2007 New York Yankees Thread

[CommishJoe]

Originally Posted by thomamon

I would just be scared he would pull a Bucky and get fired!

Well, if memory serves correctly, Bucky sucked as manager.

[thomamon]

Originally Posted by CommishJoe

Well, if memory serves correctly, Bucky sucked as manager.

That was my point!

[1998 Yankees]

My apologies for a complete non sequitur, but I had to stop and record this.

I was just doing some research for my OOTP league and I ran across this fact concerning the Pittsburgh Pirates:

This is shaping up to be the 15th season in a row that the Pirates will finish under .500, not even a sniff of the playoffs since 1992. Good teams from 1990 through 1992, but then you need to go back to the '70's for really competitive Bucs teams.

Now, I know about the difference in markets and owner resources. Pittsburgh is on the short end of the stick in this regard and I say this without any attempt to belittle Pittsburgh or to ridicule Pirates fans who frankly deserve better. But still, can you imagine this type of chronic futility in New York?

Which leads to two conclusions which are not news at all, just reminders:

1. Many Yankee fans who cannot remember back to a time like this for their favorite team are spoiled beyond belief. No WS win since 2000, only division titles and playoffs every year since then? Waah!
   
2. "There are two types of baseball fans: Yankee fans and those who wish they were (or who wish their teams could be just like the Yankees)."

But, it is what it is. Which is why it's strange that we are talking about Torre being fired after his fine run; that is my take from hearing "we are not considering a change." And before somebody says, "that's the way to stay competitive," I will point out that Pittsburgh has had four or five managers in these 15 seasons, depending on whether you count a partial season fill-in manager.

(There, not a complete non sequitur after all, I guess. )

[darkhorse]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

This is shaping up to be the 15th season in a row that the Pirates will finish under .500, not even a sniff of the playoffs since 1992. Good teams from 1990 through 1992, but then you need to go back to the '70's for really competitive Bucs teams.

Which leads to two conclusions which are not news at all, just reminders:

I would add a third conclusion: It's good to have Barry Bonds in your lineup.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by darkhorse

I would add a third conclusion: It's good to have Barry Bonds in your lineup.

Interesting, in that the Pirates went downhill the very year that he left them, and they have not returned since.

[robster1225]

Not trying to sound like I've given up. But trying to defend this team is getting harder and harder with each loss.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by robster1225

Not trying to sound like I've given up. But trying to defend this team is getting harder and harder with each loss.

I don't blame you. LAA have made them look bad these past two games, another team that the Yankees seem to be accepting as better than them. Because they are.

I will not defend them but I will stick by them, though. That's what true Yankee fans do.

Plus, I know that they can improve and play well again soon with much the same position players (there are some exceptions that I am thinking of as possibilities right now - Abreu, Damon, Giambi . . .) but with some major changes to the pitching staff (sort out the starting rotaton and get the heck rid of Myers, Vizcaino, and Farnsworth).

[robster1225]

Oh, your right, I'll always stick by them, but the defending is hard to do. Your right, the talent is there, but I'm starting to think that this mix of talent is just not the way to go. Hopefully I'll eat my words by the end of this year, though.

Go Yankees!

[thomamon]

Originally Posted by robster1225

Not trying to sound like I've given up. But trying to defend this team is getting harder and harder with each loss.

I keep saying, there is still plenty of time and that they'll all get hot at once and win a crazy amount of games and make up a ton of ground. I pretty much assured myself the Sox will find some way to falter, as they always seem to do. I keep telling myself its only a matter of time.

But honestly, its starting to get late fast and I am starting to worry just a bit. This in no way means I'm giving up, I'll still stand by them and defend them to anyone who puts them down and says this isn't their year. Partly because I don't believe that its not their year, and partly because, well, I'm a Yankee fan, I bleed the Yankee Blue and I've seen amazing things from the boys in the Bronx

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by thomamon

I keep saying, there is still plenty of time and that they'll all get hot at once and win a crazy amount of games and make up a ton of ground. I pretty much assured myself the Sox will find some way to falter, as they always seem to do. I keep telling myself its only a matter of time.

Anybody else remember 1978, when the Yankees were 14 games behind Boston in mid-July and came back to win the AL East and the World Series?

Originally Posted by robster1225

Go Yankees!

That's the spirit!

Originally Posted by thomamon

I'm a Yankee fan, I bleed the Yankee Blue and I've seen amazing things from the boys in the Bronx

That's the spirit!

[silvam14]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

Anybody else remember 1978, when the Yankees were 14 games behind Boston in mid-July and came back to win the AL East and the World Series?

