That Wasn't Pretty

The Good

Mark Reynolds hit like Miguel Cabrera yesterday.

The Bad

No one else did.  The Yankees scored two runs, but the offense was mostly muted.  I don't know that it would have mattered with a 7 run deficit to overcome, but 5 hits, and no homeruns is typically not enough to beat a team.

The Ugly

Kuroda put up another bad line.  5 innings and 7 runs, albeit 5 earned, is more akin to Phil Hughes than Kuroda.  We really need every game at this point, and to be down 7 runs by the 3rd inning, really doesn't position us well.  Whatever is up with Kuroda, I hope corrects itself by his next start.  Maybe it's simply an aversion to the month of August, which will be remedied by his next start occurring in September.  Maybe.

Oh Boy

Nothing.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 24hr = $48
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 4hr = $8
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 11hr = $22
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $8
Mark Reynolds 2hr = $4

Total 120 hrs = $240

Blue Jay Down!

The Good

Soriano continues his recent trend of single handedly beating teams.  Pettitte provided the defensive support of 7 shutout innings, while Soriano launched 2 homeruns and drove in 4 runs, most of which constitutes abuse.  Jeter had a pair of hits and an RBI of his own.

The Bad

Mark Reynolds hit a homerun, and I totally forgot about it when I was writing the Good section of this post.  I could hit the up arrow and correct this slight, but that would require more key strokes then I've alloted for today.

The Ugly

I also forgot that A-Rod hit a homerun, which should be included in the good section, but I'm going to put it in the ugly because this homerun puts him 9 homeruns shy of tying Willie Mays homerun record.  A milestone which will pay Alex an additional $6 million dollars on top of his already ridiculous contract.  It's the contract that keeps on giving.

4 Homeruns Vanquishes Blue Jays and Bird Flu

Because of the heroic efforts of the Yankees offense, bird flu has been eradicated in children.  Thank you Yankees.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 24hr = $48
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 4hr = $8
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 11hr = $22
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $8
Mark Reynolds 2hr = $4

Total 120 hrs = $240

Yankees Stumble in Toronto

The Good

Jeter's back!  Also, David Huff pitched a pretty good long relief effort. 

The Bad

No offense.  A solo homerun by A-Rod, and a an RBI from Cano was all the Yankees scored yesterday, and with Hughes on the mound, we need some more padding than that.

The Ugly

Hughes had made some progress in his last couple starts, but consistency has always been his problem.  Yesterday was not a good start.  He lasted 4.2 innings and allowed 3 runs before being pulled.  Upon taking the loss last night his season record stands at 4-13.  But rest assured that his place in the rotation is secure:

“Right now he’s in our rotation,” Joe Girardi told reporters postgame in Toronto. “We haven’t talked about taking him out of our rotation." (SOURCE)

The thing is, Hughes seems like a nice guy.  He really does.  But at some point you have to realize that he's not a major league starter.  That's not a knock against him.  He has thrived in the bullpen before, and there's no shame in being a major league reliever, but for reasons unknown to us, Hughes is immune to being sent to the minors, or moved to the bullpen.  Nova has to be sent back and forth to work on his pitching issues, but Hughes gets a pass?  What does Hughes have on the Yankees?

Cash Money

Two dollars worth to be exact.  That's what A-Rod's homerun gave to the children.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 24hr = $48
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 4hr = $8
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 9hr = $18
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 3hr = $6
Mark Reynolds 1hr = $2

Total 116 hrs = $232

Tough Weekend in Tampa

The Good

The Yankees stole a game, literally, last night to avoid being swept in Tampa.  Soriano hit a double, and then stole third in the 11th inning, setting himself up for a sac fly that would be the difference in the game.  Sabathia and Nova gave us quality starts even though Nova put on a ton of base runners, and Sabathia took a loss.

The Bad

We dropped 2 of 3, with the offense going mostly cold those first two games.  The toughest part of this series is realizing that Tampa is a contender we need to beat, and it's not a good sign that they dominated us.  Luckily, we're playing Toronto again, so that should help us get some swagger back, and hopefully further our playoff push.

The Ugly

Kuroda gave up 7 runs in 6 innings.  He's easily been our best pitcher, and I'm sure this is just a blip, but it's certainly not pretty.  In fact, you may even call it ugly.

Empty Handed?  No!

