Rare televised Yankee game this season and I will miss it! Morning meeting, then some chores nearby..hope to at least get to Gameday for the last few innings..till then am multi-tasking like a Trapper Keeper, Let's Go YAN-KEES!

In the meantime, Rob Neyer counsels patience on Joba:
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/4411/joba-will-reward-yankees-patience

[2] As does Goldman.

This bit from Neyer, Doesn't mean he won't enjoy a long and productive career as a hard-throwing reliever, did make me roll my eyes a bit.

I would really like to think that we are being counseled to have patience with Joba because he can still have a long and productive career as a starter. If we are supposed to hold out for Joba-the-reliever, then let's trade him for something of immediate value.

Meanwhile, I just saw that Lou Piniella is going to retire at the end of the season. Another piece of my Yankee childhood heads off into the sunset...

not to knock on Piniella, but it does seem odd when you realize that he won big early in his managerial career and never even got back to the Series. Wonder if he'll turn into an Old Timer's Day fixture, it would be nice.

[5] He's managed some pretty bad teams later in his career (i.e., the Rays), but the 2001 Mariners *must* have been a major disappointment.

Yeah, it would be nice to see him more visibly back in the Yankee fold.

[6] oh I'm not holding those Rays teams against him at all, they were terrible. But to have Edgar, Griffey, Buhner, A-Rod, and Johnson and never win...

ok Philly boy, you're 5 wins away from getting me a steak dinner...LETS DO THIS!!

Holy crap. Swisher is just mashing these days.

Smoked!

I still don't think we should've given up on Betemit

I've been thinking long and hard about this, and this is something I never could've imagined myself saying in say 2006, but I might invest in an A-Rod jersey.

3 hard hit balls. boooooooooooooo F you Scioscia. Walking Robbie.

Atta boy, Torii.

36 pitches after 2 inings for Phil is no bueno.

I HATE the Angels.

Is this another case of Hughes suffering from a layoff, or the continuation of a larger trend over his last 10 starts? If the latter, maybe Cashman should be looking for another starter after all?

To much to expect Robbie to dive, and keep that ball in the infield?

can we officially say that letting Matsui walk, as much as we all love him, was a good idea?

I guess the Yankees didn't get the scouting report about O'Sullivan throwing a changeup?

George's happiest day was getting A-Rod? Somehow I can actually see that. I feel like all the times they won the overriding emotion was more relief than anything else.

[17] Or is it a case of Hughes' fielders letting him down, and so we shouldn't worry at all?

[19] I feel bad for Godzilla, but it happens. I thought that maybe his 15 games in LF were the cause of his problems, but it looks like he's only gotten a random game in the field here and there - no clear point where he went south after, say, playing 4 straight games in LF.

I do notice that he hit significantly better in June than in any other month - but that was the month were the Angels played Seattle, the A's, KC, and the NL.

I also notice that, in the small sample of 15 games when he does play LF, he's obliterating the ball: .365/.411/.654. Maybe something psychological?

[20] Well, O'Sullivan is a classic URP.

I really wonder why it is that URPs tend to hurt the Yanks so much, or if its consistently true. Could it really be as simple as not having a scouting report? That seems ludicrous in this age of easily available information.

Granderson has been a massive disappointment.

[19] I'd like to see what would have happened if they didn't try to play him in the field.

Also, letting him go without any kind of serious replacement for him still wasn't a good idea in my book. if it winds up working out in October, I'd call it more of a happy accident than a good idea.

really?

[22] No...it's a case of Hughes not pitching well for a prolonged period of time.

Hughes really hasn't been any good for a while now.

I'm not mad at Hughes really, he's in uncharted waters for his career and already gave more than anyone could've expected, but he's hit a wall here. I think its more of a dead-arm type of thing than anything else...but it needs to get straightened out

90 mph fastballs with 78 mph changeups = 11 in a goddamn row. Give me break.

[29] I am not "mad" at him either, but with him not pitching well, Pettitte injured and Burnett a huge question mark, the Yankees rotation suddenly looks very thin.

wow, blast from the past Jorge

There are few things more sad than one man chanting.

[33] Juan Miranda as a starting DH comes pretty close.

Gardner really needs to figure out a way to get a read on a pitcher quicker.

2-1 count and Gardner isn't running? Really? Is Girardi awake?

Meanwhile, Jeter continues to look like a player beginning his decline phase. His bat speed is severely diminished.

