by the time i get home from work tonight, the game should be long over. which means, i’ll catch up with you guys around the 6th inning, or so! ; )

GO YANKS!!!

What are the chances the Yanks win two out of three? Really, only a Sox sweep would be a crushing blow. One of three; that's one to grow on!

Matsui riding the pine, Gardy in instead.

[3] Strangely, I have no problem with that.

With a win tonight, they clinch no worse than a tie in the division heading home for their series with the depleted Mets. Man, I'd love a sweep for some payback for that 0-5 start to the season series! Let them have something to think about for a change until they face each other next in August!

.724 ball in their last 29 is no joke! What a great month! 1998-esque (sorry Alex)!

Time to crush "Conrad Cat!"

: )

Matsui needs the rest it seems like. Burnett makes me nervous. But hopefully we'll do alright.

the funny part to me is the 3 outfielders as the bottom 3 hitters.
how many al lineups look like that ?
obviously damon as the dh and strength in the infield is part of it - it just looks strange though

here's hoping for a good burnett game

No Ellsbury tonight. Hurt himself. Not very serious -- a bruised shoulder. Kotsay will start (I don't know why they don't use Baldelli, who's a much better fielder.)

[8] Will Carroll said Ellsbury will likely miss the next five days or so, so it sounds like he'll be out for the series. Will also thought Baldelli would be his replacement - maybe Kotsay has better numbers against Burnett?

[7] yeah that is interesting observation. LIke you said though we have one hell of a hitting infield. Combine that with injuries and Matsui riding pine tonight. interesting indeed.

Expect Wang to throw about 90 pitches tomorrow. Wang says 90-100, Girardi says 85-90. (Via Pete Abe.)

[7] If we don't pick up Holliday, you might be seeing a lot of that the next few years.

This is my favorite type of weather to play golf in!

Baseball? Not so much...

London Fog

*insert foghorn here*

heh heh

Cold, damp, miserable up here, 70 miles north of Boston. Crappy weather.

@7

That's horrid. Just atrocious. Would it really kill them to call up Duncan and DFA Berroa?

[15] that wouldn't change that the bottom 3 in the lineup are outfielders.

@12

Dear God, nooooooooooo. There's absolutely no excuse for it given the cheap free agents this off-season and their resources. Just awful.

@ 16

True, but at least they'd have a guy who could out slug Cabrera and Gardner.

[15] He's been flat out rakin'... Duncan has...

[15] He's got a lot of K's, but Jackson has been rakin', too...

[12] I don't have a problem with that either.

@ 19

Yup, and the Yanks being lefty heavy could use his righty bat. Just insane that Berroa is still on the roster. Truly crazy.

@ 21

Then be prepared for fourth place finish. Jeter, Jorge, and A-Rod all north of 34 years are going to end up below average sooner rather than later.

Say NO to Holliday this offseason, please.. for 2years sounds good while waiting for A-Jax.

I didn't know Cashman was uninvolved with the draft prior to 2006. That seems crazy to me.

[21] Yeah that's true, I forgot about those guys declining.

Well, until they do.

[24] er, that should be "JD for 2 years"..need to wake up here..

@ 27

I'm with you on that. Still, it's a very weak OF.

any of you guys are getting mlb.tv?

[29] I'm blacked out, dammit.

Oh, good, we're going to get Beckett's pitch count up.

looks pretty shitty for the start of a game

Maybe it's not a big deal but I wish Jeter would not swing at the first pitch of the game like that. In general I think at lead-off he doesn't see enough pitches.

Hey, Team.

Nice ab by Teix.

Burnett's mustache.

God, I can't even stand looking at this man.

Oh, come on.

Let's not give them a cheap run here.

[36] Pitching wiffleball to some of my students this spring, 2 of them imitated his batting stance. I told them to cut it out.

Jorge's throwing may be a permanent liability, but he really has to cut down on the passed balls.

Nice.

[38] He heh heh heh.

The Orioles with the first semi-surprise of the draft.

[36] I feel that way about Youkilis and Beckett.

@ 39

Except he's thrown out 33% of basestealers this year.

[39] I think catcher is going to be a weak position as far as hitting goes, pretty soon. Hopefully that means the defense will pick up. Jorge for DH next year.

It's a My9 game tonight if you have MLBEI...

[36] At least Beckett has a civilized motion.

[45] Jorge has had a roller coaster career path as a defensive catcher. I hope he can manage a few more peaks over the next two seasons because I expect his bat to remain relatively strong.

That pitch had a lot of action on it.

Just missed.

I hate when Cano pulls outside pitches...when he and Matsui aren't going well, that's usually the reason.

Where is the obligatory Lighthouse?

I'm expecting an appearance from Sherlock Holmes any time now...

: )

[47] It's when he's standing still that my blood boils.

[38] How old?

[51] Yes, that was a terrible swing.

[38] I'd have plunked them...

: )

NIce. Another full count.

God damn, that was a sick pitch.

[50] A Rod does that a lot too.

I don't think Cano will ever fulfill his potential. He's too much of a lunkhead. His buddy Melky has more going on upstairs than he does.

[53] Fourth graders. 9 and 10. [55] Who said I didn't . lol.

[58] He may not max out his potential, but if he can bottle what he is doing this season and spread it out over 10 years, he'll have a very successful career.

[59] heh heh

Good man! If they want to pretend they are Youkilis, plunk 'em like they are Youkilis!

: )

[60] Yeah it'll be successful but he's just not an impact player, and it seems like he could have been. This is not a new narrative in sports, however - raw talent doesn't always equal dominance.

Burnett's all over the place.

