Monday, March 29, 2010

Enough is Enough



So I'm watching Sunday's rain-shortened Yankees-Tigers Spring Training game, and there's not much going on. The Yanks are up by 8, it's raining, and everyone is standing around wondering when the tarp is going to go on the field so they can hit the post-game spread. But then I notice something, and so does the YES Network crew. WHAT IS RICHARD GERE DOING, IN UNIFORM, STANDING NEXT TO JOE GIRARDI? Richard Gere has absolutely no affiliation with the Yankees, and whoever came up with the idea to put him in uniform should be disciplined immediately.

OK, I get it. I sound irrational. But the Yankees are one week away from Opening Night in Beantown, and the dugout is no place for celebrities. The Yankees steered away from this type of shenanigans in Spring Training last season, and won the World Series. In 2008, Joe Girardi thought it would be a good idea to let Billy Crystal bat in a Spring Training game and embarrass the franchise. We all know how that season turned out. I don't care if he made a movie, or if he saw Mickey Mantle play in 1956, but he has no reason taking away

I'm all for Joe Girardi's "team-building" activities that he hosts every year....chemistry is important. But any celebrity not named Steinbrenner or Kate Hudson (hey, she works miracles) has no business hanging out in uniform during a game, practice, or any team event. If only George were still in his heyday...

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Kick in the Ace



In case you missed it, Joe Girardi announced today that Phil Hughes will be the Yankees fifth starter this season. I think we heard that last year, too, and Hughes was in the pen by June. Despite his outstanding Spring Training, and his solid numbers as a starter back in 2008, Alfredo Aceves is once again being sent to the bullpen for no apparent reason. I do understand that Hughes needs to be developed, but since when do the Yankees ever think beyond this season? This blog has said it once, and sadly, it will likely be repeated again: The 2010 Yankees are a MUCH better team with Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain in their bullpen.

With Hughes, Chamberlain, Marte, and Rivera in the bullpen, any starter needs to go a maximum of six innings to hand it over to a very strong pen. Many argue that Phil Hughes pitching the eighth inning last season was a turning point that led to championship number 27. Sure, it's great to have a "long man" in the bullpen. Everyone knows the Yanks did well with a guy like Ramiro Mendoza in their pen during the late 1990's-early 2000's dynasty. But we already have that this season: newly acquired Chan Ho Park.

Let's pull for Phil Hughes. I hope the Yankees can prove me wrong. But I have a feeling that Hughes will be back in the same spot after no more than a couple of months: manning the bullpen, which has the potential to be very, very good. 10 days and counting...

Monday, March 22, 2010

Burn Out



It's still Spring Training, but it's more of the same: inconsistency for A.J. Burnett. Once again, Burnett will be a key to the Yankees' success this season. But I'm here to tell you that he's the number one key to the team in 2011. Why? You know what you're getting from C.C., Andy will always be clutch, Vazquez is just the fourth starter, but Burnett has to pitch like a number 2, not a number 5.

When Burnett is on, he's got some of the filthiest stuff in baseball. But when he's bad, he really is bad. The Yankees got away with having three starters in the playoffs because of the ridiculous amount of off days that Major League Baseball provides. Both the ALCS and World Series became interesting because Burnett threw up a couple of stinkers in clinching opportunities.

All we heard about this guy was that he's lights out against Boston. I guess that only happens when he's pitching north of the border. All I saw when Burnett pitched in Fenway was balls hitting the Green Monster, and A.J. muttering under his breath about how much he hates pitching to Posada. C.C. Sabathia is the team's ace. He's paid like it, and he pitches like it. But A.J. Burnett is not far behind in terms of his job this season. With the Red Sox featuring a staff of John Lackey (not signed by the Yankees for no reason), Josh Beckett, John Lester, and company, the Yankees' big three have to step it up to remain in the race all season.

Regardless, at least A.J. has been accurate since his arrival with the shaving cream to the face maneuver after each walk-off victory.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Bad News for the Nation



This might give you a clue as to how bored I am during Spring Training. Sure, I'll participate in the office March Madness pool, but I could care less about college sports in general. Luckily, we are less than four weeks away from Opening Day, and I stumbled across some hilarious news earlier this morning. It turns out that Ronan Tynan, the racist opera singer, has joined Red Sox Nation after being banished from Yankee Stadium last season due to his antisemitic comments about his apartment building neighbors.

According to several reports, Tynan has already been asked to sing God Bless America on Opening Night, when the Sox host the World Champs. Maybe the Red Sox should take a long look around their infield and see if anyone may take offense to this idea, like Kevin Youkilis. Nice going guys.

