Man Oh Manny

Manny Ramirez busted for PEDs?!?!? Wow. That puts a little dark cloud over those championships he won in Boston, wouldn't you say? And before anyone says that it wasn't a steroid, it doesn't matter. It's a banned substance, identified as a performance-enhancing drug. Period. End of story. Whether it was part of something prescribed by a doctor or not doesn't matter. Manny is now forever linked to PEDs.

How's that taste Sox fans?

J-Boogie

All I Want For Christmas

OK. This whole Mark Teixeira saga needs to end. And it needs to end with him signing with the Yankees. The latest rumor, courtesy of MLBtraderumors via Jon Heyman at SI.com is that the Yankees are "stepping up their Teixeira talks." Well, it's about time. Heyman refers to it as "an attempt to beat out the rival Red Sox for Teixeira's services." This is absolutely the reason why the Yankees need to get this done. Teixeira is without a doubt the best position player available in the free agent market and keeping him out of Boston would ensure a far weaker Sox lineup. It would be different if the Yankees didn't have a need for Teixeira, but they do. They desperately need a big bat in the middle of the lineup and who better than Mark Teixeira to fill that need? And don't say Manny Ramirez. Manny would certainly improve the Yankee lineup but there are too many question marks. I wouldn't trust him to give the Yankees a solid 3-4 years and not flake out like he did in Boston. Teixeira is the smarter signing and if the rumors are true, it sounds like the Yankees front office is figuring that out.

It was also reported by various outlets that a decision was "imminent" and could possibly come today. I really hope it does. Now that would be one helluva Christmas present for we Yankee fans. Get it done Cash. Get it done!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Catching Up & Some Book Reviews

There hasn't been much to blog about in the last few days. I could have come on and wrote yet another post about Mark Teixeira, but I've been there, done that. There really isn't much more to say. The Angels have apparently pulled out of the deal and I still think he's going to Boston. It sounds like the Yankees are/were deciding on who to pursue, Teixeira or Manny Ramirez? It sounds like they're going after one of them, and unfortunately I think they chose Ramirez. I fully expect Teixeira to sign this week, maybe as soon as tomorrow. Manny won't be far behind. Hopefully, this will all be wrapped up by Christmas. Moving on....

I recently finished 2 Yankee book. The first was "The Greatest Game: The Yankees, The Red Sox, and the Playoff of '78" by Richard Bradley. I started reading it back at the beginning of the 2008 season and something always seemed to pull me away from it. Finally, some 8 months later, I finally finished it. I didn't love the book. Didn't hate it either. It was good, but not great. It was basically the same book as Buster Olney's "The Last Night Of The Yankee Dynasty" only about 20 years earlier. The book was pretty much exactly the same. Each chapter chronicled one half-inning of the game while including a detailed story about one of the major players involved, which was the formula that Buster used for his book. Buster's focused on game 7 of the 2001 World Series. This book had to do with the 1-game playoff between the Yanks and Sox back in 1978. You know, the Bucky F'n Dent game. I thought the strongest and most memorable chapters were the ones centered around Bucky Dent, Carlton Fisk, and Thurman Munson. The rest of the book, though interesting, was a little forgettable. Basically, what it boils down to is if you liked Buster's book, which I did, there's no reason you won't like this one. Same goes if you're a Yankee fan and enjoy reading about the past.

I also recently (today) finished "Yankee For Life: My 40-Year Journey In Pinstripes" by Bobby Murcer and Glen Waggoner. My wife and son got this for me for my birthday and I couldn't wait to start reading it. I've always been a fan of Bobby's and was extremely saddened by his death and this book was a great way to reflect back on his great life. The book was at times hard to read, but only because reading is difficult when you have tears in your eyes. The book drew me in and made me feel like I was part of Bobby's inner-circle. When he wrote about getting the news of his brain tumor, or what it was like going through the tests, surgery, and post-op procedures, I felt like I was right there with him. The charm of the book is that it's written as if Bobby is talking directly to you. It felt like I was sitting in a room, one-on-one with Bobby, and he's telling me all these stories about his life. I enjoyed how he had his wife Kay interject with her thoughts when the topic called for it. I thought that was an interesting dynamic. Two of my favorite parts were when Bobby's children, Todd and Tori, had a little write-up about what it was like being a clubhouse kid. Both mentioned how they were awed by little Kenny Griffey and his athletic prowess. I thought that was kind of funny. Anyone that ever saw Bobby play or listened to him on Yankee broadcasts will enjoy the book. I highly suggest that if you haven't read the book yet, you check it out. You're sure to love it.

