Just Don't Kill Him, Joba

Over his Yankees career, Joba Chamberlain has launched a baseball in the vicinity of Kevin Youkilis's massive domepiece four times.

On Friday night, Joba is the scheduled starter against the Sawx. Shrek body double David Ortiz has already warned him to not try it again. Big Pawpi doesn’t specify what will happen if Joba ignores him...

According to Pawpi: ""This is a guy, as good as he is, the next step for him will be to earn respect from everybody in the league. He's not a bad guy, but when things like that happen, people get the wrong idea."

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We here at Fack Youk do not mind head hunting Youk for the sake of his discomfort. But, please, for the longevity sake of this blog (I guess also for the sake of his family), Joba do not kill the man or end his career ala Tony Conigliaro.

Also, since when should pitchers care about being "respected." As Machiavelli says in The Prince, a pitcher needs to be feared, not respected. Being respected does not lead to team wins, high strikeout totals, a low ERA, WHIP or any other individual/team stats.

Good Melky, Bad Melky

While the likely takeaways from yesterday's game were Melky Cabrera's 2 homers, a solo shot in the second, and especially the walk-off in the bottom of the 14th inning...

...Don't forget about this:

In the 7th inning, with the bases loaded and no one out, Melky came to the plate and struck out on four pitches, the last of which was literally at his eyes. Look at what Suzuki had to just to catch that ball. Russ Springer missed his spot by three feet and still got the biggest K of the game. That at-bat would loom large, as the score remained 7-7 until the 14th.

To my eyes, there-in lies the problem with Melky. He goes up to the plate swinging for the fences, and refuses to believe that he's just not a home run hitter. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut on occasion, so there are going to be days like yesterday when he gets lucky and jacks one or two. But by and large this approach is killing his value as an everyday player.

Let's go to the numbers, shall we?

These are the three seasons in which Melky appeared in enough games to analyze the results. There are differences in PA's, but even when you factor those in, the trends are still clear. The darker shaded numbers are the most optimal ones.

From ages 21 (in 2006) to 23, his average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and consequently OPS have all been in decline. He age 21 season was what got most Yankee fans excited about him. Homegrown talent with a strong arm and pretty decent production at the plate for a CF.

While his home runs were consistent throughout all three seasons, Melky's doubles declined drastically. Why would that be? When he takes his home run cut, Cabrera ends up hitting a lot of pop ups. It's the downside of his "all or nothing" approach to hitting.

The last column represents in-field fly balls, and as you can see that percentage jumped significantly (at the 90% confidence level) from '07 to '08. As a result of hitting more pop-ups, his Batting Average On Balls In Play has been on the decline as well, because a much higher percentage of pop flies are converted into outs than any other type of batted ball.

It's been a while since Max Kellerman tried to sell everyone on the notion that Melky was the second coming of Bernie Williams based on their minor league track records and early MLB performance. I don't know too many people who think he can be an everyday player, let alone a batting champion or top 10 MVP candidate anymore. Rob, the sponsor of Melky's Baseball-Reference page said it best:

Oh, what you, Leche, could have been. With only 280 ABs in AAA they wasted all your options before your 24th birthday. Bernie got 468 ABs in AAA and almost two full seasons in AA. Hopefully you find a chance to develop as a hitter.

I suppose for the time being that Melky is a pretty decent fourth outfielder. He has marginal defensive value in CF, but is solid in left and right with a strong arm. That makes him a good choice for a late-inning defensive replacement, and as he showed us yesterday, he's got the potential to make an impact offensively as well. I just don't want anyone to get carried away and say they want to see him starting.

Your Gastronomical Guide To The New Stadium

Can't take credit for this one, but I can certainly point you in the right direction.

Our boy HowFresh, in only two journeys to the New Yankee Stadium has compiled an exhaustive review of a ton of the culinary options. In typical H-F fashion, he has eaten way more than any of you could ever dream of and provided reviews and pictures. It's the sort of invaluable resource you need to bookmark for you first trip to the Stadium, if you are at all interested in checking out the dining options. I must warn you... Do not attempt to read it on an empty stomach.

Keep In Mind Kurt Suzuki Is Right Handed

This strikeout in the top of the tenth was the only out Damaso Marte recorded in yesterday's game, but it was a thing of beauty. If you participated in our Live Chat for Game 15, you have already seen this image, but for those who did not...

More embarassing: Suzuki striking out via a 360 and landing on his ass, or the empty seats behind him? Close call.

Can we see another angle?

Perfect. I think I'm going to go with the strikeout.

Other things you may have missed in the Live Chat: Hilarious stories about Freddy Sez, backed up with photographic evidence, unflattering nicknames for Damaso Marte, updates on every Yankee's marital status, how to listen to the game without buying the MLB.com radio package, and in-depth discussions of why and why not to purchase a quesadilla maker. You should really stop by next time.

