Plumber, ma'am.

uhh... UNICEF

I have been saying for a while, thank you very much, that A-Rod has some health problems. I don't believe for a second it is fatigue, though. If it were, fire Joe and whichever coach sits nearest to him for not being on top of that. Players get rested all the time, especially ones coming off early-season-which-should-have-been-hot-stove-league surgery.

His comment about the crutches is telling. I am three weeks into recovery from full hip replacement. Pain be gone. So was the modicum of strength I had retained from the months and years of compensating for the pain, qua discomfort. I struggle in PT, tiring early. Moreover, I have PTSD worrying about getting into a position which used to generate negative feelings. I hope that is all it is with him. They got all my problems, except old age with a bionic replacement. My fear is that he needs more surgery which portends a situation, despite what the Doc said, that he is more hurt than they are willing to admit at the present.

Come on, he wouldn't have missed playing in front of his family, would he, if it weren't serious?

Mrs. Johannesburrrr?

Candygram-nice reference from SNL yesteryear. Now, we can call their stadium The Candygram. Angel Berroa and Brett Tomko in the same game speaks joy to me.

Otherwise, a win is a win. No complaints.

The most telling thing is that the pitchers, many who are already sensitive nutheads, are freaking out at their own stadium. That can't have a good outcome. What's Dave Eiland to do to secure those fragile boys? In the meantime, the new stadium didn't do much to help Yankee hitters against new rookies from dismally bad teams (see Nats).

A-Rod does need another surgery. We know that. The surgery they did was a patch job, meant to try to get him through the season until they could do a full repair.

Just watching him in the field, it's obvious that something's wrong. Pain? Stiffness? Fear of further injury? Dunno, but he's not the player he used to be.

Girardi should sit him at least one day a week. Yes, I know A-Rod asked to play every day. So what? Players always want to play. Sometimes the manager has to say no.

Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus... Starring Lorenzo Llamas AND Debbie Gibson... If that doesn't speak to the potential for greatness, nothing will

Oh yeahhhhhhhhhh ... They should put Pettitte in the pen. He can't cut it anymore. That makes a lot of sense; put the team's first best starter yesterday in the bullpen ... You see the way he looks in from under his cap? There's your intimidation factor, suckas!!!

For those unfamiliar with Landshark:
http://www.spike.com/video/land-shark/2802070

I'm only a dolphin ma'am

That A-Rod was not given (or forced to take, if necessary) at least a game or two off before yesterday does not reflect well on the Yankees' decision making process.

The sequence of events is incredibly revealing. The guy bought 100 tickets for his family and friends for last night's game. Does anyone really think he wanted to sit out? Obviously, he only did so because he felt he had no choice from a physical perspective. Yet somehow the Yankees didn't see fit to rest him before it got to that point.

If Ham is right, and he told Girardi he wanted Friday off, but Girardi put him in the lineup anyway, and it took getting Cashman involved to change that plan, it is a fireable offense. But alas, accountablity doesn't seem to exist in the Yankee universe since George reliniquished control.

Actually, there has been no accountability since the 2004 ALCS collapse, which should have resulted in Torre's firing.

But has much as I wanted Torre gone for years, he was a better manager than Girardi.

[11] Yet somehow the Yankees didn’t see fit to rest him before it got to that point.

Or A-Rod didn't see fit to ask for any time off, until his "fatigue" reached a crisis point. Cashman's involvement is just one chapter in a longer story in which the GM has expressed frustration that players have been less than forthcoming about injuries (at least according to river Ave Yankees).

In any case, I can see that this story line is already growing tiresome.

[12] This isn't at all like Brian Bruney lying about pain because all the medical tests showed that Bruney's injury was relatively minor.

