We’re moving through awards week. This time it doesn’t have anything to do with the Yanks — well, other than a Yankee killer winning it. Roy Halladay took home the Cy in unanimous fashion. The more interesting points were further down the ballot.

Then we move back to the pitching coach question because of two items from yesterday. First, the Brewers let go pitching coach Rick Peterson. He is only of the better known pitching coaches out there. The same goes for Leo Mazzone, but Brian Cashman said that the Yankees will not interview him. Mike and I talk about the two, including their respective Big Threes.

Whoever the new pitching coach is, he might have a second lefty in the pen with whom to work. The latest rumor deals with Pedro Feliciano. Mike and I run down his pros and cons.

Podcast run time: 27:31

Here’s how you can listen to podcast:

• Download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking on that link and choosing Save As.
• Listen in your browser by left clicking the above link or using the embedded player below.
• Subscribe in iTunes. If you want to rate us that would be great. If you leave a nice review I’ll buy you a beer at a meet-up.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/TheRABRadioShow111610.mp3]

Intro music: “Smile” by Farmer’s Boulevard used under a Creative Commons license

The RAB Radio Show has returned, but we’re taking a different approach this time. Every day around this time you’ll get a short burst of Mike and Joe, oftentimes with a guest, talking about the Yankee news of the day.

Today we’re talking Rookies of the Year. It’s tough to argue with the winners, though Mike and I hit on some of the finer points of the results. Two former Yankees farmhands, Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata, received votes.

Then it’s to the pitching coach situation. What are the Yankees looking for in Eiland’s replacement? Who’s the favorite now? That’s what we’re talking about.

Podcast run time: 20:34

Here’s how you can listen to podcast:

• Download the RAB Radio Show by right clicking on that link and choosing Save As.
• Listen in your browser by left clicking the above link or using the embedded player below.
• Subscribe in iTunes. If you want to rate us that would be great. If you leave a nice review I’ll buy you a beer at a meet-up.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/TheRABRadioShow111510.mp3]

Intro music: “Smile” by Farmer’s Boulevard used under a Creative Commons license.

The off-season gets rolling tonight, as teams have to decide whether to offer arbitration to their free agents. Mike and I talk through the process and what it means for the three qualifying Yankees: Johnny Damon, Andy Pettitte, and Xavier Nady. Case in point for the Elias system being a joke: Nady is eligible for compensation, but Matsui is not.

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.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/RABRadioShow120109.mp3]

After a nearly season-long hiatus, the RAB Radio Show returns for the off-season. Information flow slowly from the Yankees, but that won’t stop us from speculating on their off-season moves. Our readers are some of the finest speculators out there, so we take on a number of questions regarding what the team can do this off-season. The topics are the usual suspects:

• 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.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/RABRadioShow112409.mp3]

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.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/RABRadioShow42309.mp3]

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.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/RABRadioShow4909.mp3]

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.

[audio:http://riveraveblues.com/podcasts/RABRadioShow4209.mp3]