Stick To The Script

Just like the one before, last night's game went according to the script. It seemed like a forgone conclusion that the Yankees would be dominated by Roy Halladay on Tuesday but some of us had doubts as to whether they would get to Scott Richmond. The 29 year old rookie fit the profile of a certain type of starter who have given the Yankees troubles in recent years. Facing minor league journeymen with limited scouting reports had already lead to a few losses this season.

As I sarcastically suggested last night, the bottom of the line-up actually did help the Yanks by triggering the rally in the 2nd inning that knocked Richmond out of the game. Brett Gardner hit his first home run in 222 Major League plate appearances and was followed by Ramiro Pena's first big league hit better than a double (a three-bagger). I think the look of of disbelief of Jeter's face in the shot above says it all (how much do you want to bet he was behind this?). Pena then scored on a triple by Johnny Damon and as the Yanks left the Jays in the dust. 

Andy Pettitte needed 106 pitches to trudge through his six innings, only 64 of which went for strikes. He allowed five hits, four walks and survived two fielding errors but held the Jays to only two runs, one earned. Aceves and Albalajedo combined for three innings of scoreless ball, with Albie inducing a game-ending double play ball in the bottom of the 9th with the base loaded.  

It wasn't the most captivating contest. You'd take the result twelve times out of ten, but after the Yanks established their lead, there were essentially no moments when it felt like the game was on the line. However, as always, there were a couple of funny/interesting occurrences worth highlighting via screenshot. 

-----

If you were watching the YES broadcast, I'm sure you noticed the guys in full umpire's gear mimicking the signals all along the way. You what's even sadder if you are a Yankees fan? They only paid $210 for their "Action Seats", (and they got to watch a first place team).

YES offered a poll via text message which asked if fans felt the Blue Jays were a playoff team:

What do you think YES Network viewers thought...

Pretty rich coming from Yankees fans, considering the team's current circumstances, but what did YES expect when they asked a dumb question like that? 

And I saw one of my favorite things in baseball... A hitter ducking out of the way for a breaking ball, which turns out to be a strike.
 

Albaladejo came extremely close to doing it again in the bottom of the ninth, but barely missed the called strike. 

Game 33: Rock Bottom (?)

For the 8th time in 12 series this year the Yankees have dropped the opening game. They are behind the 8 ball to the Jays and are two games under .500 the season. 

The Bombers have been unlucky this year, but not on the field. They have been outscored by 25 runs and their 15-17 record is actually slightly better than the 14-18 their run differential projects. Compare that to the 15-19 Rays, who have outscored their opponents by 13 and based on that, should be 18-16. 

Standings Based On Pythagorean Record

22-13 - Toronto

18-15 - Boston

18-16 - Tampa Bay

14-18 - Yankees

14-19 - Baltimore

Many of the players on the Yankees have been injured or thus far underperformed. There's a fundamental difference between playing well on the field on getting unlucky in regards to how your runs are distributed and not playing up to potential. Much of the Yankees' record was accrued with Alex Rodriguez out of the line-up, but they have few other excuses to justify their slow start, aside from simple under achievement. Jorge Posada has appeared in 23 of 32 games, a proportion that is only getting worse in the short term. Mark Teixeira has is batting .191 and has an OPS+ of 91. A.J. Burnett's ERA is north of 5.   

At this point in each of the last three seasons, the Yankees have been at or below .500, so we are probably a little too familar with trying to grapple with the thought I'm about to put forward. 

Have they hit rock bottom?

Last year the low point came after a 12-2 loss to Baltimore that put the Yanks at 20-25. They won 89 games and obviously didn't reach the postseason. In '07 the Yanks slipped all the way to 21-29 before righting the ship and finishing 73-39 and capturing the Wild Card. In 2005, they started 11-19, but then ripped off 10 straight wins en route to 95.

It's painful to watch your team flounder below .500, especially when they spend as much money this offseason as the Yankees did (not to mention what it cost to build the Stadium). It's easy to feel like we've been jipped so far and the team is due for a turnaround. It's tougher to accept the fact the team the Yankees have put on the field night in and night out is a lot closer to the Orioles then they are to the Blue Jays, Sox or even the Rays. 

Tonight, Andy Pettite starts for the Bombers against Scott Richmond. It's only Scott's 11th major league start, which has been a pretty bad sign for the Yankees so far this year, judging by ther results against Matt Palmer, Brett Anderson and Jeff Niemann. But perhaps the fact that the Yanks have four guys that should probably be in the minor leagues in their line-up (Ramiro Pena, Fancisco Cervelli, Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera) will work to their advantage.

Here's to hoping this is in fact Rock Bottom. 

But fuck it, if you know the rules to the game, play,
Cause when we die we know were all going the same way,
It's cool to be player, but it sucks to be the fan,
When all you need is bucks to be the man.

Secondary Ticket Prices Down From Last Year

Neil Best has a blog post up today (following up on his column on Monday) discussing the secondary market for Mets and Yankees tickets. Ross from New Stadium Insider was well ahead of the curve on this issue, but Neil adds a very surprising bit of information:

StubHub spokesman Sean Pate said as of last week, the average resale price of a Yankees ticket was $79, down from $84 at this time last year despite the increase in face values. 

So despite the fact that the prices of Yankees tickets had been uniformly increased (the best seats exponentially so), and it's a brand New Stadium with fewer seats, the resale price is down. 

Does this mean the Yankees are actually making less money this year? Do the inflated prices on the tickets which are already sold counteract the fact that there are empty seats? During last season, you could have counted me among those who assumed that every seat to every game this year would have been sold. Aside from Opening Day, it hasn't even been close to that... What's going to happen if/when the New Stadium appeal wears out and Yanks continue to flounder?

Here's The Difference

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but it's never the wrong time to rip Lonn Trost. Very quickly... Yesterday as the Yankees were revealing their absurd - I mean, completely reasonable, free market - Old Stadium memorabilia prices, Lonn Trost was asked about the New Stadium's policy, which does not allow fans from other sections to come down to the Field Level to watch batting practice up close. He had this to say:

Well, if you purchase a suite, do you want somebody in your suite? If you purchase a home, do you want somebody in your home?

Here's the difference, Lonn. Seats at a stadium aren't a home. People can't go there when the Stadium is closed. Purchasing those seats allow for people to sit in them for before, during and after home games. It's a "suite" only because you call it that. Nowhere else is in the world are padded plastic seats without a roof considered a "suite". Actual suites are in hotels and on cruise ships and chalets in the Swiss Alps. The New Stadium is an outdoor sporting event venue, not a vacation destination. 

And as PeteAbe has brought up, those seats are almost always empty in the hours leading up to games. If fans from other sections were watching BP from down there and a ticket holder politely informed them that they were in their spot, I'm sure they would move out of the way. Apparently the obscene ticket prices at the New Stadium have spared the wealthy the indignity of interacting with us commoners for even the briefest of moments. Which would be fine, but again, those tickets still aren't totally sold. The Yankees are still screwing their real fans in the name of their make-believe dream customers. 

A.J. Burnett Miiiiight Be Kind Of A Dick

I went back through the RSN (the Blue Jays home network) broadcast of the game last night to get some more background as to what the announcer said about the enthusiasm of the crowd. I let it play out a little bit longer and they pulled a clip out from last July that I either missed when it happened or had completely forgotten about. 

On June 7th, 2008 starting against the Orioles at the Rogers Centre, Burnett gave up 8 runs in 4 1/3 IP and on his way back to the dugout, mockingly doffed his cap to the crowd. Classy. The score was 8-1 at the time and the loss Burnett dropped to 5-6 on the season. If it wasn't less than a year ago, it would be easy to chalk it up to immaturity but this was after he had already spent almost two and a half seasons with Halladay, who had supposedly made much him so much more of a professional. The guys on RSN cited it as a major reason he was getting booed last night.

He wasn't particularly well liked when he was there either, with some claiming that some of the many chunks of time he spent on the DL, he wasn't even injured:

Early in his first season as a Toronto Blue Jay, Burnett became a lightning rod for disappointment, opting to stay on the disabled list despite no physical evidence of injury. And he would stay there for long stretches of his first two years in a Jays uniform. 

I alluded to it last night, but here is the full quote that caused him to miss the his last start of the 2005 season with the Marlins, when he needed to pitch only one inning to reach the 210 mark, triggering a $50,000 bonus: 

We played scared. We managed scared. We coached scared. I'm sick of it, man. It's depressing around here. A 3-0 ballgame, I give up one run and leave guys on base, it's like they expect us to mess up. And when we do, they chew us out. There is no positive, nothing around here for anybody.

