Marcus Thames Is A One-Man Wrecking Crew

(Photo Courtesy of The AP)

Flashback to February 8; the Yankees had just signed Marcus Thames to a $900,000 minor league contract. I said:

"While he's not guaranteed a spot on the team with the minor league contract, the signing of Thames... gives the Yankees what they needed, a righty power bat off the bench who can play the corner outfield if need be, at less than what they're going to pay Winn to be an unnecessary defensive replacement outfielder who can't hit a lick."

Flash closer back to April 2, when in my season preview for the bench I said about Thames:

"Thames, a righty, will be used mostly to match up with lefties, and his past success in the Majors more than likely gave him the boost over [Jamie] Hoffmann. He is a below-average outfielder, so expect to see Thames mainly as a late-game situational pinch hitter or getting starts on days where Gardner has a bad matchup."

Fast forward to today, where we are 15 games into the year and Marcus Thames is absolutely wrecking shit right now. In 12 at-bats he has 6 hits, including a 2B and a HR, 2 runs scored, and an RBI for a cool 1.372 OPS. He's already been more productive in 5 games this year than he was in his first stint with the Bombers back in '02.

Thames has been exactly what I said he would be and exactly what the Yankees wanted him to be: a guy who will step in for Brett Gardner and mash the crap out of left-handed pitching at a clip that will hopefully negate his incredibly awful defense. His performance thus far has somewhat overshadowed the fact that the Yanks wasted 2 mil on what's left of Randy Winn's rotting corpse (0-10 w/ 4 Ks so far), and even though the argument can still be made that Gardner's overall value created by his offense, defense, and speed on the base paths makes it unnecessary to platoon him with Thames, based on these early returns you have to chalk the signing of Thames up as another check in the "+" column for Cash.

Why Didn't Joe Play Jorge And C-Grand?!?!

Oh well, guess Joe's lineup tinkering didn't work out today.  After his typical shaky first inning when he was clearly too jacked up because he was pitching in Cali again, CC was magic.  But the Yanks couldn't muster enough offense off Dallas Braden to pick CC up.  I knew Joe messing with the lineup today was a bad idea.

Speaking of Dallas, somebody tell this kid to chill out.  Screaming at The Horse because he walked across the mound? 

“I don’t care if I’m Cy Young or the 25th man on the roster, if I’ve got the ball in my hand and I’m on that mound, that’s my mound…. He ran across the pitcher’s mound foot on my rubber. No, not happening. We’re not the door mat anymore.”- Braden after the game.

Dude, it wasn't like you were going into your windup.  The fucking play was dead!!  And then to talk about how hard you throw and what you may or may not do the next time these 2 teams meet?  It's shit talking like that that will get your teeth kicked in by The Horse next time.  And then you won't even have to worry about who's walking on your mound because you'll be laying in the ICU.


P.S.- Calm down with the "We're not the door mat anymore" schtick, bro.  Look around you.  You play for the biggest penny pincher in baseball.  The Oakland A's exist to basically be every other team's farm system.  They horde good young talent and then trade it off for more good young talent when it gets too expensive.  Just calm down with the chest pounding, pitch decent over the next couple years and enjoy the new contract you get from some different team in free agency.

Joe Farting In Oakland's General Direction

Here's today's lineup for this afternoon's series finale against Oakland via LoHud:

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson 1B
Mark Teixeira DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Marcus Thames LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner CF

LHP CC Sabathia

Wow, well that's a new one, ain't it? To be honest, I love it. It's only 14 games into the season and Joe is already trying to fuck with people. If you don't think this lineup is a big D-X crotch chop to the rest of the AL then you are out of your mind.

Johnson at 1st and Teix DH'ing? Swish going from day off to batting 6th? Thames getting the 7-spot for C-Grand? Frankie and Gardy rounding out the bottom of the order? Come on now.

No offense to anybody, but this isn't even the B-lineup that's going out there today, it's somewhere between B- and C+. And I love it because it's Joe showing confidence in his pitcher, CC, and his team. He's basically telling everybody "yeah, I'm going to start fucking with the lineup and give people day's off that don't need it because I know we're still going to come out and beat you with whoever I decide to throw out there in whatever batting order I choose. And while we're at it, I'll just throw Nick Johnson and his giant mascot head out there at 1st base for shits and giggles."

Now if only Joe would show up in the dugout today wearing the championship belt. Now THAT would be badass!

HUUUUUUUUUGHES!!!

