Spring Game 37: Cubs at Yankees
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Apr 04, 2009 
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YANKEES
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Nady RF
Ransom 3B
Gardner CF
Pitching today: Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett.
Notes: Pettitte and Burnett will split the game, probably four innings each. … The Yankees leave for Baltimore tomorrow morning and have a workout at Camden Yards tomorrow. … I am not working today but will be in Baltimore tomorrow for the workout.
SAVE SOME FOR LATER: The Yankees have won nine straight exhibition games and 18 of their last 20. Counting the games against Team USA and Team Canada, they are 23-12-1 this spring.
UPDATE, 10:52 p.m.: Here are the stories we had in the newspaper today:
Sam Borden writes that a new stadium doesn’t change the fact that the Yankees have pressure to win.
Meanwhile, Derek Jeter and the rest of the players got used to their new ballpark and liked how it played.
For all those concerned Tim Kurkjian LOVES the Yankees pitching. He thinks it’ll carry them to the AL East title.
See there is some use on ESPN after all.
Lou Piniella is one of three Yankees that held the positions of player, coach, manager, and GM.
The other two ? Gene “Stick” Michael and Ralph Houk.
Raymagnetic, and they still allow Tim Kurkjian to work at ESPN!
Listening to Lon Trost on YES. Opening Day they will be unveiling some artifacts from the old Stadiums in the new one.
Maybe the flagpole bat that people seem to be concerned about might be a part of an Opening Day “Ta-Da” moment.
He also said tweaking will continue to happen as players and fans give them feedback. Tex already told them about a sight line issue on workout day when Jeter goes in the hole and they will fix it. Screens in the Bleachers on the wall did not show live action last night and that will be corrected. It’s a settling in process.
I read Sam Borden’s column, and I have to say I’m really tired of the “anything less than a championship is a failure” theme. What is this teaching our (my) kids?
Yes, the Yankees have unveiled great new digs, financed largely by (but often excluding) us “regular folk.” But to say that anything apart from a World Series ring is unacceptable really gets me.
Play. Compete. Do the best you can that day. The result is in somebody else’s hands.
Lonn Trost was on YES with Francessa and they are aware of some of the issues, and will continue to adjust. One writer complained that he couldn’t see the retired numbers. It was explained that they wanted the numbers, plaques and monumments in the original location ay the first version on YS. He said that to move them would screw up the batter’s eye. Same as camera locations and readjusting the banks of lights. Teixeira also said he had an issue with one of the signs behind Jeter and his throws were coming out of the sign. It’s being fixed and adjustments will continue to be made.
Pete,
Heard Lonn Trost on YES … and they talked about a few issues … but he didn’t bring up working on the problem of the NET … the NET that shows up on your television when you are trying to see a play at the plate … wondering if the Yankees know how badly this is translating over the television??
Watched the game on tv yesterday. The net didn’t bother me.
They have already said that they will have the old Yankee pennant banners on top the frieze, like it was in the original YS, Opening Day. Weather permitting. The banners are fragile so it has to be good weather.
That’s the “artifacts” Trost is talking about.
I was at the game yesterday and I was amazed by the Stadium and especially the Great Hall. As far as Monument Park goes it is much smaller than at old Stadium. I really enjoyed the Museum and hope they get some more artifacts in there from their past such as World Series trophies. Other than that looking to seeing the game on television today.
The net did bother me but I’m a stickler for those kind of things, you have to really fight your eyes to ignoring it, since its not something one is accustomed to seeing in a broadcast.
I don’t know if there is even a solution for that, I’m not one to moan about the outfield sign is too bright or aren’t even on the wall, etc, but the game being shot through the net is really annoying especially when following the outfield play.
And one more thing what was with the mobile shots, the cameras kept shaking like heck. YES has got to do something about the nets though. It looks cheesy. I read when Pete had mentioned it but didn’t think it was that intrusive into the feel of the game when watching the broadcast.
Watching the game on TV last night I noticed the net more on Instant Replays than during the live action.
The net is fine
The new Stadium was designed to look like the original Yankee Stadium and not the 1976 version. The major difference is the distance to the fences. Those distances are from 1976. That, apparently is what some people don’t understand. This includes the signage. Look at the pix of the orginal. signs are everywhere including on the fences.
It’s only a matter of time before the Yankee hierarchy are bothered by seeing few people in the $2,500 seats and subscribe to the financial theory that some profit is better than none and lower the prices at least until the economy shows an upturn.
“The net is fine”
Carl, how doesn’t that net bother you when the ball is in play, are you watching on an HDTV or the regular channel, because on YES HD it sure is obvious when they pan to the ball going into play, after the pitcher delivers it. its like something pops up into your picture, that wasn’t there before.
“It’s only a matter of time before the Yankee hierarchy are bothered by seeing few people in the $2,500 seats and subscribe to the financial theory that some profit is better than none and lower the prices at least until the economy shows an upturn.”
Supply and demand, supply and demand, which is why I find all the complaining to be stupid, if there isn’t a market the tickets will come down and voila, sold. I mean personally I don’t know if some folks thought they could or should be able to sit in the front row for $30 or something. If the Yankees can’t sell those seats they will ultimately have to lower the prices.
84 of the 104 $2500 seats are sold. Are 20 missing bodies among 52,000 really that big a deal?
“84 of the 104 $2500 seats are sold. Are 20 missing bodies among 52,000 really that big a deal?”
Mate, people need something to talk about, you know the NY Media, reactionary I tell you, reactionary.
There’s pressure on the Yankees to win, well there’s a shocking newsflash.
Arod is a strange fellow, you think, there’s breaking some ground.
The day will come when Derek Jeter will have to move from SS, guess he would be the first player to ever have to.
I’ve learned to ignore the media and their attempts at creating attention grabbing stories, because it seems like they sit around with a pen and notepad and have to come up with something to print for the publication deadline.
Tim Kurkjian has talked real good about the New Stadium and the team in general on ESPN….he’s probably the only one on our side ha
I missed Francesca’s first hour – what were his impressions of the new stadium? Thanks!
Bill in CT– The result is only in somebody else’s hands if you screwed up somewhere along the way. Setting the bar as high as you can in everything you do ensures that when you’re mediocre you know you failed. This nonsense about teaching our kids that going out there and playing your best is good enough makes for a soft, loser generation of people. Sometimes your best isn’t good enough because you didn’t work hard enough before hand. When these kids grow up and the boss tells them their work sucks and they need to shape up or ship out the response will be “But I did my best!”.
I love how people are blaming the Yankees for opening up the ballpark in this economy.
Wat did they want us to do? Play in the old stadium until the economy is better and then move to the new stadium (despite the fact that it is already built and paid for)?
I’m watching it in Hd
Disgraceful how Teixeira got booed in a Spring Training game
AJ better be on top of his game this afternoon in this exhibition game, if he gives up a run, he will be booed too
Considering it was only one pre-season game, my opinions on the netting:
1. Pitch F/X was not working yesterday. Either the MLBAM cameras were interfered with by the netting or they weren’t set properly (even though the gameday pitch data was updated instantaneously). Now, I know MLB will not allow Pitch F/X to be rendered useless due to the fact that Pitch F/X data will be used as the new umpire Zone Evaluator, booting Questec out the door. So I find solace in that.
2. By watching replays, you can see that the cameras have trouble focusing a clear picture through the net.
3. Technically it’s still spring training, so most of these issues will be ironed out, but these obstructed camera angles are something for George M. Steinbrenner field, not the brand new Yankee Stadium.
But, I’m optimistic about the issues be ironed out as we move along.
Betsy,
Raved about it
Vibrant colors
The big screen is unbelievably sharp
Love the frieze
Love the old Manuel/auxiliary board in LCF and RCF
This park reminds him more of the original YS the the 75 renovated one
Loves the field level seats that’s below the bleachers
Hasn’t been to every part of the stadium yet
Wonderful club-house
Waxed poetic how big it is
Did a great job outside the stadium (Babe Ruth Plaza)
A writer made a big deal about not being able to see the retired numbers. Francesa didn’t think it was a big deal.
Do some people just try to stir it up around here or are they just annoying?
No one was booed.
Betsy
April 4th, 2009 at 11:54 am
I missed Francesca’s first hour – what were his impressions of the new stadium? Thanks!
————————————————————
He spent about 90 minutes drooling over the place. Now, what he says on Monday is a different story. Trost was on and did explain that they knew of issues and are getting them corrected. He said that over 48,000 were there last night but they clogged the concourses, just looking around. That’s to be expected, what with the newness and a cold rain. Apparently, even The Creatures were caught up more in the Stadium than the game. It was, after all, an exhibition. They’ll make corrections based on these two games and continue corrections as they come up.
hmm,
Yes he was. Not a lot, but a scattering of them. People who were at the game said the same thing. Nothing to go crazy over though. Who cares?
