Today in Tampa, Alex Rodriguez was asked about the comments Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine made yesterday regarding the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. More specifically he was asked about Valetine’s praise of Jason Varitek’s ability to “beat him up” in 2004. Rodriguez wisely decided he didn’t want to get into any trouble and delivered this gem to reporters:

“Like I said, I’m not going to win many battles here when it comes to words, especially against Bobby. But I will tell you this, I got my new press secretary that should be landing in the next couple days, Reggie Jackson, so I’ll let him handle that. All right? Thanks.”

Then, he walked away from his locker without further comment.

Classic.

It’s not even March and new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is already trying to insert himself into the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry by saying some silly stuff.

Valentine came out and complimented soon to be retiring Red Sox captain Jason Varitek for “beating up A-Rod” – of course Bobby made no mention of the fact that Varitek actually didn’t win that fight. He also neglected to bring up the fact that Varitek used his glove to fight A-Rod – ooh so tough – and that he also grabbed Alex’s gonads in the skirmish.

Then Valentine brought up Derek Jeter’s flip play from the 2001 Division Series against the Oakland A’s. He said the play wasn’t necessary and that he doesn’t believe the Yankees ever practiced (the play). He also thinks Jeremy Giambi was safe. He very well may have been safe but Giambi was called out. Also, the A’s had two more games to put the Yankees away in that series and they didn’t.

What year are we in right now? Right, it’s 2012 and Bobby Valentine is bringing up events from eight and 10 years ago respectively.

So yes, have fun with him Red Sox Nation. I’m pretty sure you’ll want Valentine and his big mouth gone by June.

Are you hearing James Brown in your head right now? Good, because that was my intent. If you aren’t, you’re too young to get my reference and I hate you. I’m just kidding.

Anyway, Joba Chamberlain did some throwing today. He threw 10 pitches on flat ground and then threw 16 off the mound.

Some quotes from Joba:

“Yeah, it really is in the whole realm of things. They fixed what was there, and then Dr. Andrews went ahead and added some extra strength to it. It’s a new arm for me. That’s how I feel. It’s a new year and a whole new chapter of what I would like to accomplish here to help this team.”

When talking about the time frame of his recovery, Chamberlain backed off from his initial statement about his comeback. Now he’s a little more cautious knowing that setbacks can occur.

“Is it realistic? Yes, but also all the other times, do you err on the side of caution and say three or four months? Yeah, because if something does happen, you’ve planned for that and understand that it can’t go perfect every time,” he said. “You have to put that in the back of your mind that there could be something that comes up, but you prepare to be done before that.”

Okay, everyone, cross your fingers. Having Joba back in the bullpen mid-season, at full strength, would be amazing. With their rotation and bullpen, the 2012 Yankees are capable of great things – barring injuries of course.

Good afternoon Yankee fans! Here are some quick hits for you.

Look who was in Tampa! Andy Pettitte took the Yankees up on their offer to come to Spring Training to act as a guest instructor. I’ll admit it’s nice to see him but at the same time it’s also depressing. According to those in the know, Pettitte is enjoying retirement and has no plans to return.

The Yankees finalized their deal with Eric Chavez today. It’s a one year $900,000 contract and Chavez can earn as much as $3.05M in bonuses based on his plate appearances.

From the AP:

The 34-year-old, a six-time Gold Glove winner, hit .263 with two homers and 26 RBIs last year, starting 33 games at third and playing a bit at first. He broke a bone in his left foot on May 5 after just 17 games and didn’t return until July 26.

Chavez would make $50,000 for 75 plate appearances, $100,000 each for 100 and 150, $200,000 apiece for 200 and 250, $300,000 each for 300 and 350, $400,000 apiece for 400 and 450 and $500,000 each for 500 and 550.

The Yankees Spring Training pitching rotation has been set:

Saturday: Ivan Nova
Sunday: Freddy Garcia
Monday: Michael Pineda
Tuesday: CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes
Wednesday: Hiroki Kuroda

There will be live baseball in five days! And YES will broadcast Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Finally, today is photo day and in what’s becoming a yearly tradition, most of the Yankee players look horrific in their pictures. Not only that, they set up one of the picture taking stations in the bathroom. Yes, the New York Yankees stood amongst urinals and sinks to take official photos. I realize this happens from time to time but you have to admit, it is amusing.

Good morning Yankee fans! It’s Monday February 27, 2012 and this is your daily rundown. Spring Training is underway and so far, so good for the Yankees. Everyone is in camp, everyone is healthy – so far – and there hasn’t been any drama.

We’re not even out of the month of February and already, the Yankees have been projected by the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino’s Superbook to lead the league with 93.5 wins in 2012. I’m not sure how the half win works but let’s go with it. They’re in the lead ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies projected to have 93, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers both projected to have 92.5 wins. The defending World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals are only projected to have 83 wins. The reasoning behind the Yankees finish are the two newest members of the starting rotation, Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda. Also helping the Yankees was getting rid of A.J. Burnett.

Joba Chamberlain will be throwing off a full mound tomorrow. Good news for both the Yankees and Chamberlain and hopefully all goes well. Other pitchers in the league have not had luck coming back from injuries. Poor Joel Zumaya may have to retire after tearing his UCL.

Nick Swisher is not thinking about a contract extension but what he will talk about is how he wants to take over the pie throwing duties from the departed A.J. Burnett:

“You know, A.J. was a good buddy of mine and he was a good buddy of all the guys in here. Sad to see him go, wish him the best of luck. But hey man, we’re going to have to keep something going, because people in New York want pie!”

He was asked what would happen if he was the one to get the walk off hit and he answered by asking, “Can you pie yourself?” I’m sure if anyone can do it, Nick Swisher can.

Here are a few pieces for you to read from the Yankee blogging universe:

Rebecca Glass at Pinstriped Bible writes about the aging Yankee offense, specifically Alex Rodriguez. Aging sucks, I should know. I’m up there with the ‘soon to be pretty old’ Derek Jeter.

In case you missed it, Steve Sciacco of the Yankee Analysts makes his case for Joba the starter. It really is amazing how long that argument has been raging.

Another thing you may have missed, a piece in which Chad Jennings of the Lohud Yankees blog takes a look at the non-roster position players. You’ll learn a lot about guys you probably never heard of.

Dear Alex,

I’m going to start this by saying that this has nothing to do with how you are acting at all. In fact, you’ve been great so far in Spring Training but please, for the love of God, just stop talking to the media because no matter what you say or how you say it, some of them will always turn it into something else.

It could be the most innocent of comments, or the most honest of answers to a simple question they’ve asked and certain members of the media will take it upon themselves to psychoanalyze you, twist your words or just make fun of you no matter what you say or do.

And I have to say Alex, you have definitely improved in the way you answer those questions. There used to be a time when Yankee fans would collectively cringe whenever you spoke to the media. Now, there’s a sense of pride in how far you’ve come. You joke around, you seem more relaxed and you’re definitely not as rehearsed as you’ve been in the past.

We are also extremely thankful that the ‘Foot in Mouth’ crown has been handed to Lebron James of the Miami Heat and we’d really like to keep it that way.

Still, I think it would be best if you would realize who you are talking to. Just be mindful that some of them seem to have weird obsessions with you and never have nice things to say about you, no matter what you do.

Anyway, good luck this season Alex. Hopefully you can stay healthy, quiet some of those doubters and help lead the Bombers to championship number 28.

Yours truly,
Stace

P.S. I know you offered Jeremy Lin your couch but I could really use a place to crash in Manhattan too. Could you help a sister out? Thanks.

This morning, I was watching “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner,” the Academy Award winning film which stars Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier. I was looking at the fashions, the decor, the hairstyles and I was thinking about what it would be like to live back then. The film was released in 1967 so I wondered, “Hmm, how did the Yankees do in 1967?”

I knew the answer wasn’t going to be a positive one. By the time the mid 1960′s rolled around, the once dominant New York Yankees were a shell of their former self. They changed ownership in 1964 when CBS purchased the franchise for $11.2M. You’re not seeing things, the whole franchise was worth $11.2M which is crazy to think about now.

In 1965, the Yankees finished in the Second Division for the first time in 40 years. Back then, the word “division” had more to do with rankings within the leagues. Teams who were ranked in the top 50% of a league – American or National – were said to have finished in the first division, while the rest were in the second division. The Yankees finished in the first division from 1926-1964, a record setting 39 years. Another team who had a long string of good finishes were the Chicago Cubs who finished in the first division 20 years in a row (1947-1966).

Do you remember how in 2008 flabbergasted people were when the Yankees didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years? Now imagine how Yankees fans in the 1960′s felt. Their teams were always on top or at least near it for almost four full decades. That’s an incredible run and unfortunately for Yankees fans, they still hadn’t seen the worst of it.

So back to my initial question: How did the Yankees do in 1967? Well, the answer is, they were pretty dreadful.

» Continue reading “A Walk Down Memory Lane: The 1967 Yankees”

While speaking with reporters today in Tampa, Derek Jeter discussed the possibility of retirement. Jeter says he has no plans to retire but also said he would walk away from the game if he could no longer perform in the Major Leagues at a high level.

Jeter will be 38 years-old this June and is entering his 18th season – holy cow – with the Yanks.

“If I didn’t think I was capable of playing the game at a high level, then I would go home. If I wasn’t enjoying myself, enjoying the competition, then it would be time to go home. Right now, I think I’m capable and I’m going to enjoy myself. I can’t comment on what would force me to retire or go home or stop playing. I have a lot of confidence and I have always had a lot of confidence. If that starts to waver, then I wouldn’t do it.”

Happy Position Players Report Day! That’s right, today’s the day position players report to Yankee camp in Tampa which means we will soon be hearing about who showed up first, who showed up last, who was wearing what and all of that good stuff.

I don’t know about you but I am so relieved that this day is finally here. And no offense to the pitchers and catchers but for me, today’s the day that Spring Training really starts.

When I was working full time I couldn’t wait for today. I’d search google, yahoo, and various websites for pictures of the guys arriving to camp. I’d ‘right click and save as’ a whole bunch of them and then make a Spring Training slideshow for my work computer’s screensaver.

Ahh the good old days.

The big talk around baseball today has nothing to do with our New York Yankees. It’s all about Ryan Braun’s successful steroid ban appeal and the aftermath. There is a lot of information and now there’s word that MLB is looking to sue to get the decision overturned. For once, the Yankees are under the radar so to speak but that doesn’t mean they’re completely out of the news.

Here are some Spring Training photos from Tampa courtesy of Newsday.

Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York reports that the Yankees have discussed restructuring Russell Martin’s current contract. GM Brian Cashman said Martin turned down the first offer but will be meeting with Martin’s agent again to discuss more options.

Both Michael Eder and Michael Imbrogno of the Yankee Analysts thinks the Yankees are wise in trying to extend Martin and think it’s the right move.

The captain, Derek Jeter, met with the media this morning, wearing a t-shirt that says “Greatest” across the chest. Maybe it’s an homage to Mariano Rivera? He discussed a myriad of subjects ranging from the current state of the AL East to Rivera to Michael Pineda.

Happy Friday everyone!

Former Yankees outfielder, designated hitter and Manager Lou Pinella will be joining the YES Network as a special contributor.

Via Bryan Hoch of mlb.com:

According to a press release, Piniella will provide Yankees game and studio analysis on YES, will be involved in the network’s Spring Training and potential post-season coverage, and will contribute to YES special event programming.

Piniella will also be at Yankees Spring Training in Tampa as a special instructor.

I love this move. Lou Piniella is in the group of players who were with the team when I first started watching baseball and I’m so glad he’s coming back to the Yankees’ family.