Hope for the future, and a reminder of the past

(I was going to talk about Torre, but RC summed up my feelings pretty well. I asked what the NY sportswriters would do now that they couldn't pile on A-Rod; I guess the answer was that they would pile on Torre.)

Anyone who saw last night's Yankees game probably walked away (before the injury at least) with a positive outlook on the future ace of the staff, Philip Hughes. For anyone who did not see it, Hughes had a no-hitter going into the 7th inning, when he left with an injured hamstring. It wasn't perfect by any means (3 walks), but for a guy in his second major league start, it was something to remember. There's an argument to be made that Hughes has more pressure on him than any Yankee not named A-Rod. The struggles of the Yankees minor league system have been well-documented; the team put too little effort into scouting and the draft, and ended up with one of the weakest, if not the weakest, farm system in baseball. Now, players like Hughes, Robinson Cano, Joba Chamberlain, and Jose Tabata have given some hope for the future. We shouldn't get carried away with the performance last night, but I do find myself getting carried away with the idea that the team may have it's #1 starter of the future.

I like to say that my penance for being a Yankee fan is being a Giants fan, and the draft seemed to justify that feeling. For a team that desperately needed a tackle, especially with the loss of Luke Pettigout, I can't understand how you don't pick one until the end of day two. With the running back position unsettled, how do you wait until your last pick to pick someone? Nothing against Aaron Ross and Steve Smith, both of whom are fine players. The team did need another corner, and an extra wideout doesn't hurt. However, they just drafted a wide receiver last year with a high pick, they signed Sam Madison last year, and Corey Webster is still improving. While corner and wideout were needs, wouldn't it have made more sense to go for Joe Staley with the first round pick? Why not get another back in the second round? It wasn't as bad as Philly's draft, but the Giants moves leave some questions going into the season.

That's that; law school finals this week and next, so this may be my last post for a while.