Phil Hughes looked good in his first live batting practice session of the spring according to the LoHud Yankees blog. Pete Abe rights about Hughes:
Hughes was, in a word, terrific. He made Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu and Francisco Cervelli look foolish at times. He got Abreu to swing and miss at a curveball and had Damon fouling balls off the other way, a sign of how late his swing was. Jeter only swung at 3 of the 10 pitches he saw and fouled all of them off.
Now, keep in mind, the hitters have been facing live pitching for four days and Hughes started throwing off a mound in Tampa in mid January. But what was encouraging is the confidence with which Hughes threw his curveball.
That was the pitch he was throwing when he blew out his hamstring in Texas last May. For Hughes to throw the curve the way he wants, he has to follow through with his body and “snap” the pitch off. Without confidence that your legs will hold up, it’s a hard pitch to throw.
As he said later on, he never had his true curveball last year after the injury. Now it’s back.
Hughes is working out with Pettitte six days a week and has dropped 10 pounds since last season. You can never say never, but all the work he has done should help him avoid leg injuries.
I know it’s Feb. 25. But if you’re a Yankees fan you should be just as excited about Hughes as you are Joba Chamberlain. Phil Franchise is the real deal.
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A few notes:
The AP reports that Cashman and Hank Steinbrenner will talk about an extension at some point this season ... In addition, Hank brought up several topics in a lunchtime interview ... Also in the report, Mo will be on his own schedule regarding throwing in the spring, Girardi said "He won't work in the first couple of games, we'll get him going, but there's no rush like it's been every spring. We know what Mo is going to give us." ... In this post by Pete Abe, in the coments section, from a fan who must have been there, said the Girardi played long toss with Pavano ... Yahoo Sports Jeff Passan had this story on Kyle Kenderick of Philadelphia who was punked in the first wee of spring training ... Yankees.com had a story on Posada.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Oscar Notes Edition
A few notes, while the Oscars play in the background.
Yankees stuff first: CMW and Joba each threw 40 pitches, split into two segments, during their second batting practice session on Sunday according to the AP ... Also Joba will start against South Florida, then Ian Kennedy, along with Phil Hughes and Kei Igawa ... Interesting Tino Martinez is a volunteer coach for USF ... Tyler Kepner of the Times had this note there are 28 right handed pitchers in camp ... Also LaTroy Hawkins (who is a big Joba fan) is also a big college basketball fan and was talking about the Memphis-Tennessee game last night ... This is interesting ... Mike Mussina put a poster of a window looking out side, and the clubbie, here is a picture of it from Phil Hughes ... He also previews something he has cooked up with Peter Abraham ... Wonder what it could be?
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Also college baseball started this past weekend, and I am glad to here the ping of the bat once again. Being in and around the biz for a little bit, it's good to get outside and hit the diamond ... Plus in two weeks I get to go south and get away from the cold of the northeast. Once we get going a little bit I will post some links on the news of the day from the college ranks. Who knows there could be another Joba in those stories.
Yankees stuff first: CMW and Joba each threw 40 pitches, split into two segments, during their second batting practice session on Sunday according to the AP ... Also Joba will start against South Florida, then Ian Kennedy, along with Phil Hughes and Kei Igawa ... Interesting Tino Martinez is a volunteer coach for USF ... Tyler Kepner of the Times had this note there are 28 right handed pitchers in camp ... Also LaTroy Hawkins (who is a big Joba fan) is also a big college basketball fan and was talking about the Memphis-Tennessee game last night ... This is interesting ... Mike Mussina put a poster of a window looking out side, and the clubbie, here is a picture of it from Phil Hughes ... He also previews something he has cooked up with Peter Abraham ... Wonder what it could be?
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Also college baseball started this past weekend, and I am glad to here the ping of the bat once again. Being in and around the biz for a little bit, it's good to get outside and hit the diamond ... Plus in two weeks I get to go south and get away from the cold of the northeast. Once we get going a little bit I will post some links on the news of the day from the college ranks. Who knows there could be another Joba in those stories.
Lined Up
According to the venerable Peter Abraham of the Journal News. Chien-Ming Wang looks be the opening day starter as Joe Girardi announced his pitching rotation for the start of games ... Mike Mussina will go against Jeff Karstens in the intrasquad game on Wednesday. Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain will go against South Florida on Friday, and CMW will go against the Phillies on Saturday ... As Pete Abe notes; Of course he was lined up to start Opening Day last year and pulled a hamstring. "I better get a good stretch everyday," Wang said when told of Girardi's plans.
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While the Yankees had everybody in camp from the start, the media were down a beat writer, as Tyler Kepner from the Times stayed up north while his wife had the couple's fourth child. He returns to the beat on Sunday. In it he posted a few questions, and one that I forgot. The Yankees will be playing at Virginia Tech as part of spring training at Tech.
