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Today I received a press release heralding the decision by MLB and Fox to televise a World Series game at 6:57pm. The release trumpets the fact that it will be the earlier start time for a World Series game in almost a "quarter of a century".

Maybe baseball hasn't noticed, but over that past "quarter century" football became the most popular sport in the U.S.. I still think gambling is a big reason for that, but part of it has to be the fact that kids can actually watch the Super Bowl. It kicks off every year at 6:20 and is usually over by 9:30pm Eastern time. That allows kids in the West to watch the whole thing before dinner and even East Coast children can catch a half of the action. Those kids grew up over the last 23 years (1987 was the last time a World Series game started before 7pm) and they are mostly football fans first and baseball fans second, if at all.

Contrast that with a World Series televised after 8pm on the East Coast. What kid can even start to watch those games? Sadly, it's taken baseball 23 years to realize that they are alienating the next generation of fans. Moving one game back to 6:57pm will help, but it won't bring back the legions of fans MLB has lost.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:10 PM | Permalink

I have to admit, I thought Javy Vazquez Round 2 would be a success. Now, I wasn't expecting him to pitch like an ace, but I thought 200 innings of a low-4 ERA were a certainty. I ignored all the screams about his performance in 2004. I figured he would thrive in the non-pressurized role of a fourth starter and the Yankees would get exactly what they needed to round out the 2010 rotation. In short, I completely blew it.

Those of you who read this site know that I like to look at stats. I think statistics are one of the most important tools a GM can utilize when evaluating a team. On the other hand, I think some people go too far with them. My chief argument against the pure stats guys has always been that an offense made up of nine Ty Cobbs may be dominant on paper, but it would never get out of the dugout because they would all kill each other. A player's personality and attitude matter and you will never see that in a statistics report. It is probably the biggest challenge facing teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, they have to not only find good players, but they have to find good players who can handle the cauldron that is Northeast baseball. Clearly, Javier Vazquez isn't up to that. He lived down to the expectations of all the naysayers. I could not have been more wrong about him.

But, trading for Vazquez won't join the ranks of the worst trades in franchise history because it produced two other results that are vital to the 2010 Yankees and beyond. First, the trade sent Melky Cabrera to Atlanta. Melky has hit .258/.319/.357 in Atlanta, or just about what you expected him to do. His absence in New York gave Brett Gardner a shot at playing everyday and he rewarded the Yankees with a .278/.383/.381 year. One wonders how much better he would have been if he hadn't hurt his wrist at the end of June and it is worth noting he has hit .308/.357/.462 since he got a cortisone shot in that wrist last week. Gardner's development is one of the big success stories of 2010.

The second part of the trade is Boone Logan. Logan has turned into a great lefty specialist this year, holding LHB to a .508 OPS. He is exactly what this team needed and with Damaso Marte on the DL, his presence saved the Yankees from having to go out and trade for another lefty.

The Yankees will delete the Vazquez mistake in the offseason. You will read about how they declined to offer him arbitration and that will be that. Arodys Vizcaino, the prospect they traded for Vazquez, may turn out to be something down the road. He pitched well in low-A ball this year before struggling in high-A ball. But this won't be be remembered as the Jay Buhner trade. Despite Vazquez's struggles, the Yankees still have reasons to like the deal they made.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Yankees did what needed to be done and got into the playoffs, now the question becomes, what are they going to do with their four remaining games? Obviously, they can rest anyone they want, but I hope they don't. I hope the Yankees make a collective decision to fight until the division is either won or lost. I hope they use the opportunity they have to go after it.

I think part of the problem this team has had over the last few weeks is that they stopped playing with intensity. They saw that they had a huge lead for the playoffs and they took the foot off the gas a bit. It's impossible to stay focused for 162 games and the Yankees were certainly due a period of turbulence in a season mostly free of it. But, this period seems like it was self-inflicted. It seems to me that Joe Girardi stopped managing to win and the players followed his example. Perhaps I am reading too much into it or giving Girardi too much credit, but that's what my eyes are telling me.

