Yankees Are 007 On Clemens, Pavano News

In today's New York Times is a story on the Yankees foreign legion journeying to China. There is also mention of Carl Pavano and J.B. Cox, as well as a brief comment on the Clemens watch.

Despite his long list of injuries the past two seasons, starter Carl Pavano is expected to handle a regular workload when spring training starts Feb. 13. “He’s not a rehab player going into spring training,” Brian Cashman said. “He’s going to be on the same time frame, ready to go full-bore.”

J. Brent Cox, a promising setup man in the Yankees’ farm system, broke a bone in his pitching hand and will not train with the major leaguers this spring. “He was in a minor altercation and he won’t be ready until minor league camp starts, so it makes more sense to just wait until then,” Cox’s agent, Randy Hendricks, said in an e-mail message. Cashman said Cox would not be disciplined and was expected to be ready for the start of the minor league season.

Cashman continued to dispute the idea that the Yankees are the leading candidate to sign Roger Clemens. “Last year, we had interest, and he didn’t choose us, and I don’t think we were second, either,” Cashman said. “I think it would be a mistake to say we’re the team to beat.”

It's obvious that Clemens will be pitching a shortened season as he did in 2006. So I really try to ignore any Clemens talk unless the discussion revolves around his potential impact on players already with the club, or prospects hoping for a '07 promotion. Clemens probably won't make a decision until April or May anyway.

As most Yankee fans were perplexed when the Spring Training invites were released (and Kevin Whelan, not J.B. Cox was on it), the recent announcement of his altercation provides the answer for his omission. Tell you one thing. If I had as valuable an arm as Cox, and was on the brink of making the major leagues, I would keep my pitching arm in a hyperbaric chamber. Instead of throwing his million dollar arm in a meatgrinder, let's hope Cox tries to emulate his college world series success.


As for Pavano, what is there to say. Until he is on a MLB mound everything said by him or about him is simply conjecture in my mind. After last years compilation of disasters I could care less how hard he works. For me and many other Yankee enthusiasts, the results are all that matter now.