Stick with the heat, A.J.

wow shocker kay francona doesn't say ortiz is cooked

[62] The guy could be an amazing number three hitter. It kills me to think he may never get there because he'd be a monster.

of course

Motherfucker.

fuckong shit aj - give up a 2 run hr to ortiz

Like I said, stick with the fastball. Good call Posada. Fuckin' unbelievable.

Well, good that AJ could get David Ortiz going again. How much are we paying this guy again? He's really that much better than Hughes?

That's ridiculous...the Yankees still can't figure out how to pitch to THIS Ortiz?

Holy shit! Is this schlub ever going to pitch again like he did at The Trop?

Asshole!

curtain call in the 2nd inning, thats cute

Wow, Burnett really, really sucks.

12 homers so far.

What a terrible, terrible signing.

Waddya mean, Just Fair, you called that pitch!

Big Poopi needs the love.

ok that was lame.

AJ, you are garbage, bro. C'MON.

It's the "Curse of Flash," I'm tellin' ya!

I fucking can't believe that after Pavano, Cashman signed this fuckface. Of course, he never thought Pavano was a bad signing.

You suck Cashman!

i went to gameday. i cannot watch burnett pitch

[77] Not down broadway. Ugh.

Come on, man, get it together. Find the fucking plate.

And no, I don't mean a bp fastball to Ortiz.

[81] what is the connection, that they were both marlins? it's not as if burnett is hurt.

[66] That's what I'm talking about, exactly. It's sort of sad.

It's hard to quantify really but in a sense I think what makes him successful, his relaxed approach, is what ultimately keeps him from becoming that monster.

It really seems like when these two teams meet, the Yankees assume the old underdog role that Boston would always took.

What the fuck? Seriously, this turd has never learned to throw strikes. What the fuck?

Such a fucking waste. Terrible and for four more years. Just awful.

[80] Just as he was talking about the mind games working on Ortiz about being done. Next second, boom.

[85] They both were overrated and actually suck?

I'm not even sure why I tune into the game some nights.

They really should just throw all fastballs to Ortiz. More often than not, he aint gonna do much with them.

The Lowell walk was largely bad umpiring. The Kotsay walk was entirely bad pitching.

@ 85

Yet, he's not hurt yet. At this point I might pull a Tonya Harding. I'd rather watch Darrell fucking Rasner than this fuckface.

[92] ??? That was a fastball he knocked over the Monster.

[66] similarly, i think his ability to make contact hurts him, as he ends up making easy outs on pitches some batters would swing through or foul off, which i think is more the cause of his low walk total than his batting eye. he doesn't really seem to swing at that many balls anymore, he just tends to make a lot of outs by swinging at strikes early in the count.

Oh for the love of Christ.

Well, solid play all around.

how appropriate is it that the yanks get big pop-up out of his slump... hurts to say but they have our number big time... hate these games, since the 5 game sweep at fenway nothing good comes out of them

[95] That's my point, that it was the right approach. Bad execution is all.

NIce play, Alex. Very nice play.

The Yankees have seemingly reverted back to the same team that dropped 5 games against Boston. Not being able to beat Boston isn't exactly the best way to win the AL East.

I can't believe I even turned this shit on. I fucking knew Burnett was going to blow. He's just so damn infuriating to watch. Just a terrible pitcher. Daniel Cabrera would be more interesting.

how exactly did pedroia win the MVP? I misremember

Oh, fuck me.

Well, Burnett blew with a 6-0 nothing lead. Maybe he'll do better when he's losing. That's all I got. : /

jesus h christ - maybe they can get a rain out

sigh

[103] Dude, Burnett has a line very similar to Beckett's.

Credit where it's due, kudos to Drew for going with the pitch.

You have to be able to execute a better 0-2 pitch...that pitch was flat out awful. If this is how the Red Sox felt like playing the Yankees all these years, I can't imagine how they dealt with it for so long.

[107] That would seem our only hope.

Really? $85 fucking million? Really?

Cashman you fucking suck. All you know is how to spend money and weasel another contract while passing the buck, you spineless prick.

[102] There are those that argue - technically correctly, I guess - that how they do against the Rays and Sox is not going to determine where they stand at the end of the season, but even if that's true, if you don't find their poor performance at least annoying, you watch sports very differently than I do.

So Burnett has good stuff, except that his fastball isn't moving and he can't hit the broadside of the barn. Yeah, great stuff.

[106] Yeah, hm. Maybe he can think of a way to score 6 runs, to make up for last time?

Here's the bright side...the Yankees can use Tomko to mop up this game and save the rest of the bullpen for Wang tomorrow.

[109] dude is a little high strung. this is tough to watch though.

[106] as good a theory as any right now.

I was kind of wishing I didn't have a ticket to go see a show tonight, but now I'm overjoyed to have an excuse to bow up from this slop early.

Burnett used to pitch well against the Red Sox. The Yankees acquired him - I assume - for that reason, in part. It's unforgivable that he he does this after his last meltdown, which was pretty unforgivable in and of itself.

I'm starting to hate him a little.

[114] I do think it matters more how well they play the Sox... I used to think the Rays, too, but maybe not.

Great, fucking Brett Tomko...on a $200 million team. What a fucking joke

Ye gods. This is getting out of hand quickly.

alright aj get out of this god damn inning please

And to think, we get to watch Wang rehab against this team tomorrow night...

[121] well, just remember that these are just two games early in this season. A lot can change and often does. But right now he is painful to watch. I do hope that changes and soon.

God. Bay's going to hit it out, isn't he?

gonna be a looooong night at fenway. probably a 13-2 score with Tomko pitching in relief for 3 exciting innings

[122] It matters to me. Anyone with any passion for, you know, competition would feel the same way. You want to beat your rivals - it means something.

