Save Phil Hughes

Yankeeist

2009-10-02T09:24:00.001-07:00

If you liked Save Phil Hughes, you'll love my new blog, Yankeeist.

Wanted: Major League-caliber center fielder

2008-07-02T06:37:00.000-07:00

Bet everyone wishes they could return their God-awful "Got Melk?" t-shirts right about now.

Screw Obama; Hank Steinbrenner for president

2008-06-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

From today's Daily News:

"Hank Steinbrenner has a message for Major League Baseball: make the National League 'join the modern age.'"

Mea culpa

2008-05-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

So my guest post on River Ave. Blues yesterday was pretty well-received by the masses, and even elicited comments from two of the Yankees' top beat reporters, Mark Feinsand of the Daily News and Tyler Kepner of the Times.

The zero people who read this blog know I was highly critical of Feinsand last week, but he not only stood by what he wrote, he essentially put me in my place. In hindsight, I was probably a bit too hard on both writers in my RAB piece, and deep down I do appreciate the tremendous work they do every day. I mean Christ, I've been following the Yankees in the New York tabloids for 13 years, so as much as I might rib the News or the Times, they're still a critical part of following the team on a daily basis. Additionally, not only do Mark and Tyler provide unparalleled access and insight into the world of the Yankees, but they are both significantly ahead of the pack as far as recognizing what bloggers bring to the table.

As Mark wrote yesterday, "We serve different purposes. I can’t remember the last time a blogger without access broke a story about the Yankees, just as I can’t remember the last time I provided a sabermetric analysis of the bullpen. We do different things, and they are both worthy and valid. I’m the farthest thing from that lunatic Buzz…I love many of the blogs out there, and the idea that bloggers and newspaper guys can’t co-exist is ridiculous."

And Tyler also made a great point - "...the mainstream media to a large degree still sets the agenda. Without our access, our writing and our reporting, fans would know a whole lot less about the teams. I agree with my friend Mark tFeinsand hat we serve different purposes, and there’s no reason bloggers and mainstream media can’t co-exist and applaud each other’s work."

Well said on both parts.

Given that both gentlemen apparently read River Ave. Blues among numerous other Yankee blogs, needless to say my foot is lodged so far down my throat that I can kick my own ass.

And it may have just been by sheer coincidence, but Mark, who yesterday said he couldn't remember the last time he provided a sabermetric analysis of the bullpen, did manage to insert this otherwise-unassuming nugget in today's paper:

"Giambi has 14 hits in his last 30 at-bats, lifting his average from .191 to .244. He ranked fourth in the AL in slugging percentage and OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage), establishing himself once again as a force after a slow start."

Can't remember the last time - if ever - I saw OPS cited in the Daily News, but I sure do like it.

Check it out

2008-05-29T09:28:00.001-07:00

I have a guest column up at River Ave. Blues!

The season is saved

2008-05-22T05:35:00.000-07:00

"Yankees bringing Joba Chamberlain out of bullpen to give starters relief" [New York Daily News]

Come on Feinsand, you're better than that

2008-05-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

From "A-Rod homers in return, but Derek Jeter and Yankees pounded by Orioles" [New York Daily News]

"An error by Derek Jeter and a dismal outing by Mike Mussina put the Bombers in a huge hole before A-Rod could even pick up a bat, rendering his return worthless - unless you count his garbage-time two-run homer that allowed the Yankees to avoid the added humiliation of being shut out."

Shame on you, Mark Feinsand. You know better than that. I know you know better than that, because you've displayed at least some modicum of baseball comprehension in your blog posts. Even in a 12-2 drubbing, you can't call A-Rod's two-run homer "garbage time." The guy's been on the DL for three weeks; if anything Yankee fans should be elated that he came right off the DL and was able to knock the ball out of the park.

The mainstream media acts as if it's so easy to hit a home run, and that a baseball player can pick and choose whenever they want to hit one. What the hell was A-Rod supposed to do when the score was 9-0? Would you have actually been happier had he rapped into a double play? Last I checked, there's no such thing as a nine-run home run in baseball. Additionally, as FJM has noted approximately 8 billion times, a home run is the best possible outcome for a hitter. There is not one thing a hitter can do that is a more productive use of his time at the plate than hit the ball out of the fucking park.

Anyone who derides a home run of any kind as "garbage" or "unclutch" because it came in the midst of a blowout doesn't know anything about baseball and should be banned from ever watching another game again.

2.5

2008-04-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

So the Yankees are 2.5 games out of first place on the morning of April 25, 2008. They could've cut the deficit to 1.5 last night.

I know it's incredibly early, but 2.5 games is a bigger deficit than people realize. Even though the Red Sox somehow have a two-game losing streak, I expect they'll snap it tonight and they may not lose more than two in a row all year. The Yankees have to capitalize on their opportunities.

Wouldn't it be amazing to grab first place in May and never look back? We haven't been able to do that in four years. I'm tired of being in Boston's rear-view mirror.

At least Farnsworth is injured. With any luck, he'll be out for the season. Also, if Latroy Hawkins isn't DFA'd ASAP I may have to start rooting for another team.

BREAKING: Red Sox to go 140-0 rest of year

2008-04-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

I passed out on the early side last night, fully expecting the Yankees to drop a game that they were losing by one measly run. I hate when that knee-jerk feeling of hopelessness kicks in, but they really do tend to look atrocious and completely incapable of surmounting any deficit at any given time, not just the 2008 model, but pretty much every Yankee team since 2004 has shown little fight when trailing. Plus, the numbers bear me out, as prior to last night the Yanks were 0-9 in games they trailed after the 6th inning.

So I was certainly pleasantly surprised to see that they actually came back and picked up a much-needed victory, considering that, once again, all of baseball has decided it has absolutely zero interest in beating the Red Sox, ever. In fact, it would not surprise me one iota if the Sox were to go 140-0 the rest of the year. The moment I saw that they were playing the Angels at Fenway I had to laugh. Did anyone even think for a single second that the Angels had a fucking prayer? Have the Angels ever beaten the Red Sox? Sure as hell doesn't seem that way.

