Bobby Murcer in the House

Bobby Murcer vowed that he would be back broadcasting Yankees games this season. And now he is making good on his promise. With the Yankees coming into Arlington for a 3 game set, Bobby will not have to travel far to be part of the YES team.

In other health news...Carl Pavano threw off a mound on Sunday for the first time since April 9. Pavano says he's feeling better.

Jeff Karstens will be out 6-8 weeks with a broken fibula. Thankfully he needs no screws or cast.

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Time to Right the Ship

Luckily for Joe Torre, there is no mutiny on his bounty, or something like that. Derek Jeter was the most prominent of players to come to Torre's defense after the Yankees lost to the Red Sox for the 5th time in 6 games. Jeter emphasized that Torre isn't the one out there pitching, hitting, or fielding. One has to wonder how Jeter would react if Torre was fired. He's the only manager that Jeter has ever played for in the bigs. Jason Giambi also pointed out that a lot of players come to the Yankees because they want to play for Torre.

So what can be done to get things moving in the right direction? Here are some things that couldn't hurt.

1. Change the Batting Order

There's nothing like a team slump to occur when the pitching stinks. It really emphasizes just how badly you need pitching.

Bobby Abreu is completely lost at the plate right now. Twice in the Sox series he tried to bunt (on his own) with 2 runners on and none out. Abreu is the #3 hitter, he's not there to be Miguel Cairo. Drop him down to 7th in the order until he gets his swing back.

Move Jason Giambi up to the 3 spot. He'll clog the bases some, but he'll still get on base and provide more RBI opps for A-Rod.

Move Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui up to the 5 and 6 spots. Posada had a great April and as long as he stays hot, he'll be good protection behind A-Rod.

2. Kick Doug Mientkiewicz to the Curb

The guy is putrid. I take no pride in saying I told you so, but I told you so. I knew this was a giant mistake before Cashman officially signed him. There's no question that he's got a slick glove, no one is debating that. But he is simply over matched at the plate. Robinson Cano is in a bad slump right now and part of the reason is because Mientkiewicz bats behind him. As long as he does, Cano won't see good pitches.

Not that I am at all convinced that Josh Phelps is the answer, but for now he needs to get significant playing time no matter who is pitching.

3. Get Clemens Here

I don't like the self serving SOB, but there's no question that the Yankees need him. I don't care if they need to cater to his whims to get him here. Putting Clemens in the rotation will have a huge impact, especially if he can impart some wisdom on Phil Hughes.

If no Clemens, then you have to seriously pursue Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano looked like he was close to signing a long term deal with the Cubs, but then The Trib decided to sell the team. All contracts and possible trades are off limits for the time being. The Yankees have to pounce if the new owners decide to let him go.

4. Use Kyle Farnsworth or Trade Him

It's understandable that Joe Torre has to have trust in a guy to use him, but it can't be at the expense of the rest of the arms in the bullpen. You're only making a short bullpen even shorter. Either use this headcase or ship him out. I can't take looking at Scott Proctor every single day of the season.

5. Get Another Bat

You heard that correctly. Everyone talks about how great the lineup is. It really showed against the Tigers in last year's playoffs didn't it? The reason for another bat is simple, this is an aging beat up offense. Johnny Damon is having serious back issues. Jason Giambi is good for a debilitating injury every year. I'm not talking a guy who is going to hit .350. What the Yankees need is a Jeff Conine type. A guy who can play the outfield and 1st Base and contribute offensively.

Now get it done before I have to release a statement through Howard Rubenstein.

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Words from Mt. Olympus

It came as no great shock today when King George finally reacted to the start of the season. Of course the words were spoken by his minion, Howard Rubenstein.

“The season is still very young, but up to now the results are clearly not acceptable to me or to Yankee fans,” Steinbrenner said in a statement. “However, Brian Cashman, our general manager, Joe Torre, our manager, and our players all believe that they will turn this around quickly.

“I believe in them. I am here to support them in any way to help them accomplish this turnaround. It is time to put excuses and talk away. It is time to see if people are ready to step up and accept their responsibilities. It is time for all of them to show me and the fans what they are made of.

“Let’s get going. Let’s go out and win and bring a world championship back to New York. That’s what I want.”

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A Case of the Mondays

It's time to get back to the real world. Meaning its time to do some blogging during work. Joe Torre survived the weekend, but the rest of us barely made it through Sunday's debacle. Thankfully the Rangers were battling the Sabres at the same time.

Let us go back to Saturday for a moment. I walk in at about 4:05 and turn on the TV. Kei Igawa is warming up and all I could muster is "What the f*ck". Is this a ploy by Joe Torre? Has he pulled a page from the old Earl Weaver playbook (have one pitcher set up as starter until the other team sets their lineup, then pull him after 1 batter for the pitcher you really want it in there)?

Of course, then we found out what happened to Jeff Karstens, who by the way, will be out 6-8 with a broken bone in his fibula. Even odder, however, was Kei Igawa went from the penthouse to the outhouse and back again so quickly. Igawa stunned everyone with 6 shutout innings. The first batter he faced, David Ortiz, bounced in a 6-4-3 double play. Later, he would get Ortiz to hit into another twin killing.

Jorge Posada, who is 2nd only to A-Rod for team MVP thus far, smacked a big time HR off of Tim Wakefield and the pen came through. It only took until April 28 for Mariano Rivera to get a save. That was even odder than Igawa's performance.

Sunday went right back down the tube again though. Chien-Ming Wang, The Wanger, My Boy, looked quite ordinary again. His pitches were up in the zone all day, partly because of a cracked finger nail that could effect the status of his next start. Alex Cora is about 3 ft tall and weighs about 50 pounds, or twice as big as Dustin Pedroia, but he slammed a back breaking home run off of Wang and later added a triple.

Julian Tavarez has been a solid reliever throughout his career, but pretty much blows as a starter. At least he did until yesterday. The Yankees simply could not do anything against him, and again made Hideki Okajima look like Sandy Koufax.

Jason Giambi managed a lead off double in the 9th off of Jon Papelbon, but Papelbon kept his perfect April saves record in tact.

Which all makes us glad that today is again an off day.

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Unlucky Seven

I’ve always loved the number 7. Okay, maybe love is too strong of a word. But its been my lucky number since I was a kid. It may very well have been because of Mickey Mantle, who retired when I was…7…but I don’t know the derivation of it.

I do know that the Yankees losing streak is at 7 and the end is nowhere in site. The only end in site might be Joe Torre’s tenure as manager of the Yankees. I happened to be discussing this fact with my brother last night. I felt that if the Sox swept the Yankees again this weekend, that could be it for Torre as the team would have lost 9 straight, 6 of them to the invaders from the north.

Apparently we weren't the only ones discussing it. This morning’s NY Times indicated that Torre will be fired if the Yankees are swept this weekend. Reportedly it’s because of the way Torre has been handling, or mishandling, the bullpen. Of course the bullpen’s woes are a manifestation of the horrible starting pitching the Yankees have gotten from just about anyone they've run out there.

Last night it was Andy Pettitte's turn to spit the bit. Give a 3-2 lead against Dice-K, Pettitte squandered the lead immediately and the Yankees want on to get trashed, 11-4. The Yankees have made Dice-K look ordinary at best in both of his starts against them. And they’ve lost both those games.

With Jeff Karstens on the mound today, thinks aren't looking much brighter. He’ll be opposed by Tim Wakefield, who has given the Yankees many fits in the past. They’ve hit him better lately, but the bats have suddenly gone cold.

