Game 90: Uptight (Everything's Alright)

Ten years ago today, it was Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium. After being fired as Yankee manager just sixteen games into the 1985 season, Berra refused to return to Yankee Stadium so long as George Steinbrenner owned the Yankees. When Mickey Mantle passed away in 1995, and then Joe DiMaggio in early 1999, it left Berra as the greatest living Yankee. Allegedly, when Steinbrenner went to visit The Yankee Clipper on his deathbed, Joe D. implored Steinbrenner to make ammends with Yogi.

Steinbrenner heeded that advice, and an unofficial burying of the hatchet was held at Berra's museum in New Jersey shortly after DiMaggio's death. But July 18, 1999 would be Berra's big day at the Stadium. Don Larsen was flown in for the festivities, and it was Larsen, author of MLB's only post-season perfect game, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Berra caught it, just as he did the final strike on October 8, 1956, then returned Joe Girardi 's catchers mitt to him.

Girardi took the mitt, and then proceeded to catch a perfect game from David Cone. It was perhaps the most efficient game ever pitched: Cone needed just 88 pitches, a whopping 66 of them strikes (75%), to throw the perfecto, striking out ten. He didn't have a single three ball count all afternoon. The game, though delayed by rain briefly, required just two hours and sixteen minutes to complete.

To mark the anniversary, Cone will throw out the ceremonial first pitch today. It will likely be caught by Girardi, who may then turn the glove over to Jorge Posada. I wouldn't expect a perfect game today, but I would expect one helluva pitching match-up.

CC Sabathia squares off against Justin Verlander in a rematch of their April 27th match-up in Detroit. Sabathia was good that night, allowing just six hits and no walks while fanning seven in eight innings of work. But Verlander was better, seven innings of seven hit ball, no walks and nine Ks. Verlander didn't allow a run, CC allowed four. The Yanks will try to turn the tables today.

It's a beautiful day. We have a great pitching match-up. They'll be celebrating a little bit of history at the Stadium today. I'd say everything is alright, but ten years ago today it was clean out of sight. Here's one of Motown's finest to tell us about it.



Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight

Back At It

When play resumed in the bottom of the 8th inning, Yankee Stadium couldn't have held more than 5,000 fans. Whittled down from the original 46,197, the 57 minute rain delay drove home the all but the most hearty Pinstripe supporters.

There were about a dozen people in each of the bleacher sections, and if you buy into the seating-based Yankee fan stereotypes, one would have to assume that many of them were sitting in better seats when Derek Jeter led off the inning with a sharp single to center. At that point, the Yankees seemed to be in control of the game, but for the first six and a half innings, that did not appear to be the case.

Despite the gloomy, overcast conditions at gametime, the weather held out for quite a while. The rain started falling in the sixth inning, and at that time the Yankees were trailing, as they had been for nearly the entire game.

To lead off the game, Curtis Granderson took two pitches before ripping a double to right off of A.J. Burnett. He came around to score two batters later (after being advanced to third), on a Miguel Cabrera groundout. The Yanks tied it up on a Hideki Matsui single in the bottom half of the inning but the Tigers added another picket to their fence in the second.

Granderson again proved lethal in the leadoff role to start the fifth inning, sending a solo shot to right center field to bring the score to 3-1. It might have stayed there if Josh Anderson hadn't let a routine single by Mark Teixeira bounce through the wickets and up against the wall, allowing Johnny Damon to score easily. It wasn't the first costly error he's committed against the Yanks this year.

For the second time in a row, A.J. Burnett wasn't sharp. However, he found a way to work around a 11 baserunners and a throwing error (his own) and keep the game competitive. He allowed 5 BBs to just 1K, and spent 104 pitches in the process of getting through 6 innings. But he never allowed more than one run in a frame and left the game with the Yanks still in striking distance at 3-2.

After Phil Hughes worked a scoreless half of the seventh inning, the Yanks jumped on Joel Zumaya in the form or a Derek Jeter single and a two bagger courtesy of Johnny Damon. Still with no one out, Mark Teixeira worked the count to 3-0, took a strike and then blasted a three run shot to RF to shift the balance of the game permanently.

Hughes came back on for the 8th and rung up 3 more K's, bringing his total to 6 for the two innings he pitched. His line included 3 hits, a balk and 40 pitches, but Phil was dominant, mixing a fastball that touched 97 with a cutter and a curve.

