YFSF

Giambi Out; KT On The Way

As SF noted earlier in today's open thread, Jason Giambi has been placed on the DL due to a tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot. Pete Abraham reports that Kevin Thompson (Scranton: .260 avg, 34 g, 131 ab, 17 r, 34 h, 2 hr, 17 rbi 13 bb, 32 k, .336/.397/.733) has been called up to fill the roster spot.

The tear supposedly occurred when rounding first base on his home run in Tuesday night's game against the Jays. I was tracking the game and noted at the time, "The pitch was off the outside corner but not too far off; he went out and got it, just muscled it the other way. Giambi has a hard time running and is in obvious pain rounding first." It looked like he was hustling to first when he wasn't sure it was going out, and once it was over the wall, he pulled up; I assumed it was related to his bone spur issue but it looks like that was not the case. Or, maybe it was related and by pushing his previous problem, he's lost for even longer than he would have been with a break to let it heel. Erm, heal. Sorry.

YFSF Fantasy Update III

From Brad...

Hi All.

Well, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve updated everyone on the current standings in our fantasy league over at ESPN.  Many of the regular posters here, my fiancé, and a couple of my close Red Sox drinking buddies are all still hanging tough despite ESPN’s constantly changing format, scoring mistakes, and clear lack of responsibility when it comes to getting everything working properly in time.   Next year, we will not be returning to ESPN for this, but rather going to Yahoo or some other more reputable host for our entertainment and bragging rights.

So, since I know the anticipation is eating at all of you, here are the standings as of this morning:

Rank	Team Name	Points	Player
1	Manchester Marauders	126	Josh
2	University Towers Whalers	104.5	Randy
3	The Franchise	102.5	Brad
4	Girl Power	96.5	Christine
5	Team Townend	95.5	Rod (sf-rod)
6	Global Bombers	93	Sam (sam-yf)
7	Rocky Mountain Oysters	92.5	Mike
8	Boston Massacre	88.5	Jeff (yfiB)
9	Tampa Bay Tornadoes	74.5	Stephen
10	Fear of Number Thirteen	72	Trisk
11	Team Leinung	65	Andrew
12	Nippon Ham Fighters	64	John
13	West Texas Tornadoes	57.5	Paul

Hot Times in the Parking Lot

This is a little old, but I have a feeling this is still probably about as exciting as it gets for Yankees fans right now.

Off Day Open Thread

Chat about baseball here.  Just not about A-Rod.  Or cheating.  Or not cheating.  On the field or off. Or the Sox.  Or the Yankees.  Let's go outside the division.  There are other teams out there!

I Got It!

A-Rod’s scruples, or lack thereof, are in the news again. With the Yankees up by one run in the 9th inning last night, Matsui and A-Rod on base, and two outs, Jorge Posada hit a routine pop up. John McDonald and Howie Clark converged and stared up at the ball, and as Rodriguez ran between them towards third, he suddenly shouted something; Clark froze, and the ball dropped in. Per LoHud,

"The Blue Jays are not pleased with Alex Rodriguez. They said he yelled, “Mine!” as he passed behind Howie Clark in the ninth inning. Clark backed off the pop-up and it led to the Yankees scoring three runs.

“I’ve never seen it happen, maybe I’m naive but I thought it was a bush-league play. That’s not Yankee pride right there,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said.

Clark said that in all his time in baseball, he had never experienced such a thing."

Oh, give me a break. Sure -- I've seen corked bats, pine tarred balls, omnipresent amphetamines, and rampant unchecked steroid use... but yelling "mine" as you pass a fielder?!? I am shocked, sir! What of the integrity of the game?

Personally, I get a kick out this stuff. Dirty plays that might get someone hurt are dangerous, and no fun to watch; but as far as I'm concerned, anything and everything goes when messing with your opponent's head. After McDonald and Clark and even Gibbons finished barking at him, A-Rod stood at third clearly trying to suppress a grin, and not quite succeeding. Ha! Matsui scored on the play, and The Yanks went on to win 10-5.

"I just said, 'Ha!', that's it," A-Rod explained on the postgame show. Funny, that's what I said. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

Look, I wish I could offer more lofty sentiments, but let’s be honest. At this point in the Yankees’ season, if getting an actual win requires A-Rod to screw thirteen transvestite prostitutes, on a pile of corked bats, in front of Babe Ruth’s plaque in Monument Park? Fine.

