Topic: Yankees Baseball

Baseball wise the team seems to be comfortable and relying on their ability to play effective baseball; and that’s not surprising we always knew the talent was there. We shouldn’t even pay attention to the streak the season is won one game at a time. Contrary to what people like to believe games do not have any effect on the next one. The hunger to succeed and the dedication to the team’s winning ways have a far more reaching effect.

Do not think for a minute that the Orioles should be taken lightly not when you have Markakis, Roberts, Mora and all those great players in that lineup. You have to be careful yet aggressive with their batters and disciplined and focused at the plate every inning of every game, you are not going to win every game but you’ll win most games and that’s how we are going to stay on course.

Tex, Alex, Damon, Jeter, Matsui and Melky are locked, Swisher (you can substantially improve your stats in the early going; later it becomes more difficult) and the rest will follow soon. If you guys stay hungry you’ll continue to make it look easier than it really is.

LET’S KEEP ON KEEPING ON.

THE WANG AFFAIR

No one has been a bigger fan of Wang the way I have been but now we have a situation worth looking deep into.

Is Wang ready to take his place in the rotation?

We don’t need Wang to throw pitches against ghost players for one session and tells us he’s ready to pitch effectively for the Yankees. We know he misses all the action in the Taj Mahal of professional baseball, wouldn’t you?

The thing that matters ONLY is if he can show he can consistently throw those power sinkerball pitches down in the strike zone to consistently get the best batters in the league out.

Not only that but a commitment from Hal or Cashman’s baseball people to make sure there will be somebody working with Wang all year around (all season long actually) to help Wang CONSISTENTLY throw power sinkerball pitches day in and day out enough to make him a 19 or 20 game winner again will be required (probably a 15 gamer what would be a short season for him).

Then and ONLY then should he be allowed to return to the rotation because when he’s ineffective he doesn’t do the team any good either in the rotation or in the bullpen. Once he’s reinstated to the rotation they won’t be able to convince him to go back to where he is now to correct his mechanics or what have you.

So far no one has been able to succeed with Wang as far as keeping him ready or his arm to pitch every five days effectively as the power sinker ball pitcher he is. We always hear “Oh he feels too strong and he’s missing by a lot at the plate” and the batters keep hammering his pitches for extra base hits or round trippers; just the opposite is true when he is pitching effectively, hitters used to complain “It’s like trying to hit a bowling ball and missing.”

When Tommy John used to pitch for the Yankees his arm was always kept tired to enable him to keep his pitches down in the strike zone. Is that really a rocket science or a lost art or both?

The rewards can be immense since he, properly positioned in the rotation, could add a whole new dimension to it. Let’s finish up by adding that he was never at fault for the situation he is in; it all started with the imbecile who sent him racing to home plate and I wouldn’t be surprised if the culprit still is with the team.

With Wang in the rotation at the new palace of baseball you have a readymade mass of fans right there to fill in some of those expensive seats that stare you in the face.

Taiwanese-Americans don’t exactly sit in the bleachers (if you know what I mean).

Things Mets  (for the coming weekend only)

Jerry Manuel says the perception we have of him is not accurate    . .  . . . .   He loves his players Church in particular; not only that but Church agrees.

Those issues having been cleared we move on.

This revelation couldn’t come at a better time because the Mets are going to Fenway to take good care of our recent nemesis the sux while at the same time we’ll try to stop Philadelphia in their tracks    . . . . . . .    that’s not a Quid-pro-quo but falls merely in line with the Yankees philosophy of playing every game to win be that opponent an American leaguer or a National one.

Santana is definitively the better pitcher of the two but Matsuzaka knows how to pitch at Fenway.

Matsuzaka is a peculiar hurler he starts weak and gets better as the game progresses. His game plan looks like he's walking a minefield which he creates on his own because he throws lots of balls gives multiple walks and more important he gets out of those jams almost every time.

When he’s in control he’s almost hitless but sometimes his concentration doesn’t last for more than 4 innings so he’s vulnerable in the early innings and then again near the fourth or fifth inning specially coming off the DL.  He often hits players so be ready because you will have one or two men on base and that would be on the house.

Don’t swing at pitches out of the strike zone make him throw strikes and you’ll be okay he has a funky motion prior to delivering the ball don’t let that fool you. And when you get to him as I’m sure the Met’s batters will you have to keep the pressure on him and if you have him in trouble be relentless don’t let him catch a respite he’ll be yours because he gets rattled.

Pitch smartly to Ellsbury the key is keeping him off the bases if he steals second he’ll go for third, don’t make mistakes with Lowell or Bay (they both love that wall and they like to extend those arms although they can turn on an inside fast ball as well as anybody) or even Pedroia (Pedroia can touch you for a HR if you make a mistake with him).

The Mets have the tools to beat the sux and I remember the Mets played us well during the interleague games. Most often than not we always play the sux hard even when we lose. The Mets can do the same, they are a talented team. Just play good defense and don’t rush any throws keep your eyes on the ball at all times. The fielders need to get familiar with those sharp edges in left and center field because the ball caroms so easily like in a billiard pool table. Play that ball to perfection and you’ll be okay.

We     . . . . . . . .  are going to give the Phillies a run for their money   . . . . . . that      . . . . . . . .     you can be sure of.

Things Yankees.

Let’s keep that streak going (just kidding).  This is a test guys.

Games results have no bearing on the next one.

That was a great team win Swisher decided he wanted to hit and Cano and Melky hopped along. Nice show of lethal dexterity.

Hughes continues to mature as a ML pitcher and probably future STUD and he found out than the more you look for a cutting edge strategy the more things remain the same. It’s an old game Hughes all it takes (once you have the talent as well as you do) is dedication, focus and execution. A sheer determination to succeed doesn’t hurt either.

The old new formula worked; you kept the team in the game and the bottom of the order with the help from some stars gave you a well deserved W.  Keep showing you deserve to be in the Majors kid nobody is going to give it to you.

If we are doing fine it’s because our backup catchers are doing a terrific job kudos to them.

As Arod has said in the past (and other stars before him) baseball is a humbling experience Posada, Wang, Nady, Brunney and Molina can tell you that.  This team is winning without them just like it was doing okay without Arod.

The good part of it besides the winning is that we will only get better once those missing pieces return to the roster (we’re sort of fine tuning this team on the fly) and Hughes is right: “that’s a nice problem for the skipper to have.”