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11:30

Mark will be here at noon but you can start submitting your questions now. Remember, your comments won't appear until they are selected by the moderator.

12:00

Hello again, everybody, and welcome back to another installment of Blogging the Bombers: The Chat. The Yankees are 10-10 after the first 20 games, and given the multitude of problems they've had, that's actually pretty good. I know there's panic in the streets among the fan base, so let's try to ease your minds by answering some questions. Let's get it going.

12:00

[Comment From Mike Moretti, Neptune, NJ]
Mark, your thought on Philip Hughes. Is he here to stay?

12:03

It's hard to say whether Hughes is here to stay after one start, but last night's outing was certainly an encouraging sign. Hughes said he felt better last night than he had in any game since his 6 2/3-innings of no-hit ball in Texas almost two years ago, the night he hurt his hamstring. It's hard to say whether he's here to stay since he has to continue doing it, but it's certainly possible.

12:03

[Comment From Sean]
Do you think the yanks should be worried about their start? I personally don't think so because the starting pitching will come around and with A-Rod coming back soon they are going to put up some runs

12:06

Not at all. Consider that A-Rod hasn't played a game yet, Chien-Ming Wang's three starts were as bad as any three starts ever, Brian Bruney is on the DL, Xavier Nady is on the DL, Mark Teixeira hasn't hit yet and most of the bullpen has been an inconsistent disaster - like I said at the top, considering all of that, I think 10-10 is pretty darn good. There are 142 games left. It's not really time to worry yet.

12:06

[Comment From matt]
What is arod's timetable for his return?

12:07

A-Rod should be playing in rehab games in the next couple days, putting him on track to return around May 8 in Baltimore. That's my best guess.

12:07

[Comment From Vodola]
What are the chances that Wang becomes a long reliever if Hughes continues throwing well? I think they're pretty high.

12:10

I would put those chances at approximately zero percent. Assuming Wang rehabs, gets healthy and returns to his old self, you're talking about a guy who was the winningest pitcher in the game in 2006-07 and was on his way to another 18-20 win season in 2008 before he got hurt. He is not a long reliever. Period. If he's pitching the way he always has, he's a top of the rotation starter. Let's not get crazy about Hughes just yet. It was one start, but he has to keep showing his stuff. These things have a way of working out, anyway. You don't see too many teams with six healthy, effective starters. If the Yankees wind up with that "problem," they'll be in great shape and run away with the division.

12:10

[Comment From cazzie33]
With the lack of production we are getting in centerfield do you think Cashman will look to make a trade? If so, are there any quality CF's likely to come available?

12:11

[Comment From Mike, Holmdel, NJ]
Has Melky won back the CF job?

12:13

I don't think Cashman will be dealing for another CF in the immediate future, though things could change by June or July. Melky has hit well of late, so Girardi has put him back in the lineup in recent days. But Gardner will still see time out there. The Yankees believed in him this spring and shouldn't give up on him because of a slow start. If Melky keeps hitting well, he'll play, but we've seen enough of Melky over the past few years to know that he's going to slump at some point.

12:13

[Comment From Don]
I am concerned about Mark Texiers very slow start, are you?

12:16

No, I don't think there's much to worry about with Teixeira. He's hitting the ball well, his on-base percentage is about .370 and he's not swinging at bad pitches. It's funny, if Rivera didn't blow the save last Friday, Teixeira would have had the game-winning hit against the Red Sox and people's view of his season would be so much different. He's traditionally a slow starter anyway, so unless he's still hitting .220 at the end of May, I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about him.

12:16

[Comment From Joe. Cape Coral, FL]
Is the skip feeling more pressure this year?

12:20

I'm sure he is, especially after missing the playoffs last season. But if he is, I don't think he's showing it to his players or the press. Girardi says he has learned from his mistakes last year and so far, I've seen evidence of that. It's only 20 games and he hasn't had his full team yet, so I don't think he has to worry about his job until the middle of June at the earliest.

12:20

[Comment From tyler]
Mark, is the team aware of the fans' level of frustration after the Boston weekend and do they intend to provide some payback - especially after being shown up by the steal home?

12:23

Let me start with the last part ... I asked five different players if they felt Ellsbury and the Red Sox showed them up with that play (or the celebration that followed) and each one said no. Given the number of curtain calls that take place in the Bronx, I don't see how they would have felt disrespected at all. It was a great play, plain and simple. This idea that the Sox showed them up is ridiculous. As for the team being aware, I'm not sure what you expect. They're more frustrated after being swept than the fans are, the only difference is that they have to keep their level of concentration and be ready for the next game, so they can't go crazy like fans do. They also have the perspective that there are 142 games left and nothing has been decided, which is something fans have to start realizing.

12:23

The idea of "payback" is a strange one. I'm not sure how they would do that.

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