I’ve gotten a few e-mails from folks regarding Keith Law’s “Ranking the top prospects” feature at ESPN.com today.

It seems that Yankees prospects Austin Jackson (#46), Jesus Montero (#83) and Andrew Brackman (#95) made the cut.

Here’s the deal. The Yankees have a few prospects in their farm system. Most teams do. In the big picture, the Yankees probably have about as many quality prospects in their system as one-third of the teams in baseball, thereabouts. And, there are some teams who have more blue-chip prospects than the Yankees. And, there are some teams who have less top prospects than the Yankees. But, it’s not like some teams are head-and-shoulders above the Yankees in terms of having Grade-A prospects. And, it’s not like the Yankees have a gaggle of hot prospects that is twice the size of some other teams.

I know that some Yankees fanboys and/or bloggers like to carry on about the prospects in the Yankees system, etc., as if Yankees prospects walk on water and they are better than a regular slice of heaven. But, that’s all hyperbole. And, anyone who buys into that, and who starts to think that the Yankees front office is so much better at seeding a farm system than most other baseball teams, is looking through rose-colored glasses.

After all, did the Yankees not have to spend a half-billion dollars this off-season to fill big league needs at first base and two starting pitcher slots?

None of those three needs came out of the thin air. Anyone could have told you three years ago that the Yankees would have a need at first base in 2009. And, most could have guessed, back in 2006, that New York’s starting rotation might have needs for this season. Yet, when the time came to address those needs, the farm system had nothing for the Yankees to call upon – hence the spending spree this winter.

So, if the Yankees farm system is so good, why could it not produce two starting pitchers and a first baseman?

Further, at the end of 2007, the Yankees were left without a catcher. Having no one in the minors, they overpaid to keep Jorge Posada in town. Everyone knew Posada’s age and when his contract was going to end. It did not sneak up on anyone. Yet, again, the Yankees farm system was no help there.

Sure, I know what’s coming now…the cries of “Just wait! There’s guys in the low minors now who will be helping the Yankees in 2015!”

Yeah, and, the check is in the mail, I don’t think you look fat, it happens to a lot of guys, and this will only hurt for a second…

Filed under Trap Door Items ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

SNY.tv checks in with Tim Dierkes of MLB TradeRumors.com. The video is below:

Filed under SNY.TV Video ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Adam Schein and Chris Carlin, yesterday on SNY’s Loud Mouths, discuss Melky Cabrera and the Yankees CF situation. Here’s the video:

Chris Carlin nails this one, if you ask me.

Filed under Loud Mouths Video ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Back in 1971, when someone in grammar school told me the Partridge Family was not a real band, I was sooooo pissed. This was the first TV show that I felt was “must see” – then again, I was 8 years old at the time too.

Filed under Random Thoughts ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Today’s wild thought – or, should I say “Nightmare Thought”?

Does anyone on the Yankees realize, should something happen to Derek Jeter or Robinson Cano where they would miss three months or more this season, then we’re looking at Angel Berroa getting 300+ PA for New York this season.

Doesn’t that scare you (after watching Jose Molina throw away so many PA last season)?

Filed under Wild Thoughts ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Feel free to use this post as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

Have fun. Play nice. And, remember, keep it Yankees-focused.

Filed under Water Cooler Talk '09 ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Bert Blyleven says the “Yankees still have many questions” – with Phil Hughes and Robinson Cano being two of them:

And at this point the top candidates for the fifth slot are Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke could also figure into the mix. All are highly thought of but all are unproven at the major league level.

Hughes has a lot of potential but with the young right-hander it’s looking like a question of mentality rather than one of ability. In both 2007 and 2008, Hughes missed major time due to injury. The reasons for him being sidelined were reported to be a hamstring two seasons ago and a right oblique muscle strain last season.

I know injuries come into play and I’m not passing judgment on Hughes, but whether he has that higher pain tolerance that pitchers need is probably at this point in his career a legitimate question. To come into his own, he needs time on major-league mounds. His injuries have kept him off the big-league bump too much. If nothing else, his mission for next season should be to take his regular turn should he make the Yankees’ rotation or always be available if he ends up working out of the bullpen. Bottom line: he needs to get out there and pitch.

