Aren't You Glad The Yankees Are In The AL?

The Yankees pitchers have started taking BP:

Wang was in the batting cage yesterday, as was accomplished hitter CC Sabathia (.261 average in 88 at-bats with three home runs and 13 RBIs). Sabathia is looking forward to taking his hacks for real.

Joe Girardi? He's not looking forward to any part of it. "It's always fun to watch them take BP," the manager said. "This big thing is to make sure nobody gets hurt in BP and obviously during the games. That's a concern of ours."

It's pretty sad that the discussion immeadetly turns to the possibility of getting injured. They aren't squatting behind the plate for 9 innings.

I enjoy watching pitchers hit. Particularly when they are terrible at it and on another team. It's like watching penguin hobble akwardly on land; they just aren't made to do it and it makes you appreciate all the other creatures who were. It will be worth sitting through two or three at bats a game for three series against the Marlins, Braves and Mets we get to watch big ol' CC hustle into second for just one double.

Game 7: Kashmir

As the Yankees send their groundball machine Chien Ming Wang to the mound tonight to avenge his horrible showing in Baltimore, the Tampa Bay (Nothing Ungodly-Sounding) Rays counter with lefty strikeout tallier Scott Kazmir.

Scott's dad co-owned a company with Adam Dunn's father in Houston and despite being 5 years apart, used to play wiffle ball together growing up. Kazmir was quarterback of his football team in high school, but found that his talents on the pitcher's mound far exceed those under center. Kazmir threw two no-hitters as a sophomore and then four consecutive no-hitters his junior year. As a senior, he broke Josh Beckett's strikeout record for the state of Texas by punching out 175 in 72 innings and was named Baseball America's High School Player Of The Year.

The Mets were surprised when he fell to them at the 15th pick in the draft and signed him for $2.15M, the largest bonus the team had ever given out (guess who his agent was). Kazmir continued his dominance on his rise through the minor leagues, but was traded when he was still in Double A. He was moved to the (at the time Devil) Rays for Victor Zambrano and Bartolome Fortunato at the behest of pitching coach Rick Peterson who thought he saw a fixable flaw in Zambrano's mechanics. Although Steve Phillips is commonly assumed to have made the trade in hindsight (since it was retarded), it actually occured Jim Duquette's watch.

After missing the first month of the 2008 season, Kazmir signed an extension last May with TB that locked him up through 2011 with team option for '12. He made 27 starts last year and had a 3.49 ERA, but averaged only 5 2/3 innings per start (5.8 for his career). As is the case with many strikeout pitchers, Kazmir has trouble keeping his pitch count down. In his first start this season he went six innings and gave up one run, but needed 111 pitches to do so.

I know Mets fans pine for Kazmir like an old girlfriend who got away, but he's not a guy that I particularly wish was on the Yanks. Don't get me wrong, if Scott Kazmir is your second or third best pitcher, you've probably got a great staff. But he doesn't seem like a true top of the line starter to me because he puts too much pressure on the bullpen. And I hate guys who throw too many pitches.

Don't go proving me wrong now, Scott.


[I know, the spelling isn't the same, but it's close enough]

TEH SKY IS FALLIGN!1!!!!!!

I didn't follow the game on LoHud last night because I was writing our game recap, but luckily our resident IT Manager & Internet Researcher, Cliff did. He was kind enough to mine out some of the most hysterical overreactions to last night's game from the comment section for your viewing pleasure (everyone together: Thanks, Cliff!). I would love make fun of each of them individually, but I don't have time and there's really no point.

Without further adeiu, I present, in conjuction with LoHud Enterprises, A Fack Youk Production:

Game Two: Overreactions In Orioledom

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Matt April 8th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I miss Jose Molina behind the plate. All the memories of Posada calling for a pitcher’s 3rd best pitch with runners on base and serving up extra base hits are rushing back.

KO April 8th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
leave it to the Yankees, with huge expectations and brand new stars, to come out flat against a last place team in their own division. so far these two games look like a reprint of 2008. they have absolutely no clue at the plate. no plan of action. way too many times already have they taken a fat pitch right down the middle on the 1st pitch or early in the count and they’re falling behind, then chasing. everyone seems like they are pressing already and a bunch of scrubs are whipping them…. Wang no more runs bro…

KO April 8th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
LOL GREGG ZAUN JUST MASHED A DOUBLE I AM OFFICIALLY TURNING IT OFF

Pat April 8th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Wang is awful. He’s a #4 starter at best

Every Day Phil Coke April 8th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
The Hank watch is on. The Dave Eiland watch is on.