After the rain delay and the top half of the 9th, the Honorable Mariano Rivera brought the proceedings to a close by getting former Yankee Marcus Thames to pop out to Teix in front of the pitcher's mound.

It was the 8th time in a row that the Yankees had come out of the All-Star break with a victory, and their third win in four games against the Tigers; seemingly the only first place team they can handle this year. They'll be back at it tomorrow at 1:05 with CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander squaring off in a battle of aces.

[Photos via ESPN/AP-Bill Kostroun]

Game 89: Break On Through

After what felt like an interminable All-Star Break, the Yankees return to action tonight, kicking off a ten game homestand against the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers. The Yanks took two of three from Detroit in late April, leaving the Tigers just a game above .500 at the time. Since then they've gone 37-29 and currently hold a 3.5 game lead over the White Sox in the Central.

The Tigers have struggled a bit offensively. They are just below league average in runs per game and as a team are only hitting .259/328/.422. Of course they play their home games in cavernous Comerica Park; we'll see if the bandbox that is the new Yankee Stadium jump starts the bats at all. On the pitching side, the Tigers' staff is allowing the third fewest runs per game and has the fourth best ERA+.

Detroit sends a dreaded rookie left-hander to the mound tonight in Luke French. French was first recalled in mid-May, making two scoreless relief appearances. After getting sent back down, he was recalled and inserted into the rotation in early July. Tonight will be his third start. On the year, he's 1-0 with 1.93 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. However, his BABIP against is absurdly low, his BB/9 is high, his K/9 is low, and his FIP checks in at 5.06. The numbers, though based on a small sample size, suggest that Mr. French is in for a rough outing or two at some point. Hopefully it's tonight. And if he lives up to his surname, he'll likely turn tail and run at the first sign of trouble.

A.J. Burnett goes for the Yanks, and I'm glad he gets the first start after the break. He's been the Yanks best pitcher of late, going 4-1 with a 1.34 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP over his last five starts, while holding opponents to a .193/.294/.277 batting line. He still leads the AL in walks, but Detroit is just tenth in the AL in BBs drawn. I'm hopeful Burnett won't be too rusty after not starting since last Wednesday.

It's been eight days since the Yankees last won a game. It's been five days since they last played a game. The bitter taste of that three game sweep in Anaheim has lingered for too long. The Yanks are a combined 2-12 against division leading Boston and Los Angeles. Twice this year they've climbed into at least a tie for first place in the division, and twice they've followed that with a bad, bad stretch of baseball. They enter the season's second half three games out of the division, leading the wild card, and getting a shot at the AL Central leaders. As we break on through to the second half of the season, it sure would be nice for the Yankees to break on through the glass ceiling they've hit earlier this year and go on a nice little run. A ten game homestand offers ample opportunity to do just that.

You know the day destroys the night
Night divides the day
Try to run, try to hide
Break on through to the other side

College Football Closer To Reality At New Stadium

Back in May, we ran a post about Notre Dame expressing interest in playing at Yankee Stadium. Today, that looks closer to being a reality.

According to the Times Herald-Record, Army and Notre Dame will play their 2010 game at the Stadium. The Black Knights will also reportedly play a game there in 2011, 2012, and 2013 against opponents yet to be determined.

I agree with ESPN's Graham Watson in thinking that having the annual Army-Navy game there would be great, but the locations for that game are already booked for years to come.

While I can appreciate the novelty and the nostalgia of hosting football at the new Stadium, I'm not sure it's the best idea in the world. The Yankees have invested billions of tax payer dollars in building a new baseball stadium. Why jeopardize the quality of the turf by subjecting it to a football game?

As Jay noted last week, multi-purpose ballparks are dying off. In recent years Veterans Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium, Riverfront Stadium, Candlestick Park and Qualcomm Park, all former two sport venues, have been replaced. The Metrodome will join them at season's end. Of the remaining dual sport MLB parks - Network Associates Coliseum and Landshark Stadium - are considered the worst venues in baseball. Why would the Yankees want to jump back to the multipsort mindset of 20 and 30 years ago?

