Wait Till Next Year!

Stay or Go???

Wasn't it great when the press tried to help our teams instead of putting unneeded pressure on them?  It sucks that a feww hundred drunks that only attend a game when the team is winning could go fill the air with boo's that was influenced by booze.  Fans (and I use the term loosly) that couldn't name more than 6 players on the roster spending more time on the beer lines or the bathroom lines trying to look cool to their friends and yelling boooooo.  Heck if we were winning they would be starting the wave.  Yeah you know who you are.

 

The Daily Snooze is reporting that Granderson needs glasses.  He hit 44 homers without them this year.  They also just published their readers vote (didn't know their readers could write?) on who should stay and who should go this year.  It was pretty predictable .  The one that surprized me was that they voted Joba to be gone.  He played pretty well and was a victim of really hard luck this year.

Derek Jeter (85%), Mariano Rivera (85%) and Mark Teixeira (73%) got a lot of support, so did some new faces. Ichiro Suzuki, who said multiple times how much he cherished being a Yankee, apparently won admirers — 83% voted to keep him.  Hiroki Kuroda, the ace for much of the season while Sabathia was injured, is wanted back by 92%.
Check out the Daily Snooze for complete results.

Should prove interesting who is in Tampa this Spring.  Can life go on smoothly between A-Rod and Skipper Joe? 

LOVE IN THE RED SOX NATION

 Yes Baseball Fans there is Love abound in the RSN!  Yes, in the same town that just released a commercial in which the only words were Yankees Suck comes a love story that can touch everyone's heart with a giggle, a smile and a tear.

Joe Pickering Junior brings us the autobiographical tune which tells the story of a young couple in love and their first trip together to Fenway Park.  

Could the same writer who brought us "All I Want For Christmas Is For The Yankees To Lose" have a sensitive side to him?  You bet he can, and he does it in style while incorporating our favorite sport in "That Seven Inning Stretch" sung by Roger William.  The balladeer delivers the story as if it was his own in a style that would rekindle any fire.  

The young lover tries and succeeds to impress his lady friend at Fenway by making her believe he can make the entire stadium stand in the seventh inning reminiscent to Moses parting the Red (Sox?) Sea.  And how does it end you ask?  I guess you just have to download the single.

ICHIRO

Guess who is coming to the Ballyard in Da Bronx?  Ichiro Suzuki, the 40 year old Japanese phenom from Japan via the Seattle Mariners.  

Tonight questions:

1. What position will he play?  With his arm it has to be Right Field, but he is capable in all three OF spots.
2. What will be the fan's reaction to him wearing Bernie Williams #51.  Ask LaTroy Hawkins  how he was greated when hew wore Paul O'Neill's #21 for about 120 minutes.  This just in: Yankee Yapping is reporting that Ichiro will wear #31 despite Yankees.com saying #51.
3. Where will he bat in the line up?  He can bat him first and Jeter second or visa versa.  Or you can bat him third and push A-Rod up in the line-up where he can excell.  

Syonara Seattle

The Yankees sent minor league pitchers D. J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar to the Mariners in exchange for Suzuki, whose five-year, $90 million contract expires after this season.The Yankees are responsible for only $2 million of the contract.  He may be just used a a rent-a-player for the rest of the year.

The Yankees designated outfielder DeWayne Wise, who was coming into his own as of late, to make room on the roster for Suzuki, a 10-time All-Star who became the first Japan-born position player when he went to Seattle before the 2001 season after nine years in Japan’s Pacific League. Suzuki’s success in the majors leagues helped paved the way for many other players, including the former Yankee Hideki Matsui. 

With the Yankees set to open a three-game series in Seattle on Monday night, Suzuki was a strong possibility to start in right field for the injured Nick Swisher.  It was funny that the M's didn't wait until after this series.  Nick Swisher's nagging injuries this year may land the fan favorite elsewhere in 2013. 

Ca$hman Rant! Special Guest Blogger John Monaco

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Regular BTB readers will know I have been a long term supporter of Brian Ca$hman. But today is my day to blast him. I'm no scout. Never played the game in an organized league after my teens but have watched MLB closely for 50 years. Watching Jesus Montero catch last night (for Seattle) got me stirred up. Many of you know I followed him about as close as you can follow a prospect from a distance. Taking every opportunity at Spring Training, seeing him live in-person in the Minors or watching on the Internet I watched him like a hawk to assess his catching skills.

