Yanks Pounding Seattle

I’m watching the Yankees beat up the Mariners (13-to-2 in the 5th) and it’s a scene that would make any Yankee fan proud. The team is playing Yankee baseball, you know, they’re exercising patience and getting to the bullpen early after chasing Erik Bedard. Right now, they’ve scored 8 runs in the 5th and it’s just what they needed. After playing miserably, things are looking up for the club and this weekend against Seattle (after winning 2 against the Orioles) could be the remedy to cure all of their offensive ills.

Credit A-Rod’s return for bringing some life to this lineup, but I think we should also thank Jason Giambi… AND his new mustache (my girlfriend cracked up when she saw it). This isn’t the first time Giambi has sported some facial hair, but that stash is certainly headed for Ramon Vasquez territory (seriously, it makes me want to shave right now). With some scruffy hair on his face and that golden thong lodged deep in his ass crack, Jason Giambi has upped his average to .218 (he’s 2-for-2 tonight), so maybe he’ll be a productive member of this team after all.

Girardi Suspended

Joe Girardi has been suspended for one game after kicking dirt at the umpire in yesterday’s game against the Orioles (after he was ejected). Girardi will reportedly serve his suspension tonight when the Yanks square off against the miserable Mariners.

Tougher Drug Policy In Effect

The Players Union and the MLB have officially agreed to a stricter drug policy that was built upon the back of George Mitchell and his now infamous (and totally ridiculous) Mitchell Report (I guess you can credit Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, etc. as well). The policy calls for more random testing (in terms of frequency) by those who administer the tests (an independent organization).

Harlan Chamberlain Speaks On Joba’s Transition

From the NY Times:

“I mean, he’s excited every day he goes to Yankee Stadium, but there was just a little more excitement in his voice,” said Harlan Chamberlain, who is recovering from a respiratory illness and hopes to visit the Yankees next week in Minnesota.

“Joba likes challenges, and if he didn’t feel he could do it, he would tell you,” he said. “It’s just another step toward his dream — to be a starting pitcher on the biggest stage in major league baseball, and that’s for the New York Yankees. He’s ready to take the next step.”

Good to hear from Harlan and he’s reportedly been doing well after a recent medical scare. A lot of people have argued for Joba to stay in the bullpen. However, as long as he has shown the abilities necessary to thrive in a starting role, the Yankees will adhere to his wishes and let him become a starter. Actually, these are the team’s wishes as well, not just Joba’s, and that’s what ultimately matters.

Fantasy Baseball: Hamilton Hype Pt.2

For today, I thought I’d switch up the pace a bit and bring in some fantasy baseball stuff (albeit nothing too long). I’ve been thinking about adding a fantasy baseball section to the website, but that’s still sort of up in the air as of now. My teams are doing well (all 4 of them) and I’m in 1st in 3 of the leagues (including the 14-team league and the Yankee Blogger league) while I’m working my way up from 2nd place in another. A big part of my success has been the undermentioned Texas Ranger, Josh Hamilton.

Hamilton is having a phenomenal season, posting up some truly gaudy numbers. I encouraged readers and avid fantasy players to pick him up in early March as his abilities are remarkable. In fact, Hamilton is currently leading the AL in BA, RBI, and HR. Yes sir, he’s got the triple-crown and is an enormous asset for any fantasy player. In somewhat of an amusing twist, the next best player in the AL has been Carlos Quentin, another former 1st round pick who came out of nowhere with the ChiSox (Quentin has the skill set to maintain his numbers all year, so pick him up if he’s still available somehow).

Hamilton’s success could easily continue, however, it really depends upon two things. If Hamilton, like Carlos Quentin, can remain healthy then he can certainly be counted on to deliver a huge offensive year. He hasn’t played a full year of baseball for a long time (never in the Majors and last year he only played in 90 games) and he could be an injury risk because of his history of heavy drug abuse. So, if you’re in a 10-team league, you can probably pick someone up fro the waiver wire to be a backup, just in case, but deeper leagues be careful. Although I encourage you to keep Hamilton for the year, he could suffer from fatigue or injury down the line (especially with Ron Washington playing him almost all the time).

The second thing that Hamilton will need in order to continue his success is the often injured Milton Bradley who has been hitting cleanup behind Hamilton. Bradley is another one of those guys who has so much talent and inherent ability that he makes scouts salivate. Yet, at the same time, he’s probably the biggest injury risk in baseball (next to Carl Pavano or Howie Kendrick maybe). 2004 was Bradley’s best year in terms of season longevity and health, however, he has not been able to stay on the field since and has already had some shoulder problems in 2008. But hell, He can hit for average and probably smack 20+ homers in Texas (if he’s available in your league and you need OF help, he could be a short-term fix until he injures himself). He’s the same guy who hit well at Petco Park when he was a Padre (that’s very hard to do) and can benefit from his lineup spot with the Rangers. Having Bradley protect Hamilton is important to Hamilton’s (and vice versa for Bradley) success. Nevertheless, in the end, Hamilton’s health is the most important factor for his season.

