Follow the USA v. Canada game with me over on my SI.com liveblog.

Today’s news is powered by a trip in the wayback machine, offering bloopers from the station that used to carry the Yanks …

• PeteAbe reports that while Brian Cashman has stated the Yanks have not made a decision on whether A-Rod will have surgery, however:

Alex is staying in Colorado for “the foreseeable future.”

Said Cashman: “The stiffness is the beginning of the process. Eventually there is going to be pain. … You have to be realistic. We could be on the verge of having an incident. … What’s best for him is what’s best for us.”

• The Times lays out the possible surgery/recovery timetables:

Later, Cashman acknowledged that Rodriguez could make the injury worse by playing without surgery. “Oh, that’s absolutely a possibility,” Cashman said. “The worse the tear, the more complicated the surgery.”

If Rodriguez chooses to play, it is likely that he would have regular magnetic resonance imaging tests to see if the condition is worsening.

If Rodriguez has surgery to treat only the torn labrum, he could return in four to six weeks. But if there is an underlying bone problem in the hip joint that needs to be repaired, the likely rehabilitation period would be four months.

• The specialist who saw Rodriguez earlier this weeks thinks Alex “could” play through it:

In a Thursday conference call with the Yankees and other parties, Dr. Marc Philippon, the specialist, described for others how the surgery would work. But there also was an indication, during the call, that there is a “75 to 80 percent chance” Rodriguez could get through the 2009 season playing through the discomfort.

• Ian O’Connor thinks an A-Rodless Yankee team might not be so bad, in a way:

Why? Because an extended A-Rod absence would swing open a door of delicious opportunity, that’s why.

The Yankees could go back to being the Yankees. They could go back to being the team that won four championships in five years with reliable pitching and a harmonious band of position players that didn’t need a slugger whose favorite teammates are Me, Myself and I.

“It was all about the team for us,” Tino Martinez said. “There were no real stars. You had Bernie [Williams] and [Derek] Jeter, but not superstars. We just figured out ways to get a lead and win games. “Position by position, this year’s team has much more physical talent than we did. It’s a way better team than our championship teams. But we knew how to come together, and that’s the trick.”

[My take: But you still have to put runs on the board at some point …]

(more…)

The Yankees won their first game since February 26, beating Justin Verlander and the Tigers 7-3 with the help of new ace CC Sabathia.

Lineup:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
L – Johnny Damon (LF)
S – Nick Swisher (1B)
S – Jorge Posada (DH)
R – Shelley Duncan (RF)
R – Cody Ransom (3B)
R – Jose Molina (C)
R – Angel Berroa (2B)
S – Ramiro Peña (SS)

Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Doug Bernier (2B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Kevin Russo (3B), Jesus Montero (C), John Rodriguez (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), Colin Curtis (LF), Kyle Anson (C)

Pitchers: CC Sabathia, Alfredo Aceves, Steven Jackson, Jose Veras, Anthony Claggett, David Robertson

Opposition: The Tigers’ B-team.

Big Hits:

Five doubles, one each by Cody Ransom (1-for-3), Johnny Damon (1-for-2, BB), Jorge Posada (1-for-3), Jose Molina (2-for-3), and Jesus Montero (1-for-1). Ramiro Peña went 2-for-2, stole a base, and delivered a sacrifice bunt.

Who Pitched Well:

In his first game action as a Yankee, CC Sabathia allowed two hits and one unearned run in two innings of work. The run came after Shelley Duncan turned a pop-up into a double and Angel Berroa booted a ball. Sabathia struck out two, and got his other four outs on the ground. Alfredo Aceves allowed a single and a walk in 2 2/3 scoreless innings. David Robertson struck out the side in order in the ninth. Jose Veras struck out two in the seventh allowing only a walk. Anthony Claggett pitched around a single in the eighth.

Who Didn’t:

Steven Jackson gave up two runs on a pair of singles and a walk in an inning and a third.

Battles:

Cody Ransom, who is now battling to be the Yankees’ replacement third baseman, went 1-for-3 with a double. Angel Berroa went 1-for-3 and made his third fielding error of the week (though his first official boot as the other two came against WBC teams in games that don’t “count”). Scary thought: if Ransom does become the third baseman, does that make Berroa the utlity infielder? Doug Bernier and Kevin Russo have one hit between them this spring. Eduardo Nuñez hasn’t hit in A-ball yet, and Ramiro Peña hit .266/.330/.357 in Double-A last year? Justin Leone doesn’t have the glove for the job. Then again, neither does Berroa. It’s worth noting that the slick-fielding Peña has been getting a lot of starts with Rodriguez, Jeter, and Cano away from camp.

Brett Gardner went 1-f0r-3 and made a great catch in center. Nick Swisher walked in three trips. Jose Veras‘s decision to skip the WBC to solidify his bullpen job is paying off. David Robertson is coming on strong as well. If the season started today, the pen would likely be Rivera, Bruney, Marte, Veras, Coke, Robertson and a long man, though I’d rather the Yankees take Albaladejo or Melancon. As for the long-relief competition, Alfredo Aceves threw his hat back in the ring with his outing yesterday, though the five-day gap between his appearances suggest the  Yankees are prepping him to startin Triple-A and focusing on Dan Giese and (sigh) Brett Tomko as the long-relief candidates.

More:

Mariano Rivera will join the Panamanian WBC team over the weekend for ceremonial purposes only. Panama’s game against Puerto Rico follows the US v. Canada matchup that I’ll be liveblogging for SI.com starting at 2pm today. (Was that plug subtle enough?)

I’m going to be covering the World Baseball Classic for SI.com over the next few weeks. My coverage starts today with previews of all 16 teams. You can check those out here:

Pool A: Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, China
Pool B: Cuba, Mexico, Australia, South Africa
Pool C: USA, Venezuela, Canada, Italy
Pool D: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Netherlands, Panama

The first two games in Pool A have already happened, with Japan beating China 4-0 and Korea defeating Chinese Taipei 9-0. China and Chinese Taipei, who battled for 12 innings in their Olympic showdown last year before China came away with their first-ever win in international competition, will play tonight at 10:30, and the loser of that game will be the first eliminated from the tournament.

Things really get going after that, with Japan vs. Korea kicking off a slate of five games tomorrow, including Team USA’s opening game against Canada.

I’ll be livebloggin the USA’s game for SI.com tomorrow at 2:00, and will liveblog nearly all of the USA’s games in this tournament. Be sure to check those out, as well as my overview of the tournament and the rules changes:

The top two teams from each pool advance to Round 2, and it would be a major upset if any of the “second division” teams — Chinese Taipei, China, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Italy, Panama, Netherlands — were to advance at the expense of any of the “first division” teams — Japan, Korea, Cuba, Mexico, USA, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico. . . . With the weak half of the teams eliminated, the competition should really start to heat up in Round 2. It will take just nine days for the elite eight to yield a champion via the final at Dodger Stadium on March 23.

I’m likely a bit biased because I’ve been emersing myself in the tournament for the last week or so in preperation for doing this coverage, but the innagural WBC was more popular than expected, and I think as each tournament gives the next more backstory (such as the USA’s Round 2 exit and Korea’s three games against Japain in 2006), those stories will begin to overshadow complaints about the format or the players who aren’t participating. In just the second go-around, I can really see this thing catching on, not just in Asia and Latin America, where it’s already a big deal, but here in the U.S. as well. After all, it’s passionate, high-stakes baseball being played by some of the best players in the world.

Today’s news is powered by an MRI machine, and this video …

• Jack Curry covers the recent history of A-Rod’s hip health:

When Rodriguez underwent a magnetic resonance imaging procedure for his right quadriceps last May, General Manager Brian Cashman said the results showed an incidental irregularity in his hip. …

But after the finding, the Yankees were seemingly lax about examining Rodriguez’s hip again. Rodriguez, the highest-paid player in baseball, did not have another M.R.I. on his hip during or after the season. Cashman said the irregularity on Rodriguez’s M.R.I. was an insufficient reason to pursue additional testing.

Still, considering how valuable Rodriguez is and how closely the Yankees typically supervise players, they could have ordered an M.R.I. last October to determine if the irregularity had developed into something more significant. The Yankees have $275 million invested in Rodriguez. An M.R.I. costs a few thousand dollars. Cashman said that was unnecessary because Rodriguez did not have a documented injury, often has stiff legs and never reported any pain.

• Tom Verducci writes of the Yankees’ achilles heel … the age of their big stars:

The Yankees have a 37-year-old catcher coming off shoulder surgery (Jorge Posada), a shortstop who turns 35 in June (Derek Jeter), a 39-year-old closer (Mariano Rivera), a 35-year-old outfielder (Johnny Damon), another outfielder who turns 35 in June (Hideki Matsui) and now a 33-year-old third baseman with a problematic hip. None of those position players except Jeter played 150 games last year.

• The Post sizes up possible short-term replacements (both internal and external) for Rodriguez.
• Ken Davidoff thinks the A-Rod hatred might just vanish come Opening Day:

A hip injury has to cause a tremendous concern for the Yankees. However, let’s take a leap and say that this is a condition from which A-Rod can recover, and be something close to his old self.

If A-Rod can return to the Yankees’ lineup sometime in May, then perhaps he’ll actually be appreciated for the positives he brings to the table. Rather than the negatives.

Right now, when everyone is tied in the standings at 0-0, it’s easy to hate the guy. To pick on him for daring to offer praise to Jose Reyes, of all things.

But when the Yankees open the season April 6 in Baltimore, and Cody Ransom is playing third base, we’ll get the full appreciation for the 7.1 Wins Above Replacement Player that A-Rod put up in 2008, a down year for him.

(more…)

The Yankees managed just four hits against the pitching-deprived Team Canada. Meanwhile, the first five men in the Canadian order reached base against Joba Chamberlain as Canada scored sixth in the top of the first. There was no scoring after that as Canada won 6-0

Lineup:

S – Melky Cabrera (CF)
S – Nick Swisher (LF)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
L – Hideki Matsui (DH)
R – Xavier Nady (RF)
R – Cody Ransom (SS)
R – Angel Berroa (3B)
S – Ramiro Peña (2B)
R – Kevin Cash (C)

Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Doug Bernier (2B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Justin Leone (3B), P.J. Pilittere (C), Todd Linden (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), Colin Curtis (LF), Jorge Posada (DH)

Pitchers: Joba Chamberlain, Jonathan Albaladejo, Kei Igawa, Brian Bruney, Christian Garcia, J.B. Cox

Opposition: The big-hitting, weak-pitching Team Canada.

Big Hits:

Xavier Nady (1-for-3) and Doug Bernier (1-for-2) both doubled of reliever T.J. Burton, a Double-A reliever from the Indians’ system. The Yankees had just two other hits, both singles.

Who Pitched Well:

Kei Igawa struck out two while allowing just a single in three scoreless innings. Brian Bruney pitched a perfect sixth striking out two. J.B. Cox pitched a perfect ninth striking out one. Christian Garcia allowed a single and a walk in two scoreless innings, striking out two and getting his other four outs on the ground.

Who Didn’t:

Joba Chamberlain faced five batters. Four of them walked, the other, Russell Martin, singled. With that, Chamberlain was pulled from the game. He told Pete Abe after the game that he felt great and that the problem was purely mechanical, but this comes after he he topped out at 88 miles per hour on the YES gun in his poor first outing.

Battles:

Melky Cabrera went 0-for-3. Cody Ransom drew two walks in three trips. Angel Berroa singled in three at-bats and booted a ball at third base. Fortunately for him, both of his errors have come in exhibitions against WBC teams, so neither will show up on his official spring training stat sheet. Xavier Nady doubled in three trips. Nick Swisher drew two walks in three trips and stole a base. Those two are playing to their strengths to an extreme degree. Neither is getting many hits, but Nady’s are all for extra bases and Swisher is drawing a lot of walks, so that the former’s stat line is all slugging and the latter’s is all on-base percentage. Jonathan Albaladejo gave up a run on three hits (including a Matt Stairs double) and two walks in two innings and didn’t strike anyone out.

