The Yankees wrap up their season series with the Rangers this afternoon on another gorgeous day in the Bronx. The Yanks have taken the first five games and Chien-Ming Wang will be on the mound in his first start since his near-perfect game looking to give the Yankees a six-game sweep. The Rangers, meanwhile, send out Brandon McCarthy, who’s been a disaster in three of his last five starts, allowing at least five runs while getting knocked out before the fourth inning.

Things have turned around dramatically for the Yanks in the past week. Wil Nieves finally got his first Yankee hit last night after three years of trying (bringing his career OPS+ up to -6). Andy Pettitte got his second win of the season on Tuesday after seeing the bullpen blow three others in his previous four starts. Doug Mientkiewicz has raised his batting average 94 points over the last ten games, batting .407/.433/.741 over that span.

Of course the big news is the performance of the starting rotation, which finally has its intended Big Three of Wang, Pettitte, and Mussina active at the same time. Removing only the stink bomb laid last Friday by the since-demoted Kei Igawa, here’s how that Big Three plus rookies Phil Hughes, Darrell Rasner, and Matt DeSalvo have performed over their past eight games:

51 IP, 27 H, 8 R, 2 HR, 14 BB, 28 K, 1.41 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 6-0

The only games over that stretch in which the starter did not earn the win (again excepting Igawa’s stinker) were the win Luis Vizcaino vultured from Pettitte in Texas and that ugly 3-2 loss to the Mariners on Monday night after DeSalvo’s gem. The best stat of all from this run: 6 1/3 innings pitched per start.

Incidentally, here’s the bullpen over those eight games:

21 IP, 18 H, 6 R, 3 HR, 6 BB, 13 K, 2.57 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 1-1

Of course, they’ve blown as many saves as they’ve converted (including one of each type in that Pettitte/Vizcaino game in Texas), but then one of those blown saves came on that blown stolen base call on Monday. If Bloomquist is called out, there’s a good chance that Rivera records the save with Beltre standing in the on-deck circle. More encouraging than that, however, is the fact that, with the Yankees on an 8-3 run with the returns of Clemens and Hughes on the horizon, one needn’t cling to those kind of what-ifs.

Before Roger Clemens arrived at the Stadium on Sunday, blotting out all unrelated baseball thought for roughly 48 hours, I was thinking about brawls. The benches cleared when Scott Proctor threw behind Yuniesky Betancourt (really not a guy you can enjoy picking on, once you’ve heard his story), but it never got farther than a bit of shouting and some profoundly manly milling around.

Unless I’m forgetting something, the Yankees haven’t had a real punches-thrown kind of brawl since 2004 against the Red Sox (the infamous Varitek/A-Rod imbroglio), and even that one was fairly tame… or maybe it’s just that it will always live in the shadow of 2003’s immortal Pedro vs. Zimmer title bout. Has it really been three years? Someone needs to create a reliable database for this kind of vitally important information (paging David Pinto!).

I should say up front that I am a total hypocrite when it comes to baseball brawls. I went to Quaker meeting as a kid and generally consider myself nonviolent; I’ve never hit anyone, except for that one time in fifth grade (and Fat Matt the Rat had it coming). I actually have a hard time enjoying football or boxing because I find them too consistently brutal. But I do enjoy a good baseball brawl, and I’m certainly not alone in that. This instinct probably doesn’t say anything good about humanity’s instinctive preferences in entertainment. I suspect it’s a vague, domesticated version of the quality that made ancient Romans turn to a pal and say, “Hey amicus, what say we go down to CitiColosseum, have a few cold ones, and watch a couple of guys fight to the death! I hear it’s Luggage Tag Day.”

This is where we insert the obvious disclaimer that you never want to see anyone get seriously hurt – that stops being fun in a hurry. But that’s a rarity in even the roughest diamond fights these days, which are at least 85% shoving, grabbing, valiantly holding someone back, indignantly allowing yourself to be held back, wrestling, cursing, or walking aimlessly around trying to look busy. (Unless you’re Kyle Farnsworth. Then you personally constitute* the other 15%. Now that I think about it, Farnsy’s presence on the Yankees may actually be enough of a deterrent, by itself, to explain the lack of brawls in the last few years).

That said, I have to say I don’t buy the argument that teams need to incite brawls, retaliate in bean ball wars, or get violently angry in order to “get fired up” and play well. In the wake of April’s Red Sox catastrophes, I heard all over the place that the Yankee pitchers needed to throw at more Red Sox – “I mean, I’m not saying you have to hurt someone, but if you pitch inside and you hit them, so be it” was how this was usually couched – but it seems to me that the absolute last thing you need, when your pitching is flopping around on the ground like a dying fish, is to put David Ortiz on base for Manny Ramirez, or Manny on for J.D. Drew. There was no particular reason to think that any of the Red Sox had thrown at the Yankees; the situation might be different if the teams actually had any reason to dislike each other personally, but those days are gone. Personally, I think sports writers and announcers and talk radio guys only spout this stuff because they can’t get away with saying “hey, a brawl right now would sure make this game vastly more entertaining, wouldn’t it?” You could hear it on the YES network Sunday; Michael Kay was getting an alarmingly Joaquin-Phoenix-in-Gladiator kind of edge to his voice.

