Jun
26

Game 79: Damon returns to leadoff spot

By Joseph Pawlikowski

Welcome back to the lineup, Johnny Damon. While Melky Cabrera filled in admirably, it’s nice to have Damon back in the top spot. Now, if only he can finish off June like he started it…

Happy birthday Derek Jeter. The only player with more career hits on his 34th birthday: Robin Yount. At what point is it a lock that Jeter joins him in Cooperstown? On his 34th birthday, Pete Rose — who shares a birthday with yours truly — had 2,346 hits, 92 behind Jeter. Will Derek Sanderson break Charlie Hustle’s all time record? What the hell…I’m just going to go ahead and say yes.

Apparently, according to Ed Price, Mike Mussina is a perfect 5-0 when pitching in Pennsylvania. Yes, we all know that’s where Moose is from. (Ending a sentence with a linking verb followed by a preposition? Ouch, Joe.)

Bad news for Matsui: the DL is a possibility, according to our manager. I wouldn’t get my hopes up about a Brett Gardner call-up in that situation, though. The smart money is on another appearance by Shelley, if for no other reason than 40-man roster concerns. They’ve got to make a spot for Ponson (probably DFA Moeller, but possibly Chris Stewart, though a Moeller DFA would clear the 25-man spot, too). In any case, with Christian in the bigs, I’m not sure the braintrust would be as apt to make the move for Gardner just yet. Maybe if this is a long term thing…

Anyway, onto the lineup:

1. Johnny Damon, LF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Jason Giambi, 1B
6. Robinson Can, 2B
7. Melky Cabrera, CF
8. Jose Molina, C
9. Mike Mussina, P

Posted on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 6:37 pm in Game Threads.

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129 Comments »

whozat says:

If Matsui is DLed, why not Miranda?

Good lefty DH option…

Joseph P. says:

And he is on the 40-man. Though I assume they’ll want to have someone who can play the outfield if necessary.

whozat says:

Damon, Melky, Bobby, Christian…they can cover the OF.

Joseph P. says:

Point taken. I suppose they could do worse, especially if it’s a short-term job.

 
 
Steven S says:

If Matsui was out for an extended period of time, I would feel very comfortable with either Miranda or Gardner out there. But since he’s a DH, I’d probably go Miranda too.

 
Steven S says:

Also, the 40 man roster isn’t really a problem

Hughes, Wang, and Britton can probably all placed on the 60 day DL.

Traber, Stewart, Perez, Moeller, and Hawkins can probably all be DFA without problem too.

 
 
steve (different one) says:

2 words.

Barry Lamar.

i am not serious. or am i?

 
 
stuart says:

Joesph where is the info on the Krod innings.. The guy barely pitched at AA….

give me the links before I take your word on it….

whozat says:

thebaseballcube.com is a great place to check out player stats. Or baseball-reference.com

Do a little research yourself.

 
Joseph P. says:

Jesus Christ. Yes, I make up numbers when citing them exactly. For fuck’s sake:

http://minors.baseball-referen.....?pid=27171

And Zumaya, since I’m right here:

http://minors.baseball-referen.....?pid=30567

 
 
stuart says:

your #’s are bogus those are #’s for Krod when he was 17.. Newsflash Melancon played high school and college also and you do not account for those innings for him, .. that is interesting accounting..

you are comparing a guys innings at 17 going forward to a guy drafted at 22 or so.. Then you state the 22 yr old has pitched less innings, interesting..

If you do not see something wrong with that besides being rude you are STUPID…

Again K Rod’s #’s are from 17 yrs. old………

Joseph P. says:

Woo hoo! Personal insult! I can ban him!

To everyone else: Is that fair?

Chip says:

Please do it, let’s not let this turn into PeteAbe’s blog where I dont even bother reading the comments because of flame wars

Joseph P. says:

That’s the idea.

 
 
 
Joseph P. says:

And, in response, if you don’t realize that playing high school and college ball is different than playing pro ball, well, then it makes sense that you’re making the remarks you do.

Joltin' Joe says:

Joe, I’m just saddened by your poor use of prepositions. It’s very disheartening…
But Cano’s patience (or lack thereof) makes me flat out weep.

