The LoHud Yankees Blog

I asked Joe Girardi if he felt better prepared for this season than he did at this time last year.

“Yes you do, because you know what it’s like to sit in that chair,” he said. “You know all the different things you have to address and handle and you know the personality of the players a lot better than you did the year before and what they’re capable of doing and what they need and what they won’t need. Just a year of understanding what the job entails.”

In terms of other things, Girardi said he liked having the second lefty in the bullpen. Phil Coke could be used to get one batter or for up to 40 pitches. “We could use him any time,” he said.

Jorge Posada on how much he was looking forward to Opening Day: “A lot. A lot. It’s been a long time. I haven’t played in a while. … You have to put in the time when you’re hurt and do everything right. It’s a lot of work. Just to be out there again will be fun. I’m eager to see how the team looks and how we play.”

Derek Jeter on the rotation: “On paper we have some pretty good starters. We have guys that are capable of dominating people. You know, it’s a challenge facing any one of them, one through five. For us, that’s a good thing. In order to win you need pitchers who can shut teams down and we have that.”

Monday: LHP CC Sabathia (17-10. 2.70 in 2008) for the Yankees vs. RHP Jeremy Guthrie (10-12, 3.63), 4:05, YES, WCBS 880

Wednesday: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (8-2, 4.07) vs. RHP Koji Uehara (6-5, 3.81 for Yomiuri Giants), 7:05, YES, WCBS 880

Thursday: RHP A.J. Burnett (18-10, 4.07) vs. RHP Alfredo Simon (0-0, 6.23), 1:35, YES, WCBS 880

CC Sabathia is 5-0, 2.38 against Baltimore in his career, 3-0, 2.60 in four starts at Camden Yards.

“I don’t know the stats but I know I’ve pitched well here,” he said. “I’m excited to get the season started.

Meanwhile, Baltimore native Mark Teixeira will have a bunch of people at the game tomorrow. He said that while he considered the Orioles and Nationals, he wanted to be a Yankee. “I had some of my buddies call and say some nasty things when I signed with the Yankees,” he said with a laugh. “I expect I’ll get booed.”

Joe Girardi announced his lineup for tomorrow:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Nady RF
Ransom 3B
Gardner CF

Joe said he gave the team a brief talk today that was mainly, “keep doing what you have been doing.”

Joba Chamberlain threw in a minor-league intrasquad game today in Tampa. His line:

5 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run 3 walks, 5 strikeouts, 76 pitches / 50 strikes.

Girardi said he is waiting for Alex Rodriguez to return a message so he can find out how his rehab is progressing.

The team took a special train to Baltimore from Penn Station. “I had never been on a train before,” said Nick Swisher, who grew up in Ohio and played most of his career in California. “Pretty cool.”

The players were all trying on their new caps with the Yankee Stadium patch on the back.

Here’s the Earl Weaver tribute in the Baltimore dugout. Pretty cool.

One of the best parts of this job Is talking to guys who make the team for the first time.

Ramiro Pena was smiling the entire time he spoke to us.

His mom, Armandina, cried back in Monterrey when Ramiro gave her the news.

“We were all so happy,” he said.

Camden Yards is a beehive of activity on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. Workers are painting the dugout roof, installing bunting on the railings and getting the park ready for Opening Day.

The yard opened up in 1992 and it’s still in like-new condition. What a great place to watch a game.

The Yankees will be on the field around 1:15 or so.

After Alex Rodriguez boasted about working out while other players took their kids to school, Trot Nixon called him a clown.

Then we learned that the Yankees referred to Alex as a fraud.

Now Derek Jeter’s new buddy, Dustin Pedroia, is adding his thoughts to the debate.

“That guy,” he tells Boston Magazine, “is a dork.”

The whole story is here. It’s elfin magic at its best.

(Thanks to River Ave Blues for pointing the story out).

Meanwhile, I’m headed to Camden Yards to see the club work out. I’ll try and take some photos.

I love the YES Network. When I wake up on the couch at 4 a.m., there is almost always a YES Network infomercial on and two weeks later I get a ShamWow in the mail. It holds 12 times its weight in liquid!

But the YES Network web site used to be full of such stories as “Levine, Trost urge fans to sell children to afford tickets” and “Steinbrenner wins Tampa marathon while carrying grand piano.” Lately, however, the site is really trying.

Take their blogs, for instance. They’ve entered into agreement with our friends from River Ave. Blues to provide some content. Those guys do a great job and I’m looking forward to seeing how that works out. They also have two of their on-air personalities writing blogs.

The lovely and talented Kim Jones has Keeping Up With the Jones.

The lovely and talented Bob Lorenz has The Blob. Catchy name, Bob.

Seriously, Kim and Bob are funny, know the Yankees and will provide some unique insight. So check out what they’re doing. Then come back here.

It only took two comments for somebody to propose to Kim. That wacky internet.

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Ron asked me to pass this along:

A few tickets remain for the LoHud Blog Outing to see the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees take on the Pawtucket Red Sox on Sunday, July 5 at 5 p.m. The outing will be held in the Right Field Bullpen Field Box at PNC Field.

The price is $32 per person except for children 2 and under who are free. This includes the game ticket, program, hat, all you can eat food (hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ chicken, pasta salad, cole slaw, baked beans, watermelon, cookies) and unlimited soda and water. The bullpen field box will also have a dedicated bartender servicing a cash bar.

If interested please e-mail me (Ron) at yankslifer@yahoo.com with the number of tickets you’d like, and if they are available I’ll send you an invoice through PayPal.