Throughout the new month, I’ll profile some of the former Yankees who will be coming to Cooperstown on June 21 to participate in the first-ever Hall of Fame Classic. The list of Yankee old-timers scheduled to play at Doubleday Field includes Phil Niekro, Lee Smith, Dennis Rasmussen and Kevin Maas. In the first installment, we take a fond look at the career of the man affectionately known as “Kitty.”

Jim Kaat has not thrown a meaningful pitch in more than a quarter of a century, but I can still see that pitching motion in my mind today. The photograph from his 1980 Topps card brings it all back: a delivery featuring virtually no windup and the smallest of leg kicks, accompanied by a mechanical precision. It’s no wonder that Kaat’s career lasted a marathon of 25 seasons with hardly a stay on the disabled list.

Like Bert Blyleven and Tommy John, “Kitty” is part of a contingent of longtime starters who fell just short of the 300-win club but remain on the cusp of election to the Hall of Fame. Unlike Blyleven, I’ve never given Kaat a vote in any of my mythical Hall of Fame elections, but I would not exactly shed a tear if he somehow joined the elite in Cooperstown. Though never really dominant and hardly an overwhelming collector of strikeouts, Kaat achieved a high level of successful longevity, fulfilling at least one of the requirements of Hall of Fame enshrinement.

As a pitcher, Kaat enjoyed two careers. The first spanned from 1962 to 1975, when he carved out a niche as a durable and effective starter for the Twins and White Sox. Over the course of his long tenure as a starter, I came to know Kaat for three attributes. First, he loved to throw the quick pitch, often catching hitters off guard by throwing without a windup. Second, he was a skilled and highly conditioned athlete who could run and hit better than most pitchers. (In 1973, Topps issued a card for Kaat showing him batting—not pitching—in a game for the Twins.) And third, Kaat could field his position like no other moundsman. With catlike reflexes that reinforced his nickname of Kitty, Kaat snared a record 15 Gold Gloves.

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It is always the same, the sudden, stomach-dropping, jolt.  Walking along a city block, looking up at a familiar store front or restaurant, a Closed sign hanging in the door way, or a vacant window. Something has happened. Change has come, like it or not.

I gasped last night as I walked past Sal and Carmine’s pizza shop on Broadway between 101st and 102nd (They make a salty but delicious slice.)  The grate was up and a red rose was taped against the metal.  Above it was a small xeroxed obiturary from a New Jersey paper.

Sal died late last week. I’ve been eating their pizza since I was a kid.  Sal and Carmine.  Two short, taciturn men in their seventies, though they look older. I never knew who was Sal and who was Carmine, just that one was slightly less cranky than the other. These are the kind of men that don’t retire but are retired.

The funeral was yesterday; the shop re-opens today.

As I read the obituary, people stopped and registered the news.  They congregated for a few moments, some took pictures with their cell phones, and then slowly walked away, the neighbhorhood taking in the loss.

Today’s news is powered by a trip in the Wayback Machine, to a time when cigarettes were “cool”:

• Matsui’s swansong in pinstripes?:

. . . I was told by several Yankee executives that there is almost zero chance that Hideki Matsui Hideki Ma will be re-signed after the season, even if he were to finish with a strong season and despite the strong presence he affords them in Japan.

The New York Yankees Yanks have long been concerned about the inflexibility of their roster due to having too many DH types, such as exists this year with Matsui, Jorge Posada Jorge Posada and Xavier Nady (if he returns from his elbow injury). Yankee officials envision a 2010 in which Posada takes more at-bats as the DH, and in which Joe Girardi could better rest everyday players such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira without losing their bats.

• Kevin Goldstein has some good news on a Yankee prospect NOT named Montero:

Austin Romine, C, Yankees (High-A Tampa)
. . . Once again sharing catching duties (with Jesus Montero DHing when he’s not behind the plate), Romine went 5-for-12 with a pair of doubles and a home run during the weekend, and while his .289/.306/.462 line pales in comparison to Montero, it’s still very good for a 20-year-old in the Florida State League. More importantly, Romine (unlike Montero) actually projects to stay at catcher down the road, and be a damn good one in the end. Montero has a far better chance of turning into a star, but Romine is the guy who should be considered the Yankees’ catcher of the future.

