The LoHud Yankees Blog

Here’s the official release from Major League Baseball.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that three Minor League players have received 50-game suspensions after each tested positive for substances in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program:

• Pitcher Rony Bautista of the New York Yankees organization (Dominican Summer League) has been suspended after testing positive for a metabolite of Boldenone.

• Pitcher Roberto Toribio of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization (Dominican Summer League) has been suspended after testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.

• Outfielder Miguel Negron of the Chicago White Sox organization (Triple-A Charlotte of the International League) has been suspended for a second positive test for a drug of abuse.

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I can’t find a single record of any pitcher named Bautista pitching anywhere in the Yankees system last year. The Yankees have two DSL teams, and Rony Bautista doesn’t appear in the season stats for either team. He doesn’t show up in 2008 either, and the team’s media guide doesn’t list him among the Yankees minor leaguers. I don’t doubt Bautista has signed a contract with the Yankees, it just seems that he’s a long, long way from being especially active in the organization. I’ve certainly never heard of him.

Although it sounds like Jay Leno’s 10 p.m. show has been such a disaster that he’s already going back to 11:30, there was (apparently) a pretty entertaining segment on Thursday night. Leno had Denzel Washington on as a guest and – since Denzel is a Yankees fan – set up a game-show style trivia contest with Washington facing off against CC Sabathia.

Give Washington credit: He knows his Yankees, correctly answering that Yogi Berra endorsed Yoo-Hoo and that Alfonso Soriano holds the record for most strikeouts in a season by a Yankee (CC guessed that it was Reggie Jackson). Check out the clip here.

(For the record, CC says his favorite Denzel movie is “Out of Time.” Mine is probably “Training Day,” though I have a soft spot for “Remember the Titans,” which – random fact alert – had several scenes filmed at a high school right next to my freshman dorm at Emory.)

Earlier this year, I wrote a piece on how Joe Girardi and Michael Kay have coped with the presence of Alzheimer’s in their family lives (Girardi’s dad, Jerry, has it; Kay’s mom, Rose, passed away in 2006 after suffering from it). Girardi was very gracious during the interview and we spent quite a while talking in his office at Yankee Stadium about the importance of family.

Despite an obviously-demanding schedule, Girardi does all he can to be around his wife and kids. He is one of the few managers to frequently open up the clubhouse for the daughters of players after games (usually only sons are allowed) and in his office, right next to the big wooden locker where he hangs his clothes, is another locker about half the size of a regular one. It’s for Girardi’s son, Dante, who will dutifully change into his own play clothes before running around on the Stadium field long after a game is over.

I mention this because I came across this story recently, and thought I’d pass it on. It’s a nice piece from The Daily Northwestern, the paper at Girardi’s alma mater, and it gives some more insight and background into the part of Girardi’s life that clearly defines him. For those fans who want to know more about what drives their manager, family is a good place to start.

It’s a tried and true offseason blog post: A team of free agents. And so, here is my 25-man roster of players still on the market.

1. Johnny Damon, LF
2. Orlando Hudson, 2B
3. Miguel Tejada, 3B
4. Vladimir Guerrero, DH
5. Jermaine Dye, RF
6. Adam LaRoche, 1B
7. Bengie Molina, C
8. Reed Johnson, CF
9. Orlando Cabrera, SS  

B. Yorvit Torrealba, C
B. Jerry Hairston Jr., INF
B. Randy Winn, OF
B. Xavier Nady, OF

I cheated a bit and put Tejada at third (though I honestly believe he’ll end up there next season). I went with LaRoche over Russell Branyan at first base, and — unlike Joe Torre in the playoffs – I went with Orlando Hudson over Ron Belliard at second. Picking a bench is tough. I thought about Scott Podsednik because my team is kind of slow, then I remembered it’s a completely fictional team, and in my fictional world, I decided Xavier Nady is coming back healthy as a horse.

1. Ben Sheets, RHP
2. Joel Pineiro, RHP
3. Jarrod Washburn, LHP
4. Jon Garland, RHP
5. Erik Bedard, LHP

B. Jose Valverde, RHP
B. Chad Bradford, RHP
B. Kiko Calero, RHP
B. Brian Shouse, LHP
B. Brett Myers, RHP
B. Will Ohman, LHP
B. John Smoltz, RHP

If only injuries never happened, this team would have a no-doubt ace in Sheets followed by Mark Prior, Chien-Ming Wang, Mark Mulder and Jason Schmidt. Noah Lowry would be hanging out in Triple-A. Instead it’s a questionable version of Sheets followed by some middle or back-of-the-rotation starters. Bedard is in there, but he’d need a caddy for the start of the season, so let’s say Doug Davis gets that job. After Valverde, most of the bullpen is pick and choose whoever you want from a fairly hit-or-miss group of options. 

On Sunday, Sam wrote that it’s hard to imagine the NHL’s Winter Classic coming to Yankee Stadium in 2011. It seems he’s not the only one who sees it that way.

The Record reported today that the NHL and ESPN are ready to look elsewhere, with Citi Field “the only other site that will be considered.” Playing the hockey game at Yankee Stadium is problematic because of the college football bowl game that will be played in December.

A few other notes from around the Internet:

• Our good friend Pete Abraham has heard the Yankees are out of the Aroldis Chapman bidding, but notes that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Yankees go after the young lefty. Pete also wrote that Chien-Ming Wang, “has told friends he is prepared to move on from the Yankees.”

• Speaking of Chapman, I still think it’s hard to read much into any of this speculation about where he might sign. Yesterday there were conflicting reports about the Marlins (one saying Florida was making a push, another saying they conceeded defeat). Today, it was conflicting Angels rumors (pro and con) making the rounds.

• Peter Gammons did a chat in which he speculated that Johnny Damon might not be completely off the Yankees’ radar. “I keep thinking that if Damon cant find a job at 2 yrs. and a total of $20 million that perhaps he’ll come back to the Yankees for one or two years and then hit the market next fall,” Gammons wrote.

• The terms of Eric Hinske’s contract with the Braves: One year deal, $1 million with $500,000 in incentives.

Brian Cashman says he’s looking for a, “right-handed hitting outfielder that Joe can look on the bench and say, I’m not going to start one of my left-handers, I’m going to start a right-hander.” Based on his previous moves this winter, we can assume Cashman wants a player on a one-year deal. Based on the fact he sees this spot as a bench role, we can assume he’s not willing to spend more than — I’m guessing here — $3 million or so.

Cashman could trade to fill the spot, but unless such a deal costs virtually nothing in terms of prospects, a trade seems unlikely. Cashman has been hesitant to deal young players, and he’s already traded away six of them this winter. Giving up a couple more to fill a bench spot? I just don’t see it. It’s certainly possible, but free agency offers enough options that a trade seems unlikely (in my opinion).

Wanted: One right-handed hitting outfielder who comes reasonably cheap. Defensive versatility a plus. One-year deal prefered. Enough big league time to be a justifiable upgrade over a Rule 5 pick. Quite a few players fit that description, including these free agents.

Rocco Baldelli
Opening day age: 28
Career splits vs. LHP: .295/.346/.485
Previous contract: One year, $500,000 with heavy incentives
Versatility: Primarily a CF, a lot of RF last year, three games in LF
There’s some injury risk with Baldelli, and he hasn’t played more than 92 games in a season since 2004, his second year in he big leagues. Hard to say how much speed he has left, he’s stolen only five bases the past three years. Still has some power, though.

Jermaine Dye
Opening day age: 36
Career splits vs. LHP: .287/.366/.505
Previous contract: Two years, $22 million
Versatility: Primarily a RF, some time in LF
Hard to say how much Dye might sign for this winter. The White Sox turned down an option to pay him $12 million. The Yankees are reported to be not interested, but Dye does swing right handed and still has legitimate power. Probably not a good match now that the DH spot is filled.

Jonny Gomes
Opening day age: 29
Career splits vs. LHP: .274/.369/.517
Previous contract: Minor league deal
Versatility: He’s played LF and RF, but primarily a DH
A lot of power and a lot of strikeouts from the right side. Not much of a defensive player, but he’s handled both corners in the past. With Brett Gardner and Jamie Hoffmann on the team, there would be more than one late-inning defensive option.