In stark contrast, this is about an athlete who is entering his mid-30 that is coming off major surgery, and is a $300 million asset. He shouldn't have to ask for a day off. Wasn't his slump and his enough? Kenvin Long knew that:

Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long keeps an array of stats and charts. One of them tracks "reaches," or how many times a hitter extends his hands from his body to reach for a ball. It's obviously a bad habit, one that can rob a hitter of power, among other debilitating side effects.

Since June 5, by Long's count, Rodriguez has reached on about 85 percent of his swings. In those 12 games, Rodriguez is hitting just .125 (5-for-40) with two homers and four RBIs. In that same span, his batting average plummeted from .253 to his current .212.

Isn't that a bold red flag that something was wrong? If Long knew, then Girardi knew, and I would suspect Cashman knew as well. Yet they just kept playing him.

Anyway, most players are warriors. They will always say they want to play. Smart people in sports understand that and act according.

What's becoming tiresome is the incompetence of this organization, that is only saved from embarrassment by its huge payroll advantage.

I hit submit by mistake:

Edit: Wasn't his slump a reason for concern? Kevin Long knew there was a problem.

[...]

Smart people in sports understand that and act accordingly.

[13] A-Rod has gone through slumps before, so why assume automatically (at least for the first couple of weeks) that he had a serious health issue? especially when he came out of the shoot so hot. Then there is the difficultly of sitting player like A-Rod when he is cold: will he take it as punishment? IS it better to to let him hit his way out? He is still walking at a tremendous rate, has he been unlucky?

Yes, in retrospect, he should have been rested once or twice a week, especially given that he is coming off surgery--albeit one that he recovered from quickly. Then again, when he was helping carry the team on a major winning streak, it's tough to bench him. And when the team then hit the skids, it's hard again to bench one of your best players.

And finally, the player has to make his situation known.

I'm not absolving the organization, but on the other hand, you (and others) seem to want to absolve A-Rod's part in this. But more to the point, the bitching and moaning of the last week--itself largely the product of a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox (which would not have happened if Mo didn't blow a save)--is become very tiresome. And right at the top of the list of the droning complaining is the "accountability" meme.

Let's boil this all down: the Yankees star player came off of surgery, played well but then slumped. The coaching staff should have responded sooner, but at the same time the player should have spoken up in a more timely fashion.

That's it. There's just no there there.

"Actually, there has been no accountability since the 2004 ALCS collapse, which should have resulted in Torre’s firing."

Un-f-ing-believable. This is the most difficult managerial job in pro sports, and very few are up to it. Torre was as good (great) as any including Stengel and McCarthy. But you'd fire him. Course you don't have to live with the consequences. Such as not having anyone better to replace him with. The risk with Girardi was inexperience. I think it's clear that he'll be given the rest of this season before being evaluated (unless they completely collapse) which I think is as it should be.

If you tell me Scocia's available, I might think about firing my manager. Otherwise, who ya got? Give me a name and it better not be Mattingly, who has considerably less track record than Girardi.

Ham has more:

Why didn’t the Yankees stick with the plan?

According to Rodriguez, the plan put in place by Philippon and Lindsay was for him to take 5-8 games off during his first 45 games back with the team. Not 45 days, 45 games.

But over the first 38 games he was back, A-Rod sat out zero games. He started every one of them, 35 of them at third base. Day games after night games, rain-delayed games, every single game.

A-Rod said he fought to stay in games, which is what he supposed to do. Knowing him, I’m sure that’s exactly what he did. But why didn’t the Yankees stick with the plan their doctors drew up? All of a sudden a third baseman with a high school education knew better than the two best doctors in their respective fields? Of course Alex said he wanted to play. What else would he say?

Joe Girardi admitted yesterday that he should have given Alex more days off than he did. It appears that Brian Cashman finally forced the issue yesterday. But he should have made that call a week ago. A-Rod has been struggling for three weeks now. His June slugging percentage is .291.

[14] Regarding A-Rod's slump as a reason for concern--

You cherry pick the evidence from that article. First of all, the article states that Long has only been looking at the "reach stat" since June 5, covering only 12 games. Second, here a quote from Long in that same article: "I was shocked at the number," Long said of the slugger's reach percentage. "I didn't think it was that many."