What do you think: does fighting ever actually help a team, or is it just sordid entertainment for the rest of us? Or maybe both? What’s the best or worst brawl you can remember, and how come the Yankees haven’t had one in three years? How much do you want to see Kyle Farnsworth break out his moves against, say, Barry Bonds? Do you do feel bad for wanting to see it that much?

*You really, really need to click on the link under the photo here and watch the “Guillen’s HBP starts scrum” clip. I have linked to it before, and it’s about five minutes long, but absolutely worth it. Those Tigers announcers are classic (“There’s big Farnsworth now, and — WHOOOOA!… Well, you knew when big boy got there, it was gonna get ON!”. “That is one guy you do not want to mess with. Period”).

Also, as a bonus, this clip features Jose Lima.

Well, so much for my hunches. With the exception of one inning, Mike Mussina handled the Rangers last night for six frames, while Derek Jeter, batting in the three hole, led the offense with two hits and three RBI as the Yanks beat the Rangers, 6-2. Bobby Abreu had a resounding double to the left center field gap in the first, and Robinson Cano had an RBI ground out later in the inning, but both continue to struggle. The Yankee bullpen did not allow a run, and would you believe, the Bombers have reached the .500 mark, with a record of 16-16.

The highlight of the evening came when back-up catcher Will Nieves notched his first base hit of the season. Nieves hit the ball hard his first time up–a rocket ground ball to third; in the sixth, he lined a ball down the left field line and was so excited that he tried to stretch it into a double. He was thrown out easily and there were smiles all around in the Yankee dugout. Nobody seemed to enjoy it more than Derek Jeter, who looks as if he loves to bust chops.

“It’s like one of those things in Little League, where you just keep running until you get tagged out,” Jeter joked.
(N.Y. Post)

It was easy for the Yanks to laugh last night. The Bombers go for the sweep this afternoon with C.M. Wang on the mound. It’s overcast and humid in New York with thundershowers on the way. But hopefully, they’ll get the game in without a hitch.

It’s been a lovely, warm spring day in New York. Mike Mussina makes his second start since returning from injury tonight against Texas. He pitched well last week against the Rangers; let’s hope they haven’t figured him out (though my Spidey Sense says that the Rangers offense will do just fine). Jason Giambi is out with a bad foot and Jorge Posada has the night off, what with a day game tomorrow. Bobby Abreu is hitting second. No better time than the present for Robby Cano to keep working his way back into a groove, eh?

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

The Yanks rolled over the Rangers last night, 8-2. Alex Rodriguez hit his first homer in a couple of weeks, Robinson Cano and Johnny Damon and Mr. Minky had some nice at bats, and it was a peaceful, easy night in the Bronx for the Bombers.

Meanwhile, Anthony McCarron has a good piece on Mariano Rivera in the Daily News this morning.

“It’s easy when everything goes fine,” Rivera said. “You show your true character when you struggle like this. I don’t know what people are thinking about me, but I know I feel the same way as I did last year and the year before. I feel real good, the velocity is there. It’s nothing I have lost, it just happens. If you are a closer, you’re going to blow saves and get saves. There’s no in between.

“I feel I’m being tested right now, my character, my faith, how I conduct myself. It’s different. But I love it. If God allows this test to be on me, hey, I’m willing to carry it. We are just starting; we’ll see where we finish.

“I’m going to battle,” Rivera continued. “I’m not going to sit down and start crying and wonder what happened. No, I’m not going to second-guess myself. I’m just going to do what I have to do. I believe I’ll finish strong.”

Yo go Mo, we’re behind you every step of the way.

The Yankees have won just three series thus far this year. One of them came in Minnesota and featured a strong outing from Carl Pavano. The other two were sweeps of the Indians at home and the Rangers on the road, the latter wrapping up in Texas just five days ago.

The penultimate game of that Texas series, game one of last Thursday’s double header, saw Mike Wood start in place of a gimpy Kevin Millwood against Andy Pettitte. Wood and Pettitte matched each other through six innings, but two unearned runs put the Yankees on top in the end. Millwood has since landed on the disabled list (replaced by righty reliever Wes Littleton on the 25-man roster), thus tonight brings about a rematch of Wood and Pettitte on the Yankees’ home turf. The odds would favor a less favorable return from Wood, which could help the Yankees remove the bad taste left in their mouths by last night’s game. Then again, while the Yankees were sister-kissing the Mariners, the Rangers bounced back nicely from the Yankees’ visit to Arlington by sweeping the Blue Jays by a combined score of 21-7.

Incidentally, the Yankees will follow this rematch with the Rangers by flying to Seattle to rematch with the Mariners. The schedule doesn’t get this exciting again until late July when they face the Devil Rays, Royals and Orioles in three consecutive series. Wheee!