(Photo Courtesy of The AP)

It's nights like last night that make me regret moving out to Wisconsin and losing my access to YES on cable and all the Yankee games that come with it.  Actually, maybe it's a good thing I didn't watch last night's game because my pants would have been off in no time and my TV would probably be a little sticky right now.

Phil Hughes was masterful last night, absolutely masterful. Kid was dealing from the time he stepped on the mound to throw his warm-up pitches to the time Joe came to take him out in the 8th inning. Everything about last night's performance was confirmation for why the Yankees have been so high on him for the last 5 years and why he was chosen to get the final rotation spot over everybody else.

You can say whatever you want about the 6 1/3 hitless innings he threw against the Rangers in '07 or the 6 shutout innings with 6 Ks against the Tigers last year, but last night was the greatest outing of Hughes' young career. And it wasn't because of the 7 1/3 no-hit innings that he threw before finally giving up that freak hit to Chavez or the career high 10 Ks (even though those were great). It was the way Hughes went about racking up those numbers that was impressive and showed the tremendous growth he has experienced as a pitcher over the last couple years.

Hughes threw 101 pitches last night, and all but 10 of them were four-seamers and cutters. That shows that not only were those pitches working for Hughes last night, but more importantly that Hughes recognized it early and stuck with those pitches, eliminating the fastball and changeup from his selections and only throwing 10 curveballs. The A's could do nothing with the 4-seamer and cutter last night, so he rode those pitches for as long as he could. He didn't waste time trying to mix pitches, set guys up, or pick at corners. He was on the same page as his catcher and he was just rocking and firing with what he knew the other team couldn't hit.
 
Our little boy is growing up.  Hughes is starting to think on the mound, recognize what his strengths and weaknesses are from outing to outing, and pitching to those strengths, and that is a scary thought for the rest of the AL.

Pre-Game Tidbits

- Joe has announced Joba as the officially official 8th-inning setup man for Mo.  Given the way he's looked the last couple times out combined with Dave Robertson's inconsistency and Chan Ho Park's injury, you can't even try to argue with that decision.

- Phil Hughes makes his 2nd start tonight.  How will he look on what should be a regular rest pattern but could seem a bit short considering he was skipped the first time through the rotation?  We'll find out in a few hours.  Seeing as how he's facing a lineup that features Kevin Kouzmanoff as its cleanup hitter, Hughes should fare well if his stuff is working like it was the first time out.

- What Ben Sheets will the Yankee lineup see tonight?  The guy who couldn't get one fucking out in a Spring Training start or the guy who's 1-0 with a 2.65 ERA so far and threw 6 shutout innings his last time on the hill? 

- Swish out and Randy Winn in for a start in right tonight.  I'm a little surprised by this move since Swish finally got off the schnide last night with a hit and a couple RBIs.  Is Swish hurt or sick?  If not, why is he getting a day off?  Call me crazy but I like Randy Winn right where he is as the 8th or 9th-inning defensive replacement.  I want Swish's bat (and patience) in the lineup against a good starting pitcher 25 hours a day, 8 days a week.

One Under The Belt For Vazquez

Well it wasn't an award-winning performance last night by Javy (5 1/3IP, 6H, 3BB, 3ER, 6K), but it was still improvement upon his first 2 outings, and it ended in another W for the Yanks, so that has to take a little bit of the weight off his shoulders and it should give him a little more lead on his leash with Yankee fans as he continues to try to solve his mechanical issues and build up his velocity.

(Photo courtesy of Reuters)

Of course, when the A-Horse is seeing the ball and mashing like he was last night, a pedestrian outing like the one Vazquez had yesterday will usually be enough to get a win.

Don't look now, but The Horse is now hitting above .300 and is tied with Bobby Cano for the team lead in RBIs with 10.

The Good Ship Vazquez Has Righted Itself

(Photo used courtesy of LoHud)

Alright! It's all figured out now. Javy was having problems with his mechanics, but he and Eiland worked it out over the last couple days and now he's ready to go tonight without dragging his arm behind him and killing his velocity.  And he's going up against a team of Punch and Judy hitters in a ballpark designed to murder potential extra-base hits.  It's full speed ahead for Javy tonight.

Yankee fans were a little tough on him last time out, but let's give Javy some encouragement for today, huh? Here we go!

How's That Pitching And Defense Working For You?

(Photo courtesy of Matt Stone/The Boston Herald)

Outfielders bobbling and misplacing balls all over the park?

Baby Huey getting his dick kicked in to the tune of 9 hits and 8 earned runs allowed in 3 1/3 innings??

