Rafael Soriano Could Be Gone Awhile

"A third MRI on Rafael Soriano's elbow has prompted the Yankees to send the pricey reliever to see Dr. James Andrews, report Mark Feinsand and Sean Brennan of the New York Daily News. The writers note that this marks Soriano's sixth elbow-related DL stint; he's a survivor of Tommy John surgery and ulnar nerve transposition surgery (MLBTradeRumors)."

Wow, what a fucking bust. Anytime you hear the name Dr. Andrews you know it's bad news. Soriano was on his way back, but suffered a setback while throwing a bullpen session. From the sound of it the Yankees did not like what they found in their MRI and now are sending him to see a specialist.

You know right now is sitting in a dark room evilly laughing to himself. He told the Stienbrenners that this was a terrible idea, and as the article goes on to say, if this is indeed a long term problem the Yankees are going to have to go out and spend more money (and maybe prospects) to fix their bullpen. Oh yea, let's not forget they will probably need a starting pitcher or two.

Rafael Soriano Hits The DL

"Soriano landed on the disabled list Tuesday and is expected to miss at least another two weeks, reports Ben Shpigel of the New York Times. Soriano didn't help matters by blaming the offense, and the not the bullpen, for the team's recent slide (ESPN)."

HAHAHA, I feel like I could write a negative story about the Yankees everyday. Jeter is blowing up, Posada is being a little bitch, A-Rod seems to be on the decline, and Soiano looks like a complete bust. You should never call out any one part of your team. You can't be a pitcher and say the offense is costing you game. Rumor is that Soriano is the most hated person in the locker room, and on top of that he hasn't pitched well all year....Not a good combo. All of this just makes Cashman look smarter, since he was the one who was pissed that they were giving up a 1st round pick in this year's draft to sign this assclown.

More Trouble In The Bronx

There was a huge fallout this weekend after Posada refused to take the field, since he was put to 9th in the batting order. That is fucking insane since he is .165 on the season. Things seemed to cool down with the Yankees, as he apologized the next day, but in typical New York fashion this problem isn't going away...

"Jeter, in his statements to reporters, essentially exonerated Posada from any wrongdoing for taking himself out of Saturday's lineup against Boston. According to sources, Yankees management was surprised and frustrated by what Jeter said -- particularly in his standing as captain -- even after Posada acknowledged that he was wrong in his actions Saturday and apologized to manager Joe Girardi (ESPN)."

The article goes on to say that the Yankees were so mad at Posada that they considered just cutting him. If he doesn't start hitting soon, they might anyways. Now this seems to be turing into a weekly problem with Jeter. He has been blasting the Yankees right and left. First his contract, then how it became public, now this...

"If I thought he did something wrong, I'd be the first to tell him," Jeter said in the midst of a long session with reporters (ESPN).

How is bailing on your team not the wrong thing to do. It is obvious Jeter is standing up for his friend, but he should've left this alone. Posada had no right to do what he did. He is useless against lefties (not a single hit against one), he can't catch anymore, and as I stated before is hitting .165. So getting dropped in the order should be the least of his concerns. They fact that he is even playing right now is kind of a gift.

There was an article written over the weekend by ESPN that went into detail about how this is going to be a growing problem. They have an aging 3rd baseman, who is signed till he is 40+, and seeming pissed off SS who's skills are declining. They went on to add CC into this mix, but I'm not ready to do it. The bottom line is that as ugly as this Posada thing might get, it is probably only to get worse in the future.

Red Sox 7, Yankees 5

It's May 16th. And even though the weather's a bit raw, the baseball season is well under way. Summer is approaching. And for the first time all year, the Red Sox are .500.

Remember a few weeks ago, when we were all talking about 100 regular season wins? And now we're skipping in the streets about having as many wins as losses.

It seems kind of silly. Then again, sweeping the Yankees in the Bronx in order to reach this plateau makes it extra special. And the Yankees are only 2 games above .500. As much as the Sox have struggled, they're only 3 games behind the Rays. With 122 games left to play.

Pitching has propelled the Sox to .500. But hitting provided the final ounce of propulsion. They've finally started to hit with runners in scoring position, kind of, and finally started hitting homeruns. Youkilis' 3 run homer in the 3rd was vital to the Sox' effort last night. Ortiz's and Salty's provided the necessary insurance to win.

To be blunt, the Yankees simply aren't that impressive. They've got plenty of names that were intimidating in the late 1990s, but now are just prima donna headcases that seem to distract more than contribute. And how much money is Jeter going to get to hit .260? It's not as if he was underpaid before this season, either. What an overrated, greedy bucket of garbage.

The Sox have finally cracked .500. They'll start a homestand that might be impeded by this unseasonable rain, though. Matsuzaka faces Chris Tillman of the O's tonight, weather permitting.

-The Commodore

Jeter Not Being A Very Good Captain?

"Yankees manager Joe Girardi appears to be walking on egg shells when the discussion turns to where Derek Jeter bats in the lineup. It is the most delicate of issues since the franchise icon is off to a lackluster start (.250) as he moves methodically toward the coveted 3,000-hit plateau. The problem is the Yankees may be a better offensive team with Jeter batting down in the batting order. As Jeter continues to struggle, Girardi will soon have a big decision on his hands (ESPN)."