It's been snowing here pretty much non-stop since Friday. I was outside shovelling/snow-blowing the driveway 3 times today and I'm sure I'll be out there again come morning. It's intensified a little bit over the last hour or so and I don't think it's supposed to stop. I'm not a fan. With any luck, I'll wake up tomorrow and my driveway will be miraculously spotless. I think the odds of that happening are better than waking up and finding out the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira. One can dream, can't he?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Teixeira And Manny On Yanks Radar?

According to George King of the NY Post, the Yankees are planning on going after Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez. King's article is based on information he received from "several baseball officials." Back on November 18th, George King reported that the Yankees were preparing an offer to A.J. Burnett for about 5 years and $80 million bucks. His source for that story was "several industry insiders." I blogged about his November article when it was originally posted. Here's what I had to say:

And who exactly are "industry insiders?" That seems like an odd term to use. Wouldn't it have to be either someone with the Yankees if the offer hasn't been made yet? How would anyone else know? It just seems a little odd and I can't get it to add up........ And I still don't buy George King's story. Something about it just smells kind of funny.

As it turns out, George King and his "industry insiders" were dead on about the offer to Burnett. Maybe George has some pretty reliable sources. Here's what those "sources" have to say this time:

According to several baseball officials, the Yankees remain in the Mark Teixeira hunt. But the same connected voices insist if the Yankees don't land the switch-hitting first baseman, they will turn their money toward controversial slugger Manny Ramirez. "If they can't get Teixeira, they are right there on Manny," an official with knowledge of the Yankees' plan said yesterday.

Seems plausible. Every Yankee fan from here to Bangladesh knows that the Yankees need to add a big bat to the lineup. It's been discussed here several times. I like to think I have my finger on the pulse of the average Yankee fan and I'm pretty sure that we'd all want Teixeira over Manny. I know I sure do. He's younger, a switch hitter, a first baseman, he'll cost about the same if not less, he'd be around longer, he won't go to the Red Sox, and you don't have to worry about him flaking out on you. He's better suited for the Yankees.

I'm going to choose to believe George King this time. I questioned him last time and he ended up being right. Maybe my judgement was more clouded last time because I really didn't want them offering that to A.J. Burnett. I totally want the Yankees to make an all-out blitz for Mark Teixeira. I think they'd be fools not too. Teixeira said a few weeks back that he wanted to know where he'd be next year by Christmas, which is 11 days from now. We likely won't have to wait long to see just how interested the Yankees really are. I hope we find out that we're very interested.

And I still want to know the definition of "industry insiders" and "baseball officials." Anybody know?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

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CC Update & Some Other Stuff

More details are starting to emerge about the mega-deal the Yankees made with CC Sabathia. The contract is rumored to be for 7 years and for $161 million, which is $23 million per year. The deal also includes an opt-out clause, which CC can exercise after 3 years, which would be at the conclusion of the 2011 season. I did read, but can't remember where, that Sabathia was requesting an opt-our clause in any deal he made. I'm not sure how I feel about the inclusion of an opt-out clause. I can understand why he wants it. I can understand why the Yankees gave it to him. It doesn't mean he's going anywhere. But if it's not a match made in heaven, they can part ways. Moving on.....