0-30 with runners in scoring position over the whole series???

Mike Cameron still walking gingerly around with dick rot or a strained nutsack????

Crowd booing you off the field after a 5th consecutive loss?????

Happy Patriot's Day indeed!!!!

Andy Pettitte Is A Wizard On The Mound

(Photo courtesy of Jason Szenes/NY Post)

Another day, another brilliant outing for Andy Pettitte yesterday. He admittedly did not have his best stuff early in the game, but managed to limit the Rangers to just 2 runs in the first 3 innings and then shut them down from there.

I've talked before about how Andy's approach has been the key to his success over the last couple years, but this year he has been downright Maddux-like and Glavine-esque in his combination of situational pitch selection and plate location. Here's how yesterday's pitch breakdown looked compared to what he's done so far this year:

"Andy’s start yesterday marked apparently marked a bit of a departure from his previous two starts. He threw only five changeups and mixed in 16 cutters, 17 two-seamers, and 16 curveballs. He threw 53 four seam fastballs as well. The number that deviates from the norm is the number of four seamers. In his previous two starts against Boston and Anaheim, Andy threw just 61 four seam fastballs combined. All three games have featured single digit changeups (5, 8, 5), but the first two contained many more cutters (20, 25) and two-seamers (22 both times) than the last one. The number of curveballs (17, 14, 16) has stayed relatively consistent.

Why the spike in four seamers? That’s tough to answer. Maybe Andy was just feeling it more today, maybe Gameday had a labeling problem. Perhaps Andy had to mix his pitches more against the more patient Red Sox and Angels while he was able to go right at the more-free-swinging Ranges. Regardless of the reason, though, everything was working for Andy on Sunday...." (courtesy of Matt Imbrogno & The Yankee U)

Yesterday was the perfect example of Pettitte's veteran moxie and poise on the mound coming to aid him. Given that he said early on he wasn't very good, my guess is he knew he didn't have a good feel for his off-speed stuff early on so he decided to mix in more four-seamers, knowing the younger, undisciplined Rangers would take their hacks and help him get ahead in the count. Andy used that knowledge to his advantage and gave himself time to get the feel back for his off-speed stuff, which by the time the later innings rolled around, he had regained and started using again to further confuse the opposing hitters.

Yesterday's game just goes to show why there really is no book on Andy Pettitte. He's got 5 pitches that he will consistently mix in to all hitters, and has the smarts and guts to change his approach and stick with what's working based on the results he's getting in the game. When he's got all 5 pitches working, as he has so far in each of his 3 starts this year, there really isn't a way to prepare for him as a hitter. He can get you out on a curveball in the dirt, a cutter in on the hands, or a fastball on the outside corner.

Andy typically uses his fastball to set up the off-speed stuff as his out pitches, but yesterday was the opposite of his usual approach. He was working the four-seamer everywhere, getting batters to swing at what he wanted them to when he wanted them to, something that is tough to do when you don’t have dynamite power to fall back on. Maddux and Glavine made a living and a pair of Hall of Fame careers out of doing that, and while Andy most likely won't make the HOF, he has adapted his game to follow in their footsteps.

While it would be crazy to expect Pettitte to maintain these numbers over the entire season, it certainly should give fans confidence that Pettitte won't have too many games where he's getting smacked around when something isn't working like Javy Vazquez has experienced so far. Andy has plenty of pitches to fall back on and plenty of ways to work hitters, and he always saves his best pitches for the pressure situations. He's the #3 starter in the rotation, but with his stopper mentality and fearless, thoughtful approach on the mound, he might just be the Yankees' real ace in disguise.

Yankee Blogosphere Linkapalooza For The Week That Was (March 12-18)

Another week, another batch of success for the Bombers this week.  Home openers were played, rings were passed out, old friends returned home, pitchers pitched well (except Vazquez), and leads were taken in the division.  All of this while the Red Sox new commitment to pitching and defense worked to the tune of 4 consecutive losses.  With the season fully in gear now, most sites have shifted their focus more to game-by-game coverage, but there were still some good nuggets outside of the daily grind out there.

- 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba has some lessons learned from the first 2 weeks of the season.

- Rob from Bronx Basebally Daily dishes a dose of reality about Javy Vazquez to fans.  I agree with Rob's point that you can't expect Cy Young-caliber performances from Vazquez every night, but I also still say that and 0-2 record with an ERA of almost 10 and no confidence in your fastball isn't exactly quality 4th starter material either.