Personally I think the media is blowing this out of proportion. It's not like Jeter is terrible right now (.250 BA) and it is really early in the season to be moving the face of your franchise. Still, I see where they are coming from. If Jeter doesn't raise is OBP (.310), and the Yankees do have a lot of options with guys like Swisher, Granderson, Cano (who all have a higher OBP).

All I know is this situation will get ugly whether it's this year or the next, and the Yankees are going to have to deal with it at some point. The best thing Jeter could do as the "captain" is to meet with the coach and drop himself down the order, if the situation gets to the point where it needs to happen. This will take the pressure off the coach, and make it a lot less tense in the locker room.

Phil Hughes Has Huge Setback

"The New York Yankees were hoping that Monday?' bullpen session by Phil Hughes would at least establish a timetable for the right-hander's return. All bets are off now after Hughes continued to experience his "dead arm" issues and shut down the session after roughly a dozen pitches. After experiencing a disturbing drop in velocity, Hughes was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 15 with what the team has described as right shoulder inflammation (ESPN)."

Truth be told the Yankees (and their doctors) have no idea what is wrong with Hughes. There doesn't seem to be any structurally wrong with him. There are reports that Hughes will undergo a full body scan, because some doctors this it might be some kind of aneurysm.

The Yankees are getting by with Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon, but I really don't see that lasting. They could turn to Kevin Millwood, but I don't see him being all that effective either. Bottom line, is I see the Yankees dealing for a big time starting pitcher by the trade deadline. The question is, who is going to be available?

Jeter Really Hated A-Rod

We always heard rumors that these two weren't the biggest fan of each other, but today we got a look into what it was really like...

O'Connor's book demonstrates other awkward Jeter-Cashman moments. When the relationship between Jeter and Alex Rodriguez was at its coldest in 2006, the two came together for a dropped pop-up in a blowout loss to the Orioles. After the ball fell harmlessly to the dirt, Jeter gave A-Rod a death stare in full view of everyone in the ballpark. Then-manager Joe Torre would scold the third baseman and shortstop for the drop, but Cashman asked his manager to do more. The GM asked Torre to talk to Jeter about improving his relationship with A-Rod. When Torre declined, Cashman confronted Jeter himself.

"Listen, this has to stop," the GM told the captain. "Everybody in the press box, every team official, everyone watching, they saw you look at the ball on the ground and look at him with disgust like you were saying, 'That's your mess, you clean it up.'"

"Show me the video," Jeter told Cashman in disbelief. "Show me the video."

The GM didn't bother, but advised Jeter to do a better job of embracing Rodriguez, if only for the sake of perception. One friend of Jeter's agreed with Cashman and told the shortstop to try to make A-Rod feel more welcome in the clubhouse.

"Now you're sounding like everyone else," Jeter told the friend, according to the book. "Don't you think I've tried? I try, and sometimes I've just got to walk away and come back and try again, but you know I've tried. And every time I try, he'll do something that pushes me away (ESPN)."

Very interesting, and you have to wonder what their relationship is like now. Usually I would blame the player for not being there for their teammate, but A-Rod is such a douche that I feel like it really would be hard to have him as a teammate. These things that "push Jeter away" are probably the same things baseball fans (outside of New York) hate him for, like tipping pitches for the other team, slapping at the ball, yelling "I got it" behind a guy catching the ball, and just his general way he goes about his life.

The story also doesn't paint a very good picture of Jeter though as it goes on to his negotiations this last offseason. Cashman, at the end of his rope, asked Jeter how much above his market value were they going to have to pay him, and Jeter stormed out of the room. To be fair to Jeter it does state that he was more upset that everything was made so public, which I could see, because usually he is a class act.

Anyways, just more drama for the Yankees, which just seems endless.

Thank You Yankees

The Red Sox entered the game 0-6 and everyone was panicking and the Yankees came into town 4-2. If the Yankees would have swept us or even won 2 of 3 their would have been mass panic around Boston. In game 1, John Lackey tried his hardest to give the game away letting up 6 runs, but Phil Hughes and his 88 mile an hour fastball decided to suck even more. The 1st game wasn't pretty but it got the Sox off their losing streak, Sox win 9-6. Game 2 was another toss up that went the Yanks favor. NY knocked around Clay Buchholz around but Ivan Nova wasn't better himself. However, our offense wasn't able to take advantage and the Yanks pulled away 9-4. I went to the game yesterday, I have lost all faith in Josh Beckett and seeing the starting match ups with him against CC Sabathia it made me quiver. CC Sabathia is really good and the Yankees Ace and Becket has been playing more like a has been than the player that deserved a 4 year, 70 million dollar contract. Well yesterday you can forget that, Beckett threw an absolute gem as he went 8 innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 10. CC meanwhile got knocked around in 5 and 2/3s innings allowing 9 hits, walking 4. He may have only let up 1 ER however, he wasn't pitching like the player we all were accustomed to. Sox won 4-0 and won 2 of 3 against the Yankees and more importantly got their confidence back. This could be the game that gets Beckett back to being the Ace he once was. So thank you Yankees for not taking advantage of a situation to knock out a foe, thank you Yankees for giving us our confidence back and your welcome for showing you how to fill a stadium in a home opener.

