his confidence.

Hopefully Joe will start Melky this time. He has to start eating those knucklers sooner or later...