And that's why the Yankees should keep after it this week. Try and win tomorrow and then sit back on Thursday and see what Tampa does. Ultimately, the Yankees will need to win two more games than Tampa if they want to take the division. That's a tall order, but one worth pursuing.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Joel Sherman had some ugly stats in his column this morning. If you look at the highest ERA's in Yankees' history for a season, AJ Burnett ranks third for all pitchers who made 25 or more starts. Only David Cone's 2000 campaign and Andy Hawkins 1990 season are "ahead" of him. Also of note, Javy Vazquez is 7th on that list.

He goes further than that, looking for the last Yankee pitcher to lose 15 games....Melido Perez in 1992. But as Sherman points out, Perez pitched for a lousy team and actually compiled a 2.87 ERA in 1992. And, Catfish Hunter was the last Yankee pitcher to lose 15 games for a good team, going 17-15 for the 1976 Yankees. He did that while throwing almost 300 innings, so it isn't a fair comparison. (Tim Leary lost 19 games for the 1990 Yankees, but only had a 4.11 ERA)

Of course AJ doesn't see any problem at all. After last night's start he was quoted as saying, " I expect to start in the postseason" and added this gem, "I don't need to prove (anything) he (Girardi) saw what I did in last year in the postseason." It's funny AJ brought that up as a case for getting a start. Last year AJ made 5 postseason starts and racked up a 5.27 ERA. He got amazingly lucky in Game 2 of the ALDS, pitched well in Game 2 of the ALCS, blew up in Game 5 of the ALCS, pitched a gem in Game 2 of the World Series and blew up in Game 5 of the World Series. As I said at the time, he is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of baseball, you never know what you are going to get.

Mitchell said it in the comments this morning and I have to agree, I think you have to give the ball to Nova over AJ at this point. Actually, I would go with a three-man rotation in the ALDS, you would only need to have one starter (Sabathia) go on short rest. Make Hughes the #3 guy and leave it at that. Let's face it, the only reason AJ is even in the conversation for a playoff start is because the Yankees have him signed for three more years. Javier Vazquez has arguably had a "better" season, but he has effectively been banished since he is a free agent next year.

******

Speaking of Jekyll and Hyde, Joe Girardi is going a pretty good imitation these days. Some days he wants to win the division, some days he doesn't. Tonight he is going to start CC Sabathia, which will prevent CC from entering the playoffs on rotation. It's absolutely the right decision because the Yankees haven't wrapped anything up yet, but it's an odd choice considering the way he managed games against Tampa. But I guess we shouldn't be picky, at least he is managing to win again.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:24 AM | Permalink

Well AJ decided to be AJ tonight and the Yankees have an interesting problem on their hands. There is absolutely no reason to trust Burnett with a playoff start, but if you can't trust him, where can you turn? Think about it, where do they go? The choices are down to Ivan Nova or Javier Vazquez. One guy can't get out of the fifth inning, the other hasn't been part of the rotation for a few weeks.

It might be time to consider adopting the three-man plan i mentioned last week. The problem of course is can the Yankees pitch Phil Hughes on three-days rest? Then again, at this point what other options do they have?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The Yankees needed that one. Switching to Hughes and bringing Rivera in for a four-out save showed that they were going "all in" for this game. If they had lost it, which they almost did, it would have been a disaster. But, they didn't and now the magic number is down to 1.

The next six games will be fascinating with the Yankees a 1/2 game behind Tampa. Will they finally realize that the division matters and put the pedal to the metal to get that crown? Hopefully, but it remains to be seen.