I was only 2 then, so I was spared that disaster!

Not so sure if the Red Sox had the pitching depth they have now, then, that they would have given up that 14 game lead.

[edog23]

There is 4 months left, so I think they still have some time to turn this around. Regardless of whether Clemens can make a impact or not, the rest of the guys have to step up and be accountable. Beat the Angels today, and start winning 2 out of 3 each series for the rest of the season and I'm pretty sure they will be right where they should be at the end. I'm keeping the faith!!

[robster1225]

Guys, you have really lifted my spirits again. I'm not saying it's impossible, and I'm not saying it wont happen, I'm just saying that the doubts are "creeping" in. One 5 game winning streak, and those will be gone, however. I think it is amazing that we have won the number of games we have, considering we've started 11 rookies this season, and our pitching staff looks nothing like it was supposed to. If we could find a way to organize a team to take out Myers, Vizcaino, and Farnsworth, we'd be that much better off .

[thomamon]

Originally Posted by silvam14

Not so sure if the Red Sox had the pitching depth they have now, then, that they would have given up that 14 game lead.

Lets take the following into account w/the depth of the Red Sox staff...

One SP is pitching his first full year for MLB in a five man rotation. Prior to this year, he was used to pitching once a week in a 6 man rotation. Will this effect his arm come September?

Another SP is now 40 years old. In 2006 he managed to make 2 starts in September and had an ERA of over 5.00 in August. In 2005, he only made 11 starts. I think that says enough on his reliability.

The pitcher they acquired last year had over a 5.00 ERA for the year. And although he was off to a torrid start this year, who knows what he'll bring back when he returns from the DL. April and May were his better months last year as well, before his ERA went over 5.00 for those two months. It eventually went back down in September, but the jury is still out on just how he'll handle the pressure.

Add to this a knuckle baller and a man who through out his career has been bounced from the pen to the rotation and is currently sporting an ERA on the wrong side of 5.00.

I don't quite see the depth myself, but only time will tell

[Lastplaneout]

Originally Posted by thomamon

Add to this a knuckle baller and a man who through out his career has been bounced from the pen to the rotation and is currently sporting an ERA on the wrong side of 5.00.

A 3.36 ERA is on the wrong side of 5.00?

[mlyons]

Originally Posted by Lastplaneout

A 3.36 ERA is on the wrong side of 5.00?

He's talking about the other guy.

[Halo Fan]

Man, what a horrible weekend for the OTBL boards to be down.

I guess I'll just have to say it here then: HA HA HA WAY TO TAKE MUSSINA OUT OF THE GAME

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by Halo Fan

Man, what a horrible weekend for the OTBL boards to be down.

I guess I'll just have to say it here then: HA HA HA WAY TO TAKE MUSSINA OUT OF THE GAME

Oh, what happened, Halo Fan, was there a lull on the 2007 Angels season thread that brought you here out of boredom? There is an Angels thread, right?

[Tony M]

Originally Posted by edog23

and start winning 2 out of 3 each series for the rest of the season and I'm pretty sure they will be right where they should be at the end. I'm keeping the faith!!

I'd be happy with that (with the exception of three of those series ) - the AL East is looking like the NL Worst occassionally used to look - I can't remember seeing four teams below 0.500 in the AL East (certainly not 50 games into the season)

Can't consider getting rid of Myers, Farnsworth and Vizcaino until the starting rotation is settled - another blown save tonight (though I don't count a losing the lead in after 6.1 blowing a save really). I know Wang has pitched through to 8 innings a couple of times and a few of the other starts have got into the 7th but the bullpen isn't being given much time to refresh itself, and the problem there is that the matches have tended to be close so it's not as if you can leave a poor starter in there to go deep because it increases the chance of a loss.

You just need a couple of matches where either your offense gets going and puts 7 or 8 on the board without reply in the first three innings and let the starter go to 8, or where the starter just gets trounced in the first couple and the match is beyond hope and not go to long relief or mop-up.

Three of our starting pitchers have gone on average to 6.1 or 6.2 , Becketts on 6.1 and Tavarez just over 5. Only Wang is averaging over 6 innings per start for the Yankees.

And on a plus side for us, it looks like Tavarez is finding his groove at last - at which point I alt-tab to Gameday to see that he's given up a 3-run homer...

[PerfectMisnomer]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

Oh, what happened, Halo Fan, was there a lull on the 2007 Angels season thread that brought you here out of boredom? There is an Angels thread, right?

You can't expect an LA sports team to have a thread going in the regular season. Once the playoffs come, though, all the "true fans" will come out.