New York Yankees 2008 Season Official Thread

[thomamon]

Originally Posted by QuestGAV

Does Hank wear a helmet in public? If not, maybe he should. Something has damaged that brain of his. Not that I mind the amusement as a Sox fan, but having this man in position to make decisions for your franchise has to be disturbing to all of you Yankees fans.

Amazing someone can make George look not so bad. Its like he's on a mission to look like an ass.

[thomamon]

Originally Posted by MorseMoose

Let Joba start! He's not doing anything as a reliever for my fantasy team...c'mon...let'em start!

I agree. Why prolong it? Lets find out if he can start or not, there is no need to put it off.

[YankeePride]

Hank is right, though.

Joba should be in the rotation.

If they are worried about innings or pitch counts then you use a hard one during games. Don't let him throw over 90 pitches or go over 6 innings.

If he has 30 starts in the season and goes 6 innings in each then he's throwing 180 innings. That's not bad.

[koohead]

I'll play devils advocate and say leave him in the pen. MLB has proven that closers are worth millions. sometimes more than 3rd or 4th starters. Joba has shown that he can be a top tier closer. What's that worth? $5 million a year? more? How important has Mo been over the years? Why not have the next Mo for the next 10-12 years? Groom him with another year or two and then he'll be ready to step in to close games for the next decade.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by koohead

I'll play devils advocate and say leave him in the pen. MLB has proven that closers are worth millions. sometimes more than 3rd or 4th starters. Joba has shown that he can be a top tier closer. What's that worth? $5 million a year? more? How important has Mo been over the years? Why not have the next Mo for the next 10-12 years? Groom him with another year or two and then he'll be ready to step in to close games for the next decade.

I'll bedevil you in turn by saying that your strategy, while I can agree with it for the long-term, will not work in the short run with the always-present need to win today. If the Yankees were not having problems with their starting rotation, then yes, do what you say.

However, 2 or 3 (if you count Mussina) of the starters are in trouble which, if it continues, could result in the same slow start as last year which was difficult to overcome. It looks like Hughes and Kennedy are going to need more development, possibly in AAA, and that leaves a hole in the rotation that cannot be tolerated with Chamberlain only pitching an inning or two every other day.

My opinion of Hank Steinbrenner keeps going up and down. While he is right in this IMO, he himself is an idiot for talking that way about his GM and his brand new manager. I can only hope that those two have already decided that what Hank says to the media, running his mouth off-the-cuff, is not nearly as important as what is said behind closed doors.

[CommishJoe]

One thing to remember is that he has a history of injuries. So, does it make sense to keep him in the pen to try to minimize that risk?

[YankeePride]

I think if a guy is going to get hurt he'll get hurt. It doesn't matter how many pitches he throws.

And the Red Sox thought otherwise. They thought having Papelbon go every five days would be more beneficial to his arm than having him going back-to-back or three days in a row, up and down, not being able to prepare his body and arm in a timely schedule.

You don't waste an amazing fastball and out pitch with two above average additional pitches in the pen.

No matter how good a closer Joba can be it doesn't matter if your rotation can't get to him.

Closers are overrated anyway. Teams have proven that over the years.

[johnnybourbon]

hey dudes, (the other kind) sox fan here, just curious. Is ARod playing today?

[Big Hugg]

Originally Posted by YankeePride

If he has 30 starts in the season and goes 6 innings in each then he's throwing 180 innings. That's not bad.

Coming from a Marlins fan who has watched half of our young pitchers go on the DL in the last 2 years...going from 112 innings in 07 to 180 innings in 08 is a terrible idea.

[CommishJoe]

Originally Posted by johnnybourbon

hey dudes, (the other kind) sox fan here, just curious. Is ARod playing today?

I don't believe so.

[CommishJoe]

Originally Posted by Big Hugg

Coming from a Marlins fan who has watched half of our young pitchers go on the DL in the last 2 years...going from 112 innings in 07 to 180 innings in 08 is a terrible idea.

Agree 100%. That's why I think Hank needs to stay away from the media after he's hit the sauce.

[CommishJoe]

Originally Posted by YankeePride

I think if a guy is going to get hurt he'll get hurt. It doesn't matter how many pitches he throws.

And the Red Sox thought otherwise. They thought having Papelbon go every five days would be more beneficial to his arm than having him going back-to-back or three days in a row, up and down, not being able to prepare his body and arm in a timely schedule.

You don't waste an amazing fastball and out pitch with two above average additional pitches in the pen.

No matter how good a closer Joba can be it doesn't matter if your rotation can't get to him.

Closers are overrated anyway. Teams have proven that over the years.

I've always thought that Chamberlain would serve the Yankees better in the rotation, but the injury argument kinda tilted me a bit in the other direction. In either case, they need to be careful with how they ramp him up to a 200 innings a year starter.

[johnnybourbon]

Originally Posted by CommishJoe

I don't believe so.

thanks dude!

[CommishJoe]

Baby boss is back tracking now...

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[Skipaway]

Originally Posted by koohead

I'll play devils advocate and say leave him in the pen. MLB has proven that closers are worth millions. sometimes more than 3rd or 4th starters. Joba has shown that he can be a top tier closer. What's that worth? $5 million a year? more? How important has Mo been over the years? Why not have the next Mo for the next 10-12 years? Groom him with another year or two and then he'll be ready to step in to close games for the next decade.

I don't think salary is a good argument. Even someone as good as Billy Wagner get paid like a number three starter. Rivera's salary isn't that much more than Silva, both of them recently signed.

You surely expect Chamberlain would be much better than Silva?

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by johnnybourbon

thanks dude!

You got a good shot at us tonight, johnny, with the Yanks having Mussina on the mound.

Interesting, though, that he's facing our old friend Vazquez. That guy stank for us in 2004, wasn't much better for Arizona and CHW in 2005 and 2006, but actually did rather well for you last year: 15-8, 3.74 ERA, 213 K's. Not a bad start this year either. What, is this his walk year?

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

You got a good shot at us tonight, johnny, with the Yanks having Mussina on the mound.

Interesting, though, that he's facing our old friend Vazquez. That guy stank for us in 2004, wasn't much better for Arizona and CHW in 2005 and 2006, but actually did rather well for you last year: 15-8, 3.74 ERA, 213 K's. Not a bad start this year either. What, is this his walk year?

Well, it worked out the opposite of what I was thinking. Shows how much I know.

And I have never seen a catcher pull down a manager's arm as he was about to motion to the bullpen, like I saw Posada overrule Girardi to let Mussina finish the 7th inning. Wow.

[Astros33Resurrected]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

Well, it worked out the opposite of what I was thinking. Shows how much I know.

And I have never seen a catcher pull down a manager's arm as he was about to motion to the bullpen, like I saw Posada overrule Girardi to let Mussina finish the 7th inning. Wow.

Posada has been there long enough, let him make the decision. He knows moose pretty well.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

And I have never seen a catcher pull down a manager's arm as he was about to motion to the bullpen, like I saw Posada overrule Girardi to let Mussina finish the 7th inning. Wow.

The man is tough when it comes to candy, however:

Yankees go the healthy route in clubhouse - Sports Rumors - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

Well, he's no cream puff! Get it?

[1998 Yankees]

According to the radio, Posada probably has a torn shoulder muscle and will be out for a while. Also, they just DFA'd Chad Moeller and somebody's going to claim him on waivers.