Hello from Minute Maid Park
Johnny Damon has a day off here at Minute Maid Park, but he's also got a very important job this evening. When Alex Rodriguez looked at the lineup card and saw that Damon was knocked out by the absence of the DH -- Joe Girardi pulled one out of Joe Torre's playbook and batted the slumping Robinson Cano second -- A-Rod saw to it that Damon would be able to keep busy.
"You're my hitting coach tonight," A-Rod said, slinging his arm around Damon's neck. "You and me, four at-bats."
Wonder how Kevin Long feels about that? Anyway, here we are in muggy Houston, though the roof is closed and it's not nearly as bad inside as outside. This is my first trip to this place and it seems like a ... loud ... enough place -- as I write this, Shawn Chacon is kicking the dirt on the mound and the train is moving closer to the 'Eat Mor Fowl' pole in left field.
Yankee Stadium, this is not. But it looks like a fun place to take in a three-game series and certainly to watch Joba Chamberlain's Take III as a big league starting pitcher. There may be no hurler in the big leagues who has more clubhouse energy on the day of a start than Joba - he's bouncing off the walls and talking to everyone, in clear violation of the starters-don't-talk-on-days-they-start guideline.
Let's see how this one goes. Everything's bigger in Texas, including Joba's pitch count -- 95 or so. Good to be a little closer to East Coast time.
On Edit: Forgot to hot-link this. MLB.com's Harold Reynolds has a few opinions about Joba's move to the rotation. Check it out and see what you think.
"You're my hitting coach tonight," A-Rod said, slinging his arm around Damon's neck. "You and me, four at-bats."
Wonder how Kevin Long feels about that? Anyway, here we are in muggy Houston, though the roof is closed and it's not nearly as bad inside as outside. This is my first trip to this place and it seems like a ... loud ... enough place -- as I write this, Shawn Chacon is kicking the dirt on the mound and the train is moving closer to the 'Eat Mor Fowl' pole in left field.
Yankee Stadium, this is not. But it looks like a fun place to take in a three-game series and certainly to watch Joba Chamberlain's Take III as a big league starting pitcher. There may be no hurler in the big leagues who has more clubhouse energy on the day of a start than Joba - he's bouncing off the walls and talking to everyone, in clear violation of the starters-don't-talk-on-days-they-start guideline.
Let's see how this one goes. Everything's bigger in Texas, including Joba's pitch count -- 95 or so. Good to be a little closer to East Coast time.
On Edit: Forgot to hot-link this. MLB.com's Harold Reynolds has a few opinions about Joba's move to the rotation. Check it out and see what you think.
GO CHACON! Believe it or not... Yankees are my favorite team, and Shawn Chacon is my favorite player. I want a good game, but I don't want New York to crush the Yankees too much.
http://theburghblues.mlblogs.com/
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Yeah I don't want the Yankees to crush New York either, but I do want them to crush the 'Strohs just a bit too much!
Nice dig and putout by Cano there the last inning, very nice D. The one biggest compliment I can pay him is that he seems to me to be among the smoothest infielders I've ever seen, he looks like he's floating... very fluid and effortless looking.
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Cano is very smooth going to his right. To his left - and I can't figure out why - it's not as fluid. He makes spectacular plays but will botch routine ones.
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this offense is so f... pathetic at times...
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what the hell is wrong w/ posada, everyone is stealing against him (3 steals), including one by fat Ty wiggington. How the hell did he steal a base.
BTW, Boston lost.
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haha woops meant NY to crush Chacon
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What the hell? Is it possible for us to get any damn run support for a pitcher? We can't score on a Chacon? This offense is PATHETIC.
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86 pitches in and Joba is still throwing 95 mph with location. He is a stud!!!!!!
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Holding Houston to 1 run through 6? That is nice. We need to get a run so that Joba can get an out in the 7th and record a W.
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I had no idea that a 4.71 era meant you were an ace. Of course, teams with struggling pitching love us. We can shave 1 full point of an opponent's ERA in one game.
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Smartest managerial move ever putting a .218 hitter in the 2 hole by the way. What a dolt.
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If Cabrera doesn't hit into a DP here, look for Damon to grab a bat.
