…just wait.

A.J. Burnett is starting tomorrow.

Brutal game tonight, in any event. Just ugly. That’s not championship level play. Not even close.

Via the Daily News -

Richard Ben Cramer could drop a bomb on the Bronx Bombers in a few short years.

The noted author is writing a book about Alex Rodriguez, say multiple sources, that will highlight the slugger’s exploits on and – more interestingly – off the field.

The book, now “under contract” and tentatively titled “The Importance of Being Alex: A Life With the Yankees,” will be published by Twelve. The $31 million question (that’s how much A-Rod reportedly will make this year) is: When?

Although one source says there’s no projected publication date for the book, which was originally to be published by Simon & Schuster, another insider says the biography isn’t slated to hit stores until April 2014.

Chalk up the long lead time up to a combination of writer and subject. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Cramer is know for taking years to complete a book and for bristling at deadlines.

Then again, the story of A-Rod’s life is as meaty as he is.

“There will be things in the book that A-Rod will certainly not like and were never revealed before,” says an insider.

Judging from Cramer’s best-selling 2000 biography of Yankee Clipper Joe DiMaggio, “The Hero’s Life,” readers can expect a thorough examination of A-Rod’s personal life, with Madonna, Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz pinch-hitting for DiMaggio’s famous love, Marilyn Monroe.

Unlike DiMaggio, who refused to talk to Cramer for “The Hero’s Life,” our insider says Rodriguez has participated in the project.

Cramer must have had plenty to ask his subject. Controversy has been Rodriguez’s constant companion during his stellar 18-year career.

Cramer likely will explore A-Rod’s friendship with Derek Jeter, which reportedly frayed when Rodriguez cownplayed Jeter’s talents in a 2001 Esquire article.

There’s also Rodriguez’s 2009 admission that he used steroids earlier in his career, as well as the juicy love life.

Although 2014 is a long way off, Cramer’s timing could be fortuitous. Rodriguez, who will turn 39 that summer, could be on pace at that point to become the fourth player in baseball history to hit 700 home runs. He’ll also likely be a member of the 3,000-hit club by then.

Reps for Twelve declined to comment and Rodriguez’s reps did not return our requests for comment before deadline.

Wake me up in two years and ask me then if I’m interested.

Here are the numbers:

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Yes, Hughes is young.  But, at some point, you want to see an ERA that’s not around five, right?

Jesus Montero will be called up tomorrow.

I feel like it’s August 23, 1989, all over again.  Let the sunshine in…

Dig it.

Crazy game, huh?

Via Cubbies Crib -

Tom Ricketts will likely go to great lengths in finding the next general manager of the Chicago Cubs. After observing the “old-style” of Jim Hendry, Ricketts is searching for a young analytical general manager. Note that while Ricketts still has interest in Brian Cashman, Theo Epstein, and Andrew Friedman, the Cubs chairman is coming to the realization that neither of the “big 3″ will be leaving their current position anytime soon. Enter Rick Hahn, Josh Byrnes, and the newest candidate, assistant general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks Jerry Dipoto.

Hahn and Byrnes have been on the candidate list ever since it was announced that Hendry had been fired as Chicago Cubs general manager, Dipoto is the latest candidate to be connected to the Cubs’ position. Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, who has surprisingly been all over the Cubs general manager search, suggests that Dipoto will likely be interviewed by Ricketts for the Cubs general manager position.

I’m a fan of Jerry DiPoto.  So, I hope, if Cashman does leave the Yankees, DiPoto will be out there for consideration – and not already grabbed by the Cubbies.

Via MLB.com -

“Absolutely,” [Red Sox president Larry] Lucchino said when asked if he’s still amped. “We want to win, we want home-field advantage. And by the way, if we were playing them in a Tiddlywinks match, or a checkers game, we’d get amped up. At least I would.”

“Every time we play them it’s important,” said Boston’s scheduled starter for the series finale, Jon Lester. “Every game, from here on out, is important. We’re not going to think it any differently between the Yankees or Baltimore or anywhere else. We’ve just got to keep playing good baseball.”

At the same time, Sox players also acknowledged Monday that the series isn’t as dire as it perhaps could be.

“Both [teams] are in the playoffs, that’s the main thing,” Lester said when asked if he preferred a division title to the Wild Card. “It’s just getting in the playoffs, and making sure you get hot at the right time, and ride it out as long as you can.”

