Yankees Beaned By Lawsuit



Carl Pavano - The "gift" that keeps on "giving."

Karstens steps in nicely for Pavano

TAMPA, Fla. -- There was an audible gasp from the Legends Field crowd when the starting lineups for Friday's Yankees game were announced, with Jeff Karstens suddenly replacing scheduled starter Carl Pavano.

The only one not surprised by a sudden change in starting pitchers may have been Karstens himself. The 24-year-old right-hander stepped in and didn't miss a beat, scattering two hits and striking out four Devil Rays over three scoreless innings in the Bombers' 5-1 win.

"It's nice just to give them that liberty," Karstens said. "If I have to do it, I can do it. If they want to use me [as a spot starter], they can."

The effort took Karstens -- who was scheduled to pitch in relief of Pavano -- from his usual pregame rituals of arm warming and repeating iPod shuffles to the mound, where his second victory of the Grapefruit League season took shape.

Making his bid for a role on the Yankees' projected 12-man pitching staff, Karstens has now pitched five scoreless innings to open the month, allowing four hits, no walks and striking out five.

"He's quietly pitching pretty well, isn't he," said manager Joe Torre. "He's been very impressive. His velocity was more than it was when we saw him last year."

Karstens appeared in eight games (six starts) with New York last season, going 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA. He had struggled mightily at Triple-A Columbus earlier in the year and was demoted to Double-A Trenton after beginning the season 0-5, but rebounded to go 6-0 at Trenton and eventually work his way into position for his first big-league callup.

"I think I matured a little bit, to know that I can't do any more than what I'm capable of," Karstens said. "I can't pitch like [Phil] Hughes or [Steven] White or [Darrell] Rasner. I've got to pitch how I pitch."

Karstens prefers starting, but he understands that those slots are in short supply with the Yankees. He said he would be fine with a role as the Yankees' long reliever and spot starter, which could be his best shot to make the team.

"The big leagues are the big leagues," Karstens said. "You ask anybody in here. As long as you're contributing somehow to help them win, that's all that matters."

For that task, Karstens would be in competition mainly with Rasner, a 26-year-old right-hander who has also compiled five scoreless innings in two spring appearances.

"He seems to be pretty aware of what he can do," Torre said. "He really doesn't complicate things for himself, and I think that's really going to help him in whatever role he has to take on. We're not sure what we're going to do leaving here, but he certainly has made a case for himself."

Source: Yankees

Just like Boston to almost get into a bench clearning brawl during Spring Training

Tigers' Ordonez taken to hospital after being hit in head

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Magglio Ordonez was hit in the side of the head by a breaking ball from Josh Beckett on Saturday, sending the Detroit slugger to the hospital and leading to a near scuffle between the Tigers and Boston Red Sox.

Beckett plunked Gary Sheffield with a first-inning pitch and hit Ordonez in the third, forcing him from the game. He was treated at a hospital.

Detroit reliever Todd Jones then threw behind Boston's J.D. Drew in the fifth, and the benches and bullpens emptied. Players converged near home plate, but no punches were thrown.

Jones and Tigers manager Jim Leyland were ejected. In the clubhouse after Detroit's 7-6 loss, Ordonez wore a bandage that covered much of his head.

"He was groggy, but that was to be expected," Leyland said. "Josh throws a hard breaking ball. I'm sure he won't play tomorrow. I'm sure he'll have a headache."

Ordonez declined to comment.

Red Sox reliever Travis Hughes also hit Chris Shelton with a pitch in the eighth.

Eric Hinske's grand slam off Justin Verlander keyed Boston's five-run first inning.

Verlander, who struggled to keep the ball down, was touched for six runs and five hits in two innings. In his only previous spring training start, he gave up three earned runs in two innings against the New York Yankees.

"I kept missing up," Verlander said. "I tried to make the adjustment to get it down but didn't."

