Klydon and DJ are both right. Remember that silly trade for Jose Canseco that Papa George pulled that pissed Torre off?

But look and compare today with the dynasty of a decade ago. Surely A-Rod/Abreu/Giambi have better stats and star-names than say Broscious/Williams/Tito Martinez....and yet, who played better together?

I've said it before, but I think Torre also is just burned out. Burned out from having to deal with not only Papa George, but the crazy bullshit of Papa GEorge's boys in Tampa. He's burned from having to try to manage a bunch of prima donna superstars that can't(or won't) go to the 101% of their abilities.

If Torre gets canned DJ, Papa George would probably desire Don Mattingly, but if Torre gets fired in say May, New York media will eat it up and the only person that could replace Torre and pacify the baseball writers for the first few weeks would be....Joe Giradi. He's got a Manager of the Year award on his desk. He led a team expected to loss 100 games nearly into the playoffs.

Giradi gets the nod if Torre gets canned. Besides, has Mattingly even managed before?

I can read it without the translation, thank you very much!

His experience comes as the understudy for Torre. Last year was his first as an official coach (I'm pretty sure he was like Reggie Jackson, a "special advisor" or something, where he was at Spring Training and helped out but didn't have an official capacity on the bench). In 2006, he was the batting coach (his 2007 replacement, Kevin Long seems to be doing much better with A-Rod, but not so much with the rest of the team ), and this year, he is now the bench coach after Steinbrenner fired Lee Mazilli as the sacrificial lamb, punishment for falling to the Tigers in last years ALDS.

The other good options that still exist at Larry Bowa, the current third base coach, and Tony Pena, at first. I've heard other rumours floating about too though, as potential replacements: Jim Fregosi, the former Toronto manager (out of the league since 2000, no!), a rehash of Buck Showalter (no! please! no!), Bobby Valentine (Rangers and Mets, now in Japanese league, but this goes against my "we shouldn't hire coaches we've beaten in the playoffs" mantra, so no!), Dusty Baker (again, please no), and Ken Macha (former A's coach, again, no!).

Leaving Girardi and the current stable of assistant coaches as the wellspring to draw from. Even if Torre doesn't get fired this year, this is the last year of his contract, and I suspect Joe is getting old and tired of the New York scene, the Steinbrenner demands, and the general shit directed towards him as a major league manager. Turn the reigns over to a younger guy, like Girardi, who can fire these guys up.

With Girardi at the helm, the youth movement beginning in the pitching (Wang, Hughes, possibly Clippard/White/Sanchez), Mark Texiera at first, Ichiro in right field, hopefully a better bullpen (K-Rod I think is available after this season), and some fire brought back to the older players (will A-Rod stay or go?), I'm already looking ahead to 2008. Ugh. Grad school. Crap. Never mind.

Also, the best news of all - Bobby Murcer returns tonight to his full-time duties on YES as the color man for the Yankees broadcast! God bless you Bobby!

---

Rumour has it that the Indians are interested in moving C.C. Sabathia if they are out of contention around the trade deadline. Could be a nice pickup, at least a rental.

Go Hughes! Go Hughes! Go Hughes!! He is pitching one BEE-YOO-TI-FUL game! 5 innings, he hasn't given up a hit, and I think he's kept his pitch count to about 60! Now THAT'S pitching! And Cano is 3 for 3 tonight, too! THIS is the team we know! 9 runs on 11 hits. Go Yankees! Go Yankees!

I'm following the box score and it looks like the kid's pitching a gem. Can't wait to see the highlights

NFW!! Hughes just got hurt! Hamstring, apparently! NFW!!!

Out 4 to 6 weeks.

Still a great outing by Hughes:

6 1/3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 3 BB, 6 SO, 83 pitches, 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA

One Yankee goes down with a hammy injury. Happenstance. (Wang).

More Yankees goes down with a hammy injury. Concern. (Mussina, Matsui, Karstens)

The best prospect in the Yankees system goes down with a hammy injury during a no-hitter and under the 100 pitch max ceiling...it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck.