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Brian Bruney has come to camp slimmer and a better attitude according to several reports ... Chad Jennings has this report about an encounter with him last season.
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The Sporting News provided this update ... In the notes section the AP reports that ARod participated in all drills and took extra BP, one day after cutting back on his swings due to a sore neck. ARod said he slept wrong on Thursday, but felt better on Saturday ... From the oh god department Manny hired Boras as an agent ... The Bombers Beat had a recap of how much the Yankees are running.
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While the Yankees had everybody in camp from the start, the media were down a beat writer, as Tyler Kepner from the Times stayed up north while his wife had the couple's fourth child. He returns to the beat on Sunday. In it he posted a few questions, and one that I forgot. The Yankees will be playing at Virginia Tech as part of spring training at Tech.
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Brian Bruney has come to camp slimmer and a better attitude according to several reports ... Chad Jennings has this report about an encounter with him last season.
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The Sporting News provided this update ... In the notes section the AP reports that ARod participated in all drills and took extra BP, one day after cutting back on his swings due to a sore neck. ARod said he slept wrong on Thursday, but felt better on Saturday ... From the oh god department Manny hired Boras as an agent ... The Bombers Beat had a recap of how much the Yankees are running.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Swinging Away On A Snowy Day
The first live batting practice session of the season takes place today ... It'll be cool to see how the hitters do against Joba, I'm sure a few would like to get their hacks in against him ... Others might not be all that willing to do so ... Usually the pitchers are ahead at this point, anyways.
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ARod said yesterday that Jeter will win the MVP, and Abreau will have a big year too ... A typical Jeter response that Peter Abraham of the Journal News had was "I'd rather win the Series. In that post, Jeter also explained that he worked on his speed and quickness in the off-season.
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This was an interesting post from Chad Jennings from the SWB Yankees blog, on Baseball America's look at the non-roster invitees.
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A few tidbits, Phil Hughes has a blog it's fairly up-to-date ... In addition, Sweeny Murti had an update on a whole host of topics ... The LoHud Yankees Blog had an update on how the live batting practice went ... Also Mussina let's the world in on the new training program for the Yankee pitchers “Tomorrow they’re going to take us to the airport to pull jets with out teeth.”
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ARod said yesterday that Jeter will win the MVP, and Abreau will have a big year too ... A typical Jeter response that Peter Abraham of the Journal News had was "I'd rather win the Series. In that post, Jeter also explained that he worked on his speed and quickness in the off-season.
----
This was an interesting post from Chad Jennings from the SWB Yankees blog, on Baseball America's look at the non-roster invitees.
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A few tidbits, Phil Hughes has a blog it's fairly up-to-date ... In addition, Sweeny Murti had an update on a whole host of topics ... The LoHud Yankees Blog had an update on how the live batting practice went ... Also Mussina let's the world in on the new training program for the Yankee pitchers “Tomorrow they’re going to take us to the airport to pull jets with out teeth.”
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A Few More
Damon is happy Melky is in center ... Jason has the inside track at first ... Now that Castro has stepped down, a young Yankee hopes to see his family ... Nice feature on Mel Stottlemyre .
Sights of Spring
Dude I was just kiddin' about retiring
Eric Straton rush chairman, damn glad to meet ya!Photos by REUTERS/Scott Audette, captions by me
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…And there off and running (literally)
First full practice today for the Yankees, and according to Peter Abraham of the Journal News there were doing some running. Jeter had a good quote too. Also, even though Girardi is going to be tougher, as it seems, the running has to do with the new strength and conditioning coach, and the longer runs will help the players get their legs under them unlike the shorter sprints that did last year, which was why half the team had a leg issue coming out of spring training.
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Damon was ready to throw in the towel? SI had a report.
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A few notes from the Bombers Beat blog: Andy Pettitte threw 45 pitches in a bullpen session and says he can feel his legs a bit weaker than usual, thanks to those trips back and forth from Washington D.C. He's not worried about catching up ... OF prospect Austin Jackson is the first caualty of camp, suffering from back spasms. He's expected to return to action on Thursday.
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Kat O'Brien of Newsday had some notes on the first full-squad workout ... In it, Kyle Farnsworth's staph infection was real serious.
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In other baseball news, Jeremy Brown, who played five games for the A's retired last week. Who is Jeremy Brown you ask, he was one of the players the A's drafted and was featured in Moneyball. The venerable Murrary Chass had the story.
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This is great.
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Saw this on the ESPN Spring Training Blog.
