CC To The Rescue Again!!

Yesterday I mistakenly said that Phil Hughes was going to pitch.  He’s pitching today and I will stand by what I said that it might just be the biggest game of the year so far.  But Saturday CC Sabathia showed why he is the Yankees most valuable player this year as he shut down the Blue Jays to snap a 2 game losing streak with a 4-1 win.    In his last seven starts, Sabathia is 7-0 with a 1.68 ERA.   Yesterday’s win makes CC the first 14 game winner in the big leagues. 

Where would the Yanks be without Sabathia.  He is stopped losing streaks many times this year.  The only hiccups he has had was with the Red Sox.  If the Yanks were able to get another top end starter it would be a great 1-2 punch with Sabathia.  It is imperative that Cashman make a move.  If he doesn’t, a Cy Young season from CC will have gone to waste.

The Clock Strikes 12 For Garcia & Colon

When the Yankees signed Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to minor league contracts it was a flyer worth taking on 2 aging 30-somethings.  From the beginning of the season to the All-Star break, it looked like Brian Cashman had truly found bargains at the Dollar Store.  Unfortunately, as with Cinderella, the clock as struck 12 and it looks like this fairy tale is coming to an end as Freddy Garcia coughed up 6 runs in 5 innings and the Yanks dropped their second straight to the Blue Jays by the score of 7-1.  The Pinstripers didn’t lose any ground as the Red Sox lost to the Rays 9-6.

The last two nights have been very painful as both pitchers looked awful, Colon more so than Garcia.  The team has also played terrible behind them but its hardly the reason why the Yanks have lost 2 since they have been outscored 22-8.  We all know that in order to be successful in post season baseball you need good pitching and what the Yankees have received the last two nights won’t cut it now let alone in October.  Today may be the biggest game of the second half as Phil Hughes will start for the Yankees.  A good start from Hughes would certainly calm the nerves of Yankee fans and probably mean that the Yanks would only need to be looking for one starter, as they could also bring up Ivan Nova.  Hughes really has an opportunity to step up in the rotation and there is no question he has the ability to do it.

While the Yankees will anxiously await to see how Hughes performs this afternoon, they have scouts in different major league ball parks looking at starting pitchers.  According to George King of the NY Post, the Yanks have scouts watching Matt Garza, Anibal Sanchez, Jeremy Guthrie, Francisco Liriano, Ubaldo Jimenez and Heath Bell.  There are a number of teams that are looking at Jimenez who has picked up his game the last 4 starts and is only 27 years old.  King indicates that the Rockies are looking for high end prospects and the Yanks have them to deal.  This is a clear indication that the Yankee high command realize that they need to do something to upgrade the rotation if they are to be playing baseball in October.  Garza certainly knows what it takes to pitch in the NL East but Jimenez might be the best of the group.  However, either Garza or Jimenez would be great to see in Yankee pinstripes.  Cashman can’t be timid as both the Red Sox and Tigers are in the hunt for pitching.  The next couple of weeks will be real interesting!!!!

Colon Trouble, Clemens & Ohio, Are You Kidding Me!!!!

For his second straight start, Bartolo Colon got rocked as the Yankees started the second half of the season with a 16-7 drubbing at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays.  Many had considered Colon as the Yankees second best pitcher in the first half of the season.  However, since coming back from his hamstring injury Colon pitched well in his first start against the Mets but then has been hit hard by the Rays and the Jays.  The Yanks rolled the dice on Colon and for the first half they came up looking good.  But the last two starts have been snake eyes and there’s concern that Colon may not be totally comfortable with the hamstring.  At his age and his weight, this can be a big problem.

The Yankees cannot afford to give Colon too much time here to right himself.  With Ivan Nova down in Scranton ready for the call up, a determination needs to be made quickly.  The Yankees don’t owe Colon anything.  They gave him a chance and he took advantage of it.  However, there was no guarantee that he would produce the entire season.  In fact, the Yanks knew that was a concern before the season started.  If Colon is not right they need to call Nova up and let the kid pitch.  Suddenly the two biggest keys to the Yankees post season hopes rest on the two young arms of Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes.

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Yesterday the judge in the Roger Clemens trial declared a mistrial as a result of the prosecution providing evidence to the jury that the judge rules as inadmissable.  Its being reported that there will probably be a new trial sometime in the fall.  The whole thing is ridiculous.  On his part, Clemens has been a bull head and as a result the government is not going to let up.  As far as the government goes, there is nothing else you can be pursuing???  Clemens isn’t the first person to lie to Congress and his lie hasn’t harmed anyone except himself.  Here’s hoping reason can prevail and a deal can be made to end this whole thing now!!!