Lots of good reviews on the blog overnight.
Lots of things for the Yankees to fix, but at least they’re open to making it better. It seems like this wasn’t always the case.
Glad they’re having the games now, and have a couple of weeks to fix problems before it really counts.
People who “hate” it, or at the very least have some concerns about the stadium, will eventually come to like it I suspect. Those who like it, will eventually come to love it.
Another note, don’t really see the problem with God Bless America. But how about putting a few different versions into the playlist?
And is the God Bless the USA the same one from American Idol? If so, no, no, and triple no. I’d rather listen to the scratchy Kate Smith version of GBA, rather than that saccarin-like fake song.
“2. By watching replays, you can see that the cameras have trouble focusing a clear picture through the net.
3. Technically it’s still spring training, so most of these issues will be ironed out, but these obstructed camera angles are something for George M. Steinbrenner field, not the brand new Yankee Stadium.
But, I’m optimistic about the issues be ironed out as we move along.”
Well, hope you are correct man.
ESPN Preseason Rankings:
1 Red Sox
2. Rays
3. Yankees
Guess the folks at ESPN still suck
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....reseason09
“ESPN Preseason Rankings:
1 Red Sox
2. Rays
3. Yankees
Guess the folks at ESPN still suck
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....reseason09”
Neh, its better this way, that way come October they can be reminded what they stated.
sunny,
I saw that last night, and didn’t fly off the handle like I usually do.
They’re right. We’re starting Ransom instead of Alex. Wait, shouldn’t that put us higher? j/k.
If we had Alex for the first 6 weeks, ranking us first may be a slam dunk.
But when you start preseason #1, they’re’s only one direction to go.
I do think that this core of players can hold down the fort until Alex comes back. Looks like they enjoy winning and don’t want to stop any time soon!
ESPN is going to look like idiots picking the Rays. They arent THAT good. This will be their, back down to earth year. They’ll win like 83-85 games. Their bullpen cant be as great as they were last year, and there offense just wasnt that good. They just had perfect situational hitting
Trevor, thanks!
I don’t think the retired numbers being out of sight is a big deal at all………. I admit that I don’t like the recessed seating. I have major concerns, as someone else raised earlier, that this stadium is not going to have the same passionate, loud atmosphere as the old place. That will be a bummer – it will be like playing on the road at home. I also HOPE HOPE HOPE that this does not become a hitter’s park………..
“Looks like they enjoy winning and don’t want to stop any time soon!”
And that is far more important than what some publication has to state, when you have seen guys like Carl Pavano, Jeff Weaver, Jaret Wright to name a few, you appreciate players who desire to win and won’t sell themselves short of taking up challenges along the course of the season.
sorry for butchering the Engrish. *there’s
Lonn Trost was on with Mike Francesa earlier today. He said that the retired numbers would be directly in the batters eye, that’s why they’re not visible.
I didn’t hear the entire interview. Does anybody know if Trost addressed the lousy broadcast picture (watching the game through netting)?
Also, is Sam Borden Captain Obvious, or what? Gee Sam, I thought since there’s a new stadium this year, there would be no pressure to win. Thanks for clearing that up for us.
GB, thanks! This is why the exhibition games were a good idea – figure out the issues and concerns during an test run. Why else do shows have dress rehearsals?
Apparently, Girardi wanted to get the team into a winning frame of mind, so even though ST doesn’t count, it appears he was thrilled with his team’s play. He seems to really love his team…….
Yah – I would be very curious how they came to these conclusions.
Despite my concerns, at least the players liked how the field played – if they didn’t, that would really be a problem.
The only major issues that seem to come from the game was the netting behind HP. They need to lower it so it’s not the HP camera focus.
Some of the TVs on the side of the CF restaurant where just playing the replay instead of the game. Trost said that will be fixed.
And Teixeira said that when Jeter threw the ball the ball looked like it disappeared.
Sounds like an ad was in the way. Trost said padding will be put in whatever area Teixeria was talking about.
sunny,
Don’t know who’s on the committee. I do like that Marc Stein is the self-proclaimed “Committee of One”. At least you know that he has a natural bias (in previous years) towards the Texas teams.
The true “reveal” will be tomorrow, when the “experts” predictions will be posted at espn.com.
Speaking of experts, after 19 years, Steve Phillips is joining Miller & Morgan on Sunday Night Baseball. I hope he has the fortitude to stop Morgan’s racist rants or the trips down memory lane!
Just found out Kim Jones and Bob Lorenz has blogs now.
http://kimberlyjones.mlblogs.com/
http://theblob.mlblogs.com/
Pete, they’re trying to steal your territory, lol
“Sam Borden writes that a new stadium doesn’t change the fact that the Yankees have pressure to win.”
Thank you captain Obvious! In fact there is more pressure. The richest team in the world needs the city to pay for half it’s stadium? F #27, bring home #30!
I do like the name Sam, though.
You don’t see too many younger guys with the name Sam, anymore.
http://kimberlyjones.mlblogs.c.....hat_o.html
Interesting that Melky’s and Cano’s lockers are far apart….
“ESPN is going to look like idiots picking the Rays. They arent THAT good. This will be their, back down to earth year. They’ll win like 83-85 games. Their bullpen cant be as great as they were last year, and there offense just wasnt that good. They just had perfect situational hitting”
They won a lot of close games last season and even though their offense was nothing special and has room to improve, it was their pitching that they relied on, they will need those guys to duplicate similar numbers as last season to get back to that point. That is with a vastly improved Yankee team in their division.
Last year Tampa feasted off of Sidney Ponson who went 0-3 (0-2 with NYY) with a 6.28 ERA and a .365 batting average against, Tampa also knocked around Rasner in his 2 appearances against them late in the season, they fattened up on Kennedy as well in 3 starts, . Point is they will be facing much better pitching when they meet the Yankees.
I’m not saying they aren’t good but last season everything pitching wise went right for them. Every starter pitched 27 plus games, finished above .500 and their bullpen had insane numbers holding batters to a .220 averaage and a 3.55 ERA, third best in the A.L.
Has anyone else commented on how truly awful it is to watch the game at the new stadium on TV. Really, the net in front of the camera is really distracting. Can they do anything about this?
“Also, is Sam Borden Captain Obvious, or what? Gee Sam, I thought since there’s a new stadium this year, there would be no pressure to win. Thanks for clearing that up for us.”
LOL, like I said these guys have to make a living writing something to give to their bosses.
Cal,
Its like the Indians of 2007. EVERYTHING that had to go right, went right. Last season proved what the Indians are. Maybe they are a little better due to Carmona, but they arent a 95 win team like they were in 2007. ESPN made the mistake of sucking the Mariners balls last year, and they’ll make the same sucking the Rays’
I think the team really blew it with the new Monument Park.
It looks like a complete afterthought. You can’t see it from the field. It looks cramped and gets no sunlight because it is tucked away under a sports bar. Monument park should be the crown jewel of the new stadium. For a team and a new home that works so hard to pay homage to history, it is a little mind boggling how they blew this one so badly.
From Boston Magazine: There’s a 7 page article on Pedroia in Boston Magazine and other than himself, the only player they write about him commenting on is Alex and indirectly Derek and Youk. Nothing to say about Manny?
Awful big chip for such a little man to be carrying around.
“It is early afternoon now, which, in the languid nature of the first week of spring training, means it has been a long day for the Sox. A warm sun arcs over Florida’s Gulf Coast. Pedroia is talking once again about A-Rod. His subject now is last year’s All-Star Game, where Pedroia and teammate Kevin Youkilis made up the right side of the infield, while Rodriguez and Yankees idol Derek Jeter constituted the left. Tomorrow, perhaps leery of feeding a rivalry whose coverage in the tabloid press alone accounts for the destruction of several spotted owl habitats, Pedroia will ask that his comments about A-Rod be stricken from the record. (“That guy,” he will say, pausing for a moment to find the right word, “is a dork.”) But at this moment, here in the shade of the clubhouse, he is expansive.
“He was the man. He’s always been the man, everywhere he’s been,” Pedroia says. “Me and Youk want to be the man, but we’ve never been looked at like that.” Pedroia’s tone is emphatic now, and for a moment you forget that he and Youkilis were well enough regarded to finish first and third in last year’s MVP voting. But listen to him now, making tiny mental adjustments, positioning himself (just a step one way or the other) so that he still has something to prove, so that he remains the perpetual underdog.