Verlander allowed two hits and two walks against his first five batters. Hinske then cleared the bases with a one-out shot to left-center. He finished 2-for-4 and was one of five Boston players with multiple hits.

Beckett gave up four hits and five runs -- two earned -- in 3 2-3 innings.

Source: ESPN

St. Louis, Colorado and Seattle showed interest in Carl Pavano earlier in the winter and presumably would still like to discuss him. The Yankees can afford to deal Pavano because they have Jeff Karstens and other young pitchers knocking on the big-league door.
-- New York Post

Source: SI

Carl Pavano in Colorado...oh my lord.

Hey, if they're dumb enough to trade for him

Matsuzaka roughed up in loss

Matsuzaka struggled for the first time this spring, giving up six hits and four runs (three earned) over four innings. The righty didn't walk anybody and struck out three.

Source: MLB

Pavano addresses abrupt departure

TAMPA, Fla. -- Carl Pavano addressed his recent abrupt departure from the Yankees, saying on Sunday that he had to attend to a personal matter involving his girlfriend, 22-year-old Gia Allemand.

Pavano had been scheduled to start Friday's game against the Devil Rays, but left Legends Field less than an hour before first pitch after being informed of a "severe medical condition" involving Allemand, which Pavano didn't comment on.

"It was definitely weighing on me," Pavano said. "There was definitely a little bit of struggle about me wanting to pitch. I needed a voice of reason because my head was going in both directions. Sometimes there's things you've got to take care or that take precedent over the situation at hand."

Pavano said that Allemand was "doing well" following the unspecified issue. He said he was grateful to manager Joe Torre, pitching coach Ron Guidry and general manager Brian Cashman, who cleared Pavano to leave Legends Field on Friday.

Because of Pavano's injury-checkered history with the Yankees -- he has not appeared in a Major League game since June 27, 2005 -- the 31-year-old right-hander said he wrestled with the decision to leave what would have been his second start of the spring.

"My mind was playing games with me a little bit," Pavano said. "Joe's a voice of reason. Joe is a wiser man than I am. He made the right decision."

Pavano said that Allemand's situation will not be an ongoing distraction. Torre has said that Pavano's absence from the club was a one-day matter, and that any further attention Pavano needs to pay to it will have to be done on his personal time.

Pavano also said his involvement in a pending civil lawsuit relating to an August 2006 automobile accident is not a concern. A report surfaced last week that Pavano and the Yankees had been sued by Ernest DeLaura, 47, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., for monetary compensation relating to injuries allegedly incurred in the collision.

"It's not the first time I've had issues or things going on," Pavano said. "As much as baseball is a part of my life, there's another part of my life where things aren't always perfect. I don't think it's going to be on my shoulders at all."

Pavano is now slated to start on Monday against the Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla., an event he said he was looking forward to. Pavano had long-tossed in the outfield in preparation for Friday's appearance and threw a 10-minute bullpen session on Saturday with catcher Todd Pratt.

"It's going to be nice," Pavano said. "It's always nice to get out there every fifth day, especially over the course of the last two years. Just to be able to be healthy and to have that team behind me and be able to go work on things -- I think that's nice."

Source: Yankees

Hughes bound for Triple-A

TAMPA, Fla. -- Even if he had compiled great numbers this spring, Phil Hughes would have been a long shot to open the season in New York, with Yankees officials tabbing him for seasoning at Triple-A.

Three appearances into his second Major League Spring Training, the 20-year-old right-hander has not changed the organization's thinking.

Unable to throw his curveball and changeup for strikes on Sunday, Hughes surrendered three runs and four hits in a 1 1/3-inning performance against the Indians. Afterward, he lamented not making the Yankees' decisions more difficult.

"It's a little bit frustrating to not go out and pitch the way I know I can," Hughes said. "At the same time, I think [the Yankees] had their minds made up from the beginning, so it wasn't like I could really go out there and do anything special to change their minds.

"It's Spring Training. Stuff-wise, I felt much better than the first two times. It's just that the results weren't there."

With starting pitchers beginning to work deeper into games, the Yankees have a second round of reassignments to Minor League camp plotted for execution on Tuesday. Accordingly, Minor League intrasquad games begin on Wednesday.

It is not known if Hughes will be on that list, but it has already been made clear that -- at some point -- he will be taking his belongings across the street to the Minor League complex.

"I have no idea how much longer I'll stay," Hughes said. "It doesn't make too much of a difference. I'm still getting the same work. It's probably a little bit better to face big-league hitters rather than Triple-A guys."

In 4 2/3 innings this spring, Hughes' results have not matched up to his impressive Minor League career. His ERA is an unsightly 7.71, and after averaging just 2.09 walks per nine innings last season, he has already walked six in Grapefruit League play.

Yankees manager Joe Torre said he was pleased to see Hughes continue grinding through his performance Sunday, and noted that Hughes never appears to lose his composure -- a good sign.

"This is all about experience for him," Torre said. "He's got an opportunity to pitch here in Spring Training for us, and I think whatever the results, it's all good for him."

Hughes said that the experiences from this spring will remain with him after he leaves Legends Field, whenever that may be.

"It's a huge eye-opener," Hughes said. "I can remember a couple of occasions where if I throw that breaking ball for a strike, I'm probably in a lot better spot. It's just a matter of doing it."

Source: Yankees

Gary Sheffield desperately wanted to cross enemy lines. The former Yankees slugger had only one team on his wish list as last season wound to a close, though he dared not disclose it. Assuming the Yankees failed to pick up his $13 million contract option, Sheffield had every intention of playing for the Red Sox this year.
-- Boston Herald

According to several teams who are hunting for starting pitching, the Yankees aren't shopping Carl Pavano.
-- New York Post

Daisuke Matsuzaka has been expressing concern to Japanese reporters about the high mound in the bullpen at City of Palms Park.
-- Boston Globe

SI

Pavano eager to face rival Red Sox

TAMPA, Fla. -- Red Sox righty Daisuke Matsuzaka has been the toast of the Grapefruit League this spring, with a legion of Japanese reporters trailing his every move to beam updates back to Japan.

Hideki Matsui can relate. His status as the Yankees' left fielder may have become universally accepted, but five years ago, those packs of cameras and notepads were even more abundant than they are now.

When the Yankees venture to Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday for their first and only exhibition meeting of 2007 with the Red Sox, Matsui will get a closeup look at the media circus in action. He said he might run across Matsuzaka -- who is not pitching in the game -- but wasn't quite sure what he would say.

"I don't really have any special message or anything like that," Matsui said. "I'm sure, because of the attention he's getting, it's not easy. My first year in the Major Leagues was very similar. I can certainly understand what he's going through."

Matsui -- who played in a different league than Matsuzaka in Japan and said he does not know him well -- is one of four regulars the Yankees are bringing to Fort Myers on Monday. Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi are also scheduled to make the trip.

Those anticipating a preview of what the capacity crowds will see this summer at Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium will have to wait; the parts of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada will be played by the likes of Miguel Cairo, Alberto Gonzalez and Todd Pratt.

That's not to say the game is unimportant for the Yankees. A frenzied working atmosphere awaits New York's starting pitcher, Carl Pavano, who is attempting to make his way back to the Major Leagues after 1 1/2 seasons of injury-related troubles.

Pavano was scheduled to pitch on Friday against the Rays, but left Legends Field shortly before game time to attend to personal issues. His second start of the spring instead will come against the Yankees' most storied rival, and Pavano said he welcomes the challenge.

"It's definitely going to be nice to get down there," Pavano said. "Especially with the home field, you know you're going to face their 'A' team. I'm definitely looking forward to it."

So is what figures be a packed house at City of Palms Park. Less than 24 hours before game time, tickets were still in high demand; ducats have been spotted whirling around third-party outlets for many multiples of the printed ticket price.

"Really?" Pratt said. "That's insanity."

You don't have to have experienced a regular-season Yankees-Red Sox affair to know that the atmosphere can be terrific. Even so, March can never double for September or October, and the standings or final results never mean much in the end.

But for players like Pratt, who is fighting to win a spot on a Major League roster for one more season before retirement, or young prospects looking to make names for themselves, these games do count.

"It means everything, every game," Pratt said. "It doesn't matter whether we're playing the Pirates or the Red Sox. It's game on. It's a war."

Source: Yankees

Karstens looks great, and as far as I'm concerned, his emergency work last year warrants giving this kid a role as the long man and spot starter in the bullpen, if not to say the 5th starter on the Yankees. He's certainly showed me more in a few starts than Pavano has shown me in three years.

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Hughes hasn't impressed me in Spring Training. I'm sure maybe its nerves, but his control just hasn't been there. I'm very glad to see he's going to Triple-A. This should let him see better hitters than in Double-A, and its going to let him develop more naturally. Don't push this kid. I've only seen him pitch a handful of times for very short periods, so if he really is the next phenom, then they are smart having him work through the minor leagues. He just turned 21. He's got plenty of time, especially if he is the next Clemens.

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The Red Sox/Tigers near brawl was hilarious. Boston are a bunch of fucktards. Only in Spring Training would they try to get a near altercation going. Even though I don't like the team, I still think Francona is a great manager.

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Igawa's start made me feel a lot better about his control. He gave up a home run, but his control was back, and he stuck out some solid hitters (including Adam LaRoche). Glad to see that his first start appears to be jitters. His slider is nasty!

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Matsuzaka...get rocked? OMFG! The sky is falling! Jesus Christ is coming back! Armageddon! Fuck!

I like how this got zero press coverage on ESPN. Yet, I've heard how great he was against Boston College. God, I hate ESPN.

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Pavano is eager to face the Red Sox? He should be eager to just stay healthy, before he goes from being Crash Test Dummy to Emergency Room Patient, Part 5.

Pettitte gets work in at Legends Field

TAMPA, Fla. -- Andy Pettitte bounded off the mound, raced to the bag and, after accepting a flip from first baseman Don Mattingly, recorded the putout.

It was a scene straight out of 1995, as Pettitte threw 65 pitches at Legends Field on Monday, substituting for his third start of the spring.

With Andy Phillips notching nine at-bats against Pettitte, Mattingly -- now the Yankees' bench coach, and the team's regular first baseman when Pettitte broke into the Majors -- filled in at first base and showed he can still pick it at age 45.

"That was definitely funny," Pettitte said. "He gave me a bad break on a ground ball to first. His reaction time is not real good. I just told him, 'Dude, don't get hit, whatever you do.' I'd feel terrible if he took a bad hop."

With Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter making up the left side of the infield and Minor Leaguer Kevin Russo manning second base, Pettitte teamed with catcher Jorge Posada to work four simulated innings against a rotation of Phillips and Minor Leaguers Cody Ehlers and Justin Christian.

By pitching in the afternoon workout, Pettitte was spared the lengthy bus ride to Fort Myers, Fla., where the Yankees are scheduled to take on the Red Sox on Monday in their only spring meeting.

It has been suggested that the logic behind the maneuver was to disallow Boston an advance look at Pettitte, who is returning to the American League after three seasons with the Astros. Pettitte said skipping the bus ride wasn't his idea, though he also wasn't complaining.

"That wasn't my theory," Pettitte said. "The Red Sox know what I throw. I guess they're taking care of a guy that's got a little bit of [Major League] time in. There's a lot of road trips I'll be taking this Spring Training, so they let me stay here for one of them."

Pettitte said his left ring finger felt no ill effects from his start on Wednesday against the Reds, when he was nicked by a sliver of a broken bat, drawing blood. Pettitte stayed in that game and completed a 49-pitch outing, but he said that he felt a difference on Monday.

"I think my command was maybe a little affected when I stayed in the game," Pettitte said. "It's normal because my finger was a little numb. I was controlling the ball a lot better [Monday] than I did in that Reds start."

Pettitte recorded two strikeouts, walked none and allowed four hits in Monday's simulation, throwing 38 pitches for strikes.

"His stuff was pretty good," Phillips said. "We talked about it. He had some life on his fastball today, and his breaking ball was sharp. He made some adjustments with his changeup. He looked pretty good to me."

Throwing a few cutters now that his arm strength is increasing, Pettitte allowed two runs in the four innings -- run-scoring hits by Christian and Phillips -- but those numbers are not completely accurate because the Yankees put extra runners on base without hits, forcing Pettitte to work from the stretch.

"For a simulated game, I felt good," Pettitte said. "Mechanically, I felt real good. I got some good fatigue in my shoulder and worked it good.

"Everything was good today. I feel like I'm getting stronger. It's Spring Training, you know? It's time to get my endurance up."

Source: Yankees

I heard he was pretty impressive so I'm looking forward to seeing the kid. I'm sure he'll have at least a couple of starts this year. I know someone's gonna go down (Moose, Pettitte, Pavano, etc).




I agree, don't push the kid. If he's as great as everyone says he is, give him a year or 2 in Triple-A. Hopefully by then he'll be ready. To push him too soon or else he may never be as good as he "should" be.




EXACTLY! What a "classy" organization. Just one of the many reasons I f*cking hate Boston!




I haven't been able to see him yet so I'm glad he had a better outting than his previous one. I'm really not expecting too much from this kid but I am looking forward to seeing him pitch.




Yeah, they were pretty quick to point out how Dice-K was mowing down college kids and the Devil Rays. STIFF competition there guys




I also agree. I'm looking forward to having a healthy Pavano because I really want to see what the guy can do with a solid year in front of him. But he needs to shut up and stop making himself look so foolish. Boston will probably tear him apart. DJ, what do you think about Sheffield's comments about wanting to play for Boston?

Sour grapes. Trying to cause dissension among the Yankees ranks. I don't know. If he had any class, he'd be talking about how great the Tigers organization is and what a great team they'll be this year. Instead, he's still jabbering about how he wanted to play for Boston and stick it to the Yankees. Yeah. Sorry. Bobby Abreu is better at this point in your career. Sorry Sheff.

Also, I'm surprised Sheff would want to go back to playing in Fenway's right field after his near fistfight incident with a beer-swilling Red Sox fan a couple of years ago?

Looking back, now I wish the Yanks would have signed Vlad instead of Sheff. Sheff only lasted 3 years. I don't know how long Vlad's is but he did win the AL MVP in his first year with the Angels.

i'm sure to watch the yanks-sox game thats on in about 15 minutes

Vlad wouldn't have made a difference...it wasn't Sheff that kept the Yankees from winning the World Series the last few years. It was horrible pitching and a lack of playoff swagger.

True, but at least we'd still have Vlad at this point. Now we're without Sheff. Sure we have Abreu but how long are we going to have him?

Did anyone see the Yankees/Red Sox game? How did Pavano do? I missed all of it except for the last inning, so I know that they lost. Ah, well.

eh pretty shitty, 3 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 strike outs and a 5.40 ERA

Peter Gammons said Mike Timlin is gonna be Boston's closer this year. As soon as I heard the name I laughed. Hopefully Boston is that stupid!

Pavano sucks. Yet again, I can't see why there isn't a push to move him for someone like Texiera or a catching prospect. It boggles the mind. Give Karstens the #5 spot.

In other news, Josh Phelps had a great night...I think that he's going to win out the 1B job, if Torre has any sense. Phillips is expendable...he's a 30 year old "prospect" with no offense and even though he's a Gold Glove-quality defenseman, the 9th hitter in the order with great defense and zero offense role has already been filled by Mientkeiwicz. Sorry Andy, I really liked you, but bye!

