Via Newsday -

Sports fans are always looking for more news, insider information and opportunities for trash talking about their favorite teams. Those with accounts on social messaging system Twitter.com are getting that kind of satisfaction, literally at their fingertips.

In case you haven’t tried it, Twitter is akin to instant messaging, allowing users to send free short text messages known as “tweets” explaining what they are doing, seeing or thinking. The tweets are delivered instantly to users who are signed up to receive them, also referred to as “following” another user.

Teams, too, are embracing the new technology to drive ticket sales, announce promotions and offer news updates.

The Miami Dolphins have a Twitter account to advertise ticket offers and make other announcements. The Miami Heat sell tickets, posts gameday reminders and hosts trivia contests on Twitter, through Facebook and via text message.

“It’s a 365/24/7 kind of world we’re living in these days, and we need to allow our fans to access the Heat when, where and how they want to access us,” Heat Executive Vice President Michael McCullough said. The idea is to deepen the connection fans already have with their teams, events and players and reach out to non-fans.

[So far, local New York teams haven't seem to embrace the technology: Spokesmen for the Mets and Yankees said the teams are not using Twitter.]

The Panthers are preparing to launch a Twitter account to complement their YouTube channel and Facebook pages.

“It’s possible to experiment and try all sorts of things,” said Lee Berke, a Scarsdale, N.Y., consultant helping the Panthers and other teams develop TV, online and cell phone communications strategies. With Twitter, “You can talk about whether the parking lot is full, you can do commentary during a game, you can create marketing events, say meet us at this location at 3 o’clock for a special player appearance,” Berke said.

I know that CC Sabathia and Nick Swisher are using Twitter to reach their fans. And, I know that many bloggers have added Twitter to their blogs.

Me? I dunno. I’ve thought about adding Twitter here – but it just seems like mounting a Volkswagen Beetle on top of an 18-Wheeler.

By this, I mean, if I have something to share, why not just “blog” it instead of “twittering” it? Related, if someone cares what I think, why not just read the blog – instead of Twitter?

That said, how much fun would it have been, back in the day, if Twitter had been around and Big Stein had an account? Now, that’s something that could have been interesting.

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The Yankees will be in last place on May 7th of this season? Really?

Yup. I think it can happen – and here’s why:

1. The Yankees have some “slow” starters on their team. For example:

• In his career, to date, Mark Teixeira has the following BA/OBA/SLG line – herein “slash line” – during the months of March/April: .256 /.346/ .442 (in 564 PA).
• In his career, to date, CC Sabathia has an ERA of 4.51 during the months of March and April (over 34 starts and 201.6 IP).
• Robinson Cano, in his career, to date, has the following slash line during March/April: .237/.283/.328 (in 294 PA).
• Damaso Marte, in his career, to date, has an ERA of 4.02 during March/April (in 79 games and 65 IP).
• Johnny Damon, in his career, to date, has the following slash line during March/April: .273/.346/.410 (in 1,310 PA).
• Chien-Ming Wang, in his career, to date, has an ERA of 4.08 during March/April (over 14 starts and 88.3 IP).
• Hideki Matsui, in his career, to date, has the following slash line during March/April: .268/.363/.416 (in 567 PA).

2. As I have mentioned before, the first 30 games of the Yankees schedule this season is tough – and, even at full strength, New York should probably be only expected to play just about .500 ball over this period.

3. Lastly, the Yankees will be without A-Rod! from Opening Day until at least May 7th. And, we know that Alex Rodriguez has been a run producer for the Yankees in the past. Sure, yes…there may be debate over the game conditions under which they are derived, but, the numbers are always there for Alex.

O.K., maybe the headline on this one is a tad sensationalistic? Perhaps the last place projection is being overly pessimistic?

I could yield to those claims – after all, even if things go poorly for the Yankees over their first 30 games, the Baltimore Orioles are still in the A.L. East. And, the O’s have been a weak team for 8 years running now. It may be very hard for New York to play worse than Baltimore at the start of this season.

