Sterling's Spring Training Starts Now

Pitchers and catchers don't report until February 14, but I can imagine that at this very moment John Sterling is in his home, sitting in front of the fireplace in a navy blue pinstripe suit, Chivas Regal in one hand, DVR remote in the other. He faces his 50" flat screen TV and watches highlights of Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Brian Roberts, Carlos Beltran, abd Kelly Johnson hitting home runs. Occassionally a tear rolls down his cheek as he realizes he'll no longer say, "Robbie Cano, don'tcha know!".

He jumps around, setting his sights on one particular image and brainstorms new home run calls. "What words rhyme with the names? Are there any old Broadway references/ Is it something I can sing? Have I used it before? I got caught last year doing that. I can't let it happen again."

Just then Jacoby Ellsbury, clad in a Boston Red Sox uniform, hits a pitch into the Fenway Park bullpen.

"It is high, it is far, it is gone..Ohhh Ellsbury Fields Forever!" Hmmm..maybe. He pauses the recording, puts down the remote and scribbles the possible call on a pad of paper.  Remote back in hand, he skips back to the beginning and watches Ellsbury's home run again.

"Jaco-by hit that to Nairobi..no, no maybe not. Jaco-by using the force like Obi-Wan-Kenobi. Instant classic!!!"

Brian McCann, wearing his long time Atlanta Braves uniform, steps to the plate on the plasma.

"Oh, Brian..making the pitcher cryin'.....Oh, Brian lost that baseball like we lost a Mayan...hmmm, too obscure?"

"McCann just gained a fan! That would have to be after another call. Wait! Guys and Dolls."
"Can do Can do, McCann says his bat can do" He pauses the television and quickly grabs his cellphone to call Suzyn Waldman. He begins to sing his modified Broadway tune. Soon he and Suzyn are singing together, then break into "Luck Be a Lady" and "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat".

Sterling hangs up the phone. A satisfied look on his face, with a "McCann Can Dance still in his bag of tricks, he refills his glass and pops on video of Roberts. The light bulb immediately goes off - Mr. Roberts, Hank Fonda...a Broadway and movie classic, but not a musical. Damn it, so close. "Sterling loses, Sterling loses."

Undeterred, the modern voice of the Yankees watches Carlos Beltran appear on screen. "That's it, I'll go back to Roberts. Too many Brians. "Burn Baby Beltran..no, no, no..sorry Bernie.  Carlos puts the belt in Beltran...hmmm, maybe. It is high, it is far, it is gone! Carlos "Danger" Beltran. No, no that could cause more problems. And Beltran ra-an, he ran so far away-ay-ay, he touched home plate today. Ah, those Flock of Seagulls. What an '80s band. Suzyn will never get that one though. This is tough. I have to think about it more."

On to Johnson. "When he goes back to back, I can use back to back and a belly to Kelly! Yes, it's gold! But what about when he hits one alone. Kelly, he hit that one to Carnaegie Deli. Okay, I can save that for tape measure shots, but what's the sure thing? KJ made the ball yell May Day. That's it. Pure genius! The right blend of cornball and obscurity.  I've got to pack up and get down to Tampa early to try these out."

No matter who plays on the Yankees this year, you can bet that John Sterling will be well prepared with a pocket full of home run calls. Let's just hope he has plenty of them to call for the Bronx Bombers.

We Gonna Rock Down to Rivera Ave? Not If Craig Carton Has His Way

"Rivera Ave? It's Over there."

I was just reading a story in the New York Post regarding NYC financier Tom Ferrara's efforts to get River Ave., which runs along the current Yankee Stadium and the site of the old Stadium, re-named to Rivera Ave. in honor of the Yankees' closer.

It's a nice gesture, unless your WFAN's Craig Carton, who went ballistic on Ferrara during Boomer (Esiason) and Carton's morning show. Here's an excerpt from the Post:¹

Ferrara: There’s symbolism here. River Ave. connects where the old Stadium was and where the new one is. Mariano for his entire career has been a Yankees, connecting the old Yankees with the new Yankees. And if you have ties into The Bronx and you have an emotional attachment to the team, as literally hundreds of thousands if not more fans do, River Ave., not unlike Mariano, is that connection.

Carton: Oh, stop, come on. With all due respect, it’s like a 12-year-old idolizing a ballplayer.

Ferrara: You guys, candidly, are the only ones I’ve come across have a negative view on it.

