I feel like this dead horse has been beat so long the bones are gone but, what is wrong with Girardi and his rest policy? Yes, Chavez is notoriously injury-prone. He's also gotta be the hottest player in baseball right now. Can't we sit him, you know, when we're not playing for a sweep against the second best team in the AL??

[1] Well, you simply have to get Martin's bat in the lineup.

that's some lineup...

Why do I have a feelingI am going to regret staying home to watch this game?

Nova picking up where he left off I see...

and there it is...

[1] [2] this is the rest policy meets the handedness policy, thus martin > chavez.

Girardi rested his way to the 2010 Wild Card, and that was annoying. But keeping Eric Chavez on the field through October, which now obviously must be done since he's vital to the offense, is going to take a friggin miracle. There's probably no amount of rest for him I wouldn't endorse.

And while were' kibbitzing, this is an interesting quote from Bobby V no the Sox:

Valentine was asked about the distractions and drama of his first summer as Sox manager.

"From what I gather it's common, it's what happens here," he said on WEEI. "One of the things I was discussing with one of the players was that all this noise is one of the reasons players don't like to sign here. You know, they don't have to deal with it in other markets. They don't have to worry about the drama of the day; they can just go out and play baseball."

http://es.pn/MzDzx0

I wonder how a veteran baseball person like Bobby V. keeps putting his foot in his mouth?

And is he managing the club the same way?

Will he back next year?
I hope so. lol

[9] Is he forgetting the time he spent playing for & managing the Mets?

I had actually a modicum of sympathy for him in this mess, but that's gone right out the window.

great. load 'em up, no one out, hamilton up.

good job, nova...

[8] The conundrum being, of course, that the more rest he gets the less vital he can be, necessarily, to the offense.

Resting Chavez today is fine. DHing Martin is asinine. Whatever, this is as much the product of absurd contemporary MLB roster construction (12+ pitchers) as it is Girardi's rest obsession and binder determinations.

Anyway, Nova is about two batters from sending me to nap time.

wow. struck him out!

now, a DP please, to erase those 2 damn walks...

[11] from a resident's perspective (which is obviously different than a ball-player or manger's perspective) of both boston and nyc - the media scrutiny in the two places is different.
both media certainly like drama but there is a more negative almost sinister quality to it in boston.

but with that said bobby v is not improving the situation. i wonder if he just doesn't give an f at this point.

[11] How does his time with the Mets contradict what he says in that quote?

Oooh..maybe nap time waits a little longer.

wow. the kid got out of it!

and we got a hit!

[16] That there isn't drama in NY? If he'd said most markets, I'd agree, but you can't lump NY in with Kansas City or even St. Louis. So what free agents has Boston lost out on to smaller, tamer markets?

[15] Is there any sinister quality to coverage of the Bruins, Celtics or Patriots, or is it simply a Red Sox thing?

I love lunch hour baseball! Nova has been a little less than a confidence builder lately, but I still believe he is just a little maturity away from being really good consistently.

Not to compare our children, but do you think Hughes could have gotten out of that bases loaded no outs situation with no runs scoring?

[19] i would say the undertones are there for the other teams but it is more pronounced and focused on the red sox.

Okay, Nova has settled down...now, we's need some runs.

is nova injured?

[21] Thanks. I'm just remembering back to the 1970s & 80s when the media, especially the Daily News (we didn't get the Post) seemed to delight in hammering the Yankees. Plenty to expound upon, but they added their own fuel to the fire.

[23] Could be. He twinged something in his leg when he fielded the last put out. We don't know, but we'll find out at the start of the inning.

[25] thanks, kb.

let's hope he's alright. if not, d-lowe.

well, he's still out there, so i guess he's alright!

holland is going all king felix on us...

Holland is dealing.

Jeez, It's like Holland owns NY again. Hopefully the New Amsterdam Yankees can score some runs at some point. Can the "B" line-up come through?

FFS!

Today is a kind of game where many in the stands do not want to be seen on camera, I suspect neither does Andruw Jones want to be on camera either on that lost in the sun fly.

Nova getting squeezed.

What we need here is a double play...

Can it be more unlucky for the Red Sox to be coming into NY whilst in the middle of their drama? Sandpaper and salt in the wound.

Dag, Nova is shitting the bed.

[36] Not to give him excuses, but it all started this inning with Jones' lost in the sun miss. WIth Eppley getting the last out, four runs against this team in six innings is not a horrible outing.

If the Yankees can't score any, does it matter?

Hey, a run!

2 runs!

Hey! The universe is back on kilter! Yay Andruw Jones!

Fuckin A!

fuck yeah, andruw!!!

way to make up for it : )

McGehee must have been loafing out of the box, he probably should have been at third after that error.

What an awesome comback I'm missing.

I am really playing hooky watching this game, I hope the Yanks pull it out to make it worthwhile.

Even Russell gets in the act! He might be over .200 now.

Muscle reads the BB for motivation.

Holy cow! Did you just see that on camera in the stands?

Now don't give it back. I smell sweep.

That was a big SO on Hamilton. Hamilton seems a little bratty, I wonder what type of team mate he is?

i used to dread a boonie sighting but he is doing well.

Good work, Boooooooooooooooone.

[51] shit - spoke to soon.

Boone Logan: Fail.

Never mind that shit: Here comes Joba (closing my eyes, plugging my ears).

the ibb!

I have no faith right now...

Crap. 7th inning fail.

Fail. Fail. Fail.

Hmm, maybe I good thing I can't see the game.

damn it - the ibb is so maddening as is giving up a hit there.

Joba almost pulled it off. Couldn't he bounce one when he had 1-2?

But I do have faith in the offense coming back and winning this bitch!

So, PH for Stewart with Ibañez immediately brings Washington out to switch his pitcher---to be expected. Let's see if DHing Martin comes back to bite him in the last innings.

Yikes. C'mon Elvis. That's no way to honor the anniversary of the King's death! C'mon score truck!

Dear Tex. Don't hit into a double play. Thank you.

The Management.

Well, at least it wasn't a double play.

Nuts.

oooh...Girardi just couldn't resist getting Ibañez into LF.

Then again, the RF didn't help on that one.

You know Swish. That is just garbage. And somehow it'll be a triple instead of a single and 2 base error. Bollocks!

Here's a thought. How about not keeping Joba in the game.

Yanks--good enough to lose today?

[72] I know they want Joba back for the end of the season, but haven't they really rushed him back to the big leagues? I haven't gotten to see him pitch, but reading the boxscores, it doesn't appear like he's getting many people out.

I had a better arm when I was 13. Fuck!

Joba, Joba, Joba...

And now the ol' PH with two outs and no one on base gambit. I guess at this point it doesn't really matter.

Robbie Thompson needs a vacation.

This is one ugly game.

Frustrating game. But they keep battling. This is a game the Rangers really need but the Yanks aren't making it easy on them.

This is one really ugly game.

[81] Ugly games need love too.

82) All you need is love! (All To-Get-Her Now)

Always something interesting in every baseball game, but feel guilty I wasted hours of productivity for this.

Bring on Boston!

It beats a Torii Hunter cleat to the eye I suppose.
http://tinyurl.com/c8wtf27

Recap up top.