Pavano pleased with debut

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The first pitch sequence of Carl Pavano's return to the Yankees had just been ended, and already the training staff was jogging onto the field.
For those who have watched and waited over the past1 1/2 years while the oft-injured right-hander has struggled to maintain his health and return to the Major Leagues, Sunday's scenario seemed quite unsettling.

Maybe this is where things begin to turn around for the 27-year-old right-hander.

For starters, the player being checked out was not Pavano -- it was left fielder Jose Tabata, who attempted a diving catch and was not injured. Manager Joe Torre called Pavano's two-inning appearance against the Phillies at Bright House Networks Field "Step 1," and every big event has to begin somewhere.

"Sometimes, you're out there just trying to survive instead of trying to win the battle," Pavano said. "I've definitely dealt with both those emotions. It's not always going to be perfect, it's not always going to be in your favor. But what I've dealt with in the past, hopefully, I can keep that behind me."

Pavano has not appeared in a Major League game since June 27, 2005, missing all of last season with numerous ailments.

The laundry list of Pavano's injuries reads like a preschooler's book on anatomy: shoulder, back, buttocks, elbow and ribs. Sunday presented an opportunity to put the medical report behind him for at least one afternoon, as he allowed one run and two hits in a 33-pitch (16 for strikes) effort against Philadelphia.

"I just wanted to go out there and pitch and have fun again," Pavano said.

Pavano said that his consistency in the strike zone could have been better, but all things considered, he was pleased. His fastball had good downward plane, catcher Wil Nieves said, and Pavano's slider was darting around the zone.

"He looked great," Nieves said. "He looked like he's been pitching for a while. I liked what I saw, and I know he's going to get better. I'm going to keep praying for him to stay healthy all year."

Though Pavano fell behind in the count early and issued two walks, he induced the always-dangerous Ryan Howard to ground out, ending the first inning. The run Pavano allowed in the second inning came on an Aaron Rowand fielder's choice, which Pavano remarked was the double-play ball he coveted, just too slowly hit.

"I thought I fell into a good groove," Pavano said. "My consistency can only get better."

Pavano attempted to downplay the importance of his Spring Training, even though he admitted earlier in the week to being "excited" for the upcoming appearance.

His left foot, bruised by an Alberto Gonzalez line drive during batting practice drills, has healed and showed no ill effects Sunday.

But even Pavano was surprised by how good he felt in the start. He pulled pitching coach Ron Guidry aside and spoke about a little extra bounce in his step for this effort; later, Pavano admitted to feeling some additional adrenaline coursing through his body as he threw his first pitch -- a called strike to Jimmy Rollins.

"I didn't know it until I woke up, but I was definitely antsy and anxious," Pavano said. "I thought that was all positive. I was just excited get out there, get the season started and make those first couple of pitches. I definitely had some extra energy."

He also had a few items to continue working on. Nieves needed to remind Pavano to keep his shoulder closed and maintain his mechanics, and Pavano said he had to remain conscious of holding the ball and slowing the game down.

It was a long way from Game 4 of the 2003 World Series. Even so, Torre said he had no doubts that Pavano could return to the form that prompted the Yankees to issue him a four-year, $39.95 million contract after the 2004 season.

"He's a young man and he's healthy," Torre said. "But again, he hasn't competed in a couple of years. It's still going to take him a little time to get that feeling."

Two innings of Grapefruit League work don't exactly cement Pavano's place on the Opening Day roster, but they indicate progress.

Now, Pavano can at least turn the clock ahead to his next start. He fits into a regular five-man rotation, the words "bullpen session" no longer hold a negative connotation, and that's good enough.

"He's one of the guys, and I think that's the most important thing," Torre said. "He's here, and he's not getting any sort of special treatment or program. You hand him the ball with no restrictions."

It's been a while since the Yankees could state that about Pavano. They can only hope they'll never have to question it again.

Source: Yankees

Sheffield: A-Rod primed for great year

TAMPA, Fla. -- Gary Sheffield believes that Alex Rodriguez is destined for the best year of his Yankees career.
Sheffield, now with the Detroit Tigers, said Monday that A-Rod is heading into the 2007 season with a clear mind, finally having unloaded the mounting stress of concealing his fractured relationship with shortstop Derek Jeter.

"I guarantee you one thing, and I say this right now: Alex is going to have the best year since he's been [with the Yankees]," Sheffield said. "I think what he did, stood up, that's what's going to get him over the top. He expressed how he felt. He was honest, and that goes a long way. I guarantee you, when he went home, it was a peaceful night."

Last month, Rodriguez admitted to reporters that he and Jeter are no longer as close as they used to be.

"We were like blood brothers," Rodriguez said on Feb. 19. "You don't have to go to dinner with a guy four, five times a week to do what you're doing. It's actually much better than all you guys expect, but I just want to let the truth be known."

The 31-year-old Rodriguez batted .290 with 35 home runs and 121 RBIs in 154 games for the Yankees last season, but he suffered through several extended slumps. He also struggled in the postseason, going 1-for-14 in the ALDS loss to the Tigers.

