Today’s news is powered by quite possibly the worst pro sports team music video ever (yes, worse than the “Super Bowl Shuffle”) … ladies and gentlemen … the 1986 LA Dodgers:
- Mariano Rivera appears to be right on schedule recovery-wise:
Rivera said he worked at about 90 percent of his regular velocity. He will throw batting practice again Saturday, and believes he could pitch in his first game of the spring Monday at home against the Phillies.
“If it feels as good as it feels now, there will be a game,” Rivera said. “Everything feels great.”
- Sabathia isn’t too worried about Spring Training performances, as per PeteAbe:
CC Sabathia doesn’t have control of his cutter yet. That’s a pitch he often uses with two strikes. For him, that pitch usually comes when he has two or three starts left in the spring. So he throws a four-seam fastball for a strike and — ka-boom — Gary Sheffield drills one. Sheff doesn’t get that pitch on April 27.
“I’ve been doing this a while, I know what will happen,” CC said. “You go through these things in spring training.”
- A-Rod called into Girardi to report that he’s doing well during the initial phase of post-surgery rehab.
- The Times has a profile of Nick Swisher, with some comments from teammates on Nick’s tastes in music:
“This” has turned out to be a lot of music, much of it hip-hop, at high volume from the stereo next to Swisher’s locker in the back of the room. Starter C. C. Sabathia said Swisher “keeps us loose in here, keeping it light.”
Sabathia added, “I’m looking forward to his humor every day.”
Starter A. J. Burnett said, “We call him Loud, but it’s not a bad loud, it’s a tolerable loud, and it’s good to have that kind of guy so when no matter how bad it’s going, he’s going to come in smiling and loud and laughing.”
First baseman Mark Teixeira said of Swisher’s musical taste, “He’s got a pretty good grasp on it, so until he messes up, we’re going to let him have the D.J. rights.”
- The Yankees will hope to lower their staff ERA, as well as their risk of staph infections, it would appear:
The New York Yankees announced Wednesday the new Yankee Stadium will become the first antimicrobial facility in Major League Baseball.
CSG, a provider of antimicrobial products, treatments and services, will treat the baseball stadium using the Sports Antimicrobial System, team officials said.
The system is a comprehensive process that kills illness-causing microorganisms, and continually inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and fungi on any surface for up to three years, officials said.
Areas of the stadium to be treated include the home and visiting club houses, locker rooms, training rooms, dugouts, showers, managers and coaches offices, weight-training areas and family lounge. Additionally, the team’s washable fabrics will be treated with FabricAid, Behar said…..
No word yet on if the fans will benefit from the same antimicrobial treatment in the public areas.
- Our own Cliff Corcoran will be one of the “Baseball Prospectus 2009” writers appearing in Manhattan tonight for baseball chatting and book signing. Alex and I should be in attendance … maybe we’ll see you there. (B&N @ 18th Street and 5th Avenue – 6 PM)
- Speaking of books, SABR is offering its “Emerald Guide to Baseball 2009” as a free download. The “Emerald Guide to Baseball” is the successor to the “Sporting News Baseball Guide”, which ceased publication a couple of years ago. In 2009, the Society for American Baseball Reseach (SABR) became its publisher. You need NOT be an SABR member to access this PDF.
- Raul Mondesi turns 38 today. Mondesi provided the Yanks with some power (HR every 24 ABs) but little else between 2002 and 2003.
- The iconic Darryl Strawberry turns 47 today. “Straw” was a part of the Yanks for five seasons (’95 to ’99), and his 1998 performance of 24 HRs and 57 RBIs in a mere 295 ABs helped the Yanks run away with the division.
- Ruppert Jones is 54 today. Jones spent one horrid year with the Yanks (1980, when he compiled a line of .223/.299/.357 in 83 games) after being traded by the Mariners (along with Jim Lewis) for Jim Beattie, Rick Anderson, Juan Beniquez, and Jerry Narron.
- Today is the 67th birthday of Jimmy Wynn. “The Toy Cannon” was pretty much done by the time he got to the Yanks in 1977, compiling a line of .143/.283/.234 in 77 ABs, with one homer and three RBIs.
- Johnny Callison, an All-Star on the mid-60s Phillies teams, and who finished up his career with the Yanks in ’72 and ’73, would have been 70 today. Callison passed away in 2006.
Any early predictions on what we get from Mo?
My early, (optimistic) guess, based on nothing in particular besides a belief that they'll try to use him less than usual and for fewer IP than usual.
64 G, 68 IP, 70 K, 12 BB, 49 H 2 HR 1.79 ERA 45 SV
Dear lord, that video is awful. The next time Orel says something stupid during a game, I hope they just show his awesome pelvic thrusts from that video. Yikes.
Sorry, Diane - I made it about 30 seconds into the video, but then it was either the "pause" button or a letter opener in the ear.
A good B&N to go to! I worked there for a number of years.
I too think Mo will have a very good year. But one thing I think I have noticed over the last couple of years (no statistics to back it up just something i feel i've picked up on) is that he doesn't really have the stamina to go two innings anymore. I just seem to remember alot of those games ending badly. But I think for one inning he can still be lights out.
Hmm. Swisher... it sounds like he is well liked so far. I wonder if he is taking the place of giambi a bit in the club house.... since despite all his on the field problems and the steroid stuff I always got the sense that giambi was one of the key guys inside the clubhouse. Also I wonder with swisher if he will be getting more AB now as they try to make up for the offensive loss of A-Rod. Maybe a few in CF even?
I think they're going to try to avoid 2 IP as much as possible, if nothing else for the shoulder.
The iconic Darryl Strawberry turns 47 today. “Straw” was a part of the Yanks for five seasons (’95 to ‘99), and his 1998 performance of 24 HRs and 57 RBIs in a mere 295 ABs helped the Yanks run away with the division.
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent. - Lorenzo Anello, "A Bronx Tale"
I remember Jimmy Wynn's one Yankee home run very well - Opening Day, 1977. It was a line shot, a Sheffield-style homer, except it went just to the right of dead center field. I'm not sure I've ever seen a ball go that far that fast.
You know you're of the ignorant minority when even Peter Abraham states the obvious:
Meanwhile, I think the clock is ticking in terms of a new infielder being added to the roster. If the season started tomorrow, Cody Ransom and Angel Berroa would be on the roster. Yikes.
The Yankees have trade chips. Juan Miranda could platoon at first base for somebody. Kei Igawa can pitch in the NL West. They have a surplus of fringy pitchers. Somewhere out there is a player who can be had on the relative cheap who is better than Angel Berroa, if not Ransom.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a ball go that far that fast.
Winnie's shot into Monument Park during the Pine Tar Game?
Somewhere out there is a player who can be had on the relative cheap who is better than Angel Berroa, if not Ransom.
Then what's the rush to make a deal?
I can see Kei Igawa failing in the NL West
The first non-baseball event booked at the new Stadium is ...
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/03/09/daily34.html
(I will abide by the commenting guidelines, and refrain from making any comments about religion).
[11] I can see Kei Igawa failing in the Pacific Coast League
and as far as that video is concerned, all I can say is that cocaine is a hell of a drug.
[12] And I thought that was about Claude Osteen... Dang.
Actually, that may be the only way to get a reasonably priced ticket behind home plate :)
[15]
Preacher Roe, Ryan Church, Eddie Priest (1998 Reds), Jerry Moses, Jesus Alou ... etc, etc.
(just getting the joke out of the way) :-)
[12] I'm not sure why one would feel the need to make a comment about religion. This fits a long Yankee Stadium tradition, from gatherings of Jehovah's Witnesses to papal masses. I'm not sure it warrants comment beyond that.
Its sort of hard to have an opinion one way or the other on that.
[17]
You are entirely correct ... I think I'll just go back to work ....
I didn't think it was possible for anything to be that much worse than the Super Bowl Shuffle. I stand corrected.
[20] To be fair to the '85 bears, the '86 Giants SB song was pretty bad too!
[20] [21] On a positive note, I think the Mets 1986 video (Let's Go, Mets Go, or something like that) was pretty good.
Steve Garvey has NOTHING on former-NFLer Travis Henry
http://tinyurl.com/bz86gn
"Henry, 30, a former N.F.L. running back who played for three teams from 2001 to 2007, has nine children — each by a different mother, some born as closely as a few months apart."
Someone needs to be held responsible for something as criminal as that video.
If I were Orel Hershiser, I would have spent every dollar I ever made tracking down every copy of that video and having them all destroyed.
Wow...just wow!
LMAO @ $20 per for a seat in the 100's next to a foul pole to hear some criminal millionaire and his wife avoid paying taxes. What's next? Selling tickets to the grand opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library (hahaha)? For the uninitiated, that's a joke because Churches and Libraries are supposed to be free admittance, but I digress...
To be honest, I'd pay $20 to enter a completely empty Yankee Stadium for an equal amount of time! I wager I'd get much more out of that kind of visit, even to the new park.
But it's things like these that disgust me when some Mutts fan or a Dodgers or Giants fan from ancient history says he's never been to Yankee Stadium out of some contrived reason akin to "The Yankees are ruining MLB!" and they actually conduct events other than the Yankees games there from time to time. I mean I hate the Marlins, but I've still been to Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Whatever in the Hell it's being called today Park! Here's your chance to get in there, and you don't even have to have your "precious baseball fan integrity" insulted by watching a Yankee game!
So spend the $20, spend another $5 on a package of foam earplugs, and get into and see the new Yankee Stadium! It may never be that cheap again! Oh, and "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" - Frank Morgan as the Wizard of Oz (1939). Be a "Good Deed Doer" instead! And when security prevents you from entering certain parts of Yankee Stadium that you want to see during the event, like the dugout and clubhouse, just roll your eyes back into your forehead, shake your head violently from side to side, and start mumbling incoherently (speaking in tongues), you know, like other idiots do, and tell them you were simply going into the squeaky clean Yankees Clubhouse whirlpool to cure your staph infection because you are in fact one of the "Great Unwashed"! Not only won't you be escorted from the building out of pity, you may even be brought down to the field for a "healing" or a "laying on of hands" before being returned safely to your $20 seat near the foul pole. Now THAT would be a memorable visit to the new Yankees Stadium... *
* If I've offended any of you with this post, too bad! Go cry to the Osteens! They can "soothe" your plight... if the price is right!
;)
Whoops, sorry everyone! I forgot the /George Carlin on, /George Carlin off commands...
;)
[23] Diane, I taught Travis Henry when he was an undergraduate "student" at the University of Tennessee and I was a grad student. He epitomizes why the UT football team has an 11 percent graduation rate. I doubt he's even functionally literate.
[22] William, you linked to the Baseball Boogie video back on the old Toaster Banter..it hasn't improved with a second viewing..the 1980s seems as alien as a Merchant-Ivory film now to me..
[13] I can see Kei Igawa failing in the Over-40 Softball League...
I oughtta make a parody of that with my cameraphone, just so we can raise the bar a little >;)