What's your sense of security or gloom-and-doom regarding the Yankees and their chances of making the playoffs this season. They're actually closer to first place (6 1/2 games vs. 8 1/2 games) than they were at this point last year. Then again, there are two teams above them.
Are you sold on Sidney Ponson yet? He won't pitch again until after the All-Star break, but he will be in the rotation. Joe Girardi said that even before yesterday's start, but he's certainly in the rotation now. No word yet as to how they'll set up their rotation out of the rotation or if they will rearrange things.
Don't forget -- today's your last chance to vote Jason Giambi onto the All-Star team. He was trailing Evan Longoria yesterday.
Comments (24)
I guess Ponson is ok for the fifth starter. But we need a better option at 4 than Rasner. That post from yesterday, I figure the left handed hitter from Cleveland is Dellucci. But I can't figure who the right handed hitter from Pittsbugh is. Nady, Sanchez? Any ideas out there? I believe the right couple of moves will get us right back in the thick of things.
I think the Yanks have as good of a chance as any team. Nobody really scares me right now in the AL. The West is a joke, the Central is back and forth and the teams in the East have their shortcomings. If the Yanks can get anything decent out of Kennedy in the 2nd half, a decent month out of Hughes and Wang comes back..I think we'll be in it till the end.
I dont see any need to trade for a Gil Meche or another C. Lets roll the dice with what we have, bring up some kids ( Miranda, Cox, Danny Mc, Horne..anyone ) and see who sticks. I love the new role of the underdogs!!
BOW WOW!!!
Whats with the Yankees borrowing the Mustache promotion from the Mets?
Next thing you know the new Yankee stadium will have a Big Apple for HR's.
From September 14 2007.....
And during the Mets' matchup with the Phillies on Friday night, the team finally gave the mustache its due. The first 20,000 fans to arrive at Shea Stadium received fake mustaches courtesy of SNY, honoring Keith's mustache for its recent win in the American Mustache Institute's "Top Sports Mustache of All Time" contest,
Nudge- I think the stache promotion was simply to go along with Giambi's antics and raise awareness of the final all-star ballot. I'm sure Mets weren't the first, and the yanks wont be the last, to do so. You know how many teams copied each other with "cap day"? Just my 2 cents - I have no problem with it....as long as I dont have to see Susan Waldman with one on.
Yanks need to have consistent production from Cano and Abreu come second half. Posada and Jeter will provide the usual numbers, yet have to be more productive in the clutch. Kenny Singleton threw a stat out there the other day - the 2 Yankees that have hit the best with RISP are Damon and Matsui - both on DL. Therefore, others have to contribute in that area.
Ideally, and judging by their recent AB's, one can not expect much from Melky and Gardner, besides tracking down balls in OF and stealing once on base.
Pett is a second half pitcher, Moose is seemingly finding his way through and Joba is coming along as well as one could anticipate. Ponson will hit a tough stretch and Ras seems to still be stuck in one. What worries me is the mere fact that Hughes and Wang wont be back (if at all) until September. Will that prove to be enough time to make a difference?
I dont see the Yanks making any significant moves - what can they do? Abreu to D-backs? (D-backs desperiate for offense). Why preach about the farm system and suddenly let some go come July 31st? Hal and Hank have committed to Cashman's plan of getting younger, and trying to win, therefore I'd expect little at deadline (perhaps bolster bench at low cost).
Miguel,
As reported by Newsday....
Jason Zillo, Yankees' director of media relations, hatched the bizarre promotion.
"I was going through my e-mail Monday morning and came across one from the American Mustache Institute supporting Giambi's candidacy," Zillo said. "I was about to hit delete, and then thought we should have some fun with this."
No mention of it EVER being done before. Mr Zillo HATCHED the idea. I'm sure he was around last September....but can't remember anything about a Mustache promotion. If the Mets did it after the Yankees had done it....you'd all be screaming COPYCATS!!! etc etc.
Nudge-
Like I said, as long as Waldman doesnt have one on, I'm cool with it.
Miguel,
I think she has her own.
Nudge..what the hell's the difference? Giambi has a stache on now, we havent seen a good stache on a player in years. Its funny and a good spot to promote him for the All Star game ( which should be Dye or Longoria ). The furthest thing from the Yanks mind is that the Mets ran a stache promo last year for a guy that hasnt played in 2 decades and is now an announcer. If Giambi didnt have a mustache, this would not be happening..period. Mets or not, the two have nothing to do with each other. Take your inquisitive conspiracy theory mind and go find out some real info like..
who really shot JFK?
who really shot MLK?
what is area 51 really used for?
was it a weather balloon or a govt coverup in Roswell?
what happened to the group of Avengers lost in the Bermuda Triangle?
did we really land on the moon, or was it a TV set?
did George Bush have anything to do with 911?
did the Mason's design and build DC?
do the illuminate run the world?
was Jesus married to Mary?
if so, did they have a son?
did the Royal Family have anything to do with Princess Di's death?
did Biggy and Pac fake their deaths and are living it up in Cuba?
