Starry Starry Night

Major League baseball made it official today, announcing that Yankee Stadium will host the All-Star game in the site's last hurrah in 2008. The Stadium hasn't hosted the game since 1977, when soon to be Yankee Goose Gossage, then of the Pirates, struck out Thurman Munson in a classic matchup. League commissioner (aka resident jackass) Bud Selig and NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg were at city hall for the announcement.








"Let go Bud, it's mine!"







This will be just the 4th All-Star game in Yankee Stadium history. The Bombers also hosted the games in 1939 and 1960. The Yankees reached the World Series (winning 2, losing 1) in all 3 prior years they hosted the gala.

Weekend for Bernie

Speaking of Yankee All-Stars, the Bombers extended a spring training invite to Bernie Williams. It's a minor league signing, with absolutely no guarantees. Ball is in your court Bernie...and Scott Boras. Take the invite, having a nice spring training, and then gracefully retire.

Goose Gossage will be in camp too - as a pitching instructor.


Moose Calls Pavano on the Carpet

Mike Mussinawas honored last night at the annual Thurman Munson awards dinner. He said that Carl Pavano could earn his teammates trust by simply being on the mound every 5 days. If only it were that simple with Mr. Lame Injury.

Welcome to the New Yankee Stadium

In April, 2009 those words, or ones like them, will be heard over the PA System (health willing by Bob Shephard) of a new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. It will be an odd feeling for those in attendance, especially those that go back to the "old" Yankee Stadium (not as odd as having to go to Shea in '74 and '75 though). As a kid I was against the Yankees building a new stadium or, God forbid, moving (though moving to New Jersey would have made getting there a lot easier).

My viewpoint has changed now that the Curse of the Bambino has been broken and the new park will be in the vicinity of the old one. When Yankee Stadium was remodeled in the '70s, for a cost much higher than originally stated, it was already somewhat out of date by the time it opened. The high tech scoreboard, which now posts the lineup, birthday greetings, etc., was crap. Images looked awful and it was a giant waste of money. And of course, the big money maker, luxury boxes, were few and far between.






Yankee Stadium, circa 1923




There's no question that money is the motive for any new stadium. Forget the bullshit that some owner throws out at you that they're doing it for the fans. Half the times the fans end up paying for it, either upfront or in the rise of ticket prices. That being said, it's definitely time for a new ballpark. The aisles are cramped, the seats are narrow. The video scoreboard is mediocre as is the sound system. The actual structure had defects when it reopened and of course there was the time in 1998 when a 500-pound piece of steel fell from the upper to the lower deck. Luckily the stadium was closed at the time.

As happens in most of these cases, there aren't sufficient bathroom or food facilities either. They say they will preserve the look and feel of Yankee Stadium - no cookie cutter ballpark. Hopefully that will be the case, but it when it all comes down to it, the product on the field will be much more important to the average fan than the size and shape of the would-be facade.

At Least He Didn't Break His Cox

The Yankees have confirmed that Top 10 prospect J.B. Cox broke his right hand in an altercation two weeks ago. The break was a bad one indeed, as it cost Cox an invite to the big league camp this spring. The Yankees would not specify the details of the altercation, but no action will be taken against Cox.

JB needs to remember the lessons of Brien Taylor - stay out of altercations, especially when your throwing arm is involved.

Nice Guys Don't Always Finish Last

Not when that nice guy is Willie Randolph. Willie's class and good guy nature has graced the major leagues for over 30 years as a player, coach, and manager. The Mets regarded Willie, who will always be a Yankee at heart, yesterday with a 3 year, $5.85 million contract. Willie (just can't refer to him as Randolph) was going into the final season of his previous 3 year deal.

