Jeter Laces 'Em Up For Last Opening Day

Opening Day is a magical time in baseball. Check that, it's a magical time in life. Despite all the crappy weather we've endured in the northeast - not all the snow has melted yet - it feels like it's 80 degrees and sunny when baseball starts. (And if you must, you can crank the heat up to 80 degrees in your living room).

This year though, the opener feels weird, and not just because it's in Houston. I will stop thinking Houston is still in the National League. I will stop thinking Houston is still in the National League. I will stop thinking Houston is still in the National League.

It's the last season opener for Derek Jeter. What? Get out of here. He's like, what..30, 31 tops, right? How did the skinny kid with the fade haircut and the supermodel on his arm get to be the solid, nearly faded-hairline, 40-year old (in June) with the supermodel on his arm?

Though I hate the phrase, "the core four" (not as much as "Quan-Gor-Mo"), Jeter is the last of the quad to be in the lineup and that ends this year.  We lost Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte to retirement last year. Just like that, two of the three remaining "Fantastic Four" joined Jorge Posada in street clothes. (Mo would definitely be Mr. Fantastic in that superhero reboot.)

You hear people, especially Joe Torre, wear out the word "special" in describing Jeter, but his play on the field and how carries himself off of it, have been just that. From his rookie-Opening Day  home run and over the shoulder catch to the flip play to his dive in the stands to his passing Lou Gehrig as the Yankees all-time hits leader to his 3,000th hit and of course his five World Series rings. And of course there is his Turn-2 Foundation.

Could there be a ring number six in the last hurrah? It's going to be tough, though he has a lot better chance than Mariano and Pettitte had last year. The Yankees spent a boatload this winter to re-energize the team, just as they did after the 2008 post-season swing and a miss.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Masahiro Tanaka, and Carlos Beltran woke the Yankees' payroll department out of their 2013 slumber. The pitching staff of CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, Tanaka, and Michael Pineda could be fantastic, if all are healthy, Sabathia learns to pitch with less speed, and Tanaka is the real deal.

The Yankees offense should be good, but again, health is a big issue, particularly when discussing Ellsbury. Beltran's knees are another matter for concern as well and of course, there's Mark Teixeira's wrist.

There's also no Robinson Cano, which is still weird to me. He's already getting obliterated by Yankees fans for leaving, which is as hypocritical as it can get since the Yankees have thrown their money around for years. No Yankees fans complained about that and they shouldn't when the reverse happens.

But back to Jeter. My thoughts are much the same as with Rivera last year. Enjoy every moment, whether good or bad. It's his last time around the diamond.

Be sure to check out Designated for Assignment for Jim Monaghan's discussion with Harold Reynolds on Derek Jeter.

1 Game In and I'm Already Sick of Hearing About A-Rod

There's no such thing as smooth sailing with A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez has been practically invisible this off-season, except for occasional pictures and comments here and there about his recovery from hip surgery.

Of course, he just had to be at Yankee Stadium for the "glorious majesty" of the home opener. And then he sat on the bench, wasn't introduced, and ate sunflower seeds all day. Most fans probably didn't even know he was in the ballpark and that was just fine with the Yankees and with A-Rod.

Talk radio picked up on it quickly though and Michael Kay wondered aloud why A-Rod wasn't introduced if he was there. Mark Teixeira is on the DL, but he was introduced.  Kay was going to try to find out at the "Welcome Home" dinner that night if it was the Yankees or A-Rod's decision.

According to Yankees PR chief Jason Zillo it was all A-Rod.

Rodriguez told reporters he didn’t “need to be introduced to feel like I’m part of this team.” Asked if he wanted to be introduced, Rodriguez said, “I’ll tell you what – when I get introduced, I want to be on the field and not look back.”

And this is with him not playing..what fun.

For Sweet Lou, Life's a Pitch

Lou  Piniella, the fiery former Major League baseball player, manager, and general manager is enjoying his retirement these days. He's providing color commentary on a handful of Yankees games on the YES Network and will be throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day (4/1) when the Yankees start their season against the Boston Red Sox.

Sweet Lou spent parts of 18 years in the big leagues, the final 11 with the Yankees (1974-1984). In a steal of a deal, Piniella came to the Yankees from Kansas City with pitcher Ken Wright for reliever Lindy McDaniel. He split time between the corner outfields and DH, hit .295 as a Yankee and won two World Series titles.

He managed the Yankees in 1986 and 1987 (179-145) and was then moved up to general manager so George Steinbrenner could bring Billy Martin back as manager yet again. Of course, Martin didn't make it to the end of the season (fired on 6/23) and Piniella finished out the season as manager with a 45-49 record. Steinbrenner fired Piniella in favor of Dallas Green (still shaking my head at that move, but Syd Thrift's hire as Senior VP of baseball operation was an even worse replacement for Piniella).

Piniella went on to manage the Cincinnati Reds (World Series title in 1990), Seattle Mariners (AL record 116 wins), Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Chicago Cubs.  Piniella was going to step down after the 2010 season, but left after 125 games to be with his critically ill mother.

Yankees, Red Sox Step Up While Congress Cowers

It will be a long time before the tragedy at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, CT. can be thought of without feeling crushing pain and a tremendous sense of loss. It's also started a battle between gun advocates and anti-gun individuals.

I am going to only speak briefly about the political side of this - Our representatives in Washington, D.C. are an embarrassment to our country. A majority of cowards that care more for getting re-elected, having power, and taking kickbacks from groups like the National Rife Association than doing the right thing.  Congress hit a new low when it removed the assault weapons ban from a new bill that will increase the difficulty in legally obtaining a gun. Enough about those spineless bastards and scum of the earth lobbyists.

Newtown, CT is a town that probably most of us never heard of until 11 days before Christmas last year when a deranged gunmen killed six members of the faculty and 20 first grade students. A horror that words can't do justice to.

Since that awful day on December 11, many organizations and individuals have tried to help ease the pain felt by the Newtown community. The NFL honored the victims, the school's choir appeared on the Christmas episode of Saturday Night Live, and now it is MLB's turn to step up. (Shortly after the shooting, Derek Jeter called the mother of one the teachers killed.)

Since Connecticut has a large number of both Yankees and Red Sox fans, it's appropriate that the two should share in honoring the victims and their families as well as the survivors of the massacre.

From the Wall St. Journal:

Pregame ceremonies include a joint honor guard of Newtown police and firefighters, and a moment of silence at which time a list of the victims' names will be recognized on the center-field scoreboard.

"On opening day, we will reflect upon more important things and the play the game to honor the community of Newtown," Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. "Since the day of the tragedy, our hearts and thoughts have been with those who were affected."

Commissioner Bud Selig has also asked all 30 teams to wear a special ribbon for their opening games. In addition to the Opening Day ceremonies, the Yankees have invited 3,000 people from Newtown to attend "Newtown Day at Yankee Stadium" on July 7.

Hopefully all of these gestures will help the town get back to some kind of normalcy, because nothing will ever be the same again.

Can You Feel It? | Baseball Digest

Can You Feel It? | Baseball Digest

It is the stretch of time, not Christmas, that some consider to be the most wonderful time of the year. I am of course talking about the first two weeks of the baseball season, and more specifically, Opening Day. It is one of the rites of spring, right up there with spotting the first robin and rainfall. There’s something distinctly different about Opening Day than all other days, including the post-season. There’s a distinct buzz in the air and in the ball park that is palatable. Some of these homes to baseball will beg for fans during the regular season, but for the most part they’ll sell out or nearly sell out their home opener.

The fans are loud well before the first pitch is thrown and the first beer and hot dog have been sold. Discussions on the pitching rotation, the lineup, the manager, the hated rivals. It doesn’t matter if it’s grey and 35 degrees; it feels sunny and warm (though if you were sitting in the Bronx on Thursday you might disagree).

Click here to read the rest of Baseball Digest's 2011 MLB Preview.

Albert Pujols Alex Rodriguez Derek Jeter Mariano Rivera Felix Hernandez Tim Lincecum Troy Tulowitzki Prince Fielder Ryan Braun Adrian Gonzalez Jon LesterCC Sabathia Carlos Beltran Jose Reyes

This Is Granderson Land

Right up until yesterday the Yankees worried that Curtis Granderson might miss the start of the season due to the oblique he strained back on March 22. But after playing in a minor league game yesterday, Granderson was good to go and the Yankees are thankful.

The center fielder tested his side immediately, diving to catch a line drive off the bat of Will Rhymes in the 1st inning. Granderson then drilled a second deck home run off former Yankee Phil Coke to snap a 3-3 tie in the 7th and the Yankees went on to a 6-3 win.

If the Yankees were following a script, they nearly did to a "t". Starter CC Sabathia matched Tigers starter Justin Verlander, going six innings with three runs allowed. Joba Chamberlain threw a scoreless 7th, Rafael Soriano did likewise in the 8th in his first Yankees appearance, and Mariano Rivera notched his first save on a called third strike of Alex Avila to end the 9th.

The Yankees trailed 1-0, but with two aboard in the bottom of the 3rd, Mark Teixeira blasted a 3-run home run. He had been just 1-17 against Verlander prior to the at-bat. But Brandon Inge delivered a two out RBI in the 4th and Miguel Cabrera picked up his first RBI in the 5th on a sacrifice fly to tie things up.

After Granderson's home run, Russell Martin, who earlier had his first hit, reached on an Inge error. The Yankees new starting catcher move to second on a Brett Gardner bunt, moved to third on a wild pitch by Ryan Perry and came home on a Derek Jeter sac fly. Nick Swisher would add an 8th inning RBI single for the final tally.

But this game belong to Granderson, who also added a long over the shoulder catch to his stellar day.

Notes

Mike Mussina threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Ken Singleton gave everyone a good laugh when he accidentally called Tigers 2nd baseman Will Rhymes, "Busta Rhymes (the rapper).

Robinson Cano made the Yankees lone error when he dropped an underhand toss covering 1st base. Last season Cano had an 81 game error-less streak.

Russell Martin had a hit, stole a base, and called/caught a good game.

It's Here...Um....Maybe

It's Opening Day at last! We made it. Give yourselves all a pat on the back and a congratulatory round of applause. But it's not going to be an easy day. Never mind that CC Sabathia and the Yankees will be locked in a battle with Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers. The weather, she not look so good.

Weather.com forecasts a 35% chance of rain at game time (1:05 pm EDT), increasing to 65% by 3 pm. It then goes between 50% and 60% for the next couple of hours before the skies open up for the rest of the night at 7 pm.

Now normally you would be done by 7 pm but as we have seen in the past, there have been some very long, obnoxious rain delays at Yankee Stadium. My brother and I were among those who sat through a 2 hour monsoon last year. The problem is that Friday's day off looks even worse, so the guess here is that the game will get in. Whether (or in this case maybe it should be weather) or not it's a full game remains to be seen.

Today's Yankees lineup should be as follows:

LF Brett Gardner
SS Derek Jeter
3B Alex Rodriguez
1B Mark Teixeira
2B Robinson Cano
RF Nick Swisher
DH Jorge Posada
CF Curtis Granderson *
C Russell Martin

* = Good news.

As expected, Pedro Feliciano landed on the DL. Luis Ayala beat out Steve Garrison for the final spot in the bullpen, leaving Boone Logan as the lone lefty, and Gustava "not a real" Molina will be the back up to Martin at catcher.

The starting lineup for the Tigers is as follows:

CF Austin Jackson
2B Will Rhymes
RF Magglio Ordoñez
1B Miguel Cabrera
DH Victor Martinez
LF Ryan Raburn
SS Jhonny Peralta
3B Brandon Inge
C Alex Avila

FullCountPitch - Opening Day Memories

Later this week, another set of Opening Day games will be upon us. (Notice I capitalized both words. The opening of the baseball season should be a national holiday; after all, it is the national pastime.) Even though your team may open the season on the road, it truly is not Opening Day until the home opener. Nothing is better when the season and home openers coincide. Having to wait a week for your home opener is just maddening. Whether you actually go to the game, watch it on television/computer or listen to it on the radio/computer, it’s one of the best days of the year.

It’s the kind of day when Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes hits three home runs to open the Cubs’ 1994 season. The day that a future Hall of Fame member, Bob Feller, no-hit the Chicago White Sox in 1940.

It is the day your team is as good as any other team. It doesn’t matter if you end up 30 games under .500 after 162 contests; on Opening Day all things are equal. Pitchers’ ERAs are a perfect 0.00; batters can hit a 1.000. The stands are packed, the stadiums are in pristine condition, and everyone is nice. It’s a party; it’s a happening. And nothing is more disappointing than losing on Opening Day. Your team isn’t going 162-0, but 0-1 is just an ugly way to start the year.

Let me share some of my favorite and/or most memorable New York Yankees Opening Days with you.

Click here to read the rest of this free article at FullCountPitch.Com

Andy Pettitte Hideki Matsui Reggie Jackson Mickey Mantle Roger Maris Paul O'Neill Wade Boggs

Ring-A-Ling-A-Ling

It was a very festive opening day in the Bronx yesterday. That's what you get when you hoist another championship banner and hand out World Series rings to the winning participants. Just another day in Yankee Stadium, albeit the first time in the House that George (and the city) built.


No part of the day may have been more poignant or worth celebrating more than the return of Yankees long time trainer Gene Monahan. We were told during Spring Training, which Monahan missed for the first time since 1972, that the man known as Geno was battling a serious illness. Mariano Rivera apparently let it slip during interviews yesterday that it is indeed some form of cancer. Monahan was very emotional, but in good spirits as he came out to accept his ring from manager Joe Girardi and special guests Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford. The YS crowd gave a well deserved standing ovation.

The biggest ovation of the day though went to a member of the Los Angeles Angels. "He's the Hideki you know"...Hideki Matsui, of course, got a huge standing, thank you ovation from the fans and got a group hug from his former teammates. He also got pranked. Derek Jeter orchestrated it all - fake rings given (a Spring Training promotion) to Godzilla and Nick Swisher. Neither even realized what was going on until Jeter and Rivera gave them the real rings.


Bernie Williams threw out the first pitch, though the YES Network nearly missed it coming back from commercial breaks. There was a military fly over and broadway star Kristen Chenoweth (who looked like she was trying to be Carrie Underwood's doppelganger) sang the National Anthem. Then it was time for baseball.


Starter Andy Pettitte was the perfect pick to pitch opening day. After all, he had been on the mound for the clinching win in each round of the 2009 post-season. He also quickly gave Matsui a reminder that he's no longer a Yankee. A first inning strikeout was part of an oh-fer for Godzilla on the day.

Nick Johnson smacked his first Stadium home run in the bottom of the 1st off Ervin Santana and Derek Jeter went deep in the third. The Captain added an RBI single in the 4th (hit #2757) and Alex Rodriguez's brought home two more in the sixth.

The Yankees would need every run they could get, because leading 7-1 in the 9th, David Robertson surrendered a grand slam to former Yankee Bobby Abreu. At least that way Rivera got to be part of the opener by picking up his 3rd save.

photos courtesy of Yahoo Sports

Notes

Jorge Posada is off to a hot start. He was 3-4 yesterday to raise his average to .429 and had a pair of doubles to move past Mickey Mantle for 7th place on the team's all-time doubles list. In typical Jorgie fashion, he also got thrown out at the plate.

Pettitte tossed six scoreless innings for his 1st win of the year and the 230th of his career and 193rd as a Yankee. It was also the 4th home opening win for Pettitte.

The loss had to be a minor thing for some of the Angels who had a tough day. Several of them witnessed a suicide from their hotel that morning. A former hotel employee jumped from the roof as the Angels were on their way out.

Not sure how long these will be up on Youtube, but a TOH to Zell's Pinstripe Blog for finding video of the ring ceremony.

We're On Our Way Home

Just a little over a half a day until the raising of the glorious 27th World Championship banner and the handing out of championship rings to the players, coaches, and front office personnel.

The Yankees arrived home after Sunday's 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The victory game the Bombers a 4-2 road trip that was comprised of series wins over both the Rays and the Boston Red Sox. Not a bad way to start the season.

Sunday's win was also big for A.J. Burnett, who had a rocky first outing in Boston and started out yesterday's game in shaky fashion. Burnett, the tattoed, pie smashing, right-hander allowed two first inning runs and admitted to not having confidence in his stuff. But Jorge Posada and pitching coach Dave Eiland helped settle him down and Burnett rewarded his teammates with six scoreless frames.

Alex Rodriguez hasn't homered yet, but he's getting darn close. A near miss in Boston, a near miss in Tampa. I expect him to break out any day now.

Posada and Nick Swisher both went deep on Sunday, with Posada's go-ahead shot coming against former teammate Randy Choate. Not the first time Yankees fans have witnessed a Choate failure.

In addition to the banner and ring presentations, one of tomorrow's highlight's will be Bernie Williams throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Now, Bernie hasn't offically ever announced a retirement date, but isn't time the Yankees front office set up a Bernie Williams Day? Retire #51, etc?
Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra (who I thought for sure would be throwing out the first pitch) will be on hand to present the rings. Ceremonies to kick off at 12:15. (thanks to the Star Ledger's Marc Carig for providing ceremony info. Click here to see the complete schedule of events).

An added bonus of tomorrow's opener is the opponent. Because the Yankees start their home schedule against the Los Angeles Angels, Hideki Matsui will be on hand to receive his ring. Godzilla is off to a great start in his new home. He's already had 2 game winning hits and is hitting .370 with a couple of home runs and 5 RBI.

Baseball is Back Baby

Despite the horror of losing the opener up in Boston, baseball is back. A fantastic opening day that saw new kids on the block, Godzilla striking in a new city, An MVP making his early MVP statement, and plenty of injured pitchers returning to the hill.

The new guy and the "old" guy everyone is talking about today though are Jason Heyward and Albert Pujols. Heyward, the Atlanta Braves phenom outfielder, hit his first major league home run in his first major league at bat - at the expense of Carlos Zambrano. And it was no wind blown shot either.



Pujols, meanwhile, was Pujols. 2 home runs, 3 RBI 4 runs scored. Just another day at the office for a guy whose contract next year could exceed Alex Rodriguez's (did I really just say that?).

Hideki Matsui will be sorely missed by Yankees fans and he reminded all of us of that fact last night. Batting against the Minnesota Twins, Godzilla went deep for his first Angels home run. And if you go back to the finale of the World Series, that is 3 home runs in the last 2 games he's played.

Former Yankees prospect Austin Jackson, dealt for Curtis Granderson, made his Tigers debut with a bunch of firsts. Double, hit, RBI, and run scored.

It was an up and down night for hurlers who missed the '09 season. Shaun Marcum breezed through the Rangers lineup before giving up a game tying 3-run home run to Nelson Cruz in the 7th. He ended up with no decision.

Ben Sheets had a rocky start in his Oakland A's debut, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, 4 hits and 4 walks in 5 innings. Sheets, who finished with 3 Ks, settled down after a shaky first couple of innings.

Johan Santana dominated Josh Josh Johnson and the Florida Marlins, 7-1. Santana allowed just 4 hits over 6 innings. Jake Westbrook would have liked those numbers, but the Indians pitcher got rocked for 5 runs, 5 hits, and issued 5 walks in just 4 innings of work. The Tribe fell to Mark Buerhle and the White Sox, 6-0.

The matchup of the day - which would be more interesting in mid-season, was the Tigers' Justin Verlander against reigning Cy Young Winner Zach Greinke of the Royals. Verlander (5 IP 4 ER) got no-decision and the Royals bullpen deprived Greinke (6 IP 1 ER) and the team of a win.

Yankees-Red Sox Opening Night Lineups

Courtesy of the NY Daily News' Mark Feinsand:

YANKEES

Derek Jeter, SS
Nick Johnson, DH
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Jorge Posada, C
Curtis Granderson, CF
Nick Swisher, RF
Brett Gardner, LF

CC Sabathia, LHP

RED SOX

Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Victor Martinez, C
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
J.D. Drew, RF
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Mike Cameron, CF
Marco Scutaro, SS

Josh Beckett, RHP

Opening Night Eve

Written for Baseball Digest:

With the final out in today’s New York Yankees vs. Future Stars game, the Yankees packed up their belongings in preparation for the trip north to Boston for tomorrow night’s opener with the Red Sox.

Joe Girardi and the Yankees fans got a good look at the future in players like Jesus Montero and Slade Heathcott and ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte in the unique intrasquad game. The Yankees, whose lineup featured minor leaguers on both sides by the time the game concluded, topped their future (hey, at least they didn’t destroy their future) 9-6.

With the regular season starting Sunday night, that also means it was time for the Yankees to pare down the roster. The 25-man roster to start the season looks like this:

Pitchers:

CC Sabathia
A.J. Burnett
Andy Pettitte
Javier Vazquez
Phil Hughes
Mariano Rivera
Joba Chamberlain
Sergio Mitre
Damaso Marte
Alfredo Aceves
David Robertson
Chan Ho Park

Catchers

Jorge Posada
Francisco Cervelli

Infielders

Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez
Robinson Cano
Mark Teixeira
Ramiro Pena
Nick Johnson

Outfielders

Curtis Granderson
Nick Swisher
Brett Gardner
Randy Winn
Marcus Thames

Manager Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman opted to go with Sergio Mitre as a long man in the pen rather than keep either Royce Ring or Boone Logan as a second left-hander in the bullpen. Either could still be called up quicky if Damaso Marte’s cranky shoulder proves detrimental to the team as it did last season.

There was a big change in the team’s catching depth as well. With Jorge Posada bothered by a stiff neck and Francisco Cervelli slowed by a sore hamstring, there was speculation that veteran catcher Mike Rivera might make the squad out of Tampa.

Not only didn’t Rivera make the team, he was on the verge of being released. Rivera became expendable after former Yankee Chad Moeller was released by the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees quickly scooped him up as well former Diamondbacks catcher Robbie Hammock, and signed the pair to minor league deals. Meanwhile Cervelli’s hamstring felt good enough for him to travel with the big squad.

Highs and Lows of Opening Day

While CC Sabathia and the Yankees would like to forget their opening day, they aren't the only ones.

It wasn't a good day for the aces:

Reigning CY Young Award winner Cliff Lee was tagged for 7 runs in 5 innings.

Tigers #1 starter Justin Verlander gave up 8 runs in 3.2 innings (and killed my fantasy team)

Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay won, but gave up 5 runs in 7 innings.

NL CY Young runner up Brandon Webb allowed 6 earned runs in 4 innings.


But it wasn't all bad.

The King, Felix Hernandez, allowed one run over 8 innings in the Mariners 6-1 win over the Twins.

Carlos Zambrano looked dynamite in his 6 innings of work in the Cubs 4-2 victory over the Astros.

Joe Saunders tossed 6.2 innings of 3-hit ball as the Angels blanked the A's 3-0.

Kevin Millwood tossed 7 innings of 5 hit ball as the Rangers crushed the Indians 9-1.

Hiroki Kuroda out pitched Jake Peavy as the Dodgers dropped the Padres 4-1.


The Hitting Heros

Arizona's Felipe Lopez and Tony Clark became just the second teammates, joining the Yankees Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada, to homer from each side of the plate. They also became the first teammates to perform the feat on opening day. (Are we the only ones who think of that unfortunate ground-rule double by Tony Clark in the 2004 ALCS, every time TC's name is mentioned?)

Toronto's Adam Lind had 4 hits and drove in a career high 6 runs. His big game included a home run.

Marlins' superstar shortstop Hanley Ramirez belted a grand slam and drove in 5 runs. Guess he got over having to get his hair cut.

Ken Griffey Jr. homered in his return to Seattle. That's 612 and counting.


The much anticipated debuts

The Mets new bullpen shone immediate. J.J. Putz pitched a scoreless eight inning, setting things up for Francisco Rodriguez's first "thank the big guy upstairs afterwards" save.

Jason Giambi went 0-3 for Oakland. Bobby Abreu was 1-4 in LA. Milton Bradley was 0-3 for Chicago. Pudge Rodriguez was 0-4 for Houston.


Are we a jinx?

Yesterday we picked CC Sabathia (12.46 ERA) for AL CY Young, Mark Teixeira (0-4) for AL MVP, and Jason Motte (1 IP 4 ER Blown Save, Loss) for NL Rookie of the Year.


It's a new day

Plenty more games on tap today, with the Royals-White Sox and Rays-Red Sox making up postponed openers.

CC Flops in Yankees Debut

photo courtesy of Getty Images

This is my recap for Baseball Digest of today's fiasco in Baltimore.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	0	0	1	0	0	2	2	0	0		5	11	0
Baltimore	0	0	3	0	3	0	0	4	X		10	14	0

WP - Guthrie, Bal (1-0) LP - Sabathia, NYY (0-1)
HR - Posada (1), Matsui (1), NYY, Izturis (1), Bal

CC Sabathia had a disasterous debut in pinstripes and the Baltimore Orioles embarrassed the Yankees 10-5 in front of a packed house in Orioles Park at Camden Yards. Sabathia couldn't locate his fastball and missed the strike zone all afternoon. He was charged with 6 earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched. He didn't strike out a batter and he walked 5 Orioles. To possibly make matters worse, television cameras showed him putting a heat pack on his rib cage between innings.

When asked about it during his post-game press conference, manager Joe Girardi said that Sabathia felt fine physically and it was "just one of those days".

Sabathia told reporters he was "just trying to stay warm", and that he was deeply disappointed by his performance.

Sabathia managed to get out of a jam in the first inning and was handed a 1-0 lead in the second on Johnny Damon's sacrifice fly. But after retiring the side in order in the second inning, it was all downhill for the big left-hander. Adam Jones' 2-run triple put the Orioles ahead for good and he later scored on Nick Markakis' sacrifice fly for a 3-1 Orioles lead.

After the Yankees stranded runners at the corners in the top of the fifth, the Orioles extended their lead in the home half of the inning. Brian Roberts led off with a ground-rule double and Jones followed with an infield single to put runners on the corners with no one out. With Jones running, Markakis hit a soft bouncer to the left side that Derek Jeter fielded, but couldn't make a play on. Melvin Mora reached on an infield single that was misplayed by Cody Ransom to load the bases.

Aubrey Huff's soft grounder resulted in a force out and another run crossed home plate for a 5-1 lead. After an intentional walk to Ty Wiggington, Sabathia walked Luke Scott, after being ahead 0-2, to force in a sixth run. It was the 96th and last pitch for Sabathia, who the Yankees hope doesn't have a repeat of the awful April (1-4, 7.76) he had with Cleveland last year.

The Yankees rallied behind home runs from Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui, and were down 6-5 in the eighth inning. Nick Swisher led off with a pinch-hit double and moved to third on Brett Gardner's sacrifice bunt. But with the infield playing in, reliever Jim Johnson got Jeter to bounce to shortstop Cesar Izturis for the second out, and after a walk to Damon, he retired Mark Teixeira on an inning ending ground out.

The Orioles then put the game away in the eighth, scoring fours runs off of Phil Coke and Brian Bruney. Izturis hit a controversial 2-run home run off Coke to match his home run total for all of last season. Damon leapt up and appeared to have a chance to catch the ball, but a fan knocked Damon's glove aside. No replay was called for.

Game Notes

Maryland native Teixeira was loudly booed by the Orioles faithful, who had hoped that the first baseman would have signed a free agent contract with Baltimore this past off-season.

After an off day on Tuesday, the series resumes Wednesday night (7:05 pm EDT) with Chien-Ming Wang facing rookie Koji Uehara.

Orioles Opening Series Pitchers

The Yankees and Orioles open the season on Monday at Camden Yards. It'll be a 4:05 EDT start with CC Sabathia going against Jeremy Guthrie.

Tuesday's an off day and then the two teams meeting on Wednesday at 7:05 pm. Chien-Ming Wang will face Japanese rookie Koji Uehara. The series concludes Thursday at 1:35 pm with A.J. Burnett facing an undetermined pitcher.

Sit on someone's lap?

We got an emailed this morning saying opening series tickets are still available. You can see the little 'T' icon next to the Yankees opener on April 16. So, just for the heck of it, we put in for one ticket....and got no seats available. We thought we would at least be offered a $2,656 seat.

The Daily Yankeeland - 3/27

The Yankees play the Reds in Tampa this evening at 7:15 EDT. The game is on WABC radio so you can hear the melodic voice of one John Sterling. CC Sabathia gets the start and Mariano Rivera will be making another appearance.

George Steinbrenner will be at the Yankees home opener, according to a source in the know. King George hasn't been at the Stadium since last season's All-Star game.

Peter Abraham of the Journal News reports that it will cost $19 to park at the new Stadium and the new Metro North station won't be ready for the first home stand.

To promote his new album, Bernie Williams sat down for an interview with Entertainment Weekly magazine. Among his revelations, Derek Jeter hated when Bernie played his guitar on team bus rides or airplane flights.

The NY Times' Richard Sandomir has a profile of Yankees veep/bulldog Randy Levine.

“Part of Randy likes to fight,” said Hal Steinbrenner, the managing general partner. “He has a history of not backing down. He likes to be the bad cop. I’m the good cop.”

You may have read the other day that the wife of former Yankees prospect Jose Tabata was arrested after abducting a new born. The story gets even stranger. A stunned Tabata, who is 20 years younger than his wife, thinks she also lied to him about a number of things, including being pregnant. Click here to read Tabata's full statement.

Time to get your priorities in order, Hanley Ramirez. The Yankees have long had a dress code that includes no facial hair, other than a mustache, no earrings, and no long hair. The Florida Marlins recently instituted a similar policy, causing Ramirez to go ballistic after getting his hair cut.

"After the star shortstop was forced to shear his long locks, he strolled through the clubhouse sharing his opinion of the new fashion rules across his chest, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

"I'm sick of this s---," the message read, in thick Sharpie letters. "I'm angry," Ramirez said. "I want to be traded." Ramirez was not only forced to cut off his cornrows under the new policy, he also won't be allowed to wear jewelry while playing.

"It's incredible," he said later. "We're big-leaguers."

Ramirez eventually cooled down after a talk with team officials and said everything was cool.

Yankee Home Opener to be Voiceless

Bad news Yankees fans. Newsday's Neil Best reports that Bob Sheppard will not be able to make it to opening day. When Sheppard spoke with WFAN's Ed Randall back on February 15, "The Voice of God" was quite hopeful of attending the April 16th opener with the Cleveland Indians.

But Sheppard's doctors say his stamina is still not at a level that will allow him to return to work yet, even for just one day. Hopefully, April showers will bring Bob Sheppard to May baseball games.

Opening Day, 1976

Mrs. Gehrig and Mrs. Ruth