The best shot for a win will be tomorrow afternoon when Chien-Ming Wang goes against Julian Taverez. Even if they do win, will it be too late for Torre? Only King George knows the answer to that.

~~~

Jason Giambi will start at 1^st Base today, with Johnny Damon getting some rest by DH'ing. Melky Cabrera will start in center field.

I was ripped by some before the season when I said Doug Mientkiewicz wouldn't hit for sh*t. I hate to have been right, but it’s time to cut this guy loose. Mientkiewicz is hitting .140 and has look overmatched several times. Last night he popped up in the infield with the bases loaded. He failed in several similar situations in Oakland on the west coast trip. If the Yankees merely want a good glove, call Andy Phillips back up from Scranton.

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Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots

The Yankees and Red Sox have played many memorable games. Many before Derek and Nomar and Manny and Mo and Big Papi and A-Rod came along. Here's a look at some of the games that were more than just a game.

August 1, 1973

Thurman Munson is on 3rd with Gene Michael at the plate. The squeeze play is on, but Michael misses the pitch and Munson slams into catcher Carlton Fisk. Munson punches Fisk in the face and a bench clearing brawl ensues.

May 20, 1976

Bobby Murcer's birthday (in SF :( ), but its his good friend Lou Piniella involved with a bench clearer this time. Piniella tries to score from first on a base hit and slams into Carlton Fisk. A fight starts and the benches empty. Graig Nettles slams Red Sox pitcher, and resident space cadet, Bill Lee to the ground, separating Lee's shoulder.


May 24, 1952

Battle of the Nut Jobs

The Yankee's Billy Martin and the Sox' Jimmy Piersall screamed at each other throughout the game. It didn't end there, however, as the two brawl underneath the stands. After the fight is broken up, Piersall later gets into another fight with Maury McDermott...his teammate!

October 11, 2003 - ALCS Game 3

Pedro Martinez throws high and behind Karim Garcia, setting off a round of finger pointing and accusations. Pedro and Jorge Posada does his best Pedro Cerrano imitation, basically saying "bring that sheet to me man".

Tempers remain fiery and when Roger Clemens throws inside to Manny Ramirez, Ramirez overreacts, sending players scurrying from the benches and bullpens. Don Zimmer, the former Red Sox manager and current Yankees bench coach, decides to go after Pedro himself. Big mistake. Pedro uses him as a bowling ball and players from both sides realize its time to stop.

Of course Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia will first pound a bullpen attendant.


July 24, 2004 - A'Rod's welcome to Fenway

Bronson Arroyo, already established as punk-ass bitch, hits Alex Rodriguez with a pitch. A-Rod takes exception and begins barking at Arroyo. Sox catcher Jason Varitek, still wearing his mask, intervenes and touches off a brawl. Various talking heads (alias for idiots) around baseball will say this is what sparked the Red Sox towards the championship. In fact, the Sox didn't start playing better until they dumped malcontent Nomar Garciaparra, and were still down 3-0 in the ALCS before coming back. Either way its a year to forget.

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Let the Rain Wash Away Your Sins...

or at least your really crappy play.

So the great Phil Hughes experiment went so-so. The try to snap the losing streak went much worse. The Yankees barely touched (they couldn't even put the ball in the air) A.J. Burnett and got blanked by the Jays 6-0. They extended their losing streak to 6 games with the Obnoxious Bunch coming to town for a 3 game series.

More rain could wipe out Friday night's game (a Friday game on Channel 9 usually means rain). If all goes as planned, here are the pitching match ups.

Friday - Dice-K vs. Andy Pettitte
Saturday - Tim Wakefield vs. Jeff Karstens
Sunday - Julian Tavarez vs. Chien-Ming Wang

After an off day on Monday, the Yankees travel to Texas for a 3 game set. Hughes should get a 2nd start in there.

Mike Mussina was supposed to have a rehab start for the 'AA' Trenton Thunder tonight, but the weather has nixed that. Instead Moose will throw a simulated game, and if all goes as planned, will be activated for the Rangers series.

With a sloppy track tonight, it would not be surprising to see Miguel Cairo out at shortstop for one more day.

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Had Our Phil for the Night

The Phil Hughes debut is over. After much acclaim, we saw flashes of brilliance, and flashes of a 20-year old who definitely needs some seasoning. Make no mistake though, this kid has a live arm.

Rookie Adam Lind and veteran Vernon Wells provided the difference in the the type of night it was for Hughes. Lind struck out all 3 times he faced Hughes and looked over matched in doing so. Wells, one of the best players in the game, had hits all 3 times and stung the ball each time. Hughes showed good command and a very live fastball.

Hughes' final line score was 4 1-3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. He threw 91 pitches, 53 of which were for strikes. He left with 2 men on and one of those runners came home against Brian Bruney, and stands to lose if the 4-0 deficit is not overcome.


The Yankees bats have not been very lively so far, wasting whatever opportunities A.J. Burnett has give them.

Derek Jeter was in the original starting lineup, but was a late scratch due to his sore left thigh.

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Igawa to the Pen...For Now

That according to Joe Torre. Jeff Karstens will pitch against the Red Sox on Saturday and Igawa will be available from the pen.

How far this goes depends on Hughes and Karstens perform in these starts.

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Dr. Phil Good

Yesterday's rain out with the Jays may be a blessing in disguise. For one thing, we weren't subjected to another poor performance (starting pitching, bullpen, fielding, offense, take your pick) immediately after the back to back debacles in Tampa. It also held the losing streak at 5.

Better yet, with the Yankees wanting Phil Hughes to make his debut against the Jays , or more precisely, not against the Red Sox, Andy Pettitte will now face the Sox. Chien-Ming Wang goes on Sunday and either Jeff Karstens or Kei Igawa will go on Saturday.

The buzz surrounding tonight's game is quite amazing. The remaining tickets have been going fast since it was announced that Hughes would make his debut tonight. The game tonight is on local TV, so those without YES will even be able to get a peek at the future. My9 normally doesn't have a pre- or post-game show, but YES will have each tonight to commemorate the event.

It remains to be seen whether Hughes makes another start beyond tonight or goes back to Scranton afterwards. Either way this is the most excitement about a Yankee draft pick making his debut since Derek Jeter broke into the bigs in 1995. The Yankees haven't had much luck with most of the 1st round picks since Jeter, with Eric Milton being the only player to make a significant contribution (and it wasn't for the Yankees).

The Yankees hope this is the beginning of a trend. Their 1st pick last year, Ian Kennedy, has gotten off to a great start for Tampa and they have several other draft picks (both their own and those acquired in deals) hoping to make the jump to the majors in the near future.

We would all like a fantastic debut, but the clear-cut need is to keep the game close and make it into the 6th inning. Hughes' pitch count, which is about 90 now, could of course have an impact.

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Yankees vs. Blue Jays Preview

So the Yankees return home today after the disgraceful 0-5 road trip.

Some thing need to happen this week to get the ship righted.

1. Mike Myers must be jettisoned. I can't stress that enough
2. Brian Cashman needs to get down on his knees and beg Roger Clemens to come back to NY.
3. Phil Hughes needs to be ready and give the Yankees a boost.
4. Kyle Farnsworth needs to be either used or shipped out. He's an albatross right now. Torre won't use him, even at the expense of the other reliever's arms.

The Blue Jays come to town fresh off a 2 game sweep of the Red Sox. Thankfully, Roy Halladay pitched last night, so the Yankees won't face one of their killers. The Blue Jays have injury problems of their own. Closer BJ Ryan may need Tommy John surgery. For now, he's on the 60 day DL and won't be back any time soon. 3rd Baseman Troy Glaus is on the DL with an injured heel, and left fielder Reed Johnson is out until the summer after back surgery. Last night they lost their starting catcher Greg Zaun to a broken hand after he was hit with a foul ball.

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We've Lost our Mojo

I was disappointed this morning to wake up and find out that this Mike Myers had not been dropped off the top of Tropicana Field last night. The garbageman threw away another one in a 6-4 loss that saw the Yankees drop into the AL East cellar.


Any of these 3 variations of Mike Myers would be acceptable over the waste of a roster spot that is currently clogging up a roster spot.

In case you missed it, and you are probably glad you did, Chien-Ming Wang made his return from the DL last night and gave the Yankees a solid 6 1-3 innings. The Yankees clung to a 3-2 lead entering the 7th when Wang allowed a single and double to put the tying and go ahead runs in scoring position.

Then over managing Joe Torre pulled him after only 81 pitches and brought in the overused, overrated Luiz Vizcaino. Torre opted to intentionally walk Rocco Baldelli to set up the double play. Vizcaino then got a huge break when Brendan Harris hit a frozen rope that Miguel Cairo (more on that later) speared for the 2nd out. With lefty Carl Crawford up, Torre went to the pen again for Myers, who is more of a nightmare than the character in Halloween.

Myers worked a 2-2 count, before Crawford, who already had 3 hits, crushed a flat, fat fastball into the seats for a grand slam. Double trouble as Mrs. MM then got mad at me for the plethora of 4 letter words that flew from my mouth. Nice job _____________ (fill in appropriate negative nickname here).


Things went from bad to better to worse in this one. Getting back to the Miguel Cairo situation, Derek Jeter took a 91 mph Scott Kazmir fastball to his left thigh, right above the knee, in the 1st inning. Jeter remained in for the 1/2 inning, but immediately left for the night when the team came out on defense. Of course Jeter was quoted as saying he would be ready on Wednesday. Since Jeter did not have an official at-bat, his 14 game hitting streak stays in tact.

Hideki Matsui's return to the lineup was an immediate boost as Godzilla smacked a long HR and added an RBI single in the 9th as a Yankees rally fell short.

A-Rod hit for the collar to end his 23 game hitting streak.

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A-Rod Should be Booed

Can't this guy hit 4 Home Runs in a game so the Yankees can win??!!!

But seriously folks, A-Rod is a fantasy baseball team all by himself. Lets take a look at the numbers.

Average - .400
HR - 14
RBI - 32
Hitting Streak - 18 games (plus 5 from last season)
Runs Scored - 26
OPS - 1.507

Amazingly, he's only been walked 7 times. You would think pitchers would risk pitching to Giambi instead. Of course with Damon, Jeter, and Abreu getting on base that is easier said than done.

Oh, on the downside, he's only stolen 1 base. That kills his credibility (rolling of the eyes may not commence).

