That’s the only word that will do. The Yanks are playing like horsesh**. Jon Lester is a stud and he was in peak form on Saturday, true. Give him credit. But listen, the Yankees have lost four games in a row at home and are doing their best to make us squirm. Final score this afternoon: Red Sox 7, Yanks 3.
They’ve got Dustin Moseley pitching against Clay Buchholz tomorrow night. Anyone inspired with a sudden burst of confidence? Okay, so let’s say they get swept. There will be six games left, Magic Number stuck on stupid at three. You’ve still got to love their chances to make it to October, which looks like it’ll start in Minnie against that sombitch Pavano (the Rays already have a 4-0 first inning lead tonight).
But c’mon now, enough is enough already. The sky isn’t falling yet, of course, but that doesn’t mean we’ve got to be happy about this horsesh**, either.
If they get swept tomorrow night, I absolutely don't love their chances to make the playoffs. Girardi has given us absolutely zero indication that he's going to start managing with any kind of urgency (GAUDIN AGAIN?) and even if he does, I'm not positive that after we completely took our foot off the gas and started rolling backwards downhill that we can get it back in gear.
If we have to head into Fenway still looking for the playoffs, I'm terrified. Which is why I'm furious over this Moseley bullshit tomorrow night.
If we blow this we need a housecleaning. Keep Kevin Long and maybe, MAYBE Tony Pena.
Tomorrow is the biggest game of the year.
Really... why panic. The Sox took games 4 and 5 in 2004, and look waht happened.
When and if the Yanks fold in the playoffs (if they make the playoffs), I've got the perfect theme song for that inglorious moment. Remind me to introduce it when the unthinkable becomes inevitable...
[3] Okay, a little optimism: there's still time for Javy to become a Type A free agent for the off-season. Throw some shut out innings in his next twelve appearances as a long reliever and there's the slight possibility it can happen. Of course I'll take a picture of him riding the Loch Ness monster, no problem!
[4] The Yanks can't risk him accepting arb - they'll never offer.
[4] RAB had a post on this the other day. He's almost certain to end up Type A (he is right now), but there's 0.00% chance of the Yankees offering arbitration.
What a disaster of a trade ...
6) i'm not sure the trade can be characterized, yet, as a disaster. Javy has been a big disappointment, but then so has Melky. Meanwhile, Logan has turned out to be somewhat valuable. Ultimately, we won't be able to evaluate this one until we know the fate Vizcaino.
[6] Well, Melky is Melky and Mike Dunn could walk me. I guess we have to see what Vizcaino is before we truly grade the trade.
But I do think its funny that out of the three old home week moves, Thames is the only one that turned out even halfway decent (and quite a bit better than that in his case) Vazquez and Johnson were epic fails.
[7] Well, here's the thing.
I thought it was a good trade. *I* would have made the trade.
But it has been a disaster.
Not in the sense of say, Bagwell for Anderson (that is to say, long-term value), but in the sense that it didn't come close to achieving what it was intended to do.
Javy was brought on to provide stability and innings at something equal to or better than league average level.
He didn't.
Not even close, and his complete collapse (and losing 6-8 mph off your fastball and being banished *beyond* the bullpen *is* a complete collapse) has done the exact opposite, straining the Yankees team on every level.
I don't need to know what happens in the long run, the Yankees could have traded a bag of balls for Vazquez and it would still have been a) a trade I would have made at the time AND a trade I would make again, (not with magical 20/20 hindsight, but rather with the knowledge that there wasn't information available the would change my decision that the Yankees appear to overlooked) and b) a complete disaster in terms of what the Yankees expected and anticipated and *needed* as an outcome of the trade.
If that makes any sense.
[9] I thought it was a good trade too. Jome Run Javy has actually been one of the better pitchers in the game over the last 10 years...except when he puts on pinstripes...
The Yankees are not a good team right now..I have zero faith they can beat either the Rangers, Twins or Rays in any playoff series..and I HATE agreeing with William but maybe it IS time for Joe G to go...
9) yes, i see what you mean. On the other hand, had the trade not been completed, I have this feeling that MItre or Gaudin would be starting in Javy's place, and I am convinced that this year's bad Javy is still better than thoae two clowns. But yeah, he has fallen well short of expectations (at least my expectations).
Funny how I never start serious Banter intentionally >;) did I say I love the graphic, Alex? I can actually see you all bugged-eyed and pop-veined with flying spittle, like an R. Crumb sketch, but instead you love the little Banterites to give this to post on...
[2] Your example's lack of precedence doesn't exactly fill me with optimism. If we're bringing up miraculous, once-in-a-lifetime comebacks to cling to, things could be worse than I thought.
[4] LOL
It is silly to judge a trade based on it's outcome. If GMs could predict how a player would perform, there would never be any 'bad' trades. On paper, Javy looked like he would be a good addition. And frankly, dumping Melky not only gave us a shot to see what Gritner could do, but I also think Cano was better off without his little brother around.
While it would have been nice to see waht little Viz might have turned into, the Yankees always play for today. At the time, it looked like a good move... which means it WAS a good move. It's a bummer that Javy blew chunks this year.... but that's baseball.
Our issue is that we have an offense full of guess/mistake hitter. They are quality players who, if they guess right, of they see a mistake, they pound the shit out of the ball. But against better pitchers, and guess who mix it up, or guys we haven't seen, our O can be downright ugly. It is feast or famine with this team.
[13] I think we back into the PS this year, but the smell of the air over this last week reminds me of 2004. It seemed impossible to blow that series. And after the first 2 games against TB, it seemed impossible to blow this year.
It's highly improbably, but just the fact that's it's possible, causes me pause.
pretty certain that's Kim Jones and Bob Lorenz in The Sky Is Falling poster. The first illustration is a stinking pile of Javy Vazquez fastballs.
I'm on the record here as being staunchly opposed to the return of Javy. Didn't believe he'd be successful in the AL East, didn't care about his '09 velocity or his supposed appetite for innings. I wouldn't have given anything for him. Too much money for his kind of mediocrity. After reading here, and at other smarty pants baseball sites how wrong I was to feel that way, I predicted 12-13 wins tops, about 1-2 wins more than I would have predicted for Mitre or Gaudin, who cost a percentage of Vazquez money. I'm not gloating. I would have much preferred being wrong about him.
Last month I was looking forward to Sundays game. I wrangled a few tickets for the 1:00 pm Yankees vs. Red Sox....Yanks in a pennant race, and I can make my way back to NJ at a decent hour.
Along comes ESPN and bumps the game to 8:05 without giving a second thought to the plans of fifty thousand fans, then we learn the Yanks care more about rest then winning the game.
I'm going to feel mighty important sitting in that comfy chair behind home plate.