Willie's major league journey started with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but thanks to All-Star 2nd baseman Rennie Stennett, he became a fixture in the Yankees lineup for 13 years. Then the Yankees mistakenly listened to new manager Dallas Green and let Willie walk. He finished up his career with stops in LA, Oakland, Milwaukee, and across town with the Mets. Through it all he always went about his business without ever bringing the spotlight upon himself. Of course, it was easier to hide with those Yankees teams of the late '70s. With personalities such as Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin, Graig Nettles, Sparky Lyle, Goose Gossage, and of course King George, it was pretty easy to remain in the background.

Willie combined a slick glove (which was overlooked thanks to the Royal's Frank White), with an excellent eye at the plate, and good instincts on the base paths. He and Mickey Rivers combined for an exciting 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup. It was no surprise that Willie would continue his career in a coaching and managing capacity. Though I didn't feel he was necessarily the best 3rd base coach around, I thought, and hoped, he would be a good manager. That being said, here's to not having the Mets win a World Series.

The Bronx is Burning

I was 15-years old in the summer of 1977, and while life was serene in the 'burbs, it was anything but that in New York City. A blackout lead to widespread looting and rioting, and "Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz was shooting unsuspecting lovers. During that same summer, the Yankees were continuing their ascent to the top of Major League baseball. It was Reggie Jackson's first year in the Bronx and the start of a tumultuous relationship with Billy Martin, Thurman Munson, George Steinbrenner, and others.

ESPN will debut a new original series this summer, 30 years after that crazy time. "The Bronx is Burning" premieres in July and will cover all of the aforementioned events. Fran Healy, who was a member of that 1977 Yankees club and is now an announcer for the cross-town Mets, recently profiled the series on the show "The Game: 365" on the MSG network.




Joseph Mahler's novel goes Hollywood







Healy spent time with the cast and crew, including actor Loren Dean (star of Mumford) who is portraying Healy. Among the rest of the cast are John Turturro (Billy Martin), Oliver Platt (George Steinbrenner), Christopher McDonald (Joe DiMaggio), and Rescue Me's Daniel Sunjata as Reggie Jackson. Actor Erik Jenssen eerily resembles Thurman Munson.

The blackout started when lightning struck a substation along the Hudson River on the evening of July 13. Some shoddy equipment intensified the situation, which got markedly worse when other areas were struck by lightning. An hour later the entire city was in darkness. The next 24 hours saw massive rioting and looting. Especially hard hit were the Crown Heights and Bushwick sections of Brooklyn. More than 3,700 people were arrested for crimes relating to the blackout and damages were estimated at over $300 million.

Son of Sam had been striking fear in the city since 1976 and police were desperate to arrest a suspect. He was originally known as the "44-caliber killer" because that was his weapon of choice. Before he was arrested in August of 1977, he had murdered six and injured seven others.

The '77 Yankees served as a distraction to the city, which was already suffering from severe financial difficulties before the blackout even occurred, and a very nasty mayoral race. The Yankees drive to the championship didn't go all that smoothly either. Who could forget Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin going nose-to-nose before a national TV audience after Martin accused Jackson of dogging it in right field. Martin threw grease on the fire when he sent Paul Blair out to replace Jackson in the middle of the inning. Knowing Billy's temper, Reggie immediately removed his glasses as he entered the dugout and expected a brawl. If not for coaches Yogi Berra and Elston Howard intervening, it may have very well happened.




Good thing there were photographers around, because this is a scene that didn't happen often.





The pennant victory over the KC Royals and the World Series win over the LA Dodgers would smooth things out internally until the fur started to fly again the following season. But Reggie's 3 home runs in Game 7 vs. the Dodgers will be what resonates most in the minds of Yankees fans. That's the way it should be.

***

The 1977 team was honored last night at the annual Baseball Assistance Team (BAT) dinner. Noticeably absent was BAT chairmen Bobby Murcer who was missed by those in attendance. Earlier in the day Bobby was on 1050 ESPN radio and was very upbeat. Former Yankee Ron Blomberg also spoke to Bobby on the phone yesterday and echoed the same feelings.

