A Cannoli-Filled Sendoff

Yesterday, I either wanted to write 50,000 words about Phil Rizzuto or none. This was my compromise.

Let's check around and see how some other folks handled the loss of an icon:

Steve Lombardi named his blog after one of Scooter's idiosyncrasies, and Was Watching shares some personal memories of Mr. Rizzuto, as Derek Jeter calls him.

Bronx Banter enjoyed YES's coverage of Rizzuto, which I found somewhat lacking, considering the wealth of clips at their disposal. I also thought Yogi Berra was clearly in pain during his half-inning in the booth, and we would have all been better served if Yogi had been given a few days to process the loss before speaking about it publicly. And I'd much rather hear Bill White reminiscing about The Scooter than the self-aggrandizing Michael Kay.

Bleeding Pinstripes recalls the days when Scooter and the other Yankees' announcers would switch back and forth between TV and radio during the same game.

Heartland Pinstripes justifiably calls out the douches who sponsor Rizzuto's Baseball Reference page. And no, I won't link to that page.

Ugh. All this reminiscing not only makes me sad that Scooter passed away, it's made me sad that I'm not 10 years old anymore, listening to him during games.

Just Make a New Plan, Stan

Wellllll......that didn't go very well.

Kyle Farnsworth is still a Yankee. Scott Proctor is not. The bullpen is thinner than ever. Eric Gagne is in Boston (although I'm not particularly scared of him, or Papelbon). Mark Teixeira is in Atlanta, and the Yankees have no hope at first base for the foreseeable future. The bench is improved, but that's it.

Now just three measly games out of the Wild Card, the right move or moves could have levelled the field between the Yankees and Cleveland. And as we all learned last year, even the crappiest teams that make the playoffs can win it all.

I'm glad that Brian Cashman didn't sell off any top prospects, but he also didn't improve the team's chances in 2007 OR 2008, with another weak free agent market coming. Even the Wickman-for-Farnsie deal would have been an upgrade, getting the psycho out the door and back to his prior redneck home, where he'd fit in much better.

How did others view the Yankees' action, or lack thereof, at the deadline?

Scott Proctor's Arm is understandably upset.

Bronx Banter likes Betemit, and the deal.

Joining the growing chorus that thinks Joe Torre misuses and abuses his players, River Ave. Blues looks at the Proctor trade in a new light.

Over at Almost Perfect, the bench upgrade makes the trade worthwhile.

LoHud examines the Yankees' end of the Gagne negotiations. It seems like Texas asked for a lot more from the Yankees than they did from Boston. That's not the first time that's happened, either. Arizona did the same thing with Curt Schilling, asking for Soriano and Nick Johnson from the Yankees, then eventually shipping him to Boston for John Henry's bedpan.

Most writers viewed the deadline developments a little more positively than I did. I still think Proctor was too valuable a piece in the bullpen to give up so easily. If I had magical powers, I would undo the Proctor deal and send Farnsie to Hotlanta for Wickman.

Identity Crisis

I haven't had to root for a losing baseball team since 1992. I don't know what to do with myself. The games don't matter as much. The Yankee's best player strains a hamstring, and there's no reason to panic because the season's already lost. Time for panic has come and gone. The Yankees had the opportunity to fix many of their problems, and simply chose not do so. What the fuck do we do with ourselves now, as fans?

Let's see how Yankees bloggers are handling things. Sorry, Reds bloggers...this whole losing thing is new to us.

Replacement Level came up with the top ten reasons to still watch this dreadful team, and helpfully points out that the Yankees' magic number sits at 99.

It is High, It is Far, It...is...Caught remains ever hopeful.

River Ave. Blues calls out one of the vast sea of underachievers.

The grizzled remains of Scott Proctor's Arm gaze sadly at the standings, wistful for a time when they mattered.

My Pinstripes keeps plugging away, previewing and reviewing games less and less of us are watching.

Yankees Chick tries to keep the focus where it belongs...on the cheese fries.

And 161st and River has the best idea yet....getting the fuck out of dodge.

As for me? I guess I'll continue to amuse myself coming up with stuff that about three people in the world will understand.

Yankees Draft Roundup

While nursing my broken heart that we couldn't land Rick Porcello or Matt Harvey, I decided to see how people more versed in amateur baseball than me reacted of Day One of the Yankees' draft. Roll call:

Pending Pinstripes liked the Brackman pick a lot more than I did, and also supports taking pure-hitter-with-signability-issued Brad Suttle in the fourth round. Catcher Austin Romine and pitcher Ryan Pope were viewed as surprise picks or reached in the second and third rounds, but PP is willing to trust Damon Oppenheimer for now.

True Yankee Blog shares my disappointment about Porcello and Harvey, who would have been a risky pick in the second round, no doubt, but disagrees about Brackman, who's quickly becoming a polarizing selection.

Was Watching has some nice scoop on the picks from Baseball America.

No Maas features a pre-draft interview with Perfect Game's Patrick Ebert, and reports that Keith Law and Peter Gammons both like the Brackman pick. Uh oh.