July 21, 2006 -- Not only does ex-Met GM Steve Phillips think the Yankees won't make the playoffs - he believes they might finish in third place, behind the Red Sox and Blue Jays.
"I think the Blue Jays have a real chance to finish ahead of the Yankees,'' said Phillips, now an ESPN analyst. "It is not being all that critical of the Yankees. It is more complimentary of the Blue Jays.''
Phillips envisions the wild card coming out of the AL Central, while the AL East race remains tight until October. He thinks it will come down to pitching.
In fact, if Phillips could choose any of the three teams' top three starters, he would take Toronto's Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett and Ted Lilly.
"They have a 1-2-3 punch,'' Phillips said. "You look in the East and you are not sure the other teams have that right now.
"If everyone stays healthy and performs like I think they can, and taking into account Randy Johnson isn't the same guy he has been in the past, I would take the Blue Jays' three [starters.] If [Gustavo] Chacin comes back, then the Blue Jays go four deep.''
Still, Phillips - who picked the Yankees in the East before Opening Day - likes the Red Sox to take the East now.
"I think the Red Sox are going to make a move to get a pitcher,'' Phillips said. "[GM] Theo [Epstein] is going to go all out to try to win this year. They will pay the price that the Yankees won't right now.''
With Yankee GM Brian Cashman reluctant to trade possible future ace Phillip Hughes, the Bombers may not have the prospects to make a big deal, which will force them to rely on Johnson and Mike Mussina.
"Mussina has been very good, but I have questions about how the second half goes for him because it has been an issue,'' said Phillips of Mussina, whose ERA last year ballooned from 3.97 in the first half to 5.16 after the All-Star break.
"Randy Johnson looks like he is competing against opponents instead of competing against himself, but he is really not the same. He is not the same absolutely dominating pitcher that he was in the past.''
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He's an idiot...
The Yankees win the division...
The Blue Jays simply aren't consistantly good enough yet and aren't managed well enough... They have the starting pitching but it hasn't all pulled together for them...
The Red Sox simply don't have the starting pitching...
Can they deal for a stud? Probably not. They already gave up their top prospect, Hanley Ramirez, for Josh Beckett...
The Yankees hold a good chip in top pitching prospect Phillip Hughes. You think Steinbrennar wouldn't tell his GM to go out and get a top tier SP by giving up Hughes?
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"If you're around long enough, you get to a point at which other people's opinions no longer drive you crazy. That takes time."
how on earth are Johnson, Mussina, Wang and Wright better than Halladay, Burnett, Lilly and Janssen?
__________________ "Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men." - Martin Luther King Jr. "What used to be hot was what an MC said, now hip-hop don't respect you unless you platinum or dead." - Ras Kass
how on earth are Johnson, Mussina, Wang and Wright better than Halladay, Burnett, Lilly and Janssen?
Please tell me you arent serious? Mussina and Halladay basically have identical records. So thats a wash right there. Wang is certainly better than Burnett. Lilly is inconsistent. He only owns the Bosox. RJ has looked solid the past month.
SMH @ you actually think that the Bluejays rotation is better.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by De3yo
the closest his grandfather seen to a red sox world championship was the 2005 bouqet iron monkey laid on his grave
R.I.P iron monks grandpops....was a good man... too bad he never saw a championship...
Please tell me you arent serious? Mussina and Halladay basically have identical records. So thats a wash right there. Wang is certainly better than Burnett. Lilly is inconsistent. He only owns the Bosox. RJ has looked solid the past month.
SMH @ you actually think that the Bluejays rotation is better.
identical records?
you're going to use wins and losses to argue who's a better pitcher?
Halladay is simply better than anyone the Yankees have. It's not even a discussion amoungst baseball fans. He's an elite pitcher.
Burnett has pitched 7 games all year, and has 2 less strikeouts than Wang.
Lilly has a lower ERA against the Yankees (3.60) than the Red Sox (4.91).
Moose was very good early. He's been ordinary since the end of May. He's at least pitched well against Toronto, more than I can say for anyone else on that rotation.
Wang sucks on the road. He hasn't even faced the Jays this year. He's a solid pitcher but he's not a #2.
RJ, also trash on the road. ERA in July - 5.02. ERA against Toronto - 14.04.
Jaret Wright has month by month ERAs of 3.25, 4.00 and 4.85 since May. 7.20 against Toronto. He and Janssen are basically a wash, they both suck.
Of course the Jays also have Chacin sitting on the DL.
