Fat Lady warming up her vocal cords

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yes, I shall now commence with the countdown myself.

Here is my MFY checklist for 2008:

1. Screw up Torre situation (check)

2. Screw up Arod negotiations (check)

3. Finish 2nd in Santana Sweepstakes (check)

4. To the Mets (check)

5. Have young starters experiment go predictably horrible (check)

6. Lose a half-dozen games in the late innings as a result of strenuous effort to convert Jobba to starter, then lose a few more while he ramps up (check)

7. Have New Boss declare Jobba (4 wins) "the most dominating starting pitcher in baseball" then have him get hurt, then begin transition back to the bullpen assuring scenario will repeat itselkf in '09 (check)

8. Get abused in season series to the Mets including a sweep at MFY Stadium (check)

9. Make a bunch of aggressive trades at deadline, then slide in the standings anyway (check)

10. Acquire Xavier Nady in the middle of his best season only to watch in horror as he reveals himself to be a terrible outfielder and prolific whiffer whose OBP declines by 70 points in a MFY uni (check)

11. Regret not trading Kennedy, Hughes, Cabrera and Cano (check)

12. Have New Boss declare Girardi a complete success despite team tuning him out (check)

13. Come to terms with the fact that Jeter isn't getting any better (check)

14. Have Arod repay massive new contract with season that confirms his every worst reputation as a choker (check)

15. Have Mussina fall short of 20 wins (pending)

16. Have Pettitte turn in the kind of season that might resemble that of a guy who'd used PEDs his whole career and now doesn't (check)

17. Get eliminated (pending)

18. Finish below .500 (pending)

19. Finish in last place (pending)

20. Gay lockerroom affair(s) revealed in Arod divorce battle (pending)

[Guest AG/DC]

I think the saddest thing (or coolest, depending on how mean-spirited you are) is that Chamberlain's injury came as a starter after YankeeHankee publickly poo-pooed developmental concerns and ripped the intelligence of his own braintrust for not starting him.

[seawolf17]

Yeah, but that's just because they're hurt. No other team in the history of baseball has ever had to deal with the injuries that the Yankees have had to deal with this season. Bud Selig should wait until the injured players have a chance to heal, then let the team replay those games that they missed.

It's really the only equitable solution.

[Centerfield]

What they should do is petition God to have Yankee injuries heal faster than other players. God should understand what this organization has meant to the universe as a whole. It's just that God is so short-sighted and doesn't understand the Bombers' rich history. Mitchell must be part of his advisory team or something...

[Fman99]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Yes, I shall now commence with the countdown myself. Here is my MFY checklist for 2008: 1. Screw up Torre situation (check) 2. Screw up Arod negotiations (check) 3. Finish 2nd in Santana Sweepstakes (check) 4. To the Mets (check) 5. Have young starters experiment go predictably horrible (check) 6. Lose a half-dozen games in the late innings as a result of strenuous effort to convert Jobba to starter, then lose a few more while he ramps up (check) 7. Have New Boss declare Jobba (4 wins) "the most dominating starting pitcher in baseball" then have him get hurt, then begin transition back to the bullpen assuring scenario will repeat itselkf in '09 (check) 8. Get abused in season series to the Mets including a sweep at MFY Stadium (check) 9. Make a bunch of aggressive trades at deadline, then slide in the standings anyway (check) 10. Acquire Xavier Nady in the middle of his best season only to watch in horror as he reveals himself to be a terrible outfielder and prolific whiffer whose OBP declines by 70 points in a MFY uni (check) 11. Regret not trading Kennedy, Hughes, Cabrera and Cano (check) 12. Have New Boss declare Girardi a complete success despite team tuning him out (check) 13. Come to terms with the fact that Jeter isn't getting any better (check) 14. Have Arod repay massive new contract with season that confirms his every worst reputation as a choker (check) 15. Have Mussina fall short of 20 wins (pending) 16. Have Pettitte turn in the kind of season that might resemble that of a guy who'd used PEDs his whole career and now doesn't (check) 17. Get eliminated (pending) 18. Finish below .500 (pending) 19. Finish in last place (pending) 20. Gay lockerroom affair(s) revealed in Arod divorce battle (pending)

You forgot "Thong-gate" and the Giambi moustache, the two most sordid bylines of the 2008 MFYs.

God this has been a great year.

[metirish]

Excellent stuff Bucket , very funny but true.

[Guest AG/DC]

Quick and dirty trade tracker: Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte for Jose Tabata, Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen, and Ross Ohlendorf.

Xavier Nady's National League OPS before the deal: .918
Xavier Nady's American League OPS since the deal: .859

Jose Tabata's AA OPS before the deal: .630.
Jose Tabata's AA OPS snce the deal: .964.

Damaso Marte's National League ERA before the deal: 3.47 in 46.7 IP.
Damaso Marte's American League ERA since the deal: 6.75 in 13.3 IP.

Karstens', McCutchen's, and Ohlendor's combined ERAs at AAA before the deal: 3.74 in 161 IP.
Karstens', McCutchen's, and Ohlendor's combined ERAs at AAA since the deal: 4.09 in 94 2/3 IP.

Karstens', McCutcheon's, and Ohlendorf's combined ERAs in the American League since the deal: 6.53 in 40 IP.
Karstens', McCutcheon's, and Ohlendorf's combined ERAs in the National League since the deal: 4.47 in 46 1/3 IP.