See?

It really annoys me that we finally have a basestealer and even then he won't run until the fourth or fifth pitch in an AB. Usually with two strikes so the hitter has too swing at everything too.

Evening folks!

[36] One of the many reasons why Girardi was bad in 2008 was that we never, ever ran before there were two strikes. I don't know what stat he saw that suggested that we needed to wait for two strikes, but it was infuriating.

He's gotten somewhat better over the years, so I don't know if its Girardi or Gardner that anchors Bret to first.

[38] And to you, Ms. Diane.
What's up with Phil?

[39] Once the count goes to 2-1 with a struggling, ground ball hitting Jeter at the plate, it's time for the hit and run. Gardner is overly cautious, which is fine, but at that point a manager with a clue puts on the hit and run.

[36] I would imagine that Gardner has the green light to steal virtually all the time he's on base. It appears that his reads on the pitchers are lacking, and he's got to learn to steal to match his speed.

But on the optimistic side, I think the Yankees will come back and win this game.

ya know...

I fucking HATE the Angels.

Let's see if Clueless Joe finally takes Hughes out now?

Sigh.

[42] Or maybe not...

Jeez. Swish didn't even give that one a courtesy chase.

[48] He did not.

perhaps the league has formulated a book on Hughes ... or is he tipping pitches?

Hughes has allowed 12 homers this year ... all at home.

Three-fifths of the Yankees rotation is a pretty big question mark right now.

did Albaladejo lose weight?

[50] Could be...what happened to the great changeup he supposedly was going to unveil? Hughes has basically been a two pitch pitcher all season, so maybe the league has figured him out.

It baffles me that the talking point for a team that signed *NICK JOHNSON* is that they were able to put away sentimentality and properly judge injury risk

What an awful game...bad pitching, bad hitting and bad defense.

Did Kay just ask if there's a difference between triple A and the Major Leagues?

yes but are major league hitters THAT much better than AAA ones?

The Accidental Izturis

CUT your losses, Kay!

Let it GO!

[42] We've heard that people had "a green light all the time" for three years now. Maybe we need to have an actual "steal" sign.

Kind of funny to see Rivera try to steal a base in the inning after Gardner patiently waited for Jeter to ground into a double play.

Randy Winn just hit a two-run homer, putting the Cards up 2-0 on the Phillies.

He hit a home run last night, too.

Tampa is up 6-4.

[59] Cheers to that one. : )

[58] Is Gerald Williams still floating around AAA?

[45] "Let’s see if Clueless Joe finally takes Hughes out now?"

How does this statement from you apply to your: "recognition of potential problems with the team. It’s great to be optimistic, but that shouldn’t preclude an honest assessment of the team" statement? Is that an honest assessment?

I am not waving a flag for Joe Girardi, but this and other posts from you are worthless and mean spirited. I guess "Clueless Joe" managed the team to a championship by luck? Like a1000 chimps would eventually write Hamlet kind of random luck?

I've looked at your blog. I've not seen these type of mean spirited, worthless statements from you there. Why here, and not on yours?

Do you listen to a lot of talk radio, both sports and the Limbaugh kind of stuff?

[63] The last kernal of popcorn finally popping after the bag reaches the recycling center...

The Yankees have not had a hit since the first inning against the fighting O'Sullivan. It didn't seem like it at the time, but the Yankees lost this game when Posada and Granderson swung at bad pitches in their first at bat.

[66] If he is, I can picture a mad dash out of that pool...

Can't believe they didn't throw him out.

Oh, never mind.

Hope Pena knows the "don't steal" sign.

Girardi threw his gum at the umpire as he left.

[67] I do think Girardi is an awful game manager, but admit that my criticisms of him in game threads can often be based on emotion rather than reason. I don't think I am the only one guilty of that, but if so, I apologize, especially if such statements offend you.

[67] I think the Yankees won the World Series because Girardi stopped managing. His bizarre management style was working in spite of itself up until game three of the ALCS

So the Yankees are stinking it up tonight, so Sterling and Waldman have taken to mocking the Orioles for the last two innings. Completely unprofessional.

I wish the LAA feed was working, but for whatever reason i cant connect to it tonight.

[77] Mocking the Orioles is always fun

Albaledejo had a lot of success pitching ONE inning in the minors. I really hope the Yankees don't now try to turn him into a long man. It isn't going to help the team and it wont help Albaledejo.

Bobby lost a step or two, huh?

