Dog bites man! Kyle Farnsworth's bulldog goes wild

Former Yankee Kyle Farnsworth is back in the news for something other than blowing games. Kerosene Kyle got bitten by one of his two bulldogs, while trying to break up a fight between the pooches. Farnsworth had to get four stitches in the index finger of his non-pitching hand. The dogs' names - Strike and Rambo!

Congrats to Chien-Ming Wang and his wife on the birth of their son, Justin Jesse. Here's hoping Wang pitches a great game tonight. Squawker Jon and I are planning on being there after attending Jane Heller's book-signing at Stan's.

Pretty cool of Alex Rodriguez to meet the fans in Monument Park yesterday. But why is it that David Letterman apologized to everybody else regarding his tasteless joke involving A-Rod and Sarah Palin's daughter....except for A-Rod?

Jose Veras got designated for assignment upon the return of Brian Bruney. While Veras hasn't exactly been good this year, and he's the pitcher who most deserved to get DFAed, I still wonder why Angel Berroa is on the Yankee 25-man roster, given that he literally plays about one day a week. And why hasn't Joe Girardi given Alex Rodriguez - who is slumping bigtime - a day off and had Berroa fill in for him?

It's funny how things work - Veras was one of the peacemakers, along with the Mets' Mike Pelfrey, in Sunday's confrontation between Francisco Rodriguez and Bruney. And two days later, Veras loses his spot on the Yankees to Bruney, and Pelfrey gets chewed out by David Wright!




What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Should Joe Girardi take Chien-Ming Wang out of the starting rotation?

Unlike Tuesday's loss against Boston, the Yankees - or at least Mark Teixeira - did show a little fight last night, but the end result was still the same. And Sox fans can still gloat over their team being undefeated against the Bombers. If the Yankees don't win tonight, we're going to hear an awful lot about that record over the next few months. What joy.

What was the quote from Mark Teixeira earlier this year - that the Yankees kept on finding different ways to lose each night? Unfortunately, every time Chien-Ming Wang starts, the result is the same way each time - he puts them in a big hole early. And unless the Bombers can score a whole heap of runs, they are going to lose.

Granted, the Yanks were 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position, and left 10 runners on base last night. But their starting pitching was the number one reason they lost.

One of our Facebook readers noted that even though Chien-Ming Wang gave up four runs in 2 2/3 innings, his ERA actually went down last night. How sad is that?

I feel terrible for Wang - he looks like a broken man out on the mound - and it's shocking and sad to see somebody who twice won 19 games look so terrible.

However, according to the Journal-News' Peter Abraham, Jorge Posada said Wang deserved another start due to those two 19-win seasons.

And given that Wang's next start would be against the Nationals, writers like the New York Times' Tyler Kepner think that Wang should get one more chance.

I disagree. If I thought that all it would take is one good start to put Wang on the right track, I'd agree that it was worth it to give him a shot against Washington, the most woeful team in baseball. But what if the Nationals beat up on him? What happens to Wang's already fragile psyche then?

Some think that the Yanks made a mistake in calling Wang up too soon after Joba Chamberlain got hit by a pitch. I don't think it really mattered. Remember, Wang was looking decent in the minors, and was expected to only make one more start then. And the Yanks would have been in the same situation.

So what now? In today's New York Post, Joel Sherman jokes about fake injuries for the Yanks to claim for Wang, like "sprained right eyebrow," "contusion of the left pinkie nail," or "hyper-extended ERA."

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Yanks put Wang on the DL for an anxiety disorder, the way Dontrelle Willis, Zack Greinke, and Khalil Greene were. It would actually make a certain amount of sense.

Sherman goes on to say:

There is no acceptable answer for sticking with Wang. Hughes may not be perfect. He still may have a lot to learn. But he is at least competitive. Wang, on the other hand, is making Kei Igawa look good by comparison.

Other than the homer to Kevin Youkilis, Hughes impressed me last night (incidentally, what is up with Youkilis' booty-shaking at-bats? He has one of the weirdest batting stances ever!)

while Hughes' overall record of 3-2, 5.26 ERA could be called middling mediocrity, he's had some great individual starts. And he's shown a lot of potential.

What potential has Wang shown in any of his starts this year - the potential to give up a lot of runs?