Go ahead Nudge, do your magic and connect the dots for the rest of us simps...you top notch inspector you!!!!
Dru,
1). Oswald
2). FBI
3). growing poppies
4). PCP trip
5). drowned
6). ask Armstrong
7). W couldn't dial 911
8). yes
9). lay off the pipe
10. does it matter?
11). how the heck would anyone know or prove it?
12). probably
13). wouldn't you?
DRU,
Remember the "Enter the Sandman" outrage? Yankee fans cried for a full season about that. Even without the correct facts. Don't be so thin skinned. Slight pokes could cause terminal bleeding.
DRU,
con·spir·a·cy (kn-spîr-s)
n. pl. con·spir·a·cies
1. An agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful, or subversive act.
2. A group of conspirators.
3. Law An agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action.
4. A joining or acting together, as if by sinister design: a conspiracy of wind and tide that devastated coastal areas.
So I am confused as to the purpose of your rant.
LOL...Just having some fun with you Smudge, believe me, this is all for fun, you seem to take yourself too serious though. You posted 3 times on the subject like it was a breaking story. FYI..nobody else cares about the Mets running the same stache promo but you. The two promos are independent of each other. If the Mets never ran that promo last year, the Yanks would still be doing their promo this year.
Anon..thanks for the answers!!! lol
Nudge,
It's entirely possible that this guy didn't remember that the Mets had a mustache night. To be honest, I didn't remember the Mets did it until you brought it up.
Honest mistake, nothing sinister about it.
As for Ponson, 2 out of 3 good starts - would still like to upgrade from him and Rasner though. Guys like that are fine pitching big games for the Royals or the Nats, but to have them as the 4 and 5 of the Yankees for the months of July and August does not sit well.
Sounds like Aaron Harang might be going on the DL so forget about him coming to the Yankees. Don't want Bedard. AJ Burnett or Gil Meche might be the two best options out there.
(wow I love the ability to use this moniker with Permission from the name sake)
Chip, Tru Yankee.
Yes David Delluci was a STRONG option but "percentages " killed any possibility of a deal, However my Namesake said he finds those %'s to be overkill and reminded us of Paul O'Neil.
as for obtaining a big name contract at THIS point right now it is highly unlikley as the team is prepared to wait until the offseason. also the fact that this team is in contention as of now is a plus as well in keeping the roster intact.
Had the team had a bad losing record then yes decisions would have to be made and that would be a problem with one of your top trade on the DL - Damon . Yes Damon if the team was losing and Damon was still hitting the way he has been then the possibility would be there and take what ever prospect and place them into the roster and just let them get their feet wet in experience. AJAX would have been called up if the team was losing and it's is in debate wether or not to let Bobby A walk after the season or trade him i think the 1st option is the route they will take . Last night also showed something that the yankees has'nt had in CLUTCH moments in awhile
Speed and SB's off the Bench!
My screen Namesake told me - "That Justin Christian steal of third and the other "steals" recent would have been a valuable commodity 4 years ago, he was very impressed at the "instincts" of our newly called youth (Brett, Justin)
Chip -
I brought up our proposals of obtaining the Hairstons and you would be suprised at the reply from Brian.
In closing those would be the kind of deals this team is willing to make at this time
Funny piece from SI.com's Where Are they Now Vault:
YES, MIKE GREENWELL is bitter about 1988, but when he talks about it, he doesn't start with the fact that he was the runner-up in the American League MVP voting to Jose Canseco, who has since admitted to steroid use. He starts with the Boston Globe reporter who called him a hick. "I was from the country, and I wore jeans and a cowboy hat," says Greenwell, who was born in Louisville. "And someone said I was so dumb I had named my son Bo because I couldn't spell Bob." As Greenwell tells the story, he's looking out on a 15,000-square-foot riverside plot in Fort Myers, Fla., where he is the general contractor on a multimillion dollar dream home for him and his wife, Tracy. It will have ponds, indoor water fountains and an infinity-edge pool. "For a dumb country boy," says Greenwell, 44, with a chuckle, "I've done O.K."
Would love to know who that Globe writer was who called him a hick. Couldn't have been good for access. And the Bo-Bob line is harsh! At least he has the good humor to repeat it.
Also, there's a nice update by Lee Jenkins on Jim Abbott's life these days and the work he does to help physically disabled kids around the country: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1141799/index.htm
Stick's Rep,
What do they think about Raul Ibanez? He would be an excellent fit.
so dumb I had named my son Bo because I couldn't spell Bob..hilarious!!!
UPDATES!!