[126] win or lose I'm looking forward to that.

Is it too late to bring Wang into this game and have Hughes start tomorrow?

Or maybe AJ won't throw anything within ten feet of the plate.

[130] Agreed.

61 pitches is just brutal.

[117] And, this is probably our worst match-up. (Well, obviously, but I mean that would have been a reasonable call before the game started, too.)

[127] True, and maybe it's not technically unforgivable, but it will take a lot to forgive.

[132] I distinctly remember you asking me on the thread last night how many times one could expect long relief opportunities. I don't know if you saw my answer...

[130] absolutely true. it burns me when we lose to the fake bloody sox.

[130] Right, but I'm not really thinking of the Rays as rivals so much.

I gave up on tomorrow's game with wang going and I thought the Thursday game was the good match-up so I saw this game was the rubber-match. guess we lose the series.

[141] I think the Wa-Wa match-up favors us.

It took a month of the Yanks playing .750 ball to erase the feeling that they were Boston's bitch. And here, two innings into the game, that feeling is back.

Well off the plate. Not it matters.

[138] I did see it, but my point was you can't schedule them, so it's hard to build a plan around them. The Yankees only play Boston 18 times, so starters giving it up early don't happen regularly and on time.

That wasn't a strike last inning for AJ, but I guess Beckett gets that call against Melky.

someone wanna explain to me what the Fenway Family Hour is? Are the Osmonds somehow involved?

If the Red Sox get Scheppers, this night will be even worse.

Nice to see slappy in there against Beckett.

[147] No, it's the hour when you aren't allowed to scream "Yankees Suck!"

[147] it probably involves cage fights where the contestants wear catcher's masks.

[140] Well, they're not, as much.

Ya know, to be fair to Burnett, A Rod makes a play there and he's out of the inning after giving up two runs. Sure it's an infuriating dinger to give up, but I'll take two runs over four!

[89] Well he also foiled their nine game winning streak working the booth in the tenth game!

Clearly his sub mediocrity rubs off on the team simply by his mere presence!

A friggen four run second inning???

I'm not watching any more games that either Flash works or Burnett "pitches!"

Click...

I'm going to the practice range and hit about 100 of Burnett and Flash's heads!

G'night folks...

[152] To be fair to Burnett, he hasn't had three innings of pathetic ABs either. It's easy to dump on AJ, but this entire team has played like deer in headlights against Boston.

[152] honestly, it is less the runs that bug me but the way he doesn't throw strikes and every at bat seems a struggle against even the most inferior hitters.

I'm afraid for Melky.

I blame our resident psychic, thelarmis. He predicted it would be over by the 6th. :-P

[154] Beckett's pitching very well.
They'll come alive, I have no doubt.

Okay, little doubt.

[156] ?

[145] Well, when 3 out of every five starts yields a long relief opportunity, one can build I plan, I suspect. In any case, I was responding humorously to your query about whether they could use Wang to clean up this mess and start Hughes tomorrow. First, that is the plan I would have adopted all along. Second, did anyone really--in their heart of hearts--not expect AJ to go all crooked this game?

[157] No, I think he predicted it would still be the sixth when he got home!

There's obviously something wrong with AJ from a mechanical standpoint. The frustrating thing is that he can't seem to correct it. Unless you want to punish him, I would lift him now and bring in Tomko.

[160] In my heart of hearts, I was not optimistic. I was sort of glad he was matched up with Beckett, who I figured would give Boston their best start of the series...

[142] In normal circumstances or back in the day ('05-'07) the Wang-Wakefield match-up favors the yanks. I don't think any match-up at this stage that has Wang starting, favors the yanks.

[159] I'm a Melky booster, but he hasn't done very well since he came back from that injury. I don't know if that's the cause, but the results have been poor. Not expecting him to hit .320 all year but it's been a precipitous decline.

[160] I expected AJ to pitch very well tonight. I also expected them to hit Beckett. Apparently, I need to pay better attention when the Yankees and Red Sox play.

@ 154

Do you really have your head that far up your ass? They guy has thrown 71 pitches and doesn't have an out in the third.

But yeah, let's be "fair" to him.

[164] I do. I think he's going to be pretty good tomorrow. He won't go deep into the game, but I predict he'll pitch well, with one bad inning.

[163] Yeah. Actually, along those lines, I was hoping Wang was going against Beckett.

[166] I felt the same way, at least about Beckett. Call it misplaced optimism.

[164] my only concern with Wang is temperature.

[165] yeah he is slumping for sure. It could be the injury. we've seen it with Jeter before where he gets hurt and plays but can't hit for a lick for a bit. Tex went through that as well this year.

[166] Beckett's been very good this month.

Burnett doesn't look like he normally does...it seems so obvious that he is opening up well before release. I don't understand why he can't make an adjustment.

@ 166

Wow, you really do have your head buried far in your anus.

I suppose Girardi didn't properly motivate the team, and Burnett, for tonight.

[167] Cut that out, will you?

my only concern with Wang is temperature.

You're not a urologist, by any chance...?

Lowell with some charity for his old organization?

[172] So have the Yankee hitters though. I really thought this lineup would get to Beckett...and that the Yankees would do very well in this series. Only three innings, I'd sign up for the C.C. game and just go meet the Mets.

[170] I mean Burnett, not Beckett.

i have little faith in aj no matter who the yanks ae playing or where - so this is not a shocker to me - still annoying as all hell, but not a surprise

at least lowell is still slow as hell

Yeah, Jorge's arm is a "permanent liability".

[176] lol

[181] To be fair (to use the phrase), that was Mike Lowell "running".

Yeah, five walks in 3.2 IP. Let's be "fair" to him.