 
 
 
stuart says:

Ban me, but I just proved your #’s are irrelevant.. Unless Melancons innings in college and high school do not count…

again think once in a while…

all those carribean guys playing at 17 are going to have more minor league innings….

Joseph P. says:

Once again, for fuck’s sake, you’re the one who is saying college innings = pro innings.

 
 
stuart says:

you are saying Melancon in the Pac 10 is not a higher level then rookie ball or A……

Joseph P. says:

It’s not whether one is higher than the other. It’s the difference in process.

 
steve (different one) says:

dude, you are wrong. really wrong.

you should just drop it.

 
 
LiveFromNewYork says:

does anyone else think those waterfalls are stupid?

 
Jamal G. says:

Chris Russo interview Phil Hughes here, nothing of major note but still: http://www.wfan.com/pages/744503.php

 
stuart says:

Joseph let’s agree to disagree we both are Yankee fans and let it rest.

thanks.

 
Jamal G. says:

That mofo carried, wow.

 
Will says:

I’m so confused. What’s the point of contention over all this K-Rod vs. Melancon stuff?

Joseph P. says:

From the last thread.

Will says:

Okay, got it…I guess I just don’t see the point Stuart is trying to make. No biggie, especially when there’s good MLB.tv to be watched.

 
 
 
Chip says:

Way to start the game. On a side note, what does everybody think of the new Gameday?

 
Chip says:

Wow 12 pitches, 3 extra bases given up, no outs. That’s not quite the way Maholm wanted to start

Chip says:

My mistake, make that 13 and 4!

 
LiveFromNewYork says:

He probably envisioned things going differently.

 
 
Joseph P. says:

1) I feel like a douche for sitting here arguing while we’re pummeling the Pirates. Everything, just everything is being rocked. I love it!

2) I deserve this:

Jamal G. says:

Outside of the “YOU FAIL” pics this has to be one of the funniest pics on the net.

Radnom says:

if you liked that check out http://www.xkcd.com there are plenty more there

 
 
 
LiveFromNewYork says:

I can’t believe how good it is to not hear Suzyn and Sterling talk about the magnificent view. That was the car ride from hell.

 
Jamal G. says:

A-Rod had that stolen easily, and I mean easily.

Chip says:

Gameday isn’t keeping up, what happened?

Chip says:

Nevermind, it caught up

 
 
 
Joseph P. says:
Chip says:

Well at least he doesn’t swing at pitches inside or outside :)

LiveFromNewYork says:
 
 
 
stuart says:

yeah cano really showed his great eye on that pitch..

that is Cano, you scratch your head some times with him..

 
LiveFromNewYork says:

I wanna see Moose’s family.

 
Joseph P. says:

Man, that two-seamer is just nasty. Drops right in there at the last second.

 
Peedlum says:

What is the status of Chris Britton? And for that matter, Brian Bruney? Yankee relievers are looking a little too svelte these days.

Joseph P. says:

No update I’ve seen from Britton. Bruney is reportedly throwing off flat ground. Which is nice, considering the early word that he was out for the season.

Chris says:

Does it really matter what Britton’s doing? Even if he comes back he won’t pitch…

 
 
 
Ivan says:
 
steve (different one) says:

melky, molina, and mussina.

what are the odds of scoring a run this inning? 100-1?

 
Jamal G. says:

Jose Molina has really taken that expression “double or nothing” a bit too literally.

steve (different one) says:

he applies it to his cheeseburgers as well

Mike A. says:
Jamal G. says:
Mike A. says:

Oh you know exactly what I mean. Heh.

 
 
 
 
 
Mike A. says:

So how’d they score the 3 runs? I just got in…

steve (different one) says:

double, double, triple, double

Mike A. says:

Ok, phew. I was worried they were going to get away from the smallball…

 
 
Chip says:

4 straight extra base hits

 
Jamal G. says:

Damn 2B, Damon steals third base, Jeter RBI 2B, Abreu RBI 3B, A-Rod RBI 2B.

 
Yankee1010 says:

Damon 2b down the RF line. Jeter 2B down the RF line. Abreu 3B to CF. A-Rod 2b off the top of the wall in RF.

Then A-Rod was attempting to steal 3rd when Giambi popped one up to the catcher and A-Rod was doubled up. Cano then struck out on a pitch that just missed going over the backstop by a foot.