• I poena, you poena, we all poena for subpoena:

New York Yankees officials said Monday that taxpayers would face more than $5 million in document costs if the team is forced to provide internal records sought by lawmakers looking into public financing of the club’s new stadium.

Assemblymen Richard Brodsky, a Westchester Democrat, and James Brennan, a Brooklyn Democrat, are questioning what Brodsky claims is nearly $4 billion in financing and tax breaks over 30 years that was used to build the new ballpark. The legislators say many ticket prices have been hiked beyond the reach of fans.

Yankees’ attorney George Carpinello said the estimated $5 million is for legal review of some 1.4 million relevant e-mails and attachments and doesn’t include reams of other documents.

[My take: $5 million more for a $1.5 billion stadium deal?  It’s a drop in the bucket.]

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… and also in the first-seven-innings role. Someone must’ve told him it was Alex’s birthday.

Great game tonight – drama, frustration, release, a major league fielding record, awe mixed with uncontrollable giggles at the expense of a large man bellyflopping acrobatically, clips from When Animals Attack… this one had it all. The Yanks won 5-2 and they did it with style.

–

Photo courtesy of ESPN.com

–

Five runs was enough for New York, but it could’ve been more, given that the Indians loaded the bases on walks not once but twice, and handed out 11 free passes all told. Joba pitched very, very well – was in fact perfect until Victor Martinez launched a homer with two outs in the fourth – but the game stayed tied, 1-1, into the seventh.

Chamberlain was briefly in trouble in the fifth, with two on and nobody out, when Kelly Shoppach (who apparently likes to play with black cats under ladders in his spare time) came up and bunted. The ball shot up in the air and Joba, in a move that managed to be both staggeringly awkward and remarkably graceful at the same time, launched into a huge bellyflop of a leap for it, with some very serious hang time. He made the catch just as gravity reasserted itself. Video here. Joba’s teammates were cracking up after the play (Pettitte, in the dugout, looked like he couldn’t even breath), but leave it to ol’ redass Jorge Posada to run up to the prone Joba, screaming for him to get up and get the second out at second base – which much to his credit, Chamberlain actually had enough breath left in him to do.

In the seventh inning, with the bases full of walked Yankees for the second time, Nick Swisher came up and whacked a two-run double that missed grand slamdom by just a foot or two. 3-1 Yanks. Then the Indians did something I’ll never understand: walked Teixeira to load the bases so that they could pitch to Alex Rodriguez. Wha? I mean, yeah, right handed pitcher, whatever, and I know how hot Teixeira is right now, and A-Rod’s not 100% still, and you want to set up the DP… but, no. Steroids or not, clutch or not, how do you intentionally walk anyone to pitch to Alex Rodriguez? Anyway, Rodriguez validated my feelings on the matter with a two-run single.

Mariano Rivera came in for the save – Joba went eight innings, 106 pitches, big velocity, a beauty – and ended the game with a nifty grab, twirl and throw, a play that might actually have been better  than Joba’s, though it was not nearly as funny.

So: who would ever have thought that the Yankees of all people would set a Major League record for consecutive errorless games? This was their 18th. Yes, yes, I know errors are not a very meaningful measure of fielding skill, and this isn’t exactly one of the sport’s more hallowed records, but still. Even in their late-90s heyday defense wasn’t really the Yanks’ thing… and I don’t think it is this year, either, though lord knows Teixeira helps. But hey, Mr. Fielding Controversy himself, Derek Jeter, is looking awfully good these days. I intend to enjoy it while it lasts.

Finally, what is up with the animals in Cleveland? Who’s been screening Hitchcock for the seagulls? I don’t think New York pigeons know what fear is, but you almost never see them settle en masse on a playing field like that. I think I’ve only ever seen birds that brazen in Atlantic City, where the seagulls are absolutely HUGE – bigger than many dog breeds, no exaggeration – and always look at you like they’re just biding their time til they can get you outnumbered and pick the flesh from your bones.

I vaguely remember writing something like this during the midge game in ’07, but we need NYC animal life to come out and support the local nine the same way those gnats gave Cleveland a boost.  I mean, let’s see how calm opposing relievers are when cockroaches swarm the mound and the outfield is full of rats. At the very least someone ought to start some false bed bug rumors and induce psychosomatic itchiness.

Anyway, Yanks are in first place by a hair and coming home. Good night Cleveland, there will be no encore!

