Yankees move into their new home today
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jan 23, 2009 
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The Yankees are moving into their new Stadium today. There’s some media availability later on this morning and The Journal News will have both a still photographer and videographer on the scene to document what is a unique event.
As senior director of stadium operations Doug Behar said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for us. We’ve been planning this for a long time.”
Check back on the blog later for photos, video and a report. I’m going to try and put some photos up via the iPhone from the scene, too.
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The question of the day on the Faceoff blog is what concerns you most about the Yankees? Sam Borden posted his thoughts and I’ll be chipping in myself. Give Sam your thoughts over there.
Pete do you need someone to take pictures? I can be up there in less than an hour.
This is great, so you will be on hand Pete?? I can’t wait to see the photos and hear what you have to say. Thanks for going out in the cold and giving us that info.
Pete, offer to carry a box or two into Cashman’s office. Maybe he’ll give you the inside scoop on any irons in the fire.
Had I not two classes, I’d totally be over there today.
Thanks for “going out in the cold”?? Isn’t it basically his job? A pretty great one too. I’d trade with him any day of the week.
The guy covers the Yankees and gets to go in the clubhouse, wastch every game for free, have hundreds of people read his opinion as if it were better than anyone else’s… and on and on.
Thank the guy shoveling the streets or driving the delivery trucks.
Can’t wait to see the pictures.
They actually have a pretty nice day to move. It’s sunny and warmer than it has been here in a few weeks.
I passed by Shea Stadium yesterday and it is almost all down except for a piece of steel still standing which would have been the first base side. When is Yankee Stadium supposed to come down?
Fran -
All down as in the stadium is practically gone? Wow, that happened without a lot of drama, didn’t it?
While I fully understand that people like Bill James use formulas to make predictions for statistics and often come very close, it’s impossible to truly predict statistics. And so, keeping with the ludicrous endeavor, here are my offensive predictions for the 2009 NY Yankees.
Damon: 8HR / 64 RBI / .292 AVG / .362 OBP / 27 SB
Jeter: 14HR / 82 RBI / .321 AVG / .386 OBP / 18 SB
Teixeira: 32HR / 119 RBI / .280 AVG / .390 OBP / 4 SB
Rodriguez: 46 HR / 138 RBI / .304 AVG / .420 OBP / 22 SB
Cano: 20 HR / 88 RBI / .319 AVG / .364 OBP / 3 SB
Swisher: 26 HR / 90 RBI / .258 AVG / .364 OBP / 4 SB
Matsui: 18 HR / 89 RBI / .285 AVG / .372 OBP / 0 SB
Nady: 20 HR / 85 RBI / .272 AVG / .332 OBP / 2 SB
Posada: 11 HR / 64 RBI / .270 AVG / .350 OBP / 0 SB
Bench:
Gardner: 1 HR / 19 RBI / .257 AVG / .299 OBP / 32 SB
OR
Cabrera: 5 HR / 38 RBI / .277 AVG / .329 OBP / 6 SB
Robinson Cano will have a bounce-back year.
The Yankees would be fools to start Cabrera or Gardner for anywhere near half of the season. The offensive production from Damon is far better and Swisher/Damon can split some time in center for the first half of the season. Hopefully, Cashman will make a mid-season trade for a true center fielder.
But for now, there is no way that Gardner or Melky are starting in center. No way at all.
Here are my baseless, random 2009 Pitching stats
CC Sabathia: W19-6 / 3.13 ERA / 216 SO / 41 BB / 1.17 WHIP / 215.2 IP
CM Wang: W21-6 / 3.57 ERA / 110 SO / 56 BB / 1.29 WHIP / 210.1 IP
AJ Burnett: W16-9 / 4.18 ERA / 219 SO / 80 BB / 1.31 WHIP / 192.1 IP
Joba Chamberlain: W13-3 / 3.54 ERA / 182 SO / 45 BB / 1.25 WHIP / 168.2 IP
Phil Hughes: W11-6 / 3.95 ERA / 136 SO / 56 BB / 1.28 WHIP / 171.1 IP
Mariano Rivera: W4-2 / 1.77 ERA / 78 SO / 8 BB / 0.92 WHIP / 72 IP / 39 S
ALB3: Swisher and Damon can’t field in center.
Gardner or Melky WILL start in center this season. There doesn’t seem to be much doubt about it.
I hope it’s Gardner. Melky has had more than his share of chances to keep his job.
Watched a segment on MLB Hotstove last week. They showcase a guy named The Batting Stance Guy. Very entertaining stuff. He basically imitated big leaguers’ hitting stances and of course, made it funny.
He did Jeter perfectly — where he looked the pitch into the catcher, or when Jeter flung his bat backwards after a swing. Ripken Jr.’s was hilarious.
He posted more on his website, and also on Youtube. If you haven’t already, you may want to check them out.
I’m telling you guys. There is no reason at all for Cashman or Girardi to SAY Damon or Swish will be splitting time in center w/ Gardner/Melky but it is the truth. It makes you look more desperate for a trade if you’re not “willing to move ahead without CF ____.” If you think that the Yankees are going to sacrifice that much offensive production for an average defensive CF, then either you or the Yankees are crazy.
If either Gardner or Melky can impress during Spring Training, and i mean IMPRESS, then one of them can get a full time spot. It makes no sense to put a player out there that hits under .250, under .300 OBP and can’t knock runners in.
The only way Damon isn’t starting is if they trade for a CF like Cameron.
Doreen, I don’t live too far from there. One day all of the seats were out and the scoreboard down. And then seemingly all of a sudden the frame came down. If you did not know there was a stadium there you would wonder what the single piece of steel was. It was weird to see a basically empty space there. I would assume the last piece is coming down today since there are cranes and equipment there now.
I think Yankee Stadium is not coming down until sometime this summer.
They mets needed to tear that dump down, they needed the parking spaces for CitiField. Went to a couple of met games last season, the parking situation was REALLY bad. I don’t think anyone is in a hurry to tear down the stadium. I think they are still making part of it into a museum, but honestly with how scarce land is, i don’t know how wise of an investment that is.
Neither Damon nor Swisher will get significant playing time in center field.
Cashman and Girardi have both made it clear several times that they want to avoid using them in center as much as possible.
Not saying it can’t happen on occasion, but it definitely won’t be a regular occurrence.
I think Damon could see time in CF only if neither Gardner nor Melky are even passable at the plate. If Damon, Swisher and Nady are all healthy and productive (not a sure thing considering Swisher’s ’08 and Johnny’s advancing age), and Melky and Gardner continue to bring limp noodles to the plate with them in place of bats, I could see Swisher, Damon and Nady being the starting outfield from left to right, until there is some better solution for CF found.
Chris from NJ -
That’s right – I forgot they had to “pave paradise to put up the parking lot” – or in this case, “raze” – ahem – paradise (Shea).
Giuseppe—
Enough with the “definitely” already. You may convinced, but many of us are not. I can see Damon starting about half the games in CF, moving to LF in the late innings when Melky or Gardner come in for defensive purposes. It might be ideal for one of the young CF types to prove they can be effective offensive players, but if it doesn’t happen we could see a good bit of Damon in CF.
I definitely think it might turn out that way.