On the Yankees beat

SP: We've got Wang and 4 question marks. They've got 5 question marks.
Bullpen: Other than Mariano, they're all questionable.
Lineup: We've got them beat everywhere but LF and DH.
So maybe Boston isn't the real threat.

When you look at it like that, these teams are incredibly close again. The front of the rotation is the wildcard to me. If Wang can repeat last year and Pettitte is as good as he was in the second half of last season we're in pretty good shape. It looks like it will be another dog fight for sure. I do like the back end of Boston's rotation a little better than ours but that can change dramatically come June/July (Hughes?).

Yanks win the division by 7-8 games easily ! Dogfight? Like last yr ?

Although I still don't think we need four 1B, I think Phelps will be the RH half and not Phillips.

I gave Phillips the nod just because I think it's his job to lose. But for intents and purposes, it should read Phillips or Phelps/Mientkiewicz.

I think the rotation is too difficult to say. There are just too many wild cards, we still have no idea how Igawa and Dice-K will pitch. Can Schilling, Pettitte, Wake, and Moose do it another year? Will Wang continue his great season? Is Pavano going to come back with any effectiveness and will Beckett get any better in his second season with Boston? Can Papelbon be as effective as a starter as he was as a closer? I actually think these rotations are pretty close, maybe a slight edge to Boston, but it could really go either way.

I think the bullpen clearly goes to the Yanks, if nothing else than because of Mo. Boston doesn't have a closer.

Catcher I'd say is even offensively and if Posada does what he did last year, it's getting more even defensively as well.

First base clearly goes to the Sox.

Second, SS, and Third all clearly go to the Yanks.

RF I think is fairly close, but we'lll see if Drew is coming to play or not. If he doesn't play to his potential, edge to the Yanks.

Center goes to the Yanks I think pretty clearly.

Left to the Sox, I love Matsui, but this one is clear.

DH goes to the Sox, Giambi's OBP is great and all, but a guy with no speed needs to do more than draw walks. No real argument here I think that Ortiz is the better option.

Bench I think is even as of now and could go either way depending on whether our guy Melky or their guy Wily Mo develop into something more than average players this year. Other than that, there isn't too much to note on either bench. If Cairo has a good year, that could be a factor, but since that's only happened once in his career, I don't think it's anything to count on.

In the end, I give the Yankees the edge because of the offense and the bullpen. Unless two of Schilling, Beckett, Dice-K, and Papelbon have truly dominant years, of course. But then again, who can say that it's not possible that two in the Yanks' rotation will also have dominant years. So, I stick with the Yanks' edge on this one.

The major difference between the 2 clubs is the Yanks have Mo to "close", and the Red Sox have squat. The Yankees have the advantage offensively, and have more team speed if they need to manufacture runs. Abreu will accentuate this advantage as the season progresses. Both teams starting staffs are "iffy" in general, but the Yanks now have all that talent in the Minors to help bail them out if necessary. At least a couple of those guys will "pan out", and show Cashman knows what he is doing. We are looking good vs the Red Sox on paper. But as the saying goes, "that's why they play the games".

Wang will regress from Last year success

The Yankees lineup are getting older. Jeter and Cano won't repeat last year success.

The Redsox have an edge on starting rotation and average bullpen

Meanwhile the Yankees have a ok rotation and good bullpen

The Lineups for the two teams are mostly even.

Keys to Yankees success next year - Will Pavano bounce back? Can Arod and Giambi return to their mvp form

Pardon the long post but it was fun for me.

Rotation:
Chien-Ming Wang/Curt Schilling- EDGE: TIE, Wang is coming off a great year (confidence boost, not that he needs it), Schilling is getting old and his bones are creaking, I think he’ll be pitching less innings this season but he has experience and is clutch and you can’t ignore that.

Andy Pettitte/Daisuke Matsuzaka- EDGE: YANKEES, Pettite is a great, crafty lefty he can keep the left-handed batters in the line-up in check. Matzusaka is a question mark, he’ll start off OK but when ML makes their adjustments we’ll have to see if he’s able to adjust too.

Mike Mussina/Josh Beckett-EDGE: YANKEES, Josh did not make a great adjustment to the ALE he gave up a ton of HR and seemed to get flustered in games that started off bad so they tended to go from bad to worse. Moose can pitch; when he’s on he hits his spots and can strike ‘em out with out a super fast fastball. And when he’s not on he’s crafty and gets outs.

Kei Igawa/Jonathan Papelbon-EDGE: Sox, Kei is a question mark and wasn’t lights out in Japan either. If he can make the adjustment to ML hitters and gets control of his breaking stuff he’ll be a great #4, being a lefty is a plus. We’ve seen Papaelbon’s stuff and he’s above average if he can stay healthy I think his fastball is crazy since he can throw the change for strikes so keeps the hitter off balance. BUT he has to stay healthy.

Pavano/Karstens/Rasner /Tim Wakefield-EDGE: YANKEES, Wakefield is getting old and is coming off an injury season. How he bounces back is a questions mark. The Yankees have been able to get to Wakefield when his knuckle ball looses the movement, which usually happens late in the game.