“Both teams are in a pretty good position to make the playoffs,” said Adrian Gonzalez. “I guess the importance is who wins the division and who wins the Wild Card. It doesn’t [matter how we get into the playoffs], but it’s always great for the fans to beat up on the Yanks. Just trying to win a series for the fans.”

These are the days I miss Heineken Hank chiming in…

In any event, the games should be interesting – they always are up in Fenway.

It’s just too bad that A-Rod will probably miss these games.  When he’s in the mix, that usually adds to the flavor of these events.

Me?  I just want to see the Yankees play better against Boston – than they have, so far, this season.  Is that too much to ask for?

Well, no Yankees pitcher has ever made 25+ starts in a season, and lost 10+ games, and had an ERA of 5+ more than once…unless A.J. keeps his ERA up this year. Here’s the list to make this club, to date, including Burnett this year:

Yankees, From 1901 to 2011, with ERA>=5 and GS>=25 and L>=10

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Burnett is now on the Brian Cashman Mount Rushmore of Pitching Acquisitions along with Javy Vazquez, Kei Igawa, Carl Pavano, Jeff Weaver and Kevin Brown.

Just 21 games ago, on August 5th, the Yankees were in 1st place – up by a game. And, now, they’re 2 games back of first, looking up at Boston.

Then again, since New York has gone 10-10 in their last 20 games, should we be surprised by this?

It’s the pitching. In their last 20 games, the Yankees ERA is 5.00 (in 176.3 IP)

In any event, the Yankees will make the post-season this year. But, what happens there – especially if they pitch like they have lately – will be ugly. We – meaning Yankees fans – should go into October with ZERO expectations and just take the good, if it comes, and be happy with that.

Don’t count on #28 happening this year. Sure, anything can happen – but, the odds are really against it happening this year – with this starting rotation.

Now, that all said…

The Yankees do close out the season with 9 games against the Red Sox and Rays. And, if the wildcard chase gets closer before that time, Boston and Tampa could knock the Yankees out of the post-season. If that happens, it would be a huge collapse by the Yankees…really, major, bad news.

Just got back (late last night) from five fun filled days down in Disney with my family.

So, we had an earthquake? The Yankees fell out of first? Colon, Hughes and Burnett pitched like crap. (That’s going to be great if that happens in October, huh?) Three grand slams in one game? A-Rod had a Little Jack Horner moment? Jim Thome went home. Minka Kelly is out? Very sad news on Mike Flanagan. Posada to Swisher was the 4-3 moment of the season. And, here comes Irene. (I was soooo happy to beat her back up the coast.)

Seriously, for all those in the way of Irene, please be careful and accept my sincere best wishes for good fotrune during her pass through. I’m about 3.5 miles from the ocean (and about 2 miles from the Raritan Bay) and hoping that we don’t have to evacuate. I’m also surrounded by trees. So, I’m going to be sweating this one out. And, of course, there’s always the chance of a prolonged power loss. So, this may be it, from me, for a while.

Please take care during Irene. Be smart. Be careful. My fingers are crossed for you. And, I can’t wait until this over.

Feel free to use this entry as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Just remember: keep it Yankees-focused.

Also, feel free to use this post as a place to share your opinions, observations, complaints, rooting, and other sundry comments with fellow fans during the playing of the Yankees game today (if there is one).

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

And, of course, please, also be mindful of the WasWatching.com Community Standards.

Feel free to use this entry as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Just remember: keep it Yankees-focused.

Also, feel free to use this post as a place to share your opinions, observations, complaints, rooting, and other sundry comments with fellow fans during the playing of the Yankees game today (if there is one).

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

And, of course, please, also be mindful of the WasWatching.com Community Standards.

Feel free to use this entry as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Just remember: keep it Yankees-focused.

Also, feel free to use this post as a place to share your opinions, observations, complaints, rooting, and other sundry comments with fellow fans during the playing of the Yankees game today (if there is one).

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

And, of course, please, also be mindful of the WasWatching.com Community Standards.

Feel free to use this entry as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Just remember: keep it Yankees-focused.

Also, feel free to use this post as a place to share your opinions, observations, complaints, rooting, and other sundry comments with fellow fans during the playing of the Yankees game today (if there is one).

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

And, of course, please, also be mindful of the WasWatching.com Community Standards.

Feel free to use this entry as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Just remember: keep it Yankees-focused.

Also, feel free to use this post as a place to share your opinions, observations, complaints, rooting, and other sundry comments with fellow fans during the playing of the Yankees game today (if there is one).

