After a brief hiatus the RAB Radio Show is back this week. Mike and I are ready to break down the team as we always do.

Chien-Ming Wang is the main topic of conversation to kick things off, as he should be. No one could have expected this. So what to do with him? The Yanks threw him in Extended Spring Training today — after we broadcasted — and it appears that he’ll miss his next start. Nardi thinks he still needs to build arm strength. This means Phil Hughes on Tuesday. Mike and I express our opinions on the Phranchise making his 2009 debut.

There’s plenty more in this edition. It was kind of a last-minute thing — we’ve been trying to re-tool the Radio Show to be a bit more interesting. Guests are forthcoming, so it won’t just be two schmucks talking baseball.

Onto the podcast. It is available in a number of formats. You can download it here by right clicking on that link and selecting Save As. Load it onto your MP3 player and listen to it on the commute home. If you want to play it in your browser, just left click the link. You can also subscribe to the podcast feed, which will send it to you every Thursday. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Finally, we have the embedded audio player below.

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Finally, some real baseball to talk about. We’ve been waiting all winter to talk about actual baseball, and we got it with three games this week. It didn’t start off so hot, but the landslide victory today erased all the ill emotions wrought by the first two losses. Mike and I break down what we saw in the first series of the season.

An interesting question we touch on a couple of time: If Ransom continues to look this bad — and he could certainly rebound — do you place him on waivers when A-Rod comes back and stick with Pena? There’s certainly a case for it. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that and Ransom picks it up over the next few series.

Onto the podcast. It is available in a number of formats. You can download it here by right clicking on that link and selecting Save As. Load it onto your MP3 player and listen to it on the commute home. If you want to play it in your browser, just left click the link. You can also subscribe to the podcast feed, which will send it to you every Thursday. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Finally, we have the embedded audio player below.

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There’s but one battle left for a Yankees roster spot, and it’s for the backup infielder. The in-camp battle is between Angel Berroa and Ramiro Pena, but if it comes down to just those two the winner is pretty obvious — or at least so think Mike and I. We break down the reasons why, plus we elaborate a bit more on Dallas McPherson, who presents the Yanks with an interesting opportunity in A-Rod’s absence.

After that it’s onto the reader questions, which revolve mostly around roster issues. We delve into some general baseball stuff, too, like the Tigers’ decision to place Rick Porcello in their rotation. Thankfully, the Yankees aren’t in that kind of situation this year. Things are set up so that the guys who still need some work are still in the minors. This is mostly notable for Phil Hughes, who pitched excellently yesterday, and will have plenty of time in AAA to hone his cutter and changeup. Armed with a 4-seamer, curve, cutter, and change, he could be a difference-maker on the Yanks in the years to come.

Onto the podcast. It is available in a number of formats. You can download it here by right clicking on that link and selecting Save As. If you want to play it in your browser, just left click the link. You can also subscribe to the podcast feed, which will send it to you every Thursday. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Finally, we have the embedded audio player below.

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You know what’s a great complement to the NCAA Tournament? Yep, the RAB Radio Show. Watch your favorite teams on TV while listening to your favorite radio hosts on your computer. Ok, done with the cheezy intro.

As we get closer to the season, there will be a lot more to talk about. The show goes a bit long today, with Mike and I just talking some baseball for a bit. We do discuss the Yanks, particularly the pitching staff. We’re pleased with what we’ve seen.

One question we kick around: With Angel Berroa likely to make the roster as a utility infielder and with Brett Tomko looking like the best long man candidate at this point, who do the Yanks remove from the 40-man to clear the space? Our difficulty in answering this question, I think, signals that the Yanks will add only one to the 40-man this spring. Giese is the likely casualty.

Also, I’m going to take this opportunity to pimp our feeds. You can follow us on Twitter, which is always fun. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed, which brings delivers posts instantly to any RSS reader. If you have any questions about RSS, email me. I’m putting together a comprehensive resource for those interested. Finally, you can friend us on Facebook. We promise, we’ll be more active there this season.

Onto the podcast. It is available in a number of formats. You can download it here by right clicking on that link and selecting Save As. If you want to play it in your browser, just left click the link. You can also subscribe to the podcast feed, which will send it to you every Thursday. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Finally, we have the embedded audio player below.

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Long show today, but with good reason. We’ve got tons of listener questions that cover all the major points in the Yanks Spring Training. Mike and I discuss the pitching situation, which is looking great right now, CC Sabathia notwithstanding. Phil Hughes has looked great in the two starts he’s been on TV, A.J. Burnett is hitting high 90s on the gun, and Joba Chamberlain broke out of an early-spring funk to record three quality innings on Tuesday.

There’s so much more, too. It seemed like every question not only led us down the intended path, but a tangential one, too. Lots of Yanks opinion and info to be sure — it’d be tough to talk about nothing for an hour and 10 minutes. We do spend a bit of time talking about recent free agent Esteban German and how he can provide the Yanks a better utility option then Berroa, Bernier, Pena, and Leone.

Onto the podcast. It is available in a number of formats. You can download it here by right clicking on that link and selecting Save As. If you want to play it in your browser, just left click the link. You can also subscribe to the podcast feed, which will send it to you every Thursday. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Finally, we have the embedded audio player below.

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Oh noes! A-Rod is hurt. This dominates the podcast talk. We discuss what this means for the team, how they can handle the batting order, and who will replace A-Rod in the field. The case for Mark Grudzielanek just got a lot stronger.

We do talk about some positives, though, including Phil Hughes’s impressive outing from Tuesday. His fastball was spot on; Kevin Cash wasn’t even moving the glove. It took him a couple of attempts to finally get bite on the curve, but as we found out he’s throwing it more like a power curve this year. Last year he was going for more of a spike curve. And then there’s the change, which Hughes now throws like a splitter, which is what Edwar does. He had little command of that pitch, but it’s new. If that comes along, Hughes officially has a nasty arsenal.

Onto the podcast. It is available in a number of formats. You can download it here by right clicking on that link and selecting Save As. If you want to play it in your browser, just left click the link. You can also subscribe to the podcast feed, which will send it to you every Thursday. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Finally, we have the embedded audio player below.

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Baseball is back, baby! After live blogging Hughes’s innings, Mike and I recorded this week’s RAB Radio Show. You’ll notice that we’re not as focused as we are most weeks. Blame it on us watching the game at the same time as we try to record the show. Oh well. It was beyond great to see some game action.

We start off by going over Phil’s performance. There’s not much you can ascertain from his very first start of the spring, but all in all it went well. He let a few pitches fly which grazed a couple of jerseys, but all in all he did a solid job. His only four-ball walk of the day came in an at bat where he threw all six or seven pitches to the outside edge. His fastball sat 91-92. I wonder if this means he’ll ramp it up as we get deeper into the spring.

Onto the podcast. It is available in a number of formats. You can download it here by right clicking on that link and selecting Save As. If you want to play it in your browser, just left click the link. You can also subscribe to the podcast feed, which will send it to you every Thursday. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Finally, we have the embedded audio player below.

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Mike’s not available this week, so I’m going it alone on the RAB Radio Show. Don’t worry, it’s an abbreviated edition, running under 15 minutes so you won’t have to listen to me rant for too long. A couple of readers sent in questions, so I figured I should go ahead and answer them. Then it’s onto my favorite subject: the bullpen. The Yanks are a couple of breaks away from having an absolutely dominant bullpen, and even as it stands they could be top five in the league.

Onto the podcast. It is available in a number of formats. You can download it here by right clicking on that link and selecting Save As. If you want to play it in your browser, just left click the link. You can also subscribe to the podcast feed, which will send it to you every Thursday. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Finally, we have the embedded audio player below.

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Back in our regular slot, Mike and I take a show full of questions from the readers. It’s tough to create an agenda for the show at this time of the year, so why not let the listeners dictate it? We talk a lot about the construction of the team — center field, the Nady/Swisher situation, the bullpen. There are questions about who will win the divisions across the league. The best part: We do not really talk about A-Rod, except for a quip here and there.

Onto the podcast. It is available in a number of formats. You can download it here by right clicking on that link and selecting Save As. If you want to play it in your browser, just left click the link. You can also subscribe to the podcast feed, which will send it to you every Thursday. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Finally, we have the embedded audio player below.

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