Hey everyone, as you've probably noticed, i've taken a little break from blogging over the last couple of months. I didn't really have alot of free time to blog, so i didn't; however, recently i've started to feel like getting back into it. I can't promise you I'll be 100% consistent with my posting, but i'm going to try and ease my way back into it.
Anyway, I've thought of a few ideas for the blog that i'm going to try and incorporate into my posts. I think it would be cool for the reader to know what's coming to them in terms of my posts (i.e. state of the Yankees posts every week, player progress reports, minor league updates etc..) as well as mixing in some random rants about the Yankees. I'm going to work on a weekly schedule where i post certain topics for certain days and see what i can come up with.
I've been thinking about making a new blog and starting fresh with a new name and everything so i'll keep you posted on that as well. Go Yankees!
-Alex
Showing posts with label Yankees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yankees. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Looking at the bigger picture helps
Today was a brutal loss... part of me thinks Girardi brought in Aceves just to get that game over with (kidding obviously). But if you look at the bigger picture, which is, the Yankees having a 2 games to 1 lead against the Angels with CC Sabathia going tomorrow.
...Let it sink in...
Makes you feel better right?
The one thing i did notice watching the game however, was that Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera are basically free outs at the bottom of the lineup right now, actually... so is everyone whose name isn't Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui.
The Yankees can't rely only on their pitchers to get it done if they want to win the world series... they'll have to step up their offense and Girardi will have to stop playing baseball by the book.
...Let it sink in...
Makes you feel better right?
The one thing i did notice watching the game however, was that Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera are basically free outs at the bottom of the lineup right now, actually... so is everyone whose name isn't Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui.
The Yankees can't rely only on their pitchers to get it done if they want to win the world series... they'll have to step up their offense and Girardi will have to stop playing baseball by the book.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Molina will catch Burnett
Yes, it's true, Molina will be catching Burnett... and Posada doesn't seem too pleased.
I'm not one to bet on baseball... but if you're into sports betting... i would hold off on placing high bets on the Yankees to win this game.
Burnett's numbers with Posada are much worse, but he's such a streaky pitcher it's hard to tell if he was uncomfortable, or he was just being his inconsistent self.
One thing i will say about Burnett, you probably want to get him to start his games at home, take a look at these splits. AJ has a 3.5 ERA at home as opposed to 4.6 on the road... this means instead of having Andy go for game 2, you have Andy hold off and go on the road.Pettite actually pitches better on the road, here are his splits.
Personally, i think the Yankees best bet is to have Andy go for game 3 @ detroit/Minnesota, and have Burnett go at home in game 2.
*Update 4:50*
It seems like Joe Girardi made the right decision and is going with Burnett for game 2.
I'm not one to bet on baseball... but if you're into sports betting... i would hold off on placing high bets on the Yankees to win this game.
Burnett's numbers with Posada are much worse, but he's such a streaky pitcher it's hard to tell if he was uncomfortable, or he was just being his inconsistent self.
One thing i will say about Burnett, you probably want to get him to start his games at home, take a look at these splits. AJ has a 3.5 ERA at home as opposed to 4.6 on the road... this means instead of having Andy go for game 2, you have Andy hold off and go on the road.Pettite actually pitches better on the road, here are his splits.
Personally, i think the Yankees best bet is to have Andy go for game 3 @ detroit/Minnesota, and have Burnett go at home in game 2.
*Update 4:50*
It seems like Joe Girardi made the right decision and is going with Burnett for game 2.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Who would you really want to play?
When i first realized the AL central was within the Twins' grasp, myself as well as most Yankee fans got excited. Why wouldn't we be? Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn or Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson? Morneau is on the DL, and you wouldn't have to worry about pesky Curtis Granderson or Miguel Cabrera.
Now, the Yankees did dominate against the Tigers this year, but still, who would want to take the risk of having to face Verlander twice?
Then I started to think more into the matchups recently, and i'm starting to have second thoughts:
-Joe Mauer > Gerard Laird- enough said.
-The Metrodome > Comerica Park- 60,000 drunk fans screaming at the top of their lungs in a dome during a playoff game? no thankyou.
-Joe Nathan > Fernando Rodney - enough said.
-The Twins have been on a hot streak, even without Morneau, i'd much rather face the slumping Tigers. Not to mention their star slugger Miguel Cabrera is having some troubles of his own.
-The Yankees are 7-0 against the Twins this year, remember when the Yankees were 6-0 against the Indians in 07? yea... i don't think i need to say anything else.
-Edwin Jackson has been terrible over the last month entering September with an ERA under 3, and finishing the season with a 3.62.
-Justin Verlander won't be pitching game 1 - facing him in games 2 and 5 is much more manageable than in 1 and 4.
It should be an interesting game tomorrow, i'm probably going to be rooting for the Tigers, you know you want revenge for the 2006 ALDS. Honestly, you just don't want to be messing with the Twins right now.
-
Also, if you have a few minutes, check out this link. Kevin runs a great site called Zells pinstripe blog, if you haven't checked it out, i reccomend you do.
Now, the Yankees did dominate against the Tigers this year, but still, who would want to take the risk of having to face Verlander twice?
Then I started to think more into the matchups recently, and i'm starting to have second thoughts:
-Joe Mauer > Gerard Laird- enough said.
-The Metrodome > Comerica Park- 60,000 drunk fans screaming at the top of their lungs in a dome during a playoff game? no thankyou.
-Joe Nathan > Fernando Rodney - enough said.
-The Twins have been on a hot streak, even without Morneau, i'd much rather face the slumping Tigers. Not to mention their star slugger Miguel Cabrera is having some troubles of his own.
-The Yankees are 7-0 against the Twins this year, remember when the Yankees were 6-0 against the Indians in 07? yea... i don't think i need to say anything else.
-Edwin Jackson has been terrible over the last month entering September with an ERA under 3, and finishing the season with a 3.62.
-Justin Verlander won't be pitching game 1 - facing him in games 2 and 5 is much more manageable than in 1 and 4.
It should be an interesting game tomorrow, i'm probably going to be rooting for the Tigers, you know you want revenge for the 2006 ALDS. Honestly, you just don't want to be messing with the Twins right now.
-
Also, if you have a few minutes, check out this link. Kevin runs a great site called Zells pinstripe blog, if you haven't checked it out, i reccomend you do.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Back up and running!
Hey everyone, so as you may know i've taken a few months off, along with Ace... and it's about time we get this blog up and running again. Just thought i would mention that Ace won't be returning to the blog, this is now a one man show.
-
Just because i've been out of blogging for the last few months, doesn't mean i didn't watch the games, or hear about them... somehow. I've watched almost every game, and i know that this team is more ready for the postseason than they have been in years.
Now you may be a little worried with CC's last start at Tampa Bay, which i don't blame you, but you may as well get his bad start over with before the postseason. Honestly, i feel better knowing he's bombed a start before the playoffs going in than knowing he hasn't. The last thing anyone wants is to throw CC out there for game one against the Tigers or Twins and have him blow up... figuratively and literally. I mean, the guys been absolutely unhittable for almost two months, it was bound to happen. But i'm expecting alot of fist pumping from CC this postseason, and definitely looking forward to it.
A.J. Burnett is a different story, you don't want to throw him out there after a string of bad starts, he's too streaky. Though he may snap out of it--it was very important they had him feeling good and on a decent roll before sending him in for game 2.
Regarding the offensive concerns, of course A-Rod will be on the top of that list, but i think it's about time he snaps out of it. Having Teix hit in front of him, i think help takes off a load of pressure to have him produce. I know all of you remember the last few postseasons with him, he was pressing and trying too hard. Now, i'm not saying he won't be pressing this time, but having Teix there in front of him, must take off a load of the pressure.
