The LoHud Yankees Blog

Happy anniversary to Hideki Matsui, who belted a home run today. He still hasn’t collected on that marriage bet from Bobby Abreu and Derek Jeter.

That’s an up-to-date drawing of Mrs. Matsui over to the right.

Joe Girardi was pleased with Joba Chamberlain. Asked about Joba’s velocity, Girardi said it’s about what it was at this point last season and they would expect it to get better as he builds arm strength.

Joba has two more starts in spring training. Keep that in mind. And he did hit 94 today. It’s not like he’s Tim Wakefield.

Brian Bruney was encouraged and the coaches were pleased with what they saw from Jose Veras. The Yankees held the Phillies to six hits and struck out eight.

YANKEES
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Ransom 3B
Molina C
Cabrera CF

Pitching today: Joba Chamberlain, Phil Coke, Brian Bruney, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez and Jon Albaladejo.

PHILLIES
Rollins SS
Victorino CF
Utley 2B
Howard 1B
Ibanez LF
Werth RF
Stairs DH
Feliz 3B
Paulino C

Pitching today: Carlos Carrasco.

Notes: The Yankees are 15-12-1 with nine exhibition games left to play. Doesn’t 37 games seem like an awful lot? That’s nearly 23 percent of the season. … Anyway, the game today will be on YES. … Cano is 8 of 25 (.320) since he got back from the WBC. … Brett Gardner has an eight game hitting streak and is 8 for 18 during the stretch.

Back later on from Clearwater.

UPDATE, 9:31 a.m.: Girardi just named CC the starter for Opening Day and the home opener.

Joba will start the sixth game.

They’re also toying with Jeter hitting leadoff with Damon second.

UPDATE, 10:15 p.m.: So here is how the pitching sets up now:

April 6 at Baltimore: Sabathia
April 8 at Baltimore: Wang
April 9 at Baltimore: Burnett
April 10: at Kansas City: Pettitte
April 11 at Kansas City: Sabathia
April 12 at Kansas City: Chamberlain
April 13 at Tampa Bay: Wang
April 14 at Tampa Bay: Burnett
April 15 at Tampa Bay: Pettitte
April 16 vs. Cleveland: Sabathia
April 17 vs. Cleveland: Chamberlain
April 18 vs. Cleveland: Wang
April 19 vs. Cleveland: Burnett
April 20: vs. Oakland: Pettitte
April 21: vs. Oakland: Sabathia
April 22: vs. Oakland: Chamberlain
April 24 at Boston: Wang
April 25 at Boston: Burnett
April 26 at Boston: Pettitte

They could, in theory, skip Pettitte and pitch Sabathia against Boston. But there’s no reason to do that. There’s also no reason to get ahead of ourselves.

As for the leadoff situation, it came about when Posada was hitting first when he caught to get some at-bats. They coaches liked what Damon was doing in the second spot advancing runners. He us very adept at pulling the ball in the hole, which could lead to a single and a first-and-third situation.

I’ve never been one to get caught up with lineups as long as the best players get the most at-bats. I’m not sure using Damon or Jeter first or second would make that much of a change.

What I wonder is whether this is a sign that Brett Gardner is the CF. Using Jeter first means you can break up the lefties.

So the order would be:

Jeter R
Damon L
Tex S
Matsui L
Posada S
Cano L
Nady R
Ransom R
Gardner L

UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.: Here’s CC Sabathia talking about the Opening Day and first game at the Stadium assignment:

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UPDATE, 12:51 p.m.: Gotta love spring training. Two first pitches were thrown out today. One was by famed boxing trainer Angelo Dundee. The other was by Marie the Hooters Girl. The original Hooters is in Clearwater and they take their Hooters seriously around here.

Now there’s a sentence I never thought I would write.

Anyway, it’s a nice sunny day here and a big crowd on hands.

UPDATE, 1:10 p.m.: Jeter had a nine-pitch at-bat and reached on a bad-hop single. Joe Girardi is a genius.

