All's quiet in New York as trade deadline passes

At 4:01 p.m this afternoon, all was quiet in Flushing and the Bronx, except for a minor deal that brought utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. over from the Reds to the Yankees in exchange for minor league catcher Chase Weems. The blockbuster moves happened elsewhere. Jake Peavy finally decided he wants to win, as he lifted his no trade clause to accept a trade to the White Sox. Victor Martinez is now a Red Sox. The Detroit Tigers acquired LHP Jarrod Washburn in exchange for Luke French and a pitching prospect. So at 62-40 the team with the best record in the AL decided to stand pat, and at 49-52, the Mets decided now wasn't the time to trade what few prospects they have left.

I am not surprised, and am pleased as a Yankee fan that GM Brian Cashman decided not to pull off a major trade. This team is arguably the best team in baseball right now, having won 11 of 13 since the All-Star Break. So the Red Sox got Victor Martinez. I still think the Yankees have a better lineup and better pitching, and in my opinion are the favorites to represent the American League in the Fall Classic. There was no need to acquire someone like Roy Halladay, who would have cost the Yankees either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes. Manager Joe Girardi also didn't feel the team needed to make a move, saying this just the other day before the deadline:

"I'm not sure we'll do anything. As of right now we're playing very well and...there's always ways that you're trying to better your club, but sometimes things don't work out and you sit tight. I don't think there's a sense of urgency."

Girardi is right on the money. There is no sense of urgency right now. Remember, teams can still make trades through August 31st, except those players must now clear waivers. The Yankees could still pick up someone like Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, should they feel the need. With this team rolling the way they are, the Yankees can win the World Series with the pieces they already have in place.

The Mets however, seemed more inclined to make a move than the Yankees, and they didn't pull the trigger on a deal. The Amazin's have won 6 of their last 7, catapulting them back into the playoff conversation. At 49-52, and sitting just 6.5 games back of the Rockies for the wildcard, the Mets had been linked to such names as Victor Martinez, Nick Johnson, and a slew of left handed relievers. Speaking to reporters at Citi Field today after the deadline, GM Omar Minaya had this to say:

“The cost would have probably been too high… You have to take in to account where you are in the standings, and you have to take in to account the prospects you have… One thing that has been good about this process has been that I got a good feel for a lot of the teams and how much they like our prospects. But, some of those prospects that some teams wanted were too high to give them, and we have some pretty good young prospects… Unless it is someone we were going to hold on to beyond one year, we’re gonna hold on to as many prospects as we can.”

Give Minaya credit for acquiring OF Jeff Francoeur a couple weeks ago, as he looks like a player, and a steal for what they gave up in OF Ryan Church. However, it has to be frustrating for a Mets fan to watch the deadline go by, and see Victor Martinez get traded to the Red Sox, and Nick Johnson get traded to the Marlins. Judging by the players given up for Martinez and Johnson, the Mets certaintly could have pulled off a move. In the quote above, Minaya talks about the Mets good young prospects. These players he is referring to, like 22 year-old RHP Brad Holt and 19 year-old Jenry Mejia, were probably the prospects other teams would have wanted.

The Mets have one of the weaker farm systems in baseball, so I can understand why Minaya would want to keep onto the few prospects he does have. However, if Minaya's job is in jeopardy, I would think that he would pull the trigger on a deal to acquire someone of Martinez's caliber, in an effort to sneak into the postseason as the wildcard. The Met's can still make a trade during the waiver period, but it remains to be seen just who is out there that can really give this team a lift down the stretch. More importantly for the Mets is that they get some of their injured players back, like Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran.

Mets Take 3 of 4 from Colorado, split DH

The Mets have suddenly made the Rockies look like they did most of July: offensively inept. The Metropolitans beat the Rockies 7-0 in the first game of the doubleheader. Now New York is on a roll with five straight wins. Johan Santana (12-8) pitched seven shutout innings on the way to his 12th win of the season, and Colorado was shut out for the second straight game and held to only four hits. Santana did a fantastic job getting ahead of hitters with 18 first pitch strikes to the 26 batters he faced. He also threw 73 of his 104 pitches for strikes and struck out eight batters. When you let Johan get ahead in the count, it is tough to hang in there because it is so hard to hit that devastating change up.

In addition to Santana being vintage Santana, the Mets offense put up a five spot in the second inning, with the big hit coming off a Angel Berroa two run double. The offense was so dominating, that New York even chased Rockies starter Jason Hammel after only an inning and a third. David Wright also chipped in with a double and two RBI's, and he seems to be hitting for a lot more power lately. The homers might not be there, but he is hitting a lot more doubles than he was a few weeks ago. Hopefully he can start to heat up, and Jeff Francoeur hitting behind him and being on a roll has to be helping Wright get more pitches to hit.

The Mets and Rockies did not have to wait long to get back out on the field. After the first game at 12:10, the teams took the field for game two at 7:10, a make up of Wednesday's rainout. Unfortunately, the Mets could not complete the sweep in the first ever doubleheader at Citi Field as they fell to the Rockies 4-2, ending their five game winning streak. The Mets got on the board first in the 4th with a Francoeur RBI sac fly, but could not hold the lead. Colorado tied it in the 6th, and then the wheels fell off in the 7th.

Jonathon Niese gave up a lead off double to the pitcher Jorge De La Rosa, which came back to haunt him and the Mets. Fernando Tatis then made a spectacular diving catch on a ball that was smoked by LF Seth Smith. But then Clint Barmes hit the ball so hard that no one could catch it except the fans in the stands. Barmes's two run shot put the Rockies ahead for good, and then Troy Tulowitzki hit a triple off the left field wall that brought Barmes home. Niese has definitely made huge strides in his short time in the majors. He has great stuff with a sharp 12 to 6 bite on his curveball, and he mixes in a high 80's to low 90's fastball. However, he walks guys to lead off innings, and you cannot let the pitcher get a double to lead off the 7th with the big bats coming up. That is totally inexcusable. De La Rosa was batting .089 before he smoked a double over Pagan's head, and why Niese gave him a fastball down the middle was beyond me.

Tidbits

• The Mets are 21-4 at home against the Rockies since 2003
• Omar Minaya apologized to Daily News writer Adam Rubin in New York on Wednesday. Rubin accepted his apology, saying Omar's "remorse was sincere"
• The Mets called up Robinson Cancel from AAA Buffalo and designated pitcher Elmer Dessens for assignment
• Omir Santos caught both games of the doubleheader since Schneider's left knee was bothering him. Brian should be back in the lineup tonight against Arizona
• Luis Castillo's wife gave birth to his second child, a baby girl, Thursday morning. Castillo missed the first game, but played in the second one.
• The Mets are back at it tonight at Citi Field as the Arizona Diamondbacks make their first trip to the Mets new home. Livan Hernandez goes up against Doug Davis at 7:10.

