Filling Two Holes With One Trade, Yanks Get Phillies’ Abreu and Lidle, NY Times, July 31, 2006

• Pardon us if we have a difficult time swallowing the idea that Brian Cashman struggled for more than five minutes with the decision to make this trade:

Cashman said he went to sleep early Saturday because he was trying to decide if it was logical for the Yankees to add Abreu’s salary. He compared it to walking along a tightrope.

• Though they will try to spin it, this move certainly signifies an end to the short-lived ‘youth movement’ of the Yankees. The idea that they were content to replenish their barren farm system is officially dead:

“The Yankees only deal for the present,” Torre said. “We made this move for right now.”

• Now, all that Abreu needs to do is bring the Yankees a title. Nothing compared to all the pressure he felt in Philadelphia, right?

Bowa said Abreu might feel less pressure in the Bronx than he did in Philadelphia because he would be surrounded by superb hitters.

Another player with a questionable ability to handle the boos and pressure? Just what the Yankees needed….

• It seems Sidney Ponson was ’shocked’ by the trade. Apparently he thought he had that fifth starter spot all locked up. No word yet from our favorite malcontent, Gary Sheffield. Please stay tuned….

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Abreu, Lidle traded from Phillies to Yankees, AP, July 30, 2006
NY Yankees 4, Tampa Bay 2, AP, July 30, 2006

A-Rod strikes out three times and Damon homers twice in the Yankees victory this afternoon. And now on to the real news….

It’s the kind of deal that makes MLB ‘have-nots’ and their fans shake their heads and shout ‘Evil Empire!’. The Yanks acquire a quality hitter (Bobby Abreu) and a pitcher (Cory Lidle) in exchange for… prospects?

Considering the Yankees lack of a quality farm system, the deal seems especially lopsided. But this is where Yankee money makes all the difference, as they swallow two bad Phillie contracts in the blink of an eye.

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Pavano Convinced He’ll Return In ‘06, NY Post, July 30, 2006

He hasn’t yet been cleared to pitch batting practice but Carl Pavano is still eyeing a grand return to the big leagues in 2006:

“My motivation and goals are obviously to help the team, since I haven’t been able to do it earlier this year.”

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Tampa Bay 19, NY Yankees 6, AP, July 30, 2006

A day later and all the hype about the ‘big three’ Yankee pitchers seems somewhat overblown. There simply isn’t any way to predict what you’ll get from the 42-Year-Old Man these days. Case in point, yesterday’s embarrassing performance: 3.1 innings, 9 hits, and 6 earned runs.

Of course, YES went to great lengths to explain this one away, repeatedly discussing and replaying Johnson’s mysterious pre-game angst / pains. Even former pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre stopped by the booth to weigh in on a diagnosis. In today’s NY Times, Johnson offers a more candid explanation:

“Bad game, bad location, I paid the price,” Johnson said. “I had a bad day at work.”

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Shef: Wrist Feels Great, NY Post, July 29, 2006

The cast has been removed and the bravado has returned:

“I know in my heart and I know for a fact, there ain’t five players that are better than me in this game.”

Never mind the fact that there might be five players on his own team that are better at their respective positions. We wouldn’t want to spoil Shef’s positive mood.

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NY Yankees 6, Tampa Bay 0, AP, July 29, 2006

Everything is rosy in Yankee Land as Devil Rays ace Scott Kazmir misses the start and his teammates continue to lose on the road (ten games in a row). It’s hard to believe this is the team that dominated the Yanks only last year. No wonder A-Rod (1 RBI) predicted big things for himself this weekend.

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Makehay-Rod, NY Post, July 28, 2006

He knew the Yankees could not compete for a wild-card spot this year. He knew the Yankees were going to come back and win the other night in Texas. And now he knows that he will turn it around and play well the rest of the year:

“I know I’m going to play well,” predicted A-Rod, hitting .280 with 22 homers and 73 RBIs. “I believe I am going to be good for the rest of this year.”

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Steinbrenner upbeat about his team, AP, July 27, 2006

He’s resurfaced again, in Tampa. And with the wild-card lead secured for at least for one day, it seems The Boss is pleased:

“I’m very happy,” Steinbrenner said Thursday as he left the Yankees’ minor league complex.

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Report: Yankees hold back pitcher from Olympic team, AP, July 26, 2006

Was top prospect Phil Hughes held off the US Olympic team by the Yankees?

… Bob Watson (Team USA GM) was told by a “high-ranking official from the Yankees” to stay away from Hughes, who plays for Trenton of the Eastern League.

GM Brian Cashman disputes the claim, saying that the team was never asked about Hughes.

Well if it wasn’t Cashman, then just who might that ‘high-ranking official’ be?

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NY Yankees 8, Texas 7, AP, July 27, 2006
Yank rally is a Texas twist, Daily News, July 27, 2006

Even without Kyle Farnsworth, Yankee relievers managed to make a mess out of the eighth inning. Fortunately for the Bombers, that enabled Rangers closer Akinori Otsuka to enter the game.

Apparently all of the wildness and drama had a peculiar impact on Joe Torre:

“I said to someone, ‘I must be ready to retire.’ This is the first time my stomach has burned in the last 11 years.”

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