Sheffield, 38, has spoken with Rodriguez periodically over the winter. Sheffield believes that the persistent public speculation over Rodriguez's relationship with Jeter contributed to A-Rod's troubles.

"He really wanted to say these things a long time ago," Sheffield said, "but Alex is just a passive guy in that area. He didn't want to touch that subject. That could be borderline controversial. He did it, and I think he's going to benefit from it.

"I talked to Alex about it all the time. He's got to be his own man. You can't force a guy to deal with bullets when they are not used to having bullets shot over in a window. I grew up with bullets shot at me. It's a different thing, and I can understand it."

Sheffield fancied himself a guiding influence on Rodriguez in their three seasons together in New York, often pulling the All-Star aside to whisper in his ear to alternately commend and challenge.

Sheffield fought injuries last season and, limited to 39 games, eventually lost his starting role when the team acquired Bobby Abreu from Philadelphia on July 30. He hinted that he would accept some responsibility for Rodriguez's struggles in 2006.

"I wasn't there to stay in his ear," Sheffield said. "Even when he didn't want me in his ear, I'd make sure he was going to listen. Certain things have to be said. I knew when to approach Alex and when not to, when he's having his moments. I'd pull him to the side, say it, and keep walking."

Rodriguez said he appreciated Sheffield's contributions during their years as teammates.

"Sheff was always very good for me," Rodriguez said. "He's a good friend and a good teammate. I enjoyed having him. We're going to miss him."

Rodriguez added that, weeks later, he is satisfied with the outcome of the statements.

"It just felt good ending it," Rodriguez said.

The Yankees traded Sheffield on Nov. 10 to Detroit, where he is preparing for life as a designated hitter and a pursuit of the 45 home runs he needs to reach 500.

Though he is pleased to be reunited with manager Jim Leyland, one of his all-time favorites, Sheffield said he would miss a great deal about playing in New York. He said he hoped to receive a warm reception when the Tigers visit Yankee Stadium in August.

"Just thinking about it, man, I get chill-bumps," Sheffield said. "I'm going to miss that. I'm going to miss 50,000 people screaming and the stadium about to come down. It's the best atmosphere to play in, by far."

Source: Yankees

Igawa gets off to rough start

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Kei Igawa had an adventurous debut.

The Japanese left-hander allowed two runs, two hits, three walks Monday in the New York Yankees' 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Igawa struck out three and faced eight batters, getting three outs before leaving in the second.

"The only thing I saw was overstriding," Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said. "When you strike the guys out, you obviously made some good pitches. When you walk the guys, everything is up in the zone."

Igawa loaded the bases on two walks and a single, with no outs in the first. After striking out Carlos Guillen, Ryan Raburn walked to put the Tigers ahead 1-0. Igawa avoided further damage when he struck out Brent Clevlen and Brandon Inge.

"He looked like he rushed himself a little bit," New York manager Joe Torre said. "He just didn't seem to finish off pitches. The first time out, maybe getting a little over anxious."

Igawa was pulled after Sean Casey's second-inning leadoff single on his 40th pitch. Casey scored later to make it 2-0.

"The result was not good, but it's something I can learn (from) and go forward," Igawa said through a translator. "It's the same as Japan right now during the same time. My pitches are usually higher."

Clevlen was hit in the head by a Tyler Clippard pitch in the sixth - the Tigers said later that he was OK.

New York closer Mariano Rivera worked a perfect third in his first spring training appearance. He had two strikeouts.

Rivera, sidelined from Aug. 31 to Sept. 22 last year because of a muscle strain near his right elbow, has felt fine since spring training began.

"I feel really, really good," he said.

Minor leaguer Bronson Sardinha hit a winning, two-run homer off Felix Heredia with two outs in the ninth as the Yankees improved to 5-0, their best spring training start since opening 1993 with eight victories in a row.

"I'm trying to take advantage of every opportunity I get to play," Sardinha said. "Every time I go in, show something so later in the season if there are injuries they'll have a feeling of what I can do."

Hideki Matsui hit a two-run homer during a three-run second off Justin Verlander. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year gave up three runs and three hits in two innings and had one strikeout during a 34-pitch outing.

Alex Rodriguez hit an RBI single in the fourth that extended the lead to 4-2. Detroit went up 5-4 on Placido Polanco's two-run double in the fifth.

Source: FOX Sports

Murcer plans to return to broadcasting

TAMPA, Fla. -- Bobby Murcer has completed a six-week program of radiation and chemotherapy, and he has set his sights on returning to work at Yankee Stadium.

"I plan on being back with the [YES] Network for sure, doing the Yankees games," Murcer said. "That's what I love to do and nothing's going to stop me from doing that. ... I can't tell you when that's going to be, but the way I feel, it feels like it's going to be pretty soon."

Murcer, 60, had surgery at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston on Dec. 28, removing a malignant brain tumor. A five-time All-Star outfielder and long-time Yankees broadcaster, Murcer's condition was diagnosed on Christmas Eve after he complained of headaches and a general loss of energy.