Fire the fucking "performance enhancement" (i.e. strength and conditioning) coach. Hughes has had virtually no injury problems in his minor league career until his regimen gets changed after coming up to NY. This asshole who has been working with geriatrics for the last decade shouldn't even be close to a baseball club, but George must've liked his soft hands or something.

Yankees players have (anonymously) expressed concern that his regimens don't include stretching or even light workouts of certain muscle groups.

Just when you think that we could relax a bit and not have to use everybody in the bullpen, you get another pitcher going down with a ham string.
He was having a good outing, but let's face it folks we weren't taking on a killer team. It was Texas!
At least Boston lost, so we pick up a game, but are still living down south.

That's the ultimate jinx: mentioning a no-hitter before the sixth inning is complete.

Usually, mentioning it results in a hit, but when you say, "BEE-YOO-TI-FUL", it usually results in a hamstring injury.

Sounds like he pitched a very good game. It must have been frustrating for him to be injured.

So why when I point out that Dice-K wasn't the superman people tagged him to be against the Yankees, I get the "well he got the win" speech (which was due to Boston's offense more than it was to Dice-K's outstanding pitching performance). But here Philip Hughes pitches a gem and now it's the "well it was only against Texas" routine? A win's a win, is it not? Besides, this is only his 2nd major league start and he's only 20 years old! For him to pitch a no hitter like that is impressive, Texas team or not.

People outside of BoSox fan nation tag Dice-K as superman?

His last few starts have cooled that nonsense down. Seriously, is this a legit debate, or fannation pissing contest?

A serious point. Why when Dice-K is subpar do we congratulate him with getting the win? But when Hughes pitches we have to validate the team he pitched against? You can't have it both ways.

No matter what we say you will always find fault with it.

You listened to all that hipe about Dice-K and you made him an instant enemy. He pitches and you want to shoot holes and glout about what he has done. He pitches against one of the greatest batting orders in the country and you just wanted to take pot shots at him, face it your hate clouds your judgement. No one said he was the greatest pitcher of the year. He faced Yankees and came out with a win, live with it.

Now Hughes pitched a great game, true BUT look at the lineup he was faced with, come on you have to discount it a bit in my book. Hughes will not be the savor of the Yankees year. I have watch him pitch here in Syracuse with the Chiefs and if he faces a line up like the Yankees have, then he will be just another arm.

Any pitcher is only going to win if his team gets him some runs. And the Yankees have an easier time of that then most teams in the league. Which I am said to say we are in dire need of.

So yes you can have it both ways, if you keep it on a level playing field and are honest about it.

True he's not the greatest pitcher of the year but he's not worth the $126 million boston paid him against the Yankees either. AGAIN, the Yanks would have won both games if they had pitching (Dice-K wasn't a factor, yet you still give him credit).



Again, don't discount his performance because of Texas. Texas has some hitters and again, it was only his 2nd start of his major league career at the tender age of 20. Cut the kid some slack!




No you can have it both ways if you have double standards which is obviously the case. Whatever though, you can continue to discount Hughes and I'll continue to discount Dice-K.

Irishman, Irishman. Irishman...you do love being argumentative.

AGAIN, the Yanks would have won both games if they had pitching (Dice-K wasn't a factor, yet you still give him credit).


That's assuming that the Yankee pitching would be able to stop Boston's hitters. So your statement is meaningless. You assume something would oe wouldn't have happened. Yet Boston and Dice-K won the game so even though he doesn't get all the credit for the win, because as I said before, No pitchers wins without help from his own teams hitters.


I did cut Hughes some slack,I said he pitched a great game or don't youread my words as typed? but he still pitched against a team who are on the bottomm of the food chain. They aren't anywhere near the Yankee or the Boston lineups in strength. If you want to go GOO-GOO GA-GA over Hughes and see everything thru your rosecolor Yankee glasses go right ahead.
You are quick enough to run Dice- K thru the mud and refuse to say that he did well pitching with the short time he has in this league and like I said for the fourth time, against the best lineup in baseball. But since they are your beloved Yankees and he is a Boston player you just can't see it any other way can you?