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

And, of course, please, also be mindful of the WasWatching.com Community Standards.

Is it just me, or, are the Tampa Bay Rays now just seven games back of the Red Sox, in the loss column, in the Wildcard chase?

A.J. Burnett has made 92 starts in his Yankees career, to date.  And, in 41 of those 92 starts, he was, at best, below average, and, at worst, terrible.  And, in 21 of those 92 starts, he was, at best, a few ticks above average, and, at worst, just average.  This means in only 30 of his 92 Yankees starts has Burnett pitched very well.  [See stats below.]

Sum it up.  In one of three starts, Burnett will pitch well.  And, in two-thirds of his other starts, he’s below average or terrible.  We’ve seen this for three years in Yankeeland now.  Why anyone would think it’s going to get better over the next two is beyond me.

(more…)

I just read about her passing as I was thumbing through the Yankees Media Guide this morning. (I missed it when it happened on October 7, 2010. And, I missed the mention of it at this year’s Old Timers Day ceremonies.)

I had heard a rumor that she was living at Seabrook Village (in Tinton Falls, NJ) after Scooter’s passing.

She was 90-years old when she died. Still, it’s sad. She survived Phil by three years. I hope they were good for her.

I’ve read most of Carlo DeVito’s biography of Phil Rizzuto.  And, Cora really seemed like a classy lady.  No wonder why Phil loved her so much.

Well, it was not up there with Lee Elia or Tommy Lasorda, but, Joey Looseleaf lost his cool in this one, didn’t he?

And, I think we’ve seen enough.

Just like Mike Griffin, he’s fooled us long enough. We found out about him today. That should do it for him.

Cashman can take the objective pipe and stick it up his poop chute.

Burnett is a turd. And, he must be flushed.

Via Bill Dwyre:

On the night of Sept. 9, the Yankees come to Anaheim to play the Angels. Except for possible playoff games, it will be their final series of the season in Southern California. Two days later will be the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and the Angels will certainly pay proper homage to that, with the Yankees still in town.

But in some form, the details of which are still being worked out, that series-opening game will present an opportunity to showcase Jeter.

“We are still finalizing some things,” says Tim Mead, Angels vice president of communications. “It is fair to say we want to honor the man, the player and the person in some form.”

Wow. This tells you what other teams think of Jeter. You didn’t see something like this when A-Rod hit his 600th homer.

As of this morning, via the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia, most games played as a Yankee:

PLAYER                           G     
1    Mickey Mantle              2401   
2    Derek Jeter                2395   
3    Lou Gehrig                 2164   
4    Yogi Berra                 2116   
5    Babe Ruth                  2084   
6    Bernie Williams            2076   
7    Roy White                  1881   
8    Jorge Posada               1809   
9    Bill Dickey                1789   
10   Don Mattingly              1785

Derek Jeter needs just seven more games played to become the Yankees all-time leader in games played.

Too bad that it will probably happen at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It would have been nice to see it happen at the Stadium.

Well, he was if you look at it this way.

The Yankees are 4-1 against the Twins, so far, this year.
In 2010, it ws 4-2.
In 2009, it was 7-0.
In 2008, it was 6-4.
In 2007, it was 5-2.

And, of course, in the post-season, the Yankees were 3-0 against the Twins in 2010.
In 2009, it was 3-0 as well.

Add all that up. Since 2007, in the regular season and post-season combined, the Yankees are 32-9 against the Twins.

For the last five years, Minnesota has no chance against the Yankees. I don’t know why they even bother showing up for the games.

Via Donnie Collins -

Baseball America is reporting that, while renovations on PNC Field are conducted next season, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees will play their home games away from Moosic.

The report says that the International League has tentatively approved the team’s plan to play away from PNC Field next season.

The league said six locations are being considered, but those sites weren’t disclosed.

Common sense would indicate that Alliance Bank Park in Syracuse, Coca-Cola Park in Allentown and the Yankees’ Class A park in Staten Island would be on that list. But as of now, it’s looking like the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area will be without professional baseball in 2012.

Heck, let them play at Yankee Stadium. No issues when the Yankees are on the road. And, if the Yankees are at home that day, have the Triple-A team play before or after the big boys, like a day-night double-header. And, only charge the same ticket prices that you would have charged in Scranton. Do that, and, people will show up.

And, if the two-a-days are too complex, then use the field on Staten Island those days. Heck, no one is using it in April and May.