(AP Photos/Frank Franklin II)

Check This Out: Dan Blackburn

Check out former New York Rangers goalie and top prospect Dan Blackburn talk about the day he was drafted, his time in New York, the injuries that cut his career way too short, Richter, Henrik, and more.
http://rangers.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=763&id=45262

What are you doing Donnie?

I've waited paitently to see how Donnie Walsh would handle the free agency period, but now that patience is beginning to wear thin. According to Knicks beat reporter Frank Isola, the Knicks will make a decision on whether to make an offer to point guards Ramon Sessions or Jamaal Tinsley by week's end. Isola goes on to report that Bucks owner John Hammond and Walsh spoke on Wednesday. Gery Woelfel, who covers the Bucks for the Journal Times, believes the subject of their conversation was the possibility of the two clubs completing a sign-and-trade deal. The New York Post reported today that Tinsley met with Walsh and head coach Mike D'Antoni yesterday, to gague mutual interest.

In 39 games last year, the 31 year-old Tinsley averaged 12 ppg and 8.4 assists for the Pacers. In 79 games for the Bucks last year, the 23 year-old Sessions averaged 12.4 ppg and 5.7 apg.

Here's why I'm upset: Sessions is far and away a better sigining than Tinsley. At 23 years of age, Sessions has the potential to be an all-star caliber point guard. He has an up-tempo style of play that would fit in nicely with Mike D'Antoni's offense. Tinsley meanwhile, is on the wrong side of 30, and coming off an injury plagued 2008-2009 season. He is only looking for a one year deal, and would be much cheaper than Sessions, who is looking for a four year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $22-26 million. However, the Knicks need to invest in young talent, not players past their prime. Sesssions could join a core group of players that includes Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas, Jordan Hill, and David Lee. At his age and with his skill set, he can be the point guard of the future in New York.

Here's something else that doesn't make sense about the potential Tinsley signing: Chris Duhon and Nate Robinson will be free agents at the end of next year. Add Tinsley to that list if the Knicks do choose to sign him. So who then is the Knicks point guard of the future? It won't be Steve Nash, who recently signed a two year $22 million contract extension with the Suns. The Knicks also don't have a first round draft pick next year (thank you Stephon Marbury trade), so where is this future point guard coming from if it's not Sessions? And if I here the names Allen Iverson and Jason Williams again as longshot possibilities, I'm going to throw up.

My problem is not that Walsh has taken his time making a decision on who to sign, but rather on who he is contemplating signing. The answer is so simple Donnie it is staring you right in the face. And I won't even get into the David Lee or Nate Robinson fiasco's, which is iritating me as well, so I'll stay on 'point' discussing the Knicks' guard situation. Sign Ramon Sessions Donnie. If you're afraid the Bucks will match your offer sheet, than work out a sign-and-trade. Do whatever it takes to get this guy in here, becuase I have news for you: there is no other future point guard waiting in the wings.

BREAKING NEWS: Lundqvist Leaves NHL, Returns to Sweden

Did that title scare you, Rangers fans? Well, it shouldn't. King Henrik isn't going anywhere, as he is still under contract until the summer of 2014. However, his brother, forward Joel Lundqvist, has left the Dallas Stars organization to sign with Swedish team Frolunda. Both brothers played there before they headed over to the United States to play in the NHL.

Rangers Notes:

-The Blueshirts have added even more defense depth in Hartford by signing 20 year old blueliner Sam Klassen. He isn't a big scoring threat (2 g, 18 a in 72 games in junior league WHL last year), but at 6-2, 200 pounds is a a physical threat who racks up a lot of penalty minutes. Overall, he is a solid developing, physical, two-way defenseman who with all the defense depth in the Rangers organization, will probably spend all of next season in Hartford.

-Nikolai Zherdev's arbitration hearing will be held tomorrow, July 31st. Expect Sather and the Rangers to argue that Zherdev's inconsistency last year and throughout his career is why he should be offered low arbitration money. Most likely, the court will decide a number that is lower than what Zherdev wants, but still higher than what Sather is willing to pay. And after the Kotalik signing, the only price Sather would pay for Zherdev is $20. In all likelihood, the Ukrainian winger will be offered more than that, and his short tenure in New York will end.

Joba Rules part III

I now declare the Joba as a starter vs. reliever debate officially dead. Chamberlain (7-2) threw perhaps his best game as a starting pitcher tonight, going eight innings while not allowing a run, and leading the Yankees to a 6-2 victory over the Rays. For his third consecutive outing, Joba showed great command, surrendering just three singles as he struck out five and walked only two batters.

As Joe Girardi said in the post-game, Joba was crisp. He and Posada had great chemistry all game, and worked quickly together. Chamberlain was so effective because he got strike one, and was also not predictable in his approach. He was strong throughout the game, and was still hitting 95 mph on the gun in the eighth inning. Chamberlain didn't have one trouble inning. The fifth was the only inning the Rays had two runners on base against him, when he walked his only two batters. Over his last three starts, Joba is 3-0, with a 0.84 ERA. On the season, he is now 7-2 with a 3.58 ERA. He also improved his road record to 5-0 this season.

The offense was equally as impressive as Chamberlain was tonight. The Yankees built a 2-0 lead on Mark Teixeira's run-scoring single in the first and a single, double and Robinson Cano's RBI grounder in the fourth. Teixeira and Melky Cabrera hit solo homers in the eighth. Teixeira and Jorge Posada also had RBI singles for the Yankees, who have 11 of 13 games coming out of the All-Star Break. Cano grounded out to drive in a run in the fourth inning, then hit his 16th homer of the year in the sixth for a 3-0 lead against Matt Garza (7-8).

Back to the man of the hour. For his third consecutive start, Joba showed the type of consistency Yankee fans have been looking for. With this three start stretch, Chamberlain is firmly entrenched as a starting pitcher, and right now if the Yankees were to enter the playoffs, he would be their #3 behind C.C Sabathia and A.J Burnett. The All-Star Break must have really done something for Joba's psyche. Remember, in his three starts before the break, Joba allowed 16 earned runs. He used the break to go home to Nebraska, where he didn't think about pitching for awhile. Clearly, the time off rejuvinated him.

The bombers have now won 24 of their last 31, and are now 23 games above .500 at 62-39, their best record of the season. With Oakland's 8-5 win over Boston tonight, New York extended their lead in the AL East to 3 1/2 games. The Yankees continue their nine game road trip tomorrow. They head to Chicago to open up a four game set with the White Sox. Andy Pettitte (9-4) is set to start against youngster Gavin Floyd (8-6).

Tidbits:

• Chien-Ming Wang had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his injured right shoulder in Birmingham, Alabama. Good riddance.
• New York is 6-5 against Tampa this year. The two teams do not meet again until September 7-9 in the Bronx.
• It was great seeing George Steinbrenner at the game and in the clubhouse tonight. Girardi and many of the players said it was great for himself and all the guys to see him, and that they want to keep their recent surge going for George.

(AP Photos/Mike Carlson)

Mets Blank the Rockies for 4th Consecutive Win

The Mets silenced Colorado's bats for a 4-0 win to increase their winning streak to four games. Mike Pelfrey (8-6) was dominant on the mound tonight, mixing in a 96 mph fastball with great curveballs and sliders, to earn his 8th win of the year with 6.1 innings of shutout ball and five strikeouts. He improved to 3-1 in his career against the Rockies, and he's only allowed six earned runs in 23 innings against them.

Pelfrey's performance was enormous for the Mets tonight because they need someone to step up behind Johan Santana and become consistently reliable on the mound every fifth day. With two very good outings in a row, Big Pelf seems like he could find a groove the second half of the year if he can throw mid to high 90's and mix in his secondary pitches. In previous outings he has had trouble preventing that one bad inning. Tonight he found himself on the ropes in the fourth and the sixth, but got Clint Barmes out in both instances to escape from those situations.

Besides a stellar performance on the mound, the Metropolitans also had a strong offensive attack for the fifth straight game. New York put runs up in three consecutive innings, starting in the second with a Jeff Francoeur RBI single. Luis Castillo continued his hot hitting with an RBI single in the third, and a Brian Schneider sac fly in the fourth put the Mets up 3-0.


The Mets got an insurance run in the 8th, amid some controversy when Daniel Murphy singled to center. Colorado CF Dexter Fowler made an outstanding throw to home on one bounce, and catcher Chris Iannetta clearly tagged out Castillo before he touched home, but home plate umpire Larry Vanover called him safe. Rockies manager Jim Tracy came out to argue right away and was ejected from the game. While the Mets caught a huge break and the extra tally helped them out, since Francisco Rodriguez did not have to close the deal in the ninth, the call was definitely wrong. I have not seen umpires blow so many calls in all my years of watching baseball. I know everyone makes their mistakes, but these guys are out of position way too many times when making these calls. Vanover was standing behind the catcher on the first base side when he should have been more behind the plate.

Tidbits:

• The Mets improved to 48-51 on the season, and they are now 5.5 games behind the Rockies in the wild card hunt.
• New York improved to 20-2 since 2003 against the Rockies in Flushing and have swept them every year at home in that span except for 2005 and 2007.
• This is the first time in a while Pelfrey's velocity was over 95 mph, and he also had a really nice late drop on his curveball.
• Jeremy Reed was picked off the bases between 3rd and home when trying to execute a double steal after Angel Pagan took 2nd base with two outs in the 7th. Mets play-by-play broadcaster Gary Cohen rightfully criticized Reed for making a terrible base running decision.
• Jeff Francoeur was hit on the right hand in the 6th inning by Jason Marquis but stayed in the game. He had a huge bruise on his left hand, but luckily the ball did not hit his wrist.
• David Wright hit a ball to dead center field that hit off the wall right in front of the apple for a double. If he hit it three feet more in either direction, it would have been a homer. This is the second time in three games Wright was robbed of a home run by hitting the ball to center field, which also happened in Houston on Sunday because of the hill in center.
• The Mets go for five in a row tomorrow at 7:10 PM when Johan Santana opposes Jason Hammel. Santana did not pitch against the Rockies last season.

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Rays can't 'shield' Yankees from 10 out of 11

The Yankees hit four homeruns, including two by Nick Swisher, and A.J Burnett (10-4)was dominant once again, as the bombers won 11-4 over Tampa Bay in the first game of a nine game road trip. The Yankees were never really in any trouble in this one. They scored three runs in the second inning off of Rays starter James Shields (6-7), highlighted by a Jorge Posada RBI double, a Robinson Cano RBI triple, and a Swisher RBI groundout. The Yankees made the score 5-0 in the fifth, when Cano and Swisher went back to back, knocking Shields out of the ball game.

At this point the game was over, as Burnett was cruising once again tonight. He went seven strong, struck out five batters, didn't allow an earned run, and walked only two. He got nine swing-and-miss strikes via the fastball, and retired the leadoff man in every inning. Burnett has got to 10 wins for the 5th straight season, and has really been pitching well lately. He is 5-0 with a 2.23 ERA in his last six starts.

The Rays finally scored a couple runs in the 8th, but at that point it didn't matter. It was 7-3 when the top of the ninth started, and the Yankees went on to score four more runs on Swisher's second homerun, and a three run homer by Johnny Damon.

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This is a feel good win if you are a Yankee fan. The offense was clicking, as the team hit four homeruns, and the starting pitching was dominant. Plus, New York beat a division rival on the road. With the win, the bombers are now 7 1/2 games up on the Rays, which is a comfortable sized lead. There seems to be nothing that can slow this ballclub down right now.

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The Yankees improved their record to 61-38, and mantained a 2 1/2 game lead over the Red Sox. Game two of this series is tomorrow night. It's a good pitching matchup featuring a couple of southpaws. C.C Sabathia (10-6) for New York, and Scott Kazmir for the Rays.

(AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Mets fire Bernazard but pick fight with reporter, win third in a row

The Mets put out a fire storm by firing Tony Bernazard. But another one hit the Big Apple when Omar Minaya attacked beat writer Adam Rubin of the NY Daily News. Minaya accussed Rubin of lobbying to land a front office position with the Mets. Rubin felt that Omar meant that he tried to get Bernazard fired, but their is no evidence to support such a claim. Rubin also accurately reported the Bernazard story. There was absolutely no reason for Omar to make a claim like that in front of the media. First of all, again as far as I know, everything was reported with accuracy. Minaya created a public relations nightmare with this - talk radio went beserk after his press conference, and the papers tomorrow will rip him to shreds.

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The only good thing that came out of this press conference is that Minaya did what was necessary in firing Bernazard, who obviously had to go after his behavior in Binghamton, his remarks towards K-Rod, and the lack of class in which he represented the organization. The Mets had an opportunity to save face once they gave Bernazard the pink slip, yet they just made things worse. Now the target is on Omar's back, and if he stumbles again he could be the next one to leave Flushing.

It is tough enough when the team is underachieving, even though the Mets have been decimated by injuries this year. What makes this season worse is the off-field antics. In this case, Minaya acted unprofessional and created another distraction for the team with his actions towards Rubin. He could be upset that Rubin reported the story since he is very good friends with Bernazard, but that doesn't absolve Minaya. If anything, it helps him that Bernazard is gone because there were rumors that Tony had more power than Omar because of his strong relationship with the Wilpons.