According to Andrew Marchand, of 1050 ESPN Radio,
CASHMAN'S JOB NOT ON THE LINE IN '08 (12:49 p.m. ET)Hank Steinbrenner said Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., that Yankees GM Brian Cashman's job is not on the line this season, even though he has hinted at that in several of his comments this spring because of Cashman's decision not to pursue Johan Santana.
Steinbrenner declined to say how he plans on judging Cashman's performance this season. Cashman is in the final year of his contract.
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Joe Torre talked with Pettitte after he spoke to the media on Monday ... Oh and here is ARod being ARod again.
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Damon was ready to throw in the towel? SI had a report.
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A few notes from the Bombers Beat blog: Andy Pettitte threw 45 pitches in a bullpen session and says he can feel his legs a bit weaker than usual, thanks to those trips back and forth from Washington D.C. He's not worried about catching up ... OF prospect Austin Jackson is the first caualty of camp, suffering from back spasms. He's expected to return to action on Thursday.
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Kat O'Brien of Newsday had some notes on the first full-squad workout ... In it, Kyle Farnsworth's staph infection was real serious.
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In other baseball news, Jeremy Brown, who played five games for the A's retired last week. Who is Jeremy Brown you ask, he was one of the players the A's drafted and was featured in Moneyball. The venerable Murrary Chass had the story.
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This is great.
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Saw this on the ESPN Spring Training Blog.
According to Andrew Marchand, of 1050 ESPN Radio,
CASHMAN'S JOB NOT ON THE LINE IN '08 (12:49 p.m. ET)Hank Steinbrenner said Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., that Yankees GM Brian Cashman's job is not on the line this season, even though he has hinted at that in several of his comments this spring because of Cashman's decision not to pursue Johan Santana.
Steinbrenner declined to say how he plans on judging Cashman's performance this season. Cashman is in the final year of his contract.
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Joe Torre talked with Pettitte after he spoke to the media on Monday ... Oh and here is ARod being ARod again.
Friday, February 15, 2008
'Anyone can understand the way I feel'
Had some stuff come up witht the gig, and that has taken me away from things as we get set to begin the season. Anyways most of what is coming out of spring training with the Yankees is reaction to the Clemens hearing ... As expected most of the players are backing Rocket, and Posada spoke to the media, Peter Abraham had some audio on Posada ... Mike Mussina also spoke to the media on Thursday, according to the AP ... Also, Phil Hughes is happy to be a Yankee, as Mark Feinsand of the Daily News reports ... Yankees.com had a story on the three young pitchers.
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Sorry it's so short, but it's that time of the year ... Will try to update at some point over the weekend, more likely Sunday. But, here is a little bit of iPod karma from this morning as I was driving in under a dark grey sky in the Northeast.
Centerfield
John Fogarty
Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We're born again, there's new grass on the field.
A-roundin' third, and headed for home, it's a brown-eyed handsome man;
Anyone can understand the way i feel.
Chorus:
Oh, put me in, coach - i'm ready to play today;
Put me in, coach - i'm ready to play today;
Look at me, i can be centerfield.
Well, i spent some time in the mudville nine, watchin' it from the bench;
You know i took some lumps when the mighty casey struck out.
So say hey willie, tell ty cobb and joe dimaggio;
Don't say "it ain't so", you know the time is now.
Chorus
Yeah! i got it, i got it!
Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know i think it's time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all - a moment in the sun;
(pop) it's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!
Chorus
Chorus
Yeah!
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Sorry it's so short, but it's that time of the year ... Will try to update at some point over the weekend, more likely Sunday. But, here is a little bit of iPod karma from this morning as I was driving in under a dark grey sky in the Northeast.
Centerfield
John Fogarty
Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We're born again, there's new grass on the field.
A-roundin' third, and headed for home, it's a brown-eyed handsome man;
Anyone can understand the way i feel.
Chorus:
Oh, put me in, coach - i'm ready to play today;
Put me in, coach - i'm ready to play today;
Look at me, i can be centerfield.
Well, i spent some time in the mudville nine, watchin' it from the bench;
You know i took some lumps when the mighty casey struck out.
So say hey willie, tell ty cobb and joe dimaggio;
Don't say "it ain't so", you know the time is now.
Chorus
Yeah! i got it, i got it!
Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know i think it's time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all - a moment in the sun;
(pop) it's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!
Chorus
Chorus
Yeah!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Spring Is Here!
Spring is here, while it may be freezing outside, down in Florida this are starting to heat up. Also starting to heat up is the talks in Washington on Wednesday, as new developments has Roger Clemens and his former trainer, as the only ones who will be interviewed. While the former Mets clubbie, Andy Pettitte, and Chuck Knoblock, were deposed, they will not have to testify. And on Sunday, Rocket will enter a steal cage at a WWE pay-per-view against his former trainer, just think of the storylines in that one.