“So that drives us,” he continues, now thumping the table, “to be even better”–THUMP–”and better–THUMP–”to prove to everybody we’re just as good as they are.
The net gets pretty annoying when watching the game on TV.
If Gardner doesn’t cut it, the NYY should pick up Fukudome for CF on the cheap. Good OBP guy.
*sigh* Any other suckers having problems with MLB.TV free preview today? i had no problems last night but today every way i try to get to the game it just brings up a little window that tells me what games are available to watch and that i need to log in, and i AM logged in!
Couple of observations watching it on TV for the first time as I was in attendance last night….1) the camera from center field looks to be off-center from what we are used and 2)they have to do something about that net as it is annoying when trying to watch a game.
Tampa’s lineup is going to be excellent. They have Longoria for the year and added a big RH power bat in Burrell.
Plus Crawford had a terrible year last year and Upton only hit 9 HRs.
They quietly added some nice pieces to the pen in Shouse (owns lefties) and Joe Nelson who had a terrific year last yr. They have no closer though, thats a problem.
Plus they will eventually add Price to their rotation ot join Kazmir-Shields-Garza. Their rotation is clearly the weakest of these 3 teams (though not by much), but its still very good.
I wouldn’t bank on them falling down to earth too much.
I think the ball is going to fly at the new stadium. Very exciting.
One thing I did not like about the New Stadium was it was very difficult to Locate Balls/Strikes/Outs on the Boards…other than that was Great
Knowing this is simply an exhibition game, could the lack of crowd noise be attributed to that, or do we think it wont be as loud as the old ballpark?
oliver perez in mid season form for the mets. Basically like 40 pitches 4 walks, 6 runs, including a grand slam, in all but two outs lol.
Perez gets booed off the mound at the ‘new shea’ lol
andy doesn’t look good does he?
Knowing this is simply an exhibition game, could the lack of crowd noise be attributed to that, or do we think it wont be as loud as the old ballpark?
——————–
I brought this point up a couple of times lately.
We won’t know for sure until Opening Day, and moreso, in October – but I don’t think the new Stadium is going to be as loud as the old one.
The upper deck is recessed back considerably and it’s probably not going to be able to hold in the roars of the crowd as well.
One of the likely few downsides of the new digs.
Can the crowd sow a little enthusiasm? From the shots on YES, most of them are in their seats too.
Hope Cano keeps it up…
My goodness, what do you expect these people to do? It’s an exhibition game, not Yankees vs. Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS. No need for them to be on their feet, cheering like mad people.
Anyone that says the net doesn’t bother them or they don’t notice the net is lying. Even on MLB tv with half the max video quality the net is really noticeable. The net covers every shot of the ball in play.
This net thing is MUST FIX in my opinion.
Yeah, one of the quirks of the new stadium was the recessed upper deck, which will alter the crowd noise.
It should still be fairly loud, but not like the old stadium.
Speak for yourself jesus christ
Weren’t there some here that wanted the Yanks to sign Ollie Perez? The man is a pitching roller coaster
Dave B.
April 4th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
If Gardner doesn’t cut it, the NYY should pick up Fukudome for CF on the cheap. Good OBP guy.
————————————————————
Perfect timing. How about NO!!!!
Didn’t Pete post yesterday that the new stadium would not be as intimidating as the old stadium from his impressions?
i worry about no one on the rotation except Pettite, he doesn’t seem to have an out pitch anymore
Fukudome is no more of a center fielder than Nick Swisher and they are trying to avoid using him out there at all costs.
Yeah, camera angles thru the screen are pretty annoying.
If this turns into a hitter’s park, I will be sorely disappointed. I loved the neutrality of old YS – now maybe this place will be the opposite. It’s too early to tell, of course, but signs are not great.
I’m sure the new YS won’t be as loud as the other one, but Cash thought it sounded good last night after Cano’s HR. As long as you can hear and feel the crowd get into it, then it will be fine. I think the pitchers are the ones who really would benefit from a pumped up crowd getting behind them with 2 strikes or 2 outs or whatever. It will be interesting to hear the crowd in particular when AJ, CC or Joba are on the mound.
Many people are saying that this new YS is much more like the old YS than the refurbished one. For those who went to the old YS, how was the crowd noise there? I believe it was not as intimate as the refurbished stadium proved to be, yet I’ve never heard complaints or concerns about the lack of crowd noise or emotion……
Where is the location of the camera getting the net in its shot? The press level? Once they get rid of that net watching the game on television will be great as I really have no other things that urgently need to be done to enhance the video aspect of the broadcast.
haha what was it jeter was saying about not being able to find the scoreboard in the outfield??
Nice job Posada
Good bunt by Brett!
look at that gardy bunt….where are the people saying he cant bunt now
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ne.....;type=lgns
I love this. People are picking the Yanks to win less than 89 games even with one of the top 3 starting rotations in baseball in addition to what should hopefully be a healthy lineup.
I’m going to enjoy watching these experts choke on their own predictions.
Betsy
April 4th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
If this turns into a hitter’s park, I will be sorely disappointed. I loved the neutrality of old YS – now maybe this place will be the opposite. It’s too early to tell, of course, but signs are not great.
I’m sure the new YS won’t be as loud as the other one, but Cash thought it sounded good last night after Cano’s HR. As long as you can hear and feel the crowd get into it, then it will be fine. I think the pitchers are the ones who really would benefit from a pumped up crowd getting behind them with 2 strikes or 2 outs or whatever. It will be interesting to hear the crowd in particular when AJ, CC or Joba are on the mound.
Many people are saying that this new YS is much more like the old YS than the refurbished one. For those who went to the old YS, how was the crowd noise there? I believe it was not as intimate as the refurbished stadium proved to be, yet I’ve never heard complaints or concerns about the lack of crowd noise or emotion……
————————————————————
It’s tough to say about then, Betsy. Remember that back then, not a lot of teams drew more than 1.8 million a year. Also, the original YS seated 63-65 thousand.
its official…the new yankee stadium is a launching pad..
It seems that the Yanks have built themselves a Citizens Bank Park…The ball is flying out of here. Can you imagine it in the summertime?!! I don’t like it at all..
Hey hey hey! DJ leading off is a thing of beauty. And what a bonus for him to have a thought that if he grounds out, Gardner will probably still make it to second – at least!
Loving these Yanks.
you have to worry about…
no1.Posoda
no2.Damon
Welcome to the Yankees Mark Teixeira!!!
Tex !!!!!!!!!!!!
geez….yanks gonna set a single season team homerun record on this pace
bronx bombers baby!!!!!!!
I don’t see how this park could be a really big hitters park. It’s the same dimensions as the old stadium and isn’t it facing the same way as the old park? I think it will play the same way, short porch for lefties, hard to hit HR for righties.
It’s an open stadium compared to the former across the street. The wind will probably play a little differently at the plate and in the outfield. but let’s not get carried away with a single exhibition game. The last I heard, the Yankees and Cubs were pretty good offensive ballclubs.
Good thing the Yanks have a few strike out and groundball pitchers this year.
Omg the net on the replay!!
Psyluk, fwiw I have picked them to win between 99-103 games.
Stick me with baby!
Just tuned in for a very good inning. No outs yet, even.
I don’t hear any booing, even from the Cubs fan that caught Tex’s ball.
Wow….football scores at the stadium this summer…the ball is out of there in a hurry…
If anyone was wondering, Sterling’s home run call for tex was: “Your on the MARK teixiera”
carl you are a moron. The net is really visible on every shot of the ball in play. Whoever planned the camera placement failed big time.
This might be spring training and who knows, perhaps in the new ball park the ball carries differently but that said – I don’t think last year Jeter could have driven a ball out to right center like that the second half of last season after getting hit by Daniel Cabrera on the hand.
The specific problem Jeter had last year with his offense wasn’t his batting average. It was his ability to drive the ball. His slugging percentage really fell last year and I think that’s part of why he couldn’t get on base as much. Pithcers could go after him more aggressively.
One of the real nice signs we’ve seen this spring training is that Jeter is driving the ball with more authority than he was last year.
Again it’s spring and clearly the ball is carrying like crazy to right center but regardless Jeter drove that ball with authority and I don’t know if he physically
adam, I’m thinking that Sterling spends his offseason deciding on home runs calls…
Ugh – this annoys me. I know it’s a SSS, but this is a hitter’s park………I don’t understand. I thought the dimensions were exactly the same as at the old park. Can moving the stadium across the street REALLY make that big a difference? I don’t like this one bit.
im thinking that big gap in the left center wall (all the way back) may provide a different jet stream…you cant be upset or happy about this because it will be the same for both team…but the yankees do have strikeout pitchers now, so that may play into their hand
Patrick write an email to the Yankees about it. Cry me a river in the mean time.