Ouchies:

Hideki Matsui made his first appearance in a game this spring and went 0-for-2 as the DH. Mariano Rivera and Edwar Ramirez both threw in the bullpen. Both sessions went well. Oh,and one of the guys named Rodriguez hurt his hip or something, but I can’t seem to find a report on it.

Scratch that surgery thing.

Per Pete Abe, Brian Cashman has said that Alex Rodriguez not only has a cyst on his hip, but a torn labrum in the joint, but instead of having surgery, which would knock him out for four months, he’s going to try to play through it like Chase Utley and Mike Lowell did last year.

The cyst was large and the hope was having it drained will lessen the stiffness Rodriguez felt.

They’re going to cut down on his time in spring training in the hopes he can get through the season.

. . . Cashman refused to say what degree the tear was.

This is actually worse news than the surgery had been. Losing Rodriguez for the first six weeks of the season would have been acceptable had he come back at full strength and hit like he can the rest of the way, and if the Yankees had resisted making an unnecessary move to fill third base for those six weeks and simply given the job to Cody Ransom.

Instead, Rodriguez will be playing the 2009 season at less than full strength. Consider that Lowell, who was the same age last year that Rodriguez will be this year, played in just 34 games in the second half of last season and hit just .225/.286/.357 in those games, while Utley, after a hot start, hit just .273/.363/.472 from May 6 through the end of the season, well below his established level. If Rodriguez can repeat Utley’s line, that will be better than any alternative the Yankees could scare up at this late point, but one wonders how much of that reduced production Rodriguez would give back in the field if his shrinking range is further pinched by his sore hip.

The Yankees could have Rodriguez go under the knife in the hopes of returning around the All-Star break, but he’d be starting from scratch at that point, and a setback in his rehab could wipe out his season. Better to have him play through it, albeit with increased rest. The Yankees can survive this, but it’s not good news, and we’ll still be talking about it next year as he’ll need off-season surgery even if he makes it through the season.

Update: Pete Abe has audio of Cashman briefing the press. Cash says the Yankees noticed an irregularity in Alex’s right hip when Rodriguez had an MRI following his quad pull early last season, but it was not accompanied by any symptoms (pain, lack of motion, etc.). Rodriguez first reported some stiffness, but not pain, in the hip last week, prompting an MRI that detected the cyst, prompting the visit with Dr. Marc Phillipon in Colorado, who diagnosed the torn labrum. Rodriguez has had the cyst, which was caused by the labrum tear, drained and will see if the decreased pressure reduces his symptoms.

Today’s news is powered by “Will it Blend?”

• MLB.com is reporting that Rivera will have his first bullpen session Thursday.  PeteAbe says Rivera will be throwing from the “Carl Pavano Memorial Half Mound”.

[My take: Pete can get a-hold of one every once in a while … ]

• PeteAbe also got some news from Hughes (Phil) on his newly-improved curve:

Hughes explained that he’s throwing his curve with the same arm speed as his fastball. So instead of a big loop (picture Mike Mussina’s curve), it goes to the plate on a straighter plane but still has some action as it gets there. It’s how A.J. Burnett throws his curve.

Hughes devoted a lot of time in the Arizona Fall League to working on that particular pitch. “It’s hard to change because you get used to throwing a pitch a certain way,” he said. “In games, you tend to go back to what is comfortable. But they’ve been staying on me to throw the power curve more. I have to trust it and I do.” …

Hughes also has changed the grip on his change-up. He throws it like a splitter.

(more…)

Playing not only without their WBC participants, but without Mark Teixeira and without a DH, the Yankees fell to the Braves 3-2, dropping their spring record to 2-5-1 (including their “unofficial” loss to Team USA).

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (LF)
L – Brett Gardner (CF)
R – Xavier Nady (RF)
L – Juan Miranda (1B)
R – Angel Berroa (2B)
R – Jose Molina (C)
R – Kevin Russo (3B)
S – Ramiro Peña (SS)
R – Ian Kennedy (P)

Subs: Doug Bernier (2B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Justin Leone (3B), Austin Romine (C), Todd Linden (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), John Rodriguez (LF), Jesus Montero (PH)

Pitchers: Ian Kennedy, Dan Giese, Andrew Brackman, Mark Melancon

Opposition: The Braves’ non-WBC starters.

Big Hits:

Triples by Johnny Damon (1-for-2, BB) and Xavier Nady (1-for-3), a double by Eduardo Nuñez in his only at-bat, and a single by pitcher Dan Giese (1-for-2), whose last hit was in 2007.

Who Pitched Well:

Andrew Brackman pitched a perfect seventh inning. Mark Melancon pitched around a double in the eighth. Dan Giese gave up a run on two hits and a walk in three innings, but also struck out three.

Who Didn’t:

Ian Kennedy gave up two runs on three doubles and a walk in his three innings, failed to strike anyone out, and said after the game that he didn’t have command of his curveball, which is the pitch he had made so much progress on in Puerto Rico this winter.

Battles:

Xavier Nady‘s triple was just his second hit of the spring, though both have gone for extra bases. He has yet to draw a walk. Brett Gardner went 0-for-2, but drew a walk. Angel Berroa went 1-for-3 and was caught stealing. Dan Giese‘s outing was among the better performances by the aspiring long-relievers. He’s now pitched thrice, while Alfredo Aceves has only pitched once, and poorly at that. Mark Melancon has yet to allow an earned run in three spring innings.

More:

Pete Abe had a couple of posts from earlier this week that are worth checking out if you missed them. First this on Phil Hughes. Then this random thoughts post full of behind-the-scenes observations.