Roger Clemens is a Yankee again, and for those like myself who predicted he’d sign elsewhere, it took a day to fully digest the crow. (Despite the rumors, it doesn’t taste like chicken. Ketchup helps the taste, but not much. They’re scavengers, you know.)

As a writer, I’m glad this happened, because it saved me from another rant on Carl Pavano being the worst signing in Yankees history. As a former YES employee, I have a hunch Clemens’ 300^th victory and his near no-hitter from 2003 will find their way into the “Yankees Classics” lineup again within the next three to five days.

Back from the tangent … The Post was the first outlet to publish the story, doing so online at roughly 3 p.m. Sunday. We know this because George King and Mike Puma told us so in their initial story.

In typical Steinbrenner-era Yankee fashion, the deal was handled surreptitiously and quickly, and with a lot of money. (So much for fiscal responsibility, as many scribes mentioned.)

To be sure, the hints were there starting in November with the re-signing of Andy Pettitte, but there was not a sense that a Clemens-Yankees sequel was a sure thing until Sunday afternoon when the Rocket ignited two hours of Yankee Stadium pomp and presidential-level media attention with his announcement during the 7^th inning stretch.

You know the numbers — one year, $28 million, prorated salary starting from the day he makes his first start in pinstripes. So now the projections and questions have begun. How will he affect the rotation? Is this really a "distress signing," as some suggest? How many games will he win? Can he or will he be as dominant as he was in the National League over the past three seasons? Will his body hold up? And perhaps the most intriguing question: should his name surface in the Mitchell Investigation, how will he and the Yankees handle the reports? (The New York Times was the only major outlet to note the steroid suspicion in all its Monday stories.)

I want to focus on how this information was presented to us as fans and consumers, because there was plenty to absorb and interpret. YES extended the postgame show to nearly 90 minutes, airing Clemens’ press conference uninterrupted, and smartly played the subtle card, letting the story tell itself. The press conference reminded me of the night of his 300^th victory. The auxiliary press room was packed, an emotional Clemens sat on the dais with company on either side of him and held court for nearly a half hour. There was a palpable sense of history.

Sunday’s return presser had a number of stories: 1) There was the revelation that when Cashman was in Texas trying to sync up with the Hendricks Brothers, Randy Hendricks was in Boston pitching Clemens to the Red Sox. 2) The admission from Hendricks that the Yankees won the derby due to their immediate need coinciding with Clemens ramping up his workouts. That they ponied up the most cash had nothing to do with it, apparently. Clemens reiterated that stance Monday, telling the Associated Press, “If you think it’s about money, you’re greatly mistaken. I’m not going to put my body through the paces I put my body through to earn a few more dollars.” (B.S. or no? Neither thesis does much to shed Clemens’ mercenary reputation.) 3) The number of times Cashman, Clemens, and Hendricks said, “this man to my left,” or “this man to my right” (you could create a nice drinking game from that if you recorded the presser). 4) Reading between the lines, Cashman alerting the public to Hal and Hank Steinbrenner’s presence in the courting process provides a huge hint as to who will assume the brunt of operations duties upon Steve Swindal’s official dismissal.  5) Clemens taking umbrage to the media snipes at the carte blanche element of his “personal service” clause, urging the broadcasters (read: ESPN), to “get their facts right” before commenting on that part of his contract, because it hurts his family. I applaud his stance, but if the reality didn’t match the perception, why make a big deal of it three years later? It was just as big of a story in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Why not clear things up then and note any modifications that took place in the margins of the current deal?

All of it makes for fun times in the Bronx now. At least there’s something else to talk about besides hamstring injuries, scapegoat trainers, anything pertaining to Carl Pavano, and bullpen woes.

More from the local papers…

• Alan Schwarz polled Clemens’ new teammates about the return of the aged power pitcher. Leave it to Mike Mussina to be the cold voice of honesty.  With regards to Rocket’s impact, he said, “Roger is very good, but somewhere between a No. 2 and No. 3 starter is more likely what he’s capable of being. Everyone has to remember that he’s 44 going on 45. He’s not what he was the last time he was here.” And regarding the stabilizing factor he’ll have, Mussina offered this gem: “It removes the questions about whoever was going to be out there instead of him.”
• Slick note from Star-Ledger beat man Ed Price, that clubhouse manager Rob Cucuzza kept the nameplate for Clemens’ locker, just in case.

From the radio waves …

•  Confession: I did not catch any review from the Yankees radio team, but I’m sure there was enough praise heaped upon Clemens to fill a few hours of air-time.  [Editor’s note, check out S. Waldman’s gushing call if you’ve got the stomach for it.]
• Confession No. 2: The snippet of Mike and the Mad Dog that I caught was spent trying to get to the bottom of Josh Phelps’ collision with Kenji Johjima. Russo’s voice was nearly gone, so I’m guessing he was in full Yankee-hating mode.
•  Michael Kay Inconsistency Alert: In Sunday’s postgame, when Kay mentioned the personal services contract, he noted Cashman’s quote of how last year, that clause eliminated the Yankees, but how this year they were willing to make the exception. On his ESPN Radio show Monday, he railed the Yankees for caving on that point of the contract. Which one is it? I believe his radio rants are more in line to what his opinions are, yet he continues to toe the company line on TV.

