As critical as many of us are of Torre’s on-field decision-making, it just goes to show that some of his more enigmatic decisions are based on info that the average fan isn’t privy to.

Mussina was having cramps in his arm at the time he was pulled. Torre said they could have possibly pushed him to go another inning, but they didn’t want to do it. It is the right decision. No reason to possibly injure (no matter how remot the possiblity is) the only legitimate ace of our current staff.

A slider that doesn’t move is a batting practice fastball. Just ask Unit.

What is it with this staff? We’ve got guys (Unit, Wright, Farns), who, with just had a little more gusto, would blow entire ML lineups away with their hard stuff. Why can’t these guys sack up and go with their strenghths?

Ummm I think for myself and don’t need Cliff-whoever to think for me (and I don’t ever read his blog). That was a hanging slider to Ortiz, the ball barely moved and Ortiz froze. A slider that doesn’t move is a hanging slider.

Don, I’m glad Cliff from Bronx Banter is so influential. He said that about Farns and now everyone repeats it. He did not “hang” a slider to Ortiz — he had him looking for a fastball and then snuck a perfect slider in there. He threw two straight sliders to Berroa and the second one didn’t do much.

Moose might have thrown 98 pitches, but half of them were in the second inning; he was on autopilot after that and hardly broke a sweat. This wasn’t the Red Sox at Fenway. It was the Royals at the Stadium. You can ALMOST justify taking Moose out, but he probably would have gotten through the inning in ten pitches (what happened to the old Torre standby of letting the starting pitcher start the next inning but taking him out if he lets a runner on?).

What has Villone done, anyway? He comes in and gets outs, but Torre REFUSES to use him in anything but a deficit or a blowout. Honestly, I think he’s performing better than anyone could have hoped for. At this point, I think he’s at least as steady as Proctor. But, oddly, you know that Torre would take a bone-tired Proctor over a fresh Villone. Why is this team saddled with this absolute madman? He manages like a spurned schoolgirl.

Farnsworth has a million dollar arm and a ten cent head. He hung a slider to Ortiz and got away with it in Boston; that won’t happen again. With his fastball why does he fall in love with his slider? See above reason.

I’m glad I waited through the rain delay(s) for that game. I don’t blame Torre for the hook. I usually blame him for leaving Mussina in too long, when he has that weird habit of going from brilliant to Steve Blass circa 1973 in a span of 10 pitches once he gets past 100. It was a team effort (pitching + offense) to lose that one.

I only semi-blame this on Torre. Mussina was at 98 pitches so it seemed like a reasonable point in the game to take him out. He was ahead in the score and in line for the win. Torre should’ve gone to Villone who was the only reliever on the staff who hadn’t worked heavily in Boston earlier in the week. Get an inning from Villone and then save Proctor/Farns/Myers/Erickson/Rivera for the 8th and 9th innings as needed. Instead. Torre went to Proctor who has looked kind of lousy the last few days. Of course the inevitable happened.

At the same time, the Yanks made Scott Elarton, coming into the game at 0-5 with a gawd-awful set of numbers, into Dan Haren (from two weeks ago). We just showed no patience at the plate in the first part of the game and let him get into a rhythm before we finally did a bit of damage in the 6th.

It’s on Proctor and Farnsworth. And Torre, of course. Why is Proctor even in the game? Mussina could have gone another inning. He was breezing through the lineup at that point. (This is why Moose has never won 20 games — no one has more effective-starts no-decisions.) Either Proctor is semi-fried or he’s back down on earth.

I don’t know WHAT was up with Farnsworth last night. It wasn’t the home run — it was the walk. He was throwing a lot of sliders. He threw four straight fastballs to Graffanino that were practically in the dirt. Hung a slider to Berroa and gave up the home run. It’s bizarre to see Farnsworth struggle with his control so much. He only had fifteen walks last year. It seems like he tries to hit a spot, and then completely loses his mechanics for a batter. Gator needs to get next to his ear and tells him to just let the ball go — especially to a team like this.

It’s kind of sad when Moose gets done in by a bloop single (he would have only given up the one run on the home run had that not dropped in), but that’s the kind of luck he has.

I stayed up listening on radio and I’m tossing it up to karma. Too many streaks. 14 straight losses at Yankee Stadium for the Royals, 13 straight losses for KC and their pitcher had 5 straight losses. Way too much bad karma. Somewhere they’re going to get one, and we were the team they got it from. Captain got his hit, Royals got their biscuit, karma back to square. Let’s play ball! BTW, you are right, Farny is way to inconsistant. When he’s good he’s good, when he’s not, oy!