Even Long did not think intuitively that A-Rod's approach at the plate was striking or noteworthy. And he only decided to look at the "reach stat" at a late point. In other words, no one felt that the slump was anything particularly out of the ordinary until just a few days ago.

[17] The article largely answers the question you pose:

[blockquote]A-Rod said he fought to stay in games, which is what he supposed to do.[/blockquote]

Again, in retrospect the team should have rested him. On the other hand, when he played extremely well at first, and resisted (apparently) efforts to sit him, the staff apparently opted not to sit him. So, it sounds like everyone was involved in the process, just as I argued.

And now, he is in a slump and finally admitted that he is hurting, so they are sitting him.

Really, it's just that simple.

[18] I'm not cherrypicking anything. It's just one minor piece of the overwhelming evidence of why A-Rod should have been given at least some days off.

If anything, you are the one who is cherrypicknig by focusing on a secondary point while ignoring the manifest fact that his is a player who is entering his mid-30s that is recovering from major surgery.

Dumb, Pointless Topic to be Given a Rest

New York, Sat. June 20th

The Why didn't Girardi give A-Rod a Rest? controversy has been benched for three days, due to fatigue. "This topic is just so tired, we decided we had to give it a rest," said Cliff Corcoran speaking on behalf of exhausted fans. "We really didn't want this topic to be run into the ground," added Alex Belth.
"I thought it was all A-Rod's fault, but I do admit there's a reasonable chance it's all Girardi's fault," said Everybody. "One thing's clear: there's plenty of inexcusability to go around."

[19] Retrospect? Are you kidding? It was obvious to any reasonable person that if a team is responsible for preserving a $300 million asset that giving him days off was a no brainer (literally).

Seriously. Who cares what A-Rod said? He's not a doctor. Yet they ignored the advice of the top doctor in the country.

It really is simple. The Yankees are incompetent.

[17] Holy crap. That just makes it worse. They had a plan from A-Rod's doctors...and just ignored it?

Unbelievable.

[21] I think it's dumb not to discuss it.

[22] Well, maybe in your fantasy world, the star player has absolutely no input in such decisions. And in this happier place, the statement "who cares what A-Rod says" is a realistic position.

Anyway, I'm done with this non-topic. The Yankees are incompetent and no one is accountable and everyone should be fired

[21] Think of the accountability, RIYank, will you please? Just think of the accountability.

[25] I can always tell when a person knows that they are losing an argument when they personally insult the person who is making the stronger case.

If you think A-Rod's input should completely trump a world class doctor, that's your prerogative. We're talking about giving him one or two games off. A-Rod's input would ensure that he didn't get more than that many games off.

Whatever.

[27] I didn't insult you personally. I did, however, state (snidely, I admit) that your notion of how these decisions are made is fantastical.

I never said that A-Rod's opinion *should* trump a world class doctor (you can always tell when someone is losing an argument when they grossly mis-characterize the opposing argument). I only argued that in the real world, the start player exerts great deal of influence on these decisions.

Now, you are suggesting that "one or two games off" is really what we are debating. I have a few questions for you:

1] Do you really think that one or two games really would have made a difference?

2] If yes to #1, that he is being given two games off now--should this not do the trick? And if so, is this not an adequate, albeit tardy response?

3] Most importantly, if we are talking about "one or two games"--do you seriously believe that failing to sit A-Rod for this more or less trivial amount really constitutes a firing offense?

I mean, really, you're now essentially arguing: "Girardi did not sit A-Rod on June 12. He should be fired."

====

My main point all along is that this controversy is overblown. Your last post confirms this in my mind more than ever.

I don't see how anyone can see this as anything but a **** up on the Yankees and A Rod's part. When they came back they should have made a plan - doctor says he sits every few days, sit the guy. I find it pretty odd that they didn't seek to follow medical advice to protect their "troubled asset", nor the asset do what's in his and the team's best interest.

This NYT article paints a very strange picture, I think.

[29] I agree with your balanced assessment more.

I am curious about the following quote from te Times article you cite:

Rodriguez said he thought Marc Philippon, the doctor who performed the operation, would have wanted him to take five to eight days off by now.

Now we are getting mixed info. Did the doc want him to take 5-8 days off, or 5-8 games off? And what constitutes a day (or game) off?

For example, since he came back the Yankees have had four off days. Do these count as days off in the "plan"? If so, then the MLB schedule had already most of the "plan" already built into it.

[29] Boy, that is strange. The doc told them it was periodic rest was important...but they just blew him off.

I'm reminded of the incident that supposedly was one of the reasons Girardi was fired by the Marlins. He brought his young pitcher back after an hour and a half rain delay, and the kid ended up needing TJ surgery. The Marlins were slipping out of the wild card race, so Girardi felt a lot of pressure to win.

[30] It's true, unless 5 days was the minimum, 8 days optimal. At ay rate, I'd think everyone involved would be monitoring the situation, looking for signs of fatigue. They know there's a good chance it's going to happen, but they don't give him extra days off until he's well into a fatigue-related slump. I'm just surprised they weren't watching him more carefully and taking note more often of what changes his swing, etc were going through. This goes for A Rod too, he has to know when it starts catching up to him.

[31] He does seem to have the hard-ass, tough guy thing going. And yes, he does *seem* to be under lots of pressure to win. I can imagine this scenario: A-Rod telling him everything was fine, his hitting line after the Texas series was .250/.395/.522/.916, tough series were coming up against TB and Boston (and the over-hyped Mets series), he started the TB series well (.523/.403/.547.951 after the first two games), the team had just had an off day two days before, the back-up 3B is Angel Berrow, so Girardi figures he can ride A-Rod for the next week or so. After the Boston sweep, the pressure to use his A lineup would only have increased.

[28] Wait. I think the Yankees are incompetent because they completely ignored the plan set by one of the pre-eminent orthopedic surgeons in the world, while you don't, yet you described my analysis this way in post [25]:

maybe in your fantasy world

Oh... you were being complimentary about the conclusion I reached. My bad.

The point is that this really shouldn't be a debatable issue. No matter what A-Rod said, there is no excuse available for not giving him a game or two off, not in retrospect,as you put forth in [15] and [19], but prospectively because that was the advice of the world class surgeon.

That you have been unable or unwilling to acknowledge that point, except in retrospect, and have instead cited Ham's quote that A-Rod "fought to stay in the lineup" would seem to indicate that you have put a disproportionate weight on A-Rod's input, beyond as I said, not giving him 5 games off instead of the requisite one or two.

Do I think that one or two game would have made a difference?

I do, but the more important point is that it would have at least evidenced some fidelity to the doctor's instructions.

It shouldn't be overlooked that the Yankees now think that two days off will be enough to refresh A-Rod. So it stands to reason that two days, properly spaced, before he got fatigued would have had a much greater effect.

Additionally, if A-Rod had gotten two games off earlier in the process, and he was still slumping, then it would have been apparent that he needed more rest.

But if it was up to me, and I was responsible for protecting a $300 million investment, I would have followed the doctor's instructions in detail.

No, what I said about a fireable offense is that if Alex told Girardi on Thursday that he wanted a game off, as Ham reported, but Girardi put him in Friday's lineup anyway, then taken together with what I have seen of his inability to get the most out of this talent, I would let him go.

[32] The thing is, I would argue that his slump did not start to look pronounced until the Boston series, or even later. Sure, he had slowed down a bit, but his stats looked good during the TB series, and he even smacked a HR. I guess the coaches should have been looking out more carefully for small differences, change in his swing, etc.

