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Much Ado About the Yankees

2011-06-10T04:46:00.000-07:00

If we know anything about baseball we know things can change very quickly. We also know the baseball season is very long and what happens in the middle of the season has very little to do with where a team will be at the end.

We are not even at the All-Star Break, the unoffical halfway mark of the season, and I got the feeling critics, fans and media alike will be freaking out about the Yankees getting swept by the Red Sox. How long does someone have to watch baseball to know its a marathon, not a sprint?

If you say that the problems the Yankees exhibited in this past Boston series will show up in the playoffs, then obviously you dont know the Yankees and how they operate. Brian Cashman, Joe Girardi and the powers that be will not sit on their hands for the rest of the regular season. If there is a problem, the Yankees management will try their hardest to resolve it. Joba Chamberlain being out for the rest of the season will not destroy the Yankees' playoff chances. They will simply find someone to fill his spot.

My guess is the sports pundits know all this but freak out anyway because, let's face it, freaking out nowadays is more popular. Radio and television talk show hosts as well as reporters need to freak out to garner attention. There's alot of competition out there and the winning sentiment is "he who makes a bigger fuss gets the most attention."

It's just irksome to long time baseball fanatics to listen or read or watch the so-called experts get it wrong again and again. There is no need to freak out this early in the season. Anyway what's so interesting about someone hemming and hawing over something that's clearly no big deal? It's just annoying and insults the baseball viewers' intelligence. People in the media know they are appealing to sports fans who know what's up and yet they create stories where there are none.

Let's take the high road for once and stick to what happens on the field. It would be more helpful if the sports media would point out the mistakes a team makes and how a team can improve. Sounds boring, huh? That's why during games, announcers have the propensity to put you to sleep. That explains why, on the other hand, we get screaming lunatics who claim they can see into a team's future based on past performance and who rant and rave in a desperate attempt to get our attention.

The truth is, a team's past performance has very little to do with how it performs in the future, even if the future is only a few months away. Yankee fans have no need to worry and the media doesn't need to scare us into paying attention to them.

Is Andy Pettitte a Hall of Famer?

2011-02-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

Andy Pettitte is one of my favorite athletes of all time.

I was truly saddened to hear that he was retiring - saddened by the fact that I will never get a chance to see him pitch again, and saddened by the fact that a 350-pound Hispanic gorilla now has a significant chance at gaining a spot in the Yankees rotation.

A question that I keep hearing is, “Does he deserve to be in the Hall of Fame?”

To me, this one really is a no-brainer.

Pettitte does NOT deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, and it really shouldn’t be that much of a discussion. Pettitte had a very nice, long career. He was a good pitcher for a very long time on some great teams.

I don’t have a vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Shocking, I know.

But to me, the two main criteria that a Hall of Famer should meet:

1. A dominant player for an extended period of time (at least six years).

2. At one point or another, was in the discussion for “best player at his position”(although there are exceptions to this one).

Notice that I didn’t include something along the lines of “won a championship”. Here’s why (this might shock and offend some); championships are won by TEAMS. Let that soak in for a minute.

Winning championships is always the ultimate goal in sports. Every team is ultimately evaluated by the amount of championships they win, and that’s the way it should be. But how is it fair to judge a player based on the performance of 24 other guys?

Postseason performance should absolutely be a factor, and Andy Pettitte certainly was a great postseason performer. But I really am sick of hearing “five-time champion” as part of his “Hall of Fame credentials”.

Andy Pettitte is not a heavy weight boxer, he did not go out and knock somebody out in a pay-per-view classic. Was he an integral part of the championship teams? Absolutely.

But the key words there are “part” and “team”. The Hall of Fame inducts players as individuals, and Pettitte should not be rewarded for being on a great team when being evaluated as a candidate.

As far as the criteria I do have listed, does Pettitte meet either of them?

“A dominant player for an extended period of time.” Pettitte had a couple of great seasons, but he finished in the top three of Cy Young voting just once. For the most part, Pettitte’s ERA hovered in the high three to low four range, hardly what I’d call dominant.

“At one point or another, was in the discussion for ‘best player at his position’”. At no point in his career was Pettitte anywhere near this discussion, and if you think otherwise you are sadly mistaken.

As for there being an exception to this rule - if there is a truly dominant player that will always be the best at his position, then the other players at that position obviously won’t be in the discussion for “best at his position” because there simply is no discussion, i.e – Ken Griffey Jr. in the 90’s and Albert Pujols right now.

For the record, saying a player doesn’t deserve to make the Hall of Fame is not a criticism. Andy Pettitte had a great career as a durable and very reliable pitcher. He pitched 200 innings in 10 out of 16 seasons, a truly impressive feat in the age of the glass-armed pitcher.

But when I think Hall of Famer, I think Albert Pujols. I think Randy Johnson. I think Ken Griffey Jr. I think Kaz Matsui.

If someone were to ask you if one of these guys deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, would you even hesitate to say yes?

Another thing I’ve heard and read is “Well, if Bert Blyleven got in, Pettitte should definitely get in!” There are so many things that are wrong with that statement that I don’t even know where to begin, but I have to begin somewhere so here it is.

I hate that players such as Bert Blyleven and Andre Dawson are in the Hall of Fame.

Nothing against them personally, they were both very good players at one point or another. But a player should not be inducted just because he stuck around for long enough to compile big career numbers.

Next, can I just point out how insanely idiotic the philosophy of “Well, we made a mistake with this guy, so let’s reward somebody else for making that mistake and giving him something he clearly doesn’t deserve!” Bert Blyleven has no business being in the Hall of Fame. The voters royally screwed that one up. Andy Pettitte is certainly less unqualified (wow that sounds dumb) than Bert Blyleven. But this simply does not equate to Andy Pettitte being a Hall of Famer.

If Pettitte were to be elected on this premise, I guess you’d simply have to make a “Law of Bert” for the Hall of Fame. “Is he better than Bert? He is? He’s got my vote.”

Just to beat a dead horse even more, and God knows how much fun it is to beat a dead horse, lets relate this to something outside of sports (and if you’ve ever read any of my other dry-humor laced (the type of dry-humor that makes you ask yourself, “is he kidding or does he have some form of aspergers?”) articles, you know I love doing that). And yes, I just used parenthesis inside of a parenthesized statement, piss off.

Let’s say a guy kills his wife. It’s blatantly obvious to everyone that he did it. However, when he gets to court, there is slightly less evidence against him than there was against O.J Simpson when he (allegedly) murdered his wife. Would it be okay to rule this guy innocent?

Now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “How long before this jackass acknowledges that he was kidding about Kaz Matsui?” Well, there ya go.

But more importantly, you’re probably thinking, “Did you really just compare the Hall of Fame induction process to a hypothetical homicide trial?”

Trust me, it made sense when I first thought of it.

A True Gentleman, Yankee and Family Man

2011-02-03T14:25:00.000-08:00

It has bee a while since I last posted on the Yankees, actually there is not much to discuss, the passing of GMS 3rd, has left the Yankees, somewhat boring to a degree, at least for me a life long devotee.

The Jeter thing leaves me cold, there have not been any exciting signings, keeping Joba is, at least to me foolish, hell send him to Milwaukee,, then watch him flourish and them win HUGE, which would be GREAT for the game and that wonderful town/city Milwaukee. Signing Soriano is good, he the potential to be the closer of the future,, if he can handle the allure of the Greatest City on the Planet. Brian Cashman is being silly with his now open minded opinions, and Mr. Steinbrenners boy's, are proving to be just that, although one seems more in control and sane than the other..

Putting your eggs in one Cliff Lee basket was a fools pla, especially not truly knowing what Andy was going to do. But True to his Faith, Family and himself, he choose Family. Sad for Yankee fans, but a MAN'S CHOICE..He like Cliff Lee proved it was not about the money or the fame, it was about comfort and happiness, and as a Father of a Most Wonderful Young Man would make the same choice.

Friday Andy will retire from Major League Baseball,,for now, his concentration will be that of being Husband, Father and a man at Peace with his life, career and accomplishments...They are truly amazing if you just take a moment and look.

A purely faith based man with enormous integrity and devotion, Andy leaves a hole yes, but a legacy of Truth, Sincerity, Honesty and Dignity, outstanding craftsmanship and a Hall of Fame Career as both a Player, but most importantly as a Human Being.

Today's kids can look upon Andy with joy, pride and a STRONG VALUE, to them as a role model, athlete and Human Being. His love of God and Family is not for sale, for show, or anything commercial. It is just that Truth and Integrity, discipline, accomplishment, loyalty, love and the essence of the word TEAM MATE.

His legendary arm will surely be missed, his smile and humility as well, but Andy leaves the game ON TOP with a resume that one can only dream of:)

#46 will hang in Monument Park for future generations to see, and talk about, but for those of us who had the privilege of "seeing him in person", well that is in itself a lasting ongoing gift.

I/We will miss Andy and all he has brought, given and dedicated himself too. We have been blessed by his sharing himself with us to cheer for, occasionally boo, but always hoping and praying that he would again, pull us out of the woods.

Andy, stay home,just be Dad and a Husband, but first: thank you for the joy, the pleasure and the gifts that you have bestowed on the name New York Yankees, your fans and especially our Children.

You will miss the guys, as they will miss you, you will miss the moments, the Championships, even the heartaches. But now you have the greatest gift of ALL, that of Family with a love that is a never ending series of Championships, and yes some heartaches, along with that never ending wonderment and joy that goes with being pure honest and sincere.....A FAMILY:).

May God bless you, stand by and with you and your family ALWAYS, and Thank you for the sacrifices you made for us, the gifts of Championships, Lessons in Integrity and Truth. Now it is your Family's turn to have you there always as did we and for them and yourself to have what you gave to use so freely and lovingly. I will miss you, but a joyful at your decision for you, you wife but especially your children... Be at Peace, Stay safe, but stay in touch:)

Soriano Securing Bridge to Mariano By: Lauren Pogulis

2011-01-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

The Yankees officially introduced Rafael Soriano to pinstripes on Wednesday in hopes of providing their bullpen a much-needed boost. The Yanks have been the odd-man out this offseason, losing a couple key free agents to other teams, most notably Cliff Lee to the Phillies, and Carl Crawford to the Red Sox. By signing Soriano, the Yankees have likely secured a lights-out combination of Soriano in the 8^th inning, and Mariano Rivera in the 9^th inning.

Soriano signed a three year contract worth $35 million; however, he does have an opt-out clause after the 2011 and 2012 season, which gives him the opportunity to test the free agent market again if he is unhappy in New York. He will earn $10 million for the 2011 season, with an additional $1.5 million if he opts out; $11 million in the second year, with an opt-out payment of $1.5 million; and $14 million for the 2013 season.

Soriano has been great throughout his career, and had a stellar year in 2010 with the Tampa Bay Rays as their closer. He converted 45 out of 48 save opportunities, good for a 94% success rate. He also posted a 1.73 ERA, while striking out 57 batters in 62 1/3 innings last year. It seems evident that he will be a terrific addition to the Yankee bullpen.

Many reporters and fans wondered if the Yankees would be able to acquire Soriano because of the fact that he would not be a closer with the Yankees. However, Soriano answered these questions in his press conference, by saying, through a translator, “I know people will find this strange, but I'm very happy to be close to one of the greatest closers in Mariano Rivera. Hopefully in the future I will, after being a setup man, be the closer, too.” He brings up a valid point, in that he could be Rivera’s successor as closer of the New York Yankees. Mariano signed a two year contract earlier this offseason, whereas Soriano, if he decides to not opt-out of his contract, signed a three year deal with the Yanks, leaving Soriano as the likely potential recipient of the closer role when Rivera’s contract expires after the 2012 season.

This particular signing by the Yankees is probably their best one thus far this winter. The Red Sox have an extremely formidable lineup and starting rotation, and by the Yankees signing Soriano, it seems as though opponents will be facing a 6-7 inning game with Soriano and Rivera closing out games.

The Yankees, although they didn’t make their usual splash in the free agent pool, look to be putting together an impressive team anyway. Look for the Yanks to continue putting the pieces together, as they are extremely optimistic about the upcoming season.

Follow me on twitter @Laurpogulis

Is a Comeback in the Cards for AJ Burnett?

2011-01-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

All Yankees fans may cringe when they hear AJ Burnett’s name being mentioned as a major part of the 2011 starting rotation. This is because of his dreadful 2010 campaign, in which he set a Yankees franchise-record for highest ERA from any Yankees starter in history with more than 180 innings (5.26). Moreover, Burnett frustrates coaches and fans because of his inability to be consistent. He possesses one of the best curveballs in baseball, and an equally good fastball when he is on. AJ also has developed a changeup, which when he uses, has brought him some success as well. However, his failure to be reliable is what drives coaches and fans insane, because he has such tremendous talent and potential, and throughout his career AJ has not been able to find any consistency.

The big question going into the 2011 season for the Yanks is going to be the starting rotation. Yankee fans watched and listened to all the Cliff Lee hype, only to watch him head to Philly. With Lee not in pinstripes next season, the Yankees do have a lot of question marks in regards to their rotation, and AJ Burnett is one of the main ones.

With this in mind, fans have to remember that AJ started the 2010 season lights-out. Through the middle of May, his ERA was under 3. Also, Burnett has been known to exhibit a lack of concentration, which may in part have contributed to his ugly numbers this past season.

Furthermore, the Yankees hired new pitching coach Larry Rothschild in the offseason, and one must wonder if maybe he can be the answer to AJ Burnett. Rothschild is a very accomplished and well-respected coach so it is not crazy to think that he could possibly resolve AJ’s issues both mentally and physically.

Going into the 2011 season, it looks like Burnett is doing all he can to avoid what he did last season. Burnett, who resides in Maryland in the offseason, recently converted a barn on his property to an indoor pitching area. He will also begin working with Larry Rothschild in January before reporting to Spring Training in February.

Yankees fans can only hope that AJ Burnett shows up and ready to play for the 2011 season, because truth be told the Yanks need him to be the top-of-the-rotation pitcher he is being paid to be if they are going to be successful this season.

Yankees Offseason Review

2010-12-29T06:48:00.000-08:00

As the offseason baseball moves go on, Yankee fans have been mostly let down. Brian Cashman tried to get Cliff Lee, but he said no as he will help Philadelphia's rotation. Along with most Yankee fans, it was very disappointing to get so excited for the possible signing of Cliff Lee, then to get upset about only having three starters so far. If Andy Pettitte comes back for another year, then that will help, but it still puts us in the same predicament we were in last year, which was putting all the pressure on CC Sabathia to win 20 games.

Meanwhile, with Boston loading up on big name players like Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the Yanks need to watch out as 1st place only becomes less and less of a safe bet. Although they signed Russell Martin and Mark Prior, the Yankees really were not themselves in the free agency period and didn't make any big moves. It will be a good season, though, as always. Only 91 days until Opening Day!!!

Going with 'Plan B'

2010-12-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

After losing out on prized free agent Cliff Lee the New York Yankees have had to resort to a different form not seen since Roger Clemens decided to pitch for Toronto in 1997.

This form called for a different course of action; patience. Instead of blindly throwing money at the next best option (there aren’t any) or trading away the farm for a pitcher, general manager Brian Cashman has been quite idle.

Sure, he signed Russell Martin to be the everyday catcher, a significant upgrade from Francisco Cervelli and a security blanket for Jesus Montero. But Martin suffered his worst season in the majors last year posting a .248 batting average in only 97 games. His bat won’t be relied on as much as it was in Los Angeles but he will be needed to catch as much as possible. However there is tremendous upside, Martin was an All-Star in 2007 and could provide a similar offense to what Posada has done over the past 10 years.

The signing of Pedro Feliciano is two-sided, while another lefty arm is needed to stabilize the bullpen Feliciano has been under an extreme workload appearing in 86, 88, and 92 games with the Mets in the past three seasons. There is no telling the condition of his arm, shoulder or elbow especially with his unusual delivery. He did keep left-handed hitters to a .211 batting average, a stark contrast to his .346 batting average against right-handers.

This wasn’t the only splash made by the Yankees and Cashman, they’ve decided to take a flier on Mark Prior agreeing to a minor league deal but it isn’t smart to rely on him to stabilize the rotation. In fact only one person can do that and he apparently is on the verge of retirement. That’s right, Andy Pettitte, longtime Yankee and a vital part to the 2011 season, if he plays. If Pettitte decides to return that leaves only one hole to fill in the rotation with a lot of in-house options for a fifth starter, which Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre seem to top the list.

This leads us to perhaps the most interesting storyline from this offseason heading into next year. It won’t be the team being spurned by Lee or the mid-level free agent signings; it will be the loss of pitching coach Dave Eiland and the addition of the new pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Rothschild, who came over from the Chicago Cubs, will have a lot of work to do with A.J. Burnett, trying to get him back on track while also monitoring Phil Hughes in his second full season as a starter. Not to mention the battle that will take place for the possible fourth and fifth starting job depending on Pettitte’s decision.

It’s not every off-season the Yankees don’t get the present they covet the most and since the winter meetings have ended clearly lost an edge in the division. The Red Sox, coming off of an injury-plagued season, have bolstered their lineup and bullpen by trading for Adrian Gonzalez and signing Carl Crawford and Bobby Jenks. The Yankees also lost something else, sole right of the highest payroll in the league, which is actually nice to see especially since Red Sox owner John Henry dubbed the Yankees the ‘Evil Empire’ and it is now he who is spending the most. Maybe Cashman was right, patience can pay off…or not pay at all.

Jeter's Icon Precedent

2010-12-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

Derek Jeter’s reputation may have changed a bit this offseason. He is a Yankee, and always should be. But it’s a bit off-putting to have seen him stubborn over a few million dollars, when the contract will take him into his late 30’s right after a decline in production this past season. The Yankees, for their part, probably take in an incalculable amount of revenue from Jeter’s name, image and popularity, and this is all aside from his play, so long as he isn’t having a completely horrendous year.

It’s probably this which prompts the Yankees to pay Jeter above what his numbers would command, and this was part of what Casey Close, Jeter’s agent, argued. Close wanted Jeter to be paid as a player, but also as a Yankee icon. But we don’t keep politicians in the Senate if they become senile, or in another way aren’t able to perform the functions of the office, at least in theory. Likewise, a player on a team expected by its fans to win championship after championship should not continue to be paid an exorbitant salary on account of his past reputation, if his numbers are faltering.

As a 20-something Yankee fan, I associate Jeter along with Posada, Riviera, Girardi and Andy Pettitte with the reason that I’m a fan, that being that when I watch the Yankees now, I’m still connected by these guys to my experience watching the Yankees growing up, and you can’t say that about a lot of teams today. I fully expect Jeter to have a great year, and I wouldn’t want to see anyone else in the world at shortstop this season. I’m just hoping that we’re not beginning to pay players and keep them on the field for their marketing value, rather than giving the paying fans what we’re all in it for, that being to watch the best team possible have a great, exciting season and end up winning it all.

Yankees Future?

2010-12-24T14:07:00.001-08:00

Well as Christmas Day approaches, it is nice to see that finally the Yankees have come up a little short of the TRADEMARK BLOCKBUSTER SIGNING!

It will be a shame if Andy chooses to retire, not for him or his beautiful family, but for the name Steinbrenner. Although George had an interesting way of doing things, that were, well different, he was a compassionate and understanding Owner, who when given hard choices, tended to side with mindfulness.
However his eldest Son Hank, is more along the lines of Idi Amin or other Great Monster Dictators. He has no sense of sport, baseball, players or life, just money,,,Hell even Ho Chi Min had more savvy.

Hal seems to be on the quiet side, hedging on reflective and allowing Hank the leaway he needs to blow up the ship, yet strong enough to right the ship, just prior to sinking.

If Andy does stay retired it will be WONDERFUL FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY, but for the fans, a little sad, as the last of the True Yankees will be down to three, and the way Hank seems to be going, welcome to the late 80's and early 90's AGAIN,,,OMG!

2010-11-25T08:38:00.000-08:00

Could it be possible AGAIN???

Well here they go again,,,let's see 74 hits shy of becoming the ony PURE YANKEE to amass 3,000 hits in a career all in PINSTRIPES, with a over three hundred lifetime batting average. Playoff and World Series Records NEVER to be broken or equalled, not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars generated by his name, play and the dignity given to the PINSTRIPES and the pay back??? Let's go to the dollar menu at McDonald's for lunch Derek!

How about taking him to the Oak Room at the Plaza, because that is truly what Derek Sanderson Jeter is/has and always will be: TOTAL CLASS. HE IS THE YANKEES PRESENT, along with Mo, Jorgie, and Andy, as was Mattingly, Torre, DiMaggio, Mantle, Yogi, Gehrig. If Arod was the face of the Yankees, it would be a chinese buffet; all you can eat but what a belly ache it causes. But NEVER WOULD they have won as much, become so revered, set so many TEAM RECORDS and been so closely knit as they have with Jete at the Forefront.

Derek has brought the PINSTRIPE work ethic, professionalism, SELFLESSNESS and winning to what the YANKEES are supposed to be,,,not to mention being a truly amazing player under ALL circumstances. In essence Jete played with the Verve of Pete Rose and the panache of Joe D, without fanfare or self agrondisement,,,,He was Jete through and through ALL NEW YORK YANKEE>

So Cashman how many more STUPID mistakes can you make by insulting the YANKEES, THE FANS, THE PINSTRIPES and Derek Jeter? A brief count of idiocy, Giambi, Burnett, Contreras, Weaver, Vasquez, TWICE, Nick Johnson or yea and the Cornhusker,,,JOBA.....good lord without the likes of Jete and, O'Neill Andy, Mo and Jorgie, who over a decade branded the PINSTRIPES as a close to Trillion dollar sales enterprise, along with countless titles and rings let you just ignore the obvious and say, here are a few bucks take it or leave it.

Perhaps a more Professional/consiliatory offer, not a pure business machine offer, would have been 4 years at 20 million each and a lifetime services contract and allow Derek to move at his own pace,,,as only an intelligent athlete knows when it is time to say "hey, maybe it is time". His Pride is his contribution to the TEAM and THE PINSTRIPES, not his bank account...Yea enjoy eating the 100 million for chasing down Arod, who almost destroyed the fibre of the team with his AHOLE BS and arrogance...how does that taste Mr. Cashman, I will bet that Theo Epstein is laughing now about not getting Arod...who won????? let's see in the new 2000's I believe the Sox have two rings and totally creamed the Bombers from behind,,and guess what the did not have,,,,Arod. Just a bunch of Ballplayers who were, "IDIOTS",,,,kind like the 96 and 98 Team's. TOGETHERNESS.

But you go ahead and forget all he has done and give him a dollar menu burger,,"what fools these higher ups be". PT Barnum said there is a sucker born every minute,,,sould it be possible that the "new Steinbrenner regime" was born just minutes apart???

If I were Jeter I would counter the offer like this give me one guaranteed year at 20 million with a personal option for a second at say 10-15..Collect the needed hits to achieve the 3000 plus mark in year one, that give you 20 years of Service, plus all the records, joy and dignity brought to the team and walk away.

Mr. Jeter you are a first ballot Role Model, Gentlemen and oh yes Baseball Icon..No longer do the Yankees deserve you and your wonderful contributions, the TRUE FAN's know this..With your absence the revenue will go down as less people will want to see the side show, or buy the merchandise,,and the pathetic thing is that Cashman et al only cares about revenue...