Never did I ever conclude he wouldn't be an acceptable MLB catcher from a defensive perspective, but I'm not a Pro Scout or talent evaluator. Last year he should have been in the Bronx starting in June catching twice a week. We had a golden opportunity to see what he has catching 25 or so games and maybe getting 200 At Bats. We had (Francisco) Cervelli I guy I like, respect and root for getting valuable playing time with us already knowing what his ceiling was. Instead of playing with house money we let Jesus linger in AAA.

Instead of having a nice test in MLB we get a 63 AB sample and one game behind the plate. Utter stupidity. If we had a vibrant Boss around that never would have happened.

Make no mistake. My rant is not aimed at the trade. Acquiring Campos and Pineda was a great move. I should be Ca$h's boss.

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Moose Skowron 1930 to 2012

Moose Skowron 1930-2012

Moose Skowron passed away today, loosing yet another legend.  Here is one of the stories that Marty Appel tells about Moose in his upcoming book Pinstripe Empire. The author touches upon the situation when the Moose was traded across country to the Los Angeles Dodgers who left town just 4 years earlier.

The author tells how the trade to the Dodger after the 1962 season not only broke his (Skowron's) heart but delivered a mixed message to Yankee fans. On the one hand, this was good baseball management: out with the old, in with the new, to perpetuate the success of the team.  (This something that you can't always do with today's contracts)  Joe Pepitone, a homegrown product with a quick bat and terrific fielding skills, was ready to take over --- and he was ten years younger!  heartless though it must have felt to the sensitive Moose, this was how successful teams flourished. 

In exchange for Skowron, the Yankees got starting pitcher Stan Williams, a 14 game winner for the Dodger in '62. 

I remember feeling sad seeing Moose guesting on situation comedies being he was close to tinsel town.  I beleive it was either The Beverly Hillbillies or Mr Ed. 

God Bless you Moose and the Skowron Family.  You will always be a Yankee.

PINSTRIPE EMPIRE

 THE NEW YORK YANKEES 

BEFORE THE BABE TO AFTER THE BOSS

I know you are use to seeing Harvey Frommer's (Official reviewer of BTB) reviews here on BTB but when a writer like Marty Appel writes a book like this you could never have too many reviews.

If you are a regular Behind the Bombers/BehindtheBombers.com reader there is no reason to explain who Marty Appel is.  But to those of you who don’t know who he is he is a long time Yankees author, one time Yankees PR person and a big baseball fan.  He started his Yankees career answering Mickey Mantle’s fan mail and wound up an award winning Yankee telecast producer for WPIX in NYC.  He penned many Yankee books including two fantastic books on Yankee Legend Thurman Munson. 

You can insert just about every cliché right here as this book is worth all that praise and more.  You can see this book is a labor of love that was a lifetime in the making.  It is a chronological history the Pinstripes full of facts with little chestnuts added by the author that shows the human side of the team that we all love.  Even if you don’t love the Yankees or just won’t admit you do, the structure of this book makes it not just one of the best Bomber books around but one of the finest baseball books around.

You can’t get anymore Yankee than this with a Foreward by Yogi Berra and Preface by Bernie Williams.  Both of those players are well represented in this fine book. 

There are fact supported by very interesting tidbits throughout the book.  For instance the author delivers the facts about 1935 that Lou Gehrig was named captain by Joe McCarthy (first one since Everett Scott) that year, which is widely know, but he also points out that it was the only year Gehrig didn’t have to share the stage with Babe Ruth or Joe DiMaggio.  Sort of like the link year between the Babe and Joe D. 

The book is full of stuff like this brings me up to speed on the years before my Yankee comprehension started.  The descriptions are so personal that it made me feel like I lived it myself.  The stories that occurred during my fandom blew some cobwebs off my own memory bring back some (mostly) good times and some not so good. 

This book is the book to go out and pre order this way when it is released on May 8^th you can read it by the time Old Timer’s Day comes along.  This way when the introductions take place you can have stories fresh in your mind.  Some that you live and some you relive.  As the title says “The New York Yankees From Before The Babe To After The Boss.”  If it’s not in here it didn’t happen yet.  Throughout the season I will be discussing passages from this book hoping to rekindle your memories as well as mine.

This Just In:

As reported By Yankee Universe

The Yankees have signed 37-year old right-hander Nelson Figueroa to a minor league deal, tweets Jon Heyman.







Nelson was released by the Houston Astros in August of last year after he posted an 8.69 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 5.0 B/9 in 29 innings.






Looks like the Yankees brought him in for pitching depth with the injury to Manny Banuelos.






The Yankees top prospect Manny Banuelos was placed on the disabled list due to a back injury.