~~~

The Wanger

Joy to the World..........Chien-Ming Wang returns tonight. Hopefully he has 150 pitch count, because the Yankees MUST have him get into the 7th inning. Wang was shaky against the Rays in '05, but went 3-0, 1.15 against them last year.

~~~

Sour Melk

Though he's still playing gold glove caliber defense, what has happened to Melky Cabrera this season. After being rushed to the majors in '05, Melky came on strong last year, showing tremendous promise at the plate. His patience and ability to work the count was outstanding for such a young player.

Melky is hitting an even .200 with 0 extra base hits in 70 at-bats. He has only struck out 8 times, but half have been in the last 4 games. The Yankees have only had their starting outfield in place on opening day, so Melky has been put to the test right away. It looks like his defense is the only think that's keeping him from a trip to Scranton.

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A-Nother Night Wasted

If Only He Could Pitch; Yankees out slugged 10-8

The box score will look amazing again. 4 hits in 5 trips. 2 Home Runs. 4 runs scored. 3 RBI. Another notch will be marked off in the loss column, because Alex Rodriguez can't pitch. The Yankees scored 8 runs and it wasn't enough. Another Yankees starter with a worthless effort, followed by a worn out bullpen that's already throwing batting practice before April has even ended.

It's one thing to have a bad series against the Red Sox. It's whole other thing when it's against the Devil Rays. I don't want to hear anything about upstarts or peskiness. This team loss 13 straight spring training games. How do you even go about doing that?

That time has come. It's time to get the Hendricks brothers on the phone and start working things out with Roger Clemens. Moves will have to be made fast to save this quickly sinking season.

The Yankees have already gone to their future by calling up Phil Hughes to start on Wednesday. Who knows what we'll get from him this quickly.

Dontrelle Willis and Carlos Zambrano become free agents after this season. The Yankees need to closely monitor any contract negotiations that go on. I don't see any possible scenario of Florida signing the D-Train. We have enough prospects from the Johnson and Sheffield deals to swing a deal for one of these guys. And know it's not giving up the future. Both of them are young, aggressive pitchers. I'd give just about anything to have Zambrano in pinstripes.

Brian Cashman made some solid moves this past off-season, but right now the overpayment for Kei Igawa is a complete disaster. I don't care what kind of success this guy had in Japan, he needs to be mastering his craft at Scranton right now. El Duque hadn't pitched ina couple of years, so he obviously had to go to the minors before making his Yankees debut. Igawa has, for the most part, looked like he hasn't pitched in two years either.

~~~

A-Rod belted a solo HR in the 1st; lined a single to left in the 4th; singled again in the 6th, and smacked another HR, this time with a man aboard, in the 9th. He's had a hit in all 18 games this season and is hitting an even .400.

Igawa's control left him in the 2nd inning as he walked 3 batters. He then gave up a crushing 3-run HR to Rocco Baldelli. B.J. Upton, who had 4 RBI on the night, belted a solo shot off of him in the 4th.

The Yankees overtaxed pen is quickly falling in the ranks of AL staffs. Brian Bruney and Luis Vizcaino combined to give up 3 runs to put the game out of reach. All 3 were charged to Bruney.

Joe Torre finally woke up and gave Mariano Rivera an inning of work.

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It Had to be Hughes

In May, 2005, the Yankees called up Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang in hopes of injecting some life into the ball club. They've been mainstays of the team ever since. Now another player has the same opportunity, though he comes with a lot more expected him than Cano and Wang combined.

The Yankees front office went against their initial plan and have decided to call up Phil Hughes to start Thursday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. Hughes is coming off his best start at Triple-A Scranton, where he was 2-1, 3.94.

What will make this scenario even more interesting is how the weather plays a factor in all this. Rain is expected for Wednesday and Thursday. If a rain out does occur, will the Yankees expose Hughes to the Red Sox-Yankees mania next weekend, or skip his start.

No matter what happens, the future has been moved up quite a bit.

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Tonight's Lineups (4/23)

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

DEVIL RAYS
Baldelli DH
Harris SS
Crawford LF
Wigginton 1B
Young RF
Iwamura 3B
Dukes CF
Paul C
Upton 2B

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5 Memorable Games vs Devil Rays

Didn't think it was possible, huh?

1. June 3, 1998

A legend debuts

Much was made of the story of the defection of Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. Now was his time to show the Yankees and their fans if he could really pitch. The opportunity came a little earlier than expected when David Cone was bitten by his mother's dog. Needed a starter, the Yankees called up Duque from Triple-A Columbus.

Duque struck out Quinton McCracken to start the game a star is born. Hernandez breezed through 7 innings, allowing a run on 5 hits to top the Rays, 7-1. Duque walks 2 and strikes out 7 before turning it over to Mike Stanton to finish it out

Scott Brosius shows a glimpse of the super year he is having, driving in 4 runs.

2. June 21, 2005

Randy Johnson looks like the little unit and is hammered for 7 runs in just 3 innings work. Scott Proctor throws some grease on the fire in relief and the Yankees trail 10-2 after 4 innings.

The Yankees' offense chipped away so that the Bombers trailed 11-7 entering the 8th inning. That one went like this:

Robinson Cano single
Derek Jeter single
RBI ground out by Ruben Sierra
Gary Sheffield single
A-Rod RBI single
Hideki Matsui RBI double
Int'l Walk to Giambi
Bernie Williams bases clearing triple
Jorge Posada 2-run HR
Cano flies out
Jeter single
Sierra single
Sheffield 3-run HR
A-Rod HR
Matsui HR

Incredibly, the Yankees have their second 13 run inning of the season, both coming against the Devil Rays. They bang out 12 hits in the inning, including 4 home runs. 23 hits in all leads to a 20-11 win.

Sheffield drives in 7 runs, with 4 hits, incl. a pair of HRs. Bernie drives in 5.


3. April 18, 2005

The Yankees offense gives the fans something to remember. The 2nd inning of a scoreless game goes something like this:

Hideki Matsui walks
A-Rod hits a 2-run HR
Jason Giambi doubles
Jorge Posada grounds out
Tino Martinez delivers an RBI single
Tony Womack gets an infield single
Derek Jeter RBI single
Bernie Williams RBI single
Gary Sheffield RBI single
Matsui single to load bases
A-Rod 2-run double
Int'l Walk to Posada
RBI single for Giambi
Tino hits Grand Slam

13 runs are scored in the inning on 11 hits, 1 walk, and 1 error. Starter Rob Bell gives up 10 earned runs in just 1 1-3 innings. A-Rod and Tino Martinez have 6 RBI each and combine for 8 hits.

Jaret Wright stinks on the mound, but gets the victory despite giving up 8 runs in 5 1-3 innings. Final, Yankees 19 Rays 8


4. September 26, 1998

David Cone wins his 20th game of the season and breaks the MLB record for the longest span between reaching such heights. 10years earlier, Cone went an amazing 20-3 as a member of the Mets. It's the 2nd to last game of the season and there's no telling how far Joe Torre will allow Coney to go with the playoffs right around the corner.

The Yankees score single runs in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings, including another home run by Shane Spencer, who had a September to remember. Coney limits the Rays to 4 hits over 7 innings and strikes out 8. It's now up to the pen to nail down the milestone.

With 1 out in the 9th, Torre calls for Mariano Rivera. Mo gives up a quick double to Bubba Trammell, but gets Paul Sorrento to pop out to Posada for the 2nd out. And infield single by Rob Butler and a walk to Miguel Cairo loads the bases for pinch-hitter Mike Kelly (pinch-hitting for John Flaherty). Mo uncharacteristically walks Kelly to force in a run and put the tying runs in scoring position.

A nervous Coney watches as Mo induces a game ending ground out by Quinton McCracken.

5. July 29, 2006

The Ray's offense has their day of reckoning.

Randy Johnson had been abused by the Rays before and he will again on this day. The Rays jump all over Johnson for 9 runs in 3 plus innings. But the Rays aren't done yet. They hammer Shawn Chacon, Mike Myers, and T.J. Beam for 10 more and smoke the Yankees, 19-6.

Jae Seo is pretty awful himself, allowing 5 runs in 5 2-3, but gets his first victory in six decisions. The Rays get 4 home runs, one by Damon Hollins who drives in 5. Eduardo Perez continues to make Johnson his personal whipping boy with a 5 hit day.

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Alec Baldwin Lambastes Joe Torre

First it was a message on his daughter's message machine and now this!

Left on Joe Torre's message machine

Joe, you made an ass of yourself again… You have insulted the fans for the last time! You don't have the brains or the decency as a human being… I don't give a damn that you're 66 years old or 67 year old, or clueless, or that your general manager is a thoughtless pain in the ass… you've made me feel like sh*t and you've made me feel like a fool… I'm gonna straighten your ass out when I see you, do you understand me?… You are a dumb thoughtless little pig!"

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Yankees vs. Devil Rays Preview

The Yankees are going to have to stow away their bad feelings from Beantown and go right back at it tonight in Tampa.

Pitching Match Ups

Monday - Kei Igawa (1-0, 6.06) vs. Casey Fossum (1-1, 6.11)
Tuesday - Chien-Ming Wang (0-0, 0.00) vs. Scott Kazmir (1-1, 5.25)


Kazmir got a no-decision in the Devil Rays opening day loss to the Yankees in New York. He gave up 5 runs in 5 innings, including a HR to Jorge Posada.

Fossum was pounded by Toronto in first start of the season, but bounced back with a pair of 7-inning quality starts against the Twins and O's. He's 4-4, 4.57 lifetime against the Yankees.

Chien-Ming Wang will be activated in time for Tuesday's game. He's 4-3, 3.62 against the Rays in his career.

The Yankees split the season opening series (W 9-5, L 7-6) in New York, with one game postponed by the weather.
~~~

Jorge Posada will probably sit again tonight as his swollen thumb is still very sore.

Alex Rodriguez singled in his 2nd to last at-bat last night to extend his hitting streak to 17 games.

Don't be surprised if a reliever is brought up today with Chase Wright being sent down, and then that reliever or Colter Bean dispatched when Wang returns.

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Swept Under the Rug

After Friday's night painful loss, was there any doubt in anyone's mind that the Yankees would be swept this weekend? Friday's game was the crucial one to take in the series, since the pitching match ups for Saturday and Sunday were heavily in Boston's favor.

Now the really painful part, the Yankees, as they did on Friday, knocked around the Red Sox starting pitching, and still lost. Here's how it looked against the big 3.


Curt Schilling: 7 IP 8 H 5 ER 2 HR 6.43 ERA

Josh Beckett: 6 2-3 IP 4 ER 9 H 5.40 ERA

Dice-K: 7 IP 6 ER 8 H 1 HR 7.71 ERA


Those are not good numbers at all, but here's the problem:

Jeff Karstens: 7 ER in 4 1-3 innings
Chase Wright: 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 HR in 3 innings

The Bullpen on Fri and Sun: 8 ER in 7 2-3 innings. This comes out of too much too soon. With the starting staff, outside of Andy Pettitte, giving absolutely no innings, the pen has already been maxed out.

If you read my Friday night entry you know that I pinned the loss completely on Joe Torre. The weekend losses clearly go to Brian Cashman, the Tampa office, and George Steinbrenner. Starting pitching is what everyone craves, and was the centerpiece of the Yankees 4 World Series championships in 96 - '00.

But the moves made the last few years have gone directly against it and made this team resemble those of the mid 80s, when offense was abundant and pitching was scarce. When those teams didn't hit, they didn't win, and that's what we've seen with this team the last few years.

First there was the mistake of letting John Lieber walk, and the bigger mistake of bringing in Jaret Wright to replace him. No one could have foreseen the issues Carl Pavano would have, but they did base his contract on 1 big season. Acquiring Javier Vazquez seemed like a great deal, a steal even. But giving him a huge contract was another mistake. Jose Contreras' name can be thrown in there too.

There's no question in my mind that the Yankees were smart not to throw the kind of money at Dice-K that Boston did. It's time to change those erring ways of the past. The money towards Igawa was an overpayment, and was basically a panic move. The Yankees are going to have to stitch and sew their way to get through this year, which at once looked promising, and now looks rather dismal. The hope is that the return of Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina bolster the rotation. Roger Clemens may or may not be the answer, but he couldn't be worse than Jeff Karstens or Chase Wright.

This could be a very long year.

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Sox Overcome Torre, 7-6

I've ALWAYS been a Joe Torre supporter, but I felt it was time for a change prior to this season. Tonight's game only further solidified my thinking. It's time for Joe Torre's tenure as Yankees manager to end. The Yankees blew a 6-2 lead thanks to Torre's over managing and mismanaging. Not just tonight, but in the games leading up to tonight.

Mariano Rivera blew last Sunday's game against Oakland. It happens. Mo is human. But he hadn't pitched in 4 days and wasn't used in either extra inning game on Friday or Saturday.

Mo blew a game again tonight.

Why? Because he couldn't locate his pitches.

Why? Because Torre hadn't used him since last SUNDAY!!!

Torre is afraid of stressing Mo's arm after the elbow issues he had late last season. So instead of overusing him, he's underusing him at the expense of the rest of the pen.

Scott Proctor pitched tonight for the 10th time in 15 games.

Luis Vizcaino pitched tonight for the 10th time in 15 games.

Torre has absolutely no clue how to work his bullpen any more (many will argue that he never did). Clueless to Genius Back to Clueless again. Brian Cashman gets a share of my wrath too for assembling a shambles of a starting staff and a strength and conditioning coach who doesn't know what he's doing.

Torre also panicked in bringing Mo in early in the 8th as well, but I'll give him a pass on that one. What's worse is keeping one-note Johnny, Mike Myers around. His double to David Ortiz got the ball rolling in the 8th.

Oh and constantly pinch-running for Giambi late is moronic. You've got the lead Joe, there' s no need to steal a base. It's not a defensive replacement. More over managing.

The final kicker in all this is that SuperJerk Schilling gets off the hook.

~~~

He will, He will, Rock you

Another magnificent performance by Alex Rodriguez will already be forgotten in this one. 2 more HRs and 4 more RBI to the total. He's now hit 12 in 15 games to match Mike Schmidt for the best start.

