Random Yankees thoughts: spring training edition

There can be only one Evil Empire.

I know the nickname was meant to insult the New York Yankees, but I have always loved it and many Yankee fans and the organization itself have embraced it. Now, even the law recognizes that the Yankees are in fact the Evil Empire and are entitled to legal protection for the nickname. I guess we should thank Boston Red Sox President Larry Lucchino for pinning the moniker on the Yankees (and for the profits that came with it).

·         I love Lady Gaga’s music although I’m not always crazy about her antics. Still, I was looking forward to going to her concert at the Barclays Center (my first time checking out the new arena) with my sister. Unfortunately, Gaga’s hip injury and subsequent surgery put the kibosh on those plans. Never to fear because Alex Rodriguez is on the case. The Yankees third baseman reportedly spoke to Gaga (an archenemy of ARod’s supposed one-time paramour Madonna) to reassure her about the procedure. I’m hoping Gaga makes a quick recovery and can resume her tour in 2013. But the best things come to those who wait. I attended a U2 concert almost exactly a year after it was first scheduled due to Bono’s back injury and it was definitely worth the wait.  

·         So a Core Four reunion is not in the cards. Jorge Posada has vowed that he will not pull an Andy Pettitte and un-retire after a year away from baseball. Not even the pull of another spring training with his best pal Derek Jeter could lure him away from the happy home life he is enjoying. If Posada was still capable of playing at his level, he would have a real shot at his old job with the Yankees, who will likely be desperate for offense and don’t really have a #1 catcher now that Russell Martin has joined AJ Burnett in Pittsburgh.   

 ·         I’m generally in favor of the planned switch of outfield positions for Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner as Gardy has more speed and is clearly the better fielder. I do worry that Granderson, in having to learn how to play a notoriously difficult left field at Yankee Stadium, will let any defensive challenges affect him at the plate, where he will be counted on to produce for the often offensively challenged Yankees. However, Mike Cameron raised a potential safety issue in making the switch, with Granderson having to relinquish his take-charge mentality in the outfield to avoid a collision similar to the one Cameron experienced with New York Mets teammate Carlos Beltran. I distinctly remember that terrifying accident and pray nothing even remotely close to it happens to Granderson and Gardner.  

Jeter’s recovery top baseball story for Yankees

Put aside the salacious revelations of the potential connections of Alex Rodriguez and Francisco Cervelli to a Miami clinic suspected of dispensing performance-enhancing drugs. Never mind the feud and subsequent burying of the hatchet between Joba Chamberlain and his new teammate Kevin Youkilis. The most important baseball story so far this spring training by far for the New York Yankees has been the recovery of Derek Jeter.

I can understand why the media is obsessing with the Yankee Captain’s every move on the field. With ARod down for at least half a season, Nick Swisher playing the outfield for the Cleveland Indians and Russell Martin catching his old pal AJ Burnett in Pittsburgh, the Yankees are going to have to squeeze offense out of every position. The Yankees will desperately need Jeter to have a season like he had last year before getting hurt, the kind of season in which he carries the team with his clutch hitting and defense while his teammates struggle mightily, which will no doubt happen again this year. Jeter has to be healthy and he has to be Derek Jeter or the Yankees don’t have a chance in 2013.

But I really worry about his health. I hope Derek learned a valuable lesson about not pushing himself too hard. He admitted he played the last two months of the 2012 regular season and into the playoffs on an injured ankle even though he probably shouldn’t have. Jeter is, in a sense, a hostage to his own toughness because he firmly believes that if a baseball player can walk, he should be out on the field. I’ve long admired his ability to ignore pain and man the shortstop position every day, but I think it leads to too many situations where he plays baseball when he shouldn’t. It finally cost him last October.

Jeter’s rehabilitation has gotten even more attention than Mariano Rivera’s comeback, perhaps because Mo’s injury happened way back in May of last year while the image of Jeter writhing on the ground in unbearable pain is fresh in our minds. Whatever the reason, no one on the Yankees is being watched more closely than Derek Jeter.

Hopeful ARod wants another ring

Alex Rodriguez obviously misses the love he received from leading the New York Yankees to a World Series title in 2009, however fleeting that love was.