The Yankees offense looked like they wanted to leave the kids empty handed this weekend, until homerun club captain Robinson Cano put his foot down in last night's game.  That one homerun ensures that the kids will not go home empty handed, and for that, we are grateful.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 24hr = $48
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 4hr = $8
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 9hr = $18
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 2hr = $4
Mark Reynolds 1hr = $2

Total 115 hrs = $230

4 Game Sweep

The Good

The Yankees completed a 4 game sweep of Toronto, and yesterday, it was Pettitte's mastery of ground ball outs, and Granderson's homerun that led the pack.  Pettitte pitched 6 innings allowing just 1 run, and the Yankee offense came from behind to win 5-3.

Technically, the Yankees didn't hit too well.  They managed just 4 hits yesterday.  The difference was that they walked a bunch of times and got the hits when they needed to.  Granderson's homerun got the most attention, but Nunez's two-run single made the difference in the game.

The Bad

Eduardo Nunez has a .248 average on the season, yet in the last 10 days he's hit .343.  Because of his low season batting average, no one even notices how well he's been playing, and it makes him really sad. 

The Ugly

Jeter had two-hits yesterday.  Unfortunately, they were in Scranton :(

Yes!

Just what we've been waiting for all summer: regular power.  Granderson hit a homerun leaving continuing the Yankees contributions to humanity.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 23hr = $46
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 4hr = $8
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 9hr = $18
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 2hr = $4
Mark Reynolds 1hr = $2

Total 114 hrs = $228

Has the Monster Been Awoken?

The Good

 Last night the Yankees took a 3rd straight game from the Blue Jays, and included a milestone in Ichiro's 4,000th hit, and a tie-breaking 2-run homerun from Soriano.  David Huff started the 4th and pitched 5 innings of shutout baseball.  Rivera locked down his 37th save of the season.

The Bad

Jayson Nix was hit by one of RA Dickey's pitches, and has suffered a broken hand.  He's likely out for the rest of the season, and for a player who has been here through all the mediocrity, it's a shame that he won't be around to see the Yankees while they're catching on fire.

The Ugly

According to David Ortiz, Dempster's plunking of A-Rod has awoken a sleeping monster.  Since that plunking the Yankees have been playing a more inspired form of baseball.  A lot of Red Sox fans I know have been saying that the Yankees are always a second half team, and we're just seeing them stick true to form.  However if you saw this team in July you'd know that we were beyond that.  This has less to do with us being a second half team, and more to do with a combination of getting A-Rod, Granderson and Soriano into our lineup, and getting some fire in our bellies.  We'll see if the Yankees continue this trend through the coming weeks.

Soriano Is The Most Caring Yankee

Since returning to the club, Soriano has not stopped looking out for the children.  Another homerun adds another $2 for the babies.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 23hr = $46
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 3hr = $6
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 9hr = $18
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 2hr = $4
Mark Reynolds 1hr = $2

Total 113 hrs = $226

4,000

Ichiro recorded his 4,000 hit in professional baseball, 2,722 of which have come in the Major Leagues. That is a lot of hits, way more professional hits than I have, and should be applauded.

Some will say the stat is diminished by the fact that Ichiro spent the first nine years of his career playing in Japan, where the pitching isn't as good. To anyone who says that, I respond, "Have you ever watched a Phil Hughes start? A Joba Chamberlain relief effort?" Check and mate.

Double Header Leads to Double Victories

The Good

Don't look now, but the Yankees are playing well!  In the first game Nova wasn't exactly great, but two three-run homeruns from Cano and Chris Stewart of all people, helped put the Yankees ahead.  But the Yankees wouldn't stop there, no, they tacked on a couple extra runs for good measure.  Then we had a walk off hit by Jayson Nix in the second game of the double header, only a couple innings after he had hit a homerun.  Hughes put up 6 innings of 2-run ball, which is definitely a highlight.

The Bad

Rivera had to pitch in both games of the double header, which is just mean.

The Ugly

After months of grinding losses, and incessant mediocrity, the Yankees are finally giving us an exciting team.  It makes me wonder what I could have done with all that time lost following awful baseball.  I could have learned a new language.  I wouldn't have, but I could have, and that's what really matters. 

Backup Bombers

Sure, Cano hit a homerun, but he does that fairly often, it was Chris Stewart and Jayson Nix who had the surprising pops.  That $6 for the kids.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 3hr = $6
Robinson Cano 23hr = $46
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 4hr = $8
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 3hr = $6
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 8hr = $16
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 2hr = $4
Mark Reynolds 1hr = $2

Total 112 hrs = $224

The Integrity and Sanctity of Baseball

I just read this column by the Daily News's Bill Madden. It' mostly about A-Rod, but one of the themes of the piece is that baseball is a game of integrity and sanctity.

