Today’s news is powered by some REALLY bad cartoon featuring the Tampa Bay Rays:
- Here are the rehab updates on Alex Rodriguez and Chien-Ming Wang:
Rodriguez, who had surgery on his right hip March 9, could take live batting practice for the first time Tuesday. He might start playing in minor league games later this week and the Yankees expect him to rejoin the team by May 15. . . .
The three-time AL MVP ran the bases for the third time in five days, and added situational drills when taking grounders at third. He hit 13 homers on 89 swings in regular batting practice. . . .
“We need to see him slide,” Girardi said. “He hasn’t done that yet unless he went out on a Slip And Slide in his yard.”
Wang threw in the outfield for 10 minutes and did sprints as part of a rehab program. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with weakness in his hips. . . .
“He’s doing great,” Yankees vice president Billy Connors said. “There is no discomfort. We did some drills that will help bring his velocity back to where it’s got to be.”
- Over at SI.com, Jeff Pearlman notes the empty seats at the Stadium:
In case you haven’t heard, the Yankees have opened their new, state-of-the-art stadium by asking their dutiful fans to pay inordinate amounts of money for the right to sit in a plastic chair, drink $9 bottles of beer and watch Cody Ransom. To be precise, individual-game tickets range from $14 for bleacher seats to $2,625 to sit mere feet away from the batter’s box. Yet here’s the wacky part — with the economy mimicking a Jason Marquis sinker (down-down-down-plop), there are a limited number of cheap seats, leaving gameday fans with an onerous choice: spend a small fortune on a ticket, or don’t go.
For a franchise that has long flaunted its patriotism, one must ask, where is that help-thy-neighbor American spirit when we actually need it? In 2001 it was easy for the Yankees to fly a tattered flag from Ground Zero and unearth President Bush to throw out the first pitch of Game 3 of the World Series. Emotional as those moments felt, they were, relatively speaking, no-brainers. Eight years later, people are once again struggling. They are losing jobs. Losing investments. Losing homes. They could use a good faith gesture of keeping the ticket prices the same as a year ago. Baseball, after all, is the ultimate stress-buster: Enduring a tough day? Kick back in the sun for nine innings, down a beverage, keep score, relax.
. . . With a jarring (and, many would agree, justified) number of unfilled blue “premium” seats making the new Yankee Stadium appear to be half empty on TV — consider the numbers: with nearly 4,000 fewer seats the Yankees are averaging 8,500 fewer fans in a new stadium — Hal Steinbrenner and Co. could have stepped up and offered the vacant turf for temporarily discounted costs; could have donated the seats to a local YMCA or Boys & Girls Club; could have done 8,000 things to help make right a time period gone bad. . . .
- Hideki Irabu is coming back!:
Former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu has come out of retirement and made a contract with Long Beach Armada of the independent Golden Baseball League . . .
- What does Derek Jeter have 8,103 of?:
Derek Jeter logged his 8,103rd career at-bat for the Yankees on Monday, surpassing Mickey Mantle for the most in franchise history.
Jeter stepped in for the milestone at-bat in the top of the first inning at Comerica Park, looking at a called third strike from Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander.
Jeter was informed of his accomplishment on Sunday night after the Yankees’ 4-1 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, but he was nonplussed given the circumstances.
“Is that right? I didn’t know that,” Jeter said. “We lost, so I can’t really care too much.”
- On this date in 1985, the Yankees hire Billy Martin as their manager for a fourth time. Martin replaces Yogi Berra, who is fired just 16 games into the season.
- On this date in 1989, Rickey Henderson sets a major league record when he leads off a game with a home run for the 36th time in his career, breaking a tie with Bobby Bonds.
- On this date in 2006, long-troubled reliever Steve Howe died in a one-vehicle accident when his pickup truck overturned while he was driving in Coachella, CA. He was 48.
Jeter still trails Mantle, Gehrig, and Ruth in plate appearances as all three of those guys walked more than he has:
All-Time Yankee PA:
Mantle 9,909
Gehrig 9,660
Ruth 9,197
Jeter, 9,181
Also, isn't "animated cartoon" redundant?
I think everyone calling for Girardi's head this morning should take a look back at 1985, or 1982, or 1988...or any other time the Yankees have decided to fire a manager before school has let out. Its more often that you get one of those situations out of a hasty firing than say a 2003 Marlins scenario.
