just letting everyone know. I personally started the MVP chant when A-rod came up in the seventh. Great game. Slippery clemens. Lets keep it going.

Perhaps someone upstairs had to finally give Joe the notion that this guy needs to be removed from high leverage 8th inning matters. Anyway it’s a start. See where Ken Rosenthal has the Yanks shopping for next year’s third baseman perhaps as early as end of this month. What more proof do you need to know that writers will pen anything absurd just to get someone provoked enough to read. He implies it is a foregone conclusion that A-rod is as good as gone. What absolute BS. I don’t like these Thursday afternoon games after a night game. I understand why they are good for the players to catch planes, but it seems often that the lineup plays without inspiration.  You know with the Royals winning in the Fens the past couple of days, I’m very worried that they will really be up for the Yanks next week. I plan to be at least at the Monday game and I hope NY doesn’t take them to lightly. They have played pretty good over the past month. BTW, all you guys that loved Dotel last year; he’s proving you right this year. He would fit in our pen, but why not just promote Chamberlain in August and put him in there and get his feet wet. Could he do worse than Farney etal. This pen has to improve or the comeback will falter IMO.

At this point, I have very few reservations of bringing up Chamberlain to fill in the 7th or 8th inning gap for a while.  Come September when rosters expand, that’s likely the only role he would see anyhow.  He’ll be a starter eventually but as long as he’s used sparingly in the middle relief role, I don’t have a big problem with it.

It’s a great idea but alas far too unorthodox for the Yankees.  Chris Britton has certainly earned a chance though.

What happened to my first comment?

villain, I sent you a PM about it.  Somehow it got removed when the blog was updated.  Sorry about that.

I don’t know about the Joba thing. One of the reasons why we didn’t bring up Phil-thy last year was he was working on a changeup. That changeup has become a very good pitch for him this year. I think a good changeup would be even more beneficial for Joba, given that he throws absolute gas. From all accounts, the pitch has great promise but is still a work in progress. I would much rather see Joba fully develop it (and other parts of his game) this year before we rush him up to the bigs, tell him to put the change on the backburner, and only throw fastballs and sliders.

Joba might already be a great 7th/8th inning option right now, but I have little doubt he will be a better starter in 2009 if we don’t rush him up for the stretch run.

Cutter - you posting a chatter?

Cutter - you posting a chatter?

Yeah.  Do you want to do the liveblog?

Lock the state, Wanger.

Didn’t the Twins use Santana and then Liriano first as relievers?

villain, I sent you a PM about it.

Hilarious.  I didn’t know such a thing existed. 

That’s right, afternoon game!

I hear what you are saying Damien, but in my view, I see a limited window for making a run this year particularly with all the impending free agents on hand. If all if not most of the touted minor leaguers make the majors soon, there is no guarantee that the team will have the compliment of other talent (presumably already on hand) that will make the team a favorite anytime soon. In other words this idea that a youth overhaul will spin out a championship is a long shot. The Indians are masters at making good trades and reassembling themselves, but they are still not there yet. They haven’t approached the kind of team they were in 95-98. I see some urgency and I also think Chamberlain is a horse that could add something this season. The case for Britten is a solid one as well and perhaps it’s time to bring Henn back. If the team was fortunate enough to make the postseason, the fourth or fifth starter, presumably Hughes could also be used in the pen to help win must games.

yes bebop

the yankees are on the verge of having 2 top 5 prospects in successive years.  Joba and Hughes, along with Wang, have the chance to provide a good, young, core to their rotation for the next 5-10 years.

i think this is way more important than the marginal upgrade provided by the, what, 25 innings they could get out of Joba down the stretch.

Joba is an absolute stud.  if they feel he needs to continue developing by STARTING games and logging innings in the minors, this is what should happen.

i believe Britton will be up after the trade deadline.  if he isn’t, i will complain.  until then, i will sit tight and see if cashman can pull another rabbit.

Didn’t the Twins use Santana and then Liriano first as relievers?

So 50-50 on the success of that strategy? 

I’m all for it, by the way.  One of the reason is that the Yankees are overloaded with so so relievers that they over use.  I wouldn’t want Joba to be use so much as to risk injury, but on the other hand, a sort of sane bullpen management would make it okay. 

I’m not sure what I’m saying, because sane bullpen management doesn’t really go with Torre.  So maybe moot point.

And from my understanding, back in the golden olden days, that’s how some starters where introduced into the majors, some time in the pen, then joining the rotation.  I could be wrong with this, but I remember reading as much.