[180] I think he's kind of a head case.

wtf, Lowell tried to steal second?

[175] Just ignore it...it will go away if deprived of attention.

Cano contributing to the team effort...

43 balls against 38 strikes. But let's be "fair" to him.

[188] To be fair...

Nah, screw it.

[185] he seems to be one for sure. He was so lights out to start the year but then he started nibbling.

good god this is horrid

[188] Excellent observation. A total team effort for this mess.

@ 187

Oh, I'm sorry. I should be "fair":to your idiocy.

Wooooo! Brett Tomko! Woooooo!

Fuck you Cashman. Fuck you.

well that was inspiring

[193] I feel that Teixeira has not yet contributed.
Also, the bullpen, but they'll certainly be getting their chance verrrrry soon.

Burnett was awful, but there was no reason whatsoever for him to have still been in the game. With an untrained eye, it was obviosu to see that Burnett's mechanics were off. Leaving him to give up more runs this inning was pretty foolish.

Nick Green has played surprisingly well for the Sox.

Tomko was warming.

[191] he just seems to have very little ability to make adjustments and fix his mechanics. unlike other head cases he actually stays kind of calm on the mound - just looks frustrated but not like a crazy nutjob

I don't suppose this is Joba's throw day? He could pull a Pettitte.

[197] I don't agree. You hope that he can fight through it with a veteran like AJ. You have to because you don't want to bring you bullpen in in the third inning ever.

@ 197

There it is! This game was Girardi's fault! Start your bitching now!

[198] Green really hasn't been very good. He's a bad fielder.

[200] they'll never let Joba do that. I do wish we had Hughes tonight. I think he'll make appearance.

[203] how the frack is he not hurt by now is my question.

You can't bring a reliever in to start the 3rd unless there's an injury, you just can't. Maybe thats me being a slave to "The Book", but a rule of thumb like that is in "The Book" for a reason...because it's true

@ 204

Why? What's the point?

What, 5-0 already??? Oh AJ..you came and you take without giving..now let's send you away, oh AJ...

Boston takes Raymond Fuentes...Yankees are on the clock.

I really hope they just leave Tomko in to take it for the team. They can't fry the BP today and then have Wang throw his simulated game tomorrow.

wow, bum rush are we in a bad mood today?

So, what are the odds that Beckett beans someone tonight? I bet he nails Teixeira, but not until the seventh inning.

[203] Didn't we pick him up when he was hitting .077, to be our all-glove, no-bat reserve infielder?

Though he seems to play 2B better than SS.

[210] Me too.
[211] Oh, you haven't met?

[201] Normally I'd agree, but for 2+ innings you could plainly see Burnett flying open well before release. That simply wasn't going to produce good results. I don't see the point in leaving him.

OK, here we go. big comeback.

alright yanks let's try to make this a game - not completely over yet

@ 211

Dude:

2.2 innings, 5 hits, 5 walks, 84 pitches - 40 strikes.

All for 85 million!

Then we have people here saying we should be "fair" to him.

[214] nope.

Yankees leave Scheppers on the board and go for Heathcott.

[219] Ah. You're in for a treat! I envy you.

[220] I'll bite: who's Heathcott?

[214] he is always like this?

Man, the 97 mph sinker is freaky. When Beckett is on, he's really on.

[220] Yeah, but his name is Slade!

Big..Slade..Heathcott..

[218] well, I don't like the performance either, but c'mon people are just giving their two cents here. Nobody at this forum has any decision-making powers in the front office. We're just fans.

So, both Boston and the Yankees go with high risk/high reward toolsy CF'ers...the Sox' pick with more speed and the Yanks pick with more power. I thought one of them would think Scheppers was too promising to pass up, but I guess not.

Wait a second..Beckett is throwing a no-no so far?
Sigh..

cmon A-Rod take this jerk over the Monster now and get us back in it!

[223] No, no.Sometimes like this, but then other times he gets into a bad mood.

[228]

Yes...

and no.

yeah - broke up the no-hitter

Wait, when we talk about the no-hitter in progress, does that work against Beckett, or for him??? Who's in charge of superstitions around here? Maybe I should pop over to Dodger Thoughts and ask them.

I hate it when this guy is on. nasty flashbacks of that stupid '03 WS

@ 223

No, not always. I certainly don't have any animus toward Girardi.

@ 226

There's two centd and then there's utter, worthless drivel. There's absolutely no reason to be "fair" to Burnett with that craptastic start.

Worse, we get 4.6 more years of this shit.

[232] I think it always works against your desired outcome. Sorta like momentum.

[233] I know..it's all the more infuriating because he's just so so good when he's "on", you kinda have to admire it..

Cmon Jorgie, Juice one here!!

damn - i thought po might win that battle

Did Michael Kay just call Beckett "Burnett"...twice?

[235] Oh, inverse momentum. Heap powerful, then.

Hitting ability: Heathcott has plus hitting ability from the left side of the plate.
Power: He has plus power to all fields.
Running speed: Even with a knee brace, he showed above-average speed.
Base running: Has great instincts on the bases and will be a base-stealer in the future.
Arm strength: Also clocking in at 95 mph in the past off the mound, his arm from the outfield is a big plus.
Fielding: He's a plus defender who can play all three outfield positions well.
Range: His speed and his instincts allow him to cover a lot of ground.
Physical Description: Heathcott is muscular with broad shoulders and a v-cut torso.
Medical Update: He had ACL reconstruction surgery in November and has been playing with a knee brace, but shows no ill effects. He recently sprained a shoulder diving for a ball in the outfield, but sustained no structural damage.
Strengths: Plus tools across the board. Intense competitor with instincts beyond his years.
Weaknesses: There are some off-the-field issues that concern some. His makeup on the field is fine, but his character is the question.
Summary: Heathcott is a very interesting high school outfielder with plus tools across the board. Even after November ACL surgery, he runs extremely well, has a plus arm from the outfield and can really hit for average and power from the left side of the plate. He's an intense competitor, but there is some concern over character issues off the field. The team that gets those questions answered could be the one to take him on Draft Day.