 From the blogosphere…

• Curt Schilling rationalized the Yankees getting Clemens by playing the chemistry card and lauding the job Julian Tavarez has done as the fifth starter. Buster Olney had a swift and critical reaction to Schilling’s post in his own blog. Schilling also misspelled Torii Hunter’s first name repeatedly. Schill posted an update Monday, saying how much he and his Red Sox teammates would have loved to have Clemens back in Boston. A little late.

• A great note from LoHud’s Peter Abraham, who said that Clemens wouldn’t have signed with the Yankees if Joe Torre had been fired. What a difference a week makes, huh?

• CNBC’s Darren Rovell’s take that the deal makes no financial sense for the Yankees comes from a much more business-like perspective than the Lip. Another note from Rovell: “I think the Hall of Fame can now officially think of Clemens with a Yankees cap on him.”

Clips from Houston …

• Richard Justice believes Houston was just too boring for Clemens. I’m more impressed that he acknowledged sycophantic behavior of his hometown media brethren in the three years they covered Clemens.
• Brian McTaggart reminds us that Clemens isn’t really done as an Astro yet.

Clips from Boston …

• The Globe’s Gordon Edes provides the hard-news roundup of the Red Sox’ offer.

• Boston.com has complete roundup of Sox blogs and the vitriol coming from Tea Party Central.

The breadth and depth of analysis of the Clemens story over the past day and a half has been enough to cause information overload. Credit Roger Clemens for being such a polarizing figure, but also the people who tracked and presented the story, and offered provocative angles from which to view it.

Matt DeSalvo’s fine big league debut was spoiled as the Mariners rallied late to beat the Yankees, 3-2. Seattle earned a split of the four-game series. The Yankees must be kicking themselves for not winning the series–they practically gave away a game on Friday night, and then lost a tight-one on Monday.

DeSalvo went seven innings and allowed just three hits. With a 2-1 lead, Kyle Farnsworth retired the first two men in the eighth before giving up an infield single to Jose Vidro. Willie Bloomquist pinch-ran for Vidro and immediately took off for second. He was tagged out by several feet but called safe by umpire Gerry Davis (after the game, Davis admitted that he blew the call. “I didn’t miss the call,” he said, “I kicked the sh** out of it.”) Nobody on the Yankees argued. Then Bloomquist came around to score on Kenji Johjima’s bloop single to right.

“I’ll take it,” Bloomquist said. “On the play itself, I thought it was actually pretty close. But when I got a chance to see the replay … well, he called me safe, so I was safe. It’s a good thing there’s no instant replay in baseball.”
(Seattle P.I.)

In the ninth inning, Mariano Rivera struck out Richie Sexon on three pitches and got Jose Guillen to ground out to short before serving up a solo home run to Adrian Beltre. The pitch was up and over the plate–similar to the third strike that Sexon swung through–and Beltre hit a line drive that kept carrying. It didn’t seem as if it was going to go out of the park; I thought for sure it’d be a double. But it kept going. The replays showed Rivera watching the ball and then saying, “Nooooo’h my Gad!”

The Yankees could not score in the bottom of the inning despite putting the tying run on base. In all, it was a frustrating end to what was a promising night for DeSalvo. Nertz.

Matt DeSalvo makes his big league debut on a crisp spring evening in the Bronx as the Bombers look to take the series from Seattle. Miguel Batista gets the nod for the M’s. As usual, Pete Abe has the starting line-ups, plus the news the Kei Igawa has been demoted to the Land of Dunder-Mifflin.

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

Hey, anything new going on? I was at the game yesterday and went to the bathroom during the seventh inning stretch and suddenly everyone was acting all nutty. What gives?

The Yankees played a quick yet contentious game against the Mariners yesterday, winning 5-0. Josh Phelps plowed over Seattle catcher Kenji Johjima–it looked like a needlessly aggresive play, and was later plunked at which points both teams were issued a warning. Then, with two out in the top of the seventh, Scott Proctor threw a pitch behind Yuniesky Betancourt, which caused tempers to flare, and bullpens to empty. It was much ado about nuthin but a fitting prelude to what happened next during the sevent inning stretch when Roger Clemens appeared with a microphone in the owner’s box. “Well, they came and got me out of Texas, and I can tell you it’s a privilege to be back,” said Clemens. “I’ll be talking to y’all soon!” Then a message on the scoreboard announced that Clemens was once again a Yankee. By the end of a long day of talking to the media, where it was disclosed that Clemens will earn a prorated contract worth $28 million, there was Clemens out in the Yankee bullpen, surrounded by Yankee coaches, pitching.