Don't get me wrong, Tynan has a magnificent singing voice. But the Yankees did the right thing by not putting up with his comments last season. He showed up in the Bronx in 2001, when the Yankees began playing God Bless America during every seventh inning stretch. The Yankees won in 2000 before Tynan got there, and they won in 2009 when the weeble was banned. Here's to another long Red Sox curse.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Pen is Mightier Than the Start



Enough already. The Joba Chamberlain Should Be a Starter Experiment is over. Especially after today's Spring Training Performance against the Detroit Tigers. Joba got the start for the Bombers, and in two innings, he was virtually flawless. Chamberlain was economical, and probably would not have allowed a base hit if not for a play Mark Teixeira should have made at first base. Then, in the third inning, the midges came back. OK, maybe not, but Joba completely imploded after two. He gave up six runs and couldn't finish the inning. WHY ARE WE STILL CONSIDERING THIS MAN TO BE A STARTING PITCHER? The guy is an all-or-nothing flame thrower that belongs in the bullpen as part of the "Bridge to Mariano."

I understand that Phil Hughes should probably be developed as a starter. But the Yankees don't think to the future. They think about the present. And the present state of the Yankees is that this team is better with both Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes in the bullpen. Think about it. Can Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre, or Alfredo Aceves get it done as the fifth starter? Absolutely. With a pen of Chamberlain, Hughes, Marte, Robertson, Gaudin/Aceves, Chan Ho Park, and Mariano, you're talking about the best in baseball.

Let's stop with the experiment. If they are both supposed to be starters, let it happen in the future. The Yankees don't put off seasons to develop players. They bring the house every year and try to bring another title to the Bronx. Time to stop the experimenting Girardi. Get them both in the bullpen, and get it over with. Brian Cashman even admitted last week that the 2010 Yankees are better with both young guns in the bullpen. Someone should take a listen.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Long Way Home



Where is George Steinbrenner when you need him? Five games into their Grapefruit League season, the New York Yankees are a complete disaster. Another game, another lopsided loss. Today, I was not disgusted with the fact that the Yankees gave up 11 runs to the Minnesota Twins. Only three were given up by Major League caliber pitching- Chad Gaudin. At least Mitre pitched three scoreless frames, making my dream of Joba and Hughes in the bullpen a little bit closer to coming true.

What was disgusting about today's game, and the first five of the Spring season for that matter, is that the Yankees cannot hit the baseball. I know the games don't count. I know they only play the regulars for half of the game, and I know that it's only March 7th. But all of these other teams seem to have no problem putting the bat on the ball. This falls on the shoulders of the hitting coach: Kevin Long.

It seems that the Yankees have had no problems having fun this Spring, especially Kevin Long. When A.J. Burnett won a video game tournament during "Bonding Day," Long decided to pie Burnett in the face. Long is nowhere near deserving of a pie for himself. Then today, as the Yankees are getting it handed to them, C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte are seen on television at the Orlando Magic game. Why this is permitted is beyond me.

It's only five exhibition games, but this is cause for concern. I think it's time to stop resting on our laurels and start realizing the goal of the season. I know Brian Cashman has not done enough to compete with our division rivals this off-season, as we have an outfield that may hit over .200 overall, while the Red Sox acquired John Lackey for their starting rotation. But these men have to realize that they are still Yankees. They are still World Champions, so it's time to start playing like it. If not, Mr. Long is the first to go.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Clearwater Complaints



I know, I know. It's one Spring Training game, and the game was blown by a guy who will never see the Bronx this year, unless he buys a ticket. But a couple of things bothered me about today's 3-2 loss to the Phillies. Get used to this. Whether it's a Spring Training game, regular season game, or Chutes and Ladders, I will complain when a loss occurs.

1. I have subscribed to Gameday Audio at mlb.com, and I really enjoy it. For $19 a year, I can listen to every single game on the radio at my desk. This will really help out on weekday games, since there's no television in our office. I hear that Sandals Antigua has Internet, so I'm set on my honeymoon (just kidding, honey). When the Phillies picked up their walk-off victory, I had to hear broadcaster Todd Kalas (son of Harry) that the Phillies had earned a bit of "retribution" against the Yankees today. Not sure if a Spring Training game would make me feel better about losing the World Series, but whatever works for him.

2. On yesterday's post, I commented that Nick Johnson cracked an RBI double and scored from second on a base hit without getting hurt, which I was very excited about. Stupidly, I forgot that he could get his spikes caught on a tarp and strain his lower back during batting practice the next day. Get ready for a long season of Nick Johnson pulled muscles and hang nails.