I am thrilled that the Mets canned Bernazard, not only because he was a divisive force within the organization, but because of the way he treated the Binghamton Mets, and his poor reputation around the majors was a weak link for the Mets. With the Mets recent track record of not making the right choices in these spots, I thought they were going to keep him around until the end of the season and then make sweeping changes in the front office. New York handled the firing well until the Omar/Rubin confrontation, and the best part was that they didn't announce the move at 3 AM eastern time.

.The Game:

Despite all the controversy, the Mets still had a game to play and a winning streak to build on. They won 7-3 to increase their winning streak to three, and the hero was Fernando Tatis, who smacked a pinch hit grand slam in the 8th inning.

Oliver Perez still struggled by throwing too many pitches and lacking command. 103 pitches in 5 innings, and he has walked at least 4 batters in all his starts since returning from the DL.

Jeff Francoeur has been on a roll since the deal, hitting 3 homeruns and 15 RBI. He went deep again tonight. He has been finding pitches to hit and stroking the ball with authority.

Castillo, Murphy, and Wright continued their hot hitting. The Mets 2B had two more hits today and is doing a great job getting on base. Murphy had an RBI double and he has hit for more power in July with 8 doubles. Wright is starting to come around these last few games, and hopefully a hot Francoeur behind him will give him some pitches to hit.

(AP Photo Rick Silva), (AP Photo Kathy Willens)

Want to know recipe to Yankees success? Look no further than Phil Hughes

He's just 23 years old. He was the Yankees first-round pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. He can throw four pitches, and features a fastball that touches 96 mph, and a devastating knuckle curveball that freezes hitters. This season, Yankee fans are seeing why General Manager Brian Cashman wouldn't trade him in a deal for Johan Santana two offseasons ago. As the Yankees improved their record to 60-38 with their 7-5 win over Oakland today, they don't have to look far to find out one of the main reasons behind their success. Phil Hughes, the reliever.

Two months ago, Yankee fans had never heard of Phil Hughes the reliever. What they had heard of and seen, was Phil Hughes the starter: a 23 year old kid, albeit a very talented one, who was just 8-9 with an ERA over five in 28 career starts. Fast-forward to the present, and as any Yankee fan is well aware, Hughes is not starting right now, but throwing out of the bullpen. So what changed? Well, something happened earlier this year that may have switched the proverbial railroad tracks that represent Hughes' career. Chien-Ming Wang, the once ace of the Yankee staff who won 46 games in 2 1/2 years, returned from the disabled list in late May from hip problems. After making a few appearances in relief, the Yankees announced that Wang would be given his spot back in the starting rotation. Hughes, one of the Yankees top pitching prospects, had been starting in Wang's place. He was just 3-2 with a 5.45 ERA. Rather than go back to AAA to start, Hughes accepted a move to the bullpen in an effort to stay with the big club. "I'll do whatever the team needs," Hughes said. "Right now that's being in the bullpen."

So how's the move working out so far? Here are Hughes' numbers as a reliever this season:
24.1 innings, 2 earned runs, 5 walks, 28 strikeouts , a 0.74 era, and a .145 opp avg. He also has a 24 inning scoreless streak going. In other words, Hughes has been unhitable. Look past the numbers for a second. Hughes looks like a different pitcher on the mound. His velocity is up to 95, 96 mph from the 91, 92 it was as a starter. In terms of his demeanor, Hughes looks as poised and confident as a 10x all-star. He also seems more mature, something Mariano Rivera noted when he spoke to reporters last week.

"It's all about how you take it," Rivera said of moving to the bullpen. "If you feel like you belong in the rotation and you don't want to do it, then it's more emotional. When you are just happy to be in the big leagues and do whatever the team needs you to do, everything will change. That's the attitude he has. Any opportunity to help the team, he'll do it."

The Yankees record from the time before and after Hughes became a reliever also shows the benefits the move has had. Before June 8th, which was Hughes first appearance as a reliever, the bombers were 33-23. Since then, they are 27-15. Not a huge number, but a difference nonetheless. If you're not impressed, check out Mariano Rivera's numbers since Hughes became a reliever. Rivera has allowed one run since Hughes made the switch, (18.1 innings) and has 16 saves in 16 opportunities.

Prior to this June, Hughes and reliever did not belong in the same sentence. At 6-5, 230 pounds, the California native has always been a starting pitcher. Through 2006, in his minor league career, Hughes was 21-7 with a 2.13 ERA in 237.1 innings (45 starts), in which he has averaged 5.7 hits, 2.0 walks, and 10.2 strikeouts per 9 innings. Rated the #2 pitching prospect in the minor leagues for 2007 by Baseball Digest, Hughes made his major league debut on April 26, 2007. He was projected to be a frontline starting pitcher for the Yankees for many years. However, the success Hughes had found in the minor league level did not immediately translate to the show. As a starter from 2007 to early 2009, Hughes made the aforementioned 28 career starts, going 8-9 with an ERA over five.

Why did Hughes struggle as a starter through 28 big league starts? It really isn't a hard question answer: Hughes is still practically a baby, and has only thrown 165 innings in his big league career. Plus, how many established 23 year old starting pitchers do you know? Hughes also missed much of last season with a strained oblique and cracked rib. His 28 big league starts is still too small of a sampling to say that Hughes cannot be the frontline starters the Yankee organization believes he will one day become.

A lot of the credit for Hughes' success as a reliever, as well as that of the whole bullpen has to go to manager Joe Girardi. Remember the bullpen that came out of spring training? It was built around guys like Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, and Brian Bruney. Veras was traded to Cleveland, Ramirez is in the minors, and Bruney is still struggling to find his command off of a DL stint. Now it's built around Hughes, as well as Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke, and of course Mariano Rivera. A lot of credit has to go to Girardi for changing the face of this bullpen, and managing it effectively. Girardi turned what was a weakness at the beginning of the year into a big strength. Hughes has been nothing short of brilliant, and Girardi has a reliable rotation of Coke, Aceves, and Rivera to go along with him. Such a dominant bullpen is why the bombers have won 22 of their last 28, and Hughes is a big part of it.

So has Hughes success as a reliever created a long term debate? For the remainder of this season, it appears Hughes will remain in the bullpen, serving predominately as the 8th inning guy setting up Rivera. The Yankees will tell you that Hughes and Joba Chamberlain are both starting pitchers down the road. I can only nod my head in agreement. Hughes has four pitches that he throws well, and he has the physical and mental makeup to be a dominant starting pitcher. The 'problem,' if we'll even call it a problem, is that Hughes has been so brilliant as a reliever. While this may stir a debate for the fans, the Yankee brass is stone set on reinstating Hughes as a starter next year. Once that happens, it is up to Hughes to throw with the same velocity and toughness that has him blowing away batters as a reliever. I for one, think that he can do that. I am not overly worried that he didn't have the same success as a starter he has now found as a reliever. Again, he is only 23, and it takes time. For now though, lets enjoy the ride Hughes is on this year. Perhaps it will take the Yankees all the way to number 27.