Bullpen:
Mariano Rivera/Mike Timlin- EDGE: YANKEES, no explanation needed.

Kyle Farnsworth/Craig Hansen- EDGE: YANKEES, Farnsworth didn’t do as bad as his numbers show, it’s disappointing that he can’t pitch on back to back days or more than one inning but when he has the rest his body needs he can blow batters away. I will always remember how he struck out Ortiz on a crazy slider that moved up and down and into the strike zone, made his knees shake. Hansen needs a little more experience seems like the young guys needed Varitek behind the plate to do well, when he was out they were sub-par.

Scott Proctor/Brendan Donnelly- EDGE: TIE, both pitchers have proven that they can get outs when they count. The sox have Manny though who seems to feast on Scotty so they might have a slight edge depending on the score, inning, and who’s up in the line-up.

Mike Myers/Hideki Okajima- EDGE: YANKEES, (I don’t know Okajima) BUT I think Myers is still the best at his specialty. His first time up against Ortiz was not good but when he hit his spots he got the ground ball or strike out.

Luis Vizcaino/JC Romero- EDGE: TIE, Both pitchers ERAs are about the same. But Vizacino’s ability to pitch a lot of innings and going back-to-back is a plus for the Yankees.

Brian Bruney/Joel Pineiro- EDGE: YANKEES, Bruney’s is young and impressed me last season. He has an electric fastball and can throw the off speed stuff for strikes.

Chris Britton/Julian Tavarez- EDGE: Sox, Britton did well in the ALE with Baltimore. His ERA stayed below well below 4 in the 54 appearances. I think he’ll continue to do well. Tavarez is bush league, he hit’s batters and looses his cool and his ERA is not impressive

Lineup:
C-Jorge Posada/Jason Varitek- EDGE: TIE, both guys are old school blue-collar players. They both give their team a boost offensively and handle their pitchers well. Posada did great things with Wang and Varitek with their young guys.

1b-Phillips/Mientkiewicz /Kevin Youkilis- EDGE: TIE, Youkilis played good defense and is a pesky at-bat. Mientkiewicz is also great defensively and has a pretty good BA.

2b-Robinson Cano/Dustin Pedroia- EDGE: YANKEES, this youngster has made adjustments to the pitchers this year (no sophomore lull), he hits the ball with authority and when he’s focused he can make some really neat plays and is a good turn two partner for DJ. He has a good arm and can make up for bobbling the ball with it.

3b-Alex Rodriguez/Mike Lowell- EDGE: YANKEES, Alex is a great talent, he’s young and he’s a great hitter. Last season was a fluke and he’ll prove lots of people wrong next year.

ss-Derek Jeter/Julio Lugo- EDGE: YANKEES, Derek is the best at pressure situations and he plays the game right. Lugo is a bit of a prima Donna and had not played on a pressure team, we’ll have to see how he reacts to the fans and Boston.

rf-Bobby Abreu/JD Drew- EDGE: YANKEES, Bobby did great last year and I think a full year with the Yankees and looking at ALE pitchers will help him get even better. I think this season we might see a higher HR total than he’s had in a while.

cf-Johnny Damon/Coco Crisp- EDGE YANKEE: Damon is clutch and looked comfortable in NY from the start. He played injured and has become a fan favorite. With a healthy foot I think we’ll see better numbers from him too. Coco never looked comfortable at Fenway and seems like he still has to prove himself to the Boston.

lf-Hideki Matsui/Manny Ramirez- EDGE: Sox, Manny seems to wake up when they play the Yankees, his BA is nuts and can get that hit when the team needs it and batting in front of Ortiz he’ll definitely see pitches he can drive. Matsui is also clutch and came back from the injury and picked up right where he left off at the plate. His fielding is average but Manny’s is non-existent. I still have to give it to Ramirez even though I hate him, his hitting success against the Yankees can’t be ignored.

dh-Jason Giambi /David Ortiz- EDGE: Sox, Ortiz always gets the hit, he’s clutch. His average took a hit when the league started the lefty shift on him but he hit HR it seemed like almost every close game to win it. Giambi has gotten back to his standards and is a great bat he’s also clutch but Ortiz is on another level.

The Yankees really need to look at their approach with this 3-4 combo. Ortiz is too comfortable at the plate. We need to make them move their feet more and our pitchers need to focus and hit their spots.

Bench:
Nieves/Pratt/Chavez /Doug Mirabelli- EDGE: Sox, we don’t have a real idea of what were going to get with our back-up spot. Mirabelli has done well for the Sox and although his offense is not great but I think that’s the case with the entire league except the Blue Jays. The back up usually means a drop off offensively.

Miguel Cairo/Alex Cora- EDGE: YANKEES, Cairo has played in big games plays multiple positions well and gives the Yankees versatility.