Sox Take 2 from Yankees

Taking 2 of 3 from New York will make you forget about an 0-6 start. The Sox finally got some hitting, and finally got some pitching. It wasn't the prettiest series win, but I think we'll all take the W's.

John Lackey sucks. We have to come to terms with that. He's a #5 at best. Hopefully, he'll be the only #5 pitcher in this rotation. He's not going to recapture the form he had with the Angels 4 years ago.

I'm worried about Buchholz. He looked so much like his 2009 self on Saturday. He obsessively threw to 1st base. His body language wasn't confident. He's not throwing strikes. And he's struggling the second time through the lineup. It might just be a temporary thing. But he's allowed 5 homers and 8 earned runs already. In 2010, he didn't allow his 5th homerun until July.

The bullpen also looks ugly. I'm getting flashbacks of 2003, when Todd Jones, Brandon Lyon, and Ramiro Mendoza infested the Red Sox pen.

Josh Beckett was simply magical last night. 8 innings, 10 strikeouts, 1 walk, only 103 pitches needed. He retired the last 14 batters he faced. His fastball had bite, his curve was snapping, and he was confident in what he was doing.

The question with Beckett is consistency. We've seen sporadic brilliance like this before. We need to see a steady string of 7+ inning, 2-3 run starts, though. No more of the 5 inning, 4 run clunkers that we've seen him throw so many times. We'll learn a lot from the quality of his next start.

Offensively, it's still kind of ugly. The Sox scored 4 runs from 12 hits and 8 walks last night. That's not good. Pedroia's upped his average to .400, Gonzalez is hitting, and Ortiz is getting by. But there's still some serious slumping in this lineup. They'll snap out of it, though. Crawford hit a few balls hard, just not in the right place.

Sox host the 1-8 Rays starting tonight. Daisuke faces 24 year old Jeremy Hellickson.

-The Commodore

Opening Day: Yankees @ Red Sox Preview

I wish it was just the opening day to the regular season after having to watch the Red Sox fail in epic fashion, but the fact remains the Sox are 0-6, and there is a good chance they will be 0-7 after today.

We heard all spring about how Lackey looked like a different guy, he was slimmed down, and seemed to have "refound" some of his game. It didn't always produce results, but scouts seemed pretty optimistic to start the season. Then Lackey came out in his first game and let up 9 runs, which led to his grotesque 22.09 ERA. That being said, I guess I can hold out a little hope as Lester got smashed in his first outing only to turn around and throw a gem. But that is Jon Lester, and that was the Cleveland Indians, this is John Lackey, and this is the New York Yankees.

The Yankees are 4-2 on the season, and although they have some worries of their own, one thing they aren't having a problem with is scoring runs. The Yankees have scored 4 runs or more in every game this season, when you compare that to the Red Sox who have who have scored 4 runs just once since the season 3 times, you can see Boston has some offense troubles.

The good news is that Hughes is on the mound for the Yankees and he has to be one of their biggest concerns for this season. His velocity has all but disappeared, and he looked terrible in his first start (I smell a trip to the DL soon). So, if Boston was going to score some runs this could be the guy to do it against. Then again if Josh Tomlin and Mitch Talbot can shut you down I guess anyone can.

The one thing I can stay is that Boston is due, they are too good to be this bad. Maybe they go out and smash the Yankees today, but with Lackey on the hill that night not be enough. Still, I just can't pick the Yankees and then sleep at night...

Red Sox win 9-8
Player of the Game: Adrian Gonzalez
Game starts at 2:05pm


***NOTES***

Just wanted to point out two quick notes for the Red Sox. The Red Sox designated Dennys Reyes (good because if I ever see that fat toad again I might puke), and Matt Albers on the DL. They have called up Alfredo Aceves (should've made the team instead of Wakefield anyways), and Felix Doubront who I trust more then any lefty bullpen guy the Sox have.

Pressure Of New York Already Getting To Soriano?

The Red Sox are dealing with the question of whether or not Crawford can deal with the pressure of playing in Boston, and they haven't even played in Boston yet, but they aren't the only ones...

"The Yankees enriched Soriano with a $35 million contract, but the right-hander was unable to protect a four-run lead in Tuesday's 10-inning loss to Minnesota. No one is perfect, but when the clubhouse opened afterward, Ben Shpigel of the New York Times reports Soriano had already departed, leaving his manager and teammates to address the failure (ESPN)."

This is being rumored to have not gone voer very well in the Yankees clubhouse. Dealing with the media is a must when you play in a major market. You are going to have "bad" games, and it's better to stand there and be accountable then to run out of the clubhouse, because sooner or later they will get you.

Saying that, you can't be overly concerned about Soriano. He looked good in his first 2 appearances going 2 innings allowing 1 hit with 2 Ks, until last night when he went 2/3 of an inning allowing 4 runs on 1 hit with 3 walks. I don't see this being a long term problem, but it will be interesting to see how he deals with the media in the future and if it will affect his game.