• Simon Says! At The Worst, Yanks Only Win 75?

    Posted by on March 28th, 2013 · Comments (1)

    Read it here.

    CC is the key. If he’s not 10 to 13 games over .500 this year, and good for 200+ IP, the Yankees are toast.

    Cashman Still Able To Pay His Way Out Of Some Bad Judgement Calls?

    Posted by on March 28th, 2013 · Comments (5)

    Via the AP

    The mother of a woman accused of stalking New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has abruptly dropped her lawsuit against him.

    The New York Post reports that Caroline Meanwell filed documents in court Tuesday to drop the lawsuit.

    The suit had alleged that Cashman conspired with her daughter’s former therapist and his legal team to trick Meanwell into calling 911 to discredit her daughter, who had claimed to have a nine-month affair with Cashman.

    The suit claimed Meanwell was coerced into telling authorities her daughter, Louise Neathway, was going to kill herself so Neathway would be institutionalized.

    Prosecutors say Neathway stalked Cashman and got him to pay her $6,000 by threatening to damage his reputation.

    Neathway has pleaded not guilty.

    Gotta think Cash settled with her, no?

    Yankees 2013 Opening Day 25 & 40 Man Rosters

    Posted by on March 28th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    Man, this is going to be fun.  There’s a lot of decisions to be made between today and Monday on both the Yankees 25 and 40-man rosters.

    Do you have any predictions on who may be added or cut from both?

    What happens with NRI’s Jayson Nix,  Ben Francisco, Thomas Neal, Juan Rivera, Dan Johnson and Lyle Overbay?  Has someone like Preston Claiborne or Josh Spence pitched their way on to the team? Someone else in the picture that we should be talking about in terms of coming or going? Has Ronnier Mustelier hit his way on to the team? Does Travis Hafner get a buddy pass on his rough spring? Is Brennan Boesch heading to the minors? Goodbye to Cody Eppley?

    So, so, many questions…

    No Timetable For Derek Jeter’s Return

    Posted by on March 27th, 2013 · Comments (2)

    Says Brian Cashman.

    Only 4 times in the last 17 seasons has Jeter played in less than 150 games (in a year).  And, one of those was a year where he played in 149 games – and another was when he played in 148 games.

    Something tells me we’re going to be hard pressed to see Jeter play in 130 games (or more) for the Yankees this year.

     

    Wait, Billy Beane Made This List?

    Posted by on March 27th, 2013 · Comments (1)

    Non-pitchers with at least 50 PA in a season where their batting average was greater than their on-base average:

    Rk Player WAR/pos BA OBP PA Year Age Tm Lg G AB H HR RBI BB SO SF GDP SB SLG
    1 Eric Bruntlett 0.0 .259 .255 56 2003 25 HOU NL 31 54 14 1 4 0 10 1 1 0 .370
    2 Midre Cummings 0.0 .224 .221 87 1996 24 PIT NL 24 85 19 3 7 0 16 1 0 0 .388
    3 Jon Shave -0.1 .319 .306 52 1993 25 TEX AL 17 47 15 0 7 0 8 2 0 1 .362
    4 Jim Adduci -0.1 .266 .258 97 1988 28 MIL AL 44 94 25 1 15 0 15 3 1 0 .383
    5 Billy Beane -0.4 .241 .238 82 1989 27 OAK AL 37 79 19 0 11 0 13 1 2 3 .304
    6 Dante Bichette -0.4 .261 .240 50 1988 24 CAL AL 21 46 12 0 8 0 7 4 0 0 .304
    7 Doug Flynn -0.4 .246 .241 61 1985 34 TOT ML 41 57 14 0 2 0 3 1 1 0 .316
    8 Rob Picciolo -0.4 .202 .200 128 1984 31 CAL AL 87 119 24 1 9 0 21 1 2 0 .277
    9 Mickey Rivers -0.4 .235 .232 69 1982 33 TEX AL 19 68 16 1 4 0 7 1 1 0 .324
    10 Bill Fahey -0.4 .149 .147 68 1982 32 DET AL 28 67 10 0 4 0 5 1 0 1 .179
    11 Bobby Clark -0.4 .211 .209 93 1982 27 CAL AL 102 90 19 2 8 0 29 1 1 1 .289
    12 Ron Cash -0.4 .226 .222 63 1974 24 DET AL 20 62 14 0 5 0 11 1 2 0 .258
    13 Steve Hosey -0.7 .250 .241 58 1992 23 SFG NL 21 56 14 1 6 0 15 2 1 1 .321
    14 Danny Sheaffer -0.9 .121 .119 68 1987 25 BOS AL 25 66 8 1 5 0 14 1 2 0 .182
    15 Jim Steels -1.0 .189 .185 54 1988 27 TEX AL 36 53 10 0 5 0 15 1 0 2 .208
    16 Ernie Bowman -1.0 .184 .181 131 1963 27 SFG NL 81 125 23 0 4 0 15 2 2 1 .208
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 3/27/2013.

