LESTER and IGAWA – after their ST outings can you tell the difference???

1ST WIN

A solid, all round performance by the Yankees tonight – Wang looked sharp and Albaladejo had a really nice inning, lets hope he keeps it up and can lock down a spot in the bullpen. The competition for 1st base started and after one game it looks absolutely no clearer than before. Shelley had a BIG game with a dinger and 5rbi’s, Betemit was 1/2 with a homer and long touted prospect, Eric Duncan(a real long shot for 1B) went 1/1. Another good sign, in my opinion, was Girardi running Jeter and Abreu – a few more stolen bases for both guys would be welcome in the coming season.

THE BIG 3 – part 2

While all three guys will be big contributors in 2008, i’m going to predict that the best season will come from Ian Kennedy. While his “pure stuff” isn’t equal to Joba’s or Phil’s, i think that the control of his pitches and his composure on the mound will give him the slight edge over the other two, and hopefully it will put him in the running for the Rookie of the year award.

His minor league stats are astounding and it seems only his lack of a mid to upper 90’s fastball has kept him from being considered a front of the rotation prospect. If you were to take the Moneyball approach, Kennedy would be thought of as a potential stud in the majors with a line in the minors that reads like he is an ace in waiting -

12-3, 1.87, 149.1 IP, 165k’s.

Adding this all together with the common theory that Kennedy’s innings limit will be considerably higher than Phil’s or Joba’s, i think that Ian will win a spot in the rotation (even if Joba starts the season there) and will go on to have a very good rookie year.

Prediction : 14-5, 3.63, 187IP, 170k’s

Restoring order to the universe…

OK, while I have to admit to getting a cringing feeling most of the time when I’ve heard that Hank has gone off on another rant (much the same feeling as when I hear ph34 has gone off on one as well…), I can’t help but laugh when I hear his latest reported on ESPN.com

What a soundbite that is!

“Red Sox Nation?” What a bunch of [expletive] that is… That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans. “

You tell ‘em Hank!