Shoot, talk to Newark about using their ballpark. No one goes there any more.

It would be nice if the Yankees came up with something creative here.

Via the Washington Post -

The New York Yankees made a move to beef up their bullpen on Friday, claiming left-hander Aaron Laffey off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.

The move helps address a balance issue, with Laffey joining Boone Logan as the only two lefties in the bullpen.

“He’s a guy that can give you some multiple innings, but he’s another left-hander for us,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “That’s why we went and got him.”

Laffey went 1-1 with a 4.01 ERA in 42 2-3 innings for the Mariners this season. Girardi said Laffey can be used as a situational guy or a long reliever, but that Logan will remain the primary lefty late in games.

To make room for Laffey, the Yankees placed right-hander Freddy Garcia (finger) on the disabled list and designated catcher Gustavo Molina for assignment.

Garcia threw a bullpen session Sunday and said he felt good. But Girardi said the move is a precaution because Garcia has not pitched in two weeks.

“I don’t think Freddy really wanted to go on (the DL),” Girardi said. “I think Freddy wanted to pitch Sunday but we just thought it was the safer route.

Don’t get it? This guy is so-so, average, against lefties and right-handed batters have their way with him. So, how does he help?

Who was the best, worst, and those in between?  He’s one way to look at it:

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Note that Prior did not sign with the Yankees.

Via Mike Ashmore -

The actual distance from where Yankee Stadium once stood to TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater is a mere 50 miles. But, in baseball terms, the big leagues probably couldn’t feel much further away than they do for Ron Villone.

Home, however? It’s never been closer.

The 41-year-old Englewood-born Major League veteran lefty reliever signed with the Somerset Patriots on July 29, his first foray into independent ball after spending the first 18 years of his career in affiliated ball, including 15 seasons in the big leagues with 12 different teams.

But for someone with the impressive track record Villone has — he’s pitched in 717 big league ballgames — the Patriots provided him with an opportunity that a Major League club never could: To pitch in his home state.

“I’d never played pro ball in New Jersey, which is kind of nice. I’d heard of Somerset before, but I didn’t do any real deep research,” Villone said.

“Something inside of me told me that I wanted to still play, and I know that maybe the time is coming where I won’t play anymore. I really didn’t think I was going to play anymore, but I did keep myself in throwing shape and things just worked out here. I’m really glad they did.”

The closest Villone had come to pitching in New Jersey came in 2006, when he was dealt to the New York Yankees from the Florida Marlins. He grew up a Yankees fan — both of his parents were born in the Bronx — and has fond memories of watching his now-manager, Sparky Lyle, as a kid.

“Every day, I had to pinch myself a little bit when I walked into Yankee Stadium,” Villone recalls.

“But as soon as I got in, it was time to go to work. I didn’t have too much time to really slack off or not prepare. But that was a dream come true and I was very fortunate and very lucky to be able to play there. I cherished every moment of it and gave them all that I had.”

But, in between leaving the Yankees and signing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008, Villone was named in the infamous Mitchell Report, which has forever linked him to steroids. Villone was asked if he felt that being named in the report and essentially having his name dragged through the mud ultimately led to his current indy ball fate.

“I don’t think so. Things always are portrayed in the media sometimes differently than really what happens,’ said Villone, who rarely speaks on the record about the situation.

“You put yourself in positions, whether it’s good or bad, and those things are going to happen. I know who I am, what I represent and the kind of person I am. I think that takes me further than any kind of mud that I’ve been dragged through. I think my performance is more important, because that’s what people want to see.

“People have ideas about your age and your ability, and I’m guessing that’s obvious with my case this year. But I don’t doubt myself, and I know what I’m capable of doing and what I’ve done in the past, and I don’t think that’s going to hinder me or has hindered me in getting a job or moving on to find another job in the future.”

Did you know that Villone was a 1st round draft pick, 14th overall, back in 1992? Dude has made about $12 million in his big league career. He’s 41 and has not pitched in the majors since 2009. But, he’s still trying. Talk about “For Love Of The Game,” huh?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but, in his last 8 starts, the Yankees Bartolo Colon is 2-4 with an ERA of 4.91 (in 40.3 IP).  Worse, in that span, he’s faced 185 batters and allowed a BA/OBA/SLG line of .310/.373/.518 (in these 8 games).

Yes, the league is sticking it to the Yankees Colon when he’s on the mound (since July 7th).

So, who is the Yankees #2 starter in this post-season after CC Sabathia?