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Well that is enough of the off the field stuff, a few items came out today on the field ... It appears that Joba will prepare with the starters in the early portion of spring training, although he is not focused on starting the season in either role ... On Monday, he threw 45 pitches off the mound ... Also in the same piece, Posada has claimed that the Red Sox are the front runners
"They won. Now, it's up to us to take that away," Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said. "They've done things right. They're a good group of guys. They've got some youngsters that played good toward the end of the season. Obviously, they are the defending champions. There's no question, we are following them."
Jeter, Posada, Shelley Duncan, and Chris Woodward took BP today, and during one of his rounds, Posada got cut, on his right leg, when he was hit by a piece of a broken bat, however it wasn't bad, as he got a new bat, and continued his round of BP.
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Yahoo Sports had in their team report of the Yankees the top candidate to surprise and disappoint for a spot as a setup man for Mariano Rivera ... First to surprise, is RHP Jonathan Albaladejo, 25, who came over in a trade from the Nationals ... Can make a deep impression in a bullpen where roles haven't been defined. A hard-throwing, 6-foot-5, 250-pounder, Albaladejo posted a 1.88 ERA in 14 games last year, with an impressive 12 strikeouts and two walks in 14 1/3 innings. And the candidate to disappoint is, and I know this may be shocking, RHP Kyle Farnsworth enters his third year with the Yanks with an expectation of being a reliable bridge to closer Mariano Rivera (since Joba Chamberlain is expected to be in the rotation). However, Farnsworth is prone to surrendering homers (nine HR in 60 IP) and has dealt with back ailments that have often limited him to one-inning stints that are not on consecutive days.
Here are some notes from that report as well:
• INF Chris Woodward, 31, was invited to big-league spring training camp on a minor league contract. The veteran, who played all four infield positions last year with Atlanta, joins a mix of right-handed candidates for a reserve spot. He also plays the outfield and batted .199 last year with a homer and eight RBI.
• INF Eduardo Nunez, 19, will appear in major league spring training as a non-roster invitee. A starting shortstop in the 2007 Class A South Atlantic League All-Star Game, Nunez hit .238 with 10 doubles, two triples, one homer, 28 RBI and 20 steals in 91 games.
• 1B/OF Shelley Duncan could play himself prominently into the mix at first base in the Yankees' left-leaning lineup. Duncan's ascension might reduce 1B Jason Giambi to more of a pinch-hitting/designated hitter role, but the club believes the 27-year-old power hitter can be more than adequate defensively. He hit seven homers in 74 at-bats with the Yanks in '07.
• RHP Edwar Ramirez, 26, has a chance to impact the club's bullpen this year. His changeup can be devastating, but he needs increased innings to be more effective. Equally spotty and brilliant at times last year, Ramirez still recorded 31 strikeouts in 21 big-league innings.
• 3B Alex Rodriguez might need another huge April to completely win back the fans after he originally opted out of his contract last year and refused an initial invitation to speak with Yankees executives about an extension. Last year, A-Rod kicked off his MVP season with a .355 average, 14 home runs and 34 RBI in 93 April at-bats.
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Peter Abraham of the Journal News had a list of questions/topics for the Yankees as they begin spring training ... Also nice piece by Anthony McCarron of the Daily News on pitching coach Dave Eiland, more than likely with the three young arms playing a major role this season it made sense, bringing in someone who went through the minors with them, and understands what they are made of.
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Bad night for basketball refs, Nova got screwed on the men's side, and Rutgers on the women's side got hosed as well.
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Well that is enough of the off the field stuff, a few items came out today on the field ... It appears that Joba will prepare with the starters in the early portion of spring training, although he is not focused on starting the season in either role ... On Monday, he threw 45 pitches off the mound ... Also in the same piece, Posada has claimed that the Red Sox are the front runners
"They won. Now, it's up to us to take that away," Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said. "They've done things right. They're a good group of guys. They've got some youngsters that played good toward the end of the season. Obviously, they are the defending champions. There's no question, we are following them."
Jeter, Posada, Shelley Duncan, and Chris Woodward took BP today, and during one of his rounds, Posada got cut, on his right leg, when he was hit by a piece of a broken bat, however it wasn't bad, as he got a new bat, and continued his round of BP.
----
Yahoo Sports had in their team report of the Yankees the top candidate to surprise and disappoint for a spot as a setup man for Mariano Rivera ... First to surprise, is RHP Jonathan Albaladejo, 25, who came over in a trade from the Nationals ... Can make a deep impression in a bullpen where roles haven't been defined. A hard-throwing, 6-foot-5, 250-pounder, Albaladejo posted a 1.88 ERA in 14 games last year, with an impressive 12 strikeouts and two walks in 14 1/3 innings. And the candidate to disappoint is, and I know this may be shocking, RHP Kyle Farnsworth enters his third year with the Yanks with an expectation of being a reliable bridge to closer Mariano Rivera (since Joba Chamberlain is expected to be in the rotation). However, Farnsworth is prone to surrendering homers (nine HR in 60 IP) and has dealt with back ailments that have often limited him to one-inning stints that are not on consecutive days.
