I think you’ve lost your objectivity SG.  The Yankees are playing 8 games under their expected record.  I certainly wouldn’t expect you to proclaim that makes them a bad team.  And even with all that they are still only 5 games out of the wild-card. 

Adding a bench player won’t help, but if they could, say, replace Farnsworth with Gagne, I think that will certainly make them better, and help in the close games.  I agree though I wouldn’t give up much for Gagne.

And with all that Hughes and Giambi are coming back soon, so this team should get better.  Though I’m certainly not happy with the way the team has played, I’m not yet ready to declare the season a loss, nor say the team stinks.  Definitely though they cannot afford to have a long losing streak now.

Finally, the NY Post today - who I believe started the Igawa rumor - reported that the M’s scouts were actually there to look at Dotel.

Which young pitcher are you willing to package with Farnsworth? I wouldn’t think Texas is giving him away when there are multiple teams inquiring. I agree with you though, the good Yanks are the real Yanks, and the crappitude of your latest “chips” Damon & Abreu parallels the Sox’s stretches where their FNGs (Lugo & Drew) stunk badly. It does bring the whole team down. It is bizarre to watch Damon & Pedro and remember how offended people up here were when they $trolled down I-95. I’d be surprised if they even still tried to sell the Damon insult shirts outside Fenway anymore.

It’s insane to think that when Giambi comes back, it’s quite likely that Damon could be playing over Melky on a regular basis.  The first team that really understands the concept of a sunk cost and stops trying to justify contracts by playing the inferior, but overpaid, player will have such a huge advantage over the rest of the league.

It’s insane to think that when Giambi comes back, it’s quite likely that Damon could be playing over Melky on a regular basis.

If that happens, and Damon doesn’t hit, then that will be the end of the season.  Melky has proven to be superior both offensively and defensively - he should play over Damon. 

I admit that for a while I was perplexed as to how Damon could be so bad this year.  But inspecting his career performance is more telling. He’s put together some great/very good years but his career OPS+ is 103.

I really don’t know what we can expect from Damon going forward with 2.5 years left on his contract.  I’m not sure if it was on this site or not, but I called Melky as the CF of the future, and I think any allegiance to Torre’s ‘proven veterans’ that stunts his development is worse than losing games this year (meaning I’d rather lose with Melky in CF than win with Damon in CF.)

It’s funny.. I talk to my friends and family who are Yankees fans, and they consider this the worst time for them in years.  With all these young guys we’re getting/going to see (Wang, Cano, Melky, Hughes, Chamberlain, Tabata) develop.

... it’s more exciting than having years like 2004 or 2005 for me.

I can’t believe the Nationals gave Young an extension.

Besides “feel good” story, what reason is there for the Nationals to hang on to a player like Young? He really ought to have been traded.

Oh, and yeah, as bad as they have played these last few games, I don’t think the Yankees stink.

They’re not as bad as this stretch and they are not as good as the stretch before that.

I think you’ve lost your objectivity SG.

It’s not so much that I’ve lost it as this team has sucked it out of me.  They HAVE to win series against worse teams, and they shit the bed in this one. 

The first team that really understands the concept of a sunk cost and stops trying to justify contracts by playing the inferior, but overpaid, player will have such a huge advantage over the rest of the league.

That’s why I took heart in the rumor that they were shopping Damon.  Unfortunately, the rest of the league knows he’s not worth his contract, and the only way he gets traded is if the majority of his salary gets eaten.

BTW- It looks like Kennedy was trying to show up Joba in his AAA debut.  6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER.

Okay, I take it back, Kennedy should be nigh-untouchable, as well.

Besides “feel good” story, what reason is there for the Nationals to hang on to a player like Young? He really ought to have been traded.

Seriously. I mean, can any situation be more perfect than that to make a trade? A team that is going nowhere and needs to build from the ground up has an older, 1 dimensional player who is having a strong year and could help a team in the playoff race. So, they extend him? Makes no sense.

This shit with Canseco talking about ARod pisses me off. Sheffield and Canseco are just trying to sell books and they don’t care who they drag through the mud.
If I was pitching against Canseco in his beer league softball games, I’d put one overhand into his ear. And then I’d probably run for my life.

