Joba Chamberlain? Outta here!

Young Joba Chamberlain earned his pinstripes yesterday.

Congratulations, rookie, you're officially a Yankee asshole.

After throwing two near-100 mile an hour fastballs at the head of Kevin Youkilis, Major League Baseball suspended Chamberlain for two games today.

There's more than one point to be made about this one:

- First of all, what was Youkilis' crime? Playing with hustle. Youkilis is the anti-Yankee. He's the type of player who has put the Red Sox in first place this year and the type of player who helped them win a World Series in 2004. In his world, you run like hell on every ground ball and pop fly. These overpaid, lifeless, passion-less Yankees hate guys like him. He's the anti-Yankee. So apparently, Chamberlain was throwing at Youkilis because 1) he slid safely into first after Giambi was pulled away from the base on another Yankee throwing error and had to try to tag him, and 2) he ran outside the base line to avoid a tag by A-Rod later in the inning, was called safe, and then called out when the umpires reversed themselves.

- Throwing a 100 mile an hour fastball at someone's head is a hell of a lot different than someone like Jamie Moyer or Tim Wakefield throwing a 75 mile an hour pitch at someone's head.

- Joba is clearly learning from the best when it comes to gutless American League headhunters. Roger Clemens is the most infamous guy in modern Major League Baseball for doing this kind of thing.

- The penalties handed down by Major League Baseball in the case of both Chamberlain and Clemens earlier this season will do nothing whatsoever to stop guys from getting thrown at. Chamberlain wasn't going to pitch the next two days anhow because of Brian Cashman's restrictions on the number of pitches he can throw. Clemens is a starting pitcher. His five-game suspension meant that he missed one scheduled start ... really, he just got an extra day of rest.

- Did this rookie throw at Youkilis on his own? Is that really his instinct after two seconds in the league? Very, very doubtful. This has Joe Torre's fingerprints all over it, and he deserved a suspension also. And his suspensions should be doubled the second time (remember his part in Clemens' shenanigans earlier this season), and be tripled the third time.

Abreu? Outta here! Damon? Outta here!

The Boston Globe has reported that the Yankees have no plans to re-sign Bobby Abreu when he is a free agent after this season, and that they might also try to get rid of Johnny Damon.

Add that to Jorge Posada's potential departure, Alex Rodriguez's potential departure, Roger Clemens' move to the nursing home, the fact that Mike Mussina is toast, Carl Pavano is toast, Jason Giambi is almost toast.

And there won't be much left of the 2007 squad.

Will the team really make a shift toward trying to develop younger players next year?

Yeah, right.

Expect a new roster of overpaid high-profile free agents with zero team chemistry to replace this roster of overpaid high-profile free agent-signed losers.

It's the Yankee way.

Suzie Waldman emcees an Irish wake for Mussina

Did anyone catch Suzyn Waldman's WCBS 880 radio interview with Mike Mussina prior to this afternoon's game against the Red Sox?
He sounded extremely depressed. No surprise there, after losing his spot in the Yankees' starting rotation.
Waldman, in a rare, no-doubt-accidental departure from complete Yankee ass-kissing, asked him what he thought of the irony that Ian Kennedy, the Minor League phenom called up to take his starting job, has been described as a "Mike Mussina clone."
Mussina bristled, and said something to the effect of, "we won't talk about that until they ask me to clean out my locker and he takes my jersey."
Waldman signed off for the commercial break in hushed tones, like she was broadcasting from the scene of a funeral.
I guess, in a sense, it was.

$195 million of payroll ... on the bench and in minors

With a payroll that towers ridiculously above all other Major League teams, the Yankees are turning to extremely low-paid rookies to salvage the 2007 season and put them back in contention in the AL Wild Card race.

Clemens sucks at $28 million a year.

Giambi and Damon are part-time players at $23 million and $13 million, respectively.

Mussina, at $11 million a year, can't make it out of the third inning and has lost his spot in the starting rotation.

Kyle Farnsworth, at $5.6 million a year, can be counted on to lose games or fill space when you're down 13-0.

Kei Igawa, at $4 million a year, sent down to the Minors.

Carl Pavano, $10 million a year ... ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

And even Doug Mintkiewicz, at $1.5 million, is overpaid for what he has produced for the Yanks this season.

What are the bright spots for the Yankees?

Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain, Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, and now, phenom pitcher Ian Kennedy, who will be called up after a whirlwind trip through the Minors to take Mussina's place.

All of these guys make less than $500,000 a year.

Not the Roger Boston used to know

A far fatter, weaker, cockier Roger Clemens faces the team he started his Major League career with tonight as stock in the Red Sox goes in the opposite direction of the team to which the Rocket has hitched his wide wagon this year in what quickly shaped up to be a failed attempt to win another World Series ring.