While it wasn’t exactly Old Timer’s Day in 1978–when Billy Martin, who had been fired five days earlier, was dramatically announced as the manager for 1980–it was certainly an unusual way to announce the return of Clemens. Then again, maybe it wasn’t so strange considering the team and the circumstances. Regardless, the return of Clemens upstaged a fine performance by Darrell Rasner and the Yankees who are now just one game under .500. Somehow, I didn’t hear many fans complaining.

Chien-Ming Wang retired the first 22 Mariners he faced yesterday afternoon before losing his perfect game, no-hitter, and shutout all on a single swing when Ben Broussard poked a homer just over the wall in the gap in right field.

Jeff Weaver, meanwhile, had his first solid start of the season allowing just one run through five innings before melting down in the sixth. Bobby Abreu led off the bottom of the sixth with a bunt single (yes, he finally got one), Alex Rodriguez followed with a ground ball up the middle, Jason Giambi walked, and Weaver nailed Hideki Matsui in the thigh to force Abreu home (Matsui was fine and played the rest of the game, making a key running catch on a warning-track shot by Ichiro Suzuki to keep the perfect game going in the top of the seventh). Jorge Posada followed Matsui with a single off the end of the bat to plate the third Yankee run. After Robinson Cano struck out and Doug Mientkiewicz (who was 2 for 4 and briefly got his average above the Mendoza line) hit into a fielder’s choice that forced Giambi at home, Weaver walked Melky Cabrera to plate another run and Derek Jeter finally delivered the knockout blow by doubling in two more to make it 6-0 Yankees. They’d add another run in each of the following two innings to make the final score 8-1.

As for Wang, the scary thing was he didn’t really look that dominant. He went to four three-ball counts and gave up four fly ball outs through the first five innings. The Yankee Stadium crowd really came alive after Wang got two strikes on Jose Lopez with two outs in the sixth. Lopez worked the count full, fouling off a couple of pitches, but then grounded out to Alex Rodriguez, who had made a nice backhanded stop on a hard hit ball down the line by Lopez to end the third. With two out in the seventh, Wang fell behind Raul Ibanez 3-0, but poured in two perfect strikes low in the zone to run the count full, then, after a foul, struck him out on a sinker in the dirt. The pitch that Broussard hit out of the park was supposed to be another of those sinkers at the knees, but stayed up thigh-high and right over the plate. It was the only bad pitch Wang would make all day. He gave up a single to Jose Gillen after the home run, but erased it by getting a double play in the only opportunity he had for one in this game. All totaled, Wang threw 103 pitches (63 percent strikes), struck out four, and got 14 of his remaining 20 outs on the ground. Brian Bruney pitched a perfect ninth.

The Yankees have now won four of their last five and five of their last seven. In the first game of that smaller stretch, Phil Hughes took a no-hitter into the seventh. He and two relievers limited the Rangers to just 29 batters. Yesterday afternoon, Wang and Bruney combined to face just 28 Seattle Mariners. The Yankees have scored 19 runs in the first two games of this series and have finally won starts by Wang, Andy Pettitte, and Mike Mussina in the same turn through the rotation.

(more…)

Last night was ugly, but the Yankees have still won four of their last six games and have Chien-Ming Wang, the only baseball player to make Time Magazine‘s 100 Most Influential People list this year, starting for them today against the Jeff Weaver and his 18.26 ERA.

The Yankees suffered their most humilating loss of the season last night against the Mariners at Yankee Stadium, 15-11. The offense scored five runs in the first, eleven runs total, and still lost by four. The trioka of Kei Igawa, Colter Bean and Luis Vizcaino were beyond bad, they were horsesh** awful. Bean and Vizcaino looked as if they were scared to pitch. Watching Vizcaino, who took for-ev-er between each pitch, was being like part of some horrible ring from Dante’s Inferno. It wasn’t even much fun for the Mariners. According to The Seattle Times:

“It’s like somebody sticking bamboo shoots under your fingernails,” Hargrove said. “It wasn’t even fun when we were ahead 15-8.”

With two rookie pitchers set to go in this series, Igawa could not get an out in the fifth inning. Absolutely unacceptable. But so it goes for the bonfire that is the Yankee pitching staff. Remember in the mid-90s when teams like the Indians and Mariners used to score a trillion runs but couldn’t get anyone out? That’s what the 2007 Yankees have become.

Of course, the Yanks did manage to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning. But with the bases juiced, Seattle’s closer J.J. Putz got Johnny Damon to pop out and Derek Jeter to ground out to end the game. Damon tweaked his calf on his last swing and Jeter’s ground out officially put an end to his hitting streak.

The Mariners are a tough team to figure. To begin with, they’re the only team in the major leagues with a winning record that has been outscored by its opponents. They’re also run extremely hot and cold over the past three weeks, first losing six straight to the Twins and Angels, then taking seven of eight from the Rangers, A’s, Royals, and White Sox. The M’s also had five of their first twenty games postponed by snow or rain, though they’ve already made one of those up, falling to the Red Sox in Boston last night on Manny Ramirez’s game-winning shot off Chris Reitsma in the eighth.