In any event, with Alex Rodriguez now out for the start of the season, when you add that to New York’s schedule over their first 30 games, and factor in those players on the Yankees who usually get off to slow starts…well…things may not be all puppy dogs and cupcakes in Yankeeland when the calendar shows the date of May 7, 2009. I’m just sayin’…

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Via Jon Heyman -

Alex Rodriguez probably made the best possible decision. By having half the operation now and half in November, he’s expected to be able to last through the year once he returns (the estimate is sometime between late April and late May). Doctors, in fact, are saying it’s “85 to 90 percent” he makes it through. This means the Yankees aren’t even calling about alternatives now.

A-Rod just could not adjust mentally to the idea of playing with a tear in the labrum of his right hip, people familiar with the case tell SI.com. “The pathology moves to the head, and it’s difficult for most players to play without thinking about something like this,” one competing GM, unfamiliar with A-Rod’s thinking, said.

Nobody’s blaming him for equivocating over a very important decision, but when the Yankees announced a few days ago that Rodriguez would try to play through the injury, they must have thought he would. Eventually, Rodriguez took noted hip specialist Dr. Marc Philippon’s best advice, which was to have surgery now. He’ll have the surgery in two parts, the first to suture up the area and the second to round out the hip bone that had become squared over what Philippon told him was 10 years of deterioration.

Some Major League players have played through labral tears, and while HIPAA laws prevent teams from revealing medical conditions, it was learned that first baseman Dan Johnson played through a similar injury with the help of cortisone shots.

Doctors say Rodriguez’s hip injury isn’t as severe as those suffered by Chase Utley and Mike Lowell. But that doesn’t make the situation great. There’s still a 10 to 15 percent chance he won’t be able to play through the season. If that happens, the Yankees will have to consider outside alternatives.

Things do look good for Alex Rodriguez, in terms of being able to play, effectively, again this season over the 120 games (or so) that should be left on the schedule when he returns to action. And, that’s good news for the Yankees.

Still, the fact that there’s “a 10 to 15 percent chance he won’t be able to play through the season” has to be a concern, no?

Think about A-Rod for a minute. He’s Giovanni Scalogna on spikes. Strange things – or, storm clouds, if you prefer – have managed to find him from time to time. Further, it would not shock me, once Alex returns, if something happened to A-Rod on the field – say, getting out of the way of an inside pitch, or sliding into a base, or getting caught up in a fight – where that “10 to 15 percent chance” card gets played and then, all of a sudden, he’s out of action for the next four months.

So, what do you think? If some fluke thing happens this season happens which brings cause for Rodriguez to become MIA this year, does that mean the Yankees chances for success are down the tubes? Or, will their improved starting pitching carry New York through the season?

Me? I’m not sure. From a straight numbers angle, the thought of losing A-Rod’s production from the clean-up spot and replacing it with Jorge Posada or Hideki Matsui (both coming off injuries themselves) is a loss – and it hurts. But, maybe, just maybe, moving away from the hope for “An A-Bomb, from A-Rod!” in terms of your main offensive weapon and moving back towards a team offensive style that the Yankees had in the late ’90′s (meaning getting them on, moving them over, and driving them in) would be a blessing for New York?

Like I said, I’m not sure. And, since we have a “85 to 90 percent” chance of not having to worry about it, I’m not going to try and figure it out, now. Instead, I’ll just sit back, watch, and see what happens.

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I caught a few minutes of ESPN’s Sports Reporters this morning – where the topic was Alex Rodriguez.

A-Rod’s buddy, Selena Roberts, had some interesting comments (during the show) on why Rodriguez elected to take the less invasive surgery route now to address his condition.

If I recall correctly, Roberts brought up Alex’s overall sense of unease and/or nervousness and she said that A-Rod was “terrified” – yes, I do remember Selena using that exact word – of being out for four months and having the Yankees do well without him.

Is this possible? I’m not sure. But, given what we do know, I would never say that it’s impossible. What do you think?

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Not sure if you’ve noticed, but, I have not been making much note of, or providing much commentary on, what’s been happening on the field, to-date, for the Yankees. To be candid, I had not looked at any of the Yankees Spring Training stats – albeit for the team or specific players – until I just did it today for the first time. (And, if not for me writing about this, now, I probably wouldn’t have looked today.)

Why? Well, as far as the team record, with a team like the Yankees, you can throw it out the window. It’s meaningless.

I recently saw an interview with Stick Michael on MSG where he was reflecting on life under Big Stein. In the interview, Michael offered that, in the past, one of the worst thing that could happen to the Yankees team during the Spring would be to lose to the Red Sox, Mets or some college team – as it would set George off (and then some). Stick followed that up with saying that he, among others, had to train the Boss to realize that a “win” in Spring Training was when you played the whole game and no players on your roster got hurt. And, I’m someone who subscribes to the school that says the players feel this way as well – and the actual game outcome, for the most part, is not that important to them…

…that is, until, the last two weeks of Spring Training.

Anyone who’s been around the game for a long time will tell you that it’s during the last two weeks of Spring Training where the players start to turn up the dial. By that time, everyone has gotten into game-ready shape and they’re no longer tinkering around with trying out new things. It’s during the last two weeks of Spring Training where you can start to watch players, and how they are doing, to get a handle on how they might go when the bell rings in April.

And, this season, the last two weeks of Spring Training starts on March 22nd – which is also the day before the end of the World Baseball Classic. This is nice timing as it means many players should be back in their camps to rejoin their teams, if they’re not back already, to get units back up to normal just as we get into this important time period.

So, for now, sure, there are some Yankees bloggers out there who may want to talk about how great Angel Berroa, Phil Hughes, Shelley Duncan or Brett Tomko are doing through today down in Tampa. Or, maybe some of them want to write about how Dan Giese, Xavier Nady, Joba Chamberlain, or Johnny Damon have not been overly impressive in camp so far.

Me? I don’t care. These stats, that you see now, carry just as much legitimacy as the stats from a Harlem Globetrotters/Washington Generals game.

Wake me up on March 22nd. I’ll gladly start paying attention to Spring Training stats/results from that day forward.

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Back on January 6, 2009, Dr. Harry A. Bade (of Professional Orthopaedic Associates) was very kind to provide WasWatching.com with some expert opinion towards Jorge Posada’s recovery.

Dr. Bade is a Board Certified and Fellowship Trained Orthopaedic Surgeon with over 25 years of surgical experience specializing in the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries, rotator cuff repair, shoulder reconstruction, knee arthroscopy, hand fractures and tendon injuries.

Today, Dr. Bade has provided WasWatching.com with the following thoughts regarding Alex Rodriguez’ current injury situation:

A hip labral tear injury with an associated ganglionic cyst has suddenly surfaced as the most talked about orthopaedic sports related injury after Alex Rodriguez, the Yankee third baseman, was diagnosed and underwent an x-ray guided aspiration of the cyst by an orthopaedic hip specialist in Colorado. This condition is not uncommon with high-level professional and amateur athletes. The cause is multi-factorial to include excessive overuse and/or anatomic predispostion. His condition, which is also known as Hip Acetabular Impingement (HAI), is a degenerative process of the hip joint where a developed bone spur forms on the femoral neck (hip bone) and impinges upon the labrum causing a tear. The labrum is a soft tissue structure that helps with stability and nourishment of the joint surfaces.

When a tear occurs, it is typically in the front or “anterior aspect” of the hip socket. The symptoms can be as mild as slight stiffness but may include snapping, catching and eventually become painful. With pain comes loss of strength and motion, therefore the athlete cannot function optimally.

Rodriguez was treated for hip stiffness last season and may have suffered some reduced performance because of those symptoms. This year, the symptoms are more severe. This injury is in an area that heals poorly and will not heal without surgical intervention. He is scheduled for arthroscopic surgery of the hip on Monday March 9th. Once the surgeons enter the hip joint arthroscopically, the exact procedure will be decided by observing the nature of the hip labral tear. The tear can either be a flap tear, that moves but is attached to a “stalk,” or, multiple split tears in line with the labral fibers.

The surgeons will most likely “debride” or clean-up the area and then either cut out the existing tear or repair the existing tear. During the procedure they would also evaluate the hip for any degree of degenerative or overuse arthritis.

