Foul Tips

-Phil Hughes began his rehab assignment and it seems that whatever was bothering him is now gone because his fastball touched 95 MPH. He went 4.1 innings for Staten Island, throwing 61 pitches, 41 of them for strikes, striking out 7 and walking one. The Yankees could really use a healthy and effective Phil Hughes for the stretch run. If Hughes does come back healthy and effective, I don't think the Yankees need to run out and cough up prospects for a rental starter. It wouldn't make sense.

-Yankee prospect, Tim Norton, might be done as a baseball player. After making his AAA debut and striking out 2 batters in his one inning of work, Norton apparently suffered a severely torn shoulder labrum. This is really bad news as he was probably going to be a candidate for the Major League roster due to his 46 K's in 30 innings at AA and AAA.

-The Yankees came to terms with their first selection in the 2011 Draft, Dante Bichette, Jr. They paid him just over slot, a $750,000 signing bonus. I think the kid is really eager to get started. Hopefully his work ethic doesn't take a hit. He will start the year with the GCL Yankees.

-Jesus Montero is going to be a DH according to all the experts. Gary Sanchez? Well, his defense is worse than Montero's. Sure, the two guys are projected to hit like crazy but where do you play them? Is Sanchez fleet enough for an outfield spot? Right now, it looks like Austin Romine (currently on DL for a concussion) and J.R. Murphy are the Yankees backstops of the future. Murphy can also rip with the bat.

-The Pittsburgh Pirates are only 4 games out of first in the NL Central. They are flirting with .500 and, although this doesn't seem likely to continue, it might mean the beginning of a new era in a black hole of baseball. Maybe.

-The Seattle Mariners are only a half game out of first in the AL West. After last year's performance nobody would have guessed Seattle would have a winning record as of June 19th. But they do, at 37-35.

-The Minnesota Twins are 9-1 in their last ten games. Looks like this team is going to try to claw its way back into the thick of things.

-Eighty year-old Jack McKeon has agreed to become the interim manager of the sliding Florida Marlins. The Marlins are 1-18 in June. Good luck Jack.

-He may not be the best player in this year's NBA Draft, but Jimmer Fredette of BYU is certainly the most intriguing. He can either be a nice scoring option off the bench or he can fade into obscurity after a couple of ineffective years. I can see him doing a J.J. Reddick impersonation in the NBA but I don't know if that is worth a high draft pick. Chad Ford has the Pacers taking Fredette at #15. I don't know if I would take him that high. The Knicks are also an option at #17.

-Will the Mets be buyers or sellers? Or will they stand pat at the trading deadline July 31st? I definitely can't see the Mets as buyers and I don't think they will trade Jose Reyes either. To do so would infuriate a slowly reemerging fanbase. I see the Mets trying to unload a Jason Bay but don't think they will be able to. David Wright isn't going anywhere and if the MEts can hold their heads around the waterline they will be getting Ike Davis back which would sure up their defense and add some much needed pop in their lineup. If Beltran stays healthy and Davis comes back ready to play I can see the Mets sticking around. then again, this is the Mets and bad things seem to come in bunches these days. However, they owe it to their fans to do what is best for the future of the franchise. Even if they keep Reyes and lose him in free agency, so what? You get 2 first rounders for him. Add in another possible first rounder or two for Beltran and lookie what you got here, the beginnings of a new farm system. I trust Sandy Alderson to rebuild this team. He knows what he is doing and has the baseball people around him that might be among the best assembled braintrust in all of baseball.

DOCTOR!!!

Injuries are a part of baseball. Every team puts a few players on the disabled list every year, some of them key players. The Nationals lost Ryan Zimmerman for a few weeks. The Giants lost Buster Posey for the whole year. The Twins lost Joe Mauer for a few weeks. The list goes on. It happens. So far, the Yankees have had to deal with a few injuries, most notably Phil Hughes (not really sure if he was actually injured or if his fastball was just dead), Rafael Soriano (elbow), and Joba Chamberlain (Tommy John surgery). Throw in a missed week by Russell Martin for a bad back and now Bartolo Colon and Derek Jeter to leg injuries and you have the makings of a mess in waiting. So far, the Yankees have not put Russell Martin on the DL, instead, leaning on Frankie Cervelli to do the catching which has been something of an adventure since he all of a sudden becomes a Steve Sax/Chuck Knoblauch clone when it comes to throwing out runners at second base. Derek Jeter seems headed for the DL after suffering a Grade 1 strain. Not the end of the world but with Jeter it is better to get back 100% rather than risk further injury by letting him take the field before he is ready. Ramiro Pena will probably get called up to be the backup infielder while Eduardo Nunez tries to fill in at short.