Also lost in this game was another very good outing for Andy Pettitte. Pettitte has watched both of his potential victories fall away in a Mo meltdown.

~~~

That's all for now before I have a meltdown.

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Tonight's Lineups (4/20)

YANKEES
Johnny Damon CF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera LF
Doug Mientkiewicz 1B

RED SOX
Julio Lugo SS
Kevin Youkilis 1B
David Ortiz DH
Manny Ramirez LF
J.D. Drew RF
Mike Lowell 3B
Jason Varitek C
Coco Crisp CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B

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Yankees vs. Boston Preview

3 Game Series

The Red Sox will be sending out their 3 guns, while the Yankees have their old reliable rifle and 2 starter pistols. But you never know.


Friday - Andy Pettitte vs. Curt Schilling

Saturday - Jeff Karstens vs. Josh Beckett

Sunday - Chase Wright vs. Dice-K


It took 14 games before Manny Ramirez finally hit one out of the park. Ramirez's HR tied the Jays up in the 8th yesterday, and the Sox went on to win in the 9th. Manny being Manny meant admiring his home run for a good 10 seconds or more before his walk broke out into a trot. Why doesn't anyone ever put one in this guy's ear? Manny has just reached the .200 level.

The Sox are getting solid starting pitcher so far, but their bats have been asleep. Hopefully they stay that way this weekend.

David Ortiz got off to a slow start, but Big Papi now has 5 HR and 13 RBI to go along with a .288 average.

Kevin Youkillis (.235), Jason Varitek (.189), Dustin Pedroia (.167), and Coco Crisp (.167) are all off to horrendous starts. On the other hand, J.D. Drew, who meaning talking heads feel will melt in the NY-Boston spotlight, has been hitting a torrid .341 with 8 walks.

The Sox bullpen has been a big worry to the team and understandably so. After failing to find a closer in spring training, the Sox restored Jon Papelbon to that role. That also meant, for the moment, moving Julian Tavarez, into the starting rotation. Mike Timlin has just returned from a strained oblique muscle, and is still struggling to find his way.

~~~

This little news item was barely noticeable yesterday. Humberto Sanchez underwent Tommy John surgery and is out for the rest of the year and part of next year. I happened to see a blurb about this on Rotoworld yesterday. But no mention during the radio broadcast of the game, or on any local radio sports updates.

Brian Cashman claims that no evidence of the ligament issue showed up on any scans, but became quite clear when Dr. James Andrews opened Sanchez's elbow up.

Mr. MRI himself, Carl Pavano, was found to have inflammation in his elbow and won't be back any time soon.

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No Sleep 'til Boston

So how many times have you watched the replay? 5? 10? 20? I lost count, between the Yankees website and Sportscenter, and the news. And being I caught the game on the computer yesterday, I watched the replay on YES last night.

Alex Rodriguez really did hit another walk off HR. Let's just forget the walk off for a minute. Alex Rodriguez hit another HR. That's a record 10 in the team's first 14 games. That's 9 in the last 11 games.

Back to the walk 0ff. A-Rod becomes the first player to hit a walk off grand slam and a walk off 3-run HR in the month of April. (Who does the data mining on this stuff?)

So instead of going up to Boston at even .500, the Yankees head north 2 games over the watermark.

Someone please just tell John Sterling to drop the "an A-Bomb for A-Rod". Really poor taste.
~~~

One of the delights following yesterday's game was listening to The FAN after the game. Mad Dog was a mad dog indeed, going ballistic at the Yankees' good fortune, and blaming others in the studio for the Indians blowing the game. Francesca, rightfully, gloated the whole way.

Then it was over to 1050 to hear Michael Kay's show. Before he came on, co-host Don LaGreca lambasted sidekick Joey Salvia for rooting for A-Rod, after booing him earlier. Classic stuff.

~~~

A few things were missed in yesterday's comeback. Sean Henn won his 1st major league game, joining Chase Wright and Kei Igawa to make it 3 straight games that a Yankees pitcher has done so.

Jorge Posada is living life far from the microscope. He's quietly put together a fine April, hitting .353 with 2 HR and 11 RBI. He's also added 3 doubles, 4 walks, and a .922 OPS.

Jason Giambi looks like he may finally be finding his swing. He went for 5-11 against the Tribe with a pair of HRs.

Bobby Abreu bounced back from a rough series in Oakland to completely hammer the Indians. The Quiet Man went 8-12 with 5 RBI, 2 walks, and 3 stolen bases.

~~~

Chien-Ming Wang is closer to rejoining the team after throwing a rehab stint in Tampa. The Wanger threw 74 pitches and another 15 in the bullpen afterwards. Roving pitching instructor and donut eater Billy Connor says Wang is ready to go.

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A-Rod Walks Off a Hero...AGAIN

Down 6-2 with 2 out in the 9th today, a Yankees comeback against the Indians seemed improbable.

Then Josh Phelps hit a solo HR

Then Jorge Posada singled

Then Johnny Damon walked

Then Derek Jeter singled in a run

Then Bobby Abreu singled in a run

And then it happened..again. Alex Rodriguez belted a walk-off 3-run HR to CF, well over 400 ft., and the Yankees had themselves an 8-6 win.

I'm still stunned by it.

Sean Henn gets the win in relief. Jason Giambi also homered.


More later.

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Yankees vs. Indians Preview (4/19)

Day Baseball in the Bronx - 1:00




Fausto Carmona 0-1, 12.46



vs.



Darrell Rasner 0-1, 4.66



LINEUPS

Indians

CF Sizemore
LF Dellucci
DH Hafner
C Martinez
1B Garko
3B Blake
2B Peralta
2B Rouse
RF Michaels

Yankees

CF Damon
SS Jeter
RF Abreu
3B Rodriguez
DH Giambi
2B Cano
LF Cabrera
1B Mientkiewicz
C Nieves


Carmon has entered 3 games in relief against the Yankees and pitched to a 2.70 ERA. He had a tryout as the heir apparent to closer Bob Wickman last year, but failed miserably.

This is Rasner's 1st appearance against the Tribe.

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Down on the Farm

Brian Cashman wasn't just pleased with the Yankees win tonight. Phil Hughes took the hill for Scranton and dominated the Syracuse Chiefs for 6 innings. Hughes allowed just 2 hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out 10. Overall, he's now 2-1, 3.94.

The Tampa Yankees have to be tired tonight. Last night they went out and lost a 20 inning game to Clearwater, 4-1. The class 'A' Yanks only managed 6 hits. Stud Jose Tabata went 0-8. The Yankees then had to come out for a day today. Their bats must have not gotten the wake up call. Though they had more hits, 7, than the night before, they still lost to Clearwater, 5-1.

The Trenton Thunder would like to know when they're going to play a game again. They haven't played since April 14 due to all the inclement weather up and down the eastern seaboard.

The Charleston Riverdogs won their early start, 1-0 over Kannapolis (that's not a typo - it's in North Carolina). 21-year old Michael Dunn allowed just 4 hits over 6 1-3 innings.

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Short Stops - 4/18 Night Time Edition

The Mariners have to be worried after "The King", Felix Hernandez had to leave tonight's game in the 1st inning with elbow stiffness. Hernandez retired just 1 hitter, while allowing 2 hits and 2 walks. 3 of those runners came into score. Hernandez had allowed just 1 run in his 1st two starts.

The Phillies are spiraling out of control and are 2-10 after losing to Washington tonight. Manager Charlie Manuel nearly came to blows with Phils radio man Howard Eskin last night. With a struggling rotation, Brett Myers was moved to the bullpen. Early panic move? You bet! John Lieber will take his place.

David Wright extended his hitting streak to 25 games in the Mets win over the D-Train and the Marlins. John Maine tossed 6 no-hit innings for the Mets.

Things keep getting worse for the Angels. They lost Chone Figgins in spring training to 2 broken fingers. Vlad Guerrero has a badly bruised wrist after being plunked by Josh Beckett on Monday, and now Howie Kendrick is on the DL with a broken finger (I have both Figgins and Kendrick on my roto team - is this a bad trend?). On top of that, they were blanked by the A's 3-0 today to extend their losing streak to 6 games. They've scored just 6 runs in those 6 games, and have scored just 44 runs in 15 games to date.

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Buehrle Tosses No-No for White Sox

The Chicago White Sox' Mark Buehrle has thrown the first no-hitter of the season tonight. Buerhle faced the minimum of 27 batters in defeating the Texas Rangers. The Rangers only base runner was Sammy Sosa, who drew a walk. But Buehrle promptly picked him off.

Buerhle threw 106 pitches, 66 for strikes. In the 9th, he struck out Matt Kata and Nelson Cruz, before Gerald Laird bounced out to 3rd Baseman Joe Crede for the no-no's final out.

Over the last 2 games, Buehrle has retired 41 of the last 49 batters he's faced.

It was the 16th no-hitter in White Sox history and their first in 16 years. Wilson Alvarez no-hit Baltimore on August 11, 1991. The last time the Rangers were no-hit was in 1984, when the Angel's Mike Witt tossed a perfect game against them.

It was the first no-hitter in the major leagues since the Marlins' Anibal Sanchez threw one against Arizona on Sept 6, 2005.

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Gettin' Iggy wit it

The Yankees continued to take their road trip frustrations out on the Cleveland Indians tonight. One night after battering Jake Westbrook, the Bombers singled and double Jeremy Sowers to an early shower. Better than that, Kei Igawa had his best performance of the season, with 6 very good innings.

The Yankees started early with a lead off walk to Johnny Damon and a wind blown double by Derek Jeter, the first of his 3 hits on the night. Bobby Abreu's sac fly brought home Damon for a 1-0 lead.

The Indians took a 2-1 lead in the 3rd, but the Yankees bounced right back and bounced Sowers in the process. Jeter started it with career double #350, and came home on Abreu's single. AfterAlex Rodriguez hit into a force out, Jason Giambi put the Yankees ahead for good with an RBI double. Robinson Cano, Josh Phelps, and Damon each added RBI singles for a 5-run inning.

Igawa threw 92 pitches, 62 for strikes, in allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, with a walk and 5 strikeouts. He had his best control of the regular season in doing so. The bullpen continued to excel as well, with Scott Proctor, Sean Henn, and Chris Britton each tossing a scoreless frame.

The offense decided to add some more as well. A-Rod continued his torrid April with a 2-run HR, his 9th, in the 6th inning. Giambi followed with a solo shot (3) of his own for back to back blasts.

