Wrapping up the day in Tampa
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Feb 29, 2008 
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I can’t get the audio to work for some reason. But there are a few notes for you:
OF Collin Curtis made a diving catch in right field and was 1 for 3 with a double. Root for him, the former Arizona State star overcame a bout with cancer in 1996. … Austin Romine, a 19-year-old catcher who was drafted last June, caught four innings. He walked in his only plate appearance. … Joe Girardi said that Hideki Matsui could get in his first game in a week or so. … Mariano Rivera threw in the bullpen before the game. … The Yankees had 14 hits, drew eight walks and didn’t strike out. … Joba and the Franchise were killing IPK for giving up a hit.
All is good. Thanks Pete. As I’ve said many times this week: I am SO happy baseball is back!
You can’t judge a team based on one spring training game, but with the exception of Igawa, I like what I saw today.
I’m trying not to be too impressed – this was a college team and just yesterday I seem to remember something about some other team doing really well against a couple of college teams and not being overwhelmed.
Caveat: I mean, I like what I heard since I didn’t see very much.
With 1 tenth of 1 percent of the vote in…
Josh Beckett 25 pitches 18 strikes no hits no runners vs BC
Joba C 22 pitches 15 strikes no hits no runners vs USF
2008 is going to be a great race.
I know that we can’t get too excited over beating a college team, but it is great to have a Yankee game to discuss.
Ganbatte Matsui!
I agree, at least there was a game to discuss.
I think it’s fantastic that Joba and Phil were on IPK for giving up a hit. That’s such a valuable “intangible” — challenging each other to be even better. Can’t be overlooked.
I’m liking the way the trio is turning out. G-d forbid if IPK gave up a run!
I only got to hear the last inning and a half. I’m curious about the offense in the beginning of the game. Was there any sign that the offense was doing anything differently with Girardi at the helm than they did for Torre? Or is it too early to tell, and too short a time?
Doreen: much too early to tell, but it looks like they picked up right where they left off.
Rebecca -
Umm, they didn’t end up so good
I hope the positive vibe carries through the whole spring training and regular season.
Colin Curtis had cancer in 1999, not 1996.
Doreen: I’ve kind of blocked October from my mind.
I’m thinking about September. optimism, remember?
Pete – Where else can we get some of this info? You da man!
Doreen – I agree with Rebecca that they picked up where they left off. The regulars were out by the top of the 5th inning except for Posada who stayed in to catch Hughes.
Rebecca/Fran –
If we’re talkin’ September, that’s a totally different story!
They were clickin’ in September.
So, what will we look for as evidence of Girardi’s influence?
Is there any way to look up, easily, all the scores from all the games from last season?
I was thinking September too. I kind of chose to forget about the Cleveland series!
Doreen: Baseball Almanac or the Wikipedia entry for the 2007 New York Yankees
Doreen – I think some of Girardi’s influence has alredy shown. The players took his advice and all reported in shape!
During games I expect we might see more bunting and more running.
Doreen
I think the Girardi influence will be mostly apparrent when the guys are ready to play from day one and half the team isn’t on the d/l
Flam:
Definatly. Hughes too. Too bad Kennedy is married. Why on earth would that kid get married so young?
Oh well. Joba and Franchise are gonna be raking it in like Jeter did in the late 90′s.
Gracias, Rebecca.
Fran -
You’re right about reporting in shape. I’ll be happy to see more running. It keeps the other offense off balance.
bh blue: I think it’s a combination of Girardi and not having Marty Miller as the strength and conditioning dude.
Doreen
Girardi put on a hit and run in the 1st inning with Jeter on 1st and Abreu up. It got Jeter 1st to 3rd so he could score on A-Rod sac fly.
Might see more of that this year if he is serious about playing more small ball.
Thanks, Pat. Every run counts.
Torre in his 90s heyday liked the small ball; I’d love to see it back.