The Yankees would never say this, of course. But Jeter hitting leadoff should cutdown on his GIDPs. He has 45 over the last two seasons.

UPDATE, 1:15 p.m.: Godzilla goes deep to right field. 2-0 Yankees.

UPDATE, 1:27 p.m.: Joba just allowed back-to-back jacks by Utley (right field) and Howard (left field). 2-2.

UPDATE, 2:03 p.m.: Cody Ransom goes deep. 3-2 Yankees.

What will John Sterling do with him? “That ball was held for Ransom!”

“Pay the Ransom!”

UPDATE, 2:31 p.m.: Joba is done after 4.1 innings. Phil Coke is the new pitcher. Yankees lead 4-2.

Joba: 4.1 3 2 2 3 3.

Meanwhile, Newsday reports that Bob Sheppard will not be able to work on Opening Day.

Mr. Sheppard is 97. Isn’t it time to name him “announcer emeritus” and hire somebody else to do the job? He could come back whenever he wanted. Having the faux-Sheppard fill-in last season didn’t work so well.

UPDATE, 3:17 p.m.: Swisher solo shot, 6-2 Yankees. He’ll show them.

As spring training starts to wind down, the Yankees have some decisions to make about their roster.

The organization mourned the passing Johnny Blanchard and Arthur Richman yesterday.

————

Yanks are at the Phillies this afternoon at 1:05 p.m. The game will be on YES. Joba will be starting against Carlos Carrasco.

A few people have e-mailed in with roster questions. Hopefully this will clear some things up:

· OF Melky Cabrera and RHP Jose Veras are out of options. Any other player they would want to send down has options.

· The 40-man roster is full. Players like Brett Tomko, Angel Berroa and Ramiro Pena are not on the 40-man roster and would have to be placed on it if they make the team.

· Spots on the 40-man roster can be opened up if a player is placed on the 60-day disabled list. Alex Rodriguez is not a candidate for that list. While players can be placed on the list retroactively, the time period is not such that the Yankees could do this with Alex as he is expected back no later than May 16.

· Lots of folks have asked who the Yankees could take off the 40-man. Given his many injuries, Humberto Sanchez is a candidate. The Yankees also could seek to trade Melky Cabrera or Juan Miranda, who is permanently stuck behind Mark Teixeira. Dan Giese could clear waivers and be retained. There are any number of possibilities.

————

Are the Yankees getting — gasp! — fan friendly? The gates for home games will open up three hours before first pitch. That means you can get in in time to see the Yankees take BP. That is a change.

I also heard today from a season-ticket holder that he received tickets to the team’s workout on April 2 at the Stadium. I believe that is also a first.

Pretty cool for the Yankees to do that. I think getting to a game early to watch BP is a sign of being a true fan, and not only because you can score some autographs. It’s just fun to watch. I’m a big believer in getting there when the gates open and not leaving until the last out is made.

This is hardly the big news that the breathless report on ESPN will make it out to be. But it’s worth passing on.

Brian Cashman actually spoke to Alex Rodriguez on Tuesday night. Oh, heavens. And — get this — A-Rod is “doing well” according to the GM.

“He’s doing a lot of work,” Cashman said. A-Rod also watched the game on television on Tuesday and through A.J Burnett looked good.

Rodriguez has been in Colorado since March 4, being treated for a torn hip labrum at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic. He had surgery on March 9.

The official target date to have Rodriguez back in pinstripes is May 16. He is expected back in Tampa around April 1. That’s when he’ll start baseball-specific workouts. Many around the team think he’ll be back earlier.

Meanwhile, the well-connected Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Yankees had “serious discussions” with A-Rod about his assorted stupid acts. That must have taken a week.

Which is fine, that is what they should have done. But unless there is a specific clause in his deal prohibiting clownish antics (and there is not, alas), it’s all just talk. If Rodriguez wants to be popular, he should get some hits in October instead of hiring Hollywood phonies and smooching mirrors. It’s really not all that complicated.

By now you know how much trouble the Yankees are having selling the best seats at the new Stadium. People are laughing at the idea of dropping $2,625 a seat along with a “convenience charge” of $59.70.

