I didn't pick 108 just because it's a LOST number. I picked it because it would be the win total if the Yankees continue to win 2 out of every 3 games this season. 108-54. Now while I don't think the Yankees will win every series for the rest of the year (nor is every series 3 games) and while I don't put a lot of stock into games that occur before Memorial Day, it is big to take series in April against the Angels, Red Sox, and Rays who may be the top 3 teams besides the Yankees in the American League (definitely up for debate, but arguable). Wins now help out when the inevitable slumps happen later. By the aforementioned Memorial Day, the Yankees will have probably played every single contender in the American League--and some more than once. So while I don't put a lot of stock into early season success propelling a team to the playoffs, this is one case where early season failures could definitely keep the Yankees out. Good start so far. Now to the list on the week
the Yankees got their rings (picture to the right from the Daily News article)
- Stop booing Javy...for now. It's been two series since we've done a Yankee Clipper and in that time, we've seen only two losses, both by Javier Vazquez. During the last one (in Yankee Stadium), Vazquez was mercilessly booed. While I'm a big supporter of "you paid for your ticket, you can boo who you want" (I did it to A-Rod at times), I think this is quite unwarranted and, maybe a little classless. We just won a World Series, people. Vazquez has been back for only a few months. Vazquez's first stint in the Bronx featured him having a great first half and then getting injured. Instead of "pulling a Carl Pavano", he pitched through it. The results weren't pretty (and we can argue about whether he's just as guilty for pitching through the pain) and his part in the Game 7 collapse leaves a scar on a lot of us. But give the guy a break. Booing him this early into his 2nd Yankee go-around won't help the cause at all. I felt this with Jose Contreras, Jeff Weaver and some of the other fragile personalities who got booed in the Bronx--just cheer the heck out of the guy for a few months and see what that does. Especially if you're going to give a standing ovation to Hideki Matsui after he hits a home run. I appreciate what the guy did in Pinstripes, but I reserve my standing Os for those wearing Pinstripes--or at least those who spent more than 6 years here. Let's not confuse this guy for Don Mattingly.
- I was never a fan of the move, but I think that Robinson Cano may fit fine into the 5th slot in the lineup. As Paul mentioned to me today, this is a turn around from my previous stance on Cano. There are some guys that can't hack it with runners on base and there are some that just seem like they can't hack it because of bad luck. I was worried that Cano fell into the latter category and his unusually low BAbip made me feel that maybe last year's failures were a fluke. I'm still not convinced, but with Jorge Posada the only other viable option, I'm OK with Robby. As Chad Jennings writes, he's been terrific in that spot. He's batting .395 with a 1.216 OPS. But here's my reason to be concerned: Robinson is not a patient hitter by any means. Although he's shown a slight uptick in pitches per PA (up to 3.43 this season), he has a grand total of one walk. There may be times where we'll miss Hideki Matsui or Jorge Posada in that spot when we need a grind-it-out RBI AB, but I think overall Cano may be fine. Though I want to reserve judgment until he's played a bit more
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