Silence Is Golden

Shhh...quiet!!!! Can you hear that? Listen closely. That's right...it's the sound of silence. It's been quite a few days since we've heard from Derek. Let's go over the top ten reasons why.

#10 - Orioles 12, Yankees 2...Jeter makes a huge error that leads to a seven-run first inning for Baltimore. Mike Mussina sheepishly walks off the mound after 2/3 of an inning. I'm sure he was probably mumbling under his breath about how Jeter screwed him out of a good outing.

#9 - Jorge Posada's Shoulder...Being a Red Sox fan, I truly despise him. However, there's no denying how important he is to his team. Remember when Varitek got injured a couple of year's ago? The Red Sox imploded. The same thing's happening to the Yanks. I'm sure they're happy to have A-Rod back. But I bet they can't wait to see Jorge behind the plate again.

#8 - Meet The Mets!...It must have burned grumpy old Hank to see the Bombers bomb against his cross-town rival. Included in the two game sweep, an embarassing 11-2 loss on national TV. It actually could have been worse if the umps didn't botch a home run call that went against the Mets.

#7 - Yanks Youngsters Struggling...Hughes and Kennedy have been busts. When your rotation features Igawa, Rasner, Steroid Andy and Old Man Mussina...you've got issues.

#6 - Masterson Steps Up...While the Yanks young guns have stunk out the joint, the Sox have picked up two clutch performances from Justin Masterson this year. Right now, the Sox have an overload of pitchers who currently aren't in the current rotation who could start in a pinch. Those names include Masterson, Colon, and maybe even Schilling later this year just to name a few. You get the feeling the Sox will be able to plug any holes that may pop up in the starting rotation in the upcoming months.

#5 - Sox Current Winning Streak...Granted Milwaukee and Kansas City aren't exactly the cream of the crop, but five wins is five wins.

#4 - Sox Back In First Place...Boston's recent run of success has landed them back atop the AL East, a game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays. As for the Yankees, we'll talk about their position in the standings shortly.

#3 - Jon Lester's No-Hitter...if there's a better story in baseball this year, I'd like to know about it. How can you top a kid who's overcome cancer to return to his dream of pitching in the major leagues? Plus, not only does he come back, he comes back to win the clinching game of the 2007 World Series and pitch a no-hitter. The Yankees most-inspiring story of the year so far has been A-Rod passing out during the birth of his child. Hey A-Rod!! If I can tough it out twice, so can you! Not exactly storybook stuff, huh Alex?

#2 - Jason Giambi's Thong...so when he's in a slump, Giambi supposedly slips on a golden thong. Funny thing is, he's pretty much been in a slump ever since he got off the juice. That thing must be getting a little uncomfortable by now. Plus, supposedly other Yankees who have gone through slumps have also worn it? This from the same team that won't let their players have facial hair. I guess you've got to vent somewhere.

#1 - Yankees Record (20-25)...Dead last in the AL East, seven and a half games behind the Bosox. Simply put, this team has played some stunningly uninspired baseball in the first third of the season. Is there plenty of time for them to come back? Of course. But does anybody really think that the Yankees of 2008 are playoff material? This team looks old, tired, and very thin on starting pitching.

So there you go Derek...I look forward to your response along with all the fellow members of the Evil Empire.

Leaving Derek Alone

Normally, my main purpose in life is to shoot down all the opinions of one Derek Dent, my fellow blogger. Now while it's true that the Yankees have a couple of pretty significant injuries, (A-Rod, Posada) I find it particularly gratifying that the team with the highest payroll in the majors has no adequate back-up for either of them. I guess 200 million can't buy you a back-up catcher or third baseman.

But instead of mocking Derek, I'm leaving him to wallow in his own ignorance. I have more important things on my mind. Right now, our Sox are struggling.

Is there reason to jump of the Tobin? No. But there is reason for concern. Our starting pitching can be best described as inconsistent. Lester has been hit or miss...Buchholz is on the DL, and Wakefield is Wakefield. Even our top two guys have room for improvement. Dice-K is 6-0, but those walks will come back to bite him at some point. As for Beckett? He's been good, but not spectacular, and the loss to the Orioles earlier this week was particularly painful. It's only May, and we're already hoping Bartolo can be our savior. That's not good.

The bullpen, on the other hand, has been particularly putrid. I'm not going to harp on Papelbon's two blown saves. The first was a fluke (thanks Julio!), and the second included some well-placed ground balls and bloops. Other than that, he's been a rock.

But what's going on with Okajima? 11 out of 14 inherited runners have scored on him?!?!? That's awful. Maybe it will dawn on the coaching staff that he should come it at the start of an inning, not with the bases loaded. His ERA is under one, but it seems like he's giving up runs by the bunches.

As for the rest of the bullpen? Blaaaahhhh! Francona doesn't trust Delcarmen or Timlin. Hansen looked promising for a while, but he didn't get an out against the Orioles on Wednesday. Bye Julien, thanks for your three years of memorable service. Frankly, the most consistent guy out of the pen this year has been Javier Lopez. If the Sox starter can't make it through seven, the team is in trouble. Those three outs in that inning have become the most stressful moments in any Red Sox game this year.