Every once in awhile I enjoy tweaking my father-in-law by making a reference to Juan Marichal. The mere mention of the “Dominican Dandy” brings out a few exclamation marks from my wife’s dad. You see, he’s a Dodger fan, going all the way back to the Brooklyn days, and he remembers all too well the time that Marichal decided to take a bat to the head of Dodgers catcher John Roseboro. I try to explain to my father-in-law that Marichal is really a pretty good guy, that he actually reconciled with Roseboro, but he won’t buy that line—not at all.

This 1974 card of Mr. Marichal is one of the last two regular cards that Topps issued for the Hall of Fame right-hander; the other one is part of the Topps Traded series for 1974, featuring Marichal in the colors of the Red Sox. Yes, it is strange to think of him in Beantown after all those years by the Bay, sort of like watching Elston Howard finish up his career in Boston after all those seasons in pinstripes.

Although it has no remarkable monetary value, the regular issue ’74 Marichal encapsulates the lasting image of the great right-hander’s most memorable attribute—not his onetime bat-wielding incident, but an extraordinarily high leg kick that counterbalanced a no-windup delivery. The photographer skillfully manages to catch Marichal’s left leg near its highest point, with the toes of his left foot practically even in height with the tip of his cap. (Don’t try this at home; it’s sure to cause a muscle pull or some other significant injury.) The photo on the card is particularly striking because few pitchers in today’s game use this kind of a motion, in part because of the modern-day emphasis on the slide step and in part because pitching coaches like to teach more compact motions, thereby lessening the possibility of bad mechanics. As distinctive as Marichal’s motion seems in contrast to today’s big league pitcher, it’s hardly the only one of its kind in baseball history. A number of great pitchers have used high leg kicks and—in contrast to Marichal—large, convoluted windups, including Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Warren Spahn. For years, the high leg kick was considered important for a variety of reasons; it added to a pitcher’s velocity, proved distracting to a hitter, and helped a pitcher hide the ball—and his pitching arm— behind his leg.

While one’s eyes naturally tend to gravitate toward Marichal’s front leg, his back leg is also worth a look. In the photo, he’s bending his right knee severely, almost unnaturally, as a way of absorbing all of the weight that the leg kick causes to shift to the back side. The more I look at that back knee, the more my own joints start to suffer.

Other attributes of this card bear exploring. The photograph for the ’74 Marichal was taken during a day game at Candlestick Park, at a time when the old stadium still featured artificial turf—and lots of empty seats beyond the left-field fence. Yeah, those were the really fun days in Frisco, when players not only had to deal with the howling wind and glaring sun at The Stick, but also the rock-hard turf that supplied a pounding to the legs of infielders and outfielders. Of course, the fans didn’t have much fun either while dealing with the Candlestick elements, which kept down the size of the crowds in 1973, the year that this Marichal photo was taken. (The Giants finished a more-than-respectable 88-74 that season, but drew fewer than 900,000 fans, the third-worst figure in the National League.) So even on a day when the popular Marichal pitched, fans showed their apathy in the form of their absence.

Still, for those who had a chance to watch Marichal, he usually entertained with a speckled assortment of breaking pitches and that gymnastically fashioned leg kick. And perhaps that helped him atone for that one incident—one that he probably regretted for years—at least until he finally made amends with Mr. Roseboro.

Today’s news is powered by a little league game turned into a big-time event …

• A-Rod has been diagnosed with a cyst on one of his hips, and will most likely miss participating in the WBC.
• Here’s the official press release from the Yanks on the cyst-em of a down-ed player.

[My take: Unfortunately, one of the first things I thought of when I read this news was ‘cysts can form around multiple injection sites, but its highly unlikely it developed five years after he stated he last used injected PEDs … unless he was using HGH recently’.  (Yeah, I wanna give him the benefit of the doubt, but its so hard to given all that has gone on lately …).]

• Rodriguez complimented the play of Jose Reyes, but may have slighted his BFF Jeter in doing so:

“I wish he was leading off on our team, playing on our team,” Rodriguez said of Reyes, who hustled to take an extra base in the fifth inning and then stole third and scored in the Dominican team’s 10-1 win over the Marlins. “That’s fun to watch. Anytime you have that type of speed… I mean, we have a guy in (Brett) Gardner that’ll be fun. That’s probably the most you can have, watching those guys run.”

Rodriguez may have forgotten who plays shortstop for the Yankees these days, but he quickly remembered once his brief press conference was over. A Dominican team spokesman told reporters that Rodriguez’s compliment of Reyes was not intended as a shot at Jeter, the Yankees captain who has remained somewhat distant since A-Rod’s steroid admission.

[My take: Its the subject of our poll today (see below).]

(more…)

The Yankees–without Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, or Robinson Cano–nearly beat the All-Star-quality Team USA (which did have Jeter) yesterday afternoon, and likely would have if not for some poor play in the field by the New York reserves. As it was, they led the US in hits 13 to six, didn’t allow an extra-base hit, and the only member of the US squad who had a multi-hit day was their captain, Derek Jeter, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored, two RBIs, and a walk against his real team. In the end, John Rodriguez flied out with the tying run on base and the Yankees lost 6-5.

Lineup:

L  – Johnny Damon (LF)
L – Brett Gardner (CF)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
R – Xavier Nady (RF)
R – Cody Ransom (2B)
R – Kevin Cash (C)
R – Angel Berroa (SS)
R – Justin Leone (3B)

Subs: Nick Swisher (1B), Ramiro Peña (2B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Doug Bernier (3B), Kyle Anson (C), Shelley Duncan (RF), Melky Cabrera (CF), Colin Curtis (LF), John Rodriguez (DH)

Pitchers: Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, Eric Hacker, Michael Dunn, David Robertson, Jose Veras

Opposition: The USA All-Stars.

Big Hits:

Brett Gardner went 3-for-3 with a double and a stolen base. Nick Swisher (1-for-2) delivered a two-RBI ground rule double that bounded over the outfield wall. Jorge Posada and Cody Ransom both went 2-for-3; Ransom also stole a base.

