WHY IT'S A WIN, WIN

"It was a big day... Today, those were the big-league hitters. I'll think a lot about this game. That's a great team, so that's good for me. I feel ready for this. I really do." --Manny Banuelos

(Photo: Sipkin/NY Daily News)

Yanks may have lost a game against the Red Sox last night but who gives a crap, it's the Spring.

Yes, I hate losing a thumb wrestling match against those turds, but the reality is, many positives came out of last night's game.

• Manny Mania:Yes, we've already named it. And I don't mean BYB, I mean everyone on the Internet that constantly needs a phrase or nickname to describe anything. Manny Banuelos was impressive, after all, it was the Red Sox A-team out there and it was a televised game on ESPN2. Pretty big stage. Maybe that rematch will happen again during the season. Cashman insists Double A is where Manny will go. I say a quick graduation and we'll see this kid in 2011 for sure. I know Girardi will fight for it. I'm OK with that. Plus Sportsrageous has his quote from ESPN saying he's ready. Read the post HERE.
  

• The Learning Curve: The key in last night's game was to see if Manny could handle it. Just throw him out there and see what happens. Perfect setting actually, not a real game, yet a real team. Manny looked like a pro last night, a 10 year veteran. Sure, the 20 year old had his nerves going, walking some, but the reality is, he was still able to straighten it out and not let those runs score. You have to admire that. You have to realize that walks ALWAYS come around to score and with Manny last night, that didn't happen. He pitched 2 and 2/3 of scoreless inning ball.

• Confidence: Look, you know I've always talked confidence, when certain pitchers have men on base, they think too much. Nova was a perfect example, AJ too. Banuelos had walked 3 and had 5 base runners in his outing, yet he was smart, never losing his composure and trusting his stuff. How do I know? Because he mixed up his pitches and was able to get the outs. He trusted the team he had behind him and trusted himself. I'm telling you, this is a veteran in a kid's body.

We learned from Manny's experience last night, he learned something as well. That's all you can ask for. He wasn't brilliant, but damn near close. 2 and 2/3 is a small batch of innings to analyze, but based on poise and grit, the kid's gonna be something. Brian Cashman, a.k.a, Mr. Miyagi, may be a genius after all.

By the Way, Check out the latest humor from Bronx Goblin.

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