I love the bizarre system (Yahoo has it, too) that doesn’t list the first place teams in alphabetical order.

It is a lot of fun.

By the way, it’ll probably be Robertson, but doesn’t it make some sense to send Aceves down?

A. He has options

and

B. He wouldn’t pitch again until well after the All-Star Break

So you could bring him back in time for his next start and have an extra bullpen arm until then.

Lincecum yet to yield a hit through 6.

Youkilis with about 83 PA at third.  I’m guessing had he been the everyday third baseman from the season’s start he’d top the list, or nearly top it.

And the no-no is done.

A jinx for non Yankees team too, huh, Jon?

The NY1 brought up a Halladay trade with the primary piece from the Yankees being Joba. I don’t know about this. I love Joba, and the money saved, but I think it’s something that can be further discussed upon with both teams.

By the way, it’ll probably be Robertson, but doesn’t it make some sense to send Aceves down?

Makes sense on paper, but it may seem like a punishment for Aceves that he really doesn’t deserve.  I think Robertson needs to show them he can throw strikes more consistently and he’ll get more of a chance to do that in AAA.  If tomorrow’s game goes badly and they use up the pen then I could see them doing an Aceves/Edwar swap or something for Saturday/Sunday.

By Sunday, Ace can’t go 1 inning or be the ROOGY?

He’s not the least valuable 3B in the AL this year after all.

Berroa and Ransom did their best.  If only they had more PAs..

Either way our bullpen is beginning to look very well rounded. With Aceves the Yankees effectively have two long-men, Brett Tomko as the mop up man and Aceves as the stop-gap.

Berroa probably deserves a trophy.  To be as big a negative as he was in only 24 PAs is a truly special achievement.

Ransom really needs to join Berroa…wherever Berroa is now.

“I love the bizarre system (Yahoo has it, too) that doesn’t list the first place teams in alphabetical order.”

Alphabetical order is as sensible as closest-geographically-to-Cooperstown or home attendance or largest-penguin-population.  Random is less biased.  I could see an argument for using division record, then head-to-head, then pythag.

I could see an argument for using division record, then head-to-head, then pythag.

I prefer Yankee bias.

I prefer Yankee bias.

As do I, especially after catching Baseball Tonight, where they actually debated who the “first place” team was, while determining not just that it was still the Red Sox, but that it was “no doubt about it’s the Red Sox.”

Even records, but 0-7 (or is it worse?) head-to-head.  If the season ended today, the Sox take the division.  Not worth arguing that.

Am I the only one who loves that the White Sox kicked Crede to the curb for two guys are a far less valuable than he is? I know, I know, Fields was highly touted at one point, but seriously to be worse than Berroa and Ransom, that doesn’t look good for his future.

Wow, Ransom is not really helping people who made a feverish argument in favor of keeping him over Pena. Small sample size and all, but to be this bad over 66 PA is something.

And he is an upgrade over Berroa. Some incredible dead weights in the roster.

The tie breaker only comes into play if both teams make the playoffs. In other words, it’s don’t mean shit.

SG, yesterday when you shared your dreams with us, I was mildly surprised.  I had always expected you to dream more about this.

Wow, Ransom is not really helping people who made a feverish argument in favor of keeping him over Pena. Small sample size and all, but to be this bad over 66 PA is something.

I think I wrote yesterday the difference between them was like 5 runs and above says it is 6; though Ransom really isn’t as bad as he’s played so far.  I’m arguing that for a half-win for the rest of the year, and the fact that the only other player the Yankees have who is remotely close to ready to play in the majors is Reese, I’m fine keeping Ransom on the team and letting Pena develop further in the minors to take over next year.  Especially as I believe if Ransom doesn’t improve over the next few weeks, either Pena will replace him anyway, or Cashman will trade for someone better.  Which leads me into…

[19] From the link:

The data could be made available to the public on a subscription basis, Bowman said, although what data is released and in what form could be affected by clubs’ competitive concerns.

I understand that MLB feels compelled to monetize everything they can, but they should offer the fans the option of obtaining all the data.

Update from the minors!  Not much of an update.  Last night the “home” game was played in Lehigh Valley due to the drainage situation at PNC Field (for more info on that go to Chad Jennings’s blog or Google it).  So instead of a 30 minute drive it was 75.  I got to see Coca Cola Park (more on that later), but not a ton of game.  For one, there was a brutal sun, and even with my sunglasses and doing the Andy Pettitte thing with my hat, I could barely see the first two innings.