~~~

A-Rod has had a hit in all 13 games played and leads the majors in RBI with 23, in addition to HRs. The RBI record for April of 29 is well within his reach.

Entering the game, the Yankees bullpen had the 2nd best ERA (2.39) in the AL, 2nd only to Cleveland (2.32).

Chien-Ming Wang is scheduled to throw for Tampa tomorrow, and hopefully will be activated from the DL early next week. Hideki Matsui is very close to starting a rehab assignment as well.

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Yankees vs. Indians Preview (4/18)

7:05 Start Time



Jeremy Sowers 0-0, 2.08



vs.



Kei Igawa 0-0, 7.84




LINEUPS

Indians

CF Sizemore
RF Michaels
DH Hafner
1B Garko
3B Blake
SS Peralta
LF Dellucci
2B Barfield
C Shoppach

Yankees

CF Damon
SS Jeter
RF Abreu
3B A-Rod
DH Giambi
C Posada
2B Cano
1B Phelps
LF Melky


Sowers beat the Yankees last year in his only career appearance against them. He allowed 2 runs over 7 innings. Both runs came off the bat of a Jason Giambi HR.

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Short Stops - 4/18

Alfonso Soriano's hamstring strain may be a blessing in disguise for the Cubbies. Lou Piniella wanted Sori to move from CF to LF. Only Sori said no (sound familiar?). With the injury, the Cubs brought up their number 1 prospect, Felix Pie (pronounced pea-ay, not like a dessert) to play CF. The Cubs are hoping to keep him there and move Soriano back to LF where he played for the Nats.

David Wright was 1-5 last night to extend his hitting streak to 24 games. Moises Alou hit his 1st two Met HRs in the same game.

Jered Weaver and Freddy Garcia made their season debuts last night, with very different results. Weaver allowed 3 earned runs in 6 innings in his loss to Oakland, while Garcia went just 4 2-3 (95 pitches), in the Phillies 8-1 loss to the Mets. Garcia allowed 3 runs.

Weaver's older brother Jeff had a much worse night, though it lowered his ERA. After being bombed by the Red Sox in his 1st start of the year, Weaver got hammered to the tune of 7 runs in 6 innings against the Twins last night. His ERA is now 15.43 and he's probably wishing he had stayed in the National League.

Up and down night for Torii Hunter last night. Hit a grand slam and then had to leave early with a bruised shoulder. He's day-to-day.

Dice-K made his 3rd start of the season against the Blue Jays last night. Though he only allowed 3 hits and struck out 10 in 6 IP, he came out on the short end of a 2-1 decision.

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Finding Mr. Wright

or Fill in the cliche of your choice ________________________________

No matter how you put it, Chase Wright did the Yankees a tremendous solid last night. Sh*t, now I sound like Stuart Scott. The kid went out and threw 5 innings - not so great, but not so bad, and the Yankees offensive exploded against Jake Westbrook for 8 runs in two innings, and went on to a 10-3 win.

Wright worked through some early innings jitters, and picked up the victory after allowing 3 runs, including a Travis Hafner HR, in his 5 inning stint. After walking the first two batters of the game, Wright retired the next 3 hitters, with a run coming home on a ground out by Victor Martinez.

The Yankees quickly got that run back plus another in their half of the 1st, and then rocked Westbrook in the 2nd. Doug Mientkiewicz hit his first home run since June of last season to increase the lead to 3-1. Johnny Damon doubled and came home on a Bobby Abreu single, and then Alex Rodriguez crushed a Westbrook offering on to the netting in front of the retired numbers in left field. A-Rod's major league best 8th home run made it a 6-1 game. And the Yankees weren't done yet. After a Jason Giambi single, Jorge Posada hit his 200th career HR into the right-center field bleachers. Indians manager Eric Wedge finally sent Westbrook (0-2) to the showers and Wright had all the cushion he needed.

