Yankees Sign Richie Sexson

Looks like the Yankees are now a threat to be reckoned with! They have a tentative deal in place to sign first baseman Richie Sexson for a pro-rated league minimum salary. Financially, it is a safe move, but signing a guy who was cut by the worst team in baseball? My guess is they want to solidify defense at second base, add a right handed bat that is effective against lefties, and utilize Jason Giambi (while he is relatively hot) more as the DH in Matsui's absence?

Anyway, not a terrible move, but what they really need is pitching!

A Moment of Silence

This Sunday morning, I'd like to begin the day with a moment of silence in honor of the passing away of former Red Sox catcher, John Marzano. John died at home in Philadelphia yesterday when he fell down the stairs after what appears to have been a sudden heart attack. John was 45 years old, and is survived by his wife, two daughters, and two grandchildren.

{Now a moment of silence for John Marzano, 1963-2008, RIP}

Boston has truly been an exciting place for sports fans recently. Red Sox made it to the World Series and won for the second time in 4 years, the Patriots made it to the Superbowl with an undefeated record, but lost a tough game to the Giants, the Bruins beat Montreal last night to force an amazing game 7 in the first round of the NHL playoffs, and the Celtics ended their regular season with the best record in the NBA and begin their playoff hunt tonight against Atlanta. The Bruins are surprising everyone, as they are trying to borrow a page from the come-back Red Sox playbook. Consider that they had not won a single game all season against the Canadiens (the Bruins' version of the Yankees), and were down 3 games to 1 in the best of 7 series. They have now won 2 in a row to even the series at 3 and forced the deciding game 7 on enemy ice. The Bruins have lost ALL 20 series in which they had trailed 3-1, including 2 in Montreal. Will they brush aside history and take an historic win like the 2004 Red Sox did against the Yankees in the ALCS? Tune in tomorrow night and see - should be exciting!

Oh yeah, the Red Sox. They just went and won their 3rd game in a row last night, beating Texas 5-3 behind the torrid bat of Manny Ramirez. The game was a close on all night, and the Sox were down 3-2 heading into the 8th inning and running out of time. But, as the Rangers are well aware, against this team the game is not over until that 27th out is recorded. Last night David Ortiz got into the fun as well. With one out in the 8th, Dustin Pedroia doubled and Ortiz ripped a hard grounder that was just out of the reach of second baseman Ian Kinsler. Pedroia came around to score, tying the game at three. Then Manny came to the plate and absolutely clobbered the second pitch he saw from Texas reliever, Joaquin Benoit, high over the green monster to put the Sox ahead 5-3. The ball was hit so hard, had it not struck the light pole, it looked like it would have landed on the Mass Pike. Manny now has 496 home runs. The way he is hitting, number 500 is only days away.

John Lester did not get the win last night, having left the game with one out in the 7th inning and throwing 106 pitches. He did not have a great night, but he pitched well enough to keep them in the game. What I have liked in these past two outings from Lester is that he just won't give up. He gets into trouble and looks very hittable, but whereas some pitchers just seem to fall apart, John never does. The more trouble he gets into, the harder he bears down and gets determined. He gave up 3 runs, but the runs came one at a time in each of the first three innings. In the third inning, it was looking bleak for Lester. With one out he gave up a single and a double, putting runners at the corners for the second time in two innings. But, rather than implode, he proceeded to strike out the next two batters to snuff out a potential momentum building rally. While it looked like Lester's night was nearly over, he battled all the way into the seventh inning, to put the Sox in position to win the game.

An interesting item of note for me last night was that Jacoby Ellsbury hit his FIRST double of the season. With his speed, I was shocked that it was only his first double.

So, how is our enemy from NY doing you ask? Not so good right now as the Yankees lost their 3rd straight game last night in a 6-0 loss to Baltimore, thanks in part to our old buddy Kevin Millar who contributed with a home run off of rookie pitcher Ian Kennedy. The Yankees' starting pitching has got to be worrying them. They clearly have been counting on their two rookies, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes, to help anchor the rotation, but neither one looks up to the task. Kennedy is 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA. In 2 of his 3 starts he was unable to get past the 3rd inning. Phil Hughes has not fared much better. In 4 starts, he is 0-3 with an 8.82 ERA and in 2 of the starts was gone by the start of the 4th inning. Mike Mussina is looking more and more like he is at the end of his career. He still has some nasty breaking pitches, but needs to truly re-invent himself to be effective. That leaves Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte, who have both done well so far. But, how far can you get with two effective starters?

On another cheerful Yankee note, MLB apparently read my post about Kyle Farnsworth trying to take off Manny's head Thursday night and has suspended Farnsworth for 3 games. Kyle is appealing the decision claiming that the ball slipped, which we all know is garbage. For MLB to decide to suspend Farnsworth, they must also feel pretty confident that there was intent. Farnsworth did not hit Manny, warnings were issued, and no further incident occurred. In that circumstance, it is unusual for MLB to hand down punishment. The fact that they did tells you what really happened.

New enemy, Joe Girardi, was also confused by the penalty and as far as I can tell, he just doesn't get it. He compared that incident to Friday night when the Orioles' Daniel Cabrera hit Hideki Matsui twice, once grazing his hand and the other hitting him in the thigh. Joe even indicated that Cabrera is often a bit wild and his ball rides away on him. Okay Joe, look...Cabrera was wild all night that night. The pitches that hit Matsui were low and riding the inside area of the plate. None of them were shoulder high. In contrast to that, Farnsworth was NOT wild at all Thursday night. He was precisely accurate for the whole outing, other than that one pitch, and that one pitch did not ride in on Manny and hit his hands or thigh - it made a direct line for his ear. Joe wake up.

I never dreamed I'd long for the days of Joe Torre.

(John Marzano photo courtesy of The Baseball Almanac)
(Red Sox photos courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

Yankees Getting Dirty?

I've played amateur baseball for many years, and I have never seen a pitcher throw at a batter because the batter has had success against the pitcher or the team. If anything, the pitcher tries to throw a lot of junk to keep the batter from hitting. But, last night the image that is most lasting is Kyle Farnsworth throwing a 97+ mph fastball right at Manny Ramirez' left shoulder/left ear. Luckily, the ball sailed and just missed Manny as it passed behind him! Yes, it was intentional, period. Every pitch Farnsworth threw after that was right around the plate, and he struck out two batters in the inning. He was not wild, he was headhunting. He knew he could throw one pitch and get away with it before warnings came out, and he did - he just missed. A 97 mph fastball in the location Farnsworth threw it is potentially career ending if it connects.

The once noble and honorable Yankees seem to be slipping into cheap and dirty habits. The team attitude comes from the leader. Joe Torre had always been a great baseball guy, and was always able to calm the often crazy and emotional vibes coming from the front office of George Steinbrenner. Joe stood his ground and ran the team very well, with honor and sportsmanship. As much as we all hate the Yankees as or main rival, Joe was a respected adversary.

Joe Girardi may not be up for following Torre's legacy of sportsmanship. I was surprised to read about Shelley Duncan sliding spikes-high into second base against Tampa Bay in spring training. That cheap move does nothing but instigate a fight, which it did. Let's hope Joe Girardi can calm the cheap stuff down and keep Torre's legacy alive.

Okay, that's out of the way. Manny Ramirez stole the show last night hitting home runs off of Mike Mussina in his first two at-bats driving in a total of 3 runs. Mussina has now given up 3 home runs to Manny this season. Prior to both of Mussina's starts against Boston, I discussed how to hit against Mike, and assured you that at least Manny would get it. I doubt Manny is reading this blog, but he definitely gets it!

Josh Beckett was also in good form last night. He has been tiring a little early in his starts so far, but last night he went 8 innings throwing 105 pitches. I had only called for him to go 7 innings, but having him go 8 saved Hideki Okajima for tonight's game. Jonathan Papelbon did wrap up the ninth inning, but was very sloppy in doing so. After striking out Jason Giambi, he gave up a double to Jorge Posada, then threw a wild pitch to send Posada to third base. A ground out by Robinson Cano scored Posada. So, with two outs I thought that was about it. But, Papelbon then gave up a solo home run to Melky Cabrera before striking out pinch-hitter, Hideki Matsui to end the game.

Now, on a more personal note, I am going to my first game of 2008 tonight. Sitting in Fenway Park under clear blue skies, warm 70 degree weather, taking in the sights, sounds and smells will be just a little slice of heaven. Of course, that's after ignoring the cramped seats, expensive beer, and dripping mustard all over my jeans, and possibly ducking the attack of a swooping hawk or two. For all of my friends out there (yes, I mean both of you), I will be preparing diligently for the game in my usual place of meditation - the end of the bar at Tequila Rain on Landsdowne Street. Here's what I'll be preaching to anyone at the bar who I can corner to listen, wearing my Dice-K branded Red Sox hat...