What has Girardi done wrong exactly?
and also
a) Whats the over/under on how long it takes for the Umpire's Union to release a strongly worded statement condemning that cartoon. I say 2 days.
b) Cartoon Carlos Pena is absolutely terrifying. That is Carlos Pena right?
What has Girardi done wrong exactly?
The Yanks are 9-10 instead of the 19-0 record they should have with a ZOMG 200M!!11!! payroll"
/sarcasm
at this point I'm waiting for people to claim that the Swine Flu is "proof" that Joba needs to be in the pen
[1]
Also, isn’t “animated cartoon” redundant?
===================
Yes, and it has been corrected. :-)
[3] The consensus seems to be he over-manages the bullpen. That's the nuts and bolts part anyway, and something I don't get too hung up on.
Personally I don't think he has the disposition for this particular job. Just wound too tight. As with Gardner, though, I gotta admit I just don't like him very much. Girardi strikes me as sourpuss and a bit of a phony. Fwiw, I think Torre was phony at times too, but he was much better at it.
[6] I thought the swine flu was A-Rod's fault.
Pearlman is lousy at journalism as well as thinking. Let's not forget that he is the mediot who smeared Cashman by alleging that he knew that Giambi was on steroids based on...wait for it...an anonymous quote of a former Yankee player, and when he was called out by Cashman, he was unable to produce further proof.
In a continuation of his ineptitude, he now fatuously states that:
If the Yankees had done that, they would have risked destroying the goodwill of their loyal customers who had already shelled out big bucks for comparable seats. Resolving the issue is far more complicated that such cloyingly anodyne solutions.
SI.com should cut ties with Pearlman. He is a joke.
[3] I'm not calling for Girardi's head, but I think it was a mistake to use Mo for a four out save in April after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.
[5] I hope Girardi let Huges throw a complete game shutout tonight. Or at least give the "base hit" signal when there are risp. : )
[10] I always seem to end up reading whatever he puts out there (except for the Clemens book, but thats mostly because I really don't feel like spending 300 pages with Roger Clemens)....but it borders on asinine a lot of the time.
The Bonds book was an enjoyable rip job, but it was a rip job nonetheless. He quoted guys who were in Bonds' cub scout troop 35 years ago like they were character witnesses to his "antisocial behavior"...he was 7!
[4] You may find Pena terrifying, but I object to the Zim character. It simply doesn't go far enough! >;)
[0] Most of the writers who cover the Yankees know that Jeter does not care about statistics. They're looking to get a quote from him, and that's their job, but informing him of certain statistical milestones is almost an exercise in futility. His quote of “We lost, so I can’t really care too much," can be used for any past and future accomplishment that takes place in a game context where the Yankees lose.
[14]
Perhaps a future episode can have a villain create a supermagnet, which helps to abduct Zimmer through the steel plate in his head?
[16] Brilliant!
[17]
Thanks ...
Let's see, what should we call the Villain, given Zim's least favorite people?
FrankenSteinbrenner?
[15] Exactly. That's because Jeter is so selfish...er...oh, wait...
[19]
Well .... he DOES seem to keep all the hot babes for himself.
THAT IS NOT WHAT NONPLUSSED MEANS!
Sorry, that is all.
Some spot on comments by Marc Craig:
Continuing to start Berroa would be another mistake by Girardi.
[21]
nonplussed (adj.) surprised, confused and not certain how to react
Yeah, probably not the most apt word to describe Jeter's mood/reaction
I REALLY hope the Yanks don't get any similar ideas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenders_of_the_Game
[10] With the likes of Pearlman and Roberts on the payroll, SI has pretty much decided that sensationalism is the name of the game. I have stopped reading as a result.
As for Girardi, I don't think he has done a lot of things wrong per se, but I if the team doesn't turn things around fast then I think it is time for a change. The Yankees can not continue to treat the early season as an “ironing out” phase.
[3] What exactly has he done right? I'm not saying they should fire him, but it doesn't also appear that he has much of a plan, and he certainly has not shown himself able, yet, to have the team playing to their ability.
[5] I'm sorry, but I am so sick of people using over the top sarcasm to poo poo anyone who has complaints about the team. Yeah, they aren't 19-0 they are 9-10, which is not good. They have played bad baseball. Period. And it goes far beyond Wang and A-Rod.
You don't need to be an irrational or recent fan to be very disappointing with this team yet again in April. They are already 4 games out of first and playing badly. Is it really too much to ask for them to put together an April where this isn't the case?