Through no fault of their own, the Yankees built an expensive new ballpark that opened in the middle of a recession. As financial firms crumble, fat cats are worried about going to jail, not to a baseball game. The Yankees are staring straight in the face of having empty seats in the background of YES camera shots. That would be pretty embarrassing.

Just for kicks, I went Yankees.com to look for seats on April 22, a Wednesday day game against Oakland. After being offered $900 seats, I hunted around and came up with two $90 field level seats (plus a $6.45 charge) in Section 107 in right field.

Not a great seat, but certainly a decent one. Two tix would cost me $192.90.

I’m not suggesting that is cheap because it isn’t. But I’ve spent more on a concert ticket or an NFL game plenty of times. The Bruce Springsteen seats I purchased for the show at the Izod Center in May were $107 each.

If you got those two seats, took the subway or MetroNorth to the park and didn’t get carried away on $6 beers, you can have a pretty decent time for $250.

There are also an assortment of other deals on the site for families, kids, seniors, etc. If you look around enough, you can find a game you can afford. It may be a Tuesday against Texas instead of a Saturday against Boston. But a game is a game.

Now before you e-mail to call me names, I understand everybody can’t afford $250. But I think a good portion of people can.

I guess what I’m saying is don’t give up on the idea of going to a game at the new Stadium. If you have some flexibility and work at it a little bit, you’ll find a way in that you can afford. I guarantee you all 81 games won’t sell out.

What will be interesting to watch is whether the Yankees lower their prices on the insanely expensive seats or find some other way to fill them.

Andy Pettitte’s final line today:

5.1 innings
7 hits
5 runs
1 earned run
1 walk
3 strikeouts
83 pitches / 63 strikes

Of the seven hits, one was a broken-bat double and two others infield singles. There also was a wounded-duck flare over the first baseman’s head.

Pettitte said he felt fine. He will face the Blue Jays on Monday and wants to get to 100 pitches. Then he’ll face the Cubs at the Stadium on April 4. After ending last season with a shoulder injury he said it has not cropped up this spring.

Pettitte has looked good all spring. Having him as a No. 4 starter certainly says a lot about the depth if the rotation.

Damon Sublett can really hit. They had him at second base. These games are a little hard to judge. There were 10 players in the lineup as they use two DHs and the defense is just brutal. You have to go more on watching the approach a player has at the plate rather than the results at times.

Here we are at the complex watching Andy Pettitte pitch for Single-A Tampa

One inning down and all is well. To be honest, I’m more interested to watch Damon Sublett, Austin Romine and Corban Joseph.

Check back for updates.

UPDATE, 1:28 p.m.: So Pettitte threw 16 of 17 pitches for strikes in the second inning and allowed five runs as the kids made three errors behind him. One run was earned.

UPDATE, 2:07 p.m.: Pettitte has thown 56 pitches over four innings. 5 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits, 0 walks and 2 strikeouts.

UPDATE, 2:35 p.m.: Pettitte is done. A healthy 83 pitches.

Johnny Blanchard, a Yankee from 1955-65, passed away today. He was 76.

Blanchard played in five World Series, helping the Yankees win two of them. He was an outfielder and catcher.

The Yankees also lost Arthur Richman, the team’s senior advisor of media relations. A colorful character who was around baseball nearly all his life, Richman was primarily a sports columnist who had close relationships with players like Joe DiMaggio and Don Larsen.

Richman also became close to George Steinbrenner and it was at his suggestion that the Yankees hired Joe Torre as manager.

The Yankees will have statements regarding these men and I will pass those along when they become available.

UPDATE, 3:52 p.m.: Here’s the first release:

NEW YORK YANKEES ANNOUNCE PASSING OF LONGTIME BASEBALL AMBASSADOR ARTHUR RICHMAN

It is with deep sadness that the New York Yankees announce the passing of longtime baseball writer and executive Arthur Richman. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in New York City early this morning with his wife, Martha Richman, and friends by his side. He was 83 years old.

