Batting around with the New York Yankees : CBSSports.com Blogs

Will Phil Hughes be named to the All-Star Team?

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:06:38 EDT

Joe Girardi faces a tough decision when he is called upon to name the American League pitchers for the All-Star Game this year. Phil Hughes has pitched well beyond expectations for the Yankees this year, and his 10-1, 3.17 record so far would ordinarily make him a lock for the All-Star team. However, the Yankees had made plans when the season began that were intended to limit the number of innings Hughes would throw, and part of the plan involved skipping a start or two right before the All-Star break, and maybe one or two after, rather than employing the ridiculous method they used on Joba Chamberlain last year with disastrous results.

With another four starts coming up before the break, Phil Hughes could make Girardi's decision even harder by pitching well enough to be named the starter. Girardi would certainly need a guy like Hughes on his roster, and Hughes deserves the honor, but naming him would fly in the face of the Yankees long-term plans for Hughes having the All-Star break off to keep him fresh for the stretch run. If Hughes is named to the team, Girardi would then need to make a choice whether to use him in the game or to short himself one pitcher by letting Hughes sit on the bench. If it came right down to using Hughes to help the American League win the game and potentially give the Yankees home field advantage in the World Series, or sticking to the Yankees plan to rest Hughes, what does Girardi do?

One of my best friends is a Northwestern graduate

Wed, 05 May 2010 2:29:30 EDT

and they're NOT named Joe Girardi. A lot of people have been second-guessing Girardi's managerial decisions for some time now, and today's fiasco should bring them out in force. We'll skip over the horrendous decision the Yankees made in the off-season to trade for Javier Vazquez, and focus on the top of the seventh inning, after the Yankees rallied to take the lead with four runs off Scott Linebrink. David Robertson had two outs and Paul Konerko, not fleet of foot, at second base after an opposite field double. After falling behind Carlos Quentin 2-0, Girardi ordered Quentin to be intentionally walked, putting the go-ahead run on base.

Now the fun starts. Instead of allowing Robertson, a strikeout pitcher, to face A.J. Pierzynski, Girardi decided to go lefty-lefty matchup. So who does he bring in? Damaso Marte, who used to pitch for the White Sox and specifically was caught BY Pierzynski. Why wouldn't he use Boone Logan in that situation? Logan can hit 97 MPH on the gun, and Pierzynski hasn't faced him much, both things favoring the Yankees. Instead, he brings in Marte, and tells his outfielders to play shallow. If there was a time for a no doubles defense, that was it. Heck, if Girardi was so comfortable with putting the go-ahead run on, why not walk Pierzynski, who has had a lot of success against the Yankees, and pitch to Mark Kotsay?

Happy Birthday to Me!

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 7:31:00 EST

For the first time, namely since the regular season never went this late before, The New York Football Giants and the New York Yankees both won on my birthday. Don't be stingy in your congratulations, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

The Yankees look primed to go deep in the playoffs this year, having made significant improvements in their bullpen and their defense. Their top three of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte will be a problem for their opponents and having Alfredo Aceves available to fill the old Ramiro Mendoza role from the bullpen gives them a lot of options in the ALCS. Their advantage in the ALDS is that whichever team makes it, will be beaten and bloodied just from getting there. Neither will have the chance to set their rotation the way they really want it, which gives the home team a big shot in the arm(s).

The New York Football Giants establish themselves

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 2:39:51 EST

as a force to be reckoned with and as a strong contender in the playoffs.

Even though the Giants relied on Eli Manning's arm more today than they have in the past few weeks, the playcalling was still reflective of the Giants overall plan to stay balanced between the pass and the run. With 33 pass attempts and 26 rushes, they were able to keep the Cardinals guessing on defense, which only made Eli Manning's job easier.

The Cardinals had 52 pass attempts and only 15 rushes, which definitely made Steve Spagnuolo's job easier. The Cards made no attempt to prevent the Giants from pinning their ears back and getting after Kurt Warner, although the Cards offensive line handled the pressure well.

After all the debate before this game, it all ended up coming down to the special teams. Domenik Hixon came through in a big way with three long kickoff returns for 180 yards that gave the Giants excellent field position. The key to the game for the Giants was their ability to use the short field to their advantage and they scored each time they got the ball after a kickoff.

A Memorable day from Yankee Stadium's final year

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:45:23 EDT

My wife and I attended the game vs. the Royals on June 7, 2008, and the game had more than its share of memorable moments. In the third inning, the home plate umpire was knocked out of the game by a bunt attempt. It was 98 degrees in New York that day so it must have been 110 on the field, and it looked like Andy Pettitte would succumb to it as the Royals jumped out to a 5-1 lead after three innings. The Yankees tied it in the fourth, and Melky Cabrera got thrown out at the plate tagging on a Derek Jeter fly ball to end the inning.

The Yanks took a lead with a run in the fifth, and it looked like we might get a good six innings from Pettitte after all. Jose Guillen fouled a ball off his lower leg in the sixth, and was down for several minutes and looked like he wouldn't stay in the game. Even after the Royals tied it in the top of the seventh, it looked like the Yanks would escape trouble when Joe Girardi had Mike Aviles intentionally walked to put the DP back on, and Pettitte struck out Mark Teahen. That brought Guillen back to the plate, and he didn't look comfortable as Pettitte ran the count to 2-2. Then Pettitte hung a slider, and suddenly it was 10-6 Royals, and the game looked lost. The gentleman seated in front of us, Paul Simon, asked the kids he had with him if they wanted to leave. They said, "NO!" so they all stayed.

Which way did we go?

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 1:47:20 EST

I've been thinking about this topic for a while, and still haven't found a meaningful explanation for what's happening. I hope there are other members who have explored the subject more thoroughly who can enlighten me.

Two Hall of Fame caliber players, approaching the twilight of their careers, are about to crash and burn. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have been arguably the best at their respective positions in the modern era, if not all-time. Yet, the use of steroids and Human Growth Hormone appears to be the death knell for both, but by significantly different means.

Greg Anderson has spent time at the Graybar Hotel twice, three times? He refuses to make any statements that would implicate Barry Bonds in any way, and has been willing to go to jail for his trouble. The changes in Bonds' physical appearance and increase in his homerun totals notwithstanding, no one has come forward with a "smoking gun" that proves he has used steroids. Even the convictions in the BALCO investigation have not induced anyone involved to tesify against Bonds.