Why all the pining for a return to small ball? While it has its place, the Yanks offense will score 900+ runs if their lineup plays anywhere near its potential. Last year they scored more runs than anyone. It’s the defense and the pitching that needed to be improved.
BobS: The goal is to win games, and good pitching will ALWAYS beat good hitting.
they may play more small ball but they arent likely to hit and run any more than they did under torre as he did it constantly
Funny story I forgot to mention under your other post. Michael Kay and Kim Jones were sitting one row over from us. It had to be about 76 degrees and Michael Kay was wearing a leather jacket. He was getting ripped by the fans for it too. It was hilarious. When he was leaving someone yelled out “hey Michael, I have a hat and gloves if you’re still cold.” He was a good guy about it and laughed it off and replied “thanks, my scarf is in my car.” Kim Jones had a few beers.
“BobS: The goal is to win games, and good pitching will ALWAYS beat good hitting.”
Then what happened in the ALDS? Sabathia was TERRIBLE, and they still didn’t score. Byrd too.
I find it hysterical that after the first game of the spring against a non-MLB team that Kei Igawa has an ERA of 36.00
.. and I do know that every had to get there muscles stretched (including the brain) and it means absolutely nothing ..
However, for what it’s worth .. this was a college team and Igawa was suppose to be working really hard in the off-season.
Drop ‘em, I don’t want to give Igawa or Henn any time on the mound. No need to try out bad arms and hope they can get good.
Pete saying Cashman is a genius because of his day today is just really silly. Mark my words Santana will have a stellar year this year.
The same regulars that have been sitting in the same seats for 10 years now at Legends today had all wanted Santana even at the cost of Hughes. I didn’t want Santana at the cost of Hughes, but Kennedy.. yes.
Seems to me like the internet is a powerful place, and the internets opinion is the only one that matters these days.
A lot of people who don’t “internet” are seriously bummed we are without an Ace, especially a lefty.
so when you wrap it up.. this team really is not much different than last year! It is more than safe to say that Pavano is not starting opening day, but maybe Igawa should
I am going to the game Wednesday and Friday and cannot wait. I’ll bring my camera for you guys and post my pics for all you stuck up north in the arctic froth.
Why doesn’t everyone on the planet move to places with tropical weather? Especially where baseball starts a month sooner and getting face to face with your favorite player is almost as common as ordering a #4 at McDonalds. Humans are so strange!
Rebecca-
That’s correct– pitching and hitting are generally more valuable than a potent offense– especially in the post season. But the Yanks aren’t a small ball team as presently configured. They are a patient team that draws walks and hits homeruns. Don’t fool yourself– the Yanks recent post season problems are not related to their lack of small ball. They are a direct result of average pitching, slack defense and bad luck.
fleas,
Pretty sure Pete was just being Sarcastic with the comments about Santana.
Fleas: I respect your Santana opinion, but I disagree.
BobS: Trust me, I’m not fooling myself. Last year was a result of a few million gnats and the inability for Jeter to do anything other than GIDP
Fleas-
(Love that name by the way) The Yanks are a very different team from last year. Hughes, IPK and Joba will be in the starting rotaion on day 1– versus Pavano, Igawa and Karstens last year on opening day.
And BTW– I’m sure that Pete was being sarcastic with the “Cashman is a Genius” line.
Rebecca-
Couldn’t agree more! Fewer bugs and Jeter coming through just once with men on base and the Yanks were playing Boston in the ALC last year.
Man, life sucks sometimes. But as you say– let’s stay optimistic this season. We have good reason to be.
Igawa, oddly, was not worried about his bad outing. He believed his control was OK.
This guy can’t be serious? We are doomed with him!!
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/yankees/
jenn: I am so very praying we stay healthy the entire season…
Re: Igawa’s quote– Never underestimate the power of denial. I’m sure he doesn’t know what to say about his poor pitching. Yanks should have traded this guy to San Diego last year. I don’t see him contributing this season with all of the young arms.
