The arbitration process is a complicated one, and in the Yankees case there are two sides to each story. There are certain scenarios under which offering arbitration to Pettitte and Damon makes sense. There are others where it does not. What the Yankees ultimately decide, which we’ll find out later today, will give us an idea of what they’re thinking. Last winter they declined to offer anyone arbitration because they wanted to have the greatest amount of available payroll. We’ll see how they proceed this year.

There are questions, of course, and we answer all of them. Among them are some non-Yankees questions. These we encourage. There are always Yankee-centric topics to discuss, but Mike and I are two guys who like to talk baseball, whatever the team. So if you have a question about someone like Zack Greinke, send it in. We’ll have fun discussing it.

Podcast run time: 1:09:45

You know what the RAB Radio Show is great for? Downloading and listening on your commute home. You can download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking that link and selecting Save As. You can play it in your browser by left clicking that link, or you can use the embedded player below. If you don’t subscribe to the RAB RSS feed, you can subscribe to the podcast feed on our server, or subscribe in iTunes. As always, feedback is appreciated. Also, we’re working on the audio issue. This ultimately means buying equipment.

Also, I swear the embed is the right episode this time. Scout’s honor.

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

The RAB Radio Show: December 1, 2009

• What about trading for Halladay and signing Lackey? One reader suggested it, so Mike and I run down the feasibility of the idea and what it would mean for the short- and long-run.
• Matt Holliday. There are plenty of questions regarding his candidacy for the left field gig, so we dive into that subject. It involves all left field options, including, of course, Johnny Damon.
• In fact, we pretty much discuss the entire outfield situation for 2010. It’s a rough outlook now, but the Yanks could make a few moves to improve it.
• Plenty more, too, on pitching, specifically the bullpen.

Podcast run time: 43:06

You know what the RAB Radio Show is great for? Downloading and listening to in the car. If you’re heading out of town for Thanksgiving, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a car ride with your family. Guaranteed your wife will enjoy. You can download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking that link and selecting Save As. You can play it in your browser by left clicking that link, or you can use the embedded player below. If you don’t subscribe to the RAB RSS feed, you can subscribe to the podcast feed on our server, or subscribe in iTunes.

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

The RAB Radio Show, November 24, 2009

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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The RAB Radio Show – April 23, 2009 – Episode 23

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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The RAB Radio Show – April 9, 2009 – Episode 22

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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The RAB Radio Show – April 2, 2009 – Episode 21

From there it’s onto reader questions, which are just a great way to get the conversation started. We talked about Joba’s velocity among other topics — including the battle for utility infielder. Yesterday on the RAB Twitter feed we asked if anyone else wanted Ramiro Pena to make the team solely because he’s not Angel Berroa. I guess I was outed as the guy who asked, because Mike and Ben seem to favor Berroa for other reasons. Oh well. As always, it was a great job by the listeners, sending in excellent questions.

Just a quick note before we embed the media player: This is the open thread for the evening. Feel free to discuss the radio show, but of course anything goes.

Late add: Dave from Blueseat Blogs asks, and I must oblige: Let’s go Rangers!

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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The RAB Radio Show – March 26, 2009 – Episode 20

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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The RAB Radio Show – March 19, 2009 – Episode 19

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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The RAB Radio Show – March 12, 2009 – Episode 18

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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The RAB Radio Show – March 5, 2009 – Episode 17

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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The RAB Radio Show – February 26, 2009 – Episode 16