I have seen a couple of WS Championships in person at the original, 70's remodeled and House that George Built, # 27 with my 13 year old Son...I have run the gamut. As a lifelong Yankees fan, I miss the Yogi's, and Roger's and DonnieBaseball's Whitey, Paulie and will miss Jete, Mo, Andy and Jorgie...They screwed Mr. Torre, and Donnie, hell Yogi left for 14 years and now you Mr. Jeter...I am done with them...maybe the Dodgers or Oakland will fill my ticket now, my son and I have been to many mnay games since he was three, including #27...What a way to leave,,fond memories,,all good,,but a TRULY BAD TASTE ON THIS ONE.. DEREK SANDERSON JETER, FROM MY HEART I WISH TO THANK YOU FOR THE MANY MANY MOMENTS IN DIGNITY YOU HAVE GIVEN THE YANKEES AND THE GAME, AND MY BELOVED SON,,I will always love the Yankees,,,ALWAYS but this is it....not another penny to be spent.. That is painful....but honest!

How to address the Core Four going Into 2011

2010-10-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

THE CAPTAIN:
Jete has been a part of every Yankee memory since his arrival in 1996.
As hard as it is to fathom, Jeter is 36 and will be 37 in June. He enters free agency coming off what might be his most challenging all-around season in the big leagues. But it is more than likely that Jete played with day to day aches and pains which typically went undetected. Like Lou Gehrig Jete would do what is best for the Yankees and play through discomfort,,unless of course it would hurt the TEAM.
Despite an off year, batting average (.270), slugging (.370) and on-base percentage (.340), Derek’s presence on the field is what Yankee Legendry is about. While it is idiotic to think that the Yankee brass would cast him aside, (the Steinbrenner Family would be dismissed first in New York City) there are two issues with resigning him. The first is how much do you pay an 11 time All-Star and future Hall of Famer, who has meant more to your team than any other player over the past fifty years? – Second, how long do you pay him?
Simple you give him a stated period of play contract with lifelong continuum clauses for whatever money is appropriate. My thought 25 Million for 4 as Player, then adjusted scale for life.
The other question is, and if so how would the Yankees approach asking the FRANCHISE to give shortstop up and where/when would they move him.

Jeter @ third Alex too short? nah....

Most likely Jeter remains at Short through 2011.

And anything HE so chooses in the Organization for LIFE!

Mariano Rivera:

What do you do with a 40+ year old former failed starting pitcher in the Major League’s? Who now DEFINES CLOSER? The implication, artform and surely it's history?

NOTHING LEAVE HIM BE AND PAY HIM WELL!

Mo with thelongest running tenure of the CORE FOUR, as most fans forget Mo came up in 1995 as a string bean skinny starting pitcher with a adequate fastball, but not much else. And he got hit hard, posting a 5.51 ERA that year.

Mo was sent down, only to emerge as:

John Wetteland‘s set-up man, proving to be unhittable and has remained so through today!

Mariano has redefined the role of CLOSER, forever, PERIOD.

Unlike Jeter or Posada, Mo shows few signs of slowing down or letting age affect him – other than the slightly more frequent muscle strains.

He remains baseball’s and the YANKEE'S ultimate weapon;

Since every team realizes if you let the Yankees get to the ninth with a lead;

ENTER SANDMAN!

The big questions with Mo remain, how long can he continue defy Father Time, and how much longer will he want to?

Mariano reminds me of the Great Satchel Paige’s line:

” Don’t look back, they might be gaining on you”;

but no one has really gained much on Mo.

NOR WILL THEY!

By the way Mo’s is an AMAZING Restaurant in New Rochelle New York,
Truly a destination for any travelling Yankee Fan!

Andy Pettite:

The Greatest Post-Season Pitcher in BASEBALL HISTORY;

Need I say more?

This is the one member of the Core Four with the most uncertainty about his status for 2011. Simply by personal choice!

Will he retire or will he come back for another hurrah?

Andy is taking some time to mull over his decision and has often said that it ultimately rests with his family.

A GREAT ATHLETE, BUT MORE, A GREAT FATHER, HUSBAND and TEAMMATE!

Why not carefully weigh his decision?,

He is only:

A three-time All-Star, borderline Hall of Famer, with 240 career wins,2251 SO’s.

and:

BASEBALL'S all-time leader in post-season wins, starts, AND innings.

ANDY has pitched some of the MOST MEMORABLE games in YANKEE History:

Included in Andy’s Proud History;

Pitching the deciding games, in all three series in 2009.

Importantly for 2011, the Yankees need to know if Andy is coming back before they can finalize the 2011 starting banking situation.

Just Honor his time, his process and Family, have patience, then pay him, giving the acknowledgement:

True YANKEE TREMENDOUS HUMAN BEING;

Andrew Eugene Pettitte (born June 15, 1972), Baton Rouge, Louisiana,

HE DESERVES IT!

There is NO doubt the Yankees are a better team with him in 2011 than without.

Jorge Posada:

At 39, Jorgie is the only member of the Core Four signed for next season. Remember Jorgie and Andy in Double A together? Try that when you pick out a catcher AJ, care to match You v Andy n Jorgie?

He too is borderline Hall of Famer.

My take is that to be elected to the Hall, you have to be the dominate player at your position, during your Era,,,Who has done or Won more than Jorgie?

Okay, he suffered through one his more frustrating seasons in 2010.

Still he produced 57 runs, hit 18 dingers, scored 49 runs in only 120 games. Age is a concern with Jorgie, however what he begins to loose in physicality, he more than makes up for in COMPLETE knowledge and Professionalism. Historically catchers do not age gracefully, and when they decline, it tends to be a rapid descent.

Defensively, the injuries of the past few seasons have taken their toll, Jorgie no longer moves with mercurial grace behind the plate, but he does move more intelligently.

So riddle me this Batman:

How to begin easing him out of the regular catcher role?

Trying to insert

Cervelli into more starts this year, NO that just confirmed that Cervelli is nothing more than a career backup.

So 2011 promises the long-awaited arrival of Jesus Montero, but all of the reports regarding his defensive prowess hardly make him out to be the next Thurman Munson.

Jorgie will accept more DH time and less catching time for younger version of himself only because he is a consummate TEAMMATE, TRUE YANKEE and Ultimate Sportsman?

Jorgie has long taken pride in his defensive game, has worked very hard and deserves the credit and recognition, even if he has been known to be feisty at times.

It’s served him, the Fans and the YANKEES well in the past –

IT WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE THE SAME GROUP AS LONG AS HE REMAINS!

THE CORE FOUR FOREVERMORE!!!

2010-10-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

Alex Rodriguez is like Splenda – Sweet but………

This might surely be an unpopular topic with a lot of Yankee fans.

If you are true and believe the Traditions of the Pinstripes, NO WAY.

Throughout the history of the game of Baseball, always and forever it has been about the Yankees, the Pride, the Prejudice by others, but ultimately being a Yankee a Professional, a Teammate:

The “Bambino” had a theory.

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." – Babe Ruth

Now George Herman “Babe” Ruth truly redefined the game and what Baseball, it’s future and what stardom was and forever will be all about. Yes Babe had some, behavioral issues. But was, as was Mick designated:

“Great Teammates”

A teammate is linked in a common purpose, without selfish intentions.
Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.

BUT NOT ONE MEMBER IS BIGGER THAN THE TEAM…

I grant that when his career is over, no doubt Alex will perhaps hold every major hitting record that the fans so enjoy.

But does this warrant him SPECIAL ATTENTION, for example:

Each Club has there “Clubbies”, kids who are effectively gophers for the Players, more kids at home than on the road. (they do not travel with the Team) Alex likes to keep a road clubby for everything,,,I refer to Joe Torre’s Book, the Chapter on Alex. To ask for coffee when every other player gets there own is ridiculous. But to just not realize the idiocy of the action is completely “mentally irregular” as Rocky Balboa so eloquently phrased it.
Actions as these lead me to a question motivation as a Teammate, other than the mentality to be treated as a deity and the GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYER EVER. He might well be someday. But at what expense to the concept of Team???

In Seattle, as accomplished as he was, he played with other Super Stars who just let it ride. Then agent Scott Boras so inflated his market value, that one player was in essence atomic fusion, a chain reaction. Sadly Alex actually believed his own press and negated to remember that:

NO ONE IS BIGGER THAN THE GAME!
Tiger Woods you listening

Off to Texas he put up monster numbers for MONSTER dollars and three last place finishes…..but Alex is again too consumed with how it looks as opposed to how it WORKS, how THE TEAM WORKS:

Except for last year:

ALDS - .455 BA .500 OnBase%, 1.000 Slugging

ALCS - .429 BA .567 OnBase%, .952 Slugging

WS - .250 BA: .423 OnBase%, .550 Slugging

Notable is Alex’s state of mind or lack thereof.

He thought he had answered the questions about his postseason performance after the World Series last year, and for the most part, he has been correct.

ALCS 2010 Mark Teixeira out, another wave of mediocre performance made its way to Alex, who was 3-for-17 (.176) with a double and two RBIs in the ALCS. Sadly, he really only has to get on base and run,,,not mash every pitch.

There are 8 count them EIGHT additional Batsmen available to push runs across the plate.

This is his spoken perception:

"Overall this year, I feel really good,"I know sometimes the numbers don't say how you feel, but I [want] to do exactly what I've done the last two or three games - which is come in, swing at strikes and hit the ball hard, and if not, walk, pass the baton and use your legs."

UMMMM .176 Average, Hit the starch out of it AROD???

It is insanity, how about play within your ability not your EGO, or as Sam Snead so beautifully said:

“Dance with the one your brung”

It is all there, but not the six inch fairway, if it about not feeling loved, Alex has 2 beautiful Children who could care less what he hits or does,,,he is their Da,

not AROD…

THEY LOVE HIM REGARDLESS AND WILL ALWAYS,

Oh yea if you need more than that:

“YOU NEED TO GET YOUR NUT CHECKED MISTER!”
Coach Lombardi

Proper Re Tooling is not Firing the Pitching Coach!

2010-10-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

Re - Vamp Should start at the top!
Dave Eiland is not at fault for the complacency and lack of proper off field training that highly recruited and paid pitchers have seemingly failed to do. AJ Burnett is by his own admission a .500 pitcher, and Joba nothing more than a out of shape out of sink buffoon, but sadly a member of the most dominate and exclusive franchise in the history of Sports.
Do not get me wrong, AJ brought joy and playfullness to the Team in 2009, coupled with the dynamic personalities of Johnny Damon and Nick Swisher. It seemed that the Yankees had not just a Core Four, but a repeatable work ethic with a window of 4 years to continue to perform at the highest level.

What happened to the PIE in 2010?

o AJ, well he struggled and Joba,,nuff said. BUT WHY,,,,,Not the fault of Dave Eiland,,,

o COMPLACENCY certainly comes to mind.

o Damon released,and oh yea, what ever happened to:

o WS MVP and Pure Yankee Hideki Matsui?
Matsui only provided the Angels with: 145 games, .274 BA, 21 HR’s 84 RBI’s and 55 Runs. While, Nick, “how can I stay hurt” Johnson did nothing after May 7th or before for that matter.

And the mind boggling judgment of Brian Cashman, to replace a Professional in Matsui. So lets escape and blame Dave Eiland,,,
But getting back to my point, Dave Eiland is a Great Pitching Coach, his work ethic and training techniques are to be valued not overlooked. Did the Large Kid from Nebraska look plausibly fit to pitch this year,,no he sulked because a 23 year old Hughes reported ready to COMPETE and thereby WON the job.

Did AJ look remotely similar to the Pitcher that Cashman so coveted,,,I THINK ,,,,,NOT.
I do not begrudge the players for being paid silly sums of money to play a kids game, I applaud it. But with that comes the responsibility of being PREPARED…
In the off season did the pitching staff throw long toss on their own, doubtful, except for perhaps CC, Andy and Hughes.
Long toss has been the foundational structure for an arm to strengthen and thus be able to perform deep into a 162 game schedule… It just did not happen. Lets blame Eiland,,,,how about Pitchers return the money or donate it to Children’s Charity?????

BLAME ,,, in my view Brian Cashman, Joba was, is and will be his HUGE mistake, but the Team will have to live with, as is Burnett.

There is a young kid named NOVA,,,remember him, never was allowed to find out if he could win or lose a game as Manager Joe “Gag” Girardi pulled him.

Baseball Men :
Joe Torre and Mel Stottlemeyer would never allow that, but would let him to feel his oats. I can just hear it: “Don’t worry kid; we got your back, just make your pitches”. And We know there are more than just these two in the Game.

I am not sure there is a pitcher today that can go out and feel secure and safe as he approaches 90 pitches.Typically Yankee Management, will assign blame this time to anyone, the Pitching Coach,as opposed to the players for not taking responsibility.

Yankee Management continues their egomaniacal attempts to put non matching personnel together, while removing the glue that kept it together.

But fear not, Cashman will urinate away a gazillion dollars to get Cliff Lee,,,and whoever else can fill in the blanks, as in checks.

Glad you are not here to see this Mr. Steinbrenner, even You would be appalled at this.

Fire Cashman. Hire Billy Beane and build on Statistics! If you need a Compatible Pitching Coach How about Rick Petersen?

The Yankees of 2010 remind me of the Democrats Tax and Spend.

To Jete, Mo, Andy and Jorgie, your loyalty and Professionalism is well appreciated as are the skills and dignity you have brought to the New York Yankees.
Let us pray that the New Steinbrenner Group and the Psuedo GM can perform at a level comparable to what you have.!

The Value of Derek Jeter

2010-09-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

By: Justin Diaz

How much money is a 36-year-old shortstop hitting .264 worth?

The answer is quite simple under normal circumstances, not a whole lot. However, when that shortstop happens to be Derek Jeter, the circumstances are far from normal.

The Yankees do not negotiate extensions with any player still under contract.
This past offseason, with Jeter heading into the final year of his 10-year, $189 million deal, they
did not budge from that policy.

Coming off one of the best seasons of his career in 2009, contract negotiations weren’t expected to be difficult. A ten-time all star, career .314 hitter, team captain; couldn’t be too complicated to figure out how much to pay the guy, right?

After a hot start to the season, Jeter has in fact made things complicated with the way he’s been playing. Since June 1st, he is hitting .239, with a .320 on-base percentage and a .336 slugging percentage.

The numbers are shocking to look at, as Jeter has been one of the most consistent players in the league throughout his entire career.

Before this season, Jeter’s lowest average in a season was .291 and his lowest OPS was .771. His average for the season is .264 with a .702 OPS, a significant drop-off in production that is certainly cause for concern.

Is it fair to say that he is officially done and will never bounce back? No, 14 all-star caliber seasons gives him some benefit of the doubt. However, it is also far from certain that Jeter will have a bounce back year and return to his old form.

Which brings us to that same question, how much is Derek Jeter worth?

I’ve heard many fans say that the Yankees “have” to pay him more than market value because he’s accomplished so much with the organization. My question to those people is, so what?

There is no denying how much Jeter has meant to the Yankees throughout his career. He has been a great player on the field and a true class act off of it. As a Yankee fan, I truly appreciate all that he has done for the organization.

However, one thing many fans seemingly fail to recognize, it is his job to perform on the field. He gets paid to play baseball just like any other person gets paid to do their job. The only difference between Jeter and the average Joe is that over a 10-year period, his average salary was $18.9 million per year. As likeable as Jeter is, he has not been playing for the Yankees out of the kindness in his heart. Which brings me to my next point.

Everybody seems to love to mention all that Jeter has done for the Yankees, what about all that the Yankees have done for Jeter? They gave him a 10-year deal worth $189 million, making him the second highest paid athlete ever. As great as Jeter was at the time, would another team have come anywhere near that offer? That is a question that nobody can be sure about, but keep in mind that the big money in baseball normally goes to power hitters and starting pitchers, and Jeter doesn’t fit either of those categories.

I am not saying that Jeter did not live up to his contract, but the idea that the Yankees owe it to him to pay him more than market value is ludicrous.

Think of it this way; lets say John Doe is a top salesman for Company X for a long period of time. He has been a great employee throughout his entire career until the final year of his contract, when his sales numbers drop well below the performance of the company’s other salesmen. Would Company X overpay John Doe, despite the poor performance, because he’s been good to them in the past?

Many people will laugh at the comparison, but the Yankees are just like every other business in America in one aspect; their number one goal is making money. Of course, that goal is best attained through winning.

Nobody knows what the Yankees budget is, but despite what some people may believe, it does exist. There are going to be some holes to fill next season, most importantly the two open spots in the starting rotation (if Andy Pettitte retires). No matter who they sign, especially if it’s Cliff Lee (and it’s no secret they want him), those two pitchers will be very expensive. The Yankees cannot afford to drastically overpay Jeter and jeopardize their chances at signing Lee or any other free agent they choose to pursue in the upcoming offseason.

Which brings us to the answer to the question, how much money is Derek Jeter worth? The answer is quite simple; he is worth what the market dictates. If I had to guess, that would probably mean something like a 3-year deal somewhere in the $35-40 million range.

If the Yankees truly believe he is worth more than that, so be it. Just don’t say the Yankees owe Jeter more than he deserves. Baseball is, after all, a business.

The X-Factors

2010-05-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

When the 2010 season started, the Yankees roster seemed good enough to challenge for another World Series ring. I mean come on the pitching is filthy, the line-up is stacked with weapons of all shapes and sizes and gaining post-season and World Series experience is always precious. What was expected from the outfield though? Curtis Granderson was supposed to bolster that group, but could fan favorites Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner play at a high enough level to keep this machine running smoothly? The doubters were definitely out there, but Gardner and Swisher have done nothing but prove them wrong as they’ve been centerpieces of this Yankee offense thus far.

When Brett emerged with the Yankees, I instantly loved the guy. He hustled, stole bases, and added a dimension to the team that we hadn’t seen in a while. However, one Yankee fan I know, a Miami (Ohio) alum, had doubts and told me when Bretty G came up that he would never make it as a starter. “He can’t hit for squat, and his arm is weaker than my Mother’s” was along the lines of what he said, and I couldn’t really argue. He made progress last year, appearing in 108 games while hitting .270 with 26 stolen bases, but coming off the bench as a speed guy seemed like it would be Gardner’s role forever. I’m not sure if A-Rod slipped a little HGH in the kid’s Gatorade, but Brett has come back this season looking jacked and ready to swing a big stick. He’s hitting .333 with 14 stolen bases in 15 tries, and just seems way more comfortable at the plate. His hit streak of 11 games was just snapped last night in Detroit, but that’s the type of consistency we hope to see more of as the season rolls on. Good start Brett, now keep it goin’.

We all knew Swish would be good for hitting 25 homers with high energy play while keeping the clubhouse loose, but questions regarding his defense and low average loomed entering this season. However, he too has answered the bell. Nick has been “Swishing and Dishing” as my man Walt Clyde would say, hitting .306 with 7 homers and 24 RBIs in 30 games. That’s been key as his solid hitting has allowed Girardi to be flexible with Nick’s spot in the order. I actually like him a lot hitting in the two hole while Nick Johnson is rehabbing at the buffet. Swisher is a switch-hitter who has been getting on base, hitting for power AND average, and he packs MONSTER lips which is great to see. As for his defense, he isn’t Ichiro out there in right, but he hustles after every ball, plays hard, and loves getting the fans into it. Swish aint winning any batting titles anytime soon, but we don’t need him to. A steady offensive output and OK defense from Swish is all the Yankees need. Let’s face it, we don’t want to see Randy Winn or Marcus Thames playing any more then they are now so keep crushin it Nick.

The Yanks continue their series with Detroit tonight when Javier Vazquez returns to face Rick Porcello, so keep an eye on Brett bouncing back from his first hitless game in a while. As for Swish, he looks to keep a 5 game hitting streak of his own alive tonight.

Shout out to my man Nick for his birthday today

Brew

3 Negatives for the Yanks

2010-05-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

1) Granderson to the DL

Granderson hitting the 15-day DL is a HUGE concern for the Yanks. Last week I had absurd amounts of schoolwork so I didn’t get the chance to write the blog, but one of my 3 positives was going to be Granderson’s play in the outfield. Curtis Granderson is simply perfect for the Yankees. His swing is ideal for the short porch in right. He hit the most homeruns to right field in baseball last year (or something like that). Adding the ridiculous porch at the Stadium into the mix, Granderson looks like he could really emerge as a dominant centerfielder for the Yanks. Grandy got off to an okay start by hitting .225 in the first month, but his speed and athleticism are what make him a perfect fit for the Yanks. He is second on the team with 4 steals and is exactly what we need from the 7 hole. His speed is crucial for the Yanks this year. We are used to having freakin’ Jorge grounding into a million double plays a year in the 7 spot, but now we have a speedy hitter with some pop in his bat beating out double plays like it is his job. He has hit into 1 in the last 100 and some odd games, which is simply awesome, but lets not forget he strikes out a lot. In the field, Granderson has 3 assists already, which is more than Bretty G and Swish combined. Having Grandy and Bretty G, “the Yankee’s Ichiro,” (Thanks to Ronny Washington) deep in the lineup allows Girardi to be creative and play a little small-ball, (Steals, Hit and Runs, Bunts, ect.). Grandy looks to be a defensive upgrade in center over Damon. His mixture of awareness and speed make him dangerous in the outfield. All these positives aside, Bretty G and Swish are going to need to step up with the absence of Grandy. We have a tough stretch coming up with series with the Sox, Twins, and Rays and the absence of Grandy is going to hurt us no doubt, but lets hope Bretty G and Swish step it up enough where we get by without Grandy.

2) Bullpen Pitching

Robertson, Marte, and Park all have ERAs over 4, which is simply unacceptable for pitchers in the Yankee’s bullpen. Robertson is holding onto his major league spot by a hair. He has two blown saves, 11 hits, and 8 ER in 5 2/3 innings. I would rather pull Mike Stanton out of retirement and let him lace them up because it is pretty hard to do worse than Robertson. I don’t want to give up on Robertson because last year he was a hidden gem out of the bullpen for us while posting a 3.30 ERA. He is still posting the strikeouts, (8 in 5 2/3 IP) but is way too hittable to be appearing in the late innings for the Yanks. Chan Ho Park has been up and down this year. His peak, the 3 innings of work en route to a win against Boston early in the year. His other two appearances were tough making his ERA 4.76 for the year. I don’t see Park’s struggles really having a huge impact on the Yanks simply because Girardi has started to, and I think will continue to, shy away from him. Marte has pitched well for most of the first month, but had one tough outing en route to a 8-4 loss against the Angels, which is the reason for his 5.40 ERA.

Robertson, in my mind, needs to head up to Scranton and figure out his location issues. He will be (or more like I hope he will be) reliable again as he was last year. Park’s issues are concerning me as much because we have proved we can win without him this year. Marte will get over his one tough outing and be another solid 1 inning guy out of the pen.

3) Tough stretch coming up

So far, I am loving how the Yanks are playing. This next 2-3 weeks are really going to show how good the Yanks really are. We have a three game series at Fenway, which we know will be great. Then we have Detroit, who is 16-11, the Twins, another two game set with Boston at the Stadium, and then Tampa and the Mets. If the Yanks can get through this stretch impressively, we are golden.

PS: This whole Jorge to the DL thing is troubling as well. Cervelli is hitting the crap out of the ball though, maybe a good thing? Wel’ll see.

CBAB

The Angry Ones

2010-05-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

by Richard Gonyeau

May 7, 2010

I was recently involved in a friendly debate about the "unwritten rules" of baseball (and subsequently the DH rule) with the Angry Ones over on giantsmix.com. I kept trying to state my point, but they all quickly came out of the woodwork to raise irrational, immature arguments. They told me that the American League version of the game is wrong, and that it's 'fake baseball.' They all assume to know much more about the game than I do, because I didn't play past little league. (Evidently the writers/readers at giantsmix.com are all ex-professional baseball players.) They trashed ARod, and called the Yankees 'cheaters' for a reason I still can't figure out, because it was never properly explained to me. To see their inane arguments in the comments field, click here.