Offensively, they are not all that much different a team than they were last year. And although the Yankees blew out the opposition a great deal more than the favor was returned, they were shut out 8 times.
They were a team that, when everything clicked, offensively speaking, they were unstoppable. And if the pitching had been even slightly better, they could have won at least another 10 games. BUT when the offense wasn’t in synch, it was painful to watch. I believe that “small ball,” for lack of a better term, might offer some protection, might serve as a boost, to keep the offense moving on days when they’re not doing so well.
Another thing I’d really like to see this season is a better approach against pitchers they haven’t seen before. It may or may not be factually true, but it sure seemed to me that all a team had to do was throw a rookie against them, and they flopped. I don’t know what is with that. Is that a scouting problem? An over-confidence problem? Or just an approach problem? Again, maybe small ball – keeping the players in motion – can make a rookie pitcher a little less secure on the mound.
“Another thing I’d really like to see this season is a better approach against pitchers they haven’t seen before.”
Doreen:
I couldn’t agree more. When you saw the Yanks at the plate the last few years in the post season they had no patience, didn’t work any counts at all. When you see what Carmona did to the Yanks and then what Boston did to Carmon .. the picture couldn’t be clearer.
Take the called third strike if that is what it come down to, but for gawd’s sake man, make these pitchers work! I don’t think these pitchers shutdown the Yanks like some might thing, the Yankees shut themselves down.
On another note:
When I said this team does not look all that different, I mean looking at the 40 man roster. Yes we are in better shape with PH, JC, IPK this year.. but still this team is roughly the same.. the biggest change with this team is not on the 40 man roster but Joe G. I think that is a good thing, the more I see/hear Joe G, the better I feel about his ability.
Rebecca: Disagree about trading Kennedy for Santana? I am not sure what you were disagreeing on. I am glad people can disagree while remaining civil in any case.
Only time will tell if not having Santana was a mistake or not.
Doreen: Totally agree on the pitchers they haven’t seen before thing, and really glad I’m not the only one that noticed.
Fleas: Yeah, you got it. I wouldn’t have given up any of the big three for Santana; Santana’s in his prime now, but the trio can be the basis of our rotation for the future.
They certainly pitched like it at the end of ’07.
I do agree only time will tell whether it was a mistake or not, however.
“I believe that “small ball,†for lack of a better term, might offer some protection, might serve as a boost, to keep the offense moving on days when they’re not doing so well.”
Problem is how do you decide that the offense “isn’t doing so well”? When do you decide that you want a guy with a .400 OBP to sac bunt?
I don’t think it’s small ball per se as much as just better situational hitting…guys not trying to hit a two run homer when just hitting the ball in the air or on the ground to the right side will move a runner or score a man from third.
Doreen-
I agree that the Yanks approach could be better against pitchers they haven’t seen before. There were many games last season when I was yelling at the TV for guys to be patient when facing a new pitcher. I think sometimes that the Yanks were too aggressive versus a young pitcher. That being said, the batter reacts to the pitcher, so the pitcher always has an advantage when he is unknown– especially if he has a deceptive delivery. In that situation, I agree that small ball can be advantageous.
whozat: I think you put it well.
It does depend on the situation: The game, the opponent, the inning, etc. Home runs are awesome, but they do tend to kill rallies. I like watching the merry go round start and then not stop for a long time.
Its been awhile since posting, but a continued faithful reader via the b-berry nonetheless.
I believe we are going to see much more ‘small ball’ and a team more likely to put the hammer down and one that won’t be dominated by seemingly every rookie SP that they hadn’t faced before.
IMO, Joe G will bring an element to this team that has been all to absent over the last few years, preparedness.
whozat -
First couple of innings, I guess you don’t really know the offense isn’t doing so well. But at any rate, I think we’re saying the same thing. As I said, for lack of a better term, I used small ball. What I meant is what you said – not trying to hit a three run homerun with no one on base.
look at the frickin’ ball
rookie starters, especially the ones called up just to face the yankees have been killing the yankees for years and years. i first became aware of it in the early 80′s scooter used to point it out all the time. ever since then, everytime i see them facing a guy for the first time, i know they’re gonna lose. its just one of those things.
