Yankee Talk: Bouncing Up and Down

Random thoughts range from happy, angry and happy again

Carl has been running through some different thoughts while Yankee games over the last few weeks. Though never going over the edge, he is doing his best to keep the emotions in check.

So the Yankees decided to “discount” some of their ticket prices last week. If you thought the seat for $2,500, you can get it for only $1,250.

Anyone have $1,250 in loose change hanging around under a mattress or inside a sofa? The answer is probably no.

That must mean that they are too expensive.

And for those that will be getting additional seats as part of the team’s essential “giveaway” of tickets, how are they going to be used? Are they going to try to sell them for face value?

No. If that were the case, the Yankees would have given them to you in the first place.

And what do I get for all that money?

Free food? Plasma TV in the seat? Compact toilet next to me? Rain protection?

If the answer is “no”, then no deal.

Listen, if you tell me you are a slow starter and then I give you $161 and $180 million to you, do you mind finding ways not to struggle early in the season.

For the money being spent, CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira have not been performing up to anything. They have been early season flops.

Teixeira finally got my goat on Thursday night when he hit into a seventh inning double play and followed up that gem by striking out looking with the bases loaded the next inning.

This brought out the boos. Well deserved.

At these prices, everyone is fair game. Hitting .182 is going to get it done here despite taking his share of walks.

I’m not going to put with this much longer.

For Sabathia, he may have his good stuff for several innings, but then something happens. His only good start of the year took place in Kansas City. Everything else after that has been either not good or pedestrian at best.

What could be the reason for this? Adjustment? Conditioning? Weather?

Please, help me out with this.

How about the start of the season for Jorge Posada? His hitting stroke is back even though his arm behind the plate has yet to catch up.

This is fine. I’ll take the .953 OPS (through Sunday) and a noodle arm taking my chances.

I am a amazed that Robinson Cano has continued his hot hitting.

Serious professional ballplayer man love for Ramiro Pena. Keep this man on the roster.

This bullpen is flammable. Even when Brian Bruney was pitching well, this pen is questionable.

Jose Veras, please leave immediately.

Damaso Marte, don’t use the disabled list as an excuse for your awfulness.

Phil Coke is still my guy and Mark Melancon should come along nicely along with Bruney when he (hopefully) returns from injury in front of Rivera.

How long will they be able to fight that fight effectively? Who knows?

Who is Anthony Clagett and what is he doing on the Yankees?

No more Angel Berroa please. No more.

Seeing Berroa made me long to see Cody Ransom back in the lineup. How sad is that?

Hideki Matsui seems to be getting healthy. He is not running like he is 80 years old. He is going to the opposite field with his hits and is showing some power.

Making progress and producing at the same time. Just the way I like it.

But I’m still angry at Jacoby Ellsbury stealing home plate in that game against the Red Sox. How embarrassing was that? Now I have to deal with watching replays of that for the next year.

No more A-Rod stories I beg you. I can’t take anymore. You could tell me he was an axe murderer and I would believe it and still wouldn’t care as long as he hit his 35 homers and drove in 110 runs.

Nick Swisher for the All-Star team if he keeps this up. I have to see if they have a spot for him on the ballot. They may not have put him on to begin with.

The great centerfield experiment of Brett Gardner lasted less than a month. Brett Butler he was not. He of the .222 average and .556 OPS was not going to cut it for any long period.

Time was up.

And it allowed Melky Cabrera (aka – Senor Leche) to step up and he has been great. Of course, he started out last season hitting well before finding the abyss. So consider me happy, but unconvinced.

I always say that until 40 games are played, you cannot make a legitimate or even a reasonable conclusion about your team.

Now, if you are the Washington Nationals, this is a different matter. Your season is over. But I look at the standings and that only two losses that separate the Yankees from first place.

Here’s how we treat games now:

Three game losing streak: The sky is falling.

Three game winning streak: We’re going to the World Series

I wouldn’t want this any other way.