Manny made a great point about Guidry a while back, and that is, when you get a guy for PR, it might put a few fannies in the seats, but it's usually a disaster for the team.
Come to think of it, almost all of Old York's PR moves have been horrid.
Johnny Damon: Got him because he was a star for the Red Sox who beat the Junkees with that huge Game 7 home run in the 2004 ALCS. Well, he slugged a robust .396 this year. He's got no arm, and the Junkees would love to dump him for 2008, but is any team dumb enough to pick him up? I think not.
Shemp: Okay, so you get some Japanese gelt, but the guy has not lived up to his reputation as Godzilla (except maybe to Harold Moskowitz, AKA John Sterling), save for 2004 when he smashed 31 homers. Another guy who can't field, creating a logjam at DH with he, Damon, and Giambi.
Miguel Cairo: Ca$hman loves bringing ex-Yankees back, and the fact that he played for the Mets added more to his PR value. Lucky for them Snorre gave him only 107 at bats, so that his .626 OPS didn't totally kill them. But again, he had one good year (2004 - .292 batting average in 122 games), so he's a beloved figure in the Bronx.
Doug Smith (Mientkiewicz): Ex-Met, played for Boston, funny last name - that is awesome PR. Only a September surge saved him from an otherwise abysmal season.
Roger Clemens: No comment necessary.
Well, let this be a lesson for the Junkees. Perhaps when the Mets give Ringo $15 million to hit .250 they'll learn their lesson, too.
Then again, the more PR Ca$hman does, the better it is for me.
Showing posts with label Johnny Damon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Johnny Damon. Show all posts
Friday, November 02, 2007
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
"I Just Won You The Pennant, I Got You Wilson Betemit"
Last year, the Yanks shocked everyone by getting Bobby Abreu in a salary dump from the Phils. This year, the big winner at the trading deadline is Scott Proctor, whose arm will get a lot less abuse from Grady Little than it did from Torre.
I actually think Betemit wasn't a bad deal for New York. It makes their bench go from pathetic to simply weak. Truth is, I give Cashman credit. Between Jose Molina, Shelley Duncan, Andy Phillips and Betemit, the guy has improved what was a horrendous bench in the first half.
And with Giambi on the way back, the Yanks will have too many everyday players. Do they put Melky back on the bench? You get the impression that Damon makes the most sense on the bench, as Cabrera is a much better outfielder and Giambi is a better DH. I, for one, would love to see Damon turn into a bench player.
I think the Yanks are gambling by thinking Joba Chaimberlain will be to them what K-Rod was to the Angels in 2002 - a young lights-out guy who helps carry his team to the World Series. I know Chaimberlain has been excellent in the minors, but there's no guarantee his results will hold up in the big leagues. And if he doesn't pan out, who are the Yankees' other options? Especially after Luis Vizcaino's arm gets tired.
- Great job by Theo getting Gagne. The Red Sox were gonna make the playoffs this year, unless something crazy happened. By getting Gagne, Theo gives the Sox a chance to go all the way and win the World Series again. Bullpens play a huge role in the postseason, and the Red Sox now have one of the best in the game.
I actually think Betemit wasn't a bad deal for New York. It makes their bench go from pathetic to simply weak. Truth is, I give Cashman credit. Between Jose Molina, Shelley Duncan, Andy Phillips and Betemit, the guy has improved what was a horrendous bench in the first half.
And with Giambi on the way back, the Yanks will have too many everyday players. Do they put Melky back on the bench? You get the impression that Damon makes the most sense on the bench, as Cabrera is a much better outfielder and Giambi is a better DH. I, for one, would love to see Damon turn into a bench player.
I think the Yanks are gambling by thinking Joba Chaimberlain will be to them what K-Rod was to the Angels in 2002 - a young lights-out guy who helps carry his team to the World Series. I know Chaimberlain has been excellent in the minors, but there's no guarantee his results will hold up in the big leagues. And if he doesn't pan out, who are the Yankees' other options? Especially after Luis Vizcaino's arm gets tired.
