2007 Random Yankees Ramblings

[A'sDiehard]

The Giants announcer just made it very clear that the A's got "pounded" by the Mets tonight. What an assbag.

No worries San Fran we'll bounce back and take the next two. Boo hoo.

[Providence A's]

Don't worry A'sDH, we will whoop them.

The Yankees are an angry ballclub, and I feel sorry for SF.

and SF is an aging club going nowhere...

[browntown653]

What more could you ask for, a hit from everyone and a win.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez all stroked hits in the American League's 5-4 victory at San Francisco's AT&T Park on Tuesday, and they can only hope that their claim to winning baseball continues as they rejoin their teammates for the second half.
"Good representation for the New York Yankees," Rodriguez said. "It makes us very proud to have been here on the West Coast representing the organization. You like to see your teammates having success."

The Yankees' turnout at the Midsummer Classic was among the franchise's lightest -- just once in the last 10 years have the Yankees brought as few as three All-Stars to support the AL squad -- but those who were selected vowed to treasure the memories of a notable game by the bay.

For Jeter, the lasting impression of his time in San Francisco will be time shared with Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who was honored in a touching pregame ceremony. With the Reds' Ken Griffey Jr., Jeter spent time interviewing Mays for the FOX Network during All-Star week.

"That was special," Jeter said. "I had the opportunity ... [to] do an interview with him for about 30 minutes, ask him some questions, spend some time with him. It was real special to be involved. That's what I'll take from this All-Star Game."

As Mays made his way to a waiting 1958 Cadillac Eldorado, tears beading his eyes as he prepared to take him on a victory lap of sorts around the field, Jeter placed his hand on Mays' back and exchanged some thoughts in a ceremony that was clearly top-notch.

The Yankees are not a franchise unaccustomed to first-class treatment, but even they found several parts of Tuesday's presentations to be notable, including the flowing red carpets that greeted players as they entered the stadium and trailed from the dugouts to first and third bases for pregame introductions.

"I think the All-Star Game gets better and better," Posada said. "It was fun, I'll tell you what. It was fun for the fans, and if I was a fan, I would enjoy that. That was big-time."

Attending was, for Rodriguez -- baseball's leader in home runs and RBIs entering the second half -- perhaps one of the best decisions he could have made. During a June series at AT&T Park, Rodriguez spoke at length in positive terms regarding the San Francisco stadium and his affinity for the Bay Area. His tone was much the same on Tuesday.

"This is the best one I've been involved in in my 11 years," Rodriguez said, running off a list of positive trends such as the players' proximity to AT&T Park and the well-run planning and execution of the exhibition.

After suffering a left hamstring injury in a game against the Twins last week, Rodriguez briefly considered not playing in Tuesday's All-Star Game, but he tested his leg during a weekend series against the Angels and pronounced himself fit enough to compete, though at reduced speed.

Rodriguez's hindrance came into play in the fourth inning, as he singled off the Phillies' Cole Hamels and stole second base, running on an injury that he estimated kept him to only 75 or 80 percent. A pair of groundouts later, Rodriguez was in motion again, waved home to score on an Ivan Rodriguez hit to right field, but Griffey scooped the ball and unloaded a terrific throw to the plate that nailed Rodriguez by a good 15 feet.

Laughing and saying that he was simply "treading water," Rodriguez said he didn't really care how much Griffey's one-hop throw beat him by.

"I was going at one pace, no matter what," Rodriguez said. "I wasn't going to speed up or slow down. I had 80 percent, 75 percent, and I was not going to waver. I wasn't really concerned."

The evening had an inauspicious beginning for both Jeter and Rodriguez, the left side of the AL infield, as the Padres' Jake Peavy got Jeter to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play. Later in the first inning, Rodriguez was robbed on a diving play by his New York third-base counterpart, the Mets' David Wright, who stabbed a ball hit to his left and threw Rodriguez out at first base.

Jeter hit a two-out single to center off the Brewers' Ben Sheets in the third inning but was stranded on base. Posada, who made it to the All-Star Game as a reserve on the players ballot, entered as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning for Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett.

Facing Padres right-hander Chris Young, Posada flied out to center field for the first out of the inning, preceding Ichiro Suzuki's inside-the-park home run, and he would join the Yankees' hit parade with an eighth-inning double to center off the Padres' Trevor Hoffman.

With Jeter and Rodriguez lifted from the game after 1-for-3 performances, Posada was in for the final five innings, which threatened to extend the game into extra frames when Seattle's J.J. Putz and the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez struggled to lock down the National League.

It got as far as a harrowing bases-loaded, two-out situation, but the battery of Rodriguez and Posada ended the sweating by getting the Phillies' Aaron Rowand to sky harmlessly to right field, once again securing home-field advantage for the AL World Series club.

"The ninth was tough," Posada said. "You get out there and you're trying to do everything possible to scratch not to let a ball get away or for the guys to advance. Putz, it seemed like he was trying to do it too quick, and Rodriguez came in there and shut it down."

Posada said that for all the Yankees, the contest served as a nice teaser for what could be next summer in the Bronx for the 2008 All-Star Game.

