Day 2 notes: Pettitte explains his WBC decision
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Feb 13, 2013 
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Andy Pettitte loved the idea of pitching in the World Baseball Classic. The Yankees did not.
“They weren’t crazy about it, and I understand it,” Pettitte said. “I mean, it’s understandable. I spoke with Cash and I spoke with Joe. (They said), ‘If you decide to do this, we’re going to support you,’ but obviously they were hoping it was something that I wouldn’t do, and like I said, I understand it. And at the time that I was considering it, I was just hoping they would understand, which I knew they probably couldn’t. I’ve done a lot of things in this game, but I’ve never had a chance to play for my country. I don’t know if that sounds corny, but it was a big deal for me.”
Doesn’t sound corny to me, but it also doesn’t sound unreasonable for the Yankees to have some hesitation about a 40-year-old playing in an unnecessary exhibition.
“This needed to be the focus,” Pettitte said. “I guess it just came down to not really wanting to take quite that chance of having something go wrong and then kicking yourself all year long.”
• The spring’s first workout went smoothly, but it’s always a little more boring when it’s just the pitchers and catchers. The position players really bring the place to life. Two interesting pitch counts: Phil Hughes threw 40 pitches and Clay Rapada threw 35. Rapada joked that he’s going to be a long man. Hughes explained that he’d already thrown six bullpens before today.
• Hughes isn’t alone. Quite a few of the pitchers seem more advanced than usual (including Mariano Rivera, who actually threw a bullpen today rather than waiting another week). Some of the younger guys in camp — including guys like David Phelps, Adam Warren and Chase Whitley who could be in the big league mix — have already faced hitters. Phelps, Warren and Whitley threw batting practice at the minor league complex on Monday. Whitley said he expects to face hitters when he throws his first spring bullpen tomorrow.
• Because he’s coming back from an injury, Derek Jeter is allowed to report to spring training immediately (you may remember that David Adams and Justin Maxwell came to camp with the pitchers and catchers last year), but Girardi said he doesn’t expect Jeter to report early. “I don’t think so,” Girardi said. “I think he’s doing most of his stuff down at the minor league facility, doing his drills and all his work.”
• Girardi said all of the pitchers and catchers reported to camp on time. No one was late this year. “Not that I know of,” Girardi said.
• Pettitte said he’s well aware that the Yankees might try to protect him, but he wants — even expects — to make 30 starts this season. “I know Joe is going to protect me as best he can as far as keeping my innings limited,” Pettitte said. “But I want to throw 200 innings, make all my starts. Heck, I want to win 20 games, that’s what I want to do.”
• Is this Pettitte’s last year? He said he honestly hasn’t made up his mind. “I can tell you right now, as I sit right here, I hope this is it,” he said. “But having gone through this and done this, I’m not going to shut it down again unless I know for a fact that I’m done with this.”
Associated Press photos
who fills in the back end of the rotation and middle relief when 50 year old PEttite and 53 year old Rivera lead the pitching staff into the 2023 season?
In regard to the 2014 budget don’t forget the lux tax is calculated at the end of the season, not beginning.
If the Yankees want any flexibility at the trade deadline that estimated $170 in the last thread needs to be a few million lower.
Joba will be in the pen still waiting to take over for Mo and hopefully the Bs are up by then to bridge the gap for the next phenoms.
http://www.troll.me/images/joking/i-kid-i-kid.jpg
AAo,
I am pretty sure Joba is a free agent after this year.
It really makes so much sense to trade Cano in order to give them both young assets and payroll flexibility going forward.
I say that as someone who thinks Cano is great, but if austerity is real, and for more than one season, he doesn’t make sense to keep and picks don’t compensate for his loss quickly enough.
If Yogi is not in camp this year as an instructor, Gator will have a TON of free time. Free time and ex-athletes don;t mix well. I guarantee you Gator will get a DUI within three weeks.
those white bills on the ST hats are horrible.
