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.”