We just can’t quit him. Jenny Vrentas has the latest on Joba the Reliever at Ledger on Yankees. The Yanks will have Chamberlain pitch two innings tomorrow on two days’ rest. The Yanks have yet to set a date for Joba’s arrival in the Bronx, but the longer Kyle Farnsworth continues to smirk his way off the mound after giving up two home runs in an inning, the sooner Chamberlain’s ascension will come.
This is awesome
If anyone can dig up a print of this, I will love you forever. (Click the picture for bigger views.)
Hat tip to my buddy Dave and Strangemaps.
No fun allowed! No fun allowed!
I’ve been sitting in the right field bleachers frequently this year, so the recent string of ejections has me worried. My buddy Mischa G, who also frequents the right field benches, has written a little something-something about the whole situation. As Ben’s mother pointed out yesterday, the Fascism in Yankee Stadium is not limited to the bleachers, but it’s certainly more emphatic there.
“Yo! Melky!”
So begins most home games this season in the right field bleachers. With Bald Vinny standing, surrounded by the most die hard of fans, Yankee Stadium’s Bleacher Creatures lead as the right field bleachers chant each Yankee’s name. As they player waves back, the fans move onto the next player, from Melky in center to Matsui in left and Bobby in right. And so on. After A-Rod’s name is chanted the fans turn to the section of box seats just across the divide and chant “Box seats suck!” several times before Vinny instructs everyone to “Sit down and shut up!” and the ball game really begins.
Except recently there’s a new tradition. Starting around the series vs. the A’s at the end of June, the chant of “Box seats suck!” was met with ejections. In fact a zero tolerance policy was instituted in the right field bleachers, far beyond any enforcement in any other section of the park.
Pointing at out-of-town fans and singing “Why are you gay?” during the YMCA is now met with immediate ejection in the bleahcers, and rightfully so. Those doing so are usually not the regulars anyway. Instead, those leading the stadium tradition of roll call have often been thrown from games before the first out for so little as shouting “sucks”. The enforcement is highly inconsistent from day to day, but is generally strict.
Slowly the Bleacher Creatures, saluted on billboards outside the park, are being killed off. Their cruder rituals like the gangbang song, have long since gone the way of the dodo in the stands. Now you only hear whispers of “Mets Suck” sung to every song piped through the stadium. “Box Seats Sucks” has only been chanted (and not met with ejection) a few times in the last month. The wave even occasionally ripples through the right field stands.
So these days roll call often ends a different way.
“Rob-in-son! Rob-in-son!”
“De-rek Je-ter! De-rek Je-ter!”
“A-Rod! A-Rod!”
“No Fun Allowed!”
Scranton bullpen: 9 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Update on Miranda: Miranda rolled his ankle running after a foul pop-up the other day. Nothing major, but the Yanks are being overly cautious as always. That’s from our good pal Mike A., who should be out enjoying the sun.
Triple-A Scranton (5-2 win over Ottawa)
Kevin Thompson: 4 for 5
Alberto Gonzalez: 2 for 5
Angel Chavez: 2 for 5, 2 K
Erubiel Durazo: 2 for 5, 1 2B, 1 K
Justin Christian: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 2 K
Eric Duncan: 0 for 5, 3 K
Wil Nieves: 3 for 5, 1 K
Ben Kozlowski: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K — not bad for having a reliever start
Ross Ohlendorf: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K — gave up a solo shot
Scott Williamson: 1 IP, zeroes, 2 K — noice
Edwar: 1 IP, zeroes, 2 K — noicer
Jason Brower: 1 IP, zeroes
Scott Proctor vs. Barry Bonds
It’s late on the East Coast, but the West Coast is still enjoying live baseball. I see Grady Little is mirroring Joe Torre’s patterns as our old friend Scott Proctor is on the hill for the Dodgers for the second night in a row. With one out and runner on second, Barry Bonds, who hit home run number 749 off of Proctor, came to the plate. Proctor intentionally walked him. So Scotty, who I pegged as the victim for 755, dodgers that bullet.
Update: Scotty is showing why the Yanks traded him. He faced four batters, got one out, gave up a run and is leaving the game with runners on the corners. Good luck with that one, Grady.
Updates on the injured
Lots going on at the good ol’ SWB Yanks Blog. It spans a few posts, so I’ll sum it up for you.
- Chris Britton has been activated from the DL and has been added to the SWB roster.
- Brett Gardner has been cleared to play and is awaiting activation.
- Joba is back in Scranton, so it appears he’s not headed to New York this weekend. Then again, with the performance of Farnsworth today, that could change real quick.
- Jason Giambi will rehab in Scranton starting tomorrow, and will play first base while he’s there.
Plenty of roster moves have to be made at the top three levels of the organization in the next three days. Someone has to get axed for Hughes (guess: Henn, but it could be Bruney), and eventually Giambi (hope: Cairo). There’s also a logjam at AAA, as Joba, Gardner, Basak, and then Henn (or Bruney) have to be added to the roster. Jennings speculates that Ohlendorf could head to Trenton to hone his bullpen game.
Honestly, if they want to bring Joba up, just DFA Kyle and send him through waivers. Yes, I know that handicaps your ability to make a deal; but the mere fact that he’s Kyle Farnsworth already immeasurably handicaps any deal. Just rip it off like a Band-Aid.
It’s just so frustrating to have him in the bullpen while Britton and Ramirez are still in the minors.
Answer: Just DFA him
Question: What should the Yankees do with Kyle Farnsworth?