Thus far, the only thing that’s really working for them on offense is catcher Kenji Johnjima (.305/.349/.508). That’s not much of a surprise given that their big offseason acquisitions were Joses Vidro and Guillen. More surprising: Richie Sexson is really struggling (.150/.253/.375) and after finishing fifth in the AL in stolen bases last year, the M’s are dead last in the majors having gone just 6 for 10 on the bases thus far in 2007. On the other side of the ball, Felix Hernandez looked to be breaking out only to go down with a scary elbow injury. He’s expected back next week, but M’s fans will likely continue to hold their breath over the health of King Felix for a while longer. Behind Hernandez’s scary elbow has been more scary pitching in the form of starters Miguel Bautista (6.30 ERA), Horacio Ramirez (6.64) and old buddy Jeff Weaver (0-4, 18.26 in four starts). If not for the unlikely performance of Jarrod Washburn (2.88 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) and the solid showing by their bullpen (3.35 ERA) the M’s would be in a much worse way, which, frankly, I assume they will be before to long.

Tonight, the Yanks draw South Korean-born Cha Seung Baek, who’s holding King Felix’s spot in the rotation. Baek has started against the two worst teams in the American League and produced one solid start, that coming against the Royals at Safeco. The Yankees last tussled with Baek in Jeff Karstens’ major league debut last August. Baek and Karstens matched one another roughly pitch-for-pitch in that contest, with Bobby Abreu homering of Baek and the Yankees pulling ahead against the Mariner bullpen only to see Jaret Wright and Ron Villone blow the game in the final two frames. Tonight, Baek’s mound opponent will be Kei Igawa, who salvaged his spot in the Yankee rotation with a fantastic emergency appearance last Saturday after Karstens had his leg broken by a comebacker on the first pitch of the game. Afterwards, Joe Torre speculated that Igawa might have been well served by the lack of warning, which prevented him from overthinking his outing, or building up nerves. It will be interesting to see how he does tonight, having had the last week to think about tonight’s start.

Incidentally, Igawa still leads the Yankees in wins, though he’s now tied with Luis Vizcaino, who vultured Andy Pettitte’s second win in game one yesterday. His five outings can be split into two awful ones:

9 1/3 IP, 16 H, 14 R, 4 HR, 6 BB, 5 K (13.50 ERA, 2.36 WHIP)

And three solid ones:

17 1/3 IP, 10 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 HR, 7 BB, 14 K (2.08 ERA, 0.98 WHIP)

If the Yankees can find a way to keep Igawa on his game, they could have one of the best fourth starters in baseball.

(more…)

For the most part, it’s tough for me to dislike Manny Ramirez too much. He’s too much of a flake for that. True, I find his constant homer-gazing obnoxious, particularly when he’s not hitting well, but that’s just Manny being Manny, right? The reason I mention Ramirez is because in case you guys missed it, make sure and check out Ben McGrath’s profile of Ramirez in The New Yorker. It’s a couple of weeks old but worth checking out.

Manny being Manny is an annoying phrase but I use it as much as the next dude. My question is, where did that tag start? It wasn’t with Ramirez. I found an article that Pat Jordan wrote about the Yankees in 1987 and he refered to “Rickey being Rickey.” Sounds ideally suited to Henderson. Wonder if that is where it all began…

Also, riding on Jon Weisman’s call, check out Bill Plaschke’s nice piece on one of the L.A. Dodgers’ former clubhouse guys.

The Yanks capped-off a nice day with a 5-2 win last night, as they swept a doubleheader in Texas. Mike Mussina looked sharp for five innings, good enough to earn his first win of the season. According to Tyler Kepner in the Times:

“I was hoping five innings is what I would be able to do,” said Mussina, who threw 49 strikes and only 15 balls. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have any really long innings, 25 pitches or so. I had better command than I expected, and I might have had a little better velocity than I expected the first time back.”

Kyle Farnsworth and Mariano Rivera pitched again, and while neither was as crisp as they had been in the afternoon, both managed to work around the rough spots. The Yanks have now won three straight. Godzilla and Alex Rodriguez each had a couple of hits, Derek Jeter had three, and Doug Mientkiewicz hit a two-run dinger.

In the Tell-Me-Something-I-Don’t-Know Department, rumor has it that Carl Pavano will need Tommy John surgery, which would fittingly keep him on the sidelines for the duration of his misbegotten contract with the Yankees.

The Yanks won a close one in the opener, 4-3. Pettitte wasn’t great but was certainly dogged. Giambi hit a bullet solo homer, though he made a bad running mistake late in the game. Farnsworth ended the eighth with a nasty slider; Mo was his old self in ninth. One thing that jumped out at me watching the post-game. They showed a slow-mo replay of the Yankee congrats-line at the end of the game. They followed Rivera along, dutifully giving dabs to each teammate, Jeter went by, some other guys, and then A Rod walked by and was very amped. He slapped Mo’s hands with authority. Mo got really amped up about it, it was cool to see. A Rod getting Mo juiced.