Look for Nick Swisher to have a huge ALDS, i can feel he's ready for it. He's just one of those guys you know can come through for you in these types of games...
Naturally having success in the playoffs relies on dominant starting pitching... if the Yankees get decent starting pitching, these teams are in trouble.
-
Just because i've been out of blogging for the last few months, doesn't mean i didn't watch the games, or hear about them... somehow. I've watched almost every game, and i know that this team is more ready for the postseason than they have been in years.
Now you may be a little worried with CC's last start at Tampa Bay, which i don't blame you, but you may as well get his bad start over with before the postseason. Honestly, i feel better knowing he's bombed a start before the playoffs going in than knowing he hasn't. The last thing anyone wants is to throw CC out there for game one against the Tigers or Twins and have him blow up... figuratively and literally. I mean, the guys been absolutely unhittable for almost two months, it was bound to happen. But i'm expecting alot of fist pumping from CC this postseason, and definitely looking forward to it.
A.J. Burnett is a different story, you don't want to throw him out there after a string of bad starts, he's too streaky. Though he may snap out of it--it was very important they had him feeling good and on a decent roll before sending him in for game 2.
Regarding the offensive concerns, of course A-Rod will be on the top of that list, but i think it's about time he snaps out of it. Having Teix hit in front of him, i think help takes off a load of pressure to have him produce. I know all of you remember the last few postseasons with him, he was pressing and trying too hard. Now, i'm not saying he won't be pressing this time, but having Teix there in front of him, must take off a load of the pressure.
Look for Nick Swisher to have a huge ALDS, i can feel he's ready for it. He's just one of those guys you know can come through for you in these types of games...
Naturally having success in the playoffs relies on dominant starting pitching... if the Yankees get decent starting pitching, these teams are in trouble.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Yankees swept, don't panic
Yes, the Yankees got swept by the Red Sox at Fenway, but do i think we should panic? No, not yet.
The Yankees have started the season at 9-9, not great, but we haven't seen anything close to the greatness that this team can produce. Mark Melancon made his major league debut yesterday and pitched very well, the Yankees need a setup man, he could be our answer.
Luckily for the Yankees, Brian Bruney's injury isn't that serious and he could be back when he is elligible to come off the DL. Bullpen wise, the Yanks haven't looked so good, Marte, Coke, Veras, Ramirez...all have been terrible, but i believe both Marte and Coke will turn things around. Veras and Ramirez...yea...not so much...
The Yankees starting rotation hasn't been great so far this year, but it still is one of the best, if not the best, in the majors. I feel Chien Ming Wang will get his arm strength back and return to form, his ERA won't show it, but he'll help the Yankees alot down the stretch. CC Sabathia, generally a slow starter, hasn't even shown a glimpse of what he's capable of, though his start in Kansas City was great, i feel he is capable of more.
Joba Chamberlain hasn't been great to start the season and alot of you think he should move into the ailing bullpen. I won't condone that move unless i see Melancon and Robertson fail miserably, until then, keep him as a starter.
The Yankees offense has been suffering without A-Rod, but considering they are 9-9 right now, i'm not that worried, it could and should be alot worse. Robinson Cano is a beast right now, Jorge Posada has been consistent all year, Hideki Matsui is really starting to come around as is Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon. Several Yankees are slumping, Teixeira, Gardner and Swisher... but they'll all come around sooner or later, and when A-Rod comes back, i think it will take alot of the pressure off of some Yankees trying to do too much.
Yes, the last couple of games against the Red Sox have been bad, but honestly, the Yankees will recover and we all know it... even though some Yankee fans are contemplating jumping off a bridge at this point...
Monday, April 13, 2009
The day after...
The way i feel... and i'm sure every Yankee fan feels about yesterday's game is...not so good. Damaso Marte retired the first two batters of the inning and Joe Girardi decided to bring in Jose Veras to record the last out.
I actually said recently to Mike (Ace) that i felt comfortable with everyone in the bullpen, excluding Albaladejo, but i'm going to have to reconsider. I am confident with their "stuff", however, their control seems like it could be a problem.
Veras closed the game out for CC Sabathia the other day, and watching him pitch, i noticed he didn't have the greatest control. This made me worry when i heard Girardi brought him in to retire Billy Butler in the 8th.
I was listening to the game on the radio, and when John sterling said Girardi was bringing in a righty, i assumed...Mariano Rivera. Had Girardi brought in Rivera, would the Yankees have won? probably...considering how dominant he was in the spring and in his first few outings this season. I can't really fault him for wanting to play the game by the book, but it was 4-3, the Yankees have a chance of going 4-2 on the season, you have to bring in Mariano.
Ofcourse this loss doesn't feel good, it's the worst kind of loss there is, when your bullpen gives it up late. But we have to look forward and know, this team(if healthy) can and should win 100 games.
It's still early, you have to realize that the blue jays and the orioles are not going to stay 1-2 atop the AL east, and unfortunately... the red sox are not going to remain last either.
Here's a pretty hilarious comment from reader V on Peter Abraham's Yankee blog...
"Things I’ve learned this week:
1) Emilio Bonifacio is one of the best players in the history of the game.
2) Brandon Inge is going to DESTROY the home run record.
3) Jack Cust will hit over .400.
4) Toronto is going to win the AL East.
5) Seattle is going to win the AL West.
6) St. Louis is going to win the NL Central.
7) San Diego is going to win the NL West.
8) The Red Sox will finish last in the AL East, with a 54-108 record."
Oh... and Melky Cabrera still sucks...
I actually said recently to Mike (Ace) that i felt comfortable with everyone in the bullpen, excluding Albaladejo, but i'm going to have to reconsider. I am confident with their "stuff", however, their control seems like it could be a problem.
Veras closed the game out for CC Sabathia the other day, and watching him pitch, i noticed he didn't have the greatest control. This made me worry when i heard Girardi brought him in to retire Billy Butler in the 8th.
I was listening to the game on the radio, and when John sterling said Girardi was bringing in a righty, i assumed...Mariano Rivera. Had Girardi brought in Rivera, would the Yankees have won? probably...considering how dominant he was in the spring and in his first few outings this season. I can't really fault him for wanting to play the game by the book, but it was 4-3, the Yankees have a chance of going 4-2 on the season, you have to bring in Mariano.
Ofcourse this loss doesn't feel good, it's the worst kind of loss there is, when your bullpen gives it up late. But we have to look forward and know, this team(if healthy) can and should win 100 games.
It's still early, you have to realize that the blue jays and the orioles are not going to stay 1-2 atop the AL east, and unfortunately... the red sox are not going to remain last either.
Here's a pretty hilarious comment from reader V on Peter Abraham's Yankee blog...
"Things I’ve learned this week:
1) Emilio Bonifacio is one of the best players in the history of the game.
2) Brandon Inge is going to DESTROY the home run record.
3) Jack Cust will hit over .400.
4) Toronto is going to win the AL East.
5) Seattle is going to win the AL West.
6) St. Louis is going to win the NL Central.
7) San Diego is going to win the NL West.
8) The Red Sox will finish last in the AL East, with a 54-108 record."
Oh... and Melky Cabrera still sucks...
Monday, April 6, 2009
Postgame observations
Well, as all of you know, today was opening day for the Yankees, not a very good one at that, here are a few notes from the game:
-Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada both homered, this is a great sign, considering they were very big question marks coming into today...not to us yankee fans ofcourse... but i think they sure showed the guys over at sportscenter...
-CC Sabathia sucked. There really is no other way to put it, he had no command of any of his pitches, he didn't strike out one batter while he was out there.
-I'm sorry, but the ump was terrible, i was yelling at him for bad calls on CC, and was gasping at every call he got wrong for Guthrie... overall, terrible job by that ump today.
-The Yankees bullpen wasn't impressive today... enough said.
