On the Yankees beat

Rieber

Do you have any idea what you have just done????

Get the machete Rick!

Rick Keyes--
Trust me, I know exactly what I did. At least I didn't mention A-Rod. By the way, did I mention A-Rod just got doubled off first on a pop up to the catcher in the first inning?

Anthony, Anthony, Anthony....

Is it Prince Spaghetti Day?

The Righetti Spaghetti!

Hey Anthony, while you're at it, you should ask Torre why the Yankees didn't sign Lilly...poor Rick

How about a nice Clemens update?

How about a nice Clemens update?

On Sardinha for a second. I think the development of both him and Tabata will help determine whether or not the Yankees keep Abreu for another season or trade him like they did Sheffield.

If those two kids show a lot this year in the minors (maybe a cup of coffee due to injury for Sardinha at some point during the season) and the team can get three prospects back for Abreu, I could see him getting shipped off next winter. Especially if one of those prospects is a big time catcher.

Oh, now you're really stirring it up Anthony. Bring on the jack*ss Clemens update. What? He wants two Hummers to come back?

Wang just gave up back to back doubles. 3-1 Yanks.

Anthony,

is that Sea Salt or Kosher Salt you're rubbing into Rick's wounds?

just having a little fun. you guys love to dish it out at us!

Chip: I agree, although I forget what Abreu is being paid so I can't say for sure how tradeable he is.

Anthony,

By all means, continue, continue...

Jim,

After this season Abreu has a club option at I believe either $15 or $16 mil - Sheff's was 13 and he is 5 years older.

Well, since this is my only day on the yankees blog this spring...here are a few random thoughts:
-- it annoys the heck out of me that Cano gave up 22 IN CASE the yankees sign Clemens. I mean, isn't caring about your uniform number something you do in Little League? I think the number Clemens is going to care about is how many millions he gets.
-- Cano looks great down here. Some way, some how, they need to get him to the top of the lineup.
-- I'm supposed to fly home tomorrow ON JETBLUE. Anyone want to post odds of me actually getting home tomorrow?

I think it's time for A-Rod 24/7. Now, say uncle!

In fairness Anthony, you see that a lot with players now - they all have specific numbers for specific reasons

Giambi 25 - his dad's favorite player was Mantle but 7 is not available

A-Rod 13 - 3 and 8 aren't available and Dan Marino was his favorite athlete

Boomer Wells would pay players on teams to give him #3

I mean is caring about the number any more or less childish then say believing you have to eat chicken on game days or else you wouldn't hit (as Boggs did)

Anthony,
I agree totally. Clemens is like an overgrown high school jock/bully who needs his butt kissed all the time. He loves the fact that he has 3 times drooling over him right now.
Cano: Hard to believe a guy who hit .342 is going to hit 8th.
JetBlue: Good luck, we'll see you next week sometime.

i know, chip but can they wait until he gets here before giving him 22?

Jim,

Well, if Alex and Abreu are both gone next season, Cano will likely hit 3 or 5.

I also do not believe Cano gave up the number willingly. The Yankees should reimburse all the kids who forked over money for a 22 jersey last year.

Thanks for the Cano update Anthony! They have to get him up top as he is being wasted at the bottom;). He's way too good of a hitter to be that low...;):)!

Jet Blue???!!!! I wish you luck man! I really do;)

Sure they COULD...but maybe Cano wanted 24 all along. Maybe Cano is a big Tino Martinez fan.

Anthony, maybe bring along something to read in case your flight is delayed. Perhaps the Encycloppdia Brittanica?

Abreu has a $16M option with a $2M buyout

To be honest, with my dad and brother, we have think about batting Cano 1st and Damon 9th (a “second” 1st bat you could say). But I don’t know how Cano would handle it. And I think he would see better pitches since he has Jeter protecting him. But Torre would never do it, just like he would never put a $25 millon man on the 8th spot.

Hey... wait a minute...

I think Cano would take it better than Damon. Damon would freak! Plus, Damon is a little more patient than Cano, but that will come as Cano gains more experience.

Cano is a free swinger...no way he leads off

I think with his increased power, and slightly declining speed, Damon would be better suited for the middle of the order, maybe about 6th.