Until tomorrow, enjoy this one Yankees' fans.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I just read that the Yankees are starting Hughes tonight instead of Moseley. I am sure they will NEVER admit what a mistake it was to consider Moseley in the first place, but this had better mean that all hands are on deck until the playoff are clinched. Otherwise, it is just another wasted move that can be added to a big pile of wasted moves made over the last few weeks.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:08 PM | Permalink

As the Yankees continue their September swoon, it is worth reading two pieces on the web today. First, start with Joel Sherman's indictment of Joe Girardi's managing these past few weeks. I have been moaning about it for weeks, but I think Joe needs to get everyone together before tonight's game and talk about how the job isn't done. He needs to look them all in the eye and promise he will manage for wins until the Yankees wrap up a playoff spot. He will promise that until that happens, it's all hands on deck.

The second piece to read is this one, which may calm you down a bit. Playing off of it, even if the Yankees lose their next four games and the Red Sox win their next five, New York will come into the final weekend with a one-game lead. Now clearly, that would be a team entering Fenway in dire straights, but they would still have the better odds statistically. The real crime is that we are even talking like this, but that is where we stand with one week left in the season.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:19 PM | Permalink

The Yankees have shown over and over again that they are not concerned with winning the division, but scratching Phil Hughes and starting Dustin Moseley is a different type of decision. By doing this, they are giving the Red Sox a speck of hope, albeit a small one. All it takes is another loss tomorrow and suddenly you have Moseley on the mound trying to stop a Red Sox sweep. And yes, while even with a sweep the Red Sox are still in serious trouble, why even create the situation?

What benefit is there to moving Hughes' start to Wednesday, other than assuring he will only make that start this season? Assuming he is in the playoff rotation, he is still going to have a long layoff before his next start. (If you say he is the #4 guy, then the layoff would probably be 10 days) Is there that much of a difference between a ten-day layoff and a two-week layoff? I don't think so.

The Yankees can make this somewhat moot with a win Saturday, but it is a bad decision. Clinch the playoff spot, then rest the players.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:02 AM | Permalink

The Red Sox and Yankees are in 2 different places right now. While not impossible, the Red Sox basically need to run the table to get to the post-season. Sweeping all 6 of their games against the Yankees would be a good start.

Never say never, I know. The Yankees do have tougher schedule than does Tampa Bay, but the Yankees aren't facing a Red Sox line-up with Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis.

In Boston, there has been virtually no build-up to this series. It's about as big a dud as you can imagine. Ratings are down, attendence is down (officially everything is always a sellout, but if you go to the games, not everyone is showing up). I guess winning does matter.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 05:11 PM | Permalink

Clearly the stakes are very different for the Yankees and the Red Sox. The Sox need to sweep to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Yankees need to avoid being swept. But, if the Yankees can win two-of-three, they will clinch a playoff spot.

You never know what is going to happen in baseball, but chances are the division is gone. Most prediction sites put the Yankees division chances at 33% or lower. With the Rays having a soft schedule and the Yankees facing a tough one, it may behoove New York to rest people down the stretch. But, we aren't at that point yet. Get the playoff spot wrapped up, watch what Tampa does and then calibrate accordingly. That should be the order of business this weekend.

More after the game.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 03:58 PM | Permalink

YES gave conflicting information about the Yankees-Rays playoff tiebreakers last night. During the rain delay the played an interview Kim Jones did with Joe Maddon where she told him that the Rays would hold the tiebreaker if they won one of their remaining two games against the Yankees. During the game, Michael Kay said the tiebreaker could come down to divisional records. Based on this, I think Kay is right.

The Yankees have to win today to even the season series. That would bring in the second tiebreaker, divisional record. The Yankees are 35-27 in the AL East, the Rays are 40-28. The thing is, Tampa only has three games remaining against the AL East, while the Yankees have all of their games remaining against the AL East. So, if the Yankees, including a win today, finish 6-4, they will have a 41-31 record in the division. That would mean that Tampa would have to win two-of-three against Baltimore next week to take the tiebreaker. (assuming of course both teams end up with the same record)

Are you confused yet? Well, let's kick it up a notch! If the two teams are tied after applying the divisional tiebreaker they would go to the second-half tiebreaker. Which, I believe the Rays would win because they finished the first half behind the Yankees and therefore would have to have a better second half record to tie the Yankees. Just don't quote me.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:57 AM | Permalink

As the Yankees inch closer to a playoff spot, I keep reading how this year's "condensed" playoff schedule will require them to have four starters available. Let's take a look at the schedule and analyze it.