Like their decisions to jettison Johnny Damon and Pedro Martinez, who absolutely fell apart physically after leaving the Sox for greener greenbacks with the Mets and Yankees, Theo Epstein and Co. have got to be thrilled at their decision not to outbid the Yankees for Roger's services this year.

So tonight the Sox will be sending Cy Young candidate Josh Beckett to the mound to face a future Hall of Famer whose $28 million salary this year has produced a 5-5 record, 4.34 ERA and 6 runs given up in five innings in his last start.

Mussina yanked from starting rotation

NEW YORK (AP) - Mike Mussina is out. Call up another kid.
The New York Yankees dropped a struggling Mussina from their rotation Tuesday, turning to touted prospect Ian Kennedy over a pitcher with 247 major league wins - in the middle of a pennant race.
Bold move. But not out of character for the Yankees lately.
Kennedy, who spent most of last year playing college ball at USC, will be called up from the minors to start in Mussina's place Saturday against last-place Tampa Bay. He'll join a pitching staff that already features rookies Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Edwar Ramirez in key roles.
Not long ago, the big-budget Yankees always seemed to favor experienced veterans over unproven talent. Now, they're hanging their playoff hopes on a pack of young arms - and the 38-year-old Mussina has been shoved aside.
"He was disappointed, naturally. This was very difficult for me," manager Joe Torre said. "We have relied on him every year since he's been here."
Following three terrible starts in a row by Mussina, Torre told the five-time All-Star he'll be passed over when his next turn in the rotation comes up. The right-hander declined to comment Tuesday night as he left the clubhouse after a 5-3 victory over Boston that pulled New York closer in the playoff chase.
The Yankees won the series opener behind stopper Andy Pettitte, and 45-year-old Roger Clemens gets the ball Wednesday night against his original team. Josh Beckett, seeking his 17th win, will be on the mound for Boston.
The Yankees are one game behind Seattle, the AL wild-card leader, and seven back of the first-place Red Sox in the AL East. But as the Bronx Bombers get set for the September stretch drive, Chien-Ming Wang is the only pitcher left from last year's rotation.
Because of injuries and ineffectiveness, rookie pitchers have started 41 games for the Yankees this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that's the most for the club since rookies started 54 times in 1991 on a team that finished 20 games below .500.
Plus, three relatively green hitters have become regulars in the 2007 lineup: Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera and Andy Phillips.
Kennedy, a first-round draft pick last year, relies on good control. He will be called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he was 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts.
"He's got great mound presence," said Chamberlain, the hard-throwing relief sensation who called Kennedy his best friend. "He understands how to pitch and how to get outs. He's going to come up and do a great job. It's going to be exciting to see."
Kennedy, a 22-year-old right-hander who began the season in Class-A, pitched last Saturday for Scranton. How long he stays in the Yankees' rotation will depend on how well he performs.
Torre didn't say whether he would consider using Mussina out of the bullpen. The manager said he told his former ace: "`Keep doing what you're doing. Keep doing your work. Keep doing your throwing so you don't lose that, the arm strength part of it.'"
Cerebral and finicky, Mussina was the team's top starter not long ago, but he has faded fast. After going 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA last season, he is 8-10 with a 5.53 ERA this year. He has a 17.69 ERA in his past three starts, struggling with velocity and control.
Before the game, Torre said he wanted to speak with Mussina about his recent slump before making a decision. He said the pitcher "earned that conversation" because of "who he is and what he's done."
"I just want to hear how he feels, and from there we'll talk about what we're going to do," Torre said before the game.
"Some conversations are difficult to have," he added. "I hope he makes it easy on me."
Mussina's last three starts have been particularly alarming. He has allowed 19 earned runs in 9 2-3 innings spanning two outings against the hard-hitting Detroit Tigers and one against the Los Angeles Angels.
Before this slide, Mussina won four straight starts - giving up eight runs in all - and improved to 8-7.
Does he simply need a breather, or is he washed up? The latter is what Yankees fans are afraid of, especially since Mussina has a year remaining on his $23 million, two-year contract.
"I know he's probably looked at some video to see if there's anything with his mechanics," Torre said. "He's obviously at times trying to make more perfect pitches than he's probably capable of making."
Mussina and Torre have both said they think the right-hander has more productivity left, but the Yankees decided they couldn't afford to wait for him to find his form.
His latest flop, three ineffective innings Monday night in a 16-0 loss at Detroit, dropped Mussina to 0-7 following Yankees losses this year. It also left him visibly dejected. Mussina said he would "understand" if Torre went with another pitcher next time through the rotation.
"You like to be loyal to all your players. But loyalty to all 25 comes before loyalty to any individual," Torre said.