-Robinson Cano drew 2 walks and had a single, not a bad day for him.
-Mark Teixeira got boo'd like i've never heard before, similar, if not equal to the boo's you would normally hear for A-Rod.
-I wish this game was rained out...
Now, maybe the yankees have some explaining to do after todays loss... but, this guy probably has a bit more explaining to do...
He totally sold it...
-Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada both homered, this is a great sign, considering they were very big question marks coming into today...not to us yankee fans ofcourse... but i think they sure showed the guys over at sportscenter...
-CC Sabathia sucked. There really is no other way to put it, he had no command of any of his pitches, he didn't strike out one batter while he was out there.
-I'm sorry, but the ump was terrible, i was yelling at him for bad calls on CC, and was gasping at every call he got wrong for Guthrie... overall, terrible job by that ump today.
-The Yankees bullpen wasn't impressive today... enough said.
-Robinson Cano drew 2 walks and had a single, not a bad day for him.
-Mark Teixeira got boo'd like i've never heard before, similar, if not equal to the boo's you would normally hear for A-Rod.
-I wish this game was rained out...
Now, maybe the yankees have some explaining to do after todays loss... but, this guy probably has a bit more explaining to do...
He totally sold it...
Opening day: Yankees vs. Orioles 4/6
Yes, it's finally here... opening day for the Yankees... here's the lineup:
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Xavier Nady RF
Cody Ransom 3B
Brett Gardner CF
Pitching: CC Sabathia LHP
The rain has apparently stopped at Camden yards... which is good news, back later with updates from the game.
Update 3:59: the lineups are being announced right now... and.. did anyone else get chills when Mark Teixeira got announced? i did.
Update 4:25: aaand we're underway with the first pitch to jeter being a strike!
Update 4:27: Derek Jeter just rocketed one up the middle for a single.
Update 4:34: CC Sabathia's first pitch was up and away... the velocity was down, hopefully that will get up.... and he just gave up a single to brian roberts.
Update 4:45: nice play by Ransom getting the roberts at home... as of right now, it's still 0-0, but CC is still in a jam.
Update 4:46: and the threat is over, Huff hit a rocket but right at Jeter, end of the inning.
Update 5:08: 1-0 Yankees after a sac fly by Johnny Damon, Gardner produced that run on his own.
Update 5:21: CC gave up a triple that was rocketed to right center by Adam Jones, that scored 2 runs, then Nick Markakis hit him in. 3-1 Orioles.
Update 5:35: CC really doesn't look good today, if you can't locate your fastball, you're going to have problems...and CC just hasn't located well today.
Update 5:45: Maybe that double play to end the 4th will pump CC up, top 5 now, Orioles up 3-1.
Update 6:07: apparently the double play did not pump CC up, he's still pitching miserably... 5-1 Yankees, he needs to hold them right here, or this could be a bad start to a very hyped season.
Update 6:47: i had to step out for a bit, but apparently the Yankees struck back for a few runs, it's 6-3 Orioles now.
Update 6:50: Hideki Matsui just crushed one to right center for a 2-run homerun, 6-5 Orioles.
Update 7:22: Jeter couldn't get the run in from 3rd with less than 2 outs...Damon walked, and Teixeira grounded out... it will be up to the Yanks to come back in the 9th now...
Update 7:30: well... 8-5 after Phil Coke gave up a 2 run homerun.... to Cesar Izturis?... really? wow...
Update 7:45: 10-5 ... turning off the game...
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Xavier Nady RF
Cody Ransom 3B
Brett Gardner CF
Pitching: CC Sabathia LHP
The rain has apparently stopped at Camden yards... which is good news, back later with updates from the game.
Update 3:59: the lineups are being announced right now... and.. did anyone else get chills when Mark Teixeira got announced? i did.
Update 4:25: aaand we're underway with the first pitch to jeter being a strike!
Update 4:27: Derek Jeter just rocketed one up the middle for a single.
Update 4:34: CC Sabathia's first pitch was up and away... the velocity was down, hopefully that will get up.... and he just gave up a single to brian roberts.
Update 4:45: nice play by Ransom getting the roberts at home... as of right now, it's still 0-0, but CC is still in a jam.
Update 4:46: and the threat is over, Huff hit a rocket but right at Jeter, end of the inning.
Update 5:08: 1-0 Yankees after a sac fly by Johnny Damon, Gardner produced that run on his own.
Update 5:21: CC gave up a triple that was rocketed to right center by Adam Jones, that scored 2 runs, then Nick Markakis hit him in. 3-1 Orioles.
Update 5:35: CC really doesn't look good today, if you can't locate your fastball, you're going to have problems...and CC just hasn't located well today.
Update 5:45: Maybe that double play to end the 4th will pump CC up, top 5 now, Orioles up 3-1.
Update 6:07: apparently the double play did not pump CC up, he's still pitching miserably... 5-1 Yankees, he needs to hold them right here, or this could be a bad start to a very hyped season.
Update 6:47: i had to step out for a bit, but apparently the Yankees struck back for a few runs, it's 6-3 Orioles now.
Update 6:50: Hideki Matsui just crushed one to right center for a 2-run homerun, 6-5 Orioles.
Update 7:22: Jeter couldn't get the run in from 3rd with less than 2 outs...Damon walked, and Teixeira grounded out... it will be up to the Yanks to come back in the 9th now...
Update 7:30: well... 8-5 after Phil Coke gave up a 2 run homerun.... to Cesar Izturis?... really? wow...
Update 7:45: 10-5 ... turning off the game...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Yankees vs. Pirates
Tonights game is on YES... and CC is pitching!! here's the lineup...
Posada C
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Nady RF
Cabrera CF
Ransom 3B
Pena 2B
Nunez SS
...and pitching... CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Alfredo Aceves, Edwar Ramirez.
I'm very excited to see CC in action, aswell as Mariano... and i'm kind of curious to see Jorge Posada... lead off?
Back in a bit with updates from the game...
Update 7:16: i can't believe i'm saying this, but those pants look a little big on CC...nonetheless, he strikes out Nyjer Morgan, nice start.
Update 7:28: John Flaherty says Mark Teixeira looks comfortable at the plate, i say he doesn't, he may have a great average so far this spring, but he has really stunk it up lately as he strikes out again... but Matsui ripped a double down the line in right, 2-0 Yankees.
Update 7:34: Flahrety just said Melky Cabrera was having a decent spring... really? 259. is decent? damn, news to me.... and that 259. just went down as he swung at the first pitch and flied to left.
Update 7:38: CC... if you strike out Jose Tabata, you'll be my best friend...
Update 7:39: Damn...
Update 7:39: That was awesome...
Update 7:43: Damn you Jose Tabata...i know what you're trying to do... trying to make Jorge Posada's arm fall off, i know... 2-1 Yankees
Update 7:50: There goes John Flaherty talking about how 258 is respectable for spring training again... OH WAIT, i forgot... it's John Flaherty, lifetime 252. hitter (higher than i thought).
Update 7:57: CC Sabathia is naaaaaaasty tonight, and he's pitching O.K. too, 6 Ks in 3 innings.
Update 8:03: Yea.. i was only kidding when i said Mark Teixeira wasn't looking good at the plate... he just ripped a double down the right field line, Hideki Matsui then followed with a HR to deep right, 4-1 Yankees.
Update 8:05: Well, i just saw the Pirates starting rotation and... woooooof.... i feel bad for their fans... 5-1 Yankees after a Melky Cabrera double scored Nady.
Team USA Update 8:11: Team USA is beating Puerto Rico 3-1 in the bottom of the 3rd.
Update 8:16: Here's Ramiro Pena hitting a "respectable" 250. and respectably just drove in Melky Cabrera from 2nd, 6-1 Yankees... now here's Eduardo Nunez hitting a miserable 474.