How come the Yanks don't have any one team that they own? Back in the day you could count on domination of the D-Rays, but obviously that hasn't been the case since the Yanks last went to the World Series. Other than that, I've never seen a team roll over for the Yankees the way the Angels (and pretty much every other team in baseball, especially the quadruple A squads in the National League) absolutely and utterly die when they play Boston. Pathetic.

Now pitching, number 48, Kyle Farnsworth

2008-04-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone!

2008-04-09T07:45:00.001-07:00

Relax.

So our boy Phil didn't have a great outing yesterday. I didn't see the game, but it sounds like the weather conditions and the umpire's insane strike zone weren't exactly a recipe for success.

I'm not going to sit here and make excuses, but it's easy to forget that we're only eight games into the season. Phil Hughes has pitched twice. Already there are concerns about his velocity, whether he might be injured, and God only knows what else.

As for me, I'm obviously going to give the kid rope. As much faith as I have in Phil, he's going to take his lumps. It would be ludicrous to expect him to go 25-0 and pitch to a 2.50 ERA. We know he's going to lose sometimes. Though he threw way too many pitches yesterday, he still left the game with the Yankees only down by a run, so I'd take that as a sign of encouragement.

I know we're all excited and it feels like the season's already considerably underway, but it's still only the second week of April. It could be worse; the team could be 0-7. There's a whole year of baseball to be played. And remember, so far the weather this month has been fucking disgusting.

Once the team gets in the swing of things and it stops raining every Goddamn day, those of us who are keeping the faith with our young pitchers are going to be rewarded.

What about Bonds?

2008-04-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

With the Yankee offense incredibly averaging less than three runs/game through the first six contests of the 2008 season, and Jason Giambi shockingly developing some kind of injury that may keep him out of the lineup for an indeterminate amount of time, I got to thinking - what about Barry Bonds?

There was some scuttlebutt among Yankee bloggers in the offseason regarding the Yankees and Bonds, although it doesn't seem like it was ever an idea the front office thought seriously about, but given the early returns on the team, it seems like a no-brainer. Why not toss Bonds an incentive-laden one-year deal to DH? He won't have to risk injuring himself in the field, and the Yankees will instantly add the current active leader in career OPS to the heart of their order.

I know detractors will speak of the media circus Bonds' presence would create, but I call horseshit on that. When aren't the Yankees a damn media circus? Did everyone forget Clemens' return last year? This team is allotted more media coverage, had far more more words written about it and analyzed more closely than anything else in the New York Tri-State Region by far, so despite the negative press that would come with an acquisition like Bonds, I'm pretty sure everyone will quickly shut the hell up when he starts ripping homers over the right field porch.

I realize this is probably an unpopular suggestion, but I really think the Yankees need to explore this possibility. We know the offense isn't going to average 2.73 runs for the rest of the season, but we also know we have an aging team - as noted by River Ave. Blues, the team is not only not taking its pitches, but Derek Jeter has been grounding into double plays at a record pace, and Johnny Damon, Giambi and Jorge Posada (admittedly in limited action) haven't exactly been tearing the cover off the ball.

Why not take a flier on Barry Bonds and see what he can do? If he turns out to be a disaster, cut bait and move in. It's not like the team can't afford it.

Sometimes it sucks to be right

2008-04-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

"Determined to smite the youth movement, Yanks sign yet another ineffective 80-year-old middle reliever" [12.10.07]

It's not homerism to be excited about the three best young pitchers the Yankees have ever had

2008-03-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

I've been a longtime reader of Steve over at Was Watching, and have greatly appreciated the Yankee insight and commentary he's been providing during the last several baseball seasons.

However, during the past year, Steve has been by far the most skeptical Yankee fan I've ever read with regards to our boy Phil Hughes. While I appreciate and understand Steve's "non-rose-colored-glasses" and "non-fanboy" point of view, I began tiring of his relentless Hughes-bashing right around the time the whole Santana nonsense began escalating.

At first I thought it was because he genuinely didn't like Hughes, but the more I read his grasping-at-straws posts suggesting reasons that Hughes might fail, it's become clearer that it's more a traffic grab than anything else.

Even the most jaded Yankee fan in the world can't not be excited by the possibility of a Phil Hughes. I don't believe rooting for a pitcher on one's team who has at times been regarded as the best pitching prospect in the game can be called homerism. The fact is, this is the first time during my Yankee-rooting career that we've ever had a multitude of pitching prospects to be excited about.

Clearly, one must take things with a grain of salt - yes, we know being lights-out in the minors is no guarantee of major league success, but does that really matter? What matters is the glimmer of hope these young kids provide, and the genuine excitement that develops organically from watching young stud pitchers come up through your team's farm system and be significant contributors to the big-league club.

All offseason, Steve has been tempering his expectations for our youngsters, which I can understand on a superficial level - that way if they fail, not only can he insulate himself from disappointment, but he can tell everyone who reads his blog that he was right. But what Steve has ignored is that, what other option do we have? His Cashman-bashing posts (which I do agree with to a certain extent) have continually pointed out Cash's failings with signing high-profile pitchers during the last 10 years. Clearly the Yankees realized they were doing something wrong, and decided to go about fixing the business model.

The last few years have seen a bounty of pitching prospects scooped up by the Yankees. Are they all going to succeed and be contributors at the major league level? Of course not. But as a fan for nearly 20 years, it's exciting as hell to finally have players in our system that have a chance to excel. Phil Hughes was essentially a league-average starting pitcher in 2007 at age 21, pitched to an under-3.00 ERA in September and saved the Yanks' asses in Game 3 of the ALDS. In less than a full year, Phil has already experienced more success and exhibited far more poise than the following pitchers: Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, Kevin Brown, Jose Contreras, Jeff Weaver and Javier Vasquez, to name a few, and we're somehow supposed to be skeptical of his future?

