Greetings from Minneapolis

YANKEES MINOR LEAGUE SCOREBOARD May 29, 2008

Scranton/WB 3
Pawtucket (Red Sox) 5
W: J. Masterson (1-0, 1.50); L: D. McCutchen (0-2, 4.91); SV: C. Smith (5)
HR: PAW: J. Bailey 2 (16), C. Carter (8).
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_05_29_swbaaa_pawaaa_1&t=g_box&did=milb
New Hampshire (Blue Jays) 4
Trenton 7
W: M. Gardner (3-3, 3.14); L: B. Camardese (0-1, 22.50)
HR: NHM: A. Mathews (3). TRE: C. Curtis (4).
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_05_29_nhmaax_treaax_1&t=g_box&did=milb
Tampa 5
Lakeland (Tigers) 4
W: J. Valdez (6-2, 2.36); L: N. Martin (1-1, 4.95); SV: J. Schmidt (3)
HR: LAK: C. Iorg (6).
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_05_29_tbyafa_lakafa_1&t=g_box&did=milb
Hickory (Pirates) 1
Charleston 2
W: N. Castillo (5-2, 3.39); L: B. Lincoln (2-1, 2.25); SV: J. Ortiz (15)
HR: CHA: A. Almonte (5), J. Snyder (3).
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_05_29_hicafx_crdafx_1&t=g_box&did=milb
You may also see http://www.yankeesdaily.com for details.

YANKEES MINOR LEAGUE SCOREBOARD May 30, 2008

Scranton/WB
Rochester (Twins) 7:05p
---------------------------------
Trenton
New Britain (Twins) 6:35p
---------------------------------
Fort Myers (Twins) 7p
Tampa
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Hickory (Pirates) 7:05p
Charleston
---------------------------------
You may also see http://www.yankeesdaily.com for details.

Some trades, nothing major, may occur in conjuction with the Draft starting on June 5th.

To me, it's likely Igawa will stay in SWB for the rest of this season. Being shuffled back and forth can't help his "homesickness."

Here's a thought! Kei Igawa's birthday is coming up on July 13th, the day before my wife's. He'll be 29. With the exception of the Bad Mouth Brigade, let me start a campaign to send birthday cards c/o the SWB Yankees!!

Word from the Yankee Clubhouse is that Chamberlain will start on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, sweet.

That's the reason Tabata is in the minors, to mature. I don't think he's anything bad...he's just a young guy with a lot to learn.

obsportsgirl,

What's to learn? He was disciplined for walking out of a game after he struck out, and this recent episode he failed to back up Austin Jackson on a bloop triple. Obviously, big mistakes, and ones that he should have known not to make. If he didn't know that then he shouldn't be playing period. This is just a reflection of him as a player, and as I said in the other blog, he is just ruining his status not just within the organization, but overall as well, other teams will notice these incidents making more difficult to trade if it comes down to that.I wouldn't be surprised to see his stock as prospect plummets after this season.

How old is he?

ESPN also indicated we are done exploring option with Igawa, a good sign we will terminate his contract.

Bryan, you forget the history with Mike Mussina, no way Pavano enters the clubhouse without bodyguards, Mussina hates him.

Tabata turns 20 Aug. 12 of this year.

He’s 20. That’s the same age as my older brother and I consider that young. He clearly didn’t do all those things because he wanted to get suspended. Clemens having sex with a teen is lack of character (and so much more) for a man his age. Jose is 20…most 20 year olds are still learning. He probably knew what was going to happen when he made those mistakes but he couldn’t control himself… as most twenty year olds can’t. Some people are mature in their early teens already (I don’t doubt that Phil Hughes was one of those people) and for others it’s a process. I don’t think it’s a reflection of him as a player; it’s a reflection of his character. Sure teams hate arrogant rule breakers (NBA) but when it’s a young kid it shouldn’t necessarily be ignored, just taken into account for his development. He’s too young to be labeled as a delinquent and an unwanted loser. What he did was wrong and immature but he’s gaining a little something from each mistake.

Mike Mussina doesn't care for Pav, you're right. But Moose doesn't dictate who's on the 25-man roster.