    .
    And, yes, this is a very hard “feat” to pull off.

    You’d Never See That On The Yankees

    Posted by on March 27th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    Brandon Laird is a Non-Roster Invitee for the Houston Astros this spring. And, he was issued uniform # 4.

    While we’re at it, Trevor Crowe is also an Astro Non-Roster Invitee and he was issued # 8.

    I think most of the Yankees NRI players this spring are wearing numbers in the 80′s and 90′s.

    Spring Training Records, To Date

    Posted by on March 27th, 2013 · Comments (5)

    Do these numbers mean anything?

    W L PCT
    Kansas City 23 6 .793
    Baltimore 18 8 .692
    Seattle 19 11 .633
    Detroit 18 12 .600
    Atlanta 19 14 .576
    Colorado 16 12 .571
    Cleveland 16 13 .552
    Oakland 14 12 .538
    San Francisco 14 13 .519
    Minnesota 15 14 .517
    Arizona 15 14 .517
    Boston 15 15 .500
    NY Mets 13 13 .500
    St. Louis 14 14 .500
    Tampa Bay 15 15 .500
    Texas 15 15 .500
    Chicago Cubs 16 17 .485
    Philadelphia 14 15 .483
    Houston 13 14 .481
    Chicago Sox 12 13 .480
    San Diego 15 17 .469
    Toronto 13 16 .448
    Miami 12 15 .444
    Washington 12 16 .429
    Pittsburgh 12 17 .414
    NY Yankees 12 17 .414
    LA Dodgers 11 18 .379
    Milwaukee 10 17 .370
    Cincinnati 10 18 .357
    LA Angels 8 18 .308

    .

    Simon Says! If All Goes Right For Yanks, They Can Win 94

    Posted by on March 27th, 2013 · Comments (3)

    Hope springs eternal.

    Davenport’s Updated 2013 Projections: Yanks 84 Wins

    Posted by on March 27th, 2013 · Comments (5)
    Clay Davenport's Projections for 2013
    
    Generated on 3-26-2013
    	
            East 	Won 	Lost 	Runs 	Runs A
    	TBY 	87 	75 	666 	619
    	TOR 	86 	76 	768 	722
    	NYY 	84 	78 	732 	699
    	BOS 	82 	80 	776 	760
    	BAL 	78 	84 	703 	733
    
            Cent 	Won 	Lost 	Runs 	Runs A
    	DET 	93 	69 	799 	680
    	CLE 	79 	83 	690 	706
    	KCR 	79 	83 	699 	719
    	CWS 	77 	85 	702 	741
    	MIN 	73 	89 	672 	748
    
            West 	Won 	Lost 	Runs 	Runs A
    	LAA 	91 	71 	716 	629
    	OAK 	85 	77 	692 	652
    	TEX 	85 	77 	762 	727
    	SEA 	75 	87 	604 	655
    	HOU 	73 	89 	690 	768

    So, what do you think?

    He Plays For What, No Te Conozco

    Posted by on March 27th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    Updated: Yanks Ticket Exchange Hiding Tickets For Sale?

    Posted by on March 27th, 2013 · Comments (7)

    On March 13th, I listed two tickets for sale on the Yankees Ticket Exchange – hosted by Ticketmaster. These were for the game of April 16th against the D’backs. In order to try and sell them, I set the price as declining each day. Yet, in the two weeks they have been listed, no one has bought them.

    I should add that these are great seats – in the Main Level, by first base, with one seat being an aisle seat and the other being the one next to it. In addition, they are undercover – which is great in case of rain.

    Today, just for the fun of it, I looked at the interactive map on the Yankees Ticket Exchange to see how many other seats were for sale in my section. And, to my shock, I did not see my seats listed as an option. So, I quickly checked my account and confirmed that I still have them posted as being for sale. So, why are they not on the seating chart as being available? Who can possible find them as being for sale if they are not on the seating chart as marked for sale?

    Of course, the Yankees Ticket Exchange is located at 7060 Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles – and they are not available until 9 AM on the east coast. So, I have to wait to call them today. But, in the meantime, boy, am I pissed.