__________________ "Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men." - Martin Luther King Jr. "What used to be hot was what an MC said, now hip-hop don't respect you unless you platinum or dead." - Ras Kass
identical records?
you're going to use wins and losses to argue who's a better pitcher?
Halladay is simply better than anyone the Yankees have. It's not even a discussion amoungst baseball fans. He's an elite pitcher.
Burnett has pitched 7 games all year, and has 2 less strikeouts than Wang.
Lilly has a lower ERA against the Yankees (3.60) than the Red Sox (4.91).
Moose was very good early. He's been ordinary since the end of May. He's at least pitched well against Toronto, more than I can say for anyone else on that rotation.
Wang sucks on the road. He hasn't even faced the Jays this year. He's a solid pitcher but he's not a #2.
RJ, also trash on the road. ERA in July - 5.02. ERA against Toronto - 14.04.
Jaret Wright has month by month ERAs of 3.25, 4.00 and 4.85 since May. 7.20 against Toronto. He and Janssen are basically a wash, they both suck.
Of course the Jays also have Chacin sitting on the DL.
Let me see, Mussina is 11-3 with a 3.39 ERA. Halladay is 12-2 with a 3.08 ERA. WOW, a superior record Halladay has. IDIOT. LOL @ Mussina being ordinary. He pitched great against the White Sox this past weekend and would have won yesterday if it were not for Arod. So please shut the f*ck up about that.
Also, comparing Burnett's strikeouts to Wang is completely stupid. Wang is not a strikeout pitcher. He's a groundball pitcher. Wang's ERA is also under 4. And a major thing is, Wang has been healthy this season. We all know Burnett is going to have at least one more stint on the DL this season.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by De3yo
the closest his grandfather seen to a red sox world championship was the 2005 bouqet iron monkey laid on his grave
R.I.P iron monks grandpops....was a good man... too bad he never saw a championship...
and would have won yesterday if it were not for Arod. So please shut the f*ck up about that.
smh and lmao @ this sh1t....yea AROD made the error, but how did the runner get to third? AROD gave up that hit? Wasnt that the first run of the game for them? Did AROD give up the next three runs?
Mussina didnt get help from AROD but didnt help himself either so stfu with this "would have" sh1t....he "should have" gotten the next few batters to get himself out of the jam...and he didnt
smh and lmao @ this sh1t....yea AROD made the error, but how did the runner get to third? AROD gave up that hit? Wasnt that the first run of the game for them? Did AROD give up the next three runs?
Mussina didnt get help from AROD but didnt help himself either so stfu with this "would have" sh1t....he "should have" gotten the next few batters to get himself out of the jam...and he didnt
If you know anything about sports, you know one bad play can snowball into a bad inning. That is exactly what happened. If Arod had thrown to 1st and gotten the out, it would have been the 2nd out. Instead, momentum shifted.
Cot damn you are one stupid mothaf*cka. Son, aren't you a Mets fan? When we decide to talk about the minor league division that is the NL, please speak up. Till then, let the big boys talk and check yourself.
THANKS
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by De3yo
the closest his grandfather seen to a red sox world championship was the 2005 bouqet iron monkey laid on his grave
R.I.P iron monks grandpops....was a good man... too bad he never saw a championship...
Let me see, Mussina is 11-3 with a 3.39 ERA. Halladay is 12-2 with a 3.08 ERA. WOW, a superior record Halladay has. IDIOT. LOL @ Mussina being ordinary. He pitched great against the White Sox this past weekend and would have won yesterday if it were not for Arod. So please shut the f*ck up about that.
Also, comparing Burnett's strikeouts to Wang is completely stupid. Wang is not a strikeout pitcher. He's a groundball pitcher. Wang's ERA is also under 4. And a major thing is, Wang has been healthy this season. We all know Burnett is going to have at least one more stint on the DL this season.
Even using your asinine standard of "wins" Halladay is better. He has a lower ERA. This isn't rocket science.
Mussina's ERA month by month:
2.31
2.53
4.93
4.73
Halladay's ERA month by month:
2.84
2.89
3.80
2.54
I'm not sure what's so difficult to grasp. Halladay is the better pitcher. This isn't 1996 anymore. Halladay's been vastly superior since he stuck as a full-time starter in '02.
__________________ "Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men." - Martin Luther King Jr. "What used to be hot was what an MC said, now hip-hop don't respect you unless you platinum or dead." - Ras Kass
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Yankees Will End Up In 3rd Place - Steve Phillips
