April 4th DRays @ Yankees- the Prodigal Son Returns

[jacksonianmarch]

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/mlb/150242.jpg.........VS.........http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/mlb/120485.jpg
3-12 5.33ERA.............14-13 4.20ERA


Andy Pettitte will make his Bronx return on Wednesday against the Devil Rays, suiting up in pinstripes and taking the mound at Yankee Stadium for the first time since he departed following the 2003 World Series.
The 34-year-old left-hander may be a little grayer and riding with a few more miles on his left arm, but he is projected to be a vital contributor of the Yankees' 2007 starting rotation.

Be prepared for at least one loud, long ovation as the home crowd welcomes back No. 46 in style.

"I think the fans are going to let him know how much they missed him and we miss him," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "When they look at Andy Pettitte, they associate him with the championships that we've had here in recent years."

Pettitte's return to pinstripes means he can resume his chases of the all-time legends in the franchise ledgers. He ranks fifth on the Yankees' all-time strikeouts list with 1,275, and ninth on the all-time wins list with 149 victories.

The Devil Rays will counter with right-hander Jae Seo, a former Met who went 1-8 with a 5.00 ERA last season.

Pitching matchup
TB: RHP Jae Seo (1-8, 5.00 ERA in 2006)
Seo will be making the 93rd start of his professional career, his 17th in the American League with the Rays. Seo allowed five first-inning runs in his final Spring Training outing against the Reds on Friday.

NYY: LHP Andy Pettitte (14-13, 4.20 ERA in 2006)
Pettitte will be making his first regular-season start for New York since Sept. 26, 2003, against the Orioles. The left-hander made three Grapefruit League starts for the Yankees in a spring that included a lengthy bout with back spasms. He last pitched in a Minor League game against the Blue Jays' Double-A lineup.

Player to watch
Ty Wigginton likes to double his fun against Pettitte. The first baseman has seen more of Pettitte than any other Rays player -- 18 at-bats -- and the left-hander has had the advantage so far. Still, all three of Wigginton's hits against Pettitte were doubles.

[26 Reasons to Hate Us]

:thumbsup:

[jacksonianmarch]

love it!

[yankees228]

Game was just postponed. Heard it on WFAN. No makeup date announced but everyone will be pushed back and Pettitte will pitch tomorrow.

[Gom]

Good. I have tickets to this game, and had no intention of going due to the weather.

[yankees228]

The Johnny Damon injury appears to be more serious than it initially appeared. He was not supposed to be in the lineup today and from the sound bite I heard, he is not optimistic about playing anytime soon.

[Gom]

Then Melky plays. No big drop off. I wouldn't play him today either if I was the manager. Give him all the time he needs to heal. It's the first week of the season, and it's only Tampa Bay.

[yankees228]

Yeah, I understand that, but from what I've heard the DL may be a possibility. The other problem is that it takes away the Yankees leadoff hitter. Although they have two other capable leadoff hitters in Jeter and Abreu, I don't think Torre wants to move Jeter out of the two spot or Abreu out of the three. Cano was going to bat leadoff today. Mistake if you ask me. Obviously, in this lineup it doesn't really matter where everyone bats, but Damon was the sparkplug last year. If they lose him for an extended period of time, it will be a loss. I guess Kevin Thompson would be called up if Damon sees time on the DL.

[jacksonianmarch]

I hadnt heard that. I read the article on him where he said the same issue came up a few times last yr. I'd assume he'd be in the lineup tomorrow, but I agree with Gom. If he isnt absolutely 100%, why even bother? Melky is a serviceable CFer and has the potential to be Damon-esque in his career. ANd we'd just move Jetes to leadoff, Cano to the 2 hole and have Melkman bat in the 8 hole. Its great to have depth.

[TheKilo]

Strongly disagree on the "no huge dropoff from Damon to Melky" comment.

[yankees228]

I hadnt heard that. I read the article on him where he said the same issue came up a few times last yr. I'd assume he'd be in the lineup tomorrow, but I agree with Gom. If he isnt absolutely 100%, why even bother? Melky is a serviceable CFer and has the potential to be Damon-esque in his career. ANd we'd just move Jetes to leadoff, Cano to the 2 hole and have Melkman bat in the 8 hole. Its great to have depth.