- Joe Pawlikowski from River Ave. Blues comments on the Yanks' hot start this season and how it compares to slow starts from the recent past.  As Joe states, the hot start means little in terms of predicting long-term success over a 6-month season, but it's still something you like to see as a fan, especially given the questions that came with the off-season moves.

- Steve S. from The Yankee U discusses Brett Gardner's added value that doesn't show up in the box score.  As a staunch Gardner supporter, I'm picking up what Steve is putting down here.  Get Gardy more at-bats!!

- Steve at TYU also has a great personal piece on his first Yankee memory.  I think for me, the first significant memory would be watching Game 6 of the 1996 World Series.  I had watched the series since it started, but as nothing more than a casual fan and 11-year-old kid.  By the time Game 6 came around, something inside me made me realize how important a game it was and I remember sitting down and watching that game from start to finish and feeling nervous about the outcome right until Charlie Hayes secured the catch in foul ground to clinch the win.  I would have to point to that moment as the beginning of my career as a "serious" Yankee fan and it was nice to read Steve's article and think back to that night.

- With each game being analyzed inside, outside, and backwards by the major blogs in the 'sphere, it's once again worth linking to LoHud,  Fack Youk, and River Ave. Blues, the best of the best when it comes to game coverage.

That's it for this week's batch.  A mini-palooza I'll admit, but still a good one.  Now it's back to the couch to check out the NBA Playoffs and see if I can manage to stay hooked to a full game before switching over to "American Gangster" or some FX reruns.

Stop.... CC Time!!

From gassing in the 6th to throwing complete game gems in a matter of weeks.  Now that's what I'm talking about!

Granted it was only a 6-inning game, but CC was still on point last night, evidenced by his 9 Ks.  He showed no ill effects of pitching in crummy conditions and with Cervelli calling a perfect game behind the plate, the Rangers never stood a chance.

The power of pants lives on!!

David Ortiz Is Not Part Of The Roc-A-Fella Family

(Photo courtesy of Anthony Causi/NY Post)

Jay-Z says Big Papi is a big crook.

The hip-hop mogul and sports fan slapped Red Sox star David Ortiz with a $5 million-plus suit yesterday, claiming the Boston slugger apparently liked Jay-Z's 40/40 Club so much, he decided to open his own.

The Manhattan federal court filing accuses Ortiz and his sister, Albania Ortiz, of trademark infringement, unjust enrichment and "false designation of sponsorship" in connection with the "Forty Forty" nightclub they opened in the Dominican Republic last year.

The suit also charges them with "cybersquatting" for running a Spanish-language Web site at http://www.fortyforty.net/.

Court papers feature photos of Ortiz attending an All-Star Game party at the flagship 40/40 Club on West 25th Street in 2008. (courtesy of the NY Post)


For shame, Big Sloppi, for shame. It's bad enough that you're a cheater and now a crappy ballplayer, but stealing the name of Jay-Z's club to try to boost attendance at yours? That's just downright pathetic. And then when you throw in the "cybersquatting" charge, that's where I draw the line. Nobody fucks with Hova or the R.O.C., especially not on my watch.

On the one hand, I'd like to applaud you for your business savvy in recognizing that piggybacking on the name of a well-established, popular club will more than likely help bring in the clientele and cash you will need to support your fat ass after your baseball career ends, which could happen within the next 2-3 months with the way you're swinging the bat this season. But on the other hand, you are David Ortiz and you do play for the Boston Red Sox, so that trumps anything and I'm forced to tell you to S a D and bring up the fact that you're batting an embarrassing .154/.241/.269 this year with 0 home runs, 2 RBIs, and 13 Ks.

Why not try some of these names for your new club? "The .150/.240 Club;" "Big Papi's House 'O Juice;" or "2 Fucking Games."  Now THAT's some catchy shit right there.  People would be stretched around the block to get into those places.

A Tip Of The Cap To You, Mr. Hughes

(Photo courtesy of Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post)

Let's take a look back at what I said I wanted to see from Phil Hughes before his start last night:

"But if he is aggressive towards batters, hits his spots with all his pitches, and shows enough confidence to try to work in his new changeup, I'll be happy with 5-6 innings and 3-4 ER allowed."

That's a yes, yes, and yes. A job well done by Hughes last night in his season debut. He pounded the zone, used all his pitches, and didn't get rattled after giving up an early homer to Godzilla. The 5 walks are more than you'd like to see, and that surely contributed to his high pitch count of 108 and exit after 5 innings, but Hughes did his best Andy Pettitte impression, bearing down and making pitches to get the outs he needed when he put runners on. That tells you more about a pitcher than pitching with nobody on, and for 23-year-old Hughes to be able to get the job done in those situations in his first start after transitioning back to the rotation, that bodes well for him and the team moving forward.