The loss of Colon, Mike Axisa writes at Riveraveblues.com, will probably be a blessing in disguise. Colon hasn't thrown too many innings in the last few years and this shut down might actually help prevent Colon from tiring out or suffering a major arm injury. It will also give one of the younger kids, a Hector Noesi, Adam Warren, or David Phelps a chance to taste a big league start or two. I agree with this logic. It is better to have these kids come up now than in the middle of September as the Yankees are fighting for a playoff spot. It might turn out to be a huge boost for the Yankees.

What isn't a huge boost is losing your top two set-up men in Rafael Soriano and Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain is done for the year and might not be back until June or July of next year. Soriano, well, nobody knows when he is coming back. The loss of those two pitchers hurts more because David Robertson now has to fill in for them and bridge the gap to Mariano Rivera. Don't get me wrong, Robertson is an excellent pitcher. He actually deserves a shot at being Mo's bridge. However, it is going to hurt the Yankees because they now don't have an arm like Robertson's to come in and put out the fire in the 5th, 6th, or 7th. Who will fill the void? It could be Kevin Whelan who walks a lot of guys but has been getting a lot of strikeouts. It could be Hector Noesi who has performed very well in his short time in the Bronx. Lance Pendleton? Maybe, but I doubt it. Amaury Sanit? No way. Tim Norton? Well, he would be an excellent option with his strikeout rate (46 K's in 30 innings at AA and AAA) but he is now on the DL in Scranton. He probably would have been the best bet to fill in for Robertson as Robertson fills in for Soriano/Chamberlain. One thing is certain, the trade market right now isn't clear and prying away a top reliever from any team will cost more than he is worth. Right now, the Yankees must be patient. Let the kids come up and see what they can do. Like teaching a toddler to be potty trained there will be mistakes and accidents but its all part of the learning process. The Yankees have to keep the faith in whomever they call up and keep giving them the ball until it is clear that that pitcher isn't major league ready.

The Yankees will suffer a little without Jeter. They will lose a few games because nobody like Robertson could come in and put out the fire that a starting pitcher ignites. They will lose a game because losing Colon is like losing an ace and its a lot to ask of a rookie to fill an ace's shoes. It still isn't the end of the world. The heavy hitters in the Yankees lineup remain, for the most part, healthy. CC Sabathia is still healthy. A.J. Burnett has thrown a few excellent games. Mariano is still Mariano. It will take some time but the Yankees will be better in the long haul if they don't overreact and allow the kids to show what they can do. Soon enough Phil Hughes will come back. Bartolo will come back. Soriano will come back. Jeter will come back and resume his quest for 3000 hits. Russell Martin will return and give the Yankees excellent defense behind the plate with some pop in his bat. The doctor is in and he is hard at work.

Drag Bunts

-Francisco Liriano threw one of the ugliest no-hitters in the history of baseball. Liriano walked six and struck out only two, throwing only 66 of his 123 were strikes. That's 57 balls! One man, Juan Pierre, actually raised his on-base percentage from .307 to .321 by walking three times! Liriano emerged from his no-hitter with a 6.61 ERA. Oh, the weird world of baseball!

-Phil Hughes is reporting feeling better after getting a cortisone shot back in April. Wait a minute, I thought Phil wasn't complaining of any pain...so why the shot? Following his saga is like following information from the White House and other government organizations regarding the bin Laden takedown. What the hell is actually going on? Whatever it is, it was reported by Kim Jones that he is out another 6-8 weeks. Not good news, but at least its better than him having something seriously wrong with his arm.

-The Texas Rangers signed twenty-three year-old Cuban defector Leonys Martin to the second largest contract ever given to a Cuban defector, a five-year major league deal worth $15.5 million. The largest contract ever given to a Cuban? That would be the Reds' contract with Aroldis Chapman which was a six-year $30.25 million deal.

