example1

4 K's in 2.3 IP That was a good pitch, but Dougy is going to get tossed because the Yankees can't afford to have anyone else tossed. He's taking one for the team.

Feel better bro. I remember getting painful ailments that kept me from watching baseball... October 2003, August 2006... I've been there!

Wrong half of the inning, but I like what I see from Matsuzaka so far. He seems to use his wildness as part of his arsenel, making people think that he's trying to throw a take-strike fastball down 2-1, which turns out to be a slider down and away, or a change down and away. He has a lot of different options and I think he uses the count differently than others do. It is ideal to get up 0-2 every time. Unless you know the other team is swinging at the first pitch, in which case you use their eagerness against them. I'm not saying everything he is doing is intentional, but you can easily see why he gets so many K's.

I agree with this, though there are some here who may argue with you, or who will at least try to devalue Youkilis. I think this guy is an extremely valuable player. He can play both corners and sees as many pitches as Abreu and some of the other amazing players. Let him get used to it a little bit and I think he can put up a really good season (.295/.400/.500) while playing what I consider to be + defense at 1B.

A crooked number before any outs are made? Yeah, that's a good start for a crooked number inning.

Best record in baseball.

I think they're primed for a good series. They could use a really good run just like the sox got last week but I am hoping for--at worst--1 of 3 for the sox. A mitigating factor could be Dice-K's start. If he comes out and is dominant then what happens in the next two games looks less important. Fortunately, Wakefield has been pretty well against the Yankees in the past three years (3-5, 12 GS, 2 CG, 80 IP, 55 H, 34 BB, 54K, .191 BAA).

You know who this kid reminds me of? Mark Prior. He has great stuff, but he appears to throw with all arm. I really hope he can stay healthy. Actually, no I don't. No maliciousness here, I just don't like it when the yankees win.

Can I just say that I think we (as fans) might be starting to get complacent about this team. Josh Beckett threw a tremendous game tonight. He didn't get a lot of K's but he was in control throughout and looks like an ace. In about 2/3 of his starts so has Schilling, and Matsuzaka certainly looks like an adequate #2. This team has some great starting pitching which we shouldn't take for granted.

Some of you have been talking a whole lot of s*** about WMP. Yes, he looks pretty bad against breaking balls, but that boy has some serious power. some SERIOUS power.

That's what I was thinking should happen. Drop Snyder.

I can't help but wonder what would have happened if the Sox had played Hanley Ramirez a little earlier than they did. Was hanley ABSOLUTELY essential to getting Beckett? Could there have been some other option (say, Lester) who would have netted this team Beckett anyway? It's not like FLA knew which hanley ramirez they were getting; he's been as advertized and more.

Personally, if ellsbury can produce better than Coco then he should be playing. Period. This team is very close to being able to really, really compete for a WS. They have the pitching staff, they have the lineup and they should have the defense. There are some pretty good CFs out there who I would keep Ellsbury behind if necessary. Crisp isn't one of them. I like Coco a lot, but I've said it over and over again, I think he's a great 4th OF. I don't care what they bought him for, or what he hopes to do, if Jacoby is better he should be playing. I know the sox specialize in not rushing players up. They also specialize in not winning WS titles and not being very exciting from the leadoff spot. Just imagine possibly having a player who can hit .290 with .360 OBP, 50 SB, 100 R and gold glove caliber glove in CF leading off for this team, or hitting 9th. I just think this kid will make a lot of things happen; he has on every single team he's played on since high school. Again, I don't think 23 is too young to bring a player up. EDIT: just for fun: Ellsbury Lugo Ortiz Manny Drew Youkilis Varitek Lowell Pedroia looks like an explosive lineup to me.

Why the hell not bring up Ellsbury? Murphy is all well and good, but what is his upside? What has been his upside in the MINORS? 14-20 HR, .280? When you have a guy who is one of the best athletes in your system, who is 23 years old and has a reputation as a top-notch defender, AND you need a CF, I say go for it.

I agree for the most part. It's a break for TOR, but WMP is NOT a CF, thus increasing the chances of them getting a 'break'. I don't know what makes him somehow more qualified than JD Drew to play CF. I just got home so I'm not sure why Coco is still out, but if its for an extended period I'm calling for Jacoby up sooner than later. At worst he'll be a .250 hitter who can play ++ defense and steal some bases... not too different from Coco.

Woah! did I read that right? A CURRENT Yankee fan saying Hughes will ONLY be a Beckett clone? A pitcher who carried his team through the playoffs to the WS, winning WS MVP? A guy who can hit 96 without thinking about it, who is young and only getting better? I think Hughes can be all these things and more, and I think that Beckett would look pretty darn good in pinstripes given the trash you're throwing out there now.

Any chance Tavarez becomes Lester if Lester pitches well at AAA and Tavarez doesn't tomorrow? I don't want to rush Lester, but he could be better than Tavarez and the sox have already rushed him a little bit, given that they're saying he's only 2 starts away. I thought for awhile there we were talking a few months.

I really think this game will be one of the ones that I watch during the offseason next year. It was really entertaining. DiceK gets knocked around a bit, but he hits A-Rod and Jeter, strikes out A-Rod 2 times, Abreu 3 times, Damon and Cano. He also managed to keep his pitch count down and pitch admirably into the 8th inning. Like a playoff game. 4 HR in a row, on 9 pitches. Lowell's 3 run shot. Pedroia's diving play. And to top it all off we have a pitcher nobody can touch. Papelbon came in, 1 run lead on a night where there were many runs. Wind blowing out. Absolute quintessential Papelbon. Damon, Jeter, Abreu, and the hottest hitter the world has ever seen, A-Rod. Damon: Out Jeter: overpowered K Abreu: tentitive, draws a walk A-Rod: weak gb, 5 to 4, ends the game. Despite his assinine calls all night Joe Morgan certainly says one thing right during the Abreu AB: Jon Miller: Now 3-1, and does Papelbon sneak a glance over at Alex Rodriguez..? Joe Morgan: To be honest with you I don't think he's afraid of A-Rod, I don't think he's afraid of anyone... The game I compare this with from 06 was the game against the Mets. Not Pedro's start, but the one with Coco's catch. It was such an unbelievably well played game and pretty much worth watching from start to finish. Just a good game for baseball fans.

Well put jacksonian. Truth be told, I brought up the comparison because Gom said to imagine losing Drew and Varitek. In part I did the comparison BECAUSE it shows the different constructions of our teams. Losing Drew and Varitek would be a BIGGER deal to our team than this is to the Yankees, and I think the proof is in the pudding. Yes, your team still raked because of two guys coming through when it mattered: A-Rod and Giambi. But don't do your team too much of a disservice, Cano is a great offensive player, Abreu is a great offensive player, A-Rod has been hitting like Babe Ruth, Jeter is possibly the most consistent hitting SS in the past 25 years, Damon is a great player, etc., Yes, your pitching was weak this series. But you can't blame the starters for Mariano's meltdown. It also is easier to shut down the Red Sox than it is to shut down the Yankees, even with an injury or two to the Yanks. I guess my point is that this is baseball. Yeah, maybe next week it will look better for the Yanks. Maybe it won't. I think there's reason to think that injuries will continue for this team, especially the starters. Last year when the Sox got swept in 5 games very few people around here took the injury excuse as legitimate. They didn't get why we couldn't win even a game or two. That too is baseball. Losing Posada and Matsui is a big deal. But those two aren't the guys people think about when they think about the Yankees offense. Those players are first A-Rod, second Jeter, and then possibly matsui with Abreu and Giambi. Those three guys are tremendous. All three of them are as good as Drew, at least in terms of production on a consistent basis. I guess my thinking on it is that during the regular season good pitching often DOES NOT beat good hitting. Good patient hitting can manage to succeed against great pitchers. This Yankees team having good ABs against matsuzaka doesn't make Matsuzaka a bad pitcher, nor Beckett, nor Schilling. Those guys who comprise our "vaunted" pitching staff are deservedly vaunted. Against any other team, even the best offenses, they will find plenty of success. Let's compare the Yankees offense with the Twins and Tigers offense from today: Here's the Yankees: Damon Jeter Abreu A-Rod Giambi Cano Dougy Cabrera Nieves And the Twins: Casilla Punto Mauer Cuddyer Morneau Hunter Redmond Rabe Bartlett And the Tigers: Granderson Polanco Infante Ordonez Guillen Thames Casey Rabelo Inge These are other good MLB teams, but their offenses are considerably weaker, even than the yankees offense today. Other than Morneau and possibly Mauer I don't see anyone who would even be discussed as being part of the yankees 1-6. My overall point is that the yankees, even when injured, have an offense that is better than anyone elses. What they lack is pitching, which has nothing to do with offensive injuries. Therefore, it should have little bearing on whether or not Matsuzaka will be a "good pitcher" overall, or whether the SP should be seen as Vaunted. This core of SP was able to work out victories against an offense that, other than perhaps the Mets, is the best in all of baseball. I'm not going to downplay that. Yes, the Yankees offense has been better in the past, and even then, with healthy pitching, the sox took them to 7 games in 03 and 7 games in 04. The Sox can win and compete with this team either way. each game is going to have its unique flavor and you'll win some you'll lose some. As you can probably tell, I would have said the exact same thing if the Sox had lost. It wouldn't be the end of the world and it isn't for the Yankees. I just don't want to hear excuses about not having enough offense. You don't hear the Twins saying that or the Tigers saying that, even when they're throwing their #4 or #5 starters. It is up to THEM to work out victories in those matches. Furthermore, it was the yankees bullpen that was supposed to be so good and the saving grace during this period of injuries. I expect that the Yankees will go back to their murderous ways tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after. I'm just sick of hearing excuses abou tthe Yankees lacking certain huge parts of their lineup when they have spent so much damn money on their team. By saying that the Yankees have spent their money to make an offensive juggernaught, are you condemning their approach? It sounds like you are praising having a balanced team with pitching and hitting. I would agree with that assessment. Offense will get you places, but we have seen the past few years that adding another big hitter doesn't suddenly make you unstoppable. MLB hitters will make poor pitchers pay eventually. What should be concerning is Mariano's downfall thus far. Also, he's on my fantasy team as part of my "win-win" strategy. Same with Jeter. If they do well my fantasy team does well, if they don't then my real team does well. :thumbsup: I'm rambling. Perhaps we could send my posts to guiness to see if I've broken some record.

Don't you think that has a lot to do with you predicting that the Yankees would lose? I think you made it safe for yourself.