Seriously. I mean, can any situation be more perfect than that to make a trade? A team that is going nowhere and needs to build from the ground up has an older, 1 dimensional player who is having a strong year and could help a team in the playoff race. So, they extend him? Makes no sense.

Totally. But then again, this is the same GM who decided to hold on to Alfonso Soriano for….uhmmm….who knows, last season, so I guess it is just par for the course.

Which young pitcher are you willing to package with Farnsworth?

Just to clarify, I didn’t intend to say the Yankees would trade Farnsworth for Gagne.  I was thinking Farnsworth would go in one trade, and Gagne would come in a separate trade, but the net effect for the Yankees would be to replace Farnsworth with Gagne.

And I’m not sure what I would be willing to part with to get Gagne.  Horne maybe?  Maybe.

And I’m not sure what I would be willing to part with to get Gagne.  Horne maybe?  Maybe.

I don’t know if I’d be willing to part with anything for Gagne. He’s purely a rental. Is Gagne going to put us over the ‘top’? Probably not. Horne can potentially contribute something for a long time.

I should note that Bowden would argue that he thought the compensatory draft picks he’d get for Soriano were better than what he’d get in trades. I doubt it, though.

I, too, was pissed at Canseco, mostly for the swarthiness of it all. “I got something on A-Rod!”

Lordy.

“I got something on A-Rod!”

The reprehensible part of it is that it is purely a function of how ARod is doing this year. If he was having another 2004/2006 (meaning just not on pace to hit 50-60 HR’s), then it’d be someone else’s name.

I should note that Bowden would argue that he thought the compensatory draft picks he’d get for Soriano were better than what he’d get in trades. I doubt it, though.

Yeah, and they picked up Josh Smoker, who may still go to Clemson.

The reprehensible part of it is that it is purely a function of how ARod is doing this year. If he was having another 2004/2006 (meaning just not on pace to hit 50-60 HR’s), then it’d be someone else’s name.

I think the reprehensible part is trying to tarnish someone else’s reputation just to shill your book.

But yeah, you’re correct that it is absurd that A-Rod is being picked on specifically because he just happens to be in the limelight at the moment.

By the by, I haven’t read Canseco’s book since it came out (from the library, of course), but didn’t he go out of his way to keep A-Rod OUT of the accusations at the time?

What a weirdo.

If Saltalamacchia ends up on Texas, does that make it easier for him to eventually become a Yankee?

HAH!

That’s classic.

One can only hope (by the way, how weird is is that Salty is only a YEAR younger than McCann?)

Is Gagne going to put us over the ‘top’? Probably not. Horne can potentially contribute something for a long time.

I figure Horne is the middle-point.  That is, anything less Texas probably wouldn’t do the deal, and anything more wouldn’t make sense for the Yankees.  Horne I figure is expendable too - there are already three righty starters likely to make contributions ahead of him. 

Again, I’m not sure I would do that trade, but it is tempting.  I feel when all is said and done, the Yankees will be within a game or two of the playoffs either way.  Gagne may be worth that win or two.  More importantly, having Gagne AND Rivera in the playoffs will be VERY valuable.

Probably won’t matter; Gagne and Teixeira will probably both end up going to Atlanta in one deal.

I would not trade Horne for a rent a player, which is what Gagne would be.

I really don’t want to trade any prospects because any team that relies on Abreu and Damon as much as this team must, by necessity, probably isn’t going anywhere.

Off topic, but is there a way to divide posts into the game blogs and substantive posts?  it seems like once a game blog goes up, these substantive threads tend to die.  would two columns be too messy looking?

I thought the recent comments thing would help people keep up with the posts that may be of interest, but maybe it’s not working as well as it could.

I don’t know if we want to clutter up the front page with multiple columns, but maybe we can make a separate blog for the liveblogs so they don’t all show up on the front page or something.  I’ll talk to Larry and Fabian and see if we can come up with some ideas.

Today’s Hartford Courant had the following Subhead for yesterday’s Yanks game (paraphrased):

Yanks have same problem; A-Rod 0-4 with 3 Ks

In the article, Torre commented that ARod wasn’t doing well because he needed to be more selective. What is it with this guy and criticism?

well, he is asked about Arod everyday, for sure, and everything he says is printed.

But yeah, he should cut the shit with Alex, who has been the only reason Torre still has a job this year.  Replace ARod with a league average 3b, and Torre would have been gone before memorial day