Bobby Valentine Is Now In Oney Guillen's Crosshairs

Some people need to just shut up. Oney Guillen might just be one of those people. After attacking Chicago White sox GM Kenny Willimas earlier this season, Guillen now has his sights set on ESPN's Bobby Valentine. If you must know this little feud started on Twitter after Valentine had some unkind things to say about the White Sox.

Evryone knows that Ozzie Guillen is managing the Sox, so Oney being the family loyalist that he is decided to take it upon himself to defend the family name.

Ok so Valentine has never won a World Series like the old man has. But has won quite a few games and a National League pennant. In addition he won big over in Japan, so that has to count for something. All he did was say something that a lot of White Sox fans are probably saying to themselves or on talk radio. That question should be thrown back to oney since all he's done is ride his father's coattails to try and make a name for himself.    

Could Ivan Nova Knock A.J. Burnett From Yankees Rotation?

If Ivan Nova is super tonight, does the young right-hander deserve a spot in the New York Yankees rotation?  After A.J. Burnett's implosion last night, it might be a credible thought; although Yankees manager Joe Girardi confirmed Burnett would make his next scheduled start Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels.

When last seen last night, Burnett was headed to the locker room, popping buttons all over the dugout as he ripped off his Yankees jersey.

Burnett's seven-run debacle against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field had to concern Girardi. 

The Yankees pounded out 23 hits--five players had at least  three apiece-- and handed the struggling Burnett a 12-run lead and he still couldn't get a win.  It would have been his first W since June 29.

The Yankees were ahead, 13-1, and Burnett allowed five runs in the fourth-inning.  In the fifth, Girardi made the decision to yank his inefficient starter with two men on the corners.  He gave up seven earned runs in all.

Girardi did the exact thing with Phil Hughes a couple of weeks ago when the Oakland A's started to chip away at a big Yankee lead.

This four-game series against the White Sox was originally an audition for the No. 5 slot in the rotation between Hughes and Nova but now, with Burnett's flame-out, it could now be a rotation casting call.

Hughes passed his screen test with flying colors.  His six-inning, three-hit, no runs, rain-shortened gem probably secured the slot for Hughes handily. 

Tonight is Nova's turn to be seen.  In what was essentially a go-see could possibly turn into something more important-- a spot on the roster.

Nova is making his second appearance after being sent down to Triple-A to make room on the roster for Hughes.  He has won his past five decisions by sporting a 3.26 ERA, with 28 strikeouts and 12 walks in 38 2/3 innings.  Nova has been the beneficiary of a robust Yankees offense.  The team has averaged nine runs during those starts while Nova has given up six home-runs and 34 hits during that span.  Amazingly, the 9-4 pitcher is fighting a demotion back to Triple-A.

Burnett is going in the opposite direction.  His ERA has steadily climbed every month since April and his 4-0 start.  He was 0-4 with a 7.80 ERA in July and is now 8-9 with a 4.56 ERA for the season.

A couple of things keep Burnett in the rotation .  One, his huge contract ($16.5 mil-a year with two more to go) and two, the underlying hope (and capability) that the Sybil-like righty can throw a brilliant game.  Still, Burnett is untradeable and will never see the bullpen for that price.

When Burnett is on, he is great but when he is alternately off, he is horrible.  It's not uncommon for Burnett to strike out a side one inning then, in the next, throw a wild pitch, hit a batter and walk in a run.  I'm not sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if he's done all three at the same time.  Baseball's first Triple-Bobble.

Girardi has said all the right things regarding his overstocked starting rotation.  He didn't pass judgement on Hughes until Tuesday night and it looks like the manager's support paid off.  He's showing the same respect for Burnett.

"His day will be on Wednesday," said Girardi, putting the kibosh on any talk that Burnett's position is in jeopardy. "His numbers aren't that bad.  We look at the whole year, and A.J.'s been decent for us.  He's starting on Wednesday."

Girardi had that same 'look at the past' outlook with Hughes the past few weeks until Hughes came through.  The Yankees are winning, even with the rotation distraction, and are only one game behind the division leading Boston Red Sox and have an eight game lead in the wild card race.  So Girardi doesn't want to rock the boat.

As for last night's benching, Burnett was already off the mound when Girardi came out to relieve him.  The embarrassed pitcher slapped the ball into his manager's hand and stormed off-- only two outs from a win.  Girardi didn't take it personally but, didn't take chances either.

"I'm frustrated for him," said Girardi.  "Because that's a night that he should be able to go out and get a win."

Burnett meanwhile, knew what was coming.

"I was a little upset, but then again, you got to look at how I'm pitching too," said Burnett.  "I wasn't exactly doing anything out there.  You've got to stop the bleeding somehow."