- Great job by Theo getting Gagne. The Red Sox were gonna make the playoffs this year, unless something crazy happened. By getting Gagne, Theo gives the Sox a chance to go all the way and win the World Series again. Bullpens play a huge role in the postseason, and the Red Sox now have one of the best in the game.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Oh, the Pain! Yankees 3, Blue Jays 2
It's bad enough that the Red Sox lost, but for the Yankees to win back to back games in which (a) Kei Igawa started and (b) Roy Halliday opposed them, that is torurous.
The Jays left a ton of guys on base, but then again so did Old York. It came down to a blown save, which is the thing that kills Yankee despisers most. You think you have it in the bag, and the guy BALKS in a run! Oh, the pain!
This had all the makings of a good Yankee loss. Jeter and Abreu both 0-5. Damon 0-3 (albeit with two walks) to drop his average to .238. Pettitte pitches well enough to win (for a change) but comes away emptyhanded. Farnworthless, who Snorre assures us is still his eighth inning guy, allows the go-ahead run.
But of course, the tables are turned, and Old York is on a roll in which once again, they are picking up games on Boston like candy. Oh, the pain!
BTW - Damon's July average? .188.
Please, please lose a game!
The Jays left a ton of guys on base, but then again so did Old York. It came down to a blown save, which is the thing that kills Yankee despisers most. You think you have it in the bag, and the guy BALKS in a run! Oh, the pain!
This had all the makings of a good Yankee loss. Jeter and Abreu both 0-5. Damon 0-3 (albeit with two walks) to drop his average to .238. Pettitte pitches well enough to win (for a change) but comes away emptyhanded. Farnworthless, who Snorre assures us is still his eighth inning guy, allows the go-ahead run.
But of course, the tables are turned, and Old York is on a roll in which once again, they are picking up games on Boston like candy. Oh, the pain!
BTW - Damon's July average? .188.
Please, please lose a game!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Sunday Roundup 7/1/07 - Write 'Em Off
For weeks, we've heard rumblings like "it's only April," "it's only May," "it's gonna be 1978 all over again." After yesterday's embarrassing loss, the Yanks are almost halfway done with the season, and a long ways from the division and the wild card.
Very good piece by Larry Brooks in the Post, about how the Yanks aren't in a rough patch; this is just the way the whole season has gone. He points out what Despiser mentioned a few weeks ago, that aside from A-Rod, the Yankees have no power bats. This team could use Gary Sheffield.
Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant also discusses the Yankee troubles, and mentions that the lefties (Matsui, Abreu, and Cano), who usually hit well against lefties, have not hit them well in '07.
Classic Joe Torre: Igawa gives up 4 runs in 6+ innings, but he's headed in the right direction. What's he gonna say next, that Clemens is a Cy Young candidate?
Mike Lupica echoes a piece I wrote in May. His piece, entitled "Who's Watching The Store?" is basically the same as my "Who's Running The Show"? But Lupica doesn't even address George's health issues. Bad job there.
Great piece by Bill Madden, who says things will only get worse for the Yanks in '08, '09 and beyond. Here's an excerpt:
"Take a good, hard honest look at this underachieving, uninspired, aging Yankee team and then weep if you will. The entire outfield of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu is clearly past its prime and in need of being replaced. There is no first baseman. The catcher, Jorge Posada, is 36 and a free agent at the end of the season. The DH, Jason Giambi, is a broken-down, old 36 and probably done, certainly as a big-time middle-of-the-order run producer. And lest we forget (easy to do since we've seen him so infrequently this season), Mariano Rivera is going to be 38 in November when he, too, will be a free agent.
Nobody wants to talk about the fact that Derek Jeter will be 35 when the Yankees are in the new ballpark in '09 - and the silence has been deafening regarding that opt-out clause in Alex Rodriguez's contract. Whereas a couple of months ago the Yankees could smugly say they would not allow themselves to be held hostage by A-Rod, now it may not even be their choice."