I'll gladly root my ass off for Phil, Joba and IPK to succeed any day of the week over signing crap off the scrap heap like Kyle Lohse. Maybe it's a generational thing with Steve, and maybe he's been burned too many times in the past with hyped-up pitchers coming in and failing, but even if that were the case (and I'll still take my chances with the Big Three regardless), isn't it still better than the alternative? I'd much rather fail with our guys than overpriced hack veterans.

For younger Yankee fans, I believe we're about to enter one of the most exciting seasons of our lifetimes. For the first time in forever, we'll have two sub-25-year-olds in the rotation, and hopefully at some point, all three of our stud pitchers. We've got a host of young guys ready to vie for spots in the bullpen, and if they don't work out, there's enough depth that chances are we can find someone else internally who will.

The last few seasons have started off with the Yanks looking listless in April and stumbling out to poor records. Joe Girardi has already shown us he's a firebrand and the intensity should be ratcheted up right out of the gate. A lot of the guys on this team have a lot to prove, and I think there's a hunger there that may not have existed in previous years. This year's Yankee team knows that they're just as good if not better than every other team in baseball in 2008. Quick, name one team that scares you. Sure, Boston's going to be good again, but the Yankees in all likelihood would have won the pennant again last year if not for two horrible months of baseball in April and May. The Tigers? The lineup looks stacked, but we all know that teams who are supposed to score 1,000-plus runs on-paper seldom reach that goal. And don't even get me started on ~~Quadruple A~~ the National League.

So get excited, Yankee fans. Even if the team loses more than 70 games and misses the playoffs, 2008 is still going to be an incredibly memorable year. For the record, I feel confident enough in the team that I predict a first-place finish. I won't go as far as calling a championship, but I do feel that this year's team is as good if not better than any of the teams of this decade, and I can't tell you how ready I am for another summer of amazing baseball in the last year of the old Yankee Stadium by your team and mine, the New York Yankees.

That's what I'm talkin' about!

2008-02-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

From Pettitte and Hughes throw some BP [Pete Abe]

"Hughes was, in a word, terrific. He made Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu and Francisco Cervelli look foolish at times. He got Abreu to swing and miss at a curveball and had Damon fouling balls off the other way, a sign of how late his swing was. Jeter only swung at 3 of the 10 pitches he saw and fouled all of them off.

Now, keep in mind, the hitters have been facing live pitching for four days and Hughes started throwing off a mound in Tampa in mid January. But what was encouraging is the confidence with which Hughes threw his curveball.

That was the pitch he was throwing when he blew out his hamstring in Texas last May. For Hughes to throw the curve the way he wants, he has to follow through with his body and 'snap' the pitch off. Without confidence that your legs will hold up, it’s a hard pitch to throw.

As he said later on, he never had his true curveball last year after the injury. Now it’s back. Hughes is working out with Pettitte six days a week and has dropped 10 pounds since last season. You can never say never, but all the work he has done should help him avoid leg injuries."

And there were actually people who wanted to trade this kid.

Is it March 31st yet?

The Crappiest 25-Man Yankee Roster of All-Time

2008-02-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

After reading Ben's excellent post about how annoying Mike Mussina is (I seriously think the River Ave. Blues guys and I share a brain; their posts say pretty much exactly what I'm thinking about the Yankees at all times), my buddy and I thought it might be amusing to come up with a 25-man roster of our all-time most-loathed Yankees.

In executing this idea, I realized that it was actually even more entertaining to come up with a roster of my all-time suckiest Yankees. The roster is pretty much exclusively made up of players from the last 18 years or so, which makes sense given that 1990 was the year my nine-year-old self started paying closer attention to and actively rooting for the team. Despite the 1990 campaign being one of the worst in team history, I was born with Yankee blood, and my dad's love of the team ensured that I'd always be a huge fan regardless of their fortunes.

Picking position players was pretty easy, but narrowing down the starters and the bullpen was tough, considering the ungodly amount of terrible, terrible pitchers we've had during the last two decades. And actually, upon even further review, the list of crappiest pitchers is probably not all that different from what a "Most Despised" starting rotation would look like.

Anyway, here's my roster of All-Time Crappiest Yankees. Feel free to post your all-time crappiest Yanks in the comments.

Yankees | Crappiest 25-Man Roster of All-Time

Starters

C: Sal Fasano
1B: Miguel Cairo
2B: Enrique Wilson
3B: Andy “Stanky” Stankiewicz
SS: Alvaro “Career OPS+ of 66” Espinoza
LF: Terrence Long
RF: Ruben Rivera
CF: Bernabe Williams post-2003
DH: Ruben Sierra

SP: Kei Igawa
SP: Jeff Weaver
SP: Kevin Brown
SP: Andy Hawkins
SP: Kenny Rogers

Bench

IF: Mike Humphreys
IF: Wil Nieves
OF: Mike Figga
OF: Andy Fox

Bullpen

RP: Juan Acevado
RP: Felix Heredia
RP: Kyle Farnsworth
RP: Danny Rios
RP: Jay Witasick
Set-Up: Darrel May
Closer: Tim Redding

Manager: Stump Merrill
Bench Coach: Dallas Green

Dear fans of New England sports teams,

2008-02-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

Suck it.

Love,
Save Phil Hughes

P.S. Red Sox, prepare to be owned by Hughes/Joba/Kennedy come October '08.

My work here is done

2008-01-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

Twins agree to deal Santana to Mets for prospects [USA Today]

First base: Where Yankee offense goes to die

2008-01-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

Pardon me while I hop on the Steve Goldman memorial soapbox for a second.

In all the back and forth regarding whether or not the Yankees are still in the Johan Santana sweepstakes, a far more pressing issue -- one that has dogged the Yanks for several offseasons now and that Brian Cashman seems to have zero interest in resolving -- continues to rear its ugly head and yet receives very little media attention: who's on first?