The Sox send Dice-K Matsusaka to the mound tonight to face Luis Mendoza of the Texas Rangers. Mendoza was originally signed by the Sox in 2000 and traded to Texas in 2006. This is his rookie season in the bigs, and as a 24 year old, he shows some promise. He had trouble with his curveball in his last outing and got behind on a number of counts, but had a respectful outing. The Red Sox have not historically done well against new pitchers they've never faced. The key will be to exercise patience at the plate, force the kid to throw strikes, get his pitch count up, and jump on mistakes. He's a right-handed batter, so look for the same batting lineup for the Red Sox as last night. Coco Crisp has been nursing a tender hamstring. He may be in center field if it is better, or he may get one more night off. Personally, I'd love to see Jacoby Ellsbury in person. He has not been getting many hits, but the Yankees put him on base with two (unintentional) HBP's last night, and Ellsbury created havoc on the bases.

The Rangers are on a small roll having just swept two from the Blue Jays, so Dice-K will need to have better command than his last outing, and I expect he will. Texas has fared well against Dice-K in the past, so he will need to be sharp, otherwise they'll run him out of the game by the 5th inning. And, we don't want the Sox bullpen coming in that early, do we?

Who's dangerous? Watch out for Frank Catalonado - he is a constant thorn in the Red Sox' side.

Finally let's all welcome Kason Gabbard in his first visit to Fenway not in a Red Sox uniform.

(Photos courtesy of Boston.com)

Pitching Can Also Lose Games

Well, for anyone who thinks a low scoring game is boring, you must have had fun last night. On a night when the Sox offense was on a roll, the pitching imploded. The Yankees had a very similar problem. The two teams went toe to toe for the most part. After 5 innings both teams had gone through 2 pitchers with the Red Sox giving up 11 runs, while the Yankees gave up 9 runs. Both teams needed a reliever to stop the bleeding. The Yankees found theirs in LaTroy Hawkins who pitched two scoreless innings, and the Red Sox found theirs in David Aardsma who also pitched two scoreless innings. But, to end the game, the Sox brought in Mike Timlin who was (again) unable to hold back the dam and gave up 4 more insurance runs to the Yankees. Game over. Yankees win 15-9.

The good news, for Sox fans, is that the Red Sox were able to clobber Yankee ace Chien-Ming Wang, who had pitched a 2-hitter against them only last week. The bad news is that Clay Buchholz got just as clobbered. So far, Clay looks like a pitcher who has potential, but still needs more work in Pawtucket. Here's what I expect. Clay will get 2 more starts, probably fare moderately well, but not brilliantly. Right around that time, Bartolo Colon will be declared fit and ready to go, and we'll see Colon come up and Clay go down. That's more good news - we have a starter working his way up to help out. We also have the possibility of Curt Schilling making it back up sometime this summer.

The Yankees caught a break in the 5th when Melky Cabrera went a mile out of the base path to break up a double play. The rule is that he has to be able to reach second base when he slides, but in this case he was sliding out to center field, no where near the bag. The ump should have made the call, which would have resulted in the runner at first being out, ending the inning. As is turned out, it only cost the Sox one run - and gave Julio Lugo a cheap error in his stats.

Here's a worrisome quote from Terry Francona...

"Tonight, we go to Tavarez, and if he struggles, that's what happens. We really didn't have anywhere else to go," said Francona.

We didn't have anywhere else to go because Kyle Snyder had been cut loose! Theo Epstein needs to be out there looking for dependable middle relief!

When you score 9 runs and lose, in my mind you really let one get away. The other piece of good new for the Sox is that our #5 pitcher is the one who got hammered. For the Yankees, it was their #1 ace pitcher. Not a good thing. The Red Sox send their ace, Josh Beckett, to the mound tonight to face Mike Mussina. You would think this one should go to the Red Sox, but we'll see. If Beckett and Mussina pitch the way you'd expect, and the Sox bats (Ramirez, JD Drew) stay hot, the game is in the bag. I'd look for a classic pitching night for the Sox - Beckett goes 7 innings, Okajima pitches and 8th, and Papelbon closes her out. The only worry is that Beckett has been tiring around the 6th inning, so (gasp) we might need middle relief!

Lastly, start worrying about injuries. The list is growing with Kevin Youkilis fouling a pitch off of his toe, and Alex Cora going the DL for an elbow strain. To replace Alex Cora, the Sox are bringing up Joe Thurston from Pawtucket. With Youk likely sitting out tonight, the Sox are expected to play Jed Lowrie at third base, and Sean Casey at first. Not a good sign to be missing your two starting corner infielders.