The only area that Madden doesn't address is that the Yanks will likely pick up some big-name free agents over the next few years. They'll make huge offers to Johan Santana, Jake Peavy, Andruw Jones, and others. But as we've seen over the past few years, that won't help them all that much. Plus, with revenue sharing, maybe teams like the Twins and Padres will be able to keep their young stars.
Torre was not a big fan of Farnsworth's antics on Friday, but the guy isn't going anywhere. He's gonna get $7 million next year, and no team will take him unless the Yankees eat that up. It's one of the worst signings in the Cashman era.
Manny Ramirez is playing harder than ever this year, says Tony Massarotti.
ANTI-PICK OF THE WEEK: With the Yankees having their worst season since 1992, what could be more juicy than an interview with George Steinbrenner/Harold Rubinstein? Instead, the folks at the Daily News serve up bigger softballs than the ones Andy Pettitte gave to the A's this afternoon. Very disappointing. Terrible job by the News.
Then again, maybe I can't kill the News here. The interview was probably rigged by George's handlers. They don't want him to cause any controversy. There are a lot of layers there, and I'm pretty sure they didn't let the News ask the questions the fans wanted to hear answered.
PICK OF THE WEEK: One of my guilty pleasures? Checking out nyyfans.com when the Yanks are playing lousy baseball. Check out this piece: "DAMON HOLDS YANKEES HOSTAGE: DAY 82 + COUNTING."
- Yanks lose again, with Pettitte putting out his worst effort of the season. Everybody was impressed with his hot start to the season, but I figured he'd lose a step or two as the season went on. He had a 4.77 ERA in June, and he'll have to do really well to bring that figure down on July. The guy isn't getting any younger, and was pitching above his level, better than he did against the weak NL Central the past couple of years. I'd be surprised if he ended up with a sub-4.00 ERA.
- Two of my favorite teams, Minny and the Angels, take on the Yankees for the next seven days. Looking forward to this one.
Very good piece by Larry Brooks in the Post, about how the Yanks aren't in a rough patch; this is just the way the whole season has gone. He points out what Despiser mentioned a few weeks ago, that aside from A-Rod, the Yankees have no power bats. This team could use Gary Sheffield.
Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant also discusses the Yankee troubles, and mentions that the lefties (Matsui, Abreu, and Cano), who usually hit well against lefties, have not hit them well in '07.
Classic Joe Torre: Igawa gives up 4 runs in 6+ innings, but he's headed in the right direction. What's he gonna say next, that Clemens is a Cy Young candidate?
Mike Lupica echoes a piece I wrote in May. His piece, entitled "Who's Watching The Store?" is basically the same as my "Who's Running The Show"? But Lupica doesn't even address George's health issues. Bad job there.
Great piece by Bill Madden, who says things will only get worse for the Yanks in '08, '09 and beyond. Here's an excerpt:
"Take a good, hard honest look at this underachieving, uninspired, aging Yankee team and then weep if you will. The entire outfield of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu is clearly past its prime and in need of being replaced. There is no first baseman. The catcher, Jorge Posada, is 36 and a free agent at the end of the season. The DH, Jason Giambi, is a broken-down, old 36 and probably done, certainly as a big-time middle-of-the-order run producer. And lest we forget (easy to do since we've seen him so infrequently this season), Mariano Rivera is going to be 38 in November when he, too, will be a free agent.
Nobody wants to talk about the fact that Derek Jeter will be 35 when the Yankees are in the new ballpark in '09 - and the silence has been deafening regarding that opt-out clause in Alex Rodriguez's contract. Whereas a couple of months ago the Yankees could smugly say they would not allow themselves to be held hostage by A-Rod, now it may not even be their choice."
The only area that Madden doesn't address is that the Yanks will likely pick up some big-name free agents over the next few years. They'll make huge offers to Johan Santana, Jake Peavy, Andruw Jones, and others. But as we've seen over the past few years, that won't help them all that much. Plus, with revenue sharing, maybe teams like the Twins and Padres will be able to keep their young stars.