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http://www.cleveland.com/hssports/blog/index.ssf/2011/07/ohios_high_school_football_coa.html

When I read the article above I was flabbergasted.  Ohio high school football coaches are talking about honoring Jim Tressel in the season openers throughout Ohio.  What a message to send to the high school kids they are coaching: cheat and lie because it doesn’t matter as long as you win.  What a freaking disgrace.  If you want to know what’s wrong with amateur athletics this says it all.

NFL News

News on the status of talks between the NFL and the players has more twists and turns than a road up in the Smokey Mountains.  There had been considerable talk that an agreement will be reached by next Tuesday.  Drew Brees came out and said that they were working on small points and that they were real close.  But NFL.com reported last night that the talks were far from ending and that core issues had still not been resolved.  As we get closer to the dates for when training camps were suppose to open, both the players and the owners are getting antsy.  Peyton Manning and Tom Brady both came out saying that a deal needs to get done.  It will be interesting over the next couple of weeks to see what happens.

James Harrison is at it again.  Yesterday he called out Commissioner Roger Goodell calling him a punk, a puppet and used a homophobic slur.  He went on to say that if Goodell was on fire he wouldn’t p*%s on him to put it out.  Harrison didn’t stop there as he went after Ben Roethlisberger calling him out for the 2 interceptions Big Ben threw in the Super Bowl and to quit thinking he was Peyton Manning even though he’s paid like Manning.  These gems from Mr. Harrison came from an article in a magazine in which Harrison posed shirtless with a gun in both hands.  Great image James.  It’s jerks like Harrison that gets me aggravated with the NFL.  Harrison is a thug plain and simple.  Being critical of Goodell is one thing but do you have to sound like a jerk doing it.  As far as crticizing a teammate, it’s totally uncalled for.  Curious to see what the Steelers do about this.

Plaxico Burress says that he would be interested in signing with the Chicago Bears.  Burress had a lot of nice things to say about Jay Cutler and would look forward to playing with him.  Burress is a big playmaking receiver that would help the Bears.  However, reports out of Chicago indicate that if the Bears had interest, Burress would have to agree to a significantly lower contract than the one that he had with the Giants.  Not sure about this one.  There’s a part of me as seeing this could be a good thing for the Bears.  On the other hand, not sure about Burress’ character issues.  Tough call here but maybe a short-term incentive laden contract might be the answer.

If and when this lockout gets settled, the free agent frenzy is going to be fun to watch.  It will be interesting to see where certain players end up and what will be the time frame for when free agents must be signed.  A lot of uncertainty.  Thank you NFL owners and Roger Goodell.

Bud Puts Issue To Bed…All-Star Game Boring

I have been critical of Bud Selig many times but I have to give him props for putting the contrived controversy over Derek Jeter’s absence from the ASG to bed.  Selig made it very clear that he was not disappointed in Jeter’s decision and in fact understood it completely.  In addition, Selig went on to say that Jeter has been an excellent ambassador for baseball and was a role model on and off the field.  The Commissioner made it very clear that anyone saying that he was disappointed or upset about the Jeter’s decision was flat out wrong.  Now maybe we can expect the talking heads at ESPN to focus on the second half of the season.

A final note on this issue, if Derek Jeter had not reached 3,000 hits before the ASG would anyone have cared that he wasn’t going to the game??  In fact, if he did go to the game I’m sure you would have heard that Jeter didn’t deserve to be on the team let alone start.  That’s why this whole thing was nothing more than a media created controversy.

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Last night’s ASG was flat out boring.  It’s rather unfortunate that home field advantage for the World Series was determined by this exhibition which did not have much excitement.  Wonder what the story is with Josh Beckett as he had a problem with his knee which prevented him from going into the game.  If it forces him to miss any games it really puts the Red Sox rotation in a real mess.

Tuesday’s Thoughts

While wondering what Nancy Gray is going to next rant and rave about, here’s what’s on my mind this morning:

* Derek Jeter’s perfromance on Saturday was one that I will never forget.  That one game typified Jeter’s career: clutch player and a winner.  It’s evident where Jeter gets his passion for winning after watching the interview with his dad after Derek hit the home run to reach 3,000.  The first words out of Mr. Jeter’s mouth was: we have a game to win today.