It looks like it wrapped around the bat.
Is that from today?
The ball reminds me of Pac Man, except it’s not yellow.
howd everyone do with tickets this morning? i got two games in the nosebleeds (best available) to sunday night game against mets and first game of the last series at the house that ruth built
I only tried to get a single seat to old timers day. i already had ticket to other games.
hey sorry if someone has already mentioned this but:
i recorded the dodger-braves game on ESPN today and just finished watching.
you shoulda heard those jerks phillips and kruk. trashing the yanks, subtly suggesting that
girardi wont be able to cut it, that moose has too many questions and that pettitte will be “distracted”. bottom line from ESPN: Yanks Don’t Make Playoffs
they also showed how pea-brained they by this brilliant exchange: when asked who they thought would win the WS most of the 4 of them picked the tigers ( one mets pick). then about 5 minutes later they were trashing the tigers pitching and suggesting that their bullpen was a mess.
really embarrassing all in all
Evil Empire:
i got two single tickets to see the sox on the 3rd of july and the 5th. awesome seats: on the 5th i have front row of the upper deck and the other one is row 4. all in all, not too shabby!
i have some other holiday pack tickets scattered through the season.
PS if anyone wants tickets to Sat april 5th against the Rays. i have 2 tickets in Tier Box 11
lemme know, Mike
This is not the same team as last year.
Everybody thinks that trading for new parts each year makes the team better. That’s not necessarily true.
If they traded Wang and Kennedy for Santana (that was the final offer, not any of this other nonsense), they would still be a pitcher short in the rotation.
Is it really worth 157 million dollars to get a pitcher who won less game than Chein Ming Wang the last two years? And, do it at the cost of giving up two under 28 year old pitchers? I don’t think so.
If it was such a “slam dunk”, the Red Sox would have made the deal. They didn’t do it either.
Really, the whining about Santana has to stop.
One guy doesn’t make a baseball team. Never has, never will.
If you don’t think having Hughes, Chamberlain, and Kennedy for a full season, with a new manager and new approach to handling a game and pitching staff, isn’t proof its a different team, then I don’t know what to tell you.
In this one game today, we saw differences. More guys moving baserunners over, the young guys (except for Igawa) throwing strikes.
Every year for the last 7 years the Yankees tried to buy their way to success. What has it gotten them for the billion bucks in salary they have spent since 2001?
Instead of whining about not getting Santana, how ’bout giving this new way of doing business a chance?
The early returns are certainly quite encouraging.
Usually Steve Phillips waits until April 29 to declare the Yankees “dead”. It seems he decided to bump up his timetable a few months this year.
Their babbling means nothing. Fortunately, the game is played on the field and not in the control room in Bristol, CT.
I hope the clowns at ESPN slurp the Red Sox all season. As they have since 2003, when ESPN became NESN II.
Just makes winning that much sweeter.
well said SJ…on all points…as usual!
Correct take SJ44 and even more laughable is how Gammons claims to criss-cross everywhere at the training camps when in fact he seldom leaves the Fort Myers area for obvious reasons.
The Cactus League ? Out of the question except what he gathers from scouting bureaus and wire services. The only time he ventures west of the Mississippi is when he’s forced to cover Sunday Night Baseball for NESN-West.
sox tickets are so hard to get from the box office i always wind up buying them at ridiculous prices on ebay or stubhub
It was interesting that Beckett pitched against BC yesterday. I go to school there and he lives about a half-mile from the campus, within easy walking distance of the baseball field. Unfortunately I don’t know his exact address, I’d love to egg it sometime or maybe just post it for you all to send hate mail to. It’s tough sometimes going to school fifteen minutes from Fenway after spending my high school years in the Stadium bleachers.