Tigers Get Relief in Win

Yankees 4 8 1
Tigers 5 8 0

WP: Bonine (3-0)
LP: Mitre (0-1)
S: Valverde (9)

Player(s) of the Game: The Tigers bullpen. With Dontrelle Willis unable to start, 6 Tiger pitchers were able to hold the Yankees down just enough to pull out a win.

Play of the Game: Magglio Ordonez's sliding catch in the 8th inning on a ball hit by Derek Jeter. With the bases loaded, if that gets by Ordonez, it probably scores three runs and changes the outcome of the game.

Turning Point of the Game: Brennan Boesch's 2-run single in the first that gave the Tigers pitching staff a good lead early on in the game.

Notes:

• Mitre was the best starter in Spring Training, but this is why you can't take March stats at face value. He had a chance to impress in a spot start, but gave up 5 runs in 4.1 IP.
  
• The Yankees may have lost the game, but they may have won the series by making the Tigers burn through 6 relievers, which could affect availability tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday.
  

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Hitler upset the Twins resign Mauer

For any of you who had hopes that the Yankees were going to sign Joe Mauer when he hit free

Image via Wikipedia

agency only to have them crushed when it was announced he signed an 8 year deal during spring training can relate to this baseball version of the Downfall/Hitler video meme. (I especially liked the part when Hitler says he will call in to Mike Francesa and call for Cashman's job.)

Also in the video meme category, you may have seen the little kid doing the speech from the movie Miracle. I didn't know this had happened until yesterday, but the Red Sox brought him out before the first game of the season to do a baseball version before the game on Opening Night.



A few observations:

• Thank God/Yahweh/Allah YouTube wasn't around when I was a kid, because I couldn't handle all the stupid stuff I did back then ending up on the internet.
• That first point leads me to my second. This kid's parents have now stuck this kid with the
  "Herb Brooks Speech kid" label for life. Not only does the YouTube video have almost 3 million hits, but he's been on talk shows and now in front of baseball stadiums and he's only 5. But you know, got to get your 15 minutes, right?
• What is Hideki Okajima laughing at? Does Okajima even speak English? How does he know what's going on?
• This isn't even one of the better internet memes out there. I personally think the Leeroy Jenkins and Numa Numa kid are funny, if for no other reason than that it proves that there are people out there who waste more time on the internet than I do.
  

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Hughes' First Start To Be April 15

Phil Hughes' first start of 2010 won't come until the end of the second week of the season. Because of the off days early in the Yankees schedule, they can afford to use a four-man rotation for the first time around this year. Hughes will pitch an extended spring training game on April 5, and another extended spring training game on April 10 before he makes his first start of the regular season on April 15 against the Angels of somewhere in California. The Yankees are doing this because a.) the schedule, and b.) it limits Hughes' innings.

Check back tomorrow for our 2010 outfield projections.

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2010 Projections: Infielders and Catchers

We're continuing our projections for 2010. Yesterday John outlined his predictions for the pitching staff and today I will be looking at the infielders and catchers.

Infielders:
Mark Teixeira: .301, 45 HR, 130 RBI's
Robinson Cano: .327, 30 HR, 97 RBI's
Alex Rodriguez: .305, 42 HR, 140 RBI's
Derek Jeter: .310, 16 HR, 60 RBI's
Ramiro Pena: .275, 1 HR, 11 RBI's
Nick Johnson: .287, 13 HR, 65 RBI's

Catchers:
Jorge Posada:.280, 23 HR, 90 RBI's
Francisco Cervelli: .255, 3 HR, 20 RBI's

Tomorrow we will give you our outfield projections. Then we'll have our playoff predictions and Award picks on Friday and Saturday.

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5 days until Opening Day

The Yanks are just fine tuning some things before Sunday's opener, and here's some links to some interesting stories out of the Grapefruit League as camp winds down.

• CC Sabathia made his final spring training start today against the Braves, but it didn't go well. But he feels ready to go for the Opener at Boston.
  
• Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte pitched in his first Major League Spring Training game today. He threw 1 1/3 innings, giving up one run on two hits. And the Yankees liked what they saw.
• Big Tex's elbow is feeling better after treatment.
• For our readers in Central New York, the YES Network signed a live-streaming agreement with Time Warner Cable.
• Gold-Medal Winner Michael Johnson talked to the team today, saying, "You have to try to keep that hunger," Johnson said. "That's the most important challenge facing the entire team. How do you stay hungry and go out there this year with the same type of drive, determination and motivation last year that helped them be successful?"

Make sure you check back tomorrow for our projections on the Infielders and Catchers.