[222] He's talking about the MLB draft going on right now.

Putrid start by Burnett, A Rod error notwithstanding. Burnett was all over the place and it would have caught up with him eventually.

On the other hand, why the hell can't the Yankees recognize Beckett's curve? Most of the time he's not even throwing his nastiest curve, and they still can't pick it up ... *plop* - strike one!

[234] seriously, i may be breaking the rules here, but you are such a dick i never agree with you even when i agree with you. it's not funny, it's just rude.

[237] If that was a battle, the Yanks are in more trouble than I thought!

[244] well it's all relative :}

even the rain can't wash away his ugly - but damn youkilis hits

Still time but..this one hurts. I can't see Wang winning tomorrow, and CC "should" beat Penny so this was the rubber game..to get SUCH a bad start from AJ is really dissapointing, the guy is just not reliable..

[234] Been visiting this blog for the past 5 years and rarely people insult each other, even if you think somebody makes a bad argument, just respect it and move on.

@ 243

Ah, but I'm the "dick". Good to know.

[246] Wang Will Win.
Mark my words, Mr OK.

wtf, dipshit just stole second?

Tomko has, amazingly, slowed the pace of the game even more.

[249] i'm with you. But i'm worried about the cold. His sinker does better in the warmer weather.

With Burnett's mechanics be so out of whack, it makes you wonder if the 7 days between starts had a negative impact.

[240] I wonder what those "off the field" issues are...

[249] I want to believe! From my friend in Taiwan, a nation there really is turning it's lonely eyes towards CMW..if he thinks there is pressure from NYY fans it's nothing to what he's facing back home in the media apparently..

ugh brett tomko - just when i was going to praise you a bit

guess tomko is doing his best burnett impresion. lot's of hitters counts and walks

...so I get the NESN feed tonight, and the Sox announcers just got done with a length y discussion about, wait for it, who will pitch the eighth inning for the Yankees.

?!?!?

And it's still only the fourth inning.

[249] You are brightening an otherwise dreary evening with your positive thoughts. Gotta love it!

I have faith in the Wanger.

[252] Oh, right. Your urological powers.

@ 247

I have no respect for a poster who makes up shit just to try to win an argument. Given that they never STFU, I have very little patience for the drivel. It's a constant stream of worthless nonsense.

Tonight alone I've been told that Jorge's arm is a "permanent liability" and that we should be "fair" to Burnett.

Sorry, but bullshit needs to be called out. I expect the same treatment. Problem is, I don't peddle in outright lies.

[254] His father is in prison on drug charges and his mother has been an addict. He has been estranged from his parents and struggled academically.

Wow...a 3-1 fastball down the middle and he does that with it?

[258] bahhaha - i guess it is reflex at this point - if this game continues with the current pace no one on earth will give a damn who pitches the 8th inning - not even jose veras or whoever is stuck there

[246] Unreliable is the word for Burnett. It's not good. This start makes Wang's resurgence even more important. The Yanks need a legit #2 and I don' think Burnett can be it.

[262] ...outright lies.

Not all inaccuracies or incorrect statements are "lies." I really doubt that most posters here are trying to "lie", even when I disagree with them. Chill out, dude.

[265] Maybe we'll get to see Nick Swisher pitch again.

[264] Giving up a dinger to Ortiz..just inexcusable from AJ! I am very dissapointed with his performance..(cue Tommy Lasorda!)

But, it's just one game and overall I like the Yankees chances in the ALCS against Boston. CC, Joba, Phil, Wang as the starters, AJ rides the pine..

[262] not sure why i'm bothering, but you seem to get worse and worse. both the things you cite are not "bullshit" or "outright lies," even if you or i disagree. i disagree with william very often, and sometimes i get frustrated by his negativity or anti-girardi stance. but i don't think anyone here is a liar, and i don't think that anyone here deserves the kind of treatment you give him and others.

at least we can count on catcher's mask to suck.

[268] I could go for that. He could bean Youk and chalk it up to bad control.

[272] is it a bean if it is 70 mph?

@ 267

Who said "most posters"? I didn't. I'm referring to one and only one. Dude lies just to try to win bullshit arguments on a baseball blog. It's pathetic.

@ 270

And yet, you called me a "dick" and when we have exactly zero history. Kettle meet black.

The only thing that I am still interested in is whether the official scorer will change cano's grounder to an error.

[268] [272] yeah - he could drill youk and care about the 8th inning.

[262] Since you expect the same treatment, I call bullshit on you using Burnett's final line to criticize the "be fair" comment which was made when he'd given up 2 ER, and the future - parallel universes notwithstanding - still unwritten. Bullshit, I say.

[274] i disagree with william frequently. But I agree with what [270] said.

[270] I spent a couple of months engaging Bum until I finally figured out his motive was to engage in arguments that descend into name calling, especially when presented with an argument that he can't refute. I haven't replied to a single post of his in weeks (there really is no need to) and will never again...regardless of the topic. I wish others would do the same to avoid having all these threads get bogged down in childish nonsense. Having said that, I actually take his obsession with me as a complement.

[273] Hmm.
In the ear?

[276] That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

[278] Sigh.
Much as I hate togetherness, ditto.

@ 277

Really, you're using ER to talk about his outing? Were you watching the game or the boxscore?