If Nova picks up his 10th win tonight, he may be the tourniquet the Yankees need.

Yankees-White Sox Game Has Rain Delay Without Rain

Phil Hughes was ready to make his most important start of the season when officials at U.S. Cellular Field delayed the start of the game due to rain--only problem was, it wasn't raining.  The New York Yankees pitcher was warming up to face the Chicago White Sox when the grounds crew started rolling out the tarps and it was announced that the start of the game would be evaluated 45 minutes later because radar showed rain.  The sky was dark but the only moisture was the sweat on the players and fans in the sweltering humidity.

It was unusual, even by baseball standards, to delay a game before even one single raindrop fell or a pitch was thrown.

The game finally started at 7:55 CST, with nary a drop of moisture, and the skies looked a lot more threatening while the tarps were being rolled up, then when they were laid out earlier.  The temperature dropped 9-degrees in that hour of time.

Broadcasters speculated that the delay was a way to keep a storm-break in that hour from affecting the pitchers once they started throwing.  A long break in the action could stiffen their loose arms.  Look what happened to CC Sabathia the other day--twice.

Hughes might even be most grateful for prolonging the start of tonight's game.  The struggling righthander has a lot to lose with a bad outing and a real rain delay, after he threw, could hinder his motion and, more importantly, his comeback. He comes into the game with a 1-3 record and 8.24 ERA and is competing with Ivan Nova for the fifth spot in the starting rotation.

Nova (9-4, 4.01 ERA) is coming off a fine performance against the Baltimore Orioles (7 innings, 2 earned runs) in his first game back with the Yankees after coming off the DL.  He faces the same White Sox team on Thursday.  It's fair to say the pitcher who fares the worst in this series will be demoted--even though manager Joe Girardi won't say so.

"Let's [Hughes] just pitch well tonight," said Girardi.  "And [I] have a tough decision later."

Tonight Hughes' fastball was hitting 94 mph with good control and the Yankees hitters staked him to a 6-0 lead.  Then the skies opened up.

In the middle of the seventh inning, a second rain delay was called--with real rain this time.  By then, Hughes went six strong innings and gave up three hits and no runs.

Ironically, if the first faux-rain delay wasn't called, the whole game would have been over.

Next time screw the radar and just stick your head out the window.

Phil Hughes Pitching for Final Spot in Yankees Rotation

Now that New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman didn't acquire any new arms before the trade deadline and we can finally put those Andy Pettitte un-retiring rumors to rest, manager Joe Girardi has to figure out what to do with the six starting pitchers he has left.  His dilemma, who is the odd man out after he whittles his rotation down to five--the dead arm of Phil Hughes or the hot hand of Ivan Nova?

"We just talked about tweaking our rotation a little bit.  Do you give guys an extra days rest?" was Girardi's rhetorical question.

Girardi hasn't made any decisions, but it is a sure bet he won't be going with a six-man rotation.  That scenario wouldn't bode well with CC Sabathia or A.J. Burnett-- who both prefer to pitch on normal rest and what the ace CC wants, he's going to get.

On the other hand, Hughes has to pitch a near perfect game against the Chicago White Sox this Tuesday night to keep a slot.  The righthander's sparkling 2010 season can only carry him so far.

Girardi seemed defensive when asked about Hughes' 1-3, 8.14 ERA this season since returning from the DL for an inflammation of his right shoulder.  Hughes fastball has hovered around the 92-93 mph since coming back.

"You're evaluating [Hughes] on his last three or four starts," Girardi said.  "We believe this guy still has a huge upside; he won 18 games last year, and we want to see him continue to progress.  How many guys won 18 games last year?  Not too many.  We have to continue to evaluate him, if we think he's going in the right direction."

There's a lot wrong with that statement.  Maybe Girardi is waiting for Doc Brown to pull up with the "Back to the Future" DeLorean.

First, Girardi can't live in the past and,  has to put a lot of consideration on who stays in the current rotation on a pitcher's last few starts.  Secondly, Nova still has the slight chance of winning 18 games this season, even with time spent on the DL.  Hmm...let's see, 18 W's last year or 18 this season?

Nova pitched well in the night-cap of Saturday's double-header-- his first start since being called up from the Yankees Triple-A club in Scranton. Staked to a comfy 12-run first-inning, Nova held the Baltimore Orioles to six hits and two earned runs over seven innings. He is 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA including going 4-0 with a 3.41 ERA over his last five starts.  Nova knows how the business works.

"That's a decision I don't make," he said.  "Of course, I want to be here."