The Yanks can't afford to throw Wang out there, until he starts throwing well again. And I'm guessing getting him right is going to be a long journey.

Should the Yankees give Chien-Ming Wang another shot as a starter? Leave us a comment!

Good times! The Bronx is up, while Flushing's down

The Yanks are looking very good - they've been winning series after series, with new heroes stepping up each day. The Mets - not so much.

Yesterday's Yankee win featured a very good Chien-Ming Wang - for two innings, that is. Then it started to fall apart for him. But I'm going to be hopeful, and figure that he'll be better once his arm strength improves.

However, if it's a mental issue affecting Wang, the Yankee "fans" booing him aren't helping. Just stop it already.

Fortunately, Mark Teixeria's hit, which looked like something out of a pinball machine, and Melky Cabrera's home run bailed out the Bombers. It was another nice victory. The Yanks are on quite a run, aren't they?

On the other hand, Squawker Jon's Mets are, well, crashing and burning and all that jazz. Too bad, so sad.

At least Jon's blog entry on how the Mets should just say no to Tom Glavine got noticed by both MetsBlog and Big League Stew. Very cool!

I also read on MetsBlog that the minor-league Binghamton Mets are wearing Star Trek-inspired jerseys at tonight's game. Jon's all excited about this. As for myself, if I had to sit through anything Star Trek-related, I'd be asking to get beamed up!

* * *

Last night, I dragged Squawker Jon to a sneak preview of "The Proposal," the upcoming Sandra Bullock/Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy. (Don't judge; the event was free!) The screening also showcased some of the shows on WE TV's Sunday night lineup, like "Bridezillas," "My Fair Wedding," and "Amazing Wedding Cakes." You can imagine Jon's reaction to all this.

After sitting through the screening, Squawker Jon let me have it. "I feel embarrassed," Jon squawked. "I don't think it's fun." My writing partner griped we have to "focus more on what we need to accomplish," and opined that "we have to take this personal, because this can't happen."

Oh, wait. That wasn't Jon; that was Carlos Beltran after the Mets got swept by the Pirates. Oops!


What do you think? Leave us a comment!

On Andy Pettitte's aching back and Chien-Ming Wang being back in the rotation

Last night's game was a frustrating slog right from the beginning. Andy Pettitte looked terrible - he gave up six walks, seven hits, and four runs in five innings. This is the second start in a row where he seemed to be affected by a bad back. What's going on there?

After last night's game, LoHud.com's Peter Abraham made a reference to Andy Pettitte's incentive-laden contract. According to the Cot's Baseball Contracts site, Pettite's 2009 contract, which gives him a base salary of $5.5 million, has an additional $6.5 million in incentives, broken out this way:

• $4.5M in performance bonuses: $0.5M each for 150, 160, 170 IP; $0.75M each for 180, 190, 200, 210 IP
• $2M in roster bonuses: $0.1M for 120 days on active 25-man roster; $0.2M for 130 days; $0.25M each for 140, 150 days; $0.4M each for 160, 170, 180 days

Incentive-based contracts can be good - look at how Carl Pavano miraculously became as healthy as a horse once he had to sign one this year - but they might also encourage players to play through the pain a little too much. I hope that's not what's happening here with Pettitte.

In addition to Pettitte's pitching, the rest of the game also had frustrating moments, particularly the lack of timely hitting. While Alex Rodriguez did get an RBI single earlier in the game, he also had some big failures with runners in scoring position last night. And boy, did the Yankee Stadium crowd let him hear it. Not good - I wish fans would stop booing their own players. It's a fact of life, though, for A-Rod.

Speaking of which, I hope the Yankee Stadium crowd is supportive, not derisive, when Chien-Ming Wang pitches again this afternoon. I think the Yanks are making the right move in having him start again, and moving Phil Hughes to the bullpen.

And no, I'm not going to pull a Mike Francesa and say that Joba Chamberlain should go to the pen. I heard Brian Cashman on Michael Kay's show talk about how that Joba is still doing that simulated first inning in the bullpen before each start. Given that, it makes even less sense to put him in the pen.

* * *

In other news, I was excited about the tantalizing possibility of Tom Glavine becoming a Met again, now that he's been released from the Braves. Omar, do the right thing and sign Glavine!