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From yesterday's games
Juan Miranda was 3 for 4, and his average is now .292.
Phil Coke put together a quality start, giving pu 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings of work, striking out 6 in the process. His ERA is 2.96 on the season.
Mark Melancon struggled, giving up 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings of relief. he also struck out 2. This outing raised his ERA to 2.09, showing how great he has been this season.
( Hey Gene's rep, please ask Stick why the Yanks are pitching Mark 2+3 innings at a time???? )
Austin Jackson was 1 for 3 with a walk, but had an adventurous day on the bases, getting picked off twice.
It was business as usual for Dellin Betances tonight. In 5 innings, the tall righty allowed just 2 hits and an unearned run, but also walked 5 and struck out 6. It appears that his control problems are still there, but at least he is still getting hitters out effectively, and getting his share of strikeouts.
Jesus Montero, DH’ing, was 2 for 2 with his 9th home run and 2 walks. He also got his average back over .300, as it now sits at .301. His OPS also just went back over .800, and is at a very solid .801.
Austin Romine handled the catching duties, and went 2 for 4 to raise his average to .282.
Brian Bruney struck out 2 in a perfect relief inning, and he could be headed up to AA soon on his road back to the Bronx.
==============================
Looks like Bruney is just a couple weeks away from coming back. If he can regain the form he had early in the year, our pen will be even stronger. We may not have a dominate starting rotation, but our pen is one of the best in the league. Man, IPK and Hughes really spit the bit this year, if they were just pitching decent, we would be near the top of the division. I think we'll be in pretty good shape with our staff going into next year as long as these kids can stay healthy...a BIG IF so far.
Interview with Mark Newman ( Yankees Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations )
http://thunderbaseball.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/hello-newman/
Couple good points......
- Newman said that in the 20 years he’d been with the Yankees, he had not seen the system as stocked with pitching prospects as it is now.
“It’s not really close. The scouts have done a nice job, and the pitching coaches have done a real good job. Nardi Contreras, our pitching coordinator, Scott (Aldred) here, and Dave Eiland, the big league pitching coach, they’ve done a really great job.”
“Having said that, we need to do the same thing on the position player side of the ledger as we have on the pitching side. We’ve spent most of our high draft choices on pitchers, so that’s the reason. Again, this year: first pick, pitcher, second pick, pitcher.”
- Newman is excited about the young bats in the system.
“We’ve got some stuff going on in Charleston right now with our two middle guys (Snyder and Angelini), who are good hitters and really good defenders. Our center fielder (Abe Almonte) is a quality player. Colin Curtis, we think is going to hit. Jose Tabata is down in Tampa with a pulled hamstring. At age 19, he was getting in the .250 range or .240 range here after a horrible start. He was starting to handle the ball inside a little better, which is a part of hitting that typically shows up later. We like the position players we have here, and we feel good about the group we have in Charleston.”
- Newman is really excited about Austin Jackson.
“Like him a lot. Potentially a five-tool guy. His power is emerging. It started in the second half last year, and it’s coming on this year over the last five or six weeks. He runs, he runs the ball down in the outfield, throws. So he’s a player, and we think he’s going to be a quality big league guy for us.”
- Newman did not necessarily commit to keeping Mark Melancon in Trenton all season.
“Yes (the plan is to keep him in Trenton all season), but plans are changeable. Whoever’s the next Joba, I’m not sure. But he certainly has ability, and he’s pitched extraordinarily well here. He’s still essentially in a rehab season. This is his first competition in professional baseball, and he’s doing it coming off Tommy John surgery. We didn’t expect him to do this well.”
Great updates Dru.
How is Cervelli doing these days?
I've checked Phil Hughes' blog and I read the papers on line but I have not seen any updates on him....anybody hear anything?
The Mariners released Richie Sexson and Erik Bedard is now on the DL.
I know Chip has wanted Sexson for a while but I'd stay away from him if I'm the Yanks.
Yu Darvish...Im not sure we're going to get this kid out of Japan anytime soon. He's 21, just got married, is having a kid, is a rock star there and his team is in contention
http://www.npbtracker.com/2008/06/the-darvish-effect/
I was getting my hopes up but dont see it happening for a long while...oh well.
Jim - Cervelli logged some innings at the A level a couple weeks back, but I havent seen anything on him since, its like he vanished. As far as Phil, looks like the earlist we can expect him back is Sept 1st.
Im out early today, have a good one all.
GO YANKS!
Im out early today, have a good one all.
GO YANKS!
We really need to stay the course, and not make any PanicMoves. lETS SEE WHAT SOME OF THESE KIDS CAN DO FOR A CHANGE, AS WE MOAN AND GROAN ABOUT NOT SEEING PROSPECTS, WELL, HERE THEY ARE FOOLS. Two Tickets remaing for the All Star game, see me on the Live Blog.