The only ball hit out in the last two games that were cheap was Soriano’s….a high fly that drifted just over the wall. So far in 12 innings, the only one lauching anything is the Yankees.
The grass will thicken up and all of the ground singles will be flagged down.
GB – good points.
I missed that inning, but I hear that Jorge threw a runner out and Brett laid down a nice bunt……..very nice to see the fundamentals being executed. The best news is Jorge – boy, it’s nice to see him behind the plate again (for all his flaws back there)
How about watching the Yankees play out the course of the season at home before determining whether or not it’s the second coming of Coors Field?
Trisha, that’s a healthy prediction, but I’m going to say they win 96 games.
I know it’s none of my business and I don’t like it when people stick their noses into other peoples’ conversations, but – I really don’t think it’s necessary for people to refer to others as morons, idiots, and the like.
Maybe there’s a fine line between calling someone a moron and calling their post moronic, but I think it is really a lot more dignified to do the latter, if you must use some version of the word “moron”.
Just my opinion.
Betsy,
How about our guys are really hitting the ball well?
I think that Girardi just had a heart attack.
Regular season yes – preseason trying to stretch out a guy off of 2 knee surgeries??
Maybe it is the wind direction. You really noticed it with the 2 balls that Soriano hit. The 1st one keep going and stopped at the wall and the 2nd one was a flick of the wrist and Damon was waiting at the wall and it kept going and going.
What happened?
CB, good points about Jeter. He was never a HR hitter, but he always hit a fair amount of doubles and such – that wasn’t the case last year. His obituary has been written too many times already this season – he’s going to surprise a lot of people this year.
Good points everyone about the way the park is playing – and it is just two games. GB, more good points. It’s not like the Yankees (at least last night – I missed the HRs today) hit cheapies last night…….and Jorge’s fly to center last night was hit hard. The announcers made it sound like the ball carried, but that was just a well-hit ball.
Oh nevermind, I see it in the boxscore.
Matsui’s got to try and test those legs out at some point.
Let’s not make too much about this being a “hitter’s park” yet.
Harden has absolutely nothing today. He’s leaving balls up in the zone and the hitters are doing what they should with them.
Both Jeter and Tex’s shots – you could hear it off their bats. They squared up the ball and drove it. Those were not some cheap home runs that were simply carried into the stands.
You could see it from the trajectory of the ball right off the bat and you could hear them get the sweet spot of the bat on the ball.
Cone’s pinky-yikes!
Once the old building comes down, there’s a good chance that the wind currents in the new park will change again.
hi, not sure where to post this, but what happened to the rss feed in the last week or so? it’s now poorly formatted (no line breaks), and only includes the first sentence or two.
M – lol, good point.
Psyluk, if I can figure out a way to do it, I will set up a link off my forum name that will lead to a chart giving our predictions for wins. I think it could be fun. So far you have 96 and I have, well, between 99 and 103! I guess I’ll have to get a little more specific than that.
In terms of using the word “brilliant” to describe someone’s posts, so far my predictions for the way the Yankees are going to play this season, including the skills of individuals such as the “washed up” Robby Cano and the “over the hill” Hideki Matsui, have been brilliant!!! Who cares that the season hasn’t really begun? I see it only getting better. So I will stay with brilliant (at least for now, but probably for the season!)
Ok it’s early but I think we can fairly say this park is a hitter’s ballpark, my friend likened this ballpark to the ballpark in Arlington the ball if you catch it right it’s going to keep going, the old ball park use to die the ball down at the wall, not this one. A strong pitching staff and fast OF is going to be needed longterm wise for this one. If it’s like Arlington I can just imagine what Teix and AL are going to do in the summer.
Someone said that Bruney, not Burnett, was warming up. True?
I guess Ransom is now a power hitter…
Burnett is warming up
Thanks, SA!
‘I guess Ransom is now a power hitter…’
That’s basically how it is at right field, whether it’s the wind today or w/e the ball is just carrying on that side. RH hitters that attempt to go RCF are going to be rewarded this year.
Oh not that anyone cares but CitiField good luck trying to hit one out in CF or RCF or RF the ball just dies over there.
Okay, we need to have a Wolverine movie promo drinking game.
Another home run!!!!
Tex!!
Is there anyway for a lowly serf to contact the Yankees about this dumb freaking net in the camera shot, it sux big time to see the ball go into play and that net is all up in the camera shot.
I’ve read that Washington and San Francisco have this same issue, who are the dumb ***** that design these buildings and put a big net in the way where the camera has to shoot right through it. Sigh.
Harden has nothing today.
OMG TEX!!
Kevin Elster hit three home runs in the first official game at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco. It is now considered more of a pitchers’ park than a hitters’ park. Draw your own conclusions.
anyone wanna bet that Arod is now anxious returning for the new stadium? who knows how many homers ARod will hit in this stadium?
Someone tell Teixeira to save some of that power for the season.
A top 3 MVP season is coming. Mark my words. No more of this Dustin Pedroia for MVP garbage anymore.
Another Text message from Tex
This Teixeira guy is pretty good! lol
Well if it turns out to be a hitters park, Mark Teixeira and Arod will have fun here all year, 74 HR’s anyone. Well obviously not for Arod since he will miss time but if Tex gets off fast who knows. Hey just a thought.
AJ’s first start at any YS in pinstripes – I’m sure he’ll be a little nervous.
Cal, I’m predicting an MVP season once ARod returns. but hey what do i know? lol
Nice… we hvae our own Coors Field now!
I always wanted a hitters park
I hope Boomer can stay in the booth he’s hilarious like Paulie and David.
Ransom is a bad hitter who does have quite a bit of power. He’s similar to Wilson Betemit in that way, though he’s an much, much better athlete and is much more versatile.
Ransom hit 22 HR in 423 at bats in AAA last year. He hit 28 HR the season before. He can drive the ball. He’s just not good at making contact.
Earlier this spring Damon said something very interesting. He was asked who the best athlete on the Yanks was. And he said Ransom. As evidence of that he told the reporter to go look up a youtube video of Ransom testing his vertical jump. That video is remarkable. Ransom has a 60 inch vertical jump.
Anyone who has a 60 inch vertical jump has a ton of fast twitch muscle fiber and that’s what physically allows you to hit for power.
too bad this isn’t the regular season
well the Cubs have only 1 run on the board so far …don’t give all the credit to the ballpark; Cubs do have a good lineup
lol it’s like 40 degrees and the ball is flying like a summer in Arlington
I think I was wrong, lol. Nice quick inning by AJ and NICE jab at Wells by Joe!
CB what’s your take on this ballpark ? I have a friend that was at the park and has gone to both Texas and NY’s ballpark, he said initially that this ballpark reminds him of the Ballpark in Arlington, do you agree or is it weather related carry that we are seeing the past 2 days ?
Lets keep in mind guys, the wind is blowing strong today, had to close my window because it was rattling the shades.
Ransom is a bit like Brandon Inge it seems. Both are great athletes who can hit for power but not the best baseball players.
Ransom takes the same swing at every pitch-regardless, of pitch type, speed, or location.
Wells would be great in the YES booth full-time.
Jeesus Louisesus, two things. AJ Burnett. Just that and how flipped out I am that we have him. Along with mel, and I believe Betsy, he was the player I wanted most this season.
The second thing is this. I don’t know if it is or it isn’t, but if I had my druthers the new Yankee Stadium will NOT end up being a launching pad.
I will now set the tape for the rest of the game because there are sometimes more important things in life than watching the Yankees in real time. One is visiting with my 2 and 1/2 year old niece. Okay, it’s tied for first but I don’t get to see her so often.
GO YANKEES!
“Nice… we hvae our own Coors Field now!
I always wanted a hitters park”
Well thank god we signed C.C. and A.J. to long term contracts before they got the memo.
Redding
April 4th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Wells would be great in the YES booth full-time.
——
I agree but it wouldn’t be long before he got ousted for saying something about Torre or someone else that wouldn’t go over too well.
Brandon,
I have absolutely no take on this ball park and I don’t think anyone can.
The idea that after two games – I’m sorry – after 1 1/2 games – that you can draw the conclusion that it’s either a hitter’s park or a pitcher’s park just isn’t possible in any way.
Clearly the ball is carrying well. But how do we know that that doesn’t just happen to be due to the wind today?
Also – Rich Harden was terrible today. He had nothing and the yankee hitters punished him. The yankees hit the ball hard.
Look at the location of the ball Jeter hit for a homerun. It was a horrendous pitch. Awful.
Also – Pettite wasn’t particularly good today. His location was off. He really wasn’t very good.
How many balls did the Cubs drive out to right field?
If the issue is the park then it should go both ways for both teams. Andy isn’t a strike out pitcher and doesn’t generate a lot of ground balls. So if it’s a “pitchers” park it should hurt Pettite.
Now if hitters were to start driving the ball consistently to right center of
There’s simply no accurate conclusions one can draw yet.
Not even close. We’re not going to have an idea of that until much later in the season and perhaps not even then.
In case you’re all wondering why the Yankees are playing so well in the new Stadium, it’s because I remembered to take out my Yankee cap and put it on the right side of the base of the television (as opposed to the left). I would advise anyone else with the same kind of “power” to make sure you get those superstitions in fast order!
In case you’re all wondering why the Yankees are playing so well in the new Stadium, it’s because I remembered to take out my Yankee cap and put it on the right side of the base of the television (as opposed to the left). I would advise anyone else with the same kind of “power” to make sure you get those superstitions in fast order!
In case you’re all wondering why the Yankees are playing so well in the new Stadium, it’s because I remembered to take out my Yankee cap and put it on the right side of the base of the television (as opposed to the left). I would advise anyone else with the same kind of “power” to make sure you get those superstitions in fast order!
Good point CB. I haven’t been at this new stadium yet my friends were but I’ll make sure to tell them that next time we argue that point.
What’s wrong with having a hitter’s park?
Pete is right. The Yankees better save some of this scoring for the season.
Trish, is posting the same post 3 times part of the superstition? Did you go to the school of redundancy school?
Hello my dear
Guys, seriously. This season is going to be a boat race. I’ve watched alot of games this spring on MLBTV and there is not a club that can hold a candle to the 2009 Yanks.
Pitching, hitting, defense. This is one of the most complete teams ever assembled.
I am so pumped to watch all of these games this season. This is going to be FUN!
By the way this was the weather report today:
“Cloudy with isolated showers. Windy with highs in the mid 50s. West winds 25 to 30 mph with gusts around 45 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.”
So the ball is carrying well on a day that happens to be particularly windy. What a surprise.
Wind gusts of up to 45mph aren’t particularly normal day to day weather.
http://www.wunderground.com/US/NY/New_York.html
“There’s simply no accurate conclusions one can draw yet.
Not even close. We’re not going to have an idea of that until much later in the season and perhaps not even then.”
Cmon this is New York you know jumping to conclusions is the norm. Never mind according to weather.com its windy and gusty at 37mph. All of a sudden the joint is declared a hitters park, hey as long as our guys hit em out, fine by me. Don’t seem like the Cubs are and they have Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Milton Bradley, so what do you know.
I think its pretty silly to say this is a hitter’s park after 2 preseason games.
IMO there’s no way to determine that until a full season has been played here.
Its just way too small of a sample size, I would think that’s common sense.
Wind isn’t bothering Burnett. He looks awesome. I would like to see who were the ones who said it was a bad signing? I wanted him before CC as I thought CC money was too much but I’ll take it now.
I know Francessa was absouletely against signing him.
Nice play by the snr. citizen
Too bad Theriot’s first name isn’t Hyatt.
Hyatt The Riot.
Nice stretch by Duncan. lol.
Trish,
Dont forget the salt over the shoulder and the Beckett vodoo doll. Oh and sit on the left side of the couch.
One word to describe Burnetts stuff. NASTY…
Is AJ throwing his 2-seamer today? I wouldn’t be surprised -trying to get the ground ball outs on a windy day. Nice and easy two innings so far – he looks good.
AJ looks totally comfortable in the NYS. Apparently he’s not dealing with the ghosts like Andy and Wang are.
And ladies, do his Vans style sneaks not totally rock?
The problems that have plagued Burnett his entire career have nothing to do with the quality of his arm, but with what goes on between his ears. If he sticks to the mentality that he seemingly picked up from Roy Halladay in Toronto, he should have a fine season. However, if he regresses to the same guy that tries to get out of a jam by throwing the baseball through a brick wall, then he’s going to have a tough time of it. Either way, he’s here for the next 5 years so I hope he’s matured by now and understands what it takes to be an effective power pitcher rather than one who just strikes everyone out all the time.
I’m about to play the drinking game. Ah Ramiro Pena on deck.
How is it possible that Burnett is dominating the cubs and he’s been sitting 91-92 today? That shouldn’t be possible, should it?
Imagine the velocity panic if in Joba’s last spring training game he was throwing like Burnett is today.
You have to love what you’re seeing from Burnett. He’s throwing low 90′s with good control and generating a ton of easy ground ball outs.
If he continues doing this then this is going to be a special season. Burnett is the key to the staff.
wow…I’d have to guess that Wolverine’s advertising costs is as much as the production budget.
“How is it possible that Burnett is dominating the cubs and he’s been sitting 91-92 today? That shouldn’t be possible, should it?”
I don’t trust that radar gun on YES, I mean they had Pettitte at 83 I mean even Mussina threw harder than that, heck Wakefield might. There gun seems to be way off.
Im going out on the limb and say Arod will have 79 homers in 09. Could have had 80 but took the last game off. Tex right behind him with 77. Its going to be windy all season only when the yankees are batting. The wind dieing down when taking the field. What they havnt shared with us or the media is the have a wind enducing machine in the new stadium. With a flick of a switch, its homerun derby in the bronx. You heard it here first.
Why do you think it cost so much to build it?
I think Berroa should get the final spot as Pena doesn’t seem quite ready yet.
When Arod comes back then Berroa is gone.
It must be such a thrill for the Baby Bombers to get a taste of the new stadium. Gotta be some inspiration when they go back to the minors. Expecting wonderful things out of Trenton & Scranton again. How could they not? They have the reigning IL Cy Young winner!
“I don’t trust that radar gun on YES,”
May be the case. But even so you can visibly see that Burnett is not throwing his plus plus four seam fastball at 97-98.
Andy’s often around 86 mph so add 3mph. Heck add 5mph and Burnett is still not throwing that hard. Then he’d be 95-96. And it does not look like he’s throwing 95-96 never mind harder.
If AJ was throwing 98 there would be far more swings and misses. If he has command of his curve ball his fastball is unhittable. And he’s got good command today.
He’s throwing the ball so free and easy. He’s just trying to get quick outs and doing it.
What they havnt shared with us or the media is the have a wind enducing machine in the new stadium. With a flick of a switch, its homerun derby in the bronx. You heard it here first.
Why do you think it cost so much to build it?
——-
I was going to say that. It is quite a machine and you can’t even hear it. It blows from the second and 3rd levels and it starts blowing from just outside the seat lines so even the fans in those sections can’t feel it. Very creative.
The WS championships in 1921-22 were won while the Yankees were a tenant in the Polo grounds, Yankee stadium opened in 1923 where the remaining 24 World Series were won.
So the next World Championship (27) the Yankees win will be the third championship not won while residing in the House that Ruth built.
Burnett almost looks bored out there, he’s just so good.
CB, I really think he is the key as well. If he’s just good, which is the least I expect, the Yankees are going to be fine. However, if he’s very good – boy, look out. I like that he’s able to channel his emotions in a good way (sometimes Clemens had a hard time with that in big games) as witnessed by his performances against the Yankees and Sox. He wants the big game and that’s why I think he’ll do well in them. Coney’s a fan and I agree – I think we got AJ at the right time.
Just nasty…
Burnett does look efficient out there, huh?
I meant to mention – in the 6th, Berroa made a nice play on a grounder and it was nice to see AJ clap in appreciation. I think this team honestly supports each other which I haven’t seen in awhile now,.
So have there been enough X-men origins commercials yet?
Burnett is simply disgusting. Look at that curve ball he just struck Fukudome out on. Unreal. It’s almost not fair to be able to throw that pitch.
Fukudome is a left handed batter. Burnett throws him a curve ball and he has no chance whatsoever of hitting it. None. He could have told Fukudome what pitch he was going to throw and where he was going to throw it and Fukudome still wouldn’t be able to do anything with it.
“What they havnt shared with us or the media is the have a *wind enducing machine* in the new stadium”
Nothing new. They had that at the old stadium as well. His name is John Sterling.
I think today’s game proves that A.J. Burnett should be in the bullpen along with Joba.
‘So have there been enough X-men origins commercials yet?’
I am Wolverine
Sorry Brandon, you are not Brian Dawkins so you can’t claim that title
I was going to say that. It is quite a machine and you can’t even hear it. It blows from the second and 3rd levels and it starts blowing from just outside the seat lines so even the fans in those sections can’t feel it. Very creative.”
Not sure if you heard that they also quiet vents in front of the plate that causes Nasty movement on each pitch. The on and off switch is hidden in the Yankee catchers inner thigh. They give the sign turn it on and you get Burnett throwing wiffle balls to the plate.
The press box being farther away from the field, helps too, DT.
The ball isn’t affected the gravitational pull of Kay’s head.
The NET must go!
Horrible!
really really bothering me.
Pete, can you address this as a champion for the fans?
Good thing Molina didn’t hit one 500 feet then I would be really concerned.
Patrick, Dawkins is a sissy
It is so much more enjoyable watching AJ pitch now that he’s on our side.
CB, maybe you can answer this for me. How exactly does a pitcher go about varying the velocities on his FB? That’s intriguing to me, as I watch AJ pitch. Thanks!
Okay for all those who think it isn’t windy today, Jason Varitek just hit one out in RF of CF down the line with the flag fluttering on the pole. nuff said.
“The NET must go!
Horrible!
really really bothering me.
Pete, can you address this as a champion for the fans?”
Tell me about it, its really sucking up the coverage every time the ball goes into play, cannot believe they went ahead with this knowing fully well how tacky it looked on camera. Boo.
Well if Varitek can hit 1 out then the conversations should be over…its the wind.
RhapsodyInBlue
April 4th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
The WS championships in 1921-22 were won while the Yankees were a tenant in the Polo grounds, Yankee stadium opened in 1923 where the remaining 24 World Series were won.
So the next World Championship (27) the Yankees win will be the third championship not won while residing in the House that Ruth built.
————————————————————
The Yankees didn’t win the WS in 1921 or 1922.
damn
“Well if Varitek can hit 1 out then the conversations should be over…its the wind.”
Out of Citifield no less, it looked like a Pesky pole special from him.
If enough people complain about the nets – the Yanks will know they missed another ad producing territory.
Every other net hole could be an advertisement or YES promo.
Burnett really looks outstanding…I hope he saves some of it for when it counts. Too bad these 2 games don’t.
Yes is just finding away to get people talking about the Nets. They’re on YES too!
Schilling-like
AJ in and out of trouble. Kept his composure. I like it.
Nasty last pitch for AJ – nice to see him wiggle out of a jam……..and Paulie’s right, a pitcher would be (and should be) embarrasssed if he didn’t back up that play.
Betsy,
I agree with your take on the yanks and AJ. If he’s good then they’ll be fine. But it he continues to evolve off last year and continues to get better then this becomes a very special rotation.
The main thing that causes fastball velocity is obviously whether it a two seamer or 4 seamer. After that it’s really effort/ intention. It really has a lot to do with how hard the pitcher tries to throw.
Look at Jose Veras throw. He tries to throw as hard as he can when he throws his fastball.
Even better look at Bruney when he pitches bad. Often you can just see his intention to throw hard – how he gathers himself and brings his body to the plate. Unfortunately for Bruney when he does that his fastball flattens out and becomes easier to hit.
AJ has so much arm speed that it never looks like he’s trying to throw hard so with him it’s a little different.
But in this outing he’s been running his fastball, keeping it low in the zone and mixing his curveball very effectively. He’s got into some trouble there but looks great.
>Schilling-like
Because of the way he just RETIRED Brad Snyder?
Hey has any of you seen the previews for the new X-men?
Patrick, Dawkins is a sissy
YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT
@Candlestick Park I mean Citifield it’s 9-1
hmm welcome back Vizcanio? lol
Shelley duncs it over the LF wall
‘Because of the way he just RETIRED Brad Snyder?’
No because of the movement of his pitches. That’s what the Yankees are banking on him being.
GB7, I stand corrected, a senior moment, they lost both, 1921 in 8 games!
hmm yeah, welcome back Viz. a nice welcoming back gift from the Yanks.
>Hey has any of you seen the previews for the new X-men?
No. But I did hear that the movie studios couldn’t afford advertising due to the economic downturn.
The Yanks don’t seem to have a problem with the wind like the outfielders for the Cubs do. Maybe the Cubs pitching has something to do with it….
Nice double by Bobby Abreu, wait, that’s Melky! He looks like Abreu with this bad video quality MLBtv and the number 53.
I’m watching on HD so no way I’m confusing him w/ Bobby although his ABs look Bobby like.
Smar… if he were a Yankee prospect w/ that ERA he’d be called a scrub here, very promising arm there.
Over under on XMEN previews till the end of the game. 2
Pretty quick moving game considering the amount of hits and runs. Should be well under 3 hours if Bruney holds it together.
Did anyone see the X-men preview i missed it?
Nice, Bruney………..
nice cut fastball, that definitely wasn’t a slider Kay.
That YES gun is way off, Bruney at 87 mph on a fastball, yeah okay, couldn’t tell you the last time I saw that.
>No because of the movement of his pitches.
I know, I know. I was just in denial that a Yankee fan would ever compliment a Yankee by comparing him to a player Yankee fans have not so fond memories of.
I get the gist, though, Brandon.
“I’m smart! Not like everybody says…like dumb…I’m smart and I want respect!”
LOL it’s a pissy day.
Who’s getting the final out?
Marte I think
hate to bring up the Sox, but does anyone know why George Kattaras hasn’t been playing the past several games?
They are getting work for their minor league catchers but not Kottaras. I would be surprised if it’s simply due to Wakefield not pitching but thats all I can think of.
Coke
Bruney trusting the breaking ball on 3-2. nice to see…
Coke’s my guy. I’m thrilled we have this kid.
CB, that’s what I thought. I imagine trying to throw as hard as you can must be painful……or at least uncomfortable. I can absolutely see how that would lead to injuries – pitching is an unnatural thing anyway, but to put extra strain on your arm? I like AJ (besides him being a Yankee), so I obviously want to see him do well…..but not just for the team’s sake. I think it’s sad when players who are especially gifted don’t live up to their potential and are filled with regrets at the end of their careers. I’m not talking so much about those players who are just injury prone (though that just stinks), but those who trash the gifts they were given, through foolish or sometimes really damaging behavior. AJ seems to have found himself before it was too late……
GREAT game…I’m especially happy with Bruney because of his recent struggles.
Bruney also looks like a new man from 2 years ago. If he can pitch well this season, he might be able to score an endorsement deal with NutriSystem along with Golic and Marino.
I’m sure my Yankee bias has a hand in this, but I get the feeling that the Yanks are laying in the weeds just waiting to put a whuppin’ on the AL this year. All the national journalists, even the NY columnists seem to be down on them, but I think they have a great season brewing in the Bronx, getting ready to explode.
Well, next stop is the regular season and this team is about as ready as it can be outside of the ARod injury.
They made massive changes in the offseason and changed the entire model for the team on the field.
It’s a pitching first team now. It’ll be up to the staff to lead this team to the post season in a very difficult division.
The defense will be markedly better. Replacing Giambi and Abreu with Tex and Nady/Swisher will be a huge upgrade. Replacing Melky with Gardner will also be a significant upgrade given gardner’s range.
Cano had a terrific spring training last year only to turn into one of the worst players in baseball for the next several months. But Cano has looked great this spring. His at bats have been very good – even when he’s making outs they are good outs. He’s taking the ball the other way and is consistently driving it. I was happy to see him continue having good at bats the past two days. Some guys have trouble with colder weather and it’s good to see that he his at bats haven’t changed much outside of florida.
The bull pen has questions but every bull pen does. Most importantly the yankees pen is better by a signficant margin compared to the Rays and Sox pen. Phil Coke could be something special in the pen.
Girardi seems much more relaxed this spring.
Now it’s really up to the players on the field. The management and staff has done about all that’s possible to maximize this team’s chance of winning.
On paper this is a 103-105 win team.
But it’s now up to the players to take advantage of this opportunity. It’s now about that cliche Jeter always repeats – which is very true – the games are decided on the field.
Betsy
April 4th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
CB, that’s what I thought. I imagine trying to throw as hard as you can must be painful……or at least uncomfortable. I can absolutely see how that would lead to injuries – pitching is an unnatural thing anyway, but to put extra strain on your arm? I like AJ (besides him being a Yankee), so I obviously want to see him do well…..but not just for the team’s sake. I think it’s sad when players who are especially gifted don’t live up to their potential and are filled with regrets at the end of their careers. I’m not talking so much about those players who are just injury prone (though that just stinks), ***but those who trash the gifts they were given, through foolish or sometimes really damaging behavior***
————————————————————
as hard as it is to believe by looking at his numbers, Mickey Mantle is the greatest example of that. Joe Pepitone is close.