I'm sure that move will strike fear into the hearts of American League hitters everywhere!

Gammons is such a Boston homer anyways. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts acting like this is going to solve all of Boston's problems and they are now instant World Series candidates.

I think they will. They'll let him pitch for the first half of the season and see how he does. If he does better than their expections, they might keep him (he's only under contract for 1 more year). If he's sorry he's gone. But Peter Gammons did say his mindset is that he's not listening to the tabloids and rumors. He just wants to go out there, pitch and prove everybody wrong. To me, that's the right frame of mind. Only time will tell.

Pavano clears head on drive

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- By the time the Yankees' bus pulled up to City of Palms Park on Monday, Carl Pavano was already in the building and in an anxious frame of mind, having driven down from Tampa ahead of the team-provided transportation.

Manager Joe Torre arrived at the complex, found his vehicularly-challenged right-hander and kiddingly let out a heavy exhale of relief. Pavano's August 2006 traffic accident has not been forgotten, but it apparently has become a valid topic to joke about in the Yankees' clubhouse.

"It was a nice ride just to clear my head a little bit and get down here before the bus," Pavano said. "Me and [Torre] had a little bit of a laugh about that, like, 'Whew.' I figured I'd get here and let them know that I'm all right."

Pavano, 31, returned from an eight-day layoff to throw three innings in the Yankees' 7-5 loss to the Red Sox on Monday, his second appearance of the spring.

Concentrating mostly on his fastball and building arm strength, Pavano allowed two runs and four hits, throwing 48 pitches (29 for strikes).

"He looked like he was free and easy," Torre said. "That's the best part about it. I didn't care about results as much as I did about how he pitched. He looked like he was very aggressive and there was a lot of life in his body. He felt good."

Though he allowed a two-run double to Red Sox backup catcher Doug Mirabelli, Pavano said he was able to gain some confidence from shutting down Boston's biggest bats.

David Ortiz grounded out and lined to right in his two at-bats against Pavano, while Manny Ramirez was caught looking at a called third strike in the second inning. Pavano's final pitch of the evening recorded his second strikeout, ringing up J.D. Drew.

"They've got a tough lineup, and it doesn't get any easier when the season starts," Pavano said. "It's always nice facing this team. You know that their one-through-nine is probably as good as it gets.

"As the season goes, they're going to have their hits. You can't keep them in their cages all of the time. They're going to get out and get their runs and their hits. It's just about damage control."

During the trip of more than two hours, Pavano said he was hit by a flood of memories. Originally drafted by the Red Sox in 1994, Pavano broke in with Fort Myers in the Gulf Coast League and recalled pitching off that very same mound as he was trying to establish his career.

Now that Pavano is attempting to prove that he can be a healthy and reliable piece of the Yankees rotation, it's fair to point to what Pavano eventually became after that summer 13 years ago.

Catcher Todd Pratt faced Pavano numerous times in the National League when the right-hander was at his finest for the Florida Marlins, and Pratt believes that Pavano can return to those levels of performance.

"It's sad that New York hasn't seen the best of Carl," Pratt said. "I definitely faced him many times. You talked about A.J. [Burnett] and Josh [Beckett], and he was as dominating as those two guys when he was at his best. I saw some of the stuff today that I saw in the past. There just needs to be more consistency."

Source: Yankees

Sorry, I don't buy it. This is the guy who said he wasn't really "committed" to returning to the Yankees after his injury. Pavano is the worst kind, in my opinion, and should be dealt as soon as a satisfactory offer becomes available. We've got a glut of pitching. Moving Pavano isn't going to make a difference...in fact, it will help by keeping Rasner or Karstens up with the MLB club, and preventing guys like Ohlendorf or Clippard from having to go back down to AA because the AAA roster is full.

Hearing you say Pavano makes me as a Phillies fan happy since we have 6 starting pitchers...you guys want Lieber back?

Don't get too excited BDuff. I still predict the Mets to win the NL East