Daily Archives: April 2, 2009

The weather is starting to perk up.  Rain tomorrow the weather man says, but right now, the sun is out and people are feeling fine.

Take it away, Biz:

It was a wet and foggy morning in the Bronx today.  But the rain is supposed to hold off this afternoon–the sun is already out–which will come as good news for the fans headed up to the new stadium.  The Yankees broke camp yesterday and are scheduled to have a work out in their new home today.  Our man Cliff Corcoran will be there and I’m sure he’ll give us his impressions later this evening.

No matter what our reservations about it are, I’m sure that most Yankee fans are eager to see the place.  I think it will feel strange, especially since the old Stadium is still standing, now vacant, across the street.  At least in Queens, Shea is torn down, which lends a different ghostly feeling to the surroundings.

What do you guys think?  Is there anyone who is not at least curious to go to the new park?

Today’s news is powered by our fearless leader’s predictions for the Yankees in 2009, as part of a “New York Baseball Today” segment:

• Baseball Prospectus’ Will Carroll, on the status of our favorite celebrity/third baseman:

The Yankees are saying that Alex Rodriguez will return on May 15; sources tell me that he’s “way in front of that.”

• Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan and A-Rod.  No, its not some cross-sport menage-a-trois.  Its some of the names that come up in David Pinto’s preview of the Yanks, specifically:

Be on the lookout for a Nancy Kerrigan-like recovery for Alex Rodriguez. Back in 1994, skater Kerrigan was whacked in the knee by the boyfriend of her rival skater, Tonya Harding. Kerrigan was force to rehabilitate her knee to get ready for the Olympics, and the therapy made her stronger, leading to the best performance of her life. A-Rod is going through that kind of training right now, possibly increasing his strength beyond what a normal spring training would bring. I could imagine him coming back and posting six months worth of number in five. (Of course, he’ll complain about Jeter’s makeup and everyone will hate him again.)

• John Perrotto takes a peek at the 2009 Yankees:

Though this is one franchise that determines the success of a season by whether or not it won the World Series (something it hasn’t done since 2000), the Yankees weren’t exactly awful last season. They went 89-73, and they weren’t as dominant as usual, finishing a mediocre 13^th in the majors in team Equivalent Average*with a .262 mark while scoring an average of 4.9 per game, 14^th in runs allowed with a 4.5 average, and 25^th in defensive efficiency. This year, Teixeira should bolster the offense, and Sabathia should provide a lift to the pitching staff as they are among the game’s premier players. Teixeira’s combined .328 EqA with the Braves and Angels last season ranked fifth in the majors, and Sabathia’s combined 8.7 SNLVAR** with the Indians and Brewers ranked first. Burnett was 32^nd in SNLVAR with 5.3 for the Blue Jays, and is not considered as safe a bet as Teixeira and Sabathia because of his injury history and his often prickly personality.

“There is pressure on me, and all three of us, but I can tell you that nobody has greater expectations of me than I do,” Sabathia said. “It was that way when I was a rookie back in 2001 making the minimum salary, and that’s the way it is now that I’ve signed this contract. I want to the best pitcher I can be, get to the World Series, and win it. I know the fans expect me to come here and be that missing piece, the guy who takes the Yankees to the World Series. That’s great. I want them to feel that way, because that’s my goal, too.”

Sabathia also believes that Teixeira and Burnett will handle the high expectations. “They’re veterans and exceptional players,” said Sabathia. “You don’t reach the level they’ve reached in this game if you’re not confident and mentally strong. We’re all in the same boat. We’re new here. But we’re also here to lean on each other, and that’s going to help all three of us.”

• Newsday’s Wallace Matthews wants Joba Chamberlain back in the bullpen:

Greater baseball minds than mine have analyzed this situation at great length and determined that Joba for the first six innings every five days is better than Joba out of the bullpen five times a week.

. . . Joba can finish. He was a great setup man, and someday he’ll be a great closer. Those commodities are a lot scarcer on the market than starting pitchers.

And the Yankees, of all teams, should know it. In 1996, they wrote the book on the art of shortening the game. The nightly relay team – starting pitcher to Rivera to John Wetteland – was more reliable than Tinker to Evers to Chance. It forced every one of their opponents into the hurry-up offense, every night.

If you didn’t get those Yankees within six innings, you weren’t getting them at all, and the numbers bear it out – the record of the 1996 world champions was 70-3 in games they led after six.

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