Betsy,
you should take a look at some of the throws from Billy Wagner. He put so much stress on his elbow to throw as hard as he did, it amazes me he didn’t get hurt more than he did.
I’m no expert by any means but I’m surprised AJ has been hurt as much as he has because of his smooth delivery and seemingly clean mechanics. Perhaps he has changed his delivery over the past couple years (since his last major injury). Does anyone know?
this is the only pic of Wagner I could find:
http://www.chrisoleary.com/pro.....06_002.jpg
Am I the only one who was bothered that the PA announcer was not the Bob Sheppard sound-alike? It sounded like the PA from Shea… which threw me off the entire game. Not a fan.
Didn’t see the whole game, but I did catch that inning that Burnett got into…and out of…trouble. That pitch for a called strike 3 to Blanco was just, nasty, filthy whatever you want to call it. And Molina’s so good at framing pitches. AJ backing up Molina was great to see, too.
Can’t wait for Monday. BTW, why are the Phillies and Braves both playing the day before their opener? They can’t be too happy about that.
CB,
Knowing they’ll be adding an MVP candidate in a few weeks is crazy. They appear to be running on all cylinders right now. They’ve already faced adversity with ARod but I think the team is well suited to handle the next “issue”.
what do you think about the Rays sending Price down knowing this division, or the wildcard, will probably be won or lost by a game or two?
m,
it looked to be a big strike zone today but I think AJ actually realized this and used it.
It seemed like he could put the ball wherever he wanted to and that, for opponents, is a scary thought.
Boston Dave
April 4th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Betsy,
you should take a look at some of the throws from Billy Wagner. He put so much stress on his elbow to throw as hard as he did, it amazes me he didn’t get hurt more than he did.
I’m no expert by any means but I’m surprised AJ has been hurt as much as he has because of his smooth delivery and seemingly clean mechanics. Perhaps he has changed his delivery over the past couple years (since his last major injury). Does anyone know?
this is the only pic of Wagner I could find:
————————————————————
I posted this site a couple of weeks ago that has about 2 and half hours of videos of Dr. Mike Marshall (former NL Cy Young winner and holds both league records for games pitched and finished. amazing stuff on preventing arm injuries.
http://www.drmikemarshall.com
Boston Dave,
Thanks for that. But replays did show that particular pitch was indeed nasty!!
But he did look calm out there. Seems like 50,000 fans screaming for him or against him doesn’t bother him a bit.
“Most importantly the yankees pen is better by a signficant margin compared to the Rays and Sox pen.”
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it’s a good thing you don’t work for ESPN because you’d have been fired for saying this.
seriously though, I’d like to hear your thoughts on why the Yanks pen is better than the Sox and/or Rays. I agree but an argument can be made either way.
GB7,
thanks for posting that. I bookmarked it when you originally posted it and need to finish watching the videos.
Yanks should hire him as an advisor.
If Wagner didn’t put that kind of torque on his arm, I wonder if he would have been able to throw as hard as he did? He might have been healthier, but never been a star pitcher. Doing it the way he did, though, his arm may bother him the rest of his life, but he has made millions doing it, and has had a great career.
I was also surprised to see CB say that about our pen. I’ve almost been convinced by the “mediots” that the Sox pen is almost on par with ours (even though they say it’s superior, I love ours).
Delcarmen is the weak spot. Don’t know much about the new pitcher they brought in from KC (?). Saito’s arm is being held together by human glue. Seems like Paps doesn’t want to throw his offspeed stuff.
I’d like to hear CB’s analysis, too.
m,
calm might be an understatement. It’s spring training, sure, but it’s still his first time pitching in the new stadium for Yankee fans and looked to be “locked in”.
We’ll see how the regular season pressure unfolds but I’m starting to believe that he’ll fit right into the pinstripes.
Boston Dave
April 4th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
GB7,
thanks for posting that. I bookmarked it when you originally posted it and need to finish watching the videos.
Yanks should hire him as an advisor.
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Yep. He lives in the Tampa/Orlando area and would be perfect for on-call. First thing the Yanks need to do is get rid of Billy Conners.
Pena is out!!!
BD,
Agreed on them adding Alex to this mix. I’ve been very cautious in my expectations for this team as so many of the past off seasons one could argue that they looked like the best team on paper.
What’s strange about this team for me is that when I take my heart out of it, when I think less like a fan, and try to look at it more analytically – this team looks better rather than worse.
It’s strange – being more objective with this group of players makes their probability of success even higher.
The variables really are injuries, older players suddenly getting disproportionately worse (a la Varitek falling off a cliff…), AJ Burnett and Brett Gardner. To me those are roughly the issues the team is dealing with.
Now that’s a lot – but every team this time of year has those kinds of concerns.
Not everything is going to go right – not even close – but this team has such good pitching it’s really hard to get over. And that’s going to be the anchor. That doesn’t go away unless there are injuries.
And this year – even if say wang gets hurt again and misses the season – it would hurt but they could absorb the loss given how good the other 4 are and hughes.
Normally I would be very down on Tampa sending Price down. I thought it was a terrible decision for them to not break camp last year with Longoria (and that move could have cost them the division…).
But given that Price is a pitcher and on an innings limit I don’t think it’s that major an issue. He’s far too good and too special to just run out there for 200 innings (a la the what the tigers did with Verlander – who now looks awful…).
And on top of that both Niemann and Hammels are out of options and Hammel isn’t considered a good fit for the pen.
All that together I don’t think it was a bad decision.
But it very well may cost them. We’ll see.
They have to hope that Nimann and Hammels pitch well and up their trade value.
They are going to be very good this year. Upton very well could propel himself into the elite category this year. He could better than Grady Sizemore if his labrum is ok. His combination of athletic prowess and patience at the plate is just tremendous.
I do think the Sox pen has improved dramatically (due to a full season of Masterson alone) but people are forgetting that the Yanks pen was great last year and you’d have to think it will be just as good or better this year.
It’s amazing how analysts rely on #s when it suits them but rely on big names and ignore the #s and common sense when they feel like it.
I hope the senior citizen makes the team
CB,
I forgot about the innings limit. that does make sense. They could go the Joba route but they, of course, have financial reasons for not doing that.
Just got back from the game.
When you scan your own ticket? you hear Bob Sheppards’s voice “Welcome to Yankee Stadium”
The other thing to keep in mind when talking about sending Price down is the long term outlook for the Rays. They will miss him for a few months this season but it will keep him under control for another year. Will losing Price for a few months be the difference in making the playoffs or not? Maybe, but the payoff is they get to keep him for an extra season. It’s a risk but teams like Tampa have to take those kinds of risks.
GB, I remember when Mantle died, Roy Clark sang that beautifully sad song, When I was Young – it was all about regrets. I think you mentioned once that Mickey requested that Clark sing that song at his funeral. Mickey was way before my time, but I’ve read about his off-field antics. I honestly can’t even imagine how good this guy must have been. He’s the idol of so many Yankee fans – he’s almost mythical in my mind because of the power, speed, arm – all the tools that people speak of. He almost seems like a real life Roy Hobbes. Anyway, that Clark song always makes me cry because it’s about regrets and I’m sorry that Mickey had so many. I don’t know much about Joe Pepitone – can you fill me in? Thanks!
BD, that’s a good photo – it really looks like Wagner is straining there. You can see it in his arm, nevermind his face.
I think AJ did tweak his mechanics a year or two ago. Some guy on the internet says he’s an arm injury waiting (again) to happen because he’s there’s an inverted W in his delivery – I don’t know, it’s confusing. All I know is that AJ looks smooth as butter out there, like Mo.
BD, I thought the ump was consistent for both sides – and that was a good thing. Even in AJ’s 4th inning, he was still missing down when he missed. M, I agree – good fundamentals in AJ getting back there. It seems so easy and obvious, but sometimes you see pitchers forget what they are supposed to do after the ball leaves their hand.
Davidoff predicts we will win the wild card and lose to the Angels in the 1st round. His pick is Boston over Arizona in the WS
While not particularly surprised, I am pretty ticked off to hear they are playing the same crap they have been playing since i started going to yankee games when i was 10. i mean if they dont change up the ymca, smith’s version of god bless america, cotton eye joe etc. now, when exactly are they planning on updating these shannanigans? I dont even stand up for ymca anymore never mind enjoy it. I dont know if they are still doing cotton eye joe but ive heard that song so many times i get a headache when i hear it now. Its awful. This was the perfect time to change it up – the perfect opportunity to update or eliminate the shoddy in game entertainment. I like the stuff of the huge screen for the most part but i can do without every song they play.
