Since the Yanks have been elimintated, here is so much talk over the past week on what the Yankees are going to do about the catcher’s position. Do we split Posada’s catching time with “The Great Gazoo” or is it time to bring up one of these young catching studs we keep hearing the Yankees have in their farm system? There’s also a lot of chatter flying around about moving Jeter to 3rd, DH’ing A-Rod, going out and getting a young SS, etc. And, of course, there's lots of buzz about what to do with the starting pitching and bullpen. Do we pull out all stops to try and get Mr. & Mrs Lee (Sorry... she comes with the package)? What happens to AJ? Does Pettite come back? Does Kerry Wood come back or will another team sign his as their closer? Lots of questions getting bounced around here on BYB.
Brett Gardner in Left -- Brett finished with a .277 Avg., .383 OBP, 47 SB’s, and 97 Runs. Who doesn’t love Gardner? I mean, this guy really had a break out year and I think earned the right as the full time leftfielder, am I wrong? He was batting over .300 for a while this year and seems to be on base every time the Yankees had something going. His defense is certainly not gold glove but, he's above average and for the most part, has not hurt us. But, the question remains, do we keep Gardner in leftfield or do we go get Carl Crawford? I think we keep Gardner! I really do! I love the way the guy plays and think he has a Paul Molitor type career ahead of him. His at bats were a bit sluggish and unproductive as we headed toward September and October but, then again, which Yankees’ at bats weren’t? Sure he needs to walk more and lay down more bunts and I think that is definitely something he will work on this off season. My only issue with Gardner, and this is not his fault, is where he bats. I Love Jeter, don't get me wrong, but Gardner needs to be our lead-off hitter. I mean, come on, who doesn’t think he is the perfect lead-off man? A guy with Gardner’s speed and he was only 4th on the Yankees with runs scored? Sorry Jeet, but you have always been a team-guy first and this batting spot should be no exception. Let Gardner lead-off this team in the batting order. He creates havoc on the base pads and really battles pitchers. Finishing up Gardner, Let him stay, but ONLY if we plan on locking him into the lead-off spot!
Curtis Granderson in Center-- He finished 2010 with 27 HR’s, 97 Runs, in just 133 games. This is a no brainer to me. Granted, Granderson seemed to have two seasons with the Yankees in one; The first half, everyone was ready to trade him or even bench him but the second half he showed just how awesome this guy is! There is no one on the MLB’s who should even be considered to replace Granderson in Center. I can see Curtis roaming our CF at Yankee Stadium for years to come. His at bats really came around as the year went on and as he got healthier and more comfortable. He is a class act and reminds me in so many ways of Bernie Williams. It's just easy to root for Curtis. He can hit for power, he runs the bases with intelligence and I hope this stigma that he couldn’t hit lefties will finally be laid to rest. Dear Yankees, please leave Granderson alone! - Love, "Donnie Baseball - - BYB Contributor"
Nick Swisher in Right? -- Nick finished 2010 with .288 Avg., 29 HR’s, 91 Runs, 
Jayson Werth in Right-- This guy is clutch. The guy can play a decent right field (certainly no worse then Swish) and has averaged 24 home runs the last three years. He is about to peak and we need him to explode in the Bronx when he does! Plus, his post season numbers compared to Swisher are eye opening. Let’s break down the last two years for both players in the post season…
Attention Yankee fans, Leo Mazzone would come to New York to be the pitching coach and guess what... I'm ok with that. Recently I was on Pinstripe Alley’s comments forum when Dave Eiland got let go for "private" reasons and I mentioned the idea of Mazzone coming over to the Yankees. I mentioned that he's a great pitching coach and he was always better with real good pitchers because there were ways of improving them, like in Atlanta. He's the master of tweaking talent. He failed in Baltimore because, let's face it, there was nothing to work with. That's not the case with the Yankees. Anyway, The reply comments I received from Pinstripe Alley readers that day were ripping me. The told me Mazzone was too old, not a good choice. Basically telling me I'm a moron. Well, "Old man" Mazzone is ready to come back to baseball after a 3 year layoff. A guy like Mazzone can't be overlooked. You've got to interview this guy. And let's face it, the choices out there don't look good. Righetti is happy in San Fran, according to Jack Curry from YES, Guidry is not coming back, Aldred is the Yanks Triple-A guy, Um, no thanks. What's left.... Melido Perez? You see what I'm saying? I even heard Jimmy Key mentioned but where the hell has he been for 10 years? Choices are slim. If a well respected pitching coach with plenty of experience under Bobby Cox is interested, why not? He'll be the Buddha of the Clubhouse. The Zimmer to Torre, the Number 2 to Dr. Evil... well, you know what I mean. He may be old, but the baseball knowledge is there. The pitching staff needs some tweaking and he's the guy to do it. Bring it on Leo, we want you in New York. For more about Mazzone, check out LoHud Yankees Blog. Leo was asked about the Yanks on a Sirius XM radio show and was talking about it. So what do you think? Let me know.