Melky Cabrera/Wily Mo Pena- EDGE: YANKEES, Pena strikes out a lot. Melky won’t hit as many HRs but he’ll give you a disciplined AB, which can extend the inning for the big guys, and he also has a few bases loaded singles and walks. He’s focused at the plate and once he’s learned the pitchers he’ll start hitting with more authority and we’ll see more doubles out of him.

Phillips/Mientkiewicz /Eric Hinske- EDGE: YANKEES, Hinske didn’t impress me and I think Philips is great and he offers versatility, Mientkiewicz is a good fielder and solid hitter.

After breaking it down like this, I’m not worried. The teams are pretty even. Business as ususal. We just need to get out there and play the games and do our talking between the lines. We’re a great team with the potential to win another championship if the team can pull together and play as a unit.

OYF

I noticed when you were talking about Ortiz, you used the word "clutch". I also know from personal experience that many on this blog don't understand what that term really means. Could you please give us your definition? Thanks.

I thought I did: "...but he hit a HR it seemed like almost every close game to win it"

I remember that discussion about Alex. I think Alex has been clutch for the Yankees just not as often as Jeter and not in the Post Season YET. And because the standard is so high people who dislike Alex won’t see him as a clutch player they’ll only remember the last strike out not the Walk-off HR or the HR that got them back in it. Especially not the HR that looked like fluff and turned out to be the difference.

Everyone has “that guy” and ours is Jeter. With the game on the line that's who I want up. For the Sox it would be Ortiz. But every now and then someone else unpredictably steps up and does something special it's why baseball is so awesome.

Correction to my lengthy post above:

Chris Britton/Julian Tavarez- EDGE: YANKEES

At FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal explains why the Orioles, Brewers, D’Backs and Rockies could end up being the surprise teams in baseball this season.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6401254

Orioles a suprise team and could challenge the Yankees and Redsox, Bluejays in Al east ? I think i’m going to throw up.

If Cano has superior talent like Arod How come He didn't show it during the postseason play last year? Where was He? He didn't do anything in postseason. Only Jeter and Posada produces in the postseason.

Cano is Overrated. He has good stats and peripherals during regular season but chokes in the postseason.

First of all, why the measurement of Yankee / Red Socks rosters ? The 2 teams play each other 19 times. Whether it's 9-10 or 10-9 for the season series, there's 143 other games to be decided. A win against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays counts every bit as much as a win over Boston, but the team 200 miles north of NYC has a knack of finding ways to lose.

Rico: if you’re a Yankee fan then you should know that when it comes to the Sox it's different. It's a rivalry. Yes a win against TB is just as important, and you can't take for granted that any team can beat you BUT lets keep it real, as fans the games against Boston are more intense.

HM: The Tigers pitching shut down our great line-up. It's not about choking they had better pitching. No one hit in game 5 for most of the game, Posada’s HR was too little too late and I’m sure he felt the same way about it. And if you don't remember Cano was a contender for the batting title right to his last AB and he was out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury and came back and picked up right were he left off hitting with authority to the opposite field and pulling it when he needed to.

Jim's questions were about the rivalry not the playoffs and not the entire regular season.

Hm

Your last sentence says it all. Cano is EXACTLY like A-Rod.

HM- I don't think it's fair to judge Cano on this postseason. It's so early in his career and remember that he also had the only RBIs through the first two or three games of the 05 postseason. And he's great at breaking up no hitters. haha He was the first Yankee to get a hit off of Daniel Cabrera in the regular season and then off of Bonderman in that weak Yankee display in Game 4.

KI- I hate to tell you this but Giambi isn't returning to his MVP form, that was many steroids and 7 years ago.

To all who think the Yankees have a tie at first or are better- Let's be honest here, has anyone saying that seen Youk play? The guy is far beyond Meintekewicz and he's just starting out so he's going to make big progress next year after what was already a stellar season.
And someone said Mirabelli was as good as what the Yanks will throw out there at back up catcher. I have to disagree. Mirabelli replacing Varitek this year was the death knoll for the Sox. Mirabelli may be able to catch Wake, but that's it. So the Sox are basically carrying a terrible back up catcher just so they can run an aging inefficient Wake out there every five days. Real smart. I'll take crap on a plate over Mirabelli. We'll see what Nieves can do.

Rick, come on, Cano has only been to the playoffs twice and he's 22. I can see your disappointment with Alex but cut the kid some slack. The entire line-up went to sleep after Damon's HR in game 2. And our pitchers couldn't keep them at bay until we got the hits when we did. You can't say that one AB would have changed the course of the post season. Our pitchers didn't do it for us this time around.

I believe the Yankees will come out on top in the AL East division. I will not respond to the match ups because it does not play out this way during the season. The teams are built to win in different ways. Our pitching must keep us in games and be consistent with ERA around 4. The Red sox's are built to win with a need for much better performance from their pitchers than we are expecting from our pitchers. Our everyday lineup is the best in baseball. Our defense is pretty good. The Red Sox's have improved on paper in the starting rotation but in reality Wakefield, DiceK, Papelbon are ?? marks. Papelbon has to pitch more than an inning. He needs 6. Its a far cry more difficult. I do not see their team making up 11 wins or our team going backwards. We have improved even by subtraction. The Red Sox's have not improved dramatically their offense. The names of their Starting rotaion are impressive but CS is 38 and was hit last year. JB gave up a ton of Hrs. Dice K Era should move North after the first go around. Wakefield, he gives the Yankees fits but the rest of league look forward to his arrivial on game day.

