So, hows our pitching?

mike : As Yankee fans are aware, pitching has been our achilles heel the last few years. I want to give the kids some time to grow and adjust. A few of our loses this year were because our offense hasn't been very good. Once the Yankees start scoring runs on a regular basis, and the pitching continues to get better, this team will win many more games. But this is a fragile balance. They need to be more consistent at all facets of the game. And for the future, get younger, not older and more expensive as years past. IMO..... Go Yankees !!

Well brokeback, being right around .500 is a victory so far to this point in the season. After getting 0 wins from our 4 and 5 pitchers in the first month, having a ridiculous schedule, and suffering very key injuries, I'd say .500 isn't that bad.

The only disaster so far to this point have been the #4 and #5 pitchers. If you compare the stats of your beloved Red Sox top three against the Yankees top three, you'll see that they're pretty similar. Yankees top 3: 14-7, 3.71 ERA, 33 BB, Red Sox top 3: 11-4, 3.45 ERA, 62 BB. I think that you'll see that the ridiculous number of walks that your pitchers give up will eventually catch up with them.

One more note... Last I checked Mariano River has been almost perfect, while your river dancing Jonathan Papelbon has blown consecutive saves.

"Joba Chamberlain will never make a good starter, he's struggling at the reliever role as it is."

The only reason this comment would make you unpopular, is that it's ridiculous. Struggling as a reliever... He's pitched 15 innings, only allowed 10 hits, and has struck out 17. His WHIP this year, in 14 outings, is under 1. Just because he has had 2 sub-par outings, does not mean that he's struggling. Jonathan Papelbon blew consecutive saves last week... is he struggling? No.

Joba Chamberlain was brought up as a starter, and he absolutely dominated the minors as a starter. So, you saying that he will never be a good starter is ridiculous, and has absolutely no factual evidence to prove it.

Your point about the older players is true. Andy Pettite and Mike Mussina are on their way out. But a foundation next year of Chien Ming Wang, who's been great, Phil Hughes, who'll be just fine, and Joba Chamberlain isn't a bad start. Mix in Ian Kennedy and a veteran free agent, and the Yankees will be right where they are every year... competing for a cnace to win a World Series.

More likely scenario: Mussina and Pettite come back down to earth and finish around .500 or less, but since the Yankees have no real prospects for starters, they will be invited back next year, only to perform the same. In the meantime, the golden boy (Rodriquez) starts getting frustrated over losing and begins bellyaching to be traded.

Santana was a big part of the Yankees answer. They were morons to let him get away.

it is rather satisfying to know they can watch him across town though. :)

All those words, and only one valid point. Johan Santana was a big part of the answer for the Yankees, and I agree that they were stupid to let him get away.

As for the rest of what you wrote...pretty much crap. Andy Pettite is going to come back to earth? He's 3-4 with a 4.40 ERA, where exactly is he? Alex Rodriguez is going to demand a trade because he's tired of losing? I don't know if you have noticed, but the Yankees put a team, capable of competing, on the field every year. Do they win the World Series every year... of course not, but they make the playoffs, and give themselves a chance. They'll continue to do that for years to come.

How are those Twins working out for you? Seeing any titles in the near future?

The yanks pitching is gonna be fine.  sooner or later we'll flop kennedy and Joba in the rotation.  we'll put kennedy in the mop up role for a while until he gets his stuff back to where it needs to be.  the bullpen has been phenomenol lately even Hawkins has been doing well.  give these yanks a chance to get healthy and they'll rise to the top.  on another note the yanks do have a lot of pieces that could put another team over the top.  so we should at least be able to get something this year.

"How are those Twins working out for you? Seeing any titles in the near future?"

The Twins are working out fine. If you look at the standings they are near the top of the AL central. Where are the Yankees?  Oh yeah, at the bottom.  

Given the way the two clubs chose to pay their players, I feel the Twins have outperformed NY as an organization consisently. They find and develop talent and manage to remain competitive with young talent in a way NY cant even begin to understand. NYs biggest draws haave been Broadway and their purse strings. Still, even with your spending, you do not start to approach consistency in  finding  talent that will perform. 

What strikes me as off about the Santana thing (aside from the Twin probably deserving more than they got and the obvious collusion between Boston and NY) is that NY has been willing to pay virtually anyone. It's only now, that not having paid the price (IE giving Minn fair value for Santana) is it really being exposed as having been the wrong decision and the wrong time to have not paid the price.

So, suddenly after that questiobale move,  the board is awash with Yankee fans talking about their young pitching staff and all their future greatness and who needs a great, proven starting pitcher who is probably the best left-handed starter in baseball? NOT THE YANKEES!

The one blessing for the Yankess is that Boston (in colludiing) didn't pony up what was required to get Santana either, else the Yankees would have certainly been guaranteed 7-8 years without ever seeing another division championship. As it is, its probably at least 4-5.  By that time enthusiasm wanes, players age, and you have a whole new set of circumstances to deal with.