OPENING DAY TWENTY-TWELVE

Another Opening Day in the Bronx, no new banners to hang.  With the knowledge that Kentucky already won the final four the Yankees continue their quest to World Series Championship #28.

I don't like to make predictions for or against my team but here are a few individual predictions I will take on.:

• Kuroda will surprize a lot of people and be a stopper on the staff.  
• A-Rod will have a dynamite year.
• Mariano won't have his best year but it will be the AL Best Reliever's year letting him go out on top! (or will he go out)
• Tex will send the message "Shift This!"

It should be a fun year with Andy Pettitte returning and look for one of the B's to make a mark on the staff.

Go Yankees!

JOBA DOWN AND OUT

Dumb Move Joba

Tough break for the Yankees and us fans. Joba Chamberlain suffered an open dislocation of his right ankle while jumping on a trampoline with his son for some strange reason. He had surgery last night and will most likely be done for the year.  Or maybe his career in Pinstripes.

What were you thinking Joba?  Just when you were looking good!  If you are suppose to play basketball do you think a trampoline is OK?  I am just dumbfounded!

YANKEE DOODLE ANDY PART III ?!?!?!?!

March 16, 2012 – The New York Yankees today announced they have re-signed LHP Andy Pettitte to a one-year minor-league contract, with an invitation to Major League spring training.

Pettitte, 39, owns a career record of 240-138 (.635) with a 3.88 ERA (3,055.1 IP, 1,317 ER) in 479 starts over 16 Major League seasons with the Yankees (1995-2003 and ‘07-10) and Houston Astros (2004-06).

Originally selected by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1990 First-Year Player Draft, Pettitte has pitched 13 seasons with the club, going 203-112 with a 3.98 ERA (2,535.2 IP, 1,122 ER) and 1,823 strikeouts in 405 games (396 starts). In franchise history, he ranks second in strikeouts and starts, third in wins, fourth in innings pitched and eighth in appearances (405). He has appeared in eight career World Series (seven as a Yankee), winning championships with the Yankees in 1996, ‘98, ’99, 2000 and ‘09.

Pettitte is the all-time winningest pitcher in postseason history, going 19-10 with a 3.83 ERA in 42 career starts. He also ranks first all time in postseason starts and innings pitched (263.0), and is tied for second with 173 strikeouts.

FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE GO TO YANKEES.COM

SPECIAL GUEST BLOGGER Juan Lopez --- Utility Yankees

Throughout the history of the Yankees there have been many great Superstars, many Hall of Famers, from position players to bench players. There have also been many great "utility players," men that have been asked to play one position today, another tomorrow, but which have done so quite well.

Many of these utility players have had to do with the success of those Yankee teams, and to this day continue to do so. They have no set position, although they can play a base better than others maybe because that particular base is the one that they have mastered, having played it for most of the careers. Others, well they can play wherever they are asked to, and do so professionally.

Today we think of Nunez, yesterday a Randy Velarde, and it's not only within the Yankees, it's throughout all of Major League Baseball.

For now, I will only mention our Yankees, but again, I have to tip my cap to them, and admit that they are as essential to winning a championship, as the Stars are, only that sometimes it's overlooked.

With this being said, many of you that have followed our Yankees for decades, who comes to mind that you recognize as a "great" utility man, a man that did not affect their club's efficiency with their play, but that instead helped in winning wherever they were put to play?

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Hip Hip Jorge!!!!

Why waste my time writing a tribute to the future Yankee Legend Jorge Posada when BtB's own Dan McCourt (aka Knuckles) did such a fine job.  Check it out!!

Help yourselves

http://sopastrike.com/strike/

Jose Campos The Inside Scoop

Here is the inside scoop on Jose Campos whom we received from Seattle in the Pineda/Montero deal.  I would like to thank our friends at Prospect Instinct.

Looking to unearth a prospect diamond in the minor league baseball rough?  Well, then Baseball Instinct has a scoop for you.  When the Mariners signed a 16 year old, hard throwing Venezuelan pitcher away from the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009, it was essentially a non-event in the greater baseball landscape.  He then remained in the Venezuelan summer league for two years while getting his US visa squared away.  So it was difficult to get a read on what kind of talent the Mariners had.  To further complicate things, there is some confusion as to his actual name.  On some prospect lists you will find him listed as Jose Campos, but on others you may find him as Vincente Campos.  This has caused some people to wrongly assume that these were two different players. Up until now he has remained shrouded in obscurity.  Please let me introduce you to Jose Vincente Campos, a Northwest League pitcher that needs to be on your radar.                          ...................................  more

Special Guest Blogger Juan Lopez aka Johnnyyankee

That's the way it is with the Yankees. It's been two years now that we have become more less spenders than we have always been known to be, and all are asking what's is wrong with Brian Cashman's check book, or better yet, the H brother's one. No free agent signings, nothing to improve the ball club as we have always been known to do, just staying passive.