Morning News and Notes

Good morning Fackers, and Happy Friday to you. Not only is the work week nearly over, but our extended All-Star Break sabbatical has finally reached its end. Yankee baseball returns tonight; time to get back to business around here. Here are a few news items to start you off this morning:

Missing Man Damaso Marte has officially begun his rehab assignment. He started for the Gulf Coast League Yankees last night, allowing two hits and an earned run in his inning of work. Not exactly what you'd want to see from a Major League veteran facing Rookie League competition, but right now it's about Marte getting his work in, not necessarily the results. His rehab clock is officially ticking now. Barring further injury, which is a never a sure thing with Marte, he'll be back within 30 days. Mr. Tomko, please prepare to pack your bags.

Via Rob Neyer, Jeremy Sandler of The National Post reports that Dick Scott, Blue Jays' Director of Player Development, was scouting the Tampa Yankees this week. Sandler then proceeds to pull out his jump to conclusions mat and state the the Jays are likely scouting the Yanks' prospects for a potential Roy Halladay deal:

One Tampa Yankee prospect Toronto might look at is catcher Jesus Montero, New York's second-best prospect according to Baseball America. The 19-year-old is hitting .356 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs in 48 games at Single-A this season.

Well that's great Mr. Sandler, they should scout Montero, except he's been with AA Trenton for more than a month now. I thought that silly things like "checking your facts" was what "real journalists" were taught in school.

George Steinbrenner made an appearance at the Yankees Minor League Complex yesterday. The article doesn't contain any direct quotes, but implies that he did address the media in some way. To my knowledge, this was Steinbrenner's first public appearance of the year. I'm actually a little surprised by it.

The Yankees' contract with international free agent The Artist Formerly Known as Damian Arredondo has been voided because the player in question is not in fact "Damian Arredondo" nor is he 16 as believed. This is just further evidence as to how seedy and corrupt the Latin American free agent process is.

Back with more later on.

Another Link-A-Roo

It's been a slow couple of days around here, Fackers, and we hope you understand. I know Matt's been swamped at work and I have had a lot of irons on the fire as well. Here are some more links that will hopefully tide you over.

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PeteAbe rounded up the Yankees' farmhands' stats from the MiLB All-Star games last night.

David Pinto from Baseball Musings continues his look at all 30 teams during the All-Star break today. Yesterday he examined the Yankees. Looking at where in the AL the Yanks rank it terms of pitching and offense, it becomes pretty apparent who hasn't been holding up their end of the bargain thus far.

Tommy Craggs over at Deadspin rounded up some experts on pitching mechanics to try and fix Obama's lollipop curveball. It was a pretty respectable toss, and when you compare it to his golf swing, he looks downright coordinated.

Cliff from Bronx Banter grades the Yankees based on their first half performance. On the whole they seem a little generous to me, but hop over and see for yourself.

Matthew Pouliot at Circling the Bases takes a level-headed sabermetirc look at the AL MVP. You can probably guess who comes out on top so far, but it's interesting to see how Matthew came to that conclusion.

Ben K. from River Ave. Blues talks about what the Yankees might have to give up in order to get Roy Halladay and why front officies and fans likes their own prospects better than others do. In his article, Ben links to Trenton Thunder blogger Mike Ashmore's case for trading Jesus Montero, which is well reasoned, but still doesn't make me want to see him go.

Jason Stark looks at the divergent possibilites of the Phillies signing Pedro Martinez. Joel Sherman compares him to David Cone. My thoughts... Pedro + Citizen's Bank Park = Yikes.

Before the season began, Lar from wezen-ball collected predicitons from seven bloggers (including me), Lar and a few of his friends. Click through to see how we are doing. (Hint: I'm not looking very good).

Derek Jeter's Humble Abode Coming Along Nicely

When we last checked in with the construction of the All-Star shortstop's quaint future dwelling on Davis Island in Tampa, it was just being framed. Now it's beginning to take shape and you can see what kind of elbow room 30,870 square feet will give you.

Oddly, the Tampa Bay Online gallery that I'm linking to above calls the home an "English Manor". I'm not a European Historian, but I'm pretty sure most manor homes have more square footage on their property than they do in the home.

All-Star Game: Night of 1,000 Stars

Or, since the league rosters are capped at 33, maybe it's Night of 66 Stars. But that's only if you believe that the likes of Zach Duke, Andrew Bailey, or Brad Hawpe are actually All-Stars. That isn't to say that those guys aren't having good seasons, just that they aren't the names that first come to mind when thinking of the Mid-Summer Classic.

