WHY MARK PRIOR CAN'T CATCH A BREAK

Mark Prior’s hurt again. I swear to God. It’s like a bad bad joke. I suggest he cut all ties with Nick Johnson immediately, this is ridiculous. Prior was scheduled to pitch yesterday, but because of what seems to be a sore shoulder, they scratched his pitching appearance. Read about it HERE.

When does a player decided that enough’s enough? Mark Prior, who has fought his way through arm surgery, soreness, groin pulls and who knows what else has to think that he’s getting Punk’ed right now and Ashton Kutcher’s about to pop up in Tampa and laugh his balls off. But it’s not that simple. Clearly Mark Prior’s body’s not working right. The Associated Press reports that he was supposed to pitch in a Gulf Coast League game and because of that soreness, they decided to give it a few days. Let’s hope it’s just a few days.

Look, I wrote about my love for Mark Prior in THE PATIENCE OF MARK PRIOR. Maybe I should just cut ties with my obessession, it’s clear this guy may not make an appearance this year. But yes, it’s true, because of Prior’s drive and dedication to make it, I can’t walk away just yet. Now look, if he comes back from this injury and suddenly gets hit by a truck, I really have to rethink this. For now, I have some strict ground rules for Mark Prior getting back to the Bigs:

• Prior must stay in the bubble and only come out if there is a catcher 6o feet 6 inches away.
  
  
• He must make sure it’s at least 75 degrees and sunny and he needs to wear sunscreen.
• Prior must make sure your shoes are tied, or better yet, get Velcro cleats.
• He make be sure the mound is manicured and there is no rosin bag. We don’t want him to trip over it.
  
  
• Only throw 5 pitches, that’s safe.
  
  
• He should wear sunglasses. We don’t want dirt to accidently get kicked in his eyes.
  
  
• When Prior's finished throwing, he needs to walk slowly to the dugout. DO NOT step on the foul line. Instead, he needs to step over it. I’m supersticious.

Mark, I hope you read Bleeding Yankee Blue and yes, I know it’s got to be frustrating at this point but we have to laugh. It’s pure comedy. How does someone get hurt as much as you and NOT laugh. Sorry Eric Chavez, I forgot about you.

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THE PATIENCE OF MARK PRIOR

If you know me, you know I love and have always loved Mark Prior, in between his injuries of course. This is a guy that has pitched great while healthy, but the healthy moments are few and far between and if you look at his list of injuries through the years, he’s been hurt more than healthy. It’s quite fascinating actually.

Well, Mark Prior's patient, more patient than any man I know that continually takes a beating like he has. Why? Because late last week, Mark Prior was in a game. I'm NOT KIDDING. With all the injury and pain there is 1 thing Prior has that the other injury prone ballplayers don't have... resilience.

That's why I don’t give up on Prior because he doesn't give up on himself. I know he’s got the talent and I know the Yankees do too, if they didn’t, they would have cut him loose months ago. I say stay the course, let this guy heal and try to make it back to the big show, even if it’s 1 inning just to see if he still has it. After all, the money spent is minimal and who knows, maybe, just maybe he can make it back to contribute and see if there’s any lightening in that bottle. Don’t forget, at one point in his career, he was 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA. That was with the Chicago Cubs. Yes, In fairness, it was 8 years ago, but it’s raw talent. I can only imagine where he’d be in the record books if he was healthy. Yeah, it sounds stupid that I’m living in the past... it's definitely stupid, but I believe in him.

So, here are the details, in his Gulf League outing last Friday, Prior pitched 16 pitches, 9 of them were strikes. After he pitched, he said he felt good. That's great as far as I'm concerned. Read about it HERE. According to MLB, "Prior then recorded two strikeouts on 10 pitches, both on nasty curveballs that were clocked at 79 mph and 80 mph. His fastball throughout the outing ranged between 90 mph and 92 mph."

And I found this nuggest interesting. When talking about the different pitches he threw MLB has this from Prior:



"I figured something out with the grip, and I kind of hold it like a slider now. It used to go back too far, so I changed my grip just a tiny bit, and that's made a huge difference. I've been drawing on the ball to practice it, and that's helped out a lot." Prior got the tip from Roy Halladay and said it's been useful. "I have a lot more trust and confidence with it now," he said.