[271] "Catcher's mask" - I love it.

[280] it'd never get there lol. maybe the urological tract.

I hate Beckett. Smug SOB.

[274]

Whatever. I don't think anyone is "lying," and certainly the two examples you cite do not qualify as "lies."

Anyway, I'm done with spat. You boys work it out.

well there goes the chance for a rainout

would be nice to get a couple of runs though - we need the MOMENTUM going into tomorrow :}

[282] No, that was posted back in the third inning so it was to talk about the second inning, not the outing. Which was my point above, so now that I've repeated it, I may as well call "bullshit" again, since you're doing the same thing.

what we need is for the boys to draw 20 pitches out of becket next inning and knock him out.

@ 279

Boo-hoo. Sucks being outed, doesn't it? Finally someone has called you out for what you are. Still waiting to hear how the Yanks are losing money based on your superior understanding of "financial concepts":

I take pride in the fact that you post less often these days. Bullying the bully actually works.

[285] Being one-hit by him is painful..he's actually approaching Schilling level for me in terms of unlikeability..at least he's not a phony like Curtis though

[287] I'm hoping Gardner hits two home runs, so he can once again have more homers than Big Papi. ;-)

@ 288

Okay:

Really, you're using ER to talk about his first two innings? Were you watching the game or the boxscore?

If Wang doesn't pitch well tomorrow, CC will be under a lot of pressure on Thursday. Should the Yankees get swept, things could get pretty ugly with the Mets coming up. Baseball is an amazing game in that the tenor of a season could change on a dime. A month ago, the Yankees seemed dead, but heading into tonight they seemed like the best team in baseball. If they should have a bad week, however, things could get ugly once again. Thankfully, the Nationals and Marlins are on the schedule after that.

[289] Exactly.
Even if we lose, I don't want Beckett getting the CG.

[274] i'm sorry i called you a dick. but at least it wasn't an outright lie.

[294] I don't think CC feels pressure.

[292] yeah let's hope soon - for now we will have to settle that he has the better hr rate

[297] I agree...let me correct that...if Wang loses tomorrow, I will feel alot pressure! This would not be a good week to go 1-5 or 2-4!

Brett Tomko for President!

that was not an easy catch - pretty nice play swish

A while back we talked about how rare positive events could (or couldn't) spark momentum. Maybe the Sox got momentum from Papi's HR? I think that would qualify.

@ 296

Apology accepted. And no, it's not a lie. But I don't give a fuck. A bully needs to be bullied, especially when they make shit up just to try to win arguments.

One more loss to the BoSox doesn't worry me too much..it's AJ's "performance" that is much more troubling..wasn't he supposed to be a guy who "gets up" for the AL East battles??

Yankees are one bullpen addition away from being the best team in baseball, so I am 100% confident that championship #27 is on the way. So go paak your cahhh with that Peter Gammons!

Ok, I'm done now, have a good night Banterers.

[294] i would hate to start off 0-7 against them, but we'd still only be a game behind. it would be very annoying, but not the end of the world or season. in 1999, we went something like 3-8 against the sox, then beat them 4-1 in the alcs.

[302] I think they got positive momentum from AJ walking out dugout, and nothing more.

[293] I call bullshit on you criticizing posts using information unavailable to the original poster. It's total, utter bullshit. You ought to own up to it. If you want bullshit called on you, but don't own up to it, it's a pointless exercise.

You used the final line to criticize a point made before the final line existed. Bullshit.

jeter - we're driving his pitch count up. wtf?

ok, all we need is a 17 pitch AB from Tex.

@ 302

Yeah, the five walks and four other hits had nothing to do with the "momentum".

[308] I am not sure that was the game plan tonight. Aside from Tex, there has been a lot of early ball swinging tonight.

Penguins leading 1-0 in the second.

[293] still don't understand the need to insult somebody because you think he's wrong or lying... that's my last post on that subject.

Anyway, Beckett's been lights out tonight, 1-0 would have been enough...

well, i'm going to read for a bit. i'll be back if things get interesting. laters.

@ 307

You're moving the goal posts. Burnett sucked in the first. He sucked in the second. He sucked in the third.

There was never any reason to be "fair" to him tonight except before the first pitch was thrown.

Seriously, are you watching the game?

[303] but you've made yourself into the bully. no one else talks to anyone the way you do. and you use every opportunity to bully william (see [310]). now people just roll their eyes at your posts, even when you have something interesting to say.

Thank god for Cano tonight, huh?

[317] I'm tellin' ya', the scorer is going to change that to an error. The sox announcers were already saying last inning that if dusty came up with a clean handle he would thrown robbie out.

@ 313

Sorry, mate, but there's a history. You're right, of course, but I'm dick like that.

Do you know when williamnyy23 is lying?
When his fingers are moving.

Hahahaha!

Still, bullying the bully has worked. He's more careful now. I take pride in that.

Then we get gems like #302.

[316] A bully needs some kind of authority (i.e., strength, influence, intelligence, etc.). I think this qualifies as stalking, which brings with it a kind of perverse flattery. As long as I don't see him lurking outside my window, it's kind of amusing.

Oh damn...now Beckett will ask to stay in the game and will hit Arod.

Intentional?

[318] C.C. had a 1-hitter with a questionable play that the Brewers lobbied to have changed into an error. I can't imagine that happening...it would be very controversial.

@ 316

Fine, that doesn't bother me. It's a more equal forum now than when I arrived. Then it was one guy with post after post of utter nonsense. Now it's noticeably better. That's enough for me.

Something was wrong on the internets!

Veras vs. Ortiz...something has to give here.