I've kind of lost interest in the All-Star Game in recent years. I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the MLBN air ASGs from my youth the past several days. Perhaps not coincidentally, my interest has waned as Bud Selig has attempted to force meaning into what was never intended to be anything more than an exhibition game. Our pal Jason at IIATMS has detailed this quite well in recent weeks, pointing out the absurdity of the whole affair. I'll say this much: it was somewhat disappointing to see the 2002 game end in tie, but it didn't ruin my summer. It's a damn exhibition. I'd rather it end tied than have a pitcher from a pennant contending team throw 100 pitches in a meaningless game.

The pitching match-up tonight is a great one, as it usually is for the All-Star Game. On-the-block Roy Halladay will oppose emo-kid-extraordinaire Tim Lincecum. And because the All-Star Game is stupid, the pitchers will bat since the game is being held in an NL park. So Halladay may get some more practice at the plate before he winds up with the Phillies at the end of the month. I've gone back about 30 years and can't find the last time a pitcher that started the All-Star Game was traded mid-season. Halladay would be the first in a long time, if not the first overall.

In another line-up note, Mrs. Tony Parker is a late scratch from the AL line-up, with an infected ring finger. Michael Young replaces him at 3B in the AL line-up, Chone Figgins replaces him on the AL roster. I'm surprised the NL is allowing such a late substitution, because, as you know, this one counts!

For the Yankees, both Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira start, batting second and fourth respectively. Mo is out in the pen to close it out, and if recent history holds, he will. There was a time when the NL absolutley dominated All-Star play, winning all but one ASG from 1963-1982. In reent years however, it's been all AL. Since I began following the game in 1988, the AL has gone 17-3-1. They had a six game winning streak from 1988-93, and have won every ASG since 1997, save for the tie in 2002.

For his career, Jeter is .474/.474/.684 in 19 PA over 9 ASGs, including five starts. He was the 2000 ASG MVP.

Teix has made just one previous ASG appearance, starting at 1B in 2005, going 1 for 3 with a HR.

Mo has made 9 previous All-Star teams, appearing in seven games. He's gone seven innings, giving up just one unearned run and allowing only five hits and no walks. He's fanned four and finished five of those games, picking up saves in '97, '05, and '06.

Tonight's video comes from the Upper West Side's own Beacon Theater and features Phil Lesh and Friends. The video is nearly as long as last night's Home Run Derby, but it comes from a fairly historic performance, as this was filmed at the second to last concert given by the "classic" Phil Lesh and Friends line-up of Lesh, John Molo, Rob Baracco, Jimmy Herring, and Warren Haynes.

Midday Linkaround

Sorry Fackers, it's a slow day in terms of news and a busy one for both Matt and me. Here are a couple of items of interest to get you through the afternoon.

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I hardly watched any of the Home Run Derby last night because in the process of drinking three beers at the bar, I saw a grand total of 11 home runs hit, thanks mostly to Brandon Inge's impressive display. How's that for action?!?! Didn't exactly entice me to turn it on when I got home, you know? Craig from Shysterball didn't watch much more, but he did jot more of his thoughts down.

Joel Sherman has three suggestions to improve the Derby. I like the first two, and even though third sounds like a good idea, it feels really dirty.

Sherman also posted three things he thinks about the Yanks at this point in the season. One of the items is a positive look at A-Rod. He's got 17HRs and 50RBIs despite missing the first 5 weeks of the season. Not too shabby, all things considered.

Looking at this post from Jason made me realize that A-Rod is still on pace to exceed Nate Silver's infamous projection, which I offered an alternative to back in February. Nate said 33, I said 42 and if A-Rod holds his pace of homering every 3.41 games he plays in, he'll end up with 39.

The average All-Star makes less than the average Yankee. Does that bother any of you?

Mike from River Ave. Blues takes an in-depth look at the development of Austin Jackson. It's something we've attempted to do here in the past but Mike really knocks this one out of the park (even if Jackson has struggled to do so).

Also at RAB, Joe weighs the possibily of adding a veteran starter.

Josh has something in common with Andrew Bailey, but I have something in common with Mariano Rivera.

Remember when fan clubs were just for the Backstreet Boys and the Red Sox? Not anymore...