I think the thing about it happening before and not being a big deal is old news. Apparently he woke up today and could barely walk. And, in my opinion, Melky is a significant drop off from Damon, in terms of the way he can spark the offense.

[jacksonianmarch]

let me rephrase that. Melky is better than your typical 4th OFer. He will give you OBP and make very good contact like Damon will. Damon is a much better player at this juncture and losing him at the top of the lineup would be bad for a long period of time. But if it is for a short amount of time, the difference will be minimal.

[jacksonianmarch]

you were right.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/blog/2007/04/rained_out_damon_update.html

[Optimist]

Well it didn't take long for the first rain out.

[VA Sox Fan]

Well it didn't take long for the first rain out.

Is jacko's fault for whining about the NYY schedule.....;) :lol:

[jacksonianmarch]

mother fucker. I HATE OFF DAYS!!

[VA Sox Fan]

mother fucker. I HATE OFF DAYS!!

I think I'd freak out if the Sox were rained out today.....:o

[Gom]

mother fucker. I HATE OFF DAYS!!

Not me. The weather is terrible, and I have tickets. Better to be rained out, no way I was going to today's game.

Also realize, every game they miss now is one less game they have to play without Wang/Damon.

[Mr Crunchy]

and the word on damon is?

[schillingouttheks]

Strained right calf. Not too much of a concern as of now but if it doesn't feel better tomorrow they're going to send him for some tests.

[Mr Crunchy]

mustve been the 3way with rosie odonell and regis philbin
i hope hes ok.........in 6 months

[shortstop]

Johnny could go on the DL for the first time in his career.

[jacksonianmarch]

Sounds like Torre is hoping for a DL stint. Honestly, if he isnt feeling better by tonight why the fuck risk it? It isnt like we dont have a capable backup and it isnt the prime time of the season. DL his ass if he isnt 100% today.

[yeszir]

and the word on damon is?
In a word, bitch.

[VA Sox Fan]

Have they announced when they are going to make up the rained out game?

[shortstop]

Nothing's been scheduled yet.

[Remember the Titans]

i dk, but upton looked safe.

[riverside sluggers]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=270405110&page=boxscore&refresh=0

Currently in the 7th inning the D-Rays are leading 6-4. After Pavano started game 1 and managed 4.1 innings... the $16 million man Pettitte went 4 innings in game 2. He, like Pavano, wasnt helped by the Yankees' shoddy defense as theyve commited their 2nd straight 3 error game. Those errors coming from Mientkiewicz and 2 from Jeter (3 overall). Elijah Dukes has hit his 2nd homerun in as many games

[example1]

Is this game on EI?

[VA Sox Fan]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=270405110&page=boxscore&refresh=0

Currently in the 7th inning the D-Rays are leading 6-4. After Pavano started game 1 and managed 4.1 innings... the $16 million man Pettitte went 4 innings in game 2. He, like Pavano, wasnt helped by the Yankees' shoddy defense as theyve commited their 2nd straight 3 error game. Those errors coming from Mientkiewicz and 2 from Jeter (3 overall). Elijah Dukes has hit his 2nd homerun in as many games



Yeah, but they think they'll be able to hit their way to the post season. Good luck.

But, really, it's too early to determine anything.

As always, if they lose tonight, it's a goooooooooood thing. :)

Where's jacko to analyze every player, every move and how they are superior and how the Sox were lucky in today's game and that Dice-K isn't all that? :lol:

[CrespoBlows]

Horrendous strategy by Maddon , but he's saved by Vizcanio.

Seriously, you've got a pitcher who's had two laser beams hit off him, and is having trouble throwing strikes, and you're going to give him an out?

How fucking stupid.

The D-Rays deserve to lose.

[jacksonianmarch]

Pettitte wasnt nearly as bad as the line will show. 2 of his hits were of the infield variety and that defense has been putrid for the second game in a row.

Joe Torre still has no clue how to manage a bullpen. Using Proctor for 2 innings in freezing weather is an absolute joke. Keeping Vizcaino in when its obvious that he cannot locate his slider in the cold is amazing.

Our offense is still amazing in spite of A-Choke. Once the weather gets warm, the pitching might be able to fucking locate.