Weekend Yankees Winless

I re-wrote an old poem that I feel truly sums up everything I wanted to say today (my apologies to Dr. Seuss)...

To preface... the Steinbrenners were too busy counting money to watch the games this weekend, and wake up today to hear the good news...

Three thousand feet up! In the Yankee Boss’ den,

The Steinbrenners tuned their TV to ESPN!

"Pooh-pooh to the Sox Fans!" he was Yank-ish-ly humming.

"They're finding out now that no wins will be coming!

"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!

"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two

"Then all the Sox Fans down in Beantown will all cry BOO-HOO!"


"That's a noise," grinned the Boss,

"That I simply must hear!"

So he paused. And the Boss put a hand to his ear.

And he did hear a sound on the ESPN show.

It started in low. Then it started to grow...


But the sound wasn't sad!

Why, this sound sounded merry!

It couldn't be so!

But it WAS merry! VERY!


He stared down at Beantown!

The Boss popped his eyes!

Then he shook!

What he saw was a shocking surprise!


Every Fan down in Beantown, the tall and the small,

Was singing! Without any tears at all!

He HADN'T stopped the Wins from coming!

They CAME!

Somehow or other, they came just the same!


And the Boss, with his feet all buried in money,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be funny?

It came without Schilling! It came without Papi!

"It came without Mike Lowell, or Doug Mirabelli!"

And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Boss thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe my players," he thought, "don’t play very well.

"Or maybe...perhaps...we’re under a spell!"


And what happened then...?

Well...the very next day

The Boss got a jackhammer

And hammered away!

And he dug a big hole in the locker room floor,

He searched for a Sox shirt buried there before

And he lifted the shirt! And on it read “ORTIZ”!

And he...


...HE HIMSELF...!



Cursed to heaven on his knees!

Return of the Jedi

When the Red Sox play the Yankees, it is fun to win, and it is even more fun to make a statement while you do it. Yesterday, our spokesperson for that statement was Jonathan Papelbon. What an inspiring performance! Two runners on base, two outs, one run lead, eight inning, Alex Rodriguez coming to the plate, Francona bringing in ace closer Papelbon to face him. Power versus power. Yankees' best hitter against the Sox' best fireball closer. It was so dramatic, God himself hit pause on the game by throwing lightning bolts over Boston, so he could reload on snacks. When God hit play again (over two hours later!) , Papelbon came out charged with that very lightning, striking out A-Rod on three straight pitches! For regular readers, you know I have been intrigued by Papelbon working on a new and improved slider this spring. He threw it on the second pitch and got A-Rod to whiff at it. And look at those three pitches, 97 mph fastball (fouled off), 90 mph slider (swing and miss), wrapped up with a 98 mph fastball (swing and miss).

Paps came back out to wrap up the game in the ninth getting Giambi and Posada to both strike out swinging, and then survived a drawn-out battle against Robinson Cano (the guy I called most fearless in the Yankee lineup) who forced Papelbon to throw 10 pitches in a terrific showdown until he finally put one in play, grounding out to second.

Pitching wins ballgames, and Josh Beckett looked great until he began tiring in the 6th and 7th. Francona obviously wanted to avoid bringing out the middle relief and stretched Beckett as far as he could. Beckett will need a few more starts to build back his strength with the delay he had in spring training from the strained back. Manny Delcarmen and Okajima did their jobs holding the Yankees at bay for Papelbon's drama to commence.

As I indicated yesterday, I expected Manny Ramirez to surely hit against Mike Mussina, and he did, with a home run and a double driving in 3 of the Sox' four runs. I love to point out and examine strategy here and there. The situation...runners on second and third for the Sox with one out and David Ortiz coming up with Manny on deck. First base is open, and we have seen managers in the past walk Big Papi intentionally only to get burned by Manny. But, with Big Papi struggling right now, new Yankees' manager, Joe Girardi, makes a prudent decision to pitch to Ortiz. Ortiz struck out, making that move look good. Now, he's got 2 outs, and first base is still open. Do you pitch to Manny, who already clobbered a home run against Mussina earlier in the game, or do you put Manny on first and go after Youkilis? This time he opted to pitch to Manny, who stroked the first pitch for a game turning double. Oops.

