But there's no reason to leave Karstens on the ML roster another day.

Here's Ian Kennedy's line from last night, against the PawSox:

6 ip, 5 h, 0 r, 0 er, 1 bb, 9 k

Unless he has stuff he hasn't shown yet, he looks consistently ready to be lit up by ML hitters. I feel like he's been very lucky so far...

well, now mike lowell says that the reports are nothing but bologna.

http://tinyurl.com/2scbd4

...dang it.

the good news? david ortiz says that he feels old.

all players should be so lucky. oh, im sorry, were you actually being sarcastic?

http://tinyurl.com/2y4kvc

C'mon Tigers, don't figure out your pitching woes for at least a couple of weeks . . .

jesus h- it was a joke intended to separate we working stiffs from the rich athletes! no need to whip em out and see whos chair is the biggest ;)

Uh, not me, of course.

27 Tardsite.com?

28 Nope, normal for me.

some quotes:

Cabrera, who has worked hard to improve his English and now has confidence to engage reporters, said he will often be the thorn in Robinson Cano's side, urging the Yankees' other notable Baby Bomber to walk the concrete corridor and join Long in the Yankee Stadium batting cages.

Long says Cabrera, following part of Alex Rodriguez's workout regimen, has shed about 10 pounds from his frame, helping his swing be tighter to the ball.

"I told [Cabrera] one day when we were struggling, 'We need to get on base. If you want to win, we have to get on base,'" Cano said. 'If those other guys don't find anybody on base, that's a different game. When you've got men on base, you do your job, no matter what.'"

"We don't know how many home runs he's going to hit -- maybe 15 on a regular basis," Torre said. "But his ability to hit is just calm during key at-bats. I think that's pretty impressive. He showed us that last year, and I think he's doing a lot of that again."

Maybe we can do them a favor this weekend, though. I hope they appreciate it when they come to NY.

36 Indeed. Where is Jim Dean? I figured he'd be giddy that both Miller and Rogers are hurt, leaving just one lefty in the Tigers' rotation (Robertson) for the Yanks to face.

Actually, he shouldn't have a choice in the matter.

Anyone else see the interview, or read the article stemming from the interview? The reaction at waswatching is a lot different from what I expected/anticipated.

To those who have no idea as to what I'm talking about, the gist of it is that Jones said if/when Rodriguez approaches/breaks the record, that he'll have some questions to answer due to the "steroid era" he is playing in.

Right, he's young and shouldn't have to be talked into it. As a young player he should be taken aside by some veteran and told what he is expected to do.

Well who knows, right? But I wouldn't say in the eyes of the public. I think Canseco was right about the players he named. One dissapeared, and one tested positive.

Why don't we insist that all batters live in trailers designed to double as batting cages like that guy written up in the NYT a while ago?

But he didn't, so oh well. I don't think he said anything wrong, other than to lend any credence to the ramblings of Jose Canseco. Shoot, Ryan Howard got steroid questions last year, and he's played his entire professional career (majors and minors) under testing. Someone is always going to be compelled to ask, which is more a reflection of the press than anything else, IMHO.

Is it that wrong to hope that your young stud, who was struggling mightily, practice a little harder? When you know how fantastic of a hitter he can be?

I mean, look what happened. He took extra BP with Melky, and now he's hitting like an MVP.

The quote I was referring to:

" Cabrera, who has worked hard to improve his English and now has confidence to engage reporters, said he will often be the thorn in Robinson Cano's side, urging the Yankees' other notable Baby Bomber to walk the concrete corridor and join Long in the Yankee Stadium batting cages.

Perhaps Cabrera should be credited with an assist for Cano securing AL Player of the Week honors twice in the last three award cycles. "

It doesn't bother anyone else that Cano needs a thorn in his side?

With all due respect, Jose Canseco may be a little loopy, but I wouldn't say his credibility on this is close to zero. In fact, he's a whole lot more credible than any curent player, Bud Selig, or the media and beat writers.

I don't think it should simply be assumed that Alex Rodriguez is beyond reproach. This whole "he didn't grow" stuff is garbage. Anyone who knows how these PED's work understands that growth is but one indicator, and not in all cases. Look at the guys who have been caught. Very few of them grew to any noticable degree. Palmiero some huge Outside Tackle? Do Tour de France riders look like Barry Bonds. Steroids don't make you grow on your own. It's not majic. Differences in workouts will provide different physical results.

