As we head to the bottom of the first inning, with the Yankees up 1-0 on Jorge Posada's fielder's choice RBI, I've got a question for readers about the Yankees' 18-22 start.
What player (Players Only!) do you blame most? What player, if he was doing what you expect from him, could have made a big positive change?
Comments (30)
HAHAHAAHAH
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? DID HE JUST BREAK HIS HAND IN FRONT OF US LIKE ON HIS LAST WARM UP PITCH?
Great broken hand and now the bullpen has to pitch the entire game, i have lost all faith for the rest of the season. It's officialy over. Time to think about next year.
Another starter bites the dust.
All joking aside...
Did anybody think like me, that Gator looked like seriously like he would take the mound?
Snakebit.
Incredible.
I Didn't know if Joe or Gator were gonna just take off the wind breaker.
That was funny.
We should hold walk on try outs whenever and where ever we play kinda like the carnivales with the radar guns for 5 bucks 3 throws. This way we save money and don't tax the bullpen.
Let me know
I'll be here all afternoon laughing my ass off
Mariano has blown 3 games. That three-game swing would have given the Yankees a winning record.
The question at the end is better than the question at the beginning. I'm not sure it's a matter of fault. But Mo, if he was doing what we expect from him, could have made a big positive change ...
I'll give you 10-1 odds we lose this game and Bostons wins theirs. By the time our "post game" report is wrapping up and Karl Ravetch is taking to the airwaves we will be 12 back. Okay...I'll stop now. I'm not helping.
Kat to answer your question ...
Cano, Giambi, Abreu and Mo are all tied for the number one position in failing to do their bit, sorry to put Mo in there. Jeff Passan published a column today with some very interesting statistics on Yahoo Sports.
As for the dead wood category, Nieves, Cairo, Meyers, Vizcaino and Farnsworth are all tied.
Play Doug M. more, Lucy is right he is hitting. He hit with Minny like a deamon.
Make a trade w/ Giants for pitching. Get Noah Lowrey. Get a righty bat.
Scout the College World Series. Sign players from cultures we can identify with, at least a few of them. Consider the future chemistry of the team, as do Los Mets and the Cardinals.
Let JT be w/ his brother in this very hard time.
Bring back Henn, use Clippard and the other young arms. Don't forget Rasner and Karstens have a lot of guts.
Trade Igawa and some kids to St. Louis for Tyler Johnson.
One final thing. You are a good journalist Kat. Don't let anyone tell you differently.
Anthony -- still waiting for an email so I can pass on your info about the baseball from the Field of Dreams.
Kat: the whole team is starting to be affected. I cannot see this getting any better anytime soon. injuried riddle pitching staff causing the bullpen to breakdown. Cano,Abreu not hitting plus injuries to positional players. The team is a mess Cashman needs to take blame plus Joe for sitting on his brain.
Good afternoon Kat.
Honestly the lineup and spark is so non existance that I cannot finger a player. if I had too it would be Abreu he is the number 3 hitter. I have to bring it back to Mgmt on the lineup , in defense to Cano why the 3rd runner up is batting where he is ? My friends schooled me on the fact that cano did not bat consecutivly for a whole season last year meaning that the stats could have been a mirage. Damon is not doing his part as leadoff hitter his walk / obp % is low and finally we really have no ACE pettite is doing his part but we have no ace , wang is not such.
back to reality . The mets are playing like the 90's yankees why ? is their players that much BETTER than ours (general Mgr) or is their COACH the energy supplier (manager)
I'm sorry I call it as I see it.
Gotta love your great journalist bit Anthony whaever the heck your name is. Your trades are really interesting. Did you make this up before mommy tucked you into bed? This is the kind of stuff that gives us Yankee fans a bad name. I would love to see the Yankees (in no particular order) Fire Cashaman. Let Torre finish out the year. Trade Cano for some real starting pitching. Trade Cabrera (Man i wish they would of in the winter) Couldn't include Proctor in that trade could they with Atlanta for Mike Gonzalez. How about letting Mankiovic (however you spell his name) and let him play full time at first. These other moves are for the future of the team. Let A-Rod opt out and sign or trade for some one who is gritty and a solid third baseman. How about Joe Crede. I know he's not hitting now but the man has guts and would be a force in the clubhouse. This BS has gotta to stop now. Too many soft Latin ballplayers...Rodriguez, Abreu, Cano, Cabrera. Enough of this crap their bench is terrible and the soul of this team is lost. We don't need quitters and losers to put on that uniform. Let them play for the Mets or the Red Sox.
on cano ...