Start with the ALDS, which shapes up like this (both ALDS's are the same schedule-wise this year) And for fun, let's put some names in for possible starters

Game 1 October 6th- Sabathia
Game 2 October 7th- Pettitte
Day off
Game 3- October 9th- Hughes
Game 4- October 10th- Sabathia on three-days rest
Day off
Game 5- October 12th- Pettitte on full rest

So the Yankees could get through the ALDS with three pitchers if they let Sabathia make one start on three-days rest.

On to the ALCS

Game 1- October 15th- Sabathia on full rest
Game 2- October 16th-Pettitte on three-days rest if Game 5 was played or Hughes
Day off
Game 3- October 18th- Hughes or Pettitte on full rest
Game 4- October 19th- Sabathia on three-days rest
Game 5- October 20th- Game 2 starter on three-days rest
Day off
Game 6- October 22nd- Game 3 starter on three-days rest
Game 7- October 23rd- Sabathia on three-days rest

This is essentially a replay of the 2009 World Series. Sabathia started Game 1. Pitched Game 4 on three-days rest and would have pitched Game 7 under the same conditions if it had been played. Burnett pitched Game 2 and Game 5 on three-days rest and Pettitte pitched Game 3 and Game 6 on three-days rest. Basically, we have seen this before.

Which brings us to the World Series
Game 1- October 27- Sabathia on three-days rest or Pettitte fully rested
Game 2- October 28- Sabathia fully rested or Pettitte fully rested
Day off
Game 3- October 30- Hughes fully rested
Game 4- October 31- Game 1 starter on three-days rest
Game 5- November 1- Game 2 starter on three-days rest
Day off
Game 6- November 3rd- Game 3 starter on three-days rest
Game 7-November 4th- Game 4 starter on three days rest

As mentioned above, this is what they did in the Series last year.

Now, I am not suggesting this approach- yet. I still think the Yankees need to see how everyone is pitching over the final 12 games. If AJ pitches well tonight, that would encourage me to consider giving him the ball in the playoffs. Also, I think the results of the ALDS will define the Yankees' pitching plans. If they swept that series, I could see them employing a three-man rotation in the next two rounds. If they had to go five games, they would probably ease off and go to four guys. The point is, the schedule is still setup to allow them to pitch only three starters throughout October, if they want to.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:21 PM | Permalink

Imagine my surprise yesterday, while stopped at a red light on Rt 9 eastbound in Brookline, when who should I see but the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox.  He was driving a very spiffy 5 or 7 Series BMW.

Once I concluded it was actually Epstein (no doubt it was him, my brain just took a few seconds to actually believe it was him), I quickly fumbled for my notebook entitled "What went wrong for the Red Sox in 2010."  Being that Epstein was behind me, I had to figure out a way to get next to him, you know, to share my thoughts on the season.  I was certain he'd be interested.

We both took a left on Brookline Ave, a double lane road that is a straight shot past the hospitals, right to Fenway.  I gave him the left lane while I took the right, when all of a sudden, he hooked a left at Aspinwall Ave and left me going straight on Brookline.  I'm mean, seriously, he mustn't have seen me.  I only had gems of wisdom to offer and I'm sure I looked level headed and calm.  No chance he saw my police ankle bracelet.

Well, just like my conversation with Theo that never started, the 2010 season never got going.  With Coolstandings.com giving the Red Sox a 0.4% chance of making the playoffs, I don't feel too bad throwing in the towel at this point.

Yes, they made a nice mid-season run, but poor play, injuries and a lack of anything dynamic doomed this team from the start.  They'll still win close to 90 games, but that just isn't enough in the AL East.