Jerry Hairston Jr.
Opening day age: 33
Career splits vs. LHP: .264/.323/.386
Previous contract: One year, $2 million
Versatility: 62 games of experience at six positions
Easily the most versatile player on the list, Hairston could return to the Yankees strictly as a utility infielder or he could return as a legitimate option for regular starts in the outfield. He actually has much more big league time in the outfield than at either shortstop or third base. One of the lesser offensive options, though.

Reed Johnson
Opening day age: 33
Career splits vs. LHP: .313/.378/.463
Previous contract: One year, $3 million
Versatility: Considerable experience in LF, RF and CF
I’ve written before that this is my favorite of the group. His splits against lefties are outstanding, and his splits against right-handers aren’t crippling. He’s a nice player who could give all three outfielders a day off from time to time, and could step into an everyday role if necessary. Also has a lot of experience in the AL East, having spent five years with the Blue Jays. For whatever it’s worth, he also gets hit by a ton of pitches.

Melvin Mora
Opening day age: 38
Career splits vs. LHP: .268/.351/.454
Previous contract: Three years, $25 million
Veratility: Primarily a 3B with 344 games in the OF
Mora played quite a bit of outfield earlier in his career. He’s kind of an odd fit on this list, but assuming he could still play the outfield, he could meet the specifications, with the added bonus of being able to give Alex Rodriguez some days off at third. His numbers were pretty bad last year, but he had 104 RBI in 2008. Probably not a good fit, but worth listing just the same.

Xavier Nady
Opening day age: 31
Career splits vs. LHP: .308/.383/.471
Previous contract: One year, $6.55 million
Versatility: Both OF corners and 1B
In theory, this is a great fit. Nady’s a good hitter, who could play well above the discounted contract he’s sure to receive. But he’s also coming off a second elbow surgery and brings considerable risk. Can he still play the outfield? Can he still hit? If the Yankees can, Nady might be worth bringing back. If not, he might be as unreliable as the Rule 5 pick Jamie Hoffmann.

Robb Quinlan
Opening day age: 33
Career splits vs. LHP: .299/.340/.456
Previous contract: One year, $1.1 million
Versatility: Mostly 3B and 1B, has also played LF and RF
I wasn’t going to include Quinlan, but his splits against lefties are surprisingly good. I honestly don’t know much about his defense, but the Angels used him at all four corners. Certainly not a big name, but he’s a career .281 hitter and is used to playing a role off the bench.

Fernando Tatis
Opening day age: 35
Career splits vs. LHP: .272/.351/.457
Previous contract: One year, $1.75 million
Versatility: Primarily a 3B, a lot of LF recently
After one huge year in St. Louis, Tatis has settled into a complimentary role. He has a little bit of power. He’s hit for a good average the past two years. He brings solid defensive flexibility, though I’m not sure he’s a great defensive player at any position. His splits against lefties are actually not that much better than his splits against righties.

Marcus Thames
Opening day age: 33
Career splits vs. LHP: .256/.329/.516
Previous contract: One year, $2.275 million
Versatility: Mostly LF, some time in RF and 1B
During the Winter Meetings, when news of the Curtis Granderson trade broke, the writer I was sitting next to immediately declared that the Yankees would end up signing a right-handed corner outfielder. He did a quick run through the Internet and announced his guess: Marcus Thames. It’s not a bad option considering the considerable power and experience in a part-time role. Thames was originally drafted by the Yankees but was then traded for Ruben Sierra.

Randy Winn
Opening day age: 35
Career splits vs. LHP: .280/.332/.426
Previous contract: Three years, $23.25 million
Versatility: At least 400 games at all three OF spots
Winn is a switch hitter, and he’s generally hit both lefties and righties pretty well (but he’s been a little better against RHP and was awful against LHP last year). He probably doesn’t work for two reasons. 1. He’s probably looking for a guaranteed starting job. 2. There’s not guarantee he’ll actually be cheap enough to fit the Yankees plans.