Ultimately, I think that this entire discussion really centers on the last few games only, perhaps since the end of the Boston series. The more vigilant (and second guessers) would say that the evidence demanded a day off or two by then. That the organization tried to push him a bit more, to see if Boston was a blip or the sign of something more serious, is disappointing but perhaps not entirely surprising or egregious.

[35] disappointing but perhaps not entirely surprising or egregious.

If you completely ignore the advice of a world class physician, who they selected perform the operation precisely because of that reputation, it's necessarily egregious.

[34]

you were being complimentary about the conclusion I reached.

No, I was being snide, as I noted in [28]. However, I did not insult you "personally" (as you accused me in [27]), but rather my snide tone was aimed at the argument you were making. This is a case of separating critique of argument from critique of the person.

I don't know anything about you as a person. But I still hold that in the real world of professional sports, star players are involved in such decisions as playing time. If so, then A-Rod's role in avoiding the doctor's "plan" (a plan, which, as I have noted in [31] is not entirely clear) should not be dismissed lightly.

MP - I don't think anyone here is saying ARod had no responsibility in this. He FOUGHT to stay in the lineup, and was doing decently OPS-wise for a while.

But, if ARod's leg falls off, and his has to retire, does he still collect his contract? If so, if nothing else, from a financial standpoint, the Yankees HAD to intervene and use their own judgement, regardless of what ARod wanted.

In almost all situations, it takes 2 to tango. Both parties affect the outcome. But here, the Yankees have a much greater interest in this matter then ARod.

And lastly, judging ARod at both the plate and in the field, it has been obvious (over the last 7 days or so) that this is not just a slump. You could see he was hurting on TV, in just the few minutes of air time spent specifically on ARod.

Actually, it's hard for me to believe both Girardi and the FO screwed up this badly. It's almost inconceivable.

[36] It is not egregious within the context of professional sports. By the way, what *exactly* was the doctor's advice? Five days off or eight days off (A-Rod said the doctor would have "probably" wanted him to take those days off)? Or was it five games off? In fact, do we know for sure what the doctor's plan was?

[37] How many players tell their coaches that they can't go? Hardly any.

Back in the '80s, Rickey Henderson once told Lou Piniella that his hamstring was a problem, and he was accused of "jaking it."

In the '70s, JR RIchards was maligned for his attitude prior to suffering a stroke.

Bringing it closer to home, some years before I went to my high school, a kid told then basketball coach Hubie Brown that he couldn't go back into a game because his ankle hurt. Hubie spit in the kid's direction and said: "You make me sick."

Players want to play, and those that don't are usually maligned.

A-Rod, unlike any of the players I referenced above, actually had major surgery. So there was no guess work about the need for rest. To the contrary, there were explicit instructions on rest from a doctor. Not just any doctor, the best in his field.

Smart management understands that, and acts accordingly in order to protect them from themselves and to protect their investment.

I think you have painted yourself into a corner.

[38] But the tenor of Rich's posts--which perhaps I am misinterpreting--is that A-Rod is entirely not to blame; that the organization is entirely to blame for not following a plan drawn up by the world class surgeon. That is all I am arguing against.

Yes, A-Rod has looked shit awful for the last week. But the second-guessing articles that have been cited talk about him looking bad for three weeks. If he looked bad for three weeks and the coaches continued to trot him out there, ignoring all the warning signs, that is very bad. But if his "fatigue" has only been obvious for about week, as you suggest, then the coach's alleged negligence is less egregious.

And that's what this is really about, no? Everyone agrees that A-Rod and the coaches screwed up. They have admitted as much and, too late, given the man some bench time. I question, however, the fevered pitch of the criticism over Girardi, the coaches, Cashman, etc., given that we are talking about a week of really bad ABs.

[39] I'm going by what Ham reported that I posted at [17]:

According to Rodriguez, the plan put in place by Philippon and Lindsay was for him to take 5-8 games off during his first 45 games back with the team. Not 45 days, 45 games.

