A-Rod had a truly splendid April, with 14 homers, 34 RBI (9 more than Francoeur, who was in 2nd place), .355 average and the best slugging percentage (.882) of any player with 5+ at-bats. Sure, his handiwork did not push the Yankees' record over to that lovely winning side of the spectrum, but at least he started the season to some cheers rather than boos. (Also, Gibson has a custom A-Rod guitar [right]. No, I don't get it either.)

Doug Mientkicantspellhisname has hit 2 homers and knocked in 5 runs! Sure, his average is just .154 and the Yanks would likely be better off letting Phelps and Giambi manage first base and using the roster spot for another pitcher, but who doesn't get a nice warm feeling in their heart when an offensively-challenged player gets to round the bases?

We got to see what Phil Hughes has to offer the Yanks much sooner than anyone had anticipated (or desired, if we're being honest here). Sure, his call-up came under truly dire circumstances and the incredible pressure he is likely feeling can't be helping his performance (see left), but the very fact that the Yankees have a cache of viable players in the farm system is encouraging for our future.

The "Torre will/should be fired" stories being perpetuated by the media have forced Big Stein to defend old Joe for once. Sure, Stein had essentially no other option than to defend his team and staff when faced with such scrutiny, but i'm confident the support boosted Torre's spirits by a good 0.5%.

All the injuries and poor pitching have made dear Carl Pavano quite the desired gentleman. Never before have Yanks fans so eagerly anticipated his return to good health or so valued the short time he has been alive enough to pitch. Sure, pretty much anyone starts to look good when the alternatives are a 12-year-old with no experience or 2 innings of Farnsworthless, but my "Pavano must LIVE" campaign must be working!



See, folks? The state of affairs is really not all that bad. With any luck, the off-day was spent boosting morale and strategizing and the Yanks will be raring to go when they get to the Texas for tomorrow's game against the Rangers. Hughes might fare better away from the expectations of the fans at home, and the probable pitcher for the Rangers is Kameron Loe, who has a 1-3 record and 7.62 ERA in 4 games that he's pitched against the Yanks. My fingers are crossed for a turn of the tide....

The Yankees have lost 6 in a row, and with the exception of last night, when the offense was apparently taking a the day off to soothe their surely callused hands, the blame can be placed directly on the pitching consortium.

I really have nothing to say about this mess, other than to assure you all that I have my fingers firmly crossed for the prompt return of our injured troops (from the DL, I mean... oh, and the actual U.S. troops too, I guess.) and for a sizable check to be sent to the home of Mr. Roger Clemens as bribery for his 2007 service in the Bronx. Short of a pitching overhaul by means of magical injury cures, a cloned Clemens or two, or a stroke of random good luck a la 2005 Aaron Small, I fear our only hope is for the offense to ratchet it up another notch - - no more sleep, no more days off, no more eating even, just 24 hours a day of studying pitching tapes and practicing their swings.

Tonight's game brings us one of the most highly anticipated debuts in recent Yanks history, the last one probably being none other than shortstop/deity Derek Jeter. Phil's promotion to the Yanks has caused quite a stir amongst the fans and the media and all eyes will be on him tonight, scrutinizing his every pitch and waiting to see how he reacts to the immense pressure (and expectations galore) he'll surely be feeling.

Even though he's only 20, he has already proven himself to be a rare talent, and I don't think there is a question of whether he is physically capable of being successful with the Yanks. My concern is not the number of Jays he'll strike out tonight, but how he will react when one inevitably gets a big hit off him or if he gets himself into a tight spot with the bases loaded. Will the knowledge that the Yankees have lost the last 5 games on account of their pitching make him fearful that he won't be able to get them a win either? Worse yet, will the expectations from the crowd at Yankee Stadium overwhelm him? In my opinion, I can envision tonight's game going either direction:

• Proving that the "mature" description he has received is indeed true, Phil pitches 7 solid innings. When he gives up a hit or two, he remains calm and gets himself out of trouble. The Yanks win the game, and Phil uses a fake ID (since he is only 20...not that I condone such obviously illegal behavior) and goes out on the town with the rest of the team to celebrate.

OR

• He starts out well, striking out a few and receives a ton of cheers. Then Sal Fasano smacks a homer off him in the 3rd and the humiliation overtakes his confidence, leading him to serve up 4 additional homers and thus beating Chase Wright's record from last weekend. After the embarrassing loss (of the game and his confidence), Phil uses that fake ID to purchase some malt liquor and drowns his sorrows back in his hotel room.

