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News of the Day – 6/10/09

Today’s (brief) news is powered by a dog-tired day-after-birthday girl who has a sore throat (too much rain, and insomnia).

Back with a more-normal report tomorrow.

Categories:  Diane Firstman  News of the Day

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15 comments

1 RIYank   ~  Jun 10, 2009 9:00 am

I the little video, Heathcott looks like he's about 14 years old.

2 Rich   ~  Jun 10, 2009 9:06 am

HB and FB.

The Yankees don't have enough quality pitchers on the ML level to send Hughes down, plus his development could be stunted there because he almost never struggles at AAA, and to finish off his development, he needs to learn to work out of jams. That is what he has been doing in recent weeks, and he needs to continue to do that.

A smart manager can use Hughes in a way that both keeps him somewhat stretched out while utilizing his talent at the ML level. If Girardi can't do that, then maybe he isn't right for the job.

As I pointed out on the other thread, what they should do is put AJ in the pen, but I realize that isn't going to happen.

3 Bum Rush   ~  Jun 10, 2009 9:32 am

@ 2

Why is it Girardi's responsibility to use Hughes correctly? We have no idea if he's being hamstrung by management. Furthermore, part of the problem is Wang was brought back too soon and they dropped $85 million on garbage. Hughes wouldn't be an issue if they did neither.

I simply don't understand the reflex to blame the manager. It makes no sense.

4 rbj   ~  Jun 10, 2009 9:47 am

[0] "Today’s (brief) news is powered by a dog-tired day-after-birthday girl who has a sore throat (too much rain, and insomnia)."

Sure it wasn't too much rum?

I want to see Wang put the Fear of God into the Fenway worms tonight.

5 Raf   ~  Jun 10, 2009 10:55 am

Why is it Girardi’s responsibility to use Hughes correctly? We have no idea if he’s being hamstrung by management.

If Girardi's running the pitching staff, then it's his responsibility to use Hughes "correctly" (whatever that's supposed to mean). I don't buy the hamstrung by management idea, in the context of Hughes & Kennedy last year, as well as the context of Wang & Hughes this year.

Hughes isn't the first young SP to work out of the pen in the majors, nor will he be the last.

6 Bum Rush   ~  Jun 10, 2009 10:58 am

@ 5

And yet they had "rules" for Joba...

7 Raf   ~  Jun 10, 2009 2:10 pm

@ 6

Which appeared to be an exception, not the norm.

8 Bum Rush   ~  Jun 10, 2009 2:17 pm

@ 7

How do we know one way or another? At the time Cashman wasn't pleased that the Rules became public.

9 Bum Rush   ~  Jun 10, 2009 2:18 pm

Which was Torre's fault. He wasn't supposed to talk about them, then said as much after he had.

10 rbj   ~  Jun 10, 2009 2:21 pm

[9] First rule of Joba Rules is you do not talk about Joba Rules.

11 PJ   ~  Jun 10, 2009 2:30 pm

[7] I would hope they err on the side of caution with Hughes the way they did with Joba considering his age, and not have him go four or five in a mop up role. I will be shocked if they use him out of the pen for more than two innings in any game. I would use him the way they did against Tampa... one inning, "let it all out," day off the next day, or two innings max, then two days off, rinse repeat until another starter goes on the DL. When Bruney returns, their games will be more along the lines of the six inning variety we've all been hoping for.

Hughes in the seventh, Coke for any difficult lefty AB within Hughes' seventh or Bruney's eighth, then Mo.

If those four guys aren't enough to close out games in which they are leading after six innings, then they are in more trouble with this pen during the remainder of the year than we think.

12 Raf   ~  Jun 10, 2009 3:18 pm

How do we know one way or another? At the time Cashman wasn’t pleased that the Rules became public.

We'll see depending on the usage of other young pitchers. As well as the usage of any other young pitchers the Yanks have broken in. I'm sure the Yankees aren't the only organization that has "rules" regarding the usage of young arms.

13 rbj   ~  Jun 10, 2009 3:22 pm

Good news (to me) about the A-Rod book:

"By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer Hillel Italie, Ap National Writer –

NEW YORK – Remember that tell-all book about A-Rod?

. . .

Published in early May by HarperCollins with an announced first printing of 150,000, "A-Rod" has sold just 16,000 copies so far, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 75 percent of industry sales. The book sold 11,000 in its first week, then quickly faded."

Wow, only 10% sold.

14 Bum Rush   ~  Jun 10, 2009 3:25 pm

@ 12

Oh, I don't doubt that other organizations have similar rules.

@ 13

Hahahahahahaha! I love karma. A terrible book from a terrible writer means terrible sales.

15 PJ   ~  Jun 10, 2009 4:50 pm

[13] LOL

Sometimes, failure is good... in a schadenfreude kind of way...

: )

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