Post-script on Saturday's game

I missed most of the games this weekend; the weather was gorgeous and we had a ton of outdoor activities to attend. I fine trade-off, if I do say so.

As a result, I missed seeing the 9th inning meltdown on Saturday and the comeback win on Sunday. I did, however, hear the cries of "disrespect" being showered down on Girardi as a result of having Mo intentionally walk Evan Longoria.

My two cents: Oh, spare me, will ya?

Yes, Mo wants to attack every hitter. But sometimes, a manager wants to play the odds. That Girardi had Mo walk Longoria intentionally is not disrespectful. It was strategy and while Mo didn't want any part of it, those are the breaks.

"He's pitched Upton tougher than he's pitched Longoria during the course of his career," Girardi said. "That's why I made the move."

That being said, I think the decision to walk a hobbling Longoria was indeed a bad one, but it wasn't disrepectful. There were two outs and Longoria wasn't beating out any throw. But that's secondary to this discussion.

"If it were me, I would have pitched to [Longoria], but I'm not the manager," said Rivera, who yielded an RBI single to Upton that prompted Girardi to pull him. "[Why?] Because that's what I do; I don't go out there to intentionally walk guys.

"I think I have good stuff to get people out, but it's not my decision."

That's right; he's labor, not management. Management makes the decisions for labor to execute. That's just the way it is. We can then look and point fingers at management for making a poor decision, as I think this one was.

The wussing of the pitcher

Scenario: The starting pitcher is cruising in total control, 101 pitches thru 8 innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out 6. But because this pitcher is "just" 23 years old, the manager gives him the hook despite a 11-0 lead.

Believe me, I am all for watching the pitch count and innings count for the younger pitchers, but when any pitcher is on cruise control, and the innings/pitches are not high leverage, high stress sort of pitches, it's gotta be OK for the kid to go for the CGSO. What's another 15 or so pitches when he's just throwing fastballs, pitching to contact to get the last 3 outs?

And the best part: Hughes was PISSED to get the hook:

Phil Hughes wanted no part of the handshake that would end his afternoon, not three outs shy of a shutout. But by that time, there also wasn't a whole lot left to prove.
[...]
"He didn't want to shake my hand -- he wanted to go back out," Girardi said. "I said, 'You know what, you're going to have plenty of time to get complete games.' I understood he was disappointed, because he wants a complete game. But we're looking at him long-term, not just this start."

Attaboy. Just wish Girardi let him go back out there. If he struggled, yank him. But give him the chance.

Yanks hoppin'

Which comes first, the winning or the loose clubhouse? Does one breed the other? Does it matter?

In yet the latest example of the new pie-in-the-face conviviality that has taken hold with the Yankees this season, Joe Girardi's lads Wednesday night held a Kangaroo Court session. It was their first since 1995 when Wade Boggs was the presiding judge and Buck Showalter was the manager.
[...]
However, Damon says, what can not be underscored is that, for the first time in his four years as a Yankee, this is a fun team to be a part of. Eight-game winning streaks - which the Yankees' became with Wednesday night's 11-4 rout of the Baltimore Orioles - can make a guy feel that way. Whether it translates into the championship that has eluded the Yankees since 2000 is another matter.

Togetherness was what Girardi made a point of in spring training when he arranged that surprise "Day at the Pool Parlor." Say this for Girardi, he recognized what guys like Damon are only now willing to talk openly about: The Yankee clubhouse was a joyless place in the latter years of the Joe Torre regime. Part of it was the personnel - how could anyone find any fun being around Kevin Brown? - but a big part of it was the generation gap that existed between Torre and his players.

I've long said I thought the Yanks were "too corporate". I've been looking at other successful clubs of recent vintage (namely the RedSox) and seeing players who seem to genuinely have fun with each other playing this great game and wonder why the Yanks couldn't do that. I don't blame it solely on Torre, but maybe there's something to the impact of Torre and his more stoic nature. Regardless of the reason, I am really enjoying watching a team get close and have fun. Winning does cure ills, but in a long season like this, I do believe it's important to have that comraderie.

Bill Maddon, the author of the above-linked story, gets it (emphasis mine):

"The rules here are much more family oriented now," said Damon,"and that's why you have free agents wanting to come to New York instead of a low-key place."

