you can't lose em all

The Yankees went off as they will on occasion, winning a game easily and padding their statistics misleadingly. But there were a couple of good signs in ths game and they should be noted. First of all, Mussina had his second straight good outing, which makes four in a row from the top of the rotation. Had they just won those four games, which they should have, they'd be in good shape right now. Second, Cairo laid down a successful sac bunt early in the game and Damon stole a base early in the game, so maybe they'll stop sitting on their hands so much. as for Posada's big day, it makes for a golden opportunity. Trade him now; his value is likely deceptively high.

My proposal for today: when Aaron Small gets healthy, put him back into the rotation. At 10-0 from last year, he should at least be given the chance to fail. What's more, he is crafty enough to be a decent if not outstanding starter, especially if the Yanks hit like they're supposed to. But his stuff is not sufficiently dominating to make him a particularly effective reliever. They might want to send Chacon to the bullpen. Part of his value lies in his versatility, and he has the kind of stuff that could really shut things down mid-game. They need someone like that. You can always bring him back into the rotation when and if Dotel is ready to go. Torre's refusal to trust Small instances another one of his manifold flaws: his addiction to the familiar and the famous (calling Kevin Brown, Bernie Williams, Allan Embry). He's not just a false icon, he's a bit of an iconicity-fucker.