Community outraged by Yankees hats that use gang colors.

Red Sox displace Yankees as "America's team," drawing more fans on the road than any other team.

The series begins

Yankees take fun out of ridiculing them

The Yankees are so bad right now that all the fun is being sapped out of writing a "Yankees Suck" blog.
Where's the challenge?
Mike Mussina is pitching away any reputation he once had as an ace in Major League Baseball. We predicted he'd continue to suck tonight, and boy, did he, putting the Yankees at a 6-0 disadvantage before being yanked in the 3rd inning.
And this overpayed collection of primadona sissyboys just gives up when down by that much. And that's why a 6-0 deficit turns into the 16-0 final score of tonight's loss to Detroit.
Hating the Yankees is not fun anymore. It's just too easy to laugh at them now.
Well ... it is still fun to laugh, actually.
And for you Yankees fans ... there's no crying in baseball!

Mussina makes last Major League start tonight

Mike Mussina takes the mound in Detroit tonight for his 10th loss of the season and his final start as a Major League pitcher.
Hey, it's not so far-fetched considering the aging tosser of beach balls has given up 13 runs in his last two starts over 6.2 innings.
There has been lots of talk of Mussina losing his place in the Yankees starting rotation.
And tonight he could just play himself out of a job as a starting pitcher.
Not a great way to end your career. Why not just retire?

Hughes to miss next start due to whiplash

Phenom Phil's neck's a bit sore this evening after watching three balls quickly leave Comerica Park and his ERA balloon to 5.35.

The Yankees aren't so good against real competition, it seems, as they now fall 7.5 games behind Boston in the AL East.

Julian Tavarez, the fifth starter in the Sox rotation, meanwhile, gave up only 2 hits today, while their fourth starter, Tim Wakefield, is tied for the Major League lead with 16 victories this year.

And the worst member of the Boston bullpen at this point is Eric Gagne, who's capable of and due once again to be the lights-out closer that he has developed into over theh past few years.

Cost of missing the playoffs for the first time in recent history? $195 million.

Good pitching? Priceless.

Maybe it was past Roger's bedtime

After a four-hour rain delay, Yankees fall farther behind in the AL East and Wild Card race.
Apparently, Roger Clemens doesn't magically turn back into a good pitcher after midnight.

Yankees suck T-shirts

In the market for anti-Yankees merchandise?

Sucking without even taking the field

The Yankees don't even play and they fall another game behind the Sox.

In case you missed it: Posada outta here, too

How many other Yankees will follow A-Rod out the door after the end of this sucky season?
Jorge Posada wants to be a free agent.

Villone placed on disabled list with strained ERA

DETROIT (AP) -- The Yankees put left-handed reliever Ron Villone on the disabled list Friday and recalled right-hander Brian Bruney from Triple-A Scranton.
Villone injured his lower back covering first base Tuesday night at Anaheim.
"Talking to Joe (Torre) yesterday, I told him 'It's not good,"' Villone said. "I've got to do something, I guess rest a little bit. I'm hoping it will just take the 15 days.
"I don't think it's anything major, but maybe a strain that leads to a spasm."
Villone has a 4.42 ERA in 31 games, striking out 25 and walking 15 over 36 2-3 innings. He pitched in a career-high 70 games last season for the Yankees.
Bruney was 2-1 with a 3.40 ERA in 50 games. He struggled in July, allowing nine of his 18 total earned runs this season over 10 appearances.

Roger Clemens in 2057

Click here to see a video of Roger Clemens in 2057

In case you missed it: A-Rod's outta here

If anyone missed this story last week, the Evil Empire is taking a firm stance on A-Rod's contract situation.

"Live with your contract or suck it," to paraphrase Brian Cashman.

In other words, if Alex Rodriguez opts out of his bazillion dollar contract at the end of this season hoping the Yankees will renegotiate for a gazillion dollar contract, he can go play for the Cubs or Angels next year instead.

Don't worry, Yankees fans, you've got Wilson Betimet ready to fill those shoes.

Mo' sucking

Yankees fans don't want to admit it. But Mariano Rivera doesn't have it anymore.

Lucky for New York last night, when the sainted closer entered the game in the 9th inning, the team already had a seven-run lead. Not really a situation to bring your closer into, but New York had used up every other pitcher on its roster ahead of today's off-day as Angels batters rocked Mike Mussina and the bullpen for 25 runs in two days.
It was another crappy performance by Rivera, who gave up a run and three hits, and far from the dominance he was known for in yesteryear. In Rivera's last 10 games, he's given up 14 hits and 6 runs over 10 2/3rd innings.