It sounds like the Yanks are moving in on Derek Lowe. I'm resigned to the fact that the Yanks are going to sign either A.J. Burnett as Derek Lowe. I'd prefer neither, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with Lowe. I think Burnett has better stuff, but Lowe is much more durable and you can bank on him to start 34 games a year. I'd also go with the 4 year deal versus the 5 that Burnett is going to get. But Lowe scares me. I don't think he's that good. Sure he pitched well in LA, but that's a pitcher's park in a pitcher's league. He should do that well in LA. His last 2 years in Boston weren't so hot. Lowe posted an ERA of 4.47 in 2003 and an ERA of 5.42 in 2005. Those numbers scare me. I don't see him fairing any better if he returns to an even tougher AL East. I just don't see it happening.

And finally, according to Jon Heyman at SI.com, Big Bank Hank apparently wants the Yankees to sign Manny Ramirez. I wouldn't necessary mind seeing Manny in the Boogie Down. But I'd much prefer to see Mark Teixeira. If they're going to spend the money on offense, spend it on Tex. Unless some other roster moves are made, the Yankees don't really need another LF/DH.

Ah the hot stove. You have to love all the rumors and whatnot.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

The Way-ay-ting Is The Hardest Part

Ho hum ho hum. Not much news happening out there in Yankeeland. All has been pretty quiet since the Yankees offered CC his big fat offer. No major developments. Not hot juicy rumors. Nothing. The suspense is killing me. I want to know where CC is headed. I don't think we'll have to wait too much longer. I really think something will be done by the end of the winter meetings. That always seems to be the time when big deals get brokered and announced. I'm still thinking that CC is going elsewhere. I can't help but think he would have signed already if he wanted to come here. Surprisingly though, there haven't been any other offers that have been mentioned. I find that kind of odd. Are the other teams not really that interested in CC? His agent has to know what kind of interest there is, right? You'd think if there were no interest, we already would have seen CC's mug plastered on TV with a Yankees cap superimposed on his dome. But that hasn't happened? So what the heck is going on? What's everybody waiting for? I'm dying over here. Give me something.

My friend Jeff (aka Larry Wayne Jones) was telling me at our weekly meeting of the minds, which is lunch at Fuddruckers, that the Braves were going to pony up the 5th year for A.J. Burnett. According to MLBTradeRumors, that's the word on the street. If it's true, I think Burnett signs that contract with the quickness. I think any team would be silly to give A.J. a 5 year deal. I just wouldn't commit to that much time and money for a guy with A.J.'s track record. I also think he's overhyped. I was never really big on the idea of him pitching in pinstripes. He may be thought of as the "2nd best" free agent pitcher out there, but I don't think the risk is worth the reward. I will not be disappointed at all if he doesn't play for the Yankees.

I really think the Yanks are going to come up on the short end of the stick when it comes to landing the any of top free agent pitchers. If they end up striking out on CC, Burnett, and Lowe (another guy I can live without), I don't see how they don't go all out for Mark Teixeira and/or Manny Ramirez. They're going to have to outslug a lot of teams if they're pitching isn't up to snuff. I know signing Manny would give the Yankees another OF/DH type, which they don't really need, but Brian Cashman could get creative with the roster. I can see him moving Damon to CF for the year and letting Gardner and/or Melky stew in the minors, or be the 4th OF. I can see him trading Damon and plugging Manny into LF. I can see him dealing Matsui and making Manny the DH. Cashman would have many options and Manny would make the Yankees offense exponentially better. Manny is arguably the best right handed hitter to have ever stepped onto a baseball field. Imagine putting him behind A-Rod? Ouch. And there are going to be a lot of openings in the OF come 2010. Manny might not be bad to have around. I only advocate going after him if the market runs dry on top pitchers. Same with Teixeira. Pitching should be, and rightfully is, the top priority this offseason.

I really think as soon as one of the top free agents sign, be it a pitcher or position player, a chain reaction is going to occur where they all sign one after another. The winter meetings kick off this Monday in Vegas and where better to have that all go down. I have the feeling a lot is going to happen in Vegas, and it's not going to stay there.