While Cashman appears content with a three-headed monster (possibly four, depending on how non-roster invitee Jason Lan fares in spring training) of a broken-down 37-year-old Jason Giambi, and not-ready-for-prime-time players Shelly Duncan and Wilson Betemit. Don't get me wrong; I think the latter two make fine bench ornaments, but let's be honest here: neither one is a passable starter on a Major League Baseball team, unless your franchise calls western Pennsylvania home.

Giambi had that feel-good comeback season in 2005 and remained a threat the following year, but in 2007 he was pretty mediocre in limited duty. Anyone with reasonable vision can see that Giambi -- barring another miraculous rejuvenation -- is on the downside of his career, and while he should be good for a .375-plus OBP if healthy, that's probably a little optimistic. Giambi's 108 OPS+ in 83 games last year, his second-worst in the last 10 seasons, along with the fact that he's an absolute butcher with the glove should have Yankee fans praying he stays at DH and discovers some sort of legal performance enhancer or the fountain of youth.

In even less game action than Giambi in 2007, Shelly Duncan posted an 128 OPS+, which screams small-sample size. Duncan's a nice reserve, but it's highly unlikely he'll ever maintain that level of productivity as an everyday player.

In 37 games as a Yankee, Wilson Betemit had an OPS+ of 80. For those of you unfamiliar with OPS+, 80 is bad. For those more comfortable with less advanced metrics, Betemit's OBP was .278. That's Alvaro Espinoza territory.

As you can see, the Yankees' current first-base solution truly is a disaster, and they'd never have found themselves in this mess in the first place if they'd just held on to good ol' Nick the Stick and his OBP domination.

Phil Hughes has a blog!

2008-01-17T06:56:00.000-08:00

In the coolest news ever, Phil Hughes himself has started his own blog.

Let me be the second to say welcome aboard, Phil! In case you couldn't tell by the title of this blog, I'm a pretty big fan.

I couldn't be happier to see my favorite player develop his own web presence and I look forward to his commentary as he leads the Yanks to multiple championships over the next decade-plus.

Sounds like Hankenstein may have finally gotten my memo

2008-01-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

From "Yankees may give up on Johan Santana" [NY Daily News] -

"Steinbrenner added that opinions offered by several unspecified Yankees during the course of conversation in recent weeks have contributed to his change of heart.

'I'm growing more and more comfortable with what we have, and the veteran players I've talked to seem to be pretty comfortable with what we have. But we'll see what happens,' said Steinbrenner."

Listen up, Hank. You're happy with what we have? I'm a rabid die-hard Yankee fan, and I am absolutely unabashedly fucking elated at what we have.

Just check out our starting rotation once someone wises up and demotes Moose to AA:

Wang
Pettitte
Hughes
Chamberlain
Kennedy

All homegrown, biatch. When the hell was the last time the Yanks had an all-homegrown rotation? I'm guessing the answer is right around never.

Sit back, relax and get ready to drool, Yankee fans.

Screw steroids, MLB should be cracking down on whatever the hell Carlos Delgado is smoking

2008-01-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

Carlos Delgado claims Mets were best team in baseball in '07 [ESPN]

"[2007] was very disappointing because we know that we had the best team. And I believe that we still have a great team," Delgado said Thursday on a conference call.

The Mets had the 8th-best OPS in all of baseball last year. Higher than four of the eight teams that made the playoffs, including two of the National League entrants. The Mets were certainly a very good team in 2007.

But the best? Remember how Boston throttled the ever-loving shit out of Colorado back in October? In addition to the the Rockies OPSing the hell out of the Mets, the ~~Religious Nuts'~~ Rockies' pitching staff, surprisingly enough, slightly out-WHIPed the Mets'. The Metropolitans posted a better OPS against, but now we're just splitting hairs.

The fact is, none of these numbers are remotely close to what the Red Sox did in 2007. The BoSox were far and away the most well-rounded team in baseball last year. Additionally, even if the Mets had made the playoffs and advanced to the World Series, they almost certainly would've folded like a house of Cardinals, because for whatever reason NL teams are obsessed with rolling over and dying when it comes to playing Boston in the Series.

However, as ridiculous as it is how overmatched NL squads look against the Sox, it's actually almost kind of endearing, like watching your son's terrible little league team show up to play the best team in the league. You know they're gonna get crushed, but they still look kind of adorable during the decimation.

Memo to Hank Steinbrenner: There is not a single Yankee fan in the entire world who wants you to trade Phil Hughes for Johan Santana

2007-12-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

From League Execs Predict Hank To Go For Santana -

"The Johan Santana Sweepstakes are likely to come down to whether new Yankees boss Hank Steinbrenner is willing to overrule GM Brian Cashman again. Steinbrenner wants to go for Santana, Cashman doesn't (at least not at the cost of Phil Hughes)."

This is for Hankenstein and anyone else who has any say in the future of our beloved baseball team:

DO NOT TRADE PHIL HUGHES FOR A PITCHER YOU CAN SIGN FOR JUST MONEY NEXT YEAR.

It would be the worst trade in recorded history.

I'm not sure I can make it any clearer.

Unless the inmates are running the asylum, Hughes won't be traded

2007-12-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

I know I'm taking a bit of a leap of faith here, but despite multiple reports citing that the Yankees "haven't closed the door on Santana" (stories which every major newspaper in New York City will be publishing every week of the off-season and likely into the 2008 campaign as long as Santana remains with the Twins), I believe Phil Hughes will be safe.

I know several commenters have expressed concern over Hank "Hankenbrenner" Steinbrenner's proclamations of interest in Santana, and I don't have any hard evidence or knowledge to back me up here, but after reading how Brian Cashman was loath to give Hughes up to begin with coupled with the fact that the A's proffered a veritable king's ransom of prospects from the Diamondbacks in exchange for Dan Haren, the Yankees would not only be doing an extraordinary and ill-advised about face, but also delivering a huge slap to Yankee fans' faces if they now decided to mortgage the future after all the talk of nurturing our homegrown players and building from within.