Tidbits from today's game:

• The Yankees won 7-5 against Oakland today, and went 9-1 on their 10 game homestand.
• Derek Jeter went 2-4 with 2 RBI's. He played in his 2,077th game, passing Bernie Williams for fifth in Yankees history.
• The Yankees have won 22 of their last 28 games. With the Red Sox 6-2 loss to the Orioles today, the bombers are 2 1/2 games up in the AL East.
  
• Robinson Cano's three-run double in the first inning gave him 25 on the season. He had only 25 all of last season. He has already matched last seasons homerun total with 14.
• The Yankees have a tough nine game road trip coming up, starting tomorrow in Tampa Bay. Good pitchers duel between A.J Burnett (9-4, 3.74 ERA) and James Shields (6-6 3.70 ERA).
  

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Mets Take the Series in Houston

Where is this offense coming from? After trailing by three after the first inning, the Mets went on to pound the Astros again, and win 8-3. The key for the Mets in this one was surprisingly the offense, which racked up 12+ hits for the third straight game. New York broke through in the 3rd inning with a deep RBI triple to center by Luis Castillo and a David Wright RBI single. Jeff Francoeur tied the game at three later in the inning with a sac fly. Houston starter Brian Moehler started to have trouble commanding his pitches, and he was missing out over the plate when trying to throw inside.

The Mets tacked on two more in the 4th when Angel Pagan hit an RBI triple to deep center, which would have been a home run in most other parks. Castillo then tried a suicide squeeze to get Pagan home, and Moehler made a bad throw to Ivan Rodriguez, enabling Pagan to score to give the Mets a 5-3 lead. Moehler totally rushed the throw to Pudge because he had plenty of time to nab Pagan at home. The Mets got another run in the 8th inning courtesy of the Mets third triple of the game, this time from Jeremy Reed. In the 9th, Wright smoked a deep double up the hill in center field to drive in a run, and then Francoeur followed with an RBI single.

It was great to see the Mets bats come alive in this series, and really important going forward. Castillo was on fire, going 7/12 in the series. Wright seems to be hitting for a lot more power and driving in some runs. Pagan has been a huge force in the leadoff spot, and Francoeur has been on fire since the trade. It seems like all the hitters are looking more confident at the plate. It says a lot that the Mets came in and took this series against a Houston team that just swept the first place Cardinals.

Livan Hernandez pitched seven innings and gave up three runs in the win to improve to 7-5 on the year. He struggled in the first inning by allowing those three runs, but Pagan helped him out by making a great throw to gun down Geoff Blum at home. After that point, Hernandez settled down and allowed only four hits the rest of the way. He did a great job getting ahead of hitters, and the seven strikeouts was a nice surprise.

Tibits:

• The Astros are 12-5 in their last 17 home games, with two of those losses coming this weekend against the Mets
• Francouer has driven in 14 runs in 12 games with the Mets, including four multi-RBI games
• Livan Hernandez has two of the four Mets wins since the break, and has allowed 5 ER in 14 innings post All-Star break
• No home runs for the Mets today, but they did hit three triples. That was without Jose Reyes in the lineup, the triples king.
• If you think hitting in Citi Field is tough, try hitting a ball over 420 feet to dead center field and having to settle for a double, which happened to David Wright in the 9th inning.
• All nine Mets starters had at least one hit in this game.
  

(AP Photos/David J. Phillip)

Nets Interested in Hakim Warrick and Glen Davis

According to the New York Post, the Nets are strongly pursuing Hakim Warrick and Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Warrick played last season for Memphis and was originally a restricted free agent until the Grizzlies rescinded his $3 million qualifying offer. He averaged 11.6 points and 5 boards a game last year in his 4th NBA season. If the Nets can lock him up long term for a cheap annual salary, it would be a smart move. His jumper has improved each season, and he is someone that can run the break with Devin Harris. Warrick is very long, and the Nets need players that can play the 3 and the 4.

New Jersey will have a much tougher time signing Davis because he is a restricted free agent, and Boston will most likely match any offer. There is no way the Celtics would let a valuable player off the bench behind KG leave for a division rival.

The other problems for the Nets are that they already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts, and they are losing a lot of money. I could see Warrick as a strong possibility since a lot of teams are not willing to spend a lot of money. The only thing is the Nets would have to make a deal or a roster move, and they also want to save up for next summer's FA class.

(Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images)

Niese cools down Astros in Texas heat

Jonathon Niese did not need a ton of run support tonight because he just pitched that well in the Mets 10-3 win in Houston. But it did not hurt to have all that offense in his first major league outing since May. The lefty pitched seven strong innings and allowed one run while earning his first win of the year to improve to 1-0.

Niese did a fantastic job changing the eye levels of hitters with his fastball and mixed in a huge curveball to keep guys off balance. He looked a lot more confident on the mound than he did last year. It also helped that he got a lot of ground ball outs and some key double plays.


The Mets offense heated up in the hot Texas weather by torching Astros starter Russ Ortiz early. The Metropolitans scored three times in the first courtesy of a Daniel Murphy RBI double, Jeff Francoeur sac fly, and Cory Sullivan RBI single. They got three in the fifth with an absolute monster blast off the bat of Francoeur, and David Wright finally went deep in the 9th for a solo shot. Ortiz has historically struggled against the Mets, and they got to him early and often in this one before he was pulled in the fifth inning.

Murphy and Francoeur are really hitting the ball well lately, and hopefully their success will help Wright see some better pitches to hit. Francoueur especially looks very comfortable in his short time as a Met. New York has hit three homers in this series, and I am glad they will not go homer-less in their lone Minute Maid visit this season. Just a few weeks back, the Mets failed to hit a HR in a three game set at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, which is a hitter's band box.

Tidbits

• Jeff Francoeur is 15/45 with 2 HR and 12 RBI since coming over to the Mets
• David Wright hit his first HR since June 30 in Milwaukee
• Jonathan Niese earned his 2nd career win and was lights out in AAA Buffalo before his call up
• All of the Mets regulars had hits except for Alex Cora and Niese
• This is the second game in a row where the Mets had over 10+ hits

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Morris Signs with Boston, Rangers Still Have Holes to Fill

The New York Rangers still could use a veteran defenseman who can play the point, but they will need to look outside of their organization. Derek Morris, who New York traded Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes, and Dmitri Kalinin to Phoenix for in March, has signed a 1 year/$3.3 million deal with the Bruins.

