Yankees Went After Millar

Say it ain't so Brian. The NY Post's Joel Sherman (tip of the hat to Bleacher Report's Rob Abruzzese) reports that the Yankees have had conversations with Kevin Millar about serving in a utility role for the Bronx Bombers.

Millar's former teammate, Johnny Damon, and Alex Rodriguez both recommended a Millar signing. But Sherman reports that Millar will be inking a deal with the Blue Jays on Friday.

While it might have strengthened the team, there's no way we could take Millar in a Yankees uniform. Blech.

Yankees Fans Differ on their Joe's

There's no question that there is tremendous pressure on Joe Girardi this season to deliver a World Championship. With the additions of CC Sabatha, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, the Yankees are expected to go from also-rans to title holders. At least on paper anyway.

Girardi already had enormous pressure last season when he replaced Joe Torre, who held the reigns and brought home 4 World Series rings in 12 years. A team with more talent naturally brings more expectations.

Matt Gagne provided an unbalanced view in today's Daily News as to who Yankees fans would rather have managing this season - Joe Girardi or Joe Torre. Gagne spoke with fans at one of Torre's book signings in the city.

Think about it? If you are there to get a signed copy of "The Yankee Years", it's for 1 or 2 reasons. You either still support Joe Torre and/or you just want to meet him even if you don't necessarily like the idea of the book or think he was overrated as a manager.

Most of those Gagne spoke to said they would trust Torre over Girardi with this year's team. One fan even went as far as to say the team wouldn't make the playoffs (maybe it was really a Mets fan).

But a more accurate and telling survey is the Daily News poll open to all online readers. Torre still comes out ahead, but just by a 52% - 48% margin. And you can bet much of that is based on Torre taking LA to the playoffs last season while the Yankees missed out for the first time since 1993.

Perhaps we should all just wait and see what happens. Oh, and there's nothing wrong with supporting both Torre and Girardi, despite what the pundits might say.

photo courtesy of AP

8 Days Until Pitchers and Catchers

Buy It and They Will Come

Kevin Costner has played a baseball player in a number of movies, but now he's going to be a real life baseball team owner. Costner is the big cheese for a new team that will begin playing in Zion, Illinois in 2010.

Costner will be putting his field of dreams together with Rich Ehrenreich, owner of the Northern League's Schaumburg Flyers. The measure of Costner's involvement was not stated, but he is the primary owner and is expected to be somewhat hands on.

Scouts Honor

The man who signed both Mickey Mantle and Bobby Murcer to Yankees contract is entering the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame. Tom Greenwade, who passed away in 1986, will among this year's honorees.

Greenwade's biggest claim to fame was his find of Mickey Mantle, but he also wrote the scouting report that convinced Branch Rickey that Jackie Robinson was the right player to break MLB's color barrier.

Greenwade also signed Yankees stars Hank Bauer and Elston Howard.

Cashman Talkin' Baseball, but not Books

Brian Cashman sat down with Ed Randall and a theater of 100+ patrons last night to talk baseball, and only baseball. Randall, who has the popular "Talking Baseball" TV show, as well as radio time on WFAN, had Cashman as a guest for his "Ed Randall's Bat for the Cure", a program which raises awareness about prostate cancer.

When asked about the book, Cashman said he would follow his own advice and not comment. (You can bet though that Cash will be seeing what exactly is in there.) But Cashman did admit that books like Torre's and the media fuss over them does take a toll on him.

Cashman did admit that situations that put him in the public eye make him uncomfortable and are a big reason why his job can be so tough. "Many days I question if I want to continue doing it," he said. "It's not all it's cracked up to be."

He also shot down the idea of writing his own book. "Nah, that's not something I'm going to do," he said.

Cashman also reiterated that Manny Ramirez will not be a Yankee.

Wright Takes Flight

The Yankees designated Chase Wright for assignment when they signed Andy Pettitte, and today they traded the left-hander to the Milwaukee Brewers for Eric Fryer.

Fryer is a 23-yr old outfielder/catcher who played last season at West Virginia of the Class 'A' South Atlantic League. He lead the league with a .335 batting average as well as a .407 on-base perecentage. Fryer's .506 slugging pct. was third best in the SAL.