Look at it this way: As per River Ave. Blues, the A's got the D-Backs' #1, 3, 7 and 8 prospects, as well as two additional presumably high-end minor leaguers.

If the A's received SIX top-notch minor leaguers for Dan Haren, you can bet your ass Minnesota will ask for the entire universe for Santana. Based on John Sickels' list of the top 20 prospects in the Yankees' system that was released earlier today, to simply match what the D-Backs gave the A's, the Yankees would have to surrender the following:

Joba Chamberlain
Ian Kennedy
Dellin Betances
Austin Romine

And that would almost certainly be in addition to Phil Hughes, and probably one or two other players.

So as you can see, despite the rumblings and grumblings about the Yankees being players for Santana if they can move Hideki Matsui's contract, a deal for Santana would not only add yet another $100 million-plus contract to the books, but utterly rape, pillage and plunder the Yankees' farm system. Unless Hankenbrenner has gone clinically insane, I think it's safe to say our boy Phil will be with the Yanks come opening day 2008.

Boohoo, some scumbag former Mets employee named names to try to save his own ass

2007-12-14T05:23:00.000-08:00

Come on, New York media. Are we really up in arms over this?

Personally, I couldn't care less than Andy Pettitte allegedly used HGH to try to heal faster during his stint on the disabled list in 2002. Not only is HGH not steroids, but it wasn't even a banned substance in Major League Baseball at the time. Pettitte's done nothing wrong, and any Yankee fan that lets the Mitchell Report negatively affect their opinion of Andy is, to put it gently, a fucking moron.

Now Clemens on the other hand? I have no particular affinity for Rog. But even if the allegations are true, what does it prove? Were steroids able to help him strike more batters out? Stay in games longer? Sure, it's possible, but who knows?

I'm inclined to agree with those who felt that names should've been redacted in this report. While I'm not upset the report came out, linking specific players to steroids and HGH while leaving out countless others who were able to fly under the radar screams witch hunt to me, and ultimately I'm not sure what the purpose of all this was.

Do we have more knowledge of what some players allegedly did in the 1990s and early 200s with regards to performance-enhancing drugs? Yes, to a certain extent. Does it matter for the 2008 season? Probably not. The sense I get is that ever since steroids became such a hot-button issue, most players with half a brain probably realized it was time to cut ties with the needle, as it seems like we haven't heard about too many guys getting bagged save the occasional Jay Gibbons here and Jose Guillen there.

For me, the two biggest issues are (1) Will this deter players from doing steroids in the future? I'd say the answer would have to be yes, and (2) How will this affect Yankee fans' impressions of our players?

Well I'd put money down right now that when Dandy Andy toes the mound for his first 2008 start at Yankee Stadium, he'll get a bigger and longer standing ovation than anyone else.

So the Mitchell Report came out today...

2007-12-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

One step forward, two steps back

2007-12-11T05:52:00.000-08:00

According to today's Post, "On the surface, trading Matsui, who is coming back from recent knee surgery, would mean the Yankees would be retaining Melky Cabrera, a key part of their discussions with the Twins in the Johan Santana talks. However, the Yankees have an interest in free-agent center fielder Corey Patterson."

Corey Patterson??? Proud owner of a career .712 OPS? Sweet Christ, did we not learn anything from employing the worst professional baseball player in American history in 2005? The only person likely salivating at the thought of this deal is Steve Goldman, as half of his 2008 columns will write themselves if Patterson is on the Yankee roster.

Determined to smite the youth movement, Yanks sign yet another ineffective 80-year-old middle reliever

2007-12-10T09:10:00.001-08:00

Yankees closing in on LaTroy Hawkins with one-year, $3.75 million deal
[NY Daily News]

Looks like Christmas came early this year for David "Cookie Monster" Ortiz. Nice to see Cash thinking of Theo & the boys during the holidays.

What's the over/under on Hawkins' WHIP? 2? Come May, Antonio Osuna, Jay Tessmer & company better make some room at the top of the scrap heap of DFA'd relievers.

How do you say "Another weak dribbler to second" in Japanese?

2007-12-07T05:58:00.000-08:00

The latest has the Yanks talking to the Giants about moving the very overpaid and very in love with grounding out to the second baseman Hideki Matsui. While Matsui's been nothing but a model citizen during his time with the team, his streakiness and horrible glove easily make him expendable, and I would have no trouble trading Mats in the right deal.

However, one problem that arises with this scenario is that, according to today's Daily Speculator, the Yanks are looking to move one of their ridiculously expensive aging veterans to free up payroll space for another run at Santana. If this is in fact the case, and Hughes is eventually thrown back into the fray, then I can't support a move like this.

Fortunately, no one in their right mind would want Mike Mussina, the corpse of Jason Giambi or Bobby Abreu at $16 mil/per. Matsui is really the only tradable commodity of that lot.

Now if the Yanks could somehow swindle the Gints into flipping Lincecum for Matsui, that's something I could get on board with, so long as we still don't trade for a pitcher who's not going to be traded anywhere else because the BoSox are bullshitting; the Mets, as we already discussed, have less desirable players than my 3rd grade little league squad; and the Dodgers and Angels are both smart enough to stay the hell away from this deal.

Nonstop laughter from Minnesota's executive leadership tying up trade talks between Mets and Twins

2007-12-06T05:48:00.001-08:00

With the Yankees and Red Sox seemingly at an impasse with the Twins, the Mets are desperately trying to hone in on the Johan Santana trade action.

Unfortunately, GM Bill Smith has yet to hear any of Met GM Omar Minaya's trade proposals due to the nonstop laughter emanating from the direction of Smith and the Twins' executive leadership.

"We have some pretty good prospects. We have the players," Minaya was quoted as saying.

