Girardi's Dead On...On Kennedy

Caught the tail end of Joe Girardi's weekly appearance on the Mike & The Mad Dog radio show and he said what I've been thinking (and blogging) since Ian Kennedy's 2008 struggles began.

"He's become a two-pitch pitcher" was the thought Girardi relayed to Francesa & Russo when asked about Kennedy's continued struggles Thursday afternoon. The Yankees manager then stated Kennedy "needs to use all his pitches."

After hearing about Kennedy's great performance at AAA [in which the righthander had a perfect game going], it was significant to note the effectiveness of his curveball that night. I said, and still say, the command and use of the curveball is a key cog in deciding whether he will have success at the major league level.

Without his curve - and occasional slider - Kennedy becomes a fastball/changeup pitcher without the threat of another pitch. [Edwar Ramirez comes to mind, right?] Obviously Kennedy is most comfortable and in command of these two pitches and is scared of taking the chance of using his breaking balls.

However, he does not have the velocity differential that Johan Santana [and now Edinson Volquez] incorporates and therefore must rely on breaking pitches. And even if Kennedy had Santana or Volquez's plus fastball to accompany their dominant changeups, no starter can survive without a reliable breaking ball - as Volquez will soon learn and Santana already has in refining his slider.

The sooner Kennedy let's it go with his breaking balls, the sooner he will discover how to get major leaguers out. As long as the USC alum remains tentative with throwing the hook, hitters will wait on the fastball and keep pounding him into the cheap seats.

For Yankees fans, it's a positive sign Girardi noticed this particular tendency. The next step is rectifying it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mussina Picks Joe... Over Joe

Mike Mussina implies Joe Torre did little in-game discussing while Joe Girardi already displayed a more continuous discourse throughout a game. Whether this is a good or bad change will begin to manifest itself as the season rolls along.

From the article:

"Joe [Girardi] does a little more talking to the players as the game goes along," Mussina said on Friday. "Joe [Torre] kind of sat back and let the guys make the mistakes and then gave the instructions. Joe [Girardi] may not let it go that far. He might make sure he reminds people of stuff before it ever happens.

"I know he's talked to me a lot more than Torre did," Mussina added. "It can be good or bad, you know? There are certain situations where you want to let the guy work out of it.

"But there's also time to remind guys what to do in different situations because this is a game of different situations, where you can experience something suddenly that you haven't experienced for two or three years."

"Joe's just a couple years removed from the game," Giambi said. "He's got that enthusiasm — not to say Joe Torre didn't — but he's young and hungry."

"I think he [Girardi] is going to be good for this group," said Mussina, who is scheduled to start on Wednesday against the Blue Jays' A.J. Burnett. "It's going to give us an incentive to do some things differently, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

Hat tip to WasWatching.

The Girardi Mentality

From yesterday comes a Tyler Kepner piece illuminating the intensity which carried Joe Girardi to the major leagues as a player and now the Yankees bench as a manager:

I couldn’t help but think of the Jedi Master from Star Wars on Friday when hearing an anecdote from Matt Treanor, the Florida Marlins catcher who played for Girardi in 2006.

Yoda’s most famous quote, of course, was: “Do, or do not. There is no try.” Turns out Girardi believes the same thing.

“He expects you to get the job done,” Treanor said. “One time in spring training, somebody said, ‘I’m going to try to do this.’ I remember his comment was, ‘I can get a truck driver to try.’

“So basically that means, you’re out there to do it, by whatever means you have to do it.”

I can get a truck driver to try. Got to love that.

Cabrera, Duncan Suspended 3 Games

Both Melky Cabrera and Shelley Duncan have been suspended three [regular season] games stemming from Wednesday's incident in which Duncan spiked a Tampa Rays player. Jonny Gomes was suspended two games for his weak dance move shove attempt after riding in from rightfield.

Coaching staff, including Joe Girardi were not suspended but fined for what appears to be nothing. Early word from the "brawl" fallout reveals Girardi instructed his players not to go crazy in looking for retribution toward the Rays. It's unclear if the Yankees can or will appeal the suspensions, especially because of the substantial length of time before the season starts.

Joe Girardi had that talk with Shelley Duncan about his actions during yesterday's game.

Any suspension arising from the near brawl between the Yankees and Rays would be implemented during the regular season.

In unrelated news, Jorge Posada and Bobby Abreu have given their names to a tri-state whine maker.

Monday Links

Hughes Remains Hitless. Five innings, no hits, no runs, no doubt.

Mussina content with command. Michael Mussina's last start has Yankee officials happy... until he gives up a two-run homer in late March.