I’m not sure even a second World Series title would be enough for ARod to once and for all win the hearts and minds of Yankee fans. But it sure couldn’t hurt. And it would be a big step up from what he’s feeling now, which is anger from Yankee fans about his most recent postseason struggles and his enormous salary, which is now choking the Yankees so hard they couldn’t afford to bring back their #1 catcher Russell Martin.

But I feel badly for ARod because he does not get the benefit of the doubt even when he probably deserves it. Like with this most recent hip injury, the news of which came out of nowhere. I was at physical therapy today and I overheard two men discussing ARod and questioning why he didn’t have the surgery months ago to help him get ready for an earlier return in 2013. But I give ARod enough benefit of the doubt to believe that he really did not realize the extent of his injury and how long it would take to fix and heal from it. I don’t believe there is any ploy on his part to collect his millions and sit around relaxing at his Miami home. And I do believe he desperately wants to win another championship ring with the Yankees.

For the Yankees’ sake, I hope ARod’s pledge to come back strong from this injury and help his team win another World Series title comes to fruition. The Yankees need ARod to be a solid version of his old self if they are ever going to get back to the Promised Land.

Gaping hole at catcher for Yankees with Martin exit

I didn’t see this one coming.
 
In a surprising development, Russell Martin has decided to leave the New York Yankees for the Pittsburgh Pirates after the Yankees told him they could not afford to meet his contractual demands. Of all the notable Yankee free agents this offseason, Martin was probably the last one most people thought would leave New York.

In free agency, a player getting a lucrative offer from another team is always a possibility. But with their resources, the Yankees do not usually get outbid so this is a major surprise. There can now be no doubt that the Yankees are dead serious about coming in below that $189 million payroll threshold, given their unwillingness to match the two-year $17 million deal offered to Martin by the Pirates.

I never wrote much about Russell Martin on this blog, just a few mentions of praise here and there, namely with regard to his selfless decision to step aside and let a young Matt Wieters play in the 2011 All-Star game and about how his plunking helped bring the Yankees closer to together that year. Martin is one of those baseball players who is a steady presence behind the plate, beloved by his pitchers, but usually does his best work with little fanfare. The Yankees are going to miss him, even if he did struggle offensively through the first half of 2012, as their best catching prospects are still years away from the big leagues.  

 
At least Martin will have a familiar face to catch in Pittsburgh. AJ Burnett is with the Pirates and will probably welcome his former Yankee teammate with open arms.

Godspeed Russell!

Yankees start second half off with a bang

The New York Yankees started off their second half with a bang, two of them in fact.

Mark Teixeira, who drew mixed reviews in the Yankees’ midseason report cards, proved that his reemergence in Boston last weekend was no fluke, hitting not one, but two home run bombs, the second of which tied the game after the Yankees were effectively throttled by CJ Wilson, who desperately wished to be a Yankee. Teixeira is a notoriously slow starter, but I think a lot of his early struggles this year could be traced to that mysterious coughing illness. I’m expecting a big second half from him now that he is fully healthy (unless his archrival Vicente Padilla decides to take another shot at him when the Red Sox come into town).

Russell Martin did not fare so well in the midseason report cards, drawing poor grades of C’s and D’s due to his offensive struggles, although his work behind the plate has remained consistent. He needed a big night more than anyone else on the Yankees roster and last night he got it. Martin’s clutch two-out base hit completed the Yankees comeback and he ended the game by throwing out his third runner of the evening. His obvious elation about the comeback victory and the huge role he played in it was priceless.

It was nice to see the Yankees start off the second half of the season with a win. All the glowing reports of their first-half performance, plus their substantial lead in the American League standings, clearly have not gone to their heads at all. We could be in for something very special the rest of the way.   

Subway takes NY Mets for a ride

The New York Mets were feeling pretty good about themselves this year, with the first no-hitter in franchise history highlighting what had been a season of overachieving. That has all come crashing down in the last week, with the New York Yankees, to no one’s surprise, landing some painful and perhaps fatal blows.

