The Most Important Thing About the New A-Rod Book

Well, it has begun: the fallout from Selena Roberts' tell-all A-Rod book. Some of the stuff inside is stuff that many of us may have suspected, some not; but everything in Roberts' Sports Illustrated article was true, which makes it hard to doubt the veracity of this book.

So what now?

The most important thing that happens from here on out could very well be how the fans respond.

We saw the fans in the San Francisco Bay area not really give a crap about Bonds' steroids allegations (even if fans from 29 other franchises all did), and that Yankee fans have come out in support of Pettitte and Giambi who admitted to PED use.

A-Rod has admitted to 'roid use, but unlike Pettitte and Giambi, has yet to really fall into that 'likeable' category, for whatever reason.

So what happens now?

Do the fans embrace A-Rod, try to protect him and more or less pretend the Roberts book exist?

Do they boo A-Rod every time he comes up to the plate and make sure he knows that he's unwelcome in New York just the second year into his ten-year deal?

He's already one of the most polarizing players on the Yankees for his perceived aloofness, for his inability to get the clutch hit...

I am not his biggest fan, but this comes from the *head, meed desk*ing that goes on when he does another stupid off-field thing that only seems to distract him on it. I respect his immense baseball talent, and I mean, do you really want Cody Ransom playing third base for an entire season? Even Ramiro Peña, who is not quite such an automatic out, shortens the line up by a lot.

The Yankees seem to survive the Torre fiasco, although whether or not Torre himself would survive a return to the Bronx is another matter. He would have been welcomed as a hero had he returned before the book came out; now, I won't venture a guess.

Heh, remember when that was the big, bad story of the preseason?

New Yankee Stadium Inspires, Looks to the Future and Remembers the Past

So, how was your cool, damp Friday night?

Good?

Mine was better.



After six stifling hours of class, subsisting on cheap sushi and stuff you get out of the vending machine, my friend Brent and I headed to the New Yankee Stadium to catch the exhibition Cubs-Yankees game.

Okay, I lied. We headed to the new Stadium, but not so much to watch the game as we did to see the Stadium, which would explain why we were in our seats through innings 2-4, and then did not return to them for the rest of the game.

What was on the field to a back seat (once, and only once) to the building in which it was situated.

Brent and I arrived at the Stadium around 7.30, as my last class did not let out until 10-to-seven (I purchased the tickets conveniently forgetting the scheduling mishap, knowing only that I would not be able to attend Saturday's game).

The new Stadium, even from the outside, looked amazing in the dying evening light:



The ticket scanners are automated, which is kind of futuristic, but I think it's still a little, well, kinky



Upon entering the Stadium, the first thing that strikes you is the Great Hall, which at once pays homage to the past with banners honoring past Yankee greats and invites the future with a giant indoor LCD screen. However big you think that screen is on TV or in pictures, it's bigger.

After standing in awe and various incantations of OHMIG-DHOLYSHIT, Brent and I made our way to our Grandstand seats.






We went up, and then up again, and up some more, and still we were not as high as we needed to go: when we finally ended up in section 434, row 10, we were higher than both the flag pole and the foul pole, and the rumor that the upper deck is recessed is very, very true. While there was no problem seeing any of the players, the players themselves were so small that one had to remember there was a game going on at all. Still, you really can see EVERYTHING, even the screens by the obstructed view seats, so complaining would seem inappropriate.



However, there was so much else to see, that this minor detail is really, well, a minor detail. We sat and watched the game for a couple innings. Some people hit, Matsui hit a home run, and that screen in center field will eat your children alive.






The field itself, however, is very reminiscent of the old Stadium. Since the dimensions are the same, all you have to do is forget everything that surrounds the field, and you may very well find yourself whisked back to 1923 or 1977, your choice.



After the fourth inning, Brent and I decided to scope out the culinary options. Most of the really attractive food options are on the lower level, and, compared to the old stadium, at least, there really are options!



We had an adventure getting downstairs--we tried first to take the elevator, but after a ten minute wait decided to follow some other people down the stairs. However, it seems we took the wrong stairwell, as we ended up not on the main concourse as we'd hoped, but instead inside the press gate (marble floors? Guys in suits staring at you like you've just gone to meet the Queen in your pajamas? Yeah. Press gate). The concierge there was nice enough to point us in the right direction--first day at a new place, you are bound to get lost--but I wouldn't count on the same politeness in the middle of July, when fans have had the chance to 'break in' the new building.




One caveat, however: the food options are all still Stadium food: lots of fried, greasy, midnight snack, ramen noodle types...which is fine, unless you are me and suffer from a very sensitive stomach. The options now are better than they were, in that I can eat salmon roll and some of the candy options, but then again, if I really cared about my food options that much, I wouldn't go to the games.

I also, on the advice of a friend, checked out the bathrooms: there really are twice as many women's rooms as men's rooms, and the one room I entered had something like 20 stalls. The stalls are Spartan in appearance, but it doesn't look like us she-fans will have to deal with long waits.



After working our way across the lower level, incuding stops in the team store (I bought a t-shirt that may or may not actually fit, a shot glass and a program; I'll buy the media guide when I return on the 18th) and going past the entrance to the sports bar by the bleachers, Brent and I worked our way up the ramp and to the Yankee Museum which is, believe it or not, a museum.




It's a very *small* museum, perhaps the size of the dorm room where I am spending the evening, and the main exhibit is a collection of baseballs ostensibly signed by as many players and important personnel as possible--there are balls ranging from Babe to Brett (Gardner) to Carl Pavano to Yogi Berra to Mariano Rivera to pick your era, pick your player. There's no real sense of organization to the baseballs, they aren't by number, alphabetical, by position or chronological; a computer at the exhibit entrance lets you choose the player you wish to see and tells you where to find his baseball, or you can do as Brent and I did and just look and see who you find.

Wil Nieves even has a baseball, and his name is spelled Will Nieves...Brent has a picture but it's too late for me to go searching through his files.





By the time we left the museum, it was the middle of the eigth inning, and since I wanted to get this post up before having to call it in for the night, we said good bye, albeit temporarily to the new Stadium.



Still, no place is perfect, especially on night one, and it would do to point out some of the flaws-mostly minor, though one major.

The major flaw/annoyance/what have you, that I found is that there seemed to be an ever-present reminder as to whether you were seated in the lower bowl, the loge-ish level, the terrace or the upper deck--in the baseball stadium world, as close to pure class distinctions as you will find.

The staff seems to be incredibly strict about letting people into a seating area--which means that even if you spot empty seats even just a section lower than the one your ticket is for, you will have a hard time gaining entry. I understand the need for security, but does New York really need any more reminders of the difference between those that can afford to park their cars in midtown and those for whom attending a game in a halfway-decent seat is a major expense?

The other thing--the bleacher seats next to the bar really are obstructed in the periphery--if you're seated there, you'll have no problem seeing in front of you or towards one side, but the other side will be blocked. It seems odd that a $1 billion park would not have this fault corrected, but we must remember that Yankee Stadium, in any form, is built by men and not, in fact, by the baseball g-ds.