-On a sports card collecting note, if there is no football this season, will there be football cards issued? And if there is no football and players can't sign contracts, what does this mean for rookie cards of the players just drafted?

-Blake Griffin unanimously won the NBA Rookie of the Year. He is the first unanimous choice since David Robinson won it in 1990.

-According to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, the San Francisco Giants have looked into acquiring Mets SS Jose Reyes. Nothing is close to be being done as these were just internal discussions. One thing is for sure, the Giants anemic offense surely needs a boost.

-When the Knicks picked up point guard Chauncey Billups' $14.2 million option I couldn't help but wonder if it is just so the Knicks can dangle his expiring contract in a trade. Billups may have been a slight upgrade over Raymond Felton but injuries caused him to miss 3 of the 4 games in the playoffs but the Knicks need to ask themselves whether or not Billups, 34, will be able to hold up over a full season and still be effective for a playoff run. I think Billups is still a good point guard with boatloads of experience and his expiring contract is worth more to the Knicks as an expiring contract than a trade chip.

-Jesus Montero is currently leading the International LEague in batting average with a .373 AVG. Think the Yankees could use that?

-The Pittsburgh Pirates currently lead the Majors with 11 road wins. Yes, you read that correctly. However, they are tied for the least amount of home wins with 4.

-Has Derek Jeter actually hit the ball out of the infield this year? I know he has but it feels like it was 3 years ago. So far, he only has 2 extra-base hits, is batting .250 and has a paltry .308 OBP. Not exactly a true leadoff hitter by any stretch.

Well, that's it for tonight. Have a great night.

Free Throws

Just some quick notes from around sports:

-Derrick Rose won the MVP award, becoming the youngest in the history of the NBA to win the award. He averaged 25 PPG, 7.7 APG, and 4.1 RPG. There is no doubt he is one of the brightest young stars in the NBA.

-Evan Longoria was activated from the 15-day DL by the Tampa Bay Rays. Longoria is one of the best hitters in the game and there is no doubt that Tampa's offense suffered in his absence.

-Shin-Soo Choo was arrested for drunken driving early Monday morning in Sheffield Lake, Ohio. This hasn't been the best season so far for the man many consider the Indians best player. This season, Choo is hitting 44 points below his career average of .294. The last three seasons, Choo has hit at least .300 while increasing his home run total each year as well.

-Phil Hughes's shoulder checked out in the battery of tests he underwent over the past week. That is excellent news for the young Yankee right-hander. However, his diminished velocity is still an absolute mystery and that is not good news. I think, if I were Hughes, I would want something found so I know what it is. This HAS to be weighing on him.

-The escapades of Milton Bradley continue as he was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount after his ejection last weekend in a game against the Red Sox. Bradley has always had the talent but has never been able to translate it on the field because he could never control himself. Bradley does lead the league in career ejections and his record of hurting himself during an outburst at an umpire's call is still something to behold. I am not sure why any team would take a chance on him anymore. He is just too unpredictable.

-Rex Ryan won the Horrigan Award which is given out by the media for being the best non-player helping the media do their jobs. This is how you are rewarded for giving the media fodder on an almost weekly basis. I am not looking forward to listening to Rex Ryan this season. He just doesn't know when to be quiet and I am sure this award will fuel his hubris.

-Former NFL safety, Dave Duerson, was found to have moderately advanced brain damage when he committed suicide in February of this year. Duerson's condition was a result of blows to the head. I remember Duerson from the 1990 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants team where he provided veteran leadership to the Giants secondary. He made 4 Pro Bowls and was never afraid to put his body out there. Hopefully, Duerson's condition won't go unnoticed by coaches from grade school to the NFL and head trauma will finally be taken a lot more seriously than it is now.

-One reason for the Detroit Tigers struggles this year, aside from Victor Martinez being sidelined with an injured groin, has been the utter disappointment Magglio Ordonez has been this year. Through 19 games, Ordonez is hitting .151 with only 1 RBI and 1 extra base hit. The RBI, in case you were wondering, came as the result of a groundout. When one of three best hitters is performing as poorly as Ordonez is, and you combine it with Austin Jackson's pace to tie Mark Reynolds' record for most strikeouts in a season and Ryan Raburn's attempt to beat Jackson you are going to struggle on the offense. This Tigers team is a shell of the one that went to the World Series a few years ago and was considered a team on the rise. This Tigers team is on the way down and with Cleveland and Kansas City developing young talent I don't think we will be seeing this team in contention anytime soon.