    At this point, I can only assume they are hidden from the public, as being available, because the Yankees don’t want someone to see tickets as being available at less than face value because they were prefer to sell tickets directly as walk-ups.

    Update, 9:15 AM: I spoke to Ticketmaster, who runs the Yankees Ticket Exchange site. They said that they cannot explain why my tickets have not been listed for sale over the last two weeks. They assume that maybe there was a pending sale of the tickets – although they cannot prove it – where someone’s credit card was being approved. And, during this process, the “bar codes were locked.” And, that’s why they are not showing. They’re going to look into it and get back to me.

    Update, 9:30 AM: This was interesting. Seems I was looking at the Yankees interactive seating map for tickets for sale – and not the one for the Yankees Ticket Exchange. Ticketmaster called me back and gave me the URL for the Ticket Exchange. It’s www.ticketsnow.com/Yankees. But, when you go to the Yankees site, and look for tickets, you get this URL: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/ticketing/singlegame.jsp?c_id=nyy&y=2013 – and, there’s no obvious link or mention of the Yankees Ticket Exchange. To find it, when you are on that page, you have to find the sidebar at the bottom right of the page with the header “Also In Tickets” and there, 13 links listed from the top, is a small link to the Yankees Ticket Exchange.

    How someone would ever find that, is beyond me. Also, when you GOOGLE “Yankees Ticket Exchange” the first link to come up is yankees.mlb.com/TicketExchange which brings you back to the Yankees site where they are selling single game tickets at full price. So, in the end, instead of saying “Yankees Ticket Exchange Hiding Tickets For Sale?” the proper question to ask is “Yankees Hiding Yankees Ticket Exchange Site?”

    2013: Girardi’s Geezer & Cast-Off Champions?

    Posted by on March 27th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    I have to say, there’s a part of me that wants to see A-Rod, and maybe Teixeira, sit out the whole season this year – and Granderson can take his time coming back as well (and maybe be a platoon player when he returns). Why?

    I want to see what Joe Girardi can do with a bunch of cast-off players and old-timers – along with some younger players like Phelps – over a course of a 162 game season.

    How wonderful would it be to see Joe lead a squad like that to a 95-win season and a playoff spot? It would be especially sweet to see Girardi do it in his “lame duck” contract year. If he pulled this off, he could write his own ticket on his next contract.

    Yanks Now Will Allow StubHub Users To Print Tickets 48 To 3 Hours Before Game

    Posted by on March 27th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    The story. (Lisa Swan also rings in on this one.)

    So, is this now the death knell for the Yankees Ticket Exchange?

    How The Yanks Lost Russell Martin

    Posted by on March 26th, 2013 · Comments (2)

    Via Ken Rosenthal

    The Yankees correctly view their acquisition of outfielder Vernon Wells as one with little financial downside. But the move still raises the question of why the team wasn’t more aggressive on other players during the offseason, notably free-agent catcher Russell Martin.

    Insurance from the World Baseball Classic on first baseman Mark Teixeira — money that wasn’t available to the Yankees in November — will help defray most or perhaps even all of the cost of Wells in 2013.

    Martin, though, told the Yankees he was willing to accept a one-year contract in the $9 million to $10 million range, according to two major-league sources. When the Yankees balked, he agreed to a two-year, $17 million deal with the Pirates.

    A one-year deal for Martin would not have affected the Yankees’ desire to get under the $189 luxury-tax threshold in ’14. Instead, the Yankees will enter the season with two less proven catchers, Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart.

    Perhaps, one source suggested, the Yankees did not expect the market for Martin to develop as quickly as it did. At the time Martin signed, the Yankees had just committed $37 million over a 10-day period to one-year deals for pitchers Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera, in that order.

    Club officials were proceeding at a deliberate pace, checking off one need at a time. Martin might have been ahead of the Yankees’ timetable. His deal became official on Nov. 30, the same day as Rivera.

    Then again, we have to remember, over the last four seasons, and 1,936 PA over that span, Martin has an OPS+ of 90. So, let’s not make it as if the Yankees let Buster Posey walk away here. (Further, Martin’s WAR for 2012 was 1.5 in 133 games.)

    Yankees 2013 Home Opener Tickets

    Posted by on March 26th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    At this moment, there are 6,119 tickets for sale for the Yankees home opener this year on StubHub. And, there are a few listed on the Yankees Ticket Exchange site as well.

    So, what’s going to be the attendance for the Yankees on April 1st? Will it be less than 44,000?

    When was the last time the Yankees had less than 44,000 for their season home opener? That would probably be 2003 – when the real home opener was snowed out.

