And you thought the New York Yankees were done with fat, moody, booze bag, washed up head cases as pitching solutions right?  Except this time it won't be David Wells but apparently Bombers brass thought it poignant enough to give Sidney Ponson a second go-around before say I don't know Sidney Crosby? 

Ponson is 4-1 this year with a 3.88 ERA, but if you're a pitcher not named Edison Volquez and the Texas Rangers get rid of you, that's not a good sign.  If one wants to argue he'd be able to eat up some innings if nothing else in the interim, fine.  But you can't tell me that David Wells wouldn't have been a better fit.  Plus Wells is a lefty to boot, something the Yankees really can't boast at the moment. 

Just to note, Ponson in his first stint with the Yanks in 2006 had an ERA of 10.47, yikes!

The scene is set for a 1PM game at Yankee Stadium on May 17, 2008 against the New York Mets.  On the Diamond Vision highlights are playing from exactly ten years ago when David Wells reached baseball immortality against the Minnesota Twins by hurling a perfect game.  Then an announcement is made directing fans in attendance to turn their attention to the owner's box behind home plate for a special announcement.  And it is no other than "Boomer" himself, announcing his triumphant return to the New York Yankees.

After the latest Kei Igawa debacle, why not?  And if Darrell Rasner is unable to duplicate his brilliant outing against the M's, unless you really believe what you're seeing in Ian Kennedy's turnaround at AAA, those calls will become even stronger and louder in the Bronx.

Is bringing back Wells the old way of doing things?  Yes and no.  Especially when one considers that the old ways of say last year wrought Roger Clemens and his $ 28 million dollar price tag.  However Wells comes in with lower expectations and at a lower cost to the Yanks.  Think Al Leiter circa 2005.

While GM Brian Cashman may harbor some ill feelings towards Wells, there is no rift with ex-teammate Joe Girardi unlike former Yanks skipper Joe Torre. 

Even if Wells is only a short term fix, like Leiter he could become a long-man out of the pen a situational lefty or spot starter, neither of which the Yankees have at the moment. 

The argument against it of course is if Wells is completely shot or they want to try some more kids out of the farm system.  Speaking of which, what exactly does "major league ready" mean to the Yankees?  This season they started with Phil Hughes (21), Joba Chamberlain (22) and Ian Kennedy (23) and back in 2005 when they were throwing out over priced losers like Kevin Brown, Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano, they had Chien-Ming Wang at age 25 sitting around in the minors who wasn't given a chance until those guys got hurt.  Was he not major league ready or did they not even have a clue about him until they were forced to use him?  Part of their problem for all of their change in philosophy towards the farm system is that some factions are still prone to thinking that guys like Shelley Duncan, Andy Phillips and Darrell Rasner are considered rookies. 

Whether you believe that Boomer III should happen or that the Yanks should keep on throwing kids at the wall in Monument Park until they get a number that sticks, this much is clear, Kei Igawa needs to hit the showa and hit the road and hit the bricks and just go away forever.

The last time two major league pitchers threw a no-hitter on the same day was June 29, 1990 when Dave Stewart of the Oakland Athletics and Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers both went into the record books.  As one may have noticed we almost had the same thing happen yesterday with Tom Glavine of the New York Mets and David Wells of the Los Angeles Dodgers tossing perfecto's through five innings.

In fact a lof of that has been going around lately, with the Atlanta Braves John Smoltz nearly blanking the Washington Nationals on Friday night, Roger Clemens and Chien-Ming Wang of the New York Yankees shutting down the Boston Red Sox for five innings a piece only to see Red Sox rookie Clay Bucholz catch no hit fever of his own, finishing the job against the Baltimore Orioles last Saturday night at Fenway Park. 

Both Glavine and Wells went seven strong, striking out four along the way while each leading their respective club to victory on Saturday afternoon.   

(Perfect they're not)

It's time, enough with the Moose, no more Sean Henn or Ron Villone.  It's time for Boomer III in the Bronx.  David Wells is out there on the market and the New York Yankees would be wise to take a shot at him.  He's cheap, has a rubber arm and a post-season/New York track record to die for.