Over the coming weeks, I'll discuss the projected additions and subtractions by the Red Sox in hopes of building a better squad for 2011.  What will the free agent market look like and will the Red Sox actually partake in free agency given the recent mixed back of free agent signings (Lackey and Beltre).

When will the Red Sox develop a power hitter (still waiting current Red Sox ownership) and might we see an outfield of Ryan Kalish, Jacoby Ellsbury and JD Drew next year?  Let's just let this season slip quietly away and start to get ready for 2011.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Over the last few weeks, this blog has received an average of 150 spam comments a day. Moderating this volume lead to some legitimate comments being junked. I believe I restored all the legitimate comments today and I apologize for the inconvenience.

We are looking at some new ways of handling this spam assault and we should be rolling out some new measures in the next couple of weeks. If you want to make sure your comment gets approved, you can always register for a Type Pad ID. It's fast, it's free and it gets you easy access to almost any blog running the Moveable Type Platform.

If you are having trouble or have concerns, please feel free to email me at peter@yankeesredsox.com

As always, thanks for your support.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:37 PM | Permalink

Let's move beyond the positive for a minute and ask a couple of questions about tonight's game. Start with this- considering Ivan Nova's track record to date, why didn't the Yankees have anyone warming up in the sixth inning? Next question is why did Girardi let Nova dig the hole he did in the sixth before replacing him? And finally, considering the fact that the Yankees used Robertson, Wood for more than an inning and Rivera tonight, what was Gaudin doing in that game in the sixth? Why didn't Girardi go to Robertson and then figure it out from there/

It all worked out in the end and with the Red Sox loss, the Yankees have an 8-game lead with 12 to play. The only thing working agains them is the fact that six of their remaining games are against the Red Sox. But, they control their own destiny, now they just have to figure out what they are going to make of that.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:20 PM | Permalink

The Yankees almost pulled off a perfect ceremony for George Steinbrenner tonight.  It was surprisingly understated and they made the very smart move of inviting Joe Torre and Don Mattingly back to Yankee Stadium to start rebuilding the relationship between Torre and the team.

But, they had to get a bit hyperbolic on the plaque.  Crediting Steinbrenner with making the Yankees the most famous sports team in the world is a slap in the face to all the history that came before him.  George "led" the Yankees to seven titles, they won 20 before he showed up.  What George really did was restore the Yankees to glory and he did it twice.  First when he originally bought the team and then in the mid-90's when he started listening to guys like Bob Watson and Gene Michael. 

Now we've got a pretty big ballgame going on.  The Yankees really need to take 3-of-4 if they want any chance of winning the division.  The rookie gets the ball tonight, back after the game.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:30 PM | Permalink

The Yankees needed that one.  They needed to feel good about themselves again and they desperately needed a win.  A-Rod got them that with two swings of the bat and the Yankees' weekend took a dramatic turn for the better.

Let's start with Boston and Tampa both losing.  The Yankees now have a 1/2-game lead on Tampa and a 7-game lead on Boston.  The Tampa lead is insignificant at this point, but with the Rays and Yankees set to play four-straight next week, the Yankees need to keep a healthy lead on Boston.  

Add in the fact that AJ Burnett pitched well and the Yankees have a lot of reasons to smile today.  Now they need to use this a springboard towards a winning streak. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Slog is the word that comes to my mind when I think of the remaining 16 games facing the Yankees. Three in Baltimore, four at home against Tampa, three more at home against Boston, three in Toronto and three in Boston. See any easy games on that docket?

Tampa closes with 10 games against three bad teams. Minnesota is now right there record-wise with the Yankees and Tampa. And, to make matters worse, the Red Sox are now "only" six games behind the Yankees. That means if they can pull off two sweeps of New York (not saying it's likely, but possible) they would be dead even with the Yankees.

Basically, the Yankees need to kick it into gear again. Joe Girardi and Dave Eiland justified their pitching choices Monday Night by saying that "sometimes you need to lose the battle to win the war." I hate the metaphor, but the Yankees are in danger of losing "the war" They went 1-5 in their tour through Texas and Tampa partly because the other team had last licks. That would make securing home field advantage an important consideration in my mind.