It occurred to me then, that non-Yankee fans really do hate the Yankees and their players with a passion. I have trouble relating to this, because I like all baseball teams. Ok, maybe not the Red Sox. But I respect them as a worthy adversary. Unfortunately, fans of other teams do not view the Yankees in the same light. And so, I dub them 'the Angry Ones,' because they are in fact, quite angry.

I have an explanation for their intense negativity: the Yankees are the most popular team in baseball. They are one of the best teams, competing in the best division in baseball: the AL East. These facts have a polarizing effect on fans of the game. Fans of other teams are jealous that the Yankee faithful have a team that competes every single year. And I honestly sypmathize with them, because I couldn't imagine not being in contention each season. Can you imagine what it must be like to be a Pirates fan? Forgetaboutit.

One thing I find astounding is the animosity the Angry Ones exhibit towards the DH rule and the American League. It's as if they believe themselves to be baseball purists, and our DH rule is blasphemous. The ironic part, is that most of the writers/readers at giantsmix.com have grown up with the DH rule as part of their lives. It was adopted by the league in 1973. It is as much a part of the game as sunflower seeds. I can understand if someone doesn't like the DH rule. It's a free country, we all have choices. But to over-react and start calling AL baseball fake, or cheating, is simply ridiculous.

If they want to be angry at us, then so be it. It just gives us more reason to root for the American League in interleague play, as well as in the All-Star game. (Which, we continue to dominate by the way.)

I know it was weeks ago that ARod infamously stepped on the mound during a game against Oakland, but Dallas Braden is running his mouth once again. To read his recent comments, here is a link from the USA Today article. It should make a routine set against the A's a bit more exciting, no? But we'll have to wait until July for that showdown. Tonight we open up a 3 game series in Boston. (Those fake, cheating bums!) Lol.

Hey Angry Ones... the big shiny photo of Arod at the top... that one's for you.

State of the Yankees

2010-05-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

As I take stock in what I have seen from our beloved Yankees over the first month plus of the season I can't help but be incredibly excited about this season as well as the future of the Bombers. Sure there are injuries (Granderson, Posada and Mo) but look at how we have been able to fill these holes with young talent, young Yankee talent. Gardner is becoming a solid player all around, his presence on the bases is enough to disrupt any pitcher. Cervelli seems to be in line to take the plate from Jorge Posada next year (at the latest) and his energy seems to be providing the same spark that Shelly Duncan did a few years back. Finally we get to Joba Chamberlin and what seems to be where he will be spending the rest of his career, and rightfully so I believe, closing out games for the New York Yankees. We seemed to get lost in the romanticism of having him pump his fist for 7 ok innings of pitching and had forgotten how great he was (minus a swarm of bugs) a few years back coming out of the bull pen and halting a team dead in its tracks before handing the ball off to Mo. We now have what we were looking for, answers to some of our aging players that don't involve signing other aging players at over inflated prices.

That's More Like It

2010-04-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

by Richard Gonyeau
April 29, 2010

The Yankee bats came alive last night to help out a less than dominant C.C. Sabathia. I considered that game a must win because, well, let's face it: anything less than a series win in Baltimore would be a severe disappointment. That means we also must win tonight to take 2 of 3 from the worst team in the league. I hope A.J. brings his Dr. Jekyll, if you know what I mean.

The back end of the batting order continues to get the job done. Gardner, Swisher, Granderson and Cervelli went a combined 9 for 18. Speaking of Cervelli... I just love this guy. This season he's 8 for 18 (.444) with a .524 OBP. The fact that he can hit is just a bonus, because he's stellar in the field. He has a cannon for an arm and a great ability to frame pitches. He's smooth and patient behind the plate. He brings youth and enthusiasm to the roster. I'd really like to see Girardi put him in the lineup more often. Posada is getting up there in age, and even though he can still swing the bat, he is a liability on defense and on the basepath. Whenever I mention giving the kid more playing time, my fellow Yankee fans simply think I have a man-crush on Cervelli. They consider it blasphemy to move Posada out of the lineup. And that's fine... I don't see what the problem would be moving Jorge into the DH role. We need to compete against a fast, young Rays team this year. Cervelli can only have a positive impact. Am I the only one who feels this way?

The road trip comes to an end tonight in Baltimore. A win would make for a modest 5-4 record on the 9 game trip, and send the Yankees home on a positive note.

For the Birds

2010-04-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

by Richard Gonyeau
April 28, 2010

One of the defining qualities of a veteran pitcher is being able to control the game on any given night when they don't have their best stuff. Last night against the Orioles, journeyman Phil Hughes showed veteran poise and proved that he could manage a game despite a lack of pitch control. To me, it was his most impressive start of the year.

Unfortunately, the bullpen did not exhibit the same resolve. Robertson blew yet another lead for the Yankees during a 3-run 6th inning for the Orioles. After a Posada throwing error in the 8th allowed the O's to take a 3 run lead, the Yankees 9th inning rally came up one run short. It was the second straight loss for the Yanks, and the first win at home for the worst team in the league.

On a positive note, Robinson Cano went 3 for 4 and is on an absolute tear. He's 12 for his last 23, and is now batting .389 for the season. Nicky Swish went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Yankee managers have a lot of faith in Robertson because his stuff is really quite strong. He has a reliable fastball and great off-speed pitches (curveball, change) as well. But handing the ball over to him is by no means a sure thing this year. The rest of the pen hasn't been much better. Not counting Rivera, they're currently posting a 5.26 era. All I can say from a fan's perspective is that I am beginning to question the ability of the bullpen to lock it down in the late innings.

3 Negatives of Last Week

2010-04-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Yankees have been tearin’ it up with a 12-6 record and look poised to make another good run this year. After sweeping the Rangers led by my favorite ML manager, the corrupt Ron Washington, the Yanks hit the west coast for a week. First, they had to deal with Athletics in their annoying white cleats before they headed to play the always-tough Angels. Splitting those six games is nothing to be ashamed of, but the Yanks definitely have a few things they need to keep their eye on as the season continues:

1) 2-3 SPOTS IN LINEUP – The Yankees need these spots to be productive in order to maintain World Series caliber baseball in New York, and I think Brian Cashman acquired Nick Johnson to do more then just walk while hitting in the two hole. Johnson went just 1-14 in on the west coast and didn’t even suit up for the last two games because of a “bad back”. I think he needs to cut back on the brews and start hitting the cages to be honest, cause he seems lost at the plate. Mark Teixeira also had a tough time in Cali as his career stats in April continue to disappoint. Mark went 3-22 over the six games but did have some nice swings and managed to park one despite his struggles. I think all Yankee fans really have a lot of faith in Tex to break out and when he does, great things will be coming our way…

2) JAVIER VAZQUEZ – Javy, if we knew you were going to come back to New York and post up a record of 1-3 with an ERA of 9.00, we never would have brought you back. You’re contract is sucking up $11.5 million to put up below average fourth starter stats. Sure, the Yanks spend a ton of cash and love showing off their free agent acquisitions, but dumping Melky and prospects for this guy is looking more and more questionable. Granted, it is early and he did finish 4^th in NL Cy Young voting last year, so we won’t run him out of town just yet. Let’s step it up Jav.

3) TAMPA BAY IS BALLIN’ – One scary scenario that could repeat itself in the AL East is another three-team race, similar to when the Rays reached the World Series in 2008. We all know that Boston and New York will bring it, but if Tampa can keep up this level of ball this division may turn into a blood bath. Tampa is boasting the best record in the league at 14-5 and are absolutely killing teams on the road, which is usually the sign of a good team. The Yanks will not face them until the Rays come to town on May 19^th, but let’s keep an eye on their hot start.

After 18 games if you were to tell me that the Yankees would be 12-6, I think we would all be satisfied. They head to Baltimore for three games starting Tuesday, and then come home for a weekend series with White Sox. Beating scrub teams like the Orioles is crucial early on so lets flood Baltimore with loud Yankee fans as usual and sweep them. For this week, those are three things we should keep watch out for. Let's go Yanks.

Brew

Teixeira Gets a Hit

2010-04-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

by Richard Gonyeau
April 24, 2010

Mark Teixeira got a big hit last night, but it didn't raise his batting average. In the third inning he was beaned by an Ervin Santana fastball. Two subsequent singles by Rodriguez and Cano sent Teixeira rounding third for the imminent collision that defined last night's opening game against the Angels.

It was clearly a cathartic moment for Teixeira. His struggles at the plate this April are well documented, and continue to be a source of frustration for him. Getting hit in the arm by a mid-nineties fast ball didn't help matters either. So when he saw an opportunity for legal retaliation, his instincts took over. The result was a violent impact that rose the crowd to their feet, and sent Bobby Wilson to the hospital with a concussion and a right ankle sprain.

It's an unfortunate result for the Angels, who now must rely on their third string catcher after starter Jeff Mathis broke his wrist last Tuesday. Both sides agree that the hit was a clean play, albeit it an unnecessary one. Despite what players/managers say about it, the next two games will reveal if there is any residual ill-will after Friday night's encounter.

The 6-4 loss was a well fought contest on both sides. I expect we'll see more of the same today in the second game of the series. Two of the American League's hottest pitchers will be on display as Pettitte (2-0, 1.35) takes on Pineiro (2-1, 1.77).

Come On Javier... Prove Me Wrong

2010-04-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

by Richard Gonyeau

Girardi and Cashman have a lot of faith in the newly acquired Javier Vasquez. If they didn't, they would never have brought him on board. Yankee fans however, need a bit more convincing. We find it hard to grant acceptance solely based on his 'projected' performances. We need the cold hard facts before we welcome anyone with open arms.

And what facts do we have? Fact: The last time Javier was on the Yankees, he gave up a grand slam to Johnny Damon in the final game of the 2004 ALCS. Yankee fans find this very difficult to forget (myself included). I apologize for bringing that up. Fact: Vasquez is currently posting a 9.82 era after two starts. That's the highest on the entire pitching staff. Fact: He has yet to give the Yankees 6 innings of work in either of those starts. His pattern of early exits only puts unneeded stress on the bullpen.

I am never one to panic early in the baseball season. I'm not proposing any changes to the rotation, or anything else equally as drastic. But certain warning flags have been raised, so I'm keeping a close eye on his performances during this 9 game road trip. Even Joe Girardi acknowledges that his next start is an important one.

“You want to see him get a win under his belt and start pitching like he’s accustomed to doing,” Girardi said. “So, yes, it is somewhat of a big start.”

You know, I can't seem to shed this nagging opinion I have in the back of my mind. It's a negative sort of feeling, that the National League is somewhat inferior to the American, and that maybe Javier's success last year will not translate. I know I shouldn't feel this way, because baseball is baseball, right? It's way too early to be making such proclamations, so that fear is probably unwarranted. But if Vasquez happens to go 0-2 on this road trip, I might start to freak out a little. That feeling in the back of my mind might turn into a full fledged tyrade about why the National League should be abolished, and the DH rule implemented world-wide.

Come on Javy, prove me wrong.

What Kind of Man Are You?

2010-04-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

by Richard Gonyeau

In the final game against the Angels last night, Matsui hit a monstrous blast over the right-center wall during his first at-bat. He had previously been hitless in his return to Yankee Stadium, so I was happy to see him finally get on the board. As he was trotting the bases, I noticed some people stood up and clapped for him. I'll admit, I rose up from the couch and clapped in appreciation as well. But I was shocked when I heard Michael Kay say that there were others in the crowd who booed him.

Really? You're going to boo Godzilla? He hits a solo shot in the top of the 2nd to take a meager 1-0 lead, and you're going to boo him? I wanted to see Phil Hughes pitch a clean sheet as much as the next guy, but come on folks.

I think you can tell a lot about someone solely based off their reaction to Matsui's home run. If you stood up as well, or at least felt good for Matsui when he hit the ball out of the park, then it's pretty safe to say I'd call you a friend. You have a good sense of appreciation, and know that sometimes, respect for an individual and his accomplishments can take precedence over team loyalty. But if you're one of the people who booed him, I think it's fairly likely that you're a class-A douche bag. Did you suddenly forget about the seven years he spent in the Bronx? Or even more recently, that he was 2009 World Series MVP?

So, to get a better idea of who might be reading this blog, I guess my question is: What kind of man are you? Are you the kind of guy who booes Godzilla? Or did you feel good for him after that home run? Am I wrong to judge people based on this one incident?

Athletes as Role Models?

2010-04-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

I recently got into a verbal fight over this topic and I'd like to voice my opinion and see how it varies from others.

I guess what brought this topic about was thinking about recent (over the past few years) such as Michael Vick (dog fights), Tiger Woods (cheating on his wife multiple times), Barry Bonds (steroids), AROD (steroids), and Ben Roethlisberger (assault and sexual misconduct multiple times).

It is not hard to see that most children look up to athletes as role models. I myself looked up Don Mattinglly and Paul O'Neill as a child but, if they would have done something to blemish their reputations I would not have thought ...wow Donny does this so I should too.

The question is " Should athletes be accountable for being role models?"

My opinion is that a child is going to look up to the athlete regardless but, the athlete did not ask for that. It is the athlete's job to produce on the field, or the ice, or the court, ect. but, once they are off the clock they should be considered normal people and allowed to live their lives. They should be treated as normal people; good or bad.

The perfect example of this is Michael Jordan. Everybody wanted to " Be Like Mike"...on the court. Kids don't say I love Michael Jordan so I want to cheat on my wife and lose thousands and thousands of dollars gambling; they say I want to be like Mike and dunk from the foul line.

Athletes are good people when they are playing their game for the most part but, when they are off the clock they should not be judged differently than anybody else; they are only human.

April 6th - Yankees 6 Red Sox 4

2010-04-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

by Richard Gonyeau

The more I see the Red Sox, the more I like them. And by like, I mean hate. They arguably have the best 1-4 batters in the American League. The rest of their lineup isn't too bad either. Judging by Burnett's inability to get a one-two-three inning last night, I'm sure he'd agree.

Jacoby Ellsbury can be an absolute menace on the base path. Having led the league in SB in 2009, he clearly rattled the Yankee battery last night. Even if you manage to get past him, you still have to deal with Pedroia. Then Martinez. Then Youkilis. But despite giving up 4 runs (3 earned), Burnett was able to hold his own last night, never letting the game get too far out of reach. The pre-game buzz about his relationship with Posada was a non-issue. (Which is good, because if Burnett pitched poorly, we would never hear the end of it.) A win would have been nice in the stat column, but with someone as hot and cold as AJ, I consider last night a successful first start.

The real star of last night's game was the Yankee bullpen. Aceves was a rock, throwing 2 hitless innings for the well-deserved win. Middle relief is probably the least glorious of all baseball roles, (ok, maybe bullpen catcher) but Aceves' performance last night is a testament to how important a shutdown pitcher can be in the middle innings of a tight game. Joba looked fierce in the 8th when he struck out both batters he faced. I'm not sure what infuriated the Red Sox fans more, the K's or the 'in your face' fist-pumping action that followed. And of course, Mo was able to lock it down in the 9th as usual. We're so spoiled to have him closing games.

The Yankees patiently got the job done on offense as well. Standing in the box against Lester is never an easy task. To me, he's one of the best #2 pitchers in the league. He's very similar to AJ in his ability to make batters look foolish, but he seems to have much more poise even at a younger age. He wasn't unhittable however, and we were able to get 4 runs off him in 5 innings.

Against the Boston bullpen, Nick Johnson proved there's more than one way to get an RBI. Walking on a 3-1 pitch with the bases loaded to take the lead is clearly what Girardi had in mind when they brought him on board. A good eye goes a long way, and in this particular game, it proved to be the winning factor. Cano, A-Rod, Tex and Swisher also got in on the RBI action. Nicky Swish is getting off to a hot start just like last year. I hope he keeps it up.

A few interesting things to note about last night. 1. What was the deal with the time-out confusion? In the 2nd inning, Marcus Thames tried to call a time out. Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez didn't give it to him, so he had to hurry back in the box to face Lester. Later that inning, Jeter also tried to call a time out when at the plate. The ump didn't give it to him either. But Jeter, being the baseball icon that he is, forced the umpire to comply by stepping out of the box and holding his hand even higher in the air as if to say, "Hey, I'm Jeter. I called a time out, so... it's a time out." It was an uncharacteristic move by Jeter, but in his defense, Lester was nowhere near beginning his delivery. The time out should have been granted.

Is this a move by MLB to speed up the game? The announcers mentioned something about that, but I didn't watch the post-game to confirm. If anyone knows anything about this, please let me know.

One last note... two words: Daniel Bard. Yikes! Can that guy bring it, or what? I knew he could throw the heat last year, but I never saw him display the control he showed last night, particularly with the off-speed stuff. If he brings the cheese at 98, then drops a curveball in the zone at 82... well that's just borderline inhuman. He and Papelbon have the potential to be the strongest 1-2 punch to close games.

Yankees close out the set tonight in Boston. Red Sox will put their new stud, John Lackey on the mound against the Yankee great Andy Pettitte. I'd love to see the Yankees take this opening series before heading down to Tampa Bay on Friday.

Opening Day: A Microcosm of the Season

2010-04-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

By Keith Cousin

Staff writer

I know what you’re thinking. It’s just one game. It’s no big deal. There’s 161 more chances to win. Who cares?

Here’s why it actually matters. The weaknesses the Yankees need to pay attention to surfaced in this opening contest with arch rival Boston. If the defending Champs want to contend in the very strong American League East, they will have to address these mild concerns (not many, so don’t worry).

My big issue is Nick Johnson in the two-spot of the batting order. On Opening Day, he was hitless in three attempts with two walks and a strikeout. In my opinion, he needs to be moved down in the order. Sure, he has a good on-base percentage. Hey, that’s not what batting 2^nd is all about. It’s about making good contact, moving runners over, and having speed to beat out a hit, bunt your way on, or maybe even steal a base. So, what’s the appeal for having the oft-injured, very slow, Nick Johnson batting second in the lineup? I don’t know. Put him in a place that will utilize his supposed power (the right field fence of the New Yankee Stadium will help). Luckily, the Yanks have two guys who would be excellent in the spot: Brett Gardner or Curtis Granderson. Even Randy Winn would be better. My first Yankee prediction, Johnson will bat much lower (7^th or 8^th in the order) in two weeks.

The other dilemma: the late-inning bullpen situation. Last year, the Yanks had a great setup. Phil Coke and Phil Hughes would take over the pitching duties in the 7^th and 8^th innings and reliably get the game to Mariano’s trusted hand to close the door. Now, Hughes has been named the fifth starter, Coke has been traded, and Joba Chamberlain has been sent to the bullpen with no clearly defined role. Who will be the guys for late inning duty? Joba? Chan Ho Park? Damaso Marte? No way. Manager Joe Girardi needs to clean up this mess. My next prediction: Phil Hughes will go back to the pen and dominate the 8^th inning. Why mess with last year’s success?

There you have it, my first predictions of the young baseball season. Fortunately for the Yankees, there’s plenty of time to fix these holes. As long as Girardi doesn’t do anything foolish (like overwork CC Sabathia on Opening Day, oh, he already did that), the Bronx Bombers should be primed for another title run.

April 4th - Yankees 7 Red Sox 9

2010-04-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

by Richard Gonyeau

"Well... at least no one got injured."

It was all I had to say last night, as Papelbon threw the final out of the season opener. But despite the disappointment of letting our arch rival come back to beat us, I don't feel too bad about yesterday's result.

Maybe it was the euphoria of opening day. Maybe it was the excitement of Yankees vs Sox. I just can't help feeling very positive about the season after watching last night's game.

Our offense was stunning. How about that Brett Gardner? 2 for 4 with an RBI, RUN, and SB. Sure, he nearly threw the ball into the stands on that one play. But he did more than enough at the plate and on the basepath to make up for it. As Ken Singleton would say, 'The kid has gumption!' Even players who went hitless still contributed. Nick Johnson took 2 walks. Teixeira took a walk and came around to score. I loved seeing the back to back home runs by Posada and Granderson.

Defense and pitching left a bit to be desired however. A passed ball here, a wild pitch there... it was unfortunate that Sabathia's first few strong innings came apart so quickly. It wasn't the best of results for Chan Ho Park, who picked up the loss and a blown save. Even though he took the brunt of negative stats last night, the entire bullpen was part of that epic fail. I'm not too worried though. I think the pitching will come around in time. Not to mention, it wasn't the Royals we were playing. Boston has one of the best offenses in the American League.

Does anyone else have any thoughts about last night's game? You think we'll turn it around and take this opening series in Boston?

Baseball: The Resurrection

2010-04-02T07:44:00.000-07:00

by Richard Gonyeau

When I first heard the Yankees will be opening up the season on the Easter holiday, I thought to myself, "Well, that's appropriate." Jesus must love baseball. Can you think of a better reason to rise from the dead than to see the Yankees battle the Red Sox on opening day? I can't. It is the perfect resurrection of baseball: Sabathia vs Beckett in prime time.

The drama of this opening series is exactly what baseball fans long for in the late off-season months. When it's mid-February, and we're pining for baseball, we're not thinking about Orioles vs. Royals or Pirates vs. Reds. We're longing for Yankees vs. Red Sox. It's sure to beat last year's opening day. (Braves vs Phillies? Snoozefest.) So this year I'd like to thank MLB for fixing our baseball hangover with the hard stuff, right off the bat.

Baseball rivalries aside, there's still plenty to get excited about within the Yankees organization. I know I have a few burning questions that will be answered by season's end. In no particular order, they are:

1. Will Mariano be able to continue his domination? He's 40 years old. I know plenty of Yankee fans out there who think he's invincible, but let's try to be realistic. How many more seasons can he continue to break bats with that wicked cutter?

2. How will the starting rotation work out? After a competitive spring season, Phil Hughes proved to be the most worthy for the fifth spot. Did management make the right decision? Will we see any more of the "Joba Rules" that vexed Yankee fans all last season? Is he now being groomed to replace the great Rivera?

3. Will the new additions to the team (Granderson, Winn, Johnson, Vasquez) be able to earn their pinstripes? Or will the pressure of playing in New York be too much for them?

I'm sure you fans out there have other questions you'd like answered. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment field below.

Yankees 2010 Projections:Offense

2010-04-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

By: Justin Diaz

As the 2010 season debut is a few days away, I thought it would be fitting to write an article with my projections for the season. To put it simply, these are educated guesses. I did not use any complicated sabermetric statistics such as line drive percentage, BABIP (batting average of balls in play), DIPS (defensive independent pitching statistics), or PENIS (percentage of erroneous numbers in statistics). Okay, maybe I made that last one up. But it really shocks me to see some of the statistics that some baseball writers, such as ESPN writer and sabermetrics obsessed Keith Law, use when comparing players. Sabermetrics bashing aside, here are my projections for the 2010 New York Yankees starting lineup.

SS, Derek Jeter:
What can I possibly say about the guy that hasn’t already been said a million times? Out of all of Derek Jeter’s well-documented skills, intangibles, etc., the thing that impresses me the most about him is his remarkable consistency. He just doesn’t seem to slump like the rest of baseball. Girardi deserves a lot of credit for moving him to the leadoff role, as Jeter flourished hitting at the top of the order. It’s hard to believe he’ll be turning 36 in June. With the way he keeps himself in shape, (don’t forget, he’s coming off one of the best seasons of his career) age will not be a concern for the Yankees captain.

