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.