Update 8:22: This is going to be a long game...
Update 8:25: I just had a flashback to the 2003 ALCS game 7 with that last bloop single to center by Jorge Posada... ahhh good times... 8-1 Yankees.
Update 8:33: So... yea... this is a long inning... going on 36 minutes right now, and it's not over yet.
Update 8:49: that's probably it for CC Sabathia tonight, he did really well, 4 innings, 1 hit 1 run, 1 walk, 7 Ks... and the last out was a really nice play by Mark Teixeira.
Update 9:02: Mariano Rivera just pitched the 5th inning, 2 Ks, solid.
Update 9:47: ok, this game got boring fast, i'm out. 8-1 Yankees... top 8.
Posada C
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Nady RF
Cabrera CF
Ransom 3B
Pena 2B
Nunez SS
...and pitching... CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Alfredo Aceves, Edwar Ramirez.
I'm very excited to see CC in action, aswell as Mariano... and i'm kind of curious to see Jorge Posada... lead off?
Back in a bit with updates from the game...
Update 7:16: i can't believe i'm saying this, but those pants look a little big on CC...nonetheless, he strikes out Nyjer Morgan, nice start.
Update 7:28: John Flaherty says Mark Teixeira looks comfortable at the plate, i say he doesn't, he may have a great average so far this spring, but he has really stunk it up lately as he strikes out again... but Matsui ripped a double down the line in right, 2-0 Yankees.
Update 7:34: Flahrety just said Melky Cabrera was having a decent spring... really? 259. is decent? damn, news to me.... and that 259. just went down as he swung at the first pitch and flied to left.
Update 7:38: CC... if you strike out Jose Tabata, you'll be my best friend...
Update 7:39: Damn...
Update 7:39: That was awesome...
Update 7:43: Damn you Jose Tabata...i know what you're trying to do... trying to make Jorge Posada's arm fall off, i know... 2-1 Yankees
Update 7:50: There goes John Flaherty talking about how 258 is respectable for spring training again... OH WAIT, i forgot... it's John Flaherty, lifetime 252. hitter (higher than i thought).
Update 7:57: CC Sabathia is naaaaaaasty tonight, and he's pitching O.K. too, 6 Ks in 3 innings.
Update 8:03: Yea.. i was only kidding when i said Mark Teixeira wasn't looking good at the plate... he just ripped a double down the right field line, Hideki Matsui then followed with a HR to deep right, 4-1 Yankees.
Update 8:05: Well, i just saw the Pirates starting rotation and... woooooof.... i feel bad for their fans... 5-1 Yankees after a Melky Cabrera double scored Nady.
Team USA Update 8:11: Team USA is beating Puerto Rico 3-1 in the bottom of the 3rd.
Update 8:16: Here's Ramiro Pena hitting a "respectable" 250. and respectably just drove in Melky Cabrera from 2nd, 6-1 Yankees... now here's Eduardo Nunez hitting a miserable 474.
Update 8:22: This is going to be a long game...
Update 8:25: I just had a flashback to the 2003 ALCS game 7 with that last bloop single to center by Jorge Posada... ahhh good times... 8-1 Yankees.
Update 8:33: So... yea... this is a long inning... going on 36 minutes right now, and it's not over yet.
Update 8:49: that's probably it for CC Sabathia tonight, he did really well, 4 innings, 1 hit 1 run, 1 walk, 7 Ks... and the last out was a really nice play by Mark Teixeira.
Update 9:02: Mariano Rivera just pitched the 5th inning, 2 Ks, solid.
Update 9:47: ok, this game got boring fast, i'm out. 8-1 Yankees... top 8.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Yankees vs. Reds
Hey everyone, so tonight's game is on YES, the only night game to be televised... anyway here's the lineup-
Gardner CF
Damon LF
Nady RF
Matsui DH
Ransom 3B
Molina C
Miranda 1B
Berroa SS
Pena 2B
...and pitching today is... Joba Chamberlain followed by Kei Igawa, Christian Garcia, Phil Coke, Mike Dunn and Anthony Claggett.
looking for big things from Kei Igawa today...NOT... i wonder if he's going to be rockin the shades.
Thanks to Peter Abraham for the lineup...
...back with updates at gametime!
Update 7:18: first pitch by Joba clocked at 91, his arm strength is still not there. second pitch grounder through the right side for a single.
Update 7:21: Molina threw out the runner at 2nd, grounder to short, and a blistering fastball on the outside corner by Joba for a K, he made it through the first!!
Update 7:24: Another hit by Gardner... let's see if he runs... i bet he does...
Update 7:26: He never got a chance... line drive bullet to first by Johnny Damon for a double play.
Update 7:30: Nasty slider by Joba to strike out Brandon Phillips, he looks alot smoother than in his last two starts.
Update 7:36: Ransom single to center scoring Hideki Matsui. 1-0 Yankees
Update 7:38: Can i just say something? Bob Lorenz and David Cone do not mesh together as announcers...
Update 8:24: Apparently Juan Miranda had a solo shot, it's 3-1 Yankees now middle of the 5th, sorry had to step away from the game for a bit.
Update 8:40: Damn... Igawa isn't rockin the shades... now i'm sad... maybe if someone homered off of him tonight, i'll feel better.
Update 8:48: The YES network was either really trippy just now, or i'm way out of it... Cody Ransom up. 3-1 Yanks.
Update 8:59: Kei Igawa is a god among men.
Update 9:11: i would pay good money to see Shelley Duncan vs. Jonny Gomes...
Update 9:12: oh... i was hoping that Jonny Gomes was in left when that ball went over the wall... that would have been some sort of payback for Shelly. 7-1 Yankees, bottom 7.
Update 9:19: Christian Garcia is a giant, and his stuff is good too.
Update 9:21: Well, google is telling me Christian Garcia is a sex offender from Mexico... uhoh... another scandal..
Update 9:25: Ok, well i forgot it was the 8th inning, and i planned to show everyone a video in the 7th inning stretch... so, c2c is starting the 8th innining nap... who needs stretching...
Notice at 5 seconds in, the same guy at the end is walking with a dick on his back...
Update 9:43: Anthony Claggett looked pretty good retiring the side in the 9th, Yanks win 7-1... im out...
Gardner CF
Damon LF
Nady RF
Matsui DH
Ransom 3B
Molina C
Miranda 1B
Berroa SS
Pena 2B
...and pitching today is... Joba Chamberlain followed by Kei Igawa, Christian Garcia, Phil Coke, Mike Dunn and Anthony Claggett.
looking for big things from Kei Igawa today...NOT... i wonder if he's going to be rockin the shades.
Thanks to Peter Abraham for the lineup...
...back with updates at gametime!
Update 7:18: first pitch by Joba clocked at 91, his arm strength is still not there. second pitch grounder through the right side for a single.
Update 7:21: Molina threw out the runner at 2nd, grounder to short, and a blistering fastball on the outside corner by Joba for a K, he made it through the first!!
Update 7:24: Another hit by Gardner... let's see if he runs... i bet he does...
Update 7:26: He never got a chance... line drive bullet to first by Johnny Damon for a double play.
Update 7:30: Nasty slider by Joba to strike out Brandon Phillips, he looks alot smoother than in his last two starts.
Update 7:36: Ransom single to center scoring Hideki Matsui. 1-0 Yankees
Update 7:38: Can i just say something? Bob Lorenz and David Cone do not mesh together as announcers...
Update 8:24: Apparently Juan Miranda had a solo shot, it's 3-1 Yankees now middle of the 5th, sorry had to step away from the game for a bit.
Update 8:40: Damn... Igawa isn't rockin the shades... now i'm sad... maybe if someone homered off of him tonight, i'll feel better.