[26] i dunno. i think you're being a little too harsh. the team was 9-6 (with two Wang starts) before running into an en fuego red sox team. cc's latest loss is disappointing, but he pitched well and i'm encouraged.
from Petey:
Brian from San Francisco, a loyal reader, checked in via e-mail with a comment that made me laugh.
“The Yankees are like swine flu,” he wrote. “There’s cause for concern but there’s no reason to panic.”
I would say that sums it up nicely.
Meanwhile, if you’re concerned about the swine flu, the Yankees have a perfect solution. Purchase one of the $2,626 Legends Seats behind the plate. You are guaranteed to be at least 10 feet away from anybody else, so the odds of catching the flu are slim.
[27] The Yankees need to be the en fuego team though...they are the ones that need to go on a big winning streak aided by besting their main competition.
I’m sorry, but I am so sick of people using over the top sarcasm to poo poo anyone who has complaints about the team. Yeah, they aren’t 19-0 they are 9-10, which is not good.
Tampa Bay's in last place. The Jays are an offensive juggernaut, averaging around 6 runs a game. Do you think they're going to maintain their pace? It's near the end of April and the team is 9-10. Do you think the Yanks are going to maintain that winning percentage? Rodriguez is coming back, and Sabathia and Teix are known slow starters. They should be able to ramp things up. Wang is hurt, Hughes is taking his place. Nady doesn't need surgery, he should be back soon. Cashman has shown that he will make a trade to fill any needs that may arise during the season.
So yeah, you may be sick of people using over the top sarcasm, just like I'm sick of people who think t3h $ky IZ F4LL1NG!!!11!!!11 when we're not even a 1/4 of the way through the season.
I noted that the last time the Yanks finished with a positive record in April was 2006. They didn't in 2007 & 2008. They made the playoffs in 07, but not 08.
Let me know how things are around the All-Star Break. Maybe I'll join the naysayers on the ledge, if they haven't jumped by then...
[27] that's exactly my point. Everyone was trumpeting how the team was 9-6, and therefore on pace for 98 wins or whatever, but ignoring the fact that they weren't playing well, pretty much anywhere. You can't simply take out Wang's start and say "mulligan!" They are part of the problem of a team where nobody is pitching well. 9-6 quickly becomes 9-10 and on pace to be under .500. With 3 days of April left, the Yankees can do no better than 2 games over .500, if they are lucky.
Just as William said, the past three years we as fans have sat back and made these kinds of excuses. "oh, well, so and so is missing or slumping, they'll turn it around." "They had a really tough schedule, otherwise they'd be doing much better." "Its only April." The fact of the matter is, this team, yet again, wasn't ready for opening day, despite a ridiculously long Spring Training schedule. We can make as many excuses as we want for them, but they remain 4 games behind and under .500 no matter how you look at it, and little has gone right (other than Cano) thus far. At a certain point, you have to stop making excuses and call it what it is.
[30] Again, as I said in [29] this is the third year in a row that the team has pulled this crap, and the last two years haven't turned out so well (unless losing in the first round yet again in pathetic fashion after fighting all year just to squeak into the WC is a success). The excuses and references to it being early, other teams playing over their heads, and citing injuries have all been done before and they don't change anything.
The Red Sox have as many injuries as the Yanks and are playing with the shell of their best player. What everyone is saying about the Jays now they said about the Rays last year. And even if they do collapse, well, that is still ground the Yankees need to make up, they still have the Red Sox already 4 games up, and there's the rest of the league to catch up too.
You can wait until the all star game to complain if you want, and maybe by then they will have started playing to their ability. But pretending that everything's okay and people who point out these more than legitimate issues with the team are acting lik ethe sky is falling is sticking your head in the sand.
[32] Err, I mean as I said in [31]
[25] Hey - didn't they move up the release date of the Selena Roberts A-Rod "expose" to sometime in April? What happened? They push it back to synch up with his return from the DL?
I wanna know - 'cause I plan on spending that week in my bomb shelter, cut off from all forms of communication.
(Anyone know what happened to Sliced Bread? We could use some of his wit right about now).
the past three years we as fans have sat back and made these kinds of excuses. “oh, well, so and so is missing or slumping, they’ll turn it around.” “They had a really tough schedule, otherwise they’d be doing much better.” “Its only April.” The fact of the matter is, this team, yet again, wasn’t ready for opening day, despite a ridiculously long Spring Training schedule.
