BBTN: Breaking Yankees News

[Viva Medias B's]

Did the Boss' blood pressure finally burst? Maybe to a certain extent. "Severe lineup changes," BBTN teases.

[ATXBMX]

The Yankees are moving Womack to left, Matsui to center, and Williams to DH. (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=yankeeskarsay&prov=st&type=lgns)

It seems odd for a $200 million team to move guys out of position like this. Obviously Ruben Sierra is hurt, but it doesn't make sense to ditch a pitcher so you can split time at DH. Giambi should suck it up and figure out how to play for real.

Womack has only played a handful of innings in the outfield, and I bet there will be more moves like this as soon as he misplays a fly ball. Steinbrenner hates errors like that. :angry:

[faneidde]

Severe line up changes on the way?

:jerry
"So what, I did that every Sunday?"
*Tinker* *Tinker* *Tinker*

[Viva Medias B's]

Bernie Williams new DH.
Matsui from LF to CF.
Womack from 2B to LF
Canó, whoever he is, new 2B.
RJ still hurt.
Karsay designated for assignment.
Moves made after Torre met with the Boss.

[faneidde]

They released Steve Karsay and did a little line-up shuffling. Matsui to center, Womack to left, and some guy from the minors to second. In a related move, no one outside of New York/Boston cares because Steve Karsay is a no one. Old guy gets moved from outfield to DH and below average middle relief pitcher gets his walking papers. Well, la de freaking da!

[chisoxmike]

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

The Yankees are a team in disarray right now, they are in panic mode. But, for some reason, I think they will turn it around. Its the ****ing Yankees. As much as that pains me to say.

[samram]

That OF is even worse defensively now, and it would seem there are plenty of balls being hit hard out there already. Man, I hope this just blows up in their collective faces. What these moves tell me though is they don't have the confidence that they can just keep working and get it turned around. They're nervous.

[Banix12]

The Yankees are moving Womack to left, Matsui to center, and Williams to DH. (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=yankeeskarsay&prov=st&type=lgns)

It seems odd for a $200 million team to move guys out of position like this. Obviously Ruben Sierra is hurt, but it doesn't make sense to ditch a pitcher so you can split time at DH. Giambi should suck it up and figure out how to play for real.

Womack has only played a handful of innings in the outfield, and I bet there will be more moves like this as soon as he misplays a fly ball. Steinbrenner hates errors like that. :angry:

Strangely, the Yankees have been so bad in the field this is a defensive upgrade.

The defense is so bad Steinbrenner is gonna start lobbying for baseball to create "Designated Fielders" so he can keep Giambi, Sheffield, Williams, hell half the team in the lineup.

[The Racehorse]

I hope the USS Steinbrenner goes down like a torpedoed row boat.

[MUsoxfan]

I'm hoping for a AL East finish like this:

Toronto
Baltimore
Red Sox
Devil Rays
Yankees


Although I'm pretty sure Nostradamus predicted that exact same scenario would cause the world to end

[Rocklive99]

LOL, there's no doubt in my mind that this team will be in the playoffs. If I were the boss, I'd be more embarrased about these panic waves than the actual play of the team. The 'sky is falling' attitude makes you look like you've never watched an entire baseball season

[Realist]

They just need to increase their payroll. Then they'll finally be able to contend.

[Cubbiesuck13]

Did the Boss' blood pressure finally burst? Maybe to a certain extent. "Severe lineup changes," BBTN teases.

Did anyone see the "breaking news" when the Mariners underacheived a couple years back? What about every year the Sox struggled to be as good as projected? anyone see the news flashes about any team that was dissapointing? Naturally when the highest payroll goes down it is going to make the news but is this a little overboard even for ESPN?

[MUsoxfan]

Did anyone see the "breaking news" when the Mariners underacheived a couple years back? What about every year the Sox struggled to be as good as projected? anyone see the news flashes about any team that was dissapointing? Naturally when the highest payroll goes down it is going to make the news but is this a little overboard even for ESPN?

Actually, I think this is news worthy of coverage. When a $200m+ payroll team is under .500 and isn't within a sniff of 1st place shakeups are pretty newsworthy IMO

[A. Cavatica]

Wow. Matsui can't play center -- not that Williams could any more, either. And Womack can't hit enough for a left fielder. These moves won't help.

Did everyone see those stats about a team's chance of making the playoffs with a XXX record at the end of April? The one that had the Sox at 70-some percent because of the .700 record? Well, the flip side of that is that teams which have gotten off to starts as bad as the Yankees only make the playoffs 6% of the time (ballpark figure, I don't remember the exact stat). I would be overjoyed to see both trends hold true, but something tells me the Yankees are not your typical .420 team. They'll buy their way in, even if it means more payoffs to Wendelstedt.