"Oh that Omar, what a card!" Bill Smith semi-blurted out while trying to catch his breath in between fits of uproarious laughter. "At first he reminded me of a little kid at Thanksgiving trying to sit at the grown-up table, but then I realized he was serious! Mike Pelfrey, Phil Humber and Carlos Gomez for Johan freaking Santana? That's some good shit! Judd Apatow, watch your back!"

Next to Smith was Twins Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff, doubled over on the floor and clutching his stomach.

"I know Omar's been dying to make a big splash, but his trade proposals have consistently been more entertaining than The Office -- especially those terrible hour-long episodes earlier this season," Radcliff chortled. "From the bottom of the Twins organization's collective hearts, we truly thank Omar Minaya for a gift that keeps on giving this holiday season."

Even hated rivals the Red Sox and Yankees were enjoying Minaya's unintentional Christmas present.

"It's adorable when a National League team tries to play with the big boys," said Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. "It's kind of similar to that fat friend that every group has who you only let hang around because he has all the latest video games."

Added Yankee GM Brian Cashman, clad in a Phil Hughes #65 replica Yankee jersey, "I love Omar, but self-delusion is cruel. I mean, who do the Mets even have? Jose Reyes and David Wright could arguably start on my team, but everyone else on the Mets? Let's just say I'd rather field an entire starting nine of Enrique Wilsons anchored by a rotation featuring Pascual and Melido Perez."

Blog posts like this make it all worthwhile

2007-12-05T06:40:00.000-08:00

From Pete Abe:

"I sent an e-mail to Phil Hughes asking him how he was dealing with the trade talk. Here is what he wrote back:

It’s been tough trying to follow any of this the past week. One minute it’s a for sure thing, the next it’s not. I want to stay in NY and its good to know I have the backing of the fan base."

Damn right you have the backing on the fan base, Phil! We're doing everything we can to keep you in pinstripes!

Media: We long for a "Groundhog Day"-like scenario in which it's constantly 1985 and the Yanks are selling the farm for fading stars on a daily basis

2007-12-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

According to Bill Madden (who, despite taking his licks from a good majority of many of my favorite Yankee bloggers whose opinions I hold in high esteem, I actually agree with every so often) , the Yanks are out of the running in the Johan Santana race.

This is obviously the best news ever (although until Santana is actually being fitted for an ugly red uniform, I won't hold my breath that the Yankees are truly out of it), but Madden's tone suggests he feels the Yanks should've pulled the trigger on a trade that would have apparently sent our man Hughes, Melky, Jeff Marquez (from what I've read, a slightly less-heralded version of Alan Horne) and Mitch Hilligoss to the Twins for Santana.

"The Yankee GM, who is staking his job on his young-gun pitchers, has walked away from a 4-for-1 trade of players the Twins were agreeable to for Johan Santana at the winter meetings that included Hughes, but not Ian Kennedy (as Minnesota initially requested) or any of the Bombers' other top prospects."

If this is indeed the case, then I have to seriously reevaluate my opinion of Brian Cashman. I've had many an argument with my Yankee-fan friends about Cash's merits and faults, and he usually ends up getting tossed under the bus once you start laundry listing all of his terrible acquisitions.

But if Cash really stood up to Hankenbrenner and said "Look, there is no way I'm trading away four kids from a farm system that under my watchful eye went from being utterly barren to one of the strongest in baseball in less than three years for a pitcher that the Red Sox are clearly still bluffing on obtaining and who can we throw gobs of money at to pitch for us next year," then my hat is off.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and his name is Theo Epstein

2007-12-04T07:55:00.000-08:00

After Yanks' deadline passes, Red Sox jump into lead for Santana [ESPN]

Obviously the immediate result would sting for the Yanks, but as long as Phil Hughes remains in pinstripes we're still better off in the long run. Additionally, I don't give a shit about what happens north of Exit 6 on the Major Deegan.

If this situation isn't settled soon I may have a coronary

2007-12-03T05:37:00.000-08:00

As insulting as it is that the Yankees deigned to offer Phil Hughes - considered by many to be the top pitching prospect in all of baseball pretty much ever since he was drafted - to the Twins over the weekend, incredibly the Twinkies still aren't wowed enough by the Yanks' offer and are pressuring them to include another top-flight prospect. Hopefully the Yankees are not this stupid. If they traded away Hughes and Ian Kennedy to the Twins, I'm not even sure what the point would be anymore.

All we've seen from these Yankee teams during the last four years are offenses that light it up during the regular season and fold like a house of cards during the playoffs, combined with average to mediocre pitching that a team like the Yankees can coast on for 162 games but then gets horribly, horribly exposed come playoff time.

The Yankees have tried to patch the starting rotation with awful free agent signings and trades. Jeff Weaver, Jose Contreras, Javy Vasquez (remember when he was supposed to be a sure thing), Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright and Randy Johnson have all taken their turns at sucking immediately after donning pinstripes.

Perhaps bitten by his weak talent evaluators, Brian Cashman realized that a barren farm system never got anyone anywhere in baseball, and finally starting focusing the team's vast resources toward drafting young talent in 2004. And this past year that patience finally paid off, yielding a trio of pitchers who any team in Major League Baseball would salivate at the thought of filling three slots in their starting rotation.

If the Yankees buckle from this nonexistent pressure from Theo & Co. (and really, is there anyone out there who still believes the Red Sox are a serious player in all this? Despite supposedly being willing to deal Jacoby Ellsbury, they still refuse to include both Ellsbury and Lester, and won't even think about trading Buchholz. That alone shows me that the Sox are far better evaluators of their own talent than the Yankees. Sure, Buchholz is a nice pitcher, but he's no Phil Hughes. I never thought I'd say this, but I'd almost rather have the Sox front office running the Yankees right now - you know they wouldn't dangle a prize like Phil Franchise), it will truly represent an end to this so-called new way of Yankee thinking. We will never again be able to believe the team when they claim they are embracing a youth movement.

Thankfully the Yankees have set an arbitrary deadline of today. I highly doubt we'll have any sort of resolution, but if I could have one wish this holiday season, it would be for the Twins to demand too much, the Yankees pull out and Hughes' name never mentioned in trade talks EVER AGAIN.

