Hughes Joins DL Party

Joining Posada and A-Rod, Phil Hughes was placed on the disabled list tonight with a strained oblique muscle and/or ribcage.

No corresponding announcement of Sunday's starter against the Mariners has been announced though Darrell Rasner appears to be the obvious choice as he has an ERA under 1.00 at AAA in 2008:

The Yankees just announced that Phil Hughes has gone on the disabled list with a right oblique strain. Oblique muscles are near the rib cage.

Guess the Yankees can sidestep the debate of whether or not Hughes should be sent down to AAA. The conspiracy theorists have their hands full with this one, right?

A-Rod To Disabled List

Are we into ridiculous territory yet? Alex Rodriguez has been placed on the disabled list with a grade 2 quadriceps strain - which essentially means a tear - and will be out of the lineup for at least two weeks.

The bad news keeps coming for the Yankees. Alex Rodriguez has been placed on the disabled list. He has a Grade 2 quadriceps strain.

“We have to get him right,” GM Brian Cashman said.

So much for the sunny prediction before the game that Rodriguez would be out only a day or two It appears at first glance that the Yankees made a mistake in bringing him back as quickly as they did.

How does the Yankees training staff allow the most dominant regular player on their roster not only back into the lineup but also play the field if he is obviously still healing from an injury? Maybe Hank Steinbrenner should focus his energies on that question instead of putting on his pitching-guru cap.

Source: Posada Will Play In 2008

Early word from Ed Price's blog:

Catcher Jorge Posada, on the disabled list with a strained shoulder, Monday was examined by specialist James Andrews. A person briefed on the exam, who asked not to be identified because the team said it would not discuss the matter before Tuesday, said said the early indications are that the damage in Posada's shoulder is not season-threatening, but cautioned that the complete diagnosis wouldn't be known for a few more days.

Posada, 36, first felt something on Opening Day and tried to recover by not catching for two weeks. But he regressed over the weekend.

"If he has a strain," manager Joe Girardi said, "surgery's really not an option. It's rest and strengthening. I don't know what's going to come from (Andrews), but I expect they're going to see pretty much the same. We're just going to have to rest him, probably a little bit longer."

More A-Quad Aggravation

According to LoHud, Alex Rodriguez left Monday night's game in Cleveland because he aggravated the quadriceps injury he had been recovering from.

With the gametime temperature somewhere around the mid-40s, it begs the question to why Joe Girardi would allow the invaluable A-Rod to brave such wintry conditions coming off a muscle pull.

Alex Rodriguez left the game tonight after aggravating the quadriceps strain in his right leg. He said there was “no way” that he would play tomorrow night against the Tigers.

“If I had to guess, I would probably guess more than one day,” he said.

The $126 Million Reliever

One of the most unbelievable stories in Major League Baseball is Barry Zito's complete regression into a Jamie Moyer-like starter, except he is 29 and not collecting Social Security checks.

The story took another ugly turn as Zito has been moved to the Giants bullpen until they can fake his death further notice:

Barry Zito was demoted to the bullpen Monday by the San Francisco Giants, who hope the former ace can correct his problems by working in relief.

Zito, who only 16 months ago signed a $126 million, seven-year contract with the Giants to lead their rotation, was informed of the move in a meeting with manager Bruce Bochy.

The left-hander has lost his first six starts this season and has a 7.53 ERA that jumped considerably after Zito was tagged for eight earned runs in a 10-1 loss Sunday to Cincinnati.

Report: Clemens Had 10 Year Affair

According to this morning's Daily News edition, Roger Clemens held a ten year affair with then 15 year-old country singer Mindy McCready. Clemens was 28, married and a father at the time of the alleged affair.

Is this the worst calendar year of all time for an athlete? Rocket's getting into hall of shame territory:

Roger Clemens carried on a decade-long affair with country star Mindy McCready, a romance that began when McCready was a 15-year-old aspiring singer performing in a karaoke bar and Clemens was a 28-year-old Red Sox ace and married father of two, several sources have told the Daily News.

The revelations could torpedo claims of an unsullied character that are central to the defamation suit Clemens filed Jan. 6 against his former personal trainer Brian McNamee. Vivid details of the affair could surface in several media projects that McCready is involved with - including a documentary that begins filming today in Nashville, a new album and a reality show.

...Contacted by the Daily News Sunday through his lawyer Rusty Hardin, Clemens confirmed a long-term relationship but denied that it was of a sexual nature.

“He flatly denies having had any kind of an inappropriate relationship with her,” Hardin said. “He’s considered her a close family friend. ... He has never had a sexual relationship with her.”

What's the statute of limitations on statutory rape, I wonder.

The Joba Replacement ProgramCandidate #1 - Dave Robertson

From The Thunder Blog comes a look at Dave Robertson's outpitch. A filthy power curveball:

Posada Out With Shoulder Tear

Bad news for Jorge Posada and another injury notch is added to the Yankees tally for 2008 as the starting backstop is likely headed to the disabled list with a tear in his right shoulder:

The Yankees’ injury troubles took another discouraging turn Sunday when Jorge Posada was a late scratch from the lineup with a recurrence of the shoulder problem that bothered him early this month. This time, the injury seems serious.

The Yankees said there would be no announcement until after the game, but Posada, who has a tear in his subscapularis muscle, is expected to visit Dr. James Andrews and will most likely be placed on the disabled list.

Posada has already shared his magnetic resonance imaging results with Andrews, and Posada has said that surgery would not be necessary. But the problem has not improved as Posada hoped, again raising the specter of an operation.

Chad Moeller could be claimed by other teams in the very near future and the Yankees will need to reacquire the 33 year-old journeyman catcher as they have zero depth in the minor leagues to call up as a backup to Jose Molina.

Reed All About It

What-a-catch-from-Reed-Johnson.

Reed all about it.

Sherman: Scouts: Joba Is A StarterNo *Bleep*

Today's Joel Sherman space in the NY Post cites several scouts who, like most of have been screaming from the get-go, believe Joba Chamberlain is a #1 type starting pitcher in the big leagues.

Scout A says:

The times I saw him, he was an easy-identification No. 1 starter. He was powerful and resilient. He went deep into games and used all four of his pitches. That is what impressed me most about him. He would strike out 2-3 guys in a row with a fastball, then go 2-2 and throw a plus-potential change.

I will tell you what I think on this kid. You put him in a playoff game, and when he leaves it is going to be 1-0 or 2-1. The score is going to be low for the other side. He was a dominant No. 1 guy in the minors. I left the stadium and said, "What else do you want in a starting pitcher?" I saw (Jonathan) Papelbon in the minors....Chamberlain as a starter was better than Papelbon. He had more options. He threw harder. Papelbon was 92-94 (mph) as a starter. His second pitches were all average.

Scout B says:

I thought he was the best player in the Yankees organization, the No. 1 prospect. He was lights out. He had a plus-fastball, nasty slider and a good curve, and a pitchable change. He held his stuff for seven innings. The thing that concerned me is there is a lot of effort in that delivery.

AA Reading Phillies Pitching Coach, Tom Filer says:

I was very impressed. The first couple of innings he was 94-96 (mph). By the fifth inning, he was 97-99. His slider was very impressive. I liked the action on his breaking ball. I only saw those two pitches, the fastball and slider. On this given day, we had no shot (against him). This guy can do anything. He might not be as refined as (Josh) Beckett the first time I saw him at 19 or 20 years old. But with Joba Chamberlain, I saw more power."

Scout C Says:

For me, he was a top-of-the-rotation guy. I have had a long-running debate in my head between Chamberlain and (Phil) Hughes. As far as stuff, I think I wrote him up as a No. 3 with upside. He pitched at 94-96 (mph). But the one thing is he threw seven innings and he maintained velocity. I saw him throw 98 in the seventh inning. He could step it up when he needed. I remember one time he was pitching at 94 and it was either the sixth or seventh inning and two guys got on with one out, and he did not throw another pitch at less than 97. [Chamberlain and Hughes] were both in my mind top-of-rotation guys without hesitation.

For me, he is a starter. There are a lot of guys who can do that set-up role.

Oswalt Says No To Yanks

What began as a muttered comment from Peter Gammons earlier this week on ESPN's Baseball Tonight made its way into the Houston locker room via the local media. During the nightly baseball fix, Gammons mentioned that the Yankees could be the frontrunner for Roy Oswalt's services should the Astros ace find himself on the trading block.

Oswalt's response?

"I don't know where that came from," Oswalt said, referring to Peter Gammons' comments on ESPN that created the furor. "I don't know where he's getting that from. That came out of left field somewhere. I don't know if he just brought it up or if he heard it from somewhere. I don't know where he got it."

Oswalt said if the Astros approached him with a trade proposal, he'd consider it. He didn't specify which teams he'd go to, but it's unlikely the Yankees would be on the short list. The Red Sox, Braves and Cardinals would probably interest him.

"If management came to you and asked you if you'd approve a trade, well, that just goes to show that a team doesn't want you," Oswalt said on Thursday. "So, why wouldn't you? If a team doesn't want you to play there, why wouldn't you approve a trade?"

Astros GM Ed Wade shrugged off the trade buzz, claiming "anything about a trade, it's all news to me."

Bruney Likely Out For Season

From MLB.com:

Yankees right-handed reliever Brian Bruney could miss the remainder of the season with an injury to the Lisfranc joint of his right foot that is likely to require surgery.

Bruney slipped and fell while attempting to cover first base in the seventh inning of the Yankees' 9-5 victory over the White Sox on Tuesday. The results of an MRI taken in Chicago were sent to physicians in New York, who have recommended that the reliever have surgery. Bruney was examined by Dr. William Hamilton at Roosevelt Hospital in New York on Friday.

In a remarkable run of bad luck, Bruney also had a family member hospitalized in Oregon due to a heart attack on Thursday. That same day, the 18-wheeler hauling his personal truck to New York was involved in an accident, damaging Bruney's car badly.

Did Joba Diss Erin Andrews?

A conspiracy theory is making the email rounds today in which Joba Chamberlain is rumored to have muttered something to ESPN's Erin Andrews that resulted in an awkward gasface from the sideline siren.

To me, there is nothing to this, but you be the judge:



Andrews already responded to the controversy, explaining "I was looking over at my producer at the end, asking him what we needed to get next from him because I had to do another interview with him." Guess that solves Joba-gate, though it does make Ms. Andrews look pretty snobbish if her explanation is indeed correct.

Blogging: "The Blowfish" Ensberg

Over at Phil Hughes' weblog comes news of a guest column.

Just got into the hotel in Cleveland. Guest blog tomorrow by Morgan “The Blowfish” Ensberg. Should be a good one.

I'd like to see Kyle Farnsworth have a guest appearance in the blogosphere. It would read something like this:

Threw fastball to hitter. Tried to throw one harder but I had no idea where it would end up. Turns out it ended up over the leftfield fence. But it's ok because I look great in these coke bottles.

Dukes & His Comeuppance

This is just too sweet to ignore.

The former Devil Ray and admitted crack-cocaine advocate himself is on poop scooper duty in order to get his probation reduced. You missed a spot, Eli:

To get his misdemeanor probation cut short by five months, former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes spent 25 hours during the past week cleaning out cages and mopping at Lowry Park Zoo.

Attorney Grady Irvin and a team official for the Nationals, who traded for Dukes in December, said the ballplayer also passed weekly drug tests for six months.

Dukes, 23, removed large diamond stud earrings and tucked his silver chain under his T-shirt before standing before the judge. The former Hillsborough High standout kept his head down throughout the hearing, looking up and smiling only after the judge granted his request.

“You are in a wonderful position to be such a positive influence on so many young people that these are the kinds of things that prevent you from being that example,” Conrad said. “With great gifts I think you have great responsibilities as well. I’m hoping this experience, albeit for six months … will at least set a positive turn for your future.”

The words responsibility and Elijah Dukes mix like V8 and Hershey syrup.

Trenton Report: George Kontos

I made the trip to Trenton last night and was able to see George Kontos pitch for the first time. Kontos had started the year poorly, walking more men than he struck out, but Thursday night was the best start of his AA campaign.

The line: 6.1 innings, four hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO.

I had heard his stuff was electric, and though his velocity was a tick or two lower than I had expected, his stuff is certainly overpowering. Kontos showed that last night against a tough New Britain offense. I spent the first four innings in the pressbox, but finally made my way down behind homeplate before the fifth frame. ESPN baseball analyst Keith Law sat a few rows in front of me.

Scouting Report:

Fastball: Topping out at 93 mph but mostly 90-92. Good boring action in on righties and strong late life when thrown belt high or below. At times he commanded it very well on the corners. His velocity may have been better in the earlier innings, very possibly hitting 94 or 95, but it is his tendency to overthrow which has hurt Kontos most.

Slider: Ranged from 83-87 mph with strong movement both downward and laterally. Not Joba's two-plane slidepiece, but it is an electric pitch which at times has a slurve's movement at hard slider velocity. Was especially effective away from right handed hitters.

Changeup: 81-83 mph with average fade. Kontos threw the changeup 10+ times - mostly to lefties - and commanded it decently throughout the start. If Kontos is to move forward as a starter it will be the development of this pitch that gets him there. Konto's admitted as much after the game.