Burnett represents the most frustrating type of pitcher, the one with electric stuff but inconsistent performances. He'd throw a shut out one start and get tagged for 8ER the next. All this stuff reminds me how much hatred I put aside when Yankees committed $82.5M to him this offseason.

He sports a pricktastic sneer that makes appear constantly pissed off.  A.J. looks like he would have been the biggest asshole in your entire high school. Yes, it's a pretty superficial judgement to be making, but there isn't a whole lot more we have to go on as fans. A player's on-field demeanor makes up a tremendously large part of your perception of them, whether we like it or not. And it's not like he's done a whole lot in the "Performance" category to make up for that. Of course, if he's dominant his next time out, much of this will be forgotten.

"A-Jee Sucks! A-Jee Sucks!"

That's what the fans at the Rogers Centre were chanting, anyway. Burnett lasted 7 2/3 innings, but faltered in the 4th, allowing three runs from which the Yankees would never recover. The additional two he gave up before getting pulled in the 8th were just formalities.

Our Philadelphia-based MLB Extra Innings observer Cliff informed me that one of the Blue Jays' announcer said it was the most enthusiastic he had heard that crowd since 1998. His partner compared it to the atmosphere during the USA vs. Canada game in the WBC. On the My9 broadcast, Ken Singleton added that it was the loudest he had ever heard the stadium.

Rightfully so, I suppose. The Jays have the best record in the American League even though they have only one member of their starting rotation from last year at the moment. Everything seems to be falling into place for a team that many predicted would finish in last place in the AL East. Aaron Hill and Adam Lind are both slugging over .550 and Marco Scutaro has an OBP just shy of .400. 

Just as everything seems to be going right for the Jays, Murphy's Law appears to be in full effect for the Yanks. Derek Jeter was scratched before the game with an oblique pull and Hideki Matsui was pulled with hamstringitis adding to the litany of Yankees unable to take the field. 

The offense was predictably anemic against Harry Leroy Halladay. Ramiro Pena, Brett Gardner and Kevin Cash were in the starting line-up and went a combined 1-10. Doc bludgeoned the Yanks with 72 of his 103 pitches going for strikes, en route to his 7th victory of the year and the 41st complete game of his career. The lone Yankee run came courtesy of A-Rod with two outs in the top of the seventh.  

The Yanks ineptitude was perhaps best characterized by a play that occurred with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning and runners on second and third. Rod Barajas hit a flare to right field that was caught by Melky Cabrera, who fired a bullet to home plate. The throw arrived in plenty of time... 

bounced right into the center of Kevin Cash's chest protector... 

but deflected towards third base...

Allowing Adam Lind to slide home safely. 

The run didn't ultimately matter, but it never seemed like the Yankees had a chance anyway. Halladay has won his last six starts against the Yankees, holding them to a 1.91ERA and averaging almost eight innings per start. He hasn't needed more than 110 pitches to dispose of the Yanks during that stretch (which includes three complete games). The night belonged to the Doc and there wasn't much the Yanks could do about it. 

Game 32: Hello Old Friend

Back in 2005, the Blue Jays committed $55M over five years to a pitcher with a great arm, but a spotty injury history and a 49-50 career record. That pitcher was A.J. Burnett. After a taking a his sixth consecutive loss of the 2005 season on September 25th, Burnett had been asked to leave the team after  making critical comments about the coaching staff and teammates. None of  the potential negatives quelled the optimism manager John Gibbons and G.M. J.P. Richardi had when Toronto signed him:

"He's got one of the best arms in baseball," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "On any given night, he can shut out. I just think he'll fit in perfect."

>8

"We think we've done our homework," Riccardi said. "We looked at his age, being so young. I don't think we'd get involved with someone even in his mid-30s." 

Although you won't find many Blue Jay fans that agree with these calculations, according to FanGraphs, they got their money's worth. Despite making only 46 starts in his first two seasons in Toronto, F-G says Burnett was worth $11.4M and $11.8M in 2006 & 2007, respectively. Last year, he took the mound 35 times, and although he had a 4.07ERA on an 86 win team, won 18 games and was worth $25.5M. That works out to a total of $48.7M, whereas he was paid roughly $32M over that time. 