Who Pitched Well:

Everyone but Hacker. Michael Dunn, David Robertson, and Jose Veras combined to hold the US hitless over the final four innings, striking out seven and walking one man each. Phil Coke allowed just a single in 2 1/3 innings and struck out Adam Dunn and Ryan Braun swinging. Phil Hughes faced the minimum for the first two innings, getting Jeter to ground into a double-play in the first, striking out David Wright and Dunn looking back-to-back in the second–Wright on a fastball on the inside corner, Dunn on a curve that dropped into the zone. In the third, Braun reached on a broke-bat single and with one out Hughes threw inside under Curtis Granderson’s hands and clipped his jersey, putting him on base. The runners move up on a 400-foot fly ball to center tracked down by Gardner before Jeter hit a bouncer past Berroa at short to drive them both in and end Hughes’ day.

Who Didn’t:

Eric Hacker allowed two singles, walked two men, and uncorked two wild pitches without getting an out. Angel Berroa botching a backhanded grounder didn’t help anything but Hacker’s stat line, which shows four runs allowed, but only three earned in zero official innings pitched.

Battles:

Melky Cabrera went 1-for-2 and stole a base, the hit and steal coming during the Yankees’ ninth-inning rally against Matt Lindstrom which fell a run short. Unfortunately for Melky, Brett Gardner had already gone 3-for-3 in the game with a steal of his own and a double down the left field line. Adding insult to injury, during a remote from the dugout with the YES Network former Yankee and current Cubs and Team USA lefty Ted Lilly complemented Gardner’s swing and asked if he was going to be the Opening Day center fielder. Xavier Nadywent 1-for-3 and hit into a 2-6-3 double-play. Nick Swisher went 1-for-2, his one hit being a booming two-RBI ground-rule double. Cody Ransom went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a great diving play to his right at second base, while Angel Berroa went 0-for-3 and made an error at a ball hit to his backhand at shortstop. Jose Veras, having passed on the Dominican team to fight for his bullpen spot, turned in a second strong outing. David Robertson turned in his first strong outing of the spring. Phil Coke‘s 2 1/3 innings suggest he is indeed in the long-relief battle and his dominance in those inning suggest he’s got a good lead in that battle.

Ouchies:

Jorge Posada went 2-for-3 as the DH. His shoulder soreness seems to have already been forgotten about. Across the state with the Dominican team, Alex Rodriguez was diagnosed with a cyst on his right hip. It’s not enough to keep him from working out, and shouldn’t threaten his availability for Opening Day, but it could give the Yankees and excuse to recall him from the WBC.

More:

The Yankees’ games against the USA (yesterday) and Canada (Thursday) won’t count in the spring statistics, which doesn’t make much sense to me, as all of the spring games are exhibitions, the US is an All-Star team and Canada is at least as good as a split-squad team (more hitting, less pitching).

What a wonderful surprise to turn on the TV at 7:30 on Wednesday evening and find a live baseball game being broadcast from Florida! Not only did the spring training telecast of a Red Sox-Twins lidlifter from Fort Myers signify the start of the exhibition season, but also the coming of age of the new MLB Network. With the Grapefruit and Cactus League seasons kicking off Wednesday, the Network now has a real opportunity to shine. By providing local broadcasts of a variety of spring games, beginning with the Boston feed of that Boston-Minnesota matchup, the network has brought back terrific memories from the early 1980s. That’s when our local cable outfit in Yonkers aired local broadcasts of the Braves (on SuperStation WTBS), the Red Sox (on Boston’s WSBK), the Cubs and White Sox (WGN), and the Pirates. Except for the Chicago clubs, all of those teams have now disappeared from a majority of cable outfits. By airing exhibition games this spring, the MLB Network will not only show us a similarly wide range of teams, but also give us the local flavor of the hometown cable broadcasts. And that’s going to make this one of the more enjoyable spring trainings, even if I’m stranded in 20-degree Cooperstown.

The 24-hour baseball network has picked up a large volume of steam over the last ten days, starting with the unveiling of its “30 Teams in 30 Days” series, consisting of comprehensive hour-long previews of each major league club. The MLB Network also rolled out a fresh set of old-time games a week ago, including Tom Seaver’s 300th win from 1985, Carlton Fisk’s triumphant 1981 return to Fenway Park, and Gaylord Perry’s 300th victory from 1982. Two of those old games involved the Yankees, who found themselves on the short ends of the milestone losses to Seaver and Perry. Even though both games ended in defeat, these are broadcasts that I would like to see the YES Network show from time to time as parts of “Yankee Classics.” There simply is not enough variety currently being offered by Yankee Classics. I mean, how many times can I watch Dave Righetti’s no-hitter, or another game from the 1996 World Series, within the same calendar year? Even as a Yankee fan, I have my limits when it comes to victorious repetition.

Frankly, the sting of those losses to Perry and Seaver wore off years ago. Neither game cost the Yankees a division, a pennant, or a World Series. More importantly, there is historical value in seeing those games. The Seaver game coincided with “Phil Rizzuto Day” on a beautiful afternoon at Yankee Stadium, complete with a pre-game ceremony that saw “The Scooter” knocked to the Stadium curb by an overzealous cow. How great was that? And then the game itself provided us with a chance to watch Rickey Henderson, Don Mattingly, and Dave Winfield—two Hall of Famers and a near Cooperstownian—all on the same stage. As an added bonus, we had the opportunity to see old favorite Oscar Gamble wearing those ghastly red, white, and blue White Sox threads from the mid-1980s. Even the 1982 loss to Perry provided some interesting memories. It was a kick to see the crouching Gamble come to bat as a DH, watch Big John Mayberry wearing Yankee colors, and eyeball Bobby Murcer, who absolutely hated facing Perry’s assortment of puffballs and spitters, as he pinch-hit for Bucky Dent.