So, if you picked up Josh Hamilton, congratulations. If you’re floundering for OF help and want Hamilton now that you know what he can offer, be prepared to pay-up. He’s an elite OF (right now) and in the AL, nobody is really touching him. If you’re trying to trade for him, you can always try and coax his owner into thinking that he’s an injury risk, but the triple-crown numbers might tell him/her a different story.

Shuffling The Deck

The pitching matchups for this weekend are as follows:

Friday: LHP Andy Pettitte (3-5, 4.42) vs. LHP Erik Bedard (3-2, 3.24) 7:05, Channel 9

Saturday: RHP Mike Mussina (6-4, 4.11) vs. RHP Felix Hernandez (2-4, 3.34) 1:05, YES

Sunday: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (6-2, 3.51) vs. RHP Carlos Silva (3-3, 4.91) 1:05, YES, TBS

Chien-Ming Wang was slated for a Saturday appearance, but with Mike Mussina’s short outing against Baltimore and Wang’s sore calf, the Yankees decided to give Wang another day of rest and pitch Mussina on short rest. Joba will still pitch Saturday which actually works well because Moose will only go 6 innings or less, I’m assuming (Ross Ohlendorf is so happy right now).

Yanks Upset Over Ruth-Ortiz Mimicry

The Yankees have embarrassed themselves on a few fronts this year. Whether it’s their level of play (or lack thereof) or their decision to waste a weekend digging up Sox jerseys at the new Yankee Stadium (and then pose for pictures, come on), the team has somehow managed to look rather foolish to baseball fans in general. As of right now, it doesn’t seem like they’re willing to buck that trend:

From Jack Curry (NY Times):

David Ortiz is a mammoth, powerful and gregarious left-handed hitter, the kind of slugger who would not need acting lessons to imitate Babe Ruth. Ortiz, the modern-day Ruth from the Boston Red Sox, will get that interesting chance at Yankee Stadium during the All-Star Game festivities — unless the Yankees succeed in an attempt to prevent it.

Ortiz will have the opportunity to be like Babe because of a Call Your Shot promotion that is part of the home run derby. The fan who wins the online contest will choose a spot where he believes Ortiz can smash a homer. Then Ortiz has one swing, one dramatic swing, to do it.

But the Yankees do not seem as if they want Ortiz to take that swing. The Yankees were upset about the plans involving Ortiz and said they were unaware of the promotion until a reporter contacted them Thursday night. The Yankees were discussing the matter internally and planning to contact Major League Baseball for an explanation.

It would be surprising if Ortiz did not get to take the swing. Even though the game is being played at Yankee Stadium, the event is organized by Major League Baseball. State Farm, which sponsors the home run derby, deals with M.L.B., not the Yankees. While the Yankees are the hosts for the game and have been consulted on most matters, they do not make unilateral decisions.

Randy Levine, the Yankees’ president, and Lonn Trost, the chief operating officer, have spent more than a year working with baseball representatives about various All-Star Game details. Still, Yankee officials said they were surprised by the news that Ortiz would get a chance to go deep in their yard.

The Yankees were concerned enough about a construction worker burying an Ortiz jersey under their new stadium that they spent $50,000 to excavate it. Now Ortiz is in position to leave a souvenir and a lasting impression in the final season of the current stadium. Apparently, the Yankees would like to bury this Ortiz event themselves.

Pat Courtney, a spokesman for Major League Baseball, said M.L.B. was “sensitive to the Yankees’ concerns” and would soon discuss the matter with them.

If Ortiz takes his swing, he will try to mimic Ruth’s called home run shot against the Chicago Cubs in the 1932 World Series. Although there have been decades of murkiness about whether Ruth actually pointed his bat toward the outfield or toward the Cubs’ dugout, there was no doubt what happened after that. Now Ortiz wants to produce the same result.

“Babe Ruth is part of baseball history,” Ortiz said in a telephone interview. “If somebody gets you involved with something like that, of course it’s cool. Who wouldn’t want to be compared with something that Babe Ruth hit?”

Ortiz, who was interviewed before the Yankees expressed their annoyance at the promotion, said he was excited about the Ruthian twist that had been added to the home run derby. If Ortiz hammers a ball into the designated area, the fan will win a Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid sport utility vehicle and a 2009 season-ticket package for any major league team. Fans can enter the contest at sfcallyourshot.com.

Okay, so I understand how Yankee fans or, as you can tell, Yankee officials might be somewhat disturbed by the notion of an iconic Red Sox hitter mimicking baseball’s quintessential legend, Babe Ruth, who was also the quintessential Yankee. However, at the same time, this is an activity that’s for the fans (Sox fans will love it of course). It’s just for fun and actually sounds pretty entertaining to me (as long as Ortiz isn’t doing this in a game against he Yankees, I’m fine). David Ortiz is a great baseball player and seems like a great person. He’s one of the scariest hitters in the game and has earned the opportunity to partake in this activity, even if it is at Yankee Stadium (and involves BR). Why not just roll with it and have fun?

I’d like to believe that for one night, Yankee fans can just relish the fact that this is even happening in Yankee Stadium. It’s a fun-filled moment for baseball fans everywhere, and to get upset over something like this just seems totally unnecessary. If Ortiz can make it all work and hit a ball to the designated location, I’ll find it to be rather enjoyable. If the Yankees want to oppose this decision, then fine, but they better be willing to have a replacement out there that won’t disappoint. That means you have to be willing to throw Alex Rodriguez into the HR Derby instead, and we all know that simply won’t happen.

IPK Battles Baltimore

Ian Kennedy, while allowing only 4 hits, also walked 4 and struck out 4, but in the end the truly important number was 1, as he held the Orioles to 1 ER in 6 innings of work. He didn’t get the decision but he seems like he’s turned that infamous corner, although he must work on his control in order to further his career. He battled against Baltimore, yet when you’re struggling, a good end result serves as a positive stepping stone and that’s all that really matters for a guy who’s still figuring things out. Kennedy can feel his good friend Joba Chamberlain breathing down his neck and he knows that he’s going to have to step it up if he wants to hang around in NY (although he’s a lock for the 2009 rotation as long as he settles in).

Mad Girardi = Victory

Joe Girardi’s tenure has been somewhat of a hazy mist, thus far. We all thought he’d be a big on stats (oh my God, he reads Baseball America!) and somehow parlay that into being some supreme strategic wonder. However, I don’t know if that’s the case, really. He’s changed his lineup a bunch of times, but that strategy has failed miserably (it’s actually working a bit more now with Shelley Duncan coming out of his offensive shell). He’s basically known for what he hasn’t done this season, like making Mike Mussina walk Manny Ramirez and so on and so forth. I don’t know what to make of him quite yet as he seems like your run of the mill, Joe Torre disciple (and I was a big fan of his hiring).

Nonetheless, when Girardi does something right, he deserves credit for that action. Tonight, in the bottom of the 9th, Girardi came out and argued with the umpire about a called third strike on Jason Giambi. To be honest, watching Girardi, a man who absolutely loves God and his children more than anything in the world (yes, I left his wife out of this small list), argue, spout profanities and kick his hat a bit, was sort of like watching David Archuleta sing that Chris Brown song on American Idol a few weeks ago (I had to do it…). Essentially, it just didn’t fit and looked supremely awkward. HOWEVER, as of now, it’s one of the smartest moves Girardi has made as manager. As soon as you saw him out there, you knew he was going to get ejected and go a little crazy. It was a solid strategic play by the NY skipper.

He got the crowd and his players going, and for that, he deserves credit. He helped us win 2 in a row, and now we just have to keep it going starting tomorrow, when Andy Pettitte rights his ship and gives the club a chance to win. I would say that he’s due for a win, right?

The Joba Plan Continues

If yesterday’s announcement wasn’t a clear indication about Joba’s future, how about this…

The Yankees have confirmed that Joba Chamberlain will pitch on Saturday and that he’ll throw exactly 45 pitches. They’ve already created some sort of pitching schedule (it’s essentially under wraps) that they will try to adhere to in order to help his reliever-to-starter transition. However, how strange is this situation? Hearing about a reliever’s outing 2 days before it even happens certainly demonstrates that “Joba in the pen” is not something the Yankees are going to stick with for the entire year (the “Joba should take over for Mo and stay in the pen” crowd is probably livid) even if the current rotation pans out. The Yankees will be somewhat flexible with the plan though, because, as Girardi states, a commitment to winning is the foremost thing.

It’ll be interesting to see how Girardi handles the 45 pitch limit if Joba has to go over it to get a final out or if he’s looking gassed. He’ll likely finish his 45 in the bullpen if something like that occurs. Chien-Ming Wang, Saturday’s starter, is reportedly doing well after straining his calf, and he could certainly use the rest this weekend. If he’s taken out a few innings early in order to protect that calf, Joba can definitely step in and do his thing while maintaining a presumable lead.