As usual, the Yankees Chick is remaining cautiously optimistic at this point. It is unfortunate that our pitching staff has been reduced to a pile of injured rubble, but it will be fun to get a sneak peak at Phil at this early stage. Let's cross our fingers that A-Rod belts a homer tonight to give the Yanks an early lead and take the pressure on Hughes down a notch. Or two... A-Rod can handle that!

It is with a heavy heart that I sit down to craft this post, and I must admit that updating Yankees Chick is a task I've been dreading all weekend for lack of anything non-A-Rod-related to say. After today's game, I have finally progressed from frustrated about the pitching to downright sickened and some bitching is therefore in order.

My delightful friends, it is a sad state of affairs when a team's offense can consistently score 6+ runs, has seven starting position players that are hitting at least .300, and gets on base with with supreme consistency but still cannot win a goddamn game. Every single one of the Yankees embarrassing 10 losses can be attributed to their pitching woes, which range from injuries to inconsistency to the apparent inability for the starters to last longer than 5 innings. It is the latter two that concern me most, as injuries leave the hope of a return while inconsistency and that horrendous "I will spontaneously combust the moment this game gets into the 6th inning and henceforth my life quite literally hinges upon me not pitching well enough to convince Torre to keep me in any longer" condition afflicting the starting rotation do not appear to have any sort of remedy.

At the risk of burning your retinas, take note of the following:

• The Yankees have racked up 75 appearances from their bullpen, the most in the MLB (and in just 18 games, surely some sort of mathematical improbability).
• After tonight, the collective ERA of the starting pitchers is a dismal 5.64.

Despite the unfortunate overuse of the bullpen, they have actually been pretty effective as a whole - their ERA is 3.51. The inevitable burnout and blowout of all their arms is going to come much too soon at this rate, though, and there are over 140 games to go in this marathon. Proctor was a savior of sorts last season, but the workload he's been shouldering spells doom to me; the same goes for Bruney, who is one of my favorites but is way too young and unseasoned to handle so much work (and such intense pressure!).

The good news - and there is some! - is that there is help on the way on the starting pitching front. Wang has recovered from the hamstring trouble that has had him sidelined since before the start of the season and will be pitching tomorrow, hopefully a solid 6+ innings to let the poor bullpen take a little nap. Finally, the one and only Philip Hughes, Prospect Extraordinaire, will be joining the roster this week for an emergency Thursday start. This is obviously a bit sooner than anyone would really like, but the Yanks are out of alternative options (I'm sorry, Chase Wright) and Phil seems up to the job. The return of Wang and the excitement of seeing Hughes so early in the season makes your Yankees Chick cautiously optimistic for a turnaround on the mound...

...And if the pitching implosion continues, give A-Rod the ball and send him out there. He's on a roll.

Join me and other Yanks (or Boston, I guesssss...) fans in the Yankees Chick Down With Boston Chat tomorrow throughout the game for some real-time interaction with the rest of us losers that aren't lucky enough to be at the game. The illustious gameday chatroom will open a tad before the first pitch (which is scheduled for 7:05PMest) and you are all cordially invited to show up and commit all the cheering and/or heckling your hearts desire. Just click on the link below and enter a username when it prompts you to and we'll be chatting!!

Chat Starts at 6:45pm EST

The Yankees are heading to Boston this weekend for the first of 18 delicious games they'll play against the demons BoSox this season, and they're going into the series with some seriously good mojo. Injuries and pitching deficiencies can dampen any team's spirits, but the Yanks' collective optimism is running high thanks to a kid from New York by the name of Alex Rodriguez (heard of him?). Our dear A-Rod has been on quite the tear this April - - - in just 14 games, the boy has knocked in 26 runs and has racked up 10 homers, 2 of which were walk-off shots that came when there were 2 outs, and he's had at least 1 hit in each of the 14 games. These are impressive feats for any player, but for A-Rod, whose internalization of the disdain so publicly displayed by New York has prevented him from focusing 100% on the game for most of his time with the team, the performance is altogether heart-warming.