UPDATE: River Ave. Blues is reporting that Andy Pettitte is returning next year! If this is true, this is HUGE. This should allow the Yankees' desperation for Santana to wane. Thank you Andy! You just may have SAVED PHIL HUGHES!

If this trade is consummated it will haunt the Yankees for generations

2007-11-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

Yankees ready to trade Hughes for Santana.

If there is a God, please do not let this happen for all that is sacred and good.

Posada: "Boo-hoo I'm old so let's mortgage the future for a guy no other team can acquire"

2007-11-30T05:26:00.001-08:00

Way to be diplomatic there, hip-hip Jorge.

I understand why Posada, as a 53-year-old catcher with only so many chances left at a ring, wants Johan Santana so badly, but outright begging for the Yankees to trade for the man is pitiful.

After rededicating themselves to nurturing the farm system, it strikes me as mind-boggling that the front office would completely reverse course.

If I'm the yankees you HAVE to look at the bigger picture here: NO OTHER TEAM is going to come close to what the Yankees are thinking about offering.

It's becoming more and more apparent as the Phil Hughes hostage drama carries on that it's a one-team race. No other team can come close to matching a package of Phil and others. Yesterday's news had Boston dangling a quartet of players that no one gives a shit about. Simply put: Unless the Sox are willing to part with Jacoby Ellsbury, there is zero chance that Santana will ever don a Red Sox uniform.

Outside of the Sox there are no other contenders. The Angels and Dodgers keep getting mentioned, but as suitors for Miguel Cabrera. I could maybe see the Angels pulling something off if they lose the Cabrera sweepstakes, but the Dodgers? They haven't done anything noteworthy since leaving Brooklyn 40 years ago. (On a related note, if you're a baseball fan living in New York, do yourself a favor and go see the Museum of the City of New York's wonderful "Glory Days: New York Baseball 1947-1957" exhibit. You won't be disappointed.)

Getting back to the present, ultimately the Yankees are once again bidding against no one but themselves.

Yet another reason the Yanks shouldn't even think about dealing with the Twins

2007-11-29T09:37:00.000-08:00

This is the same organization that let David Ortiz walk after the 2002 season.

I've often wondered how different the last few years would have turned out had the Yankees signed Ortiz instead of the Sox, and I think it's probably safe to say that the Red Sox' World Series championship drought would still be in effect to this day.

Just say no to giving the stupidest baseball team of all time the best pitcher the Yankees have ever produced.

The Phil Hughes hostage drama, day 649

2007-11-29T05:12:00.001-08:00

It's great to see all the support I've received from many of the outstanding Yankee blogs I've been reading on a regular basis for the last four years - hell, River Ave. Blues turned it up a notch and already created merchandise.

As for our boy Phil, he obviously 100% agrees with everything we've been saying here, and had some choice words for Brian Cashman in today's News:

"It's not like you can get a guy like Santana away from the Twins for nothing. It's nice that other teams think highly of me, but I'm very happy with where I'm at. I'd love to stay," said Hughes, who went 5-3 with a 4.46 ERA in 13 starts for the Yankees this year.

"I've always had the mind-set of coming up and playing for the Yankees," said Hughes. "It was an exciting change in the philosophy of the way it used to be. Looking at the guys who came up this year - me, Joba and Ian - we can help in the rotation for years to come, which would be cool. Not many times do you get three guys 21 or 22 years old to fill three spots in the same rotation. "You can never assume things are going to happen, but it's fun to think about the way things could be."

I'm sorry, who wants to trade this man away again? He LOVES THE FACT THAT HE'S A YANKEE and knows that he, Joba and IPK will TEAR IT UP given the chance.

If I were Cashman I'd tell Bill Smith to either beg tightwad Carl Pohlad, he of 114th-richest American fame, for more money or stick it where the sun don't shine and enjoy one last season of Santana before having to wave goodbye to him for no compensation save two draft picks. This dangling Hughes as bait thing has GOT TO STOP. I've been looking forward to watching this kid dominate for the Yanks next year and many many years after that, and I simply cannot believe that the Yankee hierarchy could be this shortsighted.

SAVE THE BIG THREE

OK, just to play devil's advocate, here's who I would trade for Johan Santana

2007-11-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

Psyche!

I wouldn't trade anyone from the Yankees' farm system for Johan Santana.

I would, however, be happy to make the following trade on behalf of Theo Epstein: Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia for Johan Santana. If the Sox want to make that move, I say let 'em.

As I said in a comment from yesterday's inaugural post, as great as Santana is, who knows how well he'll fare pitching half his games in the Fenway Park bandbox? The last thing Yankee fans should be worried about is what the Sox do. Sox fans worry about the Yankees -- not the other way around.

If Theo wants to mortgage his own farm, I can live with that. I know the Sox have shown that they're willing to part with talent to get talent, but in this case it seems unlikely. Epstein, Gammons et. al. talk about Ellsbury as if he's the second coming.

I would say 90% of the people who have come to this site so far have been overwhelmingly supportive of keeping Hughes. The minority in favor of trading for Santana have all cited the same concern: That Santana won't be available to pick up as a free agent next year.

I completely disagree. As highlighted above, I simply don't see the Sox being willing to part with that much young talent for Santana, when they can also make a play for him for just money next year.

And who the hell else not only has the quality prospects to entice the Twins but can also afford to pay the man the $25 million a year or so he's expected to command? The short list includes the Mets, the Angels Angels of Anaheim and the Dodgers. Unfortunately for the Mets, no one cares about their prospects, so unless Minaya wants to part with Jose Reyes, I'd say this deal is a non-starter. According to Mark Feinsand, the Angels are busy prepping a package for Miguel Cabrera, and if that deal were to go through, it's unlikely they would remain players for Santana. And who cares if Santana goes to the Dodgers? We're never going to see them.