The 18 game series against the Yankees is all tied up at one game a piece. Next up, Dice-K Matsuzaka will try to continue his hot start against the Yankees' promising rookie, Phil Hughes. Hughes had an iffy outing, only lasting three innings against the Royals in his last start because he had trouble spotting his fastball. That is a correctable problem. So, no guarantee he will pitch poorly tonight. I can't imagine Papi going hitless again - so look out fans in right field! Dice-K has really looked good - I think he is more confident in the strike zone that MLB umps are giving him, and working well with Varitek to exploit that zone using his tremendous arsenal of pitches. If his location is good, with a favorable ump, we could see another pitching gem tonight!

Wang Spins a Gem

Well, I gave the edge to the Yankees in the first game, and Chien-Ming Wang, unfortunately made my thoughts come true. Both starting pitchers had great games. Wang and Clay Buchholz went toe to toe with brilliant pitching. Why was Wang so effective? Two reasons. First, he had excellent command of his pitches putting the ball exactly where he wanted. Second, he kept the ball around the strike zone all night. The result is that the Sox were not able to be patient at the plate and force Wang to throw a lot of pitches. Wang forced them to swing earlier, but kept the ball out of the sweet zone. So, most players made outs early in the count allowing Wang to get away with very few pitches. That sped the game up and let Wang pitch all nine innings.

I loved the job Buchholz did. I wish he could have gone deeper, but after 6 he was up to 98 pitches. Last season he tired out early, you can't kill him this early on.

Once again, I was questioning Terry Francona's logic. We knew Clay was done after 6, and we had Okajima and Papelbon lined up for the 8th and 9th. So, all we needed was to nail down the eight. So, with Jason Giambi leading off, as a potentially dangerous lefty who loves fastballs, I'm not sure why Terry brought in Mike Timlin to face him. Timlin is fresh off the DL and is a righty fastball pitcher. Why not bring in the lefty reliever Javier Lopez to go after Giambi, then bring in Timlin? That's what I was thinking at the start of the inning. I thought Timlin worked Giambi well, but Giambi won in the end.


After that, the real question was whether we could score off of Wang. Other than JD Drew, who is still in a groove and hit a homer off Wang for the Sox only run, the answer was a resounding NO. So, don't worry about the rest. Wang owned the show. We were never going to score a second run in this game. It could have ended 2-1, 4-1, 8-1, or 12-1. Any way, the Sox were only getting 1. So, the first battle was won hands-down by Wang.

Next up - the Red Sox get their turn to send their ace out as Josh Beckett faces Mike Mussina (weather permitting). Clearly, the Sox have the edge on pitching in this one, and the bullpen is rested enough, so the Sox have the edge. The one strength Mussina will bring to the table is some effective off-speed stuff, especially a nasty knuckle-curve. That pitch can keep hitters off balance. Sox hitters have to try to lay off that pitch and sit on Mussina's near-underhand fastball. Manny will do that - not sure about the others.

Oh, in case you were wondering, Big Papi is still in a rut going 0 for 3. Hmm.

And lastly, why was Jacoby Ellsbury NOT playing on Native American night at Fenway?

Sox Rising, Yankees Slipping

Doesn't everything look a little brighter today? The Sox held a terrific Opening Day, exorcising one last demon - bringing out Bill Buckner to throw out the first pitch to the ever-loved Dwight Evans (Deeewwwyy). After all the pomp and circumstance, they got down to an excellent ball game.

Dice-K Matsuzaka was masterful. His command was perfect, and he kept Detroit batters off balance all day. Dice-K has now pitched in 3 straight opening day games. That's got to be a record. The Sox have won all three of those games. We all hoped that Dice-K's second season with the Sox would work out a lot like Josh Beckett's second season with them. So far so good. Could we have two Cy Young candidates in the rotation this year? The bullpen did just as well with Manny Delcarmen shaking off the memory of the grand slam he gave up to Frank Thomas and pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings to hand it over to Hideki Okajima who wrapped up the win for his fellow countryman. Okajima seems to be picking up where he left off last year, and promises to be an anchor in the bullpen for the Sox.

The offense looked better, with JD Drew staying hot, while Youlikis, Varitek, Pedroia, and (yes) Julio Lugo all had multi-hit games. Manny attracted the most attention with his (ill-advised) decision to stretch a double into a triple. It worked out fine, but let's hope he doesn't try that too often. It was a 1-0 game at the time and he was leading off. The throw actually beat him to third base, but luckily it was off-line and sailed past the third baseman. Glad to see Manny Ramirez being aggressive, but the smarter move would have been to hold up and have a runner at 2nd base with no outs and your 5, 6, and 7 batters coming up.

