Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Mar 24, 2009 
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It was never really a decision. But Joe Girardi said yesterday that Xavier Nady will be his right fielder. Nick Swisher wasn’t real happy but vowed not to make waves.
Derek Jeter returns to the team today. This notebook also has word on a winding road for Jorge Posada and Chien-Ming Wang, another rough day for Brian Bruney, a semi update on A-Rod and pitching plans for the Cubs game.
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Red Sox-Yankees in Tampa tonight at 7:15 p.m. The game is on YES and WCBS. Back around 2 p.m. or so with the lineup.
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This from the Yankees:
TICKETS FOR EXHIBITION AND REGULAR SEASON GAMES TO GO ON SALE ON-LINE ONLY TODAY AT 10:00 AM AND EVERYWHERE ELSE ON MARCH 25; YANKEES TO OFFER SPECIAL INDIVIDUAL-GAME VALUE PROGRAMS
Tickets for individual games to see the 26-time World Champion New York Yankees in the inaugural season at Yankee Stadium will go on sale today at 10:00 AM at www.yankees.com and www.yankeesbeisbol.com only. Beginning Wednesday, March 25, tickets may also be purchased at the Yankee Stadium Ticket Office, at all area Ticketmaster outlets, via Ticketmaster by phone at (877) 469-9849 and Ticketmaster TTY at (800) 943-4327, and at all Yankees Clubhouse Shops.
As in past years, the Yankees will make available individual-game ticket value programs throughout the 2009 season. A complete list of ticket specials, including game dates, seating locations, and terms and conditions, can be found at www.yankees.com/ticketspecials, by calling (718) 293-6000 or e-mailing tickets@yankees.com.
· $5 Games – For select games throughout the season, tickets in select areas of the Terrace and Grandstand Levels and Bleachers will be $5. Tickets for $5 Games may be purchased in advance or on the day of the game. Available games include: 4/20 vs. Oakland, 4/21 vs. Oakland, 5/7 vs. Tampa Bay, 5/20 vs. Baltimore, 6/3 vs. Texas, 6/17 vs. Washington, 7/2 vs. Seattle, 7/20 vs. Baltimore, 8/11 vs. Toronto, 8/27 vs. Texas, 9/15 vs. Toronto and 9/28 vs. Kansas City.
· Youth Games – All fans 14 and younger, when accompanied by an adult, can purchase half-price tickets for Saturday games. Tickets are available only on the day of game at Yankee Stadium Ticket Windows.
· Student Games – Students who present their valid high school or college ID cards when purchasing tickets for any Wednesday game can receive one half-price ticket in designated seating locations. Tickets are available only on the day of game at Yankee Stadium Ticket Windows.
· Senior Citizen Games – Senior Citizens (60 and older) can purchase $5 tickets for any Monday through Thursday game in designated seating locations. Tickets may be purchased in advance or on the day of game at Yankee Stadium Ticket Windows ONLY. Tickets will not be held for either advance or day of game sales. All tickets are first come first served. A valid form of identification must be presented at the time of purchase.
· Family Games – Families can enjoy specially priced tickets on designated Monday through Thursday games in April, May and September. Tickets may be purchased in advance or on the day of game.
· Value Pack Games – For select games, groups of four fans can get a great deal at an affordable price. Each Value Pack includes four tickets, four hot dogs, four non-alcoholic beverages and one New York Yankees Official 2009 Yearbook.
Tickets to the first two exhibition contests at Yankee Stadium vs. the Chicago Cubs on April 3 at 7:05 p.m. and April 4 at 1:05 p.m. will also go on sale on Tuesday, March 24 at 10:00 AM at www.yankees.com and www.yankeesbeisbol.com only and everywhere else on Wednesday, March 25.
For the exhibition games vs. the Cubs, Bleachers tickets will be 25¢ and Grandstand tickets will be $1.10—the same prices they were the day the original Yankee Stadium opened on April 18, 1923. Tickets on the Terrace Level will cost between $20-35, tickets on the Main Level will be priced between $20-45, and tickets on the Field Level will range from $45-$50.
