On the Yankees beat

Ken Rosenthal sites a "source with knowledge" who says that Nieves has a leg up based on the poor spring Pratt has had and the fact that he's a high energy guy that pitchers like throwing to.

Gotta buy some Gatorade so I can become "a high energy guy"??? Ken Rosenthal ??? Mister know it all.

Give me a low energy guy who can hit.

Basak gets another start - anyone think he's still alive for the 25?

Not for the 25, but I think he'll be the first call up if there's an injury to an infielder.

They could be taking a good look at Basak for when A-Rod leaves. Just a hunch, but he's getting a real good look over.

Rick:
I love Basak but I shudder to think of how many wins we lose if he "replaces" A-Rod next year.

It's not impossible Rick, but I think when Alex leaves they'll use some of the money they would have paid him to bring in a more established third baseman.

My pick would be to see if they can get Teahan from KC. The Royals moved him to the outfield this year to accommodate top prospect Alex Gordon, but Teahan is a good young 3rd baseman.

Can anybody report on what's happening in the game? I'm going into withdrawal.

This whole "high energy" thing makes me laugh. Johnny Damon keeps saying how much energy Melky brings to the team and now we're hearing about Nieves being a "high energy guy who pitchers want to throw to", what is he doing behind the plate that makes the pitchers want to throw to him? does he have naked pictures of Jennifer Aniston in his glove or something? How do these high energy guys help the team? Maybe it's something like this:
Damon "Melky, run over and get me some Gatorade"
Melky "you got it Johnny"
Damon "Wow! that was fast, you sure have a lot of energy".

Why don't they all just pop some greenies like they did in the good old days? This way everyone is full of energy.

The game is not on XM today...I'm not a happy camper.

Hey Zander... I do use my last initial (Jim A.) because Jim B. was a frequent contributor at one time. Hopefully he comes back to us.

Bottom 5, yanks 1-0 Rasner 4 shut out innings

Rick,
Is our draft just AL or all?
Is it all online or do we need to be on the phone?

Sorry...I'm a rookie.

Jim A:
In "Ball Four" Jim Bouton revealed that most trainers' rooms had a big bowl of greenies that most players popped like crazy. Incidentally, someone gave me a copy of "Ball Four - The Final Pitch". Bouton has continually added new chapters on top of the original book, and it makes for a great read.
While I'm on the subject of baseball books, "Veeck as in Wreck" and 'The Long Season" are terrific.

One Bill Veeck story. With one team he owned, he kept the outfield fences on rollers and moved them around depending on what team was in town.

Question on blog protocol: When do you switch from posting on an old thread to a newer one?

Zander,
I have read "Ball Four" and I do read the latest additions.
It's funny how reading it when it first came out is so much different than reading it now. I remember reading it when I was in my early 20's and thinking how shocking some of the behavior was, now it seems pretty tame compared to what we see on TV and read in the paper every day.

Zander,
Good question. I don't really know, I just notice that nobody is responding and I check the next threads. People seem to slowly migrate over to the next thread, sometimes topics just follow along though.

Jim A and BBB

The draft is online Sunday at 9:00 a.m. It's AL only.

Henn comes in with 2 out and one on after rasner gave up a run and gets Jason Bay to pop up to 2nd

Hopefully after todays statements from Joe this helps in kicking Villone's ass to the curb

Henn deserves a shot at being the lefty on the Yankees 25 - man roster, cut the other two loose.

I'm so pissed with that move: I hated it when they did it and I hate it even more now. They could have gotten a supplemental 1st rounder for him and now he won't even make the team...

I look forward to dispatching all my elders in BBB

I think it's a matter of if and when the new threads are working!

Zander

I left you a nice story on the Billy Martin I knew in the Villone/Henn thread.

Terrence:
Don't worry, Henn is 90% sure. Villone is burnt toast.

Jim A:
Yeah, Bouton was the first athlete to really pull the curtain back, including drinking, infidelity, childishness, etc. The Yankees and MLB vilified him and froze him out.

Rick:
Can't find the Billyball story.

If anyone can find Joe Pepitones autobiography I suggest reading it .He has some great stories about rooming w/Mantle that are a hoot...Rick :I left you a post about Holtzman maybe we can pick up on it ...

I'm just reading the details of Pavano's outing yesterday. So Giambi failed to see TWO ground balls ?? Maybe it's better that he doesn't see 'em, that way he can't butcher them.

Anybody remember Dr. Strangeglove?

Statistics are for losers.. Aka Arod= stat padder

I don't worry about statistics too much, obviously. I care only If Henn does his job in the bullpen and help the Yankees win...

Zander

You can't find my post or the video? My post is on the Villone/Henn thread below this one.

Karstens/Rasner make keeping Pavano a very very questionable proposition...how questionable you ask ? Very questionable.

CHIP-
Your "breathing a scab on your nose". Better buy some Band-Aids.

Strangeglove : Was that Jim Gentile or Dick Stuart?

Torre abused Villone last year and it is showing-He came into camp looking strong, probably looking to really impress early on which he did-but is looking more like his 2nd half self of last year. I could see him being moved to the Phils for something. Yanks will give Henn the chance.

Also, in reference to Basak assuming 3rd base if A-Rod leaves.HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-Are you for real?
Also, you heard it here first-A-Rod is not going anywhere. He is not going to get an avg salary of 27 million over the next 3 years. In three years he will be 34 and will still be able to get a "prime" contract.
Also-Happy "RAD" Day everyone!

I have hired a retired Soviet Kremlinologist to study the (green) tea leaves of Torre's vaguely supportive statements concerning every player in camp, irrespective of performance. This gentleman has informed me the select few are Cairo, Henn, Nieves and Bruney.

Thanks for the info Rick.
Good Billy Martin story btw, I loved Billy. It was a sad day when he died. I suspect he would have managed the Yanks at least two or three more times if he hadn't died.

Ruse: Dick Stuart, but Gentile was bulky and immobile.

Rick:
OK,found it. Yeah, Billy was spiteful and self-destructive. He was particularly nasty to Reggie.

Mike : Torre didn't abuse Villone ,although he did wear down the last half the season...Villone is a mediocre pitcher to begin with ..what you saw for the first 2 months last yr was not the real Villone he belongs w/ Tanyon Sturtze remember him ? as a pitcher trying valiantly trying to hang on to a career.Villone being a veteran Lefty has some value ..but if the Yanks jettison him he'll catch on to another team and you'll get the same outcome and that is he basically stinks.

ruse

Left some info on the Martin/Holtzman thing in the thread below.

Ruse:
"he basically stinks"?

Not a very detailed scouting report, but succinct. And accurate. For some reason it reminds me of some movie executive's summary of Fred Astaire's first screen test:
"Can't act. Can't sing. Balding. Can dance a little."

Remember when the Yanks carried 3 catchers Yogi,Elston and Johnny Blanchard.Man talk about firepower !

Zander

You mean Billy was nasty to the guy who walked into camp and proclaimed to be "the straw that stirs the drink"? Or was it the guy that said "the magnitude of me"? Sorry, but I can see where that wouldn't go over to well with Billy or any other manager or teammate either. You know they say, "You only get one chance to make a first impression". Wonder if anybody ever told that to Reggie?

Ruse:
Blanchard said playing behind those 2 all-stars gave him a nice career. He said if he ever had to play every day, the Yanks would find out that he was lousy.

Jim A:

I'm still around, just preparing for my new job. Went to the Knicks game Tuesday and the Islanders game last night as I try to learn about these teams that I more or less have forgotten about since taking on the Yankees beat in '04. But, believe me, you'll see a heck of a lot of me on Newsday.com beginning on Opening Day...

Jim B

Another thing....if Billy wore out his pitchers, what does Torre do?

Hey there Jim B. Ready for Sunday?

You better believe it.

I'll tell you what, I'm not drafting Chien-Ming Wang too high with this hamstring injury. Hamstring injuries can sometimes take a month or two to recover (see Cano).

3-2 loss to Pirates ! Where the heck is our offense ! ??

Rick:
No question, Reggie had a huge ego and a huge mouth. But a manager is paid to solve or mitigate bad actors, not inflame them.

Ruse:
1961:
Berra 22 HR
Howard 21
Blanchard 21

Although Yogi was starting to play LF at times.

Hammy? What's this about a hammy? Give me the scoop.

Rick: Thanks for the Holtzman info .Great stuff.I remember Holtzmans trade demands...I also remember when the Yanks acquired him in 1976 he pitched back to back complete game shutouts down the stretch and I remember thinking at the time the Yanks got themselves a great pitcher,and if I'm not mistaken Holtzman was also a great postseason pitcher so I was a little disappointed he didn't pitch against the Reds in the WS thought he might have neutralized their 3 lefty hitters.Oh Well .

Tony: We only sent 4 regulars to this road game. I think that's the minimum # required by MLB.

Kat e-mailed me just now and said the Yankees told everyone Wang had a "cramp" in his hamstring while running in Tampa (the team is in Bradenton) and Wang was shut down for the day. Cramp doesn't sound bad, sure, but hamstring injuries are never, ever good. Especially for pitchers. Didn't Aaron Small hurt his hamstring around this time last spring training and it wasn't until May when he finally made it back.

Jim B: Nice shameless plug! Don't worry, we'll read your new stuff when it COMES OUT ON OPENING DAY. You know this crew, they will be brutally honest with you too.
I'm an Islander fan from way back when they started so I'm interested in anything you write on them. Although I basically stopped watching hockey because you can't find it on TV anymore, I still follow the Isles.

Good luck with the new articles which will COME OUT ON OPENING DAY.

There, I did a little stumping for you. :)

Rick : Jim B comment about Wang better be a fantasy league bluff

LOL. I guarantee you I won't take him higher than the fourth round after this bit of news...

Rick: I liked what Francona said when asked to comment on Manny's latest instance of M. Being M. He said I'm paid to win games, not to point out every flaw in every player, which I could easily do. People are different, period. I need the ones who win games.

Jim A:
They're still playing hockey?

Jim B: Johan Santana felt a "pop" in his pitching shoulder while reaching for some jelly beans that were in the top of his cupboard.
I won't be drafting him at all...

Jim A:
He was reaching for a greenie.

Jim A

I believe you have Directv? Hockey is on about every night on VS Channel # 608. ESPN also shows several games.

Zander

I really don't care about the personal stuff either, but just wanted you to know what I experienced with a guy that was supposedly a bad apple. And, speaking of winning, that's pretty much what Billy did wherever he went. But, then his demons would catch up with him and he'd be fired. But, he really was a very decent guy and a great baseball manager. If he could of only stopped the drinking.

Rick,
The Islanders are NEVER on DirecTV. It's okay though, I got over hockey during the strike. I realized I didn't need to worry about it and I haven't been in to it too much at all since the strike ended.

Zander: If Santana would consider playing for the Yanks, I'b buy him all the greenies he could ever want.

Jim A:
I'll contribute $500 for greenies for Santana. And I'll caddy for him, for free.

Rick: Yeah, the drinking was Billy's downfall. Look how he died - in a truck rollover, where both he and the other occupant were drunk on an afternoon. might have been Christmas day.

OK, Kat is asleep so here's your new assignment:

Great Yankee opponents:

Frank Lary; "Yankee Killer"
Billy Pierce
Mel Parnell
Bob Gibson
Johnny Podres
Larry Doby
Don Newcombe
Al Kaline
George Brett
Manny and Ortiz

As Kornheiser likes to ask, who ya got ??

Zander

It was Christmas Eve and the other guy was his close friend Bill Reedy, a bar owner from Detroit.

He came into the Bar in Cleveland the night we met Billy and Clete. I remember he had a green jacket on with a coon hunters patch on it and a "roll" of greenbacks in his coat pocket.

It was truly a sad day for me. I was at home and a friend called me and told me to turn on the news, that Billy was dead. I thought he was messin with me, but alas, he wasn't. I was stunned for a couple of days.