The Bronx is Burning

I was 15-years old in the summer of 1977, and while life was serene in the 'burbs, it was anything but that in New York City. A blackout lead to widespread looting and rioting, and "Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz was shooting unsuspecting lovers. During that same summer, the Yankees were continuing their ascent to the top of Major League baseball. It was Reggie Jackson's first year in the Bronx and the start of a tumultuous relationship with Billy Martin, Thurman Munson, George Steinbrenner, and others.

ESPN will debut a new original series this summer, 30 years after that crazy time. "The Bronx is Burning" premieres in July and will cover all of the aforementioned events. Fran Healy, who was a member of that 1977 Yankees club and is now an announcer for the cross-town Mets, recently profiled the series on the show "The Game: 365" on the MSG network.




Joseph Mahler's novel goes Hollywood







Healy spent time with the cast and crew, including actor Loren Dean (star of Mumford) who is portraying Healy. Among the rest of the cast are John Turturro (Billy Martin), Oliver Platt (George Steinbrenner), Christopher McDonald (Joe DiMaggio), and Rescue Me's Daniel Sunjata as Reggie Jackson. Actor Erik Jenssen eerily resembles Thurman Munson.

The blackout started when lightning struck a substation along the Hudson River on the evening of July 13. Some shoddy equipment intensified the situation, which got markedly worse when other areas were struck by lightning. An hour later the entire city was in darkness. The next 24 hours saw massive rioting and looting. Especially hard hit were the Crown Heights and Bushwick sections of Brooklyn. More than 3,700 people were arrested for crimes relating to the blackout and damages were estimated at over $300 million.

Son of Sam had been striking fear in the city since 1976 and police were desperate to arrest a suspect. He was originally known as the "44-caliber killer" because that was his weapon of choice. Before he was arrested in August of 1977, he had murdered six and injured seven others.

The '77 Yankees served as a distraction to the city, which was already suffering from severe financial difficulties before the blackout even occurred, and a very nasty mayoral race. The Yankees drive to the championship didn't go all that smoothly either. Who could forget Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin going nose-to-nose before a national TV audience after Martin accused Jackson of dogging it in right field. Martin threw grease on the fire when he sent Paul Blair out to replace Jackson in the middle of the inning. Knowing Billy's temper, Reggie immediately removed his glasses as he entered the dugout and expected a brawl. If not for coaches Yogi Berra and Elston Howard intervening, it may have very well happened.




Good thing there were photographers around, because this is a scene that didn't happen often.





The pennant victory over the KC Royals and the World Series win over the LA Dodgers would smooth things out internally until the fur started to fly again the following season. But Reggie's 3 home runs in Game 7 vs. the Dodgers will be what resonates most in the minds of Yankees fans. That's the way it should be.

***

The 1977 team was honored last night at the annual Baseball Assistance Team (BAT) dinner. Noticeably absent was BAT chairmen Bobby Murcer who was missed by those in attendance. Earlier in the day Bobby was on 1050 ESPN radio and was very upbeat. Former Yankee Ron Blomberg also spoke to Bobby on the phone yesterday and echoed the same feelings.

Deconstructing The Mick

Peter Golenbock is an acclaimed author of numerous sports book (Sparky Lyle's "The Bronx Zoo", Greg Nettles' "Balls"), so it makes one wonder WTF he was thinking when he decided to do his latest project, "7: The Mickey Mantle Novel". There have been many tomes written about The Mick, some with his input, some without. But never has there been one that is total fiction. While early reports of Mickey being a family man were definitely fiction, no prior book was ever intentionally fictional. Golenbock's latest book has changed all of that. He has put together a fictional account of Mickey's life, including a sexual encounter with another legendary icon, Marilyn Monroe (you think Joe D would have ever let that happen?).
















The book had been lying relatively under the radar until yesterday's announcement that the publisher, Harper Collins, had decided to drop the project. The book was originally slated under Harper Collins' subsidiary ReaganBooks. But HC kicked ReagenBooks founder Judith Reagan to the curb after her ill-advised O.J. Simpson novel (What do you mean "if" you did it?) and closed up shop in LA, consolidating projects back to the parent company. All but Golenbock's latest work.

Golenbock was deeply disappointed, but felt he would have no problem picking up another publisher. “I love this book,” he said. “And Mickey would have loved it, too. A lot of the people who’ve said nasty things about it haven’t read it. But if you read it, I guarantee you’ll find humor and pathos and a real human being.”

Does Golenbock honestly think Mickey would have loved it? And what fan of Mickey Mantle's would want to read it? Mickey was already a tragic figure. Haunted by the deaths of his father, grandfather, and son, Mickey literally drank himself to death and never truly appreciated what a great player he was. He was self-admittedly a poor husband and father, and a poor role model. His sons turned to the bottle in order to spend more time with him. But his teammates and Yankees fans absolutely adored him. They didn't need him to be the bigger than life man he was, they just needed him to be The Mick. Apparently Golenbock has forgotten that.

Unfortunately, another publisher will put this book out. Here's to hoping no one "donates" to the proceeds.

Back to the Future?

It doesn't take a modified DeLorean to realize the Yankees have never cared about the future under the rein of King George. That mindset has supposedly changed (excuse me for still being a bit leery since most of the Yankees clubhouse hasn't seen 20 for quite sometime) with Brian Cashman pulling the strings. Makes for some interesting dreaming on a Winter's day.

The new ballpark opens in April, 2009 and the face of the Yankees will be quite different (that's a given in any year), and possibly a lot younger. The Captain should be about two seasons shy of 3,000 hits. Roger Clemens will not be close to a decision whether or not he'll want to pitch in his 26th season. Barry Bonds will be trying to explain why his hat size is an 11. But I digress...this is about youth. In particular the young arms and one very capable looking outfielder the Yankees have on the way, barring a Jay Buhner-esque deal.




Scranton today,
Bronx tomorrow?






The biggest of those names, of course, is 2004 1st-round draft pick Philip Hughes (I will try to stop spelling his name with two "l"s by this Summer). Hughes will start the season at new Triple-A affiliate Scranton, but could find himself in the Bronx by Summer's end. The Yankees have been very cautious with the kid thus far, restricting the number of pitches and wear and tear on his expensive right arm. The Bombers haven't had a starter this highly touted since a 20-year old Dave Righetti split time between Double-A West Haven and Triple-A Columbus in 1979.

Hughes made a quick splash after the draft, making 3 appearances for the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Yankees, by striking out 8 in 5 innings pitched. After going 7-1, 1.97 ERA with 72 K's in 68 plus innings for Single-A Charleston in 2005, the Yankees moved him up to high 'A' ball Tampa for the remainder of the season. Hughes made just 5 appearances before being shut down for the remainder of the season with a sore shoulder. That led to an even more cautious approach last season.

Hughes averaged 6 innings over 5 starts, striking out 21 hitters and posting a 1.80 ERA. That got the right-hander a trip north to Double-A Trenton for the remainder of the season. After a rough start, Hughes finished the Thunder campaign with a 10-3 record and a very impressive 2.25 ERA. He also struck out 138 batters in just 116 innings while issuing only 32 walks.

His overall minor league numbers of 21-7, 2.13 with 269 K's in 237.1 innings have made the Yankee's front office and fans drool on themselves, while every opponent has brought his name up in trade talks.

The thought of a rotation starting out with Chien-Ming Wang, Hughes, and one of the many recent draft picks or acquisitions (Humberto Sanchez, Ross Ohlendorf, Ian Kennedy, Tyler Clippard, and on it goes) , mixed with some veteran presence, makes me believe the Yankees will be raising a number of banners in the new stadium.

Retooling a Bunch of Tools

The last time Andy Pettitte was a member of the Yankees the starting rotation helped get the team to the 2003 World Series. No hitting, David Wells' bad back, and Jeff Weaver being Jeff Weaver made for a relatively long winter. The Yankees were also duped in that series into thinking Carl Pavano could handle the pressure of being in New York. Injuries to his sphincter, groin, ribs, and a general "moronicness" have proven otherwise.




"Who are these guys?"



The unthinkable of course happened in '04 when those a-holes (idiots is too tame) from the north ended the Curse of the Bambino. So in '05 the Yankees went out and got themselves a 6'10" ogre with a bad attitude and an even worse back. Thankfully that situation has been remedied. There was the ill advised handling of Jon Lieber and the even more ill advised signing of Jaret Wright to replace him. Again, that situation has been resolved.





"Yo Geno, I think I sprained my hair!"








So now as we head towards Spring Training, '07, the Yankees season rotation is pretty much set, but will it look this way come October? For now, the season revolves around the first 3 starters, Chieng-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, and Mike Mussina. List them in any order you want. Unknown Kei Igawa is the #4 or #5...why is he either? Look up the word "unknown". So that leaves the final spot in the rotation to one or two or three of a list that includes the weak link Pavano, Darrell Rasner, Jeffrey Karstens, Tyler Clippard, and...Roger Clemens? Phillip Hughes? The latter two remains to be seen. There is no question that Clemens could be back in pinstripes by Summer. Less likely, but still possible, is Hughes makng his big league debut this season.

No matter how you slice it you have to be concerned about this rotation. You won't find a bigger Chien-Ming Wang fan, outside of his native Taiwan, other than me, but even I have concerns about his durability and, to a lesser degree, his ability to win another 15-20 this season.

It's awesome having Andy Pettitte back, but how healthy is he. He was nearly untouchable after the break last year, but completely hittable beforehand. Moose seems to find more and more ways to lose games. He started the season looking like he would win 30, but injuries and his usual stubborn streak in attacking hitters kept him well short of even getting 20.

Clemens is clearly the wild card in this whole mix. He's spouting his usual bullshit about not knowing yet whether or not he will pitch this season. I frankly don't give a shit. Pitch or don't pitch, but SHADDAP. Mark my words Clemens will pitch, whether it be here, Houston, or Boston. Raj, you go back to Boston...don't expect a nice welcome when you come in The Stadium.

The most likely scenario is Brian Cashman working the phones by the break, shopping the prospects they acquired for the Big Fugly and Sheffield, as well as others that were already in the system to find another starter. Just shop wisely Cash, shop wisely.

Help Wanted: Backup Catcher Under 90

As I pour over the daily transactions online, I see that once again the Yankees have dipped into the senior circuit for a possible backup catcher. No, I don't mean a player with the National League experience. The Yankees signed 40-year old Todd Pratt to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training. Pratt will join journeymen Raul Chavez (33), Wil Nieves (29),and Ben Davis (29) to vie for a spot as starter Jorge Posada's caddy.




Todd Pratt - the next John Flaherty?





Over the past 5 seasons, the Yankees have seen the likes of John Flaherty, Kelly Stinnett, Sal Fasano (really should be "Fatsano"), Chris Widger, and Alberto Castillo. Since Posada was groomed under veteran Joe Girardi in the late '90s, the
Yankees have not had a catcher at the ready who can both hit and play defense. It remains to be seen whether or not Dionner Navaro could have filled that bill, but of course since the ill-advised Randy Johnson deal, that's no longer a Yankee concern. Instead the trend continues with slow, barely field, barely hit backups.









Jesus Montero - contract or homework?








26-year old Omar Santos will probably start the season at Triple-A Scranton (yes, I did start to type Columbus), but could at least be a bridge until 16-year old propsect Jesus Montero is ready to step in. That could be a while though since the 6'3, 220 lb rookie will just starting play at the Gulf Coast level this season.

In the meantime, maybe they can dig up Bill Dickey.

Bring on Spring Training!

Tomorrow marks 5 weeks until the Yankee's pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. After it was announced today that the Giants have retained Tom Coughlin as coach, and gave him a 1 year extension to boot, it can't come soon enough. This is by the far the coldest day as well and the first time the ground was coated by snow. But with temperatures going back to the well above normal 50s this weekend, the mind is definitely turning towards baseball.

Some major developments have occurred during the Yankees off-season. The first was of course a tragic one, which we spoke about in an earlier post, with the death of Corey Lidle. Lidle probably would not have been back as a Yankee, but his death was certainly unexpected to say the least.

The Yankees jettisoned two veteran, future Hall of Famers in Gary Sheffield and Randy Johnson. The Yankees have suddenly become the team to rid themselves of veterans with prospects coming back.

The Yankees picked up Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Wheelan, and Anthony Claggett. All three are right handed pitchers with Sanchez being the big centerpiece of the deal. The 6'6", 230 lb, soon to be 24-year old, is a hard thrower with an intimidating presence. There has been speculation in the past that he might be moved from the starting rotation to a closer spot. Sanchez bounced back from an awful 2005 season to put very good numbers at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

The Yankees latest deal took about 3 weeks to complete and it sent the Big Fugly back to the Arizona desert. In return the Yankees received major league pitcher Luis Vizcaino, and minor leaguers Ross Ohlendorf, Steven Jackson (both also right-handed pitchers), and shortstop Alberto Gonzalez. The Yankees are very high on Ohlendorf and Gonzalez has received high marks for his defensive play.

The ability to deal Johnson came about because the Yankees brought back one of their own. After spending 3 seasons deep in the heart of Houston, Texas, Andy Pettitte returned to the fold as a free agent. Pettitte signed a 1 year deal with an option for 2008. With the addition of Japanese left-hander Kei Igawa, the composition of the Yankees starting rotation has changed drastically for 2007. And of course there is the oft-injured, much maligned, Carl Pavano waiting in the wings too.

The starting rotation could drastically change even further if the Yankees are successful in persuading Roger Clemens to rejoin Pettitte in New York. Clemens is doing his whole "I don't know if I'm playing" routine again, but Pettitte and others feel that he will. Where remains another question. Houston and Boston will compete with the Yankees for Clemens's services.

The Yankees also unloaded oft-injured, oft-ineffective starter Jaret Wright to the Baltimore Orioles for reliever Chris Britton. If nothing else with Britton and returning reliever Brian Bruney, the Yankees can start to build an offensive line.

The Yankees have added veteran 1st Baseman Doug Mientkiewicz to split time with Andy Phillips and/or newly acquired Josh Phelps. Miguel Cairo is back in the utility role and there may be no room for the return of Bernie Williams.

Rumors have been floating around that the Yankees have tried to use backup outfielder Melky Cabrera to get lefty closer Mike Gonzalez from the Pittsburgh Pirates. So far the Pirates haven't confirmed they're willing to deal Gonzalez, but they certainly have plenty of suitors.

As expected, Alex Rodriguez was not dealt this off-season. A couple of rumors floated around, but they were probably nothing more than just that, rumors.

Hideki Matsui, Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera..and the rest of the Yankees will be ready to go before you know it. And I can't wait.

Bobby Murcer: Tumor is Malignant

Former Yankees great,and my idol growing up, Bobby Murcer announced today that the tumor he had removed over the Christmas weekend is malignant. This really hits home too because my own Mom suffered with brain cancer for over a decade.

The 60-year old released the following statement to the press today:

"As we begin a new year, I find myself facing a new challenge [--] the biggest of my life so far," Murcer said. "Pathology reports have revealed that the brain tumor removed was malignant. I'm not having to battle this alone, but am fortified with the most loving family, an abundance of wonderful friends and fans and the very best class of physicians.

"I'm gaining confidence that with God and my faith leading the way, we will as a team put up an incredible fight. Please continue to send up prayers. That's all I can really ask of you at this time."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bobby and his family for a speedy recovery.