Wrapping up the day in camp
-
- February
- 17
A few notes from the third day of camp:
Kei Igawa was at Legends Field early so he could throw a longer bullpen session. The Yankees are trying to be flexible in terms of how he prepares. … Morgan Ensberg has arrived in town. … Watched Hideki Matsui do some running drills. He was moving pretty swiftly and without a limp. … Had a chance to talk to Andrew Brackman. He’s settling in for what will be a long stay in Tampa as he rehabs his right elbow. “I knew I had something wrong in there last spring,” he said. “Better to have the surgery now and get it out of the way.” Once camp breaks, Brackman will stay at Joba Chamberlain’s place. “I’ll have a 6-10 housesitter,” Jobamania said. “Good security.”
I watched Tony Pena run his catchers through drills today. At one point he had Jorge Posada, Jose Molina, Francisco Cervelli and Jason Brown all lay on their stomachs in a row. Then Pena shot four pop-ups into the sky at two-second intervals. The catchers had to get off the grass, find the ball in the sky and catch it while avoiding each other.
“It’s hard but it’s fun at the same time,” Molina said.
Pena did another drill when he shot two balls into the sky and the catcher had to catch them in succession. The idea, he told me later, is to present them with challenges more difficult than anything they would see in a game.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, February 17th, 2008 at 2:47 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
i like tony pena
can you suggest that arod do that catchers drill also? Thanks!
How does Joba have his own place in Tampa already? And where does he live when he’s in NY? (rent? room with a teammate?) In other words, I didn’t realize he had enough money to afford multiples places to live. Must have been a hefty signing bonus.
I still think Igawa will have SOME value to the team this year as a spot starter & in long relief. Worth the $$$ they spent? More than likely not, but $$$ aside I think he’ll hold his own that he won’t be a liability out there.
Adjusting to a totally different lifestyle/culture is a huge thing. Yeah, others handle it much better, but everyone’s different. He should be settled in more and with a chip on his shoulder to prove his worth.
Love Tony P.
I read somewhere that the 2 more notable players that lost weight were Bruney and Molina. I like how Molina has really embraced his role with the Yankees.
(There’s a couple of typos, Pete. I know you had a harrowing night…)
By actually getting out there and work hard (nevermind the end result for now), Kei Igawa has proven that he is worth infinitely times more than the American Idle. So let’s not bash on him - I think he’s going to contribute this year now that he’s finally used to the majors.
Kevin,
It’s very difficult to make the change. Matsuzaka was a little more successful. In fact Daisuke really embraced the American diet. He’s got a lot more junk in the trunk. Mmmm. Dunkin Donuts.
I wish Kei all the success in the world. Sometimes I think that life played a cruel joke on him. If you’re not an immediate success, you have no chance with the Yankees. Especially in the Torre era.
“I think he’s going to contribute this year now that he’s finally used to the majors.”
EY: Nothing would make me happier. I hope you are right.
Here’s some pics of the days activities… I hope to post these on other stories (I also hope I am not breaking some blog spamming rule)…
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/nyy/photos;_ylt=AsVjbJYOW_YcSUga4L_WFx0i0bYF
From what I’ve read, Igawa seems like someone you can root for. He had a rough year, but did what was asked of him in terms of going to minors, working, and didn’t raise a fuss in the media. And now he’s working hard again.
In contrast to some.
I wonder if Pena`s though of having the catchers hold a bat upright on its end, put their forehead on the top of it and run circles around it (until they`re dizzy) before catching pop ups.
Talk about harder than game conditions …
Yes, I`m just kidding.
their & siad in the Brackman quote
At least Igawa seems to be working hard and trying.
Unlike Mr Populartiy, Carl Pavano.
I wonder if Bruney coming into camp in good shape will translate to better control. He has a good arm except for his lack of it.
Talk about guys showing up in shape … I like that Giambi is apparently in shape. Could mean a solid year from him. I hope we have that to look forward to.
It would bug me, however, that it took him most of his contract to get back in top shape …just as he`s about to become a FA. If he goes .315BA/.425OBP/44HR/135RBI, do you sign him to an extension? Even with club options for motivation?
Considering the past 3-4 years track record, it`d be tough to endorse it …
If anyone’s interested in some photos from Rebecca’s famous trip to the Hall of Fame, go to mvn.com/mvn-yankees (sorry, I’m not computer-literate enough to paste the link here). Some great pix of Yankee lore, and definitely what I need on a cold day in February.
It was easy to dislike Igawa after Pavano, I’d suggest, but they’re two players. He showed some flashes last year, mainly in long relief if I recall, but the man is probably a good, American pitching coach away from being a quality starter. By all accounts I’ve heard, Eiland’s the man, so let’s see what he can pitch.
Again, this is prime fantasy time, but it would be great if Iggy became our lefty specialist.