Monday, June 30, 2008

BITS AND PIECES

Jayson (ESPN) Stark's weekly debate asks if the Tampa Bay Rays are for real. I think it's still early enough that there is no real pennant race pressure on them yet, so we don't really know how they'll shape up. However, I do get a kick out of the "Yes" arguments:
Crawford is 20 points under his career average
Pena hasn't hit yet
Upton only has 4 homers so far
...and on and on.
They only look at the underachievers. How about Navarro, a career .260 hitter, who is hitting .317. Hinske, who has averaged 18 homers a year, with 13 already. They have a very young pitching staff and have been blessed with little DL time (except for Rocco Baldelli, who has an apartment in Tampa General Hospital). They're playing well but it's still too early.

Up in Boston, Manny is being...Mike Tyson? Another ballplayer pushing around a member of the front office. Apparently, it's not the cushy job we thought it was. Manny had good reason, though. The Traveling Secretary told him "it would be hard to get him 16 tickets to a game". C'mon, who's Manny gonna high-five after a catch?

Out in Seattle, new manager Jim Riggleman has discovered the problem with the Mariners. They've been positioning the shortstop wrong. We're on our way, now.

It seems Joe Torre IS the greatest manager ever. His teams don't even need to get a hit to win. We miss you, Joe. Come back to the Yanks: we're already not hitting.

This just in: Jeter has thrown a styrofoam cup at the clubhouse man for not having enough Krispy Kremes on hand. Girardi immediately suspended...the clubhouse man.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

PICASNER'S PERFUME

While you may use deodorant or perfume to eliminate body odor, nothing eliminates a "stinky" performance like a 10-0 win.
It is very obvious th Doug Mientkiewicz wants to play for the Yanks, but he's still out there trying to beat them. Not so for another ex-Yankee, TJ Beam. He was doing his best to help the pinstripers, even tho" he was wearing a Pirate uniform. By the way, did I see mientkiewicz sitting in the Yankee dugout for the 1st three innings? Maybe that's why he didn't start: the Pirates couldn't find him.
I know Joba is a very intimidating pitcher, but apparently he's also an intimidating hitter.He sure was overly aggressive up there, much to the delight of Jeter & Posada. Wait till he starts trying to steal bases.
Cano seems to have found his stroke, but he still makes me uncomfortable when he's hitting.
I've been to PNC Field. I know it's beautiful. Even if I didn't know, Michael & Ken were going to make sure I found out. Okay guys, I get it: It's beautiful. Be careful, if Hank, The Boy Wonder, hears about your constant praise, you might get traded to Pittsburgh. Actually, that's not a bad idea: Michael Kay for Doug Mientkiewicz. I'm there!
Shawn Chacon (an ex-Yank) has been suspended from the Houston Astros for choking the GM. Is Omar Minaya paying attention? Too bad Willie didn't think of this. Might as well get fired for a good reason.
Rob Neyer of ESPN, visited Cooperstown this week and went over the membership of the HOF on his way to Cleveland. He decided that approximately 25% of them didn't belong. That didn't include the pre-1900 members or those from the Negroe League. He didn't name any, but I agree in priciple (especially Bill Mazeroski, who shouldn't be allowed within 100 miles of Cooperstown. When Rob publishes his list, I'll post a few of the more prominent names. I already have my list (#1 Mazeroski, #2...)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Willie, AGAIN

Picasner on Willie

Hank Steinbrenner says that Willie Randolph is a Yankee, Willie Randolph will always be a Yankee and Willie Randolph can be a Yankee again whenever he wants. He also thinks that that was an underlying factor in his dismissal.

Too bad they can't make him a bullpen coach or something for the All-Star game. I think Terry Francona would go along. He'd still be getting his ovation in the third inning.


Vod Responds
Did Hank also point out that Willie was impotent in the club house,incompetent with the media, inert on the bench, and in need of of a huge dose of wahoo to deal with the roster of egos, bozos, and never-was cast-offs called the Schmuts?

He earned being canned. And to anyone naively arguing that it was a big boo-hoo the ways it was done... grow up. The Mets have a well deserved rep as a no-class bunch that they have nurtured for decades. This firing was, all in all, pretty subtle for those morons.

And how nice of Hank Steinwad to say that Willie is now and for every shall be a Yankee. Another pronouncement from Jesus Steinboober, the son of God, Steinboober the Omnipotent. Those boors are no less dysfunctional than the Schmuts management and historically lead the league in over-inflated self-importance. Who haven't they fired, insulted, threatened, manipulated, disparaged and abused... and then bought off with a shit load of money? And as for "underlying reasons" for Willie's release. The Steinboober ego at its most obvious and repulsive. Fired because he played for the Yankees? He was fired because his team, a team with the highest salary in the NL, played like shit for over a year, including one of the greatest late season swoons in baseball history, and Willie made comments like "I don't know what the answer is." Duh!

Finally, being a "Yankee" has nothing to do with any Steinboober announcement, pronouncement, proclamation, edict, or epistle, and it is certainly not a status that you inherit from big daddy... and their current cast of owners, GMs, managers, and current collection of underperforming, overpaid bush-leaguers and Ford Edge shills include very few Yankees.
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Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Cheney -Bush

‘A real villain is preferable to a fake hero.”

Tom Robbins

PICASNER STAYS HONEST

Yesterday, ESPN ran a survey: "Should the Yankees make Joba a starter?"  When I last checked, there were 15,000 votes, 55% said YES (I voted NO).  After yesterdays debacle, another poll: "Are the Yankees right in making Joba a starter?"  Again, I voted NO.  After 10,500 votes, it's now 55% NO.  This is just like all the prognosticators who predict this years winners by picking all of last years winners.  Thanks guys, lots of guts there.
 
A word about the debacle:  we hear all the time that umpires give NO breaks to new pitchers.  I'm sure all the hoopla over Chamberlain's first start didn't help, either.
 
BUT!   Am I the only one who thought Joba got squeezed?  Am I the only one who thought Halliday didn't?  I'm not saying he was great, but he certainly didn't get any help on close pitches.  Of course, the Yankees  powerful  lineup was no help either nor was their  smothering  bullpen.
 
It seems that just when they get something started, here comes Abreu (in a slump) or Cano (in a big slump) or Molina (who would have to get better to be in a slump) to quell the rally.  Eventually we are going to see these names in the opposing teams stats under "saves".
 
Would someone please tell the bullpen it's OK to throw overhand?
 
Girardi has a handle on it: "We have to play better".  Really?  "I thought I pitched pretty well."
 
Best play last night was Abreu catching a ball UP AGAINST THE FENCE.  I'll say it again: Up Against The Fence.  Of course, afterwards he was yelling like crazy towards the dugout.  Those of us who can read lips, know he was saying "Who the hell moved the fence in without telling me?"
 
I think tonight's game is going to be a six-pack contest.  After six beers, it shouldn't hurt so much.