Published: April 23, 2008 09:44 am         

'It's a long season and you have to trust it'

(Many thanks to the great Annie Savoy for the headline.)

The New York Yankees are 10-10 and Hank Steinbrenner is hemorrhaging. If Baby Boss, who earlier this season was made an honorary citizen of Red Sox Nation, isn't digging up Big Papi jerseys to block curses, he's calling Yankee manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman idiots for using young Joba Chamberlain as a set-up man. Meanwhile, Joe Torre is the most relaxed man in America.

The Baltimore Orioles were 11-8 through their first 19 games and Andy MacPhail is looking like a pretty smart fellow these days, particularly since Miguel Tejada learned last week he is now eligible for Social Security. Orioles fans: Pray for the good health of Bud Selig, because Mr. MacPhail will be the next commissioner of baseball. Just hope it's not for another 10 years. This guy is the goods, hon.

While Orioles fans are justifiably pleased with their team's good start at the same time George Steinbrenner's barnyard buffoon boy is playing with matches and trying to burn down Bronx, some perspective on both teams' starts is in order. The Orioles have played more home games (13) than any team in baseball and just began a brutal West Coast stretch that will see them play 17 of their next 20 games on the road. So hold those "Don't Trade B-Rob" banners for now because, as we'll find out soon enough, the rebuilding is far from being done.

The Yankees in the meantime have played just nine home games, the lowest number of any American League East team, and still find themselves in the midst of a nine-game road trip, so all those games in the final year of Yankee Stadium are going to pile up at the most opportune time for New York. Still, with a starting rotation that includes struggling rookies Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, and rapidly aging Mike Mussina, Little Stein actually does have a point about his team's starting pitching needing a boost.

What he has to understand, though, is a set-up man who throws the ball 100 miles-per-hour is a pretty sweet commodity to have, as witnessed by the set-up man the Yankees had at the beginning of their great run under Torre in the mid-'90s. His name was Mariano Rivera.

The set-up man is no longer a position filled by a washed-up starter, and it hasn't been for many years. After the closer, the set-up man is the most important man in the bullpen. And since Young Hank has now backed off his original statement about rushing Chamberlain to the rotation, it appears that any idiot knows that.

Leo and Laffey

As we know, Leo Mazzone loves to talk (and we love to listen). Last Saturday the former Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles pitching coach hit the mother lode, actually getting paid real American dollars to talk about a baseball game he was watching as he made his debut as an analyst for MLB on Fox, calling the Indians-Twins game with play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian.

As expected, things went well and Fox called Leo this week with his second assignment: May 31, Braves at Reds. Hopefully, the Dodgers at Mets game, which Fox is also scheduled to carry, will be rained out that day and area viewers can catch Leo's work.

Naturally, we feel Leo belongs back in the dugout very soon, but until that happens, this gig with Fox would appear to be a perfect fit for him. Who knows? There might be an egg salad sandwich in his future as well.

Nah. It would probably be pasta.

Meanwhile, Aaron Laffey seems to have found his groove for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons as he is currently 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA, riding two consecutive fine outings.

On Monday, April 14, the lefthander celebrated his 23rd birthday by taking a one-hit shutout into the eighth inning of Buffalo's 7-2 victory over Max Klinger's Toledo Mud Hens. Laffey needed only 99 pitches in his eight innings of work, walking two, striking out six and getting 13 of his 24 outs on ground balls.

"They're such a good offensive club you've got to stay ahead in the count," Laffey told the Buffalo News. "I worked my slider and sinker inside and out and established my fastball so they couldn't dive into the pitches out over the plate. I pretty much mixed it up."

In last Saturday's 7-0 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox, Laffey went five innings and struck out five, while giving up only three hits in getting his third win.

Gettin' drafty

Thankfully, the NFL draft is this weekend, and nothing against Mel Kiper Jr., but I think I'm seeing a little too much of him. I had a dream the other night that I went out to dinner with Halle Berry, and the first thing out of her mouth was, "I don't have many changes with the first 10 picks. The one noticeably different pick is at No. 7, where I have the Patriots taking USC linebacker Keith Rivers. Initially, I had New England taking cornerback Aqib Talib."

And who is this Todd McShay? How did he worm his way onto Mel's turf? I don't think I like that at all, but it seems like McShay's the Bristol Golden Boy or something.

Nope. Don't like it at all.

Most mock drafts you see, including Mel's (hey, Mel's our guy), have the Steelers taking an offensive lineman, the Redskins taking a pass rusher and the Ravens taking Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.

The Ravens have needed a quarterback since they moved to Baltimore, but I just don't have a feeling they're going to draft Ryan. Just a hunch, but the Ravens need so many things, I look for them to trade down from No. 8 for multiple picks, enabling them to get a quarterback in the second round.

Michigan's Chad Henne would work.

Contact Mike Burke at mburke@times-news.com.