"If I don't make another All-Star Game, I would like to make that one," Posada said. "That's going to be the perfect scenario for a Yankees person, a Yankees player."

[browntown653]

NEW YORK -- The negative reactions Kyle Farnsworth has heard before his recent appearances aren't ideal, but the hard-throwing reliever says he understands where they're coming from.
"I'd boo myself," Farnsworth said. "I definitely haven't performed to the way I'm capable of performing, so they have all rights to [boo]. The only way to get them to stop booing is go out there and throw scoreless innings."

Farnsworth narrowly escaped being tagged with a loss on Tuesday thanks to a late Yankees rally, but the 31-year-old believes he has a way to make things right. To that goal, Farnsworth said that he has worked for the last month or so on correcting a flaw in his delivery.

His next step will be to continue mixing in his slider, a tweak that had been recently suggested by manager Joe Torre.

"I've talked to him about that since Baltimore, actually, not to forget his slider," Torre said.

In the eighth inning sequence on Tuesday, as Farnsworth took over duties after a seven-inning, 116-pitch performance by Andy Pettitte, Farnsworth got ahead of Toronto's Aaron Hill to a two-strike count with a pair of sliders.

Instead of going back to the slider, Farnsworth challenged Hill with a high fastball, which the infielder stroked down the left-field line for a run-scoring double.

"You've got to take the good with the bad," said Farnsworth, who has a 4.46 ERA in 41 appearances. "You've got to take whatever good you can out of every outing. You definitely can't give up. Bad times don't last -- it's definitely going to get better. That's the way I look at it."

Torre has been consistent that he will remain with Farnsworth in the late-inning relief mix to set up closer Mariano Rivera, even though right-hander Luis Vizcaino has been largely effective in recent appearances, posting a 1.17 ERA since May 28.

If Farnsworth has felt a loss of confidence due to his recent troubles, the reliever isn't admitting it, but Torre said that he didn't feel there was any question a pitcher could be affected by such frustration.

"When you're in a position of responsibility, anytime you get down to those last six outs of a ballgame, and for the most part, you're winning, that's a lot of responsibility," Torre said. "... If you don't do your job, you look around and say, 'I just let 24 players down.'

"I don't care how long you play the game. When you're not hitting or if you don't feel you're in a groove as a pitcher, there's a piece of you that's not the same."

Farnsworth, who is in the second year of a three-year, $17 million contract, said that his troubles have not prompted him to second-guess a decision to come to New York.

"If you can pitch here, you can almost pitch anywhere," Farnsworth said. "I have no regrets at all about coming here. I'm going to keep on going out there day in and day out. When you do good, they'll tell you about it, and when you do bad, they definitely tell you about it too."

Delighted to DH: Hideki Matsui was spelled in left field for Wednesday's game by Johnny Damon, trading off designated hitter duties for a night.

Torre said that Matsui has seemed to appreciate the reduced duties of serving as the Yankees' DH this season. In 28 at-bats this season as a designated hitter entering play Wednesday, Matsui is batting .321 with three home runs, three doubles and eight RBIs. He is batting .283 overall with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs.

"He loves it," Torre said. "For a guy who has played the outfield every day, he really enjoys the DH spot. For me, it's probably more of a mental lift for him, since he likes it so much."

One added bonus of serving as the DH for Matsui is having the opportunity to rest his body, which he has taken to comforting after games by wearing ice packs on both knees. Then again, it's not as though Matsui is exactly alone in the parade of Yankees headed to the trainers' room.

"I don't know who's selling us those ice packs, but they've got a pretty good deal," Torre quipped.

Comeback trail: Right-hander Phil Hughes allowed a run on two hits over four innings on Wednesday, pitching for the Double-A Trenton Thunder. The rehab start was the third for the 20-year-old Hughes, who is recovering from left hamstring and ankle injuries.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and special advisors Gene Michael and Reggie Jackson were both in attendance for the game at Trenton's Waterfront Park, in which Hughes threw 57 pitches (36 strikes) and limited the Binghamton Mets to a pair of walks and struck out five.

Hughes' next effort is scheduled to come on Monday for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, one day after Jeff Karstens is scheduled to make his first rehab start at Triple-A.

There's a catch: The Yankees have shuffled their catching plans for at least one turn through the rotation, breaking up the battery of Mike Mussina and Wil Nieves for Friday's game. Instead, Jorge Posada will rest for Thursday's day game and receive Mussina on Friday.

Torre also noted that he was leaning toward having Matt DeSalvo pitch the night game of Saturday's doubleheader, a rain-necessitated twin bill against the Devil Rays. That would mean Nieves would catch Kei Igawa in the day game.

Pitcher perfect: Wednesday marked the eighth anniversary of David Cone's July 18, 1997, perfect game against the Montreal Expos, though without Yogi Berra or Don Larsen in the house, Roger Clemens only made it through one batter before surrendering his first hit.