[315] You're avoiding the issue. I'm not going to repeat it, just read my last post, or the first one on the subject, it's all there in plain English. The goal posts are still me calling bullshit on you as per your request. If you can't take it like a man, I fear your standing in the community may suffer.

[322] I dont think so, but it was Bay, who has ripped the Yankees.

[321] He was going to do it anyway. See [212].

[327] Joba hit Bay last meeting. I'm pretty sure Beckett was planning a retaliation if the right moment arrived.

[329] Hmmm...maybe that's why the bullpen was warming up?

[316] i think it's more even because the yankees are playing better, not because you call bullshit on anything william says. he doesn't even pay attention to you. you have opinions that i frequently agree with, yet the way you frame them just makes me angry. as you say, we have no "history," but i've witnessed your "history" with a bunch of other posters and i never come away thinking your behavior was justified. i just wish you'd understand that your attitude does no good.

@ 326

I don't even know what you're saying any more.

You win! You called bullshit. Good job!

[329] beckett is probably always planning a retaliation. but since he is out it is on mdc or whichever of their other relivers is "wild"

If Arod gets plunked, I hope he just walks to 1B.

Okay, I was wrong.
Maybe DelCarmen will do the beaning??

[332] He said the same thing three times: that you used an ex post facto argument to critique what a poster had said.

Frankly, of the 3 games, this was the one we had the least chance in. Beckett had been VERY good in his last 6 starts. AJ doesn't seem to be holding up well in NY.

Here's a CRAZY idea that would never happen:
If Wang is OK and back in the rotation, put AJ in the BP.

Bringing Delcarmen into a 6-0 game, and not having it be a bad move, shows you just how deep the Boston bullpen is.

[337] i have thought of that too oyf - prolly won't happen because of what they are paying him - but aj to the bullpen has some merit

Kind of silly, but I was hoping a lead off walk there might get something going.

[332] I know you don't understand this, but conversations are not abouting 'winning' or 'losing'.

[312] I thank the Pens for allowing me to avoid the Fens tonight. Just embarrassing. Lot of scrums along the boards in here this eve.

[341] That's what losers always say.

@ 331

Really? The dude was criticizing Girardi this morning for using Coke last night. He's still bullshitting but he's been completely exposed. It just took all the air out of his ass.

Furthermore, why should it take them winning for it to become more even. One guy was dominating the forum. Now he's not. That's a good thing, no matter how much of a dick I might be.

I'm glad you agree with me but I can't change. I am who I am. And if you disagree with with me, speak up. That's what makes these forums interesting...when folks have an honest discussion.

[343] calling out the bullshit!

Kyle Farnsworth throws 100 mph. He doesn't get $100 million. Does he?

@ 341

Umm, that was a joke.

@ 337, 339

And how do you think the walks would play in the bullpen? Of course, it's moot point. Cashman never gave up on Pavano. He's certainly not going to give up on Burnett - ever.

Did Strassburg go #1?

1st bullshit joke I googled. : )

A turkey was chatting with a bull.
'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.'
'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients.'
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.
Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.
He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
Moral of the story:
Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there..

[332] Wow, you really can't admit it. It's pathetic.

I don't win by calling bullshit, but you do lose because you haven't got the guts to follow through on your own terms.

A dominant theme on sports talk today was the relative difference in the HR tendencies of the two new ballparks. So, naturally, the Phillies and Mets have combined for 7 HRs tonight.

[348] yes

And to boot, there have been NO HRs at YS tonight.

[348] He sure did...the interesting thing is Scheppers has fallen through the first round into the supplemental picks. If he falls to 76, I think the Yankees have to take him.

Nick Green...you can only hope to contain him.

[353] Actually, Jeter's fly out last inning did in fact land in the RF seats at Yankee Stadium.

@ 350

Answer me this: Was Burnett pitching well when the "fair" comment was made?

Nick Green hit a home run in his first at-bat as a Yankee, IIRC.

Oh, good. I wasn't pleased with the idea that it was going to be a "good game" for Jose Veras. I admit there was a kind of ironic, perverse thrill to the idea, but on the whole, no. This is better.

Maybe time to pull Posada out of the game?

Hopefully that HR prevents Veras from sneaking his way into meaningful innings.

Meanwhile, it would be a nice time to remove Jorge from this game. Girardi needs to be more proactive with removing some of the veterans when games get out of hand. I don't think you wave the white towel before this inning, but now would be a good time to get him out of there.

Yikes. As if this game weren't bad enough.

[359] Is Mattpat still alive after the Green homer??

[352] So I guess his signing bonus and the ensueing battle with be the talk of baseball for a while. I do think it's nuts, and a sign of the dysfunction of baseball capitalism, that someone can get $20m while never having played an inning in pro ball.

Guys,

I know that Cliff and I aren't in the comments section during the games as much as we'd like. In fact, often, we don't appear at all. So I'm sure there is stuff that goes on that isn't exactly kosher all the time in terms of behavoir and decorum, and it is on me that I don't pay more attention and call people on it.

Without naming names, here's the deal. You guys can curse, vent and debate. But name-calling, insulting fellow commentors, that we can't have. "This aggression won't stand."

Seriously, have at it, disagree, but please don't trash one another.

Thanks.

[357] dude let it go, he said we should be "fair" to Burnett. You said JP Ricciardi was a "good" GM.

we all say dumb things sometimes.

Oh, and constant baiting, refusing to let a point die, isn't doing anything for anyone but making things miserable.

[365] Thank you, Alex.

Okay, you heard the host. That's it. No mas.

Mekly is having poor ABs of late.

[358] Didn't he also hit some crazy moon shot about 440 ft to LCF? Maybe it was the same HR?

