The LoHud Yankees Blog

On Saturday, April 17, the Pop International Galleries in SoHo will display 30 to 40 art pieces covering the history of Yankees baseball.

Included in the show will be a piece by Opie Otterstad, who painted a tribute to the Yankees 2009 championship. There will also be three portraits by Stephen Holland: One of Derek Jeter, one of Mariano Rivera and one of Alex Rodriguez.

I don’t know much about art, but this one’s pretty cool.

Curtis Granderson has already hit his first and second home runs with the Yankees. Nick Johnson has to get a hit, but he’s been taking his usual walks. Chan Ho Park has his first Yankees win against the Red Sox.

Today Javier Vazquez will make his season debut with the Yankees. Sam has the story of Vazquez’s return to pinstripes, and what might be different this time around.

• Details continue to emerge about the investigation into Alex Rodriguez. The Times is reporting that federal investigators want to talk to Rodriguez associates who might know how much time and money he spent in connection to Dr. Tony Galea.

• Hideki Matsui is in the outfield tonight for the Angels. Mike Scioscia announced yesterday that he planned to put Matsui in the field, and sure enough he’s playing left and batting clean up.

• Austin Jackson is off to a strong start with Detroit. Today he had his second straight two-hit day and he has five hits through his first three games. Johnny Damon had two hits in the Tigers opener but went hitless yesterday and today.

• Rays’ No. 3 starter Jeff Niemann left tonight’s game after 12 pitches. He was hit in the shoulder by a comebacker in the second inning. That forced the Rays into their bullpen early, one day before they play the Yankees.

• Chris Garcia was pulled from tonight’s Double-A start in the middle in the sixth inning. Mike Ashmore reports that Garcia seemed to be hurt because he left mid-batter, and only after the trainer met him on the mound. If he’s hurt, that’s one more tough break for the talented righty. Keep checking Ashmore’s blog for updates.

This is Opening Day for the Yankees minor leaguers. Of course, I’m partial to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre opener because I covered it the past seven years, but each of the Yankees top four affiliates will be in action tonight.

Late spring signings have significantly changed the Triple-A roster. Chad Moeller, Chad Huffman and Robby Hammock are on the bench, crowding P.J. Pilittere and Matt Cusick to the DL and forcing Reid Gorecki — who played in the big leagues last year — to Double-A Trenton. Kevin Whelan was also taken off the active roster, with the last bullpen spot going to Zack Segovia.

If you’re not reading him already, make sure you bookmark Scranton beat writer Donnie Collins, who covered a lot of those Scranton/Wilkes-Barre openers with me, and was doing it before I got there. He’s a terrific writer with a good baseball mind. You’ll like him.

Speaking of guys you’ll like, Jesus Montero will be batting sixth in his Triple-A debut. It’s the same ease-him-in treatment the Yankees gave Austin Jackson at the beginning of last season.  For those who are curious, here’s tonight’s Triple-A lineup. Right-hander Ivan Nova gets the start for Scranton.

Kevin Russo 3B
Reegie Corona 2B
Juan Miranda 1B
David Winfree RF
Jon Weber DH
Jesus Montero C
Colin Curtis LF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Greg Golson CF

In Trenton, Mike Ashmore has the Opening Day lineup. Chris Garcia is on the mound for the Thunder. For more Trenton nuggets, check out Josh Norris and John Nalbone.

Here’s the bulk of a press release from Major League Baseball:

An All-Star cast will serve as celebrity judges on a blue ribbon panel for the 2010 Honorary Bat Girl Contest, an initiative led by Major League Baseball® and Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world’s largest breast cancer organization.

Access Hollywood’s Maria Menounos joins Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, MLB All-Star Pitchers Brian Wilson, CC Sabathia, John Lackey and Jake Peavy, along with MLB Network’s Trenni Kusnierek and Mitch Williams, in casting their ballots for the most inspirational stories from MLB fans who have been affected by breast cancer.

The judges will select the winning submissions based on the following criteria: originality, quality of writing, demonstration of commitment to breast cancer awareness and public appeal, as determined by online fan votes. There is less than a week remaining for fans to submit their stories and vote for their favorites.

MLB.com, the official web site of MLB, is accepting fan submissions at www.mlb.com/honorarybatgirl for the online contest that ends on April 13 at Noon ET. Baseball fans can share their stories of inspiration and hope of how they are supporting the fight against breast cancer and why they want to be an Honorary Bat Girl for their favorite MLB Club. Testimonials can be submitted by men and women who are breast cancer survivors, advocates and supporters of the cause. Each Honorary Bat Girl will have an opportunity to take part in pre-game activities, be honored during an on-field ceremony and receive pink MLB merchandise and two tickets to their Club’s Mother’s Day celebration game or another home game in May.