Did I pass out in my hottub?

Why do i feel so... so sarcastic tonight and I'm not even watching the game?

[67] That's nothing, you should wait til the alkee-hall starts flowing in the later comments...

For what it's worth, when I came into being at Banter, I was somewhat aghast at some of the regular negativity from some of our personalities, but I think I'd rather see that type of vitriol articulated here as opposed to in someone's home directed at their significant other, their children or at random strangers, which always happens in New York and other places in the world. I'm not saying you get used to it, but if it does happen, I'm fairly certain the dog's hindquarters are safe from brand imprints or polish, one. You have to choose your battles carefully, I suppose. Besides, you said yourself that he doesn't do that on his own site, so you gotta figure that he's not a negative personality per se, just here more often than not... and being passionate about your favorite sports team will do that to anybody at some point. Don't take it personally and continue to be as engaging you allow yourself to be.

[/pat on back]

Bobby Abreu used to be fast.

78) yes, fun for you and me. Unprofessional and a bit embarrassing for the Yankees announcing team. keep it classy, Grandma and Grandpa.

Bobby is one of those guys that when he isn't on your team you say "man, Bobby Abreu is underrated". But then when you watch him everyday for 2 1/2 years you stop saying that immediately.

and I like Bobby.

GERALDO!!!

That Chan Ho Park is still on this roster...is he the new Lucky?

So what did the Orioles do that was mock worthy?

[84] Were any of their insults sponsored by anything? ; ) Good work, Chop.

The guy to the left of Lorne Michaels looks like Frankie Brains

well then

[76] I kinda/sorta agree with you.

at this point Park needs to be DFA'd for his own personal safety as much as anything else

I leave the room for three seconds, come back and find Chan Ho Park is still Chan Ho Park.

[82] Thanks...sniff.

Abreu giveth, and Matsui takes it away. Chan Homer Park. They should establish a permanent field for the Home Run Derby, and name it after him.

[82] Others might be different, but I look at the game thread as more of a sounding board than a place for deep analysis. As a result, you get raw negativity, but also expressions of glee. Both aren't often profound, but they are natural responses to something you care about.

In other posts, I like to think that I am more measured in my comments because the emotions aren't raw. I realize that not everyone cares as much as others, so can understand the spectrum of attitudes.

[76] I think that's ridiculous. Joe was guilty of overmanaging at times that year, but there was plenty done right.

But please don't think this fuck you is meant for you.

Because tonight is a night of fuck yous, though obviously not directed at any posters.

A Hearty Fuck You Goes Out To:

1. 'Dis Fucking Ump. Ten fucking pitches he called balls that were strikes. And then that pasty-assed fat shit fuckhead has the nerve to get into it with Joe.

Listen, asshole, there's a reason the Yanks were riding you all night. You gave Sullivan a number of pitches that were balls/borderline, you fucked him on almost none, and you fucked Hughes left and right.

I GUARANTEE you that Hughes walked off the mound thinking, "Fuck you, ump. Of course I gave up some home runs. Thanks to that asshole, I had no idea where to throw it. If a strike's not a strike, what else can I do but throw it down the fucking middle?

2. Granderson. Stop looking like a fucking little leaguer. I'm prone to rooting for Granderson, but my patience with him is close to used up. That misplay was ABSURD and was way more pivotal to how this game has gone than most would realize. If you can't make a fucking can of corn play in CF, your shitty hitting gets you a FUCK YOU.

3. Derek gets a Fuck You. Captain GIDP holy shit do I dread you coming to the plate these days.

4. CHAN HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Tuning in late for a fuck you.

5. An ENORMOUS fuck you to mlb.tv for making the good part of this game unavailable to paying subscribers - seriously, what kindergarten class has been let loose to run that webiste - fuck you for your loud as fuck Gilette ad, your daytime in no time, your fucking Lady Gaga, your fucking hacky as fucking shit Frank Nicotero, and fuck fuck fuck you Clinton Sparks with your bullshit overplayed accent.

I'll stop now.

A big NON fuck you goes out to Jorge for throwing out Abreu twice.

FUCK.

Oh, and FUCK Kate Smith. What the fuck does she have to do with New York. And the version they play sucks.

[91] I can't imagine anyone but Joe and maybe Tony LaRussa thought the frenetic pitching changes were a good idea, even when things managed to work out.

Chan Ho Park is Korean for Kei Igawa.