[jacksonianmarch]

Hey Joe, um, maybe take this guy out of the game? He is the most clueless manager when it comes to figuring out if a pitcher has it or doesnt.

[CrespoBlows]

No, that guy sitting in the dugout directly from Torre is the worst manager in the game.

Ben Zobrist is a number two hitter? Jesus Christ, even a fucking fetus can see that he sucks.

[jacksonianmarch]

No, that guy sitting in the dugout directly from Torre is the worst manager in the game.

Ben Zobrist is a number two hitter? Jesus Christ, even a fucking fetus can see that he sucks.

you havent had to watch Joe Torre burn through great pen arms like I have. He treats Proctor like his slave and he can be one of the better reliever in all of baseball if his arm stays on.


BTW, Torre proved me wrong as Vizcaino sacked up and closed out the inning.

EDIT: But pulling Giambi for a pinch runner in a tie game in the 7th will come back to bite us.

[jacksonianmarch]

BTW, I hope Michael Kay catches his nuts in a vice.

[example1]

Hey, where are all the Yankee fans? Its the 8th inning of a 1-run game and there aren't fans behind the plate. What gives?

[CrespoBlows]

Hey, where are all the Yankee fans? Its the 8th inning of a 1-run game and there aren't fans behind the plate. What gives?

It's 30 degrees outside and snowing. You ever sat your ass on a metal bleacher for three hours and watched a sporting event in that kind of weather?

http://www.weather.com/weather/local/USNY0996?from=search_city

[jacksonianmarch]

Hey, where are all the Yankee fans? Its the 8th inning of a 1-run game and there aren't fans behind the plate. What gives?

I kinda had to like, go somewhere for most of the day. Life doesnt take breaks for yankees baseball. Although I wish it did. Also, it is a thursday night, and if I wasnt moving soon, I'd be bombed right now and likely not posting. Dont even think of calling me fair weathered example. Those who know me from the old forums, know I was there the morning after the worst day of any yankee fans life.

[example1]

I kinda had to like, go somewhere for most of the day. Life doesnt take breaks for yankees baseball. Although I wish it did. Also, it is a thursday night, and if I wasnt moving soon, I'd be bombed right now and likely not posting. Dont even think of calling me fair weathered example. Those who know me from the old forums, know I was there the morning after the worst day of any yankee fans life.

You ever read a goddamn post before you explode at someone jacksonian? I didn't say "Why isn't jacksonian behind the plate?" I said "how come the park is empty". Nice reading comprehension skills man.

[CrespoBlows]

Need any more reasons on why the Rays are always in 5th?

[example1]

Need any more reasons on why the Rays are always in 5th?

Nope. B)

That was just a bad play.

[jacksonianmarch]

AChoke at the dish. Awesome. Cairo leading off the 9th.

[example1]

A-Rod will get a single and score 2.

[jacksonianmarch]

A-Rod will get a single and score 2.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I call K.

[example1]

Notice our reciprocal win-win predictions.

[jacksonianmarch]

do I need any other reasons why I hate ARod?

[example1]

You know more about baseball than I do. I bow to your surpreme knowledge sir. :D

[RedSoxRooter]

So MLB gameday just had Arod leave the bases loaded in the 8th, down by a run? ha.

[ORS]

I'm reminded of a quote by Sully in There's Something About Mary when I see Wiggington's picture on Gameday.

"Kid's got forehead like a drive-in theater...."

[jacksonianmarch]

You know more about baseball than I do. I bow to your surpreme knowledge sir. :D

he is so fucking predictable. All he does is choke in the clutch.

As for Torre, dont get me started. He abuses Proctor in the frigid temps and he gives up the ghost in the second inning. Then he pulls Giambi in a tie game for Cairo and now Giambi's spot starts the 9th and fucking Miguel is in. You have got to be fucking kidding me.

[RedSoxRooter]

Arod-7 LOB? Holy shit. Cabrera 6, Abreu 5.
That game must have been incredible.

[Gom]

Dude, it sucked. I was at the game, it was freaking snowing.

Blame Abreu on this one, not Arod. Bases loaded, one out, ground out to the pitcher for the force at home.

I was more annoyed with the cold than I was with the loss. That was probably the coldest game I have ever been to.