Post-operatively, his orthopaedic surgeon would allow the small portals or “holes” to heal and then soon start a rehabilitation program to obtain range of motion of the hip joint, strength and flexibility training and sport specific functional training for returning to baseball.

Again, this injury is not uncommon. Many pro-athletes have undergone successful hip arthroscopic surgery. Several professional golfers, including Greg Norman have had successful careers following this surgical procedure. Hockey goalies, gymnasts and professional dancers have also had successful hip arthroscopic surgery.

This is encouraging news for Rodriguez, the Yankees, and their fans. And, of course, my thanks to Professional Orthopaedic Associates and Dr. Harry A. Bade for their assistance on this matter.

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Via the ever-on-top-of-things-like-no-one-else Peter Abraham:

Alex Rodriguez will have less invasive surgery to repair the labrum, try to play and then have a full repair after the season.

A-Rod has an impingement, meaning bone is striking bone. The initial surgery will fix the labrum. The second will repair the bone deformity.

The goal, Dr. Philiipon, will be a rapid rehab. “It’s a very good option,” he said.

He said the rehab will take 6-9 weeks.

Surgery will be Monday. Dr. Philippon said he’s 85-90 percent certain A-Rod won’t have a setback this season.

A-Rod will stay in Vail for several weeks.

Again, it’ll be 6-9 weeks before he plays in a MLB game.

Nine weeks? Hmm… Three days ago, when this story first broke, the thought was that Alex would be out for ten weeks. So, after all the singin’ and dancin’ from the Yankees on this in the last 72 hours or so, we’re right back at the original rehab time-table…makes me sort of think that this “new” plan is the same one that was always out there…and that all the parties involved have now signed-off on it.

My guess? We’ll see A-Rod return to play on May 15th when the Yankees start a ten-game homestand against the Twins, O’s and Phillies. Let’s hope all goes well for him and the Yankees.

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Via Richard Sandomir:

The Yankees’ campaign to market their unsold premium seats and luxury boxes at their new stadium continues. The Yankees want you to go premium. They’re tired of all this inventory of leftover (did we say cushioned?) seats, even if it’s a thousand or fewer.

One full-page ad in The New York Times promoted next weekend’s Select-a-Seat event. Another in The New York Post cooed, “We’re Holding Your Seat,” with a line pointing to Section 123, one of 14 Between the Bases, where tickets cost $325 each.

Last Sunday, a half-page ad in The Times was accompanied by a photograph of Derek Jeter in one of his leap-and-throw poses. It says, “Sit This Close to the Captain.”

Two of the ads end with a come-on, “Own the Greatness.” Besides the philosophical question of whether you can actually own greatness, even at $2,500 a seat, ownership is the pitch for personal-seat licenses, like those the Giants and the Jets are selling for their new stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The P.S.L. is actually a stock certificate that confers the right to buy season tickets, but you can also sell it on the open market.

Every seat at the new Yankee Stadium is a rental, with no option to sell its rights.

The stadium is the Yankees’ stimulus package, but the unsold seats are making them feel short of full stimulation. The ads make the Yankees look a bit desperate; the last thing they want is for these seats — the “greatest in the world” the team has called them, which will be seen prominently on television — to be empty on opening day and beyond. Will we next see a casting call in Backstage for seat fillers for these magnificent seats?

The Yankees have reduced their hopes that all these seats will sell in full-season 81-game packages. So they’re settling for 41- and 20-game plans, too.

Personally, given some of the prices on these seats, I believe that the Yankees could start selling them on a single-game basis and still not be able to move them. In any event, this is a black-eye for the organization – and one that was self-inflicted and therefore well-deserved.

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I’m about three years behind the times on this one, but, if you have six minutes to kill, check it out.

It’s really true what they say about the eyes following you, huh?

Noah’s a Brooklyn boy. Wonder if he likes the Yankees?

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For those into this kind of thing, a sibling of Colter Bean is blogging. Click here to check it out.

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Marc Carig has a nice Q&A at the Star Ledger with Mark Teixeira. Click here to check it out.

Teixeira seems extremely grounded. Nice to see that.

