Submitted by "Dakotah" John Skilbred, Jun 2, 2007 14:47

The difference, then, comes down to pitching. The Red Sox have gotten a 3.98 ERA from their starters, the Yankees 4.71. The Boston bullpen has been shockingly good, with Hideki Okajima, and Papelbon giving the Sox a great one-two punch at the end of games. The Yankees don't have anything like that, though it should be noted that the deficiency is partially by choice — Joe Torre has been slow to use his weapons to best advantage. The hard-throwing, easy-losing Kyle Farnsworth has been used in more pressure situations than any Yankees reliever despite his lack of success in those situations. Brian Bruney, the team's most effective reliever to date, has generally been used in lower-leverage situations.

Very Well Put.......In Other Words.....Torre needs to Stop Using Farnsworth......because he possesses 100-mph heat.....over the Less-Overpowering Bruney, like he did last night!!??

I was very surprised when Bruney was replaced after one inning by Farnsworth, to be replaced one inning later by Scott Proctor.....Who, after getting one out...."opened the door" for the Red Sox to

a) CRY FOUL because Youkilis, who loves to "crowd the plate", got plunked by Proctor, who isn't afraid to throw inside.....because....unlike Farnsworth, Proctor DOESN'T POSSESS a 98-100 mph fastball!!!

b) Expose the "last remaining segments" of the Yankee Bullpen, Ron Villone.....a long-relief "specialist" to a "one-batter" situation.....and FORCE Mariano Rivera into a situation with a "long rope" where he can give up a couple of runs and still "escape"........

The most important point you make is about MANAGING the Pitching Staff......and Torre is Definitely "Clueless" about HOW to USE these guys!!!

That's Why, Unless He Starts "Wising Up" and Use his Relief Staff in a Semblance of ORDER.....like BRUNEY, "you're my set-up man" or Farnsworth, "you're my Secondary Set-up guy"......or Villone, "you're my Long Relief Specialist"........Torre Should Be Forced to "Walk the Plank"

Right Now.......Torre is also "Juggling the Line-Up" Until SOMEONE has a "Break-Out Game"........

Clearly........Robinson Cano is the Fastest-Running GOOD HITTER on the Team...he's moving quickly up to his lifetime average in the .300's...Bat him Leadoff.....Not DAMON.....Damon deserves a Break with his injury...and can still lead off some innings in the #9 spot.......Abreu with "some power" and Melky Cabrera, until he has a "breakout" couple of games......should be the Yankees' #7 and #8 hitters......

Joe Torre Doesn't DESERVE to KEEP MANAGING this Team, if they don't respond and Climb over .500 by Flag Day.........

By then, Roger Clemens will have a couple of starts under his belt.......the Starting Pitching should be "set" and Joe Torre SHOULD HAVE DEFINED ROLES IN THE BULLPEN!!

CONSISTENCY IS NEEDED WITH THE YANKEES, AND JOE TORRE IS NOT PROVIDING CONSISTENT LEADERSHIP!!!

LARRY BOWA COULD DO BETTER!!

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