Girardi Speaks Up. The Tampa Rays haven't seen the last of Joe Girardi's bad side.

Matsui Gets Some At Bats. Hideki is back in the fold, hitting 4-6-3 double plays like it's May.

Kepner: Girardi The Joker.

Tyler Kepner of the NY Times writes on his blog today about Joe Girardi. While illustrating a busy, punctual, determined skipper, Kepner also reveals a lighter side of the first year Yankees manager:

Girardi is regimented; he meets with the beat reporters in his office at Legends Field before the bus leaves for road games, leaving him more time to focus on the team once he gets to the ballpark.

But Girardi’s strict schedule belies a lighter side. The other day, I left my recorder in his office by mistake. He found me in the clubhouse and gave it back, but not before intoning into the machine, “Tyler is very irresponsible.” Not words you’d want on your tombstone, but funny just the same.

Stick Digs Shelley's Stylo

If you are a young ballplayer and Stick Michael pays you a compliment, you should be pretty excited. Shelley Duncan received such praise from the Yankees uber-scout in today's Bergen Record piece.

An hour before the Yankees' Grapefruit League opener, special adviser Gene Michael leaned against the first base dugout railing and proudly listed the attributes of one of his favorite players.

Shelley Duncan had been on Michael's radar since 2005, when he slugged 34 home runs for Class AA Trenton and showed a passion that was hard to describe in a scouting report.

When the Yankees finally called him up last summer, Duncan hit seven homers in 74 at-bats. "I even thought he should've played more," Michael said.

The article then discussed yesterday's exhibition game against the Phillies:

On his first swing, Duncan rocked a three-run homer off Philadelphia right-hander Adam Eaton. In his next at-bat, Duncan drilled one off the base of the left field fence, and hustled into second with a two-run double, thanks to a unique headfirst slide.

On his first play at first base, Duncan scooped a bad throw from second baseman Chris Woodward -- the first of three sharp moments in the field.

"He's fighting for the everyday first base job," manager Joe Girardi said, though Jason Giambi will be the starter if he's healthy -- a matter of constant concern. As a right-handed power hitter in a left-handed dominant lineup, Duncan could manage 400 at-bats as an outfielder, designated hitter and first baseman, but he never counts on anything.

That's why he tears out of the batter's box on routine grounders, something he displayed in his third at-bat. He was out on a close play, but, "you never know what's going to happen," Duncan said.

"I think he's athletic enough, with big power. He's selective at the plate, he runs well for a first baseman. ... I just get a nice feeling about him," said Michael, who believes Duncan can be "a pretty good defensive player," in the outfield or at first base. "I haven't seen him do anything wrong."

"Shelley's going to give you everything he's got every moment," [manager Joe] Girardi said. "He's shown he can perform at a high level here," which included two hits in four AL Division Series at-bats as a substitute.

The fast start to Duncan's season is nice to look at, but it is the praise of Michael and Girardi - not homeruns in March - which should have Yankee fans excited. Duncan has a lot to prove, particularly defensively at first base, before he can be considered an everyday option for New York. However, it won't be for a lack of drive or confidence.

Girardi Says "Giddy Up." The new Yankees manager spent Tuesday evening with the New York beat writers for dinner. Though Pete Abraham warned the gathering was off the record, he did reveal a telling piece of information on Joe Girardi.

General Joe is a Seinfeld fan. When the group's reservation was lost in the shuffle, Girardi explained "Anybody can take a reservation, the key is keeping the reservation." Maybe some day Girardi will have established himself enough in the Big Apple to warrant Larry David's homage - that is, a crew-cut, a Forest Gump-like running regimen and an over-the-shoulder impersonation.

Inside The Tampa Clubhouse. On his blog, Phil Hughes posted a cell phone photo of the now legendary interior decorating Mike Mussina concocted in his dark corner of the Yankees locker room. Meanwhile, LoHud has the story of yesterday's incident in which a Chien-Ming Wang wild pitch nearly decapitated Derek Jeter. In the same post Joe Girardi reportedly voiced his early impressions of Dan McCutchen, Mark Melancon and Steven White - all strong candidates for the Yankees bullpen at some point next season.

Moose guaranteed a rotation spot? According to the Journal News piece, Mike Mussina will be "penciled in" as one of the starting five pitchers this season.

Cashman said that Pettitte and Chien-Ming Wang are in the rotation. He also has penciled in Mike Mussina despite the veteran right-hander going 11-10 with a 5.15 ERA last season.

"Last year was a blip. We're counting on Moose to have a bounce-back season," Cashman said. "He'll be one of our starters."