Murcer spoke to reporters in a conference call Monday from his home in Oklahoma City, Okla. In an upbeat mood and sounding much like he does on television broadcasts, Murcer spoke while he watched the Yankees' Spring Training game against the Detroit Tigers.

"It's nice to have baseball on TV, at least," Murcer said.

Murcer had hoped to make his way to Legends Field in Tampa, Fla., before the conclusion of the exhibition season, but that no longer appears to be a possibility.

Murcer will return to Houston on March 18 and spend more than a week at the hospital, undergoing further tests that will include an MRI exam.

"From that point on, it will determine what my long-term goals are going to be," Murcer said.

If the MRI exam reveals no further cancerous activity, Murcer may take part in a clinical trial for experimental vaccines. He said that it has not been difficult for him to keep his good spirits throughout the ordeal of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, saying that he feels blessed.

"God has blessed me so much," Murcer said. "The treatments, there were some rough spots there, but all in all, the treatment and side effects were pretty minimal. I have some down days, but everybody's going to have that when you're taking that kind of treatment."

Murcer said that an outpouring of love and support has helped boost his spirits and those of his wife, Kay. The Murcers have received great numbers of cards, e-mails and telephone calls.

"I wish I had words to describe it," Murcer said. "During these times, that really sustains you. It really gives you an uplift; you feel good. You know people are behind you and they're praying for you all over the world.

"How much better can it be than that?"

Source: Yankees

Rocker took steroids?

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Two more people linked to a nationwide investigation into the illegal sale of steroids were arraigned Tuesday on drug-related charges as published reports implicated more athletes, including former Atlanta Braves relief pitcher John Rocker and veteran third baseman David Bell.

Steven and Karen Lampert of Anti-Aging Centers in Nanuet pleaded not guilty in an Albany County, N.Y., courtroom and were released without bail. They are charged with submitting prescriptions to a Florida pharmacy -- some "obviously forged," according to the district attorney -- for drugs totaling more than $50,000 for people without a medical need.

Steven Lampert is charged with 20 counts, his wife with two.

"It seems as though our clients have much less involvement than the others," said Jay Golland, a lawyer for Karen Lampert.

Prosecutors describe the Lamperts as "criminal associates" of Signature Pharmacy in Orlando, Fla. Albany County District Attorney David Soares says Signature was at the center of a web of businesses and doctors that illegally wrote prescriptions for steroids.

The arraignments come a day after not guilty pleas were entered in Albany by 11 other defendants, including four Signature Pharmacy officials.

Also Tuesday, SI.com reported Rocker, Bell and 1996 Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kurt Angle all showed up on a client list of Applied Pharmacy, a Mobile, Ala., company raided in connection with the investigation.

Rocker's publicist told the New York Daily News that Rocker admitted using HGH but he said he needed the substance for medical reasons.

"That was a growth hormone that was prescribed by a doctor in relation to his rotator cuff surgery in 2003, so I don't really think there is anything to the story," Debi Curzio told the paper.

Human growth hormone, however, is generally prescribed in adults for AIDS related wasting and growth hormone deficiency -- usually caused by a pituitary tumour -- not for the procedure Rocker underwent.


Bell, a veteran third baseman who is not on a major league roster for 2007, told SI.com he received the shipment of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) last April but said the drug was prescribed "for a medical condition," which he declined to disclose.

Soares also acknowledged that bodybuilder Victor Martinez was an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the case and is linked to the Lamperts' Anti-Aging Centers. Martinez won the Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition Saturday in Ohio.

A spokesman for Schwarzenegger said he wants bodybuilders to stop using steroids.

"He's clearly opposed to these steroids," said Aaron McLear. "And he's working with top officials in the bodybuilding community to come up with a system where they rid the sport of steroids."

Martinez told The New York Times he bought testosterone from the Lamperts after their clinic told him he had low levels of the hormone. He also said the company asked him to become a partner, but he declined.

"I didn't trust them, and other people were warning me not to do business with them," Martinez told The Times.

Source: ESPN

Hughes represents Yankees' new direction

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- It isn't often in life that we can see the future. But the New York Yankees can.

And its name is Phil (Don't Call Me Philip) Hughes.

But not just because Baseball America ranked this 20-year-old buzz-master as the No. 2 pitching prospect in the whole sport, behind only Daisuke Matsuzaka.

And not just because a bunch of Yankees legends have been tossing around a torrent of "young Rocket" Roger Clemens comparisons all spring.

And not just because his minor-league career has been so spectacular (21-7, 2.13 ERA, only 150 hits in 237 1/3 innings).

None of that, to be honest, is the big news here. The big news is that, for maybe the first time in the Emperor Steinbrenner era, it's finally safe to sit back in spring training, watch a sensational Yankees pitching prospect do his thing and not pose what used to be an automatic question:

What team are they going to trade him to?

Asked Tuesday, on an afternoon when Phil Hughes spun two shutout innings against Cleveland, if Hughes is a sign that those days -- the not-so-good-old trade-'em-all-away days -- are over, GM Brian Cashman replied, succinctly: "Yes."

