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Yankees aren’t worried or winning

New York Yankees

New York Yankees (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

There is no way to sugarcoat this anymore because the New York Yankees absolutely stink.

Going over all the issues isn’t going to help anything because they can’t hit, they give up homers and any team can beat them; and I mean any.

All teams get a pass in the month of April, but it is Memorial Day Weekend and there is no sign of improvement as the Yankees are writing a book on new ways to lose.

Actually, the Yankees are getting worse and the fans are taking it really hard.

See, in the Big Apple we have the Giants, Jets, Mets, Rangers, Knicks, Islanders, and soon to be the Nets, and then there are the Yankees.

Since 1996 this is the team that embodies what New York City is all about, full of grinders, fighters and winners.

So, what exactly is going in here?

Is this the end of the Yankees as we know it, or are fans making mountains out of anthills?

HERE ARE MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHTS ABOUT THE 2012 SEASON?

Without using any stats to find connections to anything positive, my first thought is that the YANKEES NEED TO START BEING VERY CONCERNED NOW.

The AL East standings don’t bother me because with the crappy baseball the Yankees have played they are certainly not playoff contenders. And doesn’t the saying go ain’t no use putting up your umbrella till it rains right?

Still the Yankees I used to know didn’t tip their caps to anyone especially an opposing pitcher.

They never made excuses that there was still a lot of baseball to be played to feel good about stinking.

And the one thing the Yankees I knew always made very clear was that losing in any way; type or kind was not a major concern but the only one.

Overall, to be completely honest something just doesn’t feel right to me. Continue reading ‘Yankees aren’t worried or winning’ »

New York Yankees: To start Girardi needs to ban homers and move Tex


Mark Teixeira manning 1st base.

The New York Yankees lost in Toronto for the second night in a row 4-1; and once again it was at the hand of the dead bats who left a total of 16 runners on base in both defeats.

The line-up couldn’t muster up anything to give Phil Hughes‘ a win after solid outing where he only allowed two runs to score in almost six innings of work.

Hughes was the only positive thing out of this mini-sweep at the hand of the Blue Jays, other than the unfailing bullpen.

The Yankees did kindly wake up Blue Jays slugger Joes Bautista who homered in each game and drove in three of the 12 total Toronto runs.

No doubt Yankee fans are pissed, which in New York actually means frustrated with a lot of passion, but can you blame them?

It would be one thing if the Yankee bats were swinging at air, or just getting out-pitched because at least than fans could feel sorry for them.

Problem is the Yankees can hit and get on-base, but scoring runs they cannot.

The Yankees love the home-run, as in their nine May losses they went homer-less in all nine of them.

Since power comes in waves and a team relies on going deep as their only way to score runs, they will be streaky and right now that is the Yankees in a nutshell.

Teams that are feared can beat you in many ways, consistently; but when the Yankees can’t go deep they can’t win. That explains why they are in the midst of their third three game losing streak  this season.

The team has scored 178 runs but they have now allowed 171, which is about right in line for a team who now sits in fourth place in the AL East. And with the Red Sox having won five of their last six, things better change the fast or the Yankees will find themselves living in the cellar of the division by the Sunday. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: To start Girardi needs to ban homers and move Tex’ »

New York Yankees: Time to start hitting

It was a long, rainy night up in the Bronx as the Yankeeslost a 4-1 heartbreak to the Rays.

Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Yankees beat the Rays 5-3 on Tuesday night, so the tonight’s rubber match couldn’t be a more perfect stage for CC Sabathia and David Price to face off.

Here is what I took away from last night’s game:

  • David Phelps was better in his second Major League start; and I think he will continue to get stronger as he adjusts. Overall the starters are getting better, as Nova looked solid on Tuesday night.
  • The Yankees middle relievers are still dominant, and are tops in baseball for a reason, thank God.
  • Closer David Robertson deserves a little breathing room to adjust to his new role, and I do not think anyone can base his future off last night’s blown save. He is not Mariano Rivera, but he is good and Yankee fans need to appreciate the position he has been thrust into here. Compassion is not a word New York fans are familiar with but this qualifies as the exception.
  • The Yankee bats left eight runners on base in the loss, and that is just unacceptable. The only run scored came off a Robbie Cano double in the first inning that scored the Captain.

So, what is going on here with the Yankees and how can they avoid losing fewer games?

As I thought about it, I remembered a quote I once heard from motivational speaker Paul J. Meyer:

“Enter every activity without giving mental recognition to the possibility of defeat. Concentrate on your strengths, instead of your weaknesses… on your powers, instead of your problems.”

The Yankees biggest strength is their hitting, and compared to the rest of the American League their stats give off that impression. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Time to start hitting’ »

New York Yankees: Things are about to get harder.

Pavano on the hill at Yankee Stadium - 04.16.2012

After a lovely weekend of taking two of three from the Angels, the Yankees looked good minus Phil Hughes.

Last night the Yankees opened a four game set in the Bronx against the Minnesota Twins with a 3-7 loss.

It didn’t help that Carl Pavano (aka. American Idle) was on the mound for the Twins, as considering his history in New York losing to him didn’t sit well with Yankees fans; of course not much does these days.