We are now opened to ALL comments, not just Google Registered readers.
There's nothing that kills me more as a Yankee fan than watching the World Series and my team and Jeter aren't in it. Don't get me wrong, as a baseball fan, Game 1 of the World Series was really good. Since the Rangers and Giants have entered the fall classic, I've stated that I think the Giants can take it in 5 games. Do I care as a Yankee fan? No. It still stings, but baseball is such a great game. Any Yankee fan who hasn't sampled the World Series yet needs to. It's pretty good so far. But again, Jeet, Mo, Pettitte and Jorgie not in it with the Yanks is just CRAZY to me.
We knew it was coming but who knew it would be this fast. For me, I'm personally bummed about Kerry Wood.Wood had an $11 million option. Berkman's option was $15. If the Yanks want Lee, they need to lose these guys. Good luck to you both. Selfishly, I hope they try and bring Wood back, because they can, but he'll be expensive, not sure what will happen on that front.
Change is definitely in the air.
Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.
http://www.pinstripealley.com/2010/10/27/1777282/new-york-yankee-notes-cc-sabathia-to-have-knee-surgery
Slot 1- First up, you have to give to CC Monster. Why? Respect, that's why. Look, there's no doubt CC got tired near the end of the season and in the playoffs, but he's still young and he's coming off a 21 win season. Plus, he helped us get a championship in his first year in the Bronx. CC is the man and he's one of the big guns. Now I know everyone is reading about his surgery to fix something in his knee. I'm not even sure what it is, but no ones thinks it's serious, so I don't. If it is, Lee, if he signs, will be number 1, CC would be 2. But until then, CC is still my number 1.
Slot 2- Hopefully this happens... CC's bud, Cliff Lee. No surprise coming from me right? Now, the Rangers are going to do anything they can to keep Lee. There in the World Series and win or lose, Lee is a proven ace. The Yankees, not only want him, they NEED him. Yanks have the dough. If they are able to give him a contract of 5 years (which could be Lee's last big contract) and they throw the right money at him, we have an amazing 1,2 punch. I know about all the "reports" of Lee's wife being humiliated at Yankee Stadium during the playoffs and I'll give my thoughts later in this post on that, but right now, I'm moving onto number 3.
Slot 3- Yell at me if you must, but I'm going with AJ Burnett. Look, straight up, he sucked last year. Who knows what personal problems are going on with this guy to get him off track, But I do know this, AJ is still young and he still knows how to pitch, he proved it in his career and in 2009. Now, AJ lost his way, I see that. AJ needs positive reinforcement and needs a leader to look up to. He also needs a long winter of rest and a clean slate. I believe in this kid but I will tell you what AJ, if you suck in 2011, you're gone. Good Luck to you.
Slot 4- Well, This is a tough one, but if Pettitte decides to NOT to retire and thinks he's got 1 more year in him, you got to go with Old Reliable. He had injury this year but he pitched well in the playoffs and kept the doubters quiet. He can pitch in tough games, clutch games and from what I've been reading, he pitches hurt, when it counts, during "must wins" in the playoffs. How can you not still love this gamer after all these years? You're asking, why is AJ my number 3 and Pettitte my number 4? Quite simply... age. That's it. Plus, if we get a loss with AJ, Pettitte is usually a "pick me up."
Alternate Slot 4- If Pettitte doesn't come back, we have to find someone. A free agent, someone who won't cost a fortune but can win you 13 games, a veteran, but someone not too old. Jeremy Bonderman's out there, I don't love him but he's a number 4. How about someone I've wanted for years, Jon Garland. He'll be more expensive but I know he'd be reliable. Justin Duchscherer? Just a thought. How about a comeback pitcher like 35 year old Freddy Garcia. His time may have passed him by, but a good possible number 4 or 5 starter. What do you think?