Obviously, you have to make sure that you don't take stupid risks with players. But, Girardi needs to step back and take a look at his decision making. He was ok using Kerry Wood on three-of-four nights, but not Robertson or Joba because Wood has "been around". That's a pretty shocking statement considering Wood's injury history and the cynic in me wonders if what he really meant was that Wood is a free agent next season and Robertson and Joba will be Yankees in 2011. Either way, it's time for Joe to realize that the next 16 games will be a fight to the finish and act accordingly.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Joe Girardi just managed the Yankees out of first place by using only one of his good relievers after CC Sabathia pitched a gem.

I can't wait to hear the justification for going to Gaudin and then Mitre with Rivera, Robertson and Joba all sitting in the bullpen. Actually, there isn't any justification. None of them had pitched since Saturday and each of them should have gotten into this game before Mitre or Gaudin even saw the ball.

AGGGHHHHHH!

At least there is another game tomorrow night.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Yankees have gone 9-7 over their last sixteen games. The problem is that they went 8-0 over the first half of that stretch and 1-7 over the second. And they only won that game with a walk-off homer against the Orioles.

None of that really matters at this point now because the next 11 days bring seven games against the Rays. As I noted last week, the Yankees have to come out of this stretch with a lead over Tampa if they want to have any hope of winning the division.

We will learn a lot about the Yankees over this stretch. I am really interested in tomorrow night's game and the pitching of Ivan Nova. If he can turn in a good performance against the Rays in Tampa, you have to consider him for a postseason rotation spot. Phil Hughes has a huge start on Wednesday as he needs to show something. Hughes hasn't been the same pitcher since May and the Yankees may have to resign themselves to the fact that he is suffering from a bit of a dead arm at this point and can't be counted on for the playoff rotation.

It should be an exciting stretch. The Yankees have a lot of questions hanging over them as they head into the final 19 games of the season.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:27 PM | Permalink

Today's injury news was very positive on the Posada front, but very negative on the pitching front. Unless miracles happen, we can probably cross Aceves and Marte off the list of guys we will see back in the Bronx this year. Both losses hurt, Marte would have given the Yankees a second lefty in the pen while Aceves showed in 2009 he could pitch in a variety of spots. My question is: will today's news lead the Yankees to break the glass on their "emergency lefty" and summon Royce Ring to the majors?

The playoff bullpen is going to be a real conundrum. We can probably assume the Yankees will take 14 hitters, leaving 11 arms for the staff. We know some certainties- Sabathia, Rivera, Hughes, Pettitte, AJ, Logan, Wood, Robertson and Joba. But those final two spots are a mystery. I would assume one long guy from the quartet of Moseley, Vazquez, Gaudin and Mitre, makes it. (FYI-I am taking Cashman at his word that Nova is out of the discussion, but I hope he changes his mind!) And while the temptation to add a second from that group will be huge, wouldn't another lefty in the pen make a ton of sense?

It will obviously depend on the matchups. If the Yankees play Texas, I would want to guarantee I can somewhat stymie Josh Hamilton by bringing a lefty up. After all, Hamilton's slugging percentage goes from an insane .721 against righties to a scary .458 vs. lefties. If the opponent is the Twins, it is important to remember that lefties are Kryptonite to Joe Mauer and reduce the insane numbers of Justin Morneau somewhat. No matter the opponent, their best lefties suffer some impact when a lefty faces them.

