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What the heck happened to Brian Bruney though? In the beginning of the season, he was good. I'd get excited to see him come into a game. Did something happen? Or did the good just wear off?

Last year, the question, always, on Bruney was "How could Arizona have let this guy go?" This year, I think we're seeing the answer. He's just another guy who throws hard but lacks the control to be an effective pitcher. The minors are full of guys like this.

I remember when we first got Bruney. Many of the so-called experts criticized Arizona for "letting an arm like that get away." Well, as Steve has pointed out, this is why you let a guy with a golden arm go--he doesn't throw strikes.

By way of comparison, I saw Al Reyes of Tampa last night hold the meat of the Red Sox lineup at bay for two innings without throwing a ball over 86 mph. Quality pitching is a little like Real Estate: Change speeds and location, location, location!

Steve, you beat me to it. After I finished my comment I noticed you had already said pretty much the same thing. I wasn't intentionally trying to be repetitive:)

On today's MLB Trade Rumors.."The Orioles have inquired about Kei Igawa and were told he is unavailable" ! You have got to be kidding me.
Does Cashman have a death wish? If true, this is even worse than not trading Farnsworth to interested teams because of the money.

Cashman being Cashman?

My only issue with Chamberlain in the pen is will Torre use him? If Torre is going to treat him like Edwar then that wont help his development. If we want to fix our bullpen just replace Villone, Proctor, Farnsworth with Britton, Edwar, Joba

Kyle, you should be more worried Torre will use him like Proctor. I worry about a 21 yr. old arm in the hands of a desparate manager with a track record of frying those he "trusts".

I think the Joba rumors -- which writers are now mentioning like it's a certainty -- is bullshit. Would they really bring Joba up and stick him in the bullpen without ANY time in the 'pen in AAA? When someone starts their entire life, it's an odd transition to the 'pen -- the warmup time, etc. Plus, Joba has probably never pitched two days in a row as a pro. Wouldn't they want him to do it once to see how he feels before throwing him out there? I think putting Joba in the 'pen is a dumb idea, but if they do it, I hope they at least let him get his feet wet as a reliever in the minors.

Cashman turning down a trade proposal for Igawa is like me turning down a date proposal from Shakira.

It simply borders on the insane.

Cashman turning down a trade proposal for Igawa is like me turning down a date proposal from Shakira.

It simply borders on the insane.
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Heyman mentions that in his column today. He says the M's "cooled" after Igawa's performance against the Royals (though you have to wonder why his previous starts turned them on; the Royals start was one of his better ones).

Heyman also said that the Yankees would expect any team who took Igawa to pay part of the posting fee, which is something I've never heard before.

If Joba gets called up and stuck in the pen, he wouldn't be the first, nor will he be the last.

If Joba gets called up and stuck in the pen, he wouldn't be the first, nor will he be the last.
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The last three great pitchers I can think of who did it were Santana, Liriano and Billingsley. I think most people felt they were wasted in the bullpen. That they should have been in the rotation. There's no space for Chamberlain at the moment, so I guess that's a moot point.

Joba hasn't pitched many innings. I just wonder about the wisdom of punishing his arm right now.

Kay just said that Chamberlain has been moved to the SWB 'pen. So I guess it's a done deal. I hope it works out, but I think it's a mistake. He should remain a starter with an ETA of 2008.

i just dont trust Torre to use joba effectively (at least for his future/health). it's going to be either 1. overuse, ala Proctor, or 2. underuse, ala Edwar. neither are good for his development.