Funny, I thought it was the money. But there is no question that CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, for all the moolah it took to get them to come here, have had a major influence in changing both the personality of the team and the atmosphere in the clubhouse. Same with Nick Swisher, who was grateful to escape Ozzie Guillen's dog house in Chicago and get traded to the Yankees. In spring training, Sabathia took it upon himself to bring several of his new teammates over to Orlando to take in Magic basketball games, and Burnett has instituted the whipped-cream, pie-in-the-face treatment for the heroes of walk-off wins. Swisher, meanwhile, appointed himself the DJ from the moment he came into the clubhouse and, with Girardi's encouragement, the longstanding Yankee music ban was lifted.

Who knows if this change in team personality will actually result in one additional win or not, but it's good to see the team change from boring, hired guns to a group of guys pulling for one another.

I've gotta believe that this sorta thing will be great for ARod, as the guys will have no problem taking him down a peg or two.

"I took an absolute beating," Alex Rodriguez said, before leaving the clubhouse with his young daughter in his arms. "I think I just barely survived."

I am probably definitely making this to be more than it really is, more than it deserves, but I'm guessing if you ask any Yanks fan over the last decade-plus, they will all* tell you it's good to see the team roll forward and try to develop their own legacy instead of trying to shoehorn themselves into the "dynasty Yanks" from 1996-2000.

* Unless you are a crusty curmudgeon like Mike Franscesa or Murray Chass!

Other recent posts relating to the Yanks' "corporate" atmosphere:

• Reader mail: The "corporate" Yanks
• Huff mocks Joba
• All for one....
• Wishing Baldelli well
• The Art of Over-reaction

Refreshingly honest

Phil Coke was pretty shaky in the ninth last night. So much so that I had to get up three times to look away and distract myself. At least he was refreshingly honest about his first 9th inning experience:

"It's totally, totally different than I imagined it would be," the 26-year-old lefty reliever said of trying to lock down the final outs. "It's not the sixth, seventh or eighth - those are way easier."
[...]
"Mariano's really, really good at it and I'm not very good at it," Coke said. "But at least I got through it and didn't blow it, and I'm quite happy with that. I'm not out there trying to be Mariano Rivera."
[...]
Coke threw 30 pitches - "I feel like I just threw 500, I'm so beat," he said - walked a pair, uncorked a wild pitch and gave up an RBI groundout that made it a one-run game. He walked Carlos Gomez to put the tying run aboard with two out, after which Girardi paid a visit to the mound to tell him "that I'm the guy he wants in that situation, so let's go," Coke said. "I told him, 'Yes sir.'" Eight pitches later, he coaxed pinch-hitter Mike Redmond into a bouncer to second base to end it.

I slept pretty well after that last out was recorded.

The Yanks have won 6 straight (including a 4 game sweep of the talented Twins), 8 of 10 since ARod returned. Teix is mashing to to tune of batting .342 (13-for-38) with five home runs and 13 RBI in the past 10 games.

The Yanks have six more games this week at home, three vs. Baltimore and then three against the World Champs Phillies over the weekend. Would be nice to see this hot streak run a bit longer as Toronto faces Boston and they can beat each other up a bit.

Reader mail: The "corporate" Yanks

Got an interesting email last night. I'm posting it, not because I agree with all of it, but it at least made me think a bit.

It's from a long time Yanks fan living in upstate NY, far from metro NYC paranoia, crush, fear and loathing.

So I am watching the Yankee pregame today (vs Sox) when the following thought occurred to me:

When did the Yankees go from being an institution of winning, a paragon of power, to.....this? When you watch the Yankees, do you get a sense that they are inherently better than their opposition? I don't. I remember watching them against the Rays, the Royals, the Tigers....all this season....wondering if they were going to win THAT game? I see them tonight against the Sox wondering if they're going to win THIS game!

Can you remember...not all that long ago....being surprised when the Yankees lost a game where the star pitcher was starting? Cone.... Pettitte..... Wells.... Guidry.... whoever. Now when Sabathia takes the mound, we think "Can they win this game tonight?" No matter who they are playing. It's kinda like Team USA in Basketball....the world caught up. Only with Team USA, they actually DID something about it. They got hungry. They got angry. They dug in and played HARD....even when they lost. (did they lose in the Olympics? I don't think they did, but I think Spain gave them a run, if memory serves).

It just seems like a corporate, stuffy, bloated, non-cohesive atmosphere, ya know?

A couple of years ago, the whole "Corporate" atmosphere led to the team being in line. There was no one individual who was "above the team". Now the "Corporate" atmosphere makes them seem cool and insulated from losing; like they think "oh, well...tomorrow is another work day. Punch the clock. Work more tomorrow." Girardi has not infused any Fire... grit... determination into this team. Instead, he has melded into it. He's become a younger version of Torre, with better bullpen management.

I wish I could say this team has got to be torn down to start again, but the atmosphere in New York will never allow that to happen. The Yanks aren't the Pirates. They can't grow their own talent, they're only going to buy it. Still....it sure seems like they need an overhaul, doesn't it?

You kinda wish....(Prepare yourself...this may be blasphemy) that the Yanks would deal for a guy like Piniella was who would come into the locker room and punch Jeter in the teeth. Something....ANYTHING....to fire this team up. This .500 team is boring. Where is Willie Mays Hays?

Interesting.

There's a lot I don't agree with:

• We CAN grow our own talent; we just need to give them a chance instead of locking them behind major long-term FA acquisition
• Looking back on our heroes is dangerous; we tend to remember only the highs
• I do think the Yanks tried to do something about it. Sabathia is a natural born leader and while he's struggled this Spring, I am not worried. I am looking forward to seeing the real Teix (which will coincide with ARod's return). Both are younger, in the midst of their primes, not Randy Johnson/Kevin Brown-types.

I do wonder about Girardi, though. I expected a bit more passion, at least that's visible to me, the fan. I also think Jeter's quiet leadership has either gotten tired, lost or something. This team needs more guys like Swisher and Sabathia, guys who can keep on everyone. I was really into Orlando Hudson (even though there was no obvious position for him) simply because he's a non-stop go-getter and I think this team is devoid of them. I don't think Jeter is that guy any more. Now, he's the classy vet, a guy to look up to, but not the guy to lead and rally the troops.

What's been tough for me is that I am in perpetual conflict: I root for the laundry but I find the ownership/leadership ugly and offensive. The Stadium snafus have become such a profound turn-off to me, I am having trouble finding the words to explain it. The otherworldy slide of ARod into this comical, embarrassing caricature of a MLB hero is staggering. That Hank allowed himself to be held up at gunpoint by Boras and ARod into paying MORE than he opted out of will never, ever make sense to me. I should stop now, I'm veering off a cliff. The point is this: The team can be hard to root for with all of the background noise.

But I think the thrust is this: The team is lacking that "desperation to win". Not sure how you get that back, but the team sure needs it.

Thanks for the email, joeorange31.

A good Q&A with Tyler Kepner

For those in tune with Yanks' beat writers, one of the best ones (who's not just looking to make noise with his own BS) is Tyler Kepner. Fellow blogger Steve Lombardi at WasWatching.com was good enough to land some time with Kepner. A good example of the exchange:

Tyler Kepner: I actually think the Yankees’ bullpen won’t be too bad. I like the way Girardi handles the guys, the way he really gives himself a chance to see who can pitch and who can’t. And when injuries arise, like this elbow issue with Bruney, we’ll learn something about Robertson and Melancon. I think they’ll be vital pieces as the year goes. As for disappointments, that’s tough. I suppose you could say that given Sabathia’s salary and the inevitable comparisons to Santana, he’s got a really tough standard to reach. From what we’ve seen so far — a startling lack of fastball command — he might qualify as a disappointment, though it’s very early. My question is, what would be considered successful for a pitcher making $23 million a year? If he wins 15 games and has a 3.50 ERA, is that a disappointment for the money? I guess it would be.

WW: True, $23 million for 15 wins would be an interesting scenario in terms of the fan reaction. If I recall correctly, the Red Sox have a policy that says you should only pay $1 million per expected win from a starter. And, there’s no way that CC is going to win 23 games this season. Since you’ve brought up Girardi, I have to ask: If the Yankees win less than 90 games this season and do not make the post-season, do you think General Joe will he return to manage New York in 2010? Why?

Tyler Kepner: My guess is he’d still come back. The Yankees always take measures to shake things up in a very obvious way each off-season. The way to do that next year will be to bolster the offense with Matsui, Damon and Nady all leaving. If Matt Holliday has a great year in Oakland, chances are they’ll sign him to a monster deal, sign someone else (plus maybe a pitcher) and feel as if they’ve fixed everything. To fire Girardi, someone would have to be really motivated to get rid of him, and I don’t see who that would be. Hal Steinbrenner runs the team, and he’s not rash and impulsive the way George was. My guess is Hal would defer to Cashman, who is signed through 2011, and I doubt Cashman would blame Girardi if the team doesn’t win. That’s not the way Cashman thinks.

Where's the "desperation to win"?

I'm slowly slogging through the Verducci/Torre book for three reasons:

1. I'm a slow reader
2. I try to watch the games at night and that takes me away from reading
3. I'm finding the book depressing

One of the early chapters is called "a desperation to win" and in reading that last weekend, I was struck by the obviousness of it all, now, a decade later. It's precisely what I don't sense with the post-2000 teams. Verducci, in his SI.com interview with FOTB Alex Belth:

I think the teams that won generated that same kind of pressure internally, what the book calls "a desperation to win." It was internal for most of the players, and even for Steinbrenner, who I regard in the book as one of the franchise's most dynamic assets. It's very different when that pressure comes externally, especially now when you're talking about so many current Yankees who have no experience at winning in New York. They're reading the road map for the first time, and it's hard to figure out -- unlike anywhere else -- especially when you hear the constant drumbeat of frustration coming from fans and even the media that cover the team. The Yankees are the only one of 30 teams that write down as a failure any season that ends without a world championship. Individual stats don't matter with the Yankees. Putting up a "good season" means less with the Yankees than any other franchise. There are only two seasons for the Yankees: world championship ones and everything else.

I watched Mo blow the save Friday night and as painful as it was, I said "it happens". The Sox have seen this guy so many times, they have gotten used to his cutter and his skill. Just like we can solve Papelbon at times, so too can the Sox solve Mo. It happens. It hurts like hell but it happens. Of course, having bases loaded and coming away with nothing an inning earlier didn't help. And watching Teix chase the high heat of Papelbon with a man on first and third the next inning sure did stink.

Here's what bugged me: Saturday's game. I didn't watch much of this until the very end as I was out enjoying the nice weather and my sons' games. It was only when we got to our friends' house for a BBQ later that I watched the Yanks blow and re-blow the game. I thought I was noticing that desperation to win with the comebacks, but the pitching was just terrible. I'm glad I missed Burnett getting torched. Remember those fancy stats vs. Boston that I was so happy about:

Versus BOS:

• 8 games
• ERA: 2.56
• 56.1 IP, avg 7+ IP/start
• 53 K's, nearly 1 K/IP
• WHIP of 1.179 (including IBB)

Watching Ellsbury just totally pants the Yanks made this lack of "desperation to win" so evident. Or maybe it's just that the Sox have that desperation and I'm jealous because I know what it's like to have it and how utterly wonderful it is, as a fan, to root for a team with that dynamic.

For the Yankees, it was symbolic of a weekend in which they were beaten in the cruelest of ways, three losses that leave you wondering if they are as tough as the Red Sox anymore. Is it possible that years of first-round playoff exits and then an empty October in 2008 have stolen whatever grit remained from the Joe Torre glory years?

The Yanks have played 18 games to a .500 record. It's not a statistically significant number yet, but it sure gives us a pretty good view of what this team might be.... good, but not special. One of the things I remember from my early stats classes is that you need a sample size of about 30 before you can made conclusions from the data. We'll be there right about when ARod returns.

I'm not ready to heave Girardi over the edge either just yet, but if this team continues to wander in a fog, I might lose patience sooner than later.

Burnett sparkling; Swisher still hot, X not

Two outta three ain't bad, eh?

The free-agent catch gave them that — and more — Tuesday night, flirting with a no-hitter before settling for a 7-2 victory over the AL champions that kept him unbeaten since signing an $82.5 million, five-year deal.

"I had good movement on everything. I was putting the ball where I wanted," Burnett said after taking his no-hit bid into the seventh inning. "It definitely could have happened. But it wasn't meant to be."
[...]
Swisher, obtained from the Chicago White Sox in an offseason trade, added a solo homer in the fourth before Garza settled down to keep the Rays in the game.

Swisher now has 4 home runs without playing every game. He also has a 0.00 ERA with 1 K. Would it surprise anyone if he parachutted in from a Stealth Bomber flyover tomorrow? The issue for Swisher was going to be about where and when he was going to play. Initially, Girardi envisioned him playing 3 games a week. After the white-hot start, he was definitely earning much more than that (especially with Matsui struggling).