Recently, while watching a Yankees' game, I saw an ad for the MLB Civil Rights Game, a game honoring the Civil Rights Movement. As the first major American sport to officially desegregate, Baseball often celebrates its own history with regards to race and civil rights. But it's not clear to me why we should celebrate Major League Baseball's role in desegregation rather than lament it's role, prior to Jackie Robinson, in segregation.

A quick Google search tells me that MLB dates back to 1901 (one of the leagues dates back to 1875 but MLB, as we know it, has two leagues so I'll go with the later date). That means that from 1901 to 1947, MLB was a segregationist entity (Yes, Jackie Robinson signed in 1945, but he didn't play his first Major League game until 1947). That MLB broke the color barrier is only worthy of applause if the baseline from which you judge meritorious action includes the acceptability of things like legal segregation, burning crosses, and lynchings. If that is not the baseline from which you judge, then desegregation doesn't merit nearly as much applause. It is simply a step towards the baseline from which we would actually judge an action to be meritorious.

What Jackie Robinson did deserves more admiration than it could ever receive. Mr. Robinson desegregated baseball at a time when it was de facto legal to kill a black man on a white man's whim in much of the country. The same whim which Major League Baseball endorsed and legitimized for the first 46 years of its existence.

Forty-six years. Longer than I've been alive. Forty-six years condoning a caste system centered on utterly arbitrary physiological markers. Is that what we call integrity? Sanctity?

Some will argue that that was then, it was a different country and a different time. But is being awful for 46 years more acceptable if the country was collectively awful?

To say things were different 'then', or that we've come a long way, is to say it was okay then, which is to say that the baseline from which you measure a fair and equal society is one in which black bodies may be indiscriminately hung from trees, which is to say that lynchings (or 'separate but equal') would be okay now if only the practice received broader social acceptance.

If that's your position: fine, say so. If not, please drop the whole integrity and sanctity of the game nonsense. It's an insult to every player who was denied participation in the Major Leagues prior to 1947, and to all that Jackie Robinson had to endure because MLB chose to function as a segregationist entity for 46 years prior to his first game as a Dodger.

If you murder someone, no one praises you for not murdering anybody else since then. So why do we praise MLB for not participating in a regime that cost many persons their lives since 1947?

Perhaps Bill Madden, as a white male, has never concerned himself with such questions. I don't know, and this isn't intended to start an 'is Madden racist?' debate. That's not really the point, and the column clearly was not driven by any racial animus anyway. But there is a certain level of white entitlement and privilege expressed when one talks about Baseball as a game of integrity and sanctity.

I think it's about time we tucked that discourse away. It's not befitting anything that is, at days end, simply spectacle ('Ooh, that guy hit a ball really far!'). Especially when part of that spectacle was an almost 50 year endorsement of white supremacy.

Ryan Dempster Opens Up to RJG

After the latest bruhaha over Ryan Dempster's intentional pegging of Alex Rodriguez, we decided it was time to fire up the old satellite video phone. Only this time we didn't call long time friend of the blog Brian Cashman. Instead, we called Ryan Dempster to find out why he intentionally threw at A-Rod. The following is a transcript of our conversation:

RD: Hello?

RJG: Hi Ryan, I'm calling from RJG with a brief survey. Do you have a few minutes to answer some questions?

RD: Yes, I have a few minutes.

RJG: Great. First question: why are you such a piece of $#!% ?

RD: Well, my parents really loved me and raised me to be a conscientious, compassionate, and well-adjusted human being. But I can throw a major league fastball so #@$& all that noise. Nah mean?

RJG: Yes, thank you. Did you throw at Alex Rodriguez because you're a racist?

RD: Yes, I am a racist. Want to hear a funny story? I once punched a baby in the face. The baby was a racist too, but not racist enough. Also, Ryan Braun is an anti-Semite.

RJG: Ryan Braun is Jewish so that seems unlikely. Do you always slander your fellow union members?

RD: I'm in a union?! What?!

RJG: Yes, you are in one of the most powerful unions in America. How did you not know that?

RD: Well, I always saw that area on my paychecks where it says 'union dues' but I thought it was a joke, like that joke website 'democrats.org' where you can make joke donations to Barack Obama.

RJG: That's not a joke website. That's how you make donations to the Democratic party.

RD: What?! I've donated thousands on that website! It's real?!

