Whew! It's been many moons since I last posted a Top Ten Tuesday on the proper day (or at all), but for once I am here, coming atcha with some sweet Top Ten action.

The season is quickly getting closer to the finish line - the Yanks will play their 100th game tonight - and they're still rotting in the third place hole in the division. They've got a 4.5 game deficit to surmount and not much time to do it; they're going to need to really get things together to blaze ahead of the Rays and Sox. The problem? They've got a lot of holes in the roster at this time and often seem to be hanging on by a thread. I've got a few thoughts on what they'll need to do during these last few months in order to make it to the playoffs... ready?

Top Ten Things the Yanks NEED if They Want to Make it Back to the Playoffs:

10) Jeter needs to get his average and OBP up. He's hitting well, but not as well as he usually does. Perhaps I'm being a bit greedy expecting him to hit over .300 again, but it sure would be a help.
9) They've still got 9 games to go against the Sox, and big wins would not only boost their spot in the standings (obv) but provide a hearty dose of confidence and momentum - beating the Sox always does.
8) They've also got 6 more games to play against those devilish Rays, and those are going to be must-win contests.
7) The offense needs to produce big time when the "filler starters" - Sir Sidney and Rasner - take the mound. Both of them are decent pitchers and can certainly keep the team in the game so long as the bats show up. Each of them is likely to give up at least 3 runs in the 6 innings they last each time they pitch, which puts a little extra pressure on the offense.
6) Keep hitting, Cano!
5) The bottom third of the order is currently pretty weak, with Melky, Gardner and Jo-Mo (see #2), and that's a pretty big issue at the moment. Everyone seems to think Gardner has the potential to hit a lot better than he has been (.170/.237/189) and Melky has shown glimmers of what he's capable of, but methinks it's unlikely those three will be even close to as productive as the top 6 in the lineup. If they can just get their collective average up to even .250 it would be a big improvement. The team can't win consistently with three automatic outs at the bottom of the lineup.
4) The bullpen has been surprisingly incredible - lights out, in fact - of late, and while I doubt they can keep their ERA under 2.00 for long, if they can just stay healthy and pitch at a 3.00 clip, the Yanks should be able to provide enough run support to hang onto their leads (or mount a comeback when they're behind).
3) Jo-Mo is going to need to start hitting. He's awesome behind the plate, throwing out potential steelers at nearly a 50% rate, but a .227 batting average and .266 OBP ain't going to cut it. If he could just get his average up to how Posada was hitting, about .265 or so, he'd actually be an upgrade over the injured Jorgie. Seems unlikely, though. Let's cross our fingers for .240.
2) Can Matsui make it back from the DL? He opted not to have the surgery his docs were advising, which doesn't seem like the best idea - the docs are the pros - but he knows his body and hopefully he can rehab successfully.
1) When Hughsie and/or I-Ken finally claw their way back to the majors, we need a few wins from them. Before they took up residence at the DL Resort and Casino they hadn't managed a single win - that's got to change. They are the ultimate "Get it TOGETHER!" boys.





Smarter.com: Yankees Jackets Yankees Hats Yankees Jerseys MLB Jerseys Baseball Gloves

"Bad news for Posada. He will see Dr. David Altchek tomorrow and may soon have season-ending surgery to repair the torn lambrum in his shoulder. The surgery is such that he may need to get it now to make sure he will be ready for next season.

Posada admitted that he can’t throw and that it has been bothering him all season."

I guess he wasn't doing much for us anyway... Molina has been doing a much better job behind the plate than dear Jorgie and at least he gets hit by pitches.

The trade deadline is just under 11 days away, and there are names aplenty being tossed around as potential acquisitions. Whether the need to make a move is up for discussion - especially because, lest you have forgotten, we've got a couple potentially good starters in Hughsie and I-Ken (we hope) as well as Matso Ball and Damon rotting on the DL - but the question for the day is who they might want if they DO make a move.

Submit your suggestions in the comments, and I'll make sure to let the Steinbrothers and the Cash Man know what we've decided when I have my bi-weekly chat with them tomorrow (obv).

... the Clemens juicing drama heats up again. If anyone isn't sick of it at this point, I fear there may be something wrong with the part of your brain that is supposed to be irritated by fame-hungry people seeking to get their name in the news.

The latest comes courtesy of the man who allegedly shipped Clemens (and others) HGH back in the early 2000's, trainer boy McNameanie's crony and key evidence-giver in the Mitchell Report Kirk Radomski. Captain Kirk told espn.com that he was moving a broken TV in his house the other day and - surprise! - he found a stack of receipts showing he had shipped Clemens HGH right underneath it. He said they prove he sent the stuff to the Rocket in "2002 or 2003," which makes no sense to me - wouldn't a receipt have a date on it? What is this ballparking of the date business? The found receipts also include shipments to other players, but Captain said he couldn't recall to whom he was making those shipments. Again... fishy? If one of the receipts had Clemens name on it, wouldn't it stand to reason that the other receipts would bear the names of the other recipients? Or am I missing something here?

Thank god the All-Star break is finally over. I'm sick of Baseball Tonight discussing this.

ESPN is reporting that the Yanks have a "tentative" deal to bring Richie SexsNO to the Bronx as early as Saturday.

Is he really better than Better Mint? I'm assuming that's whose roster spot will be usurped. He actually hits pretty well against lefties - .344 average this year - which I admittedly did not realize when I first proclaimed my disdain for the very thought of bringing him on the team, so I suppose there is an outside chance that he can do something for the team. They only have to pay him a prorated chunk of the league minimum $390K, so even if he winds up being miserable at least they wont have wasted much dinero on the perdador.

Thoughts?

I know I said yesterday (and last year... and the year before that) that I am not a fan of the All Star Game, but I've got to admit that last night's epic game was quite enjoyable. I watched the whole damn thing and although I did get a little worried about injuries - especially with all that base-stealing and sliding - the excitement of the close game over-rode my worrywart-ness. Here's a little rundown of the highlights (and lowlights!) of the game:

Big Stein aint always a hardass: The pre-game haps were great, particularly seeing The Boss show his tender side with a few tears as he scooted across the field in his souped up golf cart. It's good to get a reminder that at heart he's a huge baseball fan and appreciates both the game and the people that have made an impact on it.

Ugly Uggla: My heart goes out to the poor sap, who made 3 errors in the game and didn't do anything at the plate, either. It was reportedly his dad's dream to see his boy play at Yankee Stadium, and it seemed like the he just couldn't handle the pressure. I have a feeling he shed more tears than Stein back in the clubhouse.

Loserbon: Is it wrong that I was rooting for Papelbon to blow it? After reading what he said about having "earned" the closer role just as much as Mo I was positively giddy with glee when he when he didn't pitch perfectly.

Can't hate on you, Drew: I'll give credit where credit is due, even to a Sox (Sox?). Thanks for your hard work and congrats on the MVP - you deserve!

Wait! What about Sherrill? The O's pitcher got the AL team out of a bases loaded jam and went a season high 2 2/3 solid innings. Can we give him a mini-mvp?

What gives, NL? I'm glad the AL won of course, but come on now. This is getting pathetic.

Twas more fun than I'd anticipated, but I'm glad its over. Is it Friday yet?

It may be break time, but poor A-Rod doesn't get a breather from all the divorce and cheating chatter. I hate to sink to the level of Madonna-photo-toting "fans"... But there's not much else to discuss until the game is over tonight so I'm going there anyway!

Rodriguez has been hanging out at her [Madonna's] apartment a lot lately. He's leaving by himself as late as midnight. "a source" to US Weekly

Yeah, I read celebrity trash in addition to Dawkins.

At least the Rod should be able to count on a relatively taunt-less evening since the game is in the Bronx - and I can't imagine a person ponying up a grand for the pleasure of watching the cream of the MLB crop play for the final time at Yankee Stadium and caring about anything but the glory of the sport.

Sad news for all of the baseball world today: Bobby Murcer has succumbed to the brain cancer that has been plaguing him for nearly two years.

My thoughts are with his family, and of course all of his many, many fans and supporters. He was known as one of the nicest guys in the game and touched countless people throughout his too-short life.

Read the official Yankees story here.

Ever since the Mariners made the (wise) decision to rid themselves of the dead weight that is Richie Sexson, fans and bloggers have been throwing around the notion that the Bronx would be a grand destination for a player that not even the worst team in the league wanted in their lineup.

I love my fellow bloggers and any Yankees fan is a friend in my book, but I've gotta say: come on, dudes! It's been YEARS since the last time he was decent enough to make a formidable contribution to his team, and his offense this year has been almost as abysmal as his worst-ever season last year. He's hitting just .218 with 11 homers and a .315 OBP in 74 games.

It's not just his weak performance that makes a Yankees signing a ridiculous idea, though. The Yanks simply have no need for him. They have plenty of first base options already and they certainly don't need another DH - much less one that can't get on base to save his life.

