Its going to be a long off season.

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BJ Upton is the poster boy for zoning out of games. There's a guy with Hall of Fame talent, but he needs to learn how to commit himself before he can be a great player.

Yankees scouting Japanese righty

In a sign that the Yankees could be involved in some overseas bidding this winter, Gene Michael was sent on a scouting mission to Japan, although it is unclear whether the Yankees have their eye on a particular player. That Michael was sent to Japan for the first time signifies a shift for the Yