That Stubborn Bastard

Manny Ramirez molested Mike Mussina tonight. That may sound harsh, but, as you can tell from the game, harsh words are needed to describe Mussina’s performance. His stubborn personality was put on display (Leiter and Flash called him out on it too) as he kept attacking the plate even when he fell behind in the count (give in already), challenging Manny with fastballs until he knocked 2 homers out of the stadium. The Sox would chase Moose out of the game before the 4th inning began.

The Yankee bullpen did a fairly good job in containing the game and keeping it at arms length (Farnsworth is looking solid and may have turned a corner), but the Yanks just could not overcome the deep hole they were placed in by Mussina’s lack of logic (if you’re going to attack him, be smart about it). The Yanks lost a tough one tonight, because if you have David Ortiz hitting the way he is now and you lose a game against the Sox, that’s really tough.

Eh, but life goes on and the Yanks managed to put up some numbers against both Beckett and Papelbon. We’ll see what they can do against the Orioles this weekend. Speaking of the weekend, the Yankees’ lineup could gain some consistency as Jorge Posada expects to be catching by Saturday. That will allow Matsui to be the full-time DH and it’ll force Moeller out and back to Triple-A.

Game 2: Yanks VS. Red Sox

Lineups courtesy of PA:

YANKEES
Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi 1B
Jorge Posada DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Chad Moeller C
Mike Mussina RHP (1-2, 4.15)

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
David Ortiz DH
Manny Ramirez LF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
J.D. Drew RF
Jason Varitek C
Sean Casey 1B
Julio Lugo SS
Gentleman Josh Beckett RHP (1-1, 6.35)

I just got out of class, switched on my computer, and had the pleasure of seeing Manny Ramirez belt a solo shot off a 3-1 fastball from Mike Mussina. The Yankees need to figure out how to pitch to this guy. Brush him back, throw him inside, jam his hands, do something. It seems like Wang’s inside fastballs worked pretty well over the weekend, so maybe they should stick with that.

Would You Sign Manny (Pt.2)?

With Manny murdering our pitching staff, year in and year out, a few of my fellow bloggers (Steve at WW and PA at LoHud) are wondering about Manny’s status come 2009. He’s still a masher and his age doesn’t seem to effect his ability to hit at all. His presence is simply unmatched. So, would you want to see Manny Ramirez in pinstripes if the Sox don’t pick up his option (it would be stupid for them not to)? I posed that question a few months ago and it seems to make sense for the Yankees to pursue not just Manny but also Mark Teixeira for their 2009 campaign.

A Manny Ramirez-Alex Rodriguez-Mark Teixeira (followed by Hideki Matsui) lineup would make pitchers cringe. Let us know what you think about this possibility by voting in our poll. It’s on the righthand side of the blog (under “You Decide”). Or, of course, just click here.

Where’s Bernie Williams? Oh, He’s Under the Stadium

The Onion has a funny read about burying Bernie Williams under the new Yankee Stadium (this is a joke folks). I don’t know how Bernie would feel about it, but I think it’s hilarious. Hopefully, after he’s buried, the Yanks won’t decide to take a digging crew out there on a Sunday and pull him out. If they do, they can always donate him to the Jimmy Fund after it’s all said and done.

O’Neill and Girardi Speak on No. 21

From PA’s Lohud Blog:

UPDATE, 7:03 p.m.: Here’s what Paul O’Neill told the AP about the situation:

“What can I say? The fans have always been unbelievable to me there. I don’t really know how to explain it. It makes you feel good that the fans still think of you as wearing that number.”

It makes you feel good that the fans booed another Yankees? Interesting take.

Joe Girardi: “I obviously understand the feelings for Paul O’Neill because I was here, and I know what he meant to me as a teammate and what he means to me as a friend, and what he means to the people of New York, Yankees fans. But LaTroy was trying to honor Roberto Clemente, someone he looked up to. It was nothing against Paul O’Neill. I think LaTroy has the ultimate respect for Paul O’Neill. It’s a tough spot.”

Honestly, I don’t think O’Neill meant what PA is saying. He’s just happy that this is an issue, I guess, but he’s probably not happy that fans are booing Hawkins. With that said, he’s definitely not upset about it or asking fans to stop. When Kay asked him about it while they were broadcasting, O’Neill gave a very similar answer, an answer that indicates he doesn’t mind the concern over his number. Either way, It’s a dead issue now and it’ll remain that way until another poor sap tries to wear the number. Maybe A-Rod should switch? Now that would be pretty interesting.

Beating Down the BoSox

The Yankees bested Boston tonight, but it wasn’t an easy win by any means. The Sox touched Wang for 8 runs in 4 innings and he simply did not have it tonight. His ERA rocketed to 3.81 and that, “you can’t handle Boston” mantra might make its way back to Wang despite his strong outing last week. Either way, a win is a win and the Yanks bombed on Boston until the victory was secure.

We’ve got some good news for the upcoming weekend. It looks like Joba Chamberlain might return by the end of the week (his father is improving) and Jorge Posada could also make his return as the catcher. I’m sure Girardi won’t rush him though, especially with Chad Moeller clicking and getting some hits against Boston. Posada says he won’t get a cortisone shot, which is a good sign, and likely indicates a natural improvement. Also, to cap off a nice 3-game winning streak, let’s not forget that Alex Rodriguez passed Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 15th place on the all-time homer list. A-Rod looks primed for a home run frenzy over the next couple of weeks.

Couple of final notes to wrap up the day:

• Hawkins pitched 2 scoreless innings tonight and K’d 2.
• Hideki Matsui is hitting .327 as the DH.
• Jason Giambi was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.
• Brian Bruney pitched 1.2 innings for the save tonight.

The team is looking good right now. You’ve got to be happy with the way some of the bats are coming to life although Johnny Damon and Robinson Cano need to kick it up a notch.