Carton: Because you’re talking to your own friends! You guys are running the poll. [Ed. A yes-no poll on CBS' own website had Rivera Ave. backers comfortably in the lead.]

Carton: Here’s what the average Yankee fan will tell you, if they’re being honest with you: “Hey, if they did name it after him, great, all good. Love Mariano Rivera. Do they have to name it after him? No!” They don’t care!

Ferrara: Can I ask you a question, Craig? Why are you so jaded about this?

Carton: It’s not jaded. It’s stupid! The notion that because Mariano Rivera was a great baseball player, we now have to honor that career with a street, doesn’t make sense. That’s why.

Carton: OK. You know what you should do? I don’t know what you do for a living — that should be a new job for you, decide how we can rename every street in the five boroughs after people that you liked. Yeah? Or no?

Ferrara: I’m not gonna answer that question.

Ferrara: It’s an accolade that a majority of people…

Carton: A majority of what people?

Ferrara: If you’d stop interrupting me…

Carton: Hold on. Timeout. A majority of who? Of the five people you talked to, three said yes?

Carton: He needs a shrink.

Carton: At 58 years old, you have to sometime recognize that your admiration and idolization only matters to you! That’s the problem here! Alright!

Carton: (with Ferrara signing off) Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button!

These are the times that Esiason must second guess partnering with the volatile Carton and said as much - "I’m so uncomfortable when you get nuts like that"..

And it's the reason that I never listened to Carton on Jersey 101.5 or Boomer and Carton in the morning.  I will give Carton this much though...I don't truly believe that the majority of fans care one way or the other. And what happens when Derek Jeter  retires? Jerome Ave. becomes Jeter Way?


1 - NY Post

Valentine Takes His Lunacy One Step Further On 9/11 Comments

All this clown needs a pair of big shoes and a red nose.

Bobby Valentine shoved his foot in his mouth on Wednesday, the 12th anniversary of 9/11. It was comments that never should have been made, let alone on one of the most horrible days in our country's history. Then he escalated things after Yankees vice-president Randy Levine responded with a much more thought out statement.

Valentine's exact comments to Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno on WFAN radio Wednesday:

"Let it be said that during the time from 9/11 to 9/21, the Yankees were (not around). You couldn’t find a Yankee on the streets of New York City. You couldn’t find a Yankee down at Ground Zero, talking to the guys who were working 24/7.”

 "Many of them didn’t live here, and so it wasn’t their fault. And many of them did not partake in all that, so there was some of that jealousy going around. Like, ‘Why are we so tired? Why are we wasted? Why have we been to the funerals and the firehouses, and the Yankees are getting all the credit for bringing baseball back?’ And I said ‘This isn’t about credit, guys. This is about doing the right thing.’”¹

Valentine has been controversial in the past and loves to draw attention to himself, but this time he stepped beyond the bounds of good taste. I'm not a fan of Levine, but he deftly handled Valentine's comments, which of course Valentine could not leave alone.

Levine's statement to Newsday:

It’s very sad that Bobby Valentine would pick this day. This is a day for reflection and prayer. The Yankees have always remembered the heroes of 9/11 and continue to do so. What Bobby Valentine should understand is that nobody wants to hear about his opinion as to who does what better. He should be silent and remember.”

“This is not the day to point fingers at anybody. This is a day to reflect. Moreover, since he only thinks about himself, he must have forgotten when the Yankees visited Ground Zero, St. Vincent’s Hospital, the Armory, the Javits Center, where rescue crews were working.”²

Valentine responded to Newsday in an email:

"Sorry, I must have missed that. If it was between the 11th and the 20th (of September) it was my mistake. I might have missed it. I will follow Randy’s lead and be silent.”

Did anyone think Valentine would be silent?  The mouth that roared then went on NBC Sports Radio and stuck his other foot in his mouth.

“I don’t know if I was trying to take credit for the team. I was trying to make a fact, that 12 years of hearing what was done and (hearing) it reported incorrectly, I just thought I’d speak for the record that, that week, there weren’t any Yankees out there. And if there were, Mr. Levine can just come up with a photograph of somebody at a firehouse or a funeral or at someone’s house.

“All I remember is people asking for the Yankees and me making excuses for them not being there.” ³

The New York Daily News' Mark Feinsand, then with mlb.com wrote this after talking to Joe Torre on the 5th anniversary of 9/11:

"After the workout, Joe Torre, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter and other members of the Yankees visited the rescue staging area at the Javits Center, the Armory and St. Vincent's Hospital, though they were unsure of the roles they were supposed to play. Most of the people they were set to encounter had either lost loved ones or were holding out hope that their family members would emerge from the disaster from five days earlier."