* The criticism directed at Jeter over not going to the All-Star Game is ridiculous.  The talking heads at ESPN started the nonsense but others in MLB are very miffed that Jeter did not show up.  Quite frankly, I don’t blame Jeter for not going.  He just went through a pressure cooker to reach the 3,000 hit plateau.  On top of the fact that he was just coming off the DL and played 7 staright games.  Derek Jeter is the best ambassador for baseball: he’s been a champion and he played the game clean.  Maybe ole’ Bud ought to remember that before he has his minions take shots at the Captain.

* Buster Olney on Sunday continued on his ASG rants with a Twitter post that stated that players should be asked in March whether or not they will play in the ASG if they are not on the DL.  If they say they will not play, their name will not appear on the All-Star ballot.  A couple of questions for Olney: 1.) what about pitchers?? and 2.) what if its a situation where a player has not been put on the DL but has been nursing an injury should they be required to go and harm their team’s chances to qualify for the playoffs??

* I wonder if Olney and his compatriots at ESPN would be saying anything if David Ortiz elected not to go to the ASG. 

* Take a look at John Harper’s article in the NY Daily News about the ASG.  One of the points that Harper makes is the fact that the best pitchers cannot pitch in the game because they pitched on Sunday.  If this game is supposed to matter then how come we can’t see the best pitchers???  Yet, MLB is going to go off on Derek Jeter for not being there.  What a joke!!!!

* It’s being reported that the NFL lockout may be coming to an end.  The main sticking point seems to be the rookie salary cap.  I can’t see that preventing a settlement.  It’s going to be interesting to see the free agent activity once this thing gets settled.

* It appears the NBA lockout may be going on for awhile.  Not only are the players and owners at odds but the owners are fighting amongst themselves.  This shouldn’t be a surprise as the small market owners are struggling to keep their heads above water.  Unless something gets done for the Charlottes, Oklahoma Citys and Indianas of the world, the NBA might be looking at contraction.

* And finally, congratulations to Robby Cano for winning the Home Run Derby.  He certainly hit some monster shots and what was really nice was the fact that his pitcher was his dad.  Not to mention that Cano beat out Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox.

CC Does It Again!!!!

What a gem!!!  When the Yankees needed it they received a pitching masterpiece from CC Sabathia as he outdueled James Shields leading the Yanks to a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.  Sabathia was in total control on Sunday closing the game out with a 98 mph fastball striking out Elliot Johnson.  Shields pitched very well also as the Yanks only run came on an error by Shields, whose attempt to pick off Robinson Cano landed in left field allowing Cano to score.

As the Yanks head into the break, they find themselves 1 game behind the Red Sox.  They also know that for the next 4-6 weeks they will be without ARod has he will be having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today.  This was the right move since the Yanks will need him in September and hopefully the playoffs.  This will mean that others will have to step up.  One thing is for sure: if the Yankees can get the same type of pitching that Sabathia provided yesterday losing ARod for a month won’t be that big a deal.

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Make sure to check out Tuesday’s Thoughts tomorrow as I will have more to say about ESPN’s defense of the ASG, the NBA and NFL lockouts and other tidbits.

The Captain, ARod & All Star Game Nonsense

Yesterday Derek Jeter put another item on his Yankee resume’ with a 5 hit day that had him reach the 3,000 hit plateau with a home run and then a game winning RBI single that led the Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Rays.  Jeter’s home run in the 3rd inning was hit number 3,000 and the Stadium erupted.  What a class move by Casey Kotchman as he tipped his cap as Jeter rounded first base during his home run trot.

There has been so much criticism of Jeter leading up to yesterday.  His skills are diminshing.  He doesn’t deserve to bat lead off.  When will they move him from shortstop.  His hits are not Jeterian and are hits of a declining ballplayer.  But yesterday, the Captain showed that there is still some gas left in the tank.  We have followed a career of a Yankee icon.  One that will take awhile for us to see again.  So instead of criticizing and questioning, how about enjoying what could be the last time that we see such a player in pinstripes again.

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The news on the MRI of Alex Rodrieguez right knee was not good: a slight meniscus tear that requires surgery.  ARod can either play through it or have arthroscopic surgery that would sideline him for at least a month.  While the Yankees will definitely suffer without him in the lineup, at ARod’s age I think if he doesn’t have the surgery he will be a shadow of himself in September when they will really need him.  In my opinion, he needs to have the surgery.