I have errands to run. Later.

But on a different topic, related to [38], once again, as I have pointed out many times, this insane madate to win... under any circumstances, keeps Brian et al from making smart decisions... smart decisions which usually consider the future over the present.

This is where Theo has a BIG advantage. He could let Pedro, Nomar and JD go. He wants to win this year, but he doesn't have to. What Theo has the luxury of doing, is planning for the future.

But for the Yankees (and poor Brian in my estimation), there is no future.
There is only today.
There is only a mandate to win today.
We MUST win today, and let the future take care of itself.

But that is NO WAY to run this organization.

I may have been the only one on earth to say this, but last winter I wanted ZERO Big FA signings. I wanted to rebuild an aging team. I was willing to NOT go to the PS for 2 years, and aim at 2011 (when those kids in the minors who are going to pan out are on the team). Mo is gone in 2011, and Po is gone in 2012, and Jeter may be as well (after he collects 3,000 in 2011).

I did change my mind and decide we should get Tex (although by this time, we aleady had CC and AJ, and it looked like Tex was off the table). While $22.5 was too much to pay, he was/is too good and well rounded to pass on, and he still looked to fit in well in 2011-2012.

I was willing to concede 2 years, to give Cashman a chance to build another dynasty.... not to go year to year being forced to make decisions based on NOW.

This is something that separates the Yankees from all other teams, and separates Cashman from all other GMs.

Was anyone else here WILLING to conceed 2 years, in exchange for 2 years off smart, cost efficient management?

[41} Yes, the organization is entirely to blame for not ensuring that A-Rod got at least some rest. The extent of A-Rod's responsibility relates to not taking off more games than the obligatory two games.

I really have to go.

[40] You're using an ex post facto argument. I have not contested at all that Girardi should have benched A-Rod when he asked out of the line up on Thursday or Friday (whatever day it was). However, you cannot use that request to criticize Girardi retroactively for not benching him during the previous moth.

As for the advice of the best-in-the-biz-doctor, we still do not know what precisely his advice or plan actually was. If it was "five days off by now," the Yankees (and thus A-Rod) had already had four days off, so we are talking about a single day. If, however, it was eight games in addition to the off days, then we are talking about a serious breech of the "plan."

But unilt we know what the plan really was, we can't very well determine the degree to which it was or was not adhered to.

[6] I again misstated my position. I apologize. I don't know much and I believe less, especially when its a doctor like the one who operated on A-Rod. I realize he needs another operation.

The discussion should go on! Situations like this caused players to understate their readiness to play after sustaining injuries and drove some of them to take steroids to heal faster and regain their strength.

I think without any medical corroboration that his problem is not fatigue but an operation that didn't do as much as it was expected to do leaving him no better than he had been, albeit maybe with less discomfort (to use his word).

[46] then why is the surgeon that performed the surgery so pleased with the details of alex's recovery, that he's publically stated there may well now *not* be a need for a 2nd surgery?

[43] please. if the yankees truly were *only* in a win now mode, joba would be in the bullpen and phil hughes would be a twin.

cashman has done his damnedest to balance the need to be a successful team now (you know, the inaugural season of NYS) with the patience to restock the team in the near by emphasising player development.

while i wish we hadn't signed burnett, the CC and Teix signings were fantastic and I'd gladly give up the 2 picks (and whatever future they might have) we did to have players of that caliber on our team and i'm not sure that you can say that the signings have compromised the future of the club as long as the team continues to spend similar amounts on the draft and foreign free agents.

as for contending in 2011 without proper acquisition of free agents (the elite ones) last year and going forward, i just don't see it happening, the AL East is going to be the toughest division in baseball for some time to come, Boston, Tampa and Baltimore are going to be very tough to beat (and remember, *not* signing certain premier free agents means that one of the those teams might).

