Melancon: The new Yankee Clippard

Mark Melancon -- the arm we traded for Lance Breakdown -- won his first game for Houston yesterday.

I'll never understand why the Yankees didn't give him a longer leash. He pitched well at Columbus. He rose slowly through the ranks. He came up to the Yankees and -- poof -- disappeared. Two games. Yes, he got roughed up -- four innings, four earned runs.

But how many innings have we devoted to Chan Ho Park, Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre, et al -- when they've been pounded, and we simply chalk it off to rust?

There seems a huge double standard on the Yankees. Veterans -- even bums on the far side of their careers -- receive chance after chance to find their command. But the kids -- they get nothing. Even if they pitch well, as in the case of Ivan Nova, they might go poof -- back to Scranton and never seen again.

Yes, I realize it's the contracts. We signed Dustin Mosely to a limited deal, so we either brought him up or lost him. And Moseley has been OK. But over the last 10 years, our bullpens have been one geezer gas machine after another. The best bullpens are fresh arms. We never have them. We're always waiting on some guy who was good four years ago.

Jonathan Albaladejo just set an all-time save record at Scranton. What does he have to do to get a shot in the majors?