2009 statistics: 18, 66, 107, .334/.406/.465, 30
2010 projection: 20, 70, 115, .340/.410/.470, 32
(home runs, RBI, runs, avg./obp/slugging, steals)

DH, Nick Johnson:
Unfortunately for Nick Johnson, no matter how well he performs the question will always be the same. Despite the fact that he seemingly gains weight at an alarming rate, will his uniform continue to fit? Then there are also the questions concerning his health. If Johnson stays healthy, and that of course is a huge if, he will fit perfectly into the Yankees lineup. Although he never turned out to be the batting title champion that Don Mattingly claimed he would be several years ago, Johnson is a disciplined hitter who will get on base at a very high rate (.402 career on base percentage). With two of the best power hitters in baseball hitting behind him, both of those qualities will be valuable assets in the Yankees lineup.
Going off track a little bit, a common complaint I hear about the Nick Johnson signing is that he doesn’t have enough power to be a designated hitter. Simply put, it does not matter where production comes from. If your third baseman and first baseman each drive in over 120 runs, while you also have a second baseman, right fielder, center fielder, and catcher who can each drive in over 85, why does it matter if your DH doesn’t have power? The answer is simple; it doesn’t.

2009 statistics: 8, 62, 71, .291/.426/.405, 2
2010 projection: 14, 75, 112, .290/.415/.430, 0
(home runs, rbi, runs, avg./obp/slugging, steals)

1b, Mark Teixeira:
Mark Teixeira’s debut season in pinstripes was about as good as anybody could have hoped for. After a very slow start to the season, Teixeira caught fire right as Alex Rodriguez came back from the DL. Coincidence? Actually, yes. Sure, having A-rod in the lineup helps Teixeira (and everyone else in the lineup) quite a bit. But do you really think Teixeira would have hit .220 all year if Arod never came back? Regardless, Teixeira finished runner up for MVP and had a phenomenal season. It just bothers me that people give Arod more credit for Teixeira’s turnaround than Teixeira himself.

2009 statistics: 39, 122, 103, .292/.383/.565, 2
2010 projection: 43, 130, 115, .295/.390/.575, 2
(home runs, rbi, runs, avg./obp/slugging, steals)

3b, Alex Rodriguez:
2009 was a tough season for A-rod. He posted his lowest home run and RBI totals since 1997, and that was well before he hit his “growth spurt” with the Rangers. For awhile it seemed as if he wasn’t fully healed from offseason surgery. Still, he managed to finish with 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s. Then of course came his historic playoff run, perhaps the greatest postseason performance by any hitter of all time. For the first time in his Yankees career, A-rod can finally be at peace of mind. He no longer has to deal with the questions about his ability to hit in the clutch. Nobody seems to care about the steroid controversy anymore. He is starting the season completely healthy for the first time since 2007. But most importantly, he stopped dating 50-year-old singers who are well past their prime (musically and physically) and moved onto girls like Kate Hudson. All these factors point towards a monster year for A-rod.

2009 statistics: 30, 100, 78, .286/.402/.532, 14
2010 projection: 53, 145, 120, .310/.415/.615, 20
(home runs, rbi, runs, avg./obp/slugging, steals)

2b, Robinson Cano:
If I told you that your team’s second baseman would hit .320 with 25 home runs and 85 RBI’s, you would say, “That’s a great second baseman!”. The problem Yankees fans have with Robinson Cano is that he has the ability to do even more. This isn’t to say he’s not a good second baseman. You can make a strong case for him being the third best in baseball (behind Utley and Kinsler). It’s just frustrating to see a player with the potential to hit .345, 35 home runs and 100+ RBI’s fail to do so because of two problems (consistency and plate discipline) that plague him year in and year out. He’ll never be an ultra patient hitter, and that’s fine. But if he is ever going to take his game to the next level, he has to stop getting himself out by swinging at pitches that are way out of the zone.

Hitting fifth in the lineup, he must hit better with runners in scoring position. I’m sure he will, only because it’s very difficult to do as poorly as he did last season in this regard (.207 with runners in scoring position). Whether or not he excels in these spots remains to be seen. All of that said, I do think this is the year Cano brings his game to the next level. At 27 years old, he is at the age many hitters enter their prime. Being put into the fifth spot should motivate him to improve his game. Maybe it’s really more of a hunch than anything else. And since nobody will remember this by the end of the season, I am more than willing to make such bold statements.

2009 statistics: 25, 85, 103, .320/.352/.520, 5
2010 projection: 32, 105, 108, .330/.360/.530, 5
(home runs, rbi, runs, avg./obp/slugging, steals)

C, Jorge Posada:
Nobody has ever questioned Jorge Posada’s hitting ability. Since he has been the Yankees starting catcher, Posada has been one of the best hitters at the position. The question is, how much longer can he catch? Posada is turning 39 years old in August. Most catchers are out of the league by his age, so to say it is impressive that he is still performing so well would be a huge understatement. But it’s not a secret that Posada’s defensive skills are diminishing, and he wasn’t a particularly great defensive catcher to begin with. However, this is a question that the Yankees won’t have to answer until at least next offseason. The way I see it, that means I don’t have to either!

2009 statistics: 22, 81, 55, .285/.363/.522, 1
2010 projection: 22, 85, 60, .287/.365/.530, 0
(home runs, rbi, runs, avg./obp/slugging, steals)

CF, Curtis Granderson:
The acquisition of Curtis Granderson finally gives the Yankees a legitimate every day center fielder, something they have been searching for since the days of Bernie Williams. The problems people see with him are his low batting average and on base percentage. The fact that he has speed does not mean he has to be a singles hitter with a high on base percentage. If you look at his on base and slugging percentages from the past few seasons, he is more of a power hitter than anything. His RBI totals are much lower than they should be because he has been a leadoff hitter, a role he simply does not fit. I don’t understand why it’s so hard for some people to understand the fact that speed doesn’t always make somebody a leadoff hitter. Moving from more of a pitcher friendly ballpark to the home run heaven (particularly for lefties) that is Yankees stadium, Granderson’s home runs will go up. Add that to the fact that he is moving down in the order, there’s no reason to believe Granderson can’t hit 32-35 home runs and drive in close to 100 runs. Not bad for a seven hitter.

2009 statistics: 30, 71, 91, .249/.327/.453, 20
2010 projection: 34, 92, 102, .260/.340/.480, 24
(home runs, rbi, runs, avg./obp/slugging, steals)

RF, Nick Swisher:
Nick Swisher is going to give you the same thing every year. He’s going to hit close to 30 home runs and drive in a lot of runs. He’s going to walk a lot. He’s going to hit for a low average and strike out a lot. He’s going to make you think that he is drunk on multiple occasions. Yankees fans should gladly take that type of player as their eighth hitter.

2009 statistics: 29, 82, 84, .249/.371/.498, 0
2010 projection: 30, 85, 95, .245/.370/.500, 0
(home runs, rbi, runs, avg./obp/slugging, steals)

LF, Brett Gardner/Randy Winn
The Brett Gardner/Randy Winn platoon isn’t too bad. It’s always nice to have speed hitting ninth in the order. But I really do not want to hear anybody say, “Gardner’s going to break out this year!” anymore. He is a terrible hitter when he plays everyday, which is why Cashman brought Winn in to platoon. It wasn’t too long ago that Winn was a good hitter (he hit .306 two seasons ago), but I really wouldn’t expect too much from a 35-year old coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. With the amazing depth the Yankees lineup has, these two do not need to light the world on fire.

Gardner:
2009 statistics: 3, 23, 48, .270/.345/.379, 26
2010 projection: 2, 20, 35, .260/.330/.370, 22
Wynn:
2009 statistics: 2, 65, .262/.318/.353, 16
2010 projection: 3, 40, 265./.325/.360, 14

With the Red Sox and Rays both improving this offseason, the race for the divisional crown will be fun to watch. Coming off of 103 wins and a World Series championship, the Yankees will have all of the confidence in the world. With the moves that Cashman made over the offseason, I see no reason for the Yankees to have any kind of drop off from last year’s performance.

Vazquez gives them the quality fourth starter that they did not have last year. The losses of Damon and Matsui are basically negated by the additions of Granderson and Johnson. But perhaps the biggest factor of all is A-rod. As I mentioned earlier, he was clearly not 100% healthy for a large portion of last season. Having a completely healthy A-rod makes a huge difference for this already stacked Yankees lineup. As scary as it may be for the rest of the league, this Yankees team might be improved from last year’s team.

Yankees 2010 Projections:
Record: 108-54, A.L East Division Champions.
Playoff Results: 4-2 World Series victory over the Cardinals
Fans demanding a salary cap after the season: 5, 200, 000
Number of ESPN specials asking “Are the Yankees bad for baseball?”: 4 (Jeremy Schaap, Peter Gammons, Bob Ley, Tom Rinaldi)

click here for a column i previously posted with the pitching staff projections

2010 Yankees Outlook

2010-04-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is my 2010 defending Champion NY Yankee Outlook:

You will see my Division, League, World Series, and Player Award Predictions or Saturday but this is my position by position projections for the upcoming season.

The main player that the Yankees well be depending on most is their vocal leader, and in my eyes the Co Captain catcher Jorge Posada.

C: Jorge Posada/ Fransisco Cervelli- I look for Jorge to catch 115 games and DH about 20 games and from Jorge we can expect to see a line of BA: .270, OBP: .379, HR: 22, RBI: 85, and below average defensive play. The thing is he is very clutch and if he goes done for any extended period of time the Yanks could be in trouble.

1B: Mark Texiera/ Nick Johnson- I look for Tex to basically repeat last years numbers since he does that every year. Look for BA: .290, OBP: .410, HR: 35, RBI: 115, and elite defense at first. As for Nick Johnson I am glad to see him back he looks like a Yankee...for god's sake the man looks like Babe Ruth. He will thrive in this lineup and in this ball park as the DH/1B. Look for BA: .310, OBP: .415, HR: 23, RBI: 78, and great patience at the dish which will enable Jeter to move on the bases and let Tex and AROD see some pitches.

2B: Robbie Cano- has had a few hot and cold seasons; he hits points in the season where you literally can not get him out but, there are also times where he gets himself out 10-15 at bats in a row. Last year his main issue was his inability to drive in runners in scoring position. He will get thee benefit of the doubt to start the season but if it continues expect to see him drop from the 6th spot in the order. Look for BA: .318, OBP: .375, HR: 22, RBI: 81, and above average play in the field but sometimes sloppy due to laziness.

SS: El Capitan Derek Jeter- he is coming off a fantastic year where he proved many people including myself wrong with solid play at shortstop. Nobody questions his ability to hit because like Texiera each year you can pencil in last years numbers and be pretty close. Being that Jetes is going on 36 years old expect a little drop off but, dont get crazy...look for BA: .327, OBO: .395, 2B: 35, 3B: 2, HR: 17, RBI: 75, SB: 20, and average play in the field.

3B: Alex Rodriguez- AROD got the monkey off his back last year in more ways than one. First the whole steroid thing came out and is done (for the most part) and second he now has a ring to go with all of those MVP thophies. He missed the first month of the season and still put up 30 homers and 100 rbis...wow...this year look for a monster year equal to one that the juiced AROD put up in the early 2000s. Look for BA: .318, OBP: .420, HR: 50, RBI: 145, and stellar play at the hot corner.

LF: Brett Gardner/ Randy Winn- My theory on Brett Gardner is this...the fans are not giving his play enough credit and the Yankees are giving his play too much credit. He is an average ball player better suited for the bench role of the 4th outfielder but, he will be given every chance to earn the starting job in left but, until he does he shares alot of time with veteren Randy Winn. Honestly this is just a placeholder for the persuit of Carl Crawford this offseason ( GO GET HIM YANKS). Look for Gardner: BA: .275, OBP: .350, 3B: 4, HR: 6, RBI: 42, SB: 27, and solid outfield play. Look for Winn to produce BA: .260, OBP: .330, HR: 8, RBI: 40, SB: 11, and similar outfield play.

CF: Curtis Granderson- The offseason deal that brought Granderson to New York was one of great importance to the Yanks. We brought in the first centerfielder who can play defense and hit since Bernie. Curtis can abuse that wall and wind tunnel in right field as well as turn a few doubles into triples with those legs. Pair that with solid defense and the Yanks have landed a anchor in the outfield. Look for: BA: .279, OBP: .339, 2B: 35, 3B: 6, HR: 25, RBI: 83, SB: 22, and solid outfield play which will make NY fans forgot Mr. Damon very quickly.

RF: Nick Swisher- Nick was an integral element to this team last season being that he almost single handedly hit the Yankees through April and kept their heads above water until Alex returned. Swisher will hit like crazy for a few weeks and then fall off the face of the earth for a month...like Giambi he will always walk 6-8 times a week. Look for: BA: .245, OBP: .379, HR: 30, RBI: 90, and below average right field play.

Bench: Marcus Thames, Fransisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena, Randy Winn, and Nick Johnson- I gave you my thoughts of the two most important guys there basically dont expect too much from Pena and Thames will provide pop off the bench.

Prospect: If an injury to Tex, Johnson Posada, or Cervelli comes up you have to watch out for Jesus Montero he can hit...and hit...and hit more.

The Starting Pitching Rotation:

SP: C.C. Sabathia- A true ace for this staff CC is a power lefty who will earn that paycheck again this season vieing for a 2nd Cy Young Award. Look for: W: 20, L: 7, ERA: 3.29, and K: 210.

SP: A.J. Burnett- As Burett's history shows he due due for a injury riddled year where he should make 12 starts losing 7 of them...but I am an optimist I see maybe a few missed starts for blisters and give him 29 starts this year. Look for: W: 15, L: 11, ERA: 4.21, K: 167.

SP: Andy Pettitte- The pitcher who has been nothing but money in the post season returns to New York for atleast one more year. Andy has been as important as anybody to wear the pinstripes over the past 15 years. Look for the decline to keep going on but lets decline slowly. Look for: W: 13, L: 8, ERA: 4.08, K: 143.

SP: Javier Vazquez- As a Yankee the first go around he was relatively successful in one season. Pre All-Star break he was masterful...Post-All-Star he was miserable but, has been as steady as anybody in the middle tier of SP in the majors. Look for: W: 15, L: 9, ERA: 3.67, K: 210.

SP: Phillip Hughes- The much anticipated 5th starter race has come to a close and Hughes was victorius. He will victorius many times this year. I see Hughes being a breakout pitcher this year. Look for: W: 14, L: 8, ERA: 3.96, K: 168.

Relief Pitchers:

Mariano Rivera- The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be...(sorry Bret Hart). Look for: W:3, L:3, S:42, K:85, WHIP: .97, ERA: 1.95

Joba Chamberlain- If you have followed me at all over the past two years you know I am a huge advocate for Joba in the bullpen and now I am happy ( I just hope to Yanks haven't already ruined him). I took for Joba to be able to get back to RP form. Look for: W: 4, L: 2, Holds: 22, S: 7, K: 112, ERA: 2.63, WHIP: 1.26

Damaso Marte- your lefty specialist who had a great post season is coming in to this season on a good note. Look for the usual W: 5, L: 2, HOLDS: 11, S: 2, ERA: 3.01, WHIP: 1.46

Dave Robertson- had a great season and earned his spot in the bullpen this year. Look for: W: 6, L: 3, Holds: 3, Saves: 1, ERA: 2.89, WHIP: 1.27

Chan Ho Park- coming back to the American League may pose a problem but, he will not be depended on too much more than anyone else so he should help out.

Stay Tuned for my METS outlook and my predictions

Question ?

2010-03-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

March 29, 2010
BY: JOEL DiTATA

With the announcement of Phil Hughes filling out the back-end of the Yankees rotation, the Bombers have little to no holes in their ball club -- as if a $200 million plus payroll should.

Of the most intriguing uncertainties is once again -- similar to last season -- the outfield.

Although, the questionable outfield at the beginning of the 2009 season eventually turned into one of the Yankees strengths.

The Yankees opening day outfield should read from (left to right) Gardner, Granderson and Swisher. Or maybe Granderson, Gardner, Swisher. Or how about Gardner/Thames/Winn, Granderson, Swisher. All options are greatly possible.

Swisher is the easy lock for Right Field. Swish wasn't expected to have 498 AB's but turns out good thing he did. He finished the season with 29 HR's and an on-base percentage of .371. Not bad for someone who was supposed to back up Xavier Nady(oops). Among the multi-million dollar signings, Swisher had a solid season especially in April and May when most of the team struggled and lacked Alex Rodriguez.

Left and center is where the decision becomes interesting.

Both players are probably more comfortable in Center Field but Granderson does have seniority over the youngster. Entering his 7th season Granderson, will act in a different role than he may be accustomed to. Instead of batting first or second, in Spring Training he has been as low as seventh and eighth. Is that bad? No, of course not. It's just attribution to the depth of the Yankees lineup. But will Granderson accept hitting that low in the order and a switch in his defensive position? We'll see.

On the other hand, Gardner looks like he will be the last remaining starter for the outfield position. His lighting-fast speed does make up for his lack of arm strength in the field and his lack of bat at the plate.

The job is Gardner's to lose. The Yankees really want this kid to succeed as the team hasn't had a dominate base-stealing threat in countless years. It also seems as if he is our answer to when Jacoby Ellsbury runs wild against the rest of the league.

But if he does falter, veterans Randy Winn(defensively sound) and Marcus Thames(offensively sound) will be waiting. Similar to how newly-acquired veteran Nick Swisher was last season.

Having an All-Star Center fielder's defensive placement be the biggest question mark should equal another good season for us Yankee fans.

Yankees 2010 Season Preview

2010-03-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

By: Chris Gargiulo

Coming off their World Series win in 2009, the expectations of the Yankees are going to be enormous. As we all know if the Yankees don't win its considered a failure, especially after they have won the Series and feel they have improved their team. So with that in mind, what can we expect this year from the Yankees?

Well before we even try to figure out what to expect from the Yankees we need to first look at the AL East. Without sounding like a hater, theres really only one team in the East that can put on a threat, and that is none other then the Red Sox. I mean no disrespect to the Rays, but I think we can all agree that 2008 was a fluke, and given they really didn't make any big moves in the off season this year, expect to see another 3rd place finish this year. The Blue Jays basically gave up the best pitcher in baseball, and 2010 promises to be a rebuilding year, as well as the Orioles, both teams can promise to compete for 4th and 5th place this year.

With that being said, we can now analyze the Yankees given their new moves. People have made a lot out of the departure of Damon, and yes he had a huge clubhouse, a great baseball IQ and was a great leader, but the departure of Damon will not cripple the team by any means. The pick up of Granderson easily replaces his speed, in fact is an improved speed from Damon. And yes Melky is also gone, and he was a great fielder, but very inconsistent at the plate, and Gardner knowing he will be the starter, and facing less pressure should easily slip right into Melky's place.

The Yankees also picked up Vazquez for their 4th starter, and he should become an invaluable pick up in the pitching staff. A good way to look at that pick up is this: last year the Yankees had only 3 consistent starters, Joba was inconsistent at best, and the 5th starter for a while was a revolving door. Now with at least 4 solid starters, the Yankees look to be even better then they were last year.

Arod is now fully healthy and coming off his post season performance of last year, and his admission that he now understands team baseball, and that it was the most fun he has ever had in his career, expect him to have a career year. Tex will again have an MVP type season, with Jeter and Cano being solid up the middle. All 4 have gold glove material and create one of the best infields in all of baseball.

The outfield is still a bit unsure, we know Swisher will be in right as he was last year, the only question is who is center or left. Rumors have stated Granderson will move to left and Gardner in center, but its still to early in Spring Training to see if that is exactly what will happen. Regardless of where they play, the outfield looks to be shaping up to be extremely fast, and slightly improved from last year.

With all the changes that have been made, we should expect to see at least 5 more wins this year then last year. Don't be surprised if you see the Yankees come close to their record season of 1998. This is looking to be a great season, and the Yankees are without a doubt World Series Favorites.

What to do with Jesus?

2010-03-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

By Anthony J. Machcinski

As the Yankees decided to have Phil Hughes be their 5th starter for the opening of the 2010 season and their first title defense in nine years, the Bombers will also have to make a decision for future title runs.
Jesus Montero, the consensus number one prospect in the Yankees system, has been a catcher for most of his life, and has a bat that can contend with any of the Yankees on the opening day roster. However, the problem that has arisen is where to put Montero. With Jorge Posada in the catchers role for at least another year, and Mark Texiera being the first baseman for much longer, Montero does not have anywhere to fit with the Yankees.
Currently, the Yankees could not put Posada as an everyday DH because of the acquisition of Nick Johnson. The other problem is their backup catcher, Francisco Cervelli, has made his name as the backup and future starter behind the plate because of his gritty defense and management of pitchers. AJ Burnett would love to have him over Jorge Posada.
While Montero’s bat is phenomenal, there is no way to tell where he will go. His one knock is his defense, where Montero has improved, but not overcome issues with throwing to second base. He is also too slow to cover the outfield in Yankee Stadium, and would need time to convert to the outfield.
So while Montero could be one of the better hitters on the team, it would be no surprise if we don’t see Montero until September in order to gain time to grow and develop his defense. Sometime down the road, he will be the starter; his bat is too good to not have him in the lineup. The question that remains is where.

- The Yankees named Phil Hughes the 5th starter. This will send Joba Chamberlain to the bullpen where he will contend for the 8th inning role in front of Mariano Rivera.
- The Yankees also released Chad Gaudin. While Gaudin’s record, 2-0, was nice out of the bullpen, he was unable to make the roster and was cut. He could be resigned on a lower deal, but he will most likely land another team.

Yankees 2010 Projections

2010-03-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

By: Justin Diaz

As the 2010 season debut is in a week, I thought it would be fitting to write an article with my projections for the season. To put it simply, these are educated guesses. I did not use any complicated sabermetric statistics such as line drive percentage, BABIP (batting average of balls in play), DIPS (defensive independent pitching statistics), or PENIS (percentage of erroneous numbers in statistics). Okay, maybe I made that last one up. But it really shocks me to see some of the statistics that some baseball writers, such as ESPN writer and sabermetrics obsessed Keith Law, use when comparing players. Sabermetrics bashing aside, here are my projections for the 2010 New York Yankees pitching staff.

SP, CC Sabathia:
The Yankees signed C.C Sabathia last offseason hoping they finally found their ace that can lead them into a deep postseason run. Sabathia’s 2009 was that and a bucket of fried chi…um, bag of chips. After an up and down first half, Sabathia might have been the best pitcher in baseball for the entire second half of the season. Aside from a freak injury, I see nothing stopping Sabathia (29 years old and the most durable pitcher in baseball the past few years) from having another great year.
2009 statistics: 19-8, 3.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 197 SO, 230 IP
2010 projection: 20-7, 3.35 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 205 SO, 235 IP

SP, A.J. Burnett
A.J Burnett is baseball’s prime example of that annoying saying, “What you see is what you get.” He’ll toss a gem one game that makes you think, “This guy is unhittable!” and follow it up with a two inning, eight run performance that makes his fantasy owners and Yankees fans yell, “*!@% you A.J!” Despite the fact that he he has the stuff to be a top pitcher in the league, he is 33 years old and is not going to change this late in his career. Yankees fans should be happy with what they got from him last season. He had some really good stretches throughout the year, particularly in the beginning of the season when Sabathia was struggling. Most importantly, he stayed healthy. Still, the question going into the season remains, “Will he stay healthy?” In his 11-year career, the 2008 and 2009 seasons marked the first time he was able to throw for 200 plus innings in back to back years. Does this mean his health issues are gone? Only time will tell.
2009 statistics: 13-9, 4.04 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 195 SO, 207 IP
2010 projection: 14-10, 4.23 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 198 SO, 202 IP

SP, Andy Pettitte
After 2008’s up and down season, many people thought Andy Pettitte’s days as a workhorse starter were finally over. The guy was 36 years old and had just pitched his 14th season in the league, so it only made sense, right? Somehow, Pettitte came back to prove everybody wrong, with a solid regular season followed by a spectacular postseason. Assuming Pettitte stays healthy and continues his steady diet of HGH (kidding….?), he should have a similar performance in 2010.
2009 statistics: 14-8, 4.16 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 148 SO, 194.2 IP
2010 projection: 15-8, 4.25 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 145 SO, 196 IP

SP, Javier Vazquez
The return of Javier Vazquez to New York has caused mixed reactions so far to say the least. There are those who are appalled at the idea of bringing back a guy who struggled in his one season with the Yankees. However, many people seem to forget that Vazquez was well on his way to having a very good season (he was selected to the all star game) before injuries derailed the second half of his season. Then there are those who are thrilled about bringing in a guy who posted a sub-three ERA and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting, thinking he will be able to have a similar season in 2010. I expect Vazquez to fall somewhere in between. He will not come close to replicating his numbers from last year due to the obvious fact that the N.L drastically inflates pitchers statistics. Don’t forget, he is going to be the Yankees fourth starter, they are not expecting him to finish in the top five in Cy Young voting again. All they need from him is to throw for around 200 innings and consistently keep them in games, something I expect him to do.
2009 statistics: 15-10, 2.87 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 238 SO, 219.1 IP
2010 projected: 14-9, 4.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 205 SO, 205 IP

SP, Phil Hughes? Joba Chamberlain? Chad Gaudin? Sergio Mitre? Babe Ruth?
Yes, I know that Phil Hughes will start the season as the fifth starter. Yankees fans should brace themselves for the possibility of another season long revolving door at fifth starter. Hughes will have an innings count for the season, something the Yankees haven’t handled so well in the past.