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WILSON BETAMIT? I don't give a crap that Wright is a lefty, bring in Damon!!! Joe Girardi is an idiot.
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Great outing by Chamberlain as he continues to improve with each outing. Lik I said on the previous blog, the pitching staff has been as big a reason for this team's dismal showing so far this season. If Chamberlain continues to improve, he could be a big reason for the staff's improvment as he will at least solidify the starting rotation. This team needs to shut down its opponents as much as possible with the offense struggling like it has been.
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Still think Chacon is a lousy pitcher, Yanks shouldn't go after him at all.
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Like I said this pitching staff has only cost us 12 games while the offense has cost us 21. I'd say we have work to do in every facet of the this team's game.
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Neat! Farny in to close it out! This should be fun!
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At least Farny doens't have to contend with the 3-4-5 hitters. The only "hitter" he's dealing with is Wigginton.
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Good lord. Kyle Farnsworth is terrible. He plunks the tying run aboard? He goes 0-2 and loses him?
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Chaz,
I agree, but I would rather have a team with a strong solid pitching staff, and a very average offfense, rather than a team who would have to bash the ball, and generate about 5 runs a game just about every game which is basically what this offense will have to do with this staff.
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Like I said.......
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WE WIN! No thanks to this weak offense. 2 runs yet again.
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We aren't the Bronx Hurlers, we're the Bronx Bombers! In fact, for 200 million, I want a great pitching staff AND a great offense. I'm sick of sacrificing one to have the other.
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It's easier to fix the lineup and the bench, so we should do that first. The rotation is more solidified IMO than you say it is. I think we can stay in ballgames with the 5 guys we have in place. The bullpen needs work, but only really needs one more peice.
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Post by Harold Renolds he has a point...........
"...what an incredible run this has been. That's an amazing chunk of bold in the listing next to each yearly result for the Yankees, 12 straight years in the postseason. And I'm speaking as someone who works for all 30 clubs...it's just awesome to see that kind of October/November streak. It also makes you wonder when you see Joe Torre Joe Torre Joe Torre up and down that list...should he not still be there until that streak finally has ended...food for thought. I'm just saying to look at that page and it just makes you appreciate it again."
make that thirteen, cough.
Mark/MLB.com
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With Black Shelley Duncan headed to Scranton, Matt Susuki should head to a blog for them.
Mussina for 10
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Giambi for 16.
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YANKEES MINOR LEAGUE SCOREBOARD June 13, 2008
Scranton/WB 9
Richmond (Braves) 3
W: A. Horne (2-0, 3.44); L: J. Rouwenhorst (6-5, 5.35)
HR: SWB: C. Ransom (9).
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_06_13_swbaaa_ricaaa_1&t=g_box&did=milb
Trenton 2
Reading (Phillies) 4
W: J. Durbin (1-3, 1.71); L: P. Coke (4-2, 3.03); SV: S. Walls (1)
HR: TRE: A. Jackson (4). REA: J. Hammond (2).
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_13_treaax_reaaax_1
Savannah (Mets) 5
Charleston 3
W: S. Moviel (6-7, 5.37); L: N. Castillo (6-4, 3.67); SV: S. Cheney (2)
HR: None.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_06_13_savafx_crdafx_1&t=g_box&did=milb
You may also see http://www.yankeesdaily.com for details.
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bpuke/sentinel/keyswahili,
Should continue to suck on Clemens's Betapuke or Betapuke's Clemens as a going away present as Betapuke's days with the Yanks are numbered.
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chaz I agree with you about the lineup, but as long as Crashman is the GM we aren't likely to see him fix both both. We had a good offense last season, but it got us nowhere, just like the year before, and the year before, and the year before........
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Lane will be back before Matt's boyfriend. Lane makes Matt's boyfriend expendable at triple A. Betemit is headed back to the Dodgers.
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Betapuke will be cut by Yanks that way he caon join Roger "The Pedaphile Clemens", and bpuke, and the three of them can share their manlove amongst each other.
bpuke #1 card carrying member for GLAD, and NAMBLA!!!
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How about Black Shelley and Kennadia? They should both be dealt for next to nothing.
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