Torre was not a big fan of Farnsworth's antics on Friday, but the guy isn't going anywhere. He's gonna get $7 million next year, and no team will take him unless the Yankees eat that up. It's one of the worst signings in the Cashman era.
Manny Ramirez is playing harder than ever this year, says Tony Massarotti.
ANTI-PICK OF THE WEEK: With the Yankees having their worst season since 1992, what could be more juicy than an interview with George Steinbrenner/Harold Rubinstein? Instead, the folks at the Daily News serve up bigger softballs than the ones Andy Pettitte gave to the A's this afternoon. Very disappointing. Terrible job by the News.
Then again, maybe I can't kill the News here. The interview was probably rigged by George's handlers. They don't want him to cause any controversy. There are a lot of layers there, and I'm pretty sure they didn't let the News ask the questions the fans wanted to hear answered.
PICK OF THE WEEK: One of my guilty pleasures? Checking out nyyfans.com when the Yanks are playing lousy baseball. Check out this piece: "DAMON HOLDS YANKEES HOSTAGE: DAY 82 + COUNTING."
- Yanks lose again, with Pettitte putting out his worst effort of the season. Everybody was impressed with his hot start to the season, but I figured he'd lose a step or two as the season went on. He had a 4.77 ERA in June, and he'll have to do really well to bring that figure down on July. The guy isn't getting any younger, and was pitching above his level, better than he did against the weak NL Central the past couple of years. I'd be surprised if he ended up with a sub-4.00 ERA.
- Two of my favorite teams, Minny and the Angels, take on the Yankees for the next seven days. Looking forward to this one.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Clemens Should Have Signed With Boston: Orioles 4, Yankees 0 - Tragic Numbers 77, 79
So far, Clemens is 1-3 with an ERA of 5.32. I told you guys he'd have issues in the AL after dominating the NL (Comedy) Central. But no, the Junkee fans didn't believe me. What can I say? This is not Ca$hman's year. So it's probably better he didn't go to Boston.
Once again, the Bronx Bombers failed to do anything offensively. Damon went 0-4, as did Abreu, and zero extra base hits for anyone.
This team is starting to remind me of the Yankees of 1989-1992, when they couldn't buy a win. But hey, I'm not complaining.
- One thing I've noticed but haven't pointed out is that Old York is issuing a lot of free passes this year. They're third in the AL in walks allowed, trailing only Texas and Baltimore. This means more baserunners, and greater pitch counts, which is why Snorre is killing the bullpen.
- They've also allowed the most stolen bases in the league.
- What makes these losses even sweeter is that it's the Orioles without Miguel Tejada. Before the series I thought, okay, what can you do? They're going to face lousy teams and beat up on them. Yet here I am a couple of days later, and the O's may take out the brooms.
- Not too upset at Boston's struggles, because Old York hasn't gained anything.
- As much as they may not be out of the wild card race, still like the fact that they have four teams to jump over. Obviously if they win 20 in a row it won't matter, but even if they pick it up, all those teams have to go in the toilet for them to get past them all.
- Wang faces Cabrera in the series finale. Wang was unimpressive in his last outing, but who knows. Could go either way. (Really insightful point, if I may say so myself.)
Once again, the Bronx Bombers failed to do anything offensively. Damon went 0-4, as did Abreu, and zero extra base hits for anyone.
This team is starting to remind me of the Yankees of 1989-1992, when they couldn't buy a win. But hey, I'm not complaining.
- One thing I've noticed but haven't pointed out is that Old York is issuing a lot of free passes this year. They're third in the AL in walks allowed, trailing only Texas and Baltimore. This means more baserunners, and greater pitch counts, which is why Snorre is killing the bullpen.
- They've also allowed the most stolen bases in the league.
- What makes these losses even sweeter is that it's the Orioles without Miguel Tejada. Before the series I thought, okay, what can you do? They're going to face lousy teams and beat up on them. Yet here I am a couple of days later, and the O's may take out the brooms.
- Not too upset at Boston's struggles, because Old York hasn't gained anything.
- As much as they may not be out of the wild card race, still like the fact that they have four teams to jump over. Obviously if they win 20 in a row it won't matter, but even if they pick it up, all those teams have to go in the toilet for them to get past them all.
- Wang faces Cabrera in the series finale. Wang was unimpressive in his last outing, but who knows. Could go either way. (Really insightful point, if I may say so myself.)
Thursday, June 21, 2007
How Sweep It Is! Rockies 4, Junkees 3: Tragic Numbers 82, 86
What a day. Roger Clemens struggled big time. I know, he didn't give up a ton of runs, but anytime you throw 90 pitches in 4.1 innings, you know you don't have your best stuff. I'm sorry, 4 earned runs in 4+ innings is not why you're getting $18 million! Seven hits and a walk in 4+ innings - he's lucky they didn't score more runs.
Props to the bullpen -- Snorre's boyfriend in particular (Scott Proctor) -- pitching a scoreless rest-of-game, but it wasn't enough as the offense, once again, faltered.
Johnny Damon is absolutely killing them. He's now batting .249 with no power, and has no business playing. As I've said a zillion times, if you're injured, go on the freakin' DL. Who knows - perhaps there's an element of PR that the guy has never been on the DL, and gosh darnit, they intend to keep it that way even if he can't move.
Abreu, ever since that 4 for 4 day is 6-28, also known as a .214 batting average. Cairo's doing nothing, and Andy Phillips can't buy a hit. Otherwise, the Yanks had opportunities but sqaundered them. In the series, they went 1-18 with runners in scoring position.
But not to worry, Snorre and Clemens had plenty of excuses: "I was taking deep breaths on the mound. My mouth got dry a couple times," Clemens said. "That was the more difficult part. Heat or cold is not a big deal. The one inning a storm blew in and the wind changed direction. The wind hit my chest and caused me to throw the ball out of the zone. But I made the adjustment. Then, the wind started to blow straight out." Can't make this stuff up.
So now it's on to San Francisco. We'll see what happens. Kei Igawa pitches Game 1, so we may as well pencil in another Yankee loss. Then Wang on Saturday and Mussina on Sunday. The Giants are a lousy team, they don't score any runs, but the pitching is not bad. In this series, they have (in order) Matt Cain, who's pitched way better than his 2-7 record, Matt Morris, who's having a really good year, and Noah Lowry, who has underachieved. I'm actually glad they don't face Zito, who stinks this year.
Because of the anemic offense of the Giants, I wouldn't be shocked if Old York takes 2 out of 3, but I wouldn't mind another series loss or sweep.
Props to the bullpen -- Snorre's boyfriend in particular (Scott Proctor) -- pitching a scoreless rest-of-game, but it wasn't enough as the offense, once again, faltered.
Johnny Damon is absolutely killing them. He's now batting .249 with no power, and has no business playing. As I've said a zillion times, if you're injured, go on the freakin' DL. Who knows - perhaps there's an element of PR that the guy has never been on the DL, and gosh darnit, they intend to keep it that way even if he can't move.
Abreu, ever since that 4 for 4 day is 6-28, also known as a .214 batting average. Cairo's doing nothing, and Andy Phillips can't buy a hit. Otherwise, the Yanks had opportunities but sqaundered them. In the series, they went 1-18 with runners in scoring position.
But not to worry, Snorre and Clemens had plenty of excuses: "I was taking deep breaths on the mound. My mouth got dry a couple times," Clemens said. "That was the more difficult part. Heat or cold is not a big deal. The one inning a storm blew in and the wind changed direction. The wind hit my chest and caused me to throw the ball out of the zone. But I made the adjustment. Then, the wind started to blow straight out." Can't make this stuff up.