What I meant to say was for such a Strong finish last season in batting title race why was,nt he higher in the lineup to start the season. Excuse my grammar.
AS MUCH as I try NOT to root for the mets they IMPRESS me because they play with that NO FEAR.
I mean ENDY ? look at their bench who is their scouts ?? Easley ?? i mean what is going on?
Did anyone think that Darell Rasner was going to pitch well today? The Yankees had a better chance with Gilda Radner pitching. That guy sucked. The Nationals released him. Who are we kidding? The Red Sox series is our season. We have two more game to suffer in. Once we get our full rotation of Pettitte, Wang, Mussina, Clemens and whomever they decide for the fifth pitcher. Please could Hughes be far behind? Then they have a shot. Otherwise this team is dooomed. And their are too many reasons to innumerate why they are 4 games under .500. Dont give me this Latin B.S. If they played in the NL with the whole team intact they would be in the playoffs.
I blame Chuck Knoblauch!!! if he had given us Three more years of Chuck baseball before the mental crap we would have some rings and maybe not have to sign some of these idiots. I would have also resigned sori. he may have issues but he is NO QUITTER. but noooooo all you panzies on here want that BS chemisty in your pathetic clubhouse where has that taken you in the last few years??
and if the mets played in the AL boston would be in second a soft player is a soft player. these fools have no fight in them . WHY can it be LEADERSHIP????
Bronx Bomber,
You think the Mets are better then the Red Sox? Look at their pitching and bullpens? Are you kidding me? I hate the Red Sox but you can't be serious or can you?
you again is going by stats you actually sound like a stubborn yankee fan. In 04 yankees had better stats .
METS have the MAGIC right now I been watching baseball for awhile and if this team is not literally beaten their unwillingness to lose would be their biggest defense. 1986 redsox had better stats as well.
again the game is mental. with a healthy pedro and the energy the mets hold the mental game
Stupid Stuff,
You are right, play Doug M. at first.
Tyler Johnson is young, lefty and has had very good success.
Don't mention my mother ever again.
This is my name ...
Anthony LoBaido
I am very disappointed and hurt.
Anthony: "Sign players from cultures we can identify with..."
Stupid Stuff: "Too many soft Latin players..."
Xenophobia and racism.
What a way to improve a team. Or a blog.
I realize people are upset right now facing failure, but try to remember that not only the players but the fans, including some of us here, come from many cultures. We identify with each other around our common devotion to the team. Unless you would prefer that some of us be excluded?
Again had Torre put in a more RELAIBLE reliever after Rasner got hurt then maybe the game would be closer why was;nt a Moose placed is puzzling. you supposed to manage like your offense is going to come through
phelps had a good game he need not to leave the lineup
Diane,
Having worked in 40 countries and learning Korean and Spanish ... I don't agree with your take. I covered Spring Training in Arizona and the Spanish speaking players were always VERY kind to me ... classy. Teddy Higuera, Dave Martinez are two that come to mind right away. Very, very kind and nice guys.
But I was meaning only that language and cultural barriers hurt esprit de corps. Like in U.N. Peacekeeping forces (Somalia debacle.)
I think Lucy wrote something about this.
As an aside, everyone loves the Hispanic players until they talk about their faith in Jesus Christ, and then the real hatred comes out against them. (There's nothing more intolerant than an all goodie-gushie liberal.)
I think of Ivan R. after the Marlins won the World Series ... M. Rivera is a very godly man. Posada is a great player a good person.
Moving along, how can you learn Japanese, Taiwanese, English and Spanish ... ?
How do the players relate off the field? Baseball is a universal game with a universal language all it's own I suppose.
This team has ZERO chemistry. We've had a rapist (Gooden), drug addicts, (Howe, Strawberry) and the team always has had a nice mix ... throw in Sheff and Giambi for the steroids. And we had an Australian too! Again a nice mix!