And make sure you vote on our poll on the right before the game on Sunday.

SEE YA!

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A few Yankees battling injuries

One of the most important things heading into Spring Training is to keep everyone healthy. But, inevitably, there are some injuries.

Image via Wikipedia

Alfredo Aceves is day-to-day with a back injury. It is apparently a flare-up from injury that was bothering him last September, so this may be cause for concern. And the Yankees have not ruled out starting Aceves on the DL.

Mark Teixeira was hit on the right elbow with a pitch in a Spring Training game against the Orioles yesterday. He left the game and experienced soreness, but should be in the lineup on Thursday.

Check back tomorrow for my predictions on the Yankees infielders and catchers.

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This Week's Trivia Answer

On Tuesday I asked, When was the first and only time the Yankees had spring training on the West Coast?



A.)1949
B.)1951
C.)1956
D.)1976



And everyone who voted got the answer right. It was 1951. I guess my hint made it really easy, but it's good to know that nobody thinks Mickey Mantle's rookie season was 1976.



In 1951 the Yankees held spring training in Phoenix, AZ for the first time because co-owner Del Webb was from Phoenix and wanted the team to hold spring training in his hometown. He was able to do this by agreeing with New York Giants owner to switch locations for the 51 preseason.

The Yankees competed in the Cactus League that year, and manager Casey Stengel brought in a lot of minor leaguers into camp becasue the team had been aging. A young shortstop by the name of Mickey Mantle, who was not expected to make the team, caught the eye of Stengel. The 19-year-0ld displayed power from both sides of the plate (which was not common then) and incredible speed. Mantle made 55 errors in the minors the season before, and had trouble with balls right at him. So Stengel moved him to the outfield, and eventually, he would become Joe DiMaggio's successor.

Nonetheless, the only time the Yankees opened spring out west was pretty eventful. For more on the Spring of '51 and the start of Mantle's career, I got my information from: http://www.ultimateyankees.com/springtraining.htm

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First Day of Spring Training Wrap-Up

It's the first day of spring training. The start of when the fans are happy and everybodys hopes are high (even Mets fans), the players are happy, and the managers are ready to get their team back into shape and right to work. It's been a long winter, but we no longer need the hot stove to keep us warm. Instead we have the images of the pitchers on the freshly cut green grass with the bright, beaming Florida sun shining down on them as they loosen their arms up for their first day of a long season ahead.

Now, you probably have heard what the deal was today for the Yankees, but if not, here is a quick rundown:

• Pitchers and catchers reported to Steinbrenner (Legends?) Field today at noon, as well as some other players, including captain Derek Jeter and newcomer Curtis Granderson.
• Joe Girardi spoke to reporters today and touched on a number of subjects. First, he said there needs to be some "ironing out" concerning the lineup. In other words, who bats where.
• He also spoke about the role of the number 5 guy in the rotation. He set a deadline at March 25 for that to be determined. The front-runners are Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes and Girardi said that whoever does not get the job will most likely end up in the bullpen. He also reiterated that more than just Spring Training stats will factor into the decision.
• Girardi also said he would put Granderson and Gardner both in leftfield during some games this spring training.
• Finally, Girardi spoke about defending the Yankees 27th World Series Championship. He said, "The expectation here is the same every year...In a sense, you’re supposed to repeat every year… I don’t really consider (complacency) an issue because I know the people in the room.”

Here are some player quotes from today:

Phil Hughes:

"It's one of those things that's not a bad position to be in...To have three or four very capable guys to battle for one spot, I think a lot of teams would like to be in that situation. I'm not treating this spring any differently than any other. Last year, I just tried to come in and do everything I could do on the mound and see what happens."

Curtis Granderson:

"Change is always a good thing...I'm excited to get a chance to go to the defending world champions and learn from those guys over there. They've got great veterans and great players, [a] great coaching staff -- a great organization. I'm looking forward to all of those different things."

Jorge Posada:

"To repeat, you have to have a good team, and we have a very good team...It's all up to us to put it together like we did last year and click at the right times."

Javier Vazquez:

"It's great to be back...It's exciting; it's a blast having CC, A.J. and Andy. They're three great pitchers. I'm very excited to play with these guys."

Here is a link to some of the pictures taken at spring training today. Remember, there is a trivia question that expires midnight tomorrow so take a stab at it and enjoy. Baseball season has begun.

See Ya!

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Twenty Hours Away (And Trivia Question)

It may be snowing right now at my school in Connecticut (Quinnipiac) but in 20 hours and 22 minutes pitchers and catchers will be reporting for the 2010 New York Yankees. We'll have more on spring training tomorrow, including updates on the players who are already there and what spring training means to baseball fans everywhere.