RJG: Why did you grow a beard?

RD: I didn't grow a beard. That's my hair follicle's trying to get away from my face. That's what my doctor told me anyways.

RJG: Was he laughing when he said it?

RD: Yeah, he's always laughing at me. What a guy!

RJG: Do you know how to read?

RD: I've always felt that reading is fundamental . . . for nerds. I'm not a nerd because I play baseball. The only thing I need to read is the number on the back of my uniform.

RJG: So you don't know how to read but can recognize number symbols?

RD: No, I have one of the clubbie's point me to my locker everyday. I always forget.

RJG: Do you have a short-term memory condition?

RD: No, I'm just not very smart, likeable, or attractive. Also, I'm mediocre at my job.

RJG: No arguments here. Okay Ryan, those are all the questions I have for you today. Thank you for taking our survey.

RD: Anything I can do to not help.

[Click]

Yankees Display Some Fire!

The Good

The Yankees took 2 of 3 from Boston this weekend, but the highlight was last night's game.  Last night was easily the most exciting game of the season.  The Yankees rallied behind A-Rod after he got thrown behind, and eventually plunked.   A-Rod hit a homerun, and Gardner hit a triple with the bases loaded, to help get the Yankees ahead.  Our bullpen pitched 4 shutout innings, and Mariano locked down the save.  Every player who started the game in the lineup had a hit with the exception of Soriano, who basically won us every game last week so he gets a pass. 

The Bad

After 5.1 innings and 6 runs, Sabathia had this to say:

“Throwing the ball pretty well and I felt good. I just got behind some guys and wasn’t able to make pitches, but I’m glad we got the win.”(Source)

Threw the ball pretty well?  6 runs is not throwing the ball well.  Nor is loaded the bases, and walking the next batter.  If you're not able to throw strikes, the least you can do is hit a guy, which takes me to the ugly section...

The Ugly

A-Rod got hit by Dempster with clear intent.  Dempster had thrown behind A-Rod, then threw inside, and then finally hit him.  The umpire issued warnings, which was entirely awful umpiring.  Dempster needed to get warned after he threw inside, not after taking 3 attempts to finally hit the guy.  But the real issue is what happened after A-Rod got hit.  Girardi said:

"As I’ve said all along, you may not agree with the way Major League Baseball is handling this or that — that’s everyone’s opinion, and I respect that; I’m OK with that — but that’s your teammate, and we don’t allow people just to get plunked." (Source)

The problem is, the Yankees do just allow their people to get plunked.  Where was the protection?  Where was the fastball in Ortiz ribs?  Where was the pitch down and in on Pedroia to get him scrambling to the ground?  It never came.  4 Yankee batters were hit yesterday, 1 of them intentionally, the others due to bad control.  You can have bad control, just know that if your bad control ends up pegging one of our guys, then one of your guys is getting hit too.  That's the unspoken rule of baseball.  Instead we see 4 of our guys get hit, and despite what Girardi said, we did nothing.  Sabathia of all people knows how to do this well, and even he failed to take this step.  The closest he came was throwing inside on Ellsbury, which isn't enough to send a message.  Sabathia couldn't find the strike zone all night, he's going to throw a bunch of balls, and not hit a guy?  Protect your players!

Children Find Hope

On Friday, the second coming of Adam Dunn: Mark Reynolds, hit a homerun, as did Soriano.  Last night it was A-Rod.  That's 3 homeruns this weekend, and the Yankees look like they have some muscle again, which should give the children a lot to hope for.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 2hr = $4
Robinson Cano 22hr = $44
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 3hr = $6
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 3hr = $6
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 8hr = $16
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 2hr = $4
Mark Reynolds 1hr = $2

Total 109 hrs = $218

Yankees Not Sucking Streak Broken

The Good

On Tuesday, the Yankees offense emerged with a 14 run barrage led by Alfonso Soriano who drove in 6 runs and hit 2 homeruns in the process.  The Yankees came back out on Wednesday, and nearly repeated the process.  They scored 11 runs, Soriano drove in another 6 including another 2 homeruns, and Nova pitched a masterful 7 inning, 3 run ball game.  Yesterday, that win streak ended unfortunately, but a good sign is that Hughes pitched 6 innings, and only gave up 3 runs.  We in the industry call that a quality start.

The Bad

Though Hughes pitched decently, our bullpen did not.  Between Kelley, Logan, and Chamberlain 5 runs were allowed.  At least the Yankees scored 4 runs showing that their run support for pitchers may actually be there.