-Andre Ethier extended his streak to 28 games. He is halfway to Joe DiMaggio.

-Yesterday, I mentioned Alfonso Soriano leading the major leagues in home runs with 11. Eleven also happens to be the total number of homers the rest of his teammates have hit this year.

-A lot was made about the Brewers acquisition of Zack Greinke this past offseason. However, the real surprise might be Shaun Marcum who is currently 3-1 and is currently 4th in the NL in ERA with a 2.21 average and owns a 1.06 WHIP, all below his career norms.

-The Yankees signed Brad Halsey to a minor league contract today. You might remember Halsey from his previous stint with the Yankees in 2004 when he appeared in 8 games. Halsey, 30, has been playing in the independent leagues for the past two seasons and has not appeared in the majors since 2004 when he was with the A's. This move is nothing more than adding pitching depth. The guy throws left-handed so of course he was going to get another shot.

-Mike Axisa put together an excellent graph over at Riveraveblues.com that charts the Yankees offense by inning. You can check it out here. IF you don't already read this blog, you should. These guys are good at covering the Yankees.

-The Nashville Predators are injecting life into hockey in the South. Their playoff run is filling seats and injecting life into a franchise and area once thought to be not hockey-friendly enough. The Pirates, Royals, and other small market teams that have not spent money on getting players to bring success to the field should take note.

-The Angels Jared Weaver was handed his first loss of the year last night by the Red Sox. The Red Sox just flat out own the Angels, winning 14 of their 15 matchups.

-I have been having a hard time getting into the NBA Playoffs this year. The reason? The ref's. Some of the calls these refs make have me believing some of these games are fixed. Calling fouls where none exist and not calling fouls on others that are blatantly obvious just angers me to no end. I understand the NBA is a stars league but this is getting ridiculous. The NBA needs to do something about these refs before they rip the heart out of the game.

-Speaking of the NBA playoffs...I don't think it is too early to announce that there is a changing of the guard taking place in the NBA right now. The Lakers and Celtics have huge warts this year and other teams might have found the answers to beating them. Sure, the Lakers and Celts can still put it together and make a run but age is definitely catching up to them as it has the Spurs.

-Even though the Knicks got knocked out of the first round and the Nets failed to make the playoffs, I can't help but feel excited for basketball in the NYC metro area. With Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Deron Williams, and Brook Lopez, there is more talent around now than I ever remember. And what is better, the best basketball is yet to come.

-If you don't know the story of Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich you are missing a truly feel good story in sports. Herzlich was diagnosed with a from of bone cancer in 2009 after an excellent year in 2008. That would stop most people in their tracks. Not Herzlich. He was back on the field in 2010 and produced. His girlfriend is also in Army ROTC and will soon embark on a stint in the Army. He went undrafted in last weekends draft but he hasn't let that stop him. He has been working out and readying himself in case some NFL team comes with a free-agent contract once the lockout is lifted. If the lockout isn't lifted, Herzlich can sign with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League who took him in the 10th round of their draft. If I were an NFL GM I would be on the phone with Herzlich first thing. Character goes a long way in my book.

That's all for now. Enjoy the sports tonight.

Say it Ain't so Phil!

Phil Hughes threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session today and ended the session after a little more than 10 pitches. Hughes was supposed to be on schedule for a rehab start later this week but I doubt that will be happening now. The problem? According to YES Network reports, Phil said his arm felt like it had "a lot of deadness." No pain, just didn't feel like the results were matching the effort.

What does this mean? Right now it seems like it is uncharted territory for both coaches and player. I can't imagine Phil Hughes is feeling good and confident right now since this "dead arm" seems to have no rhyme or reason. Now, Hughes will be off to the doctor in the hopes that he can get an explanation for the disappearance of his fastball.

I don't recall there ever being an example of someone just losing their fastball at such a young age. Could it be injury? Fatigue? That is unknown at this point. Hopefully Phil gets an answer soon and is able to rediscover his fastball.