Just a quick side note, can everybody stop this talk about how Scott Kazmir is a Yankee nemesis? The guy beat them a couple times back when Tampa was still the Devil Rays and ever since they became relevant and he got shipped to LA, he's done nothing but get his dick knocked around by the Bombers time and time again. 8 hits, 3 walks, 6 ER in 4 innings? Are you kidding me? Go put your bullpen jacket on and sit in the clubhouse.


P.S.- ESPN can cut the "Yankee killer" stuff with Josh Beckett too while they're at it.

I Can Feel Phil Hughes Coming In The Air Tonight... Oh Lord!

Tonight's the big night! Phil Hughes, the winner of the 5th Starter Sweepstakes makes his regular season debut. And with Javy Vazquez setting the bar nice and low for him and his pitching counterpart on the Angels being somebody the Yankees traditionally destroy, everything is set up for Hughes to have a good night.

It will be interesting to see what kind of innings/pitch limit Joe has Phil on tonight. I mean, this IS the same guy who fanned 12 in a simulated Spring Training game not too long ago, so you don't want to risk overworking him. But if he's as dominant as he was against those simulated hitters, you have to leave him out there.

In a perfect world, you'd love to see Phil go 7+ tonight and give up a run or 2. But if he is aggressive towards batters, hits his spots with all his pitches, and shows enough confidence to try to work in his new changeup, I'll be happy with 5-6 innings and 3-4 ER allowed. And in all seriousness, 90-95 pitches is plenty for tonight.

A Message To Javy Vazquez

(Photo Courtesy of Anthony Causi/NY Post)

Javy Vazquez was less than stellar yesterday, that's a fact. And while yesterday's start wasn't as bad as his first start against Tampa last week, it still wasn't the type of performance people were expecting. So between that, and Javy's history in New York, I can understand why Yankee fans would boo him after he was taken out of the game yesterday. Apparently Javy doesn't.

“I feel like it’s unfair because that was so long ago. Like I’ve said plenty of times, I’m trying to concentrate on this year.”

That's all well and good, Javy. But the fact of the matter, based on that statement and based on the fact that you getting booed yesterday upset you so much, is that YOU haven't forgotten about 2004 just like the fans haven't. You probably aren't concentrating enough on this year because you remember what happened the last time you pitched in pinstripes, and you're walking on pins and needles right now, trying not to make mistakes instead of dealing and putting hitters away.

If you are focusing solely on 2010, then you should realize that you're 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and a .304 BAA right now, not exactly cheer-worthy numbers. So 2004 aside, you haven't exactly given Yankee fans a lot to praise you for so far.

It's like Jeet said, "“Yankees fans come to the park looking to cheer the Yankees. They are looking for good things to happen.” Nobody came to the park with the intention of booing you yesterday, Javy. But Yankee fans have good memories and you didn't exactly come in here with a clean slate. The bottom line is you had some work to do this year to erase the memories of '04; you knew that and the fans knew that. Your performances in your first 2 outings have done nothing to erase those memories. If anything, they have served to bold the memories and then highlight them in neon yellow.

Stop tip-toe-ing around hitters out there, stop worrying about 2004 and how people are going to react to you, start pitching better, and you'll get cheered. It's that simple.

Damn! That's Purty.

(Photo used courtesy of River Ave. Blues)

Well there it is, just a little white gold with the new Stadium engraved in it surrounded by a fuck ton of diamonds.  No big deal.  It's only worth slightly more than I'm going to make in the next 5 years plus the car I'm currently driving and the apartment I'm currently living in.

But then again, I didn't win the World Series last year.  And the Yankees did.  And I got to reap the benefits of that by having lots of World Series Championship swag thrown at me by family for my birthday and Christmas.  So I guess it balances out.

The A-Horse Cometh

It's a new year and a new baseball season. And a new baseball season means it's time for a new picture of the graceful, majestic, unworldly rare A-Horse.

(Swanny Duckson does it again)

Yes, the 2009 version of the A-Horse was a thing to behold, but the 2010 model is even more pristine, even more regal, and has much better balance to its powerful 4-legged swing.

We are only but a few weeks into Spring, but already the 2010 A-Horse has begun to heat up and soon we could very well see it hitting as hot as the scorching summer. With fully-healed hips and a clean conscience, this year's A-Horse is poised to re-assert itself as the premiere centaur in Major League Baseball and, dare I say it, professional sports.