Here are some notes from that report as well:
• INF Chris Woodward, 31, was invited to big-league spring training camp on a minor league contract. The veteran, who played all four infield positions last year with Atlanta, joins a mix of right-handed candidates for a reserve spot. He also plays the outfield and batted .199 last year with a homer and eight RBI.
• INF Eduardo Nunez, 19, will appear in major league spring training as a non-roster invitee. A starting shortstop in the 2007 Class A South Atlantic League All-Star Game, Nunez hit .238 with 10 doubles, two triples, one homer, 28 RBI and 20 steals in 91 games.
• 1B/OF Shelley Duncan could play himself prominently into the mix at first base in the Yankees' left-leaning lineup. Duncan's ascension might reduce 1B Jason Giambi to more of a pinch-hitting/designated hitter role, but the club believes the 27-year-old power hitter can be more than adequate defensively. He hit seven homers in 74 at-bats with the Yanks in '07.
• RHP Edwar Ramirez, 26, has a chance to impact the club's bullpen this year. His changeup can be devastating, but he needs increased innings to be more effective. Equally spotty and brilliant at times last year, Ramirez still recorded 31 strikeouts in 21 big-league innings.
• 3B Alex Rodriguez might need another huge April to completely win back the fans after he originally opted out of his contract last year and refused an initial invitation to speak with Yankees executives about an extension. Last year, A-Rod kicked off his MVP season with a .355 average, 14 home runs and 34 RBI in 93 April at-bats.
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Peter Abraham of the Journal News had a list of questions/topics for the Yankees as they begin spring training ... Also nice piece by Anthony McCarron of the Daily News on pitching coach Dave Eiland, more than likely with the three young arms playing a major role this season it made sense, bringing in someone who went through the minors with them, and understands what they are made of.
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Bad night for basketball refs, Nova got screwed on the men's side, and Rutgers on the women's side got hosed as well.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Gettin' Ready
Well, here we are on the verge of camps opening up. Football season is over, and while college basketball will be heating up in the next couple of weeks, there seems to be baseball in the air. At least that is how I see it. I'm ready for the season to begin, I've had enough of winter. Pitchers and catchers are set to begin on February 14.
The Sporting News ranked the catchers for each team in both the American and National Leagues. The Yankees tandem of Jorge Posada and Jose Molina were picked third behind Minnesota and Cleveland.
Here is what they had to say Posada led major league catchers in batting average (.342) and on-base percentage (.426) in 2007. He has always been a little rough on defense and allowed 13 passed balls last season.
I think the Yankees are going to benefit from having Molina as a capable backup to Posada this year. It will give them a chance to give Posada a day off without having to deal with the dropoff.
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Carl Pavano arrived at camp on Friday and played catch under the watchful eye of Billy Connors and Dave Eiland. He had surgery last season, and could miss the entire 2008 season.
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Reports are stating that Curt Schilling will get a cortisone shot so he can begin rehab on his right shoulder.
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Oh, and a note from Friday, Peter Abraham of the Journal News had a post on his blog with quotes from Brian Cashman. Cashman has had little to say this off-season, and it will be interesting to see how he deals with the new faces in ownership. Anyways, according to Cash, it looks like the Yankees and Wang will go to arbitration. Also hear is the note on Joba.
Cashman said no decision has been made about how to use Joba Chamberlain at the start of the season. It will depend largely on how Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy look. Cashman said that Wang, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina are in the rotation.
The other two spots are open. At some point, Chamberlain will have his innings restricted. That could come in a variety of ways including being used in the bullpen. “We have to see how it all plays out,” Cashman said. “But Joba will prepare as a starter.”
The Sporting News ranked the catchers for each team in both the American and National Leagues. The Yankees tandem of Jorge Posada and Jose Molina were picked third behind Minnesota and Cleveland.
Here is what they had to say Posada led major league catchers in batting average (.342) and on-base percentage (.426) in 2007. He has always been a little rough on defense and allowed 13 passed balls last season.
I think the Yankees are going to benefit from having Molina as a capable backup to Posada this year. It will give them a chance to give Posada a day off without having to deal with the dropoff.
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Carl Pavano arrived at camp on Friday and played catch under the watchful eye of Billy Connors and Dave Eiland. He had surgery last season, and could miss the entire 2008 season.
----
Reports are stating that Curt Schilling will get a cortisone shot so he can begin rehab on his right shoulder.