Phil Hughes, you see, is the symbol of a staggering new development in this sport: The Yankees are trying to be a baseball team again.

As opposed to the universe's most expensive A-Plus Rental Center.

Not that it wasn't fun running the payroll up to $220 million, having a pitching staff that made more than the entire AL Central and cornering the market on all living multi-Cy Young Award winners. But the Yankees finally have caught on to something:

Bringing in those gazillion-dollar, superstud hired guns hasn't worked so well.

But those Chien-Ming Wangs and Robinson Canos and Melky Cabreras -- who must have slipped into town while everybody was busy watching the A-Rod and Randy Johnson news conferences -- all seemed to manage just fine. And the Yankees finally have concluded that might not have been an accident.

"Wang and Cano and Cabrera all basically came up, and the expectation from the press wasn't there to impede their efforts," Cashman said. "And so, all of a sudden, before you know it, you have a guy (Wang) who finished second in the Cy Young award voting. And you have a guy (Cano) who made the All-Star team.

"And it's like wow, it just happened so quietly and quickly -- versus the other way, where you have some big press conference for some massive free-agent signing or trade in the winter, and they're supposed to be the reason that you're going to win the next five World Series in a row. And then they're getting booed for going 0-for-4, or having back-to-back bad pitching outings. It's almost like the cards are stacked against you that way. So this is a better way to do it -- and certainly a cheaper way, if you get the right talent."

Well, if there's one thing they all seem to agree on, it's that Phil Hughes is exactly the right talent.

He's 6-foot-5, 220 pounds. He launches baseballs with a smooth, compact delivery that has drawn comparisons to Clemens and Curt Schilling and Mike Mussina. And his four-pitch repertoire is so dominating, he turned the entire Eastern League into a collection of .179 hitters last year.

So Hughes is shaping up as the centerpiece of Cashman's new, welcome-to-the-21st-century blueprint for the Yankees. Why buy an ace down at the old Mercenary Mart for 100 million bucks -- when you can grow your own?

But before we hand him his first Cy Young trophy, let's remember something:

He's only 20.

He's younger than Tyler Hansbrough and Acie Law IV and Darryl Strawberry Jr.. He's so young, he thinks of the wild card as a baseball phenomenon that has been around most of his life.


So even if Hughes already knows he won't be allowed to make this team out of spring training, he also knows -- because everyone knows -- that it won't be long. Which means the biggest question most people will have about him isn't whether he's talented enough to pitch for the Yankees.

No, the biggest question is whether he's mature enough to handle the most turbocharged universe in baseball.

Amazingly, everyone who knows him has no doubt whatsoever that he has the maturity.

"His age, to me, is irrelevant," said his agent, Nez Balelo. "He could pass for 25 years old. You could have a legitimate conversation with him about business. Or you could have a legitimate conversation with him about the game. He could sit down with Andy Pettitte or Mike Mussina and have a conversation about how to set up hitters. You can see this guy's maturity level. He doesn't act like a guy who's 20."

"It's really unusual to see a guy that young who handles himself the way he does," said 32-year-old catcher Jason Brown, who caught Hughes in Trenton last year. "He's not like a normal 20-year-old. I know, looking back, how I was when I was 20. And man, it was nothing even close."

But people have been saying stuff like this about Hughes since he was 17. Balelo tells a story about the day in 2004, when the Yankees invited Hughes -- their new No. 1 draft pick, out of Santa Ana, Calif. -- to meet them on a trip to Dodger Stadium.
They gave him a uniform, then marched him out to the bullpen before a game to throw for Joe Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre.

When a group of fans around the bullpen began hooting at him, Stottlemyre walked over to Hughes and asked: "Is all the yelling bothering you?"

"I don't even know what you're talking about," Hughes replied.

"And he really didn't," Balelo said. "He was in such a zone. And he's been that way his whole career."

We've seen enough players get overwhelmed by New York to know it isn't for everybody (not mentioning the names of any 6-foot-10 left-handers here). But it doesn't seem to faze Hughes, even though he grew up nearly 3,000 miles away.

"I'd rather be in a situation like the Yankees," he said, "where there's all this attention and media coverage. Some people think it's added pressure. But I just try and enjoy it."

If there's one word that describes his demeanor, he said, it's "calm." He gets that from his dad, Phil Sr., a retired Naval officer and "the most unrattled guy you'll ever meet." It's a quality, Hughes said, that "has really helped me a lot.

"I'll get in situations sometimes where I'll get a little bit rattled," he said. "But it never really snowballs. I always have the ability to slow down and take everything back to the basics. And that's definitely something I'm thankful to have."

We wish him luck maintaining that calm when it's September in Fenway, and Big Papi is standing 60 feet away, and the entire fate of Yankees-Red Sox civilization rests on his next pitch. But if you review Hughes' minor-league career, it's obvious nothing has discombobulated him yet.

His highest ERA at any stop was 2.27 (in the Florida State League). He has averaged at least one strikeout one per inning at every level, and at least four times as many strikeouts as walks at every level. And he never has allowed a baserunner per inning anywhere.

So Torre says the Yankees would like to see him experience a little failure someplace before they beam him into the Bronx. But they're running out of places he could experience that failure before the big leagues.

The closest Hughes thinks he has come to tasting any negativity was last year in spring training, when the Yankees ran him into a couple of big-league exhibition games at age 19, "and I didn't do well at all, and it was a big shock to me."

But he reacted exactly the way the Yankees hoped he would -- by realizing he couldn't get by with the fastball-curve combo he'd been using to cruise through A ball. So he dedicated his summer to mixing in his slider and change, and really pitching. And he has an Eastern League ERA title to show for it.

So by the time Hughes rolled into his second big-league camp, he was almost as big a story as the Jeter/A-Rod No More Sleepovers Saga. If the GM was holding out any hope he could just sneak this guy into the big leagues some month with no pressure or expectations, well, he knows now there's no shot of that.

"Yeah, his [expectations] now are starting to get overblown," Cashman said. "For instance, the day last week he pitched a batting practice and he wound up on the back pages being compared to Roger Clemens. That's probably not healthy."

But one guy who isn't worried is Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer. There has been so much focus on Hughes for so long already, Oppenheimer says, "it was a more gradual thing for him to get used to. It's not happening all at once."

And the mere prospect of being a Yankee -- so foreboding for some people -- isn't as intimidating for a guy like this, who has known nothing but being a Yankee, he says.

"You can be sitting there in Tampa, getting ready to start up a workout, and in walks George Steinbrenner," Oppenheimer said. "So I don't know if there's the same pressure to being a Yankee when you grow up with the expectation of doing things like a Yankee."

Well, if it means anything, Hughes says he wouldn't want any other kind of expectation. He likes the idea of looking around the clubhouse at "eight or nine future Hall of Famers." He likes the idea that, on the day he was drafted, he had to do a conference call "with about 20 newspapers." He's excited by the thought of having "to make that big pitch in front of 50,000 people."


And if he's as sincere about that as he sounds, he is on the cusp of doing something no Yankees No. 1 draft pick has done in 38 years -- actually win a game for the Yankees. (Bill Burbach, the Yankees' top pick in the first-ever draft in 1965, went 6-8 lifetime)


"Hopefully," said Phil Hughes, "I can wipe that stat out. Soon."

Source: ESPN

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"Why buy an ace down at the old Mercenary Mart for 100 million bucks -- when you can grow your own?"

Perhaps this is the reason the Yankees didn't go so hog wild on Matuzaka. I'd love to see Hughes this year but only if he's ready. If he comes in and dominates, while Matsuzaka flatlines after a season or 2, the Yankess will look like geniuses while boston will be the laughing stock of baseball.

Mientkiewicz admires Jeter

TAMPA, Fla. -- Doug Mientkiewicz can remember channel surfing through a seemingly endless parade of sitcoms, news programs and sporting events, landing every now and again on Derek Jeter's grinning image.
In a long-running television commercial for Major League Baseball, Jeter summed up life as a Yankee by saying, "You either love us or you hate us."

As an opposing player, Mientkiewicz agreed with the sentiment. Now that Mientkiewicz has found his way into pinstripes, he takes it to heart even more.

"You know you have to bring your 'A' game every night," Mientkiewicz said. "I've been on the other side. I've been with the Twins, trying to see where we stand up against the Yankees. You get everybody's best, every single night."

Mientkiewicz, 32, is in his first Spring Training with the Yankees, and he now lockers just a few stalls away from the shortstop at the Legends Field complex. But from afar, Mientkiewicz has long admired Jeter's professionalism.

Mientkiewicz recalls rifling through the New York tabloids as a visiting player with Minnesota, noting Jeter's press savvy. Most quotes had the same underlying meaning -- the Yankees were going to try to beat you -- but they always seemed acceptable to opponents, never rankling or delivered with ill intent.

Mientkiewicz said he has even tried to emulate Jeter's commentary and demeanor, with mixed results.

"You've got to respect a guy from whom you never hear an 'I.' It's always 'We,'" Mientkiewicz said. "I think that's genuine, that's class. That's why he's the best. He kills you with kindness.

"There's just a good group of professionals here. It's hard not to fit in. Not only are they great players, but they enjoy the game and they have fun doing it. If you can't fit in with some of these guys, you shouldn't be playing."

In line to serve as the Yankees' first baseman against right-handed pitching, Mientkiewicz is coming off a campaign in which he batted .283 with four home runs and 43 RBIs in 91 games for the Royals.

Even through a losing campaign in Kansas City, Mientkiewicz said the Royals were able to keep their positive demeanor, reinvigorating for the lefty-hitting glove man. He has been pleased by his first experiences in the Yankees' clubhouse, which has not seemed nearly as stuffy or corporate as some might portray it to be.

"It's been a lot more laid back than I expected," Mientkiewicz said. "It's a nice atmosphere. We cut up, but when it comes time to work, you work. That's why these guys are accustomed to winning. They know how to balance the two. You have a good time, but you work your rear end off.

"So far, it's been everything I wished it could have been. I'm extremely happy."

Source: Yankees

isn't that already the case

Spring training is fun to watch, but its really meaningless. Igawa has control issues, Matsuzaka is striking out college kids...I mean, none of this is going to matter until they get out there and face the regular nine guys who make up the big-league roster.

Anyways, glad to see Pettitte duck that flying bat shard tonight, got scared. What the fuck is up with Roger Clemens? I believe 100% now he's coming back to the Yankees. He was schmoozing with Torre and the media before the game, claiming he wanted to see Andy pitch, and then said he'll decide by May if he's going to go or not. Bah. I don't care. Just make up your mind. At least if Clemens comes back, we can deal Pavano for a power hitting first-baseman (a nice package with some of the minor league pitchers for Texiera? Anyone else salivating?)

You'd really do that? Clemens would just last the year. Pavano still has this year and next on his contract. What are we going to do for a starter then?

Rocket visits Yanks; no decision yet

TAMPA, Fla. -- As Andy Pettitte warmed up on the mound before Wednesday night's game against the Reds, Roger Clemens settled into a seat next to the Yankees dugout, just behind Joe Torre.
The crowd murmured as Clemens reached out and shook Torre's hand.

Then, three innings later, after Pettitte finished his three-inning stint, Clemens made his way up to the third floor of Legends Field and turned out of the elevator toward owner George Steinbrenner's suite.

And, finally, The Rocket stepped into the YES Network's booth to talk with broadcasters Al Leiter and Ken Singleton.

Was it time? Did this mean the 44-year-old righty was ready to announce his return to the Bronx?

"No, I'm just here as a fan and a friend," Clemens said. "My position hasn't changed. At this point, I'm not thinking about coming back. But there are times when I feel like doing so."

Pettitte spent last year with his good friend on the Astros and understands the grind of the season.

"My guess is that he'd pitch, but it's always tough," said Pettitte, who has been playing golf with Clemens on his off-days. "But I know he's still working out and he keeps himself in good shape. And I think he once he gets that itch, he might choose to play again."

Clemens had spent the day in Orlando pitching in the Astros' Minor League camp, where his son, Koby, is participating. He faced six batters during the session, which amounted to about 60 pitches.

"My arm feels good and my body feels good," said Clemens, who pitched to his son during the rotation. "I was further along last year because of the World [Baseball Classic], but when I've gone out there and pitched to the Minor Leaguers, it feels good and then things seem appealing. But then, when I'm back home and I sit for a few days, I then say, 'There's no way I can do this.'"

Clemens said he would not make a decision until May about if, when and where he'd return to play.

The clear choices are the Yankees, Red Sox or the Astros, but the ultimate decision depends on whether he's physically and mentally prepared to do so.

"I have to get back up to speed," said Clemens. "I'm not at the point to be competitive and to get the job done. I've had enough word from teammates where it does sound appealing, though."

On Tuesday night, Derek Jeter joined him for dinner in Tampa, but the subject of whether Clemens will return did not come up. Yet, that did not preclude the All-Star shortstop from guessing Clemens' decision.

"We never talked about baseball," said Jeter. "I'm sure he's done enough of that with you all, so he doesn't want to have to hear it from me. But I think that he'll pitch again. If I had to guess, I'd say he will."

Torre hadn't talked to Clemens in more than a year and hadn't seen him in over two years, but the Yankees skipper still believes Clemens has the right stuff to come back and perform well.

"It's only because he keeps himself in such good shape and he has a good time pitching," said Torre, who spoke briefly with Clemens before and during the game.

"I don't think he knows where he wants to pitch, and I wouldn't go about trying to recruit him for here. I think that would only make it more difficult for him."

Nevertheless, the drive into Tampa before Wednesday's game brought back memories for Clemens and his son.

"It was fun coming in today," said Clemens. "Koby reminisced about all the years spent here in February and March."

Which might mean the longing to wear Yankees pinstripes again could be in the picture soon.

Source: Yankees

Focus for Jeter is on winning a title

TAMPA, Fla. -- A cursory glance at the Yankees' last campaign reveals promising highlights and opportunities for the members of the 2006 squad to thump their collective chests and look back with some fondness.

Yes, the Yankees' season ended too early for the organization's taste, abruptly coming to a close by dropping the American League Division Series to the Detroit Tigers. But the Yankees brought home their ninth straight division title, tied for the Major League lead with 97 wins, and led the big leagues with 930 runs scored.

Shouldn't that count for something? It's not good enough, Derek Jeter says.

"A lot of guys who haven't won might say that," Jeter said. "A lot of guys with other teams might say that. Here [in New York], it was a wasted year. That's the bottom line, and that's how it goes. Nobody is walking around saying, 'Oh, we had a great year last year.' It was a wasted year, because we play to win."

As Jeter spoke, he sat at his Legends Field locker, stuffing items into a midnight blue duffel bag for an afternoon road trip. Even with his attention diverted and three exhibition at-bats at St. Petersburg on tap, it's clear that Jeter's focus never wavers.

Jeter arguably gave the Yankees his finest all-around season last year, finishing second in the AL Most Valuable Player voting, while bringing home a Silver Slugger Award and his third consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Those sorts of personal achievements might play in other locales or organizations where playing in October isn't considered an annual right, but Jeter is wise enough to understand that the street credibility of such honors loses quite a bit of value within the city limits of New York.

Perhaps more than ever, with a six-year title drought hanging over the Yankees' heads, the ring is the thing up around 161st Street and River Avenue in the Bronx.

"It's no good. You sense it because you're going home," Jeter said. "You're watching another team win, that's how you sense it. You put a lot of work in to win a championship. If you don't do it, man, it's a wasted year. The only sign is how you feel afterward."

So Jeter looks toward the reconstruction of the Yankees and barely bats an eyelash. The corner locker previously owned by Bernie Williams no longer houses either the outfielder's sweet stroke or his music, perhaps the only roster change in the Spring Training clubhouse that disappoints Jeter.

Everything else is just icing. Among the more notable moves, Andy Pettitte is fitting in like he never left, filling the role of left-handed starter vacated by Randy Johnson, who never really quite adjusted to life as a Yankees hurler.

And top to bottom, the Yankees' lineup has already drawn rave reviews -- notably, both Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon have crowed that it must be a frightening proposition for any pitcher to face such a solid lineup.

Robinson Cano, the Yankees' projected No. 7 hitter, finished third in the AL with a .342 batting average last season. If that's not a wealth of offense, what is?

"We've got a solid lineup," Jeter agrees, "but really, scoring runs has never been a problem for us. We've been scoring runs for a while. We've got a lot of guys who can hit and a lot of guys who can beat you. We're capable in scoring in a lot of ways."

It all translated to a grand total of 14 runs in the AL Division Series, and just six after Game 1. So excuse Jeter if he appears nonplussed by exhibition game rallies against a variety of pitchers who may or may not taste the big leagues this season.

"It's the first days of Spring Training," Jeter said. "It's the first days for us, it's the first day for pitchers. What happens really for the first few weeks of Spring Training has no bearing whatsoever on the season. You just want everyone to get ready. You want no injuries and you want just to be rolling into the regular season."

It has been suggested that the clubhouse might feel a little fresher and more relaxed, but Jeter doesn't see it that way. He'll reserve judgment until he sees it play out on the field. Jeter has seen the assemblage fall short of the dreams far too many times this decade.

"Ever since we lost in 2001, it's always new guys coming in and new guys coming out," Jeter said.

As Jeter points out, there are still only four players in the Yankees' clubhouse -- Pettitte, catcher Jorge Posada, closer Mariano Rivera and himself -- who can claim ownership of a World Series ring from the team's four-title dynasty.

A new piece of hardware, Jeter said, that is long overdue.

"There's restlessness for everyone -- not just us four," Jeter said. "It's everyone who's in the organization. We play to win here. It's not to get to the playoffs or get to the World Series. It's to try and win a championship. Everyone should be restless.

Source: Yankees

I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Phil Hughes? Humberto Sanchez? Those names ring a bell? Our minor league system is clogged with pitchers, some who have hit a ceiling and will never play for the Yankees simply because there are better guys in front of them (DeSalvo comes to mind). Both of those guys are ready to go. If not, Darrell Rasner or Jeff Karstens will make a fine, reliable #5 starter that allows the Yankees to abide by their 180 inning pitch schedule for Hughes, and they can start "Dirty" Sanchez slow out of the bullpen.

Pavano blows, and I have no doubt Cashman will unload him when he can assemble a nice package for a position player he feels will really take this team over the top, like a Mark Texiera.

Pettitte shakes off scare

TAMPA, Fla. -- It was a scary moment.
The barrel of the bat came hurling at Andy Pettitte in the first inning with the ball just feet away from it. Which one should he shy away from?

"That was easy," the Yankees left-hander said following his three-inning outing against the Reds on Wednesday night. "The bat's going to hurt a lot more if I get hit with it than the ball."

Pettitte, though, was nicked on the ring finger of his pitching hand by a sliver of wood, causing some blood and swelling. The medical staff looked at it and, with some urging by the left-hander, gave Pettitte the go-ahead to finish his stint.

In the next inning, Pettitte showed his moxie when he worked out of a no-out, loaded-bases situation.

He struck out Javier Valentin on three straight pitches, then induced Juan Castro into an inning-ending double play when he threw his only cutter of the night.

"My command wasn't the best tonight, but I was able to work all my pitches," said Pettitte, who threw 49 pitches, 27 for strikes. "I don't know what it was tonight. Getting hit on the hand might have affected it a bit, or it might have been pitching at night. But the good thing was that I was able to face some situations to work out of."

After the game, in which Pettitte allowed three hits, walked two and struck out one, he said the swelling had gone down and his finger had been bandaged.

Joe Torre didn't seem too worried, either. Torre said trainer Gene Monahan looked at Pettitte when they visited him on the mound and allowed him to keep pitching.

"Geno, who I trust, felt it was no danger, and Andy understands the situation," said Torre. "During the season, he might go out there and keep pitching only because of the nature of his competitiveness. But here, in Spring Training, he knows whether it's bad enough that he should take himself out of the game."

Catcher Jorge Posada said Pettitte's command was a little erratic, but he was happy with how he battled out of trouble.

"His command was a little bit all over the place," said Posada. "But he got the pitch when he needed it. He was good. Good changeup, good curveball. He worked all the pitches, which is good for him."

Source: Yankees

Tu shae. I forgot about the young arms. I just hope we don't have the problem Boston had last year. They thought they could plug their rotation holes last year internally and look at how well that panned out. But yeah, if the guys in the minors are supposed to do what everyone says/thinks they're going to do, then I'd trade Pavano and get someone too. Although I do hear Ichiro is a free agent at the end of the year. Any chance Seattle needs pitching Or even Minnesota

Boston still hasn't learned their lesson. Look at their closer situation. I bet that Papelbon will be back in that role before the end of May.

I hope not

Yeah, I'd love to watch the Yankees belt Piniero a few times, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Papelbon still has to return from injury. And Beckett has to turn around and be a productive AL pitcher. Otherwise, you've got an unproven in Matsuzaka (who can sure strike out college kids, but let's see when the lineup faces him three or four times in an MLB game) and a 40+ Curt Schilling, who is more interested in landing in the free agent market, he's already said he won't return to beantown.

I think he'll return. They'll get something worked out in the offseason. Curse Theo!

Why are you mad? Curt Schilling is going the way of RJ - to the DL. Please. Schilling isn't anything close to dominant anymore, and I predict a pretty big decline this year.

I just hate him and wish he would retire. He said this was his last year and now his family "talked" him into playing next year. PLA-LEZE! He's a primadonna, self-centered, a$$hole who for one reason or another has a personal vendetta against the Yankees. In 2004, he acted like the Yankees wwere the worse thing on the face of the earth (that's including terrorism). Then someone asked him if he would pitch for the Yankees next year and he said there's "no way he would/could pitch in New York." He gives Christian's a bad name with him pompus attitude and I just hate him as a player.

Plaleze... You would think he ate your dog or something.

No, it's not that he's just a dick. And it looks like his young "protege" Josh 'I've got a 5.00 ERA in the AL' Beckett looks to take his place when he leaves.

DJ, what do you expect from Beckett this year? Personally, I think he's too good of a pitcher to not bounce back. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think he can get any worse.

Rocket signals
Yankees eager to give Clemens $4 million per month

NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees took advantage of Roger Clemens' attendance at Legends Field on Wednesday to ask Clemens back to the Bronx, SI.com has learned.

However, Clemens' answer to the Yankees didn't exactly clear up the situation. He told Yankees owner George Steinbrenner that he wasn't close to deciding his comeback plans.

A source on another team said Clemens is believed to be seeking $4 million a month, which would represent a slight raise over the pro-rated $22 million he made in 2006. That figure probably won't scare off the Yankees or Boston Red Sox but might give the Houston Astros pause. Those are the three teams in the Clemens derby.

It is believed Clemens is planning a June return, like last year when he returned for his third season after "retiring.'' He is 38-18 with a 2.40 ERA since he announced his "retirement'' following the 2003 season.

Clemens was asked by writers in Tampa what Steinbrenner said to him during their visit, and Clemens responded by saying, "I'll pass on that one.'' However, it was learned that the Yankees took the opportunity of Clemens' visit to watch good friend Andy Pettitte pitch against the Reds to apply a little pressure. Or at the very least, ask him the $24 million (pro-rated) question.

"I don't know what's going to happen,'' Clemens told Yankees writers.

That's about what he told Steinbrenner as well. The intrigue continues.

Source: SI

If that's how you feel, then you have to hate Roger Clemens as well, since he's another prima donna. Schilling has ridden the wave of his World Series win with the Diamondbacks to make quite a bit of money and another ring with the Red Sox. But he's almost going to be to the point of irrelevance after this year, since I doubt most teams would pay the ace-money he demands for a 40-something Curt Schilling who has injury concerns.

Then again, we did trade for Randy Johnson.



Very few of the NL pitchers have success switching to the AL, and Beckett is no different. Look at Pavano as well. Beckett's strikeout attitude may be good for his confidence, but when the balls fly over the fence, its time to try and pitch with more strategy than vehemence. Either way, I still think the vast majority of NL to AL converts will struggle (with the possible exception of a Chris Carpenter or Roy Oswalt). Beckett will probably have a better year this year, I'd say an ERA in the mid-to-low 4.00 range, but that's only if Matsuzaka proves to be a great success. If the rotation is forced to rely on Schilling and Beckett again, say hello to 5.00+ ERA and Toronto beating out Boston for the Wild Card spot.