The Ugly

Due to an increase in work, we haven't been able to update as frequently as we would like.  Luckily, that is starting to slow down, so we should be back to posting more regularly.  We apologize for making all 4 of our readers wait.

Finally, Some Charity

Soriano has provided this Yankee team some offense and the kids over at the CHF some hope.  Can he be the best trade acquisition in the history of baseball?  Yes.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 2hr = $4
Robinson Cano 22hr = $44
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 3hr = $6
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 3hr = $6
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 7hr = $14
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 1hr = $2

Total 106 hrs = $212

Yankees Stop Sucking

The Good

The Yankees took a series from the best team in baseball, which makes the Yankees the best team in baseball. Yesterday, the Angels felt the wrath of the best team in baseball when the Yankees scored 14 runs against them. Nova and Kuroda continue to pitch like one and two rotation guys, Gardner is the new late game Melky Cabrera, and Mo got a personal day.

The Bad

How is Hughes still in our rotation? Give Warren some innings! Give me some innings! Give one of those HOPE Week charity cases some innings! Anything but Phil Hughes. Please.

The Ugly

Who made Phil Hughes Dellin Betances's pitching coach? Whose bright idea was that?

We Still Have Bombers

Overbay, Rodriguez, Soriano, and Gardner all hit home runs against Detroit. Granderson, Wells, and Soriano (another two) have hit home runs against the Angels. The kids are all better off for it.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 8hr = $16
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 2hr = $4
Robinson Cano 22hr = $44
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 13hr = $26
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 3hr = $6
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 3hr = $6
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 5hr = $10
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2
Alex Rodriguez 1hr = $2 for Anthony Bosch

Total 103 hrs = $206

Closed Door Meeting Does Not Stop Skid

The Good

The Yankees actually hit and Sabathia put up a good line.  At the end of the day, the Yankees played well, it just didn't amount to anything.  Nunez, Soriano and Cano all hit homeruns, and Nunez, Soriano and Wells all had multi-hit games.

The Bad

The Yankees are currently in 7th place in the Wild Card standings behind teams like Kansas City and Cleveland.


The Ugly

After scoring 5 runs, you would hope that our bullpen, which has been a strength this year, would be able to hold down the lead.  They did not.  Mo blew the save for just the 3rd time all season.  Normally, it would be easy to dust yourself off and keep moving, but the Yankees really needed this game, and were poised to take it.  Instead they lost the lead, lost the game, and got swept in this series, making this one of the uglier losses of the season.  

At Least A Child Was Helped

In a rare showing of power, the Yankees hit 3 homeruns, including Nunez' first of the season, to provide $6 for the Children's Health Fund.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 10hr = $20
Brett Gardner 7hr = $14
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 2hr = $4
Robinson Cano 22hr = $44
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 12hr = $24
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 3hr = $6
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 2hr = $4
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 2hr = $4
Austin Romine 1hr = $2
Eduardo Nunez 1hr = $2

Total 95 hrs = $190

Well That Was A Spectacle

The Good

Let's go with Vernon Wells going 3-4 with a pair of doubles.  That could turn the season around.

The Bad

Well, the Yankees' season is on tenuous ground.  Pettitte got shelled yesterday, giving up a bajillion runs in less than 3 innings of work, bringing his ERA up to infinity.  But worst than that, news came out that Jeter has a calf strain, and he is back on the DL.  Honestly, the only bright spot of this lineup this season was having Jeter back in it, and for the second time in the last month, he's back on the DL.

The Ugly

The ugly section for the rest of the season may be reserved by A-Rod.  A-Rod is appealing his 211 game suspension, because, let's face it 211 games is a ridiculous suspension to begin with.  Now perhaps MLB has evidence that can support this suspension, or even a lifetime ban, but what they've described thus far still does not merit this long of a suspension.  100 games?  No problem.  211 games?  That's a witch hunt.  Ironically, A-Rod's return gives the Yankees exactly what they needed but failed to attain at the trade deadline: an offensive upgrade at 3rd base.  Even returning from surgery, A-Rod can out hit any and every 3rd baseman we've put out there this year.

The Yankees offensive upgrades in trading for Soriano, and getting back A-Rod and Granderson from the DL will be a boost, but our pitching is now proving to be really bad.  Right now, Kuroda and Nova are the only consistently competitive pitchers we got.  Hughes and Sabathia have been abysmal, and Pettitte is just as likely to get shelled as he is to give us a quality start.

