Jeter's Homer Wins It

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Jeter, Yanks Take Rubber Game

It was a night when the "old guard" came through as the Yankees took the rubber game in Tampa in a well-pitched, hard-fought 4-3 win. Derek Jeter singled in Ransom with the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth off of Rays closer Troy Percival. Andy Pettitte started, and pitched well over 7 1/3 innings of work, allowing 3 runs. Mariano Rivera closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the series and a winning road trip (5-4) to start off the year. Robinson Cano continued his hot hitting (.382) with a homer and a double. He looks like a changed man at the plate thus far. Next up is the home opener at the new stadium. More to come in a bit.

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Burnett Dominant in Win

He did it again. Following another atrocious start by Chien Ming Wang, AJ Burnett once again delivered a much needed win. He took a no hitter into the 7th last night and was just plain filthy. He had it all working; four seamer, two seamer, slider, and curve. He ended up going 8 innings allowing only 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 9.

Last night also saw the return of Mark Teixeira. Teixeira drove in the eventual game winning run with a sac-fly in the eighth. Our boy Nick Swisher homered yet again. He ducked out of the way from a pitch thrown up and in by Matt Garza (who is just plain nasty) and proceeded to homer two pitches later. Is this guy hot or what? The captain also delivered a 3-run homer in the game with his patented opposite field swing. Brett Gardner hit a couple balls over the shallow outfielders, showing he has the ability to put more than just a slaptastic swing on the ball at times.

Burnett is now 2-0 as a Yankee. Both of his wins prevented a 3 game losing streak. We all knew the guy could pitch, that has never been in question. If he stays healthy and continues to grow as a pitcher, we could see a special season out of this guy.

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Next up is Andy Pettitte, who is looking to build on his dominant performance in KC. He will be countered by Andy Sonnanstine, who the Yankees have handled in the past. If the Yanks can pull out a win in today's game, they would go home with a 5-4 record on this season opening road trip. Not bad considering the way they started out in Baltimore to open the season.

It's Official: Jeter to Leadoff

Joe Girardi announced on Wednesday that as of right now, Jeter will bat leadoff in Monday's season opener in Baltimore. The move should payoff as Jeter as it should cut down on Jeter's propensity to hit into the ground ball double play. Other than that, the move won't have any major significance in my opinion.

It was also announced on Tuesday that Jonathan Albaladejo will begin the season in the bullpen for the Yankees. This means that the Yankees will not have a "long man" in the pen to start off the year. The inclusion of Albaladejo is a curious one in my opinion as you wouldn't imagine Girardi using him in a big spot. Which in case, you should have a mop up guy such as Brett Tomko, Alfredo Aceves, or Dan Geise. In Joe Girardi, we trust.

The only remaining roster spot to be determined is the uitility infielder role off the bench. The two finalists seem to Angel Berroa and Ramiro Pena. Whoever wins this spot will only hold on to it until that A-Rod guy returns. In that case, why not Pena. Lets see what this kid can do. He is an excellent defensive shortstop with speed. He is also a good situational hitter who is able to lay down a bunt if needed. Lets see what the kid can do.

-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

"Derek Jeter is God"

Ozzie Guillen known throughout his managerial career for his colorful quotes was at it again recently. Only this time he was heaping all kinds of praise on Yankee captain Derek Jeter. Here is a quote from the post taken from MLB.Fanhouse.com. Guillen was commenting on White Sox Rookie Gordon Beckham and his comment on wanting to be like Derek Jeter:

"That's a great statement of confidence, but Derek Jeter is a god of baseball,'' opined Guillen. ''You look in the dictionary for God, and Derek Jeter's picture is right there. I wish he could play like God. When you have [four] rings, make a lot of money, captain of the New York Yankees, good-looking women, no way he will be Derek Jeter. Derek Jeter is God. Derek Jeter is baseball. Everybody else is just trying to play the game.''

Full Story

If I didn't know any better I'd say Ozzie Guillen wanted to take Derek Jeter on a man date. Speaking of man dates, I highly recommend taking a good buddy to see the new flick, "I Love You, Man." Very funny.

Team USA Advances to Semis with Walk Off Victory

Trailing 5-3 going in to the bottom of the ninth, Team USA was staring in the face of another embarrassing early exit out of the World Baseball Classic. The team had looked flat all night long. They left tons of runners in scoring position, played sloppy defense, and didn’t look like they had any fight left in them. However, we all know baseball can be a funny game. This was just another example of that.

The inning started off with back to back singles from Shane Victorino and Brian Roberts. Derek Jeter followed by lining out sharply to right. That left runners on first and third with one out. Puerto Rico was a double play away from eliminating the USA. Jimmy Rollins was next and he drew a hard fought walk to load up the bases. The next two batters were Kevin Youkilis and David Wright. It was up to a Red Sox and a Met. Here I was, a tried and true Yankee fanatic, pulling for a Red Sox and a Met.

Youkilis had homered earlier in the game and my apologies to the Fack Youk blog as a Yankee fan, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing the Red Sox slugger do it again. However, he walked and a run was forced in. USA was still behind 5-4 and David Wright was next. I am in no way a Met fan. But, I’ve always respected Wright as a player. I had already rooted my heart out for a Red Sox player to succeed why stop there. Wright who finally seemed to be getting his swing going as he already had two hits in the game coming into the at bat looked determined to deliver. And deliver he did. He hit a flare down the right field line that touched down and allowed the tying and winning runs to score. It was a magnificent sight as the team rushed on to the field and celebrated as if they had won the World Series. And in the middle of the celebration was Derek Jeter hugging and high-fiving Kevin Youkilis and David Wright. A Yankee, a Red Sox, and a Met; all celebrating in unison. You won’t see that anywhere but in this tournament.

This competition has had its detractors, no doubt. However, you cannot deny the competition and drama that took place on that field on Tuesday night. Team USA staved off elimination to advance to the final four in Los Angeles in dramatic fashion. This surely was the type of game that could and should spark more interest into the tournament. This was the type of game that Bud Selig and others had in mind when they dreamed up the idea to have a World Baseball Classic.

-Favad Ali

Team USA falls to Venezuela 5-3

Both teams already knew they had advanced to the second round of the WBC coming into yesterday’s game. The game was played for seeding purposes for second round matchups in Miami. As a result, Team USA will start the double elimination second round against a formidable Puerto Rico team and Venezuela will face off with the Cinderella Netherlands squad. My picks to advance out of this quartet are USA and Venezuela, but Puerto Rico should not be taken lightly as they are the only undefeated team left in the tournament.

The tournament has been a gripping one thus far and should only get better. I implore everyone to tune into Team USA’s pursuit of the WBC Championship and cheer on Captain America Derek Jeter, and the rest of the USA squad.

-Favad Ali

Others Must Step Up in A-Rod's Absence

Everything that could have gone last year for the Yankees did go wrong. And this resulted in them missing out on the postseason. This season, the Yankees will have to overcome the loss of Alex Rodriguez if they wish to stay in the AL East race and everything will have to go right in order for them do so. The lineup will have to step up in a big way to cover for the loss of A-Rod. Love him, or hate him; Alex Rodriguez has been an offensive force for the Yankees since his arrival. His production will surely be missed. But they can win without him; if, and only if the many question marks up and down their lineup are answered.

Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui both need to stay in the lineup and produce at their career levels. Whether this will happen or not is not a given by any stretch of the imagination. Posada is coming off of shoulder surgery which cost him most of the 2008 season. He has hit well thus far in the spring, although he has yet to catch this spring and has been a last minute scratch due to his shoulder once already. Hideki Matsui is trying to come back and play on two bad knees which will relegate him to playing exclusively as a DH this year. He also missed most of last year and will be counted on to come back healthy and productive this year.

Also, whoever emerges from the battle in CF between Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera will have to step up their production significantly. Cabrera has been regressing the past two seasons while Gardner is still an unknown commodity at the Major League level. Robinson Cano also needs bounce back from a disappointing year last year. If his production after being benched late last year is any indication, expect him to bounce back close to his 2007 form.

The Yankees should get average to above average production from the remaining positions on the field (Teixeira at 1B, Jeter at SS, Swisher/Nady in RF, and Damon in LF). But this will not be enough; they need solid production from Posada (at the catcher position), Matsui, and Cano at the least. Anything they get out of the center field position would be a plus.

Things certainly did go terribly awry last year. Lightning may just strike twice again this year. Its up to everyone in the lineup to pick up the slack while A-Rod is gone. The one difference between this year and last is a vastly improved starting rotation. This should help the lineup cope with the loss of A-Rod, and keep them competetive until his return.

-Favad Ali

Jeter Has Big Day Against Yanks

The Captain had a strong showing today, against The Yankees. He led team USA to a 6-5 victory over the Bombers, going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Let's hope this is the first and last time The Captain suits up against the Yankees. Also, Brett Gardner had another solid day at the plate (3 for3). He has taken an early lead over Melky Cabrera for the starting job in center, showing patience and power (2 HR) at the plate so far this spring.

Yanks Need a Fast Start

You can hear it now, The boos raining down from the upper deck of the brand new Yankee Stadium.  That's precisely the sound we will hear if Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees don't get off to a hot start. The zoo like atmosphere that will ensue during this first week of spring training can only be left behind if the Yankees, and especially A-Rod have a fast start. Otherwise, the media circus concerning steroids, big money free agents, and Joe Torre's, and not to mention Selena Roberts' new books won't be leaving town anytime soon. 

The only way out of this for the Bombers will be to win. Win now and win fast. Sabathia and Burnett must be the Aces they were signed to be. Teixeira must combine with A-Rod to become the one-two punch in the middle of the order the Yankees were missing last year. Role players like Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano must come into their own and prove that last year's dreadful performances were abberations. Joe Girardi must prove to the fans and management that letting Saint Joe Torre go was the right decision. Even Derek Jeter has something to prove coming into the season. There has been much talk about his decline both offensively and defensively throughout the offseason.  Jeter must bounce back from last year and prove the critics wrong.  

Will all of this happen? Not likely. However, enough of it must in order for the Yankees to play out the year while leaving behind the circus like atomsphere we have seen throughout the offseason and we will continue to see during spring training. The Yankees have a lot to prove, no doubt about it. If they start off slow, don't expect them to recover. The division is too good. They cannot afford to fall behind or they face the same fate as last season. Only this time it could mean Girardi's and Cashman's jobs. 

Yankees News and Notes from the AP:

Posada, coming off shoulder surgery, isn't likely to catch in exhibition games until mid-March, Girardi said. He probably will catch 100-110 games during the regular season if there are no setbacks, down from Posada's September estimate of 120-130. ... With spring training expanded by a week to 7 1/2 weeks because of the World Baseball Classic, Mariano Rivera isn't likely to pitch in exhibitions when they start Feb. 25. Rivera, coming off minor shoulder surgery, has a preference to pitch eight-to-10 innings each spring training. ... Matsui, coming off left knee surgery, probably will be a DH for much of spring training. ... Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner was in attendance for part of a pre-spring training workout at the minor league complex that included Posada, SS Derek Jeter, 1B-OF Nick Swisher and RHP Chien-Ming Wang. Burnett arrived two days before the first official workout for pitchers and catchers and played catch in the outfield with reliever Brian Bruney. ... The highest number, 94, was assigned to RHP Kanekoa Texeira.