Alotting Mussina a guaranteed spot before Spring training opens is somewhat surprising. However, should his decline - seen in 2007 - carry into April, there is little doubt that Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi will call upon Ian Kennedy or a AAA arm depending on how the pitching staff is comprised leaving Tampa.

Torre Sleeps As Girardi Meets

The Los Angeles Times has an interesting article describing Joe Torre's smooth transition into the Dodger managerial job. According to the piece, with Spring Training only a month away "Torre said he has spoken to only a few of his players." Sounds a little too smooth.

On the other hand, New Yankees manager Joe Girardi spent his offseason traveling to the General Manager meetings in Nashville and to the Yankees youth academy in the Dominican Republic. Shockingly, these trips were never made during Torre's tenure as Yankee skipper.

These examples are not to condemn Torre as a baseball manager - he has won four world series and made the playoffs every year he headed up the Bombers - it is more of a promotion of Girardi as the new manager. I believe Torre will be successful in LA, but examples from the article are a bit damning and possibly offer insights into why the last three and a half postseasons have been such disappointments for Yankee fans:

The new Dodgers manager has talked to Pierre and Garciaparra and is at a mini-camp for prospects, but there are many he hasn't spoken to. He has made few decisions on the lineup.

He said he doesn't know what most of them look like or how they think. He said he has few ideas about who will hit in what spot.

About the only certainty in Torre's mind that he was willing to share with reporters Thursday at Dodger Stadium is that Andruw Jones will be his starting center fielder -- "Obviously," he said.

Everything else, Torre said, will be decided at spring training, which begins in Vero Beach, Fla., on Feb. 14, when pitchers and catchers report.

Torre said his conversation with Pierre was similar to one he had with Bernie Williams as manager of the New York Yankees.

"I just basically said to him what I said to Bernie Williams when we signed Kenny Lofton: 'We're going to do what's best for the team and when we leave spring training, it's going to be with the three guys playing the outfield that we all agree will give us the best shot,' " Torre said.

This is not to say Torre's 2008 club will fall apart under his watch, because it won't. The Dodgers have one of the top three farm systems in Major League Baseball and a bevy of talented youngsters at or knocking on the big league's door.

However, a new voice was necessary in the Bronx, and the hands-on, no excuses persona which Girardi carries with him may be just the perfect change of scenery.


Canseco Hires Enquirer Writer,
Report Says Santana Is Overpriced

· After being dumped by a writer from Sports Illustrated, Jose Canseco has a new ghost writer for his book. The writer comes from the National Enquirer and is the same author who helped O.J. Simpson pen a book which searches for Nicole Brown's "real killers."

· Finally, Vince Gennaro of Yahoo! Sports offered a piece explaining why Johan Santana isn't worth the expenditure.

The Choice is Girardi

Looks like Yankee fans will get their wish. Joe Girardi looks to become the next manager of the New York Yankees with a formal announcement coming tomorrow.

Mattingly Southbound

From Yankees.com comes a statement from The Hitman's agent:

Don Mattingly will travel to New York next week to interview for the Yankees' managerial vacancy, his agent has confirmed.

"Don confirmed his interest and will travel to Tampa early next week to meet with Yankee ownership. No other details are available tonight." said Ray Schulte.

"I think there are some people that can step in and make the transition easier for some guys," Johnny Damon told the New York Daily News. "I know Don Mattingly is a guy that everybody on the team has great respect for, and I think if it's not going to be Joe, a lot of players are probably hoping it's Donnie. He's learned a lot from Joe, he works hard -- I think Donnie's ready."

Steinbrenner told the AP that the Yankees did not expect to make a final decision until after the World Series.

Further, Cashman announced he reached out to two other potential candidates for the job in Joe Girardi and Tony Pena. Pete Abraham believes Mattingly to be the most plausible choice. Regardless of how many years Donnie spent away from his Indiana horse farm and how much currency he has with Yankee fans, it still seems that Girardi is the best candidate for the job.

Going on the brief quotes Cashman offered the media, it appears he will waste zero time in finding Joe Torre's replacement. Torre's appearance on WFAN offered an even more succinct and revealing report from Joe, in which he alluded to Randy Levine's cowardly, weasel-like existence.

Torre May Return

The Mike and The Mad Dog show on WFAN radio is insinuating that close sources to the Yankees believe Joe Torre may very well be locked in talks to return for his thirteenth season in pinstripes. Nothing specific was reported, but John Filippelli, the president of the YES Network, was mentioned several times. Nothing's been done yet, but it would appear Don Mattingly will remain the "manager in waiting" as Joe Girardi remains the odd man out.