A very nice win for the Yanks. Now, the bats need to give Moose a whole lotta love in the night-cap. It’s poured since the end of Game One and jeez, the last thing Moose’s fincky ass needs is a wet field to come back to, but what can you do about it? Here’s to the Yanks getting the led out.

The single-admission doubleheader is a rarity in baseball these days, but thanks to last night’s rain-out, and the fact that this is the Yankees’ only trip to Texas this year, the Rangers will be hosting one today. Of course, they’ve split the game times, starting the first at 3:35 (2:25 local time in Arlington) and keeping the original start date for the nightcap at 8:05 (7:05 local) regardless of how early the opener ends.

In Game One, Andy Pettitte resumes his quest for win number two, but now faces Kevin Millwood rather than Robinson Tejeda (good news for Andy as Tejeda’s been much better than Millwood in the early going). Tejeda will then start the nightcap against Mike Mussina, who will swap places on the roster/DL with Phil Hughes.

Mussina has been out exactly three weeks with what was originally considered a very minor hamstring tweak that might not even require a DL stay. It’s amazing to think about how thing have changed while Moose has been away. When he took the mound in Minnesota for his second start of the year, the Yankees were 4-3. They then lost that game after he pulled up lame and went on to surrender a pair of walk-off wins to the A’s in Oakland, but recovered to sweep the Indians at home to run their record to 8-6.

Then it all fell apart. With Mussina, Carl Pavano, Chien-Ming Wang, and Hideki Matsui on the disabled list, the Yankees rolled into Boston with Jeff Karstens and Chase Wright making two of their three starts and lost a trio of heartbreakers, the first of which saw Mariano Rivera blow his second consecutive save opportunity. Slinking into Tampa, Kei Igawa melted down and lost his rotation spot, ruining Matsui’s return, and the bullpen was unable to convert Chien-Ming Wang’s first start into a win, handing the Yankee ace the loss by allowing his bequeathed runners to score. Losses to the Blue Jays (in Phil Hughes major league debut) and Red Sox (an unexpected Andy Pettitte meltdown) followed, pushing the losing streak to seven before Igawa unexpectedly salvaged a game in which a comebacker on the very first pitch broke Karstens leg. Inclusive of that game the Yankees have won two of their last three, but their most recent win was tainted by the loss of Hughes to a serious hamstring injury . . . in the seventh inning of a no-hitter no less.

Oh the drama!

Meanwhile, Pavano, who hit the DL the same day as Mussina, has cut his most recent bullpen session short and hopped a plane to Alabama to see Tommy John specialist Dr. James Andrews. Meat’s back on the indefinite DL, and Hughes is likely out until the All-Star Break, so the Yankees hopes of a turnaround are largely on the shoulders of the two men who will be pitching today.

But no pressure.

Update: Chris Britton takes Hughes’s roster spot for the first game and will be optioned in favor of Mussina before game two. Mike Wood starts in place of Millwood in game one, giving the Yankees an even more favorable matchup (Mike Wood, Millwood, Millwood, Mike Wood, let’s call the whole thing off).

Bernie Carbo—Topps Company—1980 (No. 266)

Pictured here in his last Topps trading card, Bernie Carbo epitomizes the caricature of the 1970s flake. With his unusually permed hair and his slightly dazed look, Carbo appears to be preoccupied with thoughts that have nothing to do with baseball. (And I’m not sure what Carbo did to the pictured bat, which appears to have been slathered in mud from bottom to barrel!)

Like many fans of the game, I usually perceived Bernie Carbo as I viewed this card—with amusement. Recently though, Carbo offered some sobering revelations about his life during a lecture in Worcester, Massachusetts. Not surprisingly, the roots of at least some of his bizarre behavior could be found in a habit that is something other than amusing, specifically a steady drinking problem that evolved into full-blown alcoholism by the time that Carbo reached his 19^th birthday.

For those not familiar with the life and times of Bernie Carbo, he compiled a long list of "eccentricities" during a baseball career that spanned the decade of the 1970s:

*After an early-career trade that sent him from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Boston Red Sox, Carbo received a stuffed gorilla from former Cardinals teammate Scipio Spinks. Carbo’s new friend earned the name "Mighty Joe Young," in honor to the legendary film character from 1930s cinema. When on road trips, Carbo did not like to travel alone; therefore, he usually took his "companion" with him. In order to ensure that his pet "gorilla" would remain by his side, Carbo often paid for an extra ticket. For Carbo, it was well worth the expense.

*Shortly after joining the Red Sox, Carbo gave $20 to an older gentleman who was in the Boston clubhouse and asked him to fetch a cheeseburger and fries. Carbo thought the older man was a clubhouse attendant. He didn’t realize that he was actually Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey. Ah yes, that’s the way to make the boss feel important.