Yes. It's only April. The team has finished under .500 in April in 2008, 2007 & 2005. 2 of those 3 years they made the playoffs. I think I can give the squad the benefit of the doubt and wait things out, because it's a long way to October.
[34] By a strange coincidence, when Arod got injured, the release date was pushed back to around the time of his expected return. Being such an esteemed journalist, I am sure Roberts simply had to do some more leg work. After being told by her colleagues about how much integrity she has, I am sure she and her publisher wouldn't be trying to get more bang for their buck.
[35] Waiting for the All Star Break is very sensible, but that doesn't make it the wisest course of action. If one thinks the Yankees handled adversity well last year, and that they have played smart, well prepared baseball this season, well, then I guess you can afford to give them the benefit of the doubt. I haven't seen that, however, so my patience is running out. If the Yankees don't turn things around quickly, I'd be ready to make a change by the end of the next homestand.
[35] Using 2008 and 2007 as examples of sayings its ok to wait it out isn't exactly helping your cause. Last year the team won 89 games and didn't make the playoffs. The year before they were under .500 through June 10th and it took what was really a miracle to make the playoffs, only to have them lose meekly in the playoffs and see the Sox win it all. The chances of the team playing .671 baseball or better over the 2nd half are slim. Again, 2005 was about as unlikely a comeback as you can expect. Those aren't exactly the models you want to use for your team playing well, and counting on the team to always turn it around and make up lost ground is asking a lot.
Me? I prefer the models for, oh, the years the Yankees actually made it to or won the WS, where they got off to good starts in everyone.
So sure, be confident and wait it out and follow the models of those wonderful years you cite. I'm sure the Yankees will play better, they are a much better team than this. But that doesn't excuse how they are playing NOW and make it ok or a good strategy for making the playoffs.
Just like my team in the Banter fantasy baseball league. I can sit back and hope that it will turn itself around as I watch my team fall further and further behind, or I can actually try and figure out what is wrong, address the issues, and try and get better
[36] I am certainly begging to come round to that position
[32] I wouldn't say that they squeaked into the playoffs two years ago. They were the hottest team in baseball after the break and pretty much had a playoff berth wrapped up by Labor Day. If thats squeaking in, I'll take it.
That "animated cartoon" would have much more credibility if they didn't portray Zim at the controls of some huge super computer. The closest Don Zimmer has ever come to a computer is at the check-in counter at a golf course... and all he could do was throw cash at it and walk away disappointed, which was a harbinger of the rest of his day, too...
I do like Diane's super magnet idea, though!
I also like Girardi evoking the "Slip 'n Slide!" The fact that he has young children at home and at work caused that reference, I'm sure...
God bless Wham-O! They make Frisbees, too. Can you believe it's the 60TH (!) Anniversary of that great toy and obscure religion?
: )
Just for comparison's sake, the Yankees record through 19 games over the last 10 years and their final win tally for the year. 2004 is pretty amazing when you consider the starting rotation:
1999 - 13-6 (98)
2000 - 12-7 (87)
2001 - 11-8 (95)
2002 - 11-8 (103)
2003 - 16-3 (!) (101)
2004 - 8-11 (101)
2005 - 8-11 (95)
2006 - 10-9 (97)
2007 - 8-11 (94)
2008 - 9-10 (89)
[41] I think that illustrates perfectly my point. Post 2004 this team has basically been in decline. I think you can see 2006 as a bit of an outlier, as it coincided with the Red Sox "rebuilding year" where they finished in 3rd, but even ignoring that, they were only one year over .500 in April. In the years since 2004 this team has started slow needed to spend the whole season making up for it, and has wilted in the playoffs.
Has anyone really been happy with this team since 2004? I mean, does anyone think this team post 2004 has really been well built and really good and fun?
This year makes even less sense to me, because I think they are a much better team (at least pitching wise), but perhaps it has more to do with the people who have carried over for those seasons?
from inside edge -
Carl Pavano: Right-handed batters have seen 76 fastballs from him this year and have yet to swing and miss one time. Righty hitters are 12-for-18 (.667) in at-bats ending with his fastball.
...and he still shut down. wonderful!
