Never was a fan of 8pm ET starts on Sundays, but what can you do. Here’s a few links to help pass the time this afternoon…
“Kick ass. Pop champagne. And get some ho’s.”
The Post published an exclusive article by Luis Castillo today, not the player but the former Yankees’ bat boy. He worked for the team from 1998-2005, and was part of the last group of bat boys that did not have to sign confidentiality agreements. He’s got a memoir called “Clubhouse Confidential” coming out, but revealed some of his favorite moments in the linked article. Castillo wrote about Derek Jeter’s nicknaming habits, being Alex Rodriguez’s personal assistant, Hideki Matsui’s battle cry before Game Seven of the 2004 ALCS, and lots more. Check it out, it’s a must read.
Yankees aggressively blocking players on waivers
The trade deadline has passed but teams can still make deals once they go through the trade waiver process. It’s usually not much of an obstacle, but it’s part of the process. Peter Gammons says the Yankees have been the “heaviest on blocking claims,” starting pitchers in particular, meaning they’re claiming players off trade waivers to prevent them from going to other teams. Teams can pull a player back if they’re claimed on trade waivers, but the risk is that they can award you the player and his contract (see Rios, Alex). The Yankees definitely aren’t putting claims in on players with bad contracts (like Carlos Zambrano), but they’re probably gobbling up everyone else. Whether or not they make a trade for one of the guys they’re claiming is a different matter all together.
A-Rod unlikely to be suspended for poker allegations
Surprise! MLB will not suspend A-Rod for this latest round of poker allegations according to Todd Venezia. No wait, that’s not a surprise at all. Instead, Alex “will be warned again and not lightly” according to one of Venezia’s sources. I’m sure that will teach him a lesson.