YankeeHeadquartersCom Blog

2008-09-14T20:08:00.001-04:00

Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano was benched Sunday after manager Joe Girardi became upset with his lack of hustle on a fielding play against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Cliff Floyd led off the fourth inning with a hard grounder between first baseman Jason Giambi and Cano. Giambi dived and the ball went off his glove and into right-center field. Cano didn’t immediately go after it and Floyd beat right fielder Xavier Nady’s throw to second for the unusual double.

Girardi switched Cody Ransom from third to second and inserted Wilson Betemit at third before Tampa Bay batted in the fifth.

“That’s a ball that we have to hustle after and get and keep Cliff Floyd from getting to second,” Girardi said after New York’s 8-4 victory.

The Yankees open a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night, and Girardi said he hadn’t decided whether Cano will be in the lineup.

“Sometimes I let the team down,” Cano said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time I play hard. It’s kind of frustrating not helping the team, and he’s right.”

Cano is nearing the end of a disappointing season, batting .260 after hitting over .300 in each of the previous two years. He admitted that he sometimes carries his frustration at the plate over to the field.

This gaffe was particularly rough on the 25-year-old Cano.

“That’s embarrassing,” he said. “You’re playing and you’re taken out of the game. … It’s a situation that no player would like to be in.”

2008-09-13T10:50:00.001-04:00

Andy Pettitte will start against the Orioles on Sept. 21. Pettitte will receive an extra day of rest and pitch Tuesday against the White Sox before getting the ball four days later for the Stadium finale.

"It will be an emotional night for me, that's for sure, being able to make that last start here," Pettitte said.

Girardi called it "fitting" that Pettitte will get the team's final start in the current Yankee Stadium. The left-hander is in his 11th season in pinstripes and ranks fourth in franchise history with 177 victories.

Pettitte said he's OK with Girardi juggling the rotation to give him an extra day of rest.

"If we were right there in the (playoff) mix, I would probably be considering doing whatever I could - maybe going on short (rest)," Pettitte said. "Obviously that would be different circumstances."

2008-09-10T00:14:00.001-04:00

Derek Jeter singled in the first inning Tuesday night, passing Babe Ruth for second place on the New York Yankees’ career hits list.

Jeter sent an 0-2 pitch from Los Angeles Angels right-hander Ervin Santana into left field for his 2,519th hit. Only Lou Gehrig (2,721) has more hits in a Yankees uniform. Jeter got No. 2,520 with a triple in the sixth and notched his third hit of the game with a single in the seventh.

Jeter has 1,260 hits at Yankee Stadium, nine shy of Gehrig’s record, with 10 games remaining there.

2008-09-09T21:11:00.000-04:00

By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports

There are only tough jobs and impossible jobs in their line of work, which is why, I suppose, Joe Torre owns a surfboard and Joe Girardi has done well not to gnaw the lacquer from his fungo bat.

The surfboard was a gift. And the next wave Torre catches will be the first.

But there’s a long-board spirit in Torre these days, Old Guys Rule and all that. He’s 68, has a mismatched ballclub in first place and is a good 3,000 miles from the nearest Steinbrenner.

“So far,” Torre said over the weekend, 140-plus games into his West Coast gig, “I’ve got a better tan. It’s wonderful.”

To the dismay of a fan base that merrily fills Dodger Stadium despite 20 years of mostly inconsequential baseball, Torre has not transformed the Dodgers into much more than they are: a pitching-heavy team whose daily lineup lacks players in their primes. Even Manny Ramirez, whose trading-deadline arrival brought early spikes in wins and dreadlock extensions, has found the job bigger than it appeared. He’s batted .397 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs in Dodgers script, yet the club is just 19-17 with him.

But, and maybe this explains the healthy glow and Endless Summer perspective, the NL West has been kind to Torre, Manny and the Dodgers. There is a sense some of the organization’s rising talents – Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, James Loney, Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw – have had nice growth seasons, ones that will serve them (and the franchise) in Torre II and Torre III, assuming he serves to the end of his contract.

If nothing else, the young Dodgers have been allowed to be young Dodgers. When they lugged their duffels into their first big-league clubhouse, they discovered the world not only wasn’t about them, but didn’t think much of them, either. The manager at the time – a very nice gentleman named Grady Little – was suffering from his own crisis of confidence and, as it happened, was on his way out. Their new, veteran teammates cared more about their own jobs and their own at-bats than for creating a chummy, constructive workplace.

“This ballclub, the young kids, they haven’t had a lot of fun,” Torre said. “I think they’ve put a lot of pressure on themselves.”

Torre signed up and did what he could to relieve the clubhouse tension. Manny eventually stood in the middle of the lineup and eased the production responsibilities. Or, tried.

And still the Dodgers lose almost as often as they win, which, as of Monday night’s 4-0 loss in San Diego, was good enough for a game-and-a-half lead with 18 to play.

Torre walked in the door looking settled. He has a knack for that. Now he is settled.

“I found that I can look forward to coming to the ballpark again,” he said, having put distance between himself and the untidy separation from the Yankees. “It became a lot for me to deal with. I dealt with it, but it wasn’t a lot of fun.”

Yes, he still speaks to Girardi – once his catcher, then his bench coach – pretty often.

There’s a new Steinbrenner at the top, and a wholly new set of circumstances for the Yankees. Barring absolute collapse by not one, but a handful of teams ahead of them, the Yankees will miss the playoffs for the first time in a full season since 1993. The fact that they have three more wins than Torre’s Dodgers is of no comfort to Girardi.

The responsibility for that lies with the organization’s failure to reinforce its big-league pitching staff, most often a pivotal strength in Torre’s 12 seasons in New York. Torre’s teams thrilled with offense, but generally won with pitching.

Girardi, instead, has presided over an expensive team in transition, one that has required – as of Alfredo Aceves on Tuesday night here – 13 different starting pitchers. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, the organization’s hopes for a new foundation and two of the reasons it passed on Johan Santana, started 15 games between them, and the Yankees won three.

More than $80 million is expected to come off the Yankees’ payroll this winter, potentially creating opportunities and financial windfalls for the likes of CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira (and, sure, maybe Manny). But, that’s next season. Girardi first had to wear this one, the one Torre left behind.

“I think you could say it’s a daily process,” Girardi said Monday, standing along the first-base line during batting practice, hours before the Yankees would lose to the Angels 12-1. “You have a plan every day, a schedule every day, but it’s ever changing.”

Nearly three months ago, another of Torre’s former coaches – Willie Randolph – had come to Anaheim and been fired. His final game was on this field. His final night as manager was spent in the hotel the Yankees awoke in Tuesday morning. By contrast, Hank Steinbrenner revealed Monday that of course Girardi would be back next season.

“He’s managed through a lot of stuff,” general manager Brian Cashman had said a couple hours earlier.

Girardi is 43, had managed only one prior season (2006, admirably, with the Florida Marlins), and sometimes that showed. For the moment, according to two Yankees players who spoke privately, he lacks Torre’s uncommon touch in the clubhouse. For the moment, he’s still learning to manage every detail of all nine innings. But, they agreed, Girardi can juggle a bullpen, inarguably important when you’re running through 13 different starters.

“He’s been exactly what I thought,” Derek Jeter said. “That’s the best way to put it.”

It didn’t seem like a criticism. Jeter played with Girardi the catcher and appreciated him. He played under Girardi the coach and liked him.

“It’d probably be a better question for someone who didn’t know him as well,” Jeter said.

Wilson Betemit nodded his head.

“He’s a good manager,” he said. “I like him.”

No matter the angle, the season has been a devastating disappointment for the organization. “A waste,” one official called it. The Yankees didn’t win. And, other than Joba Chamberlain (whose shoulder didn’t hold up either), the developing pitchers that were to form the team’s core were injured or ineffective or both. Second baseman Robinson Cano digressed alarmingly, that coinciding with a $30-million contract extension. Injuries swallowed seasons for starter Chien-Ming Wang and catcher Jorge Posada.

Girardi has run it. He’s explained it daily. And for the first time in a very long time, it seems, that’ll all be over before October.

“You go back to work,” he said. “This game is full of exciting times. It disappoints at times, too. That’s the nature of the game. To me, I believe this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Funny, the other Joe was just saying the same thing.

“My wife keeps teasing me,” Torre said, “saying, ‘You still want to do this?’ ”

He spread his arms, raised his eyebrows, smiled. The sun caught the ends of his fingers.

“I’m here,” he said.

2008-09-07T21:30:00.001-04:00

Hideki Matsui and the Yankees haven't ruled out him returning next year with knees healthy enough for him to play the outfield.

"He could still play the outfield after the surgery," manager Joe Girardi said of the 34-year-old left fielder who has played 20 games in left and two in right this year, but hasn't been in the field since June 15.

Matsui didn't play from June 16 to Aug. 19 thanks to an inflamed left knee. In the 16 games he has played since coming off the shelf, Matsui has been the designated hitter.

While Girardi said Matsui will have surgery after the season, Matsui says he hasn't made a definitive date for the knife until he meets with the doctor.

"If I were to do it, it would be right after the season," said Matsui, who had surgery on the right knee following the 2007 season.

Matsui not only wants to play in the field and DH, he didn't rule out working at first base, a position that will be vacant since the Yankees aren't likely to bring Jason Giambi back.

"I would like to play and not just the outfield. I could play some first base as well," said Matsui, who hasn't played first base as Yankee but said he played first and third a while ago. "I want to be on the field, not just in the batter's box."

2008-09-07T21:29:00.001-04:00

Alfredo Aceves, a 25-year-old right-hander signed out of Mexico for $450,000, will replace Darrell Rasner in the rotation and start Tuesday against the Angels. Rasner, 5-10, hasn't won since July 12 and was available for bullpen work last night. Aceves, who took over for Rasner Thursday night against the Rays when Rasner was lifted in the second inning, has two big league relief appearances on his resume.

2008-09-07T21:28:00.000-04:00

Outfielders Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata came into the 2008 season ranked as the second and third-best prospects in the Yankees organization by Baseball America, and entered the season as teammates with the Trenton Thunder, the Yankees Double-A affiliate.

As the season progressed, Tabata struggled mightily for the first six weeks or so, was embroiled in controversy for going AWOL from a game, and eventually was traded to the Pirates in the Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte trade.

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old Jackson quietly put up strong numbers month after month, and finished the season with a .285 batting average, nine home runs, 69 runs batted in and 19 stolen bases. In the process, the Denton, Texas native has cemented himself as the top prospect in the Yankees' farm system.

"I think he's the top athlete in the Yankee organization, as far as being advanced and being ready to play in the big leagues," a scout said. "He's an athletic kid, he can run and throw, and he's got a chance to hit for power. He's not going to be a huge power guy, but enough to put some numbers up."

When asked what player came to mind when he watched Jackson play, he referenced another young outfielder that's come up through the minor leagues in New York in recent years.

"(Lastings) Milledge is the first guy that popped into my head," the scout said. "I think they're in the same kind of mold.

"(Jackson) has a chance to be a five-tool player. I think they're very comparable. Milledge was always pretty much untouchable until they got rid of him, and I don't think that was based on ability – I think it was because of everything else along with it."

After having Jackson in the Eastern League playoffs last season, Franklin has had Jackson manning center field and hitting third in the order all season long. After getting to watch him for 140-plus games, Franklin said he likes what he sees.

"Improvement, improvement, improvement," Franklin said in summarizing Jackson's season in Trenton. "He's made some adjustments with his swing, which has allowed him to improve his average and lay off some pitches that are out of the strike zone which most young guys would chase.

"Anytime you have prospects that are highly talked about the majority of the time and put numbers up, you've got yourself a good one, and I think we've got ourselves a very good one."

One thing the scout pointed to was Jackson's ability to improve throughout the season, something scouts key in on when watching players.

"He starts out each year slowly because he's a young kid, and then he catches up as the year goes along, which shows improvement. That's what you're looking for when it to comes to prospects."

After a productive season in Double-A, Jackson likely will be bumped up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre next season. Nevertheless, the scout said he didn't think it was out of the question Jackson could find himself in The Bronx as soon as next April.

"If you want to make sure he's ready, that's probably the plan," the scout said of moving Jackson up to Triple-A next season. "But with the Yankees need for a center fielder, if he has a hell of a spring training, he could make the club."

2008-09-03T11:13:00.001-04:00

Hal and Hank Steinbrenner agree they want Brian Cashman back as the Yankees' GM, The Post has learned.

According to a MLB source, the Steinbrenner family has decided Cashman is the man to lead the organization back from a nightmarish season that will end with the Yankees missing playoffs for the first time since 1993.

Cashman, who last week shouldered the blame for the dismal season, met with Hal and Hank yesterday at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. No contract offer was made but, according to the source, Cashman is aware of the Steinbrenners' wishes.

Talking before last night's 7-2 win over the division-leading Rays, Cashman refused comment on the Steinbrenners wanting him back. All year Cashman has said he will deal with his future in the offseason. Right now, he said the focus is on pulling off a miracle this season.

"We have gone through the frustration and disappointment," Cashman said. "Now the focus is on the small things. Try and pick up a game a week and get to Fenway Park and make that series meaningful."

Cashman, 41,is in the final season of a three-year deal worth $5.4 million, and he understands the mountain his club has to climb.

"Is it too much, a game a week?" Cashman said. "It's not out of the realm of possibility. You can't do it in three or four days. Make up a game a week and get to Fenway Park with a chance. If (Boston) wants to make it easier, I'll take that."

Cashman has been linked to the Seattle and Philadelphia GM jobs. If Washington dumps Jim Bowden, expect Cashman to be mentioned in the city he attended college (Catholic University).

2008-09-02T19:16:00.001-04:00

Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain was activated from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday.

Chamberlain was placed on the DL on Aug. 6 with right rotator cuff tendinitis. He left his start Aug. 4 against Texas with shoulder soreness.

The right-hander will work out of the bullpen the rest of the regular season. He went 4-3 with a 2.63 ERA in 32 games, including 12 starts, before getting hurt.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said it was possible that Chamberlain could start next season as a reliever. Chamberlain opened the 2008 season as the setup for Mariano Rivera before moving into the rotation.

“We had an innings limit this year that he won’t meet, so could he exceed that innings limit next year? We wouldn’t want to do that,” Cashman said before the Yankees played Tampa Bay. “We’ll talk about that, obviously, at a more appropriate time. We have to protect the player.”

Chamberlain plans to offer his input after the season about 2009.

2008-08-29T21:36:00.001-04:00

Even seats behind the outfield fence will be costly at the new Yankee Stadium.

The front part of the area behind the outfield in right and left will cost $100 and $75 per game next year as part of season-ticket plans at the $1.3 billion ballpark.

But behind those four sections of seats, and to the rear of the bullpens closer to center field, are nine sections of bleachers priced at $12, the same as the cost this season in the final year of the 85-year-old ballpark.

The Yankees put season ticket prices on their Web site Friday along with a seat locator that shows views from each location. They also mailed relocation brochures to season-ticket holders.

Prices for the best seats were announced in March, with the Yankees charging $500-$2,500 for tickets near home plate in the first nine rows, contained in 25 sections ringing home plate. In all, the Yankees have sold more than 3,500 of approximately 4,300 premium seats on the field, main and terrace levels, chief operating officer Lonn Trost said Friday.

“Other than those 4,300 seats, which are going to subsidize everybody else, the prices are not” being raised significantly, Trost said. “And remember, 24,000-plus seats will have no price increase at all.”

The Yankees said Friday the remainder of the field-seats level seats cost from $75-$325 as part of season tickets, while main-level seats go for $45-$100. The highest deck is split into two areas, with terrace seats going for $40-$65 and grandstand selling for $20 and $25.

In a sign most of the best seats will be sold as season tickets, only the least expensive category of field seats and the two least expensive levels of main seats are being made available for partial plans. The Yankees are charging $5-$10 more per seat for partial plans than they are for season tickets. Individuals game prices haven’t been set.

Invoices for season tickets will be sent out starting in mid-September, and fans who decline their seats, wishing to upgrade, downgrade or switch their plan, can go in a pool for others seats. A 10 percent payment is due about two weeks after receiving an invoice.

2008-08-27T08:29:00.000-04:00

If today's bullpen session goes without a hitch Joba Chamberlain will take the next step in his rehabilitation process.

Nevertheless, pinning the Yankees down on what that will be isn't easy.

"We are taking it a day at a time and see how he feels," manager Joe Girardi said of the right-hander Chamberlain, who will throw his third bullpen session and is expected to make 35 to 45 pitches and throw breaking balls and fastballs. "He could do a simulated game Double-A (Trenton) and Triple-A (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) are in the playoffs so there is time."

Chamberlain has been on the DL since leaving an Aug. 4 game in Texas with what was diagnosed as rotator cuff tendinitis.

GM Brian Cashman didn't say if the Yankees' place in the standings would dictate if Chamberlain is activated. The Yankees lost 7-3 to the Red Sox last night at the Stadium, falling six games behind Boston in the wild-card race.

"We are going to do what is best for him," Cashman said.

2008-08-25T22:24:00.000-04:00

Joba Chamberlain will throw a 35-pitch bullpen today at Yankee Stadium with pitching coach Dave Eiland watching. Chamberlain will throw sliders and curve balls for the first time since leaving a game on Aug. 4 with right rotator cuff tendinitis. Chamberlain threw in the bullpen Saturday but was limited to fastballs and change-ups.

He is looking to an early September return but it hasn't been decided if Chamberlain will come back as a starter or reliever or on what date.

2008-08-25T15:40:00.001-04:00

It would be nice if the New York Yankees had a couple of young position players like the Mets' David Murphy and Nick Evans coming in the system, but they do not according to New York Daily News baseball columnist Bill Madden. They do not have a first baseman to replace Jason Giambi, or an impact center fielder, or a shortstop to spell (and eventually replace) Derek Jeter, or a second baseman who could enable them to deal the enigmatic Cano while he still has value.

The reason they don't have any of these players in their system is because they continue to do a terrible job of scouting and developing. They spend millions more in Latin America than almost every other team and yet the only position players from there to make the big club over the last 10 years are Alfonso Soriano, Cano and Melky Cabrera. The draft? An even bigger disgrace. Jeter, in 1992, is the last player they drafted who became a regular.

And the beat goes on. In this year's draft, the Yankees took pitchers with their first three picks: No. 1, Gerrit Cole, whom they did not sign because their scouts obviously didn't get to know the kid's makeup or his family situation; No. 2, Jeremy Bleich, who's going to need Tommy John surgery; and No. 3, Scott Bittle, whose arm problems were so severe they elected to pass on signing him.

After a while, you have to wonder what fatal attraction Cashman's player evaluators have with injured pitchers. Last year, they took North Carolina State righthander Andrew Brackman in the first round, knowing he was going to miss all of this season with Tommy John surgery. And, then, of course, there's the immortal Humberto Sanchez, purportedly the key return player in the Gary Sheffield deal with Detroit, who also underwent Tommy John surgery and is still rehabbing somewhere.

Cashman keeps stockpiling pitchers who come up hurt or fall on their face when they get to the big leagues. Enough! He is banking on the offense coming back next year, even though everyone will be a year older and there is nobody to step in when the inevitable injuries come. Off the way this season has gone, with young, homegrown teams such as the Rays and Twins giving their owners so much more bang for their buck, the Yankees returning to power would be an even bigger surprise.

2008-08-19T22:27:00.001-04:00

From SI:

The Yankees

Owner George Steinbrenner returned from his three-year suspension for handing gambler Howie Spira $40,000 to dig up unflattering information about Yankees slugger Dave Winfield. The Yankees' GM was Gene Michael, their manager Buck Showalter. The starting shortstop was the mighty Spike Owen, the starting rotation included Jimmy Key, Jim Abbott, Melido Perez and Scott Kamieniecki, and the closer was the immortal Steve Farr (25 saves!). Future postseason heroes Key, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Wade Boggs and Jim Leyritz were on the roster as the Yanks chased the Jays instead of the Rays.

Winners in every month but the last, the Yankees' high point was Abbott's no-hitter against Cleveland on September 4 as they closed in on a first-place tie with Toronto that was achieved next day. Then the bottom fell out. The injury-plagued Yanks were swept in Texas and lost four of six during a Sept. 16-22 homestand while Toronto was reeling off nine wins in a row. The Jays stuck the knife in by taking two of three in Toronto on Sept. 24-26. But if there had been wild cards, the Yankees would have won one. They finished with the third-best record in the league.
The A.L. East

(in order of finish)

Toronto (95-67), Yankees (88-74, 7 GB), Baltimore (85-77, 10 GB), Detroit (85-77), Boston (80-82, 15 GB), Cleveland (76-86, 19 GB), Milwaukee (69-93, 26 GB)
Playoff field

Blue Jays, White Sox, Phillies, Braves
World Series

The Blue Jays defeated the Phillies in six games, on Joe Carter's walk-off home run served up fat and juicy by Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams, to win the Series for the second year in a row -- the first team to repeat since the '77 and '78 Yankees.
Awards

MVP (Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas), Cy Young (Greg Maddux, Jack McDowell), Rookies of the Year (Mike Piazza, Tim Salmon)
Notable diamond feats

Carlos Baerga became first switch-hitter ever to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning as the Indians bombed the Yanks, 15-5 on April 8; Carlton Fisk of the White Sox played his 2,226th and final Major League game; Three teammates (Toronto's John Olerud at .363, Paul Molitor .332 and Roberto Alomar .326) finished atop the race for the A.L. batting title for the first time in 100 years.
Highest-paid player

Ryne Sandberg, Cubs, $5.975 million

(Now: Alex Rodriguez: Yankees, $27 million)
Highest-paid Yankee

Danny Tartabull, $5.05 million
Elsewhere in sports

The Montreal Canadiens (the Yankees of hockey) won their 24th Stanley Cup (and last to date) by defeating Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings in five games. Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls snuffed the Phoenix Suns in the finals for their third straight NBA title. The Buffalo Bills lost their third straight Super Bowl, a 52-17 squeaker to the Dallas Cowboys. Miguel Indurain peddled his rear end to victory in the Tour de France for the third time en route to five straight wins. Monica Seles was stabbed by a demented fan of Steffi Graf at a tournament in Hamburg, Germany.
Major sports scandal

Reds owner Marge Schott was fined $25,000 and suspended nine months in the wake of complaints that her wardrobe drawer included a Nazi armband and that she had uttered ethnic and racial slurs about her own players.
Celebrity scandal of the year

Michael Jackson was accused of playing slap-and-tickle with a 13-year old boy. The white-gloved superstar later issued a four-minute denial on network TV and consented to a rare, and widely-watched, interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Soundtrack

All That She Wants (Ace of Base), Whoomp! (There It Is) (Tag Team), In Utero (Nirvana), Doggystyle (Snoop Dogg), Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang (Dr. Dre), Zooropa (U2), I'd Do Anything For Love, But I Won't Do That (Meatloaf), Crying Game (Boy George), Pork Soda (Primus), Runaway Train (Soul Asylum)
Top movies and TV shows

Unforgiven won the Oscar as Best Picture, Schindler's List, Philadelphia, and Six Degrees of Separation lured many burghers to the box office while those who stayed home were glued to Home Improvement, Seinfeld, Roseanne, Grace Under Fire and Coach.
Other cultural milestones

Steely Dan re-forms; U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis stamp; Lorena Bobbitt cuts off her husband's best friend; The Artistry of Michael Bolton is released; Body and Soul proves to be Rick Astley's last offering until 2001
Notable passings

Frank Zappa, Andre The Giant, Arthur Ashe, Patricia Nixon, Conway Twitty, Cesar Chavez, George "Spanky" McFarland of the Little Rascals, Fred "Herman Munster" Gwynne, River Phoenix, Vincent Price, Herve "Tattoo" Villechaize, Thurgood Marshall, James Jordan (father of Michael), Audrey Hepburn, Dizzy Gillespie, Arlington Stadium
Notable arrivals

Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, pentium chips, World Wide Web, Windows NT 3.1, Frasier, Beavis and Butt-Head, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Walker, Texas Ranger, Daft Punk, Wu Tang Clan, The Hives, Korn, Jimmy Eat World, Modest Mouse, Big Ass Truck
Notable world events

European Union formed; Czechoslovakia dissolved; NAFTA approved, humans cloned; Mississippi and Missouri Rivers flood Midwest; Unabomber continues to send unpleasant surprises through the mail; U.S. blows 40 tomahawk missiles up Saddam Hussein's skirt in dispute over Iraq's nuclear weapons program (Jan. 19); World Trade Center bombed (Feb. 26); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms treats the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco, TX rather rudely (April 19); White House counsel Vincent Foster commits suicide (July 20); Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin sign peace accord (Sept. 13); Black Hawk Down incident in Mogadishu (Oct. 3); Church of Scientology granted full tax exempt status (Oct. 8); Omar Bongo (not the drummer for Oingo Boingo) re-elected as President of Gabon (Dec. 18).
Big threats

Tuberculosis, Hantavirus
National debt

$347 billion

Now: $9.6 trillion

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/john_rolfe/08/14/yankees.1993/index.html

2008-08-19T07:39:00.000-04:00

General manager Brian Cashman acknowledged the Yankees are considering either Phil Hughes or Carl Pavano to assume the fifth starter's role Saturday in Baltimore. Hughes seemed like the probable choice as Pavano's 30-day rehab run is up Aug. 27, one week from tomorrow. But Cashman has been impressed with Pavano's rehab progress from Tommy John surgery.

Pavano threw six innings Sunday for Double-A Trenton and Cashman said: "He's close to being ready."

2008-08-18T08:12:00.000-04:00

Hideki Matsui could be joining the team as early as tomorrow in Toronto. Then on Saturday, either Carl Pavano, whose last sighting roughly corresponded with Amelia Earhart, or Phil Hughes could be pitching against the Orioles because Joba Chamberlain and Dan Giese both are on the DL.

Both Pavano and Hughes made minor league rehab appearances last night.

Matsui, placed on the disabled list June 27 with left knee inflammation, played a doubleheader Friday (1-for-5, HR, BB) and then a night game Saturday (1-for-3, BB) with Single-A Tampa before undergoing a simulated game yesterday in Florida with 15 at bats (11 against righties, 4 against lefties).

2008-08-15T22:30:00.001-04:00

Hoping to tweak their roster for a final push for the postseason, the Yankees made significant alterations on Friday, demoting outfielder Melky Cabrera and cutting ties with veteran Richie Sexson.

The move installs rookie Brett Gardner, promoted from Triple-A, as the Yankees' primary starting center fielder during a crucial stretch in which they will play 28 of their final 41 games against clubs with winning records. New York also added utilityman Cody Ransom to provide versatility off the bench in Sexson's place.

Cabrera took the move with some surprise, embracing teammates in the clubhouse before packing his belongings. The 23-year-old was New York's Opening Day center fielder, but manager Joe Girardi did not start Cabrera four times over the team's recently completed 10-game road trip to Texas, Anaheim and Minnesota.

"That's their decision, and I'm going to do whatever they say, go down there and work hard and try to come back," Cabrera said through an interpreter. "I started good, but my average went down, and I've just got to go to Triple-A."

2008-08-15T10:28:00.000-04:00

More rips from Bill Madden of the New York Daily News:

The manager, Joe Girardi, must also come in for a goodly share of blame. Long after his April12 "Clueless Joe" game in Boston (in which he allowed Mike Mussina to pitch to Manny Ramirez with two on, two out and first base open in the sixth inning) had been forgotten, Girardi also had a horrible road trip to Anaheim, Texas and Minny.

In the first game of the trip against the Rangers, he brought back Damaso Marte in the ninth for a second inning of work and allowed him to stay in the game after walking the bases loaded, the result being Marlon Byrd's game-winning grand slam. You can give Girardi a pass for lifting Dan Giese after 83 pitches of one-run ball in the second game in Anaheim, as Giese had not thrown that many pitches all year. In the Sunday finale, however, Girardi again elected to let Marte - who, let's face it, is clearly a situational reliever - start the ninth inning after pitching out of the eighth. Again, Marte pitched the Yankees into a jam from which Mariano Rivera could not rescue them - but one from which he might have escaped, had the inexperienced Betemit, who had pinch-hit for Richie Sexson, not been at first base.

And then, of course, there was Girardi's infamous decision to rest Johnny Damon for the first game in Minneapolis - a game the Yankees desperately needed to win after just being swept in Anaheim - despite the fact that Damon was coming off five straight multihit games and was hitting .406 on the road trip. Afterward, Girardi testily blew off questions by maintaining rookie Justin Christian had good numbers against lefthanded pitching. Right.

In the wake of this "dog days" road trip, there have been accusations that the Yankees themselves are playing like a team that doesn't care anymore. In fact, they may just be playing uptight - a reflection of their tightly wound manager, who is the antithesis of the calming, reassuring Joe Torre they've been used to.

2008-08-15T07:58:00.001-04:00

Interesting thoughts from Joel Sherman of the NY Post:

Funny, but Joe Torre was known as a guy who did not handle young players well, and it was part of the stew of reasons that so many upper Yankee management were anxious to get rid of him, and move to Girardi, who was seen as a younger man who was more capable of breaking in players. But let us remember that Torre did a fine job of integrating Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera into full-time roles with the champion 1996 Yankees. Of bringing Jorge Posada along. Of breaking in Cano and Chien-Ming Wang. And of getting the best out of Melky Cabrera. For Girardi, Cabrera has regressed horribly and so has Cano. Much of the high-level young pitching has faltered. For the record, like many of his recent Yankee teams, Torre's Dodgers are suddenly playing their best right now. Of course, a lot of that has to do with the arrival of Manny Ramirez. But don't overlook how important it is that the Torre Dodgers are getting the best out of Matt Kemp, a tool-shed player who before this year had people wondering if he would ever be able to put all of his skills and concentration together to be a winning player.

2008-08-15T07:56:00.000-04:00

The Yankees and first-round pick Gerrit Cole, a California high school righty pitcher, have until today to agree to a deal, or Cole won't be allowed to sign with the club that used the 28th pick to take him.

"We are working on it," scouting director Damon Oppenheimer said.

Cole, who has a scholarship from UCLA if he spurns the Yankees, is being advised by agent Scott Boras. However, industry sources say Cole's father, Mark Cole, is running the show and is on the demanding side.

"They ask me for information and I give it to them," Boras said.

2008-08-14T07:47:00.004-04:00

The Yankees look more than out of the race...no not the American League East, the Wildcard. This was a team that was supposed to have more discipline under Joe Girardi. Yeah, the manager with one year of experience (he was fired because he didn't play well with management) who replaced the Hall of Fame manager (Joe Torre, remember him? You know, the guy managing the first place Los Angeles Dodgers!) Discipline? Robinson Cano? The Yankees batters? The Yankee batters with runners in scoring position?

Anyway, in years past the Yankees were riding some sort of hot streak this time in August. Not this season. Nice job Hankie! What a way to close the House that Ruth Built!

2008-08-14T07:47:00.001-04:00

Manager Joe Girardi didn't play Derek Jeter yesterday, but said he expects to have his shortstop tomorrow night.

"I would be shocked if he didn't play," Girardi said of Jeter, whose sore left foot kept him on the bench yesterday but not bad enough for him to pinch-hit in the ninth if needed in a 4-2 loss to the Twins.

Jeter suffered the injury when he fouled a ball off the instep in the fourth inning of Tuesday night's 9-6 win. Despite a heavy limp Jeter remained in the game until the ninth.

Jeter went 3-for-5 and was placed on a cart to exit the Metrodome. When he reported to work yesterday morning Jeter was limping slightly and spent the entire pregame session receiving treatment.

"I will play, yes," Jeter said of tomorrow night's date with the Royals at Yankee Stadium.

2008-08-13T08:12:00.000-04:00

At the $1.3 billion new Yankee Stadium, which seats 52,325, the 1,800 Legends Field Suite seats in 25 sections ringing home plate go for $500 to $2,500, up from $250 to $1,000 for the comparable tickets this year. There also will be 1,200 Main Level Outdoor Suite seats in nine sections behind the plate at $350 to more than $500, and 1,300 Terrace Level Outdoor Suite seats in nine sections behind the plate, which sold out at $100 to $135.

The Yankees have not announced prices for the seats near the outfield but say they will keep the lowest-priced reserved seats in the top deck at $20 and $25 and bleachers at $12. Trost said 25,000 seats will not have an increase and that a complete price list will be released this month.

Trost said the Yankees have lease commitments for 44 of 51 suites priced at $600,000 to $850,000, and are sold out at the $650,000 and $850,000 levels.

The Yankees already had the third-highest average ticket price in the major leagues this season at $41.40, according to the Team Marketing Report, trailing the World Series champion Boston Red Sox ($48.80) and Chicago Cubs ($42.49).

2008-08-11T12:34:00.000-04:00

Ian Kennedy is headed back to the minors, but it's his breaking ball and not his attitude that the Yankees instructed the young starter to work on.

Kennedy, who said he was "just not real upset" following his dismal performance against the Angels on Friday night, talked with several teammates about his comments, most notably Andy Pettitte.

Pettitte, who told Kennedy he thinks of him as a little brother, didn't want him to clarify his comments, instead talking to the 23-year-old about "how to say it the right way."

Sunday, Kennedy said he regretted the way his words came out, but he didn't want to let one bad night erase the progress he had felt he made in the minors.

"I could tell by some of your faces that it came out wrong," he told reporters. "I was very disappointed in myself, because obviously I always want to do well. I want to help the team win. I hate losing. I really, really hate losing. I wasn't going to let it ruin what I've done in the recent past."

Kennedy will make his next start for Triple-A Scranton on Wednesday, but his primary focus won't be shutting the other team down. Instead, he'll work on his sinker, curveball and slider, trying to refine the three pitches regardless of the results.

"It's still making quality pitches, but it's working on location, working on his breaking ball when he's behind in the count, not being afraid to throw it over," Joe Girardi said. "Just trying to develop him as a starter."

"Not focus on results, but rather the results of what I'm working on," Kennedy said. "Here, you can't work on it, because we're in a pennant race."

2008-08-09T12:41:00.001-04:00

Though nobody in the Yankees organization will guarantee Joba Chamberlain will pitch again this year, the fiery right-hander said he doesn't believe the rotator-cuff tendinitis that landed him on the disabled list this week is season-ending.

In fact, Chamberlain said to look for him in a game before September.

"I'll be throwing in a week. I'll probably throw the beginning of next week," Chamberlain predicted yesterday from the Yankees' Tampa facility. "Everything feels fine now."

As for getting into a game before Sept. 1, Chamberlain said, "I'll throw way before that in a game."

2008-08-07T23:44:00.001-04:00

New York Yankees pitcher Carl Pavano allowed one hit and struck out four during a rehabilitation start with Double-A Trenton on Thursday night.

Pavano, trying to come back from elbow ligament replacement surgery, walked two in 3 1-3 scoreless innings. Facing the Akron Aeros, he threw 38 of his 63 pitches for strikes.

Pavano last pitched in the majors in April 2007. He has made only 19 starts since signing a four-year contract worth nearly $40 million with the Yankees in 2005.

2008-08-06T23:48:00.001-04:00

The New York Yankees’ playoff hopes took a hit Wednesday, when hard-throwing righthander Joba Chamberlain was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right rotator cuff tendinitis.

A published report claims Chamberlain, who was examined by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Florida, was told to rest for a week before beginning a throwing program.

The Bergen Record of Hackensack, New Jersey also reported Andrews looked at the MRI of Chamberlain’s shoulder, which was taken in New York on Tuesday.

Chamberlain underwent the exam one day after leaving his start against Texas with stiffness in the shoulder. He was pulled after only 4 2/3 innings, complaining of a “grabbing” sensation in his deltoid muscle.

2008-08-05T23:00:00.001-04:00

New York Yankees righthander Joba Chamberlain will have his stiff right shoulder examined by famed surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday.

Chamberlain, who saw Yankees team physician Dr. Stuart Hershon on Tuesday, likely will miss his next scheduled start Saturday, according to New York manager Joe Girardi, who spoke to reporters prior to Tuesday’s game against the Texas Rangers.

“He’ll take his test results with him,” Girardi said of Dr. Hershon’s findings. “Until I hear from Dr. Andrews, that’s all I’ve got.”

The 22-year-old Chamberlain left Monday’s 9-5 loss to the Rangers in the fifth inning after feeling discomfort in the shoulder. He allowed five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings while striking out five and walking two in what was his worst start of the season to this point.

2008-08-05T07:38:00.000-04:00

Jorge Posada has been around long enough, been around for all the pennant races and all the winning, to know how it works. He had the surgery for the torn labrum and torn capsule in his right shoulder last Wednesday, 45 minutes in the operating room at the Hospital for Special Surgery with Dr. David Altchek, as good as there is. Pudge Rodriguez became a Yankee the same day. Bill Parcells always used to talk about how the assembly line keeps moving in sports, with or without you.

"I wasn't surprised (about Rodriguez)," Posada was saying Monday. "(GM Brian Cashman) was trying to get a catcher as soon as I went down. I think Pudge just kind of fell into his lap."

More from Mike Lupica at NY Daily News here.

2008-08-05T07:32:00.000-04:00

Joba Chamberlain assumes he will enter the Carl Pavano Memorial MRI tube today at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Has there been a more frightening sentence in the Yankees Universe this season?

On a night when the game-time temperature was in triple digits, the spines of Yankees fans everywhere went cold at the sight of Chamberlain walking off the mound with trainer Steve Donohue in the fifth inning last night at Rangers Ballpark.

More from the NY Post here.

2008-07-30T21:37:00.001-04:00

Ivan Rodriguez was the steady hand for the Florida Marlins when they won the 2003 World Series. A year later, he was the spark that helped turn around the Detroit franchise when nobody wanted to be a Tiger.

The New York Yankees hope he can be a little of both during their push to the playoffs.

The Yankees acquired the 14-time All-Star from the Tigers on Wednesday in exchange for hard-throwing reliever Kyle Farnsworth, a trade that filled glaring holes for both contenders.

“Honestly, I was shocked by this, but that’s baseball,” Rodriguez said. “Now, I’m just looking forward to playing for the Yankees and maybe I will play against Detroit again in the playoffs.”

In the option year of a $50 million deal he signed with the Tigers in February 2004, Rodriguez will step into the hole in the Yankees’ lineup created by Jorge Posada’s shoulder injury. Posada had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday and is out for the season.

Full Article from Yahoo HERE.

2008-07-30T09:28:00.001-04:00

The Angels have knocked the Yankees out of the playoffs twice in the past seven years, and now they might just keep the Yanks from the postseason altogether.

That is one byproduct of the Angels' acquisition yesterday of Mark Teixeira. The Yanks have more games left against the Angels (10) than any other opponent, beginning with a four-game set that opens tomorrow at the Stadium.

And the Yanks have long had trouble beating the Angels despite Los Angeles' lack of lefty power and adequate protection for Vladimir Guerrero. The only AL team that Joe Torre had a losing record against in his 12 years as Yankee manager was the Angels, and that does not even include the 2002 and 2005 Division Series in which the Angels ousted the Yankees.

Now the Joe Girardi Yankees have to cope with a quirk in the schedule that has them playing so many late-season games against a team not from their division, including two separate three-game stops in Anaheim. The Yanks are going to finally uncover a way to beat their AL West nemesis or else their road to October is going to become that much more treacherous.

What is fascinating is that the Angels essentially are the team most assured of making the playoffs this season, since they went into last night with an 111/2-game lead in the AL West. As one AL executive said, "The Angels are making this deal to get 11 wins in October. They already know they have won the division."

2008-07-28T20:50:00.000-04:00

Jorge Posada will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, ending his attempt to return to the lineup for New York’s postseason push.

Posada has struggled with shoulder pain most of the season, weakening his throws and limiting his playing time behind the plate.

On the disabled list for the second time this year, Posada was trying to rehabilitate his shoulder enough to come back as a DH or first baseman this season. But after the Yankees acquired outfielder Xavier Nady in a trade with Pittsburgh on Saturday, they determined it was best for Posada to have surgery now, general manager Brian Cashman said Monday.

“It’s just the obvious way to go,” Cashman explained.

Posada is expected to be sidelined at least six months and it’s not certain that he’ll be ready for the start of spring training in February, Cashman said.

“As difficult as it is, I can focus on coming back 100 percent for next season instead of coming back at less than that now,” Posada said in a statement. “Until then, I still plan on being a teammate and friend to the guys I share this room with. I may not be playing, but I want to be a part of this team and the run that we’re on.”

2008-07-28T08:23:00.000-04:00

The Seattle Mariners’ Jarrod Washburn is privately enthusiastic about a possible trade to the Yankees. But he started as scheduled Sunday in Toronto, allowing one run in eight innings for a victory.

Washburn has a 2.82 earned run average in his last 11 starts, and his next one may come for the Yankees. But for that to happen, General Manager Brian Cashman must decide that he really wants Washburn, and he has not made that determination. Ownership has told Cashman it would pay for the $14 million or so remaining on Washburn’s contract through next season.

From the New York Times

2008-07-27T19:25:00.002-04:00

For more than two decades, Rich "Goose" Gossage unnerved batters as one of baseball's most menacing and dominating relief pitchers. On Sunday, it was his turn for the jitters.

"This experience is overwhelming, over the top. I can't put in words what this means," Gossage told a decidedly New York Yankees crowd during the National Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony that capped his 22-year career.

Gossage had to pause twice to collect his thoughts -- including once when he was moved to tears talking about now dead teammates Thurman Munson and Bobby Murcer.

"I'm like a kid going on his first ride at Disney World and not getting off for 22 years," said Gossage, whose speech was interspersed with choruses of "Goose" from the crowd.

Dick Williams -- one of Gossage's former managers -- also was inducted Sunday. Williams managed six teams in 21-year career, winning the World Series with the Oakland Athletics in 1972 and 1973. He also won league pennants with the Boston Red Sox in 1967 and San Diego Padres in 1984.

Full Article from ESPN HERE.

2008-07-26T22:41:00.001-04:00

Xavier Nady scored a run. Damaso Marte struck out David Ortiz in a key situation. And the Yankees won again.

New York finalized the trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, and Nady and Marte made their Yankees debuts in a 10-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

The former Pirates went from a team that was 48-55 and 12 games behind in the NL Central to one that is 58-45 with eight straight wins and a solid shot in the tight AL East race.

“To be able to play for the Yankees is a big surprise for me,” said Marte, one of the top left-handed relievers in baseball. “It’s exciting to be a Yankee. It’s unbelievable.”

Nady was hitting .330 with Pittsburgh when he was pulled after the first inning of Friday night’s game against San Diego.

“It’s a crazy industry,” he said Saturday. “I heard my name, rumblings the last couple of weeks. I was ready to walk out (on deck) and the manager called me back. He was on his cell phone. It’s not often you see the manager on his cell phone during the game.”

The Pirates got four minor leaguers in the deal: top outfield prospect Jose Tabata and right-handers Dan McCutchen, Jeff Karstens and Ross Ohlendorf.

“It was hard to give up the players we did. I like those players,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said before Saturday’s game. “The players we got back—Marte and Nady—both will hopefully contribute to the 2008 season and we have them for ‘09.”

Cashman said he had been talking about Marte for a few days and Nady’s name came up during his drive to Boston on Friday afternoon, with discussions heating up during batting practice Friday and carrying late into the night.

“I wouldn’t have done it if it was rented for a few months,” Cashman said.

Nady batted seventh and played left field against Boston. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and scored a run. He also was hit by a pitch.

With New York leading 7-3 in the seventh, Marte entered with runners at first and second and one out and struck out Ortiz, the only batter he faced.

“That’s why we got him. He’s not uncomfortable against left-handers,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I wasn’t going to put him in a situation where it didn’t mean anything.”

To make room, the Yankees optioned outfielder Brett Gardner to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and designated reliever LaTroy Hawkins for assignment.

“I think it’s a very good move for us,” Girardi said. “Xavier is having a very good year. He’s a guy that can play left field for us and another right-handed bat. And then we get Marte, who has been very good against left-handed hitters—and right-handers, too.”

The teams agreed to a deal Friday, pending physicals for the players involved. The Yankees confirmed the trade was completed early Saturday afternoon.

It was initially thought New York’s package would include minor league pitchers Phil Coke and George Kontos rather than McCutchen and Karstens. But when the Pirates made their final selections Saturday from a list of players the Yankees offered, Pittsburgh chose a group that included McCutchen and Karstens, according to a person familiar with the trade who spoke on condition of anonymity because those details of the talks were not disclosed.

The Yankees, with Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada on the disabled list and possibly lost for the year, needed another right-handed bat for their lefty loaded lineup.

“If I didn’t have the injuries to Matsui or Posada, I may not have been looking for a hitter,” Cashman said.

Nady had 13 home runs and 57 RBIs in 88 games with Pittsburgh, and Marte was 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 46 2-3 innings for the Pirates.

Ohlendorf was 1-1 with a 6.53 ERA in 25 games with the Yankees this season. He was demoted June 27 and had a 1-1 record with a 4.03 ERA in five starts with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Tabata was batting .248 with three homers and 36 RBIs with Double-A Trenton entering play Friday.

2008-07-25T21:39:00.001-04:00

The Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday reportedly have traded outfielder Xavier Nady and lefthander Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees for righthander Ross Ohlendorf and three minor leaguers - outfielder Jose Tabata, righthander George Kontos and lefthander Phil Coke.

Nady was removed from Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres in the second inning for undisclosed reasons and was replaced in left field by Jason Michaels.

The deal reportedly is pending medical reports on all the players involved.

Nady was one of the most sought-after names on the trade market due to a career year that has him fifth in the National League with a .330 batting average to go along with 13 homers and 57 RBI. He will add a righthanded bat to New York’s lineup, which generally features just three other righthanded hitters.

Nady’s exit presumably opens the door for top prospect Andrew McCutchen, who is batting .280 with nine homers and 26 stolen bases at Class AAA Indianapolis this season and is considered Pittsburgh’s center fielder of the future.

Marte, who has been filling in as the Pirates’ closer with Matt Capps on the disabled list, is 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA this season and will slot nicely into a Yankees bullpen that currently is without a lefthander. He has held lefthanded hitters to a .198 average in his career, though that mark is up to .255 this season.

Marte briefly was property of the Yankees in 2001 but never appeared in a major league game for the franchise before being traded to the Pirates in exchange for Enrique Wilson.

The jewel of the crop going back to the Pirates is Tabata, who has been one of the Yankees’ top prospects since being signed out of Venezuela in 2005. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 3 prospect in New York’s system entering this season due to his ability to make solid, hard contact and his power potential.

However, Tabata’s stock has fallen this season due to his struggles both as a hitter and a teammate as a 19-year-old at Class AA. He was pulled from a contest in June and suspended three games in April for disciplinary reasons.

Tabata has been sidelined since July 1 with an injury.

Ohlendorf has struggled as a rookie in the bullpen for New York this season, going 1-1 with a 6.53 ERA. A starter in the minors, the righthander could provide immediate help to the Pirates, either in the bullpen or the rotation.

Kontos has struggled at Class AA Trenton this season, going 3-9 with a 3.77 ERA while issuing 43 walks in 107 1/3 innings.

Coke was pulled from his start at Trenton on Friday after one inning. He is a combined 9-5 with a 2.76 ERA in 21 games - 20 starts - with Trenton and Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year.

Both Coke and Kontos will add depth to Pittsburgh’s system, which is short on pitching prospects.

2008-07-24T11:53:00.001-04:00

The Dodgers have an interest in Robinson Cano and might be willing to deal Derek Lowe and outfielder Matt Kemp, but the Yankees aren't inclined to part with the red-hot second baseman unless there is a front-of-the-rotation-type starter coming to The Bronx. Lowe, who has the stomach for big games and has AL East experience with the Red Sox, doesn't fit that bill.

Kemp, 23, would be viewed as a replacement for Bobby Abreu in right field next year. Kemp is batting .287 (104-for-362) with 11 homers and 55 RBIs in 94 games this season. His biggest downside is striking out 107 times.

2008-07-22T07:44:00.003-04:00

Carl "American Idle" Pavano is back on the Yankees' radar. Pavano, who has appeared in 19 games in four Yankee seasons and cost them $40 million, is close to going on a minor-league rehab assignment.

2008-07-22T07:44:00.001-04:00

If Hideki Matsui's left knee fills with fluid again, GM Brian Cashman believes it will be impossible for the Yankee DH to avoid a second knee surgery.

"If the knee swells up we are dealing with last call," Cashman said last night after Dr. Scott Rodeo recommended to Matsui that surgery was required.

Cashman admires Matsui, who has the knee drained three times, wanting to give it another try even though the odds of Matsui playing again this year are long.

Matsui will go through a rehab process - likely 10 days - and reassess where he is at. Surgery would end Matsui's season.

2008-07-21T16:08:00.000-04:00

Jorge Posada will likely will be heading back onto the disabled list with a recurring right shoulder problem.

Posada was on the DL from April 27 to June 5 with a throwing-shoulder problem, and since his return has rarely caught, with Jose Molina getting most of the games behind the plate.

2008-07-18T21:39:00.001-04:00

GOOSE GOSSAGE knows about the bullpen and about the Hall of Fame. So listen to what he had to say yesterday. Gossage believes the Yankees need to put Joba Chamberlain back in the pen and that George Steinbrenner should someday join him in Cooperstown.

"I think he's more valuable, personally, in the bullpen, to utilize him two or three or four days out of the week is more valuable to a ballclub than starting him," Gossage said of Chamberlain.

If Joba goes back, who starts in his place?

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

2008-07-17T15:20:00.001-04:00

The Yankees have reached an agreement with Richie Sexson on a pro-rated contract for the rest of the season, The Post has learned.

The Yankees are going to wait to announce his acquisition until at least before Friday night's game. But he is being added as a way for the Yanks to increase their righty presence against lefty pitching, and so he almost certainly will start tomorrow when Oakland sends out southpaw starter Greg Smith.

Sexson was released on July 10 by Seattle and the Yankees expressed interest relatively quickly. The big righty hitter was batting .218 this year, but was hitting .344 against lefty pitching with five homers in 64 at-bats, which is what made him attractive to the Yankees. He essentially will assume the role that the Yanks envisioned Shelley Duncan playing this year: The hulking righty swinger who could do some damage against lefties, in particular.

Duncan failed in the majors then injured his shoulder in the minors and was lost for the season.

Sexson is making $14 million this season in the final year of a multiyear deal with Seattle. The Yanks have to pay Sexson the pro-rated portion of the minimum salary, or roughly $160,000, for the rest of the year.

Sexson, 33, had 11 homers this year with 30 RBIs and 76 strikeouts in 252 at-bats.

2008-07-17T08:27:00.001-04:00

The Yankees have been consistently inconsistent this season, hanging around the .500 mark for most of the first half.

Why has a team that entered the season with championship dreams been little better than average through the first 95 games?

For starters, only Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina remain from the season-opening rotation while the young guns expected to help lead the staff fired blanks before succumbing to injury. Among hitters, several stars are batting way below their career averages.

Full Article from the NY Daily News HERE.

2008-07-16T08:23:00.000-04:00

Confessed drug supplier Kirk Radomski has provided documentary evidence to the government showing that he shipped drugs to the Texas home of Roger Clemens, who is under investigation for perjury after telling Congress he never used steroids or human growth hormone.

According to sources with close knowledge of the investigation, Radomski has discovered shipping receipts for a package of two kits of human growth hormone that he sent in late 2002 or 2003 to Clemens at the pitcher's palatial mansion in Houston. Radomski is believed to have also provided the government with new information and receipts for drug shipments to other players.

Full Article from the NY Daily News HERE.

2008-07-15T23:18:00.000-04:00

If the Yankees are going to extend their October appearances to 14 straight, it appears they aren't going to be aided by Hideki Matsui.

And it didn't sound like GM Brian Cashman views Barry Bonds as a replacement.

Matsui, the clutch-hitting DH/left fielder, experienced swelling in his left knee today when he didn't take batting practice and will leave Tampa, Fla., to be examined by team physician Dr. Stuart Hershon on Friday in New York.

Though Cashman didn't definitely say Matsui, who has had the knee drained twice and was taking batting practice at the minor league facility, was headed for surgery, a season-ending procedure looks inevitable.

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

2008-07-15T12:31:00.000-04:00

Joe Girardi has seen his Yankees under-perform and be hurt by injuries, had a veteran player express his displeasure with his role and an owner occasionally spout off.

His predecessor with the Yankees can relate to all of those things, and insisted yesterday that despite the hole they are in, Girardi can get them out of it.

"Joe's doing fine," Dodger manager Joe Torre said. "There's no handbook on this stuff. You deal with it as your personality allows you to. Joe is bright and has experience. He knows what the expectations are and the players respect him."

True, but that didn't stop Jorge Posada from voicing his displeasure about not catching.

"At the end, we're all gonna be judged on how many wins and losses [we have]," Torre said. "Emotionally, he can handle it."

Torre yesterday was at the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, where both he and Girardi were on hand for Torre's Safe at Home Foundation fundraiser.

And while Torre will be in New York for tonight's All-Star game, he won't be in The Bronx.

"My being in uniform at Yankee Stadium would have caused more distraction than was needed," Torre said. "To me, the game is all about the ballpark and then the players who made the club, and that's where all the attention should be."

And he's not sure if he'll be back before they tear down the Stadium.

"When I left Yankee Stadium, I had a sense it was going to be the last time I left there," Torre said. "There's no reason to look back. I don't think I need to see it one more time just to get that nostalgic feel for it ... but there are no absolutes."

Girardi is trying to build something to be nostalgic about, and even though the Yanks are in third place in the AL East at the break, the current manager believes that will change.

"We have to score some more runs than we did in their first half," Girardi said. "To me, it's [about] players playing up to their capabilities. If we do that, I think we'll be there in October. The big thing is, we have the people in that room to be successful. We just need to play better."

If they don't, Hank Steinbrenner will likely let Girardi know about it, much like his father did with Torre.

"You deal with your bosses," Torre said. "That's what a big part of the job is."

dan.martin@nypost.com

2008-07-14T07:57:00.001-04:00

Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson might have gotten himself into hot water with Jews - the Yankee legend was caught on tape uttering an unflattering stereotype while haggling over the price of a painting.

Jackson was on East 61st Street and Madison Avenue, negotiating with a painter, when he asked the artist, "Are you Jewish?" according to Post lensman Larry Schwartzwald.

Schwartzwald then turned on his video camera and asked Jackson why he made the remark.

"You Jewish, too?" asked Jackson.

Mr. October then explained that the artist was driving a hard bargain and said he asked the man if he was Jewish "because he's always working me."

Jackson must have realized his faux pas, jokingly saying to artist Peter Zonis, "You're going to get me in trouble."

Jackson's exchange with Zonis on Saturday afternoon was the latest in two months of talks between them over a painting of the Viand Coffee Shop - a favorite Upper East Side hangout of the slugger.

Reggie and Zonis finally completed their deal yesterday, with the slugger paying $1,500 for the painting.

Zonis, 49, insisted that Reggie is not anti-Semitic.

The artist, who is Jewish, admitted he was pushing Reggie to both buy his painting and pose for a photo.

"He [Jackson] was being nice and he knew I wasn't going to let him leave the scene" without buying the picture and posing for a shot, Zonis told The Post.

"I think he was joking . . . that I had chutzpah."

2008-07-12T20:10:00.002-04:00

Bobby Murcer, a five-time All-Star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive and announcer, has died. He was 62. The Yankees said Murcer died Saturday due to complications from brain cancer. He was surrounded by family at Mercy Hospital in his hometown of Oklahoma City, the team said.

"Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well-liked and a true friend of mine," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said. "I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Kay, their children and grandchildren. I will really miss the guy."

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

Bobby Murcer lost his gallant and determined fight with brain cancer Saturday at Oklahoma City Hospital with his wife, Kay, his daughter, Tori, and his son, Todd, by his side, a little more than a year-and-half after first being diagnosed with the most aggressive form of tumors. He was 62, and while most of those last 19 months of a life-too-short were spent enduring exhaustive, often-agonizing after-effects of intense chemotherapy and radiation, Murcer, true to his upbeat nature, regarded them as a blessing rather than a curse.

"I feel especially blessed," he told me a few months ago, "to have been able to hear from and see all these wonderful people who have been my fans. Through this entire ordeal, their prayers and support have been so gratifying. You have no idea what a strength the fans have been for me."

Full Article from the NY Daily News HERE.

Bobby Murcer, the Yankees’ All-Star outfielder and longtime broadcaster who never became another Mickey Mantle but endeared himself to Yankee fans in a baseball career of more than four decades, died Saturday. He was 62.

The Yankees said that Murcer died because of complications from brain cancer. He was surrounded by family members at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City, the team said.

Full Article from the NY Times HERE.

Former Yankees outfielder Bobby Murcer, who maintained his ties to the team as a popular broadcaster, died today at age 62 after battling brain cancer.

The Yankees said he died today at his home in Oklahoma City. He was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in late December 2006 and had surgery four days later. He returned to the broadcast booth last season and briefly this year.

Full Article from LOHUD HERE.

2008-07-12T01:51:00.001-04:00

With his lineup sagging under the pressure of not having Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui and others not hitting, Brian Cashman didn't discount looking into signing Richie Sexson when he clears release waivers next week.

"I don't know yet, we will take a look,'' Cashman said today about Sexson, who was released by the woeful Mariners yesterday. "We will study it and see if it's something we will pursue. I think we have to look at it. I can't tell you we will (sign him) or won't. I can tell you we are interested.''

Sexson, 33, batted .218 with 11 homers and 30 RBIs in 74 games this season.

According to his agent, Casey Close, Sexson is mulling through offers but isn't likely to join a new team until next week.

"There has been interest,'' Close said. "Richie will look at it to see where the best fit is.''

Sexson batted .205 with 21 homers and 63 RBIs in 121 games ion 2007. In a dozen big league seasons Sexson is a .261 hitter with 305 homers and 937 RBIs.

2008-07-11T12:01:00.002-04:00

The Yankees are keeping tabs on Pirates outfielders Xavier Nady and Jason Bay and new A's Matt Murton because they believe their biggest need is a right-handed bat.

And they haven't dismissed signing Richie Sexson who was released by the Mariners yesterday.

Murton went from the Cubs to the A's in the Rich Harden deal.

Here is another name off the radar: Austin Kearns.

On another note, isn't it time for Joe Girardi to get Jorge Posada behind the plate where he belongs? Jason Giambi is better defensively (yeah, really!) than Jorge plus it gets another strong bat in the lineup.

2008-07-10T12:50:00.000-04:00

From Beyond the Boxscore:

Some numbers to mull over:

*Jacoby Ellsbury, age 23, triple-A (in 2007): .298/.360/.380 with 33 steals (39 attempts) in 87 games. 47/32 K/BB ratio, 21 extra base hits

*Brett Gardner, age 24, triple-A (in 2008): .287/.412/.429 with 34 steals (42 attempts) in 80 games. 68/61 K/BB ratio, 24 extra base hits.

*Ellsbury minor league career (250 games): .313/.389/.425 with 105 steals (132 attempts), 127/111 K/BB

*Gardner minor league career (349 games): .289/.386/.385 with 139 steals (169 attempts), 260/207 K/BB

*Ellsbury per 162 minor league games: 68 steals (86 attempts)

*Gardner per 162 minor league games: 64 steals (79 attempts)

*According to Kevin Goldstein, Gardner is "an 80 runner with outstanding defense and on-base skills."

It's unlikely that Brett Gardner will make the same impact that Jacoby Ellsbury has made so far. However, the similarities are interesting…

2008-07-09T12:26:00.000-04:00

Now it's about their kids.

Alex Rodriguez is negotiating to see his two young daughters - because his estranged wife has made it difficult for the Yankee superstar to spend time with the kids while their marriage disintegrates, sources told The Post.

Cynthia Rodriguez "hasn't made it easy to see the children," said a source close to A-Rod, whose wife sued for divorce Monday amid claims he had a relationship with Madonna.

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

2008-07-08T07:59:00.001-04:00

Here we go again. More crap from Hankie. If the Yankees win tonight, we'll see the press giving him the credit for the win:

The Yankees are 8 ½ games back in the AL East and have Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and others on the DL. Hank Steinbrenner, though, doesn't quite believe the season is shot just yet.

"With what we've got in place right now," Steinbrenner told the AP last night, "we still should be able to make a run."

Easier said than done perhaps, as even Steinbrenner bemoaned the Yankees' injury fortunes this year. He instructed fans, "Don't get discouraged. Injuries do happen."

Then Steinbrenner said as far as he could recall, this has been the Yankees' worst injury season ever.

"We have been decimated by injuries," he said. "I don't remember a year this bad as far as injuries. It's had a huge effect. It really has. Nobody wants to make excuses, but it's reality.

"In any sport, I don't care what it is. Soccer, baseball, basketball, football, there's only two things that come under the heading of luck. Injuries and bad officiating," Steinbrenner said. "You just hope you don't get the injuries, and we've had them this year."

2008-07-08T07:58:00.000-04:00

Sexy singing siren Madonna stole A-Rod's heart, fueling the obsessive infatuation that helped doom his marriage, a lawyer for his wife said yesterday upon filing divorce papers.

The married Madonna - famous for a long list of lovers in her wild, younger years - captivated the Yankee star to the point that their "relationship" was "the last straw" for his long-suffering wife, Cynthia, said C-Rod's lawyer, Earle Lilly.

Cynthia Rodriguez filed for divorce on the grounds that "the marriage of the parties is irretrievably broken because of the husband's extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct," the lawsuit states.

That "misconduct" presumably includes Alex Rodriguez's relationship with Madge, which his wife says involves the Jewish mystic philosophy kabbalism - and the pop star playing the role of teacher to A-Rod, her doe-eyed, "brainwashed" student.

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

2008-07-07T12:04:00.000-04:00

Alex Rodriguez’s wife filed for divorce Monday, calling her husband an adulterer who “emotionally abandoned his wife and children.”

“The marriage of the parties is irretrievably broken because of the husband’s extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct,” according to Cynthia Rodriguez’s petition for dissolution of marriage, filed in the family division of Miami-Dade County Circuit Court.

The New York Yankees third baseman, who earned his 12th All-Star selection Sunday, has refused to comment on his relationship with Madonna, who denied any romantic involvement with the slugger in a statement posted Sunday on people.com.

“The petitioner has exhausted every effort to salvage the marriage of the parties,” Cynthia Rodriguez said in the filing. “However, Alex has emotionally abandoned his wife and children and has left her with no choice but to divorce him.”

Rodriguez’s attorney in Miami, Ira M. Elegant, said he had not reviewed the divorce petition but added: “As you know, anyone can pay the filing fee and make allegations.”

Elegant also represents NBA star Shaquille O’Neal in his ongoing divorce from his wife, Shaunie.

In this Dec. 2, 2007 file phot…
AP - Jul 7, 10:02 am EDT

A telephone message left for a Rodriguez spokesman Monday was not immediately returned.

The couple, who married in November 2002, have a $12 million, six-bedroom house in the upscale Miami suburb of Coral Gables. A company run by a corporation controlled by Rodriguez bought an apartment at Trump Park Avenue in Manhattan for $7.4 million in July 2005.

Cynthia Rodriguez has asked for primary custody of their two children, as well as child support and alimony.

Their two daughters are Natasha Alexander, 3, and 2-month-old Ella Alexander.

The filing comes just days after the third baseman was linked to Madonna in various media outlets. Cynthia Rodriguez later visited the Paris home of rocker Lenny Kravitz, who said she came to France to escape the media frenzy in New York and denied anything improper.

Cynthia Rodriguez’s lawyer, Maurice Kutner, declined to elaborate on the filing, which does not mention Madonna or any other alleged paramours by name.

“Cynthia has made it very clear to me that she wants to take the high road and protect her children and herself. There’s no vindictiveness here,” Kutner said. “She wants to resolve the issues between Alex and herself in an amicable fashion.”

The couple has had prenuptial agreement in place since Oct. 3, 2002, according to the divorce papers.

The divorce petition was filed the day after Rodriguez hit his 536th homer, tying Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle for 13th place.

Rodriguez is in the first season of a $275 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees, a deal that allows him to earn up to $305 million. He made $185.45 million from 2001-7 from his contract with the Texas Rangers and Yankees.

2008-07-06T20:18:00.001-04:00

Johnny Damon stood in a corridor outside the New York Yankees clubhouse on Sunday afternoon, sounding sullen. He had just been put on the disabled list for the first time in his major league career after 13 1/2 seasons and 1,927 regular-season games.

“I really don’t know what I have to do now,” the outfielder said softly. “Every day in my career when I went to the ballpark, I actually felt like I could get in the game somehow. Even yesterday, I was getting ready to get my shoes on in case I needed to run for (Jason) Giambi or something late. Today there’s no way I can get in this ballgame.”

Damon sprained and bruised his left shoulder when he crashed into the left-field fence trying for a leaping catch against Boston on Friday. While the pain subsided slightly Sunday, the swelling increased.

“It’s disappointing, but I knew the team needed to get another body,” Damon said. “We just have to be smart for my sake and the team’s sake. There wasn’t much I was going to be able to do.”

Damon, hitting .319 at the top of the batting order, hopes to return on July 20, when he is eligible to be activated. The 34-year-old thinks he should be able to swing a bat before he’s able to throw, but he’s not quite sure of what the timetable will be.

To get an idea, Damon consulted Xavier Nady, who had a similar injury. Because Yankee Stadium’s facility will be unavailable during the All-Star break, Damon likely will rehab at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Fla.

“I don’t think this is anything long-term,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “Is it 15 days, 20 days, you know? Is it a little bit longer? I don’t know.”

To fill Damon’s roster spot, New York recalled outfielder Justin Christian from Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. With Hideki Matsui (sore left knee) also on the DL, rookie Brett Gardner will become the Yankees’ regular left fielder.

“He creates a lot of havoc when he’s on the bases. He changes the defense,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “It’s constant pressure on pitchers when he’s on base, to pay attention to him.”

2008-07-06T20:05:00.001-04:00

Alex Rodriguez's heartbroken wife Cynthia believes her hubby has been "brainwashed" by kabbalah-pushing pop icon Madonna and lured away from his family, an A-Rod confidant said yesterday.

In a bombshell interview with The Post, Dodd Romero - Rodriguez's former trainer and godfather to his two daughters who spent last week in Paris with Cynthia Rodriguez - said he and C-Rod believe the Yankee superstar has been gradually drawn away by Madonna's allure.

"Alex, God bless him, is lost," A-Rod's ex-pal lamented. "I think he got pulled in by the dark side, if you can say that nicely. He's totally brainwashed."

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

2008-07-05T18:06:00.001-04:00

The Post has learned the identity of every All-Star Game vote winner from the AL and NL for the July 15 game at Yankee Stadium and the starting pitchers.

Major League Baseball will announce tomorrow that Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez will start for the AL club at short and third, respectively, and that there are no Mets among the NL starters. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will be named with the other pitchers and reserves. The plan is for Rivera to pitch the final All-Star inning in Yankee Stadium history.

For Jeter, it's his ninth All-Star Game. Jeter, the MVP of the 2000 game, has a .500 (8-for-16) All-Star average.

This will be the 12th time Rodriguez has been named to the All-Star team. He has appeared in 11 games; missing the 2000 game due to a concussion.

Jeter and Rodriguez said yesterday they weren't informed about their selections.

"That usually doesn't happen until the Sunday before," Jeter said.

"I haven't heard that," Rodriguez said.

Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb will start for the NL and Cleveland lefty Cliff Lee goes for the AL.

The defending World Champion Red Sox will start Kevin Youkilis at first, Dustin Pedroia at second and Manny Ramirez in left. David Ortiz was voted in as the DH but won't play because of a wrist injury.

Hideki Matsui would have been a candidate to replace Ortiz, but he is on the DL with a knee injury. Ortiz's likely replacement will be Texas' Milton Bradley.

Other AL starters are Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki in center, Texas' Josh Hamilton in right and Minnesota's Joe Mauer behind the plate.

The NL's infield consists of Lance Berkman at first, Philly's Chase Utley at second, Atlanta's Chipper Jones at third and Florida's Hanley Ramirez at short. Former Yankee and current Cub Alfonso Soriano starts in left, teammate Kosuke Fukudome will be in center and Cincinnati's Ken Griffey, Jr. gets the nod in right. The Cubs' Geovany Soto is the starting catcher.

Boston's Terry Francona, who brings his coaches with him, will manage the AL and Colorado's Clint Hurdle is the NL manager.

As for Mike Mussina being part of Francona's staff, Francona didn't want to be hauled into that topic yesterday before Mussina faced the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium with a 10-6 record.

"He is one of those guys getting who is getting strong consideration," said Joe Girardi, an AL coach. "He deserves to go.

Hamilton making the team is part of an amazing comeback for the MLB leader in RBIs from years of drug abuse and suspensions.

Having two starting center fielders from Japan adds a new look to the All-Star Game.

Tuesday night's introductions will have a different twist. All starters will be joined by Hall of Fame players at their positions.

For example the catchers will be introduced at home plate with Gary Carter and Yogi Berra.

george.king@nypost.com

2008-07-05T11:09:00.000-04:00

So now we know that Joe Girardi has a boiling point, but in the aftermath of his angry team meeting Thursday night, we are about to find out a lot more about him as a manager, specifically whether he measures up to Joe Torre.

The Yankees are 0-1 since Girardi had his say with his team, losing, 6-4, Friday to the Red Sox. Although he didn't say it directly, the manager clearly felt his team played more aggressively and approached at-bats with more purpose on this day.

"I thought we played hard," was as far as Girardi would go on the subject.

Perhaps, but his team is now six games behind the Sox, and nine behind the division-leading Rays. Worse, the Yanks may be without Johnny Damon through the All-Star break after he crashed into the wall in left trying to make a spectacular catch yesterday.

Full Article from the NY Daily News HERE.

2008-07-05T11:06:00.001-04:00

With a scandalous storm swirling around her, A-Rod's wife was the face of calm in Paris, beaming with smiles outside rocker Lenny Kravitz's pad as her marriage to baseball's top star appeared to be sunk.

Cynthia Rodriguez, 34, seemed in good spirits as she left Kravitz's palatial home near the famed Arc de Triomphe and hopped into a black minivan.

Wearing black, open-toed, high-heeled shoes, tight-fitting blue jeans and a gray hooded top, the scorned C-Rod refused to comment on rumors linking her hubby with Madonna.

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

2008-07-04T15:36:00.001-04:00

Kevin Youkilis’ drive squirted out of the webbing of Johnny Damon’s glove and bounced up off the top of the left-field wall in the third inning of Friday’s game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

And bounced. And bounced.

The ball came to rest on top of the fence, which was shaking from the impact of the Yankees left fielder crashing into in it as he tried to make a leaping catch. And there the ball sat for several tantalizing seconds. The sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium wondered: Would it fall behind for a home run, roll back onto the field or just sit there?

Finally, the ball dropped back in and landed near Damon, who was sprawled on the warning track. A fan behind the fence frantically pointed to where the ball was.

Youkilis cruised into third base with a two-run triple that enabled Boston to tie the score 3-3.

After center fielder Melky Cabrera threw the ball back to the infield, Yankees manager Joe Girardi and a trainer attended to Damon, who was holding his ribs and shaking his arm.

Damon left the game and was replaced by Brett Gardner. He was diagnosed with a bruised left shoulder, the team said. X-rays were negative, and Damon will be re-evaluated within 24 hours and have an MRI.

2008-07-03T23:37:00.001-04:00

The Boss plans to be in New York for the All-Star game later this month.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said Thursday he will be in attendance for the July 15 game, which is one of the featured events during the final season at the current Yankee Stadium.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Steinbrenner said at the Yankees’ spring training complex.

Steinbrenner has kept a lower profile in recent years, and turned much of the Yankees’ daily operation over to his sons, Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. But he still is involved with his team, normally working in his Tampa office four or five days a week.

Steinbrenner will celebrate his 78th birthday Friday with his family in Florida.

2008-07-02T09:49:00.000-04:00

Now that's a squeeze play!

Madonna yesterday strongly denied reports that she and Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez have been cozying up at the unhappily married Material Mom's Upper West Side pad.

But even as the aging pop star and free-swinging slugger cried foul over reports of clandestine canoodling, a source told Us Weekly that A-Rod visited Madonna's Central Park West digs the night after his long-suffering wife, Cynthia, gave birth in April to their second daughter.

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

2008-06-30T14:41:00.001-04:00

Yankees broadcaster Bobby Murcer is receiving medical care in Oklahoma after treatment for cancer forced him to curtail his schedule this month.

The 62-year-old former star outfielder had surgery in December 2006, four days after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He returned to the broadcast booth last season. His March biopsy showed no cancer, and Murcer broadcast his first game of the season May 2.

Murcer is also recovering from shingles. His family released a statement Monday through the team saying he is getting help in his hometown of Oklahoma City and has shown “some measured improvement in recent days.”

“Bobby remains hopeful that he will be able to resume his broadcasting work down the road, but for now, is appreciative of the thoughts and prayers of his fans, and wants them to know that he is aware that he is in their hearts, as they are in his,” the family said.

Murcer played 17 seasons in the majors with the Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs from 1965-83. He batted .277 with 252 home runs. He has been a Yankees broadcaster for 23 seasons.

2008-06-30T12:42:00.001-04:00

The Yankees are top dog when it comes to weiners.

Yankee Stadium tied for first place with Wrigley Field for best stadium hot dog in a national survey.

Baseball fans from around the nation tapped New York and Chicago dogs as best, according to the poll released by the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council.

And spectators watching the Subway Series heartily endorsed the survey's scrumptious results.

"They're delicious!" said Stephanie Gavigan, 24, from Forest Hills, who said she picks up a dog at every Yankee game because "it would be sacrilegious if you didn't."

Out-of-towners agreed, putting Yankee Stadium dogs - they sell Nathan's Famous - above frankfurters from their hometowns.

"I think they're pretty good," said Seth Muller, 21, a deejay from Florida in town for the Subway Series. "They're better than in Florida, that's for sure."

While the Red Sox won the World Series last year, they trailed the Yankees and Cubs when it comes to hot dogs. Boston's Fenway Park came in second in the poll, followed by Detroit's Comerica Park and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

"Nothing goes hand-in-hand like a baseball game and a hot dog, two of America's most treasured icons," said Tom Super of the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council."

Mets fan Lauren Mayer, 22, of Patchogue, L.I., was able to put her team allegiances aside long enough to enjoy her hot dog yesterday.

"The hot dog was awesome," she said after polishing one off at Yankee Stadium. "It was very juicy."

But was it better than a frankfurter from Shea?

"Nothing's better than in Shea," she said.

cmelago@nydailynews.com

With Rich Schapiro

2008-06-30T10:46:00.000-04:00

The Yankees have to hope the result of a single game doesn't determine the fate of their season. If it does, Sunday's has the potential to haunt them.

How would they feel looking back on it and knowing they lost to a sub-.500 Mets team with Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano all given the day off?

Manager Joe Girardi took a calculated gamble in assembling an almost entirely righthanded lineup to face starter Oliver Perez. He'd used the Bombers' conventional lefty-heavy batting order against the Mets' southpaw on May 18 and it managed only two runs. Noting that Perez was holding lefthanded hitters to a .167 average, he benched several regulars to create a batting order in which Johnny Damon was the only lefty.

It failed even more miserably, managing a single run on just three hits in seven innings against Perez in a 3-1 loss at Shea.

Full Article from the NY Daily News HERE.

2008-06-28T09:23:00.000-04:00

Dropping Carl Pavano into the Yankees clubhouse might prove to be too much of a challenge, but there is a chance the "American Idle" could be ready to pitch before Phil Hughes.

"I haven't asked, but it's possible," GM Brian Cashman said last night. "Pavano should be ready by August and Hughes in August."

Considering Pavano, who is trying to rebound from last year's Tommy John surgery, is throwing curveballs off a mound and Hughes (fractured rib) isn't even on a mound, Pavano would be considered ahead of Hughes.

"The rehabs are different," Cashman said. "Phil Hughes will start throwing from flat ground, but it won't be as long (as Pavano's)."

Pavano is in the fourth and final year of a $40 million contract that has been dominated by injuries that have limited him to 19 games and teammates not believing he was as hurt as he said he was at times. Pavano appeared in two games at the start of last year and hasn't pitched since.

2008-06-27T22:15:00.001-04:00

Hideki Matsui was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a sore left knee, leaving the New York Yankees without one of their key sluggers.

The team also optioned reliever Ross Ohlendorf to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and recalled left-hander Kei Igawa from its top farm club.

Matsui missed the Yankees’ 15-6 loss to the New York Mets in the opener of a rare two-stadium Subway Series doubleheader. He hit in the batting cage and ran in the outfield before the game, but the Yankees opted to place him on the DL, retroactive to Monday, after the loss.

Manager Joe Girardi said he hopes Matsui’s balky knee won’t keep him out longer than a couple of weeks.

“I hope it settles down,” Girardi said.

Matsui had right knee surgery during the offseason, but it’s his left knee that is hurting. He is batting .323 with seven homers and 34 RBIs in 69 games.

The Yankees purchased right-hander Sidney Ponson’s contract from Triple-A and started him in the second game against the Mets.

Ohlendorf struggled with his command and was roughed up in the opener. He gave up a grand slam to Carlos Delgado and was charged with six runs and five hits in 1 1-3 innings. He is 1-1 with a 6.53 ERA in 25 appearances.

The Yankees spent $46 million to bring Igawa over from Japan before last season, but he has been a major bust. After going 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA for the Yankees last year, he made one start for them this season and was tagged by Detroit for six runs and 11 hits in three innings on May 9.

2008-06-26T09:41:00.001-04:00

Less than 24 hours after the Staten Island Yankees arrived in New York, Pat Venditte's new teammates got a bit of a laugh when they walked past his locker in the clubhouse and saw the Omaha native with a reporter on either side.

"He's a celebrity," one fellow Baby Bomber chuckled. "He pitches with both arms."

For a 20th-round draft pick who had yet to make his first professional appearance at the time, Venditte had certainly made quite a splash since being selected by the Yankees on June 6. Venditte's almost unheard of ability to pitch with either arm has landed the Creighton alum interviews on XM satellite radio and on Ed Randall's program on WFAN, as well as an appearance in the pages of the Daily News.

When Venditte made his professional debut against Brooklyn last Thursday, it turned into SportsCenter fodder, as switch-hitting Cyclones catcher Ralph Henriquez tried to throw him off by stepping in on either side of the plate.

Full Article from the NY Daily News HERE.

2008-06-17T08:18:00.002-04:00

Wang Out At Least 10 Weeks

Two summers ago, when the Yankees lost two starting outfielders to serious injuries, Brian Cashman knew he needed replacements. Other teams also knew it, and gave him trade proposals designed for the desperate shopper. The Kansas City Royals, for example, offered the aging outfielder Reggie Sanders for the top pitching prospect Phil Hughes.

Cashman, the Yankees’ general manager, politely passed. He filled in with spare parts until the day before the trading deadline, when he finally acquired the best available outfielder, Bobby Abreu, in a trade.

Full Article from the NY Times News HERE.

Cano to Dodgers?

There was a reported trade between the Dodgers and Yankees with an end result of Robinson Cano moving to the Dodgers for starting pitcher Brad Penny. This was reported by numerous outlets including Peter Gammons. However, the trade was put on hold as Penny undergoes an MRI for a balky shoulder. (Penny MRI Story HERE).

This story has a few holes. For one, if the Dodgers obtained Cano, what happens to current Dodger second baseman Jeff Kent? A move to third base? What then would happen current Dodger third baseman Blake Dewitt and backup Andy LaRoche? And who would the Yankees plug in their vacant second base position?

Personally, I would like to see a Jeff Kent/Brad Penny trade to the Yankees for Ian Kennedy/Robinson Cano. The Yankees get their starter to replace injured Chien Mein Wang and a replacement for Cano. The Dodgers get two players with very high ceilings in Cano and Kennedy. Plus, Ian returns to Southern California where he played college baseball (USC).

2008-06-16T00:00:00.002-04:00

Wang Out For Season???

They won't be sure until Chien-Ming Wang exits the Carl Pavano Memorial MRI tube tomorrow and the test is examined, but there is a strong belief in the Yankees' universe that Chien-Ming Wang's season could be over due to a Lisfranc fracture in his right foot.

Wang suffered what was diagnosed by Astros team doctor John Duggan as a sprain on the top of the foot while scoring on Derek Jeter's single to right in the sixth inning of the Yankees' 13-0 victory over Houston today in front of 43,165.

Full Article from the NY Post News HERE.

2008-06-12T07:50:00.000-04:00

More than two months into the season, Joe Girardi looks a lot like Joe Torre. Girardi, too, will always go first and often to his old reliables, before foraging elsewhere on the bench or in the bullpen.

You get the feeling that if Bernie Williams were in the vicinity, Melky Cabrera wouldn't be getting much playing time.

You can't blame Girardi, really. Who would you rather send out to the mound in the ninth inning of a close game, Mariano Rivera or Kyle Farnsworth? Who would you rather have playing shortstop on a day game after a night game, Derek Jeter or Alberto Gonzalez? Who would you rather have catching, a slightly sore Jorge Posada or Jose Molina?

Those are rhetorical questions. We all know the answers, and that is why Girardi arguably has overused his core players, the ones who still remember what it feels like to win championships. He wants to play them. They want to play, at any cost. And so you have a worrisome situation which may grow worse by August or September, if you are inclined to think negatively.

Full Article from the New York Daily News HERE:

2008-06-11T08:13:00.002-04:00

Chien-Ming Wang finally looked like Chien-Ming Wang Tuesday night, against a team that might well become the Yankees' primary roadblock to a wild-card berth in October.

His pitch count was minuscule. The usually patient Oakland batters swung early and grounded out often. Double plays returned to the menu in great numbers, along with Wang's searing sinker. The Yanks nipped the A's, 3-1, moving a game closer to the Red Sox, Rays and any number of teams that may sabotage Joe Girardi's rookie managerial season in the Bronx.

But by now, we are suspicious of such apparent recoveries and strides. We have learned that these Yankees are fickle performers, often following happy victories with deflating defeats. They haven't given us much of a hint about where this season is going, except that it has gone nowhere thus far.

They are not quite yet in desperate straits, like the Mets. They are treading water, but with a history of post-All Star surges. We know only one thing for sure. Nobody is talking about the Yankees as a championship team anymore - not this year, anyway - and that means the arrow continues to point in the wrong direction for this franchise.

Full Article from the New York Daily News HERE:

2008-06-10T09:08:00.001-04:00

He told little white lies ... and he took little blue pills.

Roger Clemens, whose claims he never took steroids are under federal investigation, has apparently discovered the benefits of another performance-enhancing drug sweeping the sports world - Viagra.

Clemens stashed the clearly marked, diamond-shaped pills in a GNC vitamin bottle in his locker at Yankee Stadium, according to a source familiar with the clubhouse, perhaps keeping the drug undercover to avoid the inevitable wisecracks about all the girlfriends he needed to please.

Clemens wasn't alone. The pitcher, who is believed to have scored the drug from a teammate, joined the burgeoning number of athletes who have turned Vitamin V and its over-the-counter substitutes into one of the hottest drugs in locker rooms.

The drug is so widely used for off-label purposes that it has drawn the attention of anti-doping officials and law-enforcement agencies in the United States and beyond.

"All my athletes took it," BALCO founder Victor Conte, whose acolytes included Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds and Marion Jones, said of an over-the-counter supplement he claimed mimicked the effects of Viagra.

"It's bigger than creatine. It's the biggest product in nutritional supplements."

Among the off-label uses for Viagra, which first went on the market in 1998, it:

Full Article from the New York Daily News HERE:

2008-05-27T16:49:00.001-04:00

Interesting Article from the New York Times today:

Willie Randolph’s squawking over negative visuals of him on SportsNet New York reminded Fox’s Tim McCarver of the reaction to his criticism of a previous manager and how he believed it prompted his firing as a Mets analyst after the 1998 season.

It was a Yankees-Mets game at Shea Stadium in June 1998 when McCarver said that Bobby Valentine should have brought in Brian Bohanon, a lefty, not the right-hander Mel Rojas, to relieve the injured Al Leiter and face Paul O’Neill, a left-handed batter.

Valentine had a rationale: left-handed hitters were batting .182 against Rojas.

“I said it was the wrong move, and, first pitch, O’Neill hit a home run,” McCarver said on Thursday in a telephone interview. The Yankees won, 8-4.

About a month later, McCarver said, he was summoned to a postgame meeting with Nelson Doubleday, a co-owner of the Mets, in Doubleday’s Shea Stadium suite. “He often wanted to talk — we’d talk socially — but this time he had a semi-ominous tone,” McCarver said.

McCarver said Doubleday told him Valentine and his coaches had been aboard his yacht in Nantucket on a recent off-day. McCarver said: “Nelson told me that Valentine said, ‘McCarver’s got to go,’ and Nelson told the manager, ‘I’ll handle it.’ ” Doubleday asked McCarver to soothe Valentine by telling him that he’s done a “hell of a job” with the players he had.

“And I said, ‘If I felt that way, I would have said it already,’ ” McCarver said. “At that point, I didn’t feel real good about keeping my job.”

During their talk, McCarver said, he asked Doubleday if their chat was in reference to his Bohanon-but-not-Rojas call. “He shook his head yes,” he said.

Doubleday dallied until February 1999 to tell McCarver he was gone, saying that Valentine had nothing to do with his dismissal. Later that year, Valentine said the same thing to McCarver. “I said, ‘It’s over and done with,’ ” McCarver said.

Valentine said in an e-mail message this week from Japan that he did not remember saying McCarver had to be fired. He said he could “hardly ever remember having a talk about anything serious with Nelson.”

His e-mail message also assessed Randolph’s recent criticism of SNY’s choice of camera angles, which, Randolph has said, cast him in an unflattering light.

“My mom always said the same thing, that the only time she saw me was when I looked like death warmed over,” he wrote. “I am sure it was not true, just as I am sure that one thing that Tim said could not have possibly gotten him fired.”

Doubleday did not respond to requests for comment.

McCarver was quickly hired by Fox-owned Channel 5 to call Yankees games. In July 2000, during the first game after the All-Star break, he and Bobby Murcer addressed the subject of Roger Clemens’s beaning of Mike Piazza less than a week earlier. The famous clip rolled, leading George Steinbrenner to burst into the Channel 5 booth, where he “went ballistic,” an astonished stage manager told McCarver and the producer, Leon Schweir.

Steinbrenner threatened that showing the clip — which he felt had been seen enough — imperiled the MSG Network’s contract renewal. (Channel 5 subleased its games from MSG.) “Thank God I had my headset on and couldn’t hear him,” McCarver said.

Flash ahead to Game 2 of that season’s World Series when Clemens fired the shard of a broken bat at Piazza. “The crowd was unusually quiet,” McCarver recalled, “and I said something like, ‘It’s clear that the crowd here tonight is embarrassed by the antics of Roger Clemens.’ ”

Steinbrenner did not appear, but a Yankees executive, whom McCarver would not identify, asked him that night to confirm what he had said. He did.

What happened next, McCarver insisted, was a tiny bit of retribution. After games, he said, he had typically left the booth, opened a door to enter the Yankees’ executive office and walked to the elevator, a route designed to avoid the crowd on the concourse. “That door to the office was locked,” he said. “I’m positive it was because of what I said.”

Schweir, who is now the executive producer of the Big Ten Network, said he rarely fielded complaints from Yankees officials about McCarver. But he related an episode when Steinbrenner entered the MSG production truck and beckoned him outside to show him the multitudinous peanut shells that were littering the parking lot. “He felt our technicians were not picking up their shells properly,” he said. “So the next day, there were chained posts into the pavement beyond which our crew couldn’t eat peanuts.”

McCarver is off this weekend from doing analysis work for Fox, which will carry the Mets-Rockies game Saturday at 3:30 p.m. But he recalled that before a Mets-Phillies game last month, he, Kenny Albert and Ken Rosenthal met with Randolph.

The Mets’ end-of-season collapse last September had not been mentioned, McCarver said. But, he said, as the Fox group was leaving, Randolph “smiled and said, tongue-in-cheek, ‘Enough about the collapse, guys.’ ”

“And I thought, It’s the third weekend of the season and Willie can’t be thinking that,” he said. “Talk about insecurity.”

E-mail: sportsbiz@nytimes.com

2008-05-22T09:11:00.001-04:00

It's all systems go for Joba Chamberlain's transformation from bullpen maestro to hopeful rotation ace.

Just a day after Yankees GM Brian Cashman looked the 22-year-old phenom in the eye and asked him if his heart was into starting or remaining in the bullpen, there was Chamberlain pitching the final two innings of a Yanks' blowout last night, his first step in gaining the stamina to joining the starting rotation.

"[Chamberlain] looked me right in the eye and said, 'I want the opportunity to start,' Cashman said after the Yankees hammered Baltimore 8-0 to snap a four-game losing streak.

Cashman and manager Joe Girardi declined to give a timetable for Chamberlain making his first start with the Yankees, and Hank Steinbrenner would only say he's happy the process has begun. It is Steinbrenner - more than any other voice in the organization - who has pushed for Chamberlain to leave his setup role, with the hope of becoming the ace of the Yankees' rotation.

Steinbrenner told The Post late last night that he received a phone call from team president Randy Levine earlier in the day outlining the plan to begin using Chamberlain for extended duty. Girardi summoned the right-hander after Darrell Rasner (3-0) fired seven shutout innings, his third straight impressive start since joining the team earlier this month.

"This was always going to happen, it was the plan from the beginning," Steinbrenner said.

Told that Cashman had a chat with Chamberlain just to ensure his heart was into starting, Steinbrenner seemed surprised it was even an issue.

"Joba has made it clear for the last four months that he wants to be a starter," Steinbrenner said. "I said it four months ago: I know he wants to start."

Chamberlain, who threw 35 pitches over the two scoreless innings, said he is "excited" the process has begun. The plan does not call for Chamberlain returning to the minor leagues to hone his skills as a starter.

"We're going to be patient and make sure everything is taken care of and done the right way," Chamberlain said. "It's going to be a process, and we have that plan just to make sure my legs and my arm is going to be OK."

Eyebrows were raised when Chamberlain remained in the game to pitch the ninth inning, but that was before Girardi revealed that Chamberlain's transformation into starter had begun.

"This has been the plan for months, so we'll continue to stretch him out," Girardi said.

2008-05-12T23:01:00.002-04:00

Some things never change. Kei Igawa was as bad as ever in his first MLB start of the 2008 season. Somehow he and Joe Girardi thought he pitched ok(???). Fortunately the rain out versus the Tigers on Sunday should allow the Yankees to skip Kei for his next start. Wow! How much did the Yankees pay for this stiff? Think of the payroll spent on Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano, and Kei Igawa.

The injuries keep mounting for the Yankees. Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon have missed time. Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, and Jorge Posada have all spent time on the DL. Did Camp Girardi overdo the Army attitude. Maybe Joe Torre knew more than what some originally though. He now has a young, talented team on the rise. The Yankees look like a very old team going nowhere.

The website is going through an overhaul changing from an ASP format to PHP. Thanks for your patience.

2008-05-04T13:08:00.003-04:00

Darrell Rasner is making the start today versus Seattle. Recall that Rasner had his season cut short last year for the Yankees in a start against the New York Mets. A broken index finger ended Rasners's year. To make room for Rasner, Ian Kennedy has been sent to AAA to regain his confidence and delivery. Also, look for Kei Igawa to make a start for the Yankees later this week. Igawa was been pitching well at AAA SWB.

Here is the story on Rasner and Kennedy:

The New York Yankees optioned struggling pitcher Ian Kennedy to Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre prior to Sunday’s game against the Seattle Mariners.

One of New York’s top pitching prospects, Kennedy has been a major disappointment over the first month of the season, going 0-2 with an 8.37 ERA over six appearances - five starts.

Kennedy lasted just 4 2/3 innings in Thursday’s 8-4 loss to Detroit, allowing four runs and five hits with three walks. Although he was staked to an early 3-0 lead, Kennedy failed to work beyond the fifth inning for the fourth time in five starts this season.

The 23-year-old Kennedy also was sent to the minors to make room for Darrell Rasner, who was recalled from Scranton to start Sunday’s matinee contest against the Mariners.

Rasner, 27, went 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA in five starts for Scranton. The righthander posted a 1-3 record with a 4.01 ERA in six starts with New York last season.

The Yankees made another roster move Sunday, transferring injured reliever Brian Bruney to the 60-day disabled list.

2008-05-01T22:03:00.002-04:00

Phil Hughes is out for at least two months... The Yankee season becomes even more critical now with Posada and Rodriguez out as well.....

Phil Hughes has a stress fracture in one of his ribs, and the New York Yankees’ pitcher is expected to be sidelined for at least two months.

The news comes at an inopportune time for the injury-depleted Yankees, also missing three-time MVP Alex Rodriguez, All-Star catcher Jorge Posada and reliever Brian Bruney.

“I say no on crisis mode,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “I say this is what every team that wants to get to the promised land has to deal with at one point or another, and deal with it. And if you can’t, you’re not championship-worthy.”

Hughes, placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, had tests that revealed a stress fracture in the ninth rib on his right side. He will be shut down for four weeks and then re-evaluated. Cashman said the team probably can’t expect the 21-year-old right-hander back before July.

Hughes is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA in six outings this year, an alarming start for a touted youngster who was expected to be a key member of New York’s rotation.

“His fastball command has been uncommonly off. Now we get an idea why,” Cashman said.

Still, Hughes refused to offer the injury as an explanation or excuse for his struggles.

“I really don’t think it was an issue in my performance,” he said. “Subconsciously, I may have been doing something different or whatever. But it’s still something that I want to work out as far as performing well when I get back.”

When the Yankees put Hughes on the DL, they initially said he had a strained right oblique muscle. Both he and the team were surprised to receive a more serious prognosis.

“At least for me, I was in disbelief,” Hughes said. “I was expecting to get the results of the MRI and have some small muscle strain or something like that. For it to be this, especially with the way things are going pitching-wise and everything else, it’s just not a fun time right now.”

Read the full story here.

2008-04-30T09:31:00.002-04:00

Alex Rodriguez is going on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right quadriceps, leaving the New York Yankees without two of their most important players.

Rodriguez joins injured catcher Jorge Posada on the DL. The Yankees are waiting for additional opinions on Posada’s ailing throwing shoulder before determining whether he needs surgery.

A three-time AL MVP, Rodriguez was sent for an MRI exam Tuesday that revealed a Grade 2 strain. He was put on the DL for the first time since July 2000 with Seattle, when he had a strained right knee.

This is Rodriguez’s fifth career trip to the disabled list.

“If it’s a Grade 2, it’s going to be at least the two weeks. That’s why we’re doing it,” general manager Brian Cashman said.

The Yankees said it hadn’t yet been determined whether Rodriguez would officially be placed on the disabled list Tuesday or Wednesday. Regardless, his stint on the DL can begin Tuesday because the team played without him—and Posada—in a 6-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

Rodriguez has been bothered by the injury since getting hurt April 20 in Baltimore. The third baseman missed three games last week, then returned for a four-game series at Cleveland. But he was removed for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning of Monday night’s 5-2 win over the Indians and said he felt a “pull” while running the bases.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the team was surprised to learn the strain was so severe. Rodriguez was not available to reporters after Tuesday night’s loss.

“He’s a hard guy to replace,” Girardi said. “We have to find a way to get it done.”

Morgan Ensberg started in Rodriguez’s place at third base Tuesday night.

“Hopefully, it’ll be no more than the 15 days,” Cashman said. “But we’ve got to get it right.”

2008-04-28T13:36:00.002-04:00

We expected this, so here it is:

From the NY Post

CLEVELAND - The Yankees are about to find out how valuable Jorge Posada is to them, and how long they will be without their All-Star catcher.

When Posada couldn't throw minutes before today's 1-0 win over the Indians at Progressive Field he was scratched and replaced by Jose Molina.

Afterward Posada went on the disabled list for the first time in his career because of a barking right shoulder he wants Dr. James Andrews to inspect. That could mean surgery, which could bring an extended absence.

Posada, who will undergo a second MRI exam (likely Tuesday), didn't start behind the plate from April 9 to April 22 because of what was diagnosed by three doctors - including Andrews and team physician Stuart Hershon - as a strained right shoulder. When the Yankees were in Boston (April 11-13) there was talk of a muscle tear in the labrum area that Posada denied to The Post in St. Petersburg on April 14. According to a Red Sox source, a Boston team doctor injected Posada with a cortisone shot on April 12, but Posada denied that was the case.

"I hope what we are dealing with is nothing new, but I don't know if it's new, different, something that was missed or something prior," said GM Brian Cashman, who was putting a list of possible replacements together. "Anything is open."

If surgery is required, the first season of Posada's four-year, $52.4 million contract could be over. He had surgery on the same shoulder after the 2001 season.

"I tried to play catch, couldn't throw and shut it down," said a dejected Posada, who made one strong throw to second base Saturday. "We are going to find out what's bothering me. We have to be smart about this. It's not getting any better. The MRI showed a strained muscle, but I think it's more than that."

Posada, whose eyes moistened while he talked, is so concerned the problem is serious that he said he was sorry for getting hurt.

"I apologize to the Yankees. I signed a good contract," said Posada, who is hitting .302 with a homer and 11 RBIs in 18 games (seven as a DH).

Because Chad Moeller was designated for assignment Friday, the Yankees were looking into seeing if they could get him back. Nevertheless, Cashman said he wasn't optimistic that could happen.

"I suspect that can't happen until the middle of next week," Cashman said. "My gut tells me that's not an immediate choice."

Chris Stuart, who caught the first of two Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A) games yesterday, will be called up to join the team tonight to back up Molina.

How much time Posada will miss will determine what type of catcher the Yankees try to get. Mike DiFelice is at Durham (Rays' Triple-A team) and has an out in his contract if he gets a major league offer. Josh Paul is catching for Round Rock (Astros' Triple-A squad) and Doug Mirabelli is a free agent after getting cut by the Red Sox.

Texas recalled Jarrod Saltalamacchia this weekend and is expected to renew efforts to deal Gerald Laird. Arizona's Miguel Montero is off the disabled list and that makes Robby Hammock available.

"It's huge," Alex Rodriguez said of losing Posada. "We count on him for so many things. It's hard to replace Jorge."

2008-04-24T08:08:00.003-04:00

The Yankees looked much better against the White Sox than the Orioles this week. The Bombers seemed flat last weekend versus the Orioles. Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi are still battling their season long slumps. At least Jason has showed a little pop every now and then...plus he continues to draw the walk. Robinson is hitting the ball hard, but usually right at someone on the opposition.

Mike Mussina's ON/OFF season continues as he pitched a nice game last night. He passed Hall of Famer Bob Gibson with his 242nd ML win. If it had not been for Jorge Posada, the Moose would have been jerked earlier. Manager Joe Girardi was ready to go to the bullpen for LaTroy Hawkins, but Jorge stood up for his pitcher. Mussina threw seven strong innings needing just 101 pitches. Hawkins came in the eight and threw gasoline everywhere getting just one batter out and allowing the ChiSox back in the game. I wonder how much longer Hawkins can hang on with the Yankees as these performances continue. I thought Brian Cashman had learned his lesson with these "National League" type relievers.

I love Mariano Rivera. He just looks much older this season than in the past. Mo picked up his 6th save of the season (another multi-inning save). I wonder how this extra work will affect Mo if these multiple inning appearances continue.

Also....from the New York Post:

Based on a conversation Alex Rodriguez had with hitting coach Kevin Long, Joe Girardi expects to see Alex Rodriguez at US Cellular Field tonight.
Nevertheless, the smart money isn't on Rodriguez returning to the lineup because of a strained right quadricep muscle.
"I don't have plans to play him but I didn't have plans to play Derek [Jeter] the day I did," Girardi said.
Before last night's 6-4 win over the White Sox, Girardi said the chances of Rodriguez, who has been in Miami since Monday for the birth of his second daughter, were long.
"I would be shocked if he played [tonight]," Girardi said. "We have to make sure he doesn't push it too much, too early."
According to GM Brian Cashman, who didn't speak with Rodriguez yesterday, Rodriguez was slated to receive treatment at the University of Miami.
"All I know is that Joe Girardi told me he was looking at the Cleveland series [to play]," Cashman said.

2008-04-20T23:42:00.002-04:00

The Yankees have been preparing for life without Alex Rodriguez, who is expected to miss a day or two in the next week in order to be with his wife as they welcome their second daughter into the world.

But the Bombers might be without the services of the AL MVP for longer than they anticipated, as Rodriguez suffered a strained right quad in Sunday's 7-1 victory over the Orioles.

"It's a little sore, a little tight," Rodriguez said. "Of course I'm concerned. Any time you have any type of ill feeling, you've got some concern."

The injury - the latest malady to beset the Bombers during the season's first three weeks - put a damper on a winning day for the Yankees.

Andy Pettitte took a perfect game into the fifth inning, providing some rest for the staff with seven shutout innings, to help snap the team's three-game losing streak. Derek Jeter doubled twice and drove in three runs, while Johnny Damon belted a two-run homer to give the Yankees some breathing room.

After the game, A-Rod's injury was the focal point.

"That's a big blow," Pettitte said. "I have no idea, but you come out with a strained quad, I'd say he's going to be out for a few days. We just have to pick up the slack."

"Hopefully Rod will be just a couple of days," Jason Giambi said. "Who knows, he's Superman, anyway. He might wake up (today) and feel great."

Click here for the full article from the New York Daily News.

2008-04-16T08:22:00.002-04:00

A quick two with Boston starts tonight. Wang vs Bucholz start game one at the Stadium. Wang is coming off his masterful complete game two-hitter at Boston last Friday night. Mussina and Beckett are slated for the finale tomorrow night. It will be interesting to see how Mussina holds up going against the same high-octane Red Sox 2 times within a span of six days.

Anyone still making sense of Girardi's strategy of pitching to Manny last Saturday with a base open? That may have very well cost the Yankees that game. Would Joe Torre have pitched to Manny? Doubtful....

Who's tired of Michael Kay on the YES Network? Too egotistical and always right in his mind. I miss Bobby Murcer and Kim Kaat doing the games. I do like David Cone's perspective. Paul O'Neill does a nice job as well.

Jose Molina, Posada's backup who was forced out of Sunday's game with a tight left hamstring, is getting closer to returning. Chad Moeller started for the second straight game last night against the Rays. Molina threw and took BP but was held back from running.

Yankee players will have their lockers cleaned out by clubhouse staff after tomorrow night's game in order to prepare for Pope Benedict XVI's Sunday visit to Yankee Stadium. While the Pope will dress in the umpire's room, the church's cardinals will use the Yankees clubhouse.

Jeff Karstens, who is on the DL with a groin injury, plans to start throwing off a bullpen mound this week. Humberto Sanchez and Andrew Brackman, who are rehabbing with Karstens in Tampa, also are throwing on the mound. They are coming back from Tommy John surgery.

Still unsure when Jorge Posada will be able to play. Posada said Monday he was considering taking a cortisone shot and was suspected of getting a shot Saturday night in Boston when a Red Sox doctor visited him in the Fenway Park trainer's room. He made 40 long tosses yesterday and 13 from a distance that was about the same as from home plate to second base. Those throws had life on them.

Joba is still out with no return date while visiting his ailing father. According to Girardi, who spoke with Chamberlain yesterday, there was slight improvement with Harlan, who was struck with polio before he was a year old and uses a motorized scooter to get around.

2008-04-14T08:25:00.002-04:00

BOSTON - The Yankees likely will be without Joba Chamberlain on Monday night in Tampa Bay, as the reliever left the team on Sunday night to tend to his ailing father.

According to sources, Harlan Chamberlain collapsed at his home in Lincoln, Neb. He was listed in critical condition at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln, a nursing supervisor there told the Daily News on Sunday night. Chamberlain learned the news after the Yankees' loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Chamberlain's sister called a Yankees official during the eighth inning in an attempt to reach Chamberlain, who was in the bullpen at the time.

After the game, a source said, Chamberlain returned the call, only to learn of his father's collapse.

Sources said Chamberlain broke down in tears inside the clubhouse, as manager Joe Girardi consoled him.

Asked about the situation, Girardi told The News, "Personal stuff stays in there," pointing to the clubhouse.

A team official said Chamberlain was not going to join the Yankees for their charter flight to Tampa on Sunday night, though he didn't know when the pitcher would be heading back to Nebraska.

Harlan Chamberlain has had a long history of medical problems, including polio and a burst appendix, and is confined to a motorized scooter. The 55-year-old was in New York for the Yankees' opening home stand, then attended last week's games in Kansas City, a three-hour drive from his home.

Harlan also made trips to watch Joba and the Yankees in Kansas City and the Bronx last season, when his son burst into prominence as a Yankee reliever, and became a popular figure around Yankee Stadium, with fans often calling out to him on his scooter. He was greeted warmly by Joe Torre last year and Joe Girardi this year, and particularly enjoyed getting the opportunity to speak with Reggie Jackson.

Harlan Chamberlain has struggled with his health, with the left side of his body slowly deteriorating, according to a story in the Daily Nebraskan last November. The paper said Harlan can no longer hear efficiently out of his left ear.

Harlan Chamberlain works as a prison counselor for the state of Nebraska and also as a ticket-taker at University of Nebraska sporting events.

Article Courtesy of New York Daily News

2008-04-13T22:19:00.005-04:00

The curse has been broken - out of the ground, that is.

A pair of hardhats working at the new Yankee Stadium dropped a dime on the location of a buried Red Sox jersey.

Beantown-loving construction worker Gino Castignoli, who lives in The Bronx, confessed to The Post last week that he buried a Red Sox slugger David Ortiz jersey at the site last summer while working at the stadium.

After reading about the traitorous act in The Post, the two workers approached a construction manager and said they remembered Castignoli, who only worked at the Stadium one day, and thought they knew where he must have placed the shirt.

They led the manager to a service corridor near the site of the planned Legends Club restaurant, behind home plate and toward the third base side.

After the hardhats pointed to the spot, workers brought out jackhammers and dug furiously for five hours, creating a 2-foot- by-3-foot, gravel-filled pit in their search for the tainted threads.

They spotted the jersey at 3:25 p.m. and called Yankee brass. The cursed shirt was about two feet deep in cement.

"They absolutely pinpointed that if it was in the ground, that's where it was," team spokeswoman Alice McGillion said, as she let The Post inspect the now partly buried shirt.

But the team declined to identify its latest heroes.

Said McGillion: "The workers came forward this morning and said that they thought if there was a shirt buried, this is where it was" - on the stadium's lowest level, behind where the field-level seats will be.

Truth be told, the jersey felt like a filthy rag - but the lettering of the word "RED" was plainly visible.

The Post first revealed Castignoli's dirty deed Friday. Then yesterday, the Boston-loving boob said he hid it along the third-base line.

Cabrera, Duncan suspended 3 games each; Gomes 2 games

NEW YORK (AP)—Yankees center fielder Melky Cabrera and first baseman Shelley Duncan were suspended for three games each for their roles in Wednesday’s spring-training fracas between New York and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tampa outfielder Jonny Gomes was suspended for two games Friday. All three players were fined along with Yankees manager Joe Girardi, third-base coach Bobby Meacham and hitting coach Kevin Long.

The suspensions, unless appealed, will start at the beginning of the regular season.

Bob Watson, baseball’s vice president for discipline, cited Duncan for “violent and reckless actions, which incited the bench-clearing incident,” and penalized Cabrera for “violent and aggressive actions during the incident.” Gomes was suspended for “violent actions, which escalated” the situation.

Benches cleared during the second inning of Wednesday’s game, four days after Girardi complained about Tampa Bay’s aggressive play after a collision at the plate that injured catcher Francisco Cervelli.

Duncan slid into Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura with spikes raised after hitting a hard grounder off third baseman Evan Longoria’s glove and trying to advance to second base on the play.

Duncan, thrown out by at least 10 feet, was immediately tossed. Gomes was ejected after racing in from right field and barreling into Duncan as other players poured onto the field. No punches appeared to have been thrown as order was restored.

2008-03-12T14:40:00.001-04:00

Well, now it is an issue:

March 12, 2008 -- The Yankees and Rays exploded into a mini-brawl today at Progress Energy Park, with a total of four players and coaches ejected.
It was a follow-up to Saturday's episode, in which Tampa Bay's Elliot Johnson crashed into Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli at the plate, breaking Cervelli's wrist. Afterward, Joe Girardi was upset about the play, and he and Tampa Bay coach Don Zimmer made conflicting comments about whether it was an acceptable play in an exhibition game.
There was a question whether there might be a carryover today, and there was.
In the bottom of the first inning, Yankees pitcher Heath Phillips hit Rays batter Evan Longoria with a pitch, and Phillips was immediately ejected by home plate umpire Chad Fairchild.
In the top of the second, Shelley Duncan attempted to leg out a double, and sure enough, there was a play at second base. Duncan slid high into Akinori Iwamura, cleats up, and was called out. But following the slide, Tampa Bay right fielder Jonny Gomes raced in and shoved Duncan.
That set things off, and there was a huge scrum on the infield with both teams, with Zimmer actually walking onto the field eventually. There appeared to be some pushing and shoving before the teams walked off. As they walked off, someone on Tampa Bay was yelling at the Yankees' side, though it's unclear who that was or who specifically his target was.
Girardi and Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon met with the umpires between the mound and home. Play eventually resumed, but Duncan and Gomes were ejected, along with Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long and third base coach Bobby Meachem.
The next question is whether there will be fines and/or suspensions.
Ironically, before the game Zimmer told The Post, "There's no hard feelings between Joe Girardi and I."