Does it bother you that much, that he has a win against your beloved Yankee Team? True, the Yankees would have won ALL the games if the Yankee hitters ran up 15 runs each game too...But they didn't. It takes both sides to win a game, Pitching and hitting and that day, Dice-K and Boston where just a bit better compo then New York could produce...so Live with it.

well you gotta face it, giving up 5 hits and getting the win against the Yankees is almost the same than throwing a no hitter against the Rangers

actually, Dice K won TWO games against the Yankees.

Pavano feels discomfort in session

ARLINGTON -- Injured Yankees starter Carl Pavano (right forearm tightness) felt discomfort while pitching Wednesday afternoon and had to cut his bullpen session short after throwing for less than 10 minutes.

Pavano said he is going to consult noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews as soon as possible because, "It's not where it needs to be."

"The setback was disappointing, but to me he was more disappointed than anybody because we don't count our chickens," Torre said. "The fact that he had to be shut down because of how he felt ... I know he is frustrated and he doesn't know what his next move is. Dr. Andrews may help him along those lines."

Torre said any appearance by Pavano, who has been injury-riddled since joining the Yankees in 2005, "is a bonus."

"We don't know when he is going to throw again," Torre said. "You certainly need to find out how to help him along in this area. I don't know what the answer is right now."

Source: Yankees

This should make you happy DJ

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Notes: Yanks dismiss strength coach

ARLINGTON -- Marty Miller's tenure as the Yankees' director of performance enhancement is officially over.

He was relieved of his duties less than 24 hours after rookie pitcher Phil Hughes strained his hamstring, the latest in a series of injuries that has contributed to the Yankees slow start this season.

Pitchers Mike Mussina and Chien-Ming Wang, along with outfielder Hideki Matsui have also suffered hamstring injuries this season. The perception is the hamstring injuries were related to Miller's work with the club.

"At the end of the day we have had so many hamstring issues, and that's something you can't deny," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "[The] 'why' is something I will continue to try to figure through, but it got to the point where perception is a bit of the problem here. Real or not real, perception becomes reality."

Miller was hired by Cashman after spending the last three years as an education consultant with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He spent nine years as the director of fitness at the Ballen Isles Country Club in Palm Beach, Fla., and worked in the Minor Leagues from 1995-1997. He has a master's degree in performance enhancement and injury prevention.

"Ultimately, I hired Marty, and now, I made the decision to make the change there," Cashman said. "Marty was here to help our players and he did everything he possibly could to do so. Things just haven't worked out, and that's unfortunate."

Cashman received full support from manager Joe Torre.

"I trust Brian Cashman and what he does," Torre said. "The knowledge Marty had certainly was impressive. Does that mean because you know a lot about the body as it relates to baseball? That's what we don't know."

Cashman acknowledged a possible "disconnect" between Miller and the players as part of the issue. He added that there were other factors that could lead to injuries on his team apart from his players' decisions to work or ignore Miller's program. Working with Miller's program was optional and not required.

"To be quite honest, this is where it gets complex," Cashman said. "There's a lot of guys not doing Marty's program. Truthfully, some of the guys who have gotten hurt were doing their own program. That's where it gets [to be] a grey area and complicated in our sport of baseball."

Miller's program included machines and other exercises some of the players were not familiar with. He did provide equipment when it was requested by the players, but there are reports that he was unpopular in the clubhouse.

"There are a number of factors that contribute to [injuries]. But when pitchers come up with hamstring problems? That normally does not happen," center fielder Johnny Damon said. "I think when you get a number of pitchers going down with the same problem, it opens up your eyes and makes you start thinking, 'There might need to be a change.' ... We never wanted to have injuries here. Unfortunately for the team and for Marty, it happened."