"At the Armory, I felt very uncomfortable, like we needed someone to go in and test the waters to see if we had any right being there," Torre said. "One family looked up at us, and with their eyes, asked us to come closer. I remember Bernie going up to someone and saying, 'I don't know what to say, but you look like you need a hug.' That was probably the most emotional part of the whole thing."

"My role in the world seemed very insignificant; I hit a ball for a living," Williams said. "There are people out there who have great jobs that impact people in a way I could never imagine, and it took this incident to realize what kind of impact I actually did have, just by playing for the Yankees."

Jeter remembers feeling uncomfortable during the trip downtown, but he knew that, despite his own feelings, it was a trip he had to take.

"What do you say to someone who just lost a family member?" Jeter said. "It made you feel good, though, because there were people who were happy to see us. It put a smile on some faces, so I was glad we were able to go." ⁴

Perhaps now that Valentine has both feet in his mouth he'll shut up. Yeah, you are right, not a chance in hell of that happening.


1 - New York CBS Local
2 - Newsday.com
3 - New York CBS Local
4 - MLB.com

The Captain and Cash Visit With Francesa

Mike Francesa opened his WFAN radio show on Thursday with the Captain himself, Derek Jeter, and then brought on GM Brian Cashman to discuss the upcoming season.

Jeter maintains he will be ready for opening day, hedging just a little in saying he will need to get enough at-bats. Among the things Jeter discussed were:

1. He knew his ankle was broken in the ALCS the instant it happened. He was afraid to look at it though in case it was pointing in the wrong direction.

2. He likes the makeup of the current Yankees. It reminds him of the early teams he was on when the Yankees didn't need to rely so much on home runs to win games. Jeter further stated he prefers to play the type of baseball the Yankees will need to now play with so many home run bats missing from last year's lineup.

You can more of the interview at the YES Network.

Among the things that we learned from Cashman were:

1. The catching job will be held down by Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart. Why? Because they are out of options. Cashman didn't feel Austin Romine had any shot at the job when queried by Francesa. Since he has options and basically no Major League experience, Romine needs to start the season in Triple-A.

2. Cash was really hoping Russell Martin would return, but things couldn't be worked out. Francesa asked if there was any miscommunication between the Yankees and Martin, but Cash said there was none.

3. You can tell Cash does not love the WBC, but he has become accustomed to it and shrugged it off.

4. Cash expects Curtis Granderson back the first week of May. Until them the team will "evaluate what we have" and they will also check the waiver wires. Right now there is no player ahead of the others to win the left field job.

5. Francesa asked, "Is Nunez your insurance policy at shortstop?" - Cash said Nunez or (Jayson) Nix and said that the team may only carry one of them. Francesa also asked if Eduardo Nunez had the chance to be the right-handed DH. Cash said he wanted something more, which I would interrupt as someone with the more pop/power in his bat.

You can hear more of the interview at the YES Network website.

Thursday games wrap up

The wins and losses don't matter during Spring Training, but the efforts do. Though the Yankees lost both games on Thursday (against the Astros and Blue Jays), there were some high notes.

David Phelps tossed three scoreless innings in 1-0 loss to Toronto. He allowed a couple of hits, walked a batter and struck one out.  Reliever David Aardsma tossed a scoreless inning and Juan Rivera was 2-2.

The Yankees lost to the Astros 7-6 after they had built a 5-1 lead. All fives runs came in the 6th inning when Melky Mesa belted a 3-run home run. Mesa, who's full first name is Melquisedec, has been mentioned as a possible fill-in in left field until Curtis Granderson returns. Mesa only hit .230 in 33 games after an in-season promotion to Scranton last year, but had 9 HR and 21 RBI.  Zoilo Almonte continued to impress with a pair of hits and an RBI.

Not such a great start for Dellin Betances, who showed the control trouble he struggled with last year. In one inning against the Astros Betances walked two and struck out two. Betances averaged 8.3 walks per nine innings at Triple-A last year, which led to a demotion to Trenton. He was a little better there with an average of 4.8 walks per nine innings.

Chris Stewart did something you don't see too often in Spring Training. He was ejected for arguing a call at first base.

Go to Mo

Mariano Rivera took the next step in his return by throwing an 18 pitch simulated game.

Yankees Don't Need Glaus or Ransom

WFAN's Sweeny Murti reported early today that Troy Glaus, retired since 2010, had gotten in contact with the Yankees about a possible comeback.