Maybe they’ve learned from the past three seasons of the “Joba Rules”, which basically ruined any chance Joba Chamberlain had at being a successful starter. If they follow the same 50-inning rule that they used with Joba, Hughes inning count would be in the 150 range this season (he totaled around 100 innings last year including his brief stint in the minors). He would reach this number well before the season ended if he were to pitch every five days.
The Yankees will either have to give him extended breaks between starts or just give him one long break in the middle of the season like the Tigers did with Rick Porcello last season. Either move could prevent Hughes from getting into a rhythm, as it seemed to do with Joba last season.

The question will be if Hughes is seriously struggling in the middle of a tight divisional race, will they stick with him in order to allow him to develop? Or will they try out studs such as Chad Gaudin or Sergio Mitre? No matter what happens, the Yankees fifth starter could be a question mark all year.

Bullpen:
I’m not going to bother projecting statistics for the Yankees bullpen. Relievers year to year statistics generally fluctuate quite a bit. Instead, I’ll just give a general overview of how I feel the bullpen will do.

The season will surely start with Mariano Rivera blowing a save, followed by questions of “Is he finally done?” and rash statements such as, “What a great career, had to end sometime though.” This will be followed by 35 straight saves and a Peter Gammons special on why Rivera is the best baseball player of all time without a major award (happens every season, trust me). In other words, Rivera is about as sure of a thing that there is in sports.

The rest of the bullpen might not be the guaranteed product that Rivera is, but it is deep and has the potential to be a strength. David Robertson is an exciting young pitcher who had a great finish to the season, including an impressive postseason performance. Damaso Marte finished with a great postseason as well, but who knows what you’ll get from him after his up and down (mostly down) regular season.

Alfredo Aceves has shown he is a reliable long reliever, no reason to expect anything different from him. It should be interesting to see how Chad Gaudin is used, but I expect him to be more of a spot starter than anything else. Boone Logan was brought in as the new lefty specialist, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty of him with Girardi as the manager (whether or not he performs well is another question). Chan Ho Park has fallen far from the days he was a quality starting pitcher, but he is still a quality live arm out of the bullpen.

Then, there’s Joba. He’ll surely start the season in the 8th inning set up role, that’s not a question. The question is, can he return to the electrifying form he wowed the world with when he was first called up to the majors? If last season and the playoffs were any indication of how he is going to pitch this season, the answer to that question is a very obvious no.

I would love Joba to succeed and be the great pitcher that he seemed destined to be at one point. I’m not buying the fact that Joba is going to start throwing a fastball in the upper 90’s after watching him struggle to hit 92 for an entire year. Even when he was in the bullpen for the postseason, he wasn’t going much higher than 93-94. I hope Joba proves me wrong and returns to his old, fist pumping self. Based on his performance last year, I just don’t see that happening.

I will post my projections for the starting lineup on Saturday, thanks for reading.

5th starter? Its all just March Madness

2010-03-23T15:13:00.001-07:00

By Anthony J. Machcinski

No one has really stuck out this Spring Training as to who will become the 5th starter. That is, if you mean stuck out in a good way.
To no one’s ultimate surprise, Joba Chamberlain has not shown the same dominant stuff, last seen as he was covered in a blanket of bugs in Cleveland. In 6.2 innings this season, Chamberlain has 12 earned runs with 5 strike outs. He does stick out, just not in the way the Yankees had hoped.
Although Chamberlain is not in jeopardy to lose his roster spot, he is almost destined to be in the bullpen, and probably will stay that way. He has one solid game this Spring Training against the Phillies, where he allowed 1 run in 3 innings pitched. However, his total on the spring is not 5th starter material on the Yankees.
His competition however, has come in the form of Phil Hughes. Despite an 0-2 record, Hughes has 6 earned runs in 13 innings pitched, and would have a better ERA if not for his last game against the Phillies where he had four earned in 4.1 innings pitched.
The Yankees are the team that ultimately comes out with the benefit in this situation. Both pitchers have proved their dominance in the bullpen in the past, and either one would be a great reliever for the 8th inning, including Chamberlain, who has four pitches in his arsenal.
This is not the first time a decent starting pitcher has moved to the bullpen. The best example of this is Boston’s Jonathan Papelbon, who was a widely regarded starting pitching product who now closes for Boston and is one of the best closers in the league.
Personality wise, the move is also beneficial. Chamberlain and his overly excited personality has helped him in the bullpen, allowing him to simply overpower hitters. While starting, Chamberlain has been unable to keep the same mentality, causing his fastball to dip as low as 92 miles per hour.
Hughes on the other hand, has a calmer demeanor on the mound. He also managed to keep the same demeanor in the bullpen, which does not question his ability to have his pitches go up and down.
While the Yankees have one of the better pitching staffs in baseball, if Hughes and Chamberlain can reach the potential that many know they have, the Yankees can ride the staff. Eventually, we might see the line “Hughes pitches 7; Chamberlain and Rivera finish”, and I don’t believe that there is one Yankee fan anywhere that wouldn’t want to see that happen.

Burnett plus Posada equals Disaster

2010-03-18T17:57:00.001-07:00

By Anthony J. Machcinski

AJ Burnett entered the 2009 season with a chip on his shoulder. Despite being the loose guy in the dugout, on the mound it seemed as if he had something to prove. Unfortunately for the Yankees, Burnett was unable to be as great of a pitcher as they hoped, but produced when needed. But one problem that started last year is continuing into the 2010 season. AJ Burnett cannot throw to starting catcher Jorge Posada.

Posada, who seems to have a large presence over his pitchers, and Burnett, who likes to be in control of his own pitches, do not see eye-to-eye and it almost looks like destiny that Francisco Cervelli will catch all of AJ Burnett’s games this season. This is why it was such a pressing issue when Cervelli was injured with a concussion a week or so ago.

Backup catcher for the New York Yankees has such a heavy responsibility to the roster because of this issue between Burnett and Posada. Although the Yankees top prospect in the minors is a catcher, he is not ready for the big leagues, and his defense might suggest he be better at first base. This leaves Francisco Cervelli, who had a nice season as a rookie, and veteran Mike Rivera, signed as a minor league contract.

Cervelli should take the job, replacing Jose Molina who signed with Toronto in the off season. But at some point, Burnett and Posada will have to meet on the field, and when that day comes, the Yankees will have to count on a win, not just another excuse for a loss.

ARod in 2010

2010-03-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

By Dan Clayton

What will the 2010 season hold for A-Rod?

Coming off of a stellar 2009 Postseason performance, there are plenty of questions surrounding how Alex Rodriguez will handle 2010. Despite the past embarrassing postseason production we have seen from Alex, we all have to admit that we are impressed by his 2009 effort. With A-Rod finally getting a hold of a championship ring, the reason he “came to New York”, will the drive to capture another one increase?

While his 2009 regular season numbers weren’t on par with past seasons, we have to remember that he did, in fact, miss the first month of the season. He ended 2009 with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs (totals some players strive for their whole careers), and he did it in a shortened season. For those thirty days or so, you didn’t really get to see and feel the Mark Texiera /A-rod tandem. But once it got going, even early on, you could see how powerful the two can really be together. It is as big of a one-two punch as Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were for the Boston Red Sox from 2003-2007 in which they put up great stats.

Reflecting on years past in A-rod’s career, you can always expect him to put up good stats. In recent years he has come up huge in the clutch, and produces on an all-star level. Of course this is why he was given the biggest contract in the history of sports, and, looking at his numbers, he has earned it. Even on down years (when he wasn’t awarded an MVP), he had MVP-caliber numbers. Yankees fans sure do like to get on his back, but there are never jeers or boos when he hits a walk-off home run or game-tying RBI.

Always in the middle of controversy, A-rod has shown he can overcome just about anything. Starting off this season healthy and with a clean slate, you can expect Alex to put up big numbers. I have my money on the 40 home run/130 RBI area. It will be interesting to see how Alex will handle having won a championship, solidifying his place in the heart of the Yankees lineup from the beginning of the 2010 season. A-rod’s a crucial part of the Yankees lineup—a team that, this year, will make a run at their 28th championship.

Much Ado About Jeter

2010-02-25T06:42:00.000-08:00

Is anyone really surprised that Derek Jeter won't discuss signing with the Yankees until next fall when his current contract is up? I mean this is the cool, level-headed captain whose approach never changes when he comes up to the plate in a big spot. As on the baseball field, this philosophy is also used off the field in the Yankee captain's contract negotiations. He has used this approach to to his professional life for years.

So the question must be asked, why is the local media making a story out of nothing. There are a few factors that contribute to the answer to this question. It's the offseason and there's nothing else to talkabout in the sports world. The local basketball and hockey teams stink and even though the Winter Olympics are going on, they only get put on the back page on the days there's no news about the Yankees or Mets. Local papers know the Yankees are a big draw especially on these cold winter days when allNew Yorkers want to see is the slightest sign that baseball season is upon us.

The local media feed on this. Every little word a Yankee or Met says is scrutinized and analyzed to death in hopes of garnering the same interest an actual game would in this town. The smallest of controversies get blown out of all proportion. The latest Derek Jeter contract negotiation non-issue was proof of this. He had to resort to holding a press conference in February to discuss his contract that doesn't expire until the end of this season in order to get the local media off his back.

The New York reporters I'm sure would follow Jeter everyday and ask him questions as if he was running for President. The difference with Jeter is it's a foregone conclusion he will re-sign with the Yankees. There's no chance of him retiring with any other team than the Yankees. Just as Jeter isn't thinking about his contract renewal now, nor should the fans or the media. The only thing true blue Yankees fans should be focused on right now is this season and rooting for their team to repeat. All this other stuff on the back pages now is nonsense and should be treated as such. Too bad the media don't feel the same way.

Cano Without Cabrera: Can He Do It?

2010-02-23T19:43:00.000-08:00

On May 3, 2005, Robinson Cano made his Major League Baseball debut. The Yankees faced the Tampa Bay Rays and lost in convincing fashion, 11-4. The young second baseman went 0-for-3 with no hits and a strikeout.

Every Yankee fan probably cringed at the notion of Cano being the everyday second baseman. Although an established hitter in the minor leagues, his first game in the big leagues was quite forgettable.

Overall in 2005, Cano hit 14 home runs, batted .297, and knocked in 62 runs in 132 games. On the defensive side of the field, Cano committed 17 errors and mustered a .974 fielding percentage.

Needless to say he had yet to really break out and show us what he was truly made of.

2006 was Cano’s “coming out party,” so-to-speak. Along with being selected to his first All-Star Game, he hit 15 homers, had 78 RBIs, and batted .342—an average good for third place in the American League Batting Title race. Cano finished behind his teammate Derek Jeter and Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins.

Many theorize that Cano performed so well from 2006 and on because of his friendship with center fielder Melky Cabrera, who in ‘06 was a part of the Yankees’ main roster. The two young players developed a bond and felt a connection because of their roots to the Dominican Republic.

The two even dubbed themselves the “C & C Crew.”

In 2008 however, Cabrera was sent packing to the minor leagues for falling into a terrible slump. For the year, he hit only eight home runs, drove in only 37 runs, batted .249, and struck out 58 times in 129 games. Obviously Cabrera did not live up to his expectations and the Yanks had no choice but to option him.

With Cabrera in the minors, Cano also struggled and was eventually benched for his lackluster performance at the plate and sloppy defense. Cabrera was called back up to the majors in September and both players eventually came out of their respective funks to finish the season.

In 2009 both Cano and Cabrera had their best seasons to date numerically, and the Yankees benefited from each player’s success. Cano and Cabrera combined had five game-winning hits in ’09, and they both set career-high marks in home runs. The two young men and the Yanks finished the year the best was possible: winning a World Series Championship.

Now fast forward to 2010. Cabrera was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Javier Vazquez.

The Yankees needed a fourth starting pitcher and because of that need, Cano lost his best friend to a trade. And with that loss and Cabrera in Atlanta, how will Cano respond on the field this upcoming year? Will his numbers dip in Cabrera’s absence the same way they did in 2008?

All of these questions might be answered in Spring Training and toward the beginning of the year. Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are also gone, meaning Cano needs to perform at the top of his game and in 2009 form this season.

To fill the void of Cabrera and Damon in the outfield, the Yanks picked up Randy Winn, Marcus Thames, and Jamie Hoffman, three players who will probably be vying for a roster spot in Spring Training. Along with the acquisition of Curtis Granderson, the Yanks’ outfield looks to be filled up this year.

Yet, if one of the off-season pickups does not live up to their expectations and Cano is struggling at the plate and on defense, don’t be surprised if the Yankees reach out to the Braves and negotiate a deal to get Cabrera back. He has already proved himself to be a major leaguer who can handle New York. If Winn, Thames, or Hoffman cannot handle it, we could see Cabrera back in the Bronx.

Cano can be a dominant player. But whether or not he can be a dominant player without Cabrera, remains to be seen.

Whatever's Best For the Team Has Been Replaced by Whatever's Best For Me

2010-02-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

The development of Johnny Damon signing a one year contract with the Detroit Tigers is the most recent example of the overwhelming selfishness and insincerity of the professional athlete today. When the New York Yankees signed Damon to a four year, $52 million contract in 2005, he claimed he had always wanted to play for the Yankees. Fast forward to yesterday and Damon made the same claim of the Detroit Tigers.
It seems the 36-year-old outfielder has the desire to play for any major league club that pays him what he thinks he's worth, but not what the market says he's worth. When the Yankees signed him in 2005, Damon was a centerfielder in his early 30's. Damon, whose 36 and an average left fielder, wanted the Yankees to give him a pay increase. In 2005, $13 million a year for a starting centerfielder who came from a World Series winning team was reasonable. The Yankees in 2010 wanted to pay an aging left fielder with less than stellar stats $14 million for two years, and Damon found this unreasonable.
At a time when ten percent of the country is out of work, Damon doesn't think a guaranteed $14 million in his pocket for two years of less than stellar work is a sufficient salary. Maybe he and some other ballplayers need to be reminded that not too long ago players needed to work in the offseason just to make ends meet.
A right fielder for the New York Yankees by the name of Roger Maris had to share an apartment with a fellow teammate during the year he broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record of sixty home runs. Maris also was coming off of an MVP winning season. According to the Baseball Almanac Roger Maris made $42,000 in 1961.
Damon has never come close to this caliber and yet wants to make more than the $13 million a year the Yankees were paying him. On the other hand, not all of the blame lies with Damon. Baseball has become a multi-million dollar a year business where superstar agents are sold to the highest bidder. The question still remains, is it too much to ask these millionaires like Damon to take a pay cut for the team that has already given them too much.

The Core Four Are Back (Part 1)

2010-02-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

Derek Jeter

Expecting the same numbers out of Jeter in 2010 would be wishful thinking, but the consistency that “Mr. November” has provided throughout his career is unheralded. We keep thinking a decline is right around the corner. He’s a step slower, his power is gone, the range is limited – This all appeared to be the case as Jeter’s stat-line read a mere 11 Home Runs, 69 Runs Batted In, a Slugging Percentage of .410, and 11 Stolen Bases in 2008. All four tallies were his lowest since 2003, a year in which Derek dislocated his shoulder on Opening Day (you all remember that slide into third base) and missed the first six weeks of the season. Before that, you would have to go all the way back to 1997, his second year in the league, to find similar numbers. It was time to accept that out fearless leader may have some limitations, but with a batting average still at .300 and that picturesque leaping throw to first base, there was no reason to panic.

The 2009 season began with a change in the lineup, bumping Jeter to the leadoff slot, but otherwise was ‘business as usual’ for Derek. A batting average hovering around .300, consistently scoring runs, a dinger and a stolen base sprinkled in here and there. As the year progressed and he got more comfortable with his new spot atop the order, Jeter went into cruise mode as we have seen so many times before. Interestingly, by the end of July, Derek had already matched his 11 homers from the year before, and had surpassed his 2008 stolen base number by 8. The power could somewhat be attributed to the friendly confines of the new Yankee Stadium, but it was clear that the burners weren’t gone.

When it was all said and done at the end of the regular season, Jeter had stolen the third most bases of his career (30 - at an 86% success rate), hit 18 longballs, was second in all of baseball with 212 hits, and ranked in the top ten for both Batting Average and On Base Percentage. He then went on to live up to his nickname in the playoffs with another 22 hits (1^st), a .344 average, and a .432 OBP.

Oh yeah, and the Yankees won the World Series.

Perhaps 2009 was the last year that our ageing Captain hits over 15 Home Runs. There’s a good possibility that he will never steal 30 bases again. Maybe a couple extra ground balls will find their way through the hole this year. The one thing I do know, is that when the game is on the line and Derek Jeter steps up to the plate, I am never worried. Until the fateful day that #2 hangs his pinstriped jersey up, all is right in the game of baseball.

Contract Negotiations

2010-02-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

I heard on the radio today on my way into work that Cashman is sticking to the his typical plan of attack and will not talk to Jeter, Mo, and Girardi about their contracts until the end of the year, when they are no longer under contract. This would be ok for me if we were talking about people other than Jeter and Mo. Are you kidding me Cashman? These two guys aren't your standard ball players and in my opinion should NOT be treated like they are. These two are hall of famers, both lifetime Yankees, both possibly the best at the positions they are in, and both guys better not be wearing another uniform at the start of next season. I understand setting a policy and following it, however these guys deserve to be treated like the best of the best because they are the best of the best. Why would you even let them entertain the thought of playing somewhere else?
Eric
http://www.whatididntexpectwhileshewasexpecting.blogspot.com/

The Alex Rodriguez of 2010

2010-02-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

Over the past few years we have seen the many faces of Alex Rodriguez. We have seen the the money hungry Alex, the innocent Alex, the angry Alex, the guilty Alex, and the playoff hero Alex. Arod deserves everything ounce of criticism he gets because he is notorious for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
In 2010, Alex Rodriguez is going to be a beast. He has a clear mind and a new piece of jewelery to his collection which is the what was missing from the Hall of Fame resume Alex put together.
From what we are hearing, his hip is in good shape and he is ready to go. Partner his health with a hitter friendly ballpark and being in a stacked lineup from soup to nuts and we are going to witness a super year. Alex has played a steady but unspectacular third base and we should not expect any different. At the plate we are going to witness A-bomb after A-bomb many of which will be awe inspiring. Put it in the books; 2010 Alex's numbers will hover around .315 110 runs 50 hrs and 145 rbis.
This will be the year Alex cements his legacy with another MVP and hopefully another ring.

Johnny Damon

2010-02-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

It should be amazingly obvious at this point that I am a huge Yankees fan, and nothing makes me happier than seeing a guy on our team get treated fairly when it comes to his contract renewal which is why, and stick with me on this, I am ok with Johnny Damon not being resigned for two years at 22 million dollars. Damon hit .282 with 24 homers last year and was a big part of our latest World Series victory, however, Damon is 36 years old, couldn't throw out Cecil Fielder at the plate, and has a bum leg (don't forget, he wasn't even on the field when the last out was recorded). I admit that I was a little down when I initially heard that the Yanks had shot down his demands, but once I found that he wanted an average of 11 million for the next two years for a guy who would probably be a DH as well as a pinch hitter and spell some corner outfielders I wasn't terribly depressed anymore.
The Yankees have been saying for quite some time that they are hoping to keep their payroll at $200 million or less and with the moves they have made, they have a solid outfield and are right at their desired payroll. I was listening to the Micahel Kay show the day they signed Winn and he made a great point, the Yankees aren't looking to find one guy to replace Damon, and we can't just compare Winn to Damon. What we need to do is take a look at the entire outfield this year and see how it stacks up to last year's outfield.

Center Field -
Last year - Melky and Gardner - Between the two of them the Yanks got a .272 avg, 16 hr's, 91 RBI, and 36 stolen bases. Last year Curtis Granderson hit .249 with 30 hr's , 71 rbi, and 20 stolen bases in Detroit. I am almost certain that batting in this stadium with this lineup that his average jumps up to about .285, his hr total to go up a few to about 35, and his rbi total to be somewhere around 100. Not that Detroit had a horrific lineup but there was no where near the amount of protection for a hitter like him that he will have with A-Rod, Jeter, Tex, Damon, Posada, and Cano batting around him. As far as I am concerned, we have upgraded center field dramatically.

Left Field -
Last year - Johnny Damon - Damon hit .282 with 24 hr's 82 rbi, and 12 stolen bases. Johnny also cost us $13 million, is 36 years old, and like I said before is aging drastically between his throwing arm and what he used to be most known for (other than the beard) his legs. The 12 stolen bases (17 less than 2008) is only the beginning of the signs that he just can't move the way he used to. If you watched the season as closely as I did you started seeing a lot more balls drop in front of him or get over his head than you used to.
This year - My guess is you will see a platoon between Randy Winn and Brett Gardner - Winn batted .262 with 2 hr's, 51 rbi and 16 stolen bases, and oh yeah by the way - Winn signed for $2 million, and understands his role on the team.

Right field -
Mr. Swisher will remain in right field and I couldn't be happier about it. I liked him when he was out in Oakland and love the fact that he came over to the Bronx.

After looking over these stats and comparing the seasons I don't see a down grade in overall talent roaming the alleys in the outfield in The Bronx this year. Another thing to remember is that the Yankees do not need to have a huge offensive out burst from their outfielders like other teams, their infield supplies a huge amount of power between A-Rod and Tex, along with Posada and Cano.

I don't blame Damon for wanting to get paid like a he did when he was younger, as wekk as try and prove that he is still as valuable as he was when he was younger. Try and think of the way your father's are or were once they started getting a little older and wanted your help but sure as hell did not need it. I was at my parent's house Saturday to clear the snow from their sidewalks and driveway because my father is going in for back surgery on Monday morning, and he could not help but grab a shovel and follow me around. I liken Damon's attitude to that of an everyday man, except for the fact that he is only in his mid 30's as opposed to his mid 50's.