The Yankees are World Series champions, to be sure, but could they also be champions of the world?

A report in a Japanese newspaper today says that Bud Selig is interested in having the champions of MLB play the Japanese league champions in a sort of Global Championship Series. The story says that Selig and Japanese commissioner Ryozo Kato discussed the concept during meetings in Milwaukee, and that Selig has told Kato that he would like to see the “Global World Series” (step 1: find  a better name) before the end of his term in 2012.

To me, this sounds like a great idea, albeit with a few sizable questions that need answering:

1. When is the series played? If it’s in November, or right after the season ends, then great; if it’s another one of these spring training situations (a la the WBC), then why bother?

2. Where would the games be held? Jet-lag is, obviously, an issue, but holding it in a neutral country would just deny the fan bases in both countries. I’d think it would have to be an alternating set-up, with the series in Japan one year and then here the next.

3. Most importantly, would people watch? Would you?

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I’m told by our tech folks that the blog had an outage of some kind earlier, but should be back up and running now. My apologies for the inconvenience.

Joba Chamberlain, Lou Piniella and Darryl Strawberry will be among those honored at the Thurman Munson Awards Dinner. Here’s the official release:

Champions past and present will be honored at the 30th Anniversary Thurman Munson Awards Dinner, remembering the late, great New York Yankees catcher and captain on Tuesday night, February 2, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. New York Yankees 2009 World Champion pitcher Joba Chamberlain; Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, Thurman’s teammate on the Bronx Bombers’ 1977 and ’78 World Series title teams; 1986 New York Mets World Champion and Yankees 1996, ’98 and ‘99 champion outfielder Darryl Strawberry; Knicks starting point guard Chris Duhon, a member of Duke’s 2001 NCAA championship squad; and Yonkers Raceway’s two-time champion driver Jason Bartlett will be the recipients of Munson Awards from the AHRC-New York City Foundation.

Piniella, a previous Munson Award recipient, will receive the “Legend Award” for his long and meritorious service to baseball. Lynn Pike, the president of Capital One Bank, will receive the “Corporate Hero Award.” For tickets and information on the Munson Awards Dinner contact 212-249-6188.

Diana Munson, Thurman’s widow, will attend the gala, and has been involved in the benefit since its inception, raising nearly $10 million to assist children and adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Longtime New York sports anchor Len Berman, formerly of NBC Sports, will once again serve as the master of ceremonies for the 16th consecutive year. The honorees will be cited for their accomplishments on the field of play and philanthropic efforts.

The AHRC New York City Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports programs enabling children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives, including programs of AHRC New York City. AHRC New York City is one of the largest organizations of its kind, serving 11,000 children and adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries and other disabilities.

Chamberlain, 24, burst onto the baseball scene in 2007, dominating hitters and taking New York by storm. The fireballing righthander played a big role in the Yankees’ championship last year, first winning nine games as a starter during the regular season and appearing in 10 postseason games in relief. He played his college ball at the University of Nebraska in his hometown of Lincoln, and at the University of Nebraska-Kearney before being selected with the 41st overall selection by the Yankees in the 2006 draft.

Piniella, a .291 hitter with 102 home runs and 766 RBI in 18 MLB seasons, including 11 with the Yankees, is in his 22nd season as a big league manager, winning a World Championship at the helm of the Cincinnati Reds in 1990. The 69-year-old Tampa native has won more than 1700 games as a manager, and has three Manager of the Year awards, including 2008 with the Cubs. He was selected Rookie of the Year in 1969 in his first of five years with the Kansas City Royals before being dealt to the Yankees in 1975, where he became one of Munson’s closest friends.

Strawberry, 47, was one of the National League’s premier sluggers from 1983-1991, earning eight straight All-Star selections. One of the most popular players to wear a Mets uniform, Strawberry later revived his career with the Yankees in the late 1990s, becoming a key member of three World Series champions. The Los Angeles native also played for the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants in his 17-year Major League career, hitting 335 home runs and driving in 1000 runs.