Josh Towers pitched.  I think I’ve given a report on his stuff here in the past and I don’t think anything changed.  I didn’t see the MPH on pitches much; the radar gun just wasn’t where I expected it, so I didn’t look often.  He pitched well for the 5 innings I saw (checking the box: only pitched those 5).  Only problem was a two out double to RF he let up Raul Ibanez.  On that play, the ball was off the RF wall, and Shelley Duncan looked as bad as I’ve seen him.  I kept turning around, reached the wall and leapt…and was nowhere close to it.  I’m not sure if he *should* have caught it; the ball may have been too high off the wall.  But he just looked bad.

On offense, the Yankees hit the ball very hard, with little to show.  Several well hit balls to the outfield that were either right at fielders, or died in the wind (that didn’t start blowing in until the 5th!)  The big hit was Yurendell de Caster’s first HR for the Yanks, a shot to LF that probably went about 350 feet.  Would have been out of any ballpark in the majors except maybe Fenway (would have been off the wall I think).  Cervelli had a SF to right in the first, that would have been out of Yankee Stadium (old or new).  About 330 feet to the RF corner, where it is about 340 feet to the wall.  Would have been 8 rows back in NYS.

Apparently after I left, Edwar imploded in the 8th letting up 4 runs…but yet was allowed to pitch the ninth.  No callup for him!  I don’t recall any exceptional fielding plays, other than the Shelley gaff.

Re: Shelley. Your description on the play probably would resemble some of Swisher’s play.

I just wanted to do a separate post on Coca Cola Park in Bethelehem, PA.  Park opened last year, and it was the first time I got to see it.  When I got into the park and took my seat, the first thing I did was texted my wife, “This place makes swb look like a little league field.”  It is BEAUTIFUL.  Nice open field, with the open concourses you expect in a modern park.  Lots of places to eat (compared to PNC field, which I don’t know how that compares to most minor-league parks in terms of concessions).  Seats are actually relatively comfortable with some great views.  Large jumbotron in CF, with a second smaller screen (almost as big as SWB’s “main” screen) in LF for out of town scoreboard, how the batter has done in the game, etc.

Place also has some “character” things going, like all the advertising boards in RF which form a large wall (15 feet high), with a seating area on top of that and another wall of advertising above that.  Gives something for powerful lefties to hit over (probably 40-50 feet high to get over it, 336 down the line).  Bullpens are fairly open so you can see that someone is warming up (if you were in LF you could probably tell who). There is a hill behind the wall in CF in front of the batter’s eye where they are growing something (shrubs? ivy?  couldn’t tell), and to the left of that is a grassy area for I think 6$ you can bring a chair/blanket and sit out there.  Also in LF there is a playground for the kids.

They should really bring our local county commissioners who are refusing to even enter into a dialog about a new field here, down there.  It is head and tails above what we have.  Yeah, I understand with the economy, tax problems, etc (but then again and independent commission recommended PNC field needs 11 million+ in repairs), but they won’t even discuss it.  The only things I would consider “bad” are that the upper deck is so far away (common complaints about open-concourse stadiums), and the sun early evening in RF.  PNC Field has the on-field restaurant which is a plus, but…I don’t think it is that far of a drive from NYC or especially NJ, and I’d highly recommend taking a drive down one day to take a game in.

Brought to you by Log5:

NYY v. LAA: the House Money Series.

B. He wouldn’t pitch again until well after the All-Star Break

Aceves could pitch on Sunday, and again in one of the first two games after the break, and still make the start on July 21.  Not that long ago, we were all ga-ga about him being the new Ramiro Mendoza.  Well, if we want him to be used the way Mendoza was, this is what that looks like.

Ransom is not really helping people who made a feverish argument in favor of keeping him over Pena.

This would be a good point if anybody had made any feverish arguments about him being better than Pena.  The argument, such as it was, is that:

1) Pena sucks too, even if we have seen him make a nifty play or two.
2) Ransom is better than the guy behind Pena.
3) Given how little either one of them will play (barring an injury to a starting infielder), it is not worth losing depth for the nominal upgrade of Pena over Ransom.

