Wrapping up the day in Tampa
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Feb 19, 2009 
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First a little news:
· Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras won’t be going to the WBC. They didn’t even know they were on the provisional roster.
· Damaso Marte (hamstrings) won’t be running for at least the rest of the week. You have to think this could exclude him from the WBC.
· Derek Jeter and Joe Girardi met with George Steinbrenner as did Bernie Williams, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. All said they had pleasant conversations with him. He was taken from his car to the stadium in a golf cart and then moved to a wheelchair to get up to his office.
· Alex Rodriguez commented briefly about how the first two days have been for him, saying the fans have been welcoming and that he is enjoying his time on the field. He seemed a little subdued.
· Bernie will be here until he leaves for the Puerto Rican camp on March 2. He went through the drills with all the other players and took batting practice. His immediate goal is to “not embarrass myself.” But Bernie also talked wistfully about returning to baseball if the WBC goes well for him.
· We spoke to CC Sabathia after he threw and he was pleased with how it went. He also revealed that his first start this spring would be March 6. That lines up for Opening Day on April 6 in Baltimore.
· Nick Swisher’s music choice after the workout was Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf & Lil Wayne.
First ! Just Kidding I’m honestly not that lame.
Thats great he revealed he was starting the 6th and it lines him up for opening day. I can’t wait. If its a day game I’m going to be “sick” going to check the schedule now.
I hope Marte doesn’t fall behind.
keep it loose swish, keep it loose!
“They didn’t even know they were on the provisional roster.”
amazing. so, they just put players down on these lists without even asking first?!
Swisher is going to do so much for the chemistry of the clubhouse
I love Bernie, and if he’s in the WBC that’s great, but he should hang up his spikes along with his wistfulness afterwards. Besides, he’s got nothing left to prove.
They start the season in baltimore so get ready to travel Chris!
The Astros use Carlos Lee’s late arrival to camp to parody A-Rod’s press conference. It was Roy Oswalt’s idea (He plays the part of Jeter).
http://www.chron.com/content/c.....3448978001
I picked up 2 tickets in the grandstand for opening day, costed me 700 bucks. But, there is only one Yankees Opening Day in the New Yankee Stadium
How can they not know they were on the provisional roster don’t you have to be invited to play and thus accept tobe on the provisional; roster?
Not to be confused with Bon Jovi’s Let it Rock from the 1986 Slippery When Wet album.
Anyone have any thoughts on who’s going to pitch in those two exhibition games with the Cubs? What a strange season this will be.
1. WBC
2. TWO exhibition games at the New Yankee Stadium
3. Road trip
4. Real opening day at the New Yankee Stadium
It’s going to feel like two false starts until the season kicks off on April 6th.
How do you not even know you are on a WBC provisional roster? Dont you have to sign up for these things? Did their country think they were so good that had to plan whether they knew it or not? I would assume this is all voluntary stuff.
“He seemed a little subdued.”
Well he just got killed in the media for the past 2 weeks it figures hes a bit run-down.
Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras won’t be going to the WBC. They didn’t even know they were on the provisional roster.
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Weird
Is it just me or is it kind of weird that Bernie’s in camp? I mean I know he’s just getting ready for the WBC but, y’know, there was the whole awkwardness when he didn’t retire or accept the Yankees Spring Training invite a few years ago, and now it seems like he just kind of shows up and is in a Yankee jersey working out with the Yankees. I don’t know it seems strange to me.
What are these guys bankers? 9am 3pm? Tough day at the photo mat?
If the physical stuff is too much too soon then Girardi should have them watch a tape of that Sat afternnon Angel game when they gave up. Tex could narrate and point out the different points in the game where he was bored silly from the lack of competetion.
And Arod could mow the outfield lawn.
(from the last post)
SA-
I seriously thought Ramirez looks like an old man. I was like whose this old dude hugging Veras?
About the Voltron movie, I was wondering what happened to it. I found out that Fox was having trouble getting copyrights from Japan.
Melky is getting killed in the voting. I hope it is not Girardi and Cashman placing all the votes!
Pete (or anyone)
How did Bernie look? It’ll be fun to see him out there again.
TexasYanksfan,
I dont think Lee should be someone talking about that topic…
Rotoworld’s Top 10 Yankee Prospects:
http://www.rotoworld.com/conte.....&pg=3
That Carlos Lee video was funny. A little ARod PC, a little Iverson ‘Practice’ speech thrown in there. Jokes that he showed up late so he could make up for the press he missed by being injured the last two months. Good stuff.
TexasYanksfan,
This will be relevant for about an hour, even in Texas… shouldn’t he learn english before he does a press conference? Hope the Astros enjoy the basement of their division. They should start taking 5ter0!d5.
“How do you not even know you are on a WBC provisional roster?”
I think that the different countries compile these rosters from the players who are eligible. Then, if they need to ask the player to be on the team because of injury, or any other reason, they don’t have to go through a hassle of adding him to the roster.
CaptainsCorner:
I guess anything to pretend they’re Yankees instead of Lastros.
Am I the only person in the world that seems to be a big fan and see alot of potential in Edwar Ramirez?
I remember his debut at home…. it was a blow out game, and he came in for the 3 out 15 run lead save…. made those last 3 batters look coimpletely foolish with his changeup. i really think he’d be a valuable guy in the bullpen with rivera’s mentoring!
So who do I get to see pitch on 4/18? And hat are the chances I get to see Pavano make his return to the Stadium?
bernie returning to real baseball in the mlb and actually doing well seems like a pipe dream of his to me. He makes it sound far easier than I would assume it actually is at his age.
I dont understand how a guy like marte has already pulled his hamstring or why there is always some hammy issues soo early on. That is really a sign of improper conditioning but you would think stuff like that would happen to high school players at the start of the spring but not major leaguers. When did he even pull it – was he in camp or coming off an escalator at SEARs? I am always surprised that injuries pop up this early before a game is even played.
I seriously thought Ramirez looks like an old man. I was like whose this old dude hugging Veras?
About the Voltron movie, I was wondering what happened to it. I found out that Fox was having trouble getting copyrights from Japan.
======================
LOL Ed regarding Edwar.
Oh, so that is what’s going on with that movie. I bet it won’t happen
Eh, shmeh with the poll – it’s not up to us, anyway, and neither one has shown a thing yet, right?
But it does show how fans can turn on a guy. From “Got Melk” to lactose intolerance because of one really, really bad season.
Wonder if the Astros SS was amused?
Edwar gave up 24 earned runs in 55.1 innings last year
11 of those runs came in 1.2 innings against the Angels.
Take out the Angels games, and Edwar had a 2.19 ERA last year (13 runs in 53.2 IP)
Bernie would return to baseball if he did well in the WBC? Yanks should take a flier
“Alex Rodriguez commented briefly about how the first two days have been for him, saying the fans have been welcoming and that he is enjoying his time on the field. He seemed a little subdued.”
Maybe he’s been humbled by this whole experience. I thought an interesting part of his presser was when he said, “Alex Rodriguez is not bigger than baseball.”
Bernie’s probably got more baseball left in him than Andruw Jones
Any chance Bernie would want to be a coach for the Yankees, not just a Spring Training instructor?
The Astros sure have a lot to say for a team that will finish in 30 games out of 1st this year.
I know it’s against the rules of the day(which I fully support), but I’m going to post this link as one of the best things I’ve read on the whole topic that shall not be discussed.
http://web.yesnetwork.com/news.....038;vkey=7
Where was Oswalt when he was riding 2 cheaters (Pettite and Clemens) to the World Series in 05?
Will he go up to his teammate Miguel Tejada and tell him his numbers don’t count?
Just another hypocrite trying to get his 15 seconds of fame.
wow, swish. how about a radio? listen to something different.
Doreen,
I dont think the melkman has delivered in almost two years as the 273 327 line he put up in 2007 does not exactly cut it as a starter in centerfield. And the plummet reflects just how overhyped melky was to begin with and the fans getting so wrapped up in the young talent in 06 as much as it reflects melkys actual performance. The fall is always longer when you are at the top. Plus, fans voting for gardner does not mean fans hate melky, it just means he has shown nothing to indicate he will dramatically improve and get back on the track that he was on in 2006. If he shows that talent in ST, the reversing of opinions will be just as dramatic.
I really hope there is some explanation for those pics…
kd,
didnt you read that post? Bernie wants to play for the yankees not coach them.
Brett will probably hit .240
Melky will probably hit .280
Melky has a much stronger arm and has more power.
Therefore, Melky will be the CF.
you know whats ironic about that A-rod joke nonsense roy oswalt decided to do in that video? He’s sitting right next to Tejada’s uniform. Maybe they should worry about their own clubhouse.
Bob:
Thanks for that link. Awesome read.
dave,
bernie will not be a yankee player in 2009. maybe he’ll be a special adviser like tino. bernie’s playing days are over
dave -
Melky was good for most of 2007, if I recall, and then went downhill as the season ended. (I could check is monthly stats for 2007 – and maybe I will do so).
I’m not saying Melky’s ever going to be any better than he was at his best, but his best wasn’t all that bad. And people are forgetting that he was a very exciting player. And, hey, Brett Gardner may end up hitting more than .230, who knows?
I don’t think people hate Melky, either. I do think that a lot of people want to see if Gardner can get any better, and they like his speed. The problem with his speed, though, is if he’s not on base, it is of no use.
I just want a good competition and may the better CF win, whoever it ends up being.