But the old auxillary core (Posada, Jeter, Mo and Pettitte to me were the main core) has never been replaced.
Chuck
Scott
Paul
Tino
Stanton
There's something missing.
I can't put my finger on it. What I do know is they should be finding and drafting a Josh Hamilton, or a Ben Sheets, not missing on Igawa. It's an American Game. Find the best talent here, FIRST. America FIRST, world second. There's an agenda here, its globalist and financial and it is hurting the team. Period.
But let them keep on this way and see what happens ... Teams like the Cardinals understand this, right or wrong. Of course racism is ugly in all its forms. Our soldiers are hated in South Korea and when racism is directed against you, it is hurtful and ugly. I would be upset if people in let's say, Guatemala told me I was not welcome there.
Anyway, it is only a game.
I like the Yankees and the Mets and I hope they both do well ...
And that the season turns around.
Final Thought: Why bring in Gooden and Straw but not Josh Hamilton, an overall number one pick with a world of talent, beyond Paul O'Neil. We could have had him for the Major League minimum instead of 16 million for Bobby Abreu. Again, why? What's the agenda?
JOE TORRE
Hey tony ,
Gooden was never a rapist, Polonia was dude.
as for the core teams, the yankees SELECTION of players is based on their attitude when formating CLUBHOUSE ways. for the historical record each time the yankees came across a feiry minority ballplayer it never sat well with them , the antics Paul pulled off would never be accepted by anyone else except for maybe Jorge , Jeter , Mo. the team make up is due to poor mangement. BC is not Gene Michael who I feel Honestly should take over especially before the trading deadline he would find deals for these players. Diane is right in saying this is a diverse board you may have done many countries and I commend you , But this is New york and One train ride can take you on a world tour. Bottom Line is Yes the players is soft yes they are and that is my biggest issue with Sheff's departure we lost that fire and the Fans here would say well he was a cancer to the club , well that CANCER is hitting pretty good power numbers and his club has a pretty good record and lets see was ready to fight when his club was hit by opposing pitchers. trust me if he was here we would not be in this slump Just my personal view. add to the fact that he has a Fiery manager add fuel to success that is what this team needs perhaps a fiery manager to put these players on notice. I was reading the clones in other posts and a few of them even in clown behavior was making sense.
Old man's get in your facepost was hilarious but true
Kat,
Anthony posted his email address so I was able to contact him. Thanks for checking though!
Blame for this season's start? Cashman for believing in Pavano, thinking the Yanks could go without an upgraded bullpen, not finding a backup catcher, finding poor bench players, thinking Igawa would succeed in MLB and hiring "Hamstring Harry" away from the geriatrics he was training in Florida.
Hey Ant,
The Yankees you speak wistfully of were a team because they played together before they were champions, gelled, and grew into a powerful team. (I am reminded of Mariano's quote about how the terrible time s you spend together in the valley make you strong when you reach the mountain.)
These Yankee teams built by signing the highest priced, aging free agents each year will never have that esprit de corps of your beloved 90s teams. But it's not because they aren't all your preferred race and culture. The annual parade of bone spurs and lower back problems and bad arms have everything to do with the franchise's strategy to compete in desperation every year with money instead of building the team up internally. How can you compare those 90s role players to guys like Abreu, Giambi, A-Rod? How could they possible fit in the same way? If A-Rod does the same wonderful thing that Brosius did, he'd get no credit. He's supposed to be the best ever. That's not much fun for anybody.
Any baseball fan who would miss out on seeing Johann Santana, Felix Hernandez, or Pedro Martinez because he wants to put "America First" is a damn fool. Maybe if you could keep your personal issues and politics out of your baseball you'd appreciate that as Americans we are lucky to see the best athletes in the world, not because of liberal policy. The league only desegrated when owners figured out that a team of high-fiving white guys that the fans identify with is worth nothing if the other team has better players. That the AL was slow to figure that out ("what will our chemistry be if we allow blacks in the locker room? in the hotel?") may have cost the Yankees championships as the NL seized the void. This team is out of its prime and needs to get younger and faster, not whiter.