Update 8:48: The YES network was either really trippy just now, or i'm way out of it... Cody Ransom up. 3-1 Yanks.
Update 8:59: Kei Igawa is a god among men.
Update 9:11: i would pay good money to see Shelley Duncan vs. Jonny Gomes...
Update 9:12: oh... i was hoping that Jonny Gomes was in left when that ball went over the wall... that would have been some sort of payback for Shelly. 7-1 Yankees, bottom 7.
Update 9:19: Christian Garcia is a giant, and his stuff is good too.
Update 9:21: Well, google is telling me Christian Garcia is a sex offender from Mexico... uhoh... another scandal..
Update 9:25: Ok, well i forgot it was the 8th inning, and i planned to show everyone a video in the 7th inning stretch... so, c2c is starting the 8th innining nap... who needs stretching...
Notice at 5 seconds in, the same guy at the end is walking with a dick on his back...
Update 9:43: Anthony Claggett looked pretty good retiring the side in the 9th, Yanks win 7-1... im out...
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Minor Thoughts: A-Rod, WBC, Yankees
Sorry for the lack of posts in the last few days, Ace and myself were both unable to find the time to write something. I have several thoughts on a few things that have happened since our last entry.
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Alex Rodriguez has decided to have surgery, he will miss anywhere from 6-9 weeks. This was actually a smart move, whether you like it or not, had Alex played through his injury, he may have just been miserable, and possibly worsen the injury, i.e Mike Lowell last year.
But now the question remains, who will play 3B for the Yankees while he is out? There are very few options within the Yankees system to take the role, like Ransom and.... uhhh... ok Ransom is the only viable candidate i can think of.
The Yankees could make a trade for someone like Hank Blalock or Chone Figgins, two options Peter Abraham mentioned on his blog. However i would be O.K. with Cody Ransom filling in for the time period, this just means someone is going to have to pick up the slack for A-Rod. The Red Sox lost David Ortiz last year, the only reason they stayed in contention was because of JD Drew stepping up and crushing the ball while he was gone.
Players i can see taking this step... Robinson Cano, Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher. Ofcourse players like Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter are going to have stellar numbers, but i'm saying, someone who will break out of their shell and help pick up the slack, i.e the players i listed above.
Through all the controversy with A-Rod, i still think the Yankees are destined to have a spectacular season, as long as everyone performs to their expectations...and possibly even better than expected.
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I'm slowly gaining interest in the World Baseball Classic, i have seen a few games, the USA vs. Canada, Panama vs. Puerto Rico and the Netherlands vs. the Domincan Republic.
The USA game was somewhat boring for me, i actually stopped watching to play some MLB 2k9 after the 4th inning, but i went back for the 9th to watch the ending.
There were a few things that shocked and upset me Saturday...
First, Sidney Ponson beat the Dominican Republic team...
yea... him...
Secondly, Pudge Rodriguez had two homeruns against Panama...
Wait, he was a Yankee?
Finally, Bernie Williams had one at-bat for Puerto Rico...
...and was intentionally walked...
So all in all, i was... somewhat entertained by the WBC on Saturday.
-
I was going to write something else about the Yankees here, but i forgot, so here's a funny video instead...
Please ignore the first 27 seconds, i enjoy this simply for the final 5 of the video...
That poor...poor... homeless guy...
-
Alex Rodriguez has decided to have surgery, he will miss anywhere from 6-9 weeks. This was actually a smart move, whether you like it or not, had Alex played through his injury, he may have just been miserable, and possibly worsen the injury, i.e Mike Lowell last year.
But now the question remains, who will play 3B for the Yankees while he is out? There are very few options within the Yankees system to take the role, like Ransom and.... uhhh... ok Ransom is the only viable candidate i can think of.
The Yankees could make a trade for someone like Hank Blalock or Chone Figgins, two options Peter Abraham mentioned on his blog. However i would be O.K. with Cody Ransom filling in for the time period, this just means someone is going to have to pick up the slack for A-Rod. The Red Sox lost David Ortiz last year, the only reason they stayed in contention was because of JD Drew stepping up and crushing the ball while he was gone.
Players i can see taking this step... Robinson Cano, Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher. Ofcourse players like Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter are going to have stellar numbers, but i'm saying, someone who will break out of their shell and help pick up the slack, i.e the players i listed above.
Through all the controversy with A-Rod, i still think the Yankees are destined to have a spectacular season, as long as everyone performs to their expectations...and possibly even better than expected.
-
I'm slowly gaining interest in the World Baseball Classic, i have seen a few games, the USA vs. Canada, Panama vs. Puerto Rico and the Netherlands vs. the Domincan Republic.
The USA game was somewhat boring for me, i actually stopped watching to play some MLB 2k9 after the 4th inning, but i went back for the 9th to watch the ending.
There were a few things that shocked and upset me Saturday...
First, Sidney Ponson beat the Dominican Republic team...
yea... him...
Secondly, Pudge Rodriguez had two homeruns against Panama...
Wait, he was a Yankee?
Finally, Bernie Williams had one at-bat for Puerto Rico...
...and was intentionally walked...
So all in all, i was... somewhat entertained by the WBC on Saturday.
-
I was going to write something else about the Yankees here, but i forgot, so here's a funny video instead...
Please ignore the first 27 seconds, i enjoy this simply for the final 5 of the video...
That poor...poor... homeless guy...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Baseball is almost here!!!
Finally! the first Yankees spring training game is tomorrow, though it is not televised... you can catch it on MLB.com's gameday.
Here's a video from the perspective of a Red Sox fan at a Yankee game...
God i love our fans!! Go Yankees!!!
Here's a video from the perspective of a Red Sox fan at a Yankee game...
God i love our fans!! Go Yankees!!!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
PECOTA projections
Hey guy's I know the posting has been kind of sparatic lately as we've been busy with a lot of stuff. Anyway we should be back to posting on a daily basis.
-
To get away from the 300 pound gorilla also known as A-rod I figured it would be fun to take a look at the PECOTA projections which came out today. For those of you who do not know, the PECOTA projections are predictions of what the final standings will be in the regular season based upon the saber metric information we have now. (You can skip to the bottom if you’re only interested in the AL East)
To start off with the NL
West W-L
Arizona Diamondbacks 90-72
Los Angeles Dodgers 84-78
San Francisco Giants 79-83
Colorado Rockies 78-84
San Diego Padres 74-88
Keep in mind that this information is based on the teams right now, so no Manny Ramirez on the Dodgers. Anyway, I don't think this is all that accurate especially the Diamondbacks winning 90 games. Yes they might be a young team that is going to get better as they develop but they only won 82 games last year and that was with the help of Orland Hudson (until he got injured) Adam Dunn for half the year and Randy Johnson. I see the Dodgers taking down this division again as long as they resign Manny but then again who knows. This is definitely one of the more wide open divisions in baseball at the moment.
Central W-L
Chicago Cubs 95-67
Milwaukee Brewers 83-79
St. Louis Cardinals 80-82
Cincinnati Reds 79-83
Houston Astros 66-96
Pittsburgh Pirates 65-97
I agree that the cubs will win the division, and that margin looks about right. I'm pretty surprised to see the Astros only winning 66 games though considering they are coming off an 86 win season, I guess the loss of Randy Wolf and Ty Wigginton has a bigger impact on the team than I thought it would. There pitching is pretty mediocre with little to speak of after Roy Oswalt.