I'm looking forward to Prior's next outing, and to hopefully making it back to the big show.



And speaking of the big show, just wanted to let ya'll know that the Yankees may have released lefty JC Romero from his minor league contract recently, but it doesn't mean their done with looking at lefty pitching. The Texas Rangers released Arthur Rhodes and he has become a free agent. The Yankees are interested in the 41 year old. Read about it HERE. If they did sign Rhodes, it would be to a minor league deal. Anyway... stay tuned.



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WHY THE YANKEES ARMS RACE HAS STARTED

The Yankees are looking, no doubt about it but the good news is, some of their relief is on the mend, so just in time for the second half, the New York Yankees may end up with more pitching than they needed. But as you know, you can never have too much pitching.

First off you must know that Mark Prior is close he pitched his first game since nursing that groin injury. Read about it HERE. So, because he's throwing again, I expect to see him back soon. The question is, will he get a shot in the big show before season’s end? Man I hope so, just to see this guy healthy and in action would make me smile. Does Prior still have what it takes? He’s talented, but we’ll have to see.

Rafael Soriano is expected back soon but he still needs to do a few more rehabs before they determine when he's returning. Read it HERE. RaSo, while having a few good moments, and being apart of the Three Headed Monster has had a rough start in the Bronx no doubt and injury to this guy won’t help his reputation. If Soriano comes back and acts like a stuck up disease in the clubhouse, the Yankees will have distractions. But if he comes in willing to help any way he can, including taking a back seat to a now dominant David Robertson, things will be just fine.

Heath Bell: He is such a likable guy and very talented. The Yankees have been linked to Bell for a few weeks now, but other teams are connected to him... the Phillies, Red Sox and Rays. If the Yankees can pick up this arm, it will be a huge help to the already terrific Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, Cory Wade and Luis Ayala gang. Plus, we’ll crowd things up with Rafael Soriano and maybe even another lefty to assist Boone Logan. The big question about Bell is "Who will the Yankees will give up for him?" Many are suggesting Jesus Montero. Read about this HERE. Also, Some would suggest trying to snag Heath Bell is just gluttonous. I call it stability. The Yankees didn’t pick up a top starter in the off season don’t forget, but we got damn lucky with the performances of Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. Extra help in the bullpen is always needed in case these guys fall apart and last night there was an indication of that with Colon. I like this move for Heath Bell, even if they're looking at it as a rental.

JC Romero: Yes, the Nationals released him and the Yankees have signed him to a minor league deal. Read about it HERE. Romero is a lefty and could be affective in the pen with Boone Logan, but as I’ve said all along, I like the idea of someone like Scott Kazmir instead because it could be a diamond in the rough. The only issue with my scenario is Kazmir might want to start somewhere and all I’m saying is you can take a chance with him as a lefty specialist in the pen. At any rate, if the Yankees like what they see from Romero, it could be a good marriage down the stretch.

Scott Kazmir: Yes, I believe his starting days are over right now and I have this ridiculous idea to bring him into our pen to face a few lefties once in a while. Kazmir was recently attached to the Rangers at one point after he was released by the Angels. Read it HERE. The problem with that was, the Rangers are not terribly interested in the left hander, according to MLB Trade Rumors. You know our stance here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, we like Kazmir. For 1, it helps the Yankees with an extra lefty and 2, Kazmir may be able to reinvent himself.

Sean Burnett: The lefty Nationals pitcher would be a smarter alternative to someone like Scott Kazmir because for the most part, his performance against lefties is pretty damn good: .235 BA and 1.17 WHIP. Read about it HERE.

Matt Capps: Bolstering the bullpen with someone like Capps may be a good idea, but I don’t necessarily see that happening. This year Capps has 13 saves. Every once in a while there is a “rumor” between the Yankees and Capps, but it never has legs. My guts saying it still doesn’t have legs. Read it HERE.