When we were spending left and right, we were often criticized. We were, according to them, buying championships. If Mr. Big was out there, everyone knew that it would not be long before he was a Yankee.Now that we don't get that super player, or top pitcher, they can't understand what's wrong with the Yankees. So if you are aggressive, you are pummeled, and if you are not you still get pummeled.

When Pujols was signed by the Angels for what eventually will be a big mistake by them, there were no complaints, no one wrote anything about the Angels buying a championship, especially by going after C.J. Wilson also and dishing out hundreds of millions on just these two guys. Had the Steinbrenners done anything of the sort, they would still be getting their butts whipped by the critics.

If I was Cashman and for the sake of everyone's sanity, I would go out and sign Prince Fielder. I would put him at First when the pitcher is a righty and DH Mark. With a left handed pitcher on the mound, I would Dh Fielder and put Mark at first. Yeah, I would do just that, thus getting the best hitter in this year's Free agency, for if one looks at his numbers and age, he would be the top man to sign, not Pujols. Albert's numbers have started to dip and as good as he has been, Prince will for the next few years put up as big, if not bigger numbers than Pujols. With the right field porch of YS, the guy dhing and playing first will finish with over 40 homers. Yeah, why not? He would make a nice Three King's Day since it may already be to late for Santa to bring us Mr. Fielder. By the way, we celebrate Three King's Day in Puerto Rico and in all Latin American countries. Don't throw away your Christmas tree on Dec. 26, for you may find a present come January 6, Three King's Day...

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What Me Worry? Guest Blogger Johnny Lopez aka Johnnyyankee

I used to read MAD Magazine all the time and one of the things Mr. Newman used to say was precisely that, 'What Me worry?" Well, we should not worry if Brian Cashman has not done any dealings, besides securing his Ace and bringing back Freddy for 2012. That we didn't go after Yu, probably the last guy any Yankee fan would think Cashman for sure would outbid anyone, so what? That he may turn out to be the second coming of Koufax, so what? What if he turns out to be the second coming of Igawa? Can't take a chance on something like that, besides Bobby V. liked him, meaning that the Red sox would go after him, but did they?



Some here are speculating that the Cuban Cespedes, the 5 tool player that everyone is salivating on, will eventually be Brian's target, once he clears his paperwork. If not, who cares?


What we really need is for Alex to have his usual great season. People forget that last season he was hurt, but he's the same guy that since he joined us has had great seasons, so if he should come back healthy, we wouldn't need to worry about not signing Pujols, Fielder, nor Cespedes. Also, if Tex learns the art of hitting to the left side, and if Swisher doesn't jump off the gate like he did in 2011, our offense will be set. Really, I won't mention Cano, because the kid is great. Sure, there's space for him to get better, but for now he will be just fine.


Why worry then that no signings have been made by us? That the Angels did and some other teams like the Marlins? So what? Lets worry then that all of the above concerning our hitters come through, and that we get great pitching from CC and Noesi, good pitching from A.J., Hughes and Freddy(?) and that our bullpen is as great as last year, that we don't commit so many errors, and MLB will be the ones that will worry about the Yankees. For now, what me worry?


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CC Opts In! TRICK "or" TREAT?

CC Ya Next Year In Da Bronx!

CC Sabathia has decided against opting out of his current contract with the Yankees, a decision that comes as a surprise to many in the industry. However, CC has recently and often expressed his love for New York and the Yankees organization.  Sabathia thanked the Steinbrenner family and said, “my goal the whole time was to be able to finish my career as a Yankee…I look forward to seeing everybody out at the ballpark next year.”

In December of 2008 Sabathia signed a seven-year, $161 million contract, but had the option to opt out of the last four years of the deal.  As a former Cy Young winner and ALCS MVP, Sabathia was a key piece to the Yankees 2009 World Series team, and has been an All-Star each of the last two seasons.  Sabathia has clearly established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers of the decade.

CC and his wife Amber do a significant amount of charity work in the New York area and together have established the PitCCh In foundation.  The foundation aims to aid in the development of inner-city youth by building their self-esteem through education and athletics.  The foundation will host the CC Challenge, an exciting team race through Manhattan, on the 12th of November.  Visit ccchallenge.com for more details on the event.

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