Before Clemens' start, Torre reflected on the dual perfect games he's seen in his managerial tenure with the Yankees: "When I think of the two perfect games while I was managing David Wells and David Cone, it worked out perfect," he said. "I don't think David Wells could have pitched on July 18, because it was so hot, and I don't think David Cone could have pitched on that cold day (May 17, vs. Minnesota) when Wells pitched his."

Coming up: The Yankees and Blue Jays wrap up their four-game series on Thursday afternoon, sending Chien-Ming Wang (10-4, 3.43) to the hill in hopes of extending his team-victory lead. Toronto counters with right-hander Dustin McGowan (5-5, 5.05 ERA), with first pitch set for 1:05 ET on the YES Network.

[browntown653]

If I read that correctly, we have an Igawa/DeSalvo doubleheader...oh boy.

[browntown653]

NEW YORK -- Phil Hughes and Jeff Karstens moved side-by-side through the Yankee Stadium clubhouse doors on Thursday morning, jogging down the ramp and out to the playing field.
Their actions alone were rather unremarkable, but served as indication of progress for both rehabbing right-handers, who continue to rapidly approach their respective healthy Bronx returns.

"Their biggest problem today was getting across the George Washington Bridge, like everybody else," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

One day after pitching four innings for Double-A Trenton, Hughes tossed lightly on the field, while Karstens worked out in a bullpen session. Both pitchers will be back in action within days for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and thoughts of big-league service have served as motivating factors for both players.

"I knew I could pitch at this level and compete at this level," Hughes said. "I think when you have that ultimate goal in mind, it's always easier to drive to something. It was tough at times, but when you have that to think ahead to, it made it easier.

"It's not going to do you any good to think about what happened. I just try to think about my next start, and it's finally good to be pitching again, no matter what level it is."

The 20-year-old Hughes suffered a strained left hamstring while working on a no-hitter May 1 at Texas, and was close to beginning a rehab stint when he sprained his left ankle in conditioning drills at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla., on May 25. That set him back to square one.

"I was so close to coming back from the hamstring," Hughes said. "I was throwing off the mound and everything was feeling good. I was excited about that, and then to [injure] the ankle when I did it, it was tough. It was kind of like starting all over again."

Karstens -- along with Hughes, one of seven rookies to make starts this season for the Yankees -- suffered a fractured right fibula when he was hit by a line drive in an April 28 start against the Red Sox.

The injury, coupled with right forearm tightness that cost the 24-year-old Karstens a chance at making the Yankees' Opening Day roster, continued a season that has ultimately tested Karstens' patience.

"It's been difficult, because the first three years that I played, I was never hurt," Karstens said. "I've just tried to take it in stride and stay positive about it. It's been tough, but I just had to keep my mind right."

Karstens said that during his rehab process -- which included a five-inning start on Tuesday for Trenton -- he drew upon the experiences of his 10 games (eight starts) for the Yankees over the last two seasons to help fuel his desire.

"Once you get a taste of it, you always want to taste it some more," Karstens said. "It's a lot different up here than down there. I was definitely motivated to come back."

Break 'em up: Posada has not started a game catching Mike Mussina since a May 22 loss at Boston, with Torre instead preferring to keep Mussina linked with backup catcher Wil Nieves. But with Nieves receiving Chien-Ming Wang in Thursday's afternoon affair, that string will end.

"Moose understands," Torre said. "If we're lucky enough to get to the postseason, that's the way it's going to have to be. They both understand and there has been no hesitation."

Order, order: The Yankees are leaning toward starting left-hander Kei Igawa in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Devil Rays. The team would have to make a roster move to add right-hander Matt DeSalvo for the nightcap, so starting Igawa first would allow the Yankees to play the first game with an extra reliever on staff.

Statistically speaking: Jorge Posada has reached base safely in 92.3 percent of the games that he has started this year (72 of 78), the second-highest percentage among American League players, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Only Kevin Youkilis of the Red Sox (92.6 percent, 75 of 81) has been more consistently on base.
never would have guessed that...certainly a very impressive number

Practice makes perfect: With a late report time for Thursday's afternoon game, pitching coach Ron Guidry took advantage of the emptier-than-usual clubhouse to practice his putting.

Guidry said he was tuning up for Torre's charity tournament later this month, smacking golf balls into small paper cups set apart by the length of the clubhouse. Guidry also hinted that this wasn't the first time he's made use of the facilities for his short game.

"You see, there's a ridge," he said, pointing toward a fold in the carpet. "You have to keep it right here."

At one point, a Yankees official spotted an errant cup and tossed it into the nearest trash bin. After a brief moment, the official realized he had changed Guidry's putting "green" and promptly returned the cup, as Guidry looked on in a sarcastic disbelief.

Coming up: The Yankees open a four-game weekend series with the Devil Rays on Friday, sending Mussina (4-6, 4.61 ERA) to the mound in hopes of improving to 8-0 in eight career starts against Tampa Bay at Yankee Stadium. The Rays counter with right-hander Edwin Jackson (1-9, 7.14 ERA), with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET on My9.

[nyjunc]

The AS Game logo for next year was unveiled today:

[BronxBomberz]

The AS Game logo for next year was unveiled today:

Looks nice and simple.