The Yanks won 2 of 3 in Texas and have won 2 of 3 so far in Cleveland (they split their first series against the Indians, 2-2). A loss tonight would be a drag. So after a lousy start last week against the Rangers, I expect Joba Chamberlain to come out and pitch well this evening.

Ya heard?

As you may have already heard, Steven Soderbergh will attempt to make the great baseball movie out of Moneyball, Michael Lewis’ seminal baseball book.  Brad Pitt is set to play Billy Beane.  Adapted for the screen by Steve Zaillian (Schindler’s List), Soderbergh is perhaps the ideal director to bring Lewis’ book to the screen.  When he’s not directing A-List star vehicles like Erin Brockovich or Ocean’s 11, Soderbergh makes smaller, more avant-garde movies like Schizopolis and The Limey where he experiments with linear narrative.

Moneyball is a book that, on the surface anyway, seems to be ill-suited for the big screen. But I’ve always felt that it had dramatic potential–a charismatic lead, evocative scene-chewing set pieces like the draft room business. The fact that it is not a traditional story works in Soderbergh’s favor. 

The question is: Can the best baseball book of a generation become the best baseball film of them all?
 
“Bull Durham is the model for most baseball fans in terms of behavior and storytelling,” Soderbergh said recently.  “It seems the most lifelike. But I want to do something that’s even more immersive. I’m standing on the shoulders of [director] Ron Shelton. That was his contribution to the genre. Now it’s my turn….”My clearly stated goal is to set a new standard for realism in that [sports] world.”

Soderbergh has the cooperation of MLB (he can use game footage).  Art Howe, Rick Peterson, David Justice and Jeremy Giambi will play themselves as the director attempts to create a realism never seen in a baseball movie.

This all sounds promising.  But here’s the catch.  Moneyball was hip and timely when it was released in hardcover; now, the material is dated. I wonder how Soderbergh can work around this and create something that is aesthetically exciting, dramatically compelling, and relevant. 

Monty Poole doesn’t think it can work. I have my reservations too, but believe it will be an interesting movie regardless. And since the bar for baseball movies is so low, Moneyball could be worth watching–it could even be the best baseball movie ever filmed–even if it is a fine mess.

There was so much hype about Carl Pavano facing the Yankees. The tabloids ate it up, and Suzyn Waldman, as far back as the Texas series, said, “If there’s any justice, C.C. Sabathia will pitch against Carl Pavano in Cleveland.”

Sabathia and Pavano both pitched, but not against each other. Sabathia faced his No. 2 two years ago, Fausto Carmona, on Saturday, while Pavano squared off against Phil Hughes, which may have been a more intriguing matchup considering Pavano’s history with the Yankees and his five victories in May, and Hughes’ stellar outing in Texas and continued effort to stay in the rotation.

As I was listening to the game on the radio (another Sunday spent driving), I got to thinking about the myriad options the local editors and writers had for the game. Would Pavano be the lead? Would I make Phil Hughes’ mediocre start coupled by Chien-Ming Wang’s three scoreless innings of relief the lead, playing up the intrigue of Wang’s possible return to the rotation? Poor umpiring was a theme of the day. Where would that fit in? Are all these topics combined into one or do you do take one story as your base and go with the others as supplemental pieces?

I probably would have made Pavano the focus of the game story and made Hughes/Wang a featured supplement, tying in the early note that Andy Pettitte expects to be ready to start on Wednesday. How would you have presented Sunday’s game? Thinking of the broadest audience possible, how would you have set up your Yankees section as an editor? How would you have attacked the game if you were on-site? It’s two different thought processes. I’m curious to get your thoughts.

An examination of the eight local papers covering the Yankees revealed the following:

NY TIMES: Jack Curry had Pavano leading but alluded to the Hughes/Wang situation, melding everything into a tidy recap with analysis and historical context. Typical goods from Mr. Curry.

NEWSDAY: Three individual stories from Erik Boland, who’s now off the Jets beat and has replaced Kat O’Brien: Hughes/Wang leading, a Pavano piece tied with notes, and a short piece on Gardner’s failure to steal.

NY POST: As of this writing, only George King’s recap had been posted. Interesting to see that he focused on the bullpen, specifically Coke and David Robertson. (Had I been reporting, that would have been the angle I took with the game recap.)

