The Suspense Isn't Killing Me.

Cookie-Cutter Loss

It's becoming a depressingly-familiar pattern. Decent starting pitching. Good bullpen work (ahem -- hate to say I told you so but as soon as our starters started pitching seven innings as if by magic the bullpen starts pitching better). No hitting. And we lose.

Andy Pettitte looks like he will end up 6-17 with an ERA under 3.00.

A few additional thoughts on last night's game.

1. Who exactly is positioning our outfielders? When Perez got that single in the third inning, Matsui was playing around towards left-center, and at normal depth. Um . . . for a pitcher? Perez of course hits a fly ball exactly how and where you'd expect a pitcher to -- shallow and the opposite way. Matsui had to run half a mile and couldn't quite get there. It's a tiny thing but it's disturbing in that it makes one feel as though those who should be watching these things are asleep at the switch.

2. Within the space of three weeks A-Rod has gone from superhuman hot to pressing as badly as at the worst parts of last season.

His first at-bat last night, on a 2-0 pitch that is borderline low, he swings, hits it off the end of the bat, and hits a weak grounder. In a way I feel as though it changed the game around. Perez came out way over-pumped and gave up an immediate hit to Damon (thrown out on a great play by all-around hero Chavez), walked Jeter, and was 2-0 to A-Rod. A Rod's gift out seemed to settle Perez down and aside from a mistake to Matsui he made very few bad pitches after that.

3. Willie's Whitey Herzog imitation. I happened to catch Willie on Mike and The Mad Dog yesterday afternoon. They asked him who was going to be playing in the outfield.

Mike: Who's in left tonight?
[Long pause. Like, long enough to wonder if they lost the phone call.]
Willie: The kid Gomez is playing left tonight.
Mike: Oh?
Willie: Yeah, he shows good energy and [bunch of cliched crap excised for brevity]
[Some banter cut here -- "sounded like you didn't want to tell us who was playing left, Willie" big fat Francesca guffaws, whiny little laughter from Russo . . . nothing you haven't heard before.]
Mike: Does Shawn Greene play against the lefty?
Willie: Oh, yes, he's my everyday right fielder.
Mike: Well yeah, plus Pettite's a lefty that lefties can hit against.
Willie: Right, and [thirty seconds of fawning over Greene cut]

So, game time comes and, why, Willie, you sly old devil . . . Gomez in right, Chavez in left, and no Greene. Oh, he must've hurt himself between 2:45 pm and game time. Because he'd be in otherwise, right? Since he is the everyday right fielder.

Not that it matters, of course. Chavez did hit the big home run, but even if he didn't play we'd have found another way to lose by one run. I just thought that Willie's gamesmanship was silly and unnecessary . . . and it's not the first time he's felt the need to act like an a-hole where Yankees-Mets is concerned.

4. Does it look to anyone else as though this team is mailing it in, badly? I know that a team that's not hitting always looks a little what way, but really, watching this team lately they look beaten already. Sad.


Blastoff in Tampa

Clemens made his first start last night, pitching in Tampa in Class A, I guess it was. Four innings, one run. Fine.

I didn't want him the first time he pitched for us and I certainly don't want him now. But I have to root for the laundry, even when it pains me to do so.

So, ummmm . . . Go Roger.


Top-Secret Scouting Report!

Through the manipulation of deep inside sources, I've managed to obtain the scouting reports that opposing pitchers use against key hitters in our lineup. Please don't tell anyone you saw this.

Cano: Swings at everything. Throw it anywhere but over the plate. For entertainment value throw it at his back knee and watch the ensuing swing.
Abreu: Swings at nothing. Throw three down the middle.
Jeter: Pitch him way out or way in. Worst case is hitting him, or a single to right. In either case he'll be thrown out stealing or doubled up.
Posada: Doesn't matter. He'll be leading off an inning. Let him hit his double; he's not going anywhere after that.
Giambi: Throw him four balls and save the pitch count. If you make a mistake it will be a solo home run anyway.
A-Rod: If he's hitting it doesn't matter what you throw, or where. If he's not, it doesn't matter either.
Phelps: Who??



What Would It Take?

Last night iris and I were talking about "How many games behind would the Yankees have to be in July to make them sellers at the trade deadline?"

iris thinks they never would be. I think we would have to be 20 games out.

But of course that's not going to happen, anyway. What is going to happen is the worst possible thing -- we will start playing a bit better, and Boston will slip up a bit, and coming into July we will be something like 7 games out, and 3.5 or 4 out of the wild card, close enough to create some (false) hope. And Cashman will pull the trigger on the "blockbuster" deal of DeSalvo and Rasner for Richie Sexsun, who will have gotten really hot by then. Of course with us he will go back to hitting .137 and striking out at a pace to make Rob Deer embarrassed.

As iris said, it's going to be a loooooooong year.


Cure-All

As usual, the Yankees coming to town is the cure for what ails any team. Jermaine Dye couldn't find his ass with both hands -- he was a one-man wrecking crew against us. 52-year-old oft-injured Darren Erstad I think reached base safely 13 times in three games and stole 9 bases, or at least it felt that way.


One Last Thing

I probably seem like I'm really whining here, and focusing totally on the negative. Thing is, there are thousands of happy-talk Yankee blogs. Go read them, or watch YES for a few hours if that's what you need.

One of these years it's all going to go wrong. This might be that year. If it is, no scorched-earth spending, no greatest living pitcher, no nothing is going to stop it.

But rest assured -- I live and die with this team. I can't wait to write some happy posts. Just give me a reason.