If Hughes pitches lights-out on Tuesday, Nova could be going back down to the minors.  Girardi indicated it would be "a natural move" to send down but would weigh other options.

Now if Hughes gets rocked, it would leave Girardi no choice but to demote Hughes to work things out.  The only rationale for keeping a struggling Hughes in the rotation is if either Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia gets injured or falter badly and that doesn't look like it's going to happen.

For now, Girardi is standing by Hughes.

"We'll talk about this after Sunday," said Girardi.  "His stuff in his last [start] was closer to where it was last year.  I'm not ready just to throw away what he did last year."

It looks like we should have some answers after the road trip to Chicago.

White Sox's Beckham Apologizes For Calling Chris Getz Gay

Here we go again. Another athlete says something politically incorrect and is making an apology for it. This time it's the Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham. This comes after the Philadelphia Eagles' DeSean Jackson gave a caller on a radio show a homophobic blast.

Beckham is good friends with former teammate and Kansas City Royals second baseman Chris Getz. During a game between the White Sox and Royals, Beckham scrawled a message in the dirt saying "Getz Is Gay!" GB. It wasn't picked up by cameras, but it was picked up by some of the fans. All in all it was harmless fun, but in the big scheme of things it's not funny. That point got across to Beckham and he knows that he should've known better.

“Wow,’’ said Beckham again, looking as if he had seen a thousand ghosts and Bob Gibson on the mound. “Chris is one of my best friends. It was a joke. I didn’t know anybody could see. I didn’t mean anything, you know?’’


“I just want you to know that that’s not me,’’ he said. “I don’t use slurs. I have a lot of gay friends. I didn’t mean it as anything ­— you know, like gay as in . . . happy! Or, you know, an alliteration — ‘Getz is gay.’ ’’


“It’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like that with Chris,’’ he said. “And I didn’t even see his reaction. I asked him afterward if he was going to write anything back, and he said no. It was wrong. It was stupid. If I offended anyone, I apologize. I wish I could take it back, but I can’t.’’


Beckham seems pretty distraught about the incident and probably wishes he could turn back the clock. The worse thing in his apology was saying he has gay friends. Usually that means he doesn't care for gays. Kind of like when someone says something racist and then says I have lots of (insert race here) friends. I do buy his apology and believes he is truly sorry for it. Next time send him a note like in elementary school.

Bartolo Colon: Yankees' Pound-for-Pound Most Valuable Pitcher

The New York Yankees might have lost Phil Hughes' fastball to "dead arm" but his replacement, Bartolo Colon's right arm is screaming 'It's alive!'

Last night, Colon--who's best years seemed to be over six years ago--continued his unlikely run as the Yankees best comeback story by tossing a beautiful eight-inning gem against the Chicago White Sox.  The hefty righthander allowed one run on seven hits and struck out six lead the Yankees to a 3-1 win and snapping their first two-game losing streak.

The hefty pitcher has been the Yankees most reliable pitcher and the pound-for-pound most valuable starter--literally. 

The big steer of the Yankees staff is still CC Sabathia who--even after slimming down this off-season-- rolls in at a conservative 290 lbs.  Colon, who was never physically mistaken for Randy Johnson even with a blazing fastball and slimming pinstripes, thunders in at 270.  Divide Sabathia's $23 million per year to Colon's $900,000 by their weight and you get $79,310 per pound to $3,333, respectively.  That's a kobe steak at Nobu next to ground chuck; only this hamburger is now being served on a silver platter.

Colon may have found some way to turn back the clock, but it remains to be seen if he can maintain his early season success.  So far this year, he is 2-1with 26 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.77 in 26 innings but there is still a long way to go.

The 37 year-old Colon--who would use skinny jeans as gloves-- had great years through 2005 when he went 21-8 and picked up the Cy Young award as a Los Angeles Angel.  He has been plagued by injuries and trying to pick up the pieces since that fantastic season.

Colon was an off-season pick-up by Brian Cashman's for the Yankees' scrap heap along with Freddy Garcia for minor-league contracts and corned-beef hash-like money.

Colon battled Garcia for the fifth spot in the rotation, but started the year in the bullpen.  Now both pitchers have become more than fill-ins through the first month of the season--especially with Hughes' problems looking more serious than at first thought.  Time will only tell if the two veteran pitchers can hold up for the rest of the season.

If last night was any indication of Colon's rebirth,  things look good for the Yankees.  Colon's fastball reached 96 mph in the eighth inning and he battled a game Mark Buehrle (1-3) for seven innings.  Even White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen--who managed an injured Colon in 2009--was impressed

"Amazing," said Guillen.  "Wow, I can't remember seeing him like this since he was in Cleveland or with the Angels.  His ball was moving great.  I feel proud of him, especially after knowing all the arm issues that he has gone through.  Buehrle was good tonight, but Colon was better."