NY DAILY NEWS: Mark Feinsand tied everything together, but it looked and read strangely like an AP wire story.

JOURNAL NEWS: No full game recap posted, but Pete Abe gives more in about 200 words on a blog than most other scribes do in 800.

STAR LEDGER: Marc Carig copied off Erik Boland’s paper in that he had individual stories on Gardner and Wang/Hughes, But he had a couple of other tidbits: 1) His recap was short and had additional bulletpointed notes. I thought this was an interesting format. It reminded me of an anchor calling highlights and then reading key notes off the scoreboard graphic. 2) He had a full feature on Phil Coke and his blaming the umpire’s call on the 3-2 pitch to Trevor Crowe. Check out the last paragraph. Looks like he copied off Pete Abe’s paper, too.

BERGEN RECORD: Only one story on the game from Pete Caldera, but boy does he know how to write a lead paragraph.

HARTFORD COURANT: Associated Press recap. Not much to say except this paper is an example of what’s happening in the industry. Dom Amore’s words are missed.

And this just in … on the “Inside Pitch” segment of the midnight ET edition of Baseball Tonight, Karl Ravech and Peter Gammons said the Yankees were the best team in baseball. This revelation comes hours after the ESPN ticker read “Pavano dominates Yankees” in the first half of its description of the game. I’m not sure what to make of this. I know Ravech, my fellow Ithaca College alum, is as good as it gets, but when Gammons agrees, I get concerned.

I’d say the best team is the team with the best record, and the team that’s playing most consistently on a daily basis. That team is being managed by Joe Torre.

First things first . . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BANTER MAN HIMSELF . . . OUR OWN ALEX BELTH!

Today’s news is powered by this “literal music video”:

• Fielding all right (uh huh):

New York has grown quite used to seeing a zero in the “E” column each night, completing its 17th consecutive errorless game on Sunday to tie a Major League record. . . .

The Yankees have not committed an error since Ramiro Pena booted a ground ball while playing shortstop on May 13 in Toronto. Since then, New York has handled 617 total chances in 156 1/3 innings of play, recording 469 putouts and completing 148 assists with 12 double plays. The team fielding percentage: a sparkling 1.000.

• Tex draws raves from A-Rod and a pep talk from Tino:

“Mark’s phenomenal,” Rodriguez said after Saturday’s 10-5 victory over the Indians. “To me, Mark is a combination of Tino Martinez and Paul O’Neill. He just brings so much to this team, so much to this clubhouse. His makeup is one that’s very impressive.”. . .

“He (Tino Martinez) told me just to be yourself, have fun,” Teixeira said. “Tino is just a great guy and was a great player. We hit it off right away. He knows the kind of player I am, and I think he just wanted me to get back to being me.”

It may have been coincidence, or directly attributable to Alex Rodriguez’s return to the lineup earlier in the month. Whatever the reason, Teixeira put a 4-for-4, four-RBI game on the Twins the next day and has hit .413 (26-for-63) with eight home runs and 21 RBIs in his 15 games entering play Sunday since Martinez’s pep talk.

• Homer-happy new stadium stats:

Through 23 games at the new park, the Yankees’ 45 homers led the majors in home runs hit at home. Texas was second at 38 through Thursday. The Yankees are averaging 1.96 home runs per game at home and are on pace to hit 158 for the season. That would be good enough to break a pair of records.

In 2000, Toronto hit 134 home runs at home (an average of 1.65 per game) to set the American League record. The 1996 Colorado Rockies set the major league record with 149 home runs (an average of 1.84 a game).

But Yankees pitchers are learning that the home run barrage is a two-way street. They have given up 42 home runs at home, which also led the league through Thursday. Philadelphia and Arizona were second with 38. The staff is on pace to give up 148 home runs, which would break the A.L. record of 132, which is held by the 1964 Kansas City Athletics. That team went 57-105 and finished last.

[My take: The wind currents in the stadium are juiced.]

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I never did like Carl Pavano much when he was in pinstripes but I didn’t necessarily enjoy ragging on him. It became inevitable at a certain point–he didn’t leave us any cherce but to bust on him–but it wasn’t something I relished. 

Now, I really don’t like the dude. With his fat arse and crooked nostrils and current success on the mound.  Whadda Bum.