I've got a lot of things to say about Chan Ho, but I guess if I can't be nice, I wont say anything at all.

87) i think they blew a big lead, but it doesn't really matter. Instead of, you know, calling this game (as awful as it is), they started in on the O's. I truly dislike Sterling and Waldman, and i mean it when I say that i am actually embarrassed that they are what the marquee franchise in North American sports decides to put on the air.

CHoP needs to be CHOPPED.

Enough is enough. Jettison his fucking ass into outer space. Whoever said they don't want to see him throw another pitch for this team, I'm with you on that.

98) well played.

[96] I think most of the stuff that was done right that year, with some exceptions (Hughes in the eighth, for one) were the equivalent of telling Strawberry to hit a home run. If that team was healthy, it was going to win baseball with 1000 chimps on a 1000 typewriters.

Now mlb.tv has a green screen. No shit. The whole screen is solid green.

Are they fucking serious?

What's the business model? Abuse, annoy, harass the customer? Ay yi yi.

[100] Ironically, Sterling and Waldman have jobs because of the "kind side" of the Boss.

[103] Interestingly, the chimps in charge of the Yankees had failed to win a World Series every year since 2000.

Hughes's ERA is scraping 4 now. So sad!

[99] I kind of have a soft spot for old CHOP. I'm not sure why, but I can't must up the Farnsworth/Veras/Joba levels of rage with him.

The Yankees are going to score six runs, just rub salt in the Chan Ho wounds.

What are the Yankees going to do about Granderson?

[106] And many of the reasons they lost were because of bizarre or pigheaded managerial decisions. I don't hold alot against Joe Torre, but I think he was a huge reason we lost in 2003 and 2004.

106), 103), etc.

Ah, the regular the yanks won OR didn't win in 2009 OR some other year because OR despite of GIrardi OR Cashman.

I wonder what he would be arguing if Jim Dean (RIP) were still with us to banter?

Granderson is such a nothing, it's pathetic. He's just some guy who comes to bat and I say "Oh there goes Granderson making another out".

[95] That is PURE BS.

Many of us care just as much as you, and I'm just going to leave it at that.

Granderson is KILLING me.

[95] Very well, I agree with that and I actually believe your presence is not taken for granted, at least not by me in what I apologize for seeming as a backhanded defense of such. I have few illusions about my game thread contributions, but you are after all part of what makes Banter tick (and tick off) so well. >;)

[112] I'm not clear what you're saying.

As to the with or without, won or didn't win, I didn't start that.

110) ideally, this season, pick up another bat to play OF, so Gardner can be shifted to CF when the team faces a lefty.

116) I'm not saying you did. I am saying that this is a classic debate that seems to come up with a certain frequency on the Banter. I'm not complaining...just observing.

As for Jim Dean's position in t his debate, he usually blamed Cashman for every failure.

Who was Jim Dean? I'll let others provide details.

[115] Tick off, for sure.

[118] It sounds as though I would not have been able to survive Jim Dean.

I want a do-over on tonight. Thanks to mlb.tv, this has sucked, from start to finish.

118) sorry...I meant to add that my reference to Jim Dean was for the old timers on this site. I wasn't trying to confuse.

[112] He'd be killing Cashman for depleting a championship bench and replacing it with half-dead batteries, for starters...

Funny I was thinking of him reading these comments, and I'm sure a few of us embody that spirit he had. He sure knew how to raise cain around here, much like a familiar predecessor Rob Gee and whomever was before him. Though they got banned for different reasons (and JD was allowed to return). It takes all types and I appreciate you all.

[122] You surely don't have to apologize for that. But another constant stream of "everything is wrong because of XXX XXXX" - unless XXX XXXX = Joe Torre, that I could not have handled.

Chan Ho Park needs to be Dallas Green'd here.

If he needs to throw 200 pitches, have him throw 200 pitches and then finally cut his ass.

[115] I hope it's not taken for granted, but sometimes it probably should be taken with a grain of salt too. I think what some people can't accept is not everyone shares the same outlook, or momentary state of rationality, at a given time.

I'd love to get my hands on flight distances between major league teams. Its always been a curiosity of mine.

123) actually, I don't think jim dean was banned, unless you meant that euphemistically. Rob Gee on the other hand...

Meanwhile, I think some of what I said in my #96 was lost in all my vitriol, but I see no commentary on this anywhere else in the thread, so do the rest of the people here at the Banter realize how hard the ump fucked Hughes tonight?

