Rejoice, rejoice, Yankee fans. Finally — finally — T.J. Beam got promoted to AAA. Now he’s just one stop away from helping out the big-league ballclub. Of course, there’s a “but” coming — with the Yankees and their minor leaguers, there’s always a “but”…

Recently Cashman was talking to Joel Sherman and said he was impressed with Steven White and T.J. Beam, who’s been dominating AA. That’s the good part. The bad part is that he said something like, “But do I expect (him) to help us this year? I wouldn’t go that far…”

In a way, that’s almost worse than him saying “I will absolutely not use him this year.” So he knows about Beam, knows his numbers, but he’s talking about him like he’s a nineteen year old who was drafted last year. The guy is twenty-five. He’s not Philip Hughes or Tyler Clippard. He needs to make the push now. He’s at that now-or-never stage. If this kid pitches well in AAA, he should be on the big-league club. (Of course, the Yankees are going to have to make some big decisions with the roster and there might not be room for him; Chacon is coming back and so is Dotel — two people will have to leave the bullpen and they’re most likely Erickson, who deserves to leave, and Smith, who does not.)

I don’t know what’s more frustrating — that Long is on this team, or that Torre is going to play him over Kevin Thompson. Long is like 0-for-20 or something right now, and with one hit, Thompson has more RBIs than him. Is Torre blind? Can’t he see that Long can’t hit? That he hurts the team? In Detroit, Long didn’t get a single hit with men on. In Thompson’s THIRD at-bat in the bigs, he got a hit with men on and drove in three runs. If a guy has more production in one at-bat than another guy in two weeks, it’s obvious who you should play. But apparently Torre thinks Long is “a good guy” who went through a playoff push with the A’s FIVE years ago and that means too much to keep him off the team.

Anyway, Cashman needs to rid this team of its offal: Long’s job should be given to Thompson; Erickson and Small should be cut; and until things shake out further, I would make the bullpen the following (expanding it even more, because everyone is so worn out): Mo, Farnsworth, Dotel, Proctor, Villone, Smith, Beam, Myers. I know having eight guys in the ‘pen is insane, but the starters simply don’t go long enough into the games.

I haven’t seen as much of Smith as I have of Beam, but I can tell you one thing with certainty: Beam has better stuff than Proctor. I know everyone oohs and aahs over Proctor’s fastball, but Beam throws just as hard, with more movement.

Erickson and Small pretty much need to go. I can see Small as the “mop-up guy.” If that’s all he’s used for (kind of like Erickson’s role now), then it doesn’t matter. If he’s going to get crucial innings, I say bring Mendoza up. Similar styles, but the edge obviously goes to Mendoza based on previous success. Plus, I miss the guy.

Think we see TJ Beam this year? He is in Columbus now…

I have to agree with Small:/ He is a great guy but we can’t have him start anymore arragh, then again it’s not like we did it by design or intention. (and as scary as it sounds… we have been getting pretty lucky with pitching injury relative to position players anyway… at least Wright didn’t get drilled by a flying pigeon and Wang / Proctor ‘s shoulder havn’t fell off nor has Moose’s elbow)

Being a high school teacher, I spend my day surrounded by teenagers. Some really are good kids; some not so much. One thing is certain – they mimic what they see and whom they grow up with. They are products of their parents, and, to a lesser extent, their elder siblings.

From the sound of one of them, it appeared that they had money on the game.

They can’t be all bad- I didn’t even think kids followed baseball anymore. These kids are Yanks fans, that’s gotta count for something.

MJ, if you would have heard these two kids today talking on their cell phones, well, let’s just say they weren’t boy scouts……..

Back to more important things, Chacon will be back this week. I say Erickson has to go and then Small can mop up out of the pen – I hope.

Steve, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Those kids might look stupid and they might even sound stupid, but they might be good kids…

…unlike Aaron Small who we can judge on what we’ve seen of him in 2006. I love him for last year and I’ll always have a spot for him at my dinner table but, man, the clock struck midnight on his dream. He’s gotta go.

What’s with the kids/hoods today with wearing New Era caps and leaving the gold round label on the bill of the cap as they wear it around town? I see it all the time now. Is it a hip-hop thing or just a badge-type thing to signify to the rest of the world that you’re an idiot?
==========================
Yes… LOL

I guess it’s an improvement over the “Minnie Pearl” look (when all the hip kids were wearing their caps with the price tag still attached).

I’m still trying to figure out the 3 sizes too large cap look meself…