Edited September 9, 2008 by Guest

[duan]

what I spotted from that site linked to in the elimination thread is that "it's out of their hands!"

even IF they win every remaining game, they need others to falter.

Now they're not 100% out of it yet but BY jesus it's almost over.

[Guest AG/DC]

[soupcan]

(Edgy - I can't see your image but I'm wondering if we're thinking alike...?)

[Guest AG/DC]

I was, I had this guy:



I think it's now this guy:

[Guest AG/DC]

By the way, how about the phrase, "Bill is considered the greatest catcher of all time"?

By whom?

[Benjamin Grimm]

His mom.

[soupcan]

Maris is for the Wild Card elimination.

[Guest AG/DC]

Yeah, let's stick with that.

[Frayed Knot]

MFYs cryin' in the rain

TN = 8
Playoff Odds = .06013
N-HOP (for passing Boston) = 75% (24 of 32)

[metirish]

More fun from Hank.

]End of the line for Yankees GM Cashman? | anthony.rieber@newsday.com Was Hank Steinbrenner's latest pronouncement the final straw for Brian Cashman? Cashman, speaking in the Yankees' clubhouse Friday night, seemed like a guy one step closer to the exit after Steinbrenner's statement a day earlier that he wants the general manager to be head of an advisory group. Cashman, whose contract expires Oct. 31, had agreed to return in 2005 only if he were given sole decision-making power in the Yankees' baseball hierarchy by George Steinbrenner. Did Cashman see the comments? "Oh, I saw them," he said. His reaction? "I think the Steinbrenners should have a structure set up they feel comfortable with," he said. "Without a doubt." Will he be part of that structure? "At the end of the day, I definitely believe as owners, they need to set up a structure that they're comfortable with," he said. "It's as simple as that." Again ... does he want to return if that's the structure? "I'm certainly not going to make this about me," he said. "I do have an advisory board. It's my manager, it's my coaching staff, it's our pro scouting director, it's our farm director, it's our amateur scouting director. Those are the advisers that I utilize. But I fully support whatever the Steinbrenner family feels the proper structure needs to be. I think they need to set that up. They need to take care of that themselves, there's no doubt about that." Steinbrenner, in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, said: "If Brian stays on as GM, that doesn't mean he won't be the No. 1 guy. But the fact is, the more opinions the better. I think that's probably the best way. It worked in the '90s and it can work again." Of course, it's not clear how much input The Baby Boss actually has in the day-to-day goings-on of the franchise. Hank Steinbrenner mostly has been an unpredictable public speaker and has attended three games this season; his brother Hal actually has been a presence, forging a close working relationship with Cashman. But Hank's bluster could be enough to tip the scales against a return for Cashman. Hank Steinbrenner also said Thursday, "We're going to have to look at what has been done wrong over the last five years, which I've had one year to try and figure out. Clearly, a lot of mistakes were made." Asked if he agrees with that assessment, Cashman said: "I'm not going to comment on it." Cashman has been linked to expected front-office openings in Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington. Asked about those reports, he said: "Obviously, they are just reports. I'm linked here. That's where I'm at. I've got a job and we're dealing with obviously a lot right now. That's the focus. As simple as that."

[Guest Kong76]

I haven't really watched a whole Yankee game in a long time but today was
the first one I've had on in three rooms while doing crap.

Seriously, how do Yankee fans make it through 9 innings of Michael Kay day
after day after day?

7-sniffle Rays almost through eight.

[Valadius]

And the Rays win!

[Frayed Knot]

Seven

[Frayed Knot]

TN = 6
Playoff Odds = .03873
N-HOP (for passing Boston) = 78.6% (22 of 28)

[stevejrogers]

Tragic number for both division and wild card stand at 5.

[soupcan]

[metirish]

I laughed heartily when I read this quote form Cano today. Cano on being benched.

] "He's right, he's the manager, and like they say, four eyes can see better than two. I let the team down, Ninety-nine percent of the time I play hard. It's kind of frustrating not helping the team, but he's right."

[HahnSolo]

like they say, four eyes can see better than two

Who says this, Robby? The guys who think you hustle 99 percent of the time?

[Frayed Knot]

btw, Sunday's **LAST EVER GAME AT YANQUI STADIUM** I'm sure you all know is the ESPN game of the week.
But even more than that, there will be about a lenghty pre-game ceremony so first pitch won't be until around 9PM. They just may get more viewers for the pomp and circumstance than they will for the game itself.


Also, anyone else getting a kick out of the following?
- ARod gets hits in September:
well sure, NOW he does it ... too little too late ya bum ... now that the pressure is gone he heats up ... etc
- Jeter gets September hits:
never say die ... won't give up without a fight ... what a warrior ... etc.

Francesa even noticed this and mocked it.

[metirish]

And what's the big deal with Jeter's hit record , at first I thought it was most hits all time as a yankee, but it's most hits at yankee stadium.

[Gwreck]

Boston beats up on the Devil Rays to tie for the AL East lead, and the number drops again, to 4.

[G-Fafif]

Sadly the Tradge didn't move Monday night. The TN for the Sox to eliminate the MFYs is 4, but it's 5 for the Rays. A wasted evening up and down the East Coast.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Given what's been going on in the National League, this thread isn't as much fun as it had been.

I fear that, shortly after the Yankees are eliminated, we'll be asking not for whom the fat lady sings...