Big Papi is still struggling a bit, but did come close to launching a grand slam. Hopefully he gets into a groove soon. Word is his knee is still bothering him after off-season surgery. Having him out of the lineup drastically changes things for the offense, so let's hope the knee holds up.

Good news in Pawtucket. We have been less than pleased with the Sox middle relief so far this season. On Monday, Mike Timlin threw 18 pitches in an inning of relief for the PawSox and felt great topping out at 93 mph. He is expected to join the Sox on Friday when the Yankees come to town.

Speaking of the Yankees, things are not looking to upbeat for them right now. The season is still young, so no reason for New Yorkers to start crying into their pinstriped handkerchiefs just yet. But, while the Sox were taming the Tigers at Fenway yesterday, the Yankees were getting schooled in Kansas City. The mighty A-Rod struck out four times in the game! Meanwhile, Derek Jeter will miss a few games with a groin injury and Jorge Posada is on the verge of a possible DL stint for a "dead arm". Meanwhile, rookie sensation Phil Hughes did not fare so well lasting only 3 innings in the game.



So, what does all that mean? Everything is rosy in Red Sox Nation today.

Tonight the Tigers' Jeremy Bonderman will make his first ever start in Fenway Park, matching up against Jon Lester. Lester was brilliant in his last start, and should get an emotional boost from the home crowd. Bonderman is a good pitcher, but the Sox should fare well against him. The only thing I worry about is that the Tiger is due to wake up soon. This team is predicted by many to be the best team in the AL this year. Right now they are winless at 0-7. Can Lester hold them back for one more game? Can Big Papi break out for the home town crowd? Will JD Drew stay hot and carry the team through April? Will Julio Lugo begin a march to challenge Youkilis' error-free streak? He's already one game into it.

Let's Get to Know the 2008 Yankees

As Red Sox fans, we all hate the New York Yankees. It just comes as part of the package. They are the arch rival, the dreaded enemy, the Evil Empire. It is easy to sit in the stands and simply boo and chant against the Yankees for no other reason than we hate them. But, do you know them as well as you know your own team?

A truly rational fan understands that it pays to know the enemy. Tomorrow we will be celebrating, one last time, the Red Sox 2007 Championship. But this weekend the Yankees come to town. Are you ready? If not, let's take a few minutes on this off day to prepare by getting to know the 2008 Yankees a little better. Ready? Okay, let's go.

Let's get the quick question out of the way. As currently constituted, the Yankees are NOT as good of a team as they were last year. Last year they looked like a team to be feared, but fell way short of those expectations, losing the AL East title to the Red Sox for the first time in 9 years. When that happened, we all caught our breath and said, "there are going to be some major changes in New York - Steinbrenner will not stand for that". So, here we are a week into 2008. Let's look at the huge shake up in the Yankee organization.

First, they started at the very top and, in a rather ungracious manner, severed ties with the beloved Joe Torre and replaced him with ex-Yankee player, Joe Girardi. Phew, this is starting out intense.

Next, ...

Wait. That was it. Either George fell asleep and forgot to tell Cashman to keep going, or they figured that the real reason they lost last year was because of the manager. I know what you are thinking. Don't they know Johnny Damon is no longer the guy in center field and Matsui is not the best outfielder, surely they made some moves to tighten up the outfield defense? And what about first base, we all know Giambi has a rock for a glove and the reaction time of those turtles in the Verizon ads on TV. Surely they have bought some overpriced superstar to take over that position? And what about starting pitching? Remember those years where their pitching rotation looked like an All-Star game lineup? Surely they inserted a superstar to keep that tradition going?

Nope. Nothing. Cashman sat on his hands this off season and decided that Joe Girardi could whip these players in line. Maybe he can.

Last year, the Yankees lineup was pretty terrifying to look at, but failed to consistently execute. The lineup hasn't changed, but they just don't look as fearsome...