It was criminal.

126) do the Yankees fly to close cities, like Boston or Philadelphia, or do they take the train? I have a romantic notion that MLB teams still occasionally take the train.

[118] Now, to be fair, that was during a run where almost every single thing Cashman touched turned to shit.

128) I'm not watching in TeeVee, so I can't really comment on that.

[126] I may have an excel file on that.

In a younger incarnation, I had a plan to travel to 30 different stadiums in 30 days and write about it.

That sort of thing hadn't been done at that point, and I know it was right before a stadium or two was rotated out of circulation.

My plan was intense. It would have ended in absolute glory or the near-certain outcome, death.

Because I didn't mention it was to be done ALL BY CAR.

I had a plan, I shit you not. It was actually do-able with only some violation of the speed limit.

So, at a time, I had a lot of info on the distances between cities.... that was my main point...

[129] From NY, I believe the Yankees take the train to Boston and Baltimore. I know the Mets take the train to Philly.

130) im not gonna get sucked into this one.

[130] "Bronx Days & Aruba Nights: Baseball, Booze and Knighthood" by Sir Sidney Ponson.

I am glad I missed this game..hope to catch tomorrows...

[131] Just check out pitch fx on this game. I hate hate hate the big fucking Boston logo - but I find it incredible that it's there to check out in pretty much real time.

[130] Guy would have been losing his mind this year. Cashman has not had a banner year - even an optimist like me would agree on that.

i'm tuning into that danny haren start vs the mets tomorrow night and make sure he's still throwing w/ his right arm. if so, i'm gonna sleep outside of cashman's office until i can convince him to dump the farm and go get him.

after we sign lee this winter, and with haren under control for 3 more years, we won't need a MiLB pitcher for 3 or 4 years, so what f-ing good are these prospects in AA and AAA gonna do us if not for a trade?

it will help now, help in october, and help the next 3 years. perfect solution.

Jeter could have used that hit, but it was really just another ground ball.

[137] Would you trade Montero for Haren?

[134] I think even a neutral observer can agree than the Kyle Farnsworth/Carl Pavano/Kei Igawa era is not making the Brian Cashman Yankeeography. 05-08 (ish) were some dark days in the front office.

137) i don't know...he Haren has a 4.60 ERA in the other league, and is leading the league in hits allowed. Age 29 after a few seasons of lots of innings...i've got a bad feeling about him.

[140] I don't think you can pin Igawa on Cashman, but Pavano was not his finest hour. Perhaps his worst decision...although Nick Johnson ranks right up there.

140) keep trying...i'm not going to get pulled in. Not tonight.

[140] Glass Carl is currently the Twinkies best pitcher. (throwing up)

[141] His K-rate is up there, so maybe he has been the victim of bad defense? Either way, I want to keep Romine and Montero.

[129] They don't take the train. It's a PITA trying to take the train from NY to Boston. You have to make a connection in the Albany area, and the schedule is not convenient.

Baseball teams fly even for really short distances. Like in spring training, even if it's only an hour or two away, they take the team plane.

[141] which is why we have to make sure he's pitching w/ the correct arm.

yeah, he's having a rough year, but he's got a 133/27 k/bb ratio, he's had success in AL. i feel good about him, and i feel shitty about all our non-CC pitchers (except javy hasn't bothered me in a long time).

[145] perfect, arizona has a great 26 year old catcher. they need everything else.

142) I'm not convinced that NJ was that bad of a decision. I mean, yeah, it has turned out to be a very bad decision, but the dude was pretty cheap in terms of dollars and cost nothing in terms of prospects. A reasonable gamble, in my view. That said, I would like to have seen a stronger bench given the high likelihood of injury.

Rather, i am beginning to wonder if Granderson will prove to be the worse decision, even though he generally plays a nice CF. NJ hurts for only this season, but the Granderson trade could hurt for a few years to come, and really hurt depending on how AJax pans out.

[142] if The Yankees Years is to be believed, Igawa is a Cashman problem. And someone in that front office was excited enough to end the posting bid with the cutsie "194." If not Cashman, I wouldn't even venture a guess as to who.

This has been about as frustrating as a game gets.

I guess I should be grateful that among ALL the other thing mlb.tv has managed to fuck up tonight, the sound on the telecast is absurdly muted.

What a monopoly. It is truly one of the shittier services I have ever paid for.