Eric Rush
http://whatididntexpectwhileshewasexpecting.blogspot.com/

Pitchers and Catchers

2010-02-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in my living room here in NJ, looking out our sliding glass doors and realizing that while we are in the midst of another snow storm which is sure to dump about a foot of snow on us, there is one thing that is warming me up, well - other than my flannel pj's and the heat pouring out of the vents, and that is... drum roll... February 17th my beloved Yankees open up their Spring Training fields for our pitchers and catchers!
I am a fan of football, don't get me wrong, but baseball is my favorite sport and nothing gets my baseball mind going like those videos on Sportscenter of the pitchers soft tossing off the mound to catchers wearing just a glove and a mask. It reminds me that no matter what is going on in the world, come February, a little piece of my childhood comes back. As a kid who didn't pitch to a buddy when you were the only two around? These millionaire ball players look like kids playing at the local sandlot at this point. Another thing that gets sparked in my baseball shaped heart at this point in the season is the hope of a World Series title. I know its cliche but at this point every team has a chance - except you Kansas City, sorry. Now lets take a look at the starting rotation, a few bull pen guys, and our catchers!
The horse of our rotation, of course, is 6ft 7inch, 290lb, left handed throwing, Mr. Carsten Charles Sabathia. Last year he went 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA in the regular season and despite a little hiccup in game 1 of the World Series closed out the post season with a 3-1 record and an ERA of under 2. I have no doubts that this guy will have a 20 win season this year and lead us back to the playoffs again this year, as long as he stays healthy.
Number two is AJ and man he gives me butterflies when he steps to the mound, for every friggin inning he throws. When he is on, he is on, he is a live fastball and a great breaking ball. However, when is off, forget it. He can be cruising along for the first 3 innings with 7 k's and no baserunners, then walk the first 2 batters, give up a double and then fall apart. Once he works his way out of the inning and gets back on the mound for the next, he goes right back to his early game form. The guy is the equivilent of dealing with a girlfriend that is bi-polar, its scary but you stick around because the good times are amazing! Look for him go 16-7 this year with an ERA of around 4.
Our number 3 starter looks to be the 38 year old, salt and pepper haired, Andrew Pettitte. He is our prodigal son, grew up in pin stripes, left for Houston to follow that roided out "mis-remembering" Clemens, and then came back again to finish out his Hall of Fame career where he belongs, The Bronx. He managed to pull out 14 wins vs 8 losses and an ERA of a little over 4 last season. While pitching in front of one the best defenses and with a prolific offense will get you a win on what can be your worst day sometimes I am not sure how Andy will fair this year. I love this guy, he has been a vital part of our team for a long time now, stopping losing streaks, setting the standard for post season pitching prowess, however he is currently 38 years old and has been bothered by a few injuries to his throwing arm in the last couple of years. I am predicting he will have a season close to last, a couple less wins though, 12-8 is my guess. I am thinking you might see him getting some rest late in the year, as long as the playoffs are locked up, in order to get him ready for the long October and November run.
Number 4 - This is left up for debate, but I will give my opinion on who I think should be running out there. I love Joba Chamberlin, his excitement, his energy, his speed and accuracy (for the most part) are amazing, and should be harnessed - in the bull pen as the next great closer of the New York Yankees. That means, of course, that Phil Hughes should, in my opinion, be the number 4 starter. This is due to a combination of both Hughes' potential to be a number 2 starter one day, and the fact that Joba in last years's post season looked like the Joba from his rookie year.
Number 5 - Javier Vazquez finished 15-10 last year with an ERA of under 3 and makes a solid option as a number 5. If he can return to this form, or even come back and throw the way he did in the first half of 2004 we should be just fine.
Bull pen - the combination of Rivera and Chamberlin will cut our games down to 7 innings while grooming Joba for the closer role, and also saving Rivera from having to be used for those scary 2 inning saves that take him out of commission for a few days. Gaudin, who will serve as one of the options for a long relief man as well as a spot starter in the event of injuries, plus Aceves, Mitre, Robertson, Ramirez, and the rest of the crew out there are just as vital as the starters are. While we have some guys starting that have the potential to chew up some innings, we also have Pettitte and Burnett than might be taxing on the bull pens depending on if their arms hold up or not.
Posada and Cervelli will be the catchers for the team this year. While Posada has been around for almost 15 years and is by far my favorite player on the team, I see this year being a transition year for him. What we saw of Cervelli last year, on top of the fact that Jorge is 39 years old leads me to beleive that this will be number 20's last year as a full time catcher. I can see him sticking around the team for another year aferwards as a DH as well as spelling Big Tex at 1B and Cervelli when he needs a day. I can also see Jorge coming back a few years after retirement in some sort of coaching role, catchers coach, bench coach, something. He knows baseball and knows how to handle a pitching staff and can be a valuable asset to the team even off the field.
I hope you enjoyed my look into our pitchers and catchers for the upcoming season. Please be sure to check back often for the other bloggers as well as myself so you are ready for the 2010!
Eric
Also, please check out my parenting blog - http://www.whatididntexpectwhileshewasexpecting.blogspot.com/

Introduction

2010-02-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow Yankee Fanatics! My name is Eric and I have just been invited to post to this site. First I wanted to give you a little bit of a background so you understand where I gained my un-healthy (according to some) love of the Yankees. My grandfather was born in the 20's in Easton PA and as a child was taken to the old, old, Yankee Stadium for weekend double headers and followed all the greats of this era. Throughout the years he became obsessed with the Bronx Bombers - After his retirement he began keeping box scores for the games as well as notebooks full of tally marks for home runs, stolen bases, rbi's, wins, losses, saves - you name it, he recorded it. When my Mother was born he passed this gene onto her and she became obsessed with the Yanks as well, in particular, The Mick.

When I was born in 1982 I was his first, and only, grandson. I can still remember phone calls bragging about Barfield's monster home run, or the great play Donny Baseball made to save an inning from getting out of control. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away in 1997 and only got to see the beginnings of such hall of fame careers of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and my personal favorite - Jorge Posada. Yeah I know what you are going to say, but come on, he was a great offensive catcher as well as one of the best at handling a pitching staff comprised of rookies and veterans. I still can't believe that these young pitchers had the nerve to shake him off during a game, especially in October - I mean you Phil Hughes!

Anyway, I have a feeling I am going to be passing this genetic trait down to my son, who is due in June. The pictures on either side of this post are all going to be a part of Evan's coming home out fit. As you can tell, my wife is an incredibly awesome lady and has bought into the Yankee phenomenon quite nicely. So that is it for my introduction, I will be posting my thoughts as much as possible, hopefully a few times a week, unless something big happens, then of course I will post my thoughts that day. I look forward to reading your comments!

Yankees 2010 Preview

2010-02-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

While the Champion Yankee team of 09’ was a very good team in its own right, this team looks to be even better. With the core of the team from last year returning, as well as some new faces, this is the “Team to Beat” in the East. With the huge acquisition of Curtis Granderson, the resigning of Javier Vazquez, and even the aging Randy Winn, this team will compete for another title.
Granderson brings an upgrade to the team as far as defense and offense from the outfield position that was sorely lacking last year. He has a real sense of the game and the ability to play it right and also brings some youth and enthusiasm into an aging locker room full of longtime veterans. Granderson will spend most, if not all, of his playing time in centerfield while the rest of the outfield will be split up amongst Cabrera, Gardner and Winn.
The resigning of Javier Vazquez brings some apprehension as well as some excitement to an already strong rotation. As Yankee fans can remember from his previous stint with New York, when he had an ERA hovering around 5.00, he didn’t bold so well. Yankee fans can’t totally berate him though; he did have a winning record finishing the season with a 14-10 mark. While this time around he doesn’t need to be the ace of the team, he is projected as the 3rd or 4th starter on the team, I am quite sure he will have a better go around this time. With all the pressure not squarely on his shoulders look for him to have a repeat of last season’s stats with a slightly higher ERA, which usually happens when going from the NL to the AL.
Randy Winn might not be an exciting pickup but his acquisition does not go unwarranted. He does bring speed on the base paths as well as a decent arm in the outfield, which is a definite upgrade over Johnny Damon. Winn still has some pop left in his bat, and he will bring wisdom to a young group of outfielders that can learn from him. A one year contract is a good deal for the Yankees as they will look to make a splash next year with bringing in Carl Crawford from the Rays to take over in left field.
This team will be hard to beat in the upcoming year, more so than last season. With the “Captain” Derek Jeter, a healthy and changed man in Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira manning first base with his gold glove ability, C.C. bringing back his dominating A-game along with the rest of the rotation, and with the new players on board, this will be an exciting time for Yankee fans young and old.

Thomas Ingram

No One Like Mo

2010-02-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

By Amanda Massa
2/3/10
In light of all the moves made (or not: ahem, Johnny Damon) during the off-season thus far, the Yankee Universe is buzzing. The team will look quite familiar in 2010, with a few minor upgrades. So let's take a look at one area that has been rather neglected by the media, bloggers, and fans: the bullpen.

Both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain have proven themselves better relievers than starters, but one will have to pitch out of the number five spot in the starting rotation come 2010. While Damaso Marte returns with a phenomenal postseason performance under his belt with a 0.00 ERA and only 2 hits allowed in 4 IP, he was much less reliable during the regular season going 1-3 with an inexcusable 9.45 ERA. Chad Gaudin is a decent journeyman pitcher, someone who’s capable of holding his own. It’s hard to ignore, however, that his numbers last season left a bit to be desired, as he went 6-10 with a 4.64 ERA with the Padres and the Yankees. Guys like Sergio Mitre, Jonathan Albaladejo, Edwar Ramirez, and Mark Melancon will most likely start the year in the minors. Those who do not might be a little hard to trust due to lack of experience or shaky past performances. Boone Logan is sub-par at best (In his career he has a 5.78 ERA and a .302 BAA). Alfredo Aceves will surely be a solid long man, but it’s hard to forget his cracking under pressure in the League Championship Series with the walk-off double he surrendered to Jeff Mathis in the bottom of the 11^th at Angel Stadium. Dave Robertson is also promising, but has yet to truly establish himself as a consistent big league reliever.

With the exception of Rivera, it’s hard to label a single Yankee relief pitcher as “great.” The fact of the matter is it’s unfair to even compare any run of the mill pitcher to someone with the accolades of Rivera. It’s almost as if he were sent to New York by the baseball gods, an entity with virtually no flaws in his game. He is respected by every big league hitter as a guy who has a predictable approach and yet is still unhittable because of his quick and lively cutter. He is unflappable and never folds under pressure. He has a career ERA of 2.25, a .211 BAA and is one of the two closers in MLB history to record 500 saves (he now has 526). In 2009, Rivera was in true Mo form, going 3-3 with a 1.76 ERA, 44 SV, 12 BB, and .197 BAA. And, not surprisingly, he perpetuated his post-season dominance with an immaculate .56 ERA, 5 SV, 5 BB, and .175 BAA. There is no question that Mo will be on point in 2010. The question that stands is can the other relief pitchers be counted to perform adequately?

Joba's Role

2010-02-03T05:40:00.000-08:00

Since Joba's 2007 entry into the big leagues he has been a topic of much debate; whether he should be a starter or come out of the bullpen. The Yankees value him greatly as a starter, as does he, but he really should be in the bullpen.
He can hit the gun at 100 MPH regularly with movement while he is in the pen and he has the makeup to come out and intimidate. With his combination of pitches and his mental make up he has the potential to be like Jonathon Joba in the 8th innings this year is because of the man pitching in the 9th inning; Rivera is not getting any younger but, his stuff is as nasty as ever. Having Joba take 8th inning and Rivera taking the 9th the Yankees can make it a seven inning game for their starters.
Make your own decisions but, do you want 1-2 innings of dominance or 4-5 innings of an overwight and scared pitcher?

The bright side of Randy Winn...

2010-01-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

Well, most Yankee fans wanted Johnny Damon to return to the pinstripes for the 2010 season, but the Yankees are making the right move by not giving him what he is asking for.
The main reason Randy Winn is here is to cushion the blow if Brett Gardner comes up lame, but let's face the facts Randy Winn isn't great. What Winn brings is decent speed, he makes contact, and plays a solid corner outfield.
Now the REAL reason why the Yankees did not give Johnny Damon 2+ years. Drumroll please..... 2011 the Yankees are saving the LF spot for Carl Crawford who can hit 30 Hrs in Yankee Stadium and steal 50 bases.
I love Johnny Damon but I can't wait to see Granderson or Gardner field a ball off the wall and throw a one hopper to home plate.

Brief Thoughts About the Winn Signing

2010-01-28T15:56:00.001-08:00

By Karley Ziegler Mott

1.28.10

Randy Winn was signed by the Yankees yesterday to a one year contract in the $2 million neighborhood. That glimmer of hope I had left for a Johnny Damon return has been squashed.

Damon's service to the team aside, the Yankees made this strictly a financial decision. They decided they wanted a bargain and did not want to pay for Damon even though he could have had a productive season.

Are we getting an improvement over Damon? No. Last year, Winn hit two homers and had one of the worst slugging percentages in the National League. What exactly will he bring to the table? Not much, I predict. I'm probably being cynical since I have long been a Damon fan, but I see in Winn a player who will have a lackluster season and only make an occasional contribution to the team.

While the Yanks may think they're getting a bargain, it's not a bargain if you don't get any use out of your purchase. It's like that "bargain" pair of shoes still sitting in the closet unworn two years later. Just because they are saving money by not signing Damon for another year at a higher price doesn't mean signing Winn for $2 million will be a wise investment.

My initial thoughts on giving Damon his walking papers? This was simply a matter of dollars and cents, even if it makes no sense at all.

What are your thoughts on the Randy Winn signing?

2010: An Even Better Team?

2010-01-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

By Amanda Massa

Is it actually possible for the New York Yankees to improve, even after running away with a World Series title in the 2009 Fall Classic? Yes. In light of some recent acquisitions and signings, I believe the Yankees will be even better in 2010 than they were in 2009.

Although they just took home the most coveted prize in all of baseball, there were still a couple of gaps that needed to be filled for 2010. After relying on a three-man pitching rotation throughout the playoffs, the Yankees set their sights on a starting pitcher they could count on to give them innings and to win. Enter Javier Vazquez. The right-handed starter, who stole one second place vote for the National League Cy Young award last year, has sported pinstripes before. Vazquez wasn’t bad when he pitched for the Yankees in 2004, starting 32 games and going 14-10 with a 4.91 ERA. Of course Yankee fans can’t help but remember a little grand slam that he gave up to Johnny Damon in game 7 of the 2004 ALCS. All of that aside, the Vazquez signing is fitting for the Bombers, filling the number four spot in the starting rotation. And after securing Andy Pettitte for one more year, the Yankees rotation in 2010 theoretically will be Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Vazquez, and either Hughes or Chamberlain slotted for the number 5 spot. Not too shabby.

Vazquez is not the only former Yankee re-joining the team in 2010. Nick Johnson will return to the Bronx after a seven-year hiatus. Some concerns surround the injury-prone Johnson, but his familiarity with playing under the massive spotlight that is New York baseball, his ability to get on base, and his solid batting skills are all qualities that make him a nice fit in the number two hole.

And let’s not forget about the most visible move the Yankees made this off-season: the trade made for outfielder Curtis Granderson. With the addition of Granderson, the Yankee lineup for 2010 will look something like this: Jeter, Johnson, Teixeira, Rodriguez, Posada, Cano, Granderson, Swisher, and Gardner. Granderson will be a great bat to have in the number seven spot, being that he will probably hit around .260 with at least 20 homers and 15 stolen bases. Granderson will be joined in the outfield by Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner, making the 2010 outfield more defensively sound than that of 2009. My projected makeup of the 2010 Yankee outfield will put Swisher in right, Gardner in center and Granderson in left.

Everyone knows that a team that looks good on paper will not necessarily pan out to be the best team in baseball. And there are a lot of great baseball teams out there. But, if they manage to stay away from big injuries and unforeseen circumstances this upcoming season, the Yankees will most certainly be in contention for their 28^th World Championship.

Ankiel vs Damon; How very different the Yankee outfiled could look

2010-01-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

In our current economic times, it is not all that uncommon to see classified ads advertising anything and everything, but one in particular caught my eye recently, it read; Available for immediate employment; 36 year old two time World Series Champion and All Star outfielder, career .288 hitter, .355 on base %, currently residing in the New York Metropolitan area (willing to relocate). Asking $7-10 million per year for 2 years (negotiable). Please contact Johnny D. @whatdyameantheyankeeshaveabudget.com. If you’ve seen this one recently then you know that times are tough all over indeed.
Look it’s still fairly early, and the Yankees and Damon may very well come to a deal in the coming weeks to bring him back as their leftfielder for 2010 but it certainly won’t be for the 2 years and $20 million that he asked for in December and no where near the 2yr $26 million deal that his agent Scott Boras was originally looking for. If Damon is in pinstripes in 2010 it’s looking increasingly like he could be working off a one year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $7.5-9 million per.
Granted, Damon is probably the best choice for the Yanks in left but another Boras client may end up being a steal for whatever team takes a shot at pitcher turned outfielder Rick Ankiel, including the Yankees. One area where the Bombers fell a little short last season is without a doubt the throwing capabilities of their outfielders. Damon might very well have the weakest arm of anyone currently playing the outfield in MLB (hey Bernie Williams is retired now so…), Brett Gardner is an upgrade but only slightly (and still well below average), Melky Cabrera took his “plus” arm to Atlanta, and Nick Swisher has an average albeit somewhat erratic arm. Enter Curtis Granderson, the Yankees apparently liked his youth and defense a bit more than his ability to hit lefties and think that he is probably better suited as a left fielder eventually anyway. This brings us back to Ankiel, being six years younger than Damon and coming off a year in which he started off well then injured his shoulder and lost his starting job; he could be had for more years at less money than Damon. Ankiel is a capable centerfielder with a cannon for an arm, who could very well approach 30 HR’s in Yankee Stadium (he hit 25 in a little over 400 AB’s for St. Louis in 2008).
The 800 lb gorilla in the room in all this is that without Damon who hits lefties fairly well and Hideki Matsui who actually hits lefties better than righties the Yankees may become susceptible to lefthanders, as neither Granderson, Gardner nor Ankiel have any kind of track record of being able to handle lefthanders the way the two departed vets have traditionally. Of course being the Yankees, improving the outfield defense at the expense of a little bit of offense against lefties might not hurt them as much as some teams, offense again will not be a problem for the Yankees in 2010.
Ankiel is still young enough to work with and learn how to be better against lefties and at a price that would be significantly less than what Damon would command and even if they come to the conclusion that he simply can’t hit lefties, well… these are the Yankees, they can go out and get a right handed bat to platoon (Austin Kearns?) and still end up paying a comparable price for both than Damon alone.
Essentially the Yankees can look at Boras’ other free agent lefty outfielder as a alternative solution if they continue to feel that Damon’s price is just too high for a 37 year old outfielder who can’t throw.

Yankees need to stop being stubborn and bring back Damon

2010-01-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

by Justin Diaz

If the season started today, Brett Gardner would be the starting left fielder for the New York Yankees.

Gardner, he of the .256 career average and .677 career OPS, is a nice player to have on the bench for pinch running purposes. He is simply not an everyday player, not by any stretch of the imagination.

The Yankees, who currently have a projected payroll of about $194 million, apparently have $2 million available to sign a left fielder.

After initially asking for a four year, $52 million contract, Johnny Damon and Scott Boras have lowered their asking price to two years and $20 million.

The Yankees, however, are sticking to their guns, and insist that they will not spend more than $2 million for a left fielder.

There is no questioning the fact that the Yankees have a great team, one that should contend for another World Series title. Unfortunately for them, they are in a division with another great team, one that has made some big moves over the course of the offseason.

With the addition of John Lackey, the Red Sox have one of, if not the best starting rotation in the entire league. They may be lacking a big bat with the departure of outfielder Jason Bay, but a rotation of Josh Beckett, Lackey, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matzusaka will keep Boston in the divisional race with the Yankees for the entire year.

Which brings us back to Damon and the Yankees, and raises a very simple question. Why haven’t they signed him yet?

Do the Yankees have a good lineup without him? The answer to that is yes, a great lineup and probably the best lineup in the league. But that does not mean there isn’t room for improvement.

Lets say Nick Johnson was to get hurt early on in the season, Robinson Cano goes into one of his patented massive offensive slumps, and Curtis Granderson takes awhile to adjust to New York. Do any of those things sound too farfetched? Suddenly that great Yankees lineup isn’t necessarily so great anymore.

Do I think Johnny Damon would be the answer to any problems the offense might face for the entire year? Absolutely not, but my point is that you never know what will happen over the course of a very long season. If you have an easy opportunity to improve during the offseason, it is very foolish to pass up on it.

I understand that the Yankees do not have unlimited resources (although you would think that is the case based on their spending during the past decade), but signing Damon would bring their payroll to about $204 million for 2010. That is certainly a very high payroll, but not when compared to the $208 million that they spent last season.

No, Damon is not a kid anymore, and he is unquestionably a bad fielder with a historically weak arm. Despite what many Yankees fans seem to think though, Gardner is not a good fielder either, and although his arm is better than Damon’s (whose isn’t?), you won’t be seeing him gun out too many runners at the plate.

Damon’s bat is a drastic improvement over Gardner’s, and that is indisputable. Bringing back Damon may seem like an unnecessary move to some, but when you’re in a division with a team as good as the Red Sox, any realistic opportunity to improve should be taken advantage of.

Outfield

2009-12-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

By Patrick McCabe

With the trade of Melky Cabrera and Austin Jackson for Javier Vasquez, the Yankees are noticeably thin in the outfield. Any team wants four if not five outfielders and right now we stand at three: Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, and Nick Swisher. Well, four if you count Rule 5 draft acquired Jamie Hoffmann, and I don't. Assuming Hoffmann can make the club, the Yankees would still like to sign an outfielder with experience in the majors to help the rest of the platoon. There are many options out there that we are all familiar with; Jason Bay and Matt Holliday. But there are other options that may not seem so obvious.

When looking for a good outfielder you want a guy with power who can field and throw well. At this point I think it is more important for the team to get a boost on speed and defense. I would sacrifice some power because there's a couple guys at the front of the lineup who can make up for it. Personally I would like to get Xavier Nady back but he is still recovering from an elbow injury and says he "may" be back in time for spring training. A guy like Marcus Thames is a free agent, not an all-star by any means but solid all around and experience in New York.

The Athletics just released Jack Cust and that's a guy I think they might go for. His average was down last season at .240 but hit 25 HR's, had 70 RBI, and scored 88 runs. He would be great off the bench and could help in the outfield rotation. He also has experience DHing and could ride the merry-go-round at that position as well. I think Cust could be a good bargain, he made 2.8 million last year. Cust also shared an outfield with Swisher for the Athletics in 2007.

I don't think running out and getting the big name of the day is the Yankees style any more and for that I am thankful. I need a team player. A guy who's been around and wants to win. Cust is a veteran at 8 years in the MLB, but he's only 31 and in his prime. We will just have to wait and see.
Only 52 days till pitchers and catchers report to Tampa.

Javier Vazquez Returns!

2009-12-22T10:47:00.000-08:00

By Todd L Green 12/22/09

Wow. What a day! I must admit that I feel sort of foolish not considering the trade route. This Javier Vazquez deal is the latest in the Yankees sudden moves that have shocked me. But honestly, I like it a lot. While I was not a huge fan of Vazquez in 2004, the guy doesn’t have the pressure on him he did back then either. He’s our number four now and a damn good one at that. He was one of last year NL Cy Young Candidates! His ERA obviously stands no chance at 2.85 in the AL, but with the Yankee lineup behind him he could do some serious damage for us. Not to mention, he is basically replacing Gaudin and Aceves, as a back of the rotation starter, which is an improvement of epic proportions.

AND if Andy Pettitte does finally call it quits at the end of 2010 we will definitely have enough money to resign Vazquez without driving the rest of the baseball world crazy.