Well, this "ARod injury fiasco" made me thankful that Carl Pavano was forthcoming with his injuries

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF
Burnett RHP

Wow, run errands for a day and ...

Only a couple of points. I agree entirely with [43] and am surprised there's dissent from OYFs point. The tone of the Banter after any loss (or during it!) surely makes it obvious how fierce the need to win in the Bronx is.

Joba to the pen as equaling a desire to win now? Surely that one is way more tired than the current A Rod thread!

My main eye-blink in the last 24 hours is that it took Cashman and the Steins to create a sit-down for Rodriguez. Though I have never loved Girardi I have never joined the Nuke the Manager squad but I am, I admit, a little stunned that daily roster decisions are getting made on a CRISIS basis, without the manager involved AND with evidence said manager ignored a request to sit (plus pretty clear medical instructions).

Yes, stars create some of their own rules, but so, damn it, does surgery! The manager's JOB is to know his hard-ass superstar (especially while trying to get back in fans' and team's good graces after steroids + injury) is going to say 'I'm good to go!' - and the manager has to ignore it!

The issue was medical advice plus common sense. This one, from the sidelines, feels like it is on Girardi to me. Cash and the Steins are not SUPPOSED to get into day to day lineup issues. Looks like they HAD to here. And if our manager is being told he MUST sit a player ... that's a kick in the teeth to him, you know.

Last night I watched the Captain look like he needed an oxygen mask after he stopped running on that 430 foot drive to start the game, huffing and puffing like he hadn't run that far in ages. Andy was sucking wind on his double too, and starting pitchers are supposed to run regularly to keep their legs strong so they can push off during their deliveries you know, one hundred times a game!

Anyone else notice that?

That told me all I needed to know with respect to what kind of shape these players are in for sustaining winning baseball during the six month regular season, as well as why they pick and choose when they bust it and when they mail it in. Collectively, they are not in good enough shape to bust their asses all of the time, so they don't.

Spoiled, soft divas...

"It's too hot!" "This heat is going to take some getting used to!"

LOL

I mean, do they really need water or Gatorade to replace their fluids in the dugout after striking out?

What have they done to our game?

[52] 180 feet is 60 yards. I think most athletes are going to huff and puff a little after going full out for that distance. : ) I raced one of my jv players around the bases last year b/c he refused to hustle. I won. And I nearly had a heart attack. lol.

This Arod is issue is kind of weird in that it was completely off the radar and then mushroomed. During the Nats series, I posted something to effect that maybe Arod could use a rest. With the DH-less games coming up, you'd think you'd want to remove Arod's bat before that point. What is even more perplexing is why the team did not follow through on its original plan (I say team because I think Cashman should have stepped in earlier if Girardi was not following the plan). I am not sure how you can blame Alex, however. So much criticism is heaped on him, that I am sure he felt an obligation to play as much as possible.

Ironically, I am not going to kill Girardi for this situation because it's easy to see why he'd want to keep Alex in the lineup. It took me until the last few days to recognize it as an issue, so I don't want make it seem like it's a no-brainer.

Below is why you can't blame Arod. The bottom line is that no matter what he does, someone will roast him.

From Pete Abe:

"A-Rod is getting roasted on the south Florida airwaves and in some papers for not playing last night. Apparently there is some conspiracy afoot. One writer called it a “stunning” decision. It seems he owed it to the hometown crowd to play."

[0] et al. If you like silly, stupid movies from New Zealand and "Flight of the Concords" on HBO, check out the movie "Eagle Vs. Shark." It made me laugh. Going to miss the the game tonight. Damn weddings. Go Yankees! : )

[53] LOL

These kids today...

In any event, Andy was doubled over.

That's not good Just Fair, especially for a major league starter who is supposed to throw over 200 innings, or a SS who is leading off and supposed to get over 600 AB's...

I would have thought they'd be in a bit better shape than that, in the first inning of a game, not even in the middle of the season yet. It's not as though it was the sixth or seventh inning, where they had been playing for a couple of hours already.

I'm just sayin'...

[55] I understand where they are coming from, William. There are decidedly more Yankees fans attending these games than Marlins fans. At least that's how those games were when my wife and I went a decade or so ago.

[57] CORRECTION

Andy hit his double in the top of the second inning...

At least we get the game tonight!

Neener Neener to you FOX Saturdays!

: )

[59] Sadly, for me, today's game is the Blue Jays on every Rogers Sports Net regional affiliate. This in turn means Sterling and Waldman. C'est la vie.

[52] PJ, with respect (really) you've made your out of shape spoiled fatcats point before, and people disagreed, and just saying it again (and louder) doesn't really count as a new argument, or even ana rgument. People DO catch their breath after a 60 yard sprint, as Just Fair said. Pitchers running for sustained energy, between starts, is NOT the same as a sprint on the basepaths.

I'm old enough to remember seriously out of shape (and sometimes hungover or stoned!) ballplayers on the field. My pretty strong sense is these guys are in WAY better physical shape than the players of the 60s and 70s (except for Hoss, of course), and that includes their off-season conditioning, too.

I know you have a soap box about - it seems - uniquely incompetent Yankee trainers etc. but I honestly haven't seen it, and your two examples don' really add anything, best I can tell.

We could agree to take it as a given that you think the Yanks are spoiled and fat, and you don't have to keep working your fingers on it?

[54] It's true--he gets killed no matter what. It is also true how this controversy mushroomed. I think this is because of how it unfolded (i.e., a historical analysis): He was going fine; then when he started not going fine, the team started losing and there was more pressure to keep bats in the lineup; then the DH-less games came, and there was less opportunity to take him out of the line-up.

This whole story would be entirely different if the Yankees had won a game or two against Boston, or took the first two against Washington. Ultimately the narrative (as opposed to the "reality") of properly handling v. mishandling A-Rod has turned on a few games within the last week or so.

In other news--the other day I teased everyone with the promise of giving my (mixed) views on the new stadium, which I experienced in person the other night (the Yank's sole win against the Nats). If everyone is really nice, maybe I'll regale tonight's game thread with a brief review.

I know, you're all dying to hear what I have to say...

[63] You've been to the new Yankee Stadium already?

[64] Yep--a couple of days ago, for the first time. I have tickets for a game in August, as well. I usually make it to one or two games a year.

[65] yeah, well i'm going to see the Yankees twice next week at Turner Field, so... : p

haha! jus' kiddin' MP!!! : )

i'm not an autograph hound, though it would be nice to get something for my 2 nephews. my main goal though is this: since i'm sitting near the Yankees 'pen, i just wanna shake the hand of god and thank him for everything - Mariano, of course!

this might not be so good. per pete abe:

UPDATE, 6:13 p.m.: Mark Teixeira just left BP after fouling a ball off that glanced off the cage and caught him in the head. No word on whether he’ll stay in the lineup yet.

Speaking of [body part] of God, what is going on with Bob Shepard? The current PA announcer is...adequate..maybe. Is the Voice of God going to make one final, live (audio) appearance at the new park?

[67] yeah, i was wondering about that not too very long ago. my guess is, unfortunately...no. : (

btw, sooo cool you make it down from - montreal, is it? - to YS a coupla times a year. i generally visit my family in april (holiday) and nov (turkey day), so i haven't been to the Stadium in ages and ages.

The Ted is really really nice though. some years i go to a handful of games, some years none. i only live about 10 minutes from the park, but i have a pretty nutty schedule. needless to say, i'm really looking forward to going two days in a row next week. gonna try and catch early BP, if i can...

[67] It's difficult to replace Bob Sheppard, but to use Paul Olden has to be some sort of crime. At least it should be...

Paul Olden used to do Yankee broadcasts on CH 11 not too long ago, his voice grated on me.