[owensmouth]

I know what the problem is in the Yankee clubhouse. All the steroids and amphetimines have been crammed into some horse in Louisville...

[munchman33]

Why wouldn't they put Womack in center?

[samram]

Why wouldn't they put Womack in center?

He can't catch the ball well in the outfield and he has a horrible arm. As I stated in my earlier post, that outfield got far worse defensively, IMO, even though Williams isn't nearly what he used to be. It's a panic move, something I didn't really expect to see with that team given Torre's demeanor. Methinks he's getting a lot of heat right now.

[Paulwny]

Matsui originally was a cf in Japan. There was talk last year of moving him to cf because of Williams losing a step, getting bad jumps on balls and his weakening arm. Some speculated that Williams nixed this move.
Womack has never played the of.
If these moves blow up, Cashman is toast. :D:

[The Racehorse]

Methinks he's getting a lot of heat right now. That's what he gets managing for the devil. :D:

[NonetheLoaiza]

I don't really understand this move. I understant the motivation behind it, but the Yankees are the Yankees. Had they kept the original lineup, I am sure they would turn it around. After this lineup shift, they just opened up a whole lot more problems than before. However, I can't see the Yankees NOT making the playoffs. They always have a run, and they will likely win 90+ games. I hope that they don't, but April is just one month. A team with the talent like the Yankees can turn it around on a dime.

[NonetheLoaiza]

Womack has never played the of.

Actually, IIRC Womack played the OF in 98 or 99 with the Dbacks most of the year. He has played there sparingly with the Pirates as well, I think.

[itsnotrequired]

Actually, IIRC Womack played the OF in 98 or 99 with the Dbacks most of the year. He has played there sparingly with the Pirates as well, I think.

Womack played almost the entire 1999 season with the D-Backs in right field (122 games plus 6 at CF).

Played 11 games total in the OF with the Pirates.

[jackbrohamer]

What does ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" ever cover EXCEPT "Breaking Yankee News"? I guess Breaking Red Sox News.

BTW, what was with the Moron on BBTN yesterday, screaming about Ozzie? He was literally frothing at the mouth and looked like he needed to be on a leash.

[Baby Fisk]

These moves are likely a result of Steinbrenner beginning to meddle bigtime once again.

[*bracing himself for taunting*]

I recently read "A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant". (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1592287042.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) The authors are Tony Massarotti and John Harper -- one is a baseball reporter from Boston, the other from NYC. They go back and forth, each one writing a chapter looking at the 2004 season from his home city's point of view. It's a neat point-counterpoint look at the 2004 BoSox-Yankees battle for supremacy.

Anyway, the NY writer notes that Steinbrenner has begun showing evidence of mental decline (eg. forgetfulness) as a natural result of his age (70+). Reportedly, the deal to sign Gary Sheffield to the Yanks before 2004 was almost botched because Steinbrenner made the deal himself, then couldn't remember the dollar amount settled upon when it came time to sign-off on the paperwork, and he suspected that he was being had.

Paranoia, panic, knee-jerk reactions. It's likely that if the Yankees continue to struggle, this is just the beginning of an ugly time in the Bronx. (no teal or punchline)

[owensmouth]

"Breaking Yankee News"? Good. Anything that breaks the Yankees is good news to me. If they stayed broke for a while it could only be good news for the rest of the American League.

[Tekijawa]

Well think of it this way.... Ever since we've tried Crede at SS, Widger at third, and Dye at SS We've played really well.... Maybe King George saw our success and is trying to capture the same lightning in a bottle!!!

[samram]

These moves are likely a result of Steinbrenner beginning to meddle bigtime once again.

[*bracing himself for taunting*]

I recently read "A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant". (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1592287042.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) The authors are Tony Massarotti and John Harper -- one is a baseball reporter from Boston, the other from NYC. They go back and forth, each one writing a chapter looking at the 2004 season from his home city's point of view. It's a neat point-counterpoint look at the 2004 BoSox-Yankees battle for supremacy.

Anyway, the NY writer notes that Steinbrenner has begun showing evidence of mental decline (eg. forgetfulness) as a natural result of his age (70+). Reportedly, the deal to sign Gary Sheffield to the Yanks before 2004 was almost botched because Steinbrenner made the deal himself, then couldn't remember the dollar amount settled upon when it came time to sign-off on the paperwork, and he suspected that he was being had.

Paranoia, panic, knee-jerk reactions. It's likely that if the Yankees continue to struggle, this is just the beginning of an ugly time in the Bronx. (no teal or punchline)

No need to brace, this is an interesting, and plausible, theory. I don't think there's a question that the Yankees are not a particularly well-conceived team, and IMO Cashman is too sharp a guy to have thought of moves like the ones just made. Cano, the new 2B, is a guy they offered in the RJ talks last season, and AZ wasn't interested, and now he's going to start for the Yanks. They now have a bad left fielder and a centerfielder who won't be able to cover Yankee Stadium's spacious CF. In other words, these moves don't seem very rational, and the team is a poor value at $200 million and change.