Except now, the situation's changed as the X-man might be hurt:

Xavier Nady had a “sharp pain” in his right elbow in the seventh inning and was taken out of the game.
[...]
Nady had Tommy John surgery on Sept. 29, 2001. He was injured tonight in the seventh inning when Carlos Pena singled and he threw the ball back to the infield.

“I’m definitely kind of nervous,” Nady said. “But I have to be optimistic. Hopefully it’s scar tissue breaking off. … It was very painful.”

No one wants to see Nady injured, but the Yanks depth (remember all of the "should they trade Nady or Swisher?" stuff? Here's why they probably didn't, aside from not getting anything that they liked!) I am guessing Scott Boras will simply put Nady on his "do not call" list if Nady needs TJS again. Hopefully, it's nothing serious, however, and Nady can be back on the field soon.

I will say this about Swisher: Sure, he needs to keep hitting (or pitching), but his wide-open personality is a welcome addition to this team. Nady is another Abreu-like guy; quiet, solid, professional, boring as hell. Swisher, plus a guy like Sabathia, brings a new dynamic to the clubhouse and I think it's great. Of course, the air will get sucked out of the room once ARod returns.

And this should be fun

So Wang was terrible last night. What better way to end a season-starting 0-2 hole than to run up newcomer AJ Burnett? Nothing could possibly go wrong, could it?

Sabathia, Wang and Burnett were supposed to be a one-two-three combination that knocked out opponents. Two games into the season, and it's the Yankees starters who are leaving the mound bowed and bloody. Burnett gets the start against the Orioles today. He'd better be throwing lightning bolts or the Yankees will be looking foolish before they get back to their new billion dollar palace in the Bronx next week.

It's still early and there's no need to panic. Joe Girardi and his players said as much, over and over, following the Yankees' 7-5 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards Wednesday night. Remember 1998 when the team went 1-4 to start and finished with 114 wins, they say.

At 0-2 with 160 to play, no one is jumping off a bridge. But considering the Yankees spent $161 million for Sabathia and $82.5 million for Burnett and not to mention the $180 million for Mark Teixeira, who is 1-for-Baltimore in two games, this is past disappointing. This is embarrassing.

Holy crap, guys. Seriously? Do we need a refresher course in both history and perspective?

Sabathia was dreadful last April and Teix is a notoriously slow starter. Expecting CC to roll a complete game and Teix start 5-8 with 2 HR and 5 RBI is just not fair. Deep breath, fellow Yanks fans. Cleansing breath. Leave the panic to the lame writers.

But since the writers and some overly zealous fans seemed to have forgotten:

• Sabathia
  (March/April 2008): 1-4 record, 7.88 ERA, 6 HR allowed, 1.94 K/BB ratio.
  Highest monthly ERA rest of the year: May, 2.44.
  K/BB ratio May-Sept 2008: 5.19.


• Teixeira
  (March/April Career): 130 games, 0.254 BA, 0.344 OBP, 0.438 SLG, 19 HR (1:26.3 AB)
  2008, by Month:
  March/April: 0.273/0.333/0.464
  May: 0.268/0.379/0.412
  June: 0.287/.0424/0.617
  July: 0.307/0.430/0.545
  August: 0.386/0.479/0.663 (holy crap!)
  Sept/Oct: 0.333/0.417/0.631

So, let's not get too crazy just yet. If Burnett gets hurt while serving up a grand slam tonite, I will get the pitchforks and torches, of course.

Vegas' view of the hot seat

According to BodogLife.com, here are the managers on the hottest of seats and their odds on being first to be fired:

Which of these MLB Managers will be the first to be fired by their respective team?

• Jim Leyland (DET) 2/1
• Ron Washington (TEX) 3/1
• Bud Black (SD) 5/1
• Joe Girardi (NYY) 5/1
• Cecil Cooper (HOU) 15/2
• Clint Hurdle (COL) 13/2
• Bruce Bochy (SF) 10/1
• Bob Melvin (ARI) 10/1
• Bob Geren (OAK) 10/1
• Jerry Manuel (NYM) 15/1
• Ozzie Guillen (CWS) 15/1

Jeter being asked to move

Sorry, not what you might be thinking, but very interesting nonetheless:

The Yankees' lineup will have a new look this season.