Over all, the conclusion I drew was this:

The new Stadium is not the same as the old Stadium. If you can get past that, if you can observe the new Stadium for itself and only itself, you will be impressed--it is the most up-to-date ballpark/arena in New York City, and while the Prudential Center is a marvel, the new Yankee Stadium is a baseball palace--but if you look at it in comparison to the old Stadium, there probably will be some disappointment.

The thing to remember, however, is that the old Stadium itself was not all that spectacular--it was everything that occured on the field that made it what it was. The new Stadium may or may not create similar memories (hopefully it will), but unlike the old Stadium, it, itself, is an attraction.

So, should you go to the new Stadium? Yes. And make sure you don't go just once--go twice.

Go the first time so you can marvel at the Stadium in all its granduer and spend the entire game just wandering around, seeing what's there and what's hidden away, and go a second time (with better seats) so you can see and enjoy the baseball game.

The new Stadium is everything you'd expect from something Yankees--behemoth, grand, classic and just a little bit flawed.

And since we must always end with the Sandman:



Up next:

Things I'm Looking for in the New Stadium

Tonight I will be making my way to the new Yankee Stadium, weather permitting, of course.

While I'll the beginning ceremonies, I should still get there with plenty of time to go exploring. Here are the things I will be looking at/for:

1) That screen in the outfield. I heard that it's pretty darn big. I want to see just how big.

2) The food options in the lower and upper concourses. As someone with a digestive condition, I can't eat most stadium or arena food, so usually I survive on a pack of Swedish fish or a lollipop or two from home. However, the new Stadium is supposed to be full of all sorts of food options so, hopefully, there will be something there I can ingest!

3) The bathrooms. Women's restrooms are supposed to be at a 2:1 ratio to those of men; I want to see what the bathrooms are like. I'm not expecting anything spectacular, of course, a stadium bathroom is a stadium bathroom, but even something moderately clean will meet with my not-so-strict approval.

4) The other attractions on the concourse. What is there to do during a rain delay? How easy is it to navigate the concourse?

5) The seats in the upper deck (ie, the seats I have). How far recessed are they? I actually never sat any higher than loge level in the old Stadium, but I expect that the upper deck and I will become fast friends at the new Stadium. So, are my tickets really worth the $40 I paid for each?


I will take as many pictures as I can and I'll try to post them tonight, but I'm staying with a friend tonight and may not get a chance to post them until tomorrow evening.

Here's hoping the rain holds off.

Pinto Likes the Yankees

On his Baseball Musings website, David Pinto has his AL East preview up and offers this take on the Yankees:

The Yankees return Posada, Matsui and Cano with value wins under 1.0. Brett Gardner is unlikely to improve much on Melky Cabrera’s 0.1 WAR. Yet the Yankees look like they are going to blow the division out of the water.

Their position players rank third in the AL East, but the 26.6 level is likely an underestimate of their offensive and defensive core. Full seasons from Posada and Matsui boost their 0.8 value wins, and if Cano just reverts to his mean, the Yankees will add three wins there. Those three are likely to make up for any downside on the part of Jeter, Damon and Nady.

Be on the lookout for a Nancy Kerrigan like recovery for Alex Rodriguez. Back in 1994, skater Kerrigan was whacked in the knee by the boyfriend of her rival skater, Tonya Harding. Kerrigan was force to rehabilitate her knee to get ready for the Olympics, and the therapy made her stronger, leading to the best performance of her life. A-Rod is going through that kind of training right now, possibly increasing his strength beyond what a normal spring training would bring. I could imagine him coming back and posting six months worth of number in five. (Of course, he’ll complain about Jeter’s makeup and everyone will hate him again.)

The Yankees real strength comes on the mound. CC Sabathia takes over as the ace of the rotation with consecutive seasons of 7+ value wins. A.J. Burnett’s 5.7 WAR in 2008 was better than both Beckett and Lester. Wang produced the lowest WAR of these five starters in 2008, and he still managed a 2.0 in half a season. Joba Chamberlain still has upside. Their impressive 23.1 WAR may very well be a conservative estimate! Add to that Rivera’s 3.1 value wins, and the core of their pitching staff is over seven wins better than any other team in the AL East. Without any help from the bench, New York is looking at a season with their wins in the high 90s. That’s the floor, not the ceiling.

The Yankees are going to be tough to beat unless everything goes wrong for them.

here

That is quite the favorable analysis, unlike, say, Sports Illustrated, which likes the Mets to win it all.

What's more, this type of preview, however, illustrates just how high the expectations are for the Yankees. You can't sign Sabathia and Burnett and Teixeira and not have high expectations; but with high expectations also comes greater disappointment when they are not met.

It brings back my favorite line from Calvin and Hobbes: "I find my life a lot easier the lower I keep everyone's expectations"

Some more Random Spring Training Thoughts

*I know some that read this will disagree, but I agree with Gardner starting over Cabrera. Gardner has performed better over the whole of Spring Training. Gardner also offers speed on the bases that the Yankees haven't really seen since Homer Bush.

*The pitching looks pretty darn good so far. Sabathia, especially has been impressive, and Burnett, if we forget yesterday, has not been half bad himself. Mariano Rivera, however, is on another plane of existence altogether.

*I can't help but think if the Yankees batted Jeter first last year they may very well have made the playoffs. The move seems so obvious given Jeter's declining power and speed.

*I love that the Yankees have so many bullpen options. Phil Coke may very well end up the unsung hero.

*I have three fantasy teams, and they all have some of the same core, especially with pitching. Brian McCann is my starting catcher on two of the teams. I've come up with the basic philosophy that it's better to draft at 'thin' positions--like SS and Catcher-first, than to go after, say, (a healthy) Alex Rodriguez. Which would, of course, explain why a pitcher has been my first pick on each team...

*I'm going to see the New Stadium on Friday, but the forecast is cold and rainy. I would have much preferred going on Saturday, but I have other commitments. Actually, the only way I can go Friday is by missing the beginning of the game, when all the fun things happen, but it's always better to go than not go at all. I will take pictures and post them as soon as I can.

Alex Rodriguez to have surgery, out 6-9 weeks

According to Pete Abraham and ESPN , Alex Rodríguez will undergo surgery on his labrum and miss six to nine weeks, which would mean a return sometime in late April or early May.

Rodríguez will still need surgery after the season to repair the bone impingement in his hip, a recovery that will take about four months, but getting the labrum repaired now should allow him to play most of the season.

Given my lack of medical knowledge, I can't actually say if this is the best option or not, but it does seem to be a much better one than trying to play through the injury without any sort of repair.

Of course, now the Yankees have an interesting option: do they go after someone outside the system to play third base for a month, or do they take Cody Ransom's decent Spring Training and say, "hey, go on and hit it, you're in" ?

There's much less incentive for a free agent to sign when he may only play a month, but then again, a month is still better than not playing at all...

What do you think? What would you like to see the Yankees do?

Why the World Baseball Classic is a Good Idea, and a thought on the timing

To understand why the World Baseball Classic is a good idea, we first need to take a look at what happens when you have a sport that is 'global' in that it is played and enjoyed by people an an international, multi-continent spectrum.

Think for a minute, if you will, of team sports with pronounced global appeal and international athletes playing for the top leagues.

Let's use soccer and hockey as examples here.

Soccer, football, or whatever you'd like to call it, is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world. That it's not very popular in the United States doesn't seem as odd when you consider that the sport has not done too well in former English colonies, although in the United States and Australia this is currently changing.

Soccer's top leagues, like the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, all draw from an international pool of talent (even MLS is in on this), and then every so often, there is a significant international competition as well. There's not just the World Cup every for years, but also tournaments like the European championship (the Euro), which seemed to shock a bunch of people over at ESPN when (other) people watched the tournament this past summer. The World Cup, however, is the ultimate tournament, perhaps even bigger than the Olympics.


Hockey presents a more nuanced version of this: the elite league is the NHL, which draws large numbers of players from Canada and Eastern Europe. On the amateur level, the World Juniors are well established and often a focus for hockey fans, as they like to gander at their prospects. At the NHL level, the league takes a break for two weeks during the Winter Olympics to allow its players to play for their countries. While the system isn't perfect, it does allow players to experience both elite league play as well as national play.


Why am I bring up soccer and hockey on a baseball blog?

Both sports have managed to combine global tournaments with league play, and both have managed to pull it off in a format immensley popular with fans (as far as I know, anyway).

It seems a long time coming for Major League Baseball, where many players hail from countries such as the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Japan, and have been doing so for quite some time. While it may seem odd to us Americans that the sport, quintessentially American, is so popular elsewhere, that shouldn't matter. What matters is that it is popular, and Major League Baseball, seeing the opportunity to use its star power, if you will, to foster an international competition, has done the right thing.

The benefits from international competition, where those playing are not amateurs with whom most are unfamiliar, are immense.

Aside from the obvious revenue (one of my friends made the comment today that the Rogers Centre in Toronto looked far more crowded than for any Jays/Yankees game), the publicity could be well worth it. If one steps outside the United States for a moment, and looks at the game from another perspective, it's easy to see its appeal.

For example, a country like Japan will routinely lose it's best players (and sometimes the not-so-best, yes, I'm looking at you, Kei Igawa) to the Major Leagues, which keeps fans in Japan from being able to see them, either live or on a non-premium television channel. Granted, streaming internet may render this a moot point, but with the World Baseball Classic being a truly global tournament, fans can once again have an opportunity to see their favorite athletes.

The one major problem with the Classic is the timing.

The issue here is that there really is no decent time to have the Classic. The season is so long that you can't pause it without risking a World Series bleed over into November (actually, that might already happen even though the regular season starts on April 6). I don't know about you, but the idea of potentially going to a November baseball game in Boston, New York, Chicago or in Minnesota's open air stadium (ETA 2010)...is not terribly appealing.

Playing the tournament in November doesn't offer any better of a solution, as some players will have been done with playing since the end of September if their teams don't make the playoffs, and the time required to get ready again would be an unfair commitment.

Spring Training seems like the best option, but it also means that players risk injury before the season starts and teams can't bond in the way they normally would over Spring Training as many teams miss a number of their starters.

The best solution I can think of is that, perhaps, those playing in the WBC start in camp for their WBC teams a few weeks (not too many, perhaps, but a couple) earlier than the official start of Spring Training, and the WBC is held in February instead of March, so the players of countries eliminated early can join their Major League teams earlier and not have to leave them. What's more, if a player does happen to get hurt, they will still have much of March to recover, which means less time missed during the regular season.

Of course, the major caveat here is that the quality of play might not be the same, as players would have less time to get ready, but it's not unheard of for players to show up to camp early, anyway.

There is likely a decent reason why the WBC isn't done like this, so take what you read here with a grain of salt.

Still, the important thing to remember is this: baseball, whether you want it to be or not, is a global sport. Major League baseball has come up with a way to capitalize on the globalization in a way that those living outside the United States and Canada can enjoy on a regular basis. The league has made a lot of mistakes in recent years. This isn't one of them.

Alex Rodriguez Should Have Surgery Now

I know. I'm sick of the Alex Rodríguez posts, too, but right now, he's not a story, he IS the story in Yankeeland.

While no surgery has been scheduled yet, courtesy River Ave Blues via Pete Abraham and Brian Cashman,the fact is that surgery will be likely needed at some point in time, and sooner rather than later.

It makes no sense to put the surgery off, even a little bit.

Think about this:

While the human body possesses an incredible ability to heal and cure itself with minor injuries, a torn hip labrum doesn't really fit that label.

A seriously injured hip will only deteriorate if left untreated, much like the teeth of someone that avoids the dentist, or cataracts or glaucoma. Now, Rodríguez might not be in danger of losing his teeth or his sight, but he is in danger of losing his ability to pivot, and, for a hitter, that's no small thing.

So the question here is, what do the Yankees and Alex Rodríguez gain by delaying surgery? Potentially some playing time in April and maybe May? While Rodríguez's Spring Training numbers have been all right, there's no telling how good they could be if he was healthy. Rodríguez's production will likely decline as the injury worsens, and it will reach a point where it is more detrimental to play him than to sit him; it's only a matter of when that happens.

If the Yankees lose Rodríguez for four months, is it not better to lose him now? There still is the entire month of March; if Rodríguez was to have the surgery tomorrow he could theoretically be back before the All Star break, healthy and right in time for a pennant race. What's more, there are still free agents on the market--the Yankees could sign someone like Mark Grudzielanek to a one year deal with relatively little harm done, and it's not as though the Yankees have issues with signing players with impossible-to-spell names (Doug Mientkiewicz, anyone?)...just sayin'.

If it's a situation about getting the most value out of your asset, would not the Yankees get more value from a healthy Rodríguez than an injured one that deteriorates as the season goes on?

Or have the Yankees/Rodríguez/anyone with any possible say in the matter completley forgotten what happened to Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui last year?

No Surgery, but Rest and Rehab for Alex Rodriguez

According to Pete Abraham, quoting Brian Cashman, Alex Rodríguez has a torn hip labrum and cyst, the cyst was drained, and the team is trying rest and rehab.

Before you get all excited that Rodríguez won't be going under the knife, remember that the Yankees originally tried rest and rehab with Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui last year, and, well, we know how that went, as both went under season-ending surgery.

I don't know much about hip surgery; Stephania Bell of ESPN.com thinks that recovery from that surgery could take as long as 19 weeks

Hips are different things than knees or shoulders, and it's hard to believe the Yankees, after last season, wouldn't mandate Rodríguez getting the surgery if they thought it the most prudent option.

Then again, we are talking about the team that thought Kei Igawa was a good idea...

In the meantime, while the Yankees have some in house options for third base, none is much higher than a replacement-level value, but you can't exactly replace Rodríguez's numbers, especially with someone that's only been signed or traded for to play until Rodríguez is healthy again.

Alex Rodriguez To Miss 10 Weeks?

Oh shit.

I did this in a bit of a haste; the few phrases I am unsure of are left in parentheses-but they don't take from the article.

Translated from here

ORLANDO - Alex Rodríguez no solamente se perderá jugar con República Dominicana en el Clásico Mundial de Béisbol, sino que se perdería el primer mes de la temporada con los Yanquis de Nueva York después que un examen médico revelara que debe ser operado inmediatamente de un quiste en la cadera, dijo un hermano del pelotero a ESPNdeportes.com.

Alex Rodriguez will not only lose his ability to play with the Dominican Republic in the WBC, but he could miss the first month of the regular season with the New York Yankees after a medical examination revealed that he should have an immediate operation on a cyst on the hip, said a brother of the player to ESPNdeportes.com

A-Rod podría estar inactivo hasta mayo

A-Rod could be inactive until May

Joe Rodríguez informó que A-Rod será operado el lunes en Colorado y necesitaría cerca de 10 semanas para rehabilitarse.

Joe Rodrígues told that A-Rod will have surgery this Monday in Colorado and will need about 10 weeks for rehab.

"Para toda la familia es un golpe muy fuerte, Alex está destrozado", dijo Joe Rodríguez. "Todos estábamos muy enstusiasmado de verlo jugando con Republica Dominicana en el Clásico Mundial", agregó.

"For the entire family, it's a strong blow, Alex is devastated," said Joe Rodríguez. "All of us were very enthusiastic to see him play with the Dominican Rebulic in the World Classic," he (said?).

"Pero lo más importante es que la operación sea exitosa para que Alex pueda continuar con su carrera", dijo el hermano del pelotero.

"But the most important thing is that the operation will be successful so that Alex can continue with his career," said the brother of the player

La noticia tomó fuera de base a Stan Javier, gerente general del equipo de República Dominicana. "Aún no ha recibido ninguna información de los resultados del chequeo médico que realizaron a A-Rod", dijo Javier.

The news took Stan Javier, GM for the Dominican team, (off base?) "we still have not recieved any information about the results of A-Rod's medical exam," said Javier.

Los Yankees aún no han informado nada respecto a su estelar antesalista.

The Yankees had not informed anyone in respect to their (departing?) star.

Rodríguez, de 33 años, jugó con molestias en su cadera la temporada pasada, pero los Yankees nunca pensaron que el asunto fuera realmente serio hasta que un examen de resonancia magnética reveló el quiste el sábado.

Rodríguez, 33 years old, played with pain in his hip the past season, but the Yankees never thought that the matter was in reality serious until an MRI revealed the cyst on Saturday

Los Yankees enviaron al pelotero al especialista Marc Phillipon, de la clínica Steadman-Hawkins de Vail, Colorado. Los exámenes realizados por Phillipon determinaron que A-Rod debía ser operado inmediatamente.

The Yankees sent the player to the specialist Marc Phillipon, of the Steadman-Hawkins clinic in Vail, Colorado. The exams from Phillips determined that A-Rod should have the operation immediately

El 2009 no comenzó bien para Rodríguez, quien en febrero admitió que usó esteroides durante tres años mientras jugaba con los Rangers de Texas. Las Grandes Ligas interrogaron al pelotero por dos horas el domingo.

2009 did not begin well for Rodríguez, who in February admitted that he used steroids during the three years while playing with the Texas Rangers. MLB questioned the player for two hours last Sunday.

El lunes se integró a los entrenamientos de República Dominicana para el Clásico Mundial, en Jupiter, Florida, y el martes bateó un doble en tres turnos en una victoria 10-1 de los quisqueyanos ante los Marlins de Florida en un partido de exhibición.

Monday he joined his teammates for the Dominican Team for the World Classic in Jupiter, Floriday, and Tuesday batted with a double in three tries in a 10-1 victory against the Florida Marlins in an exhibition game.

"Un sueño hecho realidad poder usar la camiseta dominicana. Mi mamá debió sentirse muy emocionada", dijo Rodríguez.

"A dream had been realized to wear the Dominican uniform. My mother mother had been very emotional," said Rodríguez.

A-Rod ha ganado ha ganado tres premios de Jugador Más Valioso de la Liga Americana y ha pegado 553 jonrones en 15 temporadas en las Grandes Ligas. En el 2009 juugará la segunda temporada del contrato por 275 millones de dólares y 10 años que firmó con los Yankees hace dos inviernos.

A-Rod has won three MVP awards in the American league and has hit 553 home runs in 15 seasons in the major leagues. In 2009, he will play the second seasons of his contract for $275 million and ten seasons that he signed with the Yankees two winters ago

Derek Jeter Takes on the Yankees: A Liveblog

(It's one of those things, if you don't liveblog it, it didn't happen)

[1.14 PM]: Phil Hughes starting? Is Team USA looking for a practice game or... batting practice? Just kidding. Well, maybe sort of.

[1.17 PM]: Al Leiter John Flahrety in the booth. I liked him a lot more last year than I did in 2007. I suck.

[1.17 PM]: Still kind of hate Dustin Pedroia.

[1.18 PM]: The GIDPs from Jeter continue...

[1.19 PM]: Nice play by Ransom.

[1.21 PM]: If being 6'0" means you're not a big man, what the hell am I? (I'm 5'3", for the record)

[1.24 PM]: You think maybe Gardner wants that CF job? Nice single.

[1.25 PM]: Nice hitting by Teixiera to let Gardner get to third.

[1.26 PM]: Jorge says, "shoulder injury? What shoulder injury?"

[1.30 PM]: I like the idea of the WBC, but there really is just no good time to have it. It would be kind of interesting, perhaps, if the teams used minor league rosters--that way teams don't have to worry about losing so many of their 25 man rosters (the Mets have lost 11, apparently)...but, you know, sensible things never actually happen.

[1.32 PM]: Nice K for Phil.

[1.34 PM]: I repeat. Nice K for Phil.

[1.38 PM]: Nice play by Pedroia. I still hate him (well, as a baseball player, anyway).

[1.43 PM]: Ryan Braun is all sorts of awesome. Have to give members of my tribe their props =D

[1.46 PM]: Well, uh, at least he's pitching inside...

[1.49 PM]: So now Jeter comes up Captain Clutch...

[1.49 PM]: NHL mention, and how they stop games for the Olympics, and, speaking of the NHL, dude, the Devils have been all sorts of awesome.

[1.50 PM]: That's it for Hughes. All in all, a pretty decent showing, but he's still gotta stop hitting batters.

[1.53 PM]: I love me some Coke. Well, not that base hit there, but I still think he's awesome.

[1.56 PM]: Why hello thar, Ted Lilly! Nice mumblin'.

[1.58 PM]: Hey! Brett! What are you drinking and where can I get some?

[2.00 PM]: Gardner can fly.

[2.06 PM]: Adam Dunn and Ryan Howard should have a contest to see who can strike out the most in a season...

[2.09 PM]: Striking out Dunn and Braun? Yeah, I'm addicted to Coke.

[2.12 PM]: John Flaherty and Michael Kay: Slashtastic. Only not really.

[2.18 PM]: And there goes the cable feed.

[2.21 PM]: Dunno what happened now, but it's the top of the next inning and the score is still 2-1 USA.

[2.25 PM]: Yeah, still addicted to Coke. I expect the DEA to be knocking on my door shortly.

[2.30 PM]: I know someone that will kill me for saying this, or at least that it will put a damper on our relationship, but I am really impressed with Gardner right now. Great double, going the other way.

[2.34 PM]: Good thing Hacker isn't a hitter...he'd probably have to change his name or something.

[2.41 PM]: Well, Hacker's not doing much of a good job pitching, so maybe he should hit or something. And that was just a really bad play by Berroa.

[2.51 PM]: Wonder if this Dunn has any relation to that other Dunn...

[2.57 PM]: And what do you know, Dunn comes through.

[3.01 PM]: Nice hits for Jorge and Nady.

[3.11 PM]: Nice 2-run GR double for Swisher, 6-4 team USA.

[3.17 PM]: Wait. DeRosa played for BC and John Flaherty played for St. Joe's? Holy crap. And hey! I've been to West Nyack multiple times! And my high school, Indian Hills, took on BC in Mock Trial a few times...dude, this is so weird!

[3.21 PM]: Great outing for Dunn.

[3.30 PM]: Melky in now...and...now he's out.

[3.38 PM]: Nice explanation of the flag facing backwards on the jerseys. Now, if only I could get it in English.

[3.49 PM]: So, to be honest, I've kind of stopped paying attention. That's the great thing about Spring Training though, you can put the games on like background music...

It's Never Too Early for Some Spring Training Power Rankings

One of my favorite articles to read every week for every sport, especially when my team is performing well, is the weekly Power Rankings. ESPN, Sports Illustrated, CBS, Fox Sports, and others all offer their takes. The results of the poll are (usually) not based on standings or any formula, but simply are the author's own take on where each team ranks in the league.

So, since I'm having little luck doing my other work, I thought I'd offer a start-of-Spring-Training Power Poll, because, well, I can.

For the record, I totally make no effort to hide my biases.


30. Washington Nationals

As easy as it would be to lambast a team whose brightest prospects include Elijah Dukes, ex-GM Bowden has a few other illegalDominicansigningscandal-type worries on his mind.


29. Pittsburgh Pirates

They've been bad for most of my life, and that's saying something, since I can now imbibe legally and go to the big person's jail. There are some bright spots—Andrew McCutchen comes to mind—but it'll probably be a season or two before there are any tangible results.


28. Toronto Blue Jays

What happens when you take a team with no offense and blow up the starting rotation? What also happens when you add in the fact that the AAA affiliate of this team had 10 errors in a game I was lucky enough to attend? Yeah, you won't want to put that on your resume.


27. San Diego Padres

It seems like the 2007 team that came up one game short of a playoff spot is a distant memory. The pitching staff will always seem better than it is because of PetCo, and if you finish last in the NL West in 2008—a division where the winner had all of 84 wins—dude, that don't look good.


26. Baltimore Orioles

So the reason the Birds are here instead of back there is that unlike the other birds, the O's have already seen rock bottom. Are they going to be good in 2009? No, probably not. However, Matt Wieters might be the best prospect in all of baseball, Nick Markakis is a solid player, and Adam Jones could become a mainstay in center field. You won't see results this year, but with some legitimate pitching help, the resurgence of the O's is on the horizon. That is, until Angelos gets in the way again...


25. Seattle Mariners

Well, the good news is that Bavasi is gone. The bad news is that the good news kind of ends there. You could consider Felix Hernandez, but a starting pitcher can only win you one game out of every five.


24. San Francisco Giants

The Giants probably shouldn't be this high, but it's hard to root against Tim Lincecum (and, for kicks, Matt Cain). While much of the lineup can be described in one word ("old"), there is some really young talent buried in the farm system, like Angel Villalona, who was born in 1990.


23. Cincinnati Reds

Perhaps the Reds should be higher—with names like Cueto, Volquez, Bruce, and Votto, there's certainly talent—but in a six-team division, it won't be enough. The team's got a lot of youth and waved good bye to Griffey (so now they can find themselves a center fielder who doesn't spend most of the season on the DL), but with youth also comes inexperience. It took the Rays a couple years to be good once they figured out what they were doing, and it'll be the same here.


22. Kansas City Royals

Some are saying that the '09 Royals could be the league's Rays of '08. There's lots of young talent here and if the pitching staff can keep it together, there's certainly an upward trend to look forward to, but this is also the team that thought Jose Guillen was a good idea. Proceed with caution.


21. Houston Astros

Don't be fooled by the 2008 attempt at a miracle run to the playoffs...remember, this is the team that signed LaTroy Hawkins (then again...). Anyway, the point is, in a division with contenders like the Cubs, Cardinals, and perhaps even the Brewers, the Astros don't have a whole lot of upside outside of Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman, and, the team happens to be the oldest in the National League (caveat: the Yankees were the oldest AL team in 2008, so take that as you will).


20. Atlanta Braves

I guess with the departure of John Smoltz for Beantown things won't be quite the same in Atlanta any more. It's not really possible to replace the jackpot the Braves hit with the Smoltz/Maddox/Glavine combo, but they've got some great young talent in Brian McCann and Jair Jurrjens. If they develop the young talent correctly (and it's hard to believe they won't), the latter half of the 2000s will probably, in the grand scheme of things, just look like a fluke.


19. Detroit Tigers

The very first thing I ever learned about baseball, courtesy of my older brother in 1998, was that good pitching will always, in the long run, beat good hitting. The strength of the 2008 Tigers was supposed to be an offense capable of 1000 runs. Well, that's fine and dandy, but when you can't pitch worth a damn, that's not really a good thing, and if your offense doesn't produce like it's supposed to...yeah, you end up in the basement. Some of the Tigers' poor 2008 was simply luck; they should be better in 2009, but it seems more and more like the AL champion of 2006 was a fluke. Especially worrying is the year that supposed ace Justin Verlander had last season—if he can get back on track, things need not look so bleak.


18. Arizona Diamondbacks

It's been argued that the Yankees' faults the past few years all rest on an inability to get off to a fast start. The Diamondbacks, uh, don't really have that problem. They dominated all throughout April and May of last year and seemed a shoo-in for the NL West, but ended up only two games over .500. The easiest argument to make for this is simply that the Snakes are young. Like babies, almost.

There is talent galore in the lineup (I'm looking at you, Justin Upton), but it hasn't quite matured yet. Give it time—when the lineup does mature, no one's going to want to go to the desert.


17. Colorado Rockies

Well, you know, the 2007 Rockies really did come out of nowhere, and pretty much got lucky enough to have one of those seasons where everything went right. Are the 2009 Rockies necessarily a bad team or out of the running in the anyone-can-win-it-except-the-Padres-and-the-Giants NL West? Nope. Seasons where everything goes exactly to plan do happen on occasion, but you can't count on those happening often, if at all.


16. Cleveland Indians

In 2007, the Cleveland Indians rode Sabathia and Carmona to within one game of the World Series. In 2008, Carmona was...well, let's just say his ERA rose by two and a half points, and Sabathia found himself a Brewer by the deadline. If Carmona can rebound and Cliff Lee not have a drastic fall off, there's enough offensive talent to give the Indians a chance. Don't write them off just yet.


15. Texas Rangers

The team had 2008's best offense, and there's no real reason to suspect 2009 will be much different. They have perhaps the best farm system in the Majors and...the curse of not having the pitching to match. When this team figures out how to not lead the Majors in relief innings, they're gonna be scary good. LA and Oakland, watch your backs.


14. LA Dodgers

It might seem low to drop a division winner...well, this low, but one has to remember that the Dodgers won all of 84 games last year, basically rode Manny Ramirez—whom they haven't (yet) resigned—to the division title, and, oh yeah, Torre's book where he betrayed the confidences of a heck of a lot of people in the Yankees clubhouse. You can't believe that's going to sit well with a lot of the Dodgers.


13. Milwaukee Brewers

Again, it feels kind of weird having the Brewers this low, but they lost Sabathia and even if they were to resign Ben Sheets, he will miss much (if not all) of the year with elbow surgery. Granted, Sheets is never exactly healthy and the Brewers were already competitive before they got Sabathia...the issue here might simply be that the Cardinals and the Cubs are the better teams, unless Yovani Gallardo can bring a can of whoop-ass like Baseball Prospectus 2008 had predicted.


12. Florida Marlins

Hanley Ramirez. It's possible to add Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla here, for sure, but, dude, Hanley. Honestly, if he isn't your pre-ranked No. 1 player, you probably shouldn't be playing fantasy baseball (unless you're me and...well, not very good at fantasy sports). Nevermind that the 2008 Marlins showed some panache and finished with 13 more wins than 2007, and with their youth things are only looking up...dude, Hanley!


11. St. Louis Cardinals

If the pitching staff could just hold it together...I mean, you know Pujols will produce, assuming the elbow doesn't blow up, and if Ludwick is anywhere close to his 2008, and the Cardinals did manage to snag the Molina that can both hit AND catch...


10. Oakland Athletics

I've been reading posts that the Oakland A's could contend for the 2009 AL West, but outside of Giambi and Gonzalez, I have a hard time naming anyone on the roster. Then again, Billy Beane generally seems to know what he's doing. Who knows, enough things go right here, enough things go wrong in LA, and anything's possible, really, and just because I don't know anyone on the roster doesn't necessarily mean a team is good or bad—heck, I could probably give you the O's starting nine from memory (Roberts-Markakis-Millar-Jones-Huff-Mora...eh, 6/9), and the O's aren't exactly supposed to compete...


9. Minnesota Twins

I'll do my best to refrain from posting that now that Carl Pohlad has departed us, perhaps the Twins management won't be afraid to spend a penny, since such a thing would be inappropriate. Then again, if you fall one game short of the playoffs the year after you lose Johan Santana, you might not really need to open the wallet after all...


8. Chicago White Sox: These guys kind of baffle me. I mean, they were competing for the cellar in 2007 and last year made the LDS? Was that because the Sox were good or because they got lucky that the Indians and Tigers were, uh, not very good? It is possible to argue, after all, that the Twins should have won that one-game playoff and been the real AL Central champions, but what's done is done. The simple truth is that I don't know what to expect out of these guys, and there really isn't anywhere else to put them.


7. NY Mets

The 2008 Mets can be summed up in the pun-nish phrase "blow-pen." Knowing this, Minaya went and got not one but two elite closers in K-Rod and J.J. Putz. Assuming the bullpen can now, you know, do their job, this team should (hopefully) be able to avoid the September collapses of late. Caveat: Santana's recent elbow troubles should not be taken lightly.


6. LA Angels

We know this team can and will win in the regular season. We know that they'll always manage to kill the Yankees, especially in LA. We know that they can do all the little things right when needed. What the Angels haven't been able to do, however, is win in the playoffs, at least since 2002. They're still one of the better teams in baseball, and should have no problem at least contending for the AL West title, but Oakland and Texas aren't write-offs as they have been in years past, and the Halos, age-wise, are in their prime. It won't be long before it's now or never with this group.


5. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies, the easiest way to put this, are a team where the sum is way, way greater than the parts. That's really good for this thing called team chemistry, and, well, the winning that goes along with it. Now, chemistry doesn't necessarily mean everyone loves each other (think "Bronx is Burning" here), but just that, when and where it matters, every part works seamlessly within the whole. That's what the Phillies had in 2008.

Phillies fans I know don't tend to think a repeat is likely—how much longer can Jaime Moyer keep disobeying the laws of human aging? How will the departure of Burrell hurt? However, I'd still consider them the favorites to win the NL East. Even if they don't repeat, they should still be lots of fun to watch.


4. Boston Red Sox

I know, I know, the Red Sox are better than the Yankees...well, they were in 2008...but, dude, the thing about a new season is that it's a new season. The Yankees went out and, to the dismay of the economies of most moderately sized nations, signed Sabathia and Burnett AND Teixeira.

The Red Sox signed John Smoltz and Brad Penny. Now, if and when they're healthy, those signings will be well worth it, but the Sox have some questions that I can't recall them actually addressing in the offseason. Like, for instance, the fact that Daisuke Matsuzaka walks pretty much everything in sight is going to come back and bite him. Anyway, despite their flaws, the Sox do have one of the best farm systems in the league. If the prospects produce anywhere near their full potential, this is a team that *gulp* could be a dynasty to contend with for years to come. Like I said, *gulp*.


3. NY Yankees

Most teams, most years, if they win 89 games with their Opening Day lineup and rotation, well, they've got a very legitimate chance at sneaking in with the Wild Card and thus no one will complain. When the Yankees win 89 games, the world is ending.

However, if you consider that the Yankees won 89 games last year WITHOUT Jorge Posada or Hideki Matsui for most of the year, without a single win from the Opening Day No. 3 and No. 4 starters (hell, the No. 5 starter, Mussina, LED the team in wins), with the No. 1 starter's season coming to an end in June with a freak foot injury, with nearly one-third of starts from Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson, with a team so hurt that Carl Pavano made pitching appearances, with Jose Molina in an every day lineup that included a Melky Cabrera who regressed badly enough to be sent to AAA, a Cano who really came and played for about a week in July and a week in September, and a Giambi that had two mustache-fueled good months amidst being more or less a lump in the lineup the rest of the time...yeah, when you consider that despite all that the Yankees still won 89 games, and then you consider that this winter they've added Nick Swisher, AJ Burnett, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia...

...Uh oh.

(Dude, this is a Yankees blog. Were you expecting objectivity?)


2. Chicago Cubs

After last season's horrid October (for the Cubs, anyway), I've come to believe that there probably is something to the curse of the Billy Goat. Ignoring that, however, this team has talent galore and it's not raw, non-matured talent, either. The team finally has seemed to realize that they will break the curse one of these days. All that's left now is to do it.


1. Tampa Bay Rays

Hands down the best team in the AL last year, there's no reason to think they'll be any worse this year. They've got it all: youth, good offense, good defense, good pitching, a great farm system, and now you can add in playoff experience as well. I don't think I ever really thought I'd be saying this, but you would have to consider the Rays one of the favorites to win the 2009 World Series, assuming they stay healthy and all that. If you think Joba is good, wait till you get a load of Price.

Some Random Thoughts from Spring Training

I'll admit it. I've been an awful blogger the past couple of weeks. I'll spare you the excuses.

Anyway, now that Spring Training is a few weeks old, I've had a couple of thoughts that keep repeating:

• I wish the Yankees would do something about the fact that Derek Jeter is not going to be able to play shortstop for a whole heck of a lot longer. They've got a couple prospects at the lower levels, I think, but I would love to see if perhaps they considered trading some of their surplus pitching talent for a closer-to-ready SS...unless the kids the Yankees have in their system really are supposed to be that good...but, given that you never hear them mentioned in the nearly the same breath as Jackson, Montero, Romine, et al, that doesn't bode very well.

• Posada's been swinging the bat well. I wonder how many people remember that in last spring training, in the first game against USF, Posada hit a triple?

• I wouldn't worry too much about the pitching right now--and here I'm talking about the starting. All you need to worry about is whether or not they stay healthy. Don't go too much on Spring Training performances--remember how good Canó was in March and how bad he was in April?

• As the economy continues to collapse and enters downright scary-as-hell territory, I have to think that it might soon become very possible to see ticket prices, at least from fan-to-fan selling, come down a tad. Granted, no, you still won't be able to afford tickets for Opening Day, but the prices for the Cubs exhibition games, at least the ones I've seen, aren't too bad (until you consider that face value is 1923 prices, but we'll ignore that). I'm still hoping to magically land a ticket (or two) for Friday night, but I have to go to a conference all day on Saturday, which is a shame since I'd much prefer the day game.

• If you haven't seen it, PBP was mentioned on the New York Magazine website here the other day, under the appropriate named linked 'fanatic-blogs'. My inappropriate sense of self-importance grows ever larger.
  

It's March 1st. It's okay to step away from the ledge

Apparently, I never realized that Grapefruit League games actually matter.

Right.

Are we so starved for baseball that we take games in the first week of an extended exhibition season and use these to judge the fortunes of our team in 2009?

Right now, the "regulars" leave the game after four or five innings and the pitchers you see are not your Opening Day starters.

Right now, all that matters is keeping the team healthy and getting them up to full strength.

Thus, Jorge Posada and Edwar Ramirez and Jonathan Albaladejo are legitimate concerns (even if grouping Albie here is pushing it a little bit).

Jesus Montero is a bit of a concern, sure, but he is not supposed to impact the major league team for a couple of seasons...kid's 19 years old! When I was 19 years old, my biggest concerns were staying up till 3.30 AM to finish that paper on African myths...

What isn't a legitimate concern: worrying about losing games in the first week of exhibition play.

Seriously. Remember last spring training? How Robbie Canó hit .440ish? How'd that work out during the regular season?

While, right now, Brett Gardner is pwning Melky, remember, there's still a whole month before the regular season starts, and anything can happen, so, I'd exercise some caution before going out to buy those "Gardner" t-shirts just yet.

Spring Training right now is a time to sit back, be jealous of sunny Florida while in NY it's about to dump a foot of snow, take a seat with a cup of hot tea and Baseball Prospectus 2009, take a deep breath...

...and relax.

Live Blogging Spring Training: Rays at Yankees

Well, why not?

The Yankees' line-up and starters, courtesy Pete Abraham


Damon LF
Jeter SS
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Nady RF
Posada DH
Molina C
Cabrera CF

Pitching today: Phil Hughes followed by Phil Coke, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte, Jon Albaladejo, Mark Melancon.


So it looks llike the Yankees are pulling out all the stops for the fans today--Nady gets the nod over Swisher, and Posada's shoulder is given some more time of as Molina's behind the plate--but Damon, Jeter, Teixiera, Alex and Canó are all there--this is a line up you could and, might argue, probably will see throughout the season.

Will update as the game progresses.

[1.02 PM] Gorgeous late February day? I'll be damned if I've ever heard that one before...

[1.17 PM] Bernie Williams with the first pitch. Have to admire his determination to play in the WBC, hope he has a great time.

[1.19 PM] First pitch strike....followed by a HBP. What this means, if anything, who knows?

[1.21 PM] First K of the spring for Phil Hughes! (What, I like celebrating firsts!)

[1.28 PM] Not a bad first inning if we ignore the two hit batsmen for Phil. Problem is, he did hit two batters...

[1.32 PM] Two quick outs. Nice, Yankees, nice.

[1.37 PM] Not a whole lot of control for Phil so far, but then, if you're going to judge his entire value this season on the first spring training game, you're in the wrong sport.

[1.42 PM] Well, Phil didn't hit a batter or allow a hit, so I guess I shouldn't complain. Control will work itself out in time. Well, it should.

[1.43 PM] Some boos for A-Rod, but the cheers are drowning them out. Or, at least, trying. Always controversial, that one...

[1.45 PM] ...And Alex strikes out.

[1.46 PM] Holy crap this offense looks bad. Or Tampa's pitcher looks good. Take your pick. Actually, neither offense looks very good thus far.

[1.50 PM] Phil Coke now pitching. You can't judge players on September, but Coke's September '08 compares to Joba's September '07. Just sayin', is all.

[1.53 PM] Now THAT was an awesome defensive play. Coke seems to have picked up just where he left off, and that is fine by me.

[1.56 PM] ....Welcome back Jorge! Long home run against the wind on the first pitch he saw...dang, Jorge, we missed you.

[2.00 PM] And the rest of the Yankees go down in order. Holy crap it's good to have Jorge back.

[2.06 PM] First hit of the game for the Rays, nice clean single up the middle, well played by Melky.

[2.07 PM] Not sure who got Canó to flash the leather, but I am enjoying it.

[2.12 PM] As I've said before, I love me some Coke.

[2.16 PM] Mark Teixiera with the second Yankee hist of the evening.

[2.17 PM] And Alex grounds into a double play. He is not doing himself any favors...

[2.20 PM] Albaladejo on, one pitch, one out.

[2.23 PM] And, apparently, now it's Bruney. So I guess I was wrong on that one.

[2.26 PM] Who are these Yankees, and when did they learn to pitch?

[2.30 PM] Nady is awarded a double as a fan reaches out and touches the ball in play down the first base line.

[2.31 PM] Holy shit Jorge, try to save some for the rest of the season, ok?

[2.37 PM] Dámaso Marte in to pitch; Ransom in at first, Curtis, Gardner and Duncan in the outfield, Angel Berroa at 2nd, Cervelli at catcher and I missed the guy at third. This is where most of the fans leave the game.

[2.40 PM] Nice throw by Colin Curtis to keep Ensberg from stretching a single to a double.

[2.45 PM] Quick 1-2-3 inning for the Yankee offense. I've lost track of what inning it actually is, which may or may not be a good thing.

[2.48 PM] I think Melancon is on to pitch, but I'm not sure. Apparently now it's JB Cox.

[2.51 PM] Angel Berroa beat out Hideki Matsui for RotY? Dang, I have got to pay some more attention.

[2.54 PM] Rays now on the board after a single. 2-1 Jorge Posada.

[2.58 PM] Three consecutive hits for the Rays now. Safe to say Cox has not looked very good thus far.

[3.06 PM] Berroa with a single. I wonder if Shelley Duncan has a bit of a grudge to settle here...

[3.08 PM] Guess so. 5-1 Yankees.

[3.16 PM] Mark Melancon in to pitch. If you're new to the Yankees, watch this kid.

[3.21 PM] Nice quick 1-2-3 inning for Melancon.

[3.26 PM] Gardner was robbed there. Great play.

[3.31 PM] Okay, NOW Albaladejo is in.

[3.34 PM] Humberto Sanchez is hurt again? Seems like that Sheffield trade didn't really work well for anyone. Still, that's a LOT of depth the Yankees have in their bullpen...

[3.35 PM] Nice play by Albaladejo to end the game, and the Yankees win 5-1.

That's it for the live blogging today, thanks for reading!

Are You Ready for Some Baseball?

Well, here we are, at the very first exhibition game of the 2009 Spring Training season. In case you're wondering, the ST schedule is a little different this year because of the World Baseball Classic.

Today's game is neither on TV or radio, but tomorrow's game will be on YES.

Today's line-up, courtesy of Pete Abraham is:


Gardner CF
Jeter SS
Cano 2B
Rodriguez 3B
Swisher RF
Duncan DH
Miranda 1B
Linden LF
Cash C

So if you're looking for a preview of the 2009 Yankees, this probably isn't it.

Even so, baseball is baseball, and it is great to have it back.

Thoughts and Prayers with Jason Johnson

According to this article, new Yankees' signee Jason Johnson has been receiving treatment for a cancerous tumor, melanoma, in his eye.

Thoughts, prayers and best wishes for a speedy recovery go out to him. Making the team takes a back seat to regaining health.

Yankee Fans Unhappy With Relocation Seats

When you move from a larger, sold-out Stadium to a smaller one, even if it's only smaller by a couple thousand seats, you are bound to run into problems with season ticket holders, some of whom have had tickets for years.

One fan asked me to share his letter with the public--and it certainly expresses fan dissatisfaction far better than I, a non-season ticket holder who buys her tickets from Stubhub, ever could.

Dear Yankees Management and Ticket Staff,

My name is Jay and I am ticket licensee number xxxxxx. I
send this email to all of you as I am very hurt by the process of relocation to a new seat in Yankee Stadium. When the process began last year, members of the relocation staff were unable to provide me with straight answers on being able to get int he building in a decent seat, when I told them I was a plan D holder (Saturdays) they assured me I would be able to at the least remain within that range of plan.

The months went on and I made calls during the year to find out what the status was. I was not able to upgrade to a full season package as I do not re-sell the tickets I purchase. I go to all the games and enjoy spending my Saturdays with the Yankees.

Last night I was finally updated on my ticket location and dates. I was given the 12 game #2 package. While I could live with being in a lesser seat, I cannot accept that now I was put into a package in which I can’t even go to. Now I called the ticket office and spoke to a nice person who explained the process and told me my options were down to two. Either I pay $10,000 for 15 games on Saturdays, or I go
into a pool and simply hope for the best that at the least I can get one of the Friday, Saturday or Sunday packages. By declining (which I have done because he told me the sooner I declined the sooner I would go into the pool) I now waive my season ticket possibilities all together and could possibly lose my seniority and be completely locked out of the building.

I have given thousands of dollars to your organization over the years. I am lucky enough at age 30 that even in this downtrodden economy that I can afford almost any seat in your building, but the fact is that you are letting me down by telling me that I have only the option of taking what equates to the down payment on a home to get into the
building for the first year? This is one of the more saddening parts of being a fan. I take all my hopes of a championship into that ballpark every year and now I am being told that I might as well noteven come? I know that in the grand scheme of things I am small time, but your tactics have made me feel smaller. I just want to go to
games on a Saturday or a Sunday and not have to go into severe debt.

I have paid nearly $1500 a year for 2 seats for myself to take mywife, family members and friends to games. It’s been a pleasure to do so and I love going to see our team, but now I am almost completely shut out due to the fact that there will be no guarantees I can get day of game tickets, you also have a complete stranglehold on the secondary market which means that even if I wanted to go to weekend
games and did so through stub hub, I would lose my seniority as a licensee and be given no hopes for post-season tickets.

I am not the only one who feels this way either. We on the community nyyfans.com have documented well the process from the beginning to this point voicing our frustration frutilessly. The entire 139 page thread can be found at this URL:

http://forums.nyyfans.com/showthread.php?t=108493

We all want the same thing, to be given a the truth and be allowed in the building at a reasonable cost. Something that has alluded many of us in this process has been the truth. Over the last few months I was given multiple lies over the phone when speaking to relocation people.

I was actually told only a few days ago that the reason licensees were given false information was that the staffers didn’t have any info themselves. Additionally, when speaking to this ticket rep on the phone he actually admitted that sometimes “Dates are given to people just to get them to get off the phone, they won’t hang up
unless you tell them something.” So lying is the only way to shut us up?

Being offered $350 seats or being given nothing is a poor way to treat a loyal customer. I am more than just a loyal customer, I am a devoted fan of this team. I have followed through the good times and bad. I was lucky enough to make enough in my job to afford this type of package in the first place. Now I am simply being told I don’t make enough to get into your stadium to root for MY team.

Please hear my plea and help me. I just want a seats for the Saturday or Sunday package. Two measly seats in your Billion Dollar building. Can’t someone help me?

Thank you,

Jay
—-

Later in the day after a few more calls, I was given a harsh reality, accept the relocation by the ticket office or be shut out. I did so and then handled the situation on my own.

I explained to my fellow NYYFans forum posters exactly what steps I took next:

“ok…

I had some resolution today on the situation that while not perfect, it works.

I purchased my assignment, the 12 game bleachers. I talked to someone there and he said that there will be absolutely nothing left for weekenders once the pool comes in. He said it’s going to be a fruitless effort to fight this. I realized it. My 12 games cost me 300 bucks, about 1300 less than what I used to pay.

I then scoured for someone selling a Saturday plan, found it and purchased 2 infield grandstands for about $1400 for all Saturdays.

My total cost is about 1700 for 12 weekday games and to keep my seniority and 13 Saturday games all in the same seats including 2 Boston games and Old Timers' Day.

The 12 weekday games I am going to sell to friends and go to one or two of. The weekend games are for me. I will go to all of them.

I spent under my expected $2000 that I had stowed away. I keep my post-season pre-sale option (what I always had in the past) and get to go to the games I wanted to.

Granted it didnt go the way I wanted to but I made it on my own.”

The Yankees are, perhaps, doing the best they can, but making the new Stadium smaller and with more luxury boxes was perhaps a PR disaster among fans from the start.

A-Rod Conference Today's Big Draw

Alex Rodriguez is supposed to have his press conference today at 1.30 PM. I will be unable to cover it, so I figured I'd write a tiny bit before hand.


The most crucial thing for Alex to do is come clean. Pretend the Gammons interview never happened and come clean. Don't act like you're holding back, either. Come clean. Oh, and you probably should apologize, too.

After that, if you want to say that after today you never want to talk about this again, it's your right.

It might seem odd to us that Alex hired a PR firm to help him with this, but we have to remember that two years ago, this was the guy that 'opted out' of his mammoth contract during the clinching game of the World Series. Good PR is not exactly his thing.

However, as much as we might want to hope that the A-Roid saga will end today, the answer is that it won't--not when there's a book coming out, not while Alex is still a Yankee, not when the saga will continue to sell papers and magazines.

The thing the Yankees can look forward to after today, though, is that if they and Alex do this press conference thing right, they won't have to address it after today, at least, not publically.

Reasons to Love Spring #189724249

+ Getting an email telling you that the copy of Baseball Prospectus you ordered way back when in October has shipped from Amazon headquarters....

Yes, I'm a geek.

Still, anything and everything that can remind me of spring is good enough for me, for the moment.

As you've probably seen around the blogosphere, Jorge Posada looks pretty good, Phil Hughes has bulked up and CC Sabathia is having no trouble fitting in.

Alex Rodriguez is supposed to speak to reporters later this week; Jeter, Pettitte, Jorge and Mo have all said that they will stand behind them.

Rings count for something...