Boston Red Sox All-Star Pitcher John Lackey’s life has been touched by breast cancer. Jake Peavy, All-Star Pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and former National League Cy Young Award Winner, lost his cousin to cancer, but thankfully has had a close friend beat the disease and is an advocate for any cause striving to find a cure for all forms of cancer. CC Sabathia, All-Star Pitcher for the New York Yankees and former American League Cy Young Award Winner, thankfully has not had anyone close to him affected by the disease, but he is also an advocate for a cure for all forms of cancer. Brian Wilson, All-Star Closer for the San Francisco Giants, lost his father to cancer when he was just 17 years old. Wilson dedicates every pitch to his father, who introduced him to baseball as a child, but sadly never got the chance to see him pitch professionally.

“I am honored and ecstatic to be a part of the Honorary Bat Girl program,” said Wilson. “I have seen firsthand what cancer can do to a family with the loss of my father. Any time there is a positive development towards a cure, I am backing it 100%.”

The Honorary Bat Girl program was introduced in 2009 to raise additional awareness and support for the annual Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer® initiative, a joint effort between MLB, its licensed partners and Komen for the Cure. Last year, more than 1,000 testimonials were submitted and nearly 2.2 million fan votes were cast.

On Mother’s Day (May 9), Major League Baseball and its 30 Clubs, along with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, will celebrate the Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer initiative, which is designed to raise awareness about the breast cancer cause, while also raising funds to support breast cancer research. Hundreds of MLB players will use pink bats by Louisville Slugger, the Official Bat of Major League Baseball, stamped with the MLB pink ribbon logo, and these game-used pink bats will be auctioned off on MLB.com at a later date. To further demonstrate their support for the breast cancer cause, players and on-field personnel will wear the symbolic pink ribbon on their uniforms along with pink wrist bands.

Javier Vazquez was the last Yankees starter this spring. He pitched the intrasqaud game against minor leaguers before the team broke camp on Saturday, and he’s been waiting and watching ever since. He’ll finally get his turn in a regular-season game tomorrow.

“It feels like its been like 10 days since I pitched,” he said. “I’m just getting ready to go out there and just excited to get my first one.”

Vazquez is coming off the best season of his career, but it came in the National League. It’s been a year since he faced an American League lineup on the road, and only three Rays — Pat Burrell, Carl Crawford and Jason Bartlett — have more than 17 career at-bats against him. Only three others have more than seven at-bats.

“Obviously I’ll look at scouting reports and stuff, I’ll look at video,” Vazquez said. “I think when you get a lot of things in your mind, you start to do a lot of things that you’re not used to. I always say that when in doubt, you pitch to your strength.”

Joe Girardi seems unconcerned about the offseason addition to his rotation.

“I love how hard he works and I love that he has a plan and he knows exactly what he wants to do,” Girardi said. “I don’t think you have a year like he had last year and the consistency of 200 innings every year and making starts if you don’t have a plan.”

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World Series rings, Bernie Williams and a former cast member of The West Wing. I’m sold! Here’s the press release from the Yankees.

The New York Yankees will hold the 108th home opener in franchise history on Tuesday, April 13 vs. the Los Angeles Angels at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. Prior to the first pitch, the Yankees will celebrate their 2009 World Championship with a ring ceremony.

Gates will open to fans with valid tickets beginning at 11:00 a.m. The Yankees ask their fans to please budget ample time when planning their trip to the Stadium and to consider using public transportation.

Festivities will begin at 12:15 p.m. with a ceremony to award Yankees players and coaching staff with their championship rings from the 2009 season. Hall of Famers and former Yankees greats Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra—who won a combined 16 World Series titles—will be on hand to help pass out the commemorative rings to the defending World Champions in a ceremony on the infield.

In addition to the ring ceremony, the Yankees’ 2009 championship flag—as well as flags commemorating each of the Yankees’ other 26 World Championships—will be on display for the Opening Day ceremony and game, encompassing the roof of the entire Stadium.

Kristin Chenoweth, Emmy and Tony Award winner and star of stage and screen who is starring in the upcoming Broadway musical “Promises, Promises,” will perform the National Anthem. Colors will be presented by the West Point color guard, and a giant American flag will be unfurled in the outfield by the West Point Cadets. At the conclusion of the anthem, the Fighter Squadron Composite Twelve (VFC-12), a US Navy Reserve fighter squadron, will execute a fly over. Known as the “Fighting Omars,” the VFC-12 is one of the Navy’s two Reserve Hornet squadrons.