So now it's on to San Francisco. We'll see what happens. Kei Igawa pitches Game 1, so we may as well pencil in another Yankee loss. Then Wang on Saturday and Mussina on Sunday. The Giants are a lousy team, they don't score any runs, but the pitching is not bad. In this series, they have (in order) Matt Cain, who's pitched way better than his 2-7 record, Matt Morris, who's having a really good year, and Noah Lowry, who has underachieved. I'm actually glad they don't face Zito, who stinks this year.
Because of the anemic offense of the Giants, I wouldn't be shocked if Old York takes 2 out of 3, but I wouldn't mind another series loss or sweep.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Back to Business as Usual: Junkees Drop One to ChiSox 6-4
So much for the momentum of A-Schmuck's home run, which John Sterling called A-Rod's most dramatic home run yet. Puh-leez. Then again, what the heck should I expect from Pa Pinstripe?
Anyway, Matt DeSalvo got into some trouble, thanks in part to some typical shoddy Yankee defense, and Snorre had no patience for him. I was a little surprised that Snorre went to the pen so soon, but I think it's safe to say that DeSalvo is NOT this year's Aaron Small. (Speaking of which, why not bring back Small for PR?)
Villone came in to give up a couple of runs, and before you knew it, the Junkees were way behind. Can't completely kill the Junkee offense as they did get 10 hits, but until the ninth, didn't string much together.
- Has anyone noticed that Jeter is having a horrible June? He's now 3-20, 3 for his last 27, and in that time his average has dipped from .355 to .326. Yeah, he'll blame his latest 0-5 on getting run into early in the game, but don't worry - he'll probably pull a Damon and play through it, further ruining the second coming of 1978.
- Damon, by the way, is also having a horrid June, and has absolutely zero power. If he's your DH, forget it. Another great signing by Brian Ca$hman.
- Tyler Clippard pitches on Tuesday. Pressure's on.
Anyway, Matt DeSalvo got into some trouble, thanks in part to some typical shoddy Yankee defense, and Snorre had no patience for him. I was a little surprised that Snorre went to the pen so soon, but I think it's safe to say that DeSalvo is NOT this year's Aaron Small. (Speaking of which, why not bring back Small for PR?)
Villone came in to give up a couple of runs, and before you knew it, the Junkees were way behind. Can't completely kill the Junkee offense as they did get 10 hits, but until the ninth, didn't string much together.
- Has anyone noticed that Jeter is having a horrible June? He's now 3-20, 3 for his last 27, and in that time his average has dipped from .355 to .326. Yeah, he'll blame his latest 0-5 on getting run into early in the game, but don't worry - he'll probably pull a Damon and play through it, further ruining the second coming of 1978.
- Damon, by the way, is also having a horrid June, and has absolutely zero power. If he's your DH, forget it. Another great signing by Brian Ca$hman.
- Tyler Clippard pitches on Tuesday. Pressure's on.
Yankees Outfield Defense: Horrible
Want to know why the Angels own Old York over the past few years? Because they're a very aggressive team who most often tries to take an extra base, and the Junkee arms are absolutely horrendous.
Watching Bobby Abreu reminds me of Darryl Strawberry in the late '80s, when he always let balls dunk in a couple of feet before him. Additionally, he misplayed a couple of balls in the Red Sox series, and has an unimpressive arm.
Johnny Damon gave me a good laugh a while back when he handled a sac fly against the Blue Jays in shallow center field and when throwing the ball in, reached Cano above second base on two hops. Let's face it - he throws like a girl.
Shemp Matsui was a better outfielder when he first came to the Junkees, but seems to have lost a couple of steps since then. He is, by far, the best of the three out there, but come on. He's in left field, the least important of the three positions.
Teams that don't take the extra base against Old York are foolish. Statistically speaking, they are below average in outfield assists, with 7 so far, the MLB average being 11. Who knows - perhaps word will get out and the other teams will smarten up. That will make 1978 less and less likely.