When he first came forth, I thought he may be on to something, but I didn't think it was a big deal. If people were roiding up, it was legal in the eyes of MLB, so there wasn't any problem. Understand that I've read Ball Four, and I also remember the drug problem that MLB had during the 80's (Doc & Darryl in our own backyard), so I was pretty jaded by the "news" that 80% of MLB'ers were using.

I had no idea this would become as big as it has. And since Canseco was the one who "broke" the story (AP Reporter Steve Wilstein, I haven't forgotten about you, but Canseco's going to be the one who gets the credit), he has a little bit of credibility. Had his first book been a flop, you wouldn't be hearing about this one.

That's what's keeping this team from reaching 7 RS/game - not enough extra dextra bp. And if we make Cano live in one of those batting-cage homes, surely he'll make Barry Bonds look like Tony Womack.

Maybe you haven't been around all season, but the Yankees have not been tearing the cover off the ball all year. Their mean R/G is skewed by their recent explosion. And Cano has not been a good hitter all year.

Read my comment again. Cano sucked. Cano was pressured into extra BP. Cano took off.

Now eliminate the middle man. Maybe Cano takes off earlier, maybe not. Either way, I don't think there should be a middle man. Perhaps I'm spoiled by Jeter and A-Rod, but I think it's reasonable to hope that they've rubbed off on Cano.

Did you read 56 ?

As an aside, is anyone else having trouble selecting games on B-R's gamelogs? You know, when it turns blue and gives you the stats for the highlighted period of time.

Cano in his first 54 games (1/3 of the season): .272/.315/.417/.732.

Maybe you're content with him waiting for the weather to change. I don't think it's unfair to expect him to put in at least as much effort as Melky- without having to be pressured into it.

Who knows, I might be reading too much into it.

That's silly, and I certainly hope it isn't true. I don't mind the coverage though. It's become an epidemic here in Los Angeles (not sure about the situation in NYC), although no one wants to talk about it, and I guess any public exposure to how fast the spreading has become is good for those who aren't aware of how serious an issue it is. I have certainly changed my dating habits as a result.

Clemens out five games. Just heard the news.

Well, it demolishes an important claim in your argument. You're right though, who cares.

"I don't think it's unfair to expect him to put in at least as much effort as Melky- without having to be pressured into it."

If the team doesn't ask him to?

You can only logically make this argument if you demand that every player work himself to death. As it stands, I'm sure Cano works hard - harder than I do; and while I applaud e.g. A-Rod's dedication to trying to perfect himself, I'm just not going to stress about Cano.

My Ex is a nutritionist, and some years ago, one of her patients was Yankee Bob Tewksbury. She told me about the food spreads (that Bob told her) the Yankees laid out. Her only conclusion was that the caterer must have been on the Red Sox payroll.

Bottom line was that the spread was one that was designed to kill someone slowly, tended to make them sick on airplanes, and had all kinds of other negative side effects. A parent might be arrested for feeding their children what the team was fed on a daily basis.

My guess is the food is different now, but I am still stunned that a player's weight is not a prime concern of the team. I have been thin and fat my entire life, ending now unfortunately at being fat. Not to be rude, but anyone who is overweight and tells you it does not efect their performance, is lying.

The Yankees pay these guys pretty well to play. Why weight and programs like yoga, nutrition education many other practices are not instituted at a team level is beyond me.

But with few exceptions - Rivera, Hoffman - relievers are inconsistent from year to year. Each season is a small sample size for them. so in the same way that every BUC is said to have one really good year in him, relievers are likely to have a good streak in there somewhere.

Brower has the advantage of being able to pitch more than one inning, which is something the Yankees need. That was part of how their bullpen got so burnt early in the year - the pitchers were getting knocked out early, and it took 4 relievers to get through every game.

Britton and Edwar are going to be better pitchers than Villone and Brower, no question. But if you releast V&B, you're back to a bullpen full of one-inning pitchers - and, frankly, the starters haven't been all that reliable lately. I want at least one guy, even two, who can eat up some middle innings and (maybe) keep the game in hand. That's it; it's not a job for a genuinely good pitcher, just a serviceable grinder.

So as I said, I'd give Brower one more shot - just one. If he can get a little more oomph on his fastball, the Yankees may be able to get a few decent weeks out of him. If not, DFA him, end of story.

But I think that releasing both him and Villone would be a mistake.