 
 
Jamal G. says:

If a pitcher gets four strikeouts in one inning, do those putouts all go to the Catcher? Scott Shields struck-out four guys in one inning a week or two ago so that might debunk Michael Kay’s stupidity.

LiveFromNewYork says:

Nothing will debunk Michael Kay’s stupidity. Or did you mean something else?

 
Mike A. says:

Yes, the catcher gets the putouts. Kay has been wrong all this time.

Mike A. says:

Actually, no I’m an idiot. There is no putout on the dropped third strike.

 
steve (different one) says:

i hate Kay, but he said “assists” not put-outs. at least tonight he did.

Jamal G. says:

Your right, so does anyone get an assist in a strikeout?

 
 
 
 
Mike A. says:

Hanger and a half.

 
steve (different one) says:

this mohegan sun commercial makes me want to rip my eyes out

Mike A. says:

It would be better if they had good looking women in it.

 
 
Jamal G. says:

That was an amazing shot of the city of Pittsburgh in the darkness like that, wow.

 
Mike A. says:

That sky looks mean.

Mike A. says:

God, shut up Michael Kay. It’s like, an hour flight from Pittsburgh to NYC. They aren’t going to be getting home that late.

Jamal G. says:

Lmao, I thought I had a dumb moment and misplaced Pennsylvania on the map.

 
LiveFromNewYork says:

It’s technically about 49 minutes.

 
 
 
Yankee1010 says:

It’s a good thing the Pirates have their night sellout crowd on getaway day. I’m sure the Yanks will be alive and well at 2 P.M. tomorrow after getting in well past midnight tonight.

 
Mike A. says:

Figures. The rain delay comes the day after the CWS ends.

Someone yell if the game starts up, I’m hitting the PS3. Thanks.

E-ROC says:
Mike A. says:
Chip says:
 
 
 
 
Jamal G. says:

Interesting story on how newest Yankee, Mikey O’Brien, “caught” and deals with his Type 1 Diabetes.

http://www.nomaas.org/draft/?p=77

 
Jamal G. says:

It is always so fucking hilarious how fans boo draft day picks of their teams. Like you are some prick who gets your information from ESPN and your local newspaper but you think you know better than the front office that gets paid to evaluate talent and have been doing their jobs for decades. Fucking morons.

Joseph P. says:

As a Jets fan, I object to your claim. See: Kyle Brady over Warren Sapp.

Jamal G. says:

“As a Jets fan…” LoL, success objects to your team.

 
 
Ivan says:

I Know son. Remember when the Philly fans boo McNabb. From the scouting reports and Video, Danilo is a pretty good player and he seems very versatile. Hey if hecan be Hideo Tukulu (I know I mess his name up) as a Knick fan I’ll love it.

Big B says:

I’m happy Brook Lopez fell to my Nets!!!

 
 
 
Ivan says:

Shit I like Dalino already and I,ve always been intrigued by him.

 
E-ROC says:

I can’t believe the Clippers passed up Jerryd Bayless for Eric Gordon. Don’t they need a replacement for Shaun Livingston who broke his leg in half?

Mike A. says:

Did he really break his leg in half? Yikes.

Ivan says:

Did you ever saw the injury? It’s on Youtube and it looks really really bad.

Mike A. says:

I’ll pass, Made up gorey shit, like in movies, is no big deal. But when it’s real life, forget it. The Joe Theismann video? UGh.

E-ROC says:

Didn’t really break his leg. Shaun’s leg bent the wrong way at the joint. Shredded every ligament and tendon.

 
 
 
 
 
Ivan says:

Why would the Bucks draft Alexander to play the same position as Richard Jefferson.

Mike A. says:

When did the Bucks get Jefferson? Man, I’m out of the loop…

E-ROC says:

Jianlian Yi and Bobby Simmons for Richard Jefferson. The Nets just wanted to clear up space in time to sign Lebron when he becomes a free agent.

Mike A. says:

Did that go down right before the draft?

E-ROC says:

Yup, about 4 hrs before the draft; pending league approval.

 
 
 
 
E-ROC says:

They always wanted Alexander. Alexander is a really good player. He’ll be a nice supersub.