[riverside sluggers]

Damn, lets get some control for these Yankee boys... in the first 2 games theyve committed 6 errors, and from last nights game threw 3 wild pitches & 1 passed ball

[Mr Crunchy]

the 1998 all stars are a softball hitting statistical wet dream for fantasy players everywhere
that said
this group hasnt won anything important since paul oneill retired
same as it ever was
no pitching no gloves big stix who may or may not deliver the big hit

has arod called his image consultants yet??
what the fuck do torre and the blood lusting fans want??
its their fault
fuck ny for putting this man in a position to fail..................again

i know its the 1st week
but really
is there anything better than winning with a gem of a game pitched by our 100M dollar man then watching the yankees gag on tampa as their 252M man leaves 7 men on base in a 1 run loss??
the resident yankee fan here was skipping like a kansas city faggot in order to avoid me this morning.....long season,lllllllllloooooooooooooooooong season
but i do love it so much

happy birthday dad

[jacksonianmarch]

the 1998 all stars are a softball hitting statistical wet dream for fantasy players everywhere
that said
this group hasnt won anything important since paul oneill retired
same as it ever was
no pitching no gloves big stix who may or may not deliver the big hit

has arod called his image consultants yet??
what the fuck do torre and the blood lusting fans want??
its their fault
fuck ny for putting this man in a position to fail..................again

i know its the 1st week
but really
is there anything better than winning with a gem of a game pitched by our 100M dollar man then watching the yankees gag on tampa as their 252M man leaves 7 men on base in a 1 run loss??
the resident yankee fan here was skipping like a kansas city faggot in order to avoid me this morning.....long season,lllllllllloooooooooooooooooong season
but i do love it so much

happy birthday dad


I havent avoided you, I just woke up and put on the cpu.

I have a newsflash for many of you, Tampa Bay can hit. Gotta give them a little credit here as those young kids hit lasers all over the park.

As for the rest, Pettitte actually pitched alright, but 2 infield singles and an error on Monkeybitch (are ya serious?) ended his day early. That and the fact that he had some serious trouble locating in the cold. Joe Torre was up to his typical antics, overusing Proctor. A second inning in the second game on a frigid day for Proctor? Do you want him dead? And chances are, Proctor is back in the game today. The fucking guy has no idea how to manage a pitching staff. Either way, to this point our #5 looked awful and our #3 looked like he still had a little bit to go on his recovery from his back strain. Our offense looked fantastic until it needed to score (Abreu gets more of the blame cause all he had to fucking do was hit a goddamn flyball) and our pitching/defense was useless.

Good points of the day: Brian Bruney and Kyle Farnsworth were damn near untouchable.

[jacksonianmarch]

Arod-7 LOB? Holy shit. Cabrera 6, Abreu 5.
That game must have been incredible.

it happens. Cano was pretty damn good as the leadoff man, aside from the fact that he runs like David Ortiz but has the body type of Carl Crawford. How is this kid not a base stealer?

We have Moose going tonight in what is going to be a 30-35 degree night. Should be interesting. What I dont get is, the last week of ST I was walking around in Syracuse in a T shirt and no jacket as it was 60s-70s. Now, first week fo baseball and we have a few inches on the ground. Weather sucks.

[jacksonianmarch]

Damn, lets get some control for these Yankee boys... in the first 2 games theyve committed 6 errors, and from last nights game threw 3 wild pitches & 1 passed ball

they will settle down eventually. They certainly dont have a track record for being the worst fielding team. They should finish the yr average or so. But it is pretty embarassing when I am letting out a sigh of relief every time one of our fielders makes a play. Good thing is, our pen K's tons of people, so our defense doesnt have to fuck things up.

[shortstop]

I agree with your assessment of the Rays. They CAN hit. I live in FL and most days that's all the baseball I get, so I watch them a lot.

I thought Pettitte looked bad last night. It looked like he was having trouble reading Posada's signs and just looked lost out there.

[yankees228]

Dude, it sucked. I was at the game, it was freaking snowing.

Blame Abreu on this one, not Arod. Bases loaded, one out, ground out to the pitcher for the force at home.

I was more annoyed with the cold than I was with the loss. That was probably the coldest game I have ever been to.