There are sooo many good songs in this world and they choose to play the same stupid crap over and over again. The yanks had their chance and as they have done for the large majority of time with in game entertainment they blew it once again.
“I’ve almost been convinced by the “mediots” that the Sox pen is almost on par with ours (even though they say it’s superior, I love ours).”
I might be completely wrong, but I just don’t see this as being all that close and I’ve been surprised to see this brought up as a serious issue.
I think the Sox pen will be better than last year. I like Ramirez quite a bit. If masterson stays in the pen he’s a real plus as well.
But the yankee’s pen will also be much better than last year – and they were terrific last year. They will have Marte, Bruney, Coke and Albabladejo for the whole year. Veras and Edwar have a year more experience. Robertson now has major league expereince. And last year to begin with the yankees pen was much better.
Bull pen’s are inherently volatile and that’s why I like the yanks pen much more than I do the sox. They yankees have tremendous depth outside. Sort of ridiculous depth. There is not one “bad” relief pitcher in the pen right now.
And they have so many guys in AAA and even AA waiting to break through.
The Sox pen really, really is going to depend on Saito. If Saito is somehow his old self that will be a very good pen. I just have trouble believing that will be the case for the whole season. I just don’t see it. I have no faith in Declaramen at all. None.
To me the Sox pen is Papelbon, Ramirez, Masterson and Okajima. That’s the core. And the rest are significant question marks. Even there you could say Okajima is question mark given how he wore down last year. Same for Masterson – are left handed hitters going to continue to figure him out?
Right now outside of Mo the yankees pen looks to be around 40 runs better than replacement. That’s just phenomenal for a middle relief corp. It really is difficult to get a group of middle relievers who look to be so much better than other middle relievers. Usually they are all kind of the same so it’s more or less a wash. But that’s not the case. Compared to other pens the yankees pen is looks to be considerably better because of its depth.
There’s no guy there who is just taking up a spot because ther was no one better.
Last season the yankee’s pen threw close to 40% of the team’s innings while putting up an era of around 3.7. That’s unreal. It’s remarkable.
The reason why isn’t the ERA – it was the workload. Most pen’s will utterly collapse if they have to throw more than say 35% of a teams innings. They just get exhausted. This is why the mets collapsed so badly the past two years.
The yankee pen threw 40% of the innings and thrived. How is that possible? Depth. That was it. It’s simply not humanly possible to have the same 7 man pen throw 40% of a teams innings.
The yankees last year really used like a 12 man pen. That’s how they shouldered so many of the innings. They spread them out over more people.
You can only do that if you have very strong depth. The Sox simply don’t have that. Outside of Bard they don’t have much in terms of relief pitching prospects. And I think Bard will have trouble adjusting to the majors if they rush him. Perhaps they could use Buchholz or Bowden in the pen? Or Smoltz?
So to me the reason why the yanks pen is better than the sox is because the yanks really have say a 12-14 man pen while boston has much less depth and more question marks.
BD, I was curious as to how AJ would do today as well, given how much he was looking forward to it. I said before, though, that he seems able to channel his emotions positively on the mound – and he’s thrived on beating the Sox and Yanks in their own parks, using the crowds’ nasty edge almost as motivation.
Wow, 40% of the Yankees’ innings last year came from the pen? That’s mind-blowing.
Outside of Mo, the pen doesn’t have any big names, but that shouldn’t matter in evaluating the players. It just seems like if you put on a Sox uniform, you become 50% better. It’s ridiculous. Fortunately, the Yankee players don’t care what mediots say about them……..the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. They just need to go out there and get the job done.
Three random observations:
1. Uuh, Michelle Obama is UUU-GGG-L-Y!
2. Just perusing some of the photos from the European trip, Michelle Obama looks like a freaky giant.
3. Michelle Obama is UUU-GGG-L-Y!
One of Boston’s main weaknesses last year was a bad bullpen. Tampa had a very good bullpen last year but a lot of that was because 3 guys had career years. You all saw how they fell apart in the postseason.
The Yankees bullpen is really good, it looks even better than last year’s. That’s saying something considering the only aspect of the 2008 Yankees team that outperformed projections was the bullpen. The offense, defense and starting pitching all did worse than projected. One of the main reasons the Yanks won so many games was the bullpen.
Just think, the second best relief pitcher isn’t even on the team right now (Melancon). You could assemble a second legit bullpen from guys that the Yanks have stashed in AA and AAA. Melancon, Robertson, Aceves, Hacker, Cox, Claggett, Jackson. And you’ve still got Sanchez, Teixeira, De la rosa, Dunn, etc etc
Betsy,
I agree. Also having pitched in the AL East is a big plus for AJ.
I laugh at the Brad Penny – AJ comparisons that some have used when comparing the Sox in defense of picking them to win the division. Penny was horrible last year but even when he was good he was in one of the top pitchers parks. That alone should keep people from making those comparisons (yet), nevermind the huge disparity in stuff.
I have seen AJ get hit hard in some games the past so I know to keep expectations down a little, but it’s hard to do that when you get caught up in potential. He could be unhittable on any given day.
“They will have Marte, Bruney, Coke and Albabladejo for the whole year.”
How do you know they’ll be available all year?
Even if they were to have only OKjima, their pen is already better. OKjima is god. Haven’t you heard. He has already proven himself as the greatest reliever in history.
Betsy
April 4th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
GB, I remember when Mantle died, Roy Clark sang that beautifully sad song, When I was Young – it was all about regrets. I think you mentioned once that Mickey requested that Clark sing that song at his funeral. Mickey was way before my time, but I’ve read about his off-field antics. I honestly can’t even imagine how good this guy must have been. He’s the idol of so many Yankee fans – he’s almost mythical in my mind because of the power, speed, arm – all the tools that people speak of. He almost seems like a real life Roy Hobbes. Anyway, that Clark song always makes me cry because it’s about regrets and I’m sorry that Mickey had so many. I don’t know much about Joe Pepitone – can you fill me in? Thanks!
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Yeah, the song was “Yesterday When I Was Young”. Ted Williams and Ty Cobb were talking at a Yankees/Red Sox game and both agreed that the most gifted ball player they had ever seen was Mickey Mantle. They said that although the injuries were hurting him, two things were keeping him from ever getting to the top level….his careless off-field habits and lack of rehabbing injuries, but, also his stubbornness. Mantle was extremely coachable in all areas except one….hitting. He learned how he was taught by his father and refused to change. He said he swung as hard as he did because he wanted to hit a home run every time, even if a single would win the game. He said he wanted to see just how far he could hit the ball. Williams said if he had cut down the swing, he could hit 400 foot homers instead of 500 footers, but, with his speed, he could hit .400 every year. I’ve never seen a better bunter in my life.
Pepitone had Don Mattingly ability with the bat and glove at 1st base, but, he was also an exceptional center fielder. He was pretty harmless, except to himself. Grew up in Brooklyn, ran with gangs and the year before signing with NYY got in a gang fight and was shot in the stomach. He pretty much wasted his career drinking and partying.
Another wasted career was Denny McLain. That was a tragedy that he caused with gambling, loan sharking and getting tied up with the mob.
Boston Dave, one encouraging thing about AJ is that he wanted to stay in the AL East. He likes facing, and is comfortable doing so, these tough hitters. He’s got a great mentality in that regard – it’s just whether or not his brain caught up to his arm. It seems that it has. I saw a quote from him today that says this is the best he’s felt in a long time – nice to hear and I hope he can keep it up.
Wow, GB – thanks for the history lesson. Imagine a slugger today bunting? I can’t imagine it…..Shame that the Mick was so stubborn as to hitting, but maybe he felt that doing anything different than what his father had taught him would be a betrayal in a way? Also a shame about Pepitone (though he was lucky to live through a shot to the stomach) and McClain – getting caught up with the mob? Wow. I still marvel at anyone winning 31 games in a season.
Pepitone’s biggest problem was that he idolized Mantle and Mantle took him everywhere…as long it was a bar.
Rob NY…
The best thing you said was that proper preparation ahead of time gives the best chance for positive results. I’ve made my living in the performing arts for 23+ years, and I’m *always* judged pretty much only on my most recent show. Sometimes, the best I’m able to do on a given day may not match my *best*, but it’s good enough for that day.