The offense has generally been good, but timely hits are dwindling while double plays are growing. Lugo's act has now become maddening, and J-D's recent power outage is troubling.

All of these woes plus those of the Yanks translates into the Tampa Bay Rays being in first place. This leads to my final point. The AL EAST is vastly improved this year. Tampa's young pitching is unhittable at times and the Jays rotation is also loaded with young talent and a workhorse of an ace in Doc Holliday. The one team I can't account for is the Orioles. How that team is over .500 is beyond me.

So while we spend our time worrying about the Empire and vice-versa...maybe Sox and Yanks fans should spend more time figuring out how to hit Scott Kazmir and AJ Burnett. As for the Yanks, I'm not too worried about Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, and Kai Igawa. After all, maybe that's why they're in last place, right Derek?

Oh How Cute.

Oh how cute! Look who finally figured out how to wear their championship rings. I find it incredibly satisfying to watch red sox fans who have spent the majority of their lives whining about everything from salary caps to artificial turf now trying to adjust to life in the driver's seat. It will take some time to get used to hearing anything but profane chants from sox fans. Welcome to the grown-up table.

Let's be clear, Pumpsie! Getting the sniffles is not an injury. We had (and still have) key players out with real injuries...the kind you can't fix with chicken soup. While we have to force our players to the DL for their own good, you have to beg your pitchers to try and gut it up rather than take the year off.

Enjoy the moment. We'll keep our distance as usual until after the All-Star break (played in the best park in history this year). Then we'll see where things stand. You'll find staying on top is a lot harder than getting there. "How you handle it is how you are judged."

And by the way....Pumpsie? Really?

Hey Derek, Meet Pumpsie!

I promised you a big hitter a couple days ago, and I have delivered. So here with a response to Derek's latest blog attempt is none other than legendary Sox fan, Pumpsie Piersall:

Mr. Dent, unlike your organization, we have depth on our "blog team" and when you write your blog there is a fight at the keyboard to see who will get the chance to answer you. Actually its very much like the Red Sox fighting at the bat rack when anyone of your pitchers, except Wang, takes the mound. Wait, if I remember correctly we spanked him the last time we played. So make that every one of your pitchers, especially Mussina.

Anyway Derek, do you serve cheese with your whine? It's early in the season and every team , no exception, suffers the injury bug. How you handle it is how you are judged. The Sox had the flu bug, no make that the plague! Our two top pitchers were on the DL along with the third baseman and right fielder. But the Sox didn't whine and are now on top of the American League East. By the way, I think Big Papi is starting to hit, don't you? You should worry about "Hankenstein" and your players before you wonder about Ortiz's batting average. That will take care of itself. As for your team Mr. Dent, I'm not so sure.

Bringing In The Big Guns

It appears that Derek's comments about our beloved Sox have infuriated a very powerful man here at NEWS CENTER. So instead of me telling Derek that he's totally off base and that in fact the Red Sox are in first place and have the second best record in baseball, I'm going to let our mystery blogger put Derek in his place. Look for his blog tomorrow!

At Least You Stink Too

It's May 2nd, and in the last game of our homestand against Detroit, Shelly Duncan was batting clean-up. CLEAN-UP!!!!!!!!! Hughes coughs and cracks a rib. What a miserable start.

But don't laugh too hard there Teddy Baseball....you guys are struggling too. Giggle like little girls all you want about A-Rod and Jeters quads. Papi is 21 for 107 at bats. That's not a slump, that's a lifestyle.

Just a quick hit to wish you guys continued losses this weekend with the Rays.

Youth Movement

I see Derek has been running his mouth again...typical Yankee fan. Where should I begin?

Mr. Dent wants the Yanks to bring up some of their younger players. What a great idea! I wonder where that came from. Hmmmm. Buchholz, Lester, Ellsbury, Lowrie, Masterson...and on and on. Good to see the Red Sox have already figured out that formula.

Derek is also complaining about injuries?!?!? Seriously? Lowell, Casey, Crisp, Ortiz, Varitek, Beckett, Schilling, Delcarmen, and Matsuzaka have all missed games this year because of injury or as has been the case lately...illness. But Derek is complaining because Posada's shoulder is hurt and he has to go on the DL...Boo Freakin' Hoo! The Sox have LITERALLY lost half of their team at times this year, yet they still remain tied for first, a game ahead of the Bronx Bums. Oh yeah, and the Bums didn't have to make a world-wide trip to Japan, Los Angeles, Oakland and Toronto in 20 days either.

But as far as the Sox go, there is reason for concern. Ortiz needs to return to his old form. I'm worried that knee injury is more severe than he or the team will admit. A healthy Mike Lowell will be a welcome sight, especially now that Casey is injured. And hopefully the ebola virus that crippled the clubhouse last week is gone for good.

But aside from the injuries, the major question surrounding this team is its bullpen. Papelbon is lights out, and Okajima has been pretty good. But after that, there are big problems. Can Delcarmen be a reliable bridge to the eighth inning? Has Timlin overstayed his welcome? Can Tavarez and Corey get the job done? And who is Aardsma?

Anyway, all things considered, it hasn't been a bad April. But is the Nation concerned? You bet it is. However, let's make sure Derek doesn't forget his Yanks are still in the rear view mirror of the World Champions!