After the all star break the New York Yankees are back in action playing the Oakland Athletics. The All Star game has came and went and was a relatively quiet affair. The game was the longest in history, and certainly had some great moments, but only contained a small amount of controversy.
The trade wheels were still turning as Oakland traded away Joe Blanton to the Phillies, and apparently Greg Smith is scheduled to get the start against the Yankees on Saturday.
Goose Gossage again gave another speech explaining why he thinks Joba belongs in the bullpen rather than in the starting lineup. At this stage, Gossage has slipped into full blown self-ego stroking, explaining to the world why a good relief pitcher is far more valuable to a team than a starting pitcher. To be perfectly clear, this isn't about Joba, it's about Goose, who, despite being in the hall of fame, is still trying to convince people that he was more important to the game of baseball than a lot of other pitchers.
The Yankees have added Richie Sexson to the roster, hoping his right handed bat can give the team an offensive boost against left handed pitching. The Yankees were able to get Sexson dirt cheap and with Matsui out for a while, they could use an extra DH. Sexson's performance this year has been pretty abysmal and I wouldn't expect much out of him, but the Yankees got him for next to nothing and you certainly can't blame them for giving it a go.
After the few days off, it almost feels like a new season. For this Yankees team the next few days should be really telling. Has the time off done them any good. Have they decided for themselves whether or not to show up and play each and every day, or are they going to continue with the mediocre effort, up and down playstyle that's gotten them third place in the division standings so far this season. A good run out of the gate could turn the team around. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
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