On Sunday afternoon, Pavano pitched well against the Yankees for the second time this year. He was even better today than he was at Yankee Stadium in April, throwing slop effectively, mixing speeds, getting ahead, and keeping his pitch count low. A steady wind blocked fly balls from sailing into the seats and Pavano got by on a steady diet of fly ball outs. 

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Carl Pavano goes for the Indians today against Phil Hughes. As you may know, Pavano has pitched well of late. This is not an amusing development for Yankee fans–it’s revolting, actually. I hope the bats keep it up this afternoon and put a whuppin’ on Mr. Pavano. It would also be nice to see Mr. Hughes throw another good game, wouldn’t it?

Happy Sunday and Let’s Go Yan-Kees.

There have been some strange imagery in Cleveland the past two nights as bugs and boids have swarmed the field. The little bugs floated through the air for the entire game on Saturday. From the center field camera it looked as if both teams were playing inside a bottle of club soda. Seagulls swooped and soared in the outfield and into the stands.  

Fausto Carmona didn’t have much and the Yanks made quick work of him.  Solo homers by Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher put New York on the board in the second, and they added five more in the fourth, thanks in part to a couple of errors by the Indians. Derek Jeter, who had the big hit in that inning, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano each collected two hits; Hideki Matsui had three. 

CC Sabathia was strong early on, not as much after getting the lead, but he muscled his way through seven, allowing three runs. CC is pitching well, now (5-3, 3.46 ERA). And that’s a beautiful thing.

David Robertson looked good and threw a scoreless eighth, while Jose Veras, Felix Heredia’s heir apparent as the run fairy, gave up a couple in the ninth.

Final Score: Yanks 10, Indians 5.

Coupled with a Red Sox loss, the Yanks are now 1.5 games ahead of both Boston and Toronto.

While most of Cleveland will be paying attention to Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals tonight, CC Sabathia returns home to face the Tribe. I’d love to see Lebron James and the Cavs force a Game 7 but the smart money has the Magic winning this one going away. Still, one can always dream, right?

In the meantime, Sabathia has been pitching well of late. Let’s hope he throws another good game and gets plenty of support from the Bronx Lumber Company.

C’mon boys, make it a Saturday Night to savor.

Game ain’t ’til tonight, so get out there and enjoy the day.

Don’t have to like him, but the man is a great player.  The Nuggets brought out the best in Lakers who polished Denver off in Game 6 last night.

Kobe’s line? 35 points on 12-20 shooting (9-9 from the line), 6 boards and 10 assists.

The Yankees left the bases loaded in the first inning of tonight’s game against the Indians – Posada, finally back, struck out – but it didn’t turn into One of Those Games. Although Pettitte left in the sixth with the vague yet ominous-sounding “back stiffness,” both he and the Yanks’ heart attack of a bullpen were solid, and New York won 3-1.

The Yankees took the lead in the second when Derek Jeter singled in Nick Swisher, and Mark Texeira’s bases-loaded groundout knocked in Brett Gardner. One inning later, Swisher hit a sac fly, Cano scored, and the Yankees had their three runs, which was enough. Cliff Lee looked pretty good tonight, but not 2008 good. Meanwhile Pettitte pitched well up ’til his untimely departure, and Aceves and Rivera took things from there. Nice clean win, even though the dreaded midges showed up for a while in the early going (shudder). And with all due respect to Francisco Cervelli it was great to see Jorge back, especially since he went 2 for 3 with a walk and a double.

The Red Sox lost to Toronto tonight, which means the Yankees are alone in first place for the first time since… wow, 2006? We were all so young then.

–

I don’t know a lot about Cleveland, really… never been there, don’t know anyone from there. When I think “Cleveland”, I think:

-Swarms of gnats
-Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
-LeBron James
-Drew Carey

That’s about it, really, plus “Look Out Cleveland,” by The Band, which is an excellent song. But I actually picked the Indians to win their division, and I’ve always kind of liked them (awful racist logo aside), and so I’m rooting for them to play better. As soon as the Yankees leave town.

Finally, in other good news, the Mets have acquired RHP Lance Broadway. Not that I know a damn thing about Lance Broadway — and a quick glance at his stats has not exactly left my jaw on the floor — but, needless to say, that man was born to pitch in New York City. You don’t mess with destiny.

