On the Yankees beat

I saw that game last night Ponson pitched.
He has good stuff, certainly good enough to get you to the seventh inning without getting blown out.
His vulnerability is wildness.
If he can stay consistent and not get wild, he will be more than adequate.

The Yankees though, really need another solid pitching ace. I know, easier said then done, but that's what they need. Not another "can't come through in the clutch" slugger.

I watched Ponson's efforts the other night. It encouraged me to want to see more. I cannot percieve of any pickups by 7/31 being much better. Ponson does have the ability to get people out. His fastball at times registerd 92mph. So, let us go with it. The fifth starter should give us an opportunity to win. He appears to have this ability. We'll see more against more potent lineups. Toronto should be a better test.

The Yanks better grab any and every pitcher they can get. It is only late July, and "Clueless Joe" lets Randy Johnson throw 129 pitches. Torre is notorious for burning up bullpens, now he is torching the starting staff. This abuse of old pitchers is going to make getting into the playoffs very difficult.

Anyone else notice Shea Hillenbrand was designated for assignment by Toronto? Might be a good pickup for us

So when Torre lets Johnson pitch deep into the game (and he's pitching well), you get on his case for saving the bullpen? If he took Johnson out in the 7th, would you then get on his case for "burning up" the bullpen? In Johnson's last 8 starts, he's averaged 102 pitches per game, including yesterday. For the season, Randy is now averaging 100 pitches/start, and while the guy is 42, I think the mindset is more "Let's get some innings out of Randy Johnson now, while he's in a groove."

I think the overuse of Proctor and Villone are more of a concern. I think that Sturtze and Quantrill are good examples of what may happen when a decent reliever is overused, but what is the choice, trotting TJ Beam, Kris Wilson, or Shawn Chacon out in a big spot?

The Yanks need Hillenbrand as much as they need a hole in the head. He whines when he doesn't play, so what will you expect when he's on the Yankees bench? Sure, he may be slightly better than Andy Phillips, but that much better? Doubtful.

I thought that Ponson did a good job the other night and we may have found another diamond-in-the-rough with this kid. Pitching for the Yanks may be what this kid needs to succeed. Who knows?
As far as getting another pitcher, well, pickin's are slim to say the least. We may just have to go with what we have and the farm (Dotel) to carry us.

Sidney got off to a nice start in his Yankees debut the other nite but it's still too early to tell if this move will work out or not. That said as Cash said, this move is low risk for the Yanks and I think it was worth it for the Yanks to take a shot - after all, how much worse can he be than Pavano and Wright??

I really have to laugh at the "Clueless Joe" comment. Is it his fault he can't trust the other members of the bullpen?

Does Torre play favorites? Most definitely. But you become a favorite by pitching well. And with the way the offense has sputtered on an off this season, can you really blame Torre for sticking with pitchers he feels he can trust in pressure situations?

I live in St. Louis and watch the Cardinals now and then. Ponson is a good pitcher. If he can control his drinking and be strong that way, he should do well for the Yankees. Let's all pull for him. Tony LaRussa told the TV news here that he "wouldn't be surprised" to see Ponson do well with the Yankees. We've had horrific storms here in St. Louis over the last week, these correspond in a way to the problems Ponson has had personally. Again, we should be rooting for him to do well on and off the field. That would be decent and moral. Just my two cents.