Also ugly, Cervelli has been suspended for being wrapped up in this Biogenesis scandal.  As faithful reader Rich Mahogany said some time ago, if Cervelli's been using performance enhancing drugs, he really needs to ask for his money back.

No Homeruns from Anyone Last Night

But over the weekend Granderson and Romine each hit a homerun.  A first for Romine. 

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 10hr = $20
Brett Gardner 7hr = $14
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 2hr = $4
Robinson Cano 21hr = $42
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 12hr = $24
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 3hr = $6
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 2hr = $4
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 1hr = $2
Austin Romine 1hr = $2

Total 92 hrs = $184

My Predictions for Monday

MLB is going to suspend A-Rod through next season, a suspension A-Rod will certainly appeal. An appeal A-Rod will probably win. A-Rod will be playing for the Yankees come Monday, he'll hit some homers, hang out with Jay Z, and hook up with blond strippers. MLB will see their suspension, at least, reduced to 50 games. If A-Rod's army of lawyers make Bosch look particularly bad (which I understand is a process similar to shooting fish in the freezer section of the grocery store where they are already dead and can't move the way they might in a barrel) before arbitrator Horowitz, that suspension may be gone altogether. If Braun's lawyer could convince an arbitrator, you better believe A-Rod's team has the capacity. #$%& you MLB for making me root for A-Rod in all this. I hope he wins the World Series MVP while the appeal is still pending.

Alright MLB, Enough Is Enough

Monday? Really? Alright MLB, enough is enough. First the suspensions were going to be released right after the All-Star Game. Then it was going to be by the end of every week in July since the All-Star Game. Finally, we were going to hear about these suspensions today. But no, now we're being told we must wait until Monday.

MLB, you are starting to look both weak and ridiculous. Constantly leaking information to the media, threatening a lifetime ban via Buster Posey or whoever the hell you spoke to in the last five minutes, and then backing down every single time you got to a deadline you yourself arbitrarily set? Come on.

I'm actually starting to root for A-Rod. I kind of hope he takes you before an arbitrator and wins, because at this point what you are doing feels more like bullying and empty talk rather than conviction about cleaning up the game.

You think A-Rod deserves a lifetime ban? Then ban him. Otherwise, STFU and go home. This show is getting old.

Split!

The Good

The Yankees split a series against the Dodgers, which means that we at least won one of the two games.  Kuroda was dominating last night.  7 innings, 0 runs and 8 strikeouts all the while playing and completing advanced Sudoku puzzles each inning.  We're not watching a mere man pitch.  We're watching an ace.  Too bad his team is awful.

It was good to see Overbay hit a homerun in the first game.  Tells me there's still some pop in that bat.

The Bad

We lost the first game even though Pettitte was able to match Grienke through 7 innings.  The problem is that having a lineup stacked with homerun hitters used to win us these types of games, and now, with a lineup stacked with singles hitters, we just can't win close games. 

The Ugly

In previous weeks, I had stated that we will know if the Yankees are serious about competing this season if they bring in 2 legitimate bats by the trade deadline.  When they brought in Soriano, it was a good first step.  We added some power, and though he strikes out a lot, doesn't walk, and doesn't hit for average, he's still an upgrade over say Vernon Wells.  The Yankees needed just one more big league hitter by the trade deadline to make a serious run at the post season, and that deadline came and went without the Yankees acquiring anyone.  So what does this mean?  The Yankees have given up on the 2013 season.  Even with Granderson returning, we basically just have a left handed version of Soriano.  This is not enough to overcome our run scoring drought.  It's not to say that the current team cannot outperform and make a run for the playoffs, but in not making the effort to bring in another bat, the Yankees are letting us know that they're looking towards 2014. 

Pop

Overbay's homerun adds not one, but two dollars for the kids at the Children's Health Fund.

Travis Hafner 12hr = $24
Vernon Wells 10hr = $20
Brett Gardner 7hr = $14
Kevin Youkilis 2hr = $4
Jayson Nix 2hr = $4
Robinson Cano 21hr = $42
Ichiro Suzuki 6hr = $12
Lyle Overbay 12hr = $24
Brennan Boesch 3hr = $6
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Chris Stewart 3hr = $6
Ben Francisco 1hr = $2
David Adams 2hr = $4
Curtis Granderson 1hr = $2
Mark Teixeira 3hr = $6
Zoilo Almonte 1hr = $2
Derek Jeter 1hr = $2
Alfonso Soriano 1hr = $2

Total 90 hrs = $180