Igawa in Syracuse: More career records, time dwindling down

Kei Igawa, career leader in Scranton wins and IT IS HIGH Yankee Employee of the Month awards, yesterday added to his impressive array of lifetime milestones:

He is now Scranton's all-time career leader in innings pitched and home runs allowed. (Insert clown honks and ridicule here.)  (In the above photo, SuperFrankenstein gives Kei the international hand sign, which means - translated - 'Good wishes to your family of fighting turtles.')

Now, as far as the Yankees seem to be concerned: The bad news. Igawa pitched well: six innings, one run. So once again, let us ask the question that nobody - not nobody in the Yankiverse - ever wants to hear:

Why isn't this guy in the mix for LOOGY?

Before you shout me down, consider this: We're trying Brad Halsey! For the last five months, we signed so many old lefties at garage sales and estate auctions, our farm team bullpens seem to have multiple coaches. Here's a guy who pitches six strong AAA innings, and - of course - he'll soon probably be sent back to AA, amid the mandatory clown honks and ridicule.

Yeah, I know -- the baseball gods have ruled. They know more than we do. They see something. They long ago decided he cannot pitch at the MLB level, and they have made sure he will never again darken their doorways, to remind the world that sometimes the baseball gods make $50 million mistakes. Nope. We're better off with Boone Logan! Brad Halsey's available? Sign him.

I dunno. This just doesn't make sense. I would put this guy in the bullpen and have him trying to perfect an out-pitch against lefties, because it's the one possibile way he might help this team. I would say, there is no chance he'll ever be an MLB starter, so let's send him out against lefties, and if he refuses - claiming he's above that role - I would send him home and refuse to pay him. I dunno? Am I nuts? What is the organizational line here?

Next year, "the Ghost of Kei Igawa" leaves. He'll probably return to Japan and open a sushi bar. But don't we all have that a sense that something else might happen -- that perfect, Aceveslike, Farnsworthish, Pavanoesque pie-in-the-face to the Yankees that fate loves to deliver -- he signs with another MLB team, becomes the LOOGY and pitches well? Why, why, why aren't we trying everything. Brad Halsey? Is Randy Keisler soft-tossing?