Holding It Them Down: Tribe-Sox Gamer III

Presumably, Daisuke Matsuzaka will not be vomiting between innings. Considering he can be doing that and still go five innings and collect wins in the American League, consider me sold.

Consider me also sold on the Red Sox' pitching, which entered this series with Cleveland arguably the best in the AL. Similarly, the Indians entered with arguably the best lineup. Thus far, however, the battle hasn't even been close. Future MVP Grady Sizemore is 0 for 7 with five strikeouts, three against Josh Beckett alone. Travis Hafner, who might be the most fearsome DH in baseball (sorry, Papi), is 1 for 8 with four strikeouts and a triple.

They say good pitching beats good hitting. Apparently tremendous pitching does the same to tremendous hitting. We know the Tribe will be bringing their "A" bats, trying to avoid the sweep. Let's hope Daisuke returns to his non-vomiting (and non-vomit-inducing) form and finishes them off.

Comment away! Lineups, courtesy the Globe, after the jump.

Thank You Sir May I Have Another: Yanks-Jays Gamer IV

Emma Span wrote a great piece today on Bronx Banter in which she said, about stealing home, "It’s rare, and it’s gutsy, and it’s something that you’d think would never work."

It is one of the greatest things in all of sports, as many have said, the stealing of home. It doesn't make me feel any better about the Yankees, but it made me feel better about baseball and it made me glad I watched the game just to see that magical play.

Tonight, New York tries to do something, anything other than lose, as they face the Jays in the final game of this set at the SkyDome. The Yankees send Tyler Clippard, perhaps the most surprising rookie of the season outside of Hughes' tragically compromised bid for a no hitter. Clippard, who some thought was the victim of a short hook in his loss to the Angels last week, is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA in ten innings, with seven strikeouts along with three walks. Toronto counters with a surprising rookie of their own, Jesse Litsch (1-1, 4.24). Lineups in the extended; comment away.

Strike First Strike Hard No Mercy

After tonight, when New York loses to Toronto in a whole new despicable way (I'm imagining a 14 to 13, walk-off salami by Lind off Bruney in the bottom of the ninth after the Yanks were leading by 12 heading into the inning and burn through 4 pitchers to lose), the Yanks will be so far behind Boston that even the Red Sox may feel sorry (hah..not) for the Yanks when they go to deliver the killing blow this weekend at Fenway.  I know, I know; "there's plenty of fight left in this team", "we need to keep playing hard and scratch out some wins", blah, blah.  I'm always fond to remember that baseball games are still played one at a time, and each game has its own strategies and wrinkles.  While the Yanks think of new ways stand on their own neck with their own foot, there are still schemes playing out worth tracking.  Pete Abraham reported last night that the Yankees will keep their rotation intact heading into Boston this weekend, meaning that the seasonally-tested arms of Mussina, Wang, and Pettitte are the projected starters, and the seasonally-testy Fists of Clemens will be unleashed upon the White Sox.  Boston, however, is choosing to skip Julian Tavarez' turn in the wheel and will throw Wakefield, Schilling and Beckett.

So it's the fighting style of Master Mussina of Stanford-Tzu vs. the Butterfly-Flaps-Its-Wings Wakefield Philosophy ...  the ground-style fighting of Wang-Fu vs. Curt-Ra-Te (empty hand, open mouth)... Pettitte's Judo-Flip-Onto-The-Grenade-For-The-Team vs. Beckett's Quivering Avulsion of Death, blister-style.  In the mean time,  Julian Tavarez of Screaming Leather-Faced Tiger Dojo is left on the outs.  Of course he's always available if someone gets in a jam.  And of course, with Wake starting the first game of the set, he also can be called upon later.  Heck, he could be called upon to pitch both games of a day-night double-header I suppose.  Let's look at how the pitchers in question have fared so far in their cage matches.

Try Getting to First Base Before You Go For Second

The Yankees' slump works its way off the field.  Gawker Stalker has all the details.

(HT to Mrs. SF for the link)

Peeking Inside with KY

[Dustin] thinks he’s faster than me but I think we put that to rest last night with the inside-the-park home run, too. He’s just not as fast as me...

...As far as I’m concerned, I’ve already proven I’m faster than Dustin but, who knows, maybe we can have a race for charity sometime. It couldn’t be during the season –- in case one of us ever tweaked a hamstring or something -– but maybe we could do it in the offseason. It would be fun.

Kevin Youkilis weighs in on the hot topics in the Sox' clubhouse on his new blog.  Up next?  Who is better at HTML: Youk or Schill.