----
Oh, and a note from Friday, Peter Abraham of the Journal News had a post on his blog with quotes from Brian Cashman. Cashman has had little to say this off-season, and it will be interesting to see how he deals with the new faces in ownership. Anyways, according to Cash, it looks like the Yankees and Wang will go to arbitration. Also hear is the note on Joba.
Cashman said no decision has been made about how to use Joba Chamberlain at the start of the season. It will depend largely on how Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy look. Cashman said that Wang, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina are in the rotation.
The other two spots are open. At some point, Chamberlain will have his innings restricted. That could come in a variety of ways including being used in the bullpen. “We have to see how it all plays out,” Cashman said. “But Joba will prepare as a starter.”
Friday, February 8, 2008
"Sing Us A Song," At Shea
Billy Joel will perform the last concert ever at Shea Stadium, the day following the All-Star Game. By the way, anybody know where I can get a copy of when the Clash played at Shea?
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Meanwhile, the New Yankee Stadium is taking shape.
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Is the Rocket running for Congress?
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Haven't had the chance to read through the whole thing yet, but this piece on Yahoo Sports looks like a worthwhile read.
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It is very interesting on the whole 38pitches thing going on in Boston. Had the Sux, known that he was hurt they wouldn't have signed him, and they wouldn't have made a stronger offer to get Santana from the Twins, insted of just hanging around for the Yankees to unload their kids.
It's a long season, and we will see how it plays out. But for Feb. 8, it doesn't look good for them
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Meanwhile, the New Yankee Stadium is taking shape.
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Is the Rocket running for Congress?
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Haven't had the chance to read through the whole thing yet, but this piece on Yahoo Sports looks like a worthwhile read.
----
It is very interesting on the whole 38pitches thing going on in Boston. Had the Sux, known that he was hurt they wouldn't have signed him, and they wouldn't have made a stronger offer to get Santana from the Twins, insted of just hanging around for the Yankees to unload their kids.
It's a long season, and we will see how it plays out. But for Feb. 8, it doesn't look good for them
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Baseball Today
AP had this piece on the Yankees trio of pitchers
Posada expects big things from trio of young Yankees' pitchers
February 7, 2008
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Jorge Posada is expecting big things from a trio of New York Yankees' pitchers who are under 23.
Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy could wind up together in New York's rotation at some point.
"We've got three young phenoms. They're going to come up and help us this year," the 36-year-old catcher said Thursday after working at the Yankees' minor league complex. "We're looking forward to that."
All three right-handers spent time in the majors last season.
"I think they learned a lot of good things last year," Posada said. "They know what it's all about, and I'm looking forward to seeing them every day, seeing how they develop. They're ready, there's no doubt about it. I think having them there last year is going to help me, especially the later part of spring training."
Hughes and Chamberlain have been throwing off a mound for three weeks at the Yankees complex. Kennedy joined the pair in Florida this week.
Posada hit .338 last year with 20 homers and 90 RBIs, and he was rewarded with a $52.4 million, four-year contract.
"I'm looking forward to this year," Posada said. "Had a great year last year, and I was blessed. I was really happy that we got the negotiations done. Now, it's about playing. I'm just looking forward to starting the season."
Posada will be playing for a new manager for the first time since 1996, with Joe Girardi replacing Joe Torre. Posada and Girardi were the Yankees' catching duo from 1997-99, and Girardi was the team's bench coach in 2005.
"He's really looking forward to coming down here already," Posada said. "He's looking forward to everything. He's going to bring a lot to the table. He's got a lot of energy, and we're going to see it."
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It was a big news day on the baseball front. First in the morning, there was the whole Pedro cock fighting video thing, then it was the Clemens going to Congress for the second time, and his former trainer talking to them on the same day, little odd if you ask me, and then reports out of Boston, that Schilling is done for the season and maybe his career. Also the Yankees announced the Robinson Cano deal today.
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From the pictures on the web of the new stadium it looks really nice, I went by earlier this winter and they have seemed to make a ton of progress since then. It has the feel of the old stadium to some of the newer improvements of the new ball parks from today. Saw this piece the other day that the limestone used for the outside of the stadium, was taken from a mine a few hunderd yards away from the mine that was used for the Empire State Building.
Posada expects big things from trio of young Yankees' pitchers
February 7, 2008
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Jorge Posada is expecting big things from a trio of New York Yankees' pitchers who are under 23.
Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy could wind up together in New York's rotation at some point.
"We've got three young phenoms. They're going to come up and help us this year," the 36-year-old catcher said Thursday after working at the Yankees' minor league complex. "We're looking forward to that."
All three right-handers spent time in the majors last season.
