Plug Pluggy Plug Plug

Please know that I have no joy in saying this, but if you frequent the site then do me a favor and CHECK OUT THE DAMN FACEBOOK PAGE!!  There's a link to it here, and another one here, and a third one right here.   And I've even got the whole Facebook box thing on the homepage to take you right to it.  That took my almost an hour to set up.  Pathetic, I know, but that's not the point.  The point is, check this stuff out and when you're done checking it out, click the "Like" button and get my numbers up.

I mean, 18 fans?  18???  That's just turribull (copyright: Charles Barkley).  Those 18 fans includeme, and about half of the rest of the people aren't even Yankee fans.  Some of them aren't even baseball fans!  They're just friends of mine or family members who were nice enough to like it through their association with me.  And don't get me wrong, that's all well and good to get the train pulling out of the station, but now I need to start stocking the Facebook fan shelves with some legit Yankee fans.  I've got d-bag fans of other garbage teams using up valuable comment space to swear at me for speaking the truth and nobody coming to my (or the Yankees') defense.  And that just cannot be allowed to happen.

If you're a Yankee fan and you haven't already, "Like" AB4AR on Facebook.  And if you have family members and friends who are Yankee fans, get them to do the same.  I'll even extend the invite to some Met fans, since they clearly have nothing better to do than like the site.  There's plenty of room on the Yankee bandwagon, people.  It's time to start building up the AB4AR army.  Make it happen.

 (Dr. Long recommends AB4AR to all his patients.)

The Formula Giveth And The Formula Taketh Away

(Yes, Rafi.  You're allowed to be sad after last night.)

So far this year, the few times Joe has been able to use his desired formula with his pitching staff he has gotten positive results.  It worked on Opening Day and it worked on Monday night in Nova's start.  Last night, however, was a different story and Joe went back to the well in a situation that didn't call for it and it ended up costing the Yankees a victory that should have been in the bag.  Here's how:

- CC being lifted after 7 shutout innings.  Why was CC even taken out after 7?  He had been solid all night, had the bottom of the order due up, and would have had the desired lefty-lefty match-up if Gardenhire decided to pinch hit Morneau and Thome the way he did with Soriano in the game?  When your ace has already given you 7 shutout innings and doesn't have a superhigh pitch count, he at least deserves the chance to go out there and get another out or 2 in the 8th.

- Soriano being brought in to start the 8th in a 4-run game.  This is where Joe made a bad decision (lifting CC) worse by going to Soriano and trying to stick to the formula in a situation that didn't call for it.  Soriano had just pitched yesterday, there are reports of diminished velocity on his part going around, the bottom of the order was coming up, and it wasn't that close of a game.  That's D-Rob time all the way.

- Joe waiting too long to take out Soriano.  It was clear almost from the word "go" that Soriano didn't have it last night.  Not his fault, sometimes it happens.  Especially when it's early in the year, your arm strength isn't all the way up, and you just pitched the day before.  As soon as Soriano walked Thome, Joe should have taken him out and gone to Boone Logan or the already warm and aforementioned D-Rob.

- D-Rob never getting into the game until the fire was out of control.  I can understand Joba getting the 7th-inning role over D-Rob.  He's earned it.  But what the hell is D-Rob's role on this time?  Designated Bullpen Warm-up Guy?  Joe has had him up in almost every game they've played and yet he's only pitched in 1 game so far.  Newsflash!  The guy averages 10+ K/9!!  And you're not going to bring him in to face Danny Valencia to start the 8th inning of a 4-run game???

- Nick Swisher in right field on the bloop double.  Dude, what the hell were you doing out there?  And what was with that goofy slide??  Stay on your goddamn feet and keep the ball in front of you!  That's basic baseball!  Fundamentals!!  TOM EMANSKI!!!!

- Joe's overall approach to the game.  As friend of the blog Brien Jackson of IIATMS pointed out, Joe managed to get Mo a save instead of managing to win the game.  And that ties in to my point about Joe sticking to the formula and the numbers instead of making like Charlie Sheen and sticking to winning.  Soriano never should have been in the game, D-Rob never should have been called in to clean up the mess.  In a high-leverage 8th-inning situation, it's Mo time.  Shut the team down, keep the lead intact, and if you have to use somebody else to finish the 9th to preserve Mo, then so be it.