My point is Royce Ring is worth a look in the next few weeks. Ring came to camp and while he didn't make the team, he put up a 1.93 ERA in AAA this year. Against lefties, he allowed only a 1.13 ERA with 26 K's in 24 innings. Adding him to the club requires a 40-man move, but Reggie Corona hit .238/.306/.354 in AAA this year. He could easily be DFA'ed to make room for Ring on the 40-man and then the Yankees could take a look. They can wait a bit, until Scranton finishes their playoff run, but let's see Ring face Ortiz in a big spot and see what happens.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jack Curry gave a report during the third inning of the game tonight where he discussed a conversation he had with Brian Cashman. Cashman praised CC Sabathia and in speaking of a playoff rotation said that it would be Sabathia followed by 2 or 3 pitchers from a group including AJ, Pettitte, Hughes, Moseley and Vazquez. Ivan Nova was specifically excluded because they don't want to put that kind of pressure on him now.

I'm certainly not ready to hand Nova anything, but how can you consider Dustin Moseley for a playoff start and not consider Nova? And while we are at it, what about Chad Gaudin who has a sub-4 ERA since coming back from Oakland? The playoffs are clearly all hands on deck and to me it shouldn't matter much who the pitchers after CC and Pettitte are, just that they are the ones currently pitching the best. If Nova is rolling, give him the ball. Plenty of rookies have taken the ball and succeeded in the playoffs, including a 20-year old Sabathia in 2001.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Let's go Red Sox. That's right, for the next three games, and those three games only, I want to see Boston win. The reason of course is that they play Tampa and the Yankees need to build a bigger cushion against Tampa.

The Yankees need to build as big a gap as they can between themselves and Tampa before the final 9 games of their season. When the Rays depart Yankee Stadium on September 23rd, they will return home to face Seattle and Baltimore before heading to KC for a four-game series to end the season. The Yankees will have to face Boston six times and Toronto three over that same span, with the final six games on the road.

A lead heading into those games is a must. The way things shape up right now, it's between New York and Tampa for the best record in the AL. The winner gets homefield until the World Series while the loser gets the wild card and a tougher route through the playoffs. So, let's go Boston, but just for these three games.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:44 AM | Permalink

Joel Sherman wrote in today's Post that the Yankees should bat Jeter 8th or 9th in the lineup. He is absolutely correct, but as we all know it isn't going to happen- this year.

The bigger Jeter question is what happens next year? I have seen many writers guess that Jeter will get a four-year/$25 million extension. To me, that is pure insanity and completely ignores the reality of the way Brian Cashman operates.

Cashman has shown time and again that he will not bend to sentimentality. He shipped off two fan favorites this past offseason in Damon and Matsui and don't forget the whole Bernie Williams situation. If you are going to rank Yankees of the current era, I think you would have to put Bernie #3 behind Jeter and Rivera in terms of their meaning to the team. Yet when Williams' big deal ended, his salary was cut by $10 million and he was given a one-year deal.

I don't think the Yankees will be that drastic with Jeter. They want him back and the fact is they really don't have anyone else right now to play short. (Eduardo Nunez hit .289/.340/.381 in Scranton this year- even diminished Jeter is better than that.) There is also the little matter of 3,000 hits and the Yankees will surely want to see Jeter to do that as a member of the pinstripes.

Depending on how he finishes this year, Jeter will be about 80 hits short of 3,000 when the season ends. Unless Nunez kicks it up several notches, the Yankees really don't have anyone who profiles as a possible replacement for Jeter anywhere close to the majors. Creativity could be used in the trade market, but let's assume that the Yankees need Jeter for at least 2011 and possibly 2012. To me the sensible approach is to offer arbitration and hope he takes it. Assuming he doesn't, the solution would be more money and fewer years. How about starting with a one-year deal with an option for a second, triggered by a certain number of hits in 2011? You could pay him $22 million per season, way more than he is worth and a raise from his present deal, but also a measure of the respect the organization has for him. Included in this offer will be the understanding that he is moving down in the lineup. Down to where to be determined in spring training.

I don't think Jeter would find anything like that deal on the free agent market. How many teams are going to be interested in paying a 36-year old shortstop any kind of money after a season like the one he is having? The Yankees really have the leverage here, but I think they will be smart enough not to alienate Jeter. These will be quiet conversations and I don't think we will hear very much about the negotiations until they are completed.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)