Heck, if a tape existed of the final game of the 1960 World Series, the Bill Mazeroski game, I would enjoy seeing that. Even though it ended up as a heartbreaking Yankee loss, it still stands as one of the most theatric games ever played. Besides, it would provide the rare opportunity to see players like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Roger Maris in something other than isolated highlights, all the while playing against the nostalgic background of the wondrous Forbes Field.

Now, as for the Pine Tar Game, that’s one I’m still not ready to see…

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With regard to the current day Yankees, I wonder if the front office might take a flier on veteran infielder Esteban German, who was designated for assignment by the Royals over the weekend (so as to make room for free agent Juan Cruz). The Yankees badly need infield depth, a problem that is highlighted by Angel Berroa’s non-roster presence in Tampa. German, 31, had a dismal offensive season last year, but did well as a part-time player in both 2006 and ’07, when he put up on-base percentages of .422 and .351, respectively. German is primarily a second baseman-third baseman, but has played a pinch of shortstop, too, along with a good measure of left field. If nothing else, German would be an upgrade over the zero-tooled Berroa and could serve as an insurance policy at Triple-A Scranton…

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Finally, here’s a postscript to my earlier feature on former Yankee Billy Sample. In nine major league seasons, Sample played, rather remarkably, for eight different managers. The cross-section of skippers included Billy Hunter, Pat Corrales, Don Zimmer, Darrell Johnson, the eccentric Doug Rader, Yogi Berra, Billy Martin, and Chuck Tanner. The transition from the laidback Berra to the fiery Martin to the ever-optimistic Tanner must have been sufficiently traumatic. The identity of Sample’s favorite manager might surprise you. That would be Zimmer, the onetime Yankee guru who guided Sample’s Rangers in 1981 and part of ‘82 before being given the boot in mid-season. Sample liked Zimmer’s honesty and directness, specifically his willingness to talk “straight” to his players when questioned about roles and strategy. Unfortunately, that’s a managerial tendency that is becoming more and more outdated.

Today’s news is powered by  “ANSKY”:

• CC Sabathia made a simulated start on Monday.  28 pitches … only one of which were put into play in fair territory.
• C-MW looked good and, more importantly felt fine, in his start against the Astros Monday.
• Joba Chamberlain made a kid’s life a little happier, as he spent part of Sunday at Disney World with a hard-working student from his hometown:

Chamberlain said that his efforts to give back have been well-received at home.

“I pick a student that represents what I stand for and where I come from,” Chamberlain said. “Jazmine had worked really hard, and she deserved it. Talking to her parents, I guess a lot of kids started working harder in school because of the rewards that come along with it.”

While in Orlando, Chamberlain appeared on the Baseball Tonight studio set and introduced Jazmine and her family to CC Sabathia, who was also present for the ESPN events.

“It’s cool to be able to cherish that with your teammate and someone that cherishes their time with their family as much as I do,” Chamberlain said.

• BP.com’s Joe Sheehan examines how the Yankees have (re)built their bullpen over the last few seasons:

Other than re-signing 2008 trade acquisition Damaso Marte to a three-year, $12 million deal, the Yankees made the statement, however implicit, that they are committed to their homegrown relievers in 2009. One of the bright spots in the team’s first October-free season since 1994 was the emergence of hurlers such as Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras, who combined to strike out 126 men in 113 innings with a 3.74 ERA. By the end of the season, Phil Coke and David Robertson were making contributions in low-leverage situations. Add in free-talent pickups like Brian Bruney and Alfredo Aceves, and the Yankees have more than enough effective relievers to go around, whether you’ve heard of them or not.

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The Yankees and Astros played to a 5-5 tie this afternoon, with the Yankees jumping all over Mike Hampton in the early going.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (LF)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)
S – Nick Swisher (RF)
S – Jorge Posada (DH)
R – Cody Ransom (SS)
R – Jose Molina (C)
L – Juan Miranda (1B)
R – Angel Berroa (R)
R – Doug Bernier (3B)

Subs: Justin Leone (1B), Kevin Russo (2B), Ramiro Peña (SS), Eduardo Nuñez (3B), P.J. Pilittere (C), Colin Curtis (RF), Austin Jackson (LF-CF), Tod Linden (LF), Kyle Anson (DH)

Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang, Brett Tomko, Anthony Claggett, Wilkin De La Rosa, George Kontos, Steven Jackson

Opposition: All but two of the Astros’ starters.

Big Hits:

Angel Berroa (2-for-3) hit a solo homer off Russ Ortiz and doubled off Hampton. Melky Cabrera (2-for 3) tripled off Hampton (and the glove of center fielder Michael Bourn) and later added an RBI single.

Who Pitched Well:

Chien-Ming Wang, in his first action since breaking his foot against, coincidentally, the Astros on June 15, threw two scoreless frames allowing just two singles. That said, four of his six outs came in the air and one of them would have been a double if not for a nice running play by Nick Swisher. Wilkin De La Rosa recovered from his rocky first outing to pitch a scoreless seventh, allowing only a single.

Who Didn’t:

George Kontos allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while only managing to get one out in the eighth.

Battles:

Melky Cabrera finally threw his hat into the ring in the center-field battle with a pair of RBI hits, one of them a triple. He had gone 1-for-8 without an RBI or a run scored in his previous three games. Cody Ransom went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a double play. He entered camp with the utility infield job in his pocket, but he’s going to have to perk up to keep it there as he’s now 2-for-12, both hits singles, while Angel Berroa is 4-for-7 with a double and a homer. Nick Swisher walked and scored in three trips and made a running catch on a would-be double in the right-field corner. Brett Tomko only gave up one run on a walk and a Carlos Lee double, which would put him in the lead for the long-relief job unless Phil Coke is also being considered as a long-relief candidate, which he should be. Steven Jackson didn’t allow a run of his own, but seems to have let a few inherited men score after taking over for Kontos in the eighth. Jackson allowed three singles in 1 2/3 innings.