Derek Jeter will be the leadoff hitter and Johnny Damon will bat second, a top of the lineup switch the Yankees will use for the rest of spring training.

Manager Joe Girardi said the reason for the switch is because the team likes how Damon has looked batting second in spring training games. As long as the Yankees like what they see over the final week of spring training games, the team will bring this lineup into the regular season.

The new look at the top of the batting order also is an indication that the Yankees will use Brett Gardner as their everyday centerfielder. Gardner figures to be the ninth hitter, and if Damon was batting leadoff opponents would likely bring a lefthanded specialist to face both hitters. Putting Jeter first splits the two lefthanded hitters.
[...]
"I'm okay with it if it makes our team better," Damon said.

I think I like this move, though honestly, I am so accumstomed to seeing Damon up first followed by Jeter that it will take some getting used to. And I love Damon's quote. Clearly this is a guy who gets what the team concept is. I'm also excited with the idea of Gardner being in CF. We've lacked that major speed element for so long, it will be fun to see a guy like that in the lineup, even at the end of it.

Can we look at this as a harbinger of what might come in a year or two? I doubt it, but it sure is interesting.

CC gets the nod, twice

Big honors to the big man:

Yankees manager Joe Girardi confirmed on Thursday that Sabathia will not only start Opening Day on April 6 at Baltimore, but he is lined up to pitch the April 16 home opener at the new $1.5 billion facility.

"I'm excited to be able to take the ball the first game of the season and to open up the Stadium," Sabathia said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."

Of course, if he gets lit up in Baltimore, he can prepare for the inevitable sh*tstorm that will await his home opener.

/end snark

This is why the Yanks went out and got him; he wants the ball in the big moments. We (Yanks fans) all need want him to succeed. I will now commence holding my breath.

ARod needs surgery, out until May?

Just heard on MLB on XM: ARod needs hip surgery and will miss all of April. Waiting for confirmations on MSM outlets.

• Here's the ESPN Deportes link, if you can read Spanish. I can read enough of it...Yanks haven't commented on this.
• Here's the MLB.com link. All sources from the DR.

"We're not giving any information right now," Yankees spokesman Jason Zillo said Thursday.

"I do not have that information. I have not heard that yet. I have to talk to Cash," manager Joe Girardi said, referring to general manager Brian Cashman.

So who plays third for the first month? Angel Berroa?

Posada's influence

One thing I haven't really considered --mostly because I lack the credentials to wander thru the locker room before and after games-- is how the impact of Posada's absence has affected the team.

The Yankees did not expect Posada to duplicate his 2007 season, when he hit .338, but they relied on him for extra-base power and at-bats that wore down opposing pitchers.

They have also missed his presence as a clubhouse enforcer. Girardi is relentlessly upbeat, and the captain, Derek Jeter, is even-tempered and optimistic. Posada, who played only 51 games before season-ending surgery, has a different leadership style.

“We’ve missed him tremendously,” Long said. “First of all, Jorge’s one of those no-nonsense guys who will jump in a player’s face, jump in a coach’s face. He’s got that mentality of, ‘You know what, I don’t really care about this or that, this is how we’re going to do it. If I don’t like what I see, I’m going to tell you.’ We miss that.”

I didn't do what I was supposed to do today

"I didn't do what I was supposed to do today"

--Sidney Ponson, 9/1/08

Actually, yes you did.

You sucked. It's exactly what we expected you to do. Want to do something unexpected? Try lasting 7+ innings and allowing less than 3 runs and less than a runner an inning. That'd be exactly what you weren't supposed to do.

But Yankees starter Sidney Ponson didn't fare much better and couldn't retire a batter in the fourth inning, during which Detroit scored six runs to make it an 11-8 game.

Ponson gave up seven runs -- six earned -- on nine hits in three-plus innings.

"I didn't do what I was supposed to do today," said Ponson, who endured his fourth consecutive subpar outing.

At what point does Girardi call Cashman and tell him he can't, in good conscience, roll Sidney out there one more time? How can Girardi look his veterans in the face and tell them to bust their tail every day from here on out when he pencils in Ponson's name every 5th day? There isn't some kid from AAA who might stand to gain something from the experience of pitching in the bigs? C'mon...

Make our long-standing nightmare come to an end and let Ponson go.