Pitching in front of his parents, siblings, and friends, the 24-yr old, who had only pitched 2 games above single 'A', gave the fans, and himself, a night to remember.

~~~

A-Rod also had an RBI single in the 1st and now has a major league high 21 RBI for April. The record is 29.

The Yankees clicked on all cylinders last night, in a good recovery from Sunday's tough loss to Oakland. Brian Bruney, Mike Myers, and Chris Britton combined for 4 shutout, hitless innings after Wright departed.

Hafner's home run was his 1st in Yankee Stadium.

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Tonight's Lineups (4/17)

Indians

CF Sizemore
LF Michaels
DH Hafner
C Martinez
1B Garko
RF Blake
SS Peralta
2B Barfield
3B Marte


Yankees

CF Damon
SS Jeter
RF Abreu
3B A-Rod
DH Giambi
C Posada
2B Cano
LF Melky
1B Mientkiewicz

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Short Stops - 4/17

Josh Beckett has shown that he's not afraid to pitch inside, which has pissed off a number of opponents. Yesterday he nailed Vlad Guerrero on the wrist. Luckily for Vlad, he's only listed as day-to-day. When is someone going to retaliate at Manny or Big Papi for this stuff? You know it won't be the Joe Torre Yankees.

The Toronto Blue Jays were tied for 1st in the AL East entering this week's play, but the team is far from feeling good about themselves. Closer B.J. Ryan is out a minimum of 4-6 weeks with a strained ligament in his left elbow. The Jays are quietly hoping shutting him down will take care of the problem, but they're privately worried that he may need Tommy John surgery.

Reed Johnson underwent back surgery and is out until July. Slugger Troy Glaus also went on the DL with an inflamed heel.

Ryan Freel has received a 2-year, $7 million extension from the Reds.

As we have previously talked about, Hank Aaron said he will not be attending Barry Bonds' record breaking games. Since then the media has constantly asked Bonds about the perceived snub. Bonds, of course, has now blamed the media for trying to drive a wedge between him and Aaron. Um Barry, Hank doesn't want anything to do with you. In case you haven't noticed, he's not the media.

Among those with extra concern over yesterday's shooting at Virginia Tech, was Mets 3rd Baseman David Wright. One of his younger brothers is studying for an engineering degree there. Thankfully, he was all right.

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Yankees vs. Indians Preview (4/17)

Finding Mr. Wright. Or hopefully not too Mr. Wrong anyway.

Chase Wright makes the big jump from Double-A to the majors tonight. Can you imagine pitching in front of the Trenton Thunder fans one week and 40-50,000 fans in Yankee Stadium the next?

Wright is getting this chance because of his magnificent two starts for the Thunder. He hadn't allowed a run in 14 innings and struck out 19. This came on the heels of a great 2006 season at Tampa where he was 12-3, 1.88.

He'll be nervous as all hell tonight, but neither he nor the Yankees have anything to lose...except the game of course.

Jake Westbrook (0-1, 7.36) goes for the Indians tonight. Once upon a time, Westbrook was a Yankee, appearing in 3 games back in 2000. That June he was dealt along with Zach Day and Ricky Ledee to the Tribe for David Justice.

Westbrook had come to the Yankees the previous year for Hideki Irabu. Ted Lilly and Christian Parker were later added to the deal by the Expos. Westbrook has had a pretty good career in Cleveland, averaging about 15 wins the past 3 seasons. This will be his 1st start since signing a 3-year, $33 million extension over the weekend.

Derek Jeter (.348), Hideki Matsui (.500), Jorge Posada (.333), and Jason Giambi (.346) have all smacked Westbrook around pretty well. Hell, even Doug Mientkiewicz is hitting .200 off of him.

~~~

Chien-Ming Wang is expected to pitch for Tampa on Thursday, and if all goes as planned, be activated from the DL the following Tuesday.

Jeff Karstens threw 4 innings for Tampa yesterday and may be activated for the Red Sox series this weekend. The Sox will be starting Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, and Dice-K in the 3 game set. Hate that team.

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Thoughts and Prayers

to the students, faculty, and their families. A horrid shooting this morning at Virginia Tech U, in Blacksburg, VA. Certainly makes you remember that losing a baseball game is pretty meaningless.

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5 Memorable Games vs Indians

It would be nice if tomorrow's game could be added to the list, but here goes...

1. September 4, 1993

Jim Abbott had beaten the odds to make it to the major leagues. Born without a right hand, he had figured out a way to throw with his left, while keeping his glove tucked under his right arm. As the pitch was delivered, he quickly maneuvered the glove on to his left hand for fielding. If a ball was hit his way, he'd field it, tuck the glove back under the right arm, extract the ball, and make the throw. Quite an amazing feat. His feat on September 4, 1993 was even more remarkable.

Abbott would walk 5 Indians hitters on that day, but not allow a single hit. When Carlos Baerga grounded out to Randy Velarde (I can still hear DeWayne Staats call) for the final out, Yankee Stadium went crazy. The teams of the early 1990s were pathetic, but the late season no-hitter was a calling card that the Yankees were on the way back.

2. July 12, 1951

Allie Reynolds was one of the top Yankee right-handers of all-time. Not many pitchers would have a more spectacular season than Reynolds did in 1951. He would pitch not one, but two no-hitters, the 2nd against the vaunted Boston Red Sox. It would all start though on July 12, 1951, when Reynolds, nicknamed "The Chief" would no-hit the Cleveland Indians.

The opposing pitcher that day was future Hall of Famer Bob Feller. Feller and Reynolds had once been roommates when Reynolds was a member of the Indians. The memorable afternoon would see only 1 run scored that day, a Gene Woodling HR in the 7th that gave the Yankees a 1-0 victory.

Reynolds would win the Hickok Belt as the professional athlete of the year for 1951.


3. April 30, 1946

Five years prior to Feller being on the wrong end of Reynolds' no-hitter, he threw one of his own, blanking the Yankees by the same 1-0 score. His opponent for that day was Bill Bevens - yes, the same Bill Bevens who nearly no-hit the Dodgers in the 1947 World Series.


4. October 5, 1997

Game 4 of the ALDS - the Yankees held a 2-1 advantage in games and a 2-1 lead in the 8th inning. This would be the game that would help turn Mariano Rivera into the greatest post-season closer of all time. Rivera came on with 1 out in the 8th. After Matt Williams flied out, Sandy Alomar Jr. hit a high fastball into the right field seats to tie the game. One inning later, the Indians beat Ramiro Mendoza to force a 5th and deciding game, which they would win as well.


5. June 24, 1970

The Yankees and Indians split a twinbill (for those of you born after 1980, that's a true doubleheader. Game 2 follows game 1 by about 1/2 hour. It is not urban legend.), but it was an individual performance that would be remembered on this day. The Yankees were dominated by Sam McDowell in the first game, but Bobby Murcer homered in his final at-bat in the 9th inning.

In his first at-bat of the nightcap, Murcer homered again. After walking an inning earlier, Bobby smacked a 2-run HR in the 5th to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

The Indians took a 4-3 lead against Stan Bahnsen in the 8th. It didn't last long. With one out in the bottom of the 8th, Murcer hit his 3rd home run of the game, and his 4th in as many official at-bats. Danny Cater's RBI single would give the Yankees the lead for good as Lindy McDaniel picked up a save in the 9th.

Murcer had a chance to keep the streak going the next day against the Indians and walked his first time up. But a ground out in the 3rd ended it.

Get well soon Bobby!

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The Weak Ahead

No, that's not a typo. With 3/5 of the starting rotation and Hideki Matsui on the DL, it's pretty appropriate. Raise your hands if you're still pissed off about yesterday's loss. Yeah, me too. I also found it sadly ironic that the only player who wears #42 regularly would lose a game on Jackie Robinson Day. Now to move on.

You couldn't pick a much worse stretch to be short on starting pitching. After today's off day (for those of you not on the east coast, it's raining and SNOWING here), the Yankees open a 3 game series with the AL Central contending Cleveland Indians. Then the Bombers fly up to Boston for a 3 game set with those miscreants, and down to Tampa for a quick 2 game series with the Rays. The month finishes out with 5 games at home - 2 with Toronto, 3 with Boston. Hopefully by then Chien-Ming Wang is back.

Pitching Probables

vs. Cleveland

Tuesday - Chase Wright makes his MLB debut.
Wednesday - Kei Igawa
Thursday - Darrell Rasner

vs. Boston

Friday - Andy Pettitte
Saturday - Jeff Karstens
Sunday - Who the hell knows

Alert the Media

Doug Mientkiewicz singled thru the right side yesterday. He's now 1 for his last 25 and is hitting a whopping .138. With Josh Phelps at 2-10, the platoon is hitting a nice .154. No, we didn't need Shea Hillenbrand.

Melky Cabrera appears to be getting some better swings at the plate. He was 1-3 with a sac fly yesterday and is up to .190.

Jason Giambi continues to be a model of inconsistency. He's hitting just .205 with 3 extra base hits. Giambi had a torrid April last season, hitting .344-9-27 with 1.407 OPS. It may be time to get Giambi in there at 1st base until he gets his swing going.

Going, Going, Gone

A-Rod continued his hot hitting over the weekend, going 5-12 vs. the A's. That included his major league leading 7th HR. He drove in a run on Sunday with a sac fly that nearly got out of the park. His OPS is a gawdy 1.430.

With every good at-bat, I am more and more convinced he'll be walking after this season.

Hip Hip Jorge

Jorge Posada's fast start as has gotten lost in A-Rod's start and pitching injuries. After a 2-hit game on Sunday, he's batting .366 with a home run, 8 RBI and 3 doubles, and has a nifty .934 OPS.

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Paging George Carlin

Those 7 words you can't say on television? I'd like to add the seventy-some odd ones I said as the Yankees game ended. I could have called this "Why I Hate West Coast Games, Part III", but decided against it.