Also… an interesting fact MLB.com put up on it’s website. Since 2000 (for the past 9 seasons) Vazquez has won at least 10 games and struck out at least 150 batters. While that doesn’t seem all that impressive, apparently only nine other players in major league history have done it. Check it out. Look up Martinez, Feller, Ford, Koufax, Spahn, etc. The only ones I’ve found so far are Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, and Steve Carlton (who did it for 18 years straight!). Now, I admit it’s strange to consider Javier Vazquez amongst that kind of company... but hey, he’s a Yankee now so why not?!

In closing, with a 2010 Pitching Staff of CC, AJ, Pettitte, Vazquez, and either Hughes or Joba Chamberlain… why not just give us the WS trophy already!

Did I Order the Cold Plate?

2009-12-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

by Patrick McCabe 12/21/09

Everyone seems to be creating a lot of hullabaloo regarding the Yankees activities, or lack thereof, during the off-season. I thought that this would come as a welcome break. After a whirlwind of unprecedented signings last winter, the Yankees have taken a considerable step backwards in terms of intensity. Don't get me wrong, I like the addition of Curtis Granderson even though his numbers against lefties makes me want to hurl. But still this offseason has really belonged to the Mariners, Phillies, Red Sox, etc.
Even though the bombers aren't lighting up the headlines nationwide, I've found myself enjoying this offseason. It's nice to put your feet up and watch every other team try to accomplish what we so successfully did last year. Brandishing swords at the winter meetings dueling each other for the top prize, it's so medieval. The moves that other teams have made all seem to benefit the Yankees in some way. We no longer have to see Roy Halladay five or more times throughout the year, maybe once in interleague play. But I don't see the Phillies going to the World Series three years in a row. The most important thing Halladay might do is get the NL an all-star game win for the first time since 1996. The Mariners have bolstered their lineup significantly which will only make those dreaded west coast trips harder but at least the Angels won't be able to walk to the top of that division without some problems. Anybody that can compete with and beat on the Angels all season is a friend of mine.
What the Yankees need right now in consistency. Brotherhood and teamwork. It sounds awful and cliche but that's because it's true. A Curtis Granderson is the type of player we should be recruiting; tough guys who play hard and play to win. The mentality of this team doesn't need to be stirred up by a bunch of offseason controversy. If our payroll goes down, our stock goes up. One less thing for every Yankee hater to complain about because when you get down to it, we are the defending champions, and will be all season.
Only 59 days till pitchers and catchers report to Tampa.

A New Hope for the Evil Empire: A Yankee Fan's Shopping List

2009-12-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

By Todd L Green 12/ 18/09

Compared to last year's off- season, it's easy to say to Yankees haven't made a big splash so far. Curtis Granderson, their biggest acquistion to date, seems to have caused a huge divide between Yankee fans rather than set our sights on World Series gear that is even newer than we already have. Many wonder, why cou Austin jackson not have been used as bait for Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee? Had one of those two put on pinstripes this off-season, agreeing to pitch behind CC and AJ, the Yankees would have been unstoppable for the next decade. But that's okay because we don't have to be like those selfish and senseless Red Sox, shelling out all that dough for nothing that impressive.

No... Overall, Granderson was a good move. He’ll put up Damon-like numbers, achieve that centerfield “household name status”, the way Bernie did when I was a kid, and be a leader for NY on and off the field. And now we don’t have to blow a ton on Holliday or Bay. However, it’s quite obvious that with the Red Sox and the Orioles both actively pursuing the improvement of their teams, Grandy must only be the start of the Yankees off-season. And for anyone who’s looking wisely, which I hope the Yankees are, there are many steals on the market. I hope the Yankees’ off-season decisions are as follows:

Ben Sheets- This is a no-brainer. They wanted this guy so badly a while back and things fell through. When healthy, Sheets is easily one of the best pitchers in the game. Ever see his curveball? Ben Sheets could be picked up for pennies, with incentives, team options, etc. and we could have the biggest steal of the off-season. Justin Duchscherer and Erik Bedard are lethal, when in the zone, and could be gotten for less than an arm and a leg.

Mark DeRosa for RF- DeRosa can play first, second, third, outfield; who knows, he can probably catch and pitch too. This guy was let down by a choppy Cleveland line-up and a late season move to the biggest disappointment in baseball. He’s got to be aching for a championship and he fits the mold of the old Yankees dynasty. Hard- nosed ballplayers like Leyritz, O’Neill, Brosius. And Tino. Rick Ankiel, Rocco Baldelli, and Scott Podsednik are also strong and can boost the line-up and compete with Melky and Swish.

Move Posada to DH- Forget Nick Johnson. Sign a veteran catcher, say Brad Ausmus, Mike Redmond, or Paul Bako, then let Posada and the new guy tutor Cervelli, who could be amazing for years. Posada’s numbers would stay up all year/ he won’t whither away, and our offense will increase ten-fold more then it ever would have with Johnson.

Move Gaudin and Joba to the Pen- Phil Hughes belongs in the starting rotation, it’s obvious he doesn’t have what it takes to come in during a crunch. And Joba is perfect for the job. Everybody has known it for years but is too scared to just come out and say it… But why not do it? Mariano Rivera was supposed to be a starter and the choice Joe Torre made created the greatest closer the game has ever seen.

Here is my Starting Nine: 1B- Tex, 2B- Cano, SS- Jeter, 3B- ARod, RF- DeRosa/ Ankiel / Baldelli/ or Podsednik, CF- Granderson, LF- Melky/or Swish, C- Ausmus/ Redmond/ Bako/ or Cervelli, and DH- Posada.

Here is my Rotation: 1- Sabathia, 2- Burnett, 3- Pettitte, 4- Sheets/ Duchscherer/ or Bedard, and 5- Hughes.

Granderson is number 14

2009-12-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Aaron Ebbs
12/17/2009

He said he plans on winning 14 titles as a Yankee. Not really but I think he should have stuck with 28 and make Girardi keep 27. It will be kind of dumb to keep changing your number if your Girardi. If he is here and wins number 31 he cant take the retired number 32 (Elston Howard). And if he does become a great manager and wins a lot of world series he wont be able to have a number retired either.

Here is a tough picture to see. But I wish the best of luck to Hideki with the Angels and im glad he will be at the home opener to get his ring.

Big Day in the East

2009-12-15T00:38:00.001-08:00

Aaron Ebbs
12/15/2009

We all know how busy it was in the AL East yesterday with the trade of Roy Halladay, and signings of Mike Cameron and John Lackey for Boston. Yankees then lost Hideki Matsui to the Angels.

Now alot of fans will be upset about Hideki not coming back to the Yankees. But honestly it was the right move for the organization. Matsui's final stats with the Yankees were .292 with 140 HRs and 597 RBIs. But it was time for him to go. Alot of people do not understand that just because you hit 28 HRs one year doesn't mean you will do it again. Eventually great players decline and id much rather get rid of a guy the year before he declines rather than the year after. So we now need 1 more guy in our lineup. Someone who can play left and DH. Damon seems to want an awful lot of money in any deal. So assuming Damon does not resign what other options do we have with Cameron off the table.

Matt Holliday
He will likely cost us a ton of money since as I posted before he is looking for Mark Teixeira money. He also recently received a huge offer from the Cardinals. So I will cross him off the list.

Jason Bay
Once again another player who will most likely demand a huge contract. He did hit 36 homers for Boston last season but his defense is shaky and id rather over pay for Damon for 2 seasons than Bay for 4 or 5.

Mark Derosa
Mark is a very good player for any team to have. He has 20 Home Run power and is a .275 career hitter. But most of all he has played every position over the last 2 years except catcher and center field. So if signed he can play everyday in left and also fill in as any other position to allow the other vetrans a half day off as the DH.

Out of those 3 I personally would take Derosa just for the fact that it wouldn't be a long term huge money contract. Of course my first choice is Damon but until Boras lowers his demand we need to keep our options open.

As for the rotation I still like Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Hughes, Chamberlain. However if we do sign a pitcher id go after Sheets and move Joba to the pen just because I feel Hughes has more upside as a starter. However I do feel both will be effective starters if they just let them pitch. They wont be good however if we keep babying their arms and turning them into headcases not knowing what there role is going to be from week to week. Joba came out of the break strong until we started messing around with his innings. Its time to let him loose and see what he can do.

Yankees Starting Rotation 2010

2009-12-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

By Karley Ziegler Mott

12.14.09

I've been contemplating the NY Yankees 2010 starting rotation as if I were a GM anxious after the winter meetings as opposed to being an opinionated fan upstate.

Now that there is a three way deal breaking as I type this that will potentially send Cliff Lee to the Mariners and Roy Halladay to the Phillies, there is an even greater sense of urgency for the Yanks to have a solid starting rotation free of question marks. Getting Halladay most likely is no longer an option. Again, as I type this, it is not yet set in stone, but it looks like it will be. Free agent John Lackey is headed to the Red Sox. The Yanks also declined to resign Chien-Ming Wang over the weekend.

I liked Wang. Until he was injured, he was phenomenal. I envisioned him in pinstripes for years to come. Now, not so much.

Right now the critical thing is for the Yankees to evaluate their options and get it right. The Yanks have three solid starters in CC Sabathia, A.J Burnett and Andy Pettitte. We need to fill in #4 and #5. I think Phil Hughes belongs in the fourth slot. The fifth starter is more iffy for me. Call me crazy, but I would like to see the Yanks go after righty free agent Justin Duchscherer of the Athletics. He certainly won't break the bank and when he is healthy, he is very capable, with a career ERA of 3.14. He has had a few injuries, but he doesn't have Pavano's hypochondriac tendencies.

I don't want to talk about where Joba Chamberlain should be. For me, it is now and always has been a no brainer. Joba belongs in the bullpen. Joba will never be Mariano Rivera. No one will ever replace Rivera and become the "next" Mo. His legacy will be as the greatest closer in baseball--a class act and part of history. Those are pretty big shoes to fill and his heir to the mound cannot be expected to be Mo when the time comes. Joba could make a darn effective closer, though. He has the intensity and focus and both will improve more as he matures.

No offense to Mitre, but I am indifferent. I am not impressed by him, nor do I think he's a bad fit. I just don't get excited thinking about him in the lineup.

Gaudin--I want him in the bullpen. Do you remember a few years back when the Yankees had "Quan-Gor-Mo"? This was the trio of Paul Quantrill, Tom Gordon, and Mariano Rivera. Before Quantrill and Gordon became overworked, this group was practically lights out. It was a great bridge. Not everyone agrees with this approach. Ideally, you'll get at least 7 innings out of your starter. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. I'd like to see Quan Gor Mo part deux with Gaudin, Chamberlain and Mo.

Given what looks like is transpiring tonight, here's my starting rotation:

1. Sabathia

2. Burnett

3. Pettitte

4. Hughes

5. Duchscherer (they would need to sign him first)

If this trade deal gets finalized, the Red Sox and Mariners have stronger rotations with Lackey and Lee. We won't face Halladay in the AL anymore, but Boston and Seattle will be stronger. The field of free agents seems to be dwindling down and my gut is telling me to go out and get Duchscherer--and sooner rather than later.

Wang Gone?

2009-12-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

By Patrick McCabe 12.13.09

Last night at 11:59 p.m. ET the deadline to tender contracts was over. The Yankees had several players up for potential free agency with the option to extend their contracts. While deciding to tender contracts to OF Melky Cabrera, P Chad Gaudin, and P Sergio Mitre; the Yankees declined this option with SP Chien-Ming Wang. Wang, who has tortured us the past couple years with injuries, at one time looked like our number one starter for the next decade. Did the Yankees do the right thing? Or give an opponent a powerful weapon? As of midnight this morning Wang is a free agent. While the Yankees still have an opportunity to resign Wang for a lesser contract, Wang’s agent made it clear that he will be pursuing the rest of the league for any interested buyers.
Wang had previously made $5 million a year while in pinstripes and will likely be looking for a similar amount, if not a lot more. I can see the Yankees trying to resign him for less money because unless they make a large push for Halladay their starting rotation will be pretty weak on the bottom end. With Phil Hughes’ dominating presence out of the bullpen after the all-star break last season, I would be pushing for Hughes to be the permanent 8th inning man. Mo has a few years left in the tank and can mold Hughes into the future Sand Man. I know what you’re saying. “Hughes choked worst than the Bills in the Super Bowl during the postseason.” And I would say you’re right. The divisional series he pitched briefly but effectively. I think the stage of the ALCS and World Series got the better of him and the experience of last year will make him much more effective late in the 2010 postseason.
Joba Chamberlain looks like he would be the 4th starter with Gaudin and Mitre fighting for the 5th spot with the loser of that battle staying in the bullpen as a long-relief man. With the news of Wang as a free agent it seems unlikely he will go back to New York and try to find a larger contract, maybe in LA. Joe Torre wouldn’t hate that one bit. With Roy Halladay telling the Blue Jays they must trade him before Spring Training, I don’t think a deal will be finalized. The Blue Jays are going to ask for a boat load for Halladay, but why shouldn’t they? If the Yankees want him, they’ll wait till he is a free agent next year. The Angels and Mets have both seemed very interested and the Mets would be fine for me. Anywhere than with the Angels. I rather face Halladay 5 times during the year as a Blue Jay than even once in the playoffs as an Angel. With that rambling aside here is my prediction of the Yankees 2010 starting rotation: 1. CC Sabathia 2. A.J. Burnett 3. Andy Pettite 4. Joba Chamberlain 5. Chad Gaudin. Both Gaudin and Mitre would be capable 5 starters but my gut tells me Gaudin will win the position. His long relief appearances were a lot more impressive than Mitre’s.
What’s your starting 5? If you think I’m totally wrong, let me have it. If not, I’ll talk to you next week with more info on the Yankees offseason. Only 67 days till pitchers and catchers report to Tampa.

Some Thoughts On This Week's Signings

2009-12-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

By Karley Ziegler Mott

12.10.09

I've been paying close attention to the off-season and was thrilled when the Yankees resigned veteran pitcher Andy Pettitte to a one year, $11.75 million contract Wednesday morning. As a Pettitte fan for years, I am thrilled. If anyone had any questions about Pettitte's return last season, he clearly answered the naysayers by proving himself to be an invaluable member of the rotation during the playoffs. The 38 year old horse came through even on three days' rest during the World Series and helped the team clinch their 27th World Series. Pettitte had fun just playing the game and it showed. He's still got another great season left in him.

While the hoopla seems to be over the acquisition of Curtis Granderson, signing Pettitte for one more year will give the Yanks a greater return on their investment in the 2010 season. I'm not knocking Granderson. He is undoubtedly a good center fielder. Michael Kay will have plenty of chances to yell "See ya" while Granderson is hitting them out of the park at Yankee Stadium. He can't hit lefty pitchers, though. He's well under .200 when it comes to facing lefties. This could pose a problem.

While Granderson is known for being a class act--easy going and a true team player--that doesn't guarantee him being the right fit for this team. That will be great for the Yankees clubhouse, although the chemistry shared among the players this winning season was obvious--right down to the pies in the face. That said, New York is a different market than Detroit. How will he fare under the microscope with overwhelming expectations? I think it's going to take a good couple seasons for him to adjust.

Maybe it's just the fact that I still, in my hearts of hearts, compare each guy playing center to Bernie Williams in his prime. I may be proven wrong, but I'm thinking the Yankees are making a mistake. Is landing Granderson an upgrade over Melky Cabrera? At hitting homers, yes. Offensively, though, it's pretty much a wash. Cabrera also struck out much less than Granderson. I am eager to see how it all plays out.

Speaking of how things play out, I would like to see Johnny Damon back as DH this season. Yes, he's getting older. He can't be out there playing defense daily, but hitting is something he can do. If I had to choose, I'd keep Damon and sign him for a year and thank Matsui for his years of service and have him go off to the White Sox. So much of the Yankees success each season comes down to chemistry. The winning Yankees under Torre back in the last 90s had that special chemistry. They had it last year's championship season, too, and Damon played a key role in that. Yes, it's a business and players often seem expendable. One thing the higher ups have often failed to realize, though, is that when you chip away at that chemistry, you take away more from the team than just a smiling face. This was evident the past years when so many different personalities were pieced together without any thought to what the puzzle would look like in the end.

Next time I post, I'd like to take a deeper look at the Yankees starting rotation.

Granderson, Pettitte, Next?

2009-12-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

By Aaron Ebbs
12/9/2009

Hey guys and girls. This is my first post on this site previously I had my own blog Upstate Yankees. http://upstateyankees.blogspot.com/ Some of my off season coverage can be found on there. But all my new post will be found here.

Well we all know the Yankees have been very active at the winter meeting this week.

First we traded Brian Bruney to the Nationals for the first pick in the Rule 5 draft.

Then we traded Austin Jackson, Ian kennedy and Phil Coke as part of a three team trade to obtain Curtis Granderson.

Then Andy Pettitte resigned for 1 year at 11.75 mil. I would've preferred someone with a little more postseason experience but I guess Pettitte will have to do. :)

So whats next for the Yankees? Many fans are calling for Halladay, Or Holliday or even both. However I don't believe that's realistic.

Roy Halladay would more than likely cost us Montero and Hughes/Joba plus other prospects. I really do not think losing Jackson, Kennedy, Joba/Hughes, Montero would be best for the organization in the future.

Matt Holliday I guess is more realistic than Roy Halladay since it would'nt cost us any prospects. But Boras is looking for a Mark Teixeira type deal.

Another guy we have been linked to include John Lackey. Rumors say that we met with him today but we don't figure to be Strong suitors. I think he would be the best fit for this team because of his post season and big game expierience. But right now I see our rotation being Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Hughes, Joba and I am pleased with that.

So to answer my question as to what is next Im gonna say Damon or Matsui. They both want to be in New York so Im sure one of them will get there wish. Damon would be our left fielder and Matsui our DH. Heres what our starting 9 would look like with each of these guys IMO.

1. Jeter R SS
2. Damon L DH
3. Teixiera S 1B
4. Rodriguez R 3B
5. Granderson L CF
6. Posada S C
7. Cano L 2B
8. Swisher S LF
9. Melky S RF

1. Jeter R SS
2. Granderson L CF
3. Teixeira S 1B
4. Rodriguez R 3B
5. Matsui L DH
6. Posada S C
7. Cano L 2B
8. Swisher S LF
9. Melky S RF
Pretty Strong Either Way.

NY Yankees Schedule 2010| NY Yankees Scores 2010,Time,TV

2009-12-02T14:06:00.000-08:00

NY Yankees Schedule 2009
NY Yankees TV - Times, NY Yankees Scores 2010

NY Yankees Schedule October 2010| NY Yankees Scores,Time,TV

2009-12-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

New York Yankees Schedule 2010
April 2010
Time, TV, Location, NY Yankees Scores 2010

Friday, October 1
Yankees at Boston Red Sox
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Yankees at Boston Red Sox
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Yankees at Boston Red Sox
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NY Yankees Schedule April
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We will be updating the NY Yankees game times and tv schedule as soon as it is made available to the public.

NY Yankees Schedule September 2010|NY Yankees Scores,Time,TV

2009-12-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

New York Yankees Schedule 2010
September 2010
Time, TV, Location, NY Yankees Scores 2010

Wednesday, September 1

NY Yankees vs Oakland Athletics
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Thursday, September 2
NY Yankees vs Oakland Athletics
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Friday, September 3
NY Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
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Saturday, September 4
NY Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
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Sunday, September 5
NY Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
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Monday, September 6
NY Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles
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Tuesday, September 7
NY Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles
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Wednesday, September 8
NY Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles
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Friday, September 10
Yankees at Texas Rangers
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Saturday, September 11
Yankees at Texas Rangers
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Sunday, September 12
Yankees at Texas Rangers
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Monday, September 13
Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
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Tuesday, September 14
Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
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Wednesday, September 15
Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
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Friday, September 17

Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
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Saturday, September 18
Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
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Sunday, September 19
Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
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Monday, September 20
NY Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
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Tuesday, September 21
NY Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
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Wednesday, September 22
NY Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Thursday, September 23
NY Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Friday, September 24
NY Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Saturday, September 25
NY Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Sunday, September 26
NY Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Monday, September 27
Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 7:07 PM

Tuesday, September 28
Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 7:07 PM

Wednesday, September 29
Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 7:07 PM

We will be updating the NY Yankees game times and tv schedule as soon as it is made available to the public.

NY Yankees Schedule August 2010| NY Yankees Scores,Time,TV

2009-12-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

New York Yankees Schedule 2010
August 2010
Time, TV, Location, NY Yankees Scores 2010

Sunday, August 1
Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Monday, August 2
NY Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
Time: TBA

Tuesday, August 3
NY Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
Time: TBA

Wednesday, August 4
NY Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
Time: TBA

Friday, August 6
NY Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Saturday, August 7
NY Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Sunday, August 8
NY Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Monday, August 9
NY Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Tuesday, August 10
Yankees at Texas Rangers
Time: TBA

Wednesday, August 11
Yankees at Texas Rangers
Time: TBA

Thursday, August 12
Yankees at Kansas City Royals
Time: TBA

Friday, August 13
Yankees at Kansas City Royals
Time: TBA

Saturday, August 14
Yankees at Kansas City Royals
Time: TBA

Sunday, August 15
Yankees at Kansas City Royals
Time: TBA

Monday, August 16
NY Yankees vs Detroit Tigers
Time: TBA

Tuesday, August 17
NY Yankees vs Detroit Tigers
Time: TBA

Wednesday, August 18
NY Yankees vs Detroit Tigers
Time: TBA

Thursday, August 19
NY Yankees vs Detroit Tigers
Time: TBA

Friday, August 20
NY Yankees vs Seattle Mariners
Time: TBA

Saturday, August 21
NY Yankees vs Seattle Mariners
Time: TBA

Sunday, August 22
NY Yankees vs Seattle Mariners
Time: TBA

Monday, August 23
Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 7:07 PM

Tuesday, August 24
Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 7:07 PM

Wednesday, August 25
Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 7:07 PM

Friday, August 27
Yankees at White Sox
Time: TBA

Saturday, August 28
Yankees at White Sox
Time: TBA

Sunday, August 29
Yankees at White Sox
Time: TBA

Monday, August 30
NY Yankees vs Oakland Athletics
Time: TBA

Tuesday, August 31
NY Yankees vs Oakland Athletics
Time: TBA

We will be updating the NY Yankees game times and tv schedule as soon as it is made available to the public.

New York Yankees Schedule July 2010 Time, TV, Location, NY Yankees Scores 2010

2009-12-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

New York Yankees Schedule 2010
July 2010
Time, TV, Location, NY Yankees Scores 2010

Thursday, July 1
NY Yankees vs Seattle Mariners
Time: TBA

Friday, July 2
NY Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
Time: TBA

Saturday, July 3
NY Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
Time: TBA

Sunday, July 4
NY Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
Time: TBA

Monday, July 5
Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Time: TBA

Tuesday, July 6
Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Time: TBA

Wednesday, July 7
Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Time: TBA

Thursday, July 8
Yankees at Seattle Mariners
Time: 10:10 PM

Friday, July 9
Yankees at Seattle Mariners
Time: 10:10 PM

Saturday, July 10
Yankees at Seattle Mariners
Time: 10:10 PM

Sunday, July 11
Yankees at Seattle Mariners
Time: 4:10 PM

ALL STAR BREAK

Friday, July 16
NY Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Saturday, July 17
NY Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Sunday, July 18
NY Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Tuesday, July 20
NY Yankees vs LA Angels
Time: TBA

Wednesday, July 21
NY Yankees vs LA Angels
Time: TBA

Thursday, July 22
NY Yankees vs Kansas City Royals
Time: TBA

Friday, July 23
NY Yankees vs Kansas City Royals
Time: TBA

Saturday, July 24
NY Yankees vs Kansas City Royals
Time: TBA

Sunday, July 25
NY Yankees vs Kansas City Royals
Time: TBA

Monday, July 26
Yankees at Cleveland Indians
Time: TBA

Tuesday, July 27
Yankees at Cleveland Indians
Time: TBA

Wednesday, July 28
Yankees at Cleveland Indians
Time: TBA

Thursday, July 29
Yankees at Cleveland Indians
Time: TBA

Friday, July 30
Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Saturday, July 31
Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

We will be updating the NY Yankees game times and tv schedule as soon as it is made available to the public.