Watching Bobby Abreu reminds me of Darryl Strawberry in the late '80s, when he always let balls dunk in a couple of feet before him. Additionally, he misplayed a couple of balls in the Red Sox series, and has an unimpressive arm.
Johnny Damon gave me a good laugh a while back when he handled a sac fly against the Blue Jays in shallow center field and when throwing the ball in, reached Cano above second base on two hops. Let's face it - he throws like a girl.
Shemp Matsui was a better outfielder when he first came to the Junkees, but seems to have lost a couple of steps since then. He is, by far, the best of the three out there, but come on. He's in left field, the least important of the three positions.
Teams that don't take the extra base against Old York are foolish. Statistically speaking, they are below average in outfield assists, with 7 so far, the MLB average being 11. Who knows - perhaps word will get out and the other teams will smarten up. That will make 1978 less and less likely.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
It's Getting Better All the Time....
First of all, Clippard got clipped by the Angels on Friday night, which makes him pitcher #275 that the Junkee fans fawned over after a good first outing only to get bombed the next time out. Hey, where's Chase Wright? Didn't he have that great debut against the Indians? And whatever happened to Matt Desalvo? Oh right, he got rocked in relief on Friday night, bringing his ERA to a nifty 5.29.
Oh yeah, and the Red Sox won, extending the lead to 10.5.
And then on Saturday, Wang gets tatooed in the first inning, the mighty Yankee bats never recover, so another loss. Bobby Abreu is now hitting .235, Cano is at .260, but hey, Doug Smith is up to .234, so things aren't that bad, right?
And then the Boss comes out of his shell for the first time in a while. Don't know what to make of that. Thought he was senile, but he sounded pretty with it in that interview. And I love how he gives it to Ca$hman. The guy is full of excuses. When he didn't have sole authority, he tried to make it like all the bad signings were other people's decisions. Now his excuse is that he's been trying to rebuild. (And that's why he signed Johnny Damon last year, a guy who can't do anything? We all know he did it to stick it to Boston, but they're having a good laugh right about now.) Listen Brian, you can't dance at all parties. Damon's been a bust, Mussina has been a disaster, Abreu over Sheffield is one for the ages, Cano was a one-year wonder, Doug Smith was PR, Luis Vizcaino is absolutely putrid, and Melky ain't what you thought.
Speaking of Damon, enough injury excuses. Drives me crazy when these guys think they're such great guys for playing hurt. If you can't do anything, go on the DL. But if you're out there, you've got to produce. Don't tell me about your hamstring, your ankle, or any other body part.
All the excuses in the world won't change the fact that 2007 may be a Yankee-free October!
Oh yeah, and the Red Sox won, extending the lead to 10.5.
And then on Saturday, Wang gets tatooed in the first inning, the mighty Yankee bats never recover, so another loss. Bobby Abreu is now hitting .235, Cano is at .260, but hey, Doug Smith is up to .234, so things aren't that bad, right?
And then the Boss comes out of his shell for the first time in a while. Don't know what to make of that. Thought he was senile, but he sounded pretty with it in that interview. And I love how he gives it to Ca$hman. The guy is full of excuses. When he didn't have sole authority, he tried to make it like all the bad signings were other people's decisions. Now his excuse is that he's been trying to rebuild. (And that's why he signed Johnny Damon last year, a guy who can't do anything? We all know he did it to stick it to Boston, but they're having a good laugh right about now.) Listen Brian, you can't dance at all parties. Damon's been a bust, Mussina has been a disaster, Abreu over Sheffield is one for the ages, Cano was a one-year wonder, Doug Smith was PR, Luis Vizcaino is absolutely putrid, and Melky ain't what you thought.
Speaking of Damon, enough injury excuses. Drives me crazy when these guys think they're such great guys for playing hurt. If you can't do anything, go on the DL. But if you're out there, you've got to produce. Don't tell me about your hamstring, your ankle, or any other body part.