The 36-year old played 128 games for the Atlanta Braves two years and earned $1.75MM. He produced 16 HR and 71 RBI along with a .744 OPS as a first baseman. Glaus missed nearly the entire 2009 season due to back and shoulder problems.

Murti also reported that Cody Ransom was interested in a job. Most Yankees fans will remember that Ransom looked like his game was held for ransom when he subbed for Alex Rodriguez during his last hip surgery in 2009.

Ransom put up a .190/.244/.333 split in 31 games for the Bombers, one year after a 1.051 OPS in 33 games gave the Yankees hope that he could ably fill in for A-Rod. To make matters worse, Ransom also struggled in the field.

Even if Kevin Youkilis had not been acquired, neither player would be a good fit for a host of reasons.

Ransom will just have to hold on to his high jumping memories.

Did Mo Throw a Spitter?

WFAN is abuzz this morning about the possibility of Mariano Rivera throwing a spitball yesterday. Reportedly MLB is looking into it.

Here's the video from youtube (as far as we know it has not been doctored, though the baseball may have been).





UPDATE - 2 PM As expected Mariano was cleared of any wrong doing.

There goes Joba Cottontail

Happy Easter to all those celebrating.

Mark Teixeira is out of the lineup once again today due his sore wrist.

We were listening to WFAN and Richard Neer (miss those 102.7 WNEW-FM days) on our way to the A&P. We would like to say to one caller in particular, "it's only 5 games". Said caller felt that when A-Rod comes back, Johnny Damon should move to center, Xavier Nady to left, and Nick Swisher should be in right field full time. Because, "The bottom of the order is killing us."

The caller seems to forget that the bottom of the order currently consists of Cody Ransom and Brett Gardner. When A-Rod returns, Ransom goes to the bench. If Gardner hits .250 to .270 and draws walks it will be fine. You don't need nine .300 hitters in the lineup.

Now if a caller wants to complain about today's lineup, we're with ya. No Damon or Posada. Which means an easier time for Gil Meche with the 7-8-9-1 combo in the lineup. Why not give Matsui the day off since he's off to a slow start, have Damon in left field, and Posada as your DH? Well, Damon is just 3-27 against Meche.

CF Gardner
SS Jeter
1B Swisher
DH Matsui
C Posada
RF Nady
2B Cano
LF Cabrera
3B Ransom
C Molina


KC's lineup is as follows:

CF Crisp
SS Aviles
LF DeJesus
3B Teahen
1B Jacobs
DH B. Pena
2B Callaspo
C Buck
RF Bloomquist


Joba's got pretty good numbers against the Royals with one start and two relief appearances
7.2 IP 9 H 2 ER 1 BB 8 K

Gil Meche is 3-4, 4.38 in 13 career starts against the Yankees. He pitched very well (a no decision) in his lone start against them last year (6 IP 1 ER).

Yankees vs. Meche

Cabrera 3-10 1 HR 4 RBI
Cano 4-12
Damon 3-27
Jeter 11-32 (.344) 5 RBI
Matsui 5-23 (.217) 2 HR 5 RBI
Molina 2-11
Nady 3-7 1 HR 2 RBI
Posada 6-16 2 HR 4 RBI
Swisher 4-19 4 RBI 7 BB
Teixeira 6-23 (.261)

Meche has to be ecstatic that A-Rod isn't available. The career numbers - 13-31 (.419) 5 HR 10 RBI

Posada Defends Torre

Jorge Posada joked that it would take "3 years" to get through Joe Torre's book, but he insisted that Torre did nothing wrong in writing "The Yankee Years". The Daily News' Anthony McCarron and Peter Botte spoke to Posada, who is rehabbing from shoulder surgery in Tampa.

One thing Posada was quick to correct was the use of the word, "A-Fraud", to describe Alex Rodriguez.

And, Posada said, the infamous "A-Fraud" moniker for Alex Rodriguez was nothing more than a clubhouse joke uttered solely by former bullpen catcher Mike Borzello - now with Torre in Los Angeles - in front of Rodriguez himself. Rodriguez, Posada said, would be among those chuckling while Borzello tweaked him.

"There was not one player on those teams that said those words," Posada said. "Never. If we heard it, it was just (Borzello) messing with Alex and Alex would be right there and he'd be laughing about it. It was never out of disrespect at all. . . . It was never said behind his back by any teammate."