Although Morris's agent had said during this offseason that he was in talk with the Rangers about bringing the blueliner back to New York, I did not see that happening. Morris did not play nearly as bad as Kalinin, the guy he essentially replaced, but he still did not play that great (0 G, 8 A in 18 games, 0 G, 2 A in 7 playoff games). He failed to give a big boost to the Rangers power play by playing the point, which is still a big hole going into next season. Morris didn't fit the bill for what the Rangers need, and he also was going to make around what he made last year which was $.3.95 million. $3.3 million is a tad bit less, but still far more than the cap conscious Rangers could afford.

The way that I see it, the Rangers have two positions they need to fill for next season. One is a veteran d-man who can play the point, and as I noted in a July 14th post:

"A possible option to replace Morris is the soon to be 39 year-old Sergei Zubov. The longtime Star looks to be leaving Dallas after an injury-plagued season which saw him play only ten games. It is believed that Zubov will be fully healthy by the start of next season after coming off of a season-ending surgery in January for chronic hip problems. His age and recent injuries should drive his price down, and the Rangers are rumored to be very interested in him. Zubov can provide a veteran presence and scoring ability, although nobody should expect him to play like he did for the Blueshirts in the 1994 playoffs with nineteen points in twenty-two games. As long as Zubov is truly healthy, it can't hurt for New York to sign him to a low-price 1-year contract."

The Blueshirts also need a center. After losing Scott Gomez, Lauri Korpikoski, and most likely Blair Betts, their center depth chart is looking like: Brandon Dubinsky- 1st Line, Chris Drury- 2nd Line, Artem Anisimov (a rookie)- 3rd Line, Brian Boyle/Tyler Arnason (whoever impresses more in camp,preseason)- 4th Line.

This is not good. Anisimov may not be able to handle centering the third line at this point in his career, and may need to slide down to the 4th Line. That means Chris Higgins, who is more of a winger than center, may have to fill that spot.

Many fans and writers think the Rangers should go out and sign a top tier center to anchor Marian Gaborik's line instead of Dubinsky, but I think Duby showed during his time playing next to Jaromir Jagr, that he can successfully center a star winger. Instead, New York needs to sign a capable center who can also play wing for around $2 million, so that if Anisimov cannot handle 3rd line duties, he can step in.

Juice Shortage for Mets at Minute Maid Park

Once again the New York Mets fail to hit in the clutch. The Mets dropped their third game in a row with a 5-4 loss to the Houston Astros tonight. The offense pounded out 13 hits but couldn't get the big one when they needed to. The Mets left two runners on in four different innings, and Jeff Francoeur was thrown out at the plate in the 7th inning. New York had a great chance to tie the game in the 8th inning with two runners on, but Angel Pagan hit a sac fly and Luis Castillo lined out to left field. Every Mets starter had at least one hit except for Johan Santana. It was disappointing the Mets could not get to ex-Met Mike Hampton because they worked him hard and had a lot of base runners on.

Santana was whacked around in suffering the loss, and fell to 11-8 on the season. He gave up 12 hits, which is the most he has allowed this year. He was constantly leaving the ball up in the strike zone. While he was still able to pitch into the 7th despite not having his best stuff, he did not make the key pitches in big spots. He allowed a home run to Mike Hampton, and while you never want to let the pitcher homer off you, it is very easy to hit long balls in that band box. Hampton has smacked 16 home runs in his career, but never hit one when he was a Metropolitan. His blast in the 4th gave Houston a 3-1 lead. Then right after the Mets tied it up the next half inning, Chris Coste hit a two run double to give the Astros the lead for good.

Since the offense has struggled and four runs is actually a lot for the Mets these days , this was a game where Johan needed to come out and stop the bleeding. The Mets gave him a lead in the first, and even with his struggles, Santana gave the lead right back to the Astros in the 5th after the Mets tied the game at three. I know Johan has pitched very well this year despite a rough stretch in June. However, with the way the Mets have played, he needs to be near perfect for this team to win games and tread water. The losses mounting has to be tough for a club that has endured so much, but the Mets are just not making the plays that are necessary in the clutch.

Tidbits:

• The Mets have now lost 7 of their last 9 at Houston, including a three game sweep last year.
• This is the first time since July 5th at Philadelphia that Santana allowed a run in one of his starts.
• Omir Santos snapped out of a slump with a 3/4 performance, including a homerun.
  
• Luis Castillo was 3/3 from the right side, and 0/1 from the left side. He really looked good up at the plate, and he has a much better stroke batting righty since he does not slap the ball.
• John Maine's right shoulder was bothering him after pitching in a simulated game on Tuesday. He will seek a second opinion with Dr. James Andrews this week, which is never a good sign for a pitcher.

(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Joba Rules...Again

The Indians can keep Cliff Lee if Joba Chamberlain (6-2) pitches the way he has his last two outings. After allowing one run in 6 2/3 with eight strikeouts against the Tigers on Sunday, Joba looked even more impressive tonight against the A's. The young righty went seven innings, allowed just one run on two hits, and struck out six batters. In doing so, he lowered his ERA to 3.86. Oh by the way, The Yankees won the game 8-3 for their eighth consecutive win coming out of the All-Star Break.

This game was a lot closer than the final score indicates, just 2-1 heading into the eight inning. Heres how the Bombers got things started: the Yankees scored two runs in the third, highlighted by a Derek Jeter RBI single and a Johnny Damon fielder's choice. The Bombers tacked on another run in the fifth and six innings, off another Damon fielder's choice and a Hideki Matsui RBI groundout, respectively.

The key inning in this game was the fifth though. With the score only 2-1 in favor of New York, Oakland threatened by putting runners on second and third with one out. Joba then struck out the next two batters, Mark Ellis and Eric Patterson on two filthy sliders. Joba then gave his infamous fist pump, before heading back into the dugout. The Yankees would then blow this game open in the 8th, scoring four runs. The inning was higlighted by a Jorge Posada solo bomb to leftfield, and a couple more RBI singles from Jeter and Damon. The homerun was Jorgy's 13th of the season.

Cruise control is the only way to describe the Yankees right now. They have won 8 games in a row to start the second half, and remain 2 1/2 games up on the Red Sox in the AL East. Andy Pettitte (8-5) will try to make it nine tomorrow. The lefty is coming off one of his stronger starts of the year, when he went past seven innings and allowed just one run against the Orioles on Monday.

Back to Joba. I said after his last start that the important thing for him was stringing good starts together. With his performance tonight he did just that. Joba went deep into the game, keeping his pitch count low, and attacking the A's hitters. He was throwing first pitch strikes, and not getting deep into counts. Everytime Joba has a start like this, it will silence the Joba to the bullpen talk even more. If Joba can get on a roll now, the Yankees will have the deepest starting rotation in baseball. Even more importantly, they will have a 23 year-old who is perhaps poised to finally put it all together.

