A Successful Road Trip

After a brutal homestand that saw the Yankees lose 5 in a row including 2 to Red Sox and 2 to the Rays, the Yankees couldn’t have asked for much better returning home with a 4-2 road trip. The Toronto series couldn’t have started off any worse, but to be fair the Yankees really had no shot against Roy Halladay, who was 15-5 in his career against they Yankees coming into that start. After the series opening loss the Yankees came back to win the next two capped off by a 3-2 win last night.

CC Sabathia is finally looking like CC Sabathia. His last two outings have been brilliant (2ER in 17IP). It was also nice to see Hideki Matsui back in the lineup and contributing. Next up for the Yankees is their longest homestand of 2009. They will play 4 against Minnesota, 3 against Baltimore, and 3 against Philadelphia.

The Yankees need to take the positive momentum they have built over the past 6 games and carry it over to this homestand. In order to call it a success they need to win at least 6 out of the 10 contests. It all starts tonight as Phil Hughes looks to right himself against Francisco Liriano.

A Weekend to Forget...

The Yankees have to be scratching their heads following being swept by Boston this weekend. Sunday night’s game saw a lifeless effort by the Yankees which could be directly linked to how the first two games of the series played out. Friday night’s contest looked all but theirs as Mariano Rivera was one out away from closing out a 4-2 win for the Yankees. Instead he gave up a game tying 2-run homer to Jason Bay. The Yankees went on to lose the game in extra innings when Damaso Marte allowed a walk off home run by Kevin Youkilis.

Saturday’s game promised to be a pitcher’s match up of epic proportions as former teammates AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett went head to head. Burnett held up his part of the deal as he looked dominant through 3 innings. By that time Beckett had already allowed 6 runs and after 3 the Yankees led 6-0. The Red Sox would then mount a ridiculous comeback on Burnett and a parade of relievers as they scored in each and every subsequent inning and won the game 16-11. Burnett who looked so dominant through 3 looked lost over the next 2 frames and ended up allowing 8 earned runs over 5 innings.

After the heartbreaking losses that the Yankees endured on Friday and Saturday, they simply looked flat while being defeated 4-1 Sunday night. Andy Pettitte had little to no support by his teammates in the field and at the plate. Pettitte did not help his own cause very much either as he allowed an embarrassing moment when Jocoby Ellsbury stole home on the lefty.

Overall, it was a weekend to forget for the Yankees. Did I forget to mention that Brian Bruney and Cody Ransom both went down with injuries during the series as well? It’s on to Detroit now for the Yanks. They can sure use a dominant 8 inning performance from CC as the bullpen has been bruised and battered over the past 3 days. Let’s see if the hefty lefty can deliver a much needed win.

The Melk Man Delivers!

Melky Cabrera finished off today's marathon game with a two run walk off home run in the bottom of the 14th. It was Melky's second home run of the game. 

CC Sabathia is still having control issues to start off the season. He was curiously left in the game in the 7th having already surrendered 5 runs through the first 6 innings. He went on to give up the lead before giving way to 6 relievers who combined for 7 and 1/3 innings pitched while allowing only 3 hits.  

My apologies to Jose Veras, who was out of this world in relief. He went 3 and 1/3 innings and retired the last 10 men he faced, striking out 4 of them. He picked up the win.

BOX SCORE

Day off tomorrow. And then it's off to Boston for the Bombers. Joba Chamberlain will kick off the series on the mound for the Yanks. He will be opposed by Jon Lester. It should definitely be a good one.

Yanks Leave Sweep on the Table

This weekend's series could not have been going better. Friday's game saw Andy Pettitte looking as good as ever over 7 strong innings of work. The Yankees won the game 4-1 on the back of Pettite's strong effort. 

BOX

It was more of the same on Saturday as CC toed the rubber looking to make up for his opening day hiccup. And makeup he did. He pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings in another easy Yankee victory, this time by the score of 6-1. This game also saw continued hot production at the plate from Nick Swisher. Swisher went 2 for 3 with a homer and 3 RBI. The only downside was that Mark Teixeira was scratched from the lineup due to a sore wrist. 

BOX

That brings us to today's finale with the Royals. Joba Chamberlain took the hill for his first start against Royals ace, Gil Meche. Joba pitched was shaky at times but got through six innings of work while allowing only one earned run. He was in line for the win as the Yankees took the lead from the Royals in the 7th, scoring 3 runs in the inning to put the score at 4-3. Damaso Marte started the eighth inning on the mound and breezed through two batters, throwing only 11 pitches. However, he was removed from the game in favor of Jose Veras right hander Billy Butler, and that is when the wheels started to fall off.  Veras walked the only batter he would face. Girardi then brought in Phil Coke to face switch hitter Brayan Pena, who was 0-3 batting left handed during the game. By bringing Coke in, Pena switched to the right side. Coke went on to allow a double, single, and another double consecutively and the Royals plated 3 runs.

In my view this was a case of over managing by our beloved skipper Joe Girardi. Why remove Marte after retiring the first two batters with relative ease? The two batters Marte retired were left handed, but Marte is very capable of getting right handers out. Is he only going to be used as a lefty specialist? Not only did he over manage with Marte, he did so with Veras. OK, it's not Joe's fault Veras walked Butler. However, it is his fault that he brought in Coke to allow Pena to turn around and hit right handed when he was struggling to hit left handed all day long. Why give a struggling switch hitter a fresh start on the other side of the plate when he had shown he was struggling batting left handed? Phil Coke has got terrific stuff, but is he any better than the proven vet, Marte? What makes Marte strictly a lefty specialist and Coke not? I'm going to give Joe the benefit of the doubt. It's still early. But, these are the types of losses that teams look back on in the end of the year saying, "We should have won that game."

BOX

AJ, The Stopper?

Another game and another poor performance by a Yankee starter. Chien Ming Wang didn't fare much better than Sabathia did on Opening Day. The Yankees found themselves chasing the entire game as Wang could not get through 4 innings before allowing 7 runs. The Yankees will look to salvage a game from this series tomorrow afternoon . It will be up to AJ Burnett to make that happen.

Can AJ be the stopper? Well, we will soon find out. Burnett gets the ball tomorrow with the task of getting the Yankees their first win of the year and avoid an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Orioles. The Yankees have gotten no length from game one and two starters, Sabathia and Wang. The offense found themselves in chase mode in both games, and you just cannot win many games that way. 

So, it's up to AJ, who can really make a great first impression if he can put forth a solid effort and deliver the Yankees their elusive first win of the season. The Orioles will counter with little known Alfredo Simon. I'm sure if Burnett can shut the O's down for at least the first few innings, the Yankees lineup should get some runs off of Simon. Either way this is a golden opportunity for Burnett and one that he should not let go to waste.

Oh My God! The Sky is Falling!

CC Sabathia choked! He’s washed up! He can’t throw strikes! The Yankees just flushed $161 million down the drain! The Yankees should have signed Derek Lowe instead!

Mark Teixeira choked! He can’t take the pressure of playing in New York. He can’t even take the pressure of some boos in Baltimore! He can’t get a big hit!

Joe Girardi can't manage! The Yankees can't win with this guy! He doesn't know how to handle a pitching staff! If the Yankees get off to a slow start, he should be fired!

This pretty much sums up what I have read/heard after the Yankees dropped their season opener against Baltimore. To all of you ridiculous sports writers and radio hosts, please, SHUT THE HELL UP!

It was one game.

Yankees win Grapefruit League, Head North to Christen Stadium

The Yankees finished up their Grapefruit League schedule with a 9-5 win over the Phillies on Wednesday. CC Sabathia started the game in his final tune up before the regular season opener in Baltimore on Monday. Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui both homered in the game. The Yanks finished with a 22-10-1 spring record, tops in the Grapefruit League. To honor their achievement Commissioner Selig presented the Yankees with a basket of grapefruit after the game.

The Yankees will hold a special workout at the stadium today and have two exhibition games with the Cubs on Friday and Saturday. Chien Ming Wang will throw the first ever pitch at the new stadium at 7:05 Friday night. I for one cannot wait. We will have a special correspondent at the game who will take some exclusive photographs of the new stadium’s first game, which we will share with you. The season is upon us. I can almost taste it!

-Favad Ali

Rivalry Renewed

Yankees vs. Red Sox: Position by Position

With the Yankees falling out of playoff contention last year, the rivalry took a bit of a year off. With the moves the Yankees have made this offseason I believe they have closed the gap with their bitter rivals and the war is back on for 2009! I am no way discounting the Rays because they are the defending division champs and they will battle the Yanks and Sox all year long. This post is just purely to highlight the special rivalry the Yanks and Sox share.

C-Yankees. If Posada is anywhere near 100% his offensive production should be head and shoulders above the woeful Varitek

1B-Yankees (Barely). Tex is primed for a big year in the Bronx, but Youk is also an offensive force, especially in Fenway Park. Tiebreak goes to the Yankees because they ended up signing Teixeira away from the Sox, who so desperately wanted the slugger

2B- Red Sox. Reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia will probably come down to earth a bit from last year but Cano’s inconsistency gives Pedroia the edge.

3B-Yankees A-Rod Returns in May. Enough said.

SS-Yankees. Jeter may be headed into decline but I’d still take him over the combo of Lowrie and Lugo anyday.

LF-Push. Bay fit into the Red Sox clubhouse nicely, but Damon continues to be a force coming off of another great year.

CF- Red Sox. Ellsbury is exactly the type of player the Yankees hope Gardner turns into this year. Excellent defensively and on the bases.

RF- Push. Drew still has yet to put together a complete season in Boston. While the combination of Nady and Swisher should be comparible to Drew's production.

DH- Red Sox. Papi had a down year in 08 while Matsui could barely stay on the field. Papi takes it on pedigree.

Bench: Push. The Yankees will feature a bench with Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera on it. While the Sox have Rocco Baldelli and Mark Kotsay on the bench.

SP- Yankees. Top 3 are a push. Sabathia, Wang, Burnett are just as good as Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka. 4-5 Starters give the Yanks the edge. Pettitte and Chamberlain over Wakefield and Penny easily.

Middle Relief- Red Sox. The Yankees should be improved but the Sox have the proven bullpen arms.

Closer- Yankees. Rivera is still the greatest of all time but Papelbon isn’t far behind.

Manager- Red Sox. Francona has shown a winner’s touch while Girardi has yet to taste the champagne.

Front Office- Red Sox. You can’t argue with their success in mixing solid vets with young players from within. A lot like what the Yankees did back in ’94-’01. Yankees are slowly getting back to that formula.

Final Score: 6-6

It should be a fun year.

I’m sure these will be hotly contested opinions. I’d love to hear your comments/arguments. So please Post ‘em!

-Favad Ali

Yankees New and Notes

Manager Joe Girardi will experiment with the lineup batting Derek Jeter in the leadoff position for the rest of Spring Training. He will drop Johnny Damon to number two because he likes Damon’s ability to pull the ball and hit in situations. Story

[My Take: This could be an interesting move as Damon is one of the toughest players to double up and has more pop than Jeter. However, the move could be a wash as Jeter is also an exceptional situational hitter because of his propensity to shoot the ball to right field.]

Brian Cashman is still looking to move Melky Cabrera who is out of options and has taken a back seat to Brett Gardner in the CF mix. The White Sox are a prime target according to Ken Rosenthal who can throw Cabrera into their CF competition which features motley-looking crew consisting of Brian Anderson, Dewayne Wise, and Jerry Owens. Story

[My Take: Melky’s has had more than a fair chance to become a mainstay over the past 3 seasons. It’s time to cut him loose and see if the Yankees can get something worthwhile in return. Also, Gardner’s superior speed and defense along with his patience at the plate are more of an asset than what Melky brings to the table. Gardner could/should not be longed for this position in the future though, as Austin Jackson would be the ideal answer in center for the future.

CC Sabathia has been named the starter for both the season opener in Baltimore and opening day ten days later at the new Yankee Stadium against Cleveland. Story

[My Take: No surprise here as CC should take the ball for both openers as he is the big name/big money ace who was brought in to be the number one starter that the Yankees have lacked for so long now.]

-Favad Ali

NY Ink

I came across this article by Kat O'Brien in Buster Olney's blog on ESPN.com. It talks about the numerous tattoos gracing the bodies of some of the Yankee pitchers.

I thought this was interesting. Obviously tattoos are becoming more mainstream with the growing popularity of TV shows such as Miami Ink and LA Ink. I also challenge you to turn on a NBA game and find a player without a tattoo. Sports team logos are becoming more and more common as well. ( I too have joined this category) Below are just a few pieces i've come across on the web that go beyond the simple logo and push the boundaries of baseball inspired tattoo art. Enjoy!

A Prelude of Things Worse to Come

If you took a look at the box score from today’s Yankees/ Tigers game you might be a little worried about the line from newly acquired CC Sabathia. 1.2 IP-5 ER- 6 H- 1 BB- 0 K. Looks bad and I’m sure the first thought in a lot of people’s minds was that CC’s heavy workload the last two seasons is finally catching up with him. This doesn’t seem to be the case though. As reported on Peter Abraham’s great LoHud Yankees Blog, Sabathia is still working on his cutter something that takes him a few spring starts to get full control of. So Yankee fans needn’t worry.

The fans that should be worried about the stat line from today’s game are those of Detroit though. The Tigers ace Justin Verlander posted a line of 2 IP- 2 ER- 3 H- 4 BB-2 K. After a 2008 season where his walk rate increased and his strikeout rate decreased from the previous season, today’s numbers look like it could be more of the same. Of course I’m sure he’s still working on his own pitches and it’s only one spring start that means nothing but after a disappointing ‘08 you can’t help being worried about today’s start.

If Verlander doesn’t return to his pre-’08 form the Tigers will be in a world of trouble. After Armando Galarraga the Tigers staff has a number of questions. Jeremy Bonderman is still an injury concern, Nate Robertson is coming off a +6 ERA season, Edwin Jackson showed a glimpse of his potential in Tampa in ‘08 and who knows if we’ll ever see an effective Dontrelle Willis again. 20 year old phenom Rick Porcello looks to be another year away from hitting the big leagues. The Detroit bullpen isn’t looking any better either. Oft-injured flamethrower Joel Zumaya hopes to have a healthy season but in his 23.1 innings in ’08 he walked 22 batters. Also returning are Fernando Rodney, Bobby Seay, and Freddi Dolsi who combined for a 4.43 ERA last season.

The man they brought in to help stabilize their pen, Brandon Lyon, registered an ERA of 4.70 last year allowing 75 hits in 59.1 innings. It looks like its going to be another long year in Detroit. Wasn’t it just this time last year when everyone was handing the Tigers the World Series Championship and touting their ’unstoppable’ offense? My, how times have changed.

-Robb Lennahan

2009 Full of Expectations and Pressures for Yanks

With each day that passes we get another day closer to the first pitch of the 2009 season being thrown. And I for one could not be more excited. With expectations never higher, the Yankees have loaded up for a run at the ever-elusive championship number 27. But with great expectations come great pressure. It can be argued that the pressure of a successful campaign falls heavier on three Yankees more so than others.

Manager, Joe Girardi
Patience from the powers that be will be wearing thin as Girardi has been given stars such as Sabathia, Teixeira, and Burnett over the offseason with which to work with. If he cannot deliver a title with these additions, you can almost guarantee he will be on the hot seat come season’s end. Unfair? Perhaps, so. But considering it was under Girardi’s watch the Yankees missed the postseason for the first time since 1993, another “failure” could mean Girardi’s job.

Pitcher, CC Sabathia
Since 2001, the Yankees have been on a quest to acquire a stud of an ace that could deliver World Series number 27. We have seen the likes of Mike Mussina, Javier Vasquez, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, and Carl Pavano come and go with no luck. In fact, all but Mike Mussina can be considered complete and utter disasters. Some would argue that these pitchers with the exception of Mussina just could not handle the pressure of being the Yankee ace. With the scrutiny of the media and the fans bearing down on him, it is Sabathia’s turn to face the mob. Whether it is fair or unfair, the pressure of past failures will also be weighing down on the shoulders of the hefty lefty. Will he be up to the challenge? Or, will he wilt under the new stadiums bright lights?

Third Baseman, Alex Rodriguez
If the pressure of the richest contract in sports history, the toughest fans in the world, and the vicious piranha like media weren’t enough. A-Rod will now have to feel the added pressure that has been bestowed on him by his former manager, Joe Torre’s book, “The Yankee Years.” There is no doubt that Alex will hear A-Fraud chants rain down on him from the crowds at Fenway, Arlington, Seattle, and the rest of the league. He may even hear it from the Bronx faithful from time to time. The fact of the matter is that A-Rod will try to prove wrong each and every word in the chapter devoted solely to him; which would be a near impossible task. By season’s end, the numbers will be there. They are always there. But the only thing that can exorcise the pressures that are haunting A-Rod is a championship; nothing more, nothing less.

-Favad Ali