Slot 5- Phil Hughes. The Yanks stretched him out this year and he won 18 games... And guess what, he wasn't even that great some games. But this is what I do know, he wants to win, he's learning from the veterans, he's 24. If the Yankees keep this guy right, he's going to be the next Clemens, minus scandal or course.
Here's my thoughts on the incident. First off, Those few rude Yankee fans need to get educated. If you're mad at Lee for being a great pitcher, then yell at Lee, don't yell at her, she's just rooting for her man. If you're pissed because Lee went to the Rangers in that trade deadline deal with Seattle, then be pissed at the Mariners. They pulled out of the Yankees deal at the 11th hour.
If you're trying to psych out the Rangers and their fans, keep it clean. I know us Yankee fans have a bad reputation but MOST OF US DON'T. Some of us treat human beings with respect. Cliff Lee's wife could very well end up making up Cliff Lee's free agency decision for him based on this incident. Great, thanks a lot. Put yourself in Lee's shoes; If you're wife told you that she hated it in New York because she was embarrassed and humiliated publically, what would you do as a husband?....You'd keep your family out of New York, that's what you'd do. What's my point? My point is, we need this guy and the last thing we need is to sign another Vasquez because the Yankee fans helped blow the Lee signing. That's my take on that. Now, let's hope money talks and bullshit walks and we can put this incident behind us. Hopefully it goes away and on Opening Day we can all give the Lee family a standing Ovation.
Simply put, Girardi's back for 3 years, $9 million. While there are reports that the deal is nearly complete, my source tells me the deal is done.
I just read this on Twitter:
Change is happening, It's Monday and Dave Eiland, the Yanks pitching coach has been fired. Cashman said this: "I'm not going into any detail about what the reasons were."
I'm Back. The Yankees lost. I'm over it, I'm not thrilled but I'm over it. One of my close friends who is NOT a Yankees fan suggested I was aggressive and angry in my last post after NY lost to the Rangers. It's true. I apologize. Apparently I scared people. Don't worry. All will be fine in Yankeeland. Why? Because now comes some of the most fun in the baseball off-season... Who stays, who goes and the countdown the pitchers and catchers.
There is something I need to get off my chest... if you say it's DO OR DIE, THEN IT'S A DO OR DIE SITUATION. If you don't mean it, then don't talk about it in a press conference where millions of Yankee fans are hanging on to your last word. Every fan in Yankeeland didn't want to use the guys that we thought would be pitching in the World Series, but you don't get to the World Series unless you use those guys!
I keep thinking that someone, other than Cano, has to step up tonight - - they can be the hero for Game Six - - but who will it be? Maybe A-Rod gets that big 3-run-HR to break a tie, or Jeet knocks in two with a Jeterian single to right, or Gardner grinds out a 2 out walk in the 8th, steals second, then strolls home with go ahead run off a Cano double. Or, maybe it's Hughes! I can see Hughes battling through 6+ innings, giving up 4 runs, but keeping the Yankees close enough to give our offense a real shot in the 7th, the 8th, or the 9th? The answer is, I just don't know, but what I DO know is if we want another shot at Lee tomorrow, someone needs to step up big time!
How about Austin Kearns or Marcus Thames? Can't you just picture it? 8th inning, 2 men on, Kearns comes in to pinch hit and, BAM! He lines a double off the right field wall! Or, how about Marcus Thames? Wouldn't it be the Yankee way if someone like Thames hits a 2-run shot into left tonight to break a tie or give us the lead -- he's done it for us several times this year. Does he have one more magical at-bat left?
Now, on to what I title "Change is NOT good." You know, I keep hearing from many fans and even The Mighy Casey himself from Bleeding Yankee Blue that the Yankees need to play small ball, or the Yankees need to steal more bases, or the Yankees need to switch up the batting order, etc.
I totally disagree with all of those things. I think the Yankees need to just do what they do best, Hit the ball out of the park and pray for Hughes to get us at least into the 7th with the game close where we can hand it off to Woods then Rivera. Which leads me to my last thought... hey Girardi, screw the late inning pitching matchups! FACT: Boone Logan CANNOT get Hamilton out - - end of story! We saw the same thing when the Yankees used to send out "Lefty specialist" Mike Meyers to pitch against Ortiz -- how'd that work out? Go get 'em Yanks! We believe in you!
--Mikey Blue BYB Senior Writer
If there's 1 thing to think about when it comes to Phil Hughes pitching a Game 6 in the playoffs against the Rangers it's this; Cashman held on to this guy for a reason. Look, Cash could have dealt him like he did Ian Kennedy. He could have kept him in the bullpen this year after a stellar performance in the pen last year. He could have never even brought the kid up from Triple-A and eventually could have been a "player to be named" in a deal for Javy Vasquez this past winter. Who knows. So what's my point? My point is this..... He didn't do any of those things. Why? Because to put simply, Hughes is a good young pitcher on the way to be great, even legendery.Signed,
The Mighty Casey
I told you so. You gotta believe in these guys, they are a great New York Yankee Team. Granted, the hittings been a mess and the pitching is scotched taped together... no one said it would be perfect, but it's damn near close when you play like you did today.Props to CC Monster. You are the man. I love when you're on the mound, you weren't vintage Sabathia, but I'll take it and it's nice to see. I am no fan of CJ Wilson, and beating him was damn nice.
Swish is back, hopefully for good. Back to back homeruns with Cano and somethings starting to simmer again, don't you think? A-Rod's hitting, Grandy's on fire and Kerry Wood. Damn you Kerry Wood, you have a pickoff that only a few really good pitchers have. I'm happy that you're in pinstripes. Even old man Posada had 2 hits. Again, I know his bat's there, but I worry about his catching. That conversation for another day.
So the Yankees won. It was do or die and they won. And now... Back to Texas. This is what I would do:
Hughes would pitch Friday night. Moseley is you're fall back. Reward the dude, give him another shot like you did in Game 1 when he shut down the Rangers and we won. Moseley's actually decent. If anything happens to Hughes, you know you have a long man. Use Moseley. You'll already have a day of rest for the other relievers so if worst comes to worst and say Moseley has trouble, then you have the other guys too. Hell, you could even pitch Burnett an inning on 3 days rest. Game 6 is another do or die and it's about pitching to keep the Yankees in the game against a Colby Lewis. If the Yankees hit like they did tonight, We win and move on the the Battle of Battles, Andy Pettitte verses Cliff Lee. If we lose, we go home, but we die fighting. And don't be so down on Hughes, he on a rotation now, there isn't a long time between starts, he could be damn great. We will see.
Man... you know what? I've been thinking alot about this season, We thought for sure we would see Tampa Bay in the playoffs and we worried about Tampa Bay. That never happened, and suddenly, we're in a hole against the Texas Rangers, a team everyone thought we'd probably beat like we did Minnesota. Wow, it's amazing how baseball works. You Gotta love it.
I couldn't give you statistics of how many teams have climbed back from a 3-1 deficit to win a Playoff series, or how the Yankees play in day games vs. night games, or even what CC's record is following a Yankee loss -- you know why? Because it doesn't matter!
You have to give AJ Burnett alot of credit. It shows hope. He pitched well. Not great obviously, but well. I don't even blame him for the Molina home run. I blame Girardi who has a chart for everything, except for a list of historic Yankee killers over the past 10 years. Any true Yankee fan knows that Molina is a Yankee killer and you match that up with a quickly fatigued AJ who hasn't pitched since Ocotber 2nd and you lose every time. Molina's a chunky dude with no speed, he's a great catcher. He's an average hitter, EXCEPT for when he bats against the Yankees. That's just a fact. Know it, live it. It's simple to understand.
A very close friend of mine and BYB Contributor "Mikey Blue" wrote this to AJ Burnett on the heels of tonight's game:
Jeter, SS
Talk about being deflated this morning. Can't believe that game kicked the crap out of me as much as it did. But I know why, because we were humiliated in our own house. How does that happen? How does a team with some of the most talented and skilled hitters in the game not hit. Damn it, Cliff Lee is amazing, but he's not Jesus. Yes, He's nasty, he's resourceful, he's a smart pitcher, but watching live last night he was in the Yankees heads and that's half the battle with Lee. . Could I get out there and hit him? No. But I'm not making millions to do so, you get my point.