I think Cano will make a good 3, 5 or 6 hitter. Not enough patience or speed to lead off and not enough power to clean up.

He's batting 8 this season because of the depth of the Yankee lineup and Torre likes splitting up his lefties

Damon L
Jeter R
Abreu L
A-Rod R
Giambi L
Matsui L
Posada S
Cano L
first base platoon

So with that being the case, you think it's any less crazy for Matsui to bat 8?

Rick,

In my most humble of opinions, and not to contradict you. But I would suggest that Damon's speed was off due to the bad toe he suffered in Toronto and the increased power was a result of the short porch in right rather than a change in his abilities.

hmmmm, I tried to post and it told me the post must be held for approval.

The reality is that batting orders, just like rotations, are not always constructed by logic and cold hard facts. Contracts and reputations and egos all overrule logic and facts.

That is the debate that Roy and I had awhile back about Abreu being a leadoff hitter. He leads the ML in lifetime OBP and he is a base stealer. He also has some pop but his HR totals are dropping.

I argued that he would make an ideal candidate to bat leadoff. But, he won't on the Yankees because Damon is "the leadoff hitter". To me, the guy with the highest OBP and some speed would be the better guy.

I think the Damon-Jeter-Abreu combination is devastating for other teams to face. But after that I think there is room to tinker.

Maybe Cano should hit 4th then the declining 3B, followed by Matsui, Giambi, Posada, and 1B Du Jour.

Wang is done for the day. He looked very good, had a little hiccup with back to back doubles but at one point retired 10 in a row. Lots of ground balls too, he's ready to go.
Vizcaino is on to pitch, Yankees up 3-1, bottom of 6th.

Chip

Agreed, but he is playing half his games in Yankee Stadium (short porch) now and he is getting older along with the toe issue. Also put on some weight. That's what happens as you start to age. I know better than anyone, trust me.

It's a matter of matching a player with the team he is on and the home stadium he plays in. Basically making team adjustments. It's not what teams do, but I think they should. It's a new way of thinking. On other teams in other years in other stadiums, Damon is a leadoff hitter. But, maybe now, he is best suited at a different spot in the lineup.

If the Yankees traded for a Carl Crawford, should they not consider a redo of their lineup? What if they got Santana? Would he not bump eveyone else back a notch? It's not a big deal. It's just making team adjustments for what you have and where you play.

Paul,

Cano doesn't have anywhere near enough power to hit fourth and personally I wouldn't want him giving up that stroke he's got by sticking him in the four spot and making him think that he needs to become a home run hitter.

Rick,

I think Abreu, Jeter and Damon can all be very good lead off hitters - Jeter happens to be an exceptional number 2 hitter though and I don't believe Abreu has ever led off whereas Damon has spent his career doing that...so why mess with it?

A lot of the players in this lineup can hit in a lot of spots, Giambi, A-Rod, Matsui, Posada - they can all hit anywhere from 3-6.

Damon, Jeter, Melky can all lead off, Cano could hit 2, 3, 5, 6. Heck, Ron Garenhire was saying when the Twins were in a couple of days ago that when he had Doug M. Doug batted 3rd for him and won a batting title, for the Yankees he bats 9. Trust me when I say, this is a good problem to have.

Paul

Take a look at the top 3 if you just flipped Damon and Abreu. I think it actually works a little better for the team.

Thanks for the update, Jim. I am watching on the MLB website with the "live" boxscore which is still in the 5th inning.

I still think Bernie is going to get an at-bat this season, thus so I can win my free lunch from PeteAbe.

Just checking in to contribute a few thousand words about A-Rod and Clemens. Just kidding.

Cano had only 18 walks all last season, so his .342 BA only produced a mediocre OBA of .365. Also he had only 5 steals. However, his slugging % was .525, which is extraordinary for a middle infielder.

Just because Peter Gammons called Sardinha a "phenom", I'm not sure he has moved ahead of Reese or Thompson yet. He only has a couple more AB's than those two, if you can draw any conclusions fro who's getting more playing time in ST.

By the way, I still eat chicken on Yankee game days. Can I stop now?

Rick, I agree with you - that if the Yankees were to trade for a Crawford he would be the better lead off hitter etc, but let me ask you this:

If Damon is losing a step and upping his power, and Abreu is quick (but not as fast as Damon) and also has average power, then doesn't that make them basically the same player? And if that's the case, why move Abreu to leadoff when Damon has a career worths of experience leading off?

Jim B

Good to hear from you buddy. Are you ready for the draft? What have you been up to?

You better believe I'm ready. I've been studying up bigtime. I'm back home, getting ready for my new job. I see Kat's done a fine job with the newspaper and the blog. Just need our friends at Tribune to fix the gliche with the comments.

Chip

It's the OBP mostly. Abreu leads the ML in lifetime OBP. The other areas are a wash. And, OBP is really what leadoff is all about.

JIM B.- Great hearing from you. Looking forward to battling you a week from Sat. in the BBB LEAGUE DRAFT. I hope you are doing your homework. You don't wanna pull an A-ROD and "choke it", in the League that bears your name.

Jim B

Great of you to check in. You need to get on here more often! Now, you can become one of us!

1 hint JIM B.- You better draft Jeter ahead of A-ROD if you have the choice.

Chip,

Remember that last season after he returned from the disabled list Cano led all of baseball in RBI. All of baseball, including that guy from Philly. Power is less important than driving in runs. Further with more experience I think Cano will hit with more power. That kid is developing into an awesome ballplayer in all facets.

Rick,

I understand your thoughts about flipping them but Abreu drives in more runs and is ideal in the 3 slot. I would keep him right there. If Damon were injured I would leave Jeter and Abreu as 2 and 3 and slide Melky into leadoff. He hit the best last season in that slot.

I'll check in, no doubt. But you guys have to check in on my work, too. I'll be writing a daily Web-only sports column beginning Opening Day. It should be on the Web site before noon Monday through Friday.

Paul and Chip

I'm not saying they SHOULD do it. I'm just saying there are other options for a lineup with this group of players that most people don't even consider or evaluate.

And, yes, that was a very shameless plug.

Hiya, Jim B.

I recommend they put a link to your stories at the top of this blog so we can go to it all the time.

It could replace the link to the columnist. I never use that one.

Oops, should I have said that?

Rick: I think Abreu is currently 7th w / OBP .412 among active players.

Jim B

I'll be reading your articles as I always did. I was wondering where you've been.

Rick, I considered it before and when they got Damon. Jeter's leadoff numbers were actually better than Damon's, but I think Jeter is an ideal #2 hitter.

If Jeter were not a team player he would have demanded to bat in the 3 or 4 slot so he could get the RBIs and MVP awards, but he is all about the team and winning for the team not for himself.

No way Villone is making this team. He sucks! He just came in the game and promptly gave up a bomb- 3-2 Yanks.

Rick,

It's a valid argument, but I think asking Abreu to lead off when you already have two proven leadoff hitters on the team (Damon and Jeter) would be a case of unnecessary tinkering. If Damon couldn't lead off (lets say he gets hurt or something) I think Torre's first choice would be to put either Jeter or Melky (presumably Damon's replacement) in that spot and maybe Cano 2nd (in the case of Jeter leading off)

ruse

When the trade was made, the reports were that he had the highest lifetime OBP. That's where I got the info. Maybe someone goofed while reporting the trade.

Jim,

I thought we talked about not getting too worked up on spring results.

Villone just gave up another one to the next batter he faced, we're tied at 3. I hate Villone!

Lefty's or righty's

Double to the next batter....
Chip,
Villone sucked the second half of last year and he has looked like crap this spring. Plus, for his career he hasn't been that good. I'm not worked up, I'm just being realistic- Villone won't make this team.

I 2nd that emotion, Villone Stinks!...Rick : Ted Williams .482 lifetime OBP leader.

Villone is not helping his case. I liked him a lot last year, but this does not look so good.

And I never thought I would say this: Sean Henn looks good.

Ensberg hit a homer, I think Luke Scott hit the double, can't remember who hit the other homer.
He got out of the inning, but not before another guy backed Sardinha up against the wall.

ruse

I meant active lifetime.