[364] It has been and will be the talk of baseball, but I think the thing a lot of the arguments miss is that Strassburg will be Nationals propert for six years, so $50mn really means $8mn per year. If he is the real deal, and the Nats don't allow him to opt out in favor of arbitration (like Tampa did for Price), they could actually get a bargain.

As long as teams want to own a player for 6 years, I have no problem with them making any kind of salary demand.

[357] Here I present the answer to Bum Rush's quandary. All he has to do is copy, paste and adjust to his inimitable "voice":

All right, I admit I did use an ex post facto argument [thanks to monkeypants for the Latin] but that shouldn't obscure the fact that Burnett was terrible however many ERs he gave up that inning ... were you even watching the game, is your head up your ass, etc etc etc ad nauseum ...

[371] Yeah, I think that was it.

Brett Gardner with a bona fide hit...

[367] I wrote that last one before I saw this.

The goal now would be to see Papelbon in this game. And then go from there.

Yeah, 51cq24, listen to the boss.

@ 366

Ricciardi is a good GM. Any other division and he's in the playoffs almost every year.

@ 365

Can we call ourselves names?

Tanner Scheppers goes to Texas. Nolan Ryan serious about getting Texas decent pitching.

[378] Looks like Texas is going to pony up on the draft. I am glad he didn't fall to Boston and hope the Yankees don't regret letting him slip past #29.

Or 4-6-3. sigh

[357] You don't need to be "fair" to someone pitching a good game. You only need to be "fair" to someone when they seem to have started poorly but have enough innings left to turn it around. Wang, for example, often seems to have a bad inning, but then gets it back. So, in his case, you would be fair to him if you gave him the benefit of the doubt that he would be better in subsequent innings. Of course, sometimes he's not better in subsequent innings, and being fair to him will also subsequently seem unreasonable.

In today's case, AJ was pitching an incredibly crappy game but only had two ER at the point of the post. Given that in 22 2/3 innings he'd only given up just one earned run (an era of 0.40), it also seemed conceivable to me that despite pitching an amazingly crappy first two innings he could turn it around and pitch a quality game and give the team a chance to win. Granted, however, this was the Yank's worst matchup and the odds (according to today's WSJ) favored the sox 58 to yanks 42.

Given that context, it seems like rather than calling it bullshit you might have simply disagreed by pointing out, for example, that Burnett's last start against the sox was a 5 inning 8 ER disaster - and this looked exactly the same. That would have been nice. The whole bullshit thing seems so pointless.

[274] Yep, I checked Hittracker, and his first HR (of two in 2006), in his first AB, went 441' !!

http://tinyurl.com/lh8vc9

[349] "I'm not gonna eat turkey anymore" comes in a close second as far as morals are concerned, right? >;)

"...for six years, so $50mn really means $8mn per year"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For 25 players, that's $200m/yr,
The purpose of the draft is to allow lesser, and often poorer teams to get some quality players cheap. And $8m/yr is IF he works out, which less then 1 in 5 do. He's the best pitcher since Pryor and whats-his-face (the kid the Yanks got that never made it).

We see so many big numbers, we lose concept of what it means for a single individual to get $20m in one shot. And for the chance to MAYBE make it? Not to produce but for the possibility of production?

Nuts. Insanity. Signing money run amuck.

i do question the wisdom of using a fourth pitcher, especially after that rally fizzled. I would have let Veras close it out. Hell, I might have let Tomko close it out.

Wouldn't have written [381] if I'd seen [367]. My bad.

[385] Oh, but this way, Veras could still be available tomor...

Okay, I see your point.

@ 381

A+ for effort!

All good points. I would have given any other poster, and any other pitcher, the benefit of the doubt.

Yankees take HS catcher John Murphy with their 2nd round selection.

[384] All signings (draft or FA) are risks, to varying degrees. The high price of a big name draft pick represents the perceived potential for a high reward + the perceived lower risk for a blue chip prospect.

Also, one could argue that the purpose of the draft is not only to let "poorer" teams get cheap talent. Rather, its fundamental purpose is to let bad temas (rich or otherwise) have exclusive rights to the best young talent.

It's kind of sad the home runs given up tonight were the 3rd of season for one player and 2nd for the other.

[389] It's always tough to balance various needs in the draft, but I sometimes wish the Yankees would focus more on taking college position players, to infuse the organization with more nearer-to-ML position. Of course, the downside is this usually means taking players with lower upside.

[389] How did they justify that, "best athlete left on the board"?

[384] Is that really the purpose of the draft? While the draft is designed to give teams restricted access to talent, it is not meant to guarantee they get them well below market value. If the Nats really think Strasburg is as good as everyone says, they should be glad they have a chance at him for only $50mn (even though I am sure the final number will be more like $25mn). If they don't think he is worth it, they should have selected Ackley.

I never quite understand why so many people are bothered by players getting paid what teams think they are worth. I am more bothered by players being denied that chance.

[394] Hey! See [390]!!

[392] The draft was full of low upside college position players, so I think the Yankees were wise to dip into HS.

[395] No such thing as plagiarism on a blog, right?

[396] I figured as much. But I meant more generally--the last couple years the Yankees have really stockpiled pitchers and low-level guys. I would be nice if they had a couple of position players, even if they project to be ML depth at best.

The Red Sox really do have an excellent bullpen.

[382] I remember that. It was a wild game. Turned into a total blowout. A football-like score.

Nick can hit it hard every once awhile. He nearly killed me at a Scranton game last year. I was in the upper deck, which is usually safe. Even if a ball makes it up there, there's not much juice in it by then. Especially out in right field, where I was. He hit a foul ball so hard the entire deck shook when it hit. (Just missed my head.)