Smile and say, “Don’t finish third again”
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Feb 19, 2009 
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Today is photo day. Starting with the coaches at 8 a.m. and the players at 8:15 a.m., everybody in uniform poses for a series of photographers wearing their full uniforms. Pitchers hold a glove and ball and position players a bat.
These are shots for baseball cards, newspapers, magazines, web sites, etc. It’s one of those rituals of spring training that every team endures.
The Yankees will be on the field around 9:30 for the workout. It is overcast in Tampa with a chance of rain. But there are enough indoor facilities for them to get done what they need to get done.
(Just a reminder, the LoHud Yankees Blog is all-natural today. Please, no talk about steroids.)
I trust the photographer won’t be using an i-phone for team pics
but I’d still like to see your i-phone pics throughout the day please.
Hey Pete! Can you post some shots of CC, Burn, and Tex in full uniform today? Thanks!
Ah, good morning all. I had a nice organic bagel for breakfast with hormone free cream cheese, an organic banana, organic coffee and some organic OJ. How is that for an all natural start to the day?
How soon will we be able to see these photos and where? (added by Mobile using Mippin)
bdog – That’s exactly what I was thinking when I read the lead in. Add some egg whites please.
I wonder how many green tea drinkers there still are here
Ah Pete you ruined it!! You said the “S” word!!!!
baseball talk day
Too bad I won’t be around for most of it…. Enjoy everyone, it’s essentially like taking a mental health day
Has anyone seen a listing of the various forms of cuisine that will be offered at the new Stadium? I sure hope it is not the usual deep fried crap.
I had a cup of coffe, a porkroll egg and chesse on a hard roll, and a camel light cig.
When I had the pleasure of seeing a game at Safeco, I was amazed at how good the food was and the variety was astounding. I hope the Yankees emulate that place for epicurean purposes
What happens if Posada has a setback and has to DH for a period of time? Does that mean Matsui plays LF, Damon in CF, and Melky/Brett sent down?
So do the players like picture day, or is it something like what we went through in school, just another boring thing to do.
My first encounter with non traditional baseball fare at the park was coming across a Starbucks in the Kingdome. It just didn’t seem right.
chowda bowls at pac bell!!! (att?)
The taste of all-natual food cannot compete with the sizzling “steak for two” at Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn (with the creamed spinach and onion and tomato appetizer, of course). In the same way, all-natural blogging still leaves my baseball aappetite a little unsatisfied. But maybe I’ll live longer if I avoid the bad stuff. (Oh, and if you do go to Luger’s be sure to have whatever dessert you pick “mit schlag”).
Peter Luger’s is great, although I could do a little less with the waiter verbal abuse side dish.
I love the all-baseball, all-the-time talk today – thanks, Pete!
I see that Alabadejo is still vastly underrated here – he’s a guy that I like a lot. He can pitch 2 innings here and there (though I wouldn’t push it) – good innings, to boot. Most teams middle relief is the soft underbelly of their team, but Alabadejo is actually a good pitcher. Advantage Yankees.
Pics of AJ, CC and Tex please! CC looks a bit off without his beard, but AJ actually looks better…….I still think it’s a stupid rule. I can’t blame the players for hating picture day – they probably feel very silly, like I do when posing for a picture with frozen smile on my face.
Pete
you have already mentioned steroids twice this morning.
I hope Johnny Damon is still sporting that hairdo from the other day. That was great. An all caps off picture is one I’d like to see.
Hey I was joking about all the food being organic! That is what I ate for breakfast, but it was just normal food. I do not like to pay extra for the same stuff
I’ve never been to Peter Lugar’s. Is it worth the hype?
For those who have been to Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, how does Lugar’s stack up against it?
I’ve got to try and make a trip to Lugar’s when I am in NY this summer.
SJ44 – Lugar’s is very good and worth a visit. And remember, cash only.
I haven’t been to Bern’s so I can’t help with a comparison
SJ Is it worth the hype??
You should go there at least once for the porterhouse, but if you prefer other types of steak I think there are better places in the city.
“I see that Alabadejo is still vastly underrated here”
Our whole bullpen is vastly underrated. Consider how well it performed last year despite Bruney’s injury, Alabadejo’s injury, Joba leaving halfy through, and one of the worst rotations in terms of eating innings.
Our bullpen this year is going to be nasty, and it will extend down to AAA where we will have a group of guys ready to come up any time someone is struggling.
To further the “all natural” theme today, we have “all natural” whining from John Henry and Larry Lucchino this morning.
It seems those fine sportsmen from Boston now want a salary cap in MLB.
Funny, no mention of a salary cap from these gentlemen when they were pursuing Mark Teixeira. When they didn’t get him? Its time for a salary cap.
If you look up the word “clowns” in the baseball dictionary, you will see photos of both men.
Its always nice to have clowns around to put a smile on your face. Thanks for all you do John and Larry.