It should be an exciting, and hopefully eventful, week.

Peace, love, and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

The Better Late Than Never Sox/Yanks Recap Post

It's been almost 24 hours since last night's game between the Sox and Yankees ended with Brett Gardner's game winning extra inning single of Jonathan Papelbon, and I apologize for not getting to this post sooner. Crazy day. Last night's game is still freshly etched in my mind so it should be easy to talk about.

Brett Gardner's at bat against Papelbon was classic. He fought off the best that Papelbon could throw and finally connected when he got his pitch. It was great to see the rookie come through like that. I definitely wasn't expecting it. Not sure that anyone was. I got the feeling after he fouled off the 2nd pitch that Brett had a decent chance. Like I mentioned, he fought off everything Papelbon threw. It was only a matter of time. I think Gardner will develop into a fine major leaguer. He reminds me of Jacoby Ellsbury with his speed, though has bat isn't yet on that level. I think with time that will come around. Question is, can he develop that on the major league level, on a contending team? Not sure now is the time. But with how poorly Melky Cabrera has been lately, he might as well get a shot.

Mariano Rivera. What can I say? He's continuing to have his best season ever, and that's saying a lot considering how long he's pitched and how great he is. He's perfect in save opportunities (23 for 23). His ERA (1.12) is currently lower than any full season ERA he's ever posted (1.38 in 2005). His WHIP (0.64) is also lower than any WHIP he's ever had in a full season (0.87 in 2005). And he's currently holding opponents to a batting average of .164. His best season was in 1999 when he held opponents to an average of .176, narrowly beating 2005 (.177). It's hard to believe that the best closer ever has gotten better 14 years into his career. The highlight of yesterday's 2 inning performance was the strikeout of Manny Ramirez. It didn't look like Manny even cared to be there as his bat never left the shoulder on 3 straight pitches. To Mo's credit he pretty much nailed the corners. Ah Mo, what would we do without you?

Joba pitched pretty well. He made 1 real mistake and that was walking Ellsbury in the 5th. He got himself into a huge hole allowing the 1st 3 runners to reach base but promptly worked himself out of trouble by striking out Lugo and Kevin Cash. He needed to finish off Ellsbury to get out of that mess but I think he tried to get too cute with his location and it ended up biting him in the rear. He was on cruise control up until that point. Had he not thrown a passed ball that scored Youkilis, it would have likely been bases loaded with 2 outs when Ellsbury stepped in. Joba came oh so close to getting out of that jam but like I said, he got too cute with trying to locate. Credit to Ellsbury for not chasing. And that of course opened up the door for one of the hottest hitters to knock in 2. Dustin Pedroia is having a great season. He's been the man at the plate over the last 2 weeks or so. DP would be the best 2nd baseman in the league of not for Texas' Ian Kinsler. Kinz is flat out the man. If you check the stats for AL 2Bs you'll see he's the leader in pretty much every statistical category. He should be starting the All-Star game but that's for a whole other debate.

I don't think it's any secret that Joba and Kevin Youkilis don't like each other. Youkilis came in with a hard, and clean, slide on Joba when he scored on a passed ball. I didn't really think it was that bad. Joba follows that up with a pitch behind Youkilis. Youk of course immediately looked like he was going to throw a tizzy. Ah the rivalry. I'm not a big Youk fan, but Joba didn't really have a reason to throw that pitch. I'm sure he thought the slide was a little much but it looked clean to me. A bad slide would be the one that Coco Crisp pulled against Tampa Bay a few weeks back. Now that was bush. He should have taken the hit and walked to first base when he got plunked by James Shields. His slide was a little over the top.