Watching A-Rod smack 2-strike pitches and hit game-winning homers is exciting, but what really brings a smile to my face is the difference in his attitude this year. In years past, we watched A-Rod's composure disintegrate every time he struck out or misplayed a ball, and it seemed that each game that didn't make him a hero compounded his stress tenfold. This year, though, his demeanor has taken a 180: we've seen him laughing with the rest of the crew (including, but not limited to, his friend-but-not-best-friend-but-still-friends-seriously-stop-pestering-us Jeter) and he hasn't let one bad at-bat prevent him from dominating the next time. Since it is just April, I hesitiate to proclaim that all of A-Rod's woes are a thing of the past, but he has certainly made a case for the cessation of the boo-ers. The good cheer and demand for curtain-calls will likely not be following A-Rod to Boston this weekend, but here's to hoping that he can handle the wrath of Boston's most obnoxious fans!!

Thanks to the rare and apparently very contagious injury bug that has been spreading throughout the Yankees' clubhouse like the plague and has caused a rash of unfortunately-timed simultaneous injuries, tonight's game against Cleveland will feature a debut from 24-year-old Chase Wright. I'd venture to guess that most of us have not heard much about this lad since Prince Phil Hughes gets all the press (and the ladies' hearts), so here are his vital stats:

Age: 24
Throws: Left
Bats (hahahahaha): Left
Experience: 5 years in the Yankees farm system, from Gulf Coast to AA.
Career Highlights: Led the GCL with 39 walks in 2002; allowed just 2 homers in 81 innings during the 2003 season; had had arthroscopic surgery performed in August of '04 (not so much a "highlight", but finding info on him was tricky); led the Class-A Charleston team and ranked 4th among all Yankees minor leaguers with 110 strikeouts in 2005; and went 12-3 with a 1.88 ERA in 37 games (14 starts) for Class-A Tampa and was named Florida State League "Pitcher of the Year" in 2006.
2007: In his two starts at Trenton so far this year, he went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 1 walk and 19 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched.

Any pitcher's first start is bound to be stressful (for them and for us watching!), and a short-notice call-up for a youngster has the potential to create nervousness that could rival that felt by an acrophobiac (me) being forced to go up a ski lift in a blizzard (again, me). I'll be keeping a close eye on Chase and a tight grasp on my optimism, but at the very least the lad ought to be able to stick it out long enough to give the bullpen a rest.

I hope.

EDIT 4/18/07: Congratulations to David Sugarman from Vermont, whose story about seeing David Cone's first start as a Yank and his spot-on reason to hate the Red Sox (the movie Fever Pitch) won him the illustrious title of Yankees Chick Weekly Contest Numero Dos Winner!!! Enjoy that hat, my friend.

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EDIT 4/17/07: Since I wasn't able to post the archive until today, I will wait until 6pm PDT today (Tuesday) to pick the winner, so join in the contest fun!!! Download the archive here: http://yankees-chick.com/nybo_april_15.wma

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My lovelies, it is Sunday night again, and you know what that means: Yankees Chick on the radio and another chance for one of YOU to win a delightful prize!!

NY Baseball Online's weekly show airs from 10pm-11pm EST each Sunday night on New York's 1240am, and you can of course listen online. The Yankees Chick will be checking in at about 10:30 or so for the weekly Yankees update, and if you listen (either live or by downloading the archive tomorrow) you can win yourself a brand new Yanks hat to wear to the games or to your Red Sox fan friend's house.

Here's the rules: Listen to the show (live or archived), and send me an email with the following components: 1 topic that I discussed on the show, 1 story about a Yankees game (home or away) you have attended, and 1 good reason to hate the Red Sox. Send me those emails by 6pm EST tomorrow (Monday, 4/16) and I'll pick a winner!!

Listen live here: http://www.am1240wgbb.com/
Email: info@yankeeschick.com

The season has only been in full swing for two weeks, but the Bronx Bombers have already managed to amaze me. No, I'm not talking about their offense, which has been solid and a joy to watch; I'm also not talking about their pitching, because if you consider heart palpitations amazing, then this too has been a thrill so far. Nay, it is the obscene numbr of Yankees that have already managed to harm themselves that so fires up the Yankees Chick. Luckily, I am a board-ceritifed MD, and I'm generous enough to volunteer my medical recommendations free of charge.

Chien-Ming Wang: Strained right hamstring. My medical advice is to ice that sucker down, pop two vicodin and wash it down with some Gatorade, because Carl Pavano can't lead this team on his own. Oh shit, he's injured too?