Posada hasn't read the book yet, but plans to pick it up. So far his reactions have been based on the excerpts released, and the media's reaction to the book.

"Joe's done nothing wrong, in my eyes. He's been a father figure to me, so I don't think he can do any wrong."

Torre was on with Mike Francesa this afternoon and repeated much of what we've already heard in prior interviews and comments. It's clear that some things written were Tom Verducci without consulting Torre, but Torre defended his friend and co-author, and stands by the book. You can listen to the complete interview on the WFAN website.

The Daily Yankeeland

A new feature to take a quick look at what's going on in Yankeeland.

The biggest news of course was Joe Girardi's official intro to the media. It was kind of silly for the Yankees to hold a conference call earlier in the week and then introduce Girardi at the Stadium as well yesterday. It clearly would have made yesterday even more special and interesting if it had been the only get together. Conspicuous by their absence was Yankees ownership and most of the font office. Only Brian Cashman and Lon Trost accompanied Girardi to the press conference. No Hank? No Hal? No sense.

Girardi decided to wear #27 this season to show the Yankees goal of winning their 27th championship. Hopefully GI Joe gets to wear #28 when the new Stadium opens in 2009.

* * *

The Yankees have until Midnight tonight to exercise the 2008 option on Bobby Abreu. What exactly are they waiting for? Perhaps they are thinking about offering a multi year deal. We wouldn't do that, unless it were maybe a 2-year, 25 mill deal, so Abreu would get less this season. We would still only pick up his option if we were in charge.

* * *

After consulting with team physicians and doctors back in Japan, Hideki Matsui has decided to have his right knee scoped and cleaned out in prep for the 2008 season. Godzilla was hampered by the balky knee for much of the latter half of the past season.

* * *

With Dave Eiland's promotion to pitching coach, the Yankees have brough in Rafael Chaves to take over as the pitching coach at Triple-A Scranton. Chaves was the pitching coach for the M's the past 2 years and had worked for the Mariners organization for a decade.

Source

* * *

As part of their 20th anniversary celebration, WFAN held a contest that allowed fans to vote for the greatest 20 NY sports celebrities of the last 20 years. Mike and the Mad Dog revealed the list yesterday, and spoke with many of the players in-studio or on the phone.

Among those stopping by were Bernie Williams and Daryl Strawberry, while Derek Jeter was contacted via phone. Jeter took the top spot, while Joe Torre was 4th, Straw came in at #15, and Bernie took the 20th spot. You can go to WFAN's site to hear the interviews.

The Daily Yankeeland

A new feature to take a quick look at what's going on in Yankeeland.

The biggest news of course was Joe Girardi's official intro to the media. It was kind of silly for the Yankees to hold a conference call earlier in the week and then introduce Girardi at the Stadium as well yesterday. It clearly would have made yesterday even more special and interesting if it had been the only get together. Conspicuous by their absence was Yankees ownership and most of the font office. Only Brian Cashman and Lon Trost accompanied Girardi to the press conference. No Hank? No Hal? No sense.

Girardi decided to wear #27 this season to show the Yankees goal of winning their 27th championship. Hopefully GI Joe gets to wear #28 when the new Stadium opens in 2009.

* * *

The Yankees have until Midnight tonight to exercise the 2008 option on Bobby Abreu. What exactly are they waiting for? Perhaps they are thinking about offering a multi year deal. We wouldn't do that, unless it were maybe a 2-year, 25 mill deal, so Abreu would get less this season. We would still only pick up his option if we were in charge.

* * *

After consulting with team physicians and doctors back in Japan, Hideki Matsui has decided to have his right knee scoped and cleaned out in prep for the 2008 season. Godzilla was hampered by the balky knee for much of the latter half of the past season.

* * *

With Dave Eiland's promotion to pitching coach, the Yankees have brough in Rafael Chaves to take over as the pitching coach at Triple-A Scranton. Chaves was the pitching coach for the M's the past 2 years and had worked for the Mariners organization for a decade.

Source

* * *

As part of their 20th anniversary celebration, WFAN held a contest that allowed fans to vote for the greatest 20 NY sports celebrities of the last 20 years. Mike and the Mad Dog revealed the list yesterday, and spoke with many of the players in-studio or on the phone.

Among those stopping by were Bernie Williams and Daryl Strawberry, while Derek Jeter was contacted via phone. Jeter took the top spot, while Joe Torre was 4th, Straw came in at #15, and Bernie took the 20th spot. You can go to WFAN's site to hear the interviews.