3. Come on guys. It's the second game of the Spring. Facing Roy Halladay and the Phillies, let's at least bring all of the regulars with us to start the game and let them get a few AB's against one of the best pitchers in baseball. Don't give me Hoffman batting second, Randy Winn, and Brandon Laird. In fairness, the Phillies didn't play Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez. Would I be complaining as a Phillies' fan? What do you think?

4. According to WFAN's Mike Francesa today, an anonymous member of the Yankees stated that he received a text message from Johnny Damon, who's been in Tigers camp for just over a week now. Apparently, the text message said something to the extent of Damon regretting not taking the Yankees' 2 year, $14 million offer. Nice job Johnny. That's why you'll always be an idiot.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

This Guy Wants Pie



Colin Curtis has become a legendary Yankee. OK, maybe not. But his walk-off bomb in the Grapefruit League opener certainly made me smile. The game meant nothing. The standings don't matter. Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera did not play, and guys like Teixeira and A-Rod only had two at bats apiece. Regardless, it's good to see that the Yankees are picking up right where they left off last season.

A few positives jumped out after today. Yes, it's only one exhibition game. Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre each tossed two scoreless innings. As I said in my last post, one of them SHOULD BE THE FIFTH STARTER. That would keep Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes in the bullpen, making the late innings a guarantee for the Bronx Bombers. Another positive: Royce Ring. We could use another lefty besides Damaso Marte, who was incredibly inconsistent before the World Series. Finally, Nick Johnson's double and run scored had to make you feel good about his comeback, in addition to the fact that he did not injure himself in the process.

It's one game. It didn't even count. But I really enjoyed getting to check out the game on the YES Network, even as Michael Kay stated that the Yankees had "climbed baseball's Olympus." Calm down Michael. The small pre-game ceremony with the World Series trophy was also a good sign knowing that the Yankees are going to milk the heck out of the fact that they are World Champions. Good for them. They deserve it.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Strike up the Band...Curtis is Grand!



I sincerely believe that we'll hear the legendary John Sterling calling out those words when Curtis Granderson cracks his first Yankee home run. Based on last year's statistics for Granderson, the bandbox that is the new Yankee Stadium, we should hear that a lot. I must apologize for the lack of postings over the last week. Once the Grapefruit League season begins on Wednesday, we'll have lots to talk about each and every day. Thought I'd open up the week with some interesting notes/thoughts about Spring Training and the upcoming 2010 regular season.

1. Curtis Granderson is going to be a perfect fit for the Yankees. The one "negative" in his game was his inability to hit left-handed pitching. So what are Kevin Long and the Yankees doing? Working on that. Yogi said that 90 percent of the game is half-mental. Maybe Granderson just needs some confidence, which is why the Yankees had Granderson taking batting practice against a very hittable left-handed pitcher: KEI IGAWA! Glad to see he is earning his multi-million dollar minor league contract. God Bless America!

2. How could Major League Baseball possibly think it's fair to have the Yankees start and end the regular season at Fenway Park in Boston? Talk about a huge advantage for the BoSox. On a side note, do the Yankees always have to open up the season on the road? Last year, I understood why they had 9 games away from the Bronx to start the season: the new stadium! This year, I don't get it. The Yankees play 22 games this April, 7 of which will be played in New York. Like the luxury tax, another anti-Yankee policy.

3. No one, including Joe Girardi, has discussed the possibility of Joba Chamberlain AND Phil Hughes joining the Yankee bullpen this year. I understand the Yankees have a lot of weapons out there in Marte, Robertson, Aceves, and some guy named Rivera. But imagine having Hughes and Joba out there....each start only needs to go 6 innings, and it's in the bag. My vote right now for fifth starter goes to Chad Gaudin. He was solid last season, and I think the Yankees won all six of his starts in pinstripes. Sending Hughes to the bullpen was a turning point last year, and Joba even said in October that he likes being a reliever better than a starter because he "doesn't have to think as much." Enough said.

4. Now that the Olympics are over (Thank God), kudos to the YES Network and WWOR (My 9) for showing so many Yankees spring training games this season. I guess the YES Network figures that exhibition baseball games will bring in much better ratings than an NBA team that has 6 wins and 53 losses. Sure, the game is brutal by the 7th inning when you have no idea who's in the outfield, and you're watching someone bat with the jersey number 89 that you know isn't making the club, but baseball is baseball.