Curveball: Thrown at 72-74 mph. Only threw about 3 or 4 curves, but the pitch has some projection. Probably major league average right now, but may develop into a plus pitch if Kontos is able to use it enough from start to start. Control was average but his command could use some work as one hung in the zone. Consistently good tight spin and downward break.

Thursday's start was Kontos' first major step toward becoming comfortable at the AA level. If last night's performance is any indication, Kontos gives the Yankees another effective power arm on the cusp of the majors.

A-Rod Out Until Weekend

It comes as no surprise, but Alex Rodriguez is not expected to play tonight's series finale against Chicago though he may return this weekend versus Cleveland.

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez probably won't play until this weekend's series at Cleveland, even though he's scheduled to rejoin the team in Chicago on Thursday.

A-Rod missed his second straight game Wednesday because of a strained quadriceps, and manager Joe Girardi said he would be "shocked" if Rodriguez played in the series finale against the White Sox, although he didn't completely rule out the possibility.

"If he comes in and says he's ready to play, I'm putting him in there," said Girardi, adding his "hope" is Rodriguez will be ready to play sometime this weekend.

BA Likes McCutchen, Robertson

Baseball America's John Manuel likes Trenton pitchers Daniel McCutchen and Dave Robertson to contribute toward the Yankees late-inning bullpen spot vacated when Joba Chamberlain moves to the rotation this summer.

From Wednesday's ESPN chat:

Matt (PA): Melancon, Cox, Sanchez or Horne.. Who gets that call up first for the Yankees once Joba hits the rotation? So I guess around the all-star break.

John Manuel: Good question, but there are many other options--David Robertson is a sleeper who could be a factor, he's dealing at Trenton right now. Also Dan McCutcheon, who is a starter but could slide into a relief role with his stuff and aggressive approach. I actually like both those guys better for a middle relief role this year than those you mentioned except for Melancon. If Melancon is at full strength, he's the guy. Sanchez and Cox won't help the Yankees in New York this year, IMO.

Now serving as Trenton's closer, the 23 year-old David Robertson has already thrown 14 innings compiling a 0.64 ERA and 21 K’s. In 2007, his first year of pro ball, he went 8-3 flashing an 0.96 ERA over 84 innings with 113 strikeouts and only 32 walks.

As the closer for Alabama it was said Robertson possessed a 95-96 mph blazing fastball, but in the minor leagues scouts soon realized his fastball was really 89-92. However, the explosive late-movement on his fastball is so dramatic that it seems to be 3 to 4 ticks higher. Hitters simply cannot catch up with his fastball which, at its best, runs 90-93 mph. He compliments his riding fastball with a hammer curve which is his outpitch.

Also, don't forget about Scott Patterson who has struggled a bit at AAA after being robbed of a major league roster spot out of Spring training. Jose Veras and his mid-90s fastball also remain in Scranton Wilkes-Barre where over 9 innings he has struck out 15, walked 3, notched 5 saves with a 2.00 ERA.

Big Hurt Maybe Goin' Back To Cali

The Mariners must not have been keen on signing Frank Thomas to help infuse some power into an anemic offense. Further, Jason Giambi will not be threatened by another aging DH, as Thomas has an offer to sign with Oakland and another team:

Frank Thomas was close to signing with the Oakland A’s on Wednesday until another team made an offer at the last minute, according to a baseball source. The second offer, from an undisclosed team, at least temporarily put the brakes on the A’s deal, which would reunite the aging slugger with the team he hit 39 home runs for in 2006.

Ortiz Jersey Fetching Over $80k

The biggest non-story of the year keeps generating more dough for the Jimmy Fund. Although the idea of a cursed David Ortiz jersey is rather forgettable, the fact that the eBay item has currently fetched some $82,600 for charity is not.

Some strange people have too much money on their hands.

Here's the eBay item's page in case you want to raise the pot.

[hat tip to WasWatching]

Racism At Fenway? Nawww

Torii Hunter tells the Boston Globe of the racial epithets slung at him during games at Fenway Park. The chanting of the n-word was confirmed by Fenway security via David Ortiz. Of course it's less shocking when you consider Fenway has about as diverse a crowd as the Aryan Brotherhood membership:

Hunter told the Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif., that until the last couple of years, he regularly heard racist taunts when visiting Fenway as a member of the Minnesota Twins.

“I’ve been called whatever they call me - a lot - since I was a kid,” Hunter told the newspaper. “My first five or six (years), I was ‘That N-word.’ Some people would chant that out, some people would throw beer or whatever . . . batteries.”

...He had, however, informed Red Sox slugger and close friend David Ortiz - with whom Hunter spent six seasons as a teammate in Minnesota - of the racist comments he’d encountered. Ortiz remains dismayed that such behavior occurred in his home ballpark.

“(But) he heard some stuff that I’m surprised at. One of the security guys told me it was true. They were screaming that kind of stuff at him. That’s not right.”

From a Press-Enterprise story comes Gary Mathews Jr's take:

Last season, Gary Matthews Jr. described Red Sox fans as "loud, they can be obnoxious" and added, "It's one of the few places you hear racial comments every once in a while."

And Garret Anderson:

"I like playing there from the standpoint that for an old park, it's got some history," Anderson said. "That's the only thing that I like as far as playing there."

Joe Morgan, Pearl Of Wisdom

First of all, Joe Morgan now has a weekly chat on ESPN.com?

Can you imagine Joe sitting behind a computer screen, a jar full of baseball cliches and a lovable David Ortiz reference awaiting somewhere nearby? What a concept.

Inexplicably, I scanned yesterday's Morgan Chat and immediately caught hold of this gem:

MJ (Edmonton): Joe is this the year the Blue Jays can catch the Yankees or the Red Sox and make the playoffs?

Joe Morgan: They will not catch the Sox, but they could battle the Yankees. But I think the Red Sox are still the best team in the AL, and it will be hard for the Blue Jays to beat them. The Yankees still have questions, especially with that young pitching so they could battle New York.

So, according to Mr. Big Red Machine, the Yankees have young pitching question marks. No doubt the beginning of the season has not been kind to Hughes or Kennedy, but did Joe ever take a look at the Red Sox starting rotation? If he had, he'd notice two unproven young starters named Buchholz and Lester.

Eh. The Sox are off to a hot start so there's no reason to address the fact that Lester has piled up more walks than strikeouts, more hits than innings-pitched and has an ERA over 5.00. Right, no question mark there. Buchholz, who is two years older than Phil Hughes, has a 4.79 ERA and one more win than Ian Kennedy.

Make no mistake, I believe all four of these budding pitchers will eventually become solid, reliable starters in the majors. However, the idea that Boston's twosome is now a lock over New York's youngsters is simply inaccurate in that it is without any particular basis. This being a Joe Morgan chat, there is little reason to expect accuracy, basis or much in the way of facts.

Wanger Makes History,Remains Oblivious

Chien-Ming Wang battled through six innings and, aided by a timely Bobby Abreu grand slam, was able to improve to 4-0 on the season. The win was a milestone for Wang, the 50th of his career, and put him in good company.

It took Wang a mere 85 starts to gather 50 wins. The last starter to win 50 so quickly was Doc Gooden and the last Yankee was Ron Guidry - both of whom did so in 82 starts.

When asked for his reaction after the game, Wang was his aloof and accidentally hilarious self:

Wang had no idea about the milestone until I mentioned it to him. “Dwight Gooden?” he said. "Who’s that?”

“He pitched for the Mets,” I said.

“You mean Doc Gooden,” he said. “Same guy?”

Joba Chamberlain, who was listening to our conversation, was laughing hysterically.

You've got to hand it to the guy. He makes Tim Duncan look like Conan O'Brien.

Cashman's Escape From New YorkRosenthal Says Hank's To Blame

Ken Rosenthal thinks Hank Steinbrenner and his idiotic statements may result in a Brian Cashman exodus from Yankeeland:

This time, Brian Cashman should just bolt.

Cashman agreed to remain Yankees general manager when he was promised full autonomy after the 2005 season. But the disruptive influence of Hank Steinbrenner, the team's new co-chairman, is rapidly turning that guarantee into an empty pledge.

Who needs the aggravation? If Steinbrenner wants to hold Cashman responsible for failing to acquire Johan Santana and other perceived transgressions, so be it. Cashman, the Yanks GM since Feb. 1998, can go find another job.

Let Steinbrenner hire a puppet GM, order Chamberlain to pitch 300 innings and trade for his new favorite junkballer, Jamie Moyer. Cashman, whose contract expires at the end of the season, would not lack for opportunities.

If Cashman wished to stay east, he could replace Phillies GM Pat Gillick, who is expected to retire. Or, Cashman could return to D.C., where he attended Georgetown Prep and Catholic University, if the Nationals chose to replace Jim Bowden. Why, Cashman could even stay in the AL East if the Blue Jays dismissed J.P. Ricciardi, who has two years left on his contract.

People seem to forget the Voice of Reason - aka Hal Steinbrenner - has equal say in the Yankees universe and, as was the case with Santana, can protest or challenge every Hankism.

Is Mad Dog Russo Serious?

Mike and the Mad Dog used to be able to fill their 5.5 hours of sports radio time with engaging interviews, great rumor buzz and intelligent baseball talk. Their style became the benchmark which all other sports talk shows were measured.

Somewhere over the past few years, the show became a transparent, mindless marathon without any end in sight. No longer does Russo's savant-like photographic memory charm his listeners as the Long Island native constantly speaks before thinking. Similarly, Mike Francesa's smooth, debonair oratory can no longer mask his lack of Yankees prospect knowledge.

Francesa believes Joba Chamberlain should not become a starter because he is already "unhittable" in the 8th inning role. Forget the fact that every lights-out closer was at one point in his career a failed starter [see: Rivera, K-Rod, Hoffman, etc.]. Instead of finding out once and for-all whether or not the Yankees have a Justin Verlander on their hands, Mikey thinks he should remain Rivera's heir apparent for the next 2 or 3 years.

The setup man loses his value when the starting pitcher doesn't hand him a lead to work with... hence the value of Chamberlain pitching the first six innings as opposed to the seventh and/or eighth.

As for Russo's opinion on the Chamberlain conundrum, the Mad Dog believes a bad start against Manhattan while in college proves he is not a dominant starter. Russo then opines Joba never dominated while in the minor leagues. Hm, that's news to every coherent baseball fan. Talk about not doing your homework, Chris. For future reference, here are Chamberlain's 2007 minor league statistics - as a starter.

It has become so obvious that the New York radio giants are no longer able to efficiently fill their time slot, that they are now saying things like this:

Horne Shut Down For 14 Days

Yankees top pitching prospect Alan Horne was DLed on April 10 with what was described as a bicep strain. According to Nardi Contreras, Horne was shut down for a full two weeks and not the seven day layoff which was originally reported:

Contreras said that the Yankees decided to keep Alan Horne inactive for 14 days starting the day after his injury. After two weeks of not throwing, he'll begin a program to build back his strength. "We are very conservative," Contreras said.

Badboy Bronson Sardinha?

Bronson Sardinha, everybody's favorite former Yankees farmhand with the interminable middle name, may be in baseball hot water according to Chad Jennings:

Baseball America's latest transactions list Bronson Sardinha as having been placed on the suspended list and then released by the Mariners. I emailed the media relations guy in Tacoma who said, "That's all I know at this point as well." No clue what's going on there, but it doesn't sound good.

Come on now, Kiheimahanaomauiakeo.

Prior To The Popes Stadium VisitComes UFC #84

What a great reason to go to a game.

Talking smack to a rival fan is expected. Middle-aged men throwing haymakers is excessive. Both taking place during a baseball game is ex-convict.

[Warning: NSFW]

A-Rod With Mild Quad Strain,Will Rejoin Club Tomorrow

It is yet to be determined whether Alex Rodriguez will be playing in tomorrow's game against the ChiSox, but the level of his quad injury appears to be less serious than the one which kept Jeter out of commission for six games.

Alex Rodriguez has a mild strain of his right quadriceps and will rejoin the New York Yankees on Tuesday in Chicago.

Rodriguez will be evaluated again Tuesday, according to Zillo, who was unsure whether A-Rod would be available to play in the series opener.

With his pop-psychology wife Cynthia due to give birth with their second child at any moment, why doesn't A-Quad simply hop onto his private jet, induce labor and miss the next few days of work welcoming his new addition into the world. He'll likely miss a few days anyhow. Never take sides against the family, Alex, never.

Hank Wants Joba Starting Now

From the NY Times comes word Hank Steinbrenner wants Joba Chamberlain in the starting rotation now. Calm it down Hanky:

With the Yankees off to a 10-10 start, and two of their young starters struggling, the Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner said there was one thing in particular he would like to change: He wants Joba Chamberlain, the Yankees’ hard-throwing setup man, to move into the rotation.

“I want him as a starter and so does everyone else, including him, and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now,” Steinbrenner said Sunday by telephone. “There is no question about it, you don’t have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don’t do that. You have to be an idiot to do that.”