Tabata is young and immature, but you don't walk out on your team during a game, and you always backup your teammate. Those are things that athletes learn early on, like I said, if he wants to have a tantrum, or sulk when things don't go his way then he shouldn't be playing ball. All he is doing is hurting his team.Being young is no excuse for making these types of mistakes. You're right it is a reflection of him as a person (that's what I meant actually), the only way for him to grow and learn is to hold him accountable for his actions not excusing them because he is young.

Hold him accountable by all means…just don’t give up on him. Also, he’s living in a country which he doesn’t speak the lanuguage of, or know the people of. And he’s still a kid who’s faliing in a situation where he feels like an outsider. His teammates are all older than him, his family isnt with him, he can’t relax with the other players because he can’t communictae with them. And the way most twenty year old guys communicate (at a bar with beer and girls) he isn’t even allowed to do. That’s enough to make anyone act up.

No one is saying to give up on this guy. It's not like this is all new to him, I believe he has been in the Yanks' system since he was 16 years old so none of this is new to him.

His problems seemed to have started for no reason. Maybe he has become a little impatient with his own progress plus the fact that he is away from his family may be starting to take its toll on him.

Isn't he really not playing well for the first time in his life?

I don't know if the language excuss is relevent for Tabata!
Didn't he have a blog last year in Tampa? Was it in English or Spanish?

Bryan said in this very post that his english is limited.

Well, the Nieves interview wasn't this year, maybe the Veras interview was. And if he is shy, the language could be a "smoke screen."

That's a huge problem with young people today. My Grandfather always said that kids today (myself at age 30) are exposed to things that only adults in his day got exposed to, yet kids aren't expected to "grow up" as fast as they did when he was young. That makes for a dangerous combination. It was likely that someone had a full time job, a car, a steady girl, and other "adult" responsibilities by the time they were 13 or 14 back when my Grandpa was a kid. He had his first paying job when he was 6 years old. Young people today are spoiled. They expect everything to be given to them without having to work for it. They expect the government to help them with everything. They expect someone else to bail them out when they screw up. That's why you see all this young players with rotten attitudes. They're not part of a "team". They are playing baseball for money, and they care only about their stats. This country used to rely on a population of people that were self-reliant. Now, we have a population of people that are self-absorbed. There's is HUGE f-ing distinction between the 2. Sorry about the soap box. Any excuse to try and indoctrinate is irresistable to me.

Just my thoughts!

*myself at age 30 INCLUDED*

Can't wait to see Joba start. He really seems like a guy that could become my favorite player when Jeter hangs em up. I hope he does well in his start.

This team really needs something to go right. I mean they need a spark that could ignite the whole operation. They need something to bring it all together. I'm hoping that Joba's successfull move to the rotation is that spark.

Igawa is "homesick"? We really need to cut our losses and send him home. If he's homesick he'll never shake that out of his head, and that's probably why he sucks.

A kid isn't allowed to screw up these days?

I’m not making excuses for the guy I just don’t understand why people have to rush to judge him.

I myself am a teen and the guy is just two years older than me. If I got knocked like this every time I screwed up it’d only get out there and screw up again.

No. You're allowed to screw up. You just shouldn't whine about the consequences, or expect the consequencs to be easy to handle just because you are young. If you act like a baby, don't be surprised when you get a spanking.

Well, OBSG, if you get rattled like that when someone gets on you for screwing up, you're not going to make it as an adult.

That's not true. I mean people don't get on me when I screw up they support me but it makes all the difference. And adults screw up too. When a parent scolds you it's completely different than them telling you that you're a screw up and you'll never amount to anything...the outcomes are completely different. Tabata should not be excused at all but he shouldn't be knocked by all the fans and the managment. The punishment should fit the crime.

Im 18 myself, and in most occasions I think 20 year old guys should be given some slack. But of course, this is New York and if he becomes a star on our team, the media is going to dig to every facet of his life and blow small issues way out of proportion. He better get used to being a good teammate and doing all the little stuff, and watch his off field behaviour as well.

This is Moose, Duncan and ARod should know they can't afford not to turn those double plays

What is up with Girardi? Does he honestly think Duncan will come round? I just don't look at him and see the ability to play at the major level. He benched Damon (a .340 hitter at the metrodome) for this travesty.

Management, and the fans shouldn't knock him? First of all, management has every right to knock him. They are they ones who signed him, and are signing his checks. They are the ones who can provide him. Management isn't paying him to have a bad attitude, and run out on the team. The fans are the ones who are paying to good money to see him play, not the crap he has been trying to pass off on this organization. No, 20 year olds should not be given more slack, they're legal adults who are more than old enough to know right from wrong. Just because you're a younger adult doesn't entitle you to more slack than anyone else in society. In short, your youth isn't a license to screw up, it's not an excuse, and if you don't like being treated like any other adult then you should go back home and live with Mommy and Daddy for the rest of your life.

*provide him a better life.

Any kind of prospect who's struggling and acting up is an idiot and should be traded (if they're owning the minors and playing up it's a different scenario). If they can't recognise the enormous opportunity their talents have granted them at 20, then how are they going to have the mental toughness to play great baseball for 162 games

Giambi's tache...ahaaha.

There's the Betapuke we've all come to know, and hate. WAY TO K!!!!!!!!!

If Joe Girardi reads this blog why to persist in bringing in Farnsworthless again? How many times in his career is this guy going to give up late inning homers before you get it?

What a setup man we indeed now have. Given up 8HR already!

Now if you are Girardi is Mo. warming up for the 9th? I sure would not put it in hands of Kyle.

Candy thisall this guy's career has been like that. When the Yankees signed him I asked why? I'm still asking that same question. If Kei is homesick send him packing. Seattle had a Japanese closer a few years ago and they sent him packing. Igawa has been Igawawful!!!!

YANKEES MINOR LEAGUE SCOREBOARD May 30, 2008

Scranton/WB 6
Rochester (Twins) 3
W: J. Marquez (4-6, 5.55); L: C. Daigle (0-3, 2.67); SV: S. Patterson (3)
HR: SWB: E. Duncan (5). ROC: D. McDonald (6).
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_05_30_swbaaa_rocaaa_1&t=g_box&did=milb
Trenton 1
New Britain (Twins) 2
W: J. Rainville (5-5, 6.02); L: A. Aceves (1-1, 0.78); SV: B. Julianel (10)
HR: None.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_05_30_treaax_nbraax_1&t=g_box&did=milb
Fort Myers (Twins) 7
Tampa 1
W: A. Burnett (4-2, 3.07); L: I. Nova (3-6, 4.20)
HR: FTM: J. Portes (3).
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_05_30_ftmafa_tbyafa_1&t=g_box&did=milb
Hickory (Pirates) 0
Charleston 5
W: J. Stephens (2-2, 1.64); L: D. Molleken (4-3, 5.81)
HR: None.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_05_30_hicafx_crdafx_1&t=g_box&did=milb
You may also see http://www.yankeesdaily.com for details.

Yanks should also send Bet "You never saw a player as worthless as myself"amit with Igawawful. He is totally worthless, and useless on this team, two great reasons not to have him on this team. This team has 16 hits and he has 0 after replacing Duncan. Betamit is totally hopeless.

Go job Mo. Is everyone s surprised as I am that Moose is 8-4? I had this guy buried earlier this year.

RobertG appreciate the farm system postings.

Kyle Farnsworth is not the answer in the 8th inning.

Kyle was not the answer for the Cubs, the Tigers, the Braves and now the Yankees. I guess a 100 MPH fastball gets you a job in the majors, even thou you continually get pounded.

Mike Mussina doesn't care for Pav, you're right. But Moose doesn't dictate who's on the 25-man roster.

By bombersbeat on May 30, 2008 6:06 PM

At 8 and 4 his opinion could matter plus he threatened Pavano previously.

Pavano threatened by Mussina? The two italians goin' at it. Classic.

To the Tabata thing, this guy is twenty but isn't acting twenty. At fifteen, I know that this game is a humble sport. You can't expect to go out there and shine in every at-bat. Thus, that simple approach that I talk about on this blog is a very good example of that, you're just trying to put a good, repetitive stroke on the ball and hope it gets through even some liners and home run ball are caught. All you can do is walk to the dugout. Hitting a round baseball with a round object is the hardest thing to do in sports ( not to mention it's whizzing by at 95 mph, and if not... well it sinks, curves and turns ) If he's surrised he didn't hit it, maybe he should wake up from that pipe dream. I would not give that guy my respect if he were my teammate. No way. He better learn how to act because he's not a kid anymore.

Tell a baseball player to shoot a basketball in he'll probably get it in 5 out of 10 times. Now ask Kevin Garnett to hit a curve or 90 mph heater and he won't touch it once.

If he's frustrated by striking out, man where's this kid's head? It's part of the game, you just remain at an even keel or try to take it in stride and tell 'em " I'll get you next time. " With that ignorant approach to the game, I doubt you'll see this kid in the big leagues anytime soon. Despite his... " talent ".

Shoot, I don't like bragging about it but... I have talent, still a sophomore in high school, you won't see me walking out on my team or not scoring that run from third with a sacrifice, those are fundamental hitting skills. BTW, look out Major Leagues!

I hope Joba loses some velocit by the time I get up there though. That son of a gun is a tough cookie.

BTW 2

Just saw that horror flick " The Strangers ". Go see it, I give it a 9 out 10. If not for the ending that leaves you confused, I would've gave it a straight 10. Leaves you on the edge of ur seat throughout! I won't spoil it for you though! Grow some guts and go see it!

I'm out.

I'm sure everyone already knows this, but unless I say it I won't believe it. The best team in the American League, and one of 2 MLB teams playing 600 ball is the Tampa Bay Rays.

There, I said it. Still don't believe it though.

A few points on the previous discussion:

1. Tabata. He is 20, he is not 13. He's an adult, he's got a full time job making a LOT more money than most kids his age. WIth that job and money comes responsibility, I dont care WHAT language you speak. He's not the first 20 year old baseball prospect who couldn't speak english very well. Grow up. If you can, go back to the Dominican Republic or whichever central or south American country you came from. Nope, no slack here.

2. Pavano. On what basis do I see 4-0? Two words: Aaron Small. Two more: Shawn Chacon. More? Darrell Rasner. None of which ANYONE here would have predicted could got 3-0, 4-0 or 10-0. But it can happen.

3. Moose. Me surprised he's 8-4? Please go back and read my off season and ST posts. While he had a rocky start to the season which had me feeling let down, I will say I am NOT surprised he's 8-4. You'll all remember I was one of the VERY few who was trying to make a HOF case for him. You don't throw basically your WHOLE 17 year career without a losing record and at least 11 wins in every season save for your rookie season without knowing how to pitch. At this rate, he could easily throw another 15 or 16 win season. We're 1/3rd of the way thru and he's got 8 wins. Now, even I dont think he'll win 24 or even 20. But right now, there's no reason to think he won't make 15 or 16, everything we could have ever wanted or expected of him. And if, by some planet alignment or other happenstance he FINALLY attains that elusive 20 win season, I'll again be on the HOF rant. 20 wins will give him 270 or so and will solidify him pitching another season. Yes, I know these are all "what ifs". But right now he leads the team in wins. That's not nothing.

Not that I know fully what Tabata did, but regarding his age and emotional maturity, they are two different things.

I had my first job when I was 6 too. I had two paper routes that my grandma ran me on, then when my older brother gave up his I took his too.

Yet, for reasons I will not talk about here, I was not an emotionally mature teen.

I joined the Armed Forces when I was 18 and no sooner than I got to Basic Training I was getting earfuls from my Drills, not because of my abilities or lack thereof, but because of my maturity level and other things like problem resolution.

Just because the law says you're an adult doesn't make it so. I acted like an adult 90% of the time, I had a lot of responsibility, like 9 other peoples' lives in my hands when we went to war, and almost all of them were older than me. I was the youngest Bradley gunner in the Batallion, which would be about 50-60 gunners (12 per company plus the company commander's gunner, times four companies plus the Headquarters company gunners for the Majors and Colonels).