Carl Pavano: Soreness in forearm and elbow. It doesn't look too serious, so don't give up hope. He's a fragile man, and all he needs is a big (GENTLE) hug, and some encouraging words. You can do it Carl!

Hideki Matsui: Strained hamstring. Not that the Yanks are hurting for offensive power, but we need our four solid outfielders. Sorry Kevin Reese.

Jeff Karstens: Elbow stiffness. Our pitchers are dropping like flies, making Karsten's return as a viable backup starter even more critical. Wrap his arm up in an Ace bandage, and give him one of Wang's Vicodins.

Even though many fans will say it's still early in the season, the games in April count the same as the games in the fall. Luckily, none of these injuries seem like season-enders (hopefully...I can't guarantee anything), so we should (again, hopefully) see the Yankees back to full health soon.

Folks, I think you all owe me a debt of gratitude.


Carl Pavano's performance yesterday, during which he allowed a mere 6 hits and 2 runs and required just 79 pitches to get through 7 complete innings, was something of a miraculous event. Not only was this his first regular season win in nearly 2 years (his last win came on May 22, 2005 against the Mets, a game that the Yankees Chick was at!), but with his 7-inning win he became the first Yankees pitcher of the year to last past the 5th inning, an accomplishment the worn-out bullpen surely appreciated. Factors like the controlled atmosphere (no cold, snow or wind in that dome, much to the Yanks' collective delight) and the morale-boost of the 8 runs the Yankees offense put up over the first 6 innings may have contributed to his success, but the bottom line is that Pavano was dialed-in yesterday and, for the first time in his career as a Yank, did not disappoint his team or the fans.

The reason I believe the fans and the team owe me a hearty "thank you!" (and perhaps some tickets to see Pavano's next home start, that would certainly indicate gratitude) is because, if you recall, the Yankees Chick took it upon herself to let bygones be bygones and made a concentrated effort to support Pavano 100% during his comeback. I even went so far as to replace the label I usually use to mark Pavano-related posts ("pavano must die") with one that more accurately describes my newfound CP support: "pavano must LIVE". My unwavering support for dear Carl got him through his first rocky start of the year (when he lasted just 4+ innings and gave up a run per inning), and I feel it was my dedication to reign in the Pavano puns that gave him the confidence to get out there yesterday and give it his all without worrying about his past or the pressure to perform well. Imagine Carl Pavano getting ready for the game in the clubhouse, feeling very anxious and alone, because no one believes in him and everyone is annoyed with this endless injuries. Then, like a lightbulb going off above his head, he remembers that there is one person that believes in him, the Yankees Chick! He jumps out of his depression and runs to the mound and pitches decently for the first time in years.

After seeing such positive results from my "I Support Carl Pavano" attitude after just 1 week, I am eager to see what the kid can do if I keep supporting him. Another start where he gets past the 6th inning? A couple month stretch without a missed start? I'm pulling for you, Carl!!!

When I decided, on a whim, to start a weekly contest to reward the few folks that take the time to read this site and listen to me on the radio, I will admit I was a tad nervous that I might wake up to an empty email inbox and the sad realization that even the prospect of winning a lovely DVD could not entice people to show the Yankees Chick some love.

You proved me wrong.

I received an incredible number of "contest entry" emails, and, impressively, every single person included both the required radio recap and a joke! The jokes ranged from cliche to utterly inappropriate (and therefore hilarious), and 2 different people actually submitted the same joke ("a zero and an eight are sitting at a bar, and the zero asks the eight, 'why is your belt so tight?'"). Your Yankees Chick is so surprised and flattered by the response to the contest that there is more than one winner this week.

Congratulations and a Yankeeography DVD to:

AJR from the UK, Rick from Ohio, and Larry from....I'm not sure where.


Thank you again to EVERYONE that joined the fun and sent me an email. We'll do another contest next week!

EDIT 4/09/07: You can listen to the archive (and still win the contest!) here


As I've previously mentioned, I will be appearing weekly on 1240 AM during Yankees Baseball Online's Sunday night shows (10pm-11pm every Sunday) giving my rants and raves on the Yanks' season. Thank you to all of you have been listening the past couple weeks - - - whether you love me or hate me, I appreciate the feedback!

As a hearty THANK YOU to those who listen (and perhaps a little motivation for those of you too lazy to click a link and listen to me ramble), I'm going to give away a prize to one of you delightful fans/detractors/people-that-accidentally-click-the-link-and-can't-figure-out-how-to-mute-me each week, simply for listening and sending me an email!