Despite the win and the 5 runs, I'm still feeling underwhelmed by the offense. I credit the comeback yesterday more to Boston's bullpen being bad than the Yankees lineup being good. The biggest bright spot continues to be Robbie Cano. I think it's safe to say the corner has been turned. His average is up 25 points since June 22, and 35 points since 6/13. In his last 12 games, Robbie is 19 for 48 (.396) with 7 multi-hit games and 11 RBI. He's finally showing signs of life at the plate. It took way too long. The Yankees need Robbie to be productive if they want to make a run at the postseason. It's amazing how abysmal this offense is. There isn't really a good excuse for their poor performance. Their biggest problem is when they don't play their game, which is being patient at the plate, taking pitches, working counts, and swinging at the right pitches. The aggressive approach hasn't worked. Then again, the patient approach hasn't exactly led to a lot of runs either. It's a head-scratcher. The pitching was supposed to be the weak point. Not the offense.

This is hard to say but the division leading Rays are coming to town. The Rays hold a 8.5 game lead over the Yanks, which isn't insurmountable by any means, but it's going to be real tough to catch those guys. They're just too good. If you want to see what a baseball team should be, look at the Rays. They're playing good, fundamentally sound baseball. Great pitching. Great hitting. Solid defense. I don't see them letting up. The under-performing Yanks can win these ball games. If history repeats itself, which it usually does, the Yanks are on the verge of tearing the league apart. Over the last several seasons, the Yanks have started out poorly and finished stronger than anyone. As the weather heats up, so do the Yanks. Last year after 89 games, they were 45-44 and 9.5 out. They won 94 games and the wild card. In 2006 they heated up much more quickly then they did this year or in 2007. In 2005, they were 48-41 after 89 games, 1 game better than this year. A few months later, they finished atop the division with 95 wins. They could be in a lot worse shape. Fact is they're only 3 games in back of Boston in the loss column. That's nothing. I'm amazed that they're in the position they're in and that's a good thing. It should be a fun and interesting 2nd half. Hopefully Cashman goes out and gets some reinforcements because now is not the time to sell. They're in good shape.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Hey Now. You're An All-Star. But You Shouldn't Be.

Not sure how many of you have ever checked out Yardbarker.com, but it's a great site that highlights a lot of great sports blogs on the web, and it has a lot of original content that's not focused on any blog. There's a link to an article over there today, posted by a Sox fan from his blog SoxAddict, that lists the AL all-star team. There are 2 comments on the post that basically whine over Jeter being named to the team, stating that:

"It’s a crying shame that not only is Derek Jeter on the All-Star team with his lackluster season, he’s the starting shortstop, too." And "Ichiro and Derek Jeter are the biggest jokes on the starting roster. Maybe if the ASG was a stolen base contest then Ichiro might deserve it. As for Derek Jeter.. his numbers aren’t that much different than Ichiro’s."

Now, I take a little exception to the comments about Jeter, not because I'm a Yankee fan, but because I'm a baseball fan, and a logical person. It's not a crying shame or a big joke that Jeter's on the team. You can make a case that he's one of the 2 best shortstops in the AL. The fact of the matter is that no AL SS is having what I would call a great season. Jeter is 2nd ranked (behind Michael Young) in batting avg, 3rd ranked in OBP (behind Julio Lugo and Marco Scutaro) and 3rd in SLG (behind Jhonny Peralta and Michael Young), 3rd in OPS (behind Young and Peralta), and 4th in fielding percentage (behind Orlando Cabrera, Young, and Peralta). I wouldn't have cast my vote for him to be the starter, but I wouldn't call it a big joke or a crying shame that Jeter's on the team. My vote would have gone to Michael Young, for lack of a better candidate.

Now, if you want to get into big jokes and crying shames, let's look at the selections of Dustin Pedroia and Manny Ramirez. Pedroia is having a great season. You can't argue that. You can strongly argue that he's not having the best season. You can also argue that he's not one of the top 2 second baseman in the AL. Perdroia ranks 5th in fielding %, 4th in average, 5th in OBP, 3rd in SLG, and 3rd in OPS. Ian Kinsler ranks 1st in all of those categories except fielding %. Kinsler is far and away having a much better season that Pedroia. He pretty much beats Pedroia in every offensive category there is. I'd say Pedroia starting is a much bigger joke than Jeter starting.