1) Damon leads off. He still has some speed, but that is starting to decline. Why do you think he is no longer in center field? Because of his poor throwing arm? No one cared about that before. It is because his biggest weapon is dwindling each year - speed - largely due to the abuse his body has been through. It is catching up to him. To get him in the lineup, they either have to put him in left or DH. This will always prevent them from settling in to a routine lineup - largely due to their real DH (Jason Giambi) juggling first base.
2) Jeter bats second. Jeter is still one of the smartest players in the game, and can still be dangerous in the clutch. Offensively, he'll be a solid #2 batter in the order. Still a solid shortstop, but no longer the gold glove candidate he had been. Where this spot once was superhuman, it is not as much so anymore.
3) Abreu bats third. He is still a competent batter, and should hit for decent average, but his power is starting to drop off as age creeps up (he's 34). Last year he batted well, but only managed 16 home runs in a full season. He bats ahead of A-Rod, and that should help him to see more good pitches to hit (like Big Papi hitting ahead of Manny). He is a valid third hitter, but not too scary in the long run. Good right fielder with a good arm.
4) A-Rod bats fourth. Clearly the best batter on the team, but we know he has trouble producing at the most crucial moments. When has A-Rod lived up to expectations when everything is on the line? Defensively he is solid, but not too clutch, and his errors will always come at the worst times. We'll see how he performs as he weans off the steroids (according to Canseco).
5) Giambi 5th. Terrible defensive first baseman, and never the same batter since he got off steroids. I would not be surprised if the does not last the whole season. Between Giambi and Damon, they create confusion for Girardi making out the lineups. Girardi wants both bats, but neither one on defense.
6) Robinson Cano. Very good second baseman, and not a bad batter for that position. Pretty solid, and more fearless than most of their lineup. Provides depth to the batting order.
7) Posada - Had a tremendous year at the plate in 2007 - don't expect that to happen this year. He'll be solid, has lots of experience behind the plate, and certainly won't be a liability by any means. Still one of the better catchers in the game, and can definitely still hit.
8) Matsui batting this low in the order is interesting. He had been much higher up last year. Perhaps injuries and age are catching up a bit? Not a great outfielder, but adequate. He can still hit for power and cause some damage - and if he has a good season, an effective bat in the 8 hole can be quite an asset (remember Bill Mueller winning the batting title in 2003 mostly batting 8th).
9) Melky Cabrera - Looks to have pushed Damon out of center field. Solid player, but fairly light hitting for an outfielder.

So, defense is basically the same as last year, with first base still up in the air. Shelly Duncan should take over first from Giambi once Girardi gives up on the big guy. Duncan is young, and has potential, but not expected to be a star.

On offense, they'll be tough overall, and should score some runs. Not quite a murders row, but fairly balanced. Biggest confusion relates to trying to get Damon and Giambi in the lineup.

Pitching...

The Yankees have 3 starters back, Wang, Mussina, and Pettitte. Wang will be good this year, and is pretty dependable. Not a superstar, but should end up with around 18 wins. Mussina is really looking like the end is near. His fastball seems to be fizzling out, forcing him to rely on his nasty curve more and more. His fastball is consistently in the mid-80's, which is not good. At 39 years old, I don't think he's got much left. Certainly not the pitcher he used to be. Pettitte is turning 36 this year, and is also not quite the pitcher he used to be. I think he will have a decent year, barring injury, but I also think his best years are behind him. The other two slots are filled by promising youth in Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes. Both have potential, but we'll have to wait and see how they do. I think Hughes has the better chance to have a good year.

Somewhat amazed the Yankees did not secure Johan Santana this spring. That would have solidified the rotation, and put them up a notch or two.

The bullpen is anchored effectively by Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera. Mariano is still effective, but not as lights out as he once was. Joba is still showing lots of promise, so the back end looks solid. Kyle Farnsworth is dependable in middle relief, but beyond that it is a bit more jumbled. New guys trying to prove themselves. Hard to do in New York.

Lastly, you should perfectly expect a big move sometime this season, especially if they are not sitting in first place. They will be a contender, and may even squeeze into a playoff spot, but that is no guarantee this year. If they do, I do not see them getting very far in the playoffs.

How do they match up? Offensively I think they match up fairly even with the Sox, but consistency out of JD Drew could tilt that on our favor. Defensively, and in pitching I see the Sox with the edge. Remember, pitching and defense wins championships.

Steinbrenner Buys Naming Rights to Fenway

In a shocking new development that is sure to send ripples across Major League Baseball, George Steinbrenner, with what may prove to be his final official command from high atop the Yankees lofty tower, has announced today that he has bought the naming rights to Fenway Park. Fans are in shock as they now wait in fearful anticipation of what name George will choose.

John Henry did not return calls, but made a brief statement via email last night. "As you know, we are committed to providing the best possible baseball experience for our fans, and to do that we have to look at creative ways of generating revenue. On the surface, this may appear to be a win for the Yankees. But, think about it. What have they gained? Not much more than the potential for some verbal one-up-man-ship. But from our point of view, we have raised a tremendous amount of new revenue that we can now invest in scouting, player development, and free agency. But, that's not all, this deal is so lucrative for us, that we are in effect draining the Yankee's own funding. Plus with the Boston Globe being owned by the New York Times, we felt there was some inevitability to all of this anyway."