Yankees are weaker and the other teams stronger than in the past. They are also older, slower, and more fragile. Besides, the game has changed. Other teams have kept up with players who run, throw, hit, and catch. They have viable benches, some built in their own systems. Comparisons to the past are a waste of energy. Don't look beyond the present unless you can predict the future. And from what I have seen so far, it ain't pretty.
A-Rod may stabilize the infield and make them throw strikes, but it don't make up for weakness up the middle, the absence of an outfield defense, no clutch hitting, uncharged backups, sluggish running, a porous bullpen, erratic starting pitching, inutility infielders, and no proven designated hitter. And they don't run the bases well either.
I'm with Raf here. I'm not asure why people say 9-10 is playing horribly, hopeless, 'more of this shit' ... and I'm less sure what, exactly, they propose, other than venting a little. (Which can help, actually, sometimes.) I'm no fan of Girardi, in part because I look around at how FEW human beings get to manage big league teams, and end up thinking, 'There HAS to be someone who knows what he's doing!' But the truth is, for me, other than bullpen second-guessing and a vague feeling he's ... not Torre in terms of inducing calm and poise (Not such a vague feeling, come to think of it!) I have no clear answer to Cliff's question.
But MY question is, for the doomsters ... what are you proposing? Sign Barry Bonds? Kill Damaso Marte? Haul up Austin Jackson's ass, pronto? Reverse the decision not to sign Beltran? We have no right, unless we declare it for ourselves, to a winning April, and everyone who paid attention had to know that Sabathia and Teixeira are not swift starters and most people here were aware we were missing our 3rd baseman, who matters a bit.
I badly wanted to win last night, but Verlander was at 99 on the gun and throwing the breaking stuff for strikes, it happens. I seem to recall a few people here saying .500 end of April and we'll deal with it.
I think a lot of this is triggered by the BoSox going crazy.
[45] 9-10 isn't the end of the world, but how they got there is what's disturbing. In addition to a couple of games that Girardi mismanaged, the way the team responded to Mariano blowing the save is a major red flag to me. Last year and early this year, this team has exuded a “what, me worry” attitude that I no longer think reflects the reality of the situation. While it would be a shame to see Girardi lose his job, if this team doesn’t snap out of things soon, then maybe he needs to be the fall guy. So, if the Yankees should wake up next Monday at something like 10-15, well, then I would be comfortable making change.
[45] The problem is that there s very little they CAN do, Which makes the feeling of watching this happen all over again that much more frustrating. The team legitimately tried to address some of their biggest issues and yet here they are again.
At least we get to watch Phil Hughes pitch tonight. Hopefully, he will redeem himself, such that he remains with the big club...
That would be a very good thing, indeed.
;)
Using 2008 and 2007 as examples of sayings its ok to wait it out isn’t exactly helping your cause. Last year the team won 89 games and didn’t make the playoffs.
Yep, the team won 89 games despite Rodriguez, Posada, Wang, Matsui & co missing considerable time, and general suckiness from Cano & Cabrera. Jeter had an off year too. An offense that led the league in runs the year prior, scored about 200 runs less. Also, they basically suffered the same number of injuries to the same caliber of players that the 2006 Red Sox did. Did the Red Sox fire Theo? Francona?
Anyway the point is that it's early and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season.
2004 is pretty amazing when you consider the starting rotation:
Less amazing when you consider the lineup :)
I mean, does anyone think this team post 2004 has really been well built and really good and fun?
Whelp, I remember the "infectious enthusiasm" of Cano & Cabrera, watching Kennedy, Hughes & Chamberlain make their ML debuts, getting a chill when the trade was made to bring RJ here, watching Sheffield, Rodriguez, Abreu, etc ply their offensive trade, the Boston Massacre 2, etc, etc, etc...
You think 2006 was a rebuilding year for the Red Sox? Wow!
In addition to a couple of games that Girardi mismanaged, the way the team responded to Mariano blowing the save is a major red flag to me.
The Red Sox closer did his job, the Yankee closer didn't. And they "responded" by scoring 11 runs the following day, 6 off the "Big Game Pitcher Red Sox Ace." Unfortunately, the pitching gave up 16. And even within that game they were going back and forth answering runs in each 1/2 of the inning until their closer did the job again and prevented the Yanks from scoring.
Not gonna blame A-Rod for swine flu, but maybe we can blame swine flu for the empy seats:
In flu crisis, US has planned for the worst
Obviously, the people who bought those seats behind home plate in Yankee Stadium are staying home for fear of swine flu. ;-)
Seriously...they did ban fans from soccer matches in Mexico. That must have been weird, playing in front of 100,000 sold-out seats...that were empty.