Here's why I'm so hot to get Glavine as a Met. Squawker Jon is a lot more mild-mannered than I am - shocking, I know! - but Tom Glavine seems to really get under skin. The angriest Squawker post Jon has ever done was after Glavine's horrendous first inning in the last game of 2007. Squawker Jon didn't exactly care for Tom saying how he wasn't devastated after that loss, or how he tried to justify that statement the following spring.

So yeah, I'd love to see Glavine as a Met again. Would be thrilled to see Jon and all the other denizens of Mets Nation having to cheer for him. What fun!

Is something wrong with Andy Pettitte? What do you think of Chien-Ming Wang going back into the Yankee rotation? Tell us what you think!

Yuck! Yanks do nothing against Pavano, and Coke isn't it

Yesterday was one of the most frustrating Yankee games I've watched all year. And I'm still a little bit irked by the outcome. I complained to Squawker Jon last night about the loss, and he muttered something about how "you Yankee fans want to win every game." And that attitude is wrong, why exactly?

Losing is one thing, though, but the way the Yanks went about their business yesterday was very frustrating. First off, it was bad enough when the Yankees nearly lost to Carl Pavano the first time around this year. But that's understandable, I guess, given that they didn't know what he looked like pitching. Making him look like an ace for the second time this season? Unacceptable.

Speaking of American Idle, I read that Pavano said about his time with the Yankees, "I have no regrets." Of course he doesn't. He got $39.95 million for sitting on his (bruised) butt for four years. What could he possibly regret - whether he should have bought a Porsche or a Ferrari with his ill-gotten gains? Whether he should eat foie gras or caviar? Whether he should buy a mansion or a penthouse apartment? Sheesh.

While the Yanks weren't able to do anything against Pavano, they did tie the game off the Cleveland bullpen. But I had no faith that the Yanks would win after Jorge Posada hit into a double play. Part of the reason that play happened was because Brett Gardner, who misplayed a ball earlier in the game, ignored Joe Girardi's steal sign:

"They did want me to steal, and I didn't go. I should have. Another mistake," Gardner said.

Ya think?

You know how John Sterling always opines about how leadoff walks in late innings are so costly? He's right. And Phil Coke didn't just walk the leadoff batter, Trevor Crowe, in the ninth, he complained about the umpire's call, saying "I thought it was a strike." Not cool.

Dave Robertson wasn't any great shakes, either, giving up the winning hit to Jhonny Peralta. All in all, it wasn't exactly a red-letter day for the Yankees.

And to top it all off, my Squawker partner was up close at yesterday's Met game, breathing in all sorts of germs. Your Yankee-hating is nauseating enough, Jon; you'd better not make me literally sick as well!

The one bright side to yesterday's debacle was Chien-Ming Wang looking like himself. He pitched three lights-out innings, and looked much more impressive than starter Phil Hughes. Thank goodness for small favors.

What do you think about yesterday's loss? Leave us a comment!

Chien music

The Yankees always manage to upstage the Mets. History is made at Citi Field Friday night when Gary Sheffield hits his 500th homer. The Yankees can't even wait 24 hours before making their own history on Saturday by allowing 14 runs in one inning. And the Yankees even have their own Sheffield connection when six of those runs (and two later runs) are given up by Anthony Claggett, one of the pitchers the Yankees acquired when they traded Sheffield to the Tigers.

Usually, when you see a headline reading "22-4" associated with a pitcher, it's a good thing. Dwight Gooden: 24-4. Ron Guidry: 25-3. Ah, for the good old days when such numbers referred to season records, not single game scores.

After the Mets played the Chicago song "In the Beginning" during the opening ceremonies at Citi Field, Metstradamus suggested another Chicago song, "25 or 6 to 4," as a possible song for Oliver Perez, since that could be the final score. Looks like that song, which includes lines like "Wondering how much I can take" could apply to Chien-Ming Wang these days.

I feel a little bad for Nick Swisher. It was only last Monday that most people besides Jorge Posada got a little pleasure out of seeing Swisher on the mound. After all, how many times would the Yankees be blown out so badly that such a move would ever be considered?

Turns out twice in the next five days.

And now, when you hear the fans chant, "We want Swisher," it is associated with the home team being embarrassed.

But the Yankees could be even more embarrassed if Carl Pavano, who had his own nine-run inning only last week, somehow manages to beat the Yankees today.