"I think they learned a lot of good things last year," Posada said. "They know what it's all about, and I'm looking forward to seeing them every day, seeing how they develop. They're ready, there's no doubt about it. I think having them there last year is going to help me, especially the later part of spring training."
Hughes and Chamberlain have been throwing off a mound for three weeks at the Yankees complex. Kennedy joined the pair in Florida this week.
Posada hit .338 last year with 20 homers and 90 RBIs, and he was rewarded with a $52.4 million, four-year contract.
"I'm looking forward to this year," Posada said. "Had a great year last year, and I was blessed. I was really happy that we got the negotiations done. Now, it's about playing. I'm just looking forward to starting the season."
Posada will be playing for a new manager for the first time since 1996, with Joe Girardi replacing Joe Torre. Posada and Girardi were the Yankees' catching duo from 1997-99, and Girardi was the team's bench coach in 2005.
"He's really looking forward to coming down here already," Posada said. "He's looking forward to everything. He's going to bring a lot to the table. He's got a lot of energy, and we're going to see it."
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It was a big news day on the baseball front. First in the morning, there was the whole Pedro cock fighting video thing, then it was the Clemens going to Congress for the second time, and his former trainer talking to them on the same day, little odd if you ask me, and then reports out of Boston, that Schilling is done for the season and maybe his career. Also the Yankees announced the Robinson Cano deal today.
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From the pictures on the web of the new stadium it looks really nice, I went by earlier this winter and they have seemed to make a ton of progress since then. It has the feel of the old stadium to some of the newer improvements of the new ball parks from today. Saw this piece the other day that the limestone used for the outside of the stadium, was taken from a mine a few hunderd yards away from the mine that was used for the Empire State Building.
The New Digs
Here is a pic, and a link to the New Yankee Stadium, as the Yankees had media day there today. Thanks to the Journal News.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The Wheel Is Starting To Churn
Like clockwork, following the Super Bowl, you will start to see more and more baseball stories in your paper and on the internet. Camps open up soon, Feb. 14 for the Yankees, and several players are already working out at the minor league camp, and today Yahoo Sports had a Yankees team report, with some news and notes.
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But first, let me take this quick trip to upstate New York, where freakin UConn beat Syracuse by only two points. That hurts! They are down, having only seven players, but they are hanging around in games. More on that later as I am getting depressed, back to baseball.
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Here are some of the notes from the Yahoo report
**Tino Martinez will be a special instructor at spring training
**Brian Bruney avoided arbitration, by agreeing to a one-year $725,000 contract. Chien-Ming Wang is the last player in arbitration for the Yankees
**Morgan Ensberg signed a one-year minor league deal, and will compete for the first base job in spring training.
**Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon were said to be out of shape at spring training last year, which contribited to the slow starts by both ... According to Cashman Abreu, who had a strained oblique muscle, worked out with a trainer in the offseason.
**In his last 10 seasons, Jeter has 1,971 hits, which is the tops in the majors in that span.
**CMW has won 19 games in each of the last two seasons, and has MLB's best winning percentage (.745) in that span among pitchers with at least 30 games. Wang also leads the majors in total victories (38) in the last two years.
**Matsui is expected to start spring training on time, after undergoing surgery to clean out his right knee. He looks to see more time at DH this season, than left field. Damon looks to be in left, while Melky with patrol center, and Abreu in right.
**The Yankees used 28 pitchers in 2007, tying a franchise record in 2005.
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Meanwhile, Peter Abraham of the LoHud Yankees Blog, is going to check out the new digs tomorrow ... David Cone will call games for YES this season ... Also Phil Hughes played golf today, and took on another member to their foursome, and will go to his first NASCAR event this weekend ... Pete Abe had this yesterday, and it is an interesting read by SI's Tom Verducci, on protecting pitchers with innings limits ... Verducci equates young pitchers building arm strength, like training for a marathon, take a look ... David Cone is also taking some blame for the lack of drug testing in baseball, Ronald Blum of the AP reports ... Cano is on the verge of $30 million for the next four years.
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But first, let me take this quick trip to upstate New York, where freakin UConn beat Syracuse by only two points. That hurts! They are down, having only seven players, but they are hanging around in games. More on that later as I am getting depressed, back to baseball.
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Here are some of the notes from the Yahoo report
**Tino Martinez will be a special instructor at spring training
**Brian Bruney avoided arbitration, by agreeing to a one-year $725,000 contract. Chien-Ming Wang is the last player in arbitration for the Yankees
**Morgan Ensberg signed a one-year minor league deal, and will compete for the first base job in spring training.
**Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon were said to be out of shape at spring training last year, which contribited to the slow starts by both ... According to Cashman Abreu, who had a strained oblique muscle, worked out with a trainer in the offseason.
