Cashman’s Future

PA at the LoHud Blog has a nice read about Brian Cashman’s future in the Bronx (or in Washington, Philadelphia, etc.). PA’s definitive point is that the Yankees need Cashman around, which is certainly true. I don’t think there is someone that the Steinbrenner family trusts enough to take over the GM position if Cashman leaves, so I would expect the Yanks to come to Cashman with a very generous offer at the end of the season.

Drop It Like It’s Hot

Steve at WasWatching is wondering when the Yankees will sever their ties with Jason Giambi, especially since there doesn’t seem to be a marked improvement in the cards for the aging first baseman. I too wonder why the Yankees don’t just cut the guy. The Tigers, Indians and Mariners have all trimmed the fat in the past few days, ridding themselves of the unproductive hitters that have essentially burdened their lineups.

Of course, none of those guys came with a $23 million price tag.

But, when will the Yankees decide to the do the right thing that is best for the entire team? That is the ultimate question. Instead of catering to one player’s needs and desires, or trying to avoid embarrassment by cutting a $23-million player, the Yankees need to acknowledge that this situation simply has not worked for the club and it will not work later. They need to step it up and say goodbye to Jason Giambi.

Lowe Blow

Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald is reporting that the Yankees have expressed an interest in Derek Lowe, who is currently pitching for the LA Dodgers and was with Boston during their 2004 comeback. I don’t understand why the Yankees would be interested in Lowe, especially since he’ll be 36 after this season (he’ll be a free agent come season’s end). Yes, he’s been a very solid pitcher in the NL but the Yankees will be able to field a rotation of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, Chien-Ming Wang, and Andy Pettite next year (and maybe even C.C. Sabathia), so how this makes sense, I’m not really sure.

I guess if Pettitte doesn’t come back then there could be something to this rumor, or if the Yanks don’t trust Joba, Hughes or Kennedy to give them a full year’s worth of quality innings in 2009. If Mussina can pitch well for 2008, maybe he could be back if the prospects need more time? I don’t really know what the Yankees are thinking, but to be interested in Derek Lowe is both random and strange.

(Thanks to MLBTR).

Kershaw Decree?

Ned Colletti, GM for the LA Dodgers, is working hard to protect his talented young pitching prospect, Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw will be joining the Dodger rotation, however, in order to protect his golden arm, the Dodgers will institute an innings cap, known as the Kershaw Decree (that’s so regal) so that he’s not overworked. Some things never change for Joe Torre, no matter where he goes (probably because he won’t control his insatiable Kershaw cravings and will pitch him until his arm falls off–see Scott Proctor, Luis Vizcaino, etc.).

(Thanks to RAB).

Yankee Fan Kills Sox Fan

I just saw this on FOX Sports (MSN).

A woman accused of running down a man in her car after a Red Sox-Yankees argument in a bar never hit her brakes as she accelerated toward the small group he was in, a prosecutor said Monday.

“She never braked, and she accelerated at a high speed for about 200 feet. She went directly at this group of people,” prosecutor Susan Morrell said of Ivonne Hernandez, who is charged with reckless second-degree murder in the death early Friday of Matthew Beaudoin, 29.

Authorities won’t describe the argument beforehand in Slade’s Food & Spirits, but witnesses said it heated up when Hernandez identified herself as a New York Yankees fan. Like the rest of New Hampshire, Nashua, 45 miles northwest of Boston, is Red Sox country.

Bartender Tanya Moran said the argument spilled outside, and at least one person in a group that included Beaudoin began chanting “Yankees suck!” when they saw a Yankees sticker on Hernandez’s car.

Hernandez, 43, allegedly gunned her car and struck Beaudoin and his friend Maria Hughes, 21. Hughes had only minor injuries, which Beaudoin’s sister Faith said was because her brother shielded his friend.

Hernandez, of Nashua, was arrested at the scene. She acknowledged she had been drinking and refused to take a breath-alcohol test, said Morrell, a senior assistant attorney general. Hernandez said she had been in an argument with the group.

“She indicated to police that she wanted to scare this group of people. She thought they would get out of the way,” Morrell said.

I can honestly say that I’ve been in several sticky situations with Sox fans, situations that have had me pitted against a group of unruly fans (or, them pitted against an unruly me). However, once a situation escalates to an unhealthy or dangerous level, sometimes you just have to take a step back and think about what you’re fighting for. This is a terrible situation and the Yankee fan should be punished accordingly. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Matthew Beaudoin.

Yanks Clicking

The Yankees were the last team in all of baseball to score at least 5 runs in an inning, which they did this weekend against Seattle. That perfectly random number is rather insightful, as it provides us with a story about an inept NY offense that has struggled to string together hits and particularly key hits with RISP.

I wonder what woke the Yankee bats from their frustrating slumber? Could it have been Hank Steinbrenner’s comments about the team? Well, whatever it was, hopefully, the Yanks can continue their recent offensive upswing and put together a nice winning streak this week.