/hangs head in shame

And last but not least, allow me to offer a friendly travel tip: If you are going to smuggle cocaine in your golfing equipment, you might want to brush up on the basics of the game.

Did Anyone Else Catch This?

Like Matt was yesterday, I was listening to most of Saturday's game on the radio and didn't hear Dick Stockton sneak in a quick little, ahem, plug for Just For Men in the top of the 8th inning.

Dan Levy from On The DL Podcast was kind enough to send this over and he added some more thoughts to go along with an LSU Freek photoshop at the Sporting Blog. As Dan points out, it's pretty funny, given Stockton's cranial adornments and marital status, that he's telling other men to "stay in the game" by dying their hair, but aside from that, I'm not sure how I feel about these types of ads.

You can be sure that networks aren't selling fewer advertisements during breaks because of these spots; they are just finding more ways to wring money out of the broadcast and as the customers in this scenario, we aren't getting anything out of this. It's not exactly obtrusive, but it certainly is pretty contrived.

Has anyone noticed the occasional Listerine ad that pops up during the later innings on the YES network? It is accompanied by a gurgling noise that sounds like someone taking a bong hit, and the banner sits on the screen for a few seconds without so much as an acknowledgement from the broadcasters. Again, it's pretty easy to ignore, but seems out of place.

I don't know how effective these spots can possibly be. I already use Listerine, and won't dye my hair even when I do end up going gray. How many people have been introduced to these products or persuaded to use them by these ads? I mean, literally none? Does is just fall under the hazy purposes of brand building? Anyone in the world of marketing care to weigh in?

This post was built by Home Depot. Let's build something together.

Afternoon Link Round Up

The All-Star break is a lonely time for baseball news. Here are a few links for the afternoon:

Joe Posnanski isn't done lamenting the Royals trade for Yuniesky Betancourt.

Rany Jazayerli weighs in as well. As you might imagine, it's not pretty.

Not surprisingly, Keith Law also thinks this was a bad, bad deal (ESPN Insider required)

We've talked a lot about Joba's attitude, approach, and performance of late. Here's some input from Rob Neyer, Mark Feinsand, and Tyler Kepner.

On Friday, the Giants' Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter against the Pads. He fell a Juan Uribe error short of a perfect game. He K'd 11, and they say Sanchez' stuff was downright dirty.

As was first rumored when the Nats visited the Yankees last month, Manny Acta was finally canned as Washington's manager. Jim Riggleman takes over as interim manager just as he did in Seattle last year. Acta didn't do too well as the Nats skipper, but I think that's just as much a reflection of the ineptitude of Washington's Front Ofice as it is Acta's managerial skills. I still say Acta will be managing the Mets no later than Opening Day next year.

Former Yankee Tony Clark has been released by the D-Backs.

The Future's Game in St. Louis had a four hour rain delay yesterday. Jesus Montero went 0 for 2 with an RBI. Manny Banuelos did not pitch.

Lessons in Overmanagement: Outfield Edition

As if the three game sweep at the hands of the Angels wasn't bad enough for this Monday morning, via Peter Abraham we get this little nugget of idiocy courtesy of the man who wears his heart on his sleeve and his mission on his back:

"As I told all the outfielders today, we have five guys who are playing pretty good," the manager said before a 5-4 loss against the Angels. "Everyone's going to play. It's all about winning ballgames. We know everyone wants 600 at-bats, but it's probably not going to happen."

Well good golly, Skip. We know you want to win the World Series, but if those are the kinds of managerial decisions you're going to make, it's probably not going to happen. And by the way Joe, you have five outfielders who are playing pretty well, not pretty good. You're Northwestern educated, try to act like it.

Here's a look at the numbers of the five Yankee outfielders, plus Godzilla for good measure:

Damon: .276/.362/.510, OPS+: 127, UZR/150: -15.6 LF
Swisher: .237/.360/.464, OPS+: 115, UZR/150: 1.8 RF
Matsui: .265/.367/.517, OPS+: 130
Gardner: .282/.352/.404, OPS+: 99, UZR/150: 20.1 CF
Cabrera: .285/.347/.439, OPS+: 105, UZR/150: -3.5 CF, 11.2 RF, 3.8 LF
Hinske: .263/.379/.411, OPS+: 121, UZR/150: 2.4 RF

I applauded the Hinske move when it was made, and I still feel he was a good acquisition for the bench. I think the Gardner/Cabrera two headed monster has done a commendable job in CF, producing better than the average AL centerfielder. I know Damon has looked pretty bad in the field, and the numbers bear that out. I realize Swisher is prone to adventurous plays in the field and boneheaded decisions on the bases.