After he leveraged the best season of his career and opted to become a free agent, the Yankees signed Burnett, now three years older to the same five year commitment (except with no player opt-outs), but for $27.5M more. The manager and he G.M. this time: 

"We got the two gentlemen we really wanted," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I'm proud to say they're Yankees."

>8

"The one thing that I think today represents is just another example of that we're going to keep swinging for the fences," Cashman said. "We're going to keep trying. We're going to keep finding people and the right circumstances for a group that can make it happen."

So far this season, like he has been in much of his career, Burnett has been inconsistent. He has shown flashes of brilliance, like when he carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning against the Rays, but was also slapped around to the tune of 8ER in 5 innings in Boston. In six starts he has accumulated an ERA of 5.26 and been tagged for 6HR or 1.4/9IP, the highest rate of his career. Three of those dingers have come at home and three on the road in an equal proportion of starts, so he can't use the New Stadium as an excuse. He's yet to give up fewer than two runs in a start, and tonight, as he returns home to face his old team, might be a good night to break that trend. 

Starting tonight for Toronto will be consummate ace and perennial Cy Young candidate, Roy Halladay. Primarily because he hasn't pitched fewer than 7 innings in a game this year, Halladay has received a decision in every game, going 6-1 in 7 tries. At 3.29, his ERA isn't incredible, but combined with the duration of his outings, he is an incredibly valuable commodity.

The two starters tonight got along well when they were teammates and Burnett credits much of his success in Toronto to being in the rotation with two-time Cy Young Award winner: 

The main thing I gathered from [Halladay] is preparation and focus. I never really watched videos or paid that much attention until I got around him. He's locked into every game when he's not pitching. I try to do that when I'm not pitching also.

This talk of the improved work ethic was one of the major reasons that Brian Cashman swooped in and outbid the Braves for Burnett's services. 

It will be interesting to see how Burnett is received tonight. He was given a standing ovation when he left the mound in his last start in Toronto last year, after shutting down the Yankees to the tune of 2 runs over 8 innings. Somehow, I don't think the fact that he will be returning in Yankees' road grays is going to go over too well with the Blue Jay faithful.

This version is from The Old Grey Whistle Test

Hello old friend (hello old friend)
It's really good to see you once again (hello old friend)

Roger Clemens Would Like You To Know That He Is Still Delusional

[Update: Here is the interview]

This morning, Roger Clemens appeared on Mike and Mike in the Morning, to react to the book American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids In America's Pastime which was released today. And by "react to", I mean "hammer the same trite talking points that no one has bought since this information came out". Another amusing aspect of this is it only serves to raise awareness of the book well beyond its authors or publishers ever could have hoped to do themselves.

If he wasn't such a defiantly arrogant prick, you might almost feel bad for the guy. He comes on a nationally syndicated radio program and aside from Rusty Hardin, he might be the only person who actually believes what he is saying. For a more complete synopsis of the main points of questioning and Clemens' reactions to them, check out what Jason at IIATM,S posted.

Right out of the gate, he busts out with two painfully contrived stunts. First, he makes it clear that this is the only interview he is going to be able to do because he is supposedly going away for a week.

Clemens: I'm gettin' ready to go out of town, err, out of the country for a week... 

[...]

RC (About a minute later): Deb and I are getting ready to go out of town, err, out of the country for a week.

The fact that he instantly corrects himself both times and makes a point to say that he is leaving the country, would indicate that it was a talking point fed to him by Hardin or one of his other advisers. Why would it be important where he is going (unless he wanted to make it look like he wasn't dodging other interviews)? He came on Mike and Mike because he know they weren't going to be overly aggressive with their questioning. They did a pretty good job, but let him off the hook repeatedly. Has Clemens ever even left the country (aside from playing in Toronto)?He doesn't really strike me as much of an international traveler. Where is he going? Obviously not Mexico...

However, it was the second one I found most egregious.

RC: [Talking lowly away from the phone]

Mike Greenberg: Roger, are you still with us?

RC: [Still talking away from the phone, but audibly now] Okay buddy, I'll get ready to take you to school in a minute.