“I think once Hughes and Kennedy get plenty of starts and get Joba back, and with Wang and Pettitte, we will be fine,” Steinbrenner said.

Steinbrenner said the Yankees were working on easing Chamberlain into the rotation, but he would not be specific on a timetable. The Yankees’ brain trust wanted to limit Chamberlan’s innings by having him spend at least part of the season in the bullpen. “The mistake was already made last year switching him to the bullpen out of panic or whatever,” Steinbrenner said. “I had no say in it last year and I wouldn’t have allowed it. That was done last year, so now we have to catch up. It has to be done on a schedule so we don’t rush him.”

Does Hankenstein realize the Yankees would not have made the playoffs last season had Chamberlain not sured up the 8th inning. Also, the Yankees were able to expertly limit Chamberlain's innings by using him in the reduced role of a late-inning reliever.

Relax Hank, you don't know nearly as much about baseball as you think - though you're right Joba will and should soon join the starting five.

An Injury To A-Quad

A-Quad left Sunday's game with a...quad injury and is day-to-day. After 20 straight games, the Yankees *gasp* actually have today off. How A-Rod feels this morning and afternoon may determine if he misses a couple days or like Derek Jeter needs about a week to recover from the quadriceps strain.

So far Rodriguez appears optimistic the injury is more of a cramp than a pull.. As Joe Girardi would say "I don't want to get into semantics, OK?":

Alex Rodriguez left Camden Yards with his leg wrapped with a heat pad. It appears he will be out at least a few days.

“It’s a little sore, a little tight,” he said. “I have some concern about it. Anytime you have any type of feeling like that you have some concern.”

“Maybe,” Rodriguez said when asked whether he could miss a few games. “We’ll see how I wake up in the morning."

Weekend Odds & Ends:The Young Guns

It was another tough turn of the rotation for Hughes and Kennedy, though the former breezed through five innings Friday night before becoming undone in the sixth. During the first third of the game, Phil Hughes showed an uncanny ability to throw strike-one, but was unable to survive the sixth frame thanks in large part to a costly error from Alex Rodriguez.

Omitting the third baseman's miscue may have very well resulted in a pitching like of 6 innings and 3 earned runs, however the actual statistics were 5.1 innings-pitched of 5-run ball. Did he pitch that poorly? Certainly not, [LaTroy Hawkins' horrid relief performance emblazoned Hughes' statline] but Hughes did not pitch great either.

The youngster's inability to consistently mix in his changeup and slider has become the 500 pound gorilla in the room, and every opposing batter knows it. In turn, hitters simply take the curveball and sit on the fastball, knowing at some point they will get one they can handle.

On Saturday, Ian Kennedy followed up an impressive six-inning performance against Tampa Bay with 2.1 innings of an 80 pitch nightmare. Nibbling would be an understatement in summarizing Kennedy's outing as the 23 year-old simply refused to trust his stuff and attack the strikezone. The result was a bounty of earned runs, a bevy of full-counts and a bloated pitchcount.

Though Hughes' pitching line may read otherwise, the righthander seemingly took a step forward in his progression. Though Hughes is a notorious slow-starter, and neither Friday or Saturday's game witnessed much run-support from the Yankees offense, there will soon come a time when reasons become excuses and major league learning curves become minor league stints.

The Silver Lining:

• Hughes consistently threw his fastball 92-93 mph throughout his Friday start, hitting 94 on a handful of pitches. His slider, usually thrown 79-81 mph, made a few appearances during the game as a strike-one pitch. The changeup, which I believe Hughes used once, has become a jilted pitch, collecting dust next to the righty's two-seam fastball. Should Hughes ever command the changeup down and away to lefties or the slider down and away to righthanded hitters, Phil would likely take off.

• Even while observing Saturday's poor performance, Jim Palmer described Ian Kennedy as having "lights-out stuff." Palmer, unlike many broadcasters, actually does some homework and is not afraid of criticizing his pitching fraternity brothers. Therefore, the statement has more meaning than when Joe Morgan cluelessly praises a young pitcher he's never laid eyes on before. [BTW, Orel Hershiser, while very good on BBTN, is an exceptional example of a broadcaster doing his homework]
  

Rotation Tinkering

Joe Girardi and his coaching staff made the correct decision to modify the current starting rotation by separating Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy in the hopes of giving the bullpen a breather.

This week's projected rotation:

Tuesday - Wang
Wednesday - Mussina
Thursday - Hughes
Friday - Pettitte
Saturday - Kennedy

The next pitching modifier should include Ross Ohlendorf contributing in the later innings and not wasting his arm in the longman/mop-up role.

Probably A Bad Idea Anyway

A Kansas City minor league team canceled an upcoming promotional night which would take the form of a Michael Vick Welcome Home party.

No dogs allowed:

The Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League had planned to have a Michael Vick "Welcome to the Neighborhood" night May 28, complete with prison uniforms, spotlights and escape sirens. Other events promoting caring for animals also were planned.

Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, is serving a 23-month sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary in nearby Leavenworth after pleading guilty to federal charges related to dogfighting.

I love the excuse the general manager gives for the event:

"It was not our intent to be culturally insensitive," T-Bones general manager Rick Muntean said. "We simply wanted to raise awareness for what we think are great causes."

Gammons & His Sawx Pom-Poms

I mean please, Mr. Diamond Notes, please.

How could Kyle Farnsworth have the gall to throw a wild up-and-in fastball on Manny Ramirez? What a travesty. [ed. note, Gammons does not remember Pedro Martinez hitting Jeter, Soriano, etc 1000 times] I was at the game last night, and Farnsworth's chin-music was probably the most enjoyable moment of the night - aside from the two runs off Papelbon.

And please recall Wednesday night's game in which Alex Rodriguez was hit, not buzzed, by a Aardsma fastball. Where was Gammons on that one? Ah, life through rose-colored glasses, eh Pete.

Joba To Miss Another Game

Harlan Chamberlain is feeling better and is now breathing on his own without the assistance of a ventilator. Along with this great piece of news, Joba Chamberlain revealed he would miss another game tonight:

Joba Chamberlain's father is breathing on his own and feeling better, no longer needing a ventilator but still in critical condition and awaiting more tests.

Chamberlain was to miss his fifth consecutive game Friday night while attending to his stricken father in Nebraska. The hard-throwing reliever left the New York Yankees on Monday and was placed on the bereavement list, a day after Harlan Chamberlain collapsed at home.

"After several difficult days, my father is feeling much better," Chamberlain said in a statement issued by the team from Baltimore, where the Yankees were to play the Orioles Friday night. "He is still in the critical care unit of the hospital and more tests await him, but he is off the ventilator and breathing on his own. Each day he's acting more and more like himself, and he's even giving people grief -- myself included -- because the hospital doesn't carry Yankees games on television."

The Yankees aren't sure when their setup man will rejoin the team.

Ed Wade: Worst GM Ever?

Ed Wade not only had the gall to acquire PED suspect Miguel Tejada a day before his name was inked within the damning pages of the Mitchell Report. According to multiple reports, Wade has now just learned Tejada is two years older than when the GM originally traded for him this offseason.

The Houston Astros shortstop told the Oakland Athletics when he was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 1993 that he was 17. But he was actually 19, meaning he is now 33, two years older than his listed age in the Astros' media guide and other baseball records.

Kind of like the time Texas traded Alex Rodriguez for Alfonso Soriano only to find he was 28 years old, two years older than his listed birthdate. Then again, Soriano wasn't a juicer and was still five years younger than Tejada was when Wade brilliantly pulled the trigger. Genius.

Pavano Is A #1 Starter . . .

. . that is, if you believe his agent Tom O'Connell:

"Carl’s a 1-2 starter,” O’Connell said. “Those guys don’t grow on trees. Those guys are very rare, 200-inning guys are very rare in this game, and they’re the ones that make the money. And he did it two years in a row, before he got hurt, and I’m sure he’s going to do it again."

By "do it again," did O'Connell mean get hurt or make the money. I would have to assume he meant both.

Trenton Report: The Untouchables

I covered yesterday's Trenton Thunder vs. Altoona Curve game for an online magazine in order to sit down with starting pitcher Daniel McCutchen. Though he pitched Tuesday night - 7 scoreless innings - and carried his team to a 4-0 victory, I was able to closely observe two of the Yankees top three prospects in action.

Pardon the pun.

During this particular game, the plate discipline that Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata exhibited was far more advanced than I had expected. Remember the twosome are 21 and 19 years old respectively. And Jackson's speed may not be elite, but there is an ease and grace to his steps that make him look even faster than he already is - which is pretty damn fast.

Tabata looked incredibly comfortable in the box, and though he wasn't facing Clayton Kershaw or Rick Porcello, his ability to take a pitch on the outside corner and mash it into rightfield is a skillset which will carry over into the big leagues. [As will the apparent clutchness Tabata's shown throughout the minor leagues.]

Two out of the three times A-Jax got aboard [2-4 with a walk] in yesterday's game, Tabata followed him up by taking the outside pitch and lacing it deep into the right field corner. Both times, Jackson scored standing up all the way from first base.

In a mere two different at-bats, both Tabata's and Jackson's strengths were highlighted. Tabata's brute strength with the stick [those doubles could become homers as his body matures] met with Jackson's on-base ability and stealth around the base paths.

In the field, there was little to be determined as the only balls Jackson fielded were either can-o-corn high flies or basehits which could not have possibly been caught. Tabata was not tested very much either, though he did show a bout of a laziness on an Altoona double triple down the line. While in pursuit of the baseball in the right field corner, Tabata was noticeably slow to recover and get the ball back into the infield. As a result, Yankees scouts cringed and a double became a triple.

Inside The Mind of the Wanger

SI.com had a very entertaining feature on Chien-Ming Wang published yesterday - the piece is more human interest than baseball analytic - which chronicles the meteoric rise from Yankee starter to national phenomenon in his native Taiwan.

Stories of his adoptive parents and humble beginnings are somewhat well-known, but here are some more intriguing bits:

After his rookie season Wang returned home to a hero's welcome, receiving an invitation to meet President Chen Shui-Bian. By the time Wang returned home after the 2006 season, in which he went 19-6 with a 3.63 ERA and finished second in American League Cy Young voting, he was more popular than the president. "There's no question that he has more impact than anyone else in our country," says Shao. "The way we look at it, a president is in office for no more than eight years, then someone else comes along. Wang, he's everlasting."

Now Taiwan's major newspapers charge a higher advertising rate for issues published on a day that Wang pitches, as well as the day after each start. The country's largest circulation daily, Apple Daily, estimates that it sells as many as 300,000 extra papers on days that carry reports of another Wang victory. Endorsements that have come Wang's way include McDonald's, Ford, E Sun Bank (one of the largest in Taiwan) and computer-maker Acer, which claims that Wang's name alone has increased its product sales by 10% and lowered the average age of its consumer by almost four years.

Last year a study in a Taiwanese business journal, Money Weekly, found a correlation between Wang's pitching performances and the fluctuations of the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The report attributed a 25% index rise last summer to Wang's strong June and July. "We absolutely believe it to be true," Shao says of the relationship between Wang's performance and last summer's bull market. "Psychologically, how [Wang] does has a huge effect on the Taiwanese people. If he does well, people are in a good mood, and they go out and spend money. If he doesn't, you walk around and you can see people depressed. It's a very personal matter to the Taiwanese people." (For the record, the country's stock index was up roughly 6%, through Monday, since Wang's first start this season, on April 1.)

In their coverage of pop stars and politicians, the Taiwanese papers can be as cruel as the New York tabloids; when it comes to [Wang], they generally do not pry into his personal life.

"The [Taiwanese] media, they know about this image. They could write about the expensive jewelry he buys, but they don't. They don't want to hurt the image."

And you thought Britney and Paris had to deal with scrutiny. Wang's pitching habits may impact Taiwan's national economy, but our "celebrities" can drink, fornicate, rehab and spiral downward like none other.

Hawkins Surrenders #21, Dignity

I am Paul O'Neill's smirking revenge.

LaTroy Hawkins has come to his senses:

Tired of receiving flak for wearing a number last used by Paul O’Neill, the Yankees’ LaTroy Hawkins has decided to surrender his No. 21 before the club opens a two-game series against the Red Sox on Wednesday.

...Hawkins wore No. 22 with the Yankees during Spring Training, but switched to No. 21 when infielder Morgan Ensberg decided he no longer wanted to wear it. Ensberg was randomly assigned the number upon reporting to camp as a non-roster invitee and later revealed that he received numerous vulgar comments from Yankees fans during the Grapefruit League campaign.

Hawkins eagerly accepted No. 21 as a tribute to Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente but quickly learned that a pinstriped No. 21 has other meanings for Yankees fans. Unaware he was donning a number that had not been worn since O’Neill retired following the 2001 World Series, Hawkins was booed when introduced on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium. Fans chanted “Paul O’Neill” during one of his appearances in the Bronx.

According to CBSSports.com, Hawkins made the decision after discussions with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and other Yankees veterans, who told Hawkins that the number is not worth the headache it’s causing.

“I figure if it’s important enough for Jeter and Mariano and some other veterans to ask me about it, it’s not worth it to keep wearing the number,” Hawkins told the Web site.

Mets Fan Dead After Falling From Stands

It's amazing this doesn't happen more often:

A man attending a New York Mets game with his family lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death, police said.

Antonio Nararainsami, 36, and several relatives, including his two young daughters, were leaving the stadium at the end of Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Nationals when he fell in a section below the left field stands and landed on a concrete floor. Nararainsami, a Guyanese native who lived in Brooklyn, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead half an hour later.

Schilling: Doc 'Misremembers'

Mr. Schilling is in scrambling, damage-control mode and has taken the Roger Clemens approach. This, of course, is an approach which worked so well for the Rocket during the confession at Capitol Hill.

"He's at a distance. And, again, Craig is a friend, a very close friend, always will be," Schilling said. "But I've talked to him probably 3-4 times since January. So I'm not sure he's been kept abreast of the facts, and the conversation that, I'm not really sure what conversation he's referring to with regards to a couple of different comments that he made, but the Yankee piece, there's some misinformation going on, and I can remember us having a conversation and laughing about coming back and pitching next year ..."

"The first word that popped into my head, is a word that I think is new to the English language, but everybody understands what it means is 'misrember'. I talked to doc probably within the last week. He's called me a couple of times during my rehab, but I'm not really sure how he got to some of the conclusions he got to."

Maybe the good doctor was sick of hearing you whine about Boston's gameplan and dropped a dime on dat @$$.

Schilling Fed Up With Sox,Would Sign With Yanks

That is, if the Yankees had an iota of interest in a 40 year-old starting pitcher whose shoulder is being held together by a few strands of spaghetti. Maybe he meant signing with the Scranton Yanks, that would be poetic.

This latest Curt Schilling cry for attention comes thanks to the pitcher's physician who spoke to a Philadelphia radio station.

Q: "Is it your opinion that he will not be back pitching for the Red Sox this year?"

A: "Correct. ... Not only that, it's my opinion that he's angry enough that it's entirely conceivable, even though he's 40 years old, its entirely conceivable that he will have the operation, rehab and pitch for the Yankees next year. That's what he wants to do. I'm telling you."

No response from Red Light himself as it remains all quiet on the 38 pitches front. Then again, it's hard to believe the doctor was not simply speaking on his behalf. Classy move.

Jeter Gave Joba A Lift To Nebraska

... Well sort of.

Tyler Kepner says it was a classy move for Derek Jeter to hook up Joba Chamberlain with the use of the Captain's private jet so the young fireballer could get to his ailing father ASAP.

When Harlan Chamberlain was hospitalized Sunday night in Lincoln, Neb., the Yankees players knew just how deeply Joba Chamberlain must have been affected. Chamberlain, the star rookie reliever, flew here with the Yankees, then flew home on a private plane arranged by Derek Jeter.

Before he left, he prayed with Andy Pettitte, who left the team during the 1998 World Series after his father had triple-bypass surgery.

Pettitte's father, like Joba's, has battled through life while dealing with countless health problems.

Kennedy OK After Scare

Ian Kennedy left the game in the seventh inning after a Jason Bartlett line drive struck him on the hip.

The fact that Kennedy and trainer Gene Monahan were laughing their way off the mound was encouraging. However, nothing was confirmed until nearly midnight Monday night when multiple outlets explained Kennedy was fine and will most likely only come away with a bruise and an anecdote.

In all likelihood, the most painful residue from Monday night's Yankees victory comes when Kennedy reads tomorrow's box score only to find Brian Bruney as the winning pitcher of record.

From The Star Ledger:

Joe Girardi seemed confident that Kennedy wouldn't miss a start.

But Kennedy was a bit more cautious. He said it felt like someone had given him a "dead leg" -- you know, like when your older sibling punches you in the arm or leg joint and your limb goes numb. He lifted up his shirt to show us the red mark from the seam of the baseball where it hit him.

"It kind of sent a little shock toward my calf," Kennedy said. "It's fine. A little sensitive."

He said he'd wait to see how he feels tomorrow.

Included in the same blog post came news of Robinson Cano's new slumpbuster: "napping on the bench." In the innings before being beckoned by manager Joe Girardi to pinch-hit for Alberto Gonzales, Cano was sleeping in the dugout. I know the kid is nonchalant, but this is ridiculous.

Sherman's First Hughes Ripping

Joel Sherman put together his first rip job of Phil Hughes in today's NY Post. Some portions are reasonable while others have the shock journalism vibe the rag is now famous for pushing. Some quotes below.

A little much:

The thought on Hughes was that he was precocious. At 21, the majors' youngest pitcher has a maturity about him to go along with a fine blend of pitches. Nevertheless, maybe he is just a kid who needs more seasoning in the minors.

Makes more sense:

For Hughes, though, the majors are "the best forum" to solve his command issues. He said the minors would just be deceiving at this point, allowing him to thrive without his best stuff. No, Hughes insists, he needs to remedy himself here. He says this is all about him losing fastball control, which is forcing him to work from behind way too much.

Tough but fair:

We keep wondering what would motivate the Yanks to transfer Joba Chamberlain out of the pen, where he is dominating. Now we might see the condition that forces the maneuver: His Generation Trey partners being unable to handle these responsibilities.

What If: The Best Yankees TeamsIn A Battle Royale

From USA Today:

Imagine what it would be like if all the great teams that have played at Yankee Stadium throughout its history could face off against each other …

How would the Murderers' Row squad of 1927 fare against Ron Guidry in his Louisiana Lightnin' prime? Could they scratch out a run against Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth? How would Reggie Jackson do against Whitey Ford?

We posed those questions to the makers of APBA Baseball and asked them to run a simulated 162-game season pitting each of the 26 World Series champion Yankee teams against each other (using their APBA Baseball for Windows software) to find out which was the greatest team in Yankee Stadium history. The result may come as a surprise.

Harlan Chamberlain Collapses

From The Daily News:

More bad news came after the game as Joba Chamberlain learned that his father was in critical condition in a Nebraska hospital after collapsing at home. A team official said Chamberlain would not join the team on the charter flight to Tampa, as he was likely headed home to tend to his father.

Molina Left With Strained Hammy

So much for my beef with Joe Girardi's eighth inning decision to pinchrun for Jose Molina. According to LoHud, Molina strained his hamstring in the fourth inning, but toughed it out until the second to last frame.

Not sure as to the severity, but Molina does not strike you as one of the most physically resilient athlete in the bigs. As a result, Chad Moeller will most likely be called up with a corresponding adjustment to the 40 man roster in order to make room. Looks like the Girardi boot camp did little to correct last April's infusion of muscle injuries as Molina joins Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada as early victims to the injury bug.

The Star Ledger's assessment is a bit more optimisic:

With Derek Jeter close to being able to return to action at shortstop -- "He might be in there (Monday)," manager Joe Girardi said -- Alberto Gonzalez could be optioned back to Triple A. Or Molina could go on the disabled list.

"It's a little bit tight, that's all," said Molina, who hurt himself in Sunday's fourth inning on an awkward slide while scoring on a sacrifice fly. "Hopefully a couple days' rest, it should be all right."

Hughes Finds Velocity, Loses Command

Well, all the Phil Hughes detractors who became obsessed with his velocity must have been happy to see him throwing consistently 93-94 mph fastballs. Unfortunately, Hughes had no idea where they were headed.

Reaching back for 94-95 mph on an 0-2 elevated fastball is great, but his command has been much better at 90-91. His characteristically impressive command suffered, as did his overall performance to the tune of six hits and three walks over two innings.

Realizing the ESPN gun can be a bit juiced up at times, I confirmed Hughes' radar readings on MLB gameday which also had him consistently 93-94 and Daisuke Matsuzaka at 89-91.

Sure, Hughes has yet to pitch in a game with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, and it was his first foray into the pressure cooker which is Fenway Park. However, if the youngest pitcher in baseball is unable to give a solid outing Friday at Baltimore, the NY media's trumpets will begin blowing Johan Santana tunes as impatient fans eat it up.

Matsuzaka and Hughes were both awful in the command department last night. And where Matsuzaka has been battle-tested [in Japan and at home], Hughes is still finding his way with six less years on his driver's license. Poor clutch hitting for New York and some timely baseknocks for Boston determined the outcome of this particular contest.

My big gripe is pinch-running Wilson Betemit for Jose Molina in the eighth inning. I - like many of you - first guessed this move as wacky and was supported in the bottom half of the inning as Jorge Posada moved behind the plate. Posada's shoulder is obviously still healing as the Red Sox appropriately ran wild on him without even so much as a throw to second base. The result was an insurance run, pushing the lead from 2 runs to 3 and giving inconsistent relievers like Javier Lopez and Manny DelCarmen that much more cushion.

Joe Girardi will out-think the opposing manager with much greater frequency, but this particular move - like the decision to have Mike Mussina pitch to Manny Ramirez on Saturday - can be chocked up as another example of Girardi out-dueling himself. As it stands, neither team left Boston with a sweep, and another Yankees-Red Sox series is wasted in a season's early going.

Dominant

Chien-Ming Wang's complete game two-hitter may have been a Bobby Abreu wallphobia misplay away from history - and the wormkiller's first no-hitter. Regardless, 9 innings, 2 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts and 93 pitches means Wanger is 3-0 to start the season with a 1.23 ERA. The Boston bash brothers - Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz - were a collective 0-for-6 with three strikeouts on the night.

Plain and simple, this season has seen Wang pitch inside like never before. The results are encouraging for the Yankees as well as Dave Eiland's agent.

Horne DLed With Bicep Tear

Alan Horne injury update from SWB Blog:

The MRI showed a slight tear of his right biceps and he's going back to Tampa to rehab the injury. Horne said he wasn't sure how long he would be out, but the damage isn't to a ligament, which seems like good news.

For now, the team has put Horne on the seven-day disabled list and activated Scott Strickland from the Staten Island roster -- or the Gulf Coast roster, whichever one he was on -- but they will likely have to make another move before Horne's scheduled start on Tuesday. Could be Dan McCutchen. Could be Chase Wright. I can't imagine it being anyone but those two.

Personally, I am rooting for Cutch, who is an actual prospect. Chase is more filler than a prospective major leaguer.

UPDATE: Tyler Kepner spoke with farm system director Mark Newman who downgraded the diagnosis to a muscle strain in place of the initial partial tear report:

“It’s not a rotator cuff, not a labrum, not a medial collateral ligament – it’s none of the stuff that concerns you as a long-term issue,” said Mark Newman, the senior vice president for player personnel. “It’s a pulled muscle – not connective tissue, not the stuff that causes problems.”

Rosenthal: Joba's Knee, ShoulderMay Fall Apart

According to Ken Rosenthal and those good ol' anonymous sources, Joba Chamberlain's surgerically repaired knee will soon be "torn to shreds," which is why he dropped to the Yankees in the draft:

Teams passed on Chamberlain in the draft because of health concerns, not because they feared he would be too expensive to sign. Chamberlain underwent surgery on his left knee during his sophomore year at Nebraska and missed time with triceps tendinitis in the spring of his junior year. Some consider his physical demise inevitable.

Chamberlain is a large slab of beef, 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, and he puts pressure on his left knee pushing off the mound. That knee, one rival scout predicts, will “eventually be torn to shreds.” A rival general manager says, “His shoulder or knee might not hold up in either role.”

Thus, the Yankees should get the most out of Chamberlain while they can. As a dominant setup man, he represents insurance for Rivera, who is 38 and signed through 2010. Few teams, if any, possess such a potent late-inning combination in their bullpen.

Sometimes doing the right thing means doing nothing at all.

It's old news that teams worried about Chamberlain's health and consequently allowed him to drop to the sandwich round. It's no secret that Brian Cashman and Damon Oppenheimer have instituted a draft strategy which covets high-risk high-reward athletes. Enter, Joba Chamberlain, Andrew Brackman, etc. However, teams suddenly proclaiming Chamberlain's knee and shoulder as time bombs seems to be exaggerated wishful thinking and is news to me.

Sour grapes or a tough injury pill to swallow? So far it appears to be the former, though time will always tell.

Debunked: Cone's 'Jerk Off' Statement

I know this is old news, but I have yet to see a correct explanation for Dave Cone's NC-17 description of Ian Kennedy's bullpen practices Wednesday night.

When a relief pitcher warms up and "gets hot" [begins throwing at full effort] in the bullpen, said reliever is under the mindset that he will soon enter the current game. If Dave Eiland drops a line to the bullpen phone and tells that reliever to sit back down, it's commonly referred to as a "dry hump." In more vulgar baseball parlance, the same action is known as "getting jerked off."

In the case of Kennedy, the young starter warmed up in the bullpen before the start of Wednesday's game, believing he would start said contest. When Joe Girardi decided to begin the game with Brian Bruney, Kennedy was told to halt his pregame preparation and was consequently "jerked off" in Cone's mind. I'm not sure what Ike and his new bride do in their own time, but I would venture to think she isn't taking care of her Trojan during bullpen warmups.

Here's the video via NYSI:

Turn Your Sound Up . . .

If you dare:

Alan Horne Update:

This does not sound good, though Horne said it was "not a Tommy John type" injury:

Basically, even he's not sure what's going on but he's getting an MRI tomorrow morning. On the pitch before the injury he threw a slider and felt something in his arm, but didn't think much of it.

"I just thought it was one of those weird quips," he said.

The final pitch was a fastball, and his arm knotted up so badly, "it pulled my whole side down." The tightness ran up and down his arm and even his fingers were tingling. He went to the trainer's room where he said his arm loosened and by the end of the night it was kind of pulsating, getting tight and then getting loose. He said that the trainer and team doctor told him that the tendons seem to be intact, but they won't know much for sure until tomorrow's tests.

I'm no James Andrews, but I'm gonna assume a pulsating arm cannot be good for a pitcher.

Uh Oh Alan

Alan Horne left his start today for AAA Scranton with some sort of bicep injury:

It's not much, but all I know for now is that Alan Horne has a right biceps injury. He's apparently still in the trainer's room.

For a kid who's come all the way back from Tommy John surgery, amongst other maladies, it would be tough for Horne to go down for an extended period of time considering his close proximity to the big leagues. Along with Jeff Marquez and Kei Igawa, Horne is amongst the top candidates who'd be called up from Scranton.

Guess They're Not Trading For

This guy. There were rumors recently that the Yankees may become very interested in acquiring Rich Harden from Oakland once the trading deadline approaches. However, the extremely talented Harden has one major weakness: an inability to stay healthy due to a right shoulder which has become a ticking time bomb:

For the sixth time in less than four seasons Athletics starting pitcher Rich Harden has landed on the disabled list.

Oakland placed the hard-throwing right-hander on the 15-day DL retroactive to April 3 with a mild subscapularis strain in his right shoulder.

The subscapularis muscle is located underneath the shoulder blade and connects to the front of the upper arm. It works in conjunction with a group of muscles that are used to move the rotator cuff and when injured the subscapularis can cause pain while going through a typical throwing motion.

In his two outings thus far this season, Harden is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA and 15 strikeouts.

In other injury news, Mike Lowell has been placed on the DL due to a sprained thumb. This is certainly nothing major for the Red Sox third baseman and I'm sure he did his best to convince Terry Francona of keeping him off the disabled list. Solid SS prospect [offensively more than defensively] Jed Lowrie has been called up in Lowell's place.

Posada With 'Strained' Shoulder

According to AP, Jorge Posada's MRI revealed a strained shoulder which requires the catcher to take four or five days off. Apparently Posada's impressive streak of keeping his name off the disabled list will continue:

Jorge Posada may avoid a trip to the disabled list after an MRI taken Wednesday revealed a strained right shoulder.

Posada said prior to Wednesday's contest against the Kansas City Royals that he expects to be sidelined for three or four days but does not think he will have to go on the DL.

"The good news is that it's not something worse," he said. "I'm really happy the MRI didn't show more. It's not bad."

The situaton will be re-evaluated following his hiatus.

A-Gone Called Up,Jeter To DL?

Alberto Gonzalez was called up from Scranton Wilkes-Barre which may be an indication that Derek Jeter is headed to the disabled list. More details to come...

Posada May Hit DL Soon

It would appear Jorge Posada has suffered an injury worse than a "stiff shoulder" and may be heading to the disabled list. Posada described his shoulder as "dead" and it seems the Yankees coaches and training staff are mystified as to what it could be. An MRI is in Posada's near future with Chad Moeller probably moving up the depth chart to back up Jose Molina.

Molina is not Yogi Berra, but he is a rock solid backup catcher. Can you imagine if Wil Nieves were the contingency plan? Yikes. Kudos goes to Brian Cashman for securing a solid replacement should Posada ever hit the DL for his first time. With an arduous, travel-happy upcoming schedule on the horizon, the 2008 Yankees face their first difficult test.

Mark Wegner Holds Game Hostage

Possibly the worst homeplate umpiring in the history of organized baseball took place today as Ed Wegner decided on a sub zero day to take the strikezone captive. Much to the chagrin of Phil Hughes and Brian Bannister, Wegner's obtuse and inconsistent K-zone yielded eight walks and skyrocketing pitchcounts.

Ed Price, who is at the game, had this to say about Wegner:

[]

That's the size of Mark Wegner's strike zone today.

Through three innings, there have been eight walks. Pitch counts: for Brian Bannister, 39 strikes and 32 balls; for Phil Hughes, 43 strikes and 36 balls.

Hughes was far from sharp, but the 3-2 slider to Tony Pena Jr. was a perfect pitch that somehow became ball four and not called strike three. As a result, Hughes threw 20 some-odd pitches more than he should have and it became a turning point as the Yankee starter was gassed afterward. Wilson Betemit dropping a strike that should have ended the inning on a caught stealing did not aid Hughes either.

Regardless of the final score, this is a game to be shrugged off for Hughes and, for Wegner, investigated by Major League Baseball. If not an optometrist.

Could A-Rod Replace DJ At SS?

It's an idea which had always been discarded before even digesting its repercussions. The thought of Derek Jeter being replaced by Alex Rodriguez during an extended absence has always been taboo which Joe Torre refused to dignify.

Names like Wilson Betemit, Miguel Cairo, Felix Escalona, Andy Cannizaro and Alberto Gonzalez have spelled Jeter during A-Rod's Yankees tenure. Soon after A-Rod was acquired, the question was posed whether he would ever move over a few feet should the Captain end up on the disabled list. This potential scenario was quickly defused and every baseball fan knew for a fact Rodriguez would play out his days at the hot corner.

Until now...

Joe Girardi would not reject the possibility of Rodriguez manning shortstop should Jeter be placed on the DL. Expressing his prerogative to sort out all possible solutions, the new skipper reminded fans of how much better talent Rodriguez could show in Jeter's stead. Instead of playing Betemit at shortstop [or Morgan Ensberg at first] and becoming a major question mark, he would be moved to his natural position - third base - as A-Rod returned to his natural spot in the infield.

Should Jeter recover in the next handful of days, such speculation becomes fruitless chatter, but it is an interesting topic and already a signal of the difference between Girardi and Torre. From the Yahoo! article:

Joe Girardi didn’t say no. Joe Torre would have.

Now, this is not to compare Girardi and Torre, not in a mano-a-mano fashion at least, but one that deals with today’s reality in the New York Yankees universe: Suggestions that Alex Rodriguez move to shortstop if the strained left quadriceps that forced Derek Jeter out of a game Monday lingers.

“There’s a lot of different scenarios we’ll talk about as a club and decide what we’re going to do,” Girardi said, and even though there was little substance to his words, it felt frighteningly candid – and, considering the other options, a rather sensible idea. Because under Torre’s watch, no matter how damaging to the Yankees in the short or long term, he wouldn’t dare place someone of consequence at Jeter’s position for fear of upsetting the captain’s chi.

Jeter first felt a twinge in his quad during the Yankees’ Sunday game and iced it before Monday’s game. That didn’t help, and Jeter ended up in an MRI tube to rule out extensive damage. Doctors found a low-level strain, nothing like in 2001, when Jeter missed Opening Day because of his right quad.

“That was worse,” Jeter said. “This is a mild strain, from what I was told. The other one was a lot worse than that. It was something you could feel moving your leg, period. This one is more when I put for a little effort. I really start running before I feel it.”

Aside from Betemit and A-Rod, there’s not another person on the Yankees’ active roster who can play shortstop. They could call up rookie Alberto Gonzalez, who is on the team’s 40-man roster, or Cody Ransom, who would require a roster move but bring more experience. Or, of course, they could put A-Rod at short and use Morgan Ensberg, a natural third baseman, to fill in.

Like Girardi said, plenty of scenarios.

Mark Teixeira missed approximately five weeks of last season with a quad injury, leading one to believe they are an unpredictable health woe to forecast. The two major question marks remain: would Jeter yet feel secure enough for Rodriguez to man his position and is the 2007 MVP still physically capable of playing quarterback of the infield. Updates on Jeter's condition should begin to emerge today.

Shaky Weather In KC

The forecast for today's 4pm start in Kansas City looked bleak as late as yesterday evening with showers and thunderstorms expected. However, this morning the weather prediction seems more mild, with a few showers expected around game time clearing up by 6pm. There is always the possibility the Royals decide to push the game back a few hours to accommodate.

Today's starting matchup is Phil Hughes vs. Brian Bannister.

No DL For Jeter . . . Yet

Derek Jeter's quad injury first surfaced on Sunday, and the strain may keep him out a week. From The Star Ledger:

Postgame, manager Joe Girardi said Jeter's strained left quad would keep him out of the lineup Tuesday in Kansas City, but that the team is not putting Jeter on the disabled list at this time and is hoping it won't have to.

Jeter had an MRI that revealed the strain and scoffed at the idea of the DL. He said he first felt the muscle "grab" during Sunday's game but thought it was a cramp. Felt it again during his first-inning at-bat and that's why he looked awkward running to first base -- said he didn't want to run hard for fear of further injury.

Girardi said he hoped to have Jeter back within a week, but can't be sure.

Jeter Leaves With Quad Groin Strain

UPDATE 9:15: ESPN's Buster Olney just reported Jeter left with a groin problem, not the quadriceps injury which was originally reported and will go for an MRI tonight.

Derek Jeter left Monday night's game with what was termed a "mild quad strain," though Yankees injury news is always downplayed before it is totally necessary.

Quads are tricky to diagnose because they can be day-to-day, or last for weeks [see: Beltran, Carlos].

Paps Makes Theo Looks Stupid [Again]

The Red Sox sure aren't making GM Theo Epstein look very good. Considering the boy genius called out Mike Mussina for voicing his displeasure over an exhibition trip to Japan, the comments Jonathon Papelbon offered during a recent radio interview completely contradict Theo's "bad apple" remarks toward Moose.

Threatening to boycott the Japan trip altogether was one thing, but now comes straight up whining on the part of the Red Sox closer:

"It’s been pretty ridiculous,” Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon said after his team’s first regular-season game in the eastern time zone.

Believe me, Papelbon isn’t on an island with his opinion. Even before the final out was registered last night, the Sox’ well-worn description of the 19-day road trip as “a business trip” had morphed into downright disgust.

“I feel like if we start struggling toward the end of the year, don’t ask questions. That’s if we do. I’m not saying we are,” Papelbon said. “We might breeze through that last month. But if aches and pains are starting to come that normally don’t, and intensity starts to lower, which I hope it doesn’t . . .but if that does happen don’t ask questions.”

“Not only to start out in Japan, but all the responsibilities they asked of us in Japan, the appearances, all the extra (stuff) besides going to Japan. Not only that but I think things were said and promised and not held up,” Papelbon said. “That certainly starts the trip out on the wrong foot.

"There's not an exact reason why you're going to win or lose a ballgame, but there are certain things that help predict the outcome and this trip is definitely starting to feel its effects," he said. "It's not just me, but I think a lot of other players."

Once again, Theo, I'd like you [pot] to meet kettle.

Deconstructing Yankee Stadium

What it took to build Yankee Stadium.

Size of lot: 10 acres

Construction time: 284 days

Rebar: 800 tons

Mechanical steel: 2,300 tons

Topsoil: 13,000 yds.

Concrete: 20,000 yds.

Dirt removed: 45,000 cubic yds.

Sod: 116,000 sq. ft.

Cost to purchase lot: $675,000

Lumber for bleachers: 950,000 board ft.

Total lumber: 4,000,000 board ft.

Brass screws: 1,000,000

Construction fee: $2,500,000

Justice: Cash, Pettitte Finished

An uncharacteristic column from Richard Justice of the Sporting News made its way to my inbox today. In it, Justice proves to know little or nothing about the current state of the New York Yankees fanbase and also makes kneejerk reactions to the possibility of Andy Pettitte and/or Brian Cashman leaving New York next season.

We appear to be seeing the beginning of the end of Andy Pettitte's marvelous career, and if you care about the New York Yankees, this may be more bad news than you can digest in one sitting.

In a related move, Brian Cashman likely will end up leaving, too. By, say, this time next year, the Yankees as you once knew them will no longer exist.

The Yankees will go back to the future, back to a time when they ran chaotically, spent wildly and never won a thing.

Right now, you're thinking change is a good thing. You're thinking it was a good idea for Joe Torre to hit the road. You're probably thinking the same about Brian Cashman, since he got cold feet when it came time to pull the trigger during the Johan Santana trade discussions.

You're tired of hearing about the long-term interests of the franchise. You want now.

Right . . . This is the epitome of shock journalism - writing controversial opinion, without much evidence, in the hopes of surprising readers into buying newspapers. I do not disagree Cashman and Pettitte could be spending their final season in the Bronx. However, contending the Yankees organization will instantly become a wasteland and Pettitte is finished after one start is absurd and uninformed drivel.

Justice goes on to speculate Pettitte was "hit hard and often" on Saturday. While Jonny Gomes did hit a linedrive homer which landed about 5 inches over the leftfield fence, Pettitte was not hit nearly as hard as Justice would have you think. Maybe he did not even watch the game, though that would probably interfere with his apocalyptic premise.

This is particularly disappointing because Justice had previously been a very reliable source of baseball information.

Pags: Mechanics Sap Hughes Velocity

Over at Dugout Central, Mike Pagliarulo investigated the velocity loss seen in Phil Hughes' fastball during his first start of the season. According to Pags, Hughes can blame his lackluster radar readings on mechanical flaws and not an injury or inexplicable malady. Certainly this is a possibility, though there may be even simpler reasons.

Let me preface his study by quoting Pagliarulo's conclusion late in the article which claims, "Let's not forget [Hughes] should still be in AA Trenton."

Wait, what? Pags shows how little he knows about Phil's development, considering in 2006 he tossed 116 innings at AA Trenton, striking out 138, walking 32, allowing only 72 hits, with a 2.06 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a BAA of .171. If there was ever a 20 year-old ready to jump to AAA and then the major leagues, it was Phil Hughes.

Pagliarulo is the same opinionated third baseman - and not a catcher/pitcher - who predicted Kei Igawa would be an very good acquisition. He then went on to ream Igawa as a poor move as if he never lauded him in the first place. Let's also remember Hughes is coming off a very strong outing, so the criticism is silly and unnecessary:

The reason Phil Hughes isn’t throwing his fastball faster than 91 MPH is mechanics – and nothing else. Why doesn’t Brian Cashman know this? Because he’s an expert at managing groups, people and processes; he’s NOT a baseball expert in terms of scouting, of understanding pitching mechanics, or understanding hitting mechanics, etc. That’s in no way an insult to Brian. Jack Welch, formerly CEO of General Electric, is one of the most respected business leaders of our time, and he couldn’t build a jet engine or a refrigerator himself. But he could manage the people who could.

So, it’s unfair to ask Cashman the Hughes question since it’s not his area of expertise. It’s like asking Joe Girardi about brain surgery.

The good news is that Hughes’ mechanics are fixable. Whether he is coachable – a trait needed for a player to improve – is another thing. I’m not saying he isn’t coachable; I just don’t know the guy, so I can’t say.

In his last Spring training start Hughes was easily hitting 93-94 mph on the radar gun. The explanation for his 91 mph heater last Thursday may be as simple as Hughes having to pitch in Winter-like conditions.

Whatever the case, the 94-95 mph range may not be his sitting velocity [though his 2007 average velocity was over 92], but rest assured he can rear back for mid-90s heat. Coming out of high school he hit triple digits on the radar gun, but Hughes takes pride in an easy low-effort delivery. Apparently WasWatching and Pagliarulo would rather have Hughes throwing 95-96 mph and give up five runs than what we've seen so far this season.

As a reference point, Detroit requested that Justin Verlander take some off his fastball in favor of movement this year. The same may be true of the Yankees and Hughes.

Joba's Plan Ain't New[Well, Duh]

Joel Sherman finally figured out the Yankees plan for Joba Chamberlain in 2008 - pitching half the year in the bullpen before joining the rotation - is not some crazy, unprecedented blueprint.

The Cardinals are masters of this maneuver. Rotation members Brad Thompson, Todd Wellemeyer and Joel Pineiro (on the DL) each had 10 starts and 20 relief appearances in 2007. Ace Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper moved from closers to starters. St. Louis GM John Mozeliak said longtime pitching coach Dave Duncan "has a model in mind of who can make the conversion generally it is big guys who have shown durability and have more than two pitches."

Chamberlain is certainly a big guy. And Gil Patterson, who worked as a pitching coordinator for the Yankes in 2006-07, vouched that Chamberlain's "curve and changeup are not far behind his fastball and slider, which are electric" and that "there is no question with stamina. He was throwing [last year] 95-96 [mph] in pitches 80 to 90."

But the two cases most similar to where the Yanks are with Chamberlain involve Santana and the Dodgers' Chad Billingsley.

Shocker, considering last year's use of Chad Billingsley by the LA Dodgers is the comparison this blog and countless others have referenced in illustrating the advantage and safety of such a program.

The Dodgers righty was 22 last season, the same as Chamberlain this year. It was his first full major league campaign. He opened with 23 games in relief (6-4, 3.09 ERA, 40 strikeouts in 35 innings). He followed with 20 starts (8-5, 3.38 ERA with 101 whiffs in 112 innings). In total, he pitched 147 innings and began this year as a full-time member of the rotation, a combo similar to what the Yanks envision for Chamberlain between 2008 and 2009.

And Dodgers GM Ned Colletti cited almost the same reasons for Billingsley's usage pattern in 2007 as the Yanks offer for Chamberlain in 2008: "He was ready for the big leagues. Our bullpen was comprised in such a way that we needed him there to start. We got him big-league time and experience without extending his innings or putting him in danger physically. . . . By the end of the year, we wished we had two of him because when we took him out of 'pen the 'pen suffered."

Johan Santana is the other example many [including Sherman] use as a measuring stick for Chamberlain:

Santana climbed from 1081/3 innings in 2002 to 1581/3 innings in 2003, and then in his age-25 season began a four-year stretch in which he became exclusively a starter and led the AL (9121/3 ) in innings before joining the Mets. Santana's arm probably was protected by the gradual innings progression, as the Yanks New York Yanke hope they are doing with Joba.

"At this point, I would have to say, yes [that the 'pen was good for him]," Santana said. "Back then? No. I wanted to be a starter my whole career. . . . I learned a lot in the bullpen. It gives you more time to think, and I went through every possible situation as a pitcher. You're exposed to everything out there, and I'm a guy who's always watched and listened. If Joba does the same thing, he'll be fine."

Hughes Relates To Pedro

The Journal News has Phil Hughes' reaction after witnessing Pedro Martinez suffer an eerily similar injury to the one the young Yankee did during his terrific start against the Texas Rangers last year.

The Mets #2 starter likely faces an even more arduous recovery period since he is roughly 16 years old than Hughes was when the then 20 year-old went down with a hamstring tear:

It was May 1 of last season when Hughes suffered the same injury in Texas. Seven outs away from a no-hitter, he limped off the field.

"Right when I saw what happened to Pedro on television, I thought, 'Oh, man,' because I remembered that feeling," Hughes said. "It looked like the same thing happened to him that happened to me. I really feel for him."

"The legs are your foundation," Hughes said. "You throw the ball with your arm, but it starts from the feet up. If there's a broken link somewhere in that process, it's tough."

"I thought initially it would be 4-6 weeks like they told me," he said. "It ended up being three months. But I didn't really get my fastball back until September. I was still tentative in August because I was afraid I'd hurt it again. It's tough to get over."

Martinez injured the same leg as well - the left one - which receives the most stress, pressure and weight from a righthander's delivery. It's this leg which provides the extra late-life and velocity pitchers need on their fastball.

First One To Seven Wins...

Bill Madden says these days a seven inning start is the new complete game. According to the article, teams with the most starts at or exceeding seven innings tend to find their way into October:

According to Elias Sports Bureau, the teams that get the most outings of seven or more innings from their starting pitchers have the best chance of making the playoffs. Last year, the Cleveland Indians led the majors with 71 games in which their starters went seven or more innings and they finished first in their division. The National League leaders were the Arizona Diamondbacks, with 59, and, not coincidentally, they too won their division.

With the exception of 2006, over the last five years those teams that finished first or second in the majors in starts of seven innings or more all made the playoffs. However, even those "new" complete game numbers are shrinking, as evidenced by the Yankees' major league-leading 87 starts of seven-plus innings in 2003, to the Angels' and Indians' major league-leading 71 in '06 and '07, respectively.

Duncan: I Played Like Crap

At least that's what Shelley Duncan said of his own play during Saturday's game:

Acting manager Rob Thomson liked how the young first baseman "battled," but Shelley Duncan boiled down his first start of the season to another word.

"Poop," Duncan said as he fiddled with the tab of a soda can in front of his clubhouse stall after yesterday's 6-3 loss to the Rays.

Duncan ripped a second-inning single to left in his first at-bat, but his afternoon deteriorated quickly. He finished 1-for-4, grounded out with two runners on base to end the eighth and committed a throwing error that led to two unearned runs.

"I feel like I have some work to do," Duncan said. "I felt like poop a little bit. Hopefully, I can put the work in the cage and next time around I can be sharp."

As for his choice of words, Duncan said, "It just means you feel you can do a lot better, you feel you can feel a lot better. You don't feel like your swing at everything was 100 percent. That was me [yesterday]. Poop."

Duncan had better find a poop scooper at first if he wants to challenge Jason Giambi for a recurring role in the infield.

SNY: A-Rod Postseason NumbersBetter Than You Thought

From Michael Salfino of Sportsnet New York comes a look at Alex Rodriguez in the postseason and the success he had before becoming a Yankee. Most fans realize this, of course, so it isn't particularly as groundbreaking as Salfino believes it to be.

It's also unclear how effective his analysis could be when Salfino - a Mets slanted writer working for a Mets tv network - claims "a majority of Yankees fans can't stand Rodriguez." This coming after he visited a North Jersey bar and sniped at Yankee fans as if he were some beacon of baseball knowledge.

From the column:

This so-called confirmation bias is a long-established universal of human decision-making. Psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky won a Nobel Prize in 2002 for their work in this area. For our purposes, it demonstrates that once we define a player in a certain way, we seek information that supports that view and reject information that contradicts it.

But A-Rod was a postseason force early in his career, and against the Yankees no less: .409/.480/.773 in the 2000 ALCS loss to the Bombers.

But his team lost. That’s another key to clutchness: your team has to win or your achievement is quickly forgotten or somehow viewed as “not quite enough.”

A-Rod went .320/.392/.600 in his first Yankees postseason. But two big things worked against him. He was the highest-paid player in baseball and thus was expected to perform at least at that level. More importantly, the Yankees lost that seven-game ALCS to the Red Sox. By the way, Derek Jeter went .200/.333/.233 in that Red Sox debacle, but the view of him being a clutch player, shaped during a string of successful playoff runs when he was earning near minimum big-league salaries, was cemented.

Girardi Out With Flu

Manager Joe Girardi will miss tonight's game - assuming the weather permits - because of an upper respiratory infection.

Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson will manage tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium because manager Joe Girardi is suffering from an upper respiratory infection and has decided to stay inside the Yankees clubhouse. Girardi, who had a high fever, is expected to be available to manage tomorrow's game, which is at 1 p.m.

Melky, Shelley Drop AppealWill Miss Two Games

According to the Star Ledger, Melky Cabrera and Shelley Duncan have both dropped their appeals and will sit out the next two games. The penalty for each player has been reduced from the original three game suspension:

Center fielder Melky Cabrera and first baseman Shelley Duncan dropped their appeals of their three-game suspensions for the bench-clearing incident between the Yankees and Rays in spring training. Both players had their suspensions reduced to two games, and Cabrera will serve his tonight and tomorrow, with Duncan serving his Sunday and Monday.

We'll see if this quells any possible confrontation during the Tampa Bay series this weekend.

Psycho-T Hits Like A Girl

Classic Simpsons Metaphors

Many have tried and more have failed, but a couple years ago Barstool Sports succeeded in compiling the definitive MLB Simpsons analogy list. A few of them are still spot on today:

Oakland A's - Bart Simpson - Reliable bad-boy winners who march to the beat of their own drum. Locked in a constant struggle against the overbearing establishment. Every time you think they're going to get what's coming to them, they weasel out of it and surprise you again.

Florida Marlins - Snake - Riding high for a while, publicly executed, and then somehow cheated death to escape and rise again. Important players in cities known for their rampant drug and crime problems. They seem to be in trouble a lot, but never really go away. Almost lost something of great value to a much wealthier, more prestigious individual, but hung onto it in the end (stealing his girlfriend back from Mr. Burns, 2003 World Series).

Houston Astros - Marge Simpson - Their fortunes rise and fall with those of a guy who has put together an unbelievable string of successes despite obviously being an inveterate jerk. Seemingly infinite reservoir of patience for someone who has proven themselves to be not worth hanging on to (Homer, Brad Ausmus).

Cincinnati Reds - Principal Seymour Skinner - Spent much of their existence under the hand of a domineering, insane woman who was impossible to please (Agnes Skinner, Marge Schott). Possessors of a dirty little secret that they would rather sweep under the rug (Skinner's true identity of Armand Tamzarian, Pete Rose). Their lives were given meaning in the '70s (Vietnam, the Big Red Machine) but now all they have to escape the monotony of their everyday existence is the flashbacks.

San Francisco Giants - Abe "Grandpa" Simpson - Even older than you would have thought. Surrounded by other decrepit crones, and they have a tendency to live in the past. Completely dependent on a big lug of questionable moral turpitude who, curiously, never seems to get any older.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Disco Stu - Overconfident and forever predicting the return of their glory days. Brought up by devoted fans more often than is probably reasonable, considering their sporadic appearances. Haven't been relevant since the '80s.

Hat tip to Baseball Think Factory.

Melancon Not Hurt

There had been some clamoring yesterday over Mark Melancon and his health. The powerful righthanded reliever was said to have entered Thursday's Tampa Yankees game but was removed before throwing a pitch. Many had worried Melancon had been injured in some way, but it was apparently human error as manager Luis Sojo forgot to add him to the Tampa Roster:

Mark Melancon is not hurt. He didn’t enter the game after throwing warmup pitches (that I took video of and analyzed like the Zapruder film), because T-Yanks Manager Luis Sojo forgot to put him on the roster. Just a simple brain fart. Don’t feel bad for freaking out though Yankee fans, until the game ended and this was figured out, Yankee brass in the stands were in a state of panic as well.

Dellin Betances was more than healthy in his first Charleston start, striking out eight allowing two runs on three hits over five innings.

Giambi & Ballet Don't Mix

According to today's New York Observer - thanks for the tip Preston - Jason Giambi has turned to ballet to help him overcome his recent proneness to injury.

“I’d get hurt all the time, and I just took it as part of getting older,” Giambi said as he stood near his locker before yesterday's game against Tornoto, a bat leaning against his leg. “But when I worked toward getting back from the plantar fasciitis, I worked with a new doctor, who deals with—well—ballet dancers. And he told me that I had really high arches. I got these inserts—“he gestured toward prescription orthotics in his cleats “and suddenly it didn’t hurt to run anymore.”

Giambi suffered knee and back pain so quickly, along with “dead legs” when running in the past that it was never part of his offseason regimen. But this winter, he said, he ran every day. Giambi found a track near his Las Vegas home, and learned how to run without pain for the first time, 60 yards at a time.

On Giambi's offense:

“Well, for one thing, I hope my doubles go back up,” said Giambi, who had as many as 47 doubles in his prime, but just 8 last year. “A lot of singles last year should be doubles this year. And there should be more first-to-third, more second-to-home.”

Though he’s yet to collect a hit in the season’s first three games, Giambi hit .413 this spring. Giambi believes that if his legs hold up, the hitting will take care of itself.

“I still have the batting eye, the power,” Giambi said. “I’m hoping for a big year.”

Just to point out something to The Big G, a good eye does not produce bat-speed.

Yankees Eek Out Series Win

On a cold night, Yankee fans found warmth in the performance of Philip J. Hughes, the 21 year-old righthander who the Bronx faithful refused to part with - even if it meant a Johan Santana return. No one can know what type of season the young arm will have, but if Thursday night was a preview, the feature presentation will be mighty good. Over six innings, Hughes allowed two runs on four hits, walked one, struck out four and only threw 87 pitches [58 for strikes].

Wednesday night's game was rather simple. AJ Burnett came, threw gas, spiked some curveballs and conquered the highly-praised Yankees offense. The lone blemish came in the form of a rocket launched off the bat of Alex Rodriguez. Though New York was able to put the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, the team looked flat throughout and never seemed a serious threat to recapture the lead.

Last night, Dustin McGowan mimicked Burnett and frustrated the Yankees lineup for the majority of his six inning effort. As Hughes worked quickly and economically - sideswiped by a weak David Eckstein bloop double and infield single with two outs - it appeared the Yankees bats would again go quiet into that good night. However, the offense rallied with help from McGowan's wildness and ultimately took the lead for good thanks to some poor fielding and a well-placed bloop of their own - thanks to Bobby Abreu.

In all honesty, the Yankees did not deserve to win their opening series, and, had the ball bounced differently on a few occasions, the Bombers could have begun their season like the Detroit Tigers at 0-3. However, they were able to gut out two victories from the jaws of defeat and can now feast their eyes on tomorrow's starter [Andy Sonnanstine] and his robust ERA.

Top Performer:
Phil Hughes -
After already surrendering one run thanks to a patented Eckstein bloop double, Hughes was noticeably on the ropes in the fourth inning. When Alex Rios attempted to swipe second base only to advance to third on Robinson Cano's poor attempt to receive a perfect strike from Jose Molina, the Blue Jays were primed to notch another run. With only one out, Hughes was able to bare down and strike out both Vernon Wells and Frank Thomas to end the threat. The impressive called strike three was not taken so happily by Thomas, whose blow up at homeplate resulted in an early shower for the Big Hurt.

Second Place:
The Bullpen -
Billy Traber came in to face one batter: Lyle Overbay. The lefty specialist did his job by striking out the first baseman and handed the ball to Brian Bruney, who shockingly did not walk a batter or allow a baserunner before closing the seventh inning. Joba Chamberlain came in to pitch the eighth inning, needing 11 pitches [8 for strikes] to retire the side. Mariano Rivera needed 13 pitches to close up shop - but had to record the last out with the tying run standing 90 feet from home.

Honorable mention: Melky Cabrera who continues his habit of finding himself in the middle of or at the start of a crucial rally. The Melkman did it again last night, leading off the sixth inning with a key single.

Last Place:
Derek Jeter -
When did Jeter become such a rally-killer? It's the third game of the season and everyone with a half a brain realizes the Captain will redeem himself ten-fold for his GIDP-itis, but Yankees pitchers hope it comes sooner than later. Cano's poor fielding during the Rios stolen base and an 0-for at the plate were also none too pretty.

Can't Blame This On A-Rod

Girl walks into Fenway Park. Girl sits down to watch the Red Sox. Girl gets attacked by territorial hawk dwelling at the stadium.

Her name? Alexa Rodriguez...

Alexa's friends, Maria Rivera and Justine Chamberlain, were taken to a safehouse. The hawk, who travels under the alias "Boras," was last seen brainwashing Nancy Drew in rightfield, and is still at large in the Greater Boston area.

Posada Shelved Again

Jorge Posada remains day-to-day with a stiff shoulder, and will miss tonight's matchup against Dustin McGowan and the Blue Jays, with Jose Molina filling in as backstop. According to Joe Girardi, Posada will DH tomorrow against Tampa Bay, though that contest is already in doubt because of another heavy rainstorm working its way into the area. Hideki Matsui will man leftfield - in preparation for Melky Cabrera's suspension - and Johnny Damon will DH.

The lineup:

Damon DH,
Jeter SS,
Abreu RF,
Rodriguez 3B,
Giambi 1B,
Cano 2B,
Matsui LF,
Molina C,
Cabrera CF,

Hughes P

The Yankees are 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position so far this year. So, there's that.

Jeter Has A Statue In His Future

From Newsday comes the story of a young man from Kalamazoo, Michigan who wanted to grow up and become the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees. Sure enough, the kid made his dream a reality and now has several others coming true as his playing career winds down.

According to the piece, there is only one question to answer pending Derek Jeter's retirement, much like paper or plastic:

At this stage of his career, which is to say his prime, there is only one question left about Derek Jeter: monument or plaque?

Jeter couldn't escape history's tap on the shoulder. He was asked about the impending move on Monday, before the originally scheduled Opening Day was rained out. He had agreed to appear at a rare pregame news conference because what he thinks matters. At 33, he is too young to be an elder statesman, but he has been around long enough to be the face and heart and soul of the most famous team on Earth.

He has simply done too much unforgettable stuff to deny him getting his career etched in granite. The home run that broke the Mets' back, the backhanded relay flip that doomed the Athletics, the face-busting rush into the seats for that foul ball against the Red Sox.

There also is the Jeter that most people don't see. At 3:40 yesterday afternoon, before the Yankees' 3-2 win over the Blue Jays, neophyte first baseman Shelley Duncan was taking ground balls and practicing throws to second. Only one other infielder was out there, serving as a target, encourager, teacher. It was Jeter. He even helped pick up the practice baseballs and put them in the bag.

"It wasn't the first time," Duncan said. "Aside from Derek being made into some sort of character, when you're actually working with him, he's amazing. He's an amazing teammate."

If only he could get to groundballs up the middle, he would be completely infallible.

Thomas Has No Prob With Joba

Yesterday, the Mike & The Mad Dog sports radio talk show endlessly mulled over what they deemed to be a controversial fistpump following Joba Chamberlain's strikeout of Frank Thomas to end the eighth inning on Tuesday night. The two radio icons labeled the gesture as "showing up" the competition and Russo said 'you shouldn't do that to Frank Thomas.'

Well after all the commotion, the Big Hurt told the Daily News he had no problem with Chamberlain's enthusiasm that night. One reason for Thomas' graciousness is the fact that Joba's father, Harlan Chamberlain, was on the field during last night's pregame warmups. The elder Chamberlain sought out Thomas to tell the aging slugger his son had a large poster of Thomas lining his bedroom wall throughout his childhood:

There was a time earlier in his career when Frank Thomas would've taken umbrage at Joba Chamberlain whirling around and pumping his fist after striking out the future Hall of Famer to end the eighth inning of the Yankees' 3-2 victory on Opening Night.

But the Big Hurt wasn't even a little miffed about Joba's big back-page celebration on Tuesday.

"Hey, you strike me out at 98 (mph), you can do what you want," Thomas told the Daily News before Wednesday night's game at the Stadium. "There's a lot of young guys like that nowadays. The game has changed so much.

"That wasn't really accepted when I came through, but the game has changed. These guys are all doing that. I remember a couple of years ago, the whole Detroit staff was out there fist-pumping, so I'm used to it by now. Years ago, I would've taken offense to it, but I'm used to it now.

"He was pumped up, did a good job, and he struck me out in a big situation. So go ahead."

And here was Vernon Wells on Chamberlain:

"He's not doing it to show anybody up, he's doing it because he's excited about the moment. It's not easy for essentially a first-year kid to come in and be a setup man to the best closer in the game (Mariano Rivera).

"But that's his job and he's doing it so far."

I could not agree more with Wells. Staring in at an opposing batter after striking him out - ahem, any pitcher come to mind - is showing up the competition. Fistpumping your way into the dugout is an expression of enthusiasm. Sure he should tone it down a bit, but it's not like Chamberlain does it after every appearance.

If You Missed It On HBO

Lenny's Still Hittin'. In case you missed his appearance on Real Sports, the article takes readers a bit further into Lenny Dykstra's newfound talent and fortune, as "Nails" is now hammering out investment deals instead of stolen bases.

Dykstra says he monitors 30 stocks, then narrows it down to three based on the stock being close to the bottom, the company being good and the number of shares involved. He attributes his stock success, meanwhile, to two things - work ethic and self-control.

"Discipline," he says. "Play by the rules."

In Dykstra's mind, "growing up" is the difference between what he was as a player and what he is now. But in reality, he's still a combination of youth and adult. He has a kid's grin, which he flashed when he was injesting multiple fries at a time.

But he also wore a suit, had Elton John's "Your Song" as one of his cell phone ring-tones and said, "I'm always an entrepreneur." He was constantly on his MacBook laptop computer during his Post sit-downs, and he revealed that the laptop is one of 10 - yep, 10 - computers that he owns.

He also has four cell phones.

The Dykstra interview on HBO Sports revealed three things: the former pesky ballplayer is now an entrepreneur; he definitely did steroids and lied about it to HBO; and he is unusually frail, despondent and unable to speak clearly for a 45 year-old. Gordon Gecko he is not.

* Keep Keepsakes @ Stadium

A press release via LoHud tells the story of two enthusiastic Yankee fans who tried to bring home some keepsakes from the final home opener during Yankee Stadium's final season:

The New York Yankees announced today that two fans were arrested during Tuesday’s Opening Day game vs. the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium for attempting to steal Stadium bunting and causing damage to the bunting and façade.

Both fans were charged with attempted larceny and criminal mischief. Each charge is punishable by up to one year imprisonment and/or fines. They were detained and booked by the New York City Police Department and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Yankees have also revoked their season ticket accounts.

And the harshest cut of all, waving bye-bye to those season tickets.

Sour Grapes From Toronto Columnist

Richard Griffin, a biased frustrated reporter from the Toronto Star voiced his displeasure over the appeal situation which allowed Melky Cabrera to play and star in last night's game. I find it hard to believe the Blue Jays players and coaching staff were in the locker room throwing up their arms before the game, incensed that a juggernaut such as the Melk Man would be permitted to play through his suspension:

Cabrera’s suspension stemmed from a fighting incident on March 12 vs. the Rays at spring training. That’s 21 days ago. Appeals are heard in the offices of Major League Baseball in New York. We are in New York. The hearing on the appeal should have been held Monday, or at least yesterday morning. It’s ridiculous.

Anyway, the way major league rules work, Cabrera had the right to appeal and, thus, was allowed to play in the opener. He will probably wait for this weekend against the Rays or when the Yanks travel to Kansas City and drop the appeal, immediately serving his three days against an inferior opponent. Baseball justice?

Had it been Alex Rodriguez shirking a suspension for sucker punching an ump or Derek Jeter skipping a penalty stemming from a corked bat incident, then it would be believable. As it stands, the writer sounds like he's chomping down on some serious sour grapes.

Outside Box Gets Bowa Ejected

I saw this incident live last night and no way did Larry Bowa deserve to be ejected from the game. Bowa was merely standing five or so feets outside the coaches third base box when the nearby ump, Ed Montague, decided to stop the game and tell him to get back into the box.

At first Bowa calmly explained he couldn't see the outfield well enough - with men on first and second - to gauge whether or not to send runners on anything in the gaps. Then, once Bowa felt he was getting undressed, the veins began popping:

“We got a memo and an edict, and they’re adamant about the box and stuff,’’ [Montague] said. “Don’t go up in front of the box toward home plate, and don’t get any closer to the foul lines. I told Bowa in the bottom of the fifth, because he got up close. And that’s what caught my eye. And I just told him, ‘Bo, you got the memo, we got the memo, and you’ve got to stay back.’ I went over and told Joe in-between innings what I told Bo. And Bo just said, ‘I’m going to do it the way I’ve always been doing it.’

“I said, ‘Bo, if you go up, I’m going to have to run you.’ And he said, ‘Do what you’ve got to do, and it is what it is.’ When he got up in front of it again, I said, ‘Bo, I told you once, now get back in the box.’ He argued it, and finally I said, ‘You’re gone.’ So I gave him every chance in the book and he defied it.’’

"I did it all spring, nobody said a word,'' [Bowa] said. "I did it yesterday, nobody said a word. It's impossible to coach third and stay in the box with a runner at second.''

It was even more uncomfortable once Joe Torre came out to calm his third base guru. Torre's bad knees had him helplessly tussling with the hotheaded Bowa to no avail. Any moment, it seemed, Torre's knees would buckle and yet another replacement surgery waited on the horizon.

McNamee EBays Clemens Items

Brian McNamee is selling all of his Roger Clemens related paraphernalia. No word on how much the deca-durabolin vials and blood-encrusted needles fetched:

With legal bills mounting, lawsuits pending and his professional future uncertain, Brian McNamee, former trainer to the stars, is very clear on at least one aspect of his life:

He wants no part of any gifts from a man who calls him a liar.

McNamee has 50 to 60 signed pieces of memorabilia - photos, baseballs, hats and jerseys - given to him by Roger Clemens, his former client. Clemens has spent the last three months assailing his character - basically since McNamee stated in the Mitchell Report that he injected Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs. Six weeks after his nationally televised congressional showdown with Clemens, McNamee has turned over the entire collection to Phil Castinetti, owner of Sportsworld in Saugus, Mass., one of the biggest sports-memorabilia dealers in New England.

McNamee is also selling other items signed by Jose Canseco, Andy Pettitte and Jason Grimsley.

“He was going to throw this stuff away,” said Castinetti, who has already begun listing the items on eBay and believes the pieces could generate up to $75,000 in all. “Because of the hard feelings between him and Clemens, he wanted nothing to do with it.”

Melky, Shelley's Appeals Update

From Ed Price of the Star Ledger:

Melky Cabrera's appeal of his three-game suspension will be heard Monday, along with Shelley Duncan.

Both players were suspended for their parts in an April 12 altercation with the Tampa Bay Rays. It started when Shelley Duncan spiked second baseman Akinori Iwamura with a slide, and Cabrera is alleged to have thrown a punch as the benches emptied.

Tampa Bay's Jonny Gomes was suspended two games, and his appeal is set for Friday.

Fans will pray for an eighth inning in which Joba Chamberlain takes the mound against Gomes. He could ask Kevin Youkilis for advice.

The Ledger On Last Night

The only Yankee booed during last night's pregame introduction was LaTroy Hawkins:

Apparently because [Hawkins] had the audacity to wear No. 21 -- which had not been given out since Paul O'Neill retired.

Really?

First, Paul O'Neill's number can still be retired. Eight players -- EIGHT -- wore No. 3 for the Yankees after Babe Ruth.

Second, while Paul O'Neill is inextricably linked to the 1996-2000 dynasty, is he really an all-time great? You have to figure Nos. 2 (Jeter), 6 (Torre), 13 (A-Rod) and 20 (will be retired), and Mariano Rivera's No. 42 will never be worn again because of him and Jackie Robinson.

I agree with Mr. Price on this one. O'Neill was the heart and soul of the 1990's dynasty, but is not among the Yankee greats who deserve to see their number retired. I do believe it is only respectful to let the number sit in mothballs for a few more years before a rent-a-reliever like Hawkins is able to wear #21. Had it been Jose Tabata or Action Jackson, it would have been much easier for the Yankees faithful to handle.

Also, I didn't see it myself, but I had heard there were some jeers when Andy Pettitte was announced - guess not all Mets fans can fly down to Florida to see Pedro.

The Star Ledger further reported that Hank Steinbrenner's favorite portion of the game was "the Big Two," which refers to Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera.

Wang, Joba, Mo and Head Home

Opening Night . . .

First and foremost, Tuesday's opening night was a tremendous baseball game. The fact that the Yankees won the game is secondary. There's no doubt who the player of the game was, as Melky Cabrera made two solid catches [one good, one great] along with a 315 foot homerun which landed approximately six inches over the 314 foot sign.

In second place would be Chien Ming-Wang who battled through seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks. He was nowhere near his sharpest and yet when the box-score is printed tomorrow morning it shows he fought, got the ball to Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera and earned himself the win.

It was slightly strange yet interesting to see Joe Girardi jog out to the mound in the seventh inning to chat with Wang [before the pitcher induced a crucial groundout to keep the score tied at 2]. Rivera handed Girardi the ball from the final out, and during his postgame interview the new skipper was noticeably emotional before composing himself.

So as to avoid wasting your time, here are some aspects which stood out during tonight's ballgame:

• Jason Giambi looked cat-like in the field, snatching a screaming line drive with the infield in, and avoiding a tag on an important baserunning play in the seventh.

• Bobby Abreu smoked two balls into rightfield and obviously is planning to start a bit hotter than his dreary 2007 opening.

• Alex Rodriguez - 2 for 3 on the night - picked up where he left off gobbling up his first RBI opportunity in the first inning with an opposite field double.

• Joba Chamberlain is not yet in midseason form - as many last remember him in the Bronx - but he was still able to strike out two and post a zero before passing the baton to Mariano Rivera. Mo, did look like he was pitching in June, pitching a perfect inning and striking out one to earn the first save of 2008. Last season Mariano earned his first save of the season on April 28.

• Roy Halladay caught the short end of the stick after dominating the Yankees for the majority of the game. The "Doc" absolutely dominated through the first five innings, throwing less than 10 pitches per inning through those five frames.
  
  He was throwing his two-seam and four-seam fastballs on either side of the plate. His cutter or slider and spike curveball were also working. That meant Yankees hitters were digging in and had no clue what Halladay would throw next. He is truly a rare breed, the #1 starter in Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, his x-rated reaction to Leche's homerun is nowhere near top-notch.
  

LA Fan Knocks Out BoSox Fan

From Red Sox Monster comes the delightful story of a 115,000 capacity crowd at the LA Coliseum whose fun was interrupted when Red Sox fans and Dodger fans began brawling.

Appears it's a more difficult task for Sox fans to fight when they don't have a four-on-one advantage against a Yankee fan [and Boston resident] spending the night out with his girlfriend:

NoMaas Gets It

NoMaas offers the same message I've been hocking since the Yankees pulled Phil Hughes off the table of any potential Johan Santana deal. To all of the sports writers and ESPN analysts who - due to a young back of their rotation - predict this is the year the Yankees miss the playoffs:

The Yankees made the playoffs in 2007 with the following assortment of fecal matter plopped into the starting rotation:

Pitcher - Games started
Matt DeSalvo - 6
Kei Igawa - 12
Chase Wright - 2
Darrell Rasner - 6
Jeff Karstens - 3
Tyler Clippard - 6 (We've got nothing but love for you, Clip.)

Replace those starters with Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and eventually (hopefully) Joba Chamberlain. We'd say the Yanks' rotation is in much better shape than last season's playoff team.

Amen my friend.

Late Night With Dave & Jose

• Dan Graziano offers his thoughts on Jose Canseco following his appearance on David Letterman last night.

• Tyler Kepner rode shotgun with Joe Girardi yesterday, discussing the manager's distaste for packing, traveling and his fondness for Yogi.

• Kevin Kernan echoes what I said yesterday about the MLB schedule makers.

• Melky Cabrera is honored to man centerfield on Opening Day.

• Why Hank Steinbrenner's glad Opening Day was posponed.

• Today's exhibition between the Trenton Thunder and Scranton Yankees is also in doubt due to rain. Phil Coke goes for Trenton and faces Jeff Marquez of SWB.

• Kat O'Brien offers her 2008 predictions and no one's listening.

Good Thing They Didn't Sign This Guy

The fall of Barry Zito is perhaps as perplexing a baseball scenario as I've come across. He was the epitome of an innings-eater in the mold of an Andy Pettitte in that he allowed far too many baserunners yet frequently beguiled his way out of trouble.

Since his first full season in the majors, Zito was the model of health and stability, throwing at least 200 innings all six years in Oakland, missing bats, winning a Cy Young and posting healthy ERA's. With only 2004 serving as a disappointment, Zito was making his way into the National League and an expected bounce in his performance would all but validate the $126 million San Francisco had given him.

However, 2007 was not nearly as kind to Zito as most everyone in baseball expected. His fastball had dropped into the low-80s and he posted the poorest k/9 in his career. A mystifying feat considering the weaker lineups he encountered in the NL. Which begs the question, can a 29 year-old really regress so rapidly and so drastically?

The Yankees [as well as a host of other potential suitors] are now rejoicing they did not throw $100+ million at the previously dominant lefty.

From the article:

Zito went after the hitters. He didn’t mess around. He threw strikes.

And the Dodgers ate them up, every juicy morsel.

That shouldn’t have been surprising, given Zito’s horrendous spring training. In fact, every detail of the Giants’ 5-0 loss seemed to fulfill the scorched-earth expectations of this club.
...
How does a 29-year-old decline as much as Zito has? Even at his absolute worst during seven years in Oakland, he promised to be a steady 14-game winner. At his best, he offered stunning mastery, the ability to stare down the brilliant Johan Santana in a playoff game.
...
The number of hits wasn’t as disturbing as the authority behind them. The Dodgers made great contact, getting nothing on the cheap. The radar gun offered another bad verdict. For the most part, Zito didn’t throw harder than 84 mph all day. He knows his fastball has lost velocity, and doesn’t quite understand why.

“Right now, it’s 84-85 at the high end, which obviously is frustrating for me,” he said. “You’ve got a look at, usually when things like this happen, it’s either an injury, which it is not, or it’s something mechanical. So, you know, I’m always learning and trying to get better, and those things and obviously looking at old tapes and things like that and want to get that 88-89 back, and I’m sure it’s just a small tweak away.”

Strange. It will be an interesting story to watch, especially with the poor start to Zito's 2008. However, the southpaw still has the dynamite 12-to-6 curve and should he ever rediscover his high 80's heater, he could quickly regain his status as a frontline starter.

Brian Sabean and Company are hoping praying they aren't the April Fools again this year.

REJECTED: Yankees To Joba

Joba Chamberlain was hoping to seal a deal which would put him on 1050 ESPN radio with Michael Kay on a weekly basis. Unfortunately for the Nebraska native, Brian Cashman and the Yankees organization called off the gabfest, citing a longstanding policy.

Joba Chamberlain found that out when he came within a midge’s whisker of signing up for a weekly spot on Michael Kay’s ESPN 1050 show, which recently added controversy-in-waiting Billy Wagner.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman nixed the idea. Turns out such gigs are a Yankees no-no. “It’s a policy I’ve had in place for a long time now,” he said before yesterday’s mist-out. “We should speak with one voice, whether it is the manager or general manager. They can speak postgame or pregame or in their normal interview process but not have a regular schedule.”

(Asked about being denied a place on Kay’s show, Chamberlain said he was not aware of any such deal. Strange. Maybe his agent worked on it without telling him.)

Cashman said the Yankees also prohibit players from writing diaries or columns for newspapers come playoff time. “We’ve had that shut down for years now,” he said. “These guys are paid to play baseball; they’re not paid to be columnists or talk show hosts. They can do that when their playing careers are over.”

This is probably a good idea. Attempting to answer Kay's questions on a weekly basis may cause brain bubbles.

Jeter: It Won't Be The Same

From the Bergen Record comes Derek Jeter's comments on the New Yankee Stadium gradually making its way toward completion. Seems the players, like the fans, are essentially split on the idea of tearing down national monument in the hopes of replicating it across the street:

Building a new home for Jeter, A-Rod, Rivera and Posada is like sculpting a new Mount Rushmore for Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.

“Just a hundred yards away?” Derek Jeter said. “That’s not too far for the ghosts to go.”

Later, after the hope of morning surrendered to the grim forecast for the afternoon and a postponed debut for Joe Girardi, the shortstop sounded a bit less enthusiastic about leaving the field of his childhood dreams.

“It’s not going to be the same,” Jeter said. “It’s a different stadium, so it’s impossible to have the same thing. It could have the same feel. It could have the same look. But it just won’t be the same.

“Regardless of how you try to duplicate something, it’s still a duplicate.”

..."I was saying I was building a house in Florida,” Jeter said, “and you’ve got the plans and you’ve got the model, but you still can’t picture yourself in it. ... You look over there and see a new Stadium, but I just can’t picture myself in it.”

It will be sad when children of the future ask, is there where Babe Ruth played, and we all have to reply: Well, sort of... they played next door where that Starbucks now sells Mocha Lattes.