The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown out by five-time All-Star Bernie Williams, a member of the Yankees’ run of four World Championships in five years from 1996-2000. It will mark the first time that Williams—who threw out the first pitch prior to Yankees’ 2009 ALCS Game 6 clincher—will throw out an Opening Day ceremonial first pitch. He will become the ninth former Yankees player to be bestowed the Opening Day honor.

During the seventh-inning stretch, United States Army Sergeant First Class Mary Kay Messenger will perform “God Bless America.”

Friday: RHP Javier Vazquez (15-10, 2.87 ERA in 2009) vs. LHP David Price (10-7, 4.42 ERA in 2009)

Saturday: LHP CC Sabathia (0-0, 8.44 ERA) vs. RHP Wade Davis (2-2, 3.72 ERA in 2009)

Sunday: RHP A.J. Burnett (0-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. RHP James Shields (0-0, 4.50 ERA)

—-

The Yankees flew to Tampa last night and there may be some light activity at the minor-league complex today. At the very least, A.J. Burnett will throw a bullpen session there and other players may come in for treatment (wouldn’t be a shock if Andy Pettitte is among them).

Chad is en route to Tampa this afternoon and will have the coverage from there, with both of us at the Stadium for the home opener next week. Thanks again to everyone for reading during the first series of the season and be sure to check in frequently for updates this weekend.

Photo: Associated Press

The pace of play in Yankees-Red Sox games is, to put it nicely, typically slow. Three-plus hour games are the norm in the rivalry and most games are usually closer to four. Everyone knows it and, most of the time, everyone jokes about it – over the past three days, I heard quips or comments on the pace of play from players, coaches, fans, broadcasters and writers. Scan through Twitter and you’ll see plenty of examples.

Umpire Joe West, who is one of MLB’s crew chiefs, apparently doesn’t think there’s anything funny about it at all. West ripped the Yankees and Red Sox in a story in the Bergen Record today, calling it “embarrassing, a disgrace to baseball.” He also called the Yanks and Sox, “pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play.”

The first two games of this series took 3 hours, 46 minutes and 3 hours, 48 minutes, respectively, and West made his comments before last night’s game, which was actually something of an anomaly: The teams only needed 3 hours, 21 minutes to play 10 innings. Not surprisingly, the Yankees and Red Sox hold the record for longest nine-inning game ever, having taken 4 hours, 45 minutes to play back on Aug. 18, 2006.

(That game was actually part of a doubleheader, which was also the longest timed doubleheader in MLB history, with both games taking a combined 8 hours, 40 minutes. I vaguely remember my legs going numb somewhere in the middle.)

My initial reaction to West’s comments is that this is a reasonable message delivered incredibly poorly. Do the Yankees and Red Sox have players that take a lot of pitches and foul off a lot of pitches and otherwise make the game go longer through the natural course of play? Absolutely. That’s just the way it goes. But there are also plenty of guys on both teams who aren’t exactly efficient when it comes to getting in the box or taking the rubber, and that all adds up, too. If baseball wants to get serious about pace of play and start enforcing some legitimate rules on what guys can and can’t do, I’m all for it.

Unfortunately, that message gets lost when you have an umpire using words like “disgrace” and “pathetic” about the teams he’s supposed to be officiating. West has been around a long time, but that doesn’t mean he can (or should) use inflammatory language like that; for lack of a better reason, name-calling is never nice. Even more, it doesn’t exactly help the notion if impartiality.

Joe Girardi was asked yesterday if he felt MLB had stressed pace of play this year, and he shrugged. “That issue is made every spring training … so it’s not anything new. Are they trying to enforce it a little more? Right now it appears [they are]. The jury will be out on that at the end of the year.”

Curtis Granderson is definitely part of the rivalry now. His 10th-inning home run sent the Yankees to a 3-1 win last night. Andy Pettitte matched John Lackey pitch for pitch, the Yankees bullpen was tremendous and Granderson came up with the big hit in extra innings.

Speaking Pettitte, Sam wrote that the veteran of the Yankees rotation is just as important as ever. “All that matters,” Sam wrote, “is that, after all this time and all these pitches, the Yankees believe he still has it.”

The Yankees also believe in Chan Ho Park, and he earned their trust with three scoreless innings last night. The notebook also has items on on Derek Jeter getting hit by a pitch and the Yankees claiming a minor league outfielder.

Just for fun, here’s one more Associated Press image from last night.