There's nothing more to say and I'm just ranting because it was shocking how we were shut down. Btw, side note, another great perspective of last nights massacre is on Pinstripe Alley , check it out.
So, we're down but not out. But times ticking. I'm used to the Yankees winning... every body is, even guy who hate the Yankees. Even guys like my good friend who's a Tigers fan. He respects the Yankees, he respects Jeter's ability and squeaky clean image, but HATES the Yankees. I think he has a tattoo that reads "I hate the Yankees". But look, back to my point, this team is great and they can be scary. Sometimes they can also look heartless. Bottom line is this: It's the ALCS and no one comes into our house and makes us look bad. So things need to change. But what will be different about tonight? This is what I think:
Girardi will put in Berkman to replace Thames. Shake up the DH. I think he may move Granderson to the 2 hole, because ones again in the Playoffs, Swisher's bat has dissapeared. And my biggest concern is the pitching. I do not think AJ gets the call tonight. I think CC Monster makes a short rest appearance. Is this possible? Dicey but yes. Here's why its alittle dicey. My feeling is if CC pitches tonight and wins,the series is tied 2-2. Then what? Maybe Burnett for Game 5? If they win, they win at home. Or maybe it's Hughes in the Bronx, but short rest for a young arm scares me. Then it's a weird situaion becuase them we're going back to Texas. Whomever doesn't pitch in Game 5 has to pitch Game 6. And if they also win, it's over, if they lose, at least you have Game 7 with Pettitte. Am I wrong? Who knows.. Comment.
Whomever it is, Yanks need to show up tonight. The Ranger's Tommy Hunter is someone I'm not familiar with. The Yanks need to strike early if AJ's pitching tonight. AJ needs to trust his stuff. Don't aim AJ, you suck when you do that. Channel your old buddy Halladay. We need you now, more than ever.
The highlight of tonight's game was Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York. Cliff Lee was as advertised and may I say Andy Pettitte, while he made 1 mistake to Josh Hamilton in the first inning, pitched a gem as well.
The highlight were the foolish Texas Rangers fans in our section. A word to the wise; never make losing yankee fans mad. You can root for your team and enjoy the game, but pissing us off only gets them insane and you will get punched, yelled at and probably kicked at. Hence these great pictures and video.
Jeter SS
I wouldn't want anyone else out there pitching a Game 3 vs. Lee tonight... not a one. Come on Pettitte!
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This brings me to a few snapshots from Saturday night's Phillies vs. Giants Game 1 in Philadelphia.
series.
They say they die in 3's and after Bob Shepperd passed away, and then "The Boss" George Steinbrenner this year, I couldn't imagine who would be next. Freddy "Sez", a staple at Yankee stadium for a number of years, died at the age of 85. What a sad day.
If you've ever been to Yankee Stadium, new or old, most likely you saw Freddy. He was the old guy with more Yankee gear on than anyone and a big frying pan and spoon. He'd bang it all night, walking around the ballpark, or even outside the stadium before the game and he'd let any Yankee fan hit it as well just to keep spirits high and smiles all around. He was the ultimate Yankee fan. I must have hit that pan a dozen times in my lifetime, sometimes very psyched that the Yankees were winning, sometimes even alittle intoxicated, it didn't matter though, if you wanted to hang with a true Yankee fan, Freddy was always there.
Freddy always had his message of the day and no matter what the weather, he would be there, ready for the Yanks to rally. They usually always did too.
And I read something very interesting today about Freddy, something I never knew. According to the Daily News, "He became such an institution that his lucky frying pan and spoon, were put into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Yogi Berra Museum in 2004." How cool is that?
Freddy, tomorrow's Game 3 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium. That game will be dedicated to you, the true Yankee Fan.
Yanks, do it for Freddy. Rest in Peace old pal.
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Cano is the man, a post season to tell his grandkids about and that's great, and Colby Lewis is decent tonight, not great, not bad, but the Yankees needed more than Cano to get runs. Believe me they had shots to do it, they didn't, so turn the page. it sucks. I don't even have the energy to talk about how frustrated I am but they have a day off Sunday. Reflect, work out in the Bronx and get ready for Pettitte vs. Lee.