The Indians helped open the new Yankee Stadium last month, and while their 22-run outburst in the third game of that inaugural series (most of the runs coming off Chien-Ming Wang and Anthony Claggett) is what sticks in the mind, they only managed a split of the series. In fact, the Indians had not won more than two games in a row prior to their just-completed four-game sweep of the Rays in Cleveland. When the week started, they were 17-28 and 8.5 games out of first place in the American League Central.

Things just aren’t going well for the Tribe. Travis Hafner is back on the disabled list. Grady Sizemore his hitting just .223/.313/.411 and is now DHing due to a sore right elbow that could soon land him on the DL. Since leaving the Bronx, they’ve turned over more than half of their bullpen, restocking with veteran retreads including Matt Herges, Tomo Ohka, and former Yankee Luis Vizcaino, and two fifths of their starting rotation has landed on the DL, with Anthony Reyes possibly out for the year.

Still, that sweep of the Rays was encouraging, and despite the injuries to Hafner and Sizemore and Jhonny Peralta’s power outage (.342 slugging, one homer), they’re third in the AL in runs scored per game. That’s due in large part to a tremendous comeback season from Victor Martinez (.359/.434/.557), a nice rebound by Asdrubal Cabrera (.321/.385/.439, seven steals in eight attempts), and a strong showing from right fielder Shin-Soo Choo (.289/.408/.457). They’re also benefiting from the fact that their non-stars (including Cabrera) are performing at or around league average, preventing any drains on the lineup beyond those being created by Sizemore, Hafner, and Peralta, the last of whom is at least getting on base more than a third of the time.

Their real problem has been pitching. Their starting rotation has a 5.70 ERA, better than only the Phillies’ among the thirty major league teams. Their bullpen as been a bit better, but still ranks ahead of the relief units of just four American League teams. Amazingly, Carl Pavano, who will face Phil Hughes on Sunday, is one of the three Cleveland starters who hasn’t hit the disabled list. After a rough start, Pavano has pitched well over his last six starts (5-1, 3.58 ERA), and Cliff Lee, who faces Andy Pettitte tonight, is leading the staff with a 3.04 ERA, but Fausto Carmona, who faces CC Sabathia tomorrow, is pitching like 2008 all over again (6.42 ERA, more walks than strikeouts), and the back-end of the rotation is halfway between a mystery and a horrorshow. Meanwhile, Kerry Wood is closing like Joe Borowski, converting eight of ten save opportunities, but with a scary 6.35 ERA, and the team’s sub-par defense isn’t helping matters.

Getting back to tonight’s starters. Lee is also pitching like it’s 2008, posting a 1.86 ERA with a 4.33 K/BB ratio over his last eight starts. However, he’s not getting any run support. The Indians have scored zero or one runs in five of his ten starts, are averaging 2.87 runs per game for him, and have gone just 2-8 in his starts, though one of those wins came at Yankee Stadium in the only game this season in which Lee has received more than five runs of support. The Yankees, meanwhile, are 7-2 in Andy Pettitte’s stars despite his comparitively inflated 4.30 ERA. Over his last five starts, Pettitte has compiled a 5.46 ERA, but the Yanks and their AL-leading offense have still gone 4-1 in those games and scored six runs in the one they lost.

Meanwhile, Jorge Posada’s back, catching, and batting sixth, making the league’s best offense that much better. Kevin Cash is in Scranton. Brett Gardner is in center for the still achy Melky Cabrera, and the bottom third of the order is now Hideki Matsui, Nick Swisher, and Gardner. Not bad at all.

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I was poking around the cookbook section at the bookstore a few days ago and thought it’d be fun to come up with a list of essential cookbooks (Joy of Cooking, Jacques Pepin’scomplete techniques book, Marcella Hazan, etc). On that note, it might also be cool to compose a list of essential food items that I’ve always got in my pantry: Maldon salt, a good bottle (or three) of olive oil, HP sauce (or Daddy’s if I can find it), fresh horseradish from the L.E.S., a container of cornichons…I have to think of it some more.

One item that is a sure shot member of the list is a bottle of Sriracha Chili Sauce. Last week, there was an article in the Times about this staple Chili Sauce. Check it out.

This one is for Amelia:

Today’s news is powered by . . . Cliff’s new bundle of joy!  Off we go!

• Good news on Posada and Cabrera:

Jorge Posada is on his way back to the Yankees lineup, playing six innings in an extended spring game on Thursday and then flying to meet the team.