So take in the A-Horse in all its mystique and glory. But be careful not to look directly at it. Those who do have been known to get taken deep to left center field for game-tying or game-winning home runs.

Yankee Home Opener Thoughts And Afterthoughts

- From what I've seen, it was a fantastic ceremony yesterday for the presentation of the rings. The crowd reaction to Matsui was goose bump-inducing and the class the Yankees showed in announcing him last and then having the team surround and congratulate him was cool. You just don't see stuff like that on any other team in any other sport.

- The practical joke by Jeter in switching out Matsui's ring with the tin one was also a nice touch. That gave you a little glimpse into what kind of guy Matsui was in the clubhouse, away from the cameras where he was always so humble and proper.

- Great to see Gene Monahan out there, and even greater to see the applause he got from the players. Just another example of how tight-knit the Yankee family is.

- Always a flair for the dramatic with Jeter. Mashing a home run right after they showed The Boss and his wife early in the game. Everything the guy does is move-script perfect, including the swing. Look at that, just look.

It's so damn beautiful we're going to look again...

Goddamn, that is sexy.

- Good to see Nick Johnson's swing is already adjusted to the Stadium. Of course, it always helps when you take the bat off your shoulder.

- Slowly but surely, the A-Horse is rounding into form. His swing and balance at the plate has looked better with each game, and his play at third has been all-world to start the year. When Teix starts to pick it up, that 3-4-5 could be a modern day Murderer's Row.

- Speaking of Teix, has anybody seen him lately? Did he get left in Tampa after Spring Training?

- Andy Pettitte looked terrific again yesterday. I know I didn't expect him to be the Yankees' best pitcher right out of the gate, but that's exactly what he's been. He did tire in the later innings, but his stuff was crisp all day, he kept the Angels off balance, and in classic Andy Pettitte fashion he made pitches when he had to to get himself out of trouble. If the season ended today, I know who I'd cast my Cy Young vote for.

- Big hiccup for Dave Robertson yesterday. I don't know if he was just too jazzed up because of the setting, but he couldn't locate the fastball where he wanted to and was catching way too much of the plate. With the bad outings Park and Joba have already had, it shouldn't kill Robertson, but it also won't help his cause in trying to become the official setup man for Mo.

- Typical Mo. He jumps in the phone booth, jumps out, K, pop up, ball game, drive safe. Dude is inhuman.

- Just an overall great day for the Yankees, both past and present, and their fans. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look at the AP pictures of the festivities and cry again over the fact that I wasn't there.
 

(Photos courtesy of EPA, the AP, Getty Images, Anthony J. Causi, Charles Wenzelberg, and other people who were lucky enugh to be there yesterday)

Beastly

Deftones - Diamond Eyes (Official)

Deftones | MySpace Music Videos

2 sick new Deftones songs.  2 sick new Deftones videos.  2 appearances of Sergio Vega wearing a Yankee hat in said sick new Deftones videos.  Derek Jeter wears the number 2.  Curtis Granderson has hit 2 hoe runs so far this season.  Tomorrow will be Andy Pettitte's 2nd start of the 2nd season in which he is playing with a one-year contract during his 2nd stint with the Yankees.  There is a "2" in "April 12th."  There is also a "2" in "27 World Series championships."

Is all that a coincidence?  Highly unlikely.

Chan Ho Park Had Diarrhea And He Doesn't Give A Crap If You Know (Pun Intended)

I know I'm about half a day late posting this, but after seeing the reaction from across most of the blogosphere you know damn well I couldn't stay away from this.

Now I know what most people are expecting me to say here, but I actually sympathize with poor Chan Ho.  Having diarrhea fucking sucks.  I can barely write a goddamn email without risking shitting myself when I've got the squirts, so I can't imagine trying to pitch in a Major League Baseball game where you're grunting and straining and giving max effort on every throw.  There would have been poo juice everywhere if Park stepped on the mound that night, and that's just not something HDTV was invented for.

And more power to Park for coming out and telling it like it is.  None of that "I was sick," "I didn't feel right," "I just didn't have it out there today" cliche nonsense that pitcher after pitcher spouts after not pitching or not pitching well.  Dude had fucking diarrhea, now get off his back.  He wasn't making any excuses, just being honest.  Then you factor in flu too, a lot of cough, chest hurts, and dehydrated or something like that and it's a near miracle that Park is standing there giving that interview.  I almost feel bad for kinda taking him to task last Monday; for all I know the turtle could have been poking his head when Park gave up that homer to Dustin Pedroia.  And that is more than valid excuse.

After watching Park own up and tell the truth for why he was out of the lineup, I am hereby waving the 1-year waiting period needed to declare a player a "true Yankee" and officially calling Chan Ho Park a true Yankee.  Somebody start forging his plaque and make a space for his number to be retired in Monument Park.


P.S.- Shame on Joba and Dave Robertson for laughing in the background.  Especially Joba.  He can barely get out of an inning 1-2-3 when he's not pinching his asshole closed so who is he to laugh at the fecal misfortune of a teammate?

Break Out Your Tuesday Best...

(Courtesy of the AP)

Because tomorrow is going to be the tits and then some! Flyovers, giant American flags, Bernie Williams, and a matchup against a pitcher that the Yanks have a history of smacking around worse than Rihanna. Yes sir, it's shaping up to be a picture home opener. I'm popping half a stack here just thinking about it and I'm not even going to be in the same time zone.

In the mean time, the Red Sox, with their new commitment to pitching and defense, are crashing into each other in the outfield, crashing into each other in foul territory, dropping pop ups, bruising ribs , and watching their spotty bullpen continue to give up leads.

Not to be outdone, the Mets have already reverted to hitting at a 3rd-grade level, they have their ace giving up grand slams to the Nationals, and their closer is more interested in starting fights with Willie Harris than getting outs. All of this after just 6 games.

You look at all that and it makes you feel a little better about the fact that Javy Vazquez getting his face smashed in on Friday night is the Yankees' biggest issue right now. And if everybody else pitches like they have been, that's barely even an issue.

Damn it feels good to be a Yankee fan!

Yankee Blogosphere Linkapalooza For The Week That Was (March 5-11)

After months of waiting, hot stoving, speculating, spring training, competing, and finalizing, we finally have baseball to talk about.  It was an exciting first week of the regular season in Yankeeland and the blogosphere kept up with all of the action.  Here's the rundown:

- Benjamin Kabak at River Ave. Blues talks about why this season will be the most important for Cash as GM as many of the decisions made with the lineup this year were based on moves made or not made over the last couple seasons.  Cash's faith in Cano, decision to not bring back Damon and Matsui, and the handling of Phil Hughes and Joba will all play out this year and show Cash's true talent or lack thereof in being a GM.

- Moshe Mandel at The Yankee U examines Alfredo Aceves' pitch breakdown and concludes that his use of all of his pitches at any time is what makes him so successful.  As somebody who can never quite recall every detail of a game after it ends, I enjoyed seeing the batter-by-batter breakdown of Ace's pitch selection and where he threw them in the zone in his outing on Tuesday.  He's sort of like a bullpen version of Andy Pettitte with his approach.

- Moshe at TYU also tries to talk everybody off the ledge about Joe's management of the bullpen over the first 2 games, and provides 4 reasons why Joe is doing what he's doing.  I can support points 1, 3, and 4, but I still disagree with point 2 about needing to set roles.  Most of that should have already been done.  But I do agree with Moshe that at the end of the year we will all look back and say Joe did a good job with the 'pen.

- Lenny Neslin at LenNY's Yankees puts up a sweet pictorial diary of his experiences at Fenway for Game 2 of the opening series on Tuesday.  After I got over my jealousy over the fact that he got to go and I didn't, I had to admit it was pretty cool.  Kudos to Lenny for throwing all the Yankee gear on too, especially the 2009 World Series hat.

-Benjamin Kabak makes another appearance by discussing the Joe West Incident from every conceivable angle, including West himself.  After reading that, I don't really think there is anything else I could or should say.  So I won't.

- Jay at Fack Youk talks about overvaluing relievers, using Mo as the prime example, and discusses the differences that individual perception versus WAR create in how relievers, even the best ones, are valued.  Obviously guys like Mo are never going to be up there in WAR or VORP or stats like that, but I'm still damn glad to have him at the back end of the 'pen.

- SJK at No Maas breaks down Teix's career splits by month to show just how bad he has been in April.  I still can't figure out why, I don't think anybody can.  But hopefully yesterday was the start of Teix breaking that career trend.

- Good stuff from Mark Feinsand at the Daily News about CC's no-hit bid yesterday and how his pitch count would have affected Joe's decision.  I said to my Dad and Uncle while I was watching that Sabathia was up to 111 pitches and probably wouldn't make it through the 9th anyway, but it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he did get Shoppach out in the 8th.  Joe said he would have taken CC out, and looking at the big picture I can't really argue with that decision.