At second base Robinson Cano is the puzzle. After batting .342 in 2006 his average fell to .306 in 2007 and last season it dipped again to .271.

Kevin Long, the Yankees hitting coach, has paid an offseason visit to Cano. The feedback from Long has the club optimistic Cano will fare much better in 2009. He has dedicated himself to physical fitness and has also made a mechanical adjustment in his swing that Long reports is paying off. Cano still has to cut down on his errors and come to play every day – something he didn’t do at times last season prompting Girardi to bench him for not hustling. Cano’s work habits and overall focus need to improve.

…Hughes has a lot of potential but with the young right-hander it’s looking like a question of mentality rather than one of ability…

…Cano’s work habits and overall focus need to improve…

It’s always interesting to see what someone who really knows baseball, and who is not in your organization, has to say about your players, isn’t it?

Filed under Trap Door Items ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

John Sickels got me thinking. Who have been the biggest recent Yankees prospect failures?

Here’s some names that come to my mind:

Ruben Rivera, Brian Buchanan, Matt Drews, Shea Morenz, Ricky Ledee, D’Angelo Jimenez, Donzell McDonald, Ryan Bradley, Andy Brown, Ed Yarnall, Drew Henson, David Walling, Deivi Mendez, David Parrish, Brandon Claussen, John-Ford Griffin, Brandon Weeden, Eric Duncan, Jason Anderson, and Sean Henn…

Who would you add to this list?

Filed under Yankees History ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

More news from Ken Rosenthal:

The Mets and Yankees have emerged as the leading contenders for free-agent right-hander Freddy Garcia, according to a major-league source.

Garcia, 33, has “pretty much narrowed it down” to the New York teams, the source said, though two other clubs remain on the periphery. The White Sox also have had interest in Garcia, and the Rangers were in the early mix.

Garcia would prefer a major-league contract, which would guarantee him termination pay if he were released in March, but might need to accept a minor-league deal.

Neither the Mets nor the Yankees view Garcia as a certain addition to their rotation. Both teams continue to pursue other starters.

Freddy Garcia has been toast for the last two seasons. And, the season before those he was barely above average.

As a Yankees fan, I suppose that I could live with the Yanks giving him a minor-league deal. But, anything above that is not a bright idea.

Filed under Trap Door Items ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Via Ken Rosenthal:

The Yankees aren’t done. And if the prices are right, they should give strong consideration to signing free-agent right-hander Ben Sheets as their fifth starter and righty Juan Cruz as a setup reliever.

The extent of the Yankees’ interest in Sheets and Cruz is not known, but even after adding CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and re-signing Damaso Marte, the team continues to explore the markets for both starters and relievers.

Both Sheets and Cruz are Type A free agents who were offered salary arbitration, but they would cost the Yankees only fourth- and fifth-round draft picks. The Yankees already have signed three higher-ranking free agents — Mark Teixeira, Sabathia and Burnett.

Sheets, while a physical risk, could be the Yankees’ answer to Brad Penny and John Smoltz, both of whom signed with the Red Sox for relatively low base salaries with the chance to earn significantly more through incentives.

Cruz, on the other hand, makes more sense for the Yankees than he does for any other club. Teams are reluctant to forfeit a first-round pick for a setup reliever. But an aggressive spender such as the Yankees, because of a flaw in the compensation system, gives up a lower-round draft pick with each Type A free agent that it signs.

The Yankees’ priority, however, remains free-agent lefty Andy Pettitte, who rejected an offer of a one-year, $10 million contract yet appears to have no other alternatives.

…Both Sheets and Cruz are Type A free agents who were offered salary arbitration, but they would cost the Yankees only fourth- and fifth-round draft picks. The Yankees already have signed three higher-ranking free agents — Mark Teixeira, Sabathia and Burnett…

True. But, the Yankees can also afford to draft someone in the fourth round who slipped down in the draft because of money – and then pay him second round money. So, a fourth round pick to the Yankees might be just as valuable as a second round pick is to a team like, say, the St. Louis Cardinals or Cleveland Indians. Besides, do we really want the Yankees to punt just about the whole draft this year? (Yes, I know they get to pick for unsigned players last year, etc. But, that’s not enough to warrant giving up picks in the first five rounds when two of the players acquired are not worth that compensation.)