Mike R
February 19th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Bob:
Thanks for that link. Awesome read.
——————
Glad to pass it along. I always look forward to reading his columns. He writes great stuff.
kd,
I know, I was joking but apparently, somebody forgot to tell bernie that his playing days are over. The guy seriously wants to come back to the MLB if he does decently in the WBC. So you never know what will happen.
dave,
ok, typing jokes is hard. i left you a note at the end of last post.
if i were melky, i’d follow bernie around and try to learn as much as possible on how to play center field. the man has 4 gold gloves and 4 rings
Dave -
In 2007, Melky started off slowly in April and May, hitting .200 and .254. But he took off for 3 months, hitting .298, .368 and .306 over the next 3 months. But he absolutely plummeted in September/October, hitting only a measly .180.
His final BA was .273. Not awful. Heaven only knows what happened in that final month of the season.
I don’t know, as I said, I’m partial to him, and I hope he does turn it around. I think he has a better chance of hitting .280 than Gardner does.
Pete,
Do you plan on telling us how Bruney and Joba pitched?
Well i THINK gardners asset which is his speed is more impressie than whatever melky’s best asset is. And then, i consider the fact that gardner takes a while to adjust to every level and has only had a little over 100 MLB at bats while melky has had 1400 and has shown nothing but regression each season. Melky was mediocre at his best – I wouldnt even say league average for centerfield but adequate.
The problem is, will he ever be able to do that again? I also really like gardner’s patience at the plate that he has shown throughout his minor league career. You wouldnt know it from last years major league at bats but gardner had some solid obps in the minors. iF HE can do that in the majors combined with his speed will make him a superb number nine hitter. Thats a big if but no bigger than melky’s who has gotten far more opportunities already.
AJ may get the award this year for the most under the radar Yankee. No one seems to write much about him.
Rebecca-Optimist Prime…Staying to Write the Story
February 19th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
So who do I get to see pitch on 4/18? And hat are the chances I get to see Pavano make his return to the Stadium?
————–
Rebecca, you beat me by 1 day. i have tickets for the 19th
any other pitcher, i would say the chances are 1 in 5. with exhibition games and a week or so of regular season, a lot can happen between now and then. 1 in 15, i’d go with.
it would be fun to boo him in person. and then watch him get lit up.
kd,
I just saw your note. I appreciate that. I am trying anyway. Yea, i never get the jokes in here either unless someone explicitly tells me it was a joke usually. Bernie is probably a pretty good mentor but I am going to be rooting for gardner this time out. Melky has gotten enough love from me and IMO, has failed enough times to allow someone else the opportunity. Gardner has not even really been given a chance and i think he could be decent. We will see.
I believe that Melky doesn’t have any options left. So you would think that Melky will be the CFer to start the season unless Gardner really out plays him. As we know hitting in spring training is very hard to judge and means nothing anyway. As we know with Phelps the Babe Ruth of spring training. So if Melky starts the season with the team as soon as he struggles you would expect to see Gardner up here. I don’t think the Yankes expect either 1 to be the CFer for the whole season.
“Brett will probably hit .240
Melky will probably hit .280
Melky has a much stronger arm and has more power.
Therefore, Melky will be the CF.”
Way to ignore plate discipline and speed. Melky hit .280 .273 .249 over his past 3 seasons, getting worse as he went along. I don’t see the trend where Melky comes back to a 280 hitter. In 130, 159, and 129 games Melky hit 7, 8, and 8 homeruns respectively. More power maybe, but that’s like arguing which ant is bigger. Insignificant when he hasn’t hit over 10 homeruns in 3 full seasons now.
Bob (the Original) -
Thanks for the link. It made me think – a lot.
Dorreen,
The problem is when melky is bad he is off the charts horrific. He cant even bat 200 sometimes when he is slumping. And the guys upside is not high enough to endure all of these terrible months. i REALLY dont like the fact that he was really bad the last two months of 2007 and then, continued that trend into and right across a good chunk of 2008 until he was demoted. Frankly, melky is running out of options and he is running out of time. It would be one thing if he has remained stagnant but it is quite another that he is regressed pretty sharply. Unless he really proves himself in spring and then, has a solid first few months of the season, I think his career as a yankee will soon come to a close.
Bob(The Original)
February 19th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I know it’s against the rules of the day(which I fully support), but I’m going to post this link as one of the best things I’ve read on the whole topic that shall not be discussed.
http://web.yesnetwork.com/news.....038;vkey=7
————————————————————
With statements about the idiot factions of the media, Preisler won’t make many friends among his brethren. Good for him.
I got over to the field for a little bit today after class. Jeter looks like he is in excellent shape, hopefully he can stay healthy this year. A-Rod also looked real good. Shelley Duncan was jacking homers left and right.
LiL WAYNE KiLLED iT NiCE S0NG!