Joba the Juggs gun

“Plain and simple, I was terrible. I’ve got to do a better job of keeping the team in the game.” (AP)

Thanks for the update Joba. After sitting for two and half hours, there was baseball of a sort yesterday.

The Yanks are creeping closer to the Sox, who look as vulnerable and flawed as any team in baseball ... which may mean the AL East is weak, or parity has finally sunk its ugly, wretched claws into my favorite sport.

Two days later, the Mrs. reminded me why I hate Joe Girardi.

"You're going to have plenty of time to get complete games in your career."

Girardi said this to Phil Hughes, who was pulled after eight gorgeous innings in the Yanks' series opening drubbing of the Rangers.

Hey Joe, it starts with the first one, idiot.

Hughes was poised to earn his first career shutout and complete game (duh), until Unkie Joe pissed on his parade and showed why he's a complete toolbag when it comes to handling a pitching staff.

On the other side of the diamond, Nolan Ryan is fighting a near uphill battle to get his pitchers to accept responsibility for their outtings, to finish what they start, that 5 innings and a cold shower isn't good enough.

And here we have Unkie Joe ripping away that very mindset in a guy more than capable of finishing an outting, especially leading by 10 and barely scrapping a 100 pitches. Argh pitch counts.

I just wish that "forgotten handshake" was delivered in the form of a fist to Girardi's rat face. Imagine Girardi trying to take the ball from any of the other starters, veterans all, hardcases all ... it really would come to blows.

Respecting the manager is fine, but the manager must respect his players as well. The Yanks' bullpen has been exploited for most of this decade, and the team finally builds a staff to stop that from happening ... and the manager undermines that staff.