NY Yankees Schedule 2010 June| NY Yankees Scores,Time,TV

2009-12-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

New York Yankees Schedule 2010
May 2010
Time, TV, Location, NY Yankees Scores 2010

Tuesday, June 1
NY Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Wednesday, June 2
NY Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Thursday, June 3
NY Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Friday, June 4
Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 7:07 PM

Saturday, June 5
Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 1:07 PM

Sunday, June 6
Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 1:07 PM

Tuesday, June 8
Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Wednesday, June 9
Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Thursday, June 10
Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Friday, June 11
NY Yankees vs Houston Astros
Time: TBA

Saturday, June 12
NY Yankees vs Houston Astros
Time: TBA

Sunday, June 13
NY Yankees vs Houston Astros
Time: TBA

Tuesday, June 15
NY Yankees vs Philadelphia Phillies
Time: TBA

Wednesday, June 16
NY Yankees vs Philadelphia Phillies
Time: TBA

Thursday, June 17
NY Yankees vs Philadelphia Phillies
Time: TBA

Friday, June 18
NY Yankees vs NY Mets
Time: TBA

Saturday, June 19
NY Yankees vs NY Mets
Time: TBA

Sunday, June 20
NY Yankees vs NY Mets
Time: TBA

Monday, June 21
Yankees at Arizona Diamondbacks
Time: 9:40 PM

Tuesday, June 22
Yankees at Arizona Diamondbacks
Time: 9:40 PM

Wednesday, June 23
Yankees at Arizona Diamondbacks
Time: 9:40 PM

Friday, June 25
Yankees at LA Dodgers
Time: TBA

Saturday, June 26
Yankees at LA Dodgers
Time: TBA

Sunday, June 27
Yankees at LA Dodgers
Time: TBA

Tuesday, June 29
NY Yankees vs Seattle Mariners

Time: TBA

Wednesday, June 30
NY Yankees vs Seattle Mariners
Time: TBA

We will be updating the NY Yankees game times and tv schedule as soon as it is made available to the public.

NY Yankees Schedule 2010 May| NY Yankees Scores,Time,TV

2009-12-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

New York Yankees Schedule 2010
May 2010
Time, TV, Location, NY Yankees Scores 2010

Saturday, May 1
NY Yankees vs White Sox
Time: TBA

Sunday, May 2
NY Yankees vs White Sox
Time: TBA

Monday, May 3
NY Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Tuesday, May 4
NY Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Wednesday, May 5
NY Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Friday, May 7
Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Saturday, May 8
Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Sunday, May 9
Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Monday, May 10
Yankees at Detroit Tigers
Time: 7:05 PM

Tuesday, May 11
Yankees at Detroit Tigers
Time: 7:05 PM

Wednesday, May 12
Yankees at Detroit Tigers
Time: 7:05 PM

Thursday, May 13
Yankees at Detroit Tigers
Time: 1:05 PM

Friday, May 14
NY Yankees vs Minnesota Twins
Time: TBA

Saturday, May 15
NY Yankees vs Minnesota Twins
Time: TBA

Sunday, May 16
NY Yankees vs Minnesota Twins
Time: TBA

Monday, May 17
NY Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Tuesday, May 18
NY Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Wednesday, May 19
NY Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Thursday, May 20
NY Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Friday, May 21
Yankees at NY Mets
Time: 7:10 PM

Saturday, May 22
Yankees at NY Mets
Time: 1:10 PM

Sunday, May 23
Yankees at NY Mets
Time: 1:10 PM

Tuesday, May 25 @
Yankees at Minnesota Twins
Time: 8:10 PM

Wednesday, May 26
Yankees at Minnesota Twins
Time: 8:10 PM

Thursday, May 27
Yankees at Minnesota Twins
Time: 8:10 PM

Friday, May 28
NY Yankees vs Cleveland Indians
Time: TBA

Saturday, May 29
NY Yankees vs Cleveland Indians
Time: TBA

Sunday, May 30
NY Yankees vs Cleveland Indians
Time: TBA

Monday, May 31
NY Yankees vs Cleveland Indians
Time: TBA

We will be updating the NY Yankees game times and tv schedule as soon as it is made available to the public.

NY Yankees Schedule 2010 April| NY Yankees Scores,Time,TV

2009-12-01T12:31:00.000-08:00

New York Yankees Schedule 2010
April 2010
Time, TV, Location, NY Yankees Scores 2010

Monday, April 5
Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Wednesday, April 7
Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Thursday, April 8
Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Time: TBA

Friday, April 9
Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Saturday, April 10
Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Sunday, April 11
Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Time: TBA

Tuesday, April 13
NY Yankees vs LA Angels
Time: TBA

Wednesday, April 14
NY Yankees vs LA Angels
Time: TBA

Thursday, April 15
NY Yankees vs LA Angels
Time: TBA

Friday, April 16
NY Yankees vs Texas Rangers
Time: TBA

Saturday, April 17
NY Yankees vs Texas Rangers
Time: TBA

Sunday, April 18
NY Yankees vs Texas Rangers
Time: TBA

Tuesday, April 20
Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Time: TBA

Wednesday, April 21
Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Time: TBA

Thursday, April 22
Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Time: TBA

Friday, April 23
Yankees at LA Angels
Time: TBA

Saturday, April 24
Yankees at LA Angels
Time: TBA

Sunday, April 25
Yankees at LA Angels
Time: TBA

Tuesday, April 27
Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Wednesday, April 28
Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Thursday, April 29
Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
Time: TBA

Friday, April 30
NY Yankees vs White Sox
Time: TBA

We will be updating the NY Yankees game times and tv schedule as soon as it is made available to the public.

Ahhh, The World Series!

2009-11-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

By Jessica Kohler
11/5/09

The leaves are falling, the air is crisp, the bats are swinging, and the runs have been scored. Ahhh, the World Series is over. But there’s nothing better than the post season when the New York Yankees are involved. As a dedicated fan, I can honestly say, it’s been hard to watch the last handful of postseasons . The years of losses, sweeps, heartbreak, shakeups and breakups, at this point, we can all say that we longed for the Yankees of the late 1990’s. You know, the ones that won World Series. But all is well in the Land of New York, because the New York Yankees are back, and are World Series Champions.
But the ups and downs that we’ve been through over recent years is what makes it no surprise that the 2009 World Series have mirrored a rollercoaster ride that we Yankees fans have not wanted to be on. Bullpen drama, starters short on rest that can only make it through two to three innings, lack of hitting. I think I’m sick to my stomach, and we want to get off this ride and celebrate that it’s over!
Somewhere along the way this season, I stopped watching the games for the competition factor, and started watching to see what the Yankees did differently than other teams. It became quite clear, after the All-star break, that the Yankees were headed into the post season. I try to figure out why the 2009 Yankees were different than the Yankees of the past few years. It amazes me with that many players in and out of the lineup this season, the Yankees always seem to work as a well-oiled machine with only a few small kinks here or there. Over the course of the season, I noticed one thing specifically. No matter what the score, win or lose, the Yankees always know what they can change, or where they can try harder.
So now that we had one more chance to figure it out, we put Andy Pettitte on the mound. A Yankee for years, and at that, one that came back to New York after a hiatus from the American League, he’s a starter that I was happy to see pitch the Yankees to the Championship. Although he tends to get a little off when not pitching on full rest, I fully expected that between the atmosphere, the new stadium, the excitement, Andy would deliver what we are all looking for, with poise, confidence, and lots of strikes.
With Pettitte on the mound, delivering the way he should, we hoped that we see an increase in hitting activity. Sure, Posada played on short rest, but he’s definitely one of the tougher catchers that I’ve seen in the recent past. Swisher’s number’s have been at best dismal, but now that he’s restructured his stance, more hits seem to be coming. And we can’t forget the apparent Kings of the Postseason, Jeter and Rodriguez, who we can count on for at least a couple hits and some RBI’s thrown in there. I certainly wasn’t expecting Matsui to dig as deep as he did, but I think we are all certainly happy with what he brought to the ballpark last night! Of course, how can we forget the God of all closers, Mariano Riveria. Strike after strike, he shut the Phillies down. With run support, you could always count on Mo to maintain the lead. Let’s just be thankful that there are no more umpire calls like the handful of “Please can we redo?” that we saw in Philadelphia when we where back in New York.
So alas, the World Series is over. And we have won back in the Bronx where it belongs. Isn’t an amazing feeling? One where we are all breathing a bit easier today. All I can say it “Thank you New York”, for finally giving us the piece of action that we’ve been waiting for and making us 2009 World Series Champions!

We're Almost There

2009-11-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

By Dustin Racioppi

11/2/09

Well, you can almost taste No. 27.

After taking a commanding 3-1 lead over the Phillies Sunday night, the Yanks look like and are playing like champs. They're showing you grit and determination. No game is over with this team until the very last out and they proved that last night when they took a two out, ninth inning lead against Philly's up and down closer, Brad Lidge. Philly, on the other hand, showed you something different on Sunday night.

Once Johnny Damon sparked a three-run rally in the ninth inning to break the tie, the defending champions looked deflated. Mariano Rivera came in and made quick work of the Philly lineup. They were swinging at first pitches, almost fanning at them, to get the game over with. After playing so hard for the entire series, that bottom of the ninth for the Phillies was brutal.

But the series isn't over and you can't think too hard about bringing home championship hardware. Tonight's matchup is difficult, to say the least. A.J. Burnett goes up against Cy Young — er, Cliff Lee — on short rest in Philadelphia. Yes, A.J. put forth a masterful performance the other night with 1 run ball. And even if he gives you another great performance, it's hard to top Lee. The Yankee bats will really need to wake up. Y'know, maybe some of these guys could boost their average up to the interstate line.

Here's a few quick thoughts on the Sunday night game.

- Unless something big happens in this series, Johnny Damon has got to be your Yankee MVP, win lose or draw. He's been such a valuable piece to this team all year and Sunday night was no different. With two outs he put together a fantastic at-bat then followed it up with great base running when he stole second, then swiped third. His great baseball instincts and consistently clutch hitting more than makes up for that weak appendage that looks like an arm.

- Robinson Cano might be auditioning for another baseball team. I don't care how much talent he has, and he has a lot. It hasn't showed this postseason. When he should've dove for a ground ball last night, he didn't. When he strikes out, he smirks and waltzes back to the bench. He doesn't hustle. I don't know if anybody told him he's playing in the World Series, but if I were pushing the buttons in Yankeeland, the next World Series he ever saw again would be in a different uniform. And I'm saying this after being a staunch Cano supporter over the years, but he has lost me this postseason.

- Chase Utley is a gutsy player that looks like he wants to someday be considered for the Hall-of-Fame. And CC Sabathia should never pitch to him again.

- There can be no more criticism of Alex Rodriguez. He has showed you all year why he's the absolute best player in the game. Every hit he's gotten this postseason has been a big hit. Sure, he's got a batting average of somewhere around .100, but it's a meaningful .100

- If I have to endure Fox zooming in on Andy Pettite as he stares into Jorge Posada through the slit between the brim of his hat and the tip of his glove, I might just have to shut off the TV and listen to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Yes, it is that bad.

- I can already hear the Philly fans chirping about the Yankees' large payroll and how they buy their wins. If ever there were a more bogus argument these days. As we know, the Yanks have spent the most they have in the last eight years and yet have nothing to show for it. Buying big players doesn't equate to wins and championships. And it's not as if Philly really has any room to squawk about spending habits. Here's the list of 2009 payrolls, from USAToday:

Team	2009 payroll
New York Yankees	$201,449,189
New York Mets	$149,373,987
Chicago Cubs	$134,809,000
Boston Red Sox	$121,745,999
Detroit Tigers	$115,085,145
Los Angeles Angels	$113,709,00
Philadelphia Phillies	$113,004,046
Houston Astros	$102,996,414
Los Angeles Dodgers	$100,414,592
Seattle Mariners	$98,904,166
Atlanta Braves	$96,726,166
Chicago White Sox	$96,068,500
San Francisco Giants	$82,616,450
Cleveland Indians	$81,579,166
Toronto Blue Jays	$80,538,300
Milwaukee Brewers	$80,182,502
St. Louis Cardinals	$77,605,109
Colorado Rockies	$75,201,000
Cincinnati Reds	$73,558,500
Arizona Diamondbacks	$73,516,666
Kansas City Royals	$70,519,333
Texas Rangers	$68,178,798
Baltimore Orioles	$67,101,666
Minnesota Twins	$65,299,266
Tampa Bay Rays	$63,313,034
Oakland Athletics	$62,310,000
Washington Nationals	$60,328,000
Pittsburgh Pirates	$48,693,000
San Diego Padres	$43,734,200
Florida Marlins	$36,834,000

Now let's go get No. 27.

Give 'Em Their Due

2009-10-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

By Dustin Racioppi

10/30/09

This Yanks-Phils World Series was billed a veritable slugfest by most of the media. And maybe it will be. But two games in we haven't seen any of that. What we have seen is top-notch pitching from some of the premier throwers in baseball.

We know the lines: CC Sabathia gave a gutsy, two-run performance Wednesday night but was out-dueled by an absolutely superb Cliff Lee, who actually looked like Bob Gibson for the opening game. Then Thursday night the Jekyll-Hyde of the Bronx, A.J. Burnett, showed fans that when he's right, he's got some of the most electric and dominating stuff in the game.

Then there's Pedro Martinez, who this post is all about.

As a disclaimer, I am not a Pedro Martinez fan. He's done some bad things to the Yankees in the past and he's one of the most hated opponents of the Bombers. There's no denying that. But what you cannot deny is his spectacular performance at Yankee Stadium in game two.

And the Yankee fans were disappointing at best when he walked off the mound for perhaps the last time at the stadium.

Pedro doesn't have his laser fastball anymore. He's in no way the dominating, Hall-Of-Fame pitcher that he has been in the past. The guy is coming off a year-long layoff due to surgery and is playing with house money with Philadelphia. The fact that he's on this level competing is pretty damn impressive.

And yet, he showed the world Thursday night that he can get by quite well with an 88-mph fastball. Mix in a knee-buckling curveball and keen baseball smarts and what you get is what you got. Pedro had the Yankee lineup completely off balance, and he did it all with a craftiness that you don't see in many pitchers. Prior to the game Charlie Manuel was lambasted for putting No. 45 in for game two. The thought was that Pedro couldn't do it anymore, that he'd get blasted with that short porch and the Yankee fans would break him. The latter couldn't be further from the truth.

But for the Yankee fans to go out of their way and boo and jeer Pedro as he walked off the mound Thursday night, after 7 strong innings beguiling the Bombers' lethal lineup, was bordering on shameful. In fact, it was something you'd expect from Phillies fans. And that's never a good thing.

Point is, give the guy his due. It may be his last time on the mound in Yankee Stadium. The Yankees had the lead. There was no point in rubbing it in.

The past is the past with Pedro. If you have any appreciation for the game of baseball, you are not standing up to throw salt in the wound of a pitcher who has dominated the game for so long. You don't have to applaud or throw the guy a parade. After all, he is an arch rival. But it doesn't hurt to just tip your hat for what was, in the end, a respectable pitching performance from a legendary figure.

The Yankees Will Win The World Series

2009-10-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

By Keith Cousin
10/28/09

OK, OK, so the Bronx Bombers didn’t sweep the Angels; but they should have. I don’t want to go into all the reasons Joe Girardi was his own worst enemy in at least one of those Yankees’ losses. No hard feelings, they still won the American League title, 4-2.

So, without further delay, and without going into too many details or supporting research, I will now offer a World Series prediction. The Yankees will win. I’m thinking it’ll take six games at the most (probably less but I’m hedging due to my last prediction). Here’s why:

1. Three is enough. The Yankees have three top flight pitchers, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte, for crunch time performing (all you need in the Championships) and no one is throwing better than CC. After Cliff Lee, the Phillies have Pedro Martinez, who is far from his old self.

2. The offense will be less offensive. The Yankees have hardly hit lately. Wait until Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher and Hideki Matsui really swing the bats with authority. Yankee pitching can walk Ryan Howard and take their chances with Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth.

3. YANKEES spells relief. New York has a far superior bullpen including arguably the greatest closer in baseball history, Mariano Rivera. The 8th inning duties are well-handled by Phil Coke and Phil Hughes. The Phillies have Brad Lidge, who has struggled all season.

So, with these points taken into consideration, the Yankees will win the World Series. They are a team of destiny and resistance is futile (geeky Star Trek reference). Yes, the Borg (another geeky Star Trek reference) of the American League will crush all in its path on route to its 27th World Championship Title. Of course, it shouldn’t be called the “World Series” anyway because it certainly doesn’t include teams from all over the world, but that’s a different argument for a future time.

The Yankees Will Sweep The Angels

2009-10-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Keith Cousin
Oct 17, 2009

As I observed last night’s ALCS, I came to the realization I was watching two completely different ball clubs. On the one side, the Yankees looked like a team of destiny. Expressions on each of their faces showed poise, confidence, unwavering concentration, and yes, cockiness. CC Sabathia (8 IP, 4 hits, 7 strikeouts) attacked the strike zone mercilessly. The offense was aggressive and opportunistic. The Bombers are reaping the benefits of that successful off-season spending binge (acquiring Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia), and in my opinion, will win their MLB leading 27th World Series Championship.

On the other side, the Angels looked tentative, confused, and just plain cold (temperature in the mid-40’s, windy and drizzling at game time). I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pop-up in the infield drop between the shortstop and third baseman in a meaningful contest like I witnessed in the first inning of this game, when the ball fell between Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins allowing a run to score. Speaking of Figgins, another 0 for 4 on the stat sheet dowsed all hopes of him becoming a reliable postseason table-setter. Chone’s always been a streaky hitter, but he’s currently 0 for 16 in the postseason and playing like a deer in the headlights. Los Angeles is a team that needs to rely on speed, hit and run, aggressive base running, and fundamentals. I saw no evidence of any of these things in the first game, especially when Vlad Guerrero gave his best home run trot (maybe that’s how he runs these days) to a ball that didn’t even leave the field of play. Now that’s embarrassing!

The bottom line, Yankee fans should bring their Snuggie (now with cool designs) to the stadium to bundle up like Kate Hudson watching AROD’s every move, and if Mike Scioscia’s team doesn’t show more spunk, those fans should bring their ShamWow on a broomstick as well.

I believe The Yankees will sweep this series. Of course, I could be writing something completely different tomorrow. Baseball is unpredictable.

Let The Real Season Begin

2009-10-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

By Dustin Racioppi

10/4/09

The Yankees exited the 2009 season with a bang on Sunday by trouncing the Tampa Bay Rays 10-2. All 10 runs were scored in the sixth. Seven of them from New York's No. 1 drama king, Alex Rodriguez, who hit a three-run homer AND a grand slam in that inning to not only set a record for RBI in a single inning but they also put Mr. Rod into familiar territory — another 30 HR and 100 RBI season. It's the 13th year he's done that.

But who cares about any of that? The post season begins in earnest on Wednesday night. The mystery as of Sunday was who the Yanks would be playing, the Tigers or Twins.

Wednesday night is when the Yankees' real season begins. Considering the franchise dumped a small country's worth of money into talent in the off season, the last 162 games have merely been a formality. Nothing matters if the Yanks don't show up in October. Meaning they cannot exit quickly in the first round, a la 2007. By their standards, and fans', the Yankee dance card for 2009 is full and ends with a final tango with a National League team.

Sidenote on the 2009 regular season:

Joba Chamberlain ended the season where he should have started it — in the bullpen.

After the Yankee brass castrated Joba with all its rules, regulations, counts and curfews that resulted in an all-around lukewarm season for the young hurler, he returned to where I believe his best use is on Sunday night. He pulled out the old Joba tricks in his inning of work, by hitting the mid-90s on the radar gun and dominating his opponents. I believe we all saw the train wreck that was Joba The Starter, and I hope that this move to the pen is a sign that Yankee management has pulled their heads from their collective back ends. Put him in the pen and keep him there in 2010.

In the meantime, here's hoping for serious October baseball.

May The Best (Running) Team Win

2009-09-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

By Dustin Racioppi

9/26/09

There are amazing things happening with the Yankees right now that fans haven't seen in years — a small ball running game to complement their powerhouse lineup and a series win over their bete noir, The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Alex Rodriguez and the Yanks terrorized and humiliated Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek last night by swiping seven — yep, seven — bases on him. Mr. Rod had three of those. What hip problem? (King Emmanual also went off for a home run and four RBI in the 14-hit attack.)

Even more amazing than beating the Sawks at the Stadium to bring the AL East title magic number to two, is that the Yankees just returned from a West Coast trip that included a series win against those pesky Angels. And it seems the Bombers took a page from the Halo's winning playbook by being aggressive on the base paths. That just doesn't happen with the slugging Yankees. But this year is different. We've got Brett Gardner who may be one the most dangerous late game threats to any team in the league. He gets on base and if he doesn't steal the base outright, he scares you enough to give him the base he wants (See: Mike Napoli's throw to third baseman Chone Figgins. It went to left field and Gardner scored on a stolen base attempt).

This running game the Yankees are showing is just another wrinkle in their plan to beat teams. They have the power in their lineup that may be the best in baseball (Phillies may rival), and it gives fans a good feeling heading into the postseason.

If we could just get this whole pitching thing straightened out. Sure, the atrocious duo of A.J. Burnett and Joba Chamberlain reversed course in their respective last starts, but can we see a couple more of those before we start naming the first round starting rotation? Both of these guys have been flat out bad lately. Ok, for a long time. In a short series there's no room for error.

It's going to take all three of these weapons the Yankees have — power, great base running and solid pitching — to get deep into October. All three have shown up in the last few days. Let's hope the trend continues, because if it does, Joe Girardi might have to change his number to 28 next year.

A Sticky Situation in the Bronx

2009-09-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

By Dustin Racioppi

9/15/09

Alright, the Yankees are making the playoffs. They can kind of glide into the post season care-free and lighthearted and fans/bloggers don't necessarily need to ride the team so hard for the next couple of weeks. But still, there are other important matters at hand in Yankeeland. Namely, the grounds crew and Alex Rodriguez.

I don't know if he has a vendetta against the crew or simply has a serious oral fixation, but as a relative of mine has noticed and since passed on to me, Mr. Rod still doesn't know where the garbage cans in the new Yankee Stadium are.

He has this habit between almost every inning where he takes this slobbered mass of pink matter, comprised of at least five or six pieces of synthetic rubber (or gum) from his pie hole, and throws it on the Stadium's fine Kentucky bluegrass. When the Yanks notch a win, take notice, he has a special gum flip where he pops it out of his mouth and into the air, then whacks it away just before he starts shaking his drooly hands with his teammates. Tally it up, that's a lot of Bazooka Joe on the Yankee grass by the end of a game. We're talking legions, folks.

So, no, I wouldn't want to be on the Yankee grounds crew.

Now I don't know what kind of a pain gum in the grass can be for the green thumbs of Yankee Stadium. I'm guessing somewhere on the gum-on-the-bottom-of-the-shoe and gum-in-the-hair-scale, it's somewhere in between.

Alex has a documented infatuation with himself — er, I mean, bubblegum. Just check out this New York Times story describing Alex when he spoke at his alma mater. And there's plenty of pictures on the Internet or from past newspaper stories of him blowing a large pink bubble. Like many baseball players do. But I don't think I've ever seen such ritualistic and egregious littering from another baseball player.

On the other hand, I haven't heard any bizarro comments from Alex and his season has been foible-free to this point. Maybe the gum ritual is doing something that translates into good PR.

I think anybody in the Yankee organization — grounds crew included — will take that.