East W-L
New York Mets 93-69
Atlanta Braves 88-74
Philadelphia Phillies 88-74
Washington Nationals 77-85
Florida Marlins 74-88
I find a few things here pretty surprising. I can definitely see the Mets winning the division, but I do not expect them to win by more than 2 games. K-rod is overrated in my opinion and Putz seemed to regress last year, there are rumors going around though that Bill Wagner’s rehab is ahead of schedule and he will be back around the all star break, we’ll just have to wait and see. Far more surprising though is the Nationals being projected to win 77 games and even doing better than the Marlins. I do not really see where all this improvement is coming from, aside from adding Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham they have not done much of anything this offseason and even manage to rival the Pirates for worst starting rotation in all of baseball
Next up the AL
West W-L
Oakland Athletics 82-80
Los Angeles Angels 79-83
Texas Rangers 73-89
Seattle Mariners 70-92
These don't seem that far fetched as the A's have had a pretty good offseason so far adding Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi to make a horrible offense decent all of a sudden. The Angels on the other hand have had an offseason that is worth forgetting, after losing out on Mark Teixeira they have done zero to improve their team from last year. It should be interesting to see if Oakland’s young pitching staff can keep up the pace the entire year though.
Central W-L
Cleveland Indians 84-78
Minnesota Twins 79-83
Detroit Tigers 78-84
Kansas City Royals 75-87
Chicago White Sox 74-88
Talk about a wide open division. I can see it ending up as projected above, but honestly I would not be surprised if any of the teams won the division even the Royals. I do have to say though the Indians have had one of the best off-season this year adding Mark Derosa and Kerry Wood for very little. Oh they signed Carl Pavano also, that should keep there medical staff busy for sure.
And finally we arrive at the Al East
East W-L
Boston Red Sox 98-64
New York Yankees 97-65
Tampa Bay Rays 92-70
Toronto Blue Jays 81-81
Baltimore Orioles 76-86
I'm pretty surprised to see the Red Sox on top of the Yankees and the Rays that far behind. I don't really understand this, as the Red Sox haven't done much this season aside from adding some depth and a bunch of reclamation projects. The Yankees of course had an amazing off season adding Burnett, CC, Teixeira and Swisher. In addition they have Phil Hughes, Posada, and Matsui coming back from injury as well as full years of Marte and Nady. Even if the Yankees pitching some how falls apart like last year, there will be some good mid year bargains with both Paul Byrd and Ben Sheets available. The Rays should also be better after signing Pat Burrell and reliever Brian Shouse, as well as some there younger players like David Price gaining more experience. You can also look for Carl Crawford to bounce back from what was a blow average year for him. Aside from that, the Jay’s projection looks about right, while the Orioles looks a bit low. I expect them to break the .500 mark after adding Ty Wigginton, Rich Hill, Felix Pie, and Koji Uehara, as well having top prospect Matt Wieters most likely making a mid year appearance. I haven’t heard of a prospect being as highly touted as him in a very long time
This year looks to be one of the more exciting years in baseball in a very long time. It will be interesting to see just how much of an impact the economy has on baseball. Most importantly though this looks to be the best Yankee team I have seen in a very long time going into spring training.
-
To get away from the 300 pound gorilla also known as A-rod I figured it would be fun to take a look at the PECOTA projections which came out today. For those of you who do not know, the PECOTA projections are predictions of what the final standings will be in the regular season based upon the saber metric information we have now. (You can skip to the bottom if you’re only interested in the AL East)
To start off with the NL
West W-L
Arizona Diamondbacks 90-72
Los Angeles Dodgers 84-78
San Francisco Giants 79-83
Colorado Rockies 78-84
San Diego Padres 74-88
Keep in mind that this information is based on the teams right now, so no Manny Ramirez on the Dodgers. Anyway, I don't think this is all that accurate especially the Diamondbacks winning 90 games. Yes they might be a young team that is going to get better as they develop but they only won 82 games last year and that was with the help of Orland Hudson (until he got injured) Adam Dunn for half the year and Randy Johnson. I see the Dodgers taking down this division again as long as they resign Manny but then again who knows. This is definitely one of the more wide open divisions in baseball at the moment.
Central W-L
Chicago Cubs 95-67
Milwaukee Brewers 83-79
St. Louis Cardinals 80-82
Cincinnati Reds 79-83
Houston Astros 66-96
Pittsburgh Pirates 65-97
I agree that the cubs will win the division, and that margin looks about right. I'm pretty surprised to see the Astros only winning 66 games though considering they are coming off an 86 win season, I guess the loss of Randy Wolf and Ty Wigginton has a bigger impact on the team than I thought it would. There pitching is pretty mediocre with little to speak of after Roy Oswalt.
East W-L
New York Mets 93-69
Atlanta Braves 88-74
Philadelphia Phillies 88-74
Washington Nationals 77-85
Florida Marlins 74-88
I find a few things here pretty surprising. I can definitely see the Mets winning the division, but I do not expect them to win by more than 2 games. K-rod is overrated in my opinion and Putz seemed to regress last year, there are rumors going around though that Bill Wagner’s rehab is ahead of schedule and he will be back around the all star break, we’ll just have to wait and see. Far more surprising though is the Nationals being projected to win 77 games and even doing better than the Marlins. I do not really see where all this improvement is coming from, aside from adding Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham they have not done much of anything this offseason and even manage to rival the Pirates for worst starting rotation in all of baseball
Next up the AL
West W-L
Oakland Athletics 82-80
Los Angeles Angels 79-83
Texas Rangers 73-89
Seattle Mariners 70-92
These don't seem that far fetched as the A's have had a pretty good offseason so far adding Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi to make a horrible offense decent all of a sudden. The Angels on the other hand have had an offseason that is worth forgetting, after losing out on Mark Teixeira they have done zero to improve their team from last year. It should be interesting to see if Oakland’s young pitching staff can keep up the pace the entire year though.
Central W-L
Cleveland Indians 84-78
Minnesota Twins 79-83
Detroit Tigers 78-84
Kansas City Royals 75-87
Chicago White Sox 74-88
Talk about a wide open division. I can see it ending up as projected above, but honestly I would not be surprised if any of the teams won the division even the Royals. I do have to say though the Indians have had one of the best off-season this year adding Mark Derosa and Kerry Wood for very little. Oh they signed Carl Pavano also, that should keep there medical staff busy for sure.
And finally we arrive at the Al East
East W-L
Boston Red Sox 98-64
New York Yankees 97-65
Tampa Bay Rays 92-70
Toronto Blue Jays 81-81
Baltimore Orioles 76-86
I'm pretty surprised to see the Red Sox on top of the Yankees and the Rays that far behind. I don't really understand this, as the Red Sox haven't done much this season aside from adding some depth and a bunch of reclamation projects. The Yankees of course had an amazing off season adding Burnett, CC, Teixeira and Swisher. In addition they have Phil Hughes, Posada, and Matsui coming back from injury as well as full years of Marte and Nady. Even if the Yankees pitching some how falls apart like last year, there will be some good mid year bargains with both Paul Byrd and Ben Sheets available. The Rays should also be better after signing Pat Burrell and reliever Brian Shouse, as well as some there younger players like David Price gaining more experience. You can also look for Carl Crawford to bounce back from what was a blow average year for him. Aside from that, the Jay’s projection looks about right, while the Orioles looks a bit low. I expect them to break the .500 mark after adding Ty Wigginton, Rich Hill, Felix Pie, and Koji Uehara, as well having top prospect Matt Wieters most likely making a mid year appearance. I haven’t heard of a prospect being as highly touted as him in a very long time
This year looks to be one of the more exciting years in baseball in a very long time. It will be interesting to see just how much of an impact the economy has on baseball. Most importantly though this looks to be the best Yankee team I have seen in a very long time going into spring training.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Rant to all Yankee Haters
Yankee fans deal with it all the time.. when people ask you who you're favorite baseball team is, you say, the Yankees. Their response... the Yankees? why the Yankees?
This is then followed by a long discussion as to why the Yankees suck, and me having to defend them.