I have never been to Peter Lugar’s, but I have been to Bern’s several times. The steak is excellent there, but nothing beats their wine selection and prices. They (supposedly) boost the largest wine selection in the world. They have an entire warehouse where they keep most of their wine. I am not a wine aficionado, but my buddy order some bottles for us. One was a 1985 bottle and it only cost $45!
I saw that about John Henry. The Sox are really a hypocritical joke. John’s stock portfolio must have taken a hit and he had to raise cash for revenue sharing. I feel terrible.
Pete
I know all you guys in the media stick up for each other, I wonder what was the Japanese reaction when Anthony D from MLB.com, wrote that the fans and Japanese Media, of Go Go Matsui (that’s 5 5 for everyone that is wondering for 55) will need to squint inside the dugout to see Matsui this year, in poooooorrr taste, he should issue an apology. He should be happy no one reads his stuff or some people in the asian community would be offended.
Just saying
I never had any problems at the Brooklyn Peter Luger’s spot. The waiters are a little terse and never linger over you, but I was usually too busy inhaling the food to care. (You can hear the sizzle as they bring the steak over to your table).
However, I was in the Great Neck Luger’s once (with my ex-wife) and when the waiter came over I was all ready to order. My ex interrupted, however, and asked to see a menu. (It’s Peter freakin Luger’s. Was she looking for a pasta special? It was a sign of things to come in the marriage, but I digress). Well, the waiter looked at her like she had just sprouted feathers. After a painful fifteen seconds of silence, he brought us menus and she did eventually relent and agree to have the steak for two.
Yeah SJ44, what a joke for those the beantown boses. They are all high school hurt b/c Texiera wanted to play for a real team and essentially toke an offer that was the same as they laid out. That is as hypocritical as David Ortiz calling for a one year ban on “you know what” use.
I started yesterday getting my baseball fix without the S word. Can’t make it to Tampa, so I settled on a day in Cooperstown. That was good enough for me!!!
I hope they have better photographers than they’ve had in the past. They’ve take some pretty awful pictures.
Salary cap=more money for the owners.
To paraphrase Mark Cuban: you don’t own sports teams to make money.
“I see that Alabadejo is still vastly underrated here”
Hard to underrate or overrate a guy with pretty much no resume, Betsy. With only 28 MLB innings under his belt, the jury would seem to still be out on him. He throws hard, seems to have decent control, and did some good and bad things before being injured last year. Just not a whole lot on which to judge him…yet.
JWEAV,
I was wondering the same thing. If Jorge has a set back with his throwing arm (*crosses fingers he doesn’t*) they would presumably have to throw Moliina in there behind the dish. Remember last year when people were running wild on Jorge when he first got injured…
From what Giradi has said about Matsui, it seems highly unlikely they’d throw him out there in left again. Would they rest Posada and lose his bat at DH instead? A lot of this season relies on Jorge staying healthy and putting up 2007-like numbers…
Some people just don’t photograph well.
As far as a salary cap goes. I guess if I had a team that didn’t have any money I would want one, too. BUT – I don’t want an “even playing field.” If a team makes money and a team can afford to put money back into their team to make it even better, why should they be penalized?
What scares me here is that the Red Sox people have the ear of the commissioner, to say the least, and Lucchino and Henry are saying that the timing may be right and that they think they could get the players’ union to agree. Since the Red Sox have the second highest payroll and I assume they would consider that they would be willing to take a hit to the amount they could spend, I think this idea has a chance of going further than if, say, the Pittsburgh Pirates ownership was calling for a salary cap. Or the Tampa Bay (devil!) Rays.
If this goes anywhere there better darn well be a salary floor as well.
And I can’t help but think this is never about leveling the playing field; it’s always about handicapping the NY Yankees. And yes, I realize I’m probably a little biased there.
Bern’s has good food, but the ambience is the thing there. Their wine cellar is the largest on the East Coast. They have a dessert room in which each table is inside of a huge wine cask! They also do kitchen and wine cellar tours.
For food, Council Oak is an excellent steakhouse in the Hard Rock Casino. Derek Jeter goes there occassionally, as well as other celebs.
Malio’s steakhouse used to be a huge Yankee hangout on Dale Mabry. Steinbrenner used to go there almost daily for lunch. The old Malio’s had it’s walls covered with signed Yankee pics. He sold it @5 years ago, but opened a new one last year, downtown. I haven’t been to it yet, not sure if it has the same Yankee theme, or not.
Bern’s has the largest wine cellar of any restaurant in America.
They keep 100,000 bottles at the restaurant and have over 800,000 bottles in a warehouse nearby.
They will give you a tour of the kitchen and wine cellar after dinner.
The steaks are great but, its the dessert room that makes the place what it is.
It is literally a seperate restaurant within the restaurant. You pay for your dinner and are then taken upstairs to the dessert room.
There is a 30+ page dessert menu and all of it is very good.
The macadamia nut ice cream alone is worth the trip.
Bern’s is quite an experience. There isn’t a whole heckuva lot to do in Tampa. Its also not a great restaurant town. Lots of chain type places.
However, Bern’s stands alone.
Definitely worth the money and the trip if you are ever in the Tampa area.
Robinson has no business playing in the WBC especially after the season he had.
I got off track — does an “even playing field” mean you have a bunch of .500 teams? Some just above, some just below? And the best of the mediocre wins the World Series?
Murph, u married my ex? I wondered where she went. Small world.
Mark and SJ
I saw a program on foodtv, it was Will Work for Food. They showed this restaurant in Vegas. They have a “wine Angel” The wine is this this wall about 3 stories high. They are attached to a rope and fly up to get the wine bottles. It was insane!
Adam then visits Las Vegas’ Aureole where he scales a futuristic four-story wine tower as a “wine angel.” Quickly learning the ropes, he retrieves countless bottles of wine and entertains guests.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/foo.....index.html
“Robinson has no business playing in the WBC especially after the season he had.”
Maybe. It’s not as though the Yankees have anyone who can compete for his position though (which is why Melky will be in Tampa and not the WBC). Further, he supposedly recommitted himself to his craft over the winter. I’m alright with his decision. Not like he’s going bass fishing or playing in Pro-Am’s. He will be engaging in baseball activity.
There is no chance the Union would agree to a salary cap. None.
The smaller market teams also don’t want one because it would mean they would have to raise their payrolls significantly.
If you work off how the NFL calculates their salary cap, teams like Florida, Tampa and Pittsburgh would have to have payrolls exceeding 90 million dollars this year.
You think those teams would want kind of payroll?
It would also mean the end of luxury tax and revenue sharing. Small market teams DEFINITELY don’t want that.
This is just Henry and Lucchino trying to come off looking like they are “watching out for the game”.
Its also their way of taking shots at the Yankees and the money they spent in the off-season.
Interesting how after they spent over 250 million dollars the off-season after they missed the playoffs in 2006, neither guy talked about a salary cap.
When they broke with how MLB does business in Japan this off-season (which ticked off a lot of teams, as well as the Japanese), that was ok.
These guys are so full of themselves, its not funny. They believe they can set MLB policy with their mouths.
Unfortunately for them, that’s not how it works.
That’s why there won’t be a salary cap in the game. Nor should there be.
“I got off track—does an “even playing field” mean you have a bunch of .500 teams? Some just above, some just below? And the best of the mediocre wins the World Series?”
Hasn’t meant that in the NFL.
Yeah, Luger’s is worth the trip. But go to the Williamsburg location and make reservations ahead. Getting a weekend can require some advance planning.
For something different with a baseball connection, try Keen’s on West 36th Street. Mutton chops are a speciality there. It’s an old NY restaurant in the old theater district and they had a clay pipe club, where Babe Ruth was a member. They have a display case in the entrance foyer that claims to show one of the Babe’s pipes.
Good stuff Murph, thanks.
I’ll definitely give Lugar’s a shot when I’m in NYC in June.
I agree that there never will be a salary cap. Most owners and all players do not want it. The players union is insanely powerful which alone would be a stopping point. The only owners who care are the ones who are in the upper 20% of spending, and that is just b/c the Yankees revenue stream dwarfs even their own.
I think (hypothetically) a salary would really not hurt the Yankees much. The would move their resources further into scouting and international recruiting, possibly making them an even better team far down the road. It would be rather nice not to hear fans whining about us “buying” players too.
If Luchino thinks the union is going to agree to stronger drug tests and a salary cap in the same negotiation, someone needs to test him.
Unless the owners think they can break the union, that’s not happening.
Brad Pitt’s better-looking brother:
My ex claimed not to have been married before we got together, so I tend to doubt it. But I feel your pain, brother.
SJ:
When you go, spend a few minutes in the crowded old bar and have a Beck’s. When you get seated, it could be in the main dining room or in one of the smaller rooms upstairs. Each has its own charm. When you order, if you want to decline the menu, just ask for the steak for two, medium rare, onion and tomato appetizer and creamed spinach. You cannot go wrong. They also have shrimp cocktail, which is a nice appetizer. The wine list has declined over the years – it used to be rated one of the best – but it’s still pretty good. And as noted before, cash only – unless you go to the website and apply for a Peter Luger’s credit card. Quaint custom that.
Daylife.com will have some, I have a few from last year. The A-Rod Sports Illustrated cover uses a picture day photo of Alex… they’ll even have blooper photos.
Daylife.com, and search Yankees
Mr. Rodriguez Laying down a bunt…
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0bG5f8X0647TJ/yankees
able 21
February 19th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Has anyone seen a listing of the various forms of cuisine that will be offered at the new Stadium? I sure hope it is not the usual deep fried crap.
Is It me or is there something wrong with associating cuisine and ball parks. To much destructively good food to think about cuisine. lol
You gotta go abit to top Bern’s. Pretty darn great!
any chance Jeter sneaks into another player’s picture, like he did with Pettitte last year? that pic actually was pretty funny
yankee2005 fails!