Matsui and Damon will be back eventually. The Great Mustachio is doing a fine job over at first base. Wilson Bettermint isn't an offensive powerhouse, but he's a good enough backup for the time being. What would SexsNO bring to the team that they don't already have?

That's not a rhetorical question. Is there something I'm missing?

How is it decided whether an in-progress rainy game will be canceled or just postponed? It is such a bust that the first time the Yanks and Pirates tried to play this game the Yanks were on their way to a win but had to suffer a loss tonight.

The Yanks have been playing so well this week that I nearly forgot that they have enough players staying at the DL Resort and Casino to staff a complete team. Hughsie, Wang and IPK haven't been missed too much thanks to Jobamania, the Moose, the surprisingly good bullpen, and even SiDawg Crosby, but Matsui's and Damon's absence have been noticed. They've scored just 18 runs over the last 6 games, including the game against the Sox in which they got shut down completely, and even though they won 4 of those 6 it was largely due to the pitching - there was no particular offensive free for all going on.

We finally got some updates on those two today. Bad news on Damon, whose delicate shoulder is still too swollen and tender for him to swing a bat, even at a ball on a tee, so we won't be seeing him back anytime soon, an unfortunate turn of events considering the hot year he was having. As for Matso Ball Soup, he's faring only slightly better - he's playing tee-ball down in Tampa already but hasn't graduated to real BP just yet. I can't find any news on actual timelines for returns for either dude, probs because the Yanks just don't know when they'll be healed up enough. For now, we'll have to cross our fingers and hope for a hit or two here and there from Brett Gardner and hope the pitching can keep up the good work.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Ponson!

...The Rays are the team to beat these days.

HUGE win for the Yanks today. The Rays are easily the toughest team to beat this season and the Yanks needed the series win not only to gain some ground in the standings but to prove to themselves (and us) that they've got what it takes to beat the best. The pitching was fantastic this week and while the offense could use a little perking up they still got the job done.

PS: He may have pitched well today, but how long until Ponson gets his DUI ass DFA'd? Anyone up for some betting action?

PPS: No hard feelings, SidDawg. Thanks for a solid 6 today.

Hello and welcome back to the world of YC posts! I am back to attack and here to discuss all the latest and greatest Yanks news once again. I apologize for the lengthy spell of post-less YC - I took a brief detour to the DL Resort and Casino. Twas poor timing, though, as I missed quite a bit of juicy topics about which I could/should have been bloggin'; let me make it up to you by offering up some YC commentary on everything I missed. Ready?
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A-Rod vs Cynthia "Classy Shirt"-Rod: The celebrity drama-loving part of me is relishing every moment and every new allegation of this hoopla, though I do feel badly for the poor sap. Going through a divorce is tough enough, and a public break-up chock full of scandal is sure to mess with ones psyche. I'm having a hard time believing Cynth's claims that A-Dawg has been messing around with the Material Girl, largely because I can't believe that any rational man could be attracted to those mannish biceps the lady is sporting. Have you seen those suckers?!
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Giambino and the 'Stache of Glory: The 80's pornstar 'stache continues to work its magical powers (note to Melky: grow one. Stat) as Giambi lays down base hit after base hit and even manages to not jack up plays at first base. The Yanks bigwigs have taken notice of the power of the facial hair and have launched a "Support the 'Stache" campaign encouraging us all to vote him into the final spot in the All Star Game.

Sidenote: Many thanks to Keith Hernandez and his Just for Men commercials, which have seemingly influenced Giambi to die his formerly blonde mustache a nice rich brown hue.
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Melky still sucks. Sad face emoticon.
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Cano, on the other hand, is heating up: His average over the past 7 games is .346 and the average is up to .252. He's still got a ways to go to boost that average up to the .300 I still think he can hit, but at least he's on his way at last.
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No C.C.: The man I most wanted the Yanks to grab at the trade deadline is off the market and in a Brewers uniform. Perhaps it is for the best though, since he would have been just a half season rental or required some sort of extension, which probably wouldn't have been the best situation given his apparent propensity to overeat and eschew exercise.
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Devilish Rays: The Rays continue to pretty much unstoppable. They've won 8 of their last 10 and worked a 4-game lead in the division (8.5 games ahead of the Yanks!), and at this point in the season the Yanks must be concerned about them. They're going to need a repeat of last year's second half, when they had the best record in baseball, if they want to top these guys and get to the playoffs. They've got a mini-series against them - 2 games - starting today and a sweep would be a good sign and much-needed confidence boost. What dost thou think - can they do it?
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Alrighty YC friends and foes - that does it for the news wrapup. Stay tuned for a Top Ten this evening... or tomorrow.

I mentioned yesterday that Melky has been under-achieving all season (and the second half of last season, if you're counting), and last night he showed us yet again that he's turned into little more than an above-average defensive player without much to offer at the plate. Not only is he not hitting, he's making bad decisions - like opting to swing away and ground into a DP rather than bunting the runner over last night in the bottom of the 9th (although to be fair, that could have been Girardi's stupid call and Melky was just following orders). Lets take a look at some of his numbers:

It's not a pretty picture, folks. With numbers like that, the Yanks can't even consider him to be valuable trade bait; rather than being a key part of an offer to a team he'd probably be considered to be a throw-in with a bigger star or hot prospect(s). The promotion of Brett Gardner leads me to believe that the Yanks are getting good and sick of his continued lack of contributions and are testing out a possible replacement, at least for the short term. If Gardner can get his bat going, expect Melky to be benched for a few games - or shipped off to another team.

It's been several moons since last I updated this bloggity, and for this I wholeheartedly apologize (see how I like to pretend that you care?). I haven't been totally ignoring my team, of course - never! - but it appears as though I've missed a considerable amount of blog-worthy scoop whilst I've been working my little YC heart out and wasting time watching DVR'd episodes of Price is Right. Before I get back into the daily blogging routine I think it'd be a good idea to take a quick gander at what's been going on these past few days, and then we'll be ready to move onward and upward!

Top Ten Yankees News Tidbits

10) Trade rumors surrounding Mr. Sabbathia are still swirling. I still like the idea, though I don't know who I'd be willing to part with - or who the Indians would want. A few mediocre prospects ain't gonna cut it, obviously.
9) Cano appears to be turning a corner at last. He's finally got his average above .240 by hitting .295 during June and .455 in the last 7 games alone. Will he hit .300+ again this season? Probably not, but he'll finish at a healthy .290. Just wait.
8) His BFF, on the other hand... not so hot. The Melk Man hit just .206 in June and simply looks lost at the plate. Good thing he can still make fabulous plays in the field or we'd all be mighty irritated.
7) On that note, if Brett Gardner is effective could he prove to be in direct competition with Melky for a permanent spot in the lineup?
6) No home run derby for A-Rod, which is probably a wise decision. The Yanks couldn't withstand another injury.
5) I-Ken has made some appearances down in minors-ville, but Girardi has assured us that he'll need to "earn" his way back to the Yanks. There is no spot in the rotation reserved for him at the moment and he won't be brought back up until he's proved himself in AAA. Or until Ponson and/or Rasner proves they belong in AAA instead.
4) Sidney Ponson pitched a gem against the Mets on Friday. I can hardly believe I just typed those words. Don't expect a repeat performance, though.
3) Giambi sure is doing his best to make a case for himself to stick around for another year.
2) The Rays are 18 games over .500 and in first place in the division. Are we scared yet? Or at least placing bets?
1) A-Rod and Madonna? Please tell me this is some sort of US Magazine creation. I wont believe it until People confirms it.

Read last week's Top Ten: Weakest Links on the Top Ten Weakest Teams

I mentioned yesterday that now that the season is half over, it's time to re-evaluate the poorly performing players who we'd dubbed as slumpers and consider the fact that perhaps they are simply sucking this season. Since my Top Ten focused only on the losers of the loser-est teams in the league I was not forced to think about the worst players on my dear Yankees, but I think the time has come to discuss whether our own underachievers are mired in a slump or doing some serious sucking.

The two boys who come to mind, of course, are Robby Cano and the Melk Man. The BFFs haven't heated up for more than a couple games at a time all season, and it's getting most frustrating to endure. Cano is hitting a meager .241 and only getting on base 28% of the time, and he's only got a .350 slugging percentage; this is quite the drop when we consider his career his .297, .342., and .307 averages in the previous three seasons. As for Melky, he's hitting slightly better - .254 average and .317 OBP - but he's not doing it when it counts: he's only hitting .239 with runners in scoring position. Between the two of them they've only knocked in 60 runs.

So is it time to file these two under the suck category and accept that we're not going to see much from them in 2008? And if so, does that make them potential trade bait? If they don't start picking it up, I think it's entirely possible that either one of them could be traded - along with some prospects, of course - for a pitcher come July. I'd be very sad to see the dynamic duo seperated (who will drive Melky to the games every day?), but if it means getting a pitcher like C.C. (yes, despite your comments and emails, I'm still rooting for that fatass to slap on some slimming pinstripes), I'd bid one of them adieu with no regrets.