Except for a few singles by the Sox in the sixth, they could not hit Colon's heater.  The last time the big guy went eight innings was in 2007.

"It's been huge for us," said Joe Girardi.  "Every time he's taken the mound, he's pitched well and given us a real good chance to win--even in games where he came in in long relief and held the other clubs down for us, he's given us a chance to win.  His production has been huge."

Now with Hughes looking at a possible long downtime, the Yankees will be counting on Colon to uphold his end of the rotation for as long as he can.

"I felt pretty happy, my first [start] at Yankee stadium," Colon said through an interpreter.  He believes he is better than ever even if his fastball probably won't reach 98 mph again.  "I can throw more strikes than when I won 21 games," he said.

Those words ain't chopped liver.

Angry Ozzie

The Major League Baseball season is barely two weeks old and Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is already fired up. Frankly I would be too if my closer blew four saves in as many chances. 

The wanna-be closer Matt Thorton blew another save against the Oakland A's today which sent Guillen over the deep end. Really it doesn't take much, but he's had enough already.

"I might call Bobby Thigpen to help us," Guillen said.

That's vintage Guillen. Blunt and comical at the same time. Of course it gets better.

"When you have a bad bullpen, that's what happens. That's what happens," Guillen said.

"I don't have any closer. I don't," Guillen said. "You are just scratching your head and second-guess yourself what you are doing wrong, bringing people to the mound with three-run lead ... and we can't hold the lead. That's not a good sign. Have we got the people out there with the arms? Yes."

"Three-run lead and he said he can go. That's the reason we put him there," Guillen said.

Sounds like he's losing confidence in the bully already. If that's the case the White Sox will have to slug their way to big leads and hope that it holds up.

Jenks And The White Sox Are Like A Bad Divorce

Bobby Jenks wasn't bitter when he left the Chicago White Sox, but he was critical of Manager Ozzie Guillen about the way he used and handled him the past few years. Many might see what jenks had to say about Guillen as sour grapes. Jenks is now a member of the Boston Red Sox and all was peaceful until yesterday when Jenks expressed his displeasure with Guillen.

We all know Ozzie isn't one to back down in a war of words. And I expect to hear from him going ballistic on Jenks.No one figured Ozzie's son Oney to get in on the act first. Oney took to Tiwitter, everyone's weapon of choice to put Jenks on blast. Full blast. Here's what Oney had to say about Jenks.

"Hahah memo to Bobby Jenks. Get a clue. You drink too much and you have had marital problems. Huge ones, and the Sox stood behind you. They did not air out your dirty laundry, u came to spring not drinking and then you sucked and started drinking again. Be a man.


"Be a man and tell the manager or the coaching staff how you feel, or the organization when you were with the Sox, not when you leave.

"You cried in the manager's office because you had problems, now you go and talk bad about the Sox after they protected you for seven years. Ungrateful.

"If it wasnt for you Freddy Garcia would have like 17 wins and the Sox would have beat the Twins. You self-diagnosed yourself because you didnt want to pitch. Unreal, I hope the Sox let this guy fucking have it.

"Oh, and yes I remember clearly you blowing a huge game in 2009 and you laughing your bearded ass off while everyone busted their tail. I thought you were a man, not some punk who runs away and talks bullshit. You coward. Say it to their face when you were with them.

"Don't make me air out more than I have to say. You're sorry. Don't disrespect the White Sox ever.

"Now you know what a piece of shit person you rooted for, Chicago. The ones that leave and talk bad about your team. And you say the manager didnt trust you? He kept putting youur fat ass out there and you kept blowing it, he never took you away from that role.

Go read it. It's a Scott Merkin piece, it's a dandy. I hope people say what they really feel instead of me. Although it wouldnt surprise me if the Sox take the high road, and be classy instead of destroying this yellow-bearded, dipping idiot.

"And to think you were actually a cool guy and your word meant something. Too bad you don't hit in the AL so they could drill your ass."

One little story. Remember when you couldn't handle your drinking, and you hit a poor Arizona clubby in the face? I do. And later you covered it with 'I'm sorry.' That's your answer to everything. How can you disrespect your former team like that?

Think about it. This can't be made up and this isn't something Ozzie told him. Oney's a former WhiteSox employee so you know he saw some things in the clubhouse that a lot of us aren't privy to.

Oney's just like his old man. All fire and brimstone. Of course the White Sox organization has distanced themselves from this whole mess. This is just the beginning, because you know Ozzie will have something to say. Only if Oney hasn't said it for him already.