Tonight's prize is a Yankeeography Volume I dvd, which you can win by sending me an email after my segment on the show tonight stating at least 1 thing that I talked about (so I know you listened) and telling me a joke. In order to win, you MUST include both the talking point AND the joke! I will post the archive of the segment after the show so that you folks that have to go to bed at a decent hour tonight can still listen in the morning. I'll pick a winner at 3pm PST Monday based on the accuracy of the talking point and the hilarity of the joke.

Listen to the broadcast LIVE on New York's 1240 AM and online at http://www.am1240wgbb.com/. The Yankees Chick will be chatting at about 10:40pm EST.

Send your emails to info@yankeeschick.com



And finally, To my Jesus-lovin' Christian readers, happy Easter! To my Moses-Lovin' Jewish readers, happy (belated) Passover! And to my godless sinning readers (like myself), happy Yankees Sunday!

Moments like A-Rod's walk-off grand slam (the 3rd of his career, making him one of just three Yanks players in history to have 3) today quite literally make my heart skip a beat. In the grand scheme of the season, today's win will probably prove to be inconsequential, but the look on A-Rod's face as he watched that ball sail over the center field wall will be tattooed on my brain for a long time to come. Even better than A-Rod's endearing reaction, of course, was that of the rest of the team upon his return to the dugout: seeing such a show of overt public A-Rod support gave me a fraction of hope that he won't be ostracized to the point of fleeing the city as fast as his legs will carry him.

Thanks to the powers that be at the evil empire Cable Television Headquarters of the World, the Yankees game was blacked out for the Yankees Chick today, and after becoming thoroughly disheartened and on the verge of sickness from the first 5 disappointing innings I turned the volume down on the ol' MLB Radio and essentially gave up on the game entirely. Imagine, then, my surprise when I tuned in to ESPN and caught the highlights...

My quality of life improves by a margin of approximately 27.5% the moment baseball begins each year, largely because it gives me something to do during the many, many boring hours of my day. The downside to occupying the majority of my brainspace with all things baseball is that not all things baseball are entirely pleasant; in fact, there are many things that make the Yankees Chick a very bitter lady. Although the season started just 4 days ago, the Baseball Gods have already found a few ways to anger me....

New York Weather: It's sunny and toasty warm here in San Diego... I'm ready to watch baseball, and waiting 6 months for the first game of the season only to see the second game get rained out is just too depressing.

The Red Sox: Yes, Dice-K is great. WE GET IT. Unfortunately for you, Boston, there is only 1 of him, and he can't pitch every day.

Barry Bonds: I wish pitchers would just start lobbing some easy balls right down broadway for him so he could break the record and we could all stop caring.

Johnny Damon's calf muscle: Someone needs to get that kid some potassium supplements or at the very least a banana. It is far too early in the year to be sending starters to the DL.

A-Rod boo-ers: You people make me sick. It's April 5th


Now that I've successfully transferred my bitterness on to you innocent souls, I am ready to rest my tired head and dream of the day that Steinbrenner leaves all the decision-making power to the Yankees Chick...

I'm assuming you all took the day off from work/school/indentured servitude/volunteer work with bed-ridden senior citizens to watch the game this afternoon, but if you missed it or just want to relive the glory, lets run down what went down in Yankeesville today:

Pitching: As I mentioned yesterday, I have turned a new leaf and am dedicated to supporting Carl Pavano as much as humanly possible during his return to the working world (kind of like offering extra moral support to a woman coming back from a long maternity leave). My boy performed adequately today, going 4 2/3 innings, striking out 2 and allowing 4 earned runs. The fact that he went almost 5 innings is very promising: he had to jog out to the mound several times and did not trip once! Brian Bruney, who did an absolutely brilliant job bailing the Yanks out of many games in 2006, came in after Carl was kicked off the mound, and faced just 2 batters (he let 1 pick up a hit and struck out the other); his short outing was followed by an equally brief and fortunately uneventful outing by Sean Henn. We got our first peak at Luis Vizcaino, one of the spoils the Yanks enjoyed from the Randy Johnson trade, and he pitched a very efficient 3-up 3-down 7th inning. Kyle Farnsworthless surprised me by not looking like a moron or blowing the lead in the 8th - - he consistently hit 100 mph and only gave up 1 hit! Even though it was not a save situation by the 9th inning thanks to the efforts of A-Rod, Mariano pitched anyway and did a glorious job, striking out 3 in a row with just 13 pitches to finish the game.

