F*&! Joe Torre: HEY, ACTUAL RESEARCH!

F*&! Joe Torre

Since Joe Torre breaks our hearts, this blog will break his balls. Every day of the season I will detail the errors, misjudgements, and omissions that make him the most overrated manger in the history of the game (even more than Tommy Lasorda!). But Joe Torre is not just one bum in hero's clothing (i.e. the pinstripes); he is the quintessential counterfeit of excellence, a figure who embodies the triumph of the ersatz that pervades every aspect of our culture. No organization in sport, nay in civilization generally, has manifested a committment to continuing greatness like the New York Yankees, a beacon to all, in every field of endeavor, that the best is always possible. How intolerable is it then that the Yankees should be managed by a mediocrity on stilts, a figure with a reputation for greatness without any of the attributes thereof. Beginning with Torre and ending with Torre, this blog will look to smash idols we create out of inadvertence, ignorance, and complacency.

Friday, June 01, 2007

HEY, ACTUAL RESEARCH!

If you check out the Yankees' minor league system, you can find out some interesting things. For example, noone on Trenton can hit and yet they are 5 games clear in first place. At AAA Scranton, Andy Phillips is hitting 324, with a 900 OPS and is now a second baseman (2 different guys named Duncan, Eric and Shelley, share first). For his part Kevin Thompson is only hitting 260, with a 733 OPS. So why not bring up Phillips instead of Thompson. Well, there's the position thing. With Damon going to DH, they probably need the extra outfielder (and Kevin Reese is hitting 220 at Scranton). But I say, why not bring up both of them. With Giambi going down and Abreu not hitting, the feebleness of the Yankees bench is a bigger and bigger problem--Nieves, Manky, and Cairo (.135) are just terrible. Send either Cairo or Manky down, preferably the latter, and bring Phillips up. Listen, this team is so fucking left-handed you really don't need to platoon just to get another one in the line-up. And nothing about Manky's defense has been sufficiently spectacular to make up for his automatic out status. We all knew the Manky acquisition was dreadful when it happened--another Cashboy bungle--and it has only become more obvious with time. With the Yankees having to worry about run production, they can't afford to leave their most successful minor league bat down on the farm.

1 Comments:

Anonymous said...: Was I dreaming, or did the Yankees have a shot at signing Mark Loretta to play first, but chose Manky instead?

Anyway, that's really interesting about Phillips now playing second. A great excuse to kick Cairo to the curb and possibly improve the bench. it's a shame that Damon's legs are so bad--because this could have been a great chance to ease Matsui into the full time DH role that he should occupy. What about moving Damon to left and putting Melky in center? Damon's arm will be less of a liability there, and his (when healthy) speed will be good in Yankee Stadium's LF. Maybe next season, we could have a decent OF--Damon LF, Melky CF, and Thompson RF?

Of course, I wouldn't mind seeing juan rivera back. a productive hitter with a strong arm. Giambi is from southern CA, and will be a career DH, so he has to stay in the AL--can you imagine an offseason deal of Giambi to the Angels that might involve Rivera and some pitching prospects? The Yankees can't beat the Angels anyway; so why worry about giving a quality player to them?; 12:50 PM