He's a great symbol of how things have fallen apart all at once for the Yanks in 2007.

What will $195 million buy you? Not pitching, apparently

The Yankees' total team salary stood at $195,229,045 before signing Roger Clemens to a $28 million, one-year deal.

The Angels, who have destroyed Yankees pitching in the past two games at a critical time for New York's playoff chances, are among the top-spending teams in the Major Leagues - fifth overall. But their payroll is still nearly $100 million a year less than the Yankees.

And there are four teams - Washington, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Florida, with payrolls less than the combined single-year salaries of Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi.
New York Yankees 2007 Salaries from ESPN.com:
1. Alex Rodriguez, $27,708,525
2. Jason Giambi, $23,428,571
3. Derek Jeter, $21,600,000
4. Andy Pettitte, $16,000,000
5. Bobby Abreu, $15,600,000
6. Johnny Damon, $13,000,000
7. Hideki Matsui, $13,000,000
8. Jorge Posada, $12,000,000
9. Mike Mussina, $11,070,423
10. Mariano Rivera, $10,500,000
11. Carl Pavano, $10,000,000
12. Kyle Farnsworth, $5,666,667
13. Luis Vizcaino, $3,000,000
14. Doug Mientkiewicz, $1,500,000
15. Jose Molina, $1,350,000
16. Robinson Cano, $490,800
17. Chien-Ming Wang, $489,500
18. Melky Cabrera, $432,400
19. Wilson Betemit, $405,000
20. Darrell Rasner, $384,523
21. Sean Henn, $382,048
22. Humberto Sanchez, $380,000

Where's George?

Who's in charge in the Yankees organization these days? Is anyone in charge?

Has the aging George Steinbrenner finally lost his marbles, as has been reported in various press outlets?

In years past, a loss like last night's 18-9 smackdown in Anaheim, not to mention the Yankees getting off to a miserable start early in the season, would have prompted an "I'm disappointed in this team" decree from King George.

Or even a good firing or two.

Apparently the Yankees owner has lost his touch, or is just too out of it to be involved in the management of the team anymore.

What other explanation could there be for this silence?

And what happens if Mark Cuban buys the Cubs? Will the Yankees completely forego their status as the team with the owner most likely to spend any amount of money and fire any number of managers to win?

Hilarious

Most teams can bank on a win if they end up scoring 9 runs in a game.

Not the Yankees. In fact, New York's pitching staff gave up twice that last night. Starting with Mussina lasting less than two innings and leaving the Yankees with a 7-1 deficit. Then Villone gave up 4 runs, Ramirez 2 and Henn another 5 runs with three innings of mopup duty.

One Angel, Garrett Anderson, hit the Yankees' pitchers like they were serving up beach balls and ended the night with 10 RBIs.

How quickly all the gloating about Joba Chamberlain's success and the Red Sox having bad luck with the acquisition of Eric Gagne gives way to reality.

And the reality is that the Yankees are 14th in team ERA, 21st in allowing walks, fifth worst in the Majors in striking batters out, second to last in saves and 20th in team ERA in the seventh through ninth innings. (thanks, Mariano, and good luck on that contract extension).

With victories by Boston and by Seattle, the Yankees drop another two games back in both the A.L. East race and the Wild Card.

Good times.

Another strong outing by Mussina

Now that's what the Yankees have come to expect from Mike Mussina this year!
One and two-thirds innings, 7 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks.
That brings the one-time ace's season ERA to 5.22 and barring a big comeback in this game, will put his record into the FAILURE category at 8-9.
2007 ... the year the aging loser strategy caught up with the Yanks.

Closing arguments

Stats through tonight's Red Sox-Devil Rays game:
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera: 3.33 ERA, 20 saves, 54 strikeouts, 6 walks
Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon: 1.77 ERA, 30 saves, 68 strikeouts, 14 walks

LA-LA-Losers

Should have stayed up last night to watch "phenom" Phil Hughes get rocked, the Yankees blow the lead and the team lose ground in the AL East and Wild Card race.

Four pitchers, 10 innings, no "W." And A-Rod (3-5, home run) had a great night in adding to his meaningless stats.

Nice.

All the mediocrity money can buy

When a member of our sports staff asked if they could write a Yankees fan blog for trentonian.com, we reluctantly said yes. Some Yankee haters on our staff were dead-set against it.

So we've come to this compromise. It will appear on our Web site, but so will this new counterpart, giving the other side of the story. We'll see which gets more traffic. And we'll see who has more material to work with.