Regardless, the News continues to stoke the fire that the Yankees are the leading candidate to land Santana right now, which is why getting the word out about this site is more important than ever. Do you want a lefty with 900-plus innings on his arm, or the most exciting young pitcher this side of Joba Chamberlain?

Phil Hughes has the chance to be a New York legend. During Game 3 of the ALDS against Cleveland, I couldn't have been prouder sitting in the upper deck and wearing my "HUGHES 65" tee as Phil was mowing the Indians down left and right. At the stadium as well as on the walk home from the subway, complete strangers were coming up to me giving me five and saying "that's the shirt to have tonight!"

Look, Santana is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and it's rather insane that he's even being shopped in the first place, which is why baseball should never let stingy billionaires own franchises.

But in this fan's mind, not even Santana is worth the man Pete Abe oh-so-wisely dubbed Phil Franchise.

If the Yankees trade Phil Hughes for Johan Santana I will be forced to drop my lifelong allegiance and root for another team

2007-11-27T08:09:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend there was a good deal of scuttlebutt regarding what it would take for the Yankees to trade for Johan Santana, namely top pitching prospect Phil Hughes, mediocre center fielder Melky Cabrera and outfield prospect Austin Jackson.

Despite Santana being one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, I truly hope the Yankees aren't seriously entertaining the idea of trading one of the most exciting young pitchers their system has ever produced for a player they can have for NOTHING BUT COLD HARD CASH IN ONE YEAR.

The fact that deals are even hypothetically being thrown around makes me nervous. After witnessing the success of the trio of young pitching studs the Yanks introduced to us this year, the aforementioned Hughes, the sensational Joba Chamberlain (who has rightly been declared untouchable by the organization) and Ian Kennedy, coupled with years of ineffective free agent pitching signings and trades (see Neagle, Denny; Weaver, Jeff; Contreras, Jose; Brown, Kevin; ad infinitum) it looked like Brian Cashman and company were finally on the right track of developing pitching from within.

I'll never forget Tuesday, May 1, 2007. I was watching the Yankees play Texas with my brother, and it was Hughes' second Major League start. I had of course read all the hype surrounding Hughes for the past three years, and couldn't wait to see what he was going to do after a rocky first outing against Toronto.

As any Yankee fan can attest to, Phil didn't disappoint, and as batter after batter went down, my brother and I kept laughing in giddy amazement about what we were seeing. I've been watching the Yankees regularly since 1993, and even attended Dwight Gooden's 1996 no-hitter, and not only can I simply not recall being more excited during a regular season game than I was for Phil's near no-no, but I don't think I've ever been more excited for the opposing team's lineup to come to bat than my own.

Of course, Phil's brush with baseball history didn't quite turn out the way we had hoped, but everyone who saw the game that night knew that without a doubt, Phil Hughes would have pitched a no-hitter had he not pulled up lame with one out in the 7th.

After returning from the hamstring injury in August, Hughes' results were a bit mixed, although his peripherals were still sound. He seemed to really settle in come September, pitching the Yankees to a huge must-win victory against the Mariners early in the month, paving the way for the team to snag the Wild Card lead and never look back.

And what happened in October? I was fortunate enough to attend Game 3 of the ALDS against Cleveland, and simply witnessed the Yankees' only victory of the series authored by none other than Phil Hughes, in relief of an 80-year-old Roger Clemens.

Those in favor of a trade for Santana will cite Santana's track record as well as Hughes still being a relatively unknown commodity -- despite positive early returns, we don't know what Hughes will ultimately become.

However, after YEARS OF SHITTY STARTING PITCHING, I'm more than willing to take my chances with Phil Hughes in the rotation, who could very well deliver multiple Cy Youngs in the future. In 2004 we thought we were getting an ace when we traded Nick Johnson and Juan Rivera for Javy Vasquez. On paper it looked like a great deal, but the Yanks sure ended up getting bitten in the ass on that one, huh? Nick the Stick and his .400-plus OBP would look pretty damn nice at first base in 2008. And the following year, we traded for Randy Johnson, only to kick him to the curb two seasons later after subpar results, which were lowlighted by the punting of his two pivotal Game 3 playoff starts.

Now if the Yankees actually acquired Santana, chances are he'd be better than Vasquez and Johnson. But I think he has just as good a shot at coming over and falling far short of expectations as he does of dominating. Simply put, the Yankees do not have a positive track record of success in dealing for starting pitching.

Additionally, what Yankee fan in their right mind would prefer rooting for Santana over a top-flight Yankee farmhand? And getting back to my initial point, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU TRADE FOR SANTANA WHEN YOU CAN SIGN HIM WITHOUT HAVING TO GIVE UP THE FARM IN 2009?

I can't stress this enough. What Yankee fan is so rabid for a championship in 2008 that they would actively mortgage a future of potential multiple championships for a shot at winning it next year?

Honestly, if the Yankees were to trade Phil Hughes, I might seriously have to consider switching my lifelong allegiance. I practically came out of the womb with a Yankee hat on, and I eagerly look forward to passing my Yankee fandom on to my son one day. But it would be very difficult for me to pull for the team if they traded away their most exciting homegrown player in more than a decade -- one that I have a serious rooting interest in and who has become my favorite player on the team.

I don't know who I'd root for. The National League is almost as boring as hockey, so the Mets aren't an option. I suppose I would have to vigorously campaign to bring back a third New York baseball team, which is actually a pretty cool idea regardless of everything I've written prior to this.

In conclusion, the Yankees absolutely cannot trade Phil Hughes to the Twins for Johan Santana. There is no conceivable way this deal makes sense to anyone with a brain, especially when (say it with me now) SANTANA WILL BE A FREE AGENT IN ONE YEAR. And if he gets traded somewhere else, who fucking cares? Let the Red Sox or the Mets unload all of their top prospects to get Santana. I'll be more than happy as Joba, Hughes, Kennedy and Horne pitch us to many, many championships over the next decade-plus.

e-mail: keephughes@gmail.com