- Apparently Lenny can argue with it though.  And I see where he's coming from too.  It's CC; he's your horse, your ace, and chances for a no-hitter don't come along that often.  But all in all, I think Joe taking him out after the 8th would have been the right call to make, no matter how many people disagreed with it.

- Greg Fertel at Pending Pinstripes looks at Brett Gardner vs. Marcus Thames and concludes that they should NOT be platooned.  And how did he come to this conclusion, you ask?  Why by comparing their offensive AAAAAND defensive stats (GASP!) that show Gardner being worth 0.72 runs over Thames. 

Oh, and not for nothing, but Gardner is batting .385 so far with 4 runs scored and 3 driven in while not embarrassing himself in the field like Thames has.  Thank you, Greg.  Thank you for putting in the time and effort to statistically support what I've been saying all along.  Now if we could only get Joe to read this.

- And just to get everybody a little more psyched for the home opener on Tuesday, LoHud has everything you need to know about Opening Day at the Stadium.  I'll probably be sitting at my cubical on Tuesday reading this over and over sighing to myself while the activities are taking place.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Yankee fans.  Not a lot going on today outside of the Bombers in the afternoon.  Maybe catch a little hockey, do some chores.  Set your alarms to wake up in time for the new "Family Guy" tonight.

That's More Like It

7 2/3 of no-hit shutout ball from CC today before being taken out.  He also walked 2 and K'd 5.  I'd call that a much better second act after last Sunday.

And whataya know?!  Mark Teixeira is 3-4 today with a ribbie and 2 runs scored.  Either Joe is starting to develop psychic abilities or he paid off Wade Davis to serve a few over the plate today.  Either way, Teix looked real good at the plate today and that's what's most important.

Still 8-0 in the top of the 9th, but the ending is just a formality now.  The important thing is the Cy Young-caliber ace of the staff and MVP-caliber first baseman played more like the Cy Young- and MVP-caliber players they are.

Has Anybody Seen Mark Teixeira?

Well it's another year and another terrible April so far for Teix.  In 4 games he is 0-16 with 2 RBIs coming on walks and a .158 OPS that is made up completely of the "O"-part.

The good news is that the issue doesn't seem to be Teix not seeing the ball or being fooled at the plate.  In his 16 at-bats he has struck out only twice, so he's seeing the ball and making contact.  The problem has been that it's been weaker than weak contact.

I think the issue might be Teix's approach, which is something I commented on after the opening series against Boston.  Teix seems to be pressing a bit, swinging early in the count and either getting himself behind and forcing himself to have to swing to protect, or just swinging at less than desirable pitches that he can't do much with.  He did it with the bases loaded against Boston late in the game on Wednesday, hacking on the first pitch, something you hardly ever see him do in a situation like that, and in his 4 at-bats last night Teix only saw 11 pitches, less than 3 per at-bat.

Being impatient at the plate is more than likely making Teix's swing mechanics a bit rushed and his balance is probably a bit off on his swing mechanics.  He appears to be reaching for the ball, lunging at it, and thereby sapping himself of his power generated through his hip rotation through the zone.  Unfortunately I don't have DVR on my TV or the other technology to bring up screen shots showing this, but that's what the other blogs are for.  These are just my thoughts on what Teix's problems are based on what I've seen so far watching him and what I've read in the box scores of the games.

Joe said after last night's loss that he's "got a feeling it's going to happen tomorrow" in refernce to Teix breaking out of his early season 0-for and I certainly hope he's right.  We saw Nick Johnson get off the schnide last night, so Teix is the only one of the regulars without a hit.  We know he isn't going to be this bad all season, and we know his numbers at the end of the year are going to be around the MVP-level they were in 2009.  We just want him to get over this mini-slump ASAP and not drag it out over the entire month like last season.

Mariano Even Shutting Down Joe West

Mariano sees your "disgraceful" and "embarrassing," Joe West. And he raises you "swinging at balls" and "respect and love." From today's Post:

"It's incredible. If he has places to go, let him do something else. What does he want us to do, swing at balls?"
"He has a job to do. He should do his job," Rivera said. "We don't want to play four-hour games, but that's what it takes. We respect and love the fans and do what we have to do, and that's play our game."

POW!! Take that, West! You and your 3 chins. Do you have any places to go right now? Anything else to do? If so, you should go do them because The Sandman just shit all over your world. From his lips to God's ears, baby. I love it! It's only April 9 and Mo is throwing gas on the mound and in the papers.

Hey Joe,