lidle and abreu are a hit

Brian Cashman looks brilliant for getting Cory Lidle from Philadelphia, when all the Yankees were after was Bobby Abreu. Only game 5 of the rare long series in Boston was notable for being dominated by pitching.

put this in your pipe and beckett

It's a great day in Bean-town. The Yankees are doing some early damage against ego-maniac starting pitcher Josh Beckett, and his pitches are getting used up fast. I certainly hope that the egos of Beckett and everyone that supports him have taken a major blow.

Meanwhile, talents by the names of Damon and Abreu continue to act like scheming partners in crime. I love watching this! Abreu started the season in the National League, but everyone saw that he was really an American League-style big-swinging outfielder.

Finally, I heard that our friend A-Rod once tried a part-time job as a barista. He made a lot of errors, though, and eventually struck out.

sunday's starters

The Red Sox - Yankees pitching matchup that I am looking forward to the most is Mussina vs. Schilling on Sunday. These two hurlers are the most driven starters on their respective teams.

However, this series is going to take its toll, especially since it starts with a doubleheader. I can't predict what level of offense either team will have for Sunday's classic matchup. For now, I'll put my money on sporadic hits and scoreless innings until relief pitchers are called in; a mutual race to the bullpen.

pitching problems

Jaret Wright lasted 3 innings? Ron Villone threw 42 pitches?

Please refer to my post yesterday in which I suggested that Joe Torre needs to lay off Villone. The guy's tank is empty, and it's plainly obvious. Torre has a history of choosing one relief pitcher to act as a long reliever. It's fine for relief pitchers to have designated roles, but effectiveness diminishes as the workload increases. The Yankees haven't learned that lesson yet.

Wang and Mussina are the two most reliable starters for the Yankees. There are three other starters, who shall remain nameless, that stink. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to the next five games in Boston.

Without Lidle this weekend, the Yankees should give Scott Proctor a start, and call up a relief pitcher from Columbus.

relief pitcher

With Dotel's arrival in the bullpen, I will be watching with interest to see if Torre can curb his Villone addiction.

zero runs through five innings

Where's the offense today?  Mussina is on the mound, which means this game is winnable.  Hit something!

blame torre for overextending randy

Joe Torre was selfish in pushing Randy Johnson to throw over 100 pitches in the Yankees' 7-2 victory over the Angels.  Six shutout innings apparently weren't enough.  Randy's small triumph wasn't enough.

I was so mad when I saw the game tied up, 2-2, with Randy still on the mound.  This was an important game, with a margin for error too small.  You can't treat Randy like an experienced ace anymore.  You have to treat him like a risk-prone kid who gets shaky after 85 deliveries.

Randy should have come out after six innings.  It would have given Posada a break too: Jorge doesn't like catching Randy's pitches any more than Randy likes throwing them to Posada.

be offensive to beat boston

Bad idea to thin the lead over Boston, guys.

Wang's difficulties on the mound yesterday could have been forgotten if the Yankees delivered the expected level of offense.  It is inexcusable that the younger brother of Jeff Weaver could dominate the Bronx Bombers.

In this case, I don't want to play the "what if Jeter wasn't called out on strikes" game.  That happened far too late in the game.

George Steinbrenner ought to tell his team that they can't have the attitude that they will occasionally lose games.  That's the attitude that allows it to happen.

seeking comments

What do you think: should Scott Proctor be given a start or two in place of Randy Johnson this season?

sal needs pals

I must admit that I haven't been to Yankee Stadium at all this year.  Has anyone shown up recently with a fu manchu?

(p.s. happy birthday sal)

post-trade pitching

I was certainly wrong earlier about Chacon's future with the Yankees.  But the trades appear very effective, as Abreu and Lidle will shine.  Both showed an immediate desire to do their job of winning ballgames.

The pressure is off Randy Johnson.  He'll continue riding the success of the rest of the team while occasionally letting an easy one slip away on Bronx's dime.

And at an average of $7 million per year, Jaret Wright doesn't need to worry about reducing his league-average ERA.

He'd rise to the occasion if only he could find out which occasion everyone is talking about.