Archive for April, 2009
A-Rod takes to the basepaths
Posted by: | CommentsThe Yankees used light-hitting Brett Gardner to pinch hit for Cody Ransom today in the 7th with one out and the bases loaded. That tells us all we need to know about the importance of A-Rod to the team, and to that end, there is good news out of Tampa. A-Rod took a big step forward in his rehab today as he started running the bases. A-Rod, according to Bryan Hoch, ran from 1st to 2nd ten times, twice with a trainer offering resistance. He also charged slow rollers for the first time. The Yanks continue to say that May 15th is their target return date, and I continue to believe A-Rod will be back sooner than that.
Holliday willing to play in NY
Posted by: | CommentsVia MLBTR, it turns out that Matt Holliday is willing to play in New York, which is Boras’ way of getting the Yankees and Mets involved for leverage purposes. Back in November we heard from Holliday’s father Tom, who wants his son to play for the Yankees. Me? I’d pass. I don’t want to see the team sign another player to a huge contract and be locked in at first, third and left field for the better part of the next decade. I prefer Carl Crawford, who’s nearly two years younger and a much more well-rounded player. Not to mention the fact that he’d probably come cheaper in both dollars and years.
Fun Fact: Matt Holliday has hit one homerun since August 20th of last year, including Spring Training.
Game 15 Spillover Thread III
Posted by: | CommentsThis one’s going at least another inning, so we’re moving the operation here.
Game 15 Spillover Thread II
Posted by: | CommentsYou know you suck when Brett Gardner has to pinch hit for you with the bases loaded in the late innings.
Game 15: Lefty v Lefty Part Deux
Posted by: | CommentsFollowing last night’s lefty vs lefty matchup, we get another one this afternoon. CC Sabathia will be making his fourth start for the Yanks and second at home, but the A’s have kinda owned CC throughout his career. He’s 3-7 lifetime against Oaktown with a 6.12 ERA & 1.63 WHIP in a not small sample of 85.1 IP. On the bright side he’s pretty much pwned the current A’s hitters.
Sabathia will be opposed by rookie Brett Anderson, the best lefty pitching prospect in the game not named Price. The A’s acquired him in the Danny Haren deal, and he’s very similar to a young Andy Pettitte in that he’s a four pitch guy with outstanding command. He’ll be making his third career start and his first on the road. Welcome to the bigs, kid.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but when I’ve done the game thread this year, the Yanks are 0-3 and have been outscored 27-12. Let’s hope they buck that trend today. Here’s the starting nine:
Jeter, SS
Damon, LF
Teixeira, 1B
Posada, C - I could be wrong, but this is his first time he’s catching a day game after a night game this season
Cano, 2B
Swisher, RF
Matsui, DH
Melky, CF
Ransom, 3B
And on the mound, number fifty-two, CC Sabathia.
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Missing the point on the empty seats
Posted by: | CommentsOver the last week, we’ve extensively covered the Yankee Stadium/premium seats story. We’ve had other people’s pictures and our own pictures. We’ve received numerous e-mails on the topic, and I even appeared on TV to talk about it last night.
As momentum on this story has swelled, The Times tackled it today on the front page of the sports section. For the most part, Ken Belson’s article is a recap of events so far. He talks to Maury Brown, owner of The Biz of Baseball, and a few marketing experts about the Yanks’ PR problems. That it looks bad is a story we know well by now.
The Yankees in the article continue to push the line that the seats are sold but remain empty for various reasons. Either, as Jason over at IIATMS speculated yesterday, once-rich companies bailed out by TARP don’t want to be associated with $2500 per-game tickets at Yankee Stadium or the expensive seats don’t sell on StubHub. As bad as it looks in pictures and on TV, the Yankees, though, don’t mind the empty seats because, hey, money in the pocket.
There is, however, a few very telling pieces of information that comes out of The Times article. First, Belson reports that premium ticket prices average over $500 at new Yankee Stadium. That’s nearly in line with the maximum premium price at the old park. Second, Belson reports that the average non-premium price increased by 76 percent this year. If it seems as though everything across the board costs more, that’s because it does.
Finally, Belson drops in a great kicker of a closer line with info from Yanks’ President Randy Levine. He writes: “For next season, the Yankees plan to raise premium ticket prices 4 percent.”
That’s right; after withstanding bad press for the first five days of new Yankee Stadium’s life, the Yankees are already publicly discussing a four percent increase for 2010.
Now, there is no denying that it’s early. The Yankees could find that, come June, all of those premium seats are filled and the 20 percent — around 1000 seats in the Legends Suites — that remain unsold will find buyers. This early-season negative press will seem like a distant memory. I wouldn’t bet on it, and that top Yankee officials are already talking about price increases shows just how out of touch the Yankees are with their fan base.
Mattingly training to succeed Joe, but which one?
Posted by: | Comments
Seeing Don Mattingly — and Joe Torre too, for that matter — in a Dodgers uniform is still rather jarring. I grew up watching and idolizing Mattingly in the Yankee pinstripes, and he just looks wrong in another uniform.
For now, though, all we can do is sit back and protest silently. When the Yankees opted for Joe Girardi over Don Mattingly in the fall of 2007, they picked their man and stuck with it. Mattingly went west with Joe Torre, and he continues to train for a managerial position. Which one, though, remains a mystery.
In a ridiculously platitude- and green tea-laden article about how relaxed and appreciated Torre is with the Dodgers, L.A. Times scribe Bill Shaikin tackles that very issue. Number 23′s return to the Bronx isn’t quite as far-fetched as it may seem. Shaikin writes:
Torre and the Dodgers have a mutual interest in grooming hitting coach Don Mattingly as his successor. Mattingly coached for Torre in New York, then followed him to L.A. “When it’s time for Joe not to manage the club, we would like his replacement to be on our staff,” General Manager Ned Colletti said.
If the Yankees do not return to the playoffs — after spending $423 million on Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett — we cannot imagine Manager Joe Girardi will be invited back. The Yankees selected Girardi over Mattingly as the replacement for Torre, and perhaps they’ll ask their beloved first baseman for a do-over.
Mattingly, who has no managerial experience, said Torre has promised him nothing. “I feel like he’s helping me prepare,” Mattingly said, “but I don’t know if that’s necessarily for here. I liked it in New York. I like it here. I like the game.”
Every the diplomat, Mattingly refused in that last quote to say where he would want to manage, but it’s not hard to read between the lines. There’s little doubt in my mind that if he had his druthers, Mattingly would be sitting on that bench in new Yankee Stadium right now trying to lead the Yanks to World Series Championship number 27.
Maybe he should have been hired after all last year as the symbolic choice to lead the Yankees into the new stadium, but the Yanks went a different path. Shaikin is right though in leaving that question of Mattingly’s future open-ended. Joe Girardi is under contract for this year and next. Missing October with this team could very well mean his job, and Mattingly would be a logical candidate.
So from 3000 miles away, I hope Joe Torre is doing a good job training Mattingly. As long as he leaves the bullpen management lessons up to someone else, one of baseball’s’ potential managers-in-waiting couldn’t have a better teacher.
Undefeated no more
Posted by: | CommentsMatt Eddy at Baseball America spoke to Low-A Charleston manager Torre Tyson about Andrew Brackman‘s start last night. In short: he looked good.
Chad Jennings spoke to pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras, who said Alan Horne, Wilkins DeLaRosa, Tim Norton, Garrett Patterson and Adam Olbrychowski were close to returning to action. Norton and Patterson didn’t pitch at all last year because of injuries, but both guys – especially Patterson – have big arms.
Triple-A Scranton (7-3 loss to Buffalo) the loss ruins their perfect 11-0 start … there’s always next year
Doug Bernier: 1 for 5, 1 K
John Rodriguez & Austin Jackson: both 1 for 4, 1 K – Ajax doubled in his return to action after missing 5 days with a bone bruise near his elbow
Todd Linden: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 E (throwing)
Shelley Duncan: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B – hitting .381 with a .732 SLG
Juan Miranda & Eric Duncan: both 0 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K
Angel Berroa: 0 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Ian Kennedy: 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 7-6 GB/FB – 59 of 94 pitches were strikes (62.8%)
David Robertson: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1-2 GB/FB – 28 of 36 pitches were strikes (77.8%) … blew the game when Chris Stewart couldn’t hold on to a swinging third strike and the leadoff hitter reached base to start a 4-run 8th inning
JB Cox: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 2 WP, 1-2 GB/FB – 13 of 24 pitches were strikes (54.2%)
Just 21 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.