Milwaukee selected Fryer from Ohio State in the 10th round of the 2007 amateur draft. He'll be assigned to Single-A Tampa.

For Wright, it's a new beginning. After a rocky major league stint in 2007, he was 10-3 last year, primary pitching for Scranton and Trenton.

In odder news, the Brewers also signed former Yankee pitcher Ramiro Mendoza to a minor league deal. 'dozer hasn't been in the majors since '05.

Derek Jeter: "It's Old"

Derek Jeter may not feel all warm and fuzzy about Alex Rodriguez, but he still respects his teammate and told SI.com's Jimmy Traina that the issue brought up by Joe Torre's book were like beating a dead horse.

"I'm just curious as to why people keep asking the same questions over and over. We've been down this road before. Alex is a teammate. I support him. Our whole team is behind him. We all support him. And we're looking forward to a new season. To be quite honest with you, it's old hearing the same questions. It's something that's been addressed before in the past. Everyone's moved beyond it. And it doesn't really need to be addressed again."

SI will have the full interview Traina did with Jeter on Wednesday in Hot Clicks.


photo courtesy of SI.com

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.

Wang Returns to the Hill

Good news Yankees fans. Chien-Ming Wang threw off a mound for the first time since breaking a Lisfranc ligament and tendon in his right foot last season. Wang threw 27 pitches and was pronounced, "Good to go", by Yankees' pitching coach Dave Eiland.

Hopefully Wang doesn't get on base this year!
Jorge Posada also continues his rehab and is up to 140 throws in his workouts. He's not expected to catch a Spring Training game until March 8, but expects to be ready for the season opener.



Source: Yahoo Sports

The Polls are Closed

A whopping 967 of you responded to the Joe Torre/The Yankee Years poll - and we have to give a big thank you to MLB Trade Rumors, who picked up our story on the Yankees 25 man roster and sent a lot of traffic our way. Thanks guys!

The choice of "No way Jose, er Joe" with a resounding victory. 40% of you said you would not read the book. We can't imagine that Torre ever thought he would get the negative feedback that he's gotten from many Yankees fans, us included.

31% of you fell into the "Maybe" category, which is where we are at. Our thinking is will get the book out of the library, rather than contribute to Joe's bank account.

And finally, 29% of you can't wait to read the book ("Yes, can't wait for it!"). It is dealing with a lot of the players and teams we love/loved, and that is a definite draw.

Thanks again for taking part in the poll!

Doesn't Anybody Want Me?

Oliver Perez found welcoming arms back with the Mets yesterday, to the tune of 3 years, $36 million, but it's been a long Fall and Winter for a number of free agents this off-season. Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu, Orlando Hudson, and Ben Sheets are among the names still out there looking for a home. With teams not run by Steinbrenners cutting back on expenditures these players and more still do not have jobs with pitchers and catchers reporting in just over a week.

Manny Ramirez

The biggest name out there. We've talked about the highs and lows of "Manny Being Manny" many times. While we don't believe he hasn't received any offers, we do believe his agent Scott Boras has not received the expected offers. The Dodgers are still the favorites to land him, and today it was reported they made a new 1 year, $25 million offer. But Manny foolishly rejected it.

The Giants are said to be in contact with Manny, but will only do a deal if it's right for them.

Albert Pujols has publicly campaigned for the Cardinals to pursue Ramirez, but we don't see the Cards forking over that kind of money. St. Louis would certainly embrace Manny, so maybe a 1 year discounted amount would do. That and the thought of batting behind Pujols.

The Mets continue to insist they aren't going to sign him, while Mets fans continue to call in radio shows imploring the Mets to snatch Manny up. While taking part in some recent charity work, manager Jerry Manuel said he'd love to have Manny.

Some of our fellow Yankees fans continue to insist that the Yankees sign him and then deal Swisher and Nady. Enough free agent signings already.

We've said it before and we'll say it again. The Orioles should sign Manny. He would destroy Camden Yards and help bring in fans.


