It’s been a while, so we might be rough around the edges. But there’s plenty of Yankee baseball on the plate.

• Red Sox series: long as usual, but with the excitement of a playoff game.
• Jesus Montero: How much playing time will he get? Will he catch? What does he have to do to prove himself?
• Playoff race: The Yanks are out in front by a lot. How does that affect their final month?
• And plenty of more typical Mike and Joe banter.

Podcast run time 42:09

Here’s how you can listen to podcast:

• Download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking on that link and choosing Save As.
• Listen in your browser by left clicking the above link or using the embedded player below.
• Subscribe in iTunes. If you want to rate us that would be great. If you leave a nice review I’ll buy you a beer at a meet-up.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/TheRABRadioShow090211.mp3]

Intro music: “Die Hard” courtesy of reader Alex Kresovich. Thanks to Tyler Wilkinson for the graphic.

The Yanks are rolling along pretty well right now. Mike and I find the few interesting nuggets from the past week.

• The only downer, really, was the botched home run call on Wednesday.
• Well, that and the starters not being that great the last turn or two through the rotation. That seems like a short-term issue, though.
• But on the bright side, the bullpen has been stupendous.
• We also turn the conversation to the playoff races, which, given how things have broken down this year, we can do in mid-August.
• Does Jim Hendry’s firing have anything to do with the Yanks?

Podcast run time 42:09

Here’s how you can listen to podcast:

• Download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking on that link and choosing Save As.
• Listen in your browser by left clicking the above link or using the embedded player below.
• Subscribe in iTunes. If you want to rate us that would be great. If you leave a nice review I’ll buy you a beer at a meet-up.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/TheRABRadioShow081911.mp3]

Intro music: “Die Hard” courtesy of reader Alex Kresovich. Thanks to Tyler Wilkinson for the graphic.

Here’s what we have on tap for this week’s show:

• The difference-makers in the Boston series. It was close to being a sweep in either direction.
• Did you know that Mariano’s worst months are April and August? Yep. Makes sense. We talk about the semi-annual installment of WWWMW.
• Six man rotation no more. The Yanks will move one of the guys out of the rotation after this weekend, but not really. They do have that doubleheader coming up, so it’s really going to persist for another week.
• But after that week, it’s pretty clear who’s staying in the rotation.

Podcast run time 42:09

Here’s how you can listen to podcast:

• Download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking on that link and choosing Save As.
• Listen in your browser by left clicking the above link or using the embedded player below.
• Subscribe in iTunes. If you want to rate us that would be great. If you leave a nice review I’ll buy you a beer at a meet-up.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/TheRABRadioShow081211.mp3]

Intro music: “Die Hard” courtesy of reader Alex Kresovich. Thanks to Tyler Wilkinson for the graphic.

It’s been an eventful week since we last broadcast.

• The trade deadline: not much happened, so not much is discussed.
• The six-man rotation: they pretty much have to keep it that way for now, don’t they?
• Ivan Nova: Working all four pitches and succeeding.
• The Yankees offense: getting production from top to bottom, and even from the bench. They’ve beat up three of the five best pitching staffs in the AL in the past 10 days (and one of those five is their own).
• The Red Sox: better than the Yanks by some measures, not by others.

Podcast run time 49:37

Here’s how you can listen to podcast:

• Download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking on that link and choosing Save As.
• Listen in your browser by left clicking the above link or using the embedded player below.
• Subscribe in iTunes. If you want to rate us that would be great. If you leave a nice review I’ll buy you a beer at a meet-up.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/TheRABRadioShow080511.mp3]

Intro music: “Die Hard” courtesy of reader Alex Kresovich. Thanks to Tyler Wilkinson for the graphic.

We’re talking plenty of deadline stuff, so let’s get to the bullets.

• Of course we’re talking about Ubaldo Jimenez, both in terms of benefits and costs. How bad do the Yankees want him? If they really want him, you can expect a deal before 4 p.m. on Sunday. If they’re waiting for him to come down to a lower price tier, it’ll be a last-minute thing.
• There are other starters, too, and we spend the bulk of the show talking about them. Wandy Rodriguez could be a last-minute addition at a cheap price. Hiroki Kuroda might be available, and it looks like the Yanks are as good a bet as any for his services. And don’t forget John Danks.
• There are other positions where the Yanks could add a player. Mike’s big on a lefty reliever. There’s DH, too, but that solution might come internally.

Podcast run time 53:03

Here’s how you can listen to podcast:

• Download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking on that link and choosing Save As.
• Listen in your browser by left clicking the above link or using the embedded player below.
• Subscribe in iTunes. If you want to rate us that would be great. If you leave a nice review I’ll buy you a beer at a meet-up.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/TheRABRadioShow072911.mp3]

Intro music: “Die Hard” courtesy of reader Alex Kresovich. Thanks to Tyler Wilkinson for the graphic.

This week we shift focus, kind of, to the players the Yankees have to offer in a trade. But we still talk about possible targets, obviously.

• Is there anyone on the current roster we’d trade?
• What we would require if trading Betances and Banuelos.
• A long segment on Jesus Montero, including his availability and his continuing presence in AAA.
• Trading lesser prospects for less intriguing arms.

Podcast run time 39:57

Here’s how you can listen to podcast:

• Download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking on that link and choosing Save As.
• Listen in your browser by left clicking the above link or using the embedded player below.
• Subscribe in iTunes. If you want to rate us that would be great. If you leave a nice review I’ll buy you a beer at a meet-up.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/TheRABRadioShow072211.mp3]

Intro music: “Die Hard” courtesy of reader Alex Kresovich. Thanks to Tyler Wilkinson for the graphic.

As we near the deadline the conversation is going to lean largely towards the improvements the Yankees can make. Today on the show, Mike and I discuss:

• Ubaldo Jimenez, ideal candidate.
• Ryan Dempster, underrated for various reasons, overrated for others.
• Chicago’s slew of starters, stubbornly stuck on the South Side.
• Eduardo Nunez, perhaps not the best month-long A-Rod replacement.
• Your mailbag questions, answered.

Podcast run time 52:23

Here’s how you can listen to podcast:

• Download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking on that link and choosing Save As.
• Listen in your browser by left clicking the above link or using the embedded player below.
• Subscribe in iTunes. If you want to rate us that would be great. If you leave a nice review I’ll buy you a beer at a meet-up.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/TheRABRadioShow071511.mp3]

Intro music: “Die Hard” courtesy of reader Alex Kresovich. Thanks to Tyler Wilkinson for the graphic.