Posada has been sidelined since suffering a strained right hamstring on May 4 in New York. The Yankees have an off-day on Thursday and will open a four-game series at Cleveland’s Progressive Field on Friday.

“The hamstring is feeling good,” Posada told The Associated Press in Dunedin, Fla. “I’m happy with everything. The most important thing was just running, seeing some pitches and getting the timing down.”. . .

Additionally, outfielder Melky Cabrera will rejoin the Yankees on Friday. Cabrera was examined by Yankees team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad in New York and supported the diagnosis by head trainer Gene Monahan of a bruised right shoulder.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that Cabrera — who crashed into a fence chasing a fly ball in the first inning on Tuesday — would be sidelined five to seven days.

• Buster Olney has the Yankees pondering Mark DeRosa:

Imagine Mark DeRosa as a big hunk of tuna, bait on a hook. One of the looming shadows circling below is that of the New York Yankees, who are weighing options and haven’t decided whether to take a shot at the versatile veteran.

[My take: Another corner outfielder?  Would he supplant Cano at 2B?  Otherwise he’s a pretty expensive (but versatile) bench player.]

• Bruney’s elbow . . . the on-going saga:

Brian Bruney’s visit to Dr. James Andrews went as well as the Yankees could have hoped, as the famed orthopedist found no structural damage in the reliever’s injured right elbow.

Bruney was diagnosed with a right flexor muscle strain, the same injury that landed him on the disabled list from April 25 to May19. Bruney will rejoin the team in Cleveland before tomorrow’s game and will undergo a throwing program.

“We’re happy the diagnosis isn’t a surgical situation,” GM Brian Cashman said. “It’s just how long it will take for him to heal.”

[My take: Give him some truth serum along with that rehab . . .]

• Coke adds life . . . to the Yankees’ pen:

He is Phil Coke, who is tied with Veras for the staff lead in appearances, with 21. It is no wonder Coke was chatting before Wednesday’s game with a Texas Rangers reliever, Eddie Guardado, whose nickname is Everyday. Despite Coke’s mixed results — 1-2 with a 4.43 earned run average — Girardi has found him indispensable.

“He has three quality pitches,” Girardi said. “He’s able to locate his fastball on both sides of the plate, he has an equalizer in his changeup to get right-handers, and he’s got a good slider to get left-handers. Really, what he does is he just pitches. He locates, he changes speeds and he works both sides of the plate.”

• SWB Yanks add a Bush:

It seems the Yankees have signed 29-year-old Paul Bush out of the independent Atlantic League and assigned him to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Bush is a right-handed pitcher with pretty good numbers — 1.62 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 16.2 innings — and logic would dictate that he’s going to fill the hole in the Triple-A rotation.

But Bush is a reliever.

Those 16.2 innings have come in nine games with the Somerset Patriots. Bush spent the previous seven seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization, including 22 games in Triple-A. Of his 175 minor league games, only 29 were starts, and each of those starts came in seasons when the vast majority of his outings came out of the bullpen. Seems to me that the last thing the Yankees need is another Triple-A reliever, but I’m sure they have a plan.

• Does Cashman have his head in the clouds, and not on the field?:

Remember those wind tests the Yankees were said to be doing on their new stadium? Well, whatever is going on with them, no news has crossed General Manager Brian Cashman’s desk. And since he puts together the roster, he would probably be in the loop.

“I don’t have any answers about wind studies,” Cashman said. When I asked if he still believed the dimensions were the same as before, as some folks have disputed with visual evidence, Cashman said, “I’ve been told they’re the same. I know they’re supposed to be the same.”

Supposed to be the same doesn’t mean “the same.” It’s a bandbox. Take the number of home runs the old Yankee Stadium allowed and double it. That’s basically what has happened. But Cashman insists he doesn’t see it that way.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with the dimensions,” he said, explaining that most of the homers he’s seen have been legitimate shots.

[My take: So if its NOT the dimensions, then it must be the wind patterns, right?]

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Amelia Louise Corcoran

Born at 6:10 pm on May 26

6 lbs, 11.8 oz, 19 1/2 inches long

She rocks, as does her mom, both of whom are doing great.

I’ll be a bit preoccupied in the short term, but I’ll do my best to continue to pull my weight around these parts while adjusting to my new lifestyle. If I come up a bit short, at least you know I’ve got a good excuse.