Adam Dunn

Dunn's lack of a deal is partially due to the lack of a deal by Manny. Dunn is the Plan 'B' to the Plan 'A' of Manny. Dunn would like to play for the Dodgers, but that won't happen unless Manny goes elsewhere. The Washington Post reported on January 19th that Dunn wanted 4 years, $56 million. That is a mere pittance by today's standards.

There are clearly teams that would go to Dunn now, but you can bet Dunn and his agent are waiting to see when and if Manny gets a deal done. But the longer the wait, the less Dunn is going to end up with. He could conceivably still be sitting out there once position players report to Spring Training.

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman hopes his team can sign his buddy to a deal. He recently spoke with Pete McElroy of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

"I know Adam real well and I've talked to him a few times. He's excited about his situation. Obviously it's a business and that stuff has to work itself out, but he loves it here and a lot of the guys on this team. He's told me he'd like to play here, but I'm sure he's told people in Milwaukee or whoever else is going after him that he'd like to play there too. That's all part of the game and the business, but hopefully one of them or both [second baseman Orlando Hudson] will be here. [Dunn] is a good guy and he knows how to play the game and he's a great baseball talent. We'll see what happens."

Bobby Abreu

Bobby Abreu has driven 100 runs and scored 100 runs in each of the last 6 seasons. Only Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols have done the same. And while Abreu is not in the same class as those two, he and his agent, Peter Greenberg, are baffled by the lack of offers coming Abreu's way this off-season.

Abreu made $16 million while with the Yankees last year and, as it turns out, Brian Cashman wisely did not offer Abreu arbitration this off-season. Had Cashman done so, the Yankees would have been saddled with a large, one year contract.

Abreu still puts up good offensive numbers, but his defense has slipped and he has a reputation as a soft player. Still there are teams that could use his offense. But Greenberg told the Times' Tyler Kepner that some offers are predicated on other free agents or teams being able to move bulky salaries.

Such is the case in Seattle, where the Mariners need to move Jarrod Washburn and his $10.5 million income before signing some offensive help.

UPDATE - 2:28 PM EST - Roger Rubin of the Daily News reported that the White Sox have made a 1 year, $8 million offer to Bobby Abreu.


Orlando Hudson

This slick fielding second baseman can't find a home to turn double plays. We've repeatedly heard that the Mets covet him, but not before moving Luis Castillo. Of course, no one is willing to help the Mets out by taking an overpaid guy with bum wheels.

Hudson told the MLB Network that 4 teams are interested in him - the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Nationals. Hudson said none of the team said he would need to change positions.

As for the Yankees, we still think it's crazy at this point to deal Robinson Cano. The Dodgers have Blake DeWitt to step into Jeff Kent's cleats in LA, but are said to be thinking of spending money on Hudson and Dunn in place of Manny.


Ben Sheets
Other than the Texas Rangers, there isn't a whole lot of action out there for the oft-injured right-hander. Andy Pettitte's signing meant one less team to get into a bidding war for Sheets' services.

Ken Rosenthal, for one, thinks that Sheets and some of the other free agents could get better deals by actually waiting until the season is underway.


So there you have it- the names above and others - Frank Thomas, Jim Edmonds, etc. - continue to play the waiting game. And spring training is just 9 days away.

10 Days Until Pitchers and Catchers

We miss ya Scooter!

Super Bowl Sunday

Hard to believe a year has passed since the Giants glorious victory in the Arizona desert. We went from a year with no expectations to a year with huge expectations, and an even bigger let down.

It should be a good game today. The Cardinals weapons of Warner, Fitzgerald, and Boldin against Big Ben, Hines Ward, and the Steelers defense.

We've been wrong about the Cardinals this entire playoffs, and though we think this game will be competitive, we think the Cardinals good times end today.

You can say no one though the Giants would be the Patriots last year, but there's one big difference between last year's Pats and this year's Steelers. And that would be the defense. Though the Patriots entered the big day unbeaten, their defense wasn't anything stupendous. That's not the case with the Steelers, and that will be the difference.

Steelers 31-20. Big Ben wins MVP.

11 Days