This will be a tough decision.  Brian Cashman may now need to make a move to get a stop gap veteran to play third.  The other option is to go with Eduardo Nunez.  Certainly they can start with Nunez after the All-Star break and see how it goes.  If it doesn’t work then they can move on a trade.  If ARod is out, then others will have to step up.  Derek Jeter’s game yesterday may be an indication that the Captain is ready.  They will need him and Swisher and Cano and Texiera and Posada to carry the load.

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Yesterday on Twitter, Buster Olney called out those players, specifically Rivera, Jeter & ARod , who are pulling out of the All-Star Game.  Then Karl Ravitch chimed in to agree with his talking head teammate from ESPN.  These guys should wake up.  If I’m a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers, NY Yankees or Atlanta Braves do I want to have Ryan Braun, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, ARod or Chipper Jones risk further injury thus hurting their team’s chances to play in October to play in an exhibition game???

What Olney and Ravitch don’t understand is that the ASG is a joke and it was made a joke by interleague play.  In addition, its a joke because you can go on the internet and vote 25 times for your all-star favorites.  Bud Selig knows its a joke because he tried to make it mean something by having home field advantage determined by which league wins the exhibition game.  Going one step further, Selig wanted all players who were on the all-star teams to wear special all-star hats yesterday and today to highlight Tuesday’s game.  The Yankees elected not to because they are a team and as a result no one should be given a special designation over team members.  The Rays followed suit.

The only reason why Selig does this is because he knows the game has lost its luster.  The only reason why Olney and Ravitch are all concerned is because they are MLB mouthpieces.  If Youkilis, Ortiz and Pedroia declined to play would the ESPN dynamic duo have said anything???  Probably not.  What I also find interesting is that I never hear any of the NFL talking heads on ESPN criticize the boat load of NFL players who take a pass on the Pro Bowl.  In fact, that game is after the season so there is no concern that a team’s chances to make the playoffs may be impacted in an injury that takes place in the Pro Bowl.

Selig, Olney and Ravitch want to go back to when the Baseball ASG meant something, when it was an event to see the best players from both leagues play each other.  Back then the only time you see NL stars play AL stars was at the ASG and the World Series.  Not anymore because of interleague.  You can’t want to claim to be traditionalists when you’ve destroyed that.  The Baseball ASG will never be the same no matter what Selig and Company try to do and the reason for that lies in what they see when they shave in the morning.

Buckeyes Don’t Get It & Three Cheers For Gregg

http://www.cbssports.com/#!/collegefootball/story/15305047/ohio-state-needs-ncaa-help-to-get-punishment-right

First, Jim Tressel resigns.  Then Terrell Pryor leaves the school.  Now, Ohio State vacates the wins from their 2010 season and suggests to the NCAA that this is enough punishment for the tattoo/car favors for Buckeye players during Tressel’s time as football coach.  Their justification is that Tressel was the only one at the university who knew about what was going on.  Pleeeaaasse!!!

As Brett McMurphy indicates in his article above, if the University is right then why wasn’t Tressel fired immediately???  Why did the president of the university make a joke that he hoped Tressel didn’t fire him???  Why did the athletic director defend Tressel right to the bitter end if Tressel was the only one who knew what was going on???

If the NCAA falls for this they are more stupid than I thought.  The Buckeyes need to be sanctioned.  They need the number of scholarships reduced.  They need to be banned from national TV and a BCS bowl.  And the AD needs to be fired.  In August we’ll see what the NCAA will do.

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http://www.cbssports.com/#!/mlb/gametracker/recap/MLB_20110708_BAL@BOS/red-sox-start-fast-brawl-with-os-in-blowout-win

Last night the Boston Red Sox sent the Baltimore Orioles to their 5th straight loss in a 10-3 win at Fenway.  It was the 4th time in 5 games that the Orioles gave up 10 or more runs.  In the bottom of the 8th inning, Oriole reliever threw 3 pitches inside to David Ortiz.  Big Papi apparently took exception and a bench clearing brawl ensued with 4 players, including Gregg & Papi being thrown out of the game. 

Take a look at the article above and read Kevin Gregg’s comments.  I love it!!!  Gregg was sick and tired of the Red Sox arrogance and he says as much.  Maybe he’s the type of guy the Yankees could use.  He immediately makes my favorite player list.  After you read the article you will know why.  Three cheers for Kevin Gregg!!!!!!!