I like our chances to go all the way.

Give Cano a break. It was his second season in the Majors and he hit .342 in 122 games. A-Rod has been in the show for 13 years. More should be expected of him.

Arod still on Choke List. Manning was taken out from list since Colts won against the Pats last weekend

List Of Good Players that choke under pressure and never won a championship

1)Arod

2)Patrick Ewing

3)John Stockton/ Karl Malone

4)Stephon Marbury

5)Ted Williams

NO NO NO!!! Manning still on list if Ewing and Stockton/Malone on it as well as Ted. they at least been to the championship game (malone won with the lakers) Peyton did'nt win squat

Ruse,
Keep in mind that Boston's pitching staff was decimated by injury last year. They had Kyle Snyder as one of their most reliable starters from June on, they're better now.
I'm not saying they are the favorites by any means because they took away something that was a great change for them last year: their defense. Now they have Lugo at short who is not so great w/ the glove like Alex Gonzalez was last year and they've upgraded offense in other areas but lost some defense so I feel good about the Yanks chances but the fact is the rotation is one big question mark and I include Wang who logged a lot more innings last year than he was used to so I am not exactly confident enough to say we'll run away with the division.

Malone won with Lakers? Did I miss something here? Karl Malone was with Gary Payton who chokes and loses to Pistons. That's Why Shaq got traded to Miami?

OYF and Mike in DC

You're right, my comment was supposed to read Cano is APPARENTLY just like A-Rod, and was intended to be taken with a dose of sarcasm. As OYF knows, my dig was intended for K-Rod.

He is young and Cano's legacy does remain to be seen. But, like you say Mike, more SHOULD be expected of A-Rod. And, thank you OYF, at least you can see why I would be disappointed with "the greatest player of all time". And, you're right, our pitching did NOT Git-R-Done either.

A-ROD not hitting in the playoffs is not what irritates me. It's the fact that when he is not hitting, he turns into "Alex The Butcher". His defense at 3rd becomes horrible, and that is why I consider this guy a "head case". Even when a player doesn't hit, he's gotta play defense.

Roy

That's been my whole complaint about A-Rod. He's too busy "in his head". He's always worried about how he looks, etc. He needs to just play the game and quit thinking, period.

The play where Jeter dove into the 3rd row face first exemplifies the difference in these two guys. Jeter just goes out to play the game, sees the ball and goes all out to get it. A-Rod would tip toe over to the rail, worrying about where the rail is, how does he look, etc. Then, he would stop and the ball would tick off the end of his glove.

I wish he would stop thinking and just start playing! He truly is a mental case. And, as such, I don't ever see him rising to the challenge in a key post season situation.

Jim A.:as usual I pretty much agree w/what you have to say .I look at the Sox' lineup and I'm not impressed,outside of Ortiz,the Sox' are a hodgepodge of OK talent,Manny is always close to tanking it or being traded,Lowell,Youkelis are OK players, but Drew,Lugo,Crisp? By the all-star break either they put Papelbon back in the bullpen or they frantically try to swing a deal for a closer.Actually I feel the Yankee rotation will be just fine.Let's face it the Yanks will outhit all opponents and their bullpen is solid...I would be slightly more concerned about Toronto than the Sox.Yanks win the division by 7-8 games...also the Yanks have maybe 5 starting pitchers at the triple AAA level who could make a huge impact before the yrs out.I wonder which one it will be ? Having a healthy Matsui and Abreu for a full yr will take pressure off their #4 hitter who shall remain nameless.

Attention Peyton Manning fans. The "choke" is not over yet, and according to the Sporting News "The Formula", it is almost etched in stone that the Bears will WIN the Super Bowl.

ruse

Shame on you for implying that our #4 hitter can't handle pressure. Why, he is the greatest player to ever play the game.

Ruse,
I agree, the wildcard for the Yanks is Hughes. Maybe Sanchez, but probably Hughes. I read somewhere yesterday that the Yanks have done a brilliant job bringing him along and he will be ready for the big leagues come June. One guy predicted he'll be the Yanks # 2 starter in the playoffs.
Of course I come back to earth when I look at the Brien Taylor "future star" baseball card that I just gave to my son.
Unlike last year, I think the Yanks have replacements who can work if/when injuries occur.

Also, if anyone gets a chance, go on ESPN.com and read Buster Olney's blog today. He shares Roger Clemens' agents response to questions he emailed and frankly, response #7 pissed me off. Good old Rog doesn't seem to appreciate anything.

Rick:Ah ambushed! I knew you would jump all over that comment!...I really feel quite strongly that this is the best all-around team the Yanks have fielded in awhile.

Hey Jim A. I'm not an "insider" so I can't read #7. What was it?

Jim A.: If I remember correctly didn't 60 Minutes do a story on Brien Taylor after he signed that huge contract?,how he built a house for his mother in I believe North Carolina and then about a yr later he got into a brawl with a kid who proceeded to break his arm permanently ending any hope for a career w/ the Yanks... a sad pathetic story.

ruse

I think 60 minutes or 20/20 or somebody did a feature on him just a few months ago. I watched the whole thing. I think he is working in the mines or something now and still lives with his mother. Does anyone know which show did it, maybe we could get a copy of it.

[b]Latest Buster Olney Blog[/b]

Clemens, Cano and DirecTV
posted: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 |

[url=http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=olney_buster#20070124]http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index...buster#20070124[/url]

[quote]Speculating on where Roger Clemens will pitch in July is almost pointless now, in January, like trying to guess who will be running for president in 2012. The context of the bidding and the negotiations could change repeatedly in the next few months.

If the Astros get off to a great start, that could be a factor. If the Yankees were to lose Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte to injuries, New York would probably be more aggressive with their bid. The Red Sox don't appear to need starting pitchers the way they did a year ago, but if Curt Schilling and/or Josh Beckett went down, Boston could suddenly start throwing out some serious offers.

Robinson Cano's decision to turn in No. 22, to clear it for Clemens, and take No. 24 (because it is the reverse of Jackie Robinson's No. 42), will have zero bearing on Clemens's decision. E-mailed some questions to Clemens's agent, Randy Hendricks, and his answers are better than my questions, so I'll let his words stand alone:

"[Clemens]is working out, as he always does. There is no way he will get out of shape. Having said this, he considers baseball shape to be a different matter. Last year at this time he was cranked up for the World Baseball Classic, meaning getting in baseball shape. This year, he is pitching batting practice to Koby and other young players, running, lifting, stretching, etc., but hasn't turned it up a notch to baseball shape. That will come later if he decides to play."

"He is always throwing, so that is not a big issue. But, again, it is not the same thing he would do if he were getting ready for the season. But it is close."

"I don't think he will decide whether he will play until after the season starts. He has no intention of signing and going to spring training to play a full season."

"If he decides to play, the first thing he will do is 'crank it up' to see if he feels well enough, and healthy enough, to play another year. If he passes that test, he will then focus on where he will play. Once he decides, it will be up to me to get a deal done."

"People sometimes read too much, or too little, into what I say. Last year I said 'test drive' for the World Baseball Classic and 'sneak preview' for the shortened season. That led to him playing for the Astros after he passed both tests. I don't see why this year would be any different, except the 'test drive' will be private workouts, not the World Baseball Classic."

"The reason we identify the teams he might play for is because it dispels speculation about other teams (we do hear from them) and identifies the candidates. When people say it is just money, they miss the point that there might be 30 offers if we said we would go anywhere. Money is a factor, but hardly the only one. I think that people would easily understand why it would be Houston, New York or Boston."

"As to the number, that is a gracious thing for Cano to do. But it doesn't change any of the foregoing. Boston has never issued '21' to anyone else. As you know, Paul O'Neill had 21 in New York, so Roger wore 12 until 'it failed him' so he switched to 22. He is not surprised that Cano would do this, since everything we have heard about Cano shows he is an exceptional person, as well as player. Remember, a remarkably good player, Carlos Delgado, gave Roger 21 in Toronto. If Roger were to play for the Yankees, I know he would appreciate Cano's gesture. But it is worth noting that 22 is waiting in Houston and 21 in Boston."
Separate of the Clemens situation, it was a solid gesture on the part of Cano to switch to No. 24 in recognition of Robinson. Yesterday, one person with the Yankees' executives recounted his charity work, his willingness to visit hospitals, his graciousness. "He gets it," the exec said of Cano.[/quote]

Cano is a good Kid. He's helping and giving to charity and money to less fortunate and sick kids in the hospitals.

Interesting article on Brien Taylor:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/431725p-363842c.html

Thanks Blaine.

Jim A. I agree with you. And that comment makes me think that Rogers agent has ripped a page out of the old Boras hand book. Highest bidder will win and I think the Yankees are just a pawn in this.

OYF- number 7 in Olney's blog is where they talk about Cano giving up his number. As you can see, it's one of those "thanks, but we don't care that he did it" answers. Imagine if the Yanks had asked Cano to do it and he would've said no, of course that would end up being the reason Rog didn't come back. I can see the excuse now "Well, Rog just didn't feel like the Yanks wanted him back as much as (insert team here) did". Of course the unnamed team would have been the one that forked over the most money. You're right, we're being used.

Yankee old timers urge A-Rod to step up

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2007/01/24/yankee_old_timers_urge_a_rod_to_step_up/

Press Conference Scheduled for tomorrow

[QUOTE]
The Yankees have some news to announce
January
24 The Yankees have summoned the media to Manhattan tomorrow “to announce an international venture.”

Cash Money and team president Randy Levine will be there along with assistant GM Jean Afterman. Interestingly, the press conference is being held at the offices of Howard Rubenstein, the spokesman for George Steinbrenner.

I have to assume that means Big Stein will be there or be on a speakerphone.

Having been on vacation, I have no idea what this will be about. I assume they’ve made some kind of partnership with a team from Asia. Either that or they’re invading some small country.

I will be there and will post the news at some point tomorrow, probably after 5 p.m.[/QUOTE]

Interesting to say at least.

From Lohud Blogs

With Doug M coming onboard and Damon's who very close friend with Arod. Last Year Incident and tension between Jeter & Arod Feud. Call me crazy, I think Doug M and Damon will find a way ruin the friendship between Arod and Jeter and try to push Jeter out of the door to make Arod Shortstop. It will be interesting this year to watch Jeter and Arod very closely. Will they get along and play as team with no distractions?

Craig Fizzo: I read your comments about DM and JD pushing DJ out the door. I cannot agree with this in anyway shape or form. DJ is here to stay in any shape or form. His defensive play could fall off at ss but it would not be a grounds for a trade. The Yanks would remove either JD or DM before this became a clubhouse issue. Those two players can be replaced without issue. DJ brings more to the table than just on field heroics.

My opinion of JD and DM are as follows two proessional athletes who want to win, who have tasted the winning recipe with Boston, who will do more to embrace and bring together the Yankee clubhouse by buffering any tension if it indeed is not a figment of the imagination of the reporters. DM,JD amd Arod probably have more in common off the field with their social status than with DJ. DM, JD,Arod and DJ do have a common on field goal. Its to be a winner.

I care about what occurs between the white lines.

Craig Fizzo: Your post should have just ended after "Call me crazy" because until right after that point you were right on the money.

Let's not lower the standards of this fine blog. Jeter being "pushed out the door" is ridiculous. I don't want Clemens on the Yanks part-time, but I do like Cano volunteering to give up his uniform # if "The Rocket" comes aboard. It shows leadership I didn't think Cano had in him. A very classy move for so young a player. Jeter's influence is obviously taking hold.

C'Mon, this isn't "American Idol" or "Desperate Housewives", Craig! These alleged "feuds" are stuff for the sportwirters when there's no other interesting stories to write...its so overblown!
These guys are professional athletes and care most about their
on-field performance and winning.
Are you old enough to remember the "Swingin A's" of the early 70's or the "Bronx Zoo" Yankees of the late 70s? They argued and fought each other quite a bit, but played their hearts out between the lines...and won Championships.

My two cents:

YANKEES RED SOX EDGE-Comment
Rotation
Chien-Ming Wang Curt Schilling Push. Edge to BoSox if Curt is healthy
Andy Pettitte Daisuke Matsuzaka Red Sox - because of health issues
Mike Mussina Josh Beckett Yankees
Kei Igawa Jonathan Papelbon Push
Pavano/Karstens/Rasner Tim Wakefield Yankees of someone other than Pavano
Bullpen
Mariano Rivera Mike Timlin Yankees
Kyle Farnsworth Craig Hansen Yankees (when healthy)
Scott Proctor Brendan Donnelly Push (Donnelly loves to beat Yankees)
Mike Myers Hideki Okajima Yankees
Luis Vizcaino JC Romero Red Sox
Brian Bruney Joel Pineiro Push (Piniero in Pinstripes is better)
Chris Britton Julian Tavarez Who cares?
Lineup
C-Jorge Posada Jason Varitek Push. Both are terrific at their trade
1b-Phillips/Mientkiewicz Kevin Youkilis Red Sox
2b-Robinson Cano Dustin Pedroia Yankees
3b-Alex Rodriguez Mike Lowell Yankees “O”; Red Sox “D”
ss-Derek Jeter Julio Lugo Yankees
rf-Bobby Abreu JD Drew Push
cf-Johnny Damon Coco Crisp Yankees
lf-Hideki Matsui Manny Ramirez Red Sox. Manny eats Yanks pitching
dh-Jason Giambi David Ortiz Red Sox.
Bench
Nieves/Pratt/Chavez Doug Mirabelli Yankees
Miguel Cairo Alex Cora Red Sox
Melky Cabrera Wily Mo Pena Yankees
Phillips/Mientkiewicz Eric Hinske Push

Yankees seek working agreement with China baseball

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2742462

This pleases me greatly; it is essentially creating a new source of talent. Only a matter of time now before Boston copys the Yankees and pays a $100,000,000 bidding fee for a chinese player in order to try and catch up with us again!

Based solely on their population you can be sure there is talent over there; just a matter of time. Let's go Yankees!!!!!!!!

Why are we comparing ourselves to a 3rd place team? Last time I checked we finished in front of the Blue Jays not the Soxs. Let those chowda boys worry about matching up with us. We finished 11 games better than them and we are fielding a better overall team this year. We can sit here all day and compare paper but guess what if Big Papi has another heart problem then you can kiss the Soxs bye bye. They struggle when both Manny or Papi are not in the lineup. We all saw what that team did when they lost Papi and Manny.J.D Drew never plays a full season so I would not count on seeing him playing right in September. Remember it is the Red Soxs fans jobs to be obbessed with us not us Yankee fans to worry about them. If you wanna compare paper let's look at last years standings.