What could have been a feel good 4-2 road trip through Minnesota and Oakland, turned into a fair 3-3 crap fest. The Yankees lost 3 of the last 4 on the trip and really blew the two in Oakland.

First inning of this one looked like the rest of games lately. Derek Jeter, who is going to take Roberto Duran's nickname, Manos De Piedra (hands of stone), if he keeps playing shortstop like is, made yet another error. Which lead to 2 runs off of Andy Pettitte, who hadn't allowed a first inning run in a Zimmer's age.

But the Yankees battled back as they did Saturday night, and took a 4-2 lead into the 9th. Mariano Rivera came on to pick up the save. 2 outs, none on, and Todd Walker up. Base hit to left. No problem. Jason Kendall walks on a 3-2. Okay two men on, but light hitting Marco Scutaro, hereto referred to as "The Little Shit" was coming up. Not Nick Swisher, not Eric Chavez, just The Little Shit. Mo got ahead 1-2 and then...and then...this is really difficult to put in writing without getting angry again...The Little Shit hit a walk off 3-run HR. At least it
wasn't in extra innings.

Andy Pettitte gave the Yankees just what the Dr. ordered again with 7 solid innings and Scott Proctor threw a 1-2-3 8th inning.

~~~

With 3/5 of the starting rotation now on the DL, the Yankees are calling up lefty Chase Wright to start Tuesday's game vs. Cleveland. Wright has been phenomenal in his 2 starts in Trenton this year, and the Yankees can only hope some of that magic continues.

Speaking of the Thunder, they pulled off quite a feat on Saturday. Not only did they sweep a doubleheader, but they pitched back to back shutouts. Oh and by the way, the 2nd game went 15 innings. That extended the Thunder's pitching scoreless streak to 46 innings!

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Pavano, Mussina, to the DL

Here we go again. Carl Pavano has made his 1st 2007 trip to the DL with a forearm issue. Mussina made several throws off a mound, didn't feel so hot, and joins Carlotta on the sidelines.

Chris Britton has been recalled from Scranton to help the pen. There's a good chance that Chase Wright, who has been on fire at AA-Trenton, will take Pavano's start on Tuesday.

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Sunday's Lineups - 4/15

Courtesy of USA Today

New York Yankees

Johnny Damon CF	Season	.286	1	3
	vs. pitcher	---	0	0
Derek Jeter SS	Season	.318	0	3
	vs. pitcher	---	0	0
Bobby Abreu RF	Season	.286	1	8
	vs. pitcher	---	0	0
Alex Rodriguez 3B	Season	.350	7	17
	vs. pitcher	---	0	0
Jason Giambi DH	Season	.200	2	8
	vs. pitcher	---	0	0
Jorge Posada C	Season	.342	1	7
	vs. pitcher	---	0	0
Robinson Cano 2B	Season	.333	0	4
	vs. pitcher	---	0	0
Melky Cabrera LF	Season	.179	0	3
	vs. pitcher	---	0	0
Doug Mientkiewicz 1B	Season	.115	0	1
	vs. pitcher	---	0	0

Starting Pitcher

Name Season/vs Wins Losses Saves ERA Andy Pettitte P Season 1 0 0 1.64 vs. Athletics 0 0 0 ---

Oakland Athletics

Lineup

Name Season/vs AVG HR RBI Shannon Stewart LF Season .170 0 1 vs. pitcher --- 0 0 Nick Swisher CF Season .282 1 4 vs. pitcher --- 0 0 Bobby Kielty RF Season .188 0 2 vs. pitcher --- 0 0 Mike Piazza DH Season .300 1 3 vs. pitcher --- 0 0 Eric Chavez 3B Season .250 1 6 vs. pitcher --- 0 0 Mark Ellis 2B Season .216 0 9 vs. pitcher --- 0 0 Todd Walker 1B Season .211 0 1 vs. pitcher --- 0 0 Jason Kendall C Season .146 0 2 vs. pitcher --- 0 0 Marco Scutaro SS Season .059 0 0 vs. pitcher --- 0 0

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I Hate West Coast Games, Part II

Okay, so this time it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The Yankees rallied from a 3 run deficit and Jason Giambi sent us to bed happy with a 13th inning game winner. It was approximately1:30 EDT. We're too tired to even write (see I just had to correct this because I put right) to much.

What we're definitely not happy about is the Yankees defense. Derek Jeter committed 2 more errors, one that opened the flood gates to a 3 run first inning. Bobby Abreu committed an error for the 2nd straight night.

Kudos to Darrell Rasner though. He didn't fall apart after the 1st inning and kept his team in it as the Yankees chipped away.

And the pen did the job again. 7 2-3 shutout innings to be precise. Brian Bruney lost the game on Friday night and won it on Saturday.

Trailing 3-2 in the 7th, A-Rod stepped up big again. His 7th HR of the season, off of A's starter Joe Blanton, evened things up. Then it was up to Giambi in the 13th to break out of his April doldrums and he did just that with a blast well over the 388 sign in right-center.

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Tonight's Lineups

YES, WCBS-AM

Rasner vs. Blanton

Yankees

J. Damon cf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
J. Giambi dh
R. Cano 2b
J. Phelps 1b
M. Cabrera lf
W. Nieves c

Oakland

S. Stewart lf
N. Swisher cf
M. Piazza dh
E. Chavez 3b
T. Walker 1b
B. Crosby ss
T. Buck rf
J. Kendall c
M. Scutaro 2b

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Short Stops - 4/14

Barry Roids hit HRs number 736 and 737 as the inevitable nears.

The D-Train beat Atlanta last night and is now 12-1 in his career in April.

Johann Santana lost to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last night, ending his 17 home game winning streak.

Carlos Lee had the 1st 3 HR game of his career in the Astros win over the Phillies. Lee smacked a grand slam and added a pair of solo shots. Jimmy Rollins better get his teammates going. They're now 2-8.

Eric Gagne got into his 1st game of the season and promptly saved the Rangers win against the Mariners.

A-Rod is getting all the attention, but Ian Kinsler smacked his 5th HR last night to tie him for the HR lead.

David Wright's single last night extended his hitting streak to 22 games.

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I Hate West Coast Games

Last night was a perfect example of why I hate games on the left coast. Specifically those games that start at 10 EDT or later. Usually this form of aggravation occurs in Seattle or Anaheim, but once in a while Oakland chips in.

This is how the typical scenario goes. Game moves at a fairly decent pace as the Yankees take an early lead. The margin is usual 2-4 runs. A quick peek at the clock - looks like we won't be going to bed too late. Then about the 6th inning things begin to change. The starting pitcher (Kei Igawa), who to this point hasn't looked too bad, begins to lose it. This usually happens right after one of the announcers points out that fact.

Now the game begins to slow as a steady stream of relievers march in from both team's bullpens. There's wasted opportunities (bases loaded no one out in the 8th - no runs score), blown leads by a particularly aggravating pitcher (Kyle Farnsworth), and a guy who keeps stranding runners (Doug Mientkiewicz).

Now the next scenario happens either while sleeping (by which time it's already 1:15 am on the east coast) or if I'm dumb enough to stay up and watch someone other than Mariano Rivera lose the game (Brian Bruney in the 11th). Thankfully, I went to sleep after the top of the 10th, which this morning left me pretty tired, but not quite as aggravated as if I had stayed up until the bitter end.

The next morning, flip on the TV, the Internet, or open the newspaper (which doesn't always have the late score) to read the obvious. A's 5 Yankees 4 in 11.

~~~

Kei Igawa only lasted into the 6th, but it was a big improvement over his 1st start. Unfortunately, that's still not good enough.

Bobby Abreu didn't help Igawa any when he dropped Mike Piazza's fly to right for a 3 base error that lead to a 1-1 tie.

Alex Rodriguez hit the ball sharply all night and had a pair of hits.

Farnsworth was demoted to the 7th inning role and served up a 2-0 fat fastball to Nick Swisher who quickly turned a 4-3 deficit into a 4-4 tie.

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