“If the Yankees want any flexibility at the trade deadline that estimated $170 in the last thread needs to be a few million lower”
true….the whole thing sucks
@Mac he can always reup
he was born to be a reliever – Francesa
“I can tell you right now, as I sit right here, I hope this is it,” he said. “But having gone through this and done this, I’m not going to shut it down again unless I know for a fact that I’m done with this.”
don’t ever get behind pettitte when he’s in line at a ben&jerries for ice cream. first he’d be wondering if he really wanted an ice cream,. then all the flavors would be a problem. when the counter person asked what kind of cone , that’d be another few minutes. he’d settle on cherry garcia and then someone would tell him that it’s named after an unpatriotic hippie and there’d go that decision. he’s definitely not going with karamel sutra. sounds unchristian. maybe americone dream would work. no he’d figure out stephen colbert is behind that one. maybe plain vanilla. ah crap, they use fair trade vanilla.
andy would be asking what fair trade was ?
if i was behind him, i’d say it’s not montero for pineda?
Pecota projects Pineda to give the Yanks an effective 58 innings this year.
“If the Yankees want any flexibility at the trade deadline that estimated $170 in the last thread needs to be a few million lower”
———————-
Ugh.
blake – The ST hats are always god awful.
John Boyle ?@johnpboyle
A bunch of Mariners season ticket holders surprised Felix Hernandez on his way to press conference. Felix pretty emotional, tearing up.
http://t.co/w4lRRF2J
(no, unfortunately, I’m not there …. headed to the TV in the break room to watch though
)
I don’t care where Pineda has effective innings, as long as he has effective innings, with full velo returned, a nasty slider, and an improving third pitch. And of course, throwing free and easy all year.
The only Yankees caps I have ever, or will ever, buy is the same game cap they’ve worn forever.
ST hats, BP hats, pink ones, white ones, white buttons, to hell with them.
My least favorite hats are the ones for 4th of July.
As if the Yankees need to be any more American…
This one is pretty fly: http://www.kaboodle.com/review.....fitted-hat
why would anybody put a white bill on a Yankee cap? they look like a softball team
Wave Your Hat February 13th, 2013 at 4:51 pm
Pecota projects Pineda to give the Yanks an effective 58 innings this year.”
I’d certainly take that
“why would anybody put a white bill on a Yankee cap?”
Marketing, I assume. You buy one of those hats, its says you were down at ST.
“I’d certainly take that”
Yeah me too, but methinks Pecota is optimistic.
“Marketing, I assume. You buy one of those hats, its says you were down at ST.”
eh just put a grapefruit league logo or something on the real thing…….
randy l -
LOL!!
That’s our Andy. Aggravating but Adorable (well, to me anyway).
The question is not why would anyone make those hats, but rather, why would any self-respecting Yankees fan BUY those hats?????
If they sit there unsold, maybe the message gets across – Don’t Mess With the Classic!
“That’s our Andy. Aggravating but Adorable (well, to me anyway).”
i like andy and i love watching him pitch, but in the off season, it seems like a yearly ritual waiting for andy to decide. i just wish he’d start the process a little sooner.
Yeah me too, but methinks Pecota is optimistic.
–
Yea of course it is optimistic, because it cares not for the type of injury. Only that a player will miss time then return.
ST hats normally have a funky thing to them. Nothing quite like this year but usually a gray line or something on it.
AAO,
Sure Joba could reup. He may love his time here or Amy want to start elsewhere. Who knows?
who’s amy?
I think it was a song by Pure Prairie League.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4xp2lgiAjY
Oh wait. They spelled it the French way.
Nick,
I have to give Times New Viking a chance. They weren’t on my radar until you brought them up in the last post.
You caught me on Amy. The stories I could tell. Some would even be true.
I hope Adams’ back issue isn’t significant. The poor guy has had enough health problems. He can hit.
personally i think it stinks that the yankees didnt let pettitte play in the wbc. it obviously meant something to pettitte and it would have been good for team usa.
i normally don’t want pitchers in the wbc, but pettitte knows what he can do and wouldnt get caught up in the competition and hurt himself.
Speaking of auto correct, or whatever it’s called, I have a persistent problem trying to address a post to someone whose name begins with a lower case letter, and auto-correct keeps capitalizing it.
“Shame Spencer February 13th, 2013 at 5:00 pm
My least favorite hats are the ones for 4th of July.
As if the Yankees need to be any more American…”
Nothing is worse than the Trenton Thunder 4th of July jersey. Jeet had to wear one when he rebabbed there. Imagine having to look at 9 of those while watching a Thunder game. Ugh.
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....z1R9snClez