Must have been expensive, too, because they refunded everyone's money.
[34] I've also been wondering what happened to Sliced Bread... We miss you buddy, are you out there?
[49] On the face of it, you can say the team scored 11 runs on Saturday, but it ignores some obvious components, namely, the team had a 6-0 lead and then fell to pieces. Burnett's implosion after not getting a few pitches to Drew is the obvious scape goat, but what about Damon getting picked off at 2B to thwart a rally? Or, Posada allowing the go ahead run to reach base on a CI? Also, there were a few more instances of men being left on third with less than two outs (would it be a crime to have guys like Berroa and Gardner bunt). Finally, Girardi seemed to be in panic mode all game (and all series beginning with Mo being summoned with a 1-0 count). Instead of allowing one reliever to establish himself in the game, Girardi once again cycled through everyone (6 relievers were used and not one recorded more than two outs). Of course, that strategy didn't work.
The Yankees played the Saturday game seemingly waiting to see how they would lose. Then on Sunday (and Monday for that matter), you have Berroa's errors lead to a run and Pettitte's carelessness lead to another...a mistake compounded by allowing the distraction to lead to a big inning. The offense was anemic in that game for sure, but having Gardner lead off probably didn't help matters much. Finally, on Monday, you had a similar situation wherein the Yankee offense squandered multiple opportunities (one aided by Posada simply not running out the DP ground ball) and a pitcher who caved at the first distraction.
I don't know...I can't accept these past three games as mere losses. They strike me as the result of a team lacking in focus. Ultimately, that filters back to the manager...so, if the level of concentration doesn't increase, maybe a kick in the pants is needed.
I'm not pro-Girardi, but I don't think Saturday was a case of the Yankees lying down and playing dead at all. Even after they blew a 6 run lead that they'd built up on the other team's ace, they fought, fought, fought. They scored five more runs!
I think there was a hangover on Sunday from Saturday, but none last night against Verlander. The guy was just on; it happens. I really believe the only problematic performance was Sunday vs the Sox. That was just bad, in almost every way.
[51] Knuckles, too - he's not around much anymore...
hey Bama - are you planning on coming here to Atlanta for the Yanks series end of June? i hope to go to at least 1 game (Thursday). there's some bullshit about having to get a block of 6 tickets at a time. hopefully that'll change...
i'm playing in Birmingham in August, or right outside of there, but it's a private party...
HT to WasWatching;
Yanks are cutting ticket prices, PeteAbe has it up here
[54] I have been thinking about trying to find some tickets for that series. I have not heard the deal about the block tickets, however I know they have been heavily promoting a season ticket package on the radio that includes the Yanks series (I like to rag my Braves-fan buddies that they need the Yankees to help them sell their season tickets). The fact that it is a mid-week series makes it a little more difficult for me and my family, I might just take the next day off from work and enjoy the sights of Hot-lanta... ;-)
[50]
"Yep, the team won 89 games despite Rodriguez, Posada, Wang, Matsui & co missing considerable time, and general suckiness from Cano & Cabrera. Jeter had an off year too. An offense that led the league in runs the year prior, scored about 200 runs less. Also, they basically suffered the same number of injuries to the same caliber of players that the 2006 Red Sox did. Did the Red Sox fire Theo? Francona?"
Again, excuses. YOu say "general suckiness" from players, whereas other than Cano, that is probably who those players are. Aging, frailer, and declining or just bad. The team underperformed across the board. You can sight whatever reasons you want, but my point remains the same. They were a 3rd place team whose very real weaknesses were exposed. And you know what? Most of those injuries etc happened after April.
And the 2006 Red Sox has just won the WS in 2004 and very much used 2006 to rebuild their team. I don't understand why you don't see that. 2007 saw them with a much different lineup and rotation, the seeds of which were set in 2006. Getting Papelbon, Lester, Pedroia, Delcarmen, and Youkilis experience proved huge for them the next season. It was what last season was SUPPOSED to be in a way.
"Anyway the point is that it’s early and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season."
Yes, thats true. But using those three as proof that we as a fanbase have no right or reason to be unhappy with the product on the field isn't. A lot can happen, but the likelihood of 2005 or 2007 comebacks AREN'T likely. So each game lost now with the caveat that they will eventually turn it around is one step closer to digging too deep a hole.