Anthony Jetblue just cancel 215 flights. Better get on the phone with your travel agent.

Not sure what the weather is supposed to be tomorrow in NY but here in Boston it is supposed to be a blizzard, or a Nor'easter as they call it.

And it was 70° 2 days ago.

Anyhow travel tomorrow may be impossible. If you could fly Sunday instead it might make life easier for you.

Villone is just not a very good pitcher ,never was .The first 2 months of 2006 season were an aberration.If the Yanks expect the same kind of return this yr they're in for a surprise.

Chip

I'm just making a point that there are alot of options with this bunch. Actually, when Damon came over, Jeter had better numbers at leadoff than he did. But, Jeter is the prototypical #2 guy, hence the adjustment. I just think that Damon COULD adjust to a spot lower in the order as he ages.

Jim,

I agree with you, Villone was terrible last year (Torre partially to blame for overusing him) but I was hoping that he would show enough this spring so that the team could trade him for a prospect. I figured a good spring, a lefty reliever a reasonable contract could all come together and make him a trade chip - when you consider the money that 2 other lefties in his mold (Showenweis and Jamie Walker) got - Villone on a 1 year 1 mil deal would be very attractive on the market.

Cano is awesome! He would be a great #5 hitter, but that's what happens when your team is full of superstar sluggers. Almost any of the guys in the line up could hit 4 or 5 on any other ML team.

Cano took 24 willingly. He was named after Jackie Robinson and it's a flop of 42. His dad was a huge Robinson fan.

Rick :FYI current active Bonds .443 followed by Helton at .430

Rick,

I agree, this lineup lends itself to lots of options and as he gets older, maybe a change in the lineup will occur. Then again, Rickey Henderson was still batting leadoff at 40

Cano is an awesome talent. Just wait till he matures and gets more patient with a little more power. The sky is the limit for this kid.

Thanks ruse. I must of heard some bad info during the trade.

Chip,
Adam Everett hit the other homer for Houston today.
A trade of Villone is probably still possible. Like you say, he's LH and that is very valuable these days. The Phillies are looking for arms for their bullpen.
SI.com says the White Sox are interested in Pavano.

Bottom of 8th- Villone just gave up a lead-off single. He's being yanked for Colter Bean.

Good information on the number change by OYF.

Good stat work by Ruse

Boston CF Coco Crisp injured, rumor is they have a deal in principle to sign Bernie Williams

Cano will emerge as a middle of the lineup guy as the lineup evolves w/ the departure of Giambi after the 2008 season,and if A-Rod stays and they trade Abreu he could easily slip into the 3rd or 5th spot...

Ahh...Rickey. One of my alltime favorites ever!!! A hotdog extraordinaire, but man could he take over a game. I have a picture of me and him together and he later autographed it. Check out his stat sheet if you want to see some real numbers!! I heard he's still playing in an independent league.

Love ya Rickey!

Chip : Please tell me youre joking !

Villone is in camp as a non-roster invitee. He can't be traded as such, can he???

Take it Bernie!!!!! And stick it in Cash's face.

Of course I'm joking. It's just the end of a long week and I was curious what Rick's reaction would be.

Rick: I had the pleasure of watching Rickey come up w/ Oakland in 1979? I will never forgive him for going to sleep on the Yanks in 1988 which precipitated a trade back to Oakland for Luis Polonia.

Rick, sure they can trade him. He's signed to a minor league contract he can be traded just like any other minor league player.

Dice-K had a rough start today but was rained out after 3 innings. He struggled in the first inning but settled down.

I'm convinced the Astros play by play guy is drinking in the booth. He is having way too much fun with the name "Colter Bean". He must have said it 300 times already.

Chip: Where'd you hear this nonsense about Bernie and Boston?

Chip : Wow !

Chip: that was mean. Rick was already ordering a Red Sox jersey w/ # 51 on it.

Chip

Quick, get out of your house. It's on fire!!! Ha Ha

Jim,

As you have seen by now, I was just curious how Rick would react.

FOR THE RECORD TO ALL WHO ARE LOOKING>>>>I WAS JOKING BERNIE IS NOT GOING TO BOSTON

Ted Lilly however is, traded there five minutes ago for a minor leaguer (too soon?)

Never happen, but I would root for Bernie the player!

You guys are a riot. Jim A. Thanks for the game updates.

Manny would be so confused if Bernie were in CF for the Sox. They have still not told Manny that Johnny Damon is not on the team any more.

Gotta go look for the machete.

Paul:

I call Manny "Rain Man." The guy has no clue what day it is, but put a bat in his hand and he's a genius.

I'm on eBay buying one now, Rick. I'll meet you at Chip's house.

I have a friend who is a sports reporter here in Boston and he tells me that Manny is only comfortable in the batter's box. Outside of the box he cannot deal with people/situations/reality/the world.

I wonder where he'll end up when his contract is up? Isn't he a free agent soon? It would be soooo Manny if he resigned with the sux after complaining every year about Boston.

Now boys, lets keep our senses of humor about these things.

Somebody named Kozlowski (6'6" , 265lb LH) is pitching for the Yanks. He has two on and nobody out in the bottom of the 9th. Gator is chewing his arse on the mound right now. The announcers are laughing about it.
Damn...Gator is 56 years old! this can't be happening!

For my own amusement, and potentially that of others I write Top Ten lists ala David Letterman. Last November I wrote one for Manny.

Top 10 Excuses Manny Missed Games for the Red Sox

10. Manny’s knee hurt.

9. Was absolutely certain season ended August 15 and the rest were optional exhibition matches.

8. Sometimes when sitting on the bench and turning his head really fast he sees many pretty colors.

7. Johnny Damon looks different playing next to him and it is confusing.

6. Manny’s nose hurt.

5. Manny’s tummy hurt.

4. Misses daily back rubs from Kevin Millar.

3. Angry at official scorers for not giving him more hits against the Yankees

2. Stinking Yankees never called him “Daddy.”

And the Number 1 Excuse Manny Missed Games for the Red Sox:

1. It’s Manny being Manny.

AWESOME! I love it! Go Gator!
I wish I could see it. What's the score?

I think he's got something like 2 years left - that will make him what 35? I wouldn't put it beyond him to just retire.

I would say that a year or two as DH for the Yankees wouldn't be out of the question but what are the odds he would meet the Boss's hair code

Game over...Kozlowski didn't get anyone out. 4-3 Astros.

I think Manny would like to go back to Cleveland. I really wish someone would have picked him up when Boston waived him, that would have been great. The guy can roll out of bed and stroke a double without even thinking about it.

Kozlowski is a bit of a journeyman. His last time in the bigs I think was in 2002.

I've heard about this guy Koslowski, I forget where they got him, but he's new to the organization and supposedly good raw stuff but he was converted to a pitcher a couple of years ago so he's in need of lots of polish.

In 2002 Kozlowski pitched 2 games for the Rangers, both starts, 6.30 ERA, 10 innings, no record.

Benjamin Anthony Kozlowski (born August 16, 1980, in St. Petersburg, Florida) is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. Kozlowski recently signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees with an invite to spring training.

Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 12th round of the 1999 MLB amateur draft, Kozlowski made his Major League Baseball debut with the Texas Rangers on September 19, 2002.

His 2003 season was cut short when he suffered a torn elbow ligament, necessitating Tommy John surgery.

Kozlowski returned to action in the middle of the 2004 season, but struggled, and was placed on waivers by the Rangers after the season.

Kozlowski was claimed off of waivers by the Cincinnati Reds.

He was traded from the Reds to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Cody Ross in May 2006.

Ben Kozlowski 81 | P Current Status: Non-roster invitee

Full Name: Benjamin Anthony Kozlowski
Born: 08/16/1980
Birthplace: St. Petersburg, FL
Height: 6'6" Weight: 230
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
College: Santa Fe CC, NM
MLB Debut: 09/19/2002

Oh well, he can at least get a job as a bouncer somewhere.

Him and Brien Taylor

Well, Wang, Bean, and Vizcaino looked good.

It is rather unusual that Colter Bean looks pretty good this spring.

Kozlowski entered the game with a 9.00 ERA. After facing 3 batters and getting no outs it is up to 18.00.

My guess is that he will not have impressed the team.

Paul,

It's not that unusual. Colter has looked very good every stop along the way, just not when he gets to the majors. He's like a soft tossing Jeff Nelson, but between iffy stuff, a bad body and horrible body language on the mound (plus the fact that he's 30) he's not really someone to pay attention to...he's a career minor leaguer and that's all he'll be.

Hey, guys, it was fun today. we'll definitely do it again some time. Wish me luck with the flights tomorrow...I'm gonna need it. and remember to stay classy!

does that last post mean we are done?

Lol, I was thinking the same thing for hours.

All righty then, I'm the decider. All of you posters, kudos for some excellent stats and facts. Opinions must be based on actual facts to have weight. Paul, you especially were on the case. Jim A: Villone was indeed horrendous the second half. He didn't get a nibble as a free agent andaccepted the Yanks' minor league deal (essentially a try-out) because he had nothin' else. Rick: Henderson was playing for the Surf Dogs (you can't make this stuff up) out here in California last year but I think he has packed it in. Before there was Let Manny be Manny, there was Let Rickey Be Rickey.
Paul: Henn has allowed no runs in 3.2 innings. And Fats Colter has pitched 5.2 inn with 2 hits, zero walks and 6 K's. On Cano, he hit 43 doubles despite missing 6 weeks. That extrapolates to about 57 doubles over 162 games, which would lead the league most years. Now I'm sitting down to some chicken

Alvaro , did you play infield for the Yanks in the late 80's?

Predictions (bold without the bite):
Henn makes the team and Villone is cut.
Also, Colter sticks and Britton and Bruney start the year at AAA.
Also, Myers is gone by May 15.

Alvaro Espinoza, played during the "Mel Hall" or "Jeri Curl" era...ah, yes, the bad old days when the Yanks had a new manager or pitching coach ever few months it seemed. If you check out baseballreference.com you will be amazed at the names who ran through the Yanks in the 80's, it was a who's who of players squeezing some dollars out of a very impatient George.

Those were some tought times.
And they say that Yankee fans don't know what it's like to suffer!

Zander : The Yanks are auditioning players like Colter Bean ,no way he gets the nod over Britton or Bruney...I agree Henn will be in the mix,Myers may get traded before the Yanks break camp...Jim A : Dale Berra ,Vic Mata,Dan Pasqua ,didn't Berra and Mattingly get busted for indecent exposure for peeing in a fountain in Kansas City in 1985 ?

JIM A: Yankees under CBS ownership; Mike Burke does this bring back a few memories.

I know Don got a summons for peeing in a parking lot if I'm not mistaken KC. Dale Berra could have gotten a ticket for just about anything in those days.

Larry and Ruse,
Yep, I certainly remember the CBS days and I remember hearing my father talk about the "new owner" who didn't know anything about baseball but he admitted he didn't so he would hire good baseball people and let them run the team...that lasted about 3 months I think.
I remember Berra getting in trouble for a bunch of stuff, but I don't know if he was with Mattingly in KC, for some reason I thought it was Steve Kemp.
Here are some more names: Dave Collins; Ken Griffey Sr.; Don Baylor; Kemp; Matt Nokes; Roy Smalley; Ruppert Jones; Butch Wynegar; Phil Neikro; John Mayberry; Ron Davis and of course the infamous Ken Phelps.

Some more names from the 2 Dark Ages: Hector Lopez,Jake Gibbs,Horace Clarke,Bobby Cox (!),Andy Kosko,Jerry Kenney,Danny Cater,Curt Blefary,Ron Blomberg, Celerino Sancez. Starting in'84, Bobby Meacham,Steve Sax,Steve Balboni,Kevin Maas,Andy Stankiewicz,Luis Polonia and Mike Gallego (5'3").

3 more immortals: Mike Kekich, who swapped his wife and children with Fritz Peterson!, Ron Klimkowski and Ray Fontenot. Also Stump Merrill, the worst frickin' manager in 160 years of Base Ball.

Those were the days. How about Sandy Alomar who played the infield. I can't remember who but either Bobby Meacham or Jerry Kenney was practically run out of down.

Sorry, I meant town.