 
 
Yankee1010 says:

It’s going to be great if this rain delay lasts a while. 7 innings from the bullpen the day before a DH is a reicpe for success.

 
E-ROC says:

Is it raining hard or what?

 
jm says:

wait.. if Matsui goes on the DL… wouldnt it make sense to DH Damon (starting monday against Texas) .. and call-up Gardner to play the outfield for that series … i mean, they still want to keep Damon healthy and win games right? wouldnt this be the best option?

Mike A. says:

They’ll probably just use Matsui’s spot for Ponson, and play Christian in LF.

whozat says:

Makes sense.

Another thing that sucks…AAA just had a bullpen start tonight, so their relievers are all fried too. So…it’s not like they can even burn up someone today and send him down tomorrow for a fresh arm, really.

 
 
 
Manimal says:

God damn it I WANT SOME BASEBALL NOW. The sox aren’t playing either god this is boring

 
Manimal says:

Im watching spongebob. Thats how bored I am.

 
Joseph P. says:

If Rock Band drums were real drums, I’d be Alex mothafuckin Van Halen.

Manimal says:

hahaha I do great until the later songs in Hard then I get owned.

 
 
BillyBall says:

Just a story for you all to keep me from banging my head into the wall with this delay. I Watched the David Cone story on Yes during rain delay. There was a clip of Coney striking out Big Papi when Big Papi first became a Sock. Papi looked pathetic and his swing was very slow. Than all of a sudden he became this great player. Makes you wonder though. I have a friend that told me his bud worked for the Yankees in the visitors clubhouse and Manny as an Indian was the biggest juicer he saw come into the stadium as he would inject himself in the middle of the club house and talk about it in front of the entire team and the attendants in the locker room. Now it could be a bullshit story but I heard 2 different stories. I may be one of the only Yankee fans that gets a real kick out of the Manny being Manny shit but I heard 2 different stories about Manny and you wonder if it was confirmed how it would effect his hall of fame chances being that right now he has to be in the top 5 right handed hitters in all of Baseball. I know Giambi juiced and Clemens, and loads more, but you really have to wonder the effect it had on the Sox storied turn around into the power house team they are!

Guiseppe Franco says:

I don’t think that was Big Papi. I think that was Mo Vaughn.

steve (different one) says:

yeah, Cone never faced Ortiz as a Red Sox.

 
 
 
Mike says:

Im watching from out of town via MLB Extra Innings, which cuts out completely during delays . Has YES Network said anything about this game resuming, or is it bedtime?

Greg G. says:

I ain’t no meterologist, but if you go to weather.com and look at the radar over Pittsburgh, it looks downright abysmal.

Joey says:

is it bad that I trust your opinion more than a meteorologist because of the fact that you stated “I ain’t no meteorologist…”?

Greg G. says:

Perhaps I should’ve written, “I ain’t no English teacher.” :-)

 
Greg G. says:

Those radar maps are my favorite – “Big red blob coming. Must walk dog NOW.”

 
 
 
 
 
Greg G. says:

At least this thread is entertaining!

Given that they’re going to shred their bullpen tonight, perhaps they’ll make a move for a reliever before the DH tomorrow? Robertson? Patterson?

 
Felixfella says:

Patterson is on the D.l

Greg G. says:

Well, then he’ll be rested. (Um…nevermind…)

 
 
BigBlueAL says:

Game postponed, makeup date July 10 at 7 pm according to Pete Abe. Fuckin sucks…..

Jamal G. says:

Took ‘em long enough, my God.

 
 
Jamal G. says:

Is it that bad to play 161-games?

 
Manimal says:

That sucks, this game starts over and everything that happened so far does not count.

 
Manimal says:

If Ponson or Giese comes up short and we need some long relief help do you bring in Moose? He has crazy Bullpen stats.

DP says:
 
 
Yankee1010 says:

Under what circumstances are games suspended instead of cancelled? Does it have to be an official game when the weather hits?

By the way, fuck you, Pittsburgh and MLB.

Manimal says:

The game needs to pass the 4 1/2-inning mark to be suspended instead of canceled.

 
 
McCaff says:

So i work at a restaurant, and John Franco came in tonight to eat and is a shitty tipper. Just to show how much the mets suck.

Manimal says:
 
 
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