Good things are happening in Yankeeland when it comes to pitching. We are back to the second half grind and close to the trade deadline so expect the rumors to start heating up and the Yankees to step up as they make a run for another Division championship and beyond. After all, we are the New York Yankees… the best God damn team ever.

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WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE YANKEES?

Now that the All-Star break is over, what should the Yankees do to bring them to the next level?
Our Crosstown Rival, The Mets just traded away their closer Francisco Rodriguez for prospects to make the first deadline deal. The Mets are clearly in a rebuilding stage, and are trying to dump salary, but our Yankees are trying to figure out what it will take to bring them to the next championship.Let's take a look at which areas we need help with, and which possible candidates could be used to fill these voids:

• RELIEF: We are missing a solid 6th inning reliever. Joba Chamberlain went down with an injury earlier in the year, and David Robertson stepped up to take the 8th inning spot until RaSo comes back. Then, I think DRob will probably be moved back to the 7th inning spot, but who will be used to pitch in the 6th inning? I say call up someone from AAA or AA such as, Andrew Brackman, Lance Pendleton, or maybe even Mark Prior among others.

• TOP FLIGHT PITCHER: We are it and it could carry us through the playoffs if we had one. I say trade for someone such as Mark Buehrle or "Pretty Boy" CJ Wilson.

• EXTRA HITTING: Any team could always need another bat. I think having another person for some power or average is a threat in the lineup could really spice things up. I say trade for a 3 month rental and see how it pays out. My few candidates to trade for are Lance Berkman, Prince Fielder, Carlos Pena, or if a miracle were to happen, Albert Pujols.
  

IMAGINE this lineup:

1. Jeter SS
2. Granderson CF
3. Pujols/ Prince Fielder DH
4. A-Rod 3B
5. Cano 2B
6. Teixeira 1B
7. Swisher RF
8. Martin C
9. Gardner LF

seems like Murderers Row 2.0, right?

Let me know what you think by commenting on this post or hitting me on Facebook. Or, if you have a blackberry you can add the Bleeding Yankee Blue group on BBM and we can converse in there. Thanks.



--Will Cohen, BYB Staff Writer

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WHY HE'S MAN DOWN, NOT OUT

Mark Prior is still hurting and it has nothing to do with his shoulder, but it has everything to do with his groin. It kills me but it’s true. I was and still am rooting for Mark Prior who has had more injuries than B.A. Baracus in the entire A-Team Series and that show had plenty of nutty stunts. The good news is, he has finally thrown a live batting practice and is working his way back. That nugget comes from KFFL.com. Read it HERE. What can you do, we've always known that Prior was an injury risk and most of Cashman’s signing ideas have panned out this year, but some don’t, although I’m not giving up on Prior yet. It sounds like if he threw 27 pitches like it's being reported and feels no pain in that groin, he'll hopefully be on his way back. It’s been quite a while since he was able to face live hitters because this groin injury needed time to heal. Bottom line, if it doesn’t heal, well, C’est la Vie, we'll be forced to move on.

The Scranton Times Tribune reports that with all the problems with his shoulder, this groin is the most annoying because of the time it will take to get back on the mound. They have a great quote: “Mark Prior had to admit that pain was all he could feel. Not physical pain. The pain of disappointment. The brutal pain of frustration.”

That sums it up for me. The guy has had injury upon injury for years with the Cubs, and finally, he comes back to the New York Yankees, ready to contribute, grateful he was given a chance and he was on the right track and then, the groin injury. Son of a Bitch.

You know me, I was expecting to see this guy up and helping out our bullpen by now, and who knows, if there was no groin injury we may have seen him already. It’s got to kill Prior because even when he takes a step forward, he’s taking 2 back. Luckily, this KFFL report is a positive one.

The Scranton times quotes Prior: “I guess one way of looking at it is, It’s not my shoulder, but unfortunately, it hasn’t been getting better. It’s been a long month to say the least.”

If there is one thing to think about, it’s Prior's positive attitude. He wants this more than anyone and I predict, he’ll be up this year, even briefly and that will be enough for me. Heart and Dedication, love it. When this guy is healthy I see good things, even with our already stacked bullpen.

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