That said, any OF/DH lineup that doesn't include Matsui, Damon, Swisher, and one of either Gardner or Cabrera puts the Yankees at a disadvantage. Matsui, Damon, and Swisher are third, fifth, and eighth on the team in OPS respectively. There is a sizeable gap between the worst of those three and the best of the other three, despite Hinske's good numbers in a small sample size. If it really is "all about winning ballgames", this latest idea probably isn't one to pursue.

I don't have a problem with sitting both Damon and Swisher yesterday given their numbers against Lackey. I'm all for giving Damon and Matsui a day off here and there to keep them fresh. I'm all for sitting Swisher down from time to time if he needs to be sent a message. I'm all for sending in Gardner or Cabrera for defensive purposes in the late innings (although it would appear that it's Damon, not Swisher, who needs substitution). But to enter anything remotely resembling a platoon that's taking regular at bats away from Matsui, Damon, or Swisher is going to have a negative effect on this team's chances of winning.

We've talked in the past about our displeasure with Girardi's overhandling of the bullpen. It looks like his "hands on" strategy will infect the outfield as well. I fear that the infield is next, and I'm only half-sarcastic when I say that. "Listen, I know Jeet's having one of his best seasons in years, but we have to get Cody some at bats".

/bangs head against wall repeatedly

I had hoped that Girardi's hiring meant that the Yankees were getting a cerebral manager, someone who would make informed, intelligent decisions. Despite the team's success this year, with each passing day I'm feeling more and more like that is not the case. This situation will bear watching as the second half unfolds.

Bad Trade Friday

Good morning Fackers. Monday mornings are never fun, especially after a brutal three game sweep. But look on the bright side. It could be worse; you could be a fan of the Mets or the Royals, both of whom made awful, awful trades on Friday.

Friday morning, we touched on some the troubles around the Royals. Things only got worse for them that afternoon, as they traded two minor league pitchers, including their third best prospect, to the Mariners for shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt. Joe Posnanski already detailed how bad this trade is. Simply put, Betancourt is bad ballplayer. He's bad in the field at a premium defensive position, he's bad on the bases, and he's awful at the plate. His career high in OPS+ is 93, his career average is 84, and this year he's at a career low 63.

The Royals felt they needed a shortstop, because thus far they've sent out Mike Aviles (22 OPS+), Tony Pena Jr. (-35, that's minus 35), Willie Bloomquist (90, with a UZR/150 of -22.9) and Luis Hernandez (19). So, they went out and got Betancourt with his 63 OPS+ and and -18.0 UZR/150. Brilliant work Mr. Moore. This one has sparked headscratching and outrage from all corners of the Royals universe.

Meanwhile, Omar Minaya made a boneheaded move of his own. It's no secret that the Braves were dying to unload Jeff Francouer, who at long last lost his starting job. After an impressive debut in 2005, Frenchy has been on a downward spiral. His OPS+ since that rookie year: 87, 103, 72, 68. His walk rate is currently under 4%. He was demoted to AA last summer. He's an absolute mess.

So Minaya went and traded for him, sending Ryan Church to Atlanta. Church was also a rookie in 2005, posting OPS+ of 118, 131, 114 in his first three seasons, before concussion problems - that were mishandled by the Mets' medical team - dropped him to 106 in limited duty last year. This year, he's only at 88, which by they way is 20 points better than the guy the Mets got in exchange for him.

Of course, Jerry Manuel openly despised Church, so such a move was inevitable, even if Church was the Mets CFer with Carlos Beltran and Fernando Martinez on the DL. I just can't see this one working out well for the Mets. But, umm, at least Frenchy plays a lot of games.

Just for good measure, the Mets signed our old friend Angel Berroa to a minor league deal on Saturday. It was bang up weekend for Minaya.

As July 31st approaches, as we all cringe at another bad appearance from Joba Chamberlain or Andy Pettitte or Brian Bruney, as we salivate over the latest Roy Halladay rumor, pray that Brian Cashman doesn't make a trade like either of the two above.