Manny getting voted in is by far a bigger joke than anyone. Manny ranks 17th in average, 7th in OBP, 9th in SLG, 7th in OPS, 6th in RBI. I could go on but you get the picture. There are a lot more deserving people ahead of Manny, namely Johnny Damon, Carlos Quentin, Jermaine Dye, JD Drew, Grady Sizemore, even Hideki Matsui.

The biggest joke of all was at least averted. For a while, it looked like Jason Varitek was going to get voted in. How can anyone in their right mind cast a vote for that guy? He doesn't even rank in the top 10 in most offensive categories. JV is hitting .219 with an OPS of .661. That would have been a crying shame had he been voted in.

Fan voting should be abolished anyway, or used as part of the selection process. The time is going to come where a guy like Varitek gets voted to the team when he has no right to be, and then it trivializes being named an All-Star. Thankfully, they got it right this time.

J-Boogie

Beckett = Good, Moose = Bad, Me = Unhappy

I think the only thing that was enjoyable about tonight's Yankees/Sox game was watching David Ortiz go 0-5. Other than that it was a pretty crappy game.

My man Moose did not have anything tonight. He was downright awful. Talk about ineffective. I got a called from my friend Dave during the game. Needless to say he's not a big Moose fan. and right now I can totally understand where he's coming from. I know people are going to be ragging on him and wanting him yanked from the rotation, but that's not the answer. It's a bad outing. It was really no different than Wang's outing the night before. Both were awful. You could even argue that Wang's outing was worse. So before anyone decides to bag on Moose, just remember that he's pitched pretty well so far, today not counting of course. He pitched pretty well last week in Fenway. The only mistake was pitching to arguably the best right-handed hitter in the game. Manny is on the verge of hitting his 500th HR. He's made many good pitcher look bad during his career. Manny absolutely owns Moose. I don't think you can look at this start and assume Moose will continue to pitch this way. With the exception of David Ortiz, the Sox bats are pretty hot right now.

Derek Jeter continues to show what timely hitting is all about. Jeter is absolutely amazing with 2 out and runners in scoring position. He's now 3-6 w/ RISP and 2 outs. As I pointed out yesterday, he hit .418 in 67 ABs with RISP and 2 outs last year. In 2006 he hit .369. If there's a guy you want up with 2 out and runners on, it's Captain Clutch. Right now the opposite of Derek is A-Rod. His foul out to the catcher now makes him 0-7 on the year with RISP and 2 outs. you'd think the reigning MVP would do a little better there. I think Alex's problem is he's looking longball. He needs to shorten up that swing and concentrate on keeping the line moving. Base hits score runs.

As much as I dislike him, you've got to tip your hat to Josh Beckett. He threw a pretty good game. He didn't really give the Yanks much of a chance tonight. When the Yanks got to him in the 5th and I thought maybe they could scratch their way back into the game. Beckett retired every batter he faced from the end of the 5th on. The Yanks just couldn't get it going.

Joe Girardi definitely needs to figure something out with the rotation. The short starts are going to kill the bullpen. They had this problem last year and that didn't work out to well. There's speculation that once the off day comes along that they're going to slide someone in between Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. I hope they do that because right now they're running the risk of too many short outings in a row. It makes total sense to move Pettitte up a day and have him throw between the 2 youngsters. Pettitte and Wang should be able to throw 6-7 innings per game. A rotation of Wang-Moose-Hughes-Pettitte-Kennedy should give the bullpen the relief it needs, especially if Moose has a decent outing.

So we're done with Boston for a few months. I like the break. These guys play way too often and it takes away from the rivalry in my opinion. I thought they matched up pretty well against the BoSox. The Yankees never play them well in April and going 2-3 against them isn't that bad.