[146] Really? Doesn't Amtrak's Acela go straight there? I know it gets to Baltimore in only two hours. When you factor in the whole airport routine, the train seems faster.

[146] They do fly, but you can get a fast train with limited stops NY to Boston. No transfer in Albany. Acela Express.

[149] Opportunity cost is what makes NJ a bad decision. Even though he was cheap, he precluded signing a player who would actually...play. The Yankees could have signed Damon or Vlad or a number of other players capable of staying on the field. Counting on Johnson with no bench to back him up was a poor decision, IMHO.

[149] Signing Nick Johnson and then getting caught with your pants down when he misses the majority of the season has to be considered a bad move. We were so caught off guard when Nick Johnson of all people got hurt that we had no plan B?

[120] I dunno JJ, I think you two would have been like brothers, for better and for worse.

[118] Everyone used to get into heated discussion at one point or another with Jim Dean, sometimes one-on-one, sometimes all vs. him. It seemed like he lived to be contrary, or at least he loved the attention, and never backed down whether he was wrong or right. Even I got into it with him at first... then I would just tease him. But he was passionate and ready for discussion, sometimes armed with a bevy of stats and sometimes just full of himself, which seemed to carry him pretty far on this site.

I got to know him better during one of the off-topic threads and grew to respect him for his passion, and as it turned out we did have a few things in common I could also respect. From thereon I would always tease him about his grumpiness (or worse), knowing that he was actually a pretty nice guy who was deeply passionate about the Yanks.

One day I wondered where he and a few other regulars were, because we hadn't seen them in a while. His wife came on with his account and told us that JD had died quietly while logged in and watching the game. 'He passed away while doing what he loved best, watching his Yankees." it was quite a shock to all of us and quietly devastating to me. I wrote a tribute piece on my blog, wondering about the strangeness of losing a friend you never met.

He was quite a character, someone you could love to hate,and I don't know about some of the others, but I could respect him. And it's one reason I don't take you guys for granted.

[150] The Kei Igawa experience is so mindboggling that I think people don't stop to think about it enough.

It was like the El Duquecito experience on steroids.

145) could be. Still, i get a sort of barry zito feeling about him ( though admittedly Haren's peripherals are much better than Zito's were at the same age).

[149] Regarding your second point, yes, Granderson could wind up being a big mistake, but I look at Granderson's poor performance as somewhat of a surprise, whereas NJ was a good bet to get injured.

So... who here thinks Derek Jeter challenges Pete Rose?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha crying

I did a quick search and found a few stories mentioning the Orioles and Red Sox taking a train to NY, but not the Yankees to those cities.

[156] Perfectly said, Chyll.

[157] Indeed..guy comes to American and makes $25 million while spending most his time in AAA...couldn't a team like the Royals or Pirates at least try him out?

154) Even though he was cheap, he precluded signing a player who would actually…play.

I don't look at the moves so much in isolation. As such, one could make the same argument about Granderson. The money they are paying Grandy could have been used to pay for a plan B for NJ, or for real OF depth, or whatever. It's the same pot of money.

[156] Wow. He died logged in to the Banter?

Nothing, nothing at all against any of you, but please, Lord, don't let me go like that.

I guess I only post in game when I'm completely flummoxed by what I've seen, so that description really sounds like the opposite of my wish to be on a beach, sipping pina coladas, before I slip away.

I'm upstate, north of NY, so I didn't realize the Acela went all the way to Boston.

I might try that. Flying is such a pain these days.

[157] i think people try not to think about it

[160] Jeter's not a gambling man.

[158] yeah, he's not lee or halladay. so he could be sucking for real.

but the stat guys love him because of the crazy k/bb ratio and the huge increase in BABIP and HR/FB rate seems super-fluky.

but i am curious enough to watch tomorrow night to see how he's throwing against the mets before i go nuts.

[157] Exactly. It's the idea that what was really an epic misplay is going to end so quietly.

C'mon, Chad! Hold 'em to single digits. You can do it!

[160] ha

[166] It sure seems sometimes like we've all been Men in Black'd on the Kei Igawa landing.

Every now and then you remember, and then yes, I guess it's true, you immediately want to forget.

[163] You could make the same argument about Granderson, but I don't think anyone is surprised that NJ has spent most of the year on the DL. I can give Cashman a pass on Granderson because I thought he would be good, but relying on NJ to be healthy was wishful thinking.