Filed under Trap Door Items ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

How funny would it be if Brett Gardner hit the first homerun in the “new” Yankee Stadium?

Anywho, that’s today’s wild thought…

Filed under Wild Thoughts ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

How did I miss this?

Last Wednesday, Januay 14, 2009, was the 1,366th day that WasWatching.com has been around. (We launched on April 20, 2005.)

Thanks to all for their interest in WasWatching.com over these past 1,373 days. If you keep showing up, I’ll be here with something for you. Lastly, please, keep the comments coming. Those keep reminding that I’m not spending a lot of time here doing something absent of reason. As long as my fellow Yankees and/or baseball fans get something out of this, that’s a great reason to keep doing it.

Filed under Site News ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Feel free to use this post as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

Have fun. Play nice. And, remember, keep it Yankees-focused.

Filed under Water Cooler Talk '09 ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Via the Post yesterday -

It’s Jeter at the plate.

Derek Jeter, who has been known to like ‘em and leave ‘em, spent some quality time with actress Minka Kelly in Puerto Rico this week.

The two have been seeing each other since at least last May, when fans caught them dining at the Empire Hotel’s Kobe Club.

He put his arm around her following the last game at old Yankee Stadium in September. Last October, the Yankee star, 34, and the “Friday Night Lights” actress, 28, cozied up in Austin, Texas, at the music club Momo’s. They also attended a University of Texas football game, cheering from the sidelines with Jeter’s former teammate Roger Clemens.

Things seem to be heating up lately. Earlier this month, Jeter and Kelly shared a seafood dinner at the Nikki Beach Resort in the Turks & Caicos.

The latest sighting was in the Puerto Rican city of Caguas, where the two attended a Jan. 18 charity event run by Yankee catcher Jorge Posada. Jeter and Kelly dined together after the festivities.

According to an “insider” who spoke to In Touch magazine, the couple was looking for a home in the Los Angeles area last month.

Hey, doesn’t Joe Torre run a team in L.A.?

When is Jeter’s contract with the Yankees up?

Nah, it could never happen, could it?

Filed under Off The Field News ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Dig all those seats available back in 1979…

Filed under Yankees History ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Via the Jackson County Floridan:

Former Marianna High School and Chipola pitcher Alan Horne left home for Tampa Monday in preparation of yet another spring training.

This year’s camp, the New York Yankees farmhand hopes, will be the last he attends as a minor leaguer.

The 6-foot-4-inch right-handed pitcher made it to Triple-A Scranton last year before a shoulder injury derailed his season.

Horne, 26, suffered a slight tear in his rotator cuff, which resulted in a sharp decline in his production and eventually a demotion to Single-A Tampa.

It was a disappointing development for Horne, who pitched brilliantly in 2007 in Double-A Trenton, finishing 12-4 with a 3.11 ERA in 27 starts.

“It was definitely frustrating,” Horne said of his injury problems in 2008. “When you’re as close as I was to pitching in the majors, close to being one of the first guys called up, it’s tough.

“It will be something to drive me to get back to where I was before the injury. The rest will take care of itself.”

At the end of the 2008 season, Horne saw renowned orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, famous for performing surgical procedures on the elbows and shoulders of various Major League pitchers, and underwent what Horne termed “a clean-up surgery.”

“The tear was causing my shoulder to bind up really bad, so he cleaned it up so it would work a little better,” he said. “It feels good so far.”

Horne couldn’t throw for three months following the surgery, but since resuming his workouts in early December, he has had no complaints.

“I feel great so far. I’ve been real pleased with how the rehab’s gone,” he said. “I feel no pain so far. I feel like I’ve got the problem fixed and I can continue to move forward toward my ultimate goal, which is pitching in the big leagues.”

At the end of 2007, Joba Chamberlain, Alan Horne, Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy and Jose Tabata were the Yankees top five prospects. Now, Tabata is gone and Kennedy, well, we know about Ian. Could Horne bounce back and be a factor for the Yankees some time in 2009? Hey, stranger things have happened.

Filed under Trap Door Items ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Via Anthony McCarron -

The Yankees avoided arbitration with an important outfielder Tuesday when they agreed to a one-year deal with Xavier Nady. They also avoided arbitration with Melky Cabrera, who could be their starting center fielder.

The Yankees did not announce the figures for Nady and Cabrera, but two baseball officials with knowledge of Nady’s pact said he will make $6.55 million in 2009, nearly doubling his salary. Cabrera is set to make $1.4 million, almost $1 million more than he made last year.

Nady, 30, figures to be the starting right fielder, but teams have been asking about him in trade talks. Yankee officials have been saying that Cabrera will compete with Brett Gardner to start in center.

The Yankees have one more arbitration-eligible player – reliever Brian Bruney – and believe they could settle with him before having to go to a hearing.

Bruney asked for $1.55 million and was offered $1.1 million. He made $725,000 last season when he was 3-0 with a 1.83ERA in 32 games, but missed significant time with a foot injury.

It would be silly for the Yankees and Bruney not to settle at $1.3 million. Nice job by Cashman to get these out of the way.

Filed under Off The Field News ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Maybe I shouldn’t admit that I like this one as much as I do – for the fear that some may think I’m a bad person for having laughed at so much of it. But, hey, how can you not feel something for a guy, like Borat, whose wife’s vazhïn hang like sleeve of wizard?

Filed under Fav Flicks ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

To watch SNY.tv’s weekly Hot Stove Edition of New York Baseball Today, which features a rotating panel of experts and previews the offseason, click play below:

Filed under SNY Baseball Today Video ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Today’s wild thought is a real wild one.

Free Agent Jason Varitek is having all sorts of issues getting a contract done with the Red Sox. And, according to reports, no one else wants to sign him this off-season as well.

Now, suppose that this thing gets full-blown ugly where the Red Sox tell Varitek that they’re going to move on and find another catcher (albeit via trade or free agency) and then Varitek says, out of principle “I would rather sit home and retire than play anywhere for what I think is chump change.” Sure, it’s a reach. But, I did say “suppose.”

Now, if this does happen, should the Yankees swoop in and offer Jason Varitek a contract – not to play for them, but, rather, to join the organization as a “Red Sox Consultant”?

Think about it. Varitek knows as much about the Red Sox game plan, etc., as anyone. He could be a very valuable resource to the Yankees. How much would it take to get him interested in such an arrangement – should he be resigned to not play anymore? Would an annual contract of $300,000 be enough?

The Yankees could afford that. And, to Varitek, it would be easy money – just sit at home and field some phone calls and maybe prepare some reports. And, boy, if he wanted to stick it to the Red Sox, for sticking it to him, could there be any better way than to work for the Yankees and share everything he knows about Boston’s operations?

Hey, like I said…this thought is a real wild one. Call it Iggy Popish, if you must.

Filed under Wild Thoughts ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Feel free to use this post as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

Have fun. Play nice. And, remember, keep it Yankees-focused.

Filed under Water Cooler Talk '09 ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

So, who disappeared faster, Chris (Mad Dog) Russo or Hank (Camel Joe) Steinbrenner? Has anyone heard anything from these guys lately?

Filed under Random Thoughts ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

The Yankees open 2009 with six games on the road against the O’s and Royals. All things considered, it’s reasonable to expect the Yankees to win four of those six games. Then the Yankees go to Tampa to play three. Since these are on the road and one of those is the Rays opener, I’ll allow the Yankees to lose two of these three.

Next, the Yankees come home for seven games against the Indians and A’s. Here, I would expect the Yankees to win at least four of those seven games.

After that homestand, New York hits the road again – with three games in Boston and three games in Motown. I’m not greedy. If the Yankees split these six games, I’d say that was acceptable.

So, let’s do the math here. Four and two, and, one and two, and, four and three, and, three and three…that puts the Yankees with a record of 12-10 in their first 22 games of the season.

Now comes the good news and the bad news. After their first 22 games, the Yankees come home for eight games in a row. That’s the good news. What’s the bad news? New York has to play the Angels, Red Sox and Rays in those eight games.

How do you think they will do there? Me? I’m thinking, even with the games being at home, the Yankees will be lucky to win four of those eight – since half of them are against the Angels (who always give the Yankees fits). Where does that put the Yanks?

This would give the Yankees a record of 16-14 after 30 games. Whoops. So much for getting off to a fast start in 2009, huh?

As a Yankees fan, how would you feel if the Yankees were just two games over .500 roughly one-fifth into the season? It doesn’t sound good – but, seeing the schedule, what would you expect?

Don’t get me wrong. I would love to see the Yankees go 19-11 in their first 30 games. Or, even 18-12 would be a thrill. But, can we really expect that, when they have to play 14 games against the Rays, Bosox and Angels in those 30 games?

Look at it this way: Suppose the Yankees split those 14 games against Tampa, Boston and L.A. – that’s seven and seven, leaving 16 games. Then, the Yankees would have to play .630 ball in those other 16 games to post an overall mark of 17-13 (in their first 30) – which would be decent, but, not great. And, keep in mind that 9 of those 16 games are road games for the Yankees.

In any event, looking at all this, it would be a shock to see the Yankees start the season with a monster record, say, like 20-10. The schedule is just too tough. But, that’s me. What do you think?

Filed under Trap Door Items ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

I saw this one in the movies with my buddies when it first came out. I was fourteen at the time – and probably too young, and for sure too immature, to see it. I do recall, back in 1977, when we saw it…me and my buddy Roger, being fourteen, acting like Beavis and Butt-head making stupid references back to what we saw in the movie. That lasted for a while. It wasn’t until years later, re-watching it as an adult, that I learned to appreciate this one for its cast. Chris Sarandon, Martin Balsam, John Carradine, José Ferrer, Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith, Eli Wallach, Christopher Walken, Jerry Orbach, and Beverly D’Angelo were in it. And, at the very end, Tom Berenger and Nana Visitor show up – as very young actors – albeit only for a minute or two.

Filed under Fav Flicks ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Today’s wild thought wraps around the Yankees line-up this season. You know that Damon, Jeter, Tex and A-Rod are the front four. And, I have a strong gut feeling that General Joe wants to play Brett Gardner in center and bat him ninth. That leaves the five-through-eight slots open to debate. Me? I’m thinking there’s little chance that Matsui or Posada will bat lower than sixth. And, this leaves Cano and the survivor of Nady/Swisher for seventh and eighth.

Let’s say that Cano ends up batting eighth – and that’s very possible. If so, due to the circular nature of a line-up, New York will then have Cano-Gardner-Damon batting back-to-back-to-back in the late innings of a game. And, this would allow an opposing manager to use a situational lefty in potential key spots and leave him in for three batters in a row. For the Yankees, this is not ideal.

So, what do you do? Do you have the right fielder – whomever that may be (between Nady and Swisher) – bat eighth? If memory serves correct, the only time the Yankees, in recent history, have ever had a right fielder bat eighth on a semi-regular basis was 2003 – when Raul Mondesi did it. Then again, Dwight Evans played right and batted eighth, most of the time, for the 1979 Red Sox…so, I guess, if it happens for the Yankees in 2009, it won’t be the first time that it’s ever happened in baseball.

Filed under Wild Thoughts ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Feel free to use this post as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

Have fun. Play nice. And, remember, keep it Yankees-focused.

Filed under Water Cooler Talk '09 ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Brand me if you want, but, I’m a big fan of the Wesley Snipes’ Blade feature films. And, this one is my favorite of the three. I’ve probably watched it at least 20 times. It’s funny, after the second Blade, I heard that they were doing a third and that Ryan Reynolds was going to be in it. At that time, I thought “Nooooooooo!” (with my logic being that he would kill it). But, Reynolds was very good in this one. And, he got himself in great shape to pull it off. Actually, to me, major props on this one should go out to Ronnie Yeskel on the casting effort. Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel, Parker Posey, and Dominic Purcell all did a great job in their roles – as did John Michael Higgins, Natasha Lyonne, Callum Keith Rennie, Triple H, and Patton Oswalt in smaller ones. And, for the record, I prefer the ending that’s shown in the theatrical version – over that seen in the director’s cut. I know that many thought this one was too light-hearted – compared to the first two Blade movies. But, hey, that just makes it different, to me, and not worse – compared to the others. If you ask me, sometimes, having characters in a “comics” movie be a little over the top is a good thing…as long as it’s not too way over the top. And, again, to me, I don’t think that Snipes, Reynolds, Biel, Posey, and Purcell crossed that line in this one. Of course, your mileage may differ.

Filed under Fav Flicks ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

If you haven’t read Chad Jennings’ “Anticipating holes in the Yankees lineup” yet, what are you waiting for? It’s a wonderful read.

Will Mark Teixeira block Jesus Montero at first? Will the Yankees go after free agents Rick Ankiel, Jason Bay, Carl Crawford, or Matt Holliday after this season? Chad looks at all these questions and more…

Filed under Trap Door Items ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

Jim Rice rips into the Yankees. Via David Lennon –

The complaint is not a new one. With the Yankees spending nearly half a billion dollars on three players this offseason – CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira – it is hardly a surprise that the Steinbrenner family again is being blamed for squashing any remaining bits of baseball’s alleged competitive balance.

And it’s not just the salary-cap chorus that was heard coming from the owners’ meetings this past week in Paradise Valley. With mind-numbing contracts still being handed out in the Bronx despite a flat-lining economy, such talk was to be expected.

It’s debatable whether the Yankees’ practice of buying the sport’s premier players is actually bad for baseball. What they pay in luxury tax is helping to keep other owners rich in Kansas City and Pittsburgh, though those teams remain perennial bottom-feeders.

But it was interesting to hear Jim Rice, finally elected to the Hall of Fame after a 15-year wait, blame George Steinbrenner’s checkbook for The Curse of the Bambino. When asked about Boston’s failure to win a World Series during his career – 1975 to 1989 – up to the Bambino-busting 2004 season, Rice pointed directly to the Bronx.

“During that time, Steinbrenner spent more money than the Red Sox,” Rice said. “He had more free agents. So when you get the best free agents, and you get the superstars from other ballclubs, that’s what made you have a better team. The more money you can spend, the better you should get.”

Even now, Rice remains annoyed by the Yankees’ habit of throwing money at their problems. Not surprisingly, he lauds Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein for doing things the right way. “If you look at the Red Sox now, you see them bringing guys up in the organization,” he said. “That’s why Theo has been the person he’s been over the last couple of years. He’ll bring young kids up and stay within the organization.

“The Yankees haven’t won in the last eight years. What do they do? They go out and buy high-priced players in the hope to get back the winning percentage they had 10 years ago.”

Of course, had the Red Sox signed Mark Teixeira, I doubt we’d be hearing this from Mr. Rice…

Filed under Rivalry Snapshots ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post

CC Sabathia talks about being a Yankee, via the AP -

“If you ask anybody in my family or anybody that knows me, I don’t think there’s any outside pressure that could be put on me that I don’t put on myself,” Sabathia said Saturday night before being honored with the Warren Spahn Award. “I put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to go out there and perform and expect to win every game, expect to pitch well in every game.

“I think having the guys in New York — the A-Rods and the Jeters and these great players, and Tex — I think it will help me be a better player.”

“All I’m going to say is I’m excited to be on a big-market team and to be able to get where we need to win and know that the organization’s going to do that every year, year in and year out,” Sabathia said. “That feels good.”

“To have that bullpen and have just the support of that team, that team is unbelievable,” Sabathia said. “To add me and A.J and put Tex in that lineup, I think it’s going to be an unbelievable team. Hopefully we have a special year.”

Sabathia said he probably wouldn’t meet Steinbrenner face-to-face until spring training, but talked to him on the phone and “he just congratulated me and told me he was happy for me to be a part of the family.”

How that family comes together is of great interest to Sabathia. He believes a relaxed Brewers clubhouse helped foster his success last season in Milwaukee. Meanwhile, the Yankees had a streak of 13 straight playoff appearances snapped.

“That’s what I’m looking for. That’s a thing that I’m big on is having great team chemistry, and hopefully we can get that in New York,” Sabathia said.

Sabathia said he’s already used to having a target on his back after being successful in Cleveland and then with the Brewers, and he’s prepared to feel the same way in New York. Even the prospect of facing Red Sox fans doesn’t faze him.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a little more harsh, but they’re tough anyway. Being in a Cleveland uniform, they were tough,” Sabathia said. “I’m looking forward to them being even tougher, me being in a Yankee uniform and hearing some rude things.”

…he believes a relaxed Brewers clubhouse helped foster his success last season in Milwaukee…

Yikes. Let’s just hope the big lefty doesn’t need candy and ice cream to chill and get his groove on…

Filed under Trap Door Items ·  Print This Post ·  Email This Post