4) (as I posted above) if Ransom continues to suck at his current level or worse Cashman will replace him.

When they made the Hinske trade, I said that I fully expect Ransom to be DFA before the season is out, but just not yet.  I haven’t seen anything in the interim that inclines me to change my mind about that assessment.  I just think they’re waiting for somebody better to become freely available, rather than having to use (or save) a 40-man roster spot on a guy like Russo or Bernier.

Who was it that said you could put the Lehigh Girls Softball team in Angels uniforms and they would still take two out of three from the Yankees?

I have to admit, I wouldn’t have minded the Yankees taking a flyer on Pedro. One of my favorite players ever.

1) Pena sucks too, even if we have seen him make a nifty play or two.
2) Ransom is better than the guy behind Pena.
3) Given how little either one of them will play (barring an injury to a starting infielder), it is not worth losing depth for the nominal upgrade of Pena over Ransom.

I don’t disagree with Pena not being very good. But he is at least replacement level. Ransom doesn’t seem like he is even that.

But, as has been pointed out, his days are perhaps numbered anyway.

Who was it that said you could put the Lehigh Girls Softball team in Angels uniforms and they would still take two out of three from the Yankees?

I think the quote was “You could throw a bunch of Angels uniforms on the USC Women’s Lacrosse team and they’d still beat the Yankees.”

“You could throw a bunch of Angels uniforms on”

Not sure if the implication in this scenario is that they would actually wear the uniforms.

Metrics that put Ransom below Berroa at 3rd make my eyes glaze over.

I had always expected you to dream more about this.

I am a nerd, but not that much of one.

Metrics that put Ransom below Berroa at 3rd make my eyes glaze over.

Playing time.  If it makes you feel better, pro-rate Berroa’s PT to Ransom’s and he’d be about twice as bad (-14).

Just got back from a vacation to Wisconsin and back through the Twin Cities. I took in the first two games. I was kind of shocked to witness two wins.  Boy did A-rod crush one the other night to center only to have it caught two feet above the wall.  Impressions from what I saw include:
1. First time I saw Hughes in action. He looked good for the most part in second game, but evidently more impressive yesterday. It’s interesting that Bruney saw no part of the 8th inning the past two days. I still want Hughes starting, but given what he’s added to the pen for the present, I think it would be a real risk to change things for this year at this point.
2.  Burnett fought wildness again, but was able to wriggle through. It’s clear that if you throw 94 fastball after 94 fastball as he did the other night, most players will put them in play and sometimes pretty hard. But to his credit he got the big K on Cuddyer when he had to.
3.  CC did a nice job on Tuesday. It’s a big change from last year when the team could for the most part only depend on Moose to have a strong first five innings in most games. CC does it consistently and hopefully he’ll continue to improve over the second half.
4. It was great to see Tex begin to bust out. The four hit game was full of soft hits however one of his only outs was a long drive to center, so let’s hope he can keep it going.
5.  I was very happy with Mo’s performance, but a little shocked that his first pitches Wednesday showed 87-88 on the stadium monitor. He got the job done, however and that’s what counts.

I watched the game with my wife’s cousin from St. Paul. He said he played ball at the high school level with Mauer and they knew each other to some degree. That Mauer is a neat kid and they love him up there. SSF, I still think your Sox won’t get him anytime soon.

I’m worried about Joba. Tonight will be a really important start for him. I’m worried for the most part about his holding up for a full season as a starter. That shoulder injury last summer still makes me wonder about reoccurance. Is it possible that command problems are related to ease of throwing and maintaining a respectable velocity?  Anyway, this is a big outing and with Wang out Joba is especially vital to the team’s chances.

Didn’t give the Royals much chance last night after they got behind 3 zip. Got to hand it to them.

[35]
SG, yes, I understand that.  I know.  But…
My post was carefully phrased.

[36] I was in attendance for all three games. I think the Metrodome gun reads low by a few MPH. It had CC at 90 most of the time, and everyone else sitting a couple MPH lower than I would have expected.

Also, it’s almost a lock that the Twins will extend Mauer’s contract before he hits FA. They can’t justify losing their best player when they are moving into a new stadium and have almost no other long term salary obligations. About 75% of Twins fans at the games were wearing Mauer apparel.