The 26-time World Champion Yankees will begin their 81-game home regular season schedule on Thursday, April 16 at 1:05 p.m. vs. the Cleveland Indians.
The Yankee Stadium Ticket Office is located outside the new Yankee Stadium adjacent to Gate 4 on 161st Street and Jerome Avenue. Beginning March 25, the Yankee Stadium Ticket Office will be open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Semi-update?? This is huge IMO. 50/50 chance Arod is at third in three weeks. That would mean he would need to be in tampa april by 6 while the yankees are on the road ***enter Darth Vader theme***
lol benny where did you read that?
http://www.nypost.com/seven/03.....161047.htm
I read it in the post. we are talking about arod; Aka…man in the mirror, Remember when he opted out during the world series?? I could see this happening.
The yankees can not rush him back…..the doctor said the middle of may….remember this surgery was just so he could make it through the season…so they have to take it easy with him. plus he will need time to get ready to hit major league pitching…..i would like to know who your source is benny.
I’ve never seen Tomko pitch.Is he that much better than Aceves?What’s his stuff like?good fastball?
that article says he might be back earlier but it doesn’t say in three weeks….which would be the middle of April…..that is really pushing the envelope on the middle of may…..4 weeks early…i doubt that…..
the yankees need bench strength particularly in the infield…berroa, ransom, and pena all add up to some help but not what a major contender needs….i would be very surprised if the yankees don’t make a deal before camp breaks.
I could see A-Rod coming back by May 1st but I doubt very seriously he’ll be back by mid-April.
He’ll probably just be getting the okay to take BP by then and perhaps getting ready to go on a minor league assignment in Tampa.
tomko has had some success as a reliever on the major league level….he has been a disaster as a starter….he may be worth playing though as he seems to have the hot hand right now. As a reliever he has a very high dom rate which bodes well when you come into a game with men on base.
swisher > nady, so why isn’t he the starting RFer? Good defense vs. fringe-avg. defense, better OBP, same power, more pitches per at-bat. doesn’t make much sense to me
The link that M posted from Kepner is pretty damning towards Joe – it’s clear who the more Yankee-like player is in terms of being patient and working counts, but for some reason, that player will be sitting on the bench come Opening Day.
Ok, what is Bruney talking about?
“I’m not concerned with it,” Bruney said. “I don’t feel I have anywhere to go.”
What does that mean, he doesn’t have anywhere to go? For a guy whose career up until last year has been a disappointment, he hardly seems disappointed in his ST. I would hope he intends to fix whatever is wrong, but it doesn’t sound like he thinks anything is wrong.
Here’s a quote from the NY Times piece:
Brian Bruney struck out Chase Utley and Ryan Howard on Monday, but after Raúl Ibáñez doubled, Matt Stairs hit a two-run homer. It was the third home run this spring off Bruney, who gave up just two last season. His spot in the bullpen is safe, but he has struggled at times. “I feel like the stuff that I’m featuring right now is as good as it needs to be, but apparently not,” Bruney said. “I’m not worried, though.” …
**Apparently not? I don’t want to jump on Bruney because I like him and he did score points with me for busting his behind to get back to the team last year, but that was last year. He seems a bit blase to me about his struggles.
Its still just spring training, Bruney shouldn’t be worried.
Pete –
What happened to the quote “If the season started today” – regarding Nady?
You completely omitted it from your story.
With all different takes from the beat writers yesterday, it would have been nice to hear Girardi’s audio.
bruney has been an inconsistent pitcher most of his career…he can strike out people but has always been inconsistent. is he the eighth inning guy we will find out..don’t expect joba-like numbers
Bruney did actually have better numbers out of the pen than Joba did last season.
Nonetheless, we don’t need nor should we expect him to be dominant like Joba was. The overall depth in the bullpen should be the focus – not one guy.
Joba is an elite talent with the likes of Beckett, Kazmir, Halladay, Lincecum, – of course he’s going to be an outstanding reliever.