Terms of the deal have not been made public, but sources confirm the Red Sox will be receiving in excess of One Hundred Million Dollars per year. That will, in effect force the Yankees to begin thinking about payroll cutting. In fact, the Steinbrenners have been spotted secretly meeting with the Florida Marlins over the past week, presumably comparing payroll strategies.

All of Red Sox Nation awaits word on what the final name will be. Guesses have been thrown around, including:

Yankee Outhouse
Steinbrenner's Bathroom
Loserville Stadium

Reaction from Red Sox fans has been mixed. "Are you f**'n kidding me?", said Joe from Everett. "That's the last straw - I'll never step foot in that place again". While Mary from Cambridge had a more hopeful view. "I don't care what they call the place - as long as we kick their butts! I love the strategy of taking away the Yankee's biggest weapon - MONEY".

Steinbrenner has asked for fans to weigh in on the new name. All comments to this posting will be forwarded to George's son Hank, who will be making the final decision.

Can the Red Sox top Billy Crystal?

I have been hearing it on the radio, on the street and in the papers. The Yankees are (reluctantly) conceding that the Red Sox have become the team to beat. The Yankees have been shaken from the 2004 devastating loss to the Red Sox in the ALCS. The Yankees are desperate and clawing at anything to leapfrog back ahead of the Red Sox. I heard all of these things, and even after the firing of Joe Torre, I have been reluctant to believe it. Until now.

Have you heard the Yankees are giving Billy Crystal a shot at the big leagues tomorrow? He will officially be signed to a minor league contract (details of which are not available here), and that gives him the opportunity to win a spot on the big league roster. He is already slated to be a starter in the game against the Pirates this Thursday. But, who are the Yankees kidding? Sure, Billy Crystal is a devoted, life-long fan of the Yankees. Who can deny that? How many fans have gone to the trouble to make a movie about their favorite team? (the 2001 movie was "61*" and told the story of Roger Maris' 61 home run season - a good movie). But if they are trying out Billy Crystal, I will concede, the Yankees are surely desperate.

Can this be rational? Billy Crystal is turning 60 years old. Isn't that too old for MLB? Well, Satchel Paige pitched at the "official" age of 59 (no joke), so maybe there's a precedent. More recently, we've had old timers like Nolan Ryan and Julio Franco rolling the old wheelchair out onto the field. My guess, given that we are in the 21st century, is that Billy is taking a page from another adored Yankee player who showed us all how the simple adoption of modern medicine can allow you to continue to play year after year. Yes, Roger Clemens. Isn't it obvious? Billy Crystal was a regular figure at Yankee stadium during Roger's best years with the Yankees. Billy Crystal had a big fan in George Steinbrenner. So, Billy Crystal uses his fame to get himself access to the Yankee clubhouse, befriends Clemens, and shares with Roger his plan to get in shape and make the team someday. Roger, ever the baseball mentor, takes Crystal under his wing, introduces him to his own personal trainer, Brian MacNamee, and the next thing you know, Billy Crystal will come strutting out of the dugout tomorrow looking like a wrinkled version of Jose Canseco.

So, clearly the Yankees have outdone themselves this time. They are indeed desperate. But, they are clever. While the rest of the league explores untapped baseball talent across Asia and South America, the Yankees are the only ones exploring the untapped resources of Hollywood. It seems so obvious now, doesn't it? It was right under our noses the whole time! But, again, I think the Red Sox can outsmart them at their own game. Billy Crystal did not portray a baseball player in his movie, he directed it. Where the Red Sox (are you listening Theo?) can counter this is by going hard after Kevin Costner, and they need to do so before the Yankees think of it. Not only has Kevin Costner been associated with baseball movies, but he has played the parts of baseball players and adoring fans of baseball. I know what you are thinking - but is he a Red Sox fan? Well, maybe not to the extent that Billy Crystal is a Yankees fan, but in "Field of Dreams", which ballpark did he drive across the country to attend a game, Yankee Stadium? No, it was Fenway Park. That's good enough for me. And not only has he proven his love for the game in "Field of Dreams", but he also played a catcher in "Bull Durham" and a pitcher in "For the Love of the Game". We all know how valuable pitchers and catchers are.

Just imagine our first game against the Yankees when they trot out their new secret weapon in Billy Crystal, and then see the looks on their faces when Kevin Costner strides out of the dugout and takes the mound for the Red Sox. What a sight that would be!