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Via the Times -

As Alex Rodriguez, medical experts and Yankees officials ponder whether to rest or repair the torn labrum in Rodriguez’s right hip, a third option of how to treat the tear has gained momentum, according to a person in baseball familiar with the matter.

Under what is being called the hybrid option, Rodriguez would have a modest surgery that would repair the labrum and would keep him off the field for only about a month, the person said. The repair would allow him to play from one to three years. Eventually he would need a more invasive surgery.

“It would be like using a nail instead of a steel girder to repair it,” said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because no decision had been made. “Eventually the nail would have to be replaced with the steel girder.”

I dunno…

“One to three years” is a pretty wide gap. And, what are the Yankees saving here, three months?

If it was a lock to buy him three more years, I could see going for the temp-fix on this one. But, if it only buys him one year, then why not just go for the extra three months lost – meaning the difference between a four month rehab and a one month one – and then have it fixed for good?

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I got to see some clips, on ESPN last night, of CC Sabathia making his first Spring Training start for the Yankees on Friday. Kinda strange to see the big dude in Yankee pinstripes – in action during a game. I’m sure, by the end of May, I’ll get used to it.

It always takes me a while, especially with starting pitchers, to get used to seeing a proven “import” guy playing for the Yankees, wearing the ‘stripes, etc. This goes back to 1975 when Catfish Hunter joined the Yankees. It took a few starts for me to become accustomed to seeing him, his wind-up, etc., with the Yankees cap on his head and the “NY” on his chest. Ditto Luis Tiant, Rick Reuschel, Jack McDowell, Rick Rhoden, Jim Abbott, Phil Niekro, and Mike Mussina – just to name a few.

For what it’s worth, I never got used to seeing Randy Johnson pitch in a Yankees uniform. It just didn’t look right. Even the number on his back seemed odd.

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Via Newsday -

Yankees president Randy Levine tossed a brushback pitch at Assemb. Richard Brodsky during a hearing Friday in Manhattan on the financing deal that is helping the Yankees build their new stadium in the Bronx.

Right off the bat, Levine blasted Brodsky (D-Westchester), chairman of the standing Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, which has been holding hearings and issued subpoenas for records on the deal.

The Yankees and New York City teamed to fund construction of the new stadium.

“Mr. Brodsky, your behavior in this matter continues to be disgraceful,” Levine said. “You continue to misstate facts and grandstand.”

Brodsky interrupted Levine and tried to prevent him from finishing his statement, saying the “views and character of anyone else isn’t relevant” to complying with subpoenas.

“You’ve invited me here!” Levine yelled. “When I’m finished with my testimony, everybody will hear how you’ve been behaving.”

Levine went on to complete his statement uninterrupted.

“In my opinion, you have personalized this matter and are misusing scarce state resources to engage in a witch hunt against the Yankees,” Levine said.

Watch out Randy, Brodsky might next try and claim that you turned him into a newt!

(more…)

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If you’re the Yankees, the answer is “nope.” Via the Toronto Sun -

[Joey] Votto was an oddity in the spring of his draft year of 2002. While every major-league team loved Adam Loewen (ranked fourth overall in North America) and Jeff Francis (ninth), only the Reds and the Yanks were on Votto. Cincy scout John Castlebury saw Votto at a Perfect Game Showcase at Tropicana Field, alongside Prince Fielder and Scott Kazmir, and didn’t stop watching.

Yankees scout Dick Groch, who signed Derek Jeter, was in Etobicoke, set to pounce, if the Yanks got Votto. But the Reds phoned Votto in drama class between the first and second rounds and he agreed to sign with them, for a $600,000 US bonus, if selected in the second round, 44th overall.

If the Yankees had not signed Rondell White or Steve Karsay, they would have been able to take Votto in the draft before the Reds nabbed him.

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Via the Pirates site yesterday -

Andy Phillips knows that he is not alone in his pursuit for one of the Pirates’ final two bench spots. But the 32-year-old would like to believe that he has some intangibles that make him an appealing choice for a utility role.

Standing out on Phillips’ resume would have to be his versatility, one of the factors behind the Pirates initiating contact with him the day he became a free agent. Phillips can play across the infield, and he has felt “surprisingly comfortable,” to use his words, in his career outfield appearances as well.