Minnesota is in town for three more games, and the Yankees have manhandled the Twins over the last decade, winning 33 of their last 44 meetings in the Bronx; so winning the next three games should be mandatory.

Reality is the Yankees cannot really afford to lose any of them, as things are about to get a lot harder starting this Friday when they head to Fenway Park.

Their schedule is about to get kicked into high gear and the Yankees could very well wind up in a hole come mid-May if they don’t take advantage when possible. Figuring out which way this team will go is the million, I meant billion-dollar question.

Attempting to come up with a logical formula of where any team will be a month from is fundamentally impossible and might even send Bill James brain into a tailspin.

Still, like every team, the Yankees have issues that need to be ironed-out sooner than later but time is not on their side…look for yourself. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Things are about to get harder.’ »

New York Yankees: Wilson vs. Hughes

KURODA vs. SANTANA compared to WILSON vs. HUGHES:

Photograph of Phil Hughes taken on April 29, 2...

Photograph of Phil Hughes taken on April 29, 2008 at Yankee Stadium. 04:50, 1 May 2008 . . Mandalatv . . 1,272×954 (691 KB) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you looked at Kuroda and Santana’s career stats vs. the active hitters prior to yesterday’s game, the Yankee win was already a lock.

Not taking anything away from Kuroda, but no one foreseen a less than an inning away from a complete game performance considering his last and only two both took place in 2008.

Kuroda also did have some success and experience against Angles Albert Pujols back when he was a Dodger, and that is advantage that the other Yankee starters don’t have.

As for Santana, the majority of the Yankees bats have always whacked the heck out of him except for Swisher, he came into the game with a career .182 average against him. Swisher came into yesterday with a hot and confident bat, which proved lethal.

Still, as a whole the Yankees had hit almost .300 against Santana making the match-up in favor of the Yankees from the get-go; pending that Kuroda as back to his old self.

Looking at this afternoons game, it is just not as cut and dry.

WILSON vs. HUGHES:

Looking at today’s match-up it is not as clear-cut  because Phil Hughes’ stats read like a script to Jekyll and Hyde. He went from 2010 All-Star to being almost ineffective last season and now I think he is somewhere in the middle.

And that makes it easy to pick CJ Wilson as the clear winner, but in baseball it is the unknowns that make it so fun.

Analyzing Hughes is tough; he did show up in shape this spring, and pitched well in camp but that has yet to carry over.

Hughes didn’t look sharp at all in his first regular season start down in Tampa. He was pulled after throwing 99 pitches in four and two-thirds innings; he allowed two walks, two runs and one homer, while striking out five.

That is why I think the outcome of this game depends heavily on Hughes performance and how he handles Pujols. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Wilson vs. Hughes’ »

New York Yankees: Leave Bobby V to the Bombers fans

English: Bobby Valentine signing a ball at the...

The New York Yankees are hosting the Boston Red Sox today in a meaningless Spring Training game, but one that you might not want to miss.

Yankee fans will tune in and not for the baseball but to see what crap Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine will pull during the game.

Valentine has already started a feud, at least in his head, by taking jabs at both the Yankees Captain Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

It seemed a little desperate even by Valentine’s standards but he attempting to create a semi-diversion from the Boston booze-hounds that were so sauced they forgot to play baseball last season; which ultimately led to the Red Sox blowing the season and missing the playoffs.

Just yesterday, Valentine decided it was a smart move to say, “See ya,” and wave goodbye to Miami Marlins Ozzie Guillen as he was walking by the Red Sox dugout after being ejected from the game for having a rift with the first base umpire.

Ozzie told the Sun Sentinel’s Juan Rodriguez that he didn’t hear Valentine but did make sure to strike back by stating:

“I would have told him to go f— himself, too. That’s the way Ozzie Guillen is.”

Whether yesterday was a dress rehearsal or not, odds of Valentine pulling something in Tampa are high and expect it to directly aim to piss off Yankee fans.

Valentine will do about anything to get both his players and everyone else focused on the now, but is he going to far, to soon? Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Leave Bobby V to the Bombers fans’ »

New York Yankees: Alex Rodriguez the comedian

English: Alex Rodriguez

Image via Wikipedia

New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez has come along way since first donning the pinstripes in 2004, and not under the easiest of circumstances.

The self-inflicted bumps along the road seem to be behind the 36-year old, and I must admit that A-rod has given me a good laugh so far this spring.

Following an off-season with no popcorn incidents, no steroid admissions or opt-outs, A-rod seems more comfortable in his own skin now more than ever. And my guess is this will translate into a solid season for the slugger.

Hey and if after the baseball thing, A-rod should consider becoming a comedian with his recent quotes.

On all the Lin-sanity going on in New York surrounding Knicks emerging star Jeremy Lin, A-rod asked:

“If he’s still looking for a place to crash, maybe he can crash at my apartment? Imagine the tabloids then.”

And just a couple of days later, when the Red Sox new skipper Rex Ryan, I mean Bobby Valentine was asked about the pending retirement of now ex-Captain Jason Varitek, he couldn’t help but take another dig at the Yankees by adding “He was able to beat up Alex. All that stuff is good stuff.” Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Alex Rodriguez the comedian’ »