In the first game of this year’s Subway Series on Friday, the Yankees treated Mets ace/no-hitter extraordinaire Johan Santana like their personal punching bag. Then the Mets could not get much going against a resurgent Phil Hughes apart from a couple of solo homers en route to another loss. Finally, a comedy of errors on Sunday (actual errors, not metaphorical ones), led the Mets to waste a 3-0 lead and ultimately succumb to the Yankees when Russell Martin hit his second home run of the game to lead the Yankees in a walk-off victory, which, FYI, should never be celebrated by leaping onto home plate.

Can the Mets recover from this weekend’s sweep? Perhaps, but the Mets’ weaknesses were exposed for all in the baseball world to see. The Mets cannot hold a lead to save their lives, with an angry Jon Rauch not even waiting until Martin’s ball landed in the seats before walking off the mound in disgust and shame in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday. Their starting pitching has been very good, but it’s not good enough to survive all the errors in the field. And with the exception of David Wright, the Mets just cannot hit consistently.

The Yankees must be thrilled by the sweep of their cross-town rivals, although they would never publicly admit that. The Mets have gotten praise for overachieving this season while the Yankees have been criticized (including by yours truly) for their mediocre play even though the two teams had roughly the same record before the weekend. But the expectations are far higher in Yankee land and the Bronx Bombers are not supposed to struggle for more than a few games in a row. You now get the sense that the Yankees have really started to right the ship, with all elements of their game coming together (if they could only just hit a little better with men in scoring position).

So this weekend’s Subway trip was long and unpleasant for the Mets. They’ll be hoping for a smoother ride in a few weeks at Citi Field.   

Yankees baseball is back

There’s nothing like the first day of reporting for pitchers and catchers to get people excited about baseball again.

For me, most of March will be spent tracking Syracuse University’s (hopefully long) journey through the Big East and NCAA tournaments toward another national title. But I will make some time for spring training baseball. I was excited to see the YES Network announcement of the first broadcast of a New York Yankees spring training game on March 4. Sure, most of the Yankees regulars probably won’t even play and those that do will only play for a few innings at the most. But it will be fun seeing the Yankees take the field again after their disappointingly quick exit from the playoffs last year.

And the start of spring training will once again lead to a rash of last-minute activity. Brian Cashman finally managed to trade away AJ Burnett, but he will still have some decisions to make about the roster, namely filling out the bench roles. It’s looking less and less likely that Johnny Damon will return to pinstripes (which I had doubts about due to his desire to chase 3,000 hits), but Eric Chavez seems happy to reclaim his supporting role with the Yankees.

The Yankees have plenty of decisions to make heading into the 2012 baseball season. Who will be the odd man out of the starting rotation? Who will be the back-up catcher for Russell Martin? Do they hire a designated hitter with the money they saved from trading Burnett or do they leave the job open for the aging Yankee infielders? The answers will probably come slowly over the next few weeks, but they will make spring training interesting to watch. 

Yankees offseason business almost complete

The New York Yankees signed Brett Gardner to a one-year contract, leaving only Russell Martin and Boone Logan without deals so far. By all accounts, the Yankees offseason business is nearly complete.

Unless the speculation about Prince Fielder signing with the Bronx Bombers comes true (I think it’s nothing more than a pipe dream by some very spoiled Yankees fans), Brian Cashman & Co are almost done for the winter. Of course, the Yankees have surprised us before, most recently with the pre-Christmas 2008 mega-signing of Mark Teixeira and the inking of Rafael Soriano after being rejected by Cliff Lee last year. But Tex is signed for another five years so first base isn’t open for Fielder and I doubt the Yankees are willing to spend what it will cost to get him. And I think the Steinbrenners have learned their lesson about overruling Cashman after paying Soriano more than $10 million a year to be their 7^th inning reliever.

This being the Yankees, they could surprise us yet again after pulling off a stunning trade for a potential young ace in Michael Pineda. But after getting Hiroki Kuroda at the price Cashman wanted, he is probably not willing to ask the Steinbrenners to loosen the purse strings again for anyone, including Fielder. And I’m not even sure Cashman is particularly interested in Fielder, even though he is a terrific young hitter. The Yankees general manager has often been stung by criticism that his baseball prowess only goes as far as his resources. By focusing only on moves within his budget, Cashman wants to quell such talk once and for all.