Tidbits:

• The Yankees have won eight straight games out of the All-Star Break. Interestingly enough, they did the exact same feat last year. Also in 2007, they won their first six out of seven post break.
• Johnny Damon had three RBI's tonight on just one hit. Two fielder's choices accounted for the other two.
• New York is 4-0 against Oakland this year.
• What was up with Oakland Starter Brett Anderson (5-8) in the dugout tonight? Everytime the cameras were on him, he looked spaced out, or was playing with his necklace like he had OCD. Weird. The 21 year-old lefty certaintly has talent though. He came into this game with a 21 inning scoreless streak.

(AP Photos/Frank Franklin II)

Ratner could be looking to sell Nets

According to the NY Post, Bruce Ratner is investigating the feasibility of selling the New Jersey Nets. This despite a very poor seller's market. Sources claim that Ratner still wants any owner to continue progress towards moving the team to Brooklyn, and he still wants a minority share in the team. The Brooklyn investor bought the Nets for $305 million in 2004, but they have struggled mightily and had a sharp 29% drop in attendance this past season.

Faced with mounting financial losses, the Nets are cutting costs this offseason. They have reduced their office workforce by approximately 25 percent. Most non-basketball employees have faced Friday furloughs in the summer, reducing their pay by 20 percent. The Nets also dealt away Vince Carter on a draft night trade, their most expensive player, to the Magic to lower their payroll for prospective buyers.

According to Nets CEO Brett Yormark, "We have recieved interest from potential investors in the team. That interest is growing as it is clear that we are moving to Brooklyn. Our ownership group is as committed as ever to the success of the Nets and to the Barclays Center."

I think Ratner should sell the team to someone who wants to keep it in New Jersey. I have never supported the move to Brooklyn. The Prudential Center would be a perfect fit for the Nets, and be a good thing for the city of Newark. The Nets are playing two preseason games at the Rock this year, and Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek has told the Nets they can gladly join the Devils in Newark longterm. Newark also has a large population and great public transportation, which would help spur ticket sales.

The Brooklyn idea is just not smart because New York is a Knicks town. If people from Brooklyn wanted to go to a game, they would go to the Garden to see the Knicks, especially if money was close for tickets. Ratner is just sabotaging the Nets right now because he is trying to get an arena plan passed that costs way too much money. The team is a lame duck right now at the Izod Center because people do not want to see a team that could be out the door.

(Photo courtesy of NJ.com)

Islanders Sign Biron, DP Continues to Slide in the Depth Chart

"Adding Marty gives us three bona fide No. 1 goalies. We learned about the importance of stability in our lineup from last year and he now allows us to have another quality starter." -New York Islanders General Manager Garth Snow

That is the formal way of backing the Islanders signing of Martin Biron (29-19-5, 2.76 GAA for Flyers last year) to a 1 year/$1.4 million deal.

What Snow really meant was:

"Adding Marty gives us three former No. 1 goalies. We learned over the last few years that Rick DiPietro should never be counted on to play more than 5 games in a season. Biron, and the recently signed Dwayne Roloson, should account for the other 77 games in net during the 2009-2010 campaign. Biron and the 40 year-old (in October) Roloson should combine for the best goalie duo out on the island since 2001-2002 when I went 10-7-2 and Chris Osgood went 32-25-6. It won't make a difference anyway, as our team will still come in last in the Atlantic Division during the upcoming season. Hopefully Biron still has a few quality years left in him, and can anchor us in a few years when we may make the playoffs. I hope he likes Kansas City barbecue. Who knows-maybe DP realizes that we are fed up with his injuries and are replacing him with a solid player instead of a random guy from Bridgeport, and will stop getting hurt."

Mets Hit Rock Bottom in D.C.

The Mets came into Washington with hopes of getting back on the right track by beating up on the worst team in baseball. They had just lost three out of four in Atlanta while scoring nine runs in four games, and facing a Nationals team that was just swept by the Cubs. After scoring one run in the last two games of the series, the Mets are at the lowest point they have been all season, and you can throw in the off-field antics as well.

Everyone thought this would be the Mets' time to get things going again. I was at Nationals Park for the games on Monday and Tuesday, and everything got off to a great start in the opener Monday night. The Mets took advantage of J.D. Martin making his MLB debut and scored five runs in the first two innings, which was also more than half the amount of runs New York scored in four games against the Braves. Livan Hernandez pitched seven strong innings and put to rest any rumors of losing his spot in the rotation in a 6-2 win.

I knew Tuesday's game was going to be tough for the Mets since Long Beach, NY native John Lannan had pitched very well over his last few starts. With the Mets inability to score runs coupled with the chance that Oliver Perez could self destruct at any time, New York needed to have a good plan of attack against Lannan. Perez did not pitch poorly, but walked two in the 4th which led to two Nats runs, and he also hit a batter and walked one in the 5th that led to two more Washington tallies. While he was not hit hard, it is unacceptable to walk six batters in a start, and Perez cannot afford to be giving out free passes to hitters like Austin Kearns. He had pretty good command of his fastball, but his slider and other off speed pitches were all over the place.

Lannan was excellent in the 4-0 Nats victory. He threw 80 strikes out of 106 pitches and did not walk a batter in a complete game shut out. There is no doubt he pitched a great game, but the Mets hitters do not foul off enough pitches and have trouble making pitchers work. With all the injuries, a lot of the Mets are very easy outs right now like Brian Schneider, Fernando Tatis, Alex Cora, and Omir Santos. Even David Wright has a poor approach at the plate because he always takes the first pitch, and then he gets in a hole and has to swing at a pitcher's pitch.

The Metropolitans ran into another hot pitcher in Craig Stammen on Wednesday night. The righty stifled the Mets bats over seven and a third innings of work by only allowing one run. Mike Pelfrey bounced back from a rough start to pitch very well (7 innings, 3 ER), but it was not enough since the Mets offense was dead once again in the 3-1 loss. Only four hits for the Mets, including a Pagan triple that led to the lone run because of a throwing error by Christian Guzman. Luis Castillo was tossed in the second inning for arguing about whether he had full control of a ball on a throw from Wright, which he indeed did bobble. When you have as many runs as ejections, something is wrong.

The Mets scored five runs in the first two innings of the series, but they then went on to muster only one run in the next 25 innings. Pitiful. This was their chance to make a statement that they were still alive in the NL East and Wild Card races. They failed to get the big hits and rattle some young pitchers, and struggled to make big pitches in key moments.