Now, some questions that Yankee fans have to deal with all the time... and my responses to them. 'Please excuse my french... ahead of time'
1. You're a Yankee fan? you mean the team that overpays their players?
- Yes, i'm a Yankee fan... and when you have the money to spend, you fucking spend it!
2. The Yankees signed Mark Teixeira too?? What the hell, are they going to buy everyone in the free agent market?!
- Well, let's see... Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, Bobby Abreu, Carl Pavano and Andy Pettite's contracts last year earned a total of 76 or so MM. That all came off the payroll...
A.J. Burnett, C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira's contracts all combined when they're all over and done with are almost a half billion dollars, yes... but their combined 09 contracts are not the 76 million which was owed to all the players that left which were on the 08 roster. So how about you get off the Yankees asses for their offseason spending spree.
3. Oh... you're a Yankee fan? why? You're team just buys all their talent...
-Hey, you look at our roster and compare it to your favorite team's... i bet they have almost the same number of home-grown and free agent players.
4. Wow, the Yankees payroll is so much higher than my team's... it's just unfair.
- Try winning 26 world championships, then maybe you can make a case for your team's low payroll.
I know Yankee fans have to deal with questions like these all the time, especially when ESPN is a very Red Sox biased group of people.
-
The final question i hear alot is 'You probably just jumped on the band-wagon in the late 90s, didn't you?'
No, that's not why i'm a Yankee fan... i'm sure a few people are fans because of the success that they had in the 90s... but for the majority of us, that's not the case.
You want to know the real reason i'm a Yankee fan today? I grew up in a very Mets loving household, watching the Mets all the time. But when i was about 4 or 5 i saw the Yankees play for the first time (around when they were still sucking in the early 90s), i knew the Mets were not the team for me.
But there was something about the uniform that the Yankees players wore that fascinated me. I'm still not sure what it is, but ever since that first game i saw the Yankees play, i've been a fan.
Before watching my first Yankee game, i'd visited Shea stadium for a few mets games, but it didn't do anything for me... i felt no love for the Mets.
It wasn't until i was about 7 or 8 when i went to my first Yankee game against the Orioles. When i first stepped through that hall leading to the field and saw how green the grass was and how incredible the stadium looked, i knew i would forever be a Yankee fan.
This is then followed by a long discussion as to why the Yankees suck, and me having to defend them.
Now, some questions that Yankee fans have to deal with all the time... and my responses to them. 'Please excuse my french... ahead of time'
1. You're a Yankee fan? you mean the team that overpays their players?
- Yes, i'm a Yankee fan... and when you have the money to spend, you fucking spend it!
2. The Yankees signed Mark Teixeira too?? What the hell, are they going to buy everyone in the free agent market?!
- Well, let's see... Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, Bobby Abreu, Carl Pavano and Andy Pettite's contracts last year earned a total of 76 or so MM. That all came off the payroll...
A.J. Burnett, C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira's contracts all combined when they're all over and done with are almost a half billion dollars, yes... but their combined 09 contracts are not the 76 million which was owed to all the players that left which were on the 08 roster. So how about you get off the Yankees asses for their offseason spending spree.
3. Oh... you're a Yankee fan? why? You're team just buys all their talent...
-Hey, you look at our roster and compare it to your favorite team's... i bet they have almost the same number of home-grown and free agent players.
4. Wow, the Yankees payroll is so much higher than my team's... it's just unfair.
- Try winning 26 world championships, then maybe you can make a case for your team's low payroll.
I know Yankee fans have to deal with questions like these all the time, especially when ESPN is a very Red Sox biased group of people.
-
The final question i hear alot is 'You probably just jumped on the band-wagon in the late 90s, didn't you?'
No, that's not why i'm a Yankee fan... i'm sure a few people are fans because of the success that they had in the 90s... but for the majority of us, that's not the case.
You want to know the real reason i'm a Yankee fan today? I grew up in a very Mets loving household, watching the Mets all the time. But when i was about 4 or 5 i saw the Yankees play for the first time (around when they were still sucking in the early 90s), i knew the Mets were not the team for me.
But there was something about the uniform that the Yankees players wore that fascinated me. I'm still not sure what it is, but ever since that first game i saw the Yankees play, i've been a fan.
Before watching my first Yankee game, i'd visited Shea stadium for a few mets games, but it didn't do anything for me... i felt no love for the Mets.
It wasn't until i was about 7 or 8 when i went to my first Yankee game against the Orioles. When i first stepped through that hall leading to the field and saw how green the grass was and how incredible the stadium looked, i knew i would forever be a Yankee fan.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Should the Yankees add another starter?
The Yankees appear to pretty much be done adding any more new players this offseason, but the rotation still has me a little worried beyond just the #5 starter. Let’s take a look at the rotation to see just where my worries come from.
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#1 CC Sabathia- A true ace, one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball no can really deny this. But in the past 2 years he has pitched roughly a total of 500 innings. For those who don't know that’s a ton. On average aces will pitch about 220 innings per year. Now I'm not saying he is going to get injured, if anyone has the body to be able to withstand the stress of pitching that many innings it’s CC. But I do think we will see about 40 less innings out of him this year
#2 Chien Ming Wang- Obviously a very solid pitcher who should put up another 200 innings this coming year. All he has to do is avoid any more freak injuries and avoid running the base baths at all costs.
#3 A.J. Burnett- This is where my worries start, in the past 5 years AJ has only managed to pitch over 200 innings twice. No one can argue that the guy has some of the better stuff in the league, but I'm still not convinced he has gotten over the injury bug which he has displayed throughout his career.
#4 Joba- Joba has shown he has the stuff and the mentality of an ace, but also appears to be plagued by the injury bug. In college he suffered from triceps tendinitis and this past year suffered from rotator tendinitis. I don't think we can expect to see anymore than 150 innings out of him and that’s being optimistic in my opinion.
#5 Phil Hughes- As of right now it looks like Phil Hughes will be the #5 starter for the Yankees in the 09 season. Even though he had a poor 08 season brought to a close early by injury, after a strong showing in the Arizona fall league I still think he will be able to have a solid 09. Like Joba though I can't see him pitching anymore than 150 innings.
#6 Aveces,Ian Kennedy, Dan giese, Phil Coke, etc- After the mess that was the Yankees rotation last year I don't think we can rely on any of these guys to even be serviceable starters (no Ian Kennedy even if you believe you did not pitch that badly last year it doesn’t make it come true. ERA's of 8.17 are actually quite awful).
-
So the starting five in my opinion project to total about 900 innings in total, which is a perfectly good number. But let’s say AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes gets injured then what? Can the Yankees really afford Sidney Ponson type production from the 4th and 5th spot in the rotation again? I personally don't think the Yankees can even with their improved lineup from last year. For this reason I believe it’s imperative that the Yankees go out and sign one more pitcher to give the Yankees the depth they need. Now this pitcher doesn’t have to break the bank or even put up above league average numbers.
-
#1 CC Sabathia- A true ace, one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball no can really deny this. But in the past 2 years he has pitched roughly a total of 500 innings. For those who don't know that’s a ton. On average aces will pitch about 220 innings per year. Now I'm not saying he is going to get injured, if anyone has the body to be able to withstand the stress of pitching that many innings it’s CC. But I do think we will see about 40 less innings out of him this year
#2 Chien Ming Wang- Obviously a very solid pitcher who should put up another 200 innings this coming year. All he has to do is avoid any more freak injuries and avoid running the base baths at all costs.
#3 A.J. Burnett- This is where my worries start, in the past 5 years AJ has only managed to pitch over 200 innings twice. No one can argue that the guy has some of the better stuff in the league, but I'm still not convinced he has gotten over the injury bug which he has displayed throughout his career.