Whelp, I remember the “infectious enthusiasm” of Cano & Cabrera, watching Kennedy, Hughes & Chamberlain make their ML debuts, getting a chill when the trade was made to bring RJ here, watching Sheffield, Rodriguez, Abreu, etc ply their offensive trade, the Boston Massacre 2, etc, etc, etc…"
None of those things indicate a team that was playing well or up to its level, however. Of course there have been moments, but really, are you saying that you are happy with the Yankees since 2004? That you are perfectly content to watch their wins drop, win the wild card, and lose in the 1st round of the playoffs if they make it at all, and spend all season making up for mediocre 1st halfs? Fine, but not me. Not for 200M+, not for ridiculously expensive tickets to see that happen, and not for the talent on the roster.
I, too, got a chill when Randy Johnson was brought in. A chill of pure terror.
[55] Good move. They are issuing credits and refunds to fans who paid the higher price, so there won't be a backlash.
Still pretty expensive, though...
(one aided by Posada simply not running out the DP ground ball)
according to Petey, JoPo has a sore hammy, which is why he isn't starting tonite.
not sure if he had it before the ab yesterday or if he tweaked it on the way down the line, but that probably explains his jogging to 1st in the 9th.
They were a 3rd place team whose very real weaknesses were exposed.
Tell me, how many ML clubs can withstand the injuries the Yanks took on last year? Players young and old got hurt. Regular injuries and freak injuries. You lose Wang, Chamberlain, Matsui, Posada, Rodriguez, Bruney, Hughes, etc, etc you're going to have a problem. Combine that with Cano having an off year, Melky falling off a cliff, and Jeter's decline, and Giambi and Abreu giving back as much runs on defense that they do on offense, and what you expect?
The Yanks are gambling that 2008 was an outlier for Cano, because he has a body of work from 2005-07, as well as a track record in the minors that shows that he isn't as bad as he was in 2008. Same for Melky. Swisher and Nady are there to back up the corners @ 1b depending on who's starting. While Matsui's the primary DH, there are several players (Swisher, Nady, Teix, Posada, Damon, Jeter) can be rotated in and out of DH depending on who's starting and who needs a rest...
And the 2006 Red Sox has just won the WS in 2004 and very much used 2006 to rebuild their team. I don’t understand why you don’t see that.
Because the moves they made, acquiring Beckett and Lowell, resigning Arroyo, among others don't speak to a team that's rebuilding.
The rotation was Schilling - Wakefield - Beckett - Clement - Wells, among others. Lester didn't fit into the plans until later in the season. Same with Pedroia (Mark Loretta started @ 2b). Youklis finally became a FT player in 2006, splitting time @ 1b & 3b. The OF consisted of Ramirez, Crisp & Nixon, with players like Youk, Wily Mo, and others seeing time in the OF. Papelbon came up late in the 2005 season, and became the primary closer in 2006 (Foulke, Schilling & Timlin were the closers the year prior). I don't see how 2006 could be considered a rebuilding year.
Yes, thats true. But using those three as proof that we as a fanbase have no right or reason to be unhappy with the product on the field isn’t.
I never said you had a right or reason to be unhappy. I do find overreaction a bit much to take given that it's barely a month into the season.
but really, are you saying that you are happy with the Yankees since 2004?
Sure, why not? Late season charges in 2005, 06 & 07 make for exciting baseball. Am I happy with the postseason results? Nope, of course not, but the playoffs are a crapshoot. The luck that followed the Yanks in other years hasn't happened as of late, whether it's Rivera blowing a couple of saves, midges, reversed calls, etc, etc, etc.
Not for 200M+, not for ridiculously expensive tickets to see that happen, and not for the talent on the roster.
About that $200+ payroll, a number I see thrown around quite a lot. The reason why the payroll is so high, is because we get to see players like Rodriguez, Abreu, Giambi, Jeter, Moose, Rivera, Pettitte, etc, etc, etc. If you have better options than those players when they were acquired, I would really love to hear about them.
The ridiculously expensive tickets are a byproduct of the new stadium. The Yanks have drawn 4M+ from 2005-2007, of course they're going to try and take advantage of that.
As for the talent, they have a body of work that says they have more talent than they have shown so far. And the nature of the game dictates that there will be good times to go along with the bad.
So chill.
"I do find overreaction a bit much to take given that it’s barely a month into the season."
scratch "barely"