moonslav59

It's not going to be easy winning the AL championship. The best teams are all here. While I like our chances better than anyone else's, losing to any one of Houston, NYY or CLE does not mean we suck. This is baseball. Anything can happen in a 5 or 7 game series. We should win, and I think we will. I understand how losing in the playoffs again would suck, but there are some damn good teams all trying to win it all.

He's not taking $60M/4. He won't even take $60M/3, $75M/4 or $85M/5.

It's not that simple. 1) You assume we will stay $39.5M over the luxury tax, which I suppose we might do for one more year. 2) Arb raises, option raises and Pablo's contract still exist. 3) We will have several needs (see below). What is the greater need area? A) Closer: Brasier/Barnes/Hembree #1 Set-up man: Barnes, Hembree, Workman C) #2 Set-up man: Hembree, Workman, Poyner D) #5 starter: Wright, Johnson, Velazquez, Shawaryn, Shepherd, Houck, D Hernandez E) 2B: (Pedey) Nunez, Holt, Hernandez, Lin F) 1B v LHPs: Holt or Ockimey I actually like Wright & Johnson over any other choices here, except maybe 2B with several chances at someone stepping up.

Not a bad idea, but I doubt we try that strategy ice cold.

The good thing is, it won't be LAD or NYY. Maybe the Guardians, Cubs or Braves?

A closer. 2 set-up men. I like our starters going into next year, just like I liked this year's. I'm usually one to always want to add a 1-2 type starter.I'm not so hot on signing 4-5 types. Start the year with what we have, and if we need a starter,then look for thenext Eovaldi/Happ type. They seem to be cheaper during the year than before, lately.

That's not me.

I wouldn't mind seeing Pearce FT or even Holt at 1B vs RHPs, but I'm almost certain Cora will stay with what he did all season: MM vs RHPs and Pearce vs LHP.

I like Wright coming in after Sale. Big clash of styles.

Me too, but he will get more than we can afford. We have bigger need areas.

Too bad the Yanks didn't sign him.

We need great righties.

Tire themselves out!

For all you who believe you're only as good as your last game, you must think we'll go 11 and oh in the playoffs.

We really could use a Moreland resurgence.

What is the more likely first game line? A) 2 IP 4H 4 ER 3K 2 BB or 5 IP 4H 2 ER 8K 1 BB or C) 6 IP 2H 1 ER 10K 1 BB I'm going with C with B being very possible.

Yes, I mentioned no Pom. Kelly is in the pen, so that doesn't affect the rotation. The Pom & Kelly money will go towards arb raises or replacing or keeping Kimbrel. We will also need at least another pen arm beyond a closer. We could maybe try to dump Nunez and Moreland's salary and hope Chavis, Dalbec, Travis or Ockimey can fill at 1B/3B as well as a Pedey return at 2B or a Holt, Hernandez, Quiroz, Lin combo at 2B will be enough. that freed up money could help us get better RP'ers and maybe another 5th starter type. I'd rather wait on a 5th starter until mid season. DD seems to do well with these types of trades (Eovaldi, Pearce, Kinsler...).

Yes, every team has worries. I think other teams have more than we do.

I get the concern. I'm concerned, too. Part of me also feels better about sale this October than I did before last October. Last year, I knew they over-worked him, and he had a long and solid history of declining in August and September. They had him lead the league in Ks with way too many IP'd. This year, he went on the DL and stated he could have kept pitching. he came back from that DL and pitched a great game... maybe his best of the season. yes, he went right back on the DL, and I don't think it was for nothing. He had a sore shoulder, but I also think the extra rest could very well make Sale a better pitcher this October than last October.

With limited resources, we may let Pom & Eovaldi walk and see how it goes. If what we have comes up short, we may look to deal for someone, like we did for Eovaldi and the Yanks did with Happ & Lynn midseason. 1. Sale 2. Price 3. Porcello 4. ERod 5. Wright 6. Johnson 7. Velazquez 8. Cuevas 9. Shawaryn 10. Haley 11. Shepherd/Houck/D Hernandez

How will Cora handle Sale after he has 12 Ks through 6 IP with 95 pitches, 1 ER and 2 BBs? Will he pull him for 2-3 IP from Wright??

Who is hot and who is not going into the PO's. Using Moon's list, which I find pretty close to my expectations: Last 28 days OPS 1. Betts RF Red Hot 1.185 2. Beni LF Warming up but no real power .707/.839 last 14 3. Bogey SS So so .933 4. JD DH So so .806 .996 last 14 days 5. Pearce 1B Hot .845 6. Devers 3B Hot .820 .990 last 14 7. JBJ CF So so .725 8. Kinsler 2B Cool .517 9. Leon (w Sale & Price) Ice Cold .161 10.Vaz (w Porcello & Eovaldi) Cool .566 Bench: Holt 1.128 I might use him at 1B over Moreland vs RHPs. Hot Nunez .667(3B, 2B, OF) Warm (good contact) Swihart .768 (C, PH, 1B, OF) Warm.900 last 14 Moreland .590(1B, PH) I'd think about taking Ice Cold Lin 1.444 over Moreland. I've lost faith in MM. Warm

More from Yogi... "I always thought that record would stand until it was broken." "I can see how he (Sandy Koufax) won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five." "I think Little League is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house." "Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets." "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." "All pitchers are liars or crybabies." (On the 1973 Mets) "We were overwhelming underdogs." "I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?" "So I'm ugly. I never saw anyone hit with his face." "In baseball, you don't know nothing." "I'm a lucky guy and I'm happy to be with the Yankees. And I want to thank everyone for making this day necessary." "I wish everybody had the drive he (Joe DiMaggio) had. He never did anything wrong on the field. I'd never seen him dive for a ball, everything was a chest-high catch, and he never walked off the field." "Slump? I ain't in no slump. I just ain't hitting." "If you don't catch the ball, you catch the bus home." "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." "A home opener is always exciting, no matter if it's home or on the road." "It ain't the heat, it's the humility." "It gets late early out here." On life: "You can observe a lot by watching." "We're lost but we're making great time!" "The future ain't what it used to be." "If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else." "Take it with a grin of salt." "You should always go to other people's funerals, otherwise, they won't come to yours." "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." "I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did." "We made too many wrong mistakes." "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore." "I wish I had an answer to that, because I'm tired of answering that question." "We have a good time together, even when we're not together." "If you don't set goals, you can't regret not reaching them." On golf: "Ninety per cent of short putts don't go in." "Eighty per cent of the balls that don't reach the hole don't go in." "I think they just got through marinating the greens." On travel gear: "Why buy good luggage, you only use it when you travel." "The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase." On naps: "I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four." On "fan" mail: "Never answer an anonymous letter." On his own words: "I never said most of the things I said."

I think Eovaldi should start game 4. I'd bring in Wright for 2-3 innings, maybe longer if needed, in game 1. ERod should be our other long man from the pen. I guess we could use Eovldi in relief for one inning, then start him game 4 in NY or OAK 3 days rest.

I thought for sure Penn State had that game. I was also pulling for the Syracuse upset of Clemson. ND could have leap-frogged those two plus Stanford... maybe more. We have a few more tough games left, but nobody in the top 20. This might be the rankings... 1. Alabama 2. Georgia 3. LSU 4. Ohio State 5. Clemson 6. Notre Dame 7. Oklahoma 8. Auburn 9. West Virginia 10. Washington 11. ICF 12. Michigan 13. Penns State 14. Stanford 15. Kentucky