Duhon, 27, one of the best players ever at Duke University, having led the Blue Devils to three ACC Championships, two Final Fours and the NCAA Championship in his freshman season of 2000-01. Duhon is in his second year as the New York Knicks’ starting point guard after four years with the Chicago Bulls. The native of Louisiana averaged a career-best 11.1 points and 7.2 assists per game last year and has started every game at the point this season.

Bartlett, a 28-year-old native of Augusta, Maine, has hit the world of harness racing by storm in the past two years. The young reinsman has captured back to back driving titles at Empire City Casino’s historic half mile oval. In the just concluded 2009 campaign, Bartlett recorded 578 wins and more than $9.1 million in purses at Yonkers Raceway alone to lead the driving colony for the second straight year. In all, his totals of 720 wins and more than $10.8 million in purses ranked second and fourth respectively, in North America. Along the way, Bartlett traveled to Norway to represent the US in May’s World Driving Championship and won his 3,000th career race with the trotter Light Headed (Aug. 28). An excellent athlete, Barlett was also an All-American point guard at the University of Southern Maine.

Among a long list of notable athletes to previously receive the Munson Award are: Alex Rodriguez, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Willie Randolph, Mariano Rivera, Muhammad Ali, Yogi Berra, Goose Gossage, Don Mattingly, Jorge Posada, Joe Torre, Joe Girardi, Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Mark Jackson, Charles Oakley, Bernie Williams, Arthur Ashe, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Willie Mays, Mark Messier, Mike Richter, Adam Graves, Tom Seaver, Harry Carson and John Franco.

Aroldis Chapman is a 21-year-old with a live arm that will earn him millions of dollars before he throws a single major league pitch (even if he never throws a major league pitch). Let there be no doubt that he’s talented.

But everything else is pretty much unknown.

Every report about Chapman seems to leave more uncertainty than anything. He might be a future ace, but he’s certain to open the season in the minors. He has a huge fastball, but he might not be able to control it. Every team seems to be in the bidding, but the favorite changes from day to day, report to report. 

On Tuesday the Sun Sentinel reported that the Marlins making a push to sign him. On Wednesday, the Miami Herald reported that the Marlins were consenting defeat. It’s rare that an international player gets this much national attention, but even in that spotlight, I’m not sure anyone knows where he’ll end up.

For whatever reason, Sam and I started talking about the new Yankee Stadium this afternoon. Not necessarily the physical structure, but the atmosphere in the place. The sights. The sounds. The feeling of walking into the stadium and seeing the field.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the new place. What do you like about it? What would you like to see changed? Again, not looking for major physical changes, just little adjustments that could be made between now and opening day.

For example, I’m a big music fan and usually find myself irritated by stadium music. But here we are three months later, and that Black Eyed Peas song is still stuck in my head. I wouldn’t have picked it, but as it turned out, it was a pretty good choice for getting the stadium excited for a game. The handful of experiences I had in the concourses were much easier than I expected. I thought most of the between innings videos were good.

Music. Food. Videos. Service. The atmosphere in general. What did you enjoy? What are you looking forward to heading into Season Two at the new place?

Sam says: I agree with Chad on the music and scoreboard stuff. In general, I like the the approach the Yankees  take with entertainment — not too kitschy, not too over-the-top. Some people like gimmicks – like the Rally Monkey videos in Anaheim, which I do think are pretty funny — but those can get repetitive and over-done. Like Chad, I thought the “get-pumped-up” video during the playoffs was great. I remember the Yankees used to do one that had – no kidding – a great song from Yanni in the background. It was a great series of highlights. Wish they’d bring that one back.

As someone who spent a lot of time at the old Stadium (and was sad to see it go), I’m generally pleased with the new place. I’m hoping to talk with Lonn Trost as we get closer to the start of the season to hear what tweaks are being made for 2010, but most of the feedback I got from fans was that the ballpark experience was positive. One thing I’d like to see: Turkey burgers! I wish they were as easy to find at concession stands as regular burgers. I was also disappointed to see the chicken cheesesteaks be unavailable towards the end of the season. Hopefully they’ll return in 2010.

What do you guys think? Different food? More “Great Subway Race?” Less “Match Game?” Extra ice cream stands?