Defense: Apparently the Yankees' Spring Training workouts did not include defensive drills... In all honesty, I really don't think A-Rod's "error" was an error at all - - he wasn't able to get to a high fly in foul territory, but there was really no clear reason to believe that the ball was his to miss in the first place - - and I must admit that my poor little heart sank a bit upon seeing that E-5 up on the screen, since as we are well aware the dear boy takes such failures to heart. Jeter's and Phelps's respective throwing errors, though, were just plain sloppy. Jeter, Cano, and Phelps did bust out 2 double plays during the game, so I'll chalk those bad throws up to nervous energy.

Offense: I doubt there were many people surprised by the performance of the Yanks' offense today. As a team, they were 12 for 33 with 4 walks and 5 strike outs, very solid numbers for game 1. 7 of the 9 starters had at least 1 hit (Matsui and Phelps were not in the mood for hitting today), and even Mientkiewizc managed to squeak out a hit once he took over for Phelps! Jeter, Giambi, Abreu, Posada and A-Rod all had RBIs, with Posada's and A-Rod's coming via homers. Especially after his aforementioned nerve-wracking "error", I was thrilled to see A-Rod come up with 2 hits (a line drive single in the 7th and that 2-run homer in the 8th) and a stolen base later in the game, and I wasn't the only one - - the homer elicited a rarely-seen (for him...) standing ovation from the fans!


Thank you to all of you that participated in the inaugural Yankees Chick live gameday chat, even if you just popped in for a moment to say hi. I had a lot of fun "watching" the game with my fellow fans and I plan on doing additional gameday chats throughout the season :)


Finally, a bit of shameless self-promotion: The Yankees Chick will be on 1240 am radio during the NY Baseball Online show again tonight offering a few minutes of Yankees talk at about 11:20 EST. I'll be giving my 2 cents on the show weekly, and I would love for you all to listen!!

Not that we need any further reason to get pumped for the start of the 2007 season, but the Yankees Chick is ready to roll out a new chat room feature in which we can gather during the games and yell at the tv - and each other!

Tomorrow's inaugural game will serve as a test for this Yankees Chick chat room - - if it proves to be boring and a waste of valuable browser space (entirely possible), I shall put the kibosh on future usages; I'm hoping, though, that it will end up being a fun way to watch/listen to the games "with" people whether we're at work (do not notify my boss, por favor), sitting on the sofa, or off on some fabulous vacation watching the game via the resort's extended WIFI.

I'll be logging in to the chat room about 1 hr before game time tomorrow, about noon EST. You can access the chat room by clicking the link below - you will be prompted to enter a username and then we'll be chatting!


I hope to see you all here tomorrow!!

In the meantime....dream sweet Yankees dreams...

Carl Pavano has been the punchline of many jokes here on Yankees Chick since its inception, and while I applaud my continued hilarity and cleverness (Pavano as a verb?! I'm a goddamn genius), I fear it may be time to scale back the bullying - deserved as it may be - and offer up a few well-wishes for the poor chap. Some ill-timed injuries and scheduling issues have defaulted Mr. CP into the starting role on opening day, and I am hereby pledging my full support to the accident-prone man in hopes that my good Yankees Chick vibes will traverse the mountains, plains, deserts and valleys all the way to the pitching mound in Yankees Stadium tomorrow afternoon. This week's news that his gorgeous girlfriend kicked him to the curb (reportedly due to some cheat-tastic behavior on Carl's part... these ladies are clearly not familiar with our boy CP) has me worried, as that sort of distraction cannot be good for someone who needs assistance walking from the couch to the refrigerator, meaning he needs our support now more than ever.

It's not going to be easy, my friends, but everyone deserves a second chance, and people who have exhausted their 2nd through 16th chances deserve an 17th chance when he is logistically the only available option. Pavano has made every effort to prove his commitment this Spring, showing up to almost every game (it's kind of like a small child, where we have to reward him for making an effort), taking his teammates' skepticism in stride, and running away from swarms of bees just as fast as his little legs would carry him. Easy as it is to scoff at his chances of succeeding on opening day or in 2007 at all, I am choosing to cast aside my cynicism for a brief moment and hope for the best, and I invite you to do the same.

...And if he blows it, don't worry: we can get right back to hating him after the game.