Peter Gammons Continues to be a Clueless Tool
Gammons, the "most respected baseball reporter in the country," just had this to say on ESPN Radio this morning (slight paraphrase):
"The Yankee bullpen is a mess. Joba will be back in the 'pen soon enough. Maybe if Mellon-Con can hold down the (setup) role this will be delayed or won't happen but chances are you'll see Joba in the setup role soon enough."
Besides the fact that the Yanks need Joba in the rotation now and in the future, Gammons is suggesting Joba's role should be defined by a kid with 1+ innings of major league experience, not by someone like Brian Bruney who will be back soon.
I'll also wage dollars to donuts that if Melancon were a Red Sox, Gammo wouldn't have pronounced his name as if it were a fruit and vegetable convention.Labels: brian bruney, douchebag, gammo, joba chamberlain, mark melancon, mediots
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 11:07 AM
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It's Time for Some Scranton Call-Ups
Ponson is awful. Rasner's been better, but not much. The Yankees need to make a move to solidify the rotation, and kids, it shouldn't be Jarrod Washburn. Chad Jennings reports on the recent activities of a certain Yankee who wants another shot:
Ian Kennedy's past three starts: 20 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 14 Ks.
Manager Dave Miley said tonight was the best Kennedy's curveball has been since his return from the disabled list. Kennedy had talked earlier about working on that pitch, and it seems to be helping. He said he was missing up in zone during the first inning tonight -- hence the two walks -- but he started concentrating on first-pitch strikes and that really helped. The kid is really dealing lately.
Kennedy's been pitching better than Ponson. He's got a higher ceiling than Ponson. He fits into next year's plans, while Ponson does not. What's the holdup here?
One other bullpen note:
As for Brian Bruney, he was practically sitting at 95 mph tonight. He had a few pitches at 94 and 93, but I really think I saw more 95s than anything else. I asked if he felt stronger tonight than he has in previous rehab outings and Bruney basically said that if the Yankees say they want him throwing harder, then he'll throw harder. The bullpen's been great, but Bruney could help make it even better. The problem is, whose place can he take? Rivera, Marte, Farnsworth, Veras and Ramirez aren't going anywhere, which leaves Giese and Robertson. While Robertson has mostly pitched well despite two poor outings that inflated his ERA, he's probably the one to go. Giese has also performed well and is more of a long man in the bullpen, which is something the club can still use at this point.Labels: brian bruney, dan giese, darrel rasner, david robertson, ian kennedy, lupe's bf, roster moves, scranton
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 9:44 AM
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They're Finally Saying What I've Been Telling You for Years
Kyle Farnsworth has joined fellow bullpen mate Brian Bruney in repeating that Joe Torre had no clue how to manage a 'pen, and that he picked favorites (including when selecting a coaching staff):
Farnsworth:
After a year in which Farnsworth said he had communication problems with Joe Torre, the big right-hander is hoping for a better result under new manager Joe Girardi.
“It’s tough when you lose the confidence of your manager,” Farnsworth said Thursday. “You come in and prepare yourself day in and day out, and you have no clue about anything.”
Farnsworth went 2-1 with a 4.80 ERA in 64 games last season, but never threw more than one inning in an outing. He pitched in consecutive games just five times, and three straight days twice.
“I don’t know how that came about,” he said.
Farnsworth battled occasional problems with his back last season, yet said he could have pitched on consecutive days more often. His back has not been an issue this spring.
Girardi played with Farnsworth with the Chicago Cubs, which is giving
the pitcher a comfort zone.
“It’s definitely good to have,” Farnsworth said.
Bruney:
[Bruney] believes the changes on the Yankees' coaching staff - particularly Dave Eiland taking over as pitching coach for Ron Guidry - have helped him focus on the task at hand rather than worrying constantly about the consequences of a bad outing.
"I formed a relationship with Dave where he's easy to talk to," Bruney said. "In the past, I might not have had that relationship; I didn't talk to Gator."
Bruney also admitted to a level of fear in playing for Joe Torre, who was constantly criticized in recent years for overusing certain relievers.
"With Torre - and I'm not trying to bad-mouth anybody - sometimes you would go out there and try to be so good because you were scared of doing bad," Bruney said. "You can't pitch like that. (Joe) Girardi understands that you make mistakes - and I'm going to make them."
Girardi admitted to never hearing of Bruney before last season, but he isn't taking anybody's word when it comes to reputations.
On Aug.7, the Yankees sent Bruney down to Triple-A to open a roster spot for Chamberlain, a move Bruney didn't take well. He returned a little more than two weeks later when Ron Villone went on the disabled list, but he allowed runs in five of his final six outings of the season, prompting Torre to leave him off the playoff roster.
"I used to dread coming to the park," said Bruney, 26. "I enjoy getting up every day and coming to the field now."
"In years past, I was like, 'I can't ever go bad, because if I don't do good, I'm going to get sent down,'" Bruney said. "That means a salary cut, having to move. All that stuff becomes a big jumble in your mind. Now, it's easy to play.
"I'm not scared to fail."
You really didn't have to be a genius to see this was happening. Too bad the media largely ignored any mistakes by Torre until after he was long out the door.Labels: all hail girardi, brian bruney, kyle farnsworth, torre is dumb
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 4:41 PM
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"Mild Lower Back Strain" My Ass
So Bruney's been recalled and Villone is going to the DL because of a "minor lower back strain."
My take: phony injury, created in order to keep Villone on the DL past Sept 1, so that once rosters expand they can keep both and wait to decide whether to put either Bruney or Villone on the postseason roster.
Analysis: Crafty move if you want to keep Villone as an option, but still wrong if Britton is left to rot in AAA.Labels: brian bruney, chris britton, ron villone, roster moves, scranton
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 2:54 PM
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