Ah, Jim Dean... There's a name I hadn't heard in a while. Think William but with more tenacity and profanity :)

[165] Acela is great, albeit a little pricy at peak hours.

[163] I think only the overly pessimistic expected this kind of season out of Granderson. It seemed like a good move, and still may be.

I can't imagine anyone but the blindly optimistic could have expected much else from Johnson

Ugh.

I hate the Angels.

159) he was a good bet to get injured, but he was also a good bet to get 400+ PAs, which he had done in six of nine or ten seasons. But the risk is also why he came cheap, and why the Yankees could negotiate a very team-friendly contract (short term, buy out, not a big salary).

But it would have been preferable to sign some depth especially at DH/OF' rather than fritter away money on other things.

In any case, I see NJ as cheap but risky move that didn't work out. Meanwhile, just about every stat suggested that Granderson was a real risk as well...his numbers were pretty much trending down or flatlined, with very worrisome splits. But he came far more expensive in terms of dollars, length of contract and prospects.

Oh, a Hanging Chad? Did Gaudin play for the Marlins in 2000?

[173] Now that's back handed! :) I don't mind any characterization really, but would like to point out that my posts rarely if ever feature profanity (which is my biggest pet peeve).

I was under the impression that on short jaunts, the team takes the bus. At any rate, Acela makes the run up the northeast corridor along I-95 to Boston

[164] That is correct, he passed while logged in and watching the game. It was weird when his wife made the post about his passing.

I thought Igawa was a reasonable signing. He was expected to fill out the rotation, nothing more, nothing less. Pavano surprised me though. I knew he was injury prone, but I thought the Yanks would get a lot more out of him than they did.

[180] Cashman didn't even think he was a given to do that. At the time, he called Igawa a back end of the rotation/bullpen guy. The move was clearly a knee jerk response to the Red Sox getting Dice-K.

[179] Interesting. No wonder you and I are like peanut butter and motor oil.

[180] I found articles saying the Mets boarded a bus to Philly. I can't imagine the Yankees taking a bus to Boston or Baltimore. The train is much faster.

Hey li'l CC starts the 9 run rally! But Granderson flies out. Maybe not.

[179] I guess I could've worded that better :). I guess what I meant to say is while you come across as maybe annoyed or frustrated, JD used to come across as apoplectic.

As someone who regularly takes the bus from DC to NYC, if the Yankees take the bus to Baltimore, I would be stunned. I do not enjoy the ride.

I hope O'neill is right about AJ because if he doesn't start pitching well, the Yankees could be in big trouble.

Oh my God, he ends up at 2nd. This game has been pure pain.

[174] I don't mind paying more, if it means avoiding the hassle of post-9/11 plane travel.

I'd have to take the train down to NYC first, then get on the Acela, but the airport's a bigger time sink.

The Yanks took Amtrak to Philly last year when they played there. There was an article or two about the throw-back vibe.

[186] Whaddayamean? Peter Pan Busways and the Baltimore Travel Plaza "food court"...ahh, those sweet college summer memories...

[189] Even the standard Amtrak routes from NY to Baltimore beat flying/driving, and a coach seat can be as cheap as $49.

Gardner getting doubled up there would have been the appropriate ending.

Check that - Ramiro Pena pinch hitting for Derek Jeter will do nicely.

[191] It turns out that the farther you get away from college,the more that ride takes a toll on your back, and the more the journey seems endless.

[183] I'm not so sure about that. I'm not sure speed makes much of a difference, but I would think that taking a chartered bus directly from the stadium to a hotel in Boston or Baltimore would be better than shuttling everyone to Penn Station, then taking the train, then hopping on another bus from either train station to the hotel.

Thank Mo that's over. U.G.L.Y.

The Angels still have a knack for embarassing the Yankees...except in the 2009 ALCS that is.

[185] Ha! True...

[186] I made that trip by bus exactly once, going the opposite way. By the time I got to the station in Baltimore, I was damn near suicidal. True story.

[192] Really? I stand corrected on [195] then. And I may look into taking the train next time I go to Baltimore. I liked my Amtrak experience, I just found it to be too expensive.

[195] A bus from YS to Penn Station probably takes about 30 minutes, and from Penn Station Baltimore to the Inner Harbor takes 10 minutes. The Acela makes the trip in about 2 hours 20 minutes. So you are looking at about 3 hours (and I imagine the bags go before the players, so its not like you have to load and unload).

If they take the bus, it has to be more than 3 hours.