So, you can look at that a couple of ways, my superiors were that impressed with my skills, but either decided that the risk of my maturity was worth taking/having or they didn't really recognize it. It was not easy to deal with.

Anywho, as far as some of the things we're talking about here, negative reinforcement is not positive. I'm not excusing the kid either but the point is that his behavior should be taken with a grain of salt because of his age. Sure you can reference other people in similar situations but this isn't mathematics, where the equations and products follow a strict set of rules. This is an individual and his maturity is a mutually exclusive event compared to any others'. So, you can simply say, he has (seemingly) a lot more talent than some players but is lacking in the maturity that other players might have in great numbers.

We don't know enough about his personal life to know if there's anything that's private that is ongoing or affecting him or whatever... all we see is the manifestation of a threshold, a breaking point, which also is mutually exclusive to every other human being.

Perhaps he doesn't have good mentors in that department... I realize this is a pro sport and with that comes expectations for behavior that aren't mutually exclusive but that's where the problem is; not necessarily him or his personality or character on the whole. Too much too soon is a phrase that might apply here. 3-4 years in the Yankee system from 16 years old doesn't mean anything, all it means is that someone wants to tap that talent because he acceled over his peers in baseball. I mean sheesh, we have all kinds of players in all kinds of sports that do things that are not considered to be team-oriented or however we want to call it.

Each person's emotional health is like their physical health, completely independent of someone else's.

But on one hand, you're right he should be disciplined for his actions, but then you also have to be open-minded enough and aware that there may be something that's making him or rather because he may be lacking in coping skills, do the things he's done. Get at those reasons. If you find then that his true personality is such that he's not cut out for life in the Bigs, well then maybe he's not. But to brand him too soon is failing to recognize there may be a problem that needs addressed so the kid feels better able to deal with the frustrations that all players endure.

Just my opinion... ;)

Nice game last night, rough beginning for Moose, but wow I was so delighted to see him regain or maintain some poise and get through it, the BP needed it, he needed it, we needed it. Mucho props for Moose! That is what a Vet can give you that seemingly many rooks can't.

Timely hitting also helped out too so Moose had that going for him too.

I agree, Farnzi grooves way too many because of his lack of control and it's nothing new. He may be one dog that can't learn any new tricks.

Let's celebrate folks, we're out of the Cellar at least for one day! Wouldn't it be nice if we started the run we all talk about when our record is 27-27?! ;)

*Acceled, excelled, whichever... ;)

BD, Moose has the whole lockerroom behind him. Moose is a starter, Pavano is well, not even he can answer that.

Moose has a better win/loss record and a lower ERA than BOTH Josh Beckett and C.C. Sabathia right now. Do I smell Cy Young?!

Moose is not going to win a Cy Young but he really has been solid. With this Yankees lineup he could win 16 or 17 games. Hope he keeps it up!

http://myteamrivals.typepad.com/thebronxdaily/

http://myteamrivals.typepad.com/yankeesredsox/

Moose has got a great spell going, but it is going to balance out at some point. Still, he can win 15-16 games for us this year, and that is pretty good for a number 2, let alone a number 3 starter which is what Moose is for us. If Wang can dig out from his little slump he can get to 20 wins. Pettite should also deliver 15 or so wins. That adds up to a solid if unspectacular top 3.

We shouldn't need a Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz type top 3 with our lineup. Shaky as it was not too long ago, the lineup seems to have found a groove of late. Mo is as dominant as ever, our pen will cost us a few games but hopefully not too many, and Rasner has been a revalation.

Now, let's see if we can reel in those Rays.

Again, The incidents involving Tabata were gametime incidents , they were not pre- or post- game incidents, or things that happened during an off day, they happened during games, that makes a huge difference. The first incident he actually left a game after he struck out, and was suspended for it, afterwhich he actually asked for his release from the organization. This last incident he failed to go all out to back a team player and prevent a triple. If I were his teammate my trust and faith in him just took two major hits. Like I said, being young isn't an excuse or a license to be stupid or ignorant. IF you don't know the difference between right and wrong then there is something wrong with you. It's absolutely ridiculous to say thes things should ""be taken with a grain of salt". These are very serious offenses. If a soldier ran out on your unit he would be considered a coward and deserter. Should we "Take that with a grain of salt"?
This isn't about how you are seen as an adult by the law or other people, it's about being mature enough to accept your responsibilities. One other thing it is a faiure if this team had granted him his release when he asked for it the first time.