*Playing on June 26, 1975 in a game against the rival Yankees, Carbo made a daring catch at the right-field wall at Fenway Park, robbing Chris Chambliss of a home run. Carbo crashed into the wall, somehow escaping injury but managing to lose the chaw of tobacco he had in his mouth. Carbo then asked umpires for time, so that he could search the outfield for the missing chaw. After holding up the game for nearly ten minutes, Carbo finally found the tobacco lying on the warning track. He picked up the filthy chaw and put it directly back into his mouth, most likely to the disgust of the fans watching from the right-field stands.

*Carbo was one of the few major leaguers who harbored interest in becoming a professional hairdresser. (Please don’t think that I harbor any ill feelings toward the profession of hairdressing; it just seems a bit unusual for a major league ballplayer.) Following the end of his baseball career, Carbo went to cosmetology school and operated a hair salon for eight years. During his playing days, Bernie coifed his hair in a permanent, which was certainly not out of the ordinary for 1970s culture but was fairly uncommon for ballplayers of that decade.

At the time, many of Carbo’s habits were considered quaint—some still are—but some of his on-field mental lapses were likely influenced by his addiction to alcohol and drugs. Carbo managed to keep his drug problems quiet for much of his career, but talked openly about them after his retirement from the game. "I was a drug addict and alcoholic for 28 years," Carbo first told The Sporting News in 2001. "I started drinking when I was about 16 or 17, started on marijuana when I was 21, did cocaine when I was 22 or 23, and got into crystal meth, Dexedrines, Benzedrines, Darvons, codeine. There wasn’t much I didn’t do."

In 1989, Carbo’s problems escalated. His mother committed suicide. A few months later, his father passed away. Carbo himself then went through a divorce. He contemplated suicide. "I did not want to live in this world," Carbo admitted.

Fortunately, two of Carbo’s former teammates with the Boston Red Sox learned of his plight. Ferguson Jenkins and Bill Lee, both of whom had experienced their full share of personal problems, placed calls to Carbo. They convinced him to address his drug problems by entering rehabilitation. During his time in rehab, Carbo learned about Christianity. Embracing the values of the religion, Carbo became a Christian minister while also performing as a motivational speaker.

Though his ascent from depression and drugs has been laudable, Carbo’s travails have not ended. In addition to losing his mother through suicide, Carbo watched his three daughters land in prison because of their involvement with selling drugs. One of the daughters remains behind bars, which explains why Carbo is attempting to adopt three of his grandchildren, all under the age of ten. Carbo’s efforts to gain custody of the children has stirred debate on some internet baseball sites, with some dissenters claiming that his past involvement with drugs and alcohol should preclude the adoption.

I have no idea whether Carbo should be allowed to adopt those children. I simply don’t know him that well. But I have to admit I’m rooting for him. He was a good role player, an underrated hitter with power who sometimes walked more than he struck out. He was a likeable and fun personality who brought life to clubhouses in Cincinnati, St. Louis, Boston, and a few other ports of call in the 1970s. He has also overcome serious drug and alcohol addiction—at least for the moment—and has come back from the verge of suicide to do some meaningful work as a counselor and social worker.

I hope that Carbo can make that final step and complete the transition from caricature of the 1970s to reliable grandfather in the new millennium.

Last fall, fans and media were calling for Joe Torre’s head. The Yankees had been eliminated from the ALDS in four games and the season long tension surrounding Alex Rodriguez, which had been rekindled by a back-biting Sports Illustrated article by Tom Verducci for which Torre had been a primary source, had culminated with Torre batting Rodriguez eighth in the elimination game. In response, Brian Cashman fired media relations director Rick Cerrone (well, technically he non-renewed him).

This spring, fans and media have been calling for Joe Torre’s head. The Yankees are languishing in last place after a dreadful April performance marked by a near complete collapse of the pitching staff. That collapse was touched off by poor performance by the starters, which lead to an increased strain on the bullpen, and has been perpetuated by a series of injuries to the rotation. Most curiously, three Yankee starting pitchers and Hideki Matsui have hit the disabled list with hamstring strains, the most recent being überprospect Phil Hughes, who went down in the midst of throwing a no-hitter. In response, Brian Cahsman has fired director of performance enhancement Marty Miller.

In both cases, Cashman gave the blood-thirsty hordes a head on a spike without disrupting the core of the team, a surgical strike, if you will, as opposed to a massacre. As for the hordes, blood has been spilled. Move along.

As for tonight’s game. Andy Pettitte looks to avoid the mysterious fifth-inning collapse he suffered against the Red Sox on Friday and pick up his long-delayed second win of the season. In his way stands 25-year-old Robinson Tejeda, who has been far and away the Rangers’ best starter in the early going.

Incidentally, for those who missed it, the Rangers made a couple of roster moves before yesterday’s game, placing Frank Catalanotto on the disabled list and calling up ex-Met Victor Diaz (who was promptly inserted into the clean-up spot and victimized by a monstrous Phil Hughes curve in his first major league at-bat in twelve months), and exchanging righty reliever Scott Feldman for counterpart Mike Wood.