I think Cashman & Co are nearly done, save for signing Martin and Boone and perhaps Eric Chavez or someone of his ilk to be a back-up infielder. The Yankees roster is almost set heading toward spring training and it’s looking pretty good.

HOPE week off to another inspiring start

The New York Yankees are once again bringing hope to those who deserve it the most and receiving hope in return.

The Yankees third annual HOPE week is off to another inspiring start. The first day had Nick Swisher, Francisco Cervelli, Chris Dickerson and Russell Martin singing with members of Daniel's Music Foundation, which provides free music instruction to individuals with disabilities. As the aunt of a disabled child, it really lifts my spirits to see the Yankees get involved with such a cause.

With the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks fast approaching, it was also nice to see the Yankees highlight an organization such as Tuesday’s Children that has done so much to help kids recover from that day and other horrific tragedies. Current Yankees manager Joe Girardi and former Yankees manager Joe Torre led the very large Yankee contingent that spent the day with the kids in the program and the adults who mentor them.

I love that the Yankees players get so much obvious joy from their interactions with these well-deserving honorees, especially the kids. The players have just as much fun at these events as the fans they are honoring, as shown by the impromptu water balloon fight that broke out today. I really do love seeing the Yankees so willing to share their time with people who have suffered and overcome so much.

I want to give a shout-out to public relations director Jason Zillo, who had the foresight to understand that the Yankees can bring joy to people who deserve it the most through these simple interactions. What Zillo probably didn’t anticipate was that his players would receive as much hope as they give.

Another HOPE week brings another week of beautiful stories.

Dull All-Star game leaves something to be desired

I’m just going to come out and say it: last night’s All-Star game was pretty dull.

I hate the Home Run Derby. I’m a pitching and defense kind of fan so watching guys compete solely on who can hit the most baseballs out of the ballpark is boring to me. I only watched the derby this year to support Robinson Cano. But I have to admit that the derby was more exciting and emotional than the actual game, thanks to Cano and his dad.

For me, the first few innings of the game were fun. I loved seeing Roy Halladay and Jared Weaver dominate the hitters. But once Prince Fielder hit that three-run home run, it was like the life was sucked out of the ballpark. I know a lot of those fans aren’t very happy with Fielder these days, but Phoenix is still a National League city. Couldn’t they have shown a little more enthusiasm for the guy?

From a New York Yankees perspective, the highlight was David Robertson acting like a kid in a candy store when he took the mound in relief, excitedly cheering a fantastic catch made on his behalf by Jose Bautista (who showed the baseball world he can be more than just a hot bat). I don’t think there was a player who was happier to be there than Robertson (or more deserving) and I hope he enjoyed every bit of his All-Star experience.

Some of the best game stories happen behind the scenes and that was exactly the case for Russell Martin. I was disappointed that he was the only Yankees player not to get into the game. But that disappointment quickly gave way to pride and admiration when I found out that Martin willingly gave up his spot in the game so that young Matt Wieters could play in his first All-Star game. It was a truly selfless gesture by Martin (who has quickly become a fan favorite in the Bronx). I hope young Mr. Wieters pays it forward.

But overall it was a pretty boring game, even though it gave the National League home field advantage in the World Series. I can only hope Major League Baseball finds a way to spice things up next year because “This time it counts” isn’t doing the trick anymore.

Disappointing end to Subway Series for Yankees

I don't expect the New York Yankees to win every baseball game they play, but the way they lost the last game of this year's Subway Series was truly disappointing.

Just one strike away from a sweep of the Mets, who looked like they had been gutted by the loss of Jose Reyes and two defeats at the hands of their cross-town rivals, the Yankees couldn’t close the deal, not even with the great Mariano Rivera on the mound. Mo simply didn’t have it yesterday and the Yankees lost the game, which proves how dependent the Yankees are on their 41-year-old, irreplaceable closer.

But all those supposed Yankee fans who want to give Derek Jeter’s job away should pay careful attention to what happened yesterday. Ramiro Pena, subbing for the slightly injured Eduardo Nunez, who was subbing for the seriously injured Jeter, made two crucial errors late in the game. Brett Gardner and Russell Martin saved him from paying for the first error, but could do nothing about the second error, which gave Jason Bay the opportunity to go from Met goat to hero.