Honestly for what he'd be getting paid is David Wells any worse of an option than Mike Mussina in the rotation or Sean Henn and Ron Villone as a lefty out of the bullpen?  And don't scoff about age either, especially considering the Yanks have trotted out the like of Mussina (38), Roger Clemens (45) and in recent years Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown.  Heck in 2003 they were so desperate to find a lefty out of the bullpen that they eventually took a chance on the ancient Jessie Orosco.  So why not take a chance on Wells?  He's a guy who loves New York and thrives there and should have a chip on his shoulder to go out on top. 

They wouldn't be asking Wells to be a savior, just better than what they've got.  Now if one wants to argue prospects Joba Chamberlain or Ian Kennedy should take Mussina's rotation spot then fair enough.  But are Henn and his 5.34 ERA and Villone and his 4.42 ERA any better than Wells?  For the Yanks who were desperate for some innings, for a long man could've used Wells' arm big time last night.

In 22 starts, Wells is 5-8 with an ERA of 5.54 in 118.7 innings this season, while Mussina in 22 starts is 8-9 with an ERA of 5.22 in 120.7 innings.  What's the worst that could happen if Wells was brought back for another go-around in the Bronx?  Wells is career 68-28 in Pinstripes including seven post-season victories in his Yankee career and a World Series Championship as the ace in 1998.

If nothing else the Yankees try to find a little bit of lightning in a bottle.  Heck it worked with Al Leiter when they made their valiant comeback in 2005.  Boomer III in the Bronx, make it happen Mr. Cashman, you're on the clock.

Lately there's been this notion of how Roger Clemens' package deal somehow disgraces the mystique of the New York Yankees.  To detractors such as David Wells and Phil Garner, I say go out and get your own contract negotiated in that fashion.  I don't even necessarily bash the Yankees for doing this because imagine if they hadn't accomodated him and then lost Clemens to Boston or Houston?

There's no mistake the mystique left the Yankees when the ball left the bat of Luis Gonzalez in November of 2001.  They started going after guys who were bigger than the team.  The Yankees replaced two of their classier guys in Tino Martinez and Paul O'Neill with Jason Giambi and his steroid problems and Raul Mondesi and his attitude problems.  They made a foolish trade of Ted Lilly for Jeff Weaver and gave a boatload of money to Jose Contreras solely so that Boston couldn't get him.

In 2004 they essentailly sold their heart and soul, allowing character guys in Andy Pettitte and Clemens to go, while dealing for overpaid, oft-injured, headcase, mal-content Kevin Brown.  Sure A-Rod might be the best player in baseball, but the trading for him went against the grain of the 90's Yankees who weren't about the super-star.  That season the Giambi signing, Brown trade, not signing Pettitte and Clemens and trading for Javier Vazquez instead of Curt Schilling came back to bite them in the end. 

Before 2005 they again let a clutch pitcher in El Duque walk away, the same El Duque who dominated the Red Sox in a relief apperance in the playoffs that year allowing the White Sox to sweep.  They signed Jaret Wright who had red flags all over the place and was another oft-injured headcase.  Signed and overpaid for Carl Pavano, again another oft-injured headcase, just so Boston wouldn't get him.  And traded for and overpaid the moody Randy Johnson, one year too late.  Perhaps the biggest move they didn't make was signing Carlos Beltran to be their centerfielder for the next decade.

When one looks at this season and the Clemens deal, ask yourself this: If the Yankee mystique was so important, why then did they sign Kei Igawa to $46 million?  Igawa's main problem is gripping the ball and getting a feel for the mound!  Really, don't you think that your genious scouting department would've picked up on those two things before anything else?  Anyone who doesn't believe that deal was done solely for marketing purposes to Japan and to compete with Boston's signing of their own Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, you're fooling yourself.  That move right there, which was obviously not a baseball move, spits in the face of Yankee mystique and tradition! 

This shift from the 1990's Yankees to now reeks of sheer sellout.