I wonder who was behind the Brown/Weaver deal- they are getting killed on that one too. I suspect that anytime a big name guy is acquired by the Yanks, it's Steinbrenner who's behind it, wanting to make a splash.

[kevingrt]

How much crap have all fans outside the Northeast gotten about the Yanks from ESPN. Please stop, your ratings are gonna go down if they haven't already. It's the most annoying thing ever, STOP, world wide leader in sports

[AZChiSoxFan]

Boy, $200 million just doesn't get you what it used to!

[MRKARNO]

"Breaking Yankees News"?

The Yankees sure as heck seem to be breaking apart

[DSpivack]

The funny thing is, it isn't their offense that's been bad so far. It's mostly their starting pitching, which before the season I though as suspect.
Jaret Wright: Leo Mazzone worked his magic yet again last season. Mazzone does not work for the Yankees.
Kevin Brown: Washed up.
RJ: Good but now injury problems.
Moose: Solid as ever.
Pavano: Had a great year last year but was it a fluke? Can he handle NY pressure? He's been decent so far.

[MRKARNO]

The funny thing is, it isn't their offense that's been bad so far. It's mostly their starting pitching, which before the season I though as suspect.
Jaret Wright: Leo Mazzone worked his magic yet again last season. Mazzone does not work for the Yankees.
Kevin Brown: Washed up.
RJ: Good but now injury problems.
Moose: Solid as ever.
Pavano: Had a great year last year but was it a fluke? Can he handle NY pressure? He's been decent so far.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: Mussina, Pavano and Randy are going to be fine. It's Brown and Wright that are going to be god-awful. The Yankees will be in great shape if this Chien-Ming Wang guy is able to make starts like last week's on a semi-consistant basis. But this Sean Henn guy cant be all that great, could he?

BTW the Yanks probably wish they wouldnt have traded Brad Halsey at this point because he's been pretty good for the DBacks thus far; well, a lot better than Jaret Wright :D:

[balke]

Even though his #'s aren't off the charts yet, I always thought the Yanks should've dumped Bernie and went hard after Beltran this offseason. That team needs to be spending long term high dollars on at least the possibility of a player being good through all the years signed for. That should've been higher priority than Johnson, although Johnson was a good move for "winning now".

[nccwsfan]

For those interested, this was a pretty good read. Take it for what it's worth....http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=2051491

The Yankees are getting WORKED, and I couldn't be any happier. A long way to go, but any Yankee misery is AOK by me....

[Jjav829]

I've always said that Robinson Cano is the key to the Yankees success.

BTW, with everyone predicting doom and gloom for the Yankees, I just wanna go on record today, May 3rd, as stating that the Yankees will win the AL East. So many people overreacting...

[PAPChiSox729]

So many people overreacting...

Including Steinbrenner and every other Yankee fan or hater. I'm just going to enjoy this downward spiral while it lasts...
:(:

[samram]

I've always said that Robinson Cano is the key to the Yankees success.

BTW, with everyone predicting doom and gloom for the Yankees, I just wanna go on record today, May 3rd, as stating that the Yankees will win the AL East. So many people overreacting...

Well, I think they've caught a break in that Boston hasn't started out red hot either. Baltimore will be an easier target to catch than Boston would be. That said, the Yanks just seem so much more vulnerable this year, and while I don't know their farm system well, it doesn't seem as if there's much there to use in a trade to improve the team (assuming they need to do that because the guys they have now continue to struggle).

[MRKARNO]

BTW, with everyone predicting doom and gloom for the Yankees, I just wanna go on record today, May 3rd, as stating that the Yankees will win the AL East. So many people overreacting...

I'm not sure if I can say that, but it would still be a shock if they didnt win close to 90. It's just fun watching them play worse than teams like the Tigers.

[MeanFish]

I'm not sure if I can say that, but it would still be a shock if they didnt win close to 90. It's just fun watching them play worse than teams like the Tigers.

The Yankees are built eerily similar to our team in 2003. Lots of offense, shallow but top-heavy starting pitching staff, utilitarian bullpen with a suddenly shady closer, Tom Gordon, and a couple role players. I'm going to predict about 86 wins for 'em.

[batmanZoSo]

Damn why can't we be playing them now? I'm sure they'll be on fire when we see em.

Yes, I'll believe it when I see it--Yankees sucking for a whole year that is.

[Baby Fisk]

I agree with Batman's lament. Kevin Brown will be in the glue factory long before the Sox get a chance to pummel him. That would have been fun to watch.