For Pena, whose defense is supposed to be his forte, it was his second terrible defensive game. And Nunez, who swung an ultra-hot bat against the Mets, hasn’t been any better defensively. He would have more than a dozen errors already if it wasn’t for the sleek glove work of one Mark Teixeira. Jeter may not be the Derek Jeter who clutch hit and fielded his way into the hearts of Yankees fans, but there is no question that these are plays he makes with no problems, no matter how much the sabermatricians insist that he is a bad shortstop.

But no worries. Jeter will come back tonight to reclaim his rightful place at shortstop and with Phil Hughes set to return to the big-league mound on Wednesday all will be right in Yankees world again. As long as they can get that bitter taste of yesterday’s loss out of their mouths.

Robertson most disappointing All-Star snub

It’s hard to complain about the All-Star team with six New York Yankees making the roster, but I have to admit to being really disappointed by the exclusion of David Robertson.

CC Sabathia’s exclusion from the American League All-Star team is the most surprising snub. The Yankees big lefty is leading the league along with Justin Verlander. But CC’s value to the Yankees goes beyond his statistics. Every time CC picks up the baseball, the Yankees can count on Sabathia going eight innings and giving most of his bullpen a day off by getting the ball directly to Mariano Rivera. Sabathia, since the day he first put on those pinstripes, has carried the Yankees on his back and is a huge reason for the Yankees first-place standing. But CC will survive this snub.

The most disappointing snub was suffered by David Robertson. I know it’s hard to make the All-Star team as a set-up man, but there was no one more deserving of a spot than Robertson. Not only has he put up terrific numbers, he has kept the bullpen together amid the devastating season-ending injury to Joba Chamberlain and the ineffectiveness and eventual injury of Rafael Soriano. I think it would have meant a lot to Robertson to get the nod and I just hope he’s not too disappointed.

I wasn’t surprised by Mark Teixeira’s absence from the All-Star team even though I think he has had an impressive run recently, particularly in the power department. With his three infield colleagues already voted in by the fans, Curtis Granderson’s earning a slot with a Most Valuable Player-worthy season and Russell Martin installed as the back-up catcher, someone had to be left behind and Tex was the odd man out.

Out of the three snubbed Yankees, I am most hoping for Robertson to still have a chance to make the team. CC and Tex have both been All-Stars and will make the team again in the future. But if Robertson stays in the set-up role in which he has excelled, future All-Star bids will be hard to come by. Maybe he can still make the team—with pitchers not being able to pitch in the game if they start on Sunday, the rosters are not set in stone.

Yankees All-Star votes drawing ire

The New York Yankees are pissing people off left and right with their success in the early All-Star balloting.

Some Yankees, namely Curtis Granderson and Russell Martin, are truly deserving of their high vote totals. Granderson has been the offensive Most Valuable Player for the Yankees. And Martin has been a godsend for the Yankees, who were looking to replace Jorge Posada’s offense and upgrade the defense behind the plate.

But I can understand why some baseball folks are incredulous about other Yankees leading in the balloting. Derek Jeter’s substantial lead in particular has drawn the ire of many folks, including Angels first base coach Alfredo Griffin, who seems really annoyed that his shortstop Erick Aybar is trailing despite having a superior batting average.

But fans want to see stars play in the All-Star game and Derek Jeter is still a star, even if a slightly diminished one. So it’s not surprising to see Jeter lead by a wide margin even in a season where he is struggling to raise his batting average. And we have plenty of anecdotal evidence about Jeter still being beloved by Yankees fans and even some fans of other teams that admire him personally, even if they hate the Yankees.

What is somewhat surprising is that a coach would be so vocal about Jeter being undeserving of an All-Star spot. To be fair, Griffin didn’t call Jeter out by name, but it was clear who he was referring to when he talked about the fans voting for who they want to see instead of who deserves to be in the game.

There’s still plenty of time for changes in the vote totals, but I expect Jeter to make the All-Star team, especially because he will get hit #3,000 just a couple of weeks before the game. That accomplishment will generate a lot of positive publicity and fans will want to reward Jeter for such an impressive career milestone.