Phil Hughes gets the call tomorrow against Baltimore and he needs to have a good outing. His last 2 outings were horrendous. He definitely needs to put those starts in the past and pitch the way we all know he can. Another short outing isn't going to cut it.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

2 Steps Foward, 1 Step Back

Just when you think maybe the Yankees are turning a corner, they fall right back into the offensive funk that's plagued them all season. The 1-5 hitters were a combined 1-16. The bottom 4 were 5-14. That won't win you a lot of ball games. Absolutely horrible. This team needs to start hitting with runners in scoring position. How they're 6-6 is beyond me? Oh yeah, it's the pitching.

Mike Mussina had another decent outing. He was economical with his pitches. His pitches had good movement. He had pretty good control on everything he threw. The only mistakes he made were to Manny Ramirez. Not the hitter you want to make mistakes on. Manny will make you pay and he did just that. Maybe they should have walked him? Who knows? I would have pitched around him. That might have been the game plan. Whatever happened, it wasn't a good pitch.

Brian Bruney didn't do Moose, or the team, any favors by giving up a hit to Youklis on an 0-2 count. He had Youk and he let him go. I like Bruney. He's done a phenomenal job so far, but he has to finish that off.

LaTroy Hawkins pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Good times.

Beckett pitched pretty well. I don't think the Yankees had a good game plan for facing him. They really only got to him in his last 2 innings when they were taking pitches and working the count. They were swinging at early pitches and Beckett was getting through innings with an extremely low pitch count. Considering Beckett's back trouble, his shortened spring training, and the cold weather, I would have thought the Yankee hitters would have been a little more patient at the plate, working counts and getting his pitch count up. The Yankees really have gotten away from making pitchers work. They've been very aggressive, swinging early and often, and I'm starting to think it has a little to do with the sub-par performance of the offense.

I like the small ball approach but it's really the only way they're scoring runs. They're failing to hit the ball with runners in scoring position. Two of the Yankees runs today came after a sac bunt, a sac fly, and a wild pitch. They're relying way too much on the pitching. The Yankees are an American League team playing a National League style game. That's not going to work in the American League. An offense the caliber of the Yankees should be knocking the ball all over the park. The pitching has been outstanding. If the offense would do its part, the Yankees would be rolling.

I thought the Yankees missed a huge opportunity in the 7th. Beckett walks A-Rod on 4 straight pitches. Giambi, with his blazing speed and amazing bat, steps into the box. Why didn't they send A-Rod? As Alex was trotting to first I'm thinking to myself, "here comes their first SB of the season." With each passing pitch I'm wondering why hasn't he gone? Giambi works the count to 2-1. There's no chance of a pitchout. Send him already! He doesn't go and Giambi predictably hits into a double play. The Yankees very well could have tied the game if they tried a swipe of 2nd. And while I'm on the subject of Giambi, I know he hit a big HR yesterday, but could there be a more useless bat in the Yankees lineup? Who does he think he is? David Ortiz?

We waited 2 hours and 11 minutes just to watch Alex strike out on 3 pitches. Personally I thought he'd ground out on the 1st pitch. It was a big spot and Papelbon got the best of him. I originally thought the whole rain delay was BS. It seemed all to convenient for the game to be halted when Papelbon was being called upon to pitch without being fully warmed up. I changed my opinion after the delay lasted 2 plus hours.

I think it's safe to say Papelbon won't pitch tomorrow. 3 warmup sessions and 20 plus pitches. Cano made him work for that last out. I love how Papelbon pointed to first on Cano's grounder. Where else is he going to throw it dummy?

It's a good thing I'm not a betting man. I predicted a Red Sox win yesterday and a Yankees win today. Shows what I know. I'm predicting a Sox win tomorrow. Hopefully the trend of me being wrong continues. Hughes vs. Dice-K on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. The last time a Yankees rookie faced the Sox on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, the Red Sox hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back HRs. Phil Hughes is no Chase Wright so I don't think we'll see that feat again tomorrow. But if tomorrow's game is anything like the first 2 of the series it'll be all about the pitching. The Sox have never faced Hughes before so that might work to his advantage. Matsuzaka has pitched pretty well this year and the Yankee bats aren't hot. It's a coin flip but I like the Sox.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie