MY BASEBALL BIAS

Not a bad start, albeit against a college team. The Yankees pounded out 14 hits and beat the University of South Florida 11-4. What did we learn today? Well, Joba, Hughes and Kennedy pitched very well although the later had some control problems. Kei Igawa showed once again why the Yankees will at some point this season pay another team to take him off their hands. Why waste a roster spot on a guy who can’t even get college players out? But I digress…

Offensively, the Yankees did exactly what you would have expected - took a lot of pitches and racked up eight walks against South Florida’s hurlers. Jorge Posada was 2-4 on the day with a double, triple and two RBI’s. 10,482 people were in attendance.

BOX

A few player notes:

• Outfielder Colin Curtis was 1-3 and made a nice diving catch in RF
• 15 of Joba’s 22 pitches were thrown for strikes.
• 19 year-old catcher Austin Romine caught four innings.
• Jeff Marquez, Alan Horne and Chase Wright combined to throw three hitless innings.
• Melky Cabrera was 2-2.

UP NEXT:

Saturday (1:05 pm)
Yankees vs. Philadelphia in Clearwater
Chien-Ming Wang vs. Adam Eaton
WEB/TV/RADIO: MLBTV.com

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

Okay, I know it’s only an exhibition game against a college foe, but it’s still rather exciting. Hard to believe tomorrow is March 1. Details on today’s game are found below:

WHO: University of South Florida (2-2) @ Yankees (0-0)
WHERE: Legends Field
WHEN: 1:15 PM ET
TV/RADIO: Not that I’m aware of
WEATHER: Should be nice and in the low 70’s

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES
Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi 1B
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Shelley Duncan DH
Melky Cabrera CF
Joba Chamberlain RHP

SOUTH FLORIDA
Mike Consolmagno RF
Ryan Lockwood CF
Addison Maruszak SS
Brian Hobbs DH
Trey Manz C
Chris Rey LF
Charles Cleveland 3B
Joey Angelberger 1B
Jon Kocsco 2B
Shawn Sanford RHP

Who’s on the mound:

Yankees: Joba Chamberlain - Starter (2 innings), Ian Kennedy (2 innings), Phil Hughes (1 inning), Kei Igawa (1 inning), Jeff Marquez (1 inning), Alan Horne (1 inning), Chase Wright (1 inning)

South Florida: RHP Shawn Sanford (1-0, 2.25) - Sophomore

A look ahead:

Saturday (1:05 pm) vs. Philadelphia vs. Clearwater: Chien-Ming Wang vs. Adam Eaton.
WEB/TV/RADIO: MLBTV.com

Sunday (1:15 pm) vs. Philadelphia at Tampa: Andy Pettitte vs. Cole Hamels.
WEB/TV/RADIO: YES Network - YES/HD

Monday (1:05 pm) vs. Houston at Kissimmee: Mike Mussina vs. Brandon Backe.
WEB/TV/RADIO: MLBTV.com

Lineups and details courtesy of Peter Abraham.

From Our Sports Central:

The Staten Island Yankees are pleased to announce that Pat McMahon will be leading the club during the 2008 season. McMahon, most recently the manager of the Florida Gators, will be entering his first season as a member of the Yankees organization. Returning to Staten Island for a third season will be Hitting Coach Ty Hawkins. Joining McMahon and Hawkins will be Pitching Coach Pat Daneker and Coach Victor Valencia. Steve Kramer will be back for a second season as Head Trainer.

“To have someone the caliber of a Pat McMahon leading the team is a real asset,” said Staten Island Yankees President Joe Ricciutti. “His background, track record, and accomplishments speak for themselves. We couldn’t be happier with the addition of Pat and his entire staff, along with the return of Ty and Steve.”

Mark Newman, Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations for the New York Yankees said: “Pat has been one of the premier college coaches in nation over the past 15 years. He is an exceptional teacher of the game and will do a great job motivating the young players that will make up the roster of the Staten Island Yankees. Everyone who gets to know Pat will find they have met an excellent leader who deeply cares about the players he manages and the people he works with.”

During his six-year tenure at Florida, McMahon led the Gators to a second-place finish in the 2005 NCAA College World Series. In addition, the team garnered four trips to the NCAA tournaments and a Southeastern Conference crown under McMahon’s coaching.

McMahon also became the fastest coach to reach the 100-victory plateau in the 92-year history of Florida baseball. After leading the team to the best season in its history, he was named the 2005 College Baseball Foundation National Coach of the Year, the American Baseball Coaches Association South Region Coach of the Year, and the SEC Coach of the Year.

After spending the majority of his career at the collegiate level, McMahon is excited to coach in the minor leagues.

“The tradition of the New York Yankees is first class. They have an outstanding player development and scouting plan in place. Wearing the pinstripes was a boyhood dream of mine, and now it’s a reality. I grew up a Yankees fan and I couldn’t be more excited.”

Other coaches named to the squad were Pitching Coach Pat Daneker and Coach Victory Valencia. They’ll join third year hitting coach Ty Hawkins.

Hat tip to Ian.

According to the Daily News, Yankee legend Bobby Murcer will be need to undergo another biopsy on his brain. Scheduled for Monday, an MRI detected a part that Murcer’s doctors are very “concerned about”. Let us all pray for Bobby and his family during this very difficult time and wish him a speedy recovery.

Below is the email his wife sent out to friends and family:

hello dears…

guess it’s been too long since we’ve sent any new messages about our crazy, jam-packed life… and I’ve always said that “no news is good news”, however, that’s why I’m getting this to you today. Bobby’s MRI Tuesday showed an area that the docs are concerned about, and he is scheduled for a brain biopsy at MDA this coming Monday . . . Please pray that it will be determined to be necrosis (scar tissue from the radiation), and not another cancerous tumor. It’s one of the two.

we’ve had to make many travel changes, but still hope to be in Tampa for spring training games by the 7th, then to NYC for opening day on the 31st. Life comes with a few bitter pills to swallow, and we are trying to digest this latest bit of information with God’s grace as our strength.

many of you know that our dear friend, Dr. Sam Hassenbusch, lost his battle with this insideous disease last Monday . . . He was such a good man, and taught us much about how best to handle adversity while inspiring everyone on his path along the way. We have been blessed with the Hassenbusch family’s encouragement this last year.

Just know that we are dealing with this the only way we know how… with God, family, friends, prayers. It’s a bump in the road, and we care so much that each of you are staying with us as the journey continues.
lots of xoxoxoxo, k & bobby

Good luck Bobby. We’re pulling for you.

Hat tip to RAB.

Two articles, one published by Bryan Hoch at MLB.com and the other by Tyler Kepner the New York Times dealt with two pitchers that were called on last seaosn to fill major gaps in the Yankees starting rotation - right-handers Darrel Rasner and Jeff Karstens. Except both were struck down by injuries that caused them to miss the all or the majority of the regular season.

Karstens, as many remember, suffered a broken right leg on a liner back to the mound. Rasner’s right index finger was shattered during a game in late April against the Red Sox. It was a rough start for two individuals that had suddenly found themselves thrust into the spotlight.

Both will be competing for a spot in the bullpen this spring as the Yankees long man out of camp. I like Karstens a bit more than Rasner, but we might see both at some point during the season making spot starts here and there.

Both seem healthy, happy and ready to go.

I forgot to post this yesterday, but Baseball America went about comparing Joba Chamberlain and Clay Buchholz yesterday. Here is what was said:

Jim Callis: In terms of pure stuff, I think Buchholz’ curveball and changeup are right up there with Chamberlain’s fastball and slider. I’d love to have either of those guys, but I’d take Buchholz for two reasons. One, his plus fastball and occasional plus slider give him a deeper repertoire. And two, given their pasts and their builds, I think Buchholz is a better bet to stay healthy over the long haul.

Chris Kline: They’re both fearless, but Chamberlain pitches off his fastball more consistently. And not that Buchholz is some soft-tosser, but I when I think of an elite pitcher who will come right after hitters with pure power, it’s Chamberlain. And for as good as Buchholz’ secondary stuff is, Chamberlain’s arsenal of secondary pitches seems a little underrated to me.

Will Lingo: I think given Chamberlain’s build, durability questions, and overwhelming success out of the bullpen, it’s going to be mighty tempting for the Yankees to make him Mariano Rivera’s successor. I know they’re talking about moving him to the rotation at midseason, but Jonathan Papelbon was a starter at this time last year too. I just think Buchholz is a little more likely to end up as a long-term No. 1 starter.

John Manuel: I ranked Joba higher because he’s a four-pitch guy with two (fastball, slider) that earn 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale, plus command and impeccable makeup. He can get big leaguers out with a fastball in fastball counts, while Buchholz relies more on his secondary stuff. Chamberlain’s superior fastball makes him the better bet to be a long-term ace. In fact, it makes him the best pitching prospect to come around since I’ve been at BA, surpassing Josh Beckett and Mark Prior.

Seems like a pretty even debate other than Manuel’s comment about Joba being “the best pitching prospect to come around since I’ve been at BA, surpassing Josh Beckett and Mark Prior.” That’s saying something.

Interesting article by Emma Span today over at Slate:

Naturally, Red Sox and Yankees supporters will be ecstatic to win another championship next year, no matter the cost in money or prospects. But even the justifiably worshipped Johan Santana can’t guarantee a World Series ring. If possible, fans of large-market teams would prefer to win smart, with as many cheap, locally produced players as they can cram onto the roster. They want to out-Moneyball small-market teams like Cleveland and Oakland to prove that they aren’t simply buying success.

I would certainly agree to an extent. However, I don’t think all fans of large-market teams would like to see this approach. There are many Yankee fans who still think the orgainization made a huge mistake by not landing Santana with their seemingly endless resources. I think most fans are coming around to the idea of “simply not buying success”, but some would still rather see the Yankees spend every last dollar on high priced talent.

DAMASO MARTE, LHP
Stats

I hope Brian Cashman had his cell phone handy yesterday afternoon. Lefty reliever Sean Henn - competing for a job in the Yankees bullpen this spring - pitched two innings in the teams first intrasquad game and walked three while giving up two earned runs. After watching such an unpleasant display, I wonder if Cashman is beginning to realize that Henn doesn’t really have what it takes to be an effective lefty in the Yankees bullpen. And no matter how “impressed” Joe Girardi has been with him so far at camp, Cashman should dial Neal Huntington’s (Pirates GM) number and make a deal for Damaso Marte.

I’m not sure how many times this has been suggested in various publications over the last few months, but according to George King yesterday, the Pirates are once again “dangling” Marte out there for the taking:

According to industry sources the Pirates are looking for youth in return for Marte, who will make $2 million this year and is guaranteed a $250,000 buyout next year if a $6 million option is exercised.

Back in early December, it was reported in the Beaver County Times that the Yankees were asking the Pirates about the availability of Marte. The 33 year-old once signed on as a free agent with the Yankees in 2000, but was traded away to the Pirates in June 2001 for INF Enrique Wilson. He never pitched a game for the Yankees.

Last season with the Pirates, lefties batted only .094 against him and he compiled 2-0 record with a 2.38 ERA in 65 Games. As King also notes, over the last three years, Marte held left-handed batters to a .206 (50-for-243) average.

Henn is out of options which means that he would be placed on waivers if he doesn’t make the team and would open up a spot of the 40-man roster. Billy Traber, who was signed to a minor league deal this past offseason, wasn’t much better yesterday giving up two earned runs on three hits in one inning. It looks like Traber could use some time down at Triple-A before he’s called on by the club.

That’s why signing an experienced lefty like Marte makes all the sense in the world. With the likes of left-handed hitters David Ortiz and Carlos Pena in the AL East, wouldn’t you feel more comfortable with Marte facing them than Henn, Traber or, God forbid, Kei Igawa? And I don’t think it’s wise to simply not carry a lefty in the bullpen as some have suggested. Knowing what we know about Girardi so far, I think he would prefer having options in his bullpen which would probably mean carrying a lefty specialist.

If the organization can get Marte for a young pitcher, which the Yankees have plenty of in the system, I say you do it. The last thing you want is to be faced without an option in a close game. Plus, given the make-up of the division with a healthy Toronto team and a much improved Rays club, having options makes all the more sense.

Here’s a little something to get your Thursday started.

Joba Chamberlain was on the Jim Rome show Rome Is Burning via satellite.

Great stuff and he sure has lost a little weight.