Are... you... fucking... kidding... me? This is your first interview in over a year, and you couldn't get your wife or one of your fifteen advisers to watch your kids for 10 minutes? I'm calling bullshit. This just happened to occur withing the first minute of the interview? His youngest child is no less than TWELVE YEARS OLD. It's not like he's got some clueless kindergartner wandering around the house.

Clemens also provides another iron clad reason that he couldn't have possibly used steroids: People in his family have suffered from heart conditions. He lists off two people who have suffered heart attacks, one of which was his stepfather. Roger Clemens - Nobel Prize Winning Geneticist.

RC: Our family has a history of heart conditions. My brother had a heart attack in his late 40's, my stepdad died of a heart attack... Uh, I mean, it would be suicidal for me to, even think about taking any of these dangerous drugs. 

No. No it would not. This is the worst defense you could possibly put forth. How could I have done this, it would have been inadvisable for me to do so?1?! Never mind the possibility that he could have resurrected his entire career, profited nine figure sums, won multiple World Series, and achieved international fame and athletic glory. But for him to potentially take a few years off of his life would have prevented him from doing steroids. Nice try, but I don't think so. 

A few other notes:

• Throughout the interview, Clemens refereed to the book as "piling on". Does he want to us to feel sorry for him? "Piling on" doesn't imply that what is being said is false. 
  
  
• He did later refer to McNamee's accusations as "totally false" and "impossible". Roger, your trainer, Brain McNamee injected your wife (not a professional athlete) with HGH. It is certainly not impossible, much less implausible that he did the same to you, considering that you had the world to gain by letting him so do.
  
  
• Still says that Andy Pettitte "misremembers" and they are still friends
  
  
• Danced around A-Rod and Manny questions, saying he didn't know the details about Manny's test and that he watched only a portion of A-Rod's interview with Peter Gammons and none of his second press conference.
  
  
• Constantly talked about "the kids" and how he has been throwing batting practice to them, how steroids are bad for them, etc. 
  
  
• Claimed he has been getting "great responses" in all of the cities he has been traveling to. 
  
  
• And finally, at the very end of the interview when Golic asked him whether he was finished playing, he compared himself to Brett Favre and said that if Favre comes back, he might have to start "pounding the pavement". 

I hadn't thought of the comparison, but it's certainly interesting one, with the most glaring similarity being that I wish both of them would take the millions of dollars they have made from playing professional sports and fucking dissapear forever. 

Papeljerk

For the record, I don't approve of Joba's fist pumping (which he has cut back on significantly since he's become a starter), but I think he gets unfairly singled out for doing it. Guys like Papelbon, K-Rod and even fucking Eddie Guardado bust out histrionics way beyond what Joba does, and no one really seems to mind.

Did you see this, Aubrey Huff? Are you anxiously awaiting the slim possibility that you hit a homer off of Papelbon, so you can pump your fist and show him up like the vindictive ex-girlfriend your name would lead me to believe you are? What better way to prove that fist pumping is a bush league manuver than to do it yourself... However, I'm guessing the answer to the second question is "No".

-----

And for just for good measure:

One Mo Thought

Mariano Rivera issued his first walk of the season today, and that might not be a bad thing. It was the only baserunner he allowed on his way to converting his sixth save of the season in a 5-3 victory over the Orioles. 

Given that Mo has been touched up pretty good recently, it might do him some good to work off the plate more often and get hitters to chase instead of just pounding the strike zone. With diminished velocity, he might have to change his approach a little, and not be afriad to issue a walk if it might diminsh the chance of surrendering a home run. 

Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right

Hey Aubrey Huff, didn't your mother ever tell you that?

Game 31: Hey Mama

I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine,
This little light of mine, and I'm gonna let it shine,
I'm fixin' to take y'all back to them better times,
I'm fixin' to talk about my mama if yall don't mind.

I feel bad for Joba Chamberlain today. In light of the recent legal troubles his mother has had, it's probably a tough day to take the mound. Based on the fact that he is still pitching despite a ruptured blood vessel in his thumb, it would have probably been harder for him not to.

If you haven't, you should read this profile of Joba's mom written last September in the Lincoln Journal Star. It's easy to be an asshole and make fun her mugshot, but reading that story might actually give you some understanding into her problems, and make you appreciate your relationship with your mom a little more. 