And I can certainly relate to needing a little push now and again. Cano's no more perfect than a lot of us.

I actually thought they should have DFA'd Villone and kept Myers. Not only had he been more effective, I think it is a good idea to keep one guy with a funky delivery in your bullpen, expecially when you are facing younger teams who may not have much experience with his delivery.

Well, at least I'm getting to see some nice pics of Jessica Alba. What a babe!

Who are these guys?

I do think it is interesting that the "source" that "broke" the story also assumes Jeter had sex with all three of the other celebrities cited. Personally I hope he did, as I have a feeling that Carey is a dirty dirty girl, but they shouldn't jump to that conclusion either. I do however think it is better to be a "serial dater" as he is called, than to get married and screw everything you can get your hands on on the road like so many players in the league.

I don't think the story has legs. I can see the hyberbole already: "would you get in the ring with Mike Tyson for $1,000,000?" "would you have have sex with Jessica Biel if you knew you would get Herpes?" NY Frat boys need something to argue about after all.

Who are those guys?

This just in: Seattle is better than most people think.

You es loco my friend.

But look at their Pythagorean record.

Ugh.

The Orioles DH (Gibbons) has an OPS of .623. I've been kind of embarrassed about Damon, but man, that's mind-boggling. .623! They could pick up Miguel Cairo as an upgrade!

I know, but I think Seattle is tricky. If Felix can pitch well, and they get the same good showing from middle relief, Putz stays solid, and Beltre et al. get hot, I wouldn't count them out. I actually think that if the Yankees don't win the WC, the Mariners will, not the Indians.

my

god

I just saw the seattle box score.

Cleveland at least has more than one good starting pitcher. Ditto the Angels and (in theory at least) Detroit.

Whoa. With two out, bases loaded in the ninth, the Orioles bring in Kurt Birkins in relief! WHIP over 2, ERA over 10. Naturally, he retires Ibanez. Now that's what I call a closer.

I tried to follow the end of the Tigers game today, and Gameday, the ESPN thing, and the CBS thing all had different ridiculous problems. One said the score was 1-0 but also said the D-Rays had scored seven runs in the first inning. One (Gameday) was stuck on Carl Crawford's at-bat. And the third I can't remember.

For a Bostonian, I mean.

97 I agree. It is a bit punctiliuos to over-analyze the Villone vs. Myers situation given (I eat my words) how aggressive and competent Brian Cashman has been in putting the bullpen and bench in a position to compete with any team out there. However, as you said, if you just want a guy to get outs, Mike Myers is a better option in several ways. I don't mean to channel Tommy Lasorda, but righty or lefty, I don't care, so long as opposing players are making outs.

Myers actually said, "I didn't do the job they brought me here to do," meaning he wasn't getting lefties out. But he was giving up fewer runs than Villone, and no one else seemed to be able to get anyone out.

Hargrove was simply clueless.

The starting pitching is still full of question marks, which makes the first 5 innings for the Mariners, kind of like the Yankees in innings 6-8.

I'm hoping the Yanks catch the Red Sox, because our WC chances don't look so good right now.

"They also have the best pure hitter (overall player?) in baseball..."

Surely you are not serious.

I got into a heated argument with some of the folks at USS Mariner years ago that Ichiro wasn't much better than Chuck Knoblauch, and his best 3-4 years weren't any better than Chuck's best 3-4 , and in most cases Chuck out performed Ichiro except for BA. The only major difference between the two is that Chuck completely and utterly collapsed as a player after his age 30 season. But Chuck was never a mythical Japanese superstar with an MVP trophy.

If I remember correctly, they dismissed my claim because Ichiro could hit 40 HR if he wanted to and had great intangibles.

Player A:
.341/.448/.571 142OPS+ 140 R 98 BB 74 K 13 HR 72 RBI 45 SB

Player B:
.372/.414/.455 135 OPS+ 101 R 49 BB 63 K 8 HR 60 RBI 36 SB

You mean you think we might catch the Red Sox but finish behind the Mariners???

The Sox have scored 589 runs; the M's have scored 557. The Sox have given up 460 runs; the Mariners have given up 544. So Boston's offense is significantly better, and their defense is much better.

I think we all know that Seattle is ahead in the WC, and sure, their excellent bullpen helps them play over their Pythagorean record. But it's hard to believe they'll play much over .500 the rest of the way.