BDSouth,

Saw the movie you mentioned. Thought it was very good.

In regards to Pavano and comparing him to Aaron Small, and Shawn Chacon. Those two case were nothing more than an instance when the Yanks caught lightening in the bottle, nothing more. To rely on something like that happening again really shows how desperate things have gotten. Like I said, he has really never shown much talent in the majors except for one fluke year. Also Rasner is still an unknown, he could still crash and burn down the road.

You're right Matt. Hoping to find lightening in a bottle again with Pavano just as it did with Small and Chacon is a sure sign of depseration, especially since Pavano has shown that he is pretty much a mediocre pitcher who has never shown nything at the ML level. Farnsworth is no setup man, he can't handle that type of responsibility, this team needs to find a real setup man quick.

Saiki, I see your point, yes those infractions are rather serious...

But yeah, I have seen that, I had a comrade from basic that just couldn't handle the separation and distance from his significant and/or family. He went AWOL within a few months of arriving at our first duty station. I do believe they caught him but I think they gave him a hardship discharge which was surprising to me but apparently someone saw mitigating circumstances... point being, you don't always know all that's going on that plays into a person's psyche.

Lastly, who knows, maybe the kid is selfish and immature, but everyone of us should be slow to judge and quick to be compassionate for the human level aspect.

He may be a poor team-mate but he may well be a good kid at heart/deep down.

I hope he gets things worked out... both professionally and personally... but yes I do get the aspect of team chemistry and how one player can spoil that.

Ohlendorf gives me heartburn at times but he showed some grit here. Two men on base, winning run at second... he showed some real maturity on the mound right there. Look out for this kid to make some great strides on the mound for the Yanks. That movement on his pitches is sick, he just hasn't had the lassel to control it. The curve is unhittable, especially when you put good movement on it AND throw it for a strike.

His split is nothing special, easy to lay off, but is mainly a two strike pitch anyway.

The two-seamer he has is a good one which will get him more ground balls then Ks.

His fastball is in the mid-nineties but is definitely too straight.

He'll need to learn to throw his secondary pitches for strikes ( two seamer, curveball ) if he looks to stick around in the bigs.

I still don't like this team's chances for the playoffs. They don't have the pitching to do it. Mussina still seems iffy to me and depends on the offense greatly. Wang is a force, Rasner is consistent and Pettitte is good as well. When Joba comes in, we'll have a solid rotation. My main concern is this 'pen. Beyond Mo, I just don't see a secure bridge to him. Farnsworth is useless in that Hold role, take him out. Hwkins? He's is WAY too in love with the middle of the zone. Looks like he's playing catch with it. Scratch him. Ohlendorf could handle it... and Edwar seems to have honed his craft. I know they don't seem like the best two names to throw out there, but it's better than Noworth and LaDung. As long as they get the job done, everything seems secure. What's up with J.B. Cox? When is he coming up?

knute,

If he were really interested in getting past this he would open up to the team, and ask for their help. This team can't help him if he doesn't want it. So far it doesn't look like he is interested in getting help from the organization otherwise this wouldn't have gone as far as it has. You can't help someone if they don't want it.

I hear ya Matt, I've just been in a forgiving mood of late... :)

I mean those are serious offenses in the game of baseball, you can't overlook that. I'm just hoping he's throwing tantrums and it's due to his immaturity rather than being the worst-case scenario and someone we need to unload. I want all of our boys to do great! It's a bit sad when they don't excel, and even sadder when they collaspse as 'people'.

I yield to you guys when it comes to the minor leaguers, I just don't always keep up on them as I should... which is why I appreciate Kramer's postings daily... :) and hearing from you guys the 'inside' scoop.