"Quote from Manny - A redsox Fan"

"Everyone bashed the Red Sox for spending all that money for the posting fee for Matsuzaka....Why doesn't anyone realize that the red Sox are trying to get their foot in that door like the yankees have done already....When will people see that the sox also made a good investment with that money"
-------------------

My Initial Response to Him

"Recognizing that it is a good investment is one thing. Listening to the Red Sox organization and their fans whine about how the Evil Empire does this and that and How we poor wittle Wed Sox can't afford to pway with the mean Yankees gets old and it is annoying.

The Yankees and Red Sox pay their players a lot of money to win games --- when the Yankees do it they are ruining baseball and buying championships when the Red Sox do it it is competing with the Yankees and ok.

Try existing in and of yourself as the Boston Red Sox and not as the Anti-Yankees. The Sox made a good investment --- it is like when they won the World Series and the whole organization acted like it was beer league softball. Act like you have been their before, be excited, celebrate, but be professional. The White Sox and Cardinals won the Series and Marlins and Angels and they did not act like it was Beverly Hillbillies meets Major League Baseball.

The Red Sox team has many great players and great fans that enjoy the competion and the rivalry, but the organization in general is classless ---- If the Yankees are the Evil Galactic Empire from Star Wars, then the Red Sox are more like SpaceBalls (no offense to SpaceBalls intended)"

great post giambi. I absolutely love the spaceball analogy.

This is from Yankeesvssoxfan. Talking about How great Lineup is when Sox sign J.D Drew

http://yanksfansoxfan.typepad.com/ysfs/2007/01/wolf.html#comments

You're right, Brad. Based on last year's OPS, this makes the Sox' 3-4-5 hitters better than the Yanks' and Chisox'. Speaking as one who's always liked this deal: Awesome, especially now with the voiding language.

Posted by: Paul SF | Thursday, January 25, 2007 at 06:40 PM

Paul is a fraud Posing as Yankees fan

Best Starting Rotation In the AL

http://www.rotoauthority.com/2007/01/best_starting_r_1.html

[quote]My projections award the best projected cumulative starter ERA in the AL for 2007 to...Boston at 3.86. The Evil Empire is second at 3.98.

Team ERA
BOS 3.86
NYA 3.98
LAA 4.03
OAK 4.06
DET 4.10
CLE 4.28
CHA 4.33
SEA 4.50
MIN 4.52
TOR 4.54
BAL 4.56
TEX 4.73
KCA 4.77
TBA 4.94

January 25, 2007[/quote]

The Redsox are rank number #1 and one best starting rotation in the Al? :sarcasm:

The News from the front lines is "Pavano is not a rehab player going into ST". So, he's cleared medically to audition to the Yanks and some other clubs.

I hope he does well. Pavano could be very valuable to the Yanks both in retention or trade.

Now, if we place him in bubble wrap until ST maybe we can get some value for him.

What is this about a "Go Red Sox" sign above the marquee at Yankees Stadium.
A RS fan told me he saw it there a few days ago as he drove by.

I don't think Varitek = Posada. Pre-injury last year, Varitek was postin an OPS in the low 700s and was second to worst in caught stealing %. This was on the tail end of a poor second half the prior season. He's getting worse.

This bernie situation is really upsetting me, now he is going to the press and issuing the guilt trip story against the Yankees, saying they do not want him. come on get over it , if they had ROOM they will sign you. he's talking MET's they do not have no room for a erred player, yes in the nl he would be a liability due to his defense what he is going to bat up ONCE. and what if we spend millions on him and he bats 203 as a pinch hitter would he get a MORAL PASS" or would the boo's follow??

I've said it before and I'll stand by it. The Yankees are casting Bernie off like he's some journeyman player. It's not the case!

This guy is not some average stiff. He will have a plaque in monument park and actually saved the season for us just last year. What the Yankees are doing to him is WRONG.

And what is the reason for it? To carry four 1B to bat 9th? To carry 12 pitchers because only one of the starters can go 7 innings and RP's like Farnsworthless can only pitch 1 inning per week? Total bullcrap! If the other stiffs on this team could carry their own weight, there would be plenty of room for Bernie to be the 25th man.

So much for loyalty being a two way street!

Rick : "Other stiffs" hmmm?...If they carried their own weight then there would definitely be no room at the inn for BW.Why would the Yanks place BW on the roster if his contribution would be late inning replacement at DH ? His only opportunity to play would result from an injury if one of the "stiffs" went down...and then Melky would get the majority of playing time...Rick we've been over this many times,yes Bernie is being squeezed out,it really can't be helped,he can't throw,he's a terrible pinchhitter,and he can't turn on an above average fastball.If you can define what his role would be on this current roster of players,I'm listening!