Mr. Richman’s baseball career spanned seven decades, including stops as an executive with the New York Mets and most recently the New York Yankees. He began his career in 1942 as a copy boy at the New York Daily Mirror and worked there for 21 years, authoring one of New York’s most popular columns, “The Armchair Manager.”

The Mirror folded in 1963, and Mr. Richman quickly took a position in the front office of the New York Mets, where he worked for 25 years. In 1989, Mr. Richman went to work for the Yankees, holding the positions of Senior Vice President and Senior Advisor in the club’s media relations department for nearly two decades.

“Arthur Richman made baseball and the New York Yankees an enormous part of his life, and I am grateful for his contributions both personally and professionally,” Yankees Principal Owner/Chairperson George M. Steinbrenner said. “He was a trusted friend and advisor to me, and someone the world of baseball will find impossible to replace. I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Martha and to the countless others who were fortunate enough to call him a friend.”

Services will be held on Thursday, March 26 at 11:45 a.m. at Riverside Memorial Chapel on 180 W. 76th Street in New York City. He is survived by his wife, Martha. Mr. Richman was predeceased by his brother Milton — an award winning sportswriter and editor for United Press International.

The family asks that any memorial gifts be sent in Arthur’s name to the “Catch 25 Foundation,” established by New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi. Donations will be dedicated specifically towards the area of the foundation that focuses on Alzheimer’s Disease research and support.

For more information on the foundation, visit www.joegirardi.com. Donations can be sent to Catch 25 Foundation, 220 West Huron, Suite 2001, Chicago, IL, 60654.

UPDATE, 4:58 p.m.: This from the Yankees on Johnny Blanchard:

NEW YORK YANKEES REFLECT ON THE PASSING OF FORMER PLAYER JOHNNY BLANCHARD

Former Yankee Johnny Blanchard passed away this morning at the age of 76 in Minnesota. Signed by the Yankees in 1951, Blanchard made his Major League debut with the club in 1955 at the age of 22. In total, he appeared in 454 games in pinstripes over eight Major League seasons (1955, ’59-65), batting .245 (260-for-1,063) with 34 doubles, 64 home runs and 187 RBI, seeing time as a catcher, first baseman and outfielder. He is one of four players in franchise history to hit a home run in four consecutive at-bats, accomplishing the feat over three games from July 21-26, 1961.

A member of five American League pennant-winning teams from 1960-64 with the Yankees, Blanchard played on World Series championship teams in 1961 and 1962. In five World Series, he batted .345 (10-for-29) with six runs, four doubles, two home runs and five RBI. During the 1961 Fall Classic vs. Cincinnati, he combined to go 4-for-10, including an eighth-inning game-tying solo homer in Game 3 and a two-run homer in the Game-5 Series clincher.

REFLECTIONS FROM TEAMMATES AND MANAGERS

Yogi Berra: “This is a sad day. Johnny was a good friend and a great teammate. He was proud of being a Yankee and always fun to be around. We’ll miss him.”

Moose Skowron: “He was a great guy. He loved people and did a lot for charity. I’ll never forget the year Yogi, Elston and Blanch all hit over 20 homers. He was a key member of that 1961 team and had two clutch homers for us against the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. I remember we were both signed by the same scout, Joe McDermott. I felt a lot of pride knowing that. He will be missed.”

Bobby Richardson: “He was a great teammate, friend and a true gentleman. He loved the game. Tony Kubek and I were just in New York and spent some time with Johnny. He was a great friend and I’ll miss him tremendously.”

Bob Turley: “Johnny was a funny guy and a great storyteller. He was always happy. Everyone loved him and loved being around him. He was one heck of a hitter, too.”

Ralph Houk: “Johnny was a true Yankee, there’s no doubt about that. Everyone liked him. He would do anything it took to help win a ballgame. He would catch, pinch-hit or go play the outfield if it meant the team had a better chance to win.”

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Here’s another installment of the video blog, somewhat live from Tampa. I focused on the three positions on the roster up for grabs.