All the excuses in the world won't change the fact that 2007 may be a Yankee-free October!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Theo: Right About Damon
Theo Epstein's legacy will revolve around breaking the curse in 2004. But overall, the guy's had his shares of ups and downs. Big Papi and Curt Schilling were excellent moves, but Matt Clement and Edgar Renteria were disasters. For every Hideki Okajima, there's a Scott Sauerbeck. And then there are guys like Hanley Ramirez, prospects who got away. (Although Anibal Sanchez has got the sophomore jinx going on now.)
Theo took some flack for letting both Pedro and Johnny Damon go. They were huge contributors, big parts of the '04 season, and two of the biggest names in Boston. But right now, Theo's looking pretty smart.
Pedro had a good '05, helped by the switch to the NL. But the guy always had health issues, which were not gonna improve with age. Who knows how he'll do after returning from surgery?
And Damon has been playing through pain since his vicious collision with Damian Jackson in '03. I'm sure that was a factor in Theo letting the guy go.
Damon certainly deserves credit for gutting it out, much like Don Mattingly in the early 90's. But this year, the guy has constantly been day-to-day. His numbers so far are decent, (.256, 2, 13, 7 SB) but how knows how long he can keep going out there? And even if he's out there, is it worth having a Johnny Damon at 70%? Is a 70% Johnny Damon worth $13 million a year? At 33, Damon's health is probably not getting any better.
I'm sure Yankee fans will say that Coco Crisp (.232, 0, 10, 7 SB) has worse numbers. But that's missing the point. That doesn't mean the Sox should've kept Damon. Maybe he should've tried getting someone better.
But even if you want to rip Crisp, the guy was playing hurt last year. Also, he's making $9 million less than Damon. Much different expectations for a guy making $3.8 million.
Most importantly, aside from last year, Crisp has no history of injury and is only 27.
You've gotta give Epstein credit for this one. Right now, the Sox don't miss Damon.
- This afternoon: Red Sox win, Yankees lose. Another good day, as the White Sox (or as Fred Hickman would say, the Pale Hose) welcomed Matt DeSalvo to the big leagues. And after a good inning against Andy Cisco, it was back to normal for the Yankee bats. Schilling goes for the Sox in the nightcap tonight.
Theo took some flack for letting both Pedro and Johnny Damon go. They were huge contributors, big parts of the '04 season, and two of the biggest names in Boston. But right now, Theo's looking pretty smart.
Pedro had a good '05, helped by the switch to the NL. But the guy always had health issues, which were not gonna improve with age. Who knows how he'll do after returning from surgery?
And Damon has been playing through pain since his vicious collision with Damian Jackson in '03. I'm sure that was a factor in Theo letting the guy go.
Damon certainly deserves credit for gutting it out, much like Don Mattingly in the early 90's. But this year, the guy has constantly been day-to-day. His numbers so far are decent, (.256, 2, 13, 7 SB) but how knows how long he can keep going out there? And even if he's out there, is it worth having a Johnny Damon at 70%? Is a 70% Johnny Damon worth $13 million a year? At 33, Damon's health is probably not getting any better.
I'm sure Yankee fans will say that Coco Crisp (.232, 0, 10, 7 SB) has worse numbers. But that's missing the point. That doesn't mean the Sox should've kept Damon. Maybe he should've tried getting someone better.
But even if you want to rip Crisp, the guy was playing hurt last year. Also, he's making $9 million less than Damon. Much different expectations for a guy making $3.8 million.
Most importantly, aside from last year, Crisp has no history of injury and is only 27.
You've gotta give Epstein credit for this one. Right now, the Sox don't miss Damon.
- This afternoon: Red Sox win, Yankees lose. Another good day, as the White Sox (or as Fred Hickman would say, the Pale Hose) welcomed Matt DeSalvo to the big leagues. And after a good inning against Andy Cisco, it was back to normal for the Yankee bats. Schilling goes for the Sox in the nightcap tonight.
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