Ouchies:

Jorge Posada delivered an RBI single in three at-bats as the starting DH, so I guess his shoulder’s feeling better. Chien-Ming Wang reported no discomfort in his foot after throwing two innings and considers it a non-issue at this point.

More:

My laptop didn’t show up today, so my intended liveblog of the game against the USA tomorrow is listed as doubtful.

Today’s news is powered by a pitch from The Mick:

• Two of the Baby Bombers got nicked in the Yanks Grapefruit League game on Sunday:

Yankees catching prospect Jesus Montero left Sunday’s Grapefruit League exhibition against the Reds after suffering a strained right groin. …

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that Montero had been examined by trainer Gene Monahan and that the 19-year-old backstop would miss at least a few games.

Earlier in the contest, Yankees right-hander Jonathan Albaladejo was also forced to exit after being struck in the left calf by a batted ball.

Albaladejo was working in the bottom of the third inning, when Cincinnati’s Jeff Keppinger hit a hard shot up the middle and off the pitcher into center field. …

• Mike Vaccaro of the Post profiles Mariano Rivera:

“People come and people go,” Derek Jeter said the other day, smiling, shaking his head, “and then you have Mo, who isn’t going anywhere.”

The smile thinned a bit.

“Who’d better not be going anywhere,” he said. …

It is Mariano Rivera. It is the ninth inning. It is, as his arm can attest, as often as not a few outs in the eighth inning, too. It is 482 saves in 542 lifetime opportunities, an 88.9-percent success rate that the record books insist is just fourth, all-time, among all relievers with at least 200 save opportunities. …

Especially because last year may have been Rivera’s finest, 39 saves in 40 chances, a 1.40 ERA, all of that at age 38, with more than 800 appearances and close to a thousand innings already on his right arm, elbow, shoulder and rotator cuff.

“I like the idea of being consistent, of being slow and steady and reliable,” Rivera says. “I like that I’m an element of the team the other guys can count on being ready to do my job. That’s what I do. That’s why I’m here.”

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The 24 runs scored by the Yankees and Reds this afternoon included eight home runs. Think the wind was blowing out? In the last game before the World Baseball Classic participants departed, the Yankees lost 13-11 and dropped their spring record to 2-3.

Lineup:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Xavier Nady (RF)
L – John Rodriguez (LF)
R – Cody Ransom (DH)
R – Kevin Cash (C)

Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Kevin Russo (2B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Justin Leone (3B), Jesus Montero (C), P.J. Pilittere (C), Shelley Duncan (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), Todd Linden (LF), Doug Bernier (DH)

Pitchers: Alfredo Aceves, Johnathan Albaladejo, J.B. Cox, Damaso Marte, Brian Bruney, Christian Garcia, Mark Melancon

Big Hits:

Robinson Cano went 3-for-3 with a single, a double, and a solo homer. Brett Gardner went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo homer. Alex Rodriguez doubled twice in three trips. John Rodriguez added a solo homer in three trips.  Derek Jeter went 3-for-3, all singles. Mark Teixeira and Kevin Cash both went 2-for-3, with Cash picking up a double, but also getting caught stealing following his single. Three of the Yanks’ five doubles came off Yankee punching-bag Arthur Rhodes.

Who Pitched Well:

No one really. Mark Melancon allowed an unearned run on a triple, a walk, and an error in the eighth. Brian Bruney allowed just a solo home run to Laynce Nix in his one inning of work. Those performances qualified as “good” in this game.

Who Didn’t:

Starter Alfredo Aceves gave up three runs on a walk and two hits in his only inning of work. Two of the runs came on a Chris Dickerson homer. Christian Garcia entered with an 11-8 lead in the seventh and blew the save by allowing four runs (three earned) on two singles, an error, and a grand slam by Craig Tatum. Damaso Marte gave up a pair of solo homers to straight-away center in the fifth, both to lefties as Dickerson hit his second of the game and Joey Votto also took him deep.

Battles:

Brett Gardner is hot as hellfire, having hit his second homer in four spring games after hitting a total of three between spring training, the majors and minors last year. Gardner leads the Yankees in homers, extra-base hits, total bases, and is slugging 1.300 on top of a .500 batting averge. That said, Gardner’s double today came when he hustled out a pop-up that happened to fall in, then got thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Xavier Nady went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a rally-killing double play. Jonathan Albaladejo didn’t help himself by giving up a run on four hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings, needing J.B. Cox to get him out of a third-inning jam, but he did well to bury that performance in a 24-run game. After Dan Giese opened up the long-man battle with an awful two-inning performance yesterday, Alfredo Aceves did almost as bad in a single inning today.

Ouchies:

Jesus Montero strained his right groin sliding after a passed ball. Jonathan Albaladejo was hit in the back of his left leg by a comebacker and is day-to-day. The soreness in Jorge Posada‘s shoulder is disappating. Edwar Ramirez has not resumed throwing since being diagnosed with bursitis in his pitching shoulder. He will skip the World Baseball Classic as a result.

More:

The World Baseball Classic participants have departed for their respective teams. Francisco Cervelli (1-for-6) joins the Italian team, which means he should be back in camp in a week, as Italy is likely to be eliminated on March 9. Derek Jeter (5-for-11, all singles) is likely to be gone much longer as the US are the favorites in the tournament despit their early exit last time. Jeter hit .450/.522/550 in the 2006 WBC, then went on to have an MVP-worthy season (.343/.417/.483). Here’s hoping he’s similarly inspired this year (though it’s worth noting Jeter was just 32 in 2006 and is 35 this season). The largest Yankee contingent will be on the Domincan team (even without Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras, who made the final roster, but won’t be participating). Damaso Marte (2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 HR, 0 BB, 2 K), Alex Rodriguez (.429/.545/1.143 in 10 PA), and Robinson Cano (.556/.636/1.111) will all likely be away for most of March as the Dominican team looks like the best non-Asian team after the US.