And since we are on the eve on spring training...let's have a spring training related trivia question.

The Yankees current home to their spring training facility is Tampa Bay, FL. When was the first and only time the Yankees held spring training on the West Coast?

A.) 1949
B.) 1951
C.) 1956
D.) 1976

HINT: It was Mickey Mantle's rookie season.

We'll have more tomorrow. It's time to get excited because in 20 hours, it's officially baseball season.

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Yankees Trivia Question

We're almost there! Just 8 more days until pitchers and catchers report!!!! Plus, there's been relevant Yankees news. Chad Jennings has a list of the Yankees non-roster invitees to spring training. Despite the snowstorm that's about to hit southeastern Connecticut, I can start to feel baseball season.


Now, for our weekly trivia question. Last week I asked who was the Yankees all-time strikeouts leader, and the answer was Whitey Ford.

Now, the question I'm about to ask doesn't have anything to do with Yankee players. Since we named our blog after a Yankee announcer, we should probably incorporate the announcers in a trivia question, and I'll make it a tough one (unless you know your baseball announcers).

In 1956, Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history in a 2-0 Yankees win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Who was the play-by-play announcer(s) during the game?


A.) Mel Allen
B.) Vin Scully
C.) Ernie Harwell
D.) Both A. and B.
E.) Both A. and C.

Vote on the poll to the right. Voting ends midnight Thursday unless there are no votes by tomorrow evening, then I extend it into Friday at noon.

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Thank God I'm Not a Mets Fan

It's times like these when I really appreciate the fact that I was born a Yankee fan. After one of the most disappointing seasons in Mets history, last night the fans found out that Carlos Beltran had knee surgery and will be out for 12 weeks. That brings Beltran and the Mets to about mid-April. Add time for rehab and Beltran won't be available until May.

It may not be the end of the world, the Yankees lasted a month without A-Rod, but man have the Mets been unlucky. Every star in their lineup went on the DL last season. Then outside of acquiring Jason Bay, their GM, whose job is on the line, has done practically nothing to improve the team. Now one of their best players will miss the start of the 2010 season.

I think today we can all appreciate that we are Yankees fans. This also reminds me how lucky the Yankees were last year to not suffer any serious injuries. Once A-Rod came back, the team was relatively healthy, a major reason why we won the World Series.

Hopefully the Yankees can remain healthy in 2010. With the Giants not in the playoffs this year, the countdown for spring training has begun a little earlier. Only about a month until pitchers and catchers report. And with the Yankees Hot Stove season basically over, the wait is going to be killing me.

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Yanks may use 3-man rotation for ALCS

As reported by Sam Borden from the LoHud Yankees Blog, Joe Girardi and the Yankees are "definitely considering" using only three starters for the ALCS against the Angles.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

If they do, the rotation would set up like this:

Game 1 (Friday, Oct 16 in NY): Sabathia
Game 2 (Saturday, Oct 17 in NY): Burnett
Game 3 (Monday, Oct 19 in LA): Pettitte
Game 4 (Tuesday, Oct 20 in LA: Sabathia (on short rest)
Game 5*: (Thursday, Oct 22 in LA): Burnett
Game 6*: (Saturday, Oct 24 in NY): Pettitte
Game 7*: (Sunday, Oct 25 in NY): Sabathia
*If necessary

Sabathia would be able to pitch 3 times in the event of a seven-game series. This would allow the Yankees to keep Joba in the bullpen, and not have to use Chad Gaudin in a pressure-packed situation. Joba hasn't started since September 30 when he gave up 3 runs on 7 hits in 3.2 innings against the Royals. Gaudin hasn't pitched at all since October 3rd when he came in in relief against the Rays for 1.1 scoreless innings.

I think if you can get Sabathia three starts, and he feels comfortable with it, you have to do it. He hasn't had to go on short rest all season and he had a light workload in September, so he's well-rested.You already have Joba in bullpen mode, so leave him there, and they can fix all the problems with him in the off-season and Spring Training. I will put up with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver talking about him pitching on short rest a million times (assuming I haven't already muted the TV permanently by Game 4) to watch Sabathia get the ball again.

While helping the rotation, it also helps the bullpen. With Joba, Hughes, and Mo in the back end, and Coke (hopefully not Choke), Aceves, and Robertson in the middle innings, the bullpen will be solid.

While I don't know, because of superstition, if we will do a series preview, but we might do a scouting report-type post on the Angels. Either way, we will still provide news as it happens throughout the week.

SEE YA!

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