Game 15: Live Chat

Alright folks, we are going to try this Live Chatting business again. It's a 1:00 start today, matching up the highest paid pitcher in the history of baseball against some dude from Oakland with 13 career innings pitched. But as we all know, nothing in baseball is a forgone conclusion.

In honor of what projects to be our first Live Chat, and the fact that it's another afternoon getaway game, here is a live version of Key To The Highway by none other than Mr. Eric Clapton:

I got the key to the highway,
Billed out and bound to go.
I'm gonna leave here running,
Walking is most too slow.

I'm going back to the border
Woman, where I'm better known.
You know you haven't done nothing,
Drove a good man away from home.

Oh, when the moon peeks over the mountains
I'll be on my way.
I'm gonna roam this old highway
Until the break of day.

Game 14: #5

Exit liiight...

Game 14: #4

It is high, IT IS FAR... Fuck, I was in the bathroom...

Game 14: #3

The Budweiser Hall Of Fame Lounge is ROCKING!

Game 14: #2

They say the New Stadium is quieter than the Old one. The "asshole"
chants in the bleachers for Sox & Mets fans are pretty loud.

Game 14: #1

One of the 32" screens they have mounted flush against the wall for
the obstructed view bleacher seats isn't even on.

2-0 Yanks on a Brett Gardner single.

Game 14: New Yankee Stadium Live Blog Alert!

That's right folks, tonight Schiff and I will be reporting to you live from the Stadium as the Yanks square off with the A's.

Hopefully the game will go better than last time.

D) None Of The Above?

Jerry Crasnick has a piece up on ESPN.com about Brett Gardner (and Daniel Murphy) which drops right in with this little diddy:

NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees' center fielder is 5 feet, 10 inches and 185 pounds worth of former college walk-on, forever driven to prove people wrong. He plays the game with the exuberance of Bo Obama frolicking on the White House lawn.

Later mentions this:

He received the nickname "Squirrel" from a teammate who said that Gardner reminded him of an old high school buddy. To Gardner's relief, the name hasn't picked up any steam in New York.

And finally arrives here:

Cashman has called Gardner a Juan Pierre who can walk, but Gardner will have to post an OBP at least in the .340 to .350 range to prove he's more than an extra outfielder.

My question is... Would you rather be compared to:

A) A Portugese Water Dog
B) An arboreal rodent
Or, C) Juan Pierre

The Great Divide(rs)

I didn't take a picture, because that would be weird, but I found out something about the New Yankee Stadium during our descent into Section 112 that really pissed me off (pun intended... wait for it). There are dividers between the urinals on the Field Level, but not anywhere else in the Stadium.

Is it a huge deal? Of course not, but could there be a better symbol of how much the Yankees have bent over backwards to cater to the wealthiest customers and how they could care less about the core fans? By installing the dividers at the field level, they are acknowledging that it matters, but only providing the "luxury" to those purchasing the most expensive seats. It's an issue of simple human decency, and they can't possibly cost that much to put them in.

Have you ever had a friend who desperately tried to date someone who was out of their league while ignoring a person who was legitimately interested in them? The object of their affection was strikingly attractive, but even if they gave them the time of day, it was just to be nice. The second option wasn't as good-looking, but they had actual feelings for your friend and probably would have done anything to be with them. Guess what, Yankees, the corporate guy, who you want to sit in the insanely expensive seats... he's just not that into you.

Forgive the sweeping generalization, but most of the people who could afford the highest priced seats at the New Stadium are not real fans. Here is why: If you have a job that allows you to spend anywhere from $100K to $800K on two Yankees season tickets, you aren't going to have much time in the day to read blogs or listen to sports talk radio. Wealthy folks also go out to dinner pretty often. When do they do that? Probably in the neighborhood of 7-10 at night, give or take, and three or four star restaurants aren't going to have the game on TV. The more money you have, the more options you have, and everywhere you look in this city, companies are bending over backwards to cater to what remains of the uber-rich. The Yankees are just one option; an option that's not in Manhattan and requires an commitment of 81 games and a small fortune.

The people (and corporations) who buy those seats are never going to love the Yankees as much as the average fan, and the direction of the economy has blatantly exposed that. There are still some who could absorb the price increase in the new building, but for them it was a luxury. You can tell by the outrage and disenfranchisement of the people who were displaced from their affordable full or even partial season ticket packages that they thought of it as a necessity.

It's clear that it doesn't make sense to alienate the average fan in the name of the casual but much wealthier fan from a loyalty standpoint. Given the state of the nation's finances right now it doesn't makes sense in the general ledger either. Did it ever? Ben K. from River Ave. Blues doesn't think so.

All you need to know: While the Yankees put art galleries alongside concession stands on the Field Level, Freddy Sez gets shut out of the Stadium. (h/t Jorge Says No)