    Why Cashman Traded For Wells

    Posted by on March 26th, 2013 · Comments (1)

    Source.

    Hal Steinbrenner On WFAN

    Posted by on March 26th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    He is excited about the team even though they are facing some adversity due to injuries. He said there are no plans or thoughts or discussion about selling the Yankees. He said the deal with FOX on YES is going to bring good things to YES – and that Goldman wanted to get out. So, it made sense. They still have control on the broadcast.

    Hal said that they are committed as a family to own the Yankees for a the long-term.

    He said the A-Rod investigation is not theirs, it’s MLB, and he’s wait and see like everyone else.

    Regarding Cano, he said the weeks ahead will determine how the talks go with Boras.

    About getting under the luxury tax bar, Hal said that there are several reasons to get under it for 2014 – most importantly that you don’t need a $200 million payroll to win a championship. The goal is to be under $189 million – but, it doesn’t trump the goal to be a championship caliber goal. Yet, he noted that every other team can win a ring and be under $200 million.

    Back to this season, he said the free agent market was not great this year. So, they focused on pitching and getting Pettitte, Kuroda and Rivera back.

    Hal said that they expect Vernon Wells to have a bounce back year and be a good player for the Yankees.

    On tickets, Steinbrenner said that ticket sales are coming around. And, they are trying to keep their season ticket holders happy. He said they have given the secondary ticket market a lot of thought and that’s why they created the Ticket Exchange – to help fans sell their tickets safely and for less, if they want.

    Talking about the Yankees farm system, he said that the pitching pipeline has been good. And, the next couple of years for position players will be tricky…but they will have to deal with it.

    Pee & Play With The IronPigs!

    Posted by on March 26th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    Via (no pun intended) the Morning Call

    Coca-Cola Park in Allentown is introducing a”Urinal Gaming System” that will allow men to operate a hands-free game controller while standing before urinals during Lehigh Valley IronPigs games.

    The p-controlled video game systems will be featured in all men’s restrooms at Coca-Cola Park.

    “These games are sure to make a huge splash,” IronPigs General Manager Kurt Landes said in a press release. “Our fans are always looking for the next big thing and these ‘X-Stream games’ are another example of our commitment to providing an unparalleled entertainment experience in all aspects of Coca-Cola Park, including our restrooms.”

    When a user approaches the urinal, the video console flips into gaming mode, using technology that detects both his presence and stream. Algorithms then allow the user to engage with the screen by aiming in different directions to test their agility and knowledge.

    The games are 100 percent intuitive and custom-built to provide a unique user interface along with an easy and seamless experience.

    It’s the only game in town where a UTI could impact your WAR.

    Lyle Overbay

    Posted by on March 26th, 2013 · Comments (4)

    How soon until he’s a Yankee?

    Tex Injury Means Yanks Get Wells For Free?

    Posted by on March 26th, 2013 · Comments (8)

    Via ESPN -

    The Vernon Wells contract will actually help the Yankees’ goal of being below $189 million in payroll for 2014, a source confirmed to ESPNNewYork.com on Monday.

    The Daily News first reported the finances.

    All the particulars of the money for the deal with the Angels have not yet been finalized, but the Yankees will end up paying somewhere between $12 million and $14 million of the $42 million owed to Wells in the final two years of his contract.

    The Yankees will likely end up doling out $10 million or $11 million for 2013 and $2 million or $3 million for 2014.

    It is a complicated formula, but, in the end, Wells’ money will either have no impact on the $189 million goal for 2014 or the Yankees will receive a credit. Since Wells’ contract has been traded once before, the Yankees may receive as much as a $2 million savings toward their ’14 luxury tax figure.

    O.K., so, Wells will cost the Yankees about eleven mill this year. And, if Mark Teixeira is out for 12 weeks, that means that Vernon Wells is basically playing this season for free, right?  (The logic here is that the Yankees will get about $11 million from the WBC to cover Tex’s salary if he is out for 12 weeks.)

    Yet, it still doesn’t mean that Wells will help the Yankees on the field this year. It just means that the Yankees got lucky that Tex blew out his wrist while wearing the USA jersey and not when he was down in Tampa.

    Topp Of The Morning To You?

    Posted by on March 25th, 2013 · Comments (1)

    Ouch.

    Non-Slugging Yankees Outfields

    Posted by on March 25th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    Here they are:

    Rk Year Tm #Matching
    1 1974 New York Yankees 3 Elliott Maddox / Bobby Murcer / Roy White
    2 1973 New York Yankees 2 Matty Alou / Roy White
    3 1967 New York Yankees 2 Joe Pepitone / Tom Tresh
    4 1915 New York Yankees 2 Doc Cook / Hugh High
    5 1914 New York Yankees 2 Doc Cook / Roy Hartzell
    6 1913 New York Yankees 2 Birdie Cree / Harry Wolter
    7 1907 New York Highlanders 2 Wid Conroy / Danny Hoffman
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 3/25/2013.

    .
    Should 2013 be added to the list?

    Will Age, Ankle & A-Rod Situation Be The Push To Move Jeter To Third In 2013?

    Posted by on March 25th, 2013 · Comments (8)

    Anyone else wondering if the Yankees are considering the notion of asking Derek Jeter to play third base this season?

    Jay Horwitz, Butt Caller

    Posted by on March 25th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    Classic.

    MacGregor Sporting Goods

    Posted by on March 25th, 2013 · Comments (2)

    Is it just me, or, is it odd that it’s near impossible to find a website for them?

    Phil Hughes, Free Agency & A Qualifying Offer

    Posted by on March 25th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    We know that Phil Hughes will be a free agent after this season. But, the question is: Should the Yankees make him a qualifying offer when he opts out? If they do, then, most likely, they will get a draft pick in compensation for him going to another team. But, with that, you run the risk of him taking the offer – and maybe that doesn’t work with the Yankees plan to get payroll down? It’s going to be interesting to see how they handle this – especially if Hughes has an “average” season in 2013.

    While Yankeeland Burns, Where’s A-Rod?

    Posted by on March 25th, 2013 · Comments (14)

    Here he is:

    A-Rod tennis

    New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, bottom right, and golfer Greg Norman, top left, of Australia, watch the match between Maria Sharapova, of Russia, and Elena Vesnina, of Russia, during the Sony Open tennis tournament in Key Biscayne, Fla., Sunday March 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

    That’s funny…A-Rod in Florida? Just three days ago, we were told that he was in New York:

    Rodriguez will head to Tampa once he’s ready for on-field activities, according to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.

    He’ll continue his program in New York until then…

    So, A-Rod can get to FLA to watch tennis. But, he cannot get down there to visit Yankees camp? Typical.

    At What Cost Vernon Wells?

    Posted by on March 24th, 2013 · Comments (38)

    That’s “Today’s Yankees” for you: Really shitty talent evaluators, but, really good bookkeepers!

    I heard that Brian Cashman is special ordering a FlairHair Green Eyeshade for 2014.

    Closer: Major League Players Reveal The Inside Pitch On Saving The Game

    Posted by on March 24th, 2013 · Comments (0)

    I recently had a chance to check “Closer: Major League Players Reveal the Inside Pitch on Saving the Game” by Kevin Neary with Leigh A. Tobin.

    Here’s a description of it from the publisher:

    The closer is the ace reliever who specializes in closing out the game without surrendering the lead. Facing a power hitter in the ninth inning with a man on base and no outs takes nerves of steel. The pressure on the mound is intense. It takes a special breed to hold it together in these situations. Legendary manager Tony LaRusso said “Sure, games can get away from you in the seventh and eighth, but those last three outs in the ninth are the toughest.” It wasn’t until the creation of “the save,” the successful maintenance of a lead by a relief pitcher, in 1960 that the position of closer began to rise in prominence. Today, closers are seen as some of the most intense athletes in all of sports. Neary and Tobin explore the unique personalities of major leagues’ most prominent relief pitchers from Bruce Sutter (Cubs, Cardinals, and Braves) to Mariano Rivera (Yankees). Closer is an insider’s look into the role of the closing pitcher, how the position has evolved, and how legends—Trevor Hoffman, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, John Smoltz, Rich “Goose” Gossage, Mariano Rivera, Brian Fuentes, and many more—coped with the stress on the mound such as when facing the .340 batter in the bottom of the ninth with only a one run lead.

    Reading through the book, it brought be back to when I was much, much, younger – reading about players in Baseball Digest, during the 1970′s. I could easily see each “capsule” on a particular closer from the book appearing as a feature in Baseball Digest. They were really on par with that style and reading level. (Related, if you have a pre- or early teen that you know who loves baseball, this could be a book that’s great for them.)

    Related, for a review that SB Nation did on the book, click here. And, click here to read what BenchTrading.com “said” about the book.

    Lastly, Neary and Tobin also gave us “Major League Dads” – which I found to be very good.

    Yanks To Trade For Vernon Wells?

    Posted by on March 24th, 2013 · Comments (5)

    I guess Ben Francisco was not the answer? And, all the calls to Raul Mondesi to see if he could come out of retirement were probably not returned…

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