Another reason to love Nick Swisher

I just read this in the LoHud Yankee blog about my favorite player this year:

Just before we left [the clubhouse], good ‘ol Nick Swisher walked through the clubhouse and tore off the covers of all the Daily News sitting on a table. They read “22-4!” on the front and “You Stink” over a picture of Chien-Ming Wang on the back. “New day,” Swisher shouted. “It’s a new day, brotha.”

Good for Nick Swisher!

Swisher also posted this four hours ago on Twitter:

Morn. Looks like a great New York kind of day. Perfect for a baseball game.

That's the kind of attitude I like to see. Now the Yanks just have to step it up and beat Carl Pavano today!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Worst. Inning. Ever.

I was just flipping around the dial right now, and saw that the History Channel is currently running their series "Mega Disasters." So I put the show on, and half-expected to see yesterday's Yankee game on the show, along with Krakatoa. Sheesh.

What a nightmare of a game. 22-4? Are you kidding me? And 14 runs in one inning? Unreal.

How bad a game was it? Even Nick Swisher, for once, was at a loss for words:

“I wish I had something good to say,” Nick Swisher said. “I got nothing.”

How bad a game was it? Even Johnny Damon, for once, was unable to find anything positive to say about one of his teammates:

"We have six losses on the year right now and [Wang's] got three of them," Damon said. "And in all three of those games, we've been blown out and we've had to go to our bullpen. So maybe our bullpen's not sharp the following days. So I don't know what more to say, but hopefully he can figure it out because it'd be tough to keep on going like this."

How bad of a game was it? As Ross of New Stadium Insider notes, Freddy Sez was sitting down during the game, instead of stirring up the crowd with the frying pan. And that clip was from the fifth inning, when the score was "only" 16-2. And look how many empty seats there are.

I don't know what's going on with Chien-Ming Wang, but obviously the Yanks can't keep on throwing him out there, with his 36.50 ERA. Especially when his next start would be at Fenway Park. So my guess is that this will happen soon: Phil Hughes, come on down! You're the next contestant on "Wang Isn't Right!"

Also, is it just me, or does it seem that every time the Yankees play on FOX, something terrible happens? Darrell Rasner and Jeff Karstens both got hurt on the mound during FOX Games of the Week. Robinson Cano made three errors in one game on FOX. The A-Rod-Varitek brawl happened on FOX. What else am I missing here?

Oh, and Carl Pavano is pitching today. I am predicting that he throws a great game, as ex-Yankees often seem to do when facing their old team. Hopefully, A.J. Burnett will throw a better game.

What do you think about yesterday's debacle? Leave us a comment!

14 runs in one inning? You've got to be kidding me

With all those rockets being launched at Yankee Stadium, should we start calling it The House That Werner Von Braun Built?

Goodness gracious. 14 runs and 13 hits in one half-inning. Oh, and Chien-Ming Wang's ERA is now at 34.50. Unreal.

Well, we finally got some crowd noise. Unfortunately, it was boos raining down on Wang.

I don't understand why so-called Yankee "fans" did that to their team's own player. It's not only wrong, it's counter-productive. Do people really think that Chien-Ming is intentionally pitching poorly there? Or not trying hard? Sometimes Yankee fans make me really sick.
What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Some positive points from last night's Yankee loss

A few thoughts on the latest in Yankeeland:

Yes, Chien-Ming Wang was a thousand shades of awful in last night's game. But I also took a few hopeful things away from the evening:

* The Yankee bullpen looked pretty strong yesterday. Edwar Ramirez, Jonathan Albaladejo, and Jose Veras held the Orioles to zero hits and three walks over four plus innings.

* The Yankee hitters, led by Derek Jeter's homer, got a good rally going in the ninth. Mark Teixeira got his first hit of the year, and it was an important one - it helped extend the rally. At least the Yanks went down fighting last night.

And geez, it's only two games. The Yankees lost their first two in 1998 as well.

* * *

A.J. Burnett is making his Yankee debut today. Maybe, if he wins, he can also debut complicated handshakes for every player, the way Johan Santana did on Tuesday:

David Lennon of Newsday interviewed Santana about the handshakes:

When told that it looks complicated, Santana disagreed, saying, "When you look at someone, they know exactly what to do."

What is this, the hokey pokey? Is that what it's all about? Sheesh.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!