Bernie is a Yankee Legend, but he didn't "save" the season for us last year. What are the Yankees supposed to do? Hang on to the guy till he qualifies for Medicare? Cashman has handled this "situation" in a very dignified manner. Bernie is now starting to "tarnish" his image as a "class act". I'm beginning to get the feeling that the only possible offers Bernie is getting, are invitations to Spring Training, with no guaranteed roster spot. If he can't live with that, he needs to retire and end the misery for Yankee fans everywhere.

Rick: In some fashion, I agree with your statement that there is no spot available for a 5thOF. We have a number of players who are limited such as Giambi, Phillips and Phelps. Cairo could fill in at firstbase for DM when the pitching presents and issue. So, yes for all the play that Phillips or Phelps will get. It seems like a wasted spot. Meyer a lefty specialist is a waste of a bullpen spot.

On the other hand If Bernie did make it onto the team as a Fifth OF. The playing time would be minimal. Thus appearances infrequent would lead to poor performance. This is the nightmare that very good ballplayers have when breaking away from the game. We usually say in a few years how we felt bad for the player and their inept performances.

Bernie's bat is the only facet of the game remaining. He has his music. He is blessed to be able to move on with his life. Bernie's is not being mistreated that's the last thing the Boss and BC want to do but Melky is the better choice for the 4th spot. I'm sure Bernie broke some veterans heart with his initial selection to the team.

I can't say anything bad about Bernie. I understand his feelings in this situation. You can’t just turn off the desire to play it’s been his life for 16 years. But you can’t say the Yankees are screwing him either, they build the team to win championships every year, and if the 25th spot usually goes to a speedy runner with great defense then Bernie isn’t that guy. I think last season they expressed to him that it was his last hurrah and that they probably wouldn’t re-sign him for 07 but since he ended up playing a major role due to the injuries he might have changed his mind about it being his last hurrah and thought that after the good service he did in 06 they would want to give him a spot in 07. It’s a really awkward and wretched situation and I know most of us are hoping that he retires and harbors no hard feelings toward the Yankees. Honestly he should have noticed the youth movement that’s being set up here and not really expect anything form the Yankees but a press conference to announce his retirement. Ultimately he should make the best choice for him and his family if that means another team then so be it, it’ll be a sad day in NY if he is announced at any other stadium in 07 though.

ruse, Roy, and Larry

I understand that Bernie's value/contribution to the team would be limited this year. However, this "situation" is a sticky issue for the Yankees, and my loyalty lies with Bernie over "stiffs" like Farnsworth, Myers, Phelps, etc. What have ANY of them really done for this team? And, what is really going to be the contribution of a Phelps over a Bernie? Cairo can play 1B the 15% of the time a LH starts against us. He will need to get some playing time somehow.

Anyhow, I came up with a solution to this "situation" that I thought was fair to all involved. It goes like this:

Yankees sign Bernie for one more year with the understanding/agreement that this WILL be his last before retiring. Bernie then gets his wish to go out a Yankee and will play the role of 4th OF for the year. That leads us to what to do with Melky.

Sitting on the bench getting limited playing time is clearly NOT the place to have a young budding star. A youngster like Melky needs to be playing everyday and should be. So, have Melky PLAY everyday at Scranton with the understanding that if/when an injury occurs in NY, he will be called up to PLAY for the injured OF and Bernie will REMAIN the 4th OF.

I think this is a great solution for all parties involved with this situation...Yankees save embaressment, Bernie gets his wish for ONE more year, and Melky is playing fulltime (either in Scranton or NY).

Basically, it's a loyalty issue for me. And, I'll take Bernie over Phelps (or Phillips) any day. Play DM at 1B fulltime and let Cairo get a few AB's spelling him there when a LH starts. Keep Bernie over the RH half of 1B platoon.

OYF

I understand and AGREE with the concept of building the team to win championships each year. However, even without Bernie, there are alot of flaws in this year's blueprint. That is my gripe. They are basically canning Bernie for a Phelps/Phillips, etc. If those guys are the key to us winning this year, then I'll eat my Yankee hat. Sometimes, loyalty and past performance has to account for something. I just feel that for this one season, the Yanks should make that concession to one of their legends.

RICK- Your solution would have Bernie playing defense when a starting outfielder got a "day off", or when an outfielder was "day-to-day" and couldn't play. There is no way the Yankees want Bernie playing defensively. In general, if you have Bernie on the major league club, and Melky in the minors, you have a weaker team.

SO if your melky you say " Your demoting me because you wanna pay homage to a aging player who has evaporating skills "

We are trying to win a championship, now we did'nt trade melky so he will be on the bench. you cannot keep a player that many of ya'll said is a AWFUL pinch hitter so we keeping him why??? why can't he just face it and say ok it's over and if he wants to go to another team just say you do , don't try and make it lok like the YAnkees is treating him bad

Bernie CANNOT play 1b so he would've been USELESS. he skills is the reason he is not coming back, he is LIMITED to OF and DH , Pinch hitting, which he is awful at doing. according to most on here