Like most of us, I think I have the best mom in the world. A quick example: Back in college, she came out to visit me and took my roommate Kevin and I out to dinner. All of Kev's cousins had gone on Semester at Sea, and he was planning on carrying out the tradition. As he was explaining what the trip entailed, my mom turned to me and said "So, why aren't you doing this?" I ended up going, and it was the best decision I've ever made. 

She's smart and thoughtful and she worries and nags (I mean, is nice enough to remind me of things), which probably makes her a lot like your mom. She stayed strong through some really tough times and even though everyone told me I would have to be the man of the house, I knew that wasn't the case. 

A long time ago we were talking about religion and life and she said "I believe in doing good things for the benefits they reap in this lifetime". Regardless of your beliefs, I think those are words that we can all live by.

So Happy Mothers Day, Mom (and also to the maximum of one or two other mothers who read this site). We appreciate you, even if we don't always act like it. 

Big Innings

Last night, as the runs started to pile up in the second inning, I'm pretty sure all Yankee fans were thinking essentially the same thing, "Here we go again". There was a mix of bad luck, bad pitching, bad defense, and lack of focus. I said bad luck first because Luke Scott's single to lead off the inning only got through because Cano was shifted towards first. Teixeira narrowly missed two balls hit at him. Aubrey Huff's homer was a good breaking ball at his shoelaces that he somehow awkwardly jerked over the right field scoreboard.

Regardless of how these big innings are coming to be, this is becoming a trend for this team. The Yankees have been outscored 167-190 this year and a major part of that is the fact that they have gotten tagged for a ton of train wreck innings, but have largely been unable to return the favor.

The Yanks have been outscored 81-37 in these sitauations, more than making up for their negative run differential.

What is causing this? I've identified some contributing factors:

• Chien Ming Wang - Wang is responsible for four of these innings, which account for 22 runs. In relief of Wang against the Indians, Anthony Claggett allowed 6 more earned runs, bringing that total to 28.
  
  
• Situational Hitting - With runners in scoring position, opponents are hitting .321, which is better than any team in the MLB. By contrast, the Yanks are hitting .245, 20th in the league. With two outs and RISP, the Yankees are at .238 with a .795 OPS, while allowing .289 & .904 to the opposition.
  
  
• Walks - Yankee relievers are walking 4.5 men per nine innings pitched (starters 3.7), even though Mariano Rivera has pitched 11 innings and has given up none. Take Mo out of the equation and the average jumps to 5.1. The biggest culprits are Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez, who have pitched a combined 30 innings and walked 22. The bullpen is striking out almost one guy an inning, but it's not enough to neutralize all the walks.
  
  
• + Hits - As a team they are also allowing more than a hit per inning, amounting to a WHIP of 1.526, fourth worst in the MLB. More baserunners prolong innings, and set the table for...
  
  
• Home Runs - Pinstriped pitchers have allowed 43 long balls this year, second only to the Orioles with 49. Their Home Run/Fly Ball ratio is 10.6%, tied with the O's for the worst in the AL by a full two percent. Camden Yards is a notorious bandbox and it's certainly starting to look like the New Stadium is as well. I've been reluctant to jump on this bandwagon, but they have allowed four more dingers at home in four fewer games (1.84 per game to 1.17). Our buddy Simon recently took a closer look at some of the cheap homers from Thursday's game. Where there is smoke, there is fire.

Some of those factors project to improve over time. Chien Ming Wang has already taken a little "injury" hiatus. He will be back at some point and there's pretty much no chance he will be as bad as he was to begin the season. And if he is, he won't be around for long. Situational hitting, especially disparities that drastic, should regress to the mean as well.

However, the bullpen is starting to become a serious problem. I've been critical of Girardi's handling of it so far, saying he has been mixing and matching too much. The stats bear this out. The Yankees are second in the AL only to the Rays is number of appearances by pitchers totalling less than three outs, with 33. The difference is that the Rays have match-up specialists like Brian Shouse, and J.P. Howell who can, you know, actually get guys out. Their bullpen ERA is also over a run and a half lower, so whatever Joe Maddon is doing seems to be working. It's not all Girardi's fault, obviously, the pitchers should be doing a better job.

Right now, the Yankees have the worst ERA in baseball and getting A-Rod back isn't going to help that either.