Could not agree more with the Abreu part. Every Yankee fans wants to blame A-Rod for everything that goes wrong. Abreu was up with the bases loaded and one out, a much easier situation than bases loaded and two outs. I know A-Rod has not come through in the past, but Abreu didn't even get a mention until Gom brought him up. Jackson, not everything is A-Rod's fault, that's all I'm say. To be honest, there is a good chance that they'd be 0-2 instead of 1-1 if it weren't for A-Rod.

[jacksonianmarch]

Could not agree more with the Abreu part. Every Yankee fans wants to blame A-Rod for everything that goes wrong. Abreu was up with the bases loaded and one out, a much easier situation than bases loaded and two outs. I know A-Rod has not come through in the past, but Abreu didn't even get a mention until Gom brought him up. Jackson, not everything is A-Rod's fault, that's all I'm say. To be honest, there is a good chance that they'd be 0-2 instead of 1-1 if it weren't for A-Rod.

I know it was Abreu's fault, but I can at least think of Abreu's clutchness last season without having to really really try. Abreu was instrumental in the Boston Massacre part II. ARod's last really clutch moment was against the Braves in interleague.

[yankees228]

I know it was Abreu's fault, but I can at least think of Abreu's clutchness last season without having to really really try. Abreu was instrumental in the Boston Massacre part II. ARod's last really clutch moment was against the Braves in interleague.

Fair enough, even though A-Rod was not exactly awful in that series. If I remember correctly he had a number of RBI's in both games of the doubleheader, and made one or two clutch defensive plays in the series finale. But that's besides the point. If you're looking to blame someone for last nights lost A-Rod should be much further down on your list than number one. All Abreu needed to do was get the ball out of the infield, easier said than done, but also easier than getting a hit. Vizcaino had some control problems and gave up the run that eventually lost the games for the Yanks. It could have been a lot more than one run if the D-Rays hitters were a bit more discipline (Crawford swinging at a 3-1 offspeed pitch and Zobrist swinging at the second pitch of the at bat). Jeter should also be higher on your list considering he made two errors, one of which lead to a run. Also, as you previously mentioned, Torre was clueless at times during that game.

[jacksonianmarch]

Torre is automatically in the blame chair for most of the season as it is. He wiggled out of it in the first game because he didnt abuse Proctor and I thought he pulled his pitchers and used the pen spectacularly. Last night, he was again pretty good, but the use of Proctor for 2 innings in April when it was below zero is beyond clueless. And that cost us the game.

[Gom]

Dude, they sucked last night. It was also SNOWING. I've never been to a baseball game when it was SNOWING. I have tickets for tonight if anyone wants it, it is way too cold for me to do two days in a row.

[Optimist]

http://nomaas.org/images/JeterCement.jpg

That explains it...

[Coco's Disciples]

Is it me, or does Mike Mussina look like Jack from Lost?

EDIT: It's me.

[MANNYHOF24]

Is it me, or does Mike Mussina look like Jack from Lost?

EDIT: It's me.

I can see that a little but actually.

[yankees228]

In the last few years Jeter's ability to move to his left and field ground balls has gone down the drain. He seems to have very little range moving in that direction. On top of that, going back to his minor league days, he's been error prone. Hopefully he gets it straighten out soon, but it's only two games.

[riverside sluggers]

In the last few years Jeter's ability to move to his left and field ground balls has gone down the drain. He seems to have very little range moving in that direction. On top of that, going back to his minor league days, he's been error prone. Hopefully he gets it straighten out soon, but it's only two games.

And yet he somehow won the gold glove over AGon

[yankees228]

And yet he somehow won the gold glove over AGon

I would be the first one to admit that Gonzalez is a better fielder than Jeter, and also that Jeter didn't deserve the gold glove. But, without looking up the stats, did Gonzalez play a full season? I thought he shared time with Cora.

[MANNYHOF24]

No Gonzo was injured for awhile last year that made him miss some time. That along with notoriety was why Jeter won the gold glove.

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

Dude, they sucked last night. It was also SNOWING. I've never been to a baseball game when it was SNOWING. I have tickets for tonight if anyone wants it, it is way too cold for me to do two days in a row.

I was at last nights game and your right it was pretty awful.

[VA Sox Fan]

Is it me, or does Mike Mussina look like Jack from Lost?

EDIT: It's me.

It is you. Jack is actually good looking. :lol: