The Bronx Block

Technical Difficulties

By Benjamin Kabak | January 10th, 2007

As the new MVN.com grows and develops, we’re working on ironing out the kinks. As such, we’ve had a whole bunch of hours of downtime here at Off the Facade. For that, I apologize. Everything seems to be up and running. Our WordPress database errors seem to be fixed.

So welcome back! Comment on Igawa. And if the page is giving you difficulty, dump your cache and hit refresh.

I’ll have a post up on the state of the Yankees off-season later this afternoon hopefully. And it sure is nice to see this guy in a different uniform, eh?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 at 12:37 pm and is filed under 7 - Other / Random, Off the Facade. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

18 Responses to “Technical Difficulties”

J.M says:

January 10th, 2007 at 3:15 pm

Yankees will be in fourth place behind Drays next season until Cashman and Yankees must improve the starting rotation, bullpen and adding some bench players.

Do you really trust Pavano and Igawa? I don’t. Can Pavano and Igawa replace loss of Rj and Wright in starting rotation?

List of players that Cashman should add

Sign Clemens

Trade for Mike Gonzalez

Improve the Yankees Bench - It seems Cashman and Joe doesn’t believe and philosphy of players coming off the bench.

Reason Why The Yankees are always tired when they start playing in the playoffs and lose? Joe always push these guys and Players like Jeter, Cano, Arod and Abreu and never rest them. I blame Cashman for not adding and improving the bench for last two years.

Cairo?? Are you kidding me?

Both Andy and Cairo -are horrendous and awful. They can’t hit.

Who will replace Arod when He’s tired? Cairo or Andy?

How about Cano? Cairo or Andy again?

Who will replace Damon and Abreu when they tired?

Melky? Are you kidding me?

Can Melky play three outfield positions?

Cashman needs to sign another backup outfielder to rest Damon and Abreu when They’re tired. Also another backup infielder.

Eventhough Yankees have a best offense in baseball . They’re still human and needs rest. I’m saying that Cashman needs to sign couple of players and improve the bench.

Lke The mets - They have Ben Johnson, Chavez and Adding Newhan

Redsox- They have Cora, Pena, and Hinske coming off the bench

Orioles- Millar, Bynum, Gibbons

Drays
Wigginton, Gomes , Brendan Harris
Gardo says:

January 10th, 2007 at 3:25 pm

Three Years from now I predict Cano will be bench player or playing for a different team.

Unless Cano Improved his walk/strikeout ratio. He’s free swinger and must layoff offspeed pitches out of strikezone like Curveball and Slider in the dirt.Must Learn how to hit a Curveball and Slider besides and improved his pitch selection.

Cano’s Strength - Likes to hit a fastball and changeup

Cano’s Weakness
Chases Offspeed pitches like Slider, Splitter and Curveball in the dirt. Struggles against hitting curveball, slider and splitter. Cano’s is not patient hitter and He’s free swinger.
Benjamin Kabak says:

January 10th, 2007 at 4:14 pm

J.M.: I’m glad you wrote that because my next post (probably coming later this evening) is going to be directed at pessimistic Yankee fans. Fourth place? That’s ridiculous. Can Igawa and Pavano replace Wright and RJ? That’s not even a valid question.

Here’s one for you: Can Pettitte and Igawa and maybe Pavano replace Wright and RJ? I mean, I could have replaced Jaret Wright. Gimme a break. These doom and gloom stuff has gotta stop.
J.M says:

January 10th, 2007 at 4:32 pm

i agree, Right now Pavano and Igawa’s is a question mark back of the rotation.

Bench is the key also . Resting guys down the stretch, which Joe failed to do in two years, that’s why Yankees failed to advanced in the playoffs
Benjamin Kabak says:

January 10th, 2007 at 4:36 pm

In my opinion, the Yanks failed to advance in the playoffs because the pitching failed them. Mussina in game 2 couldn’t hold a lead. RJ was terrible in game 3 and Wright was awful in game 4.

Sure, the offense caved in too, but that has little to do with resting players than it does with the pitching not even keeping the games close. Look at the years when the Yanks won. Those guys would go out there every day and still bring it in the playoffs. It’s all about pitching, and right now, I like the 2007 Yanks pitchers plus all of the young arms a lot better than I liked the 2006 Yankees pitchers. Any team without Jaret Wright and 43-year-old RJ is already better off in my book, PECOTA projections notwithstanding.
Joseph Pawlikowski says:

January 10th, 2007 at 4:43 pm

J.M., YOU have to be kidding me if you don’t think Melky is one of the top fourth outfielders in the league.
J.M says:

January 10th, 2007 at 4:57 pm

Look at Proctor- Joe pushed him to limit and overworked until his arm fallout

Same with Villone.

I think Joe doesn’t believe players coming off bench.
Justin Herrrera says:

January 10th, 2007 at 4:58 pm

Schoeneweis close to 3-year deal with MetsESPN.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2726710

3 years for a guy with a 5 era

bad move.
J.M says:

January 10th, 2007 at 5:00 pm

Right now, Boston and Orioles had better bench and options than the Yankees..

Cairo and Phillips? Ugh

Melky = No power at all. singles hitter.
Joseph Pawlikowski says:

January 10th, 2007 at 5:32 pm

For everyone bashing Melky for a lack of power, go look at Bernie Williams’ numbers from his age 21 season.
C25 says:

January 10th, 2007 at 5:45 pm

yanks did just fine with the bench last year considering 70+ home runs and 230+ rbi’s were missing from Matsui and Sheffield last year.

there’s nothing significant that alex cora, freddy bynum, brendan harris, or these others that made more of a difference than the yanks bench. replace phillips with bernie and you have an arguably better bench than any trio you mention here.

an important rest concern that the yanks have is Jorge’s back up. his play improved with good management of his workload (and tony pena’s guidance). Will Nieves - or Naive-es - has his work cut out for him.

Toby Hall and Mark Lorretta would have made great additions but they went where it’s comfortable. it’s slim pickings out there otherwise.
Benjamin Kabak says:

January 10th, 2007 at 6:08 pm

The Orioles have a better something than the Yankees?! That’s a good one. Come on. Be realistic. The Orioles might have…I dunno…better BBQ at their ballpark than the Yanks do. But that’s about it. That team is a disaster.

If they do have a better bench than the Yankees, it’s because you are confusing players who would be on any other team’s bench with their starting lineup.
Manhattan United says:

January 10th, 2007 at 6:29 pm

4th place? I guess the Redsox are coming in at 5.

Saw Melky play some games at AAA. He has power, but it is specific to high fastballs. There is nothing wrong with a young player being selective at the plate. With more confidence I’m sure he will increase the range of his power stroke.
Billy says:

January 10th, 2007 at 11:56 pm

So Melky’s now a horrible bench player? Funny. He was the 4th best defensive left fielder in the game lastyear. I also heard something about him tying(?) the record of outfield assists for a rookie. Not bad. Not to mention he had a .360 OBP and had nearly as many walks as K’s. He’s got a good eye and is still really young.

And as for a knock to the rotation. So now we’re worse because we got rid of RJ and Wright? RJ is 1 of my favorite pitchers period, but he was getting 7 1/2 runs per game & had an ERA of 5 even. If Igawa gets 7 1/2 runs a game of support, I’m sure he’ll wind up with at least 12 wins alone.

Another comment is for Scott Proctor being overworked. Didn’t his numbers actually IMPROVE each month of the season?

I love how all of a sudden bench players are so important. Incase you forgot we added to the bench.

1.) Miguel Cairo - can play any infield position with above average defense, and he can play any outfield position with average defense. Plus he’s a good pinch runner.

2.) Josh Phelps - will platoon with Minky. I believe he hits lefties especially good, so there’s the guy to come off the bench against a lefty reliever late in the game.

3.) Melky Cabrera - see above.

4.) Andy Phillips - can play 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. However, I have a feeling he’ll be cut, though maybe that’ll make room for Bernie?

So the Orioles, D-Rays, and Sox have better benches than us. Lastyear we lost Matsui & Sheffield. That’s about 70 homeruns & well over 200 RBI. I seem to recall our BENCH stepping up and performing. While the O’s, D-Rays, and Sox may have the better “bench” according to you, J.M, I seem to recall them finishing BEHIND THE YANKEES in the division.

Pitching is always a question mark, but it’s not like we didn’t add anyone.

- Pettitte replaces RJ.
- Igawa replaces Wright.
- Pavano replaces Lidle (RIP).

Not exactly a downgrade there, especially if Pavano’s in as good of shape as all the sources are claiming. What if he comes back and wins 15 games now with an ERA around 4? I’ll take that from a #4 or 5 guy anyday. It beats Wright’s #’s..
JFH says:

January 11th, 2007 at 1:44 am

What did the nay sayers gripe about in 1996? The Yanks had a starting rotation of Cone, Gooden, Jimmy Key, Kenny Rogers and Pettitte.

Gooden had an ERA of 5 and was not even in the playoff rotation. Key and Rogers were both at 4.68. No one really knew the makeup of Pettitte yet. Key was good, but not an ace.

Furthermore, the starting lineup (Boggs, Jeter, Duncan, Martinez, Girardi, Fielder, G. Williams, B. Williams & O’Neil) was not nearly as powerful as the 2007 version promises to be. Yet 1996 won it all.

Keep in mind, ATL had Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. Only one championship to show for it.
Off the Facade | MVN - Most Valuable Network » Blog Archive » Yanks looking great after productive off-season says:

January 12th, 2007 at 12:20 am

[…] With last year’s disastrous showing against a Detroit Tigers team that, frankly, wasn’t all that good, the Yankees had seemingly hit an all-time low. An overpaid bunch of players led by an aging and highly faulty pitching staff had led many Yankee fans to dispair. Now, with spring training a few short weeks away, Yankee fans are even more pessimistic than usual. In fact, one of own commenters, in what I hope was a fit of delusion, predicted a fourth place finish for the Bombers in 2007. […]
JG Brooks says:

January 13th, 2007 at 9:30 am

Guardo - Cano on the bench in three years? What a clueless statement. The assumption that a free swinger can’t have success in baseball is just ignorant. Look at Soriano - he’s been a free swinger his whole career - now he’s got a 100mil contract and coming off his best season. How about Vlad Guererro, another guy who never met a pitch he wouldn’t swing at, yet continues to hit for average and power and be a perennial MVP candidate. Cano is a natural and will be playing at an all-star level for many years to come.
Ryan says:

January 15th, 2007 at 2:42 pm

I think the Yankees have a great defense and an even better offense. The only problem I see is the pitching. Not just any pitching but starting pitching. The Yankees have one of the best pens in the league. If the Yankees can find an ace in Hughes or Sanchez or Rasner, I see a World Series in the near future.