ZZ April 8th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Awesome. Already destroying our bullpen only two games into the season.
Great job of Girardi not bringing a long man into the rotation.

Hank April 8th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Great job not taking a long man Girardi. He’s fired by May.

Global Warming April 8th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Where is the “these games don’t matter” crowd? When this team decides to show up let me know. Ridiculous.

ron April 8th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
same old bums….. no f….k..g balls…. they should line this team and just shoot them…..

ugh April 8th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
What a pathetic joke. It’s like this team enjoys embarassing themselves.

Dan April 8th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Tex is a headcase. This is unacceptable.
Why can’t we ever acquire players with guts? We always go get players who have been losers on other teams.

7 UP April 8th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Go acquire Matt Holliday and put him in CF
Trade Melky, Shelly Duncan, and Dan Giese to OAK for him. We cannot watch our season go down the drain because of this pathetic offense.

[Cliff Note: 1) Oakland just claimed Giese off waivers 2) Holliday would be a disaster in CF 3) I'm sure OAK would love a 32 year old minor league pitcher, a 29 year old minor league journeyman, and a fringe bench player who had a 68 OPS+ last year in exchange for the best available OF on the trade market]

Ryan April 8th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Give Swisher the start at first tomorrow. Maybe being benched will piss Teixeira off a little, or at least keep his o-fer out of the 3 spot.

kelvin April 8th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Tex will go 0-26 to start the season. Mark that down.

Carl April 8th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Need to re-shape the lineupSwisher needs to play 1st, Melky in CF, Pena at SS, Molina at C. Get some spark into the lineup.

Edwards April 8th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
eerily similar to last year—unable to beat the bottom feeders of the league and play inconsistent baseball. Teixeria is NOT worth $180 million, he is not worthy of being the 3rd highest paid player in baseball.

RC 61 April 8th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
The problem is that Cashman didn’t get any players with fortitude. He should have signed proven winners like Lowe and Manny who are clutch and unfazed by pressure and know how to win. You think Lowe gives up 7 runs tonight??

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Aaaaand Scene.


For good measure, here is one voice of reason, from the most unlikely of places:

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ray (sox fan) April 8th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
“Teixeria is NOT worth $180 million, he is not worthy of being the 3rd highest paid player in baseball.”

Hey, I’m a Sox fan, but even I have to ask how does one come up with this conclusion after a grand total of two games?

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Thank you, Ray. Stop by anytime.

Game Two: Baltimorons, Mascot Taunting & A Late Rally

See what you're missing Teix?!?!! Don't you wish you signed in Baltimore for $40M less than the Yankees offered so you could play in front of these great fans who don't even fucking show up to the second game of the season? Hey Baltimorons, you just lost your "Make Fun Of Rays Fans" card.

I'm pretty sure I know what side of the Erik Bedard trade I'd take at this point.

Relax guys, this was just a clever ploy by Wang to to take the focus off of CC Sabathia.

[New Slogan] "Heineken: It's Not Just The Shitty Light Beer Brands Who Think You Are An Idiot."

And what would be the point of stocking your giant walk-in cooler with one type of beer?

Fail
Fail
Fail

If hypothetical Team A went 3/19 with runners in scoring position in two simulated games, Team A theoretically wouldn't deserve to win those games.

The fact that they let a fucking mascot dance around on top of the dugout at Camden Yards really negates some of that "Retro Ballpark" clout.

Funny, I don't think we'll see headlines in the Rags tomorrow about how the demise of Derek Jeter was greatly exaggerated. Like actual knee-jerk reactions, the ones that appear in print only go in one direction.

If there is one bright spot in this unfortunate event, it's that Teixeira didn't end the game and head into tomorrow 0-9.

Congrats on your first major league victory, Koji Uehara. I'll check back in July when you are 3-6 with a 5.23 ERA.

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Somehow, this defeat is a little easier to swallow for me than yesterday's, although it should technically be twice as hard to, right? Anyone else?