**In his last 10 seasons, Jeter has 1,971 hits, which is the tops in the majors in that span.
**CMW has won 19 games in each of the last two seasons, and has MLB's best winning percentage (.745) in that span among pitchers with at least 30 games. Wang also leads the majors in total victories (38) in the last two years.
**Matsui is expected to start spring training on time, after undergoing surgery to clean out his right knee. He looks to see more time at DH this season, than left field. Damon looks to be in left, while Melky with patrol center, and Abreu in right.
**The Yankees used 28 pitchers in 2007, tying a franchise record in 2005.
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Meanwhile, Peter Abraham of the LoHud Yankees Blog, is going to check out the new digs tomorrow ... David Cone will call games for YES this season ... Also Phil Hughes played golf today, and took on another member to their foursome, and will go to his first NASCAR event this weekend ... Pete Abe had this yesterday, and it is an interesting read by SI's Tom Verducci, on protecting pitchers with innings limits ... Verducci equates young pitchers building arm strength, like training for a marathon, take a look ... David Cone is also taking some blame for the lack of drug testing in baseball, Ronald Blum of the AP reports ... Cano is on the verge of $30 million for the next four years.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Quick Note On The Staff, Cash
The Sporting News had an story on Cashman and the off season moves he did and did not make. It also talked about some of the bad choices he either signed or traded for in the past. Names like Kevin Brown, Roger Clemens (last year), Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Javier Vzaquez and Jaret Wright. Those starters are 89-66 with a 4.59 ERA, and the Yankees paid $129.9 million in salaries. In addition, for the past four season, the Yankees were ninth in the American League for rotation ERA with a 4.63 and 10th in innings at 5.81 per game. In postseason play during that stretch the rotation was 5-10 with a 5.53 ERA and 5.15 innings per start. My take, telling numbers in deed, and I am sure the Yankees are well aware of such.
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Meanwhile, Clemens talks with Congress today, and the Giants parade down the Canyon of Heros.
That will probably be the extent of the blogging today, will try to catch up later this evening. Work calls
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Meanwhile, Clemens talks with Congress today, and the Giants parade down the Canyon of Heros.
That will probably be the extent of the blogging today, will try to catch up later this evening. Work calls
Granderson Inks 5-Year Deal
Detroit inks Curtis Granderson to a five-year 30.25 million dollar contract
Duncan Arrives In Tampa
AP reports that Shelly Duncan has reported to the minor league camp, and is ready to go after suffering a blood clot in the off-season. Glad to hear everything is ok with him and that he is ready to start the season. The report also says that he took BP with Posada ... Hughes, Joba, Jeff Karstens have started their third week of throwing off the mound ... Bryan Bruney, Chase Wright, Sean Henn, Billy Traber, and Heath Phillips are in camp as well.
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Also it appears Phil Hughes will wear 34 this season
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Also it appears Phil Hughes will wear 34 this season
Welcome, Hope You Enjoy The Ride
Hello and welcome to my blog. Here we will attempt to chronicle the wild ride which will be the 2008 New York Yankees. Along the way we will talk about what will hopefully be the 2008 World Series Champions. The season starts in nine days, when pitchers and catchers report to Tampa for spring training.
To start things off, Tim Brown from Yahoo Sports broke down the American League East. He had an interesting stat that I was not aware of, Mariano Rivera has an 0.77 earned run average in 76 playoff appearances, but he has not had a save since 2005.
The way I see it is this is a transition year, while they still have the returning veterans, like Andy Pettitte, Jeter, Posada, and Mo, they have an influx of youthful talent, such as pitchers, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy.
Going into camp, there appears to be many questions, how will the players take to new manager Joe Girardi? Are the kids going to be able to handle the pressure of New York and hold up over the course of a 162-game schedule? Can the Yankees make it to the playoffs again this season? These are just a few of many questions as the Yankees get ready for 2008.
In addition to the Yankees, we will also delve into other sport stories as well as what is on my iPod at the moment.
So welcome aboard and thanks for stopping by.
To start things off, Tim Brown from Yahoo Sports broke down the American League East. He had an interesting stat that I was not aware of, Mariano Rivera has an 0.77 earned run average in 76 playoff appearances, but he has not had a save since 2005.
The way I see it is this is a transition year, while they still have the returning veterans, like Andy Pettitte, Jeter, Posada, and Mo, they have an influx of youthful talent, such as pitchers, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy.
Going into camp, there appears to be many questions, how will the players take to new manager Joe Girardi? Are the kids going to be able to handle the pressure of New York and hold up over the course of a 162-game schedule? Can the Yankees make it to the playoffs again this season? These are just a few of many questions as the Yankees get ready for 2008.
In addition to the Yankees, we will also delve into other sport stories as well as what is on my iPod at the moment.
So welcome aboard and thanks for stopping by.
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