Without Joba, the Yanks will still have a better pen than the Mets. The Mets have two high quality relievers but little else.
The Yanks may not have an 8th inning guy yet with the upside of Putz – but they more than make up for it with depth among the other five relievers as well as others in the minors who awaiting their turn.
K-Rod and Putz can only pitch roughly 150 IP combined in 2009. The average bullpen throws roughly 500 IP for the season. That’s where the Yanks will have an significant edge over most of their opponents.
The beauty of having a deep bullpen with a lot of viable options in Scranton is that the young arms lucky enough to open camp with the club have to perform to keep their jobs or they can be easily replaced.
Not sure if this was posted yesterday…from Rob Neyer:
Swisher, not Nady, should be Yankees’ starting RF
Monday, March 23, 2009 | Feedback | Print Entry
Newsday’s Kat O’Brien reports that the Yankees might have locked down their everyday right fielder:
And here in Tampa, the news of the morning is that Joe Girardi said Xavier Nady is the starting right fielder. Said Girardi: “If we were to break today, Nady would be my right fielder.”
Girardi said he likes what Nady did for the Yankees last year, thinks he can do even better now that he has adjusted to the league, and looks forward to his production. We’ll see both him and Nick Swisher out there, but Nady is the regular starter.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense because — wait, what?
Xavier Nady’s been around for a while and is exceptionally easy to project. Given regular duties in the middle of a good lineup, he’ll hit 25 homers and drive in 100 runs. He doesn’t draw many walks, and he will reach base roughly 33 percent of the time.
Swisher would also hit 25 to 30 homers and wouldn’t drive in as many runs because he’ll take his walks but might score more because he’ll reach base 35 percent of the time.
According to everything I can find, Swisher’s the slightly better fielder. And according to everything I can find, Swisher’s the better baserunner. Also — and here’s the nut if you’re looking for one — Swisher’s the better hitter against right-handed pitchers, and last time I checked, there were more right-handed pitchers than left-handed pitchers.
Swisher’s also (almost exactly) two years younger than Nady, which means he’s got a better chance of improving over what he did last year (which, by the way, was a terribly unlucky year for him, coloring all the projections you’ll find for him).
So, let’s see … younger, better against right-handed pitching, better fielder, better baserunner … gee, why would you want to give that guy a regular job?
Oh, don’t worry; it’s not as bad as all that. Considering all the Yankees’ creaky old geezers, there should be plenty of at-bats for a (relative) whippersnapper like Nick Swisher. These sorts of things do tend to find their natural balance, eventually. But with the questions about Alex Rodriguez’s availability and the tough competition in their division, one might reasonably wonder if “eventually” will come soon enough.
“swisher > nady, so why isn’t he the starting RFer? Good defense vs. fringe-avg. defense, better OBP, same power, more pitches per at-bat. doesn’t make much sense to me”
Swisher hasn’t earned it. He’s coming off a miserable 2008 when he hit .219, was below the league average in both OBP and Slugging, and was so bad that he was benched for key games down the stretch and part of the playoffs. While Nady was not as good with the Yankees as he was with the Pirates last year, he did have a fairly productive two months (12 homers, 40 Rbi) in pinstripes and overall had a very solid season. He was the incumbent coming into this spring and Swisher had to outperform him to win the job, and do so by a pretty good margin. That has not happened.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03......html?_r=1
Swisher is better than Nady and has proven it over his entire career. He should be the starting RF and I fully expect him to win back that job when it becomes apparent that Nady is a very average player.
Rishi:
Last paragraph of Neyer’s piece is the operative paragraph. Swisher will get AB’s. I think it may be the result of a platoon of sorts developing with Nady and Swisher moreso than “geezers” falling apart. As of now though, Nady is right call. He was much better than Swisher in ’08 and Swisher has done nothing to this point to distinguish himself as the one who should be the guy.
swisher has a .400 obp in spring training.
Patrick:
You say that as though Swisher is something far beyond average himself. While I agree with your assessment of Nady as an average player (I’ll give him slightly above average), Swisher has not distinguished himself as a great deal more than that to this point.