Dana Cavalea, Miller's assistant, will take over as the interim director.

"This is as much my failure as anything else," Cashman said. "I take full responsibility. I'm the one who hired Marty. ... There are a lot of variables in play in every aspect of this sport. At the end of the day, this is a result-driven sport and a result-driven industry. Based on the results this far, I felt I had to make a change."

Source: Yankees

The score of his first win was 7-6. So again, he wasn't THAT much of a factor. If Proctor wouldn't have blown the game, the Yanks would have won. So he gave up 6 runs in his first game against the Yankees and you pat him on the back saying he did a fine job. I'm sorry, in my book he didn't. Call it good ol' fashion Red Sox hating or what not but sqeaking out a 1-run win because of Scott Proctor doesn't equate a good performance. He got bailed out. Whereas Philip Hughes is on the verge of a no-hitter (it would have been the first for the Yankees since David Cone in 1999) and somehow you have to find fault with it. Sure the Rangers aren't the Red Sox but they do have some good hitters in Young, Texeria, and Blalock. And weren't you the first one to discredit me for saying Dice-K didn't pitch well in his first start of the season against the Royals? So how come Dice-K gets a pass in your book against the mighty Royals but Hughes can't against the Rangers? I think you're looking through you're "let's take the complete opposite stance of Irishman's" glasses

And in his 2nd game, he gave up 4 runs. Sure he won the game and was more convincing this time around but again, he's still not superman as ESPN and others love to basically dub him. Dice-K can do no wrong whereas Igawa can do no right. But whatever, I stand by my point and you seem to stand by yours.

The good news is that Cavalea has been here before Miller, and was around with Jeff Mangold, so he should be able to pick up the slack and go back to a functional stretching and exercise regimen, instead of Miler's no-running, no-stretching "system."

If If If..they lost live with it.



Yes, what you can't seem to get thru your head that a young pitcher facing the YANKEE LINE UP wouldn't have even lasted that long. and I was more defending him because of how you once again was doing your Boston Bashing which once again you can't put a side when you talk baseball



This comeback statement is a grade school comeback and I will not turn this into a pissing match.

End of subject Irishman,


Let us bothy move on and forget it. I just don't have the time or the energy. And lets face it you would rather die then change your stance, or understand where others comments or stantements are coming from.

One last thing, why does Dice-K get a pass with his "dominating" win over the Royals whereas Hughes can't over the Rangers?

First game is on at 3:30...it's going to be a great afternoon and evening watching Yankee baseball.

Glad I'm done with my thesis.

By the way - it looks like Pavano may be done for the rest of this year...and most of the next one.

Source: Hartford Courant

And also, for those keeping an eye on the Roger Clemens sweepstakes - the next 10-15 games will be vital for the Yankees. Clemens wants another ring. I suspect that whatever team has the best May - be it the Red Sox, Yankees, or Astros, and looks the best in their division - will be the winners.

At this point, it would be the Red Sox. If the Yankees want Clemens, they need to make up some serious ground during the month of May. Mussina needs to come back strong, Pettitte needs to stay consistent, Igawa needs to keep it up, Abreu needs to find his swing (I think it is on a milk carton by now), and A-Rod has to continue to blast them out of the park.

If the Yankees can come within 3 games of the Red Sox and move into second place in the AL East, we would have a fighting chance. I suspect the Yankees would give more money to Clemens than the Sox (simply because the Sox already have four great starters who are doing well, and Jon Lester is waiting in the wings, so the need for Clemens isn't as great, and their payroll is already taxed with Matsuzaka), but it is really up the Yankees if they want to get Clemens.

It's simple. If you win it, he will come.

So does Dice-K get another pass with his performance against the mighty Mariners lineup?

5 innings, 5 hits, 7 runs, 5 BB, 1 SO, 5.45 ERA

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In other news, glad to see the Yanks sweep Texas and that Moose bounced back:

5 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA