Girardi better not be the first manager to shame the superior league since 1996.

1) Jeter batting 2nd?  Also, interesting to see the lineups presented rlyw-style.
2) Just tuned in, Buck/McCarver…gonna be a silent ASG…it’s OK, I’m studying anyways

Yadier Molina has been worth 2 WAR with a sub .600 OPS? How bad are NL catchers this year?

Yadier Molina has been worth 2 WAR with a sub .600 OPS? How bad are NL catchers this year?

Oops, that’s wrong.  He’s at 0.5 WAR.

So this game is going to end at, what, 3:30am?

still pretty pathetic, but it’s believable.

[5] I just want it to start before 9. I’m only sticking around until the Jeter GIDP.

I think SG is a little too excited about Ichiro! because apparently Ichiro goes after the NL with the same venom as SG.

Ok, so maybe he is not all that subtle or snarky, but he gets the point across.

Anyway, just got a couple of books today, “When Genius Failed” and “Matterhorn,” and will bolt once this game becomes boring, or McBuck becomes too hot to handle.

Joe Buck was born annoying.

Ichiro!

Bacon Club Chalupa? Who came up with that moronic ad?

Ichiro to SG: Suck it, I am awesome.

McCarver and Buck seem to think that Sheppard will be getting a 2nd monument in Monument Park.

Well, Derek, try that for Yankee games sometime. You don’t have to ground out all the time.

Take that Mr. 15-1.

Andy Koufax. Holy Mo.

Can we get Josh Johnson? It’s what The Boss would want.

Derek Ripken.

Nice play.

Nice throw Joe.

Can we get Josh Johnson?

Somehow my fantasy team ended up with Josh Johnson, Felix Hernandez, and Steven Strasburg at the top of it’s rotation.  In a league of 18 teams, I’m still confused as to how I pulled that off.

Hughesday? Clayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!

Holy mother of Mo. No jindoo for you.

The Wolf.

Cano trying to make sure the Yankees don’t open the World Series in Atlanta…

Jorge Mauer.

You guys suck for the lack of comments. All a yiz.

I blame the pathetic absurdity of pitching duel by committee.

Colton Harris-Moore says hello.

Good to see Hughes still sucks.

(30) Agreed. on friggin ice. hard too.

Way to open the door, Phil.

Hughes has shamed us all.

Binder style.

Ugggh, so Hughes and Kuo have been the main let down so far, sucks for a Taiwanese Yankee fan.

That was ugly.

holy shit, John Buck is a all star???!?!?!?!?!

(35) Sucks for us round eyed dudes too. Just saying.

Losing to AAAA might drive SG all the way to the ledge. Have mercy, AL.

Nice swing, Toriiiii.

Tim McCarver’s senility has set in. I am convinced.

Also his suckility

Also his suckility

That set in a while back.

Valverde’s antics make Joba seem stoic by comparison.

OTF, got your voice mail, thanks for the heads up. Unfortunately I’ve been running around the last two days trying to buy/rehabilitate a car so I can get to and from work.

This is more humiliating than the time Torre made A-Rod bat 8th.  Is he the only one of the 156 All Stars not to appear tonight?

this is all setting up perfectly for A-Rod to be the hero.

Slooooooooooow.

Hahahahahahaha Ortiz is a fat Farns

Steroids don’t increase your foot speed, apparently.

or not.

Disgraces, all of them.

DFA

[43] Yeah I know, I just wanted to invent a word though

So, looks like Fuse decided to make sure the Sawx or Rays won’t have homefield in the WS. Good move.

Hughes basically got an early start at screwing up our post-season again.

Damn him

I look at this as an opportunity to keep Hughes out of the bullpen.

Do the 2/3 of an inning count against Hughes’ innings limit?

CC started Sunday for the Yanks, their last game before the AS break.  CC is starting Friday for the Yanks, their first game after the AS break.  I love that.

Let’s go Yankees!

Does the death of GS lessen the odds of a big contract for Jeter? If second-half Jeter isn’t much better than first-half Jeter, how can there not be pressure to limit any contract offer?

Does the death of GS lessen the odds of a big contract for Jeter?

No.  There’s no indication GS has exerted that kind of pull in a few years now.

If second-half Jeter isn’t much better than first-half Jeter, how can there not be pressure to limit any contract offer?

I think there will be - but in years only - as a means of reconciling public perception and baseball reality.  I mean, he’s having a down year, but he’s still probably the best SS in the AL and projects to be among the league leaders at the position in the near future.
Hanley Ramirez isn’t falling into the Yankees laps anytime soon.

Hanley Ramirez isn’t falling into the Yankees laps anytime soon.

Cause we don’t have IPK to trade anymore?

Hanley Ramirez isn’t falling into the Yankees laps anytime soon.

Who needs Hanley when we have Nunez!? Oh, yeah Nunez isn’t really all that good. :(

MLB record-keeping is annoying.

[65] I think I caught that ball.

Is SG too depressed to post?

[66] I’ve got four of them for sale on ebay.

Hanley Ramirez isn’t falling into the Yankees laps anytime soon

Given that the Marlins seem to have a policy of not keeping any player that cost more than 10 million a year, I suspect that there’s a chance of that happening fairly soon.

09:$5.5M, 10:$7M, 11:$11M, 12:$15M, 13:$15.5M, 14:$16M

currently, the highest paid Marlin is Dan Uggla at 7.8 million, and only one other player (Jorge Cantu lol) is being paid over 5 M .

I think you are seriously underestimating just how much of a cheap arse Jeff Loria is.

“Paying anyone over $10M will ruin the game of baseball!”
-An actual quote from Jeff Loria (probably)

Also, if it’s for Hanely Ramirez, I would really trade just about anyone they want, with the possible exception of Hughes.  (not worried bout Cano since he’s also cross da magical 10M mark )

Micheal Kay must have a huge.. bank account.

I think you are seriously underestimating just how much of a cheap arse Jeff Loria is.

After MLBPA complained about the Marlins spending, they started spending.  As cheap as Loria is, he’s also not interested in going before an arbitrater, so he’ll spend enough money.  Getting Hanley will be difficult.

Oh, yeah Nunez isn’t really all that good. :(

Well, he’s no Jeter.  But he could be league-averagish for a few years.  So if one of the SS they drafted this past year pans out in 3-4 years - and Jeter isn’t sticking at SS for that time - they’d be OK with Nunez at short.  Especially if Montero is hitting 350/450/750 like we all expect him to.

Especially if Montero is hitting 350/450/750 like we all expect him to.

Oh great, that means Jesus is cooked and done too.

[69]  That policy seems to be defunct since the complaints as [73] pointed out.  As evidence, they signed Josh Johnson to a 4yr 39M extension right before the season started.
Will they unload him before the end of the contract maybe but if he stays on course he will be woefully underpaid in 2012-2014 when he gets expensive.

An off day too? This sucks.

RAB has a post up about catcher defense.

SG, how does this compare to your system?  Methodology looks pretty similar.

Who needs Hanley when we have Nunez!? Oh, yeah Nunez isn’t really all that good. :(

Steve Lombardi has a post up today about how if Jeter didn’t have all the face-of-the-franchise baggage that he does, the Yankees would let him walk and give Nunez a shot.  I might agree with that, if Nunez were a strong defender, but apparently his best tool is his arm, and he doesn’t walk or hit for power, either.

I might agree with that, if Nunez were a strong defender, but apparently his best tool is his arm, and he doesn’t walk or hit for power, either.

Apparently, Gene Michael really likes Nunez defense.  Up until he was promoted to AAA last year, I hadn’t heard too much good about his defense.  Last year, I wasn’t impressed in limited times I saw him.  But that was only a handful of plays. This year he’s made a few nice plays, made the average ones.  FWIW, minor league TZ doesn’t like him in Charleston in 2006, thought he was about average in Tampa and Charleston in 2007 and 2008, but not good in Trenton in 2009.  Doesn’t have numbers for this year yet.  IMHO, he probably *could* play SS in the majors. But if he does it will be because of his bat, unless he improves quite a bit.

and he doesn’t walk or hit for power, either.

Yeah, decent bat control (K’s about 15% of AB), and not a hacker.  But would rather put the ball in play than take a walk.  I think he’s got the body type that could add some power, and he has a fair amount of doubles (I believe a good indicator for future HR power).  And he can run, for sure.  I’d stick w/ what I wrote earlier.  He’d probably be averageish at SS for a few years, maybe if he improves in a few years borderline AS during his prime.  Hopefully if he’s starting for the Yanks, just a placeholder.

MLB record-keeping is annoying.

Why? It makes plenty of sense to distinguish between records compiled in the games that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in and those that are restricted to only a subset of players each season.

Steve Lombardi has a post up today…

Who cares?

[77] TO be fair, Nunez has apparently greatly improved his defense over the least year.

I still doubt he’ll be much better than replacement level. His last 2 years of hitting over .300 have come on the backs of pretty high BABIPs. Maybe he’s a high BABIP type hitter, but I doubt his ability to maintain his .300+ BA in the MLs.

RAB has a post up about catcher defense.

SG, how does this compare to your system?  Methodology looks pretty similar.,

I haven’t done anything with catcher defense this year, but this looks similar to how I used to do it, although I also factor in errors and I give a little credit to catchers who see fewer attempted steals due to reputation, some run value times stolen base attempts above/below average. 

Seems to line up with what Fangraphs has too, they have Cervelli and Posada at -2 each.

depressing, Cervello was pretty darn good last year defensively

SSS.  Both times.