Speaking of the WBC, I’ll be liveblogging most of the USA’s game’s for SI.com, and if my new laptop shows up tomorrow like it’s supposed to, I’ll liveblog Tuesday’s game between the USA and the Yankees here at the Banter.

The Yankees’ starters touched up Francisco Liriano this afternoon, but the next six Twins hurlers, including former Yankee farm hands Jason Jones and Sean Henn, held the line as the Twins beat the Yankees for the second straight day, this time by a score of 7-3 at Steinbrenner Field. The big story, however, was that Jorge Posada was a late scratch after reporting soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder.

Lineup:

L – Johnny Damon (LF)
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
S – Nick Swisher (RF)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
R – Jose Molina (C)
R – Shelley Duncan (DH)
S – Melky Cabrera (CF)

Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Doug Bernier (2B), Ramiro Peña (SS), Angel Berroa (3B), Francisco Cervelli (C), John Rodriguez (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), Colin Curtis (LF), Jesus Montero (DH)

Pitchers: Joba Chamberlain, Dan Giese, Jose Veras, Michael Dunn, Kei Igawa, Kanekoa Texeira, David Robertson

Big Hits:

The Yankees’ only extra-base hit of the game came off the bat of Mark Teixeira (1-for-3) as he shot the opposite field gap for a double while batting righty against the lefty Liriano. The only multi-hit game was by Shelley Duncan, who singled twice in three trips.

Who Pitched Well:

Jose Veras worked a perfect fourth inning, striking out two, mixing his slider and curve nicely and sitting around 93 with his fastball on the YES gun. Kanekoa Texeira pitched a perfect eighth. Kei Igawa pitched two efficient, soreless innings allowing just one baserunner on a single.

Who Didn’t:

Joba Chamberlain was leaving his pitches up in the zone and didn’t hit 90 mph on the YES gun. He did uncork one typically nasty slider for a swing-and-miss, but oherwise he used up his 22 pitches in the first inning and only threw 11 of them for strikes. In total, he allowed two runs on three hits, two of them booming doubles by Delmon Young and Jason Kubel, and didn’t strike out a batter. Dan Giese followed Joba by giving up four runs on four hits, including a Carlos Gomez homer, and a walk in his two frames.

Battles:

Jose Veras made up for his rough first outing with an impressive inning, but David Robertson was again disappointing, giving up a run on two hits in the ninth and getting his third out on an appeal because a baserunner left second base too soon on the warning-track sac fly that scored the run. Dan Giese hurt his candidacy for the long-relief job. Nick Swisher went 0-for-3. Melky Cabrera went 1-for-3.

Ouchies:

It’s impossible to say right now if Posada’s shoulder soreness is simply a typical post-surgical ache likely to pass with a couple of days of rest or a major red flag. Jorge, of course, is downplaying it, but that’s the sort of behavior that landed him on the DL to begin with last year. Posada tweaked the shoulder stretching in the on-deck circle before his first at-bat (the one in which he homered) on Thursday and played in both that game and Friday’s before mentioning it to anyone. To me, this is the key sentence from the above linked story:

Posada said he performed one stretching exercise that he was not supposed to, bringing the bat up over his head and behind his neck, when he felt something in his shoulder.

Anyone else get the sense that the obstianance of the aging Posada and Jeter is going to be as much of an injury threat as their advancing ages? Guys, follow your doctor’s orders and take the day off when you’re hurting. Please. Do it for the team.

Pete Abe did some pre-game reporting on Posada and has some audio from Jorge here.

Joba Chamberlain and the Yankee starters (save the rehabbing Hideki Matsui) take on Francisco Liriano and the Twins B-squad at Boss Field this afternoon at 1:15. The game is on YES and marks the spring debut of the WCBS radio team. I love baseball on the radio, but I’ve had a hard time stomaching John Sterling ever since Michael Kay jumped to TV. Still, let’s hope he gets to do this some 95 to 100 times during the regular season and 11 more times in October:

By the way, what ever happened to “no cheering in the press box?”

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The Yankees took their first loss of the spring this afternoon in the first game in which they faced an opponent’s major league starters. Twins win, 5-4.

Lineup:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
R – Cody Ransom (2B)
S – Nick Swisher (1B)
S – Jorge Posada (DH)
R – Xavier Nady (RF)
S – Melky Cabrera (LF)
R – Angel Berroa (SS)
R – Justin Leone (3B)
R – Francisco Cervelli (C)

Subs: Juan Miranda (1B), Ramiro Peña (2B), Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Doug Bernier (3B), Austin Romine (C), Todd Linden (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), Kevin Russo (LF), John Rodriguez (DH)

Pitchers: Ian Kennedy, Eric Hacker, Anthony Claggett, Andrew Brackman, George Kontos, Wilkin De La Rosa, Steven Jackson

Opposition: The Twins’ starters minus Joe Mauer.

Big Hits:

Justin Leone (1-for-3) homered off Twins’ starter Scott Baker. Brett Gardner (2 for 2, BB, 2 SB) singled and doubled off Baker. Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher were both 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.

Who Pitched Well:

Ian Kennedy struck out three in his two scoreless innings while allowing just two baserunners on a walk and a single. Anthony Claggett pitched two scoreless innings of his own, stranding two inherited runners in the fourth and allowing just one of his own on a single.

Who Didn’t:

Eric Hacker failed to get an out in the fourth, giving up a run on three hits before getting pulled in favor of Claggett. He also walked two men in the third. George Kontos blew the save in the seventh by allowing a run on three hits. Wilkin De La Rosa gave up two runs on two walks and two singles in the eighth before Steven Jackson was brought in to get the last out.

Battles:

In a game they both started Brett Gardner (who got the nod in center) went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, and two stolen bases, while Melky Cabrera (starting in left) went 0 for 3 and stranded three runners. Gardner led off the game with a single, stole second, and scored on a Cody Ransom single. That after homering leading off the first game of the schedule. Who does he think he is, Rickey Henderson? Nick Swisher went 2-for-3.