On the Yankees beat

I think a lot hinges on how well Igawa pitches in ST,if he does well ,Pavano will be traded, Karstens will be the 5th starter going into the season w/Hughes ,Sanchez etc. waiting in the wings.

To ruse, CA. the yankees have a few IF'S with their starting rotation but we have some alternatives this year and in the future. So, we have 30 games of ST to find out our moves. Competition will be keen amongst the young guys. Those who don't fit in the rotation can be used in relief. Henn or Igawa could be a valuable lefty in the bullpen. If Igawa does not work in the rotation. I wish that I could watch Spring training everyday both games and workouts in person or TV to get a true Feeling for what's going on.

I think the master plan is to get by until June when Roger comes on board. Once he's back, Igawa becomes the #5 man. Personally, I hope we don't need to see Hughes until the September callups.

I also think Sanchez and Olendorff are ahead of Hughes as far as development goes. So, if we need a stop gap, I think they might get the call first.

I'm holding out hope on Pavano. Pavano has some good people surrounding him, in particular andy pettitte. I hope andy rubs off on him and pavano becomes a changed man, and pitches lights out ! I might be expecting a miracle.

george

You ARE expecting a miracle! They need to showcase the "new" Pavano and unload him ASAP.

Larry & Rick: I do see the possibility of Igawa relieving,but did the Yanks spend 46 million to watch this guy pitch an inning or two ? To pay 10 million a yr to watch a guy mid-relief to me is a waste of time and money...although the general belief is Rocket in June ,I don't see it happening,I'd rather turn the ball over to Hughes or Sanchez,it's time to turn the page...Rick ,did you read Davidorffs article on Hughes ? The consensus is if he's ready they'll give him the ball.

Short of an absolute "melt down", I believe Igawa will make the 25 man roster. With the money the Yanks spent, "Igawa's brother" over in Boston, and the previous pitching failures that were discussed on this blog yesterday, there is no way this guy ends up at AAA. Too embarassing, and this early in the season you can get away with a "Weaver" or "Irabu" on your staff. To me, Sanchez is the "Domino Man". If he does well, it gives the Yankees the security necessary to trade Pavano. Clemens is the "wild card". His addition to the starting staff, would send Igawa to the bullpen, and make Villone expendable, and possibly Farnsworth depending on how well Proctor pitches.

ruse

Hughes, or another kid would be my choice too. But, have you not heard some of BC's comments the past couple of months? He is chomping at the bit to get Rocket back in pinstripes. And, as we all know, he is the one making the calls, not us.

I'm not saying I'm in favor of a Clemen's signing. I'm just saying that that is what I see happening...a prediction.

ruse

I also agree that they didn't pay all that money for Igawa to have him in the bullpen or at AAA. Unless he totally sucks, I can live with him as #5.

Rick: I know your not in favor of a Clemens signing,neither am I, will have to stay tuned on future developments.Never a dull moment...I think Karstens often is over looked ,he doesn't throw bullets ,his fastball is in the 87-89 range but he compliments that w/3 other pitches and he throws strikes.He pitched reasonably well at the end of the season ,after throwing 160 innings at AA&AAA...and he's determined.We'll see.

ruse

I actually was pissed last September when Torre didn't take Karstens and Rasner on the playoff roster over Wright and RJ (remember at that time his back was MAJOR issue). The two kids were clearly pitching better than Wright and RJ at that time. We should have used the guys that were playing best at the time.

I think we're going to see the Yankees be very cautious with Hughes. They'll start him at AAA and watch his pitch count closely and sometime around Memorial Day he'll come up, but the team will limit him, probably no more than 200 innings at most this season.

The Pavano thing is interesting, given the cost of mediocre starters this winter, there's a chance that as long as he doesn't come up lame, someone will be willing to give the Yankees some minor league talent of value for him without the team having to eat all of his contract.

As for Clemens, I wouldn't start worrying about it until June. I personally think that he'll stay in Houston, they'll pay him, he'll be at home and they'll let him do what he wants. But if he ends up in NY, so be it.

Coming out of Spring Training I believe the rotation will be:
Wang
Pettitte
Mussina
Igawa
Karstens

with the following in the pen:
Myers
Rivera
Bruney
Proctor
Vizciano
Beam
Henn

With Villone and Farnsworth getting traded during the spring.

some anger management...

i'm sure it's been addressed before, but i have to let some steam out.
i know that we live in an age where agents instruct their on what to say to the press in order to never commit themselves to a team and advance their value by keeping everything vague, but there has to be a limit.
i am not a huge cashman fan and a very little torre fan, but what's been going with mo rivera just got my blood boiling.
fine, you decided to launch a media campaign to get an extension- so be it. not the classiest thing to do, but fine.
you want to put the pressure on head office, ok. but how dare you insult both the intelligence and emotion of yankee fans? why would you say that all teams have an equal chance at the end of the year - a blatant spin and lie? and above all, how dare you insinuate that it's quite possible you'd end up with the red sox? antone who's been with the yankees for more than 2 minutes realizes what it means to use the sox as a threat. it's a red line you simply don't cross, especially if you whine about lack of respect yet disrespect the fans in such a way.
i have lost a lot of respect towards mo this week, i find it hard to imagine another current yankee, including a-rod, who would make his contract status an issue in such a public and tactless way. one name comes to mind, someone who would have probably acted similarly, his name is sheffield.
and that's not someone you want to be compared to.
this event has convinced that cashman, after all, has the right idea regarding the dismantle of the old yankees. the old clubhouse atmosphere of the 90's is already dead.

Chip: I pretty much concur with what you say,although something tells me the Pen will be a work in progress early on....can Bruney throw strikes ? will Henn fulfill his promise? can Visciano adjust to NY and the AL East...and I think Pavano will get traded back to the NL for prospects

Gil L: You certainly make some valid points,it's unfortunate we live in a world where money is the measure of all things.Or is it ? So much for Mo's Christian principles..

You guys are counting Sanchez out already? I'll remind you of this cold Feb. day very soon.

Gil L:
Amen Brother! I've lost a ton of respect for Mo this week. He should really re-think the situation.
Chip: You didn't include Pavano in your rotation (smart move). Obviously you see him being traded, any ideas where? St. Louis is an obvious choice.

Lastly, when are the Yanks going to take Igawa to the barber? Mattingly will probably do the honors himself before too long.

Roy : I'm certainly not counting out Sanchez ,I listed him as a candidate for a starting role! Rick and I mentioned him as a possiblity in the above postings...check.

I will say it again, Sanchez will go north to the Bronx after ST.

If Hughes is better then Sanchez, then we are looking at number 27.

To Gil L: you expressed the sentiments of many a yankee fan about Mo.

As far as the pitching too soon to guess after the starting pitchers start throwing 4 innings. It would be a good time to speculate. Some will fall back becuase of injury and lack of progress.

I understand the talk about Pavano being traded but the Yankees need to pitch him against all teams who showed prior interest. If,If, If, Igawa, Sanchez, Rasner, karstens or even Hughes show MLB progress then can pavano be moved for some talent in needed areas such as backup catcher or AA or AAA pitching prospects. I still believe that Pavano has promise this year.

I would shop both Meyers and farnsworth if young guys show progress. Meyers especially is a total waste of a roster spot.