Now the Mets enter an eight game stretch where they play in Houston for four games, a place where they never play well. Then they face the Rockies for four at Citi Field. Both of those teams have been very hot, and New York will be lucky to win one game in each series. Their pitching is just not good enough right now to carry them because of their anemic offense. The Mets have hit one home run in six games since the break. No one on the staff is consistently sharp, except for Johan Santana.

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You never want to close the door on the season near the end of July, but the Mets look done. By the time everyone returns from injuries, it will probably be too late to make a run, especially with the Phillies playing so well. I know the Mets blew a seven game lead with 17 to play in 2007, so we know anything is possible. The unfortunate thing is I just have not seen the fight, urgency, and any clutch play out of this team at all. They go through the motions night in and night out, and they continue to play a losing brand of baseball.

(Photos Courtesy of myself, David Suntup)

In case you missed it

Islanders owner Charles Wang was in studio with WFAN's Mike Francesa this afternoon. Of course the main topic was The Lighthouse Project, which has been hotly debated out on the Island. Wang said the project will cost an estimated $3.7 billion. There is a big vote coming up on October 3rd, which will decide if this project will get the go-ahead. You can listen to the audio here.

Zajac Signs Multiyear Deal to Stay in Garden State

The New Jersey Devils avoided a salary arbitration hearing and signed center Travis Zajac to a multiyear contract. The terms of the deal are currently undisclosed.

After a promising rookie year in which the former first round draft pick contributed 17 goals and 25 assists, Zajac dissapointed in 2007-2008 with only 14 goals and 20 assists. Coming into the 2008-2009 season, many Devils fans believed that Zajac's rookie year was a fluke, but he proved them wrong by scoring 20 goals and adding 42 assists. He also had a team leading +33 in +/-.

Zajac joins star Zach Parise as the young core of a New Jersey team surrounded by veterans such as Patrik Elias, Brian Rolston, Dainius Zubrus, and Jamie Langenbrunner. Hopefully for the Devils, Zajac will prove that his 2007-2008 campaign was the fluke, and will continue to improve his numbers.

Zajac has a lot of potential, and it was a no-brainer for New Jersey to re-sign him. He has a lot of upside and I'm sure he did not cost a whole lot.

(Update: Deal is for 4 years at $15.55 million)

Even more of a Mess off the Field

The Mets play on the field has been shoddy. Things off the field have also been very troublesome. That's because Mets VP of player development Tony Bernazard challenged players on the Binghamton Mets, New York's Double- A team, to a fight after a 1-6 July home stand a few weeks back.

One player that he really scolded was Mets middle infielder Jose Coronado, even going as far to call him a derogatory term that is used towards women. One AL Insider said, "That's an all-timer if true." Players will always have their ups and downs, and it is tough to be fully focused for 162 games a year. However, Bernazard clearly crossed the line if he indeed called Coronado an inappropriate name.

Another thing that really lit the fuse under Bernazard was the alleged underage drinking problems among the players. It is understandable why the 52 year old would be frustrated about that, especially if it hinders the B-Mets ability to win, but there are certain ways to handle specific situations. He should have had someone talk to the players about behavior and work ethic. Remember, a lot of these players did not go to college and are coming straight out of high school. They do not get the chance to grow up and learn how to take care of themselves, so there is definitely a lack of responsibility in some players.

There are also rumors that Francisco Rodriguez had a confrontation with Bernazard on the team bus, of which Rodriguez verified the other day. Bernazard also reportedly got into a confrontation with an Arizona Diamondbacks scout who was sitting in his seat at Citi Field. He got angry when the scout would not leave the seat Bernazard wanted to sit in, and he cursed him off in front of other scouts. The lack of professionalism on Bernazard's part if definitely mind boggling and represents the organization in a poor manner. An unnamed Met also said recently that "this guy is crazy and a cancer. A lot of us don't even like him."

This is something that Omar Minaya will have to handle quickly and decisively, and he must take these allegations very seriously. Minaya responded by telling the Daily News that, "I know he did have a team meeting with them. "It was not a 'you-guys-have-been-great meeting.' I know he spoke to them in a stern voice. But as far as what he was wearing, what kind of shoes he was wearing, I don't know anything about that."

I know he could not say much, but there is a huge difference between a stern voice and a profanity laced tirade. Omar needs to do a better job here, rather than play with words. Bernazard is supposed to be Minaya's subordinate, and all of these antics reflect poorly on Minaya, upper management, and ownership.

Bernazard also had issues with Carlos Delgado back in the 2005 offseason when the Mets were courting him. He also has been blamed for Willie Randolph being fired last season, and when he was asked about that last month, he declined comment and had the reporter removed from the field. You can read up on that courtesy of Mets Blog.

It's pretty ironic that few months ago, Bernazard was being considered as a candidate for the Mariners vacant GM position and now he is stuck in the middle of a controversy. Besides the fact that the minor league system which Bernazard is supposedly in charge of has failed to produce quality major league talent, his antics should be the last straw in removing this divisive force from the organization. It is wrong to not only have people that cannot be successful in their role, but also people that do not represent the team with class and integrity. Enough is enough.

AP Photo/Rick Silva

Yankees rolling with sweep of the O's

The Yankees woke up today in sole possession of first place, and they will go to bed still atop the Red Sox in the AL East. The Yankees won 6-4 at the stadium today, behind another strong effort from A.J Burnett (9-4). The righty went seven innings, allowed just two runs and struck out six. He went into the seventh inning with a shutout, and is now 7-2 with a 2.31 ERA in his last 10 starts.

The bombers never looked back after scoring four runs in the first inning off of Orioles' starter Jason Berken (1-8). Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher each had two run singles that accounted for the four runs. Jorge Posada tacked on a run in the third inning, with a solo homerun, his 13th off the season. Posada also brought in the 6th Yankee run, when he doubled in Rodriguez in the bottom of the 8th.

The Orioles tried to stage a rally in the 9th, when Adam Jones and Nick Markakis hit back-to-back homeruns off of reliever Brian Bruney, but then Mariano Rivera came in for a one out save. It was Mo's 28th save in 29 opportunities this season.

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The Yankees seem to be playing their best ball of the season, as they have opened up the second half of the season having won six games in a row. Even Sergio Mitre, who was called up from AAA and hadn't won a game in two years after undergoing Tommy-John Surgery, got into the mix yesterday with his 6-4 victory. Manager Joe Girardi shared those sentiments, saying this after the game:

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"It's the best we've been and we need to continue that. We need to continue to grind out these games," Girardi said. "It has been very professional the way these guys have gone about their business. Every day you come in and expect to win."

The Yankees are now 20 games over .500 at 57-37. They are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East. New York opens up a four game home series with the Oakland Athletics tomorrow. C.C. Sabathia (9-6) will take the mound. In his last two starts against the Orioles, Sabathia is 2-0, has allowed one run in 16 innings, and has struck out 15 batters.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)