#4 Joba- Joba has shown he has the stuff and the mentality of an ace, but also appears to be plagued by the injury bug. In college he suffered from triceps tendinitis and this past year suffered from rotator tendinitis. I don't think we can expect to see anymore than 150 innings out of him and that’s being optimistic in my opinion.
#5 Phil Hughes- As of right now it looks like Phil Hughes will be the #5 starter for the Yankees in the 09 season. Even though he had a poor 08 season brought to a close early by injury, after a strong showing in the Arizona fall league I still think he will be able to have a solid 09. Like Joba though I can't see him pitching anymore than 150 innings.
#6 Aveces,Ian Kennedy, Dan giese, Phil Coke, etc- After the mess that was the Yankees rotation last year I don't think we can rely on any of these guys to even be serviceable starters (no Ian Kennedy even if you believe you did not pitch that badly last year it doesn’t make it come true. ERA's of 8.17 are actually quite awful).
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So the starting five in my opinion project to total about 900 innings in total, which is a perfectly good number. But let’s say AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes gets injured then what? Can the Yankees really afford Sidney Ponson type production from the 4th and 5th spot in the rotation again? I personally don't think the Yankees can even with their improved lineup from last year. For this reason I believe it’s imperative that the Yankees go out and sign one more pitcher to give the Yankees the depth they need. Now this pitcher doesn’t have to break the bank or even put up above league average numbers.
Filling the gaps...
So i was looking over the holes that are still in the Yankees roster (according to the Yankees), and i came up with some options for a starting pitcher/centerfielder.
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Now the Yankees have a star centerfielder in the making... Austin Jackson, so don't expect them to make deals for guys with contracts that exceed the 2009 season. This cancels out players like Aaron Rowand, Curtis Granderson, Shane Victorino... but several players caught my eye.
Marlon Byrd, Reed Johnson, Gabe Kapler and Ryan Freel are all players who's contract runs out after the 09 season. Each have solid qualities the Yankees would be interested in, whether it's speed, fielding or the ability to hit.
Each can be obtained for cheap, since they are in their contract years and are most unheard of to the average baseball fan. I'm not saying swap Nady/Swisher for one of these guys, but a low A prospect who has potential but the Yankees know probably will never make it to the majors (deals like this happen all the time).
Now personally i would love to see the Yankees give Gardner a shot, but Hank/Hal still have the bad memories of relying on their young studs to get it done for them... i.e the 08 season. But if the Yankees wanted to obtain one of these guys and see what they are made of, it wouldn't hurt.
Look at it this way, if the trade doesn't work out the way the Yankees hoped, each player would be excellent off the bench and you can just plug Gardner/Melky in CF.
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Now onto the Yankees second problem... the number 5 starter.
Every Yankee fan would love to see Andy back in pinstripes in 09, but it seems to be more and more unlikely as the new season approaches. The Yankees have options, they can go into spring with Phil Hughes as their number 5 guy, or they can go get someone (I love Phil Hughes as the number 5 guy, but i think the Yankees want him to stay in the minors for a bit).
There are your obvious guys who the fans would love to see in pinstripes like Ben Sheets or Sidney Ponson... haha just kidding.
Ofcourse the Yankees are looking into the free agent market for a starting pitcher right now, players like Randy Wolf, Braden Looper and Freddy Garcia are all still available, but maybe the Yankees can pull in someone via a trade.
There were a few pitchers that caught my eye who's contracts run out after the 09 season such as Jarrod Washburn, Todd Wellemeyer, Doug Davis and maybe even Erik Bedard who can be obtained through a trade.
Again, i would love to see Phil Hughes as the number 5 guy, but these are options the Yankees may consider. Each could fit solidly into the number 5 role atleast until the Yankees feel Phil Hughes would be ready to take a spot in the rotation.
Strictly what i think the Yankees may be looking at here, i think they are ready for opening day with the lineup/rotation they have right now. But ofcourse Hank and Hal want to put the best possible lineup on the field for the upcoming season, and this may be what they're looking at.
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Now the Yankees have a star centerfielder in the making... Austin Jackson, so don't expect them to make deals for guys with contracts that exceed the 2009 season. This cancels out players like Aaron Rowand, Curtis Granderson, Shane Victorino... but several players caught my eye.
Marlon Byrd, Reed Johnson, Gabe Kapler and Ryan Freel are all players who's contract runs out after the 09 season. Each have solid qualities the Yankees would be interested in, whether it's speed, fielding or the ability to hit.
Each can be obtained for cheap, since they are in their contract years and are most unheard of to the average baseball fan. I'm not saying swap Nady/Swisher for one of these guys, but a low A prospect who has potential but the Yankees know probably will never make it to the majors (deals like this happen all the time).
Now personally i would love to see the Yankees give Gardner a shot, but Hank/Hal still have the bad memories of relying on their young studs to get it done for them... i.e the 08 season. But if the Yankees wanted to obtain one of these guys and see what they are made of, it wouldn't hurt.
Look at it this way, if the trade doesn't work out the way the Yankees hoped, each player would be excellent off the bench and you can just plug Gardner/Melky in CF.
-
Now onto the Yankees second problem... the number 5 starter.
Every Yankee fan would love to see Andy back in pinstripes in 09, but it seems to be more and more unlikely as the new season approaches. The Yankees have options, they can go into spring with Phil Hughes as their number 5 guy, or they can go get someone (I love Phil Hughes as the number 5 guy, but i think the Yankees want him to stay in the minors for a bit).
There are your obvious guys who the fans would love to see in pinstripes like Ben Sheets or Sidney Ponson... haha just kidding.
Ofcourse the Yankees are looking into the free agent market for a starting pitcher right now, players like Randy Wolf, Braden Looper and Freddy Garcia are all still available, but maybe the Yankees can pull in someone via a trade.
There were a few pitchers that caught my eye who's contracts run out after the 09 season such as Jarrod Washburn, Todd Wellemeyer, Doug Davis and maybe even Erik Bedard who can be obtained through a trade.
Again, i would love to see Phil Hughes as the number 5 guy, but these are options the Yankees may consider. Each could fit solidly into the number 5 role atleast until the Yankees feel Phil Hughes would be ready to take a spot in the rotation.
Strictly what i think the Yankees may be looking at here, i think they are ready for opening day with the lineup/rotation they have right now. But ofcourse Hank and Hal want to put the best possible lineup on the field for the upcoming season, and this may be what they're looking at.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Teix wants to be a Yankee?
That's what really is coming to mind right now, i know he hasn't come out straight forward and said it, but think about it.
Mark said he wants to play on the east coast and he wants to win. Teix has had complications in the past with the Red Sox, and they've grown farther and farther apart as the offseason goes on. The Angels, who i thought were the best suitors for Mark, just pulled their offer from the table, who does this leave... the Nationals, Orioles and the Yankees.
Mark also has said he wants to be on a contending team, counting out the Orioles and Nationals. The way i see it, is once Mark gets a solid offer from the Yankees, he's going to take it.
Mark wants to make his decision before Christmas, reasonably so, the guy has to get situated in. The Yankees had better make a solid offer soon, or we may end up seeing Teix playing for the Orioles, and the AL east is hard enough as it is.
I personally would love to see this guy in pinstripes next year, and for the first time i kind of think it's a possibility. I was so dead set on Mark Teixiera heading to the Angels (ever since we signed AJ and CC), that i didn't even think of us signing him.
How's this for a lineup Yankees fans (yes i do enjoy putting up theoretical lineups):
Jonny Damon-LF(i just totally forgot how to spell his first name, is it Johnny, jonny, johny? brain fart at its finest)
Derek Jeter-SS
Mark Teixeira-1B
Alex Rodriguez-3B
Jorge Posada-C
Hideki matsui-DH
Xavier Nady-RF
Nick Swisher-CF
Robinson Cano-2B
That IS a world series team.
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