Steve B, yes he has. Look at Swisher and Nady’s entire career, not just last year. There is a reason why most projection systems expect Swisher to bounce back this year, he is still young but has proven over several seasons that he is a good hitter.
I’ve posted this several times but check it out, http://www.drivelinemechanics......n-battle-y
Going by projections (which are based on hard data), Swisher is expected to outperform Nady by quite a bit this season.
Steve B -
You and I are so in agreement regarding Swisher. I’m already tired of the go-round on this.
In Feinsand’s column this morning (Star Ledger version), Swisher was quoted and I suppose it would make a difference to actually hear his voice, but from how I read it, he seemed to be taking this situation in the way I would expect someone to. He was understandably disappointed, but not discouraged or despondent, and said he is still happy to be on this team and he’ll get his at-bats.
If he’s not going overboard, why are the fans going overboard?
Anyway, I suppose there always has to be some angst.
It’s not as if Nady and Swisher are miles apart both in what they actually bring and in what they project to bring to the table. Neither one is a superstar; either one will be fine.
“There is a reason why most projection systems expect Swisher to bounce back this year, he is still young but has proven over several seasons that he is a good hitter.”
No he hasn’t. He’s proven to be a .250 hitter with a .355 OBP (good, but far from exceptional) with decent, but nowhere near outstanding power.
Another thing to consider is Nady was already on the team; it is Swisher they have to fit in somehow. Unless Swisher outperformed Nady by a lot, he was not going to get the nod.
And I don’t believe Nady will be playing everyday, anyway. I don’t think Girardi wants to use the term “platoon,” because that would suggest a course of action that I don’t think he wants to put out there. I think he wants to be flexible, and once you put a name on something (i.e., we’ll platoon Swisher and Nady), the expectations will be different.
I bet Arod returns for that series against Boston May 4-5. Would add even more spice (I could have said ‘juice’) to that series. Red Sox first visit to the new Stadium, Arod’s first game back, etc.
from a previous post…thought i’d bring my comments on Swish/Nady to the current discussion
I’m still not worried about the outfield saga that is Nady, Swisher, Gardner and Cabrera…like i’ve said before, spring training will basically decide who gets the chance to prove themselves first in the regular season…if the guy Girardi decides to put out in the field is not getting it done, then the other guy will be there to step in. If we get to August/September and Nady has been terrible but is still in the lineup for some reason, then everyone can get mad. But if we get to August/Sept. and Nady has been playing great in RF and hitting like he’s supposed to, then no one will even know who Swisher is anymore. These are obviously opposite ends of the spectrum but just making a point. I fully expect all 4 of the CF and LF’s contribute a lot to this season.
Sweet. I scored Yankees/Red sox tickets for two games. Got nosebleeds for 5/4 and premium field level for 9/27. Gonna be a fun season.
Ouch – waited weeks for tickets to go on sale, and even though I was on the system right at 10:00 today, I had to bend over and accept the high prices from StubHub. I really miss the old days when you could get field level tickets for <$30, and they were actually available. But it’s nice to have a winning team, and they were usually pretty bad back then!
ticketmaster is trying to charge me $200 for one of the games vs cubs…??
meh
i have a good seat on 4/19. i think i’ll just be happy with that
Paco Dooley,
I may have some seats available if the co-worker I bought for doesn’t come through. Email me at ryan(at)suydams.com if you’re interested. I got section 406 for the 5/4 game, and 121A for the 9/27 game.
Can’t tell you how proud I am of the way the Yankees treated their partial plan holders. Those wonderful Saturday games that thousands of us got screwed out of have been replaced with such desirable dates that 6 of the 12 weekday games in our plans are now selling at the discounted $5/game. Contemptable is the only adjective that comes to mind.
dont buy tickets if ur gonna cry about it omg get over it thats life
Yeah a lot of the games are expensive. But I think once the hype is over and the recession is in full effect, many deals will be had. Last season I was able to find below face prices on Stubhub/TicketStumbler/Ticketsnow.