However, Phillips hopes his statistics don’t have to tell the whole story.

“I hope it’s the versatility that impresses, but I hope it’s other factors,” Phillips said. “I hope it’s how I approach the game. I hope there is some background. I’ve come from a place where the expectation is to win and to win everything. I’ve been fortunate to learn from some of the best in the game [while] playing with some of those guys.”

If Phillips doesn’t make it with the Bucs, and A-Rod goes under the knife, would the Yankees bring Andy back – as a back-up infielder or platoon third baseman? They might…they just might…

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Brian Cashman, via SNY’s Geico SportsNite yesterday, shared that the Yankees will taking the “conservative route” with A-Rod -meaning “rest, treatment and exercise.” Here’s the clip:

But, now, Peter Abraham has shared the following:

We just spoke to Joe Girardi for quite a while about A-Rod.

Things have changed since yesterday. The Yankees said then that the plan was for Alex to try and play and have surgery after the season. Now both Hal Steinbrenner and Girardi have talked about Alex needing to make a decision about having surgery.

Alex underwent more tests today and supposedly planned to throw and even hit in a cage out in Colorado. Then he will take a day or two to decide what to do, in consultation with the Yankees.

The sense I get from talking to people both in Tampa and elsewhere is that Alex will be having the surgery and it would be as soon as Monday. The Yankees are fearful of his trying to play and then having to come out of the lineup.

By having the surgery now, the team has a month to prepare for life without Alex and his rehab clock starts ticking. Essentially, March is a free month of rehab.

Last night, I wrote:

…I think the Yankees plan is a stall tactic. The Yankees may have told Alex to stick his surgery plans in his pocket for a few days, or more, as they use this move to buy some time, circle their wagons, and figure out what they’re going to do this season – because they know that A-Rod wants to have this surgery. And, he wants to have it now.

That theory is starting to look more and more like it’s going to become a reality…

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Via the AP -

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez had additional tests on his injured right hip in Colorado on Friday, according to team co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner. Rodriguez will attempt to play with a torn labrum and avoid surgery and a four-month rehabilitation period. A cyst in the hip was drained Wednesday.

“Everybody is concerned, of course,” Steinbrenner said after meeting with general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi for about 15 minutes before Friday’s game with Detroit. “No decisions being made. Just being cautious. We’re going to take it slow.”

The injury diagnosis by Dr. Marc Philippon, in Vail, Colo., was yet another jolt to Rodriguez during a tumultuous one-month span in which the three-time AL MVP admitted using banned drugs from 2001-03 while with Texas.

Cashman planned to talk with Philippon later Friday and said he could have additional information regarding test results. He wasn’t sure when Rodriguez will rejoin the Yankees. A-Rod will skip playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

“We just want to get our hands wrapped around what is going on,” Cashman said.

It still sounds like the Yankees are not in front of this stuff and chasing after Rodriguez…

If true, I ‘m sure they’re thrilled to be in this position.

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Via FOXSports.com :

Alex Rodriguez will attempt to play this season with an injured right hip, hoping to avoid surgery and a four-month rehabilitation period.

A cyst in the hip was drained Wednesday, and the New York Yankees third baseman will skip playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Still, he has a torn labrum that might need an operation.

“There’s two course of action concerning what he has,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday. “There is treat it conservatively, which would imply rest, exercise and treatment. Or you can treat it aggressively, which is by surgery. At this point at in time, we are going to go the conservative route.”

Cashman said that if Rodriguez is able to play, the three-time AL MVP might have offseason surgery to repair the labrum tear. Cashman said Rodriguez’s preference was to try rest and treatment first.

“We’re collectively trying to figure out what is best to do,” Cashman said. “We don’t want to rush into it. We want to digest it.”

Looking for my take on all this? Well, of course you are – why else would you be reading these words? O.K., here goes…

For those out there who are now envisioning a wounded A-Rod leading the Yankees offense this season – like a one-armed Gary Sheffield did back in 2004 – forget it. Rodriguez is way too fragile. Further, while it’s just my opinion, I strongly suspect that Alex was more than ready to pack it in for a good chunk of this season the minute he got the diagnosis on this one.

Think about it. Felix DeJesus, who is part of the Spanish language broadcast team for the New York Yankees, is tight with A-Rod’s half-brother. DeJesus spoke to the half-brother this morning to see what was up with Alex and was told that Rodriguez would need surgery and would be out 10 weeks. This is proof that A-Rod was convinced that he was going under the knife, now – as that’s what he told his family…right away.

I suspect that, once the news got back to the Yankees, Brian Cashman and crew then hatched a plan. This is not like the Red Sox plan for Curt Schilling last season – where the team is trying to avoid paying a guy beaucoup denaro to do nothing all season. More so, I think the Yankees plan is a stall tactic. The Yankees may have told Alex to stick his surgery plans in his pocket for a few days, or more, as they use this move to buy some time, circle their wagons, and figure out what they’re going to do this season – because they know that A-Rod wants to have this surgery. And, he wants to have it now.

It’s perfect timing for Rodriguez to take a powder. His popularity quotient has never been lower. Plus, the Selena Roberts book (on him) comes out in about six weeks. Why not use this situation as an excuse to go hole up in a mountain cave and allow some of the hubbub that he’s created to die down? At some point, A-Rod is going to have to address his medical condition and then do the four-month rehab. Given that he’s got nine years left on his contract, Rodriguez is probably thinking: “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

In any event, above all, as a Yankees fan, what concerns me most about all this is that time remaining on Alex Rodriguez contract (with New York). While it’s not a given, this injury for A-Rod could be a portent of things to come – meaning a rapid breakdown of his physical prowess despite his relative young age.

We saw this happen with Juan Gonzalez, Dean Palmer, Jose Canseco, Ron Gant, Ken Caminiti, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Jason Giambi and Travis Hafner. These guys just get so big and strong that their bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons cannot win the war against the demands that their muscles command. And, let’s face, A-Rod is a mountain of a man.

One of the saddest sights ever for this baseball fan was watching Vincent Edward (Bo) Jackson, who was once human form in perfection, hobble around a baseball field in 1993 at the young age of thirty. I cannot imagine, as a Yankees fan, how hard it might be to watch Alex Rodriguez have his body continue to fail him for the remainder of his contract with New York. Then again, I might not have to imagine it…as it may be starting to happen right now.

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Via Tyler Kepner -

[Yankees G.M. Brian] Cashman said the Yankees discovered an irregularity in Rodriguez’s hip last May when he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam for a right quadriceps injury. By June or July, the hitting coach Kevin Long said he could notice subtle changes in Rodriguez’s hitting, notably in his right foot — the back one in his stance.

The foot was not pivoting fully, Long said, and as a result, Rodriguez could not completely turn his waist and clear his hips. This caused his bat to drag and prevented him from driving through the ball and generating maximum power.

“Speed-wise, to catch up to 95-, 96-mile-an-hour pitches, you’ve basically got to get your hips through,” Long said. “It affects bat speed, power, balance. From a technical standpoint, it affects quite a few things. But he’s so gifted and so talented that he made do with what he had.”

Cashman said Rodriguez had always had stiff hips, and there was no need to examine him after the season. The condition was so minor, Cashman said, that Rodriguez did not seek treatment from team trainers last season.

“That’s why I termed it as an incidental finding,” Cashman said. “If you took an M.R.I. right now of everybody in our clubhouse, you are going to find in many of them — 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent — the same finding. Just because they have it doesn’t mean it’s a problem. Just because you have it doesn’t mean you need surgery.

“So that’s why you put it in the file,” he said. “You treat the patient, not the symptom. You don’t treat the M.R.I. You treat the patient.”

…You treat the patient, not the symptom. You don’t treat the M.R.I. You treat the patient…

Then why even bother doing an M.R.I.? Well, this explains why Cashman ignored Carl Pavano’s health history when he signed him for forty million…

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Jumpin’ Cody Ransom is no kid – as he turned age 33 back on February 17th of this year. Last season, in 423 At Bats in Triple-A, Cody had 22 homers along with a BA/OBP/SLG line of .255/.338/.482 (in 116 games). And, in his major league career, to date, Ransom has a BA/OBP/SLG line of .251/.348/.432 in 183 At Bats.

When I look at all this, it makes me want to suggest…if you gave Cody Ransom a full-time job in the big leagues, this season, where he got close to 600 At Bats, it would not shock me to see him hit close to 20 homers with an On Base Average around .330…a season like one David Bell had in 2002 or Mike Lowell had in 2006.

Or, in other words, not a season that would be a huge offensive plus – but also one that would not kill you either.

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Via Pete Abe -

ESPN Deportes, which swings and misses at times, is reporting Alex Rodriguez needs surgery and will miss 10 weeks. No comment yet from the Yankees.

If this is true, somebody screwed up. If he had this hip issue last year and it went untreated, that’s doesn’t make much sense.

If true, this means Alex is out until the middle of May – and would then probably need at least two weeks of minor league rehab to get his swing down…so, this could mean it’s “See ya in June” for Rodriguez.

Update, 12 noon ET, 3/5/09:

My first two thoughts, if this is true:

1. How much trouble can A-Rod get into when he has 3 months of free time during the baseball season?
2. Could this be a way to hide when the Selena Roberts book comes out in April?

My next thought:

Do you just play Jumpin’ Cody Ransom at third for two months until A-Rod is back, or, do you something totally crazy and ask Teixeira to play third for two months and then play Swisher at first? Or, maybe you try and convert Nady to third for a couple of months and then play Swisher in right?

Update, 2:25 pm ET, 3/5/09:

From J-Hey (who always is connected to Scottie Boras) -

Alex Rodriguez likely needs surgery on his right hip and is expected to miss six to eight weeks, SI.com has confirmed.

Rodriguez’s agent, Scott Boras, said his client will be evaluated by Dr. Marc Philippon in Vail, Colo., on Thursday.

“I can’t say much because of the HIPAA Rules,” said Boras, who was in Glendale for the Dodgers’ press conference with newly signed Manny Ramirez. “I have spoken to Alex. He is there visiting [Philippon] and he is going to see him today.

“Obviously, [Alex is] concerned. He was playing well. It has obviously been a difficult two days for him.”

Rodriguez’s brother, Joe Dunand, told LasMayores.com (MLB.com’s Spanish-language Web site) that Rodriguez will have the operation performed on Monday. Dunand also said his understanding is that the recovery time for such a surgery is 10 weeks.

By the way, some job by the Yankees on this one, huh? Talk about not getting out in front of this one in terms of managing the news…Geez.

Update, 3:20 pm ET, 3/5/09: Reportedly, Brian Cashman will be meeting with the media to discuss this…in about a minute or two…

Update, 4:20 pm ET, 3/5/09: Via Pete Abe -

Yankees GM Brian Cashman just said Alex Rodriguez has a torn hip labrum and cyst.

They’re trying rest and rehab. The cyst was drained. The hope is he’ll keep playing.

He’s out of the WBC.

The cyst was large and the hope was having it drained will lessen the stiffness Rodriguez felt.

They’re going to cut down on his time in spring training in the hopes he can get through the season.

This is a similar injury to what Mike Lowell had. Cashman refused to say what degree the tear was.

Cashman just said A-Rod will need the surgery at some point. The tear won’t just heal.

They’re hoping he can get through the season then have it.

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Via the Chicago Tribune:

[Milton] Bradley said friends often have told him he shares the same traits as former outfielder Paul O’Neill, who was lauded for his fiery attitude with the Reds and Yankees.

“People tell me Paul O’Neill was hustling, he was intense, he was fiery, a competitor. Whereas, early on in my career, I was [labeled as] volatile, angry, temperamental … [that] I had an attitude, was not coachable. … Everything that’s pretty much the antithesis of what I am.

“Yes, I’ve made mistakes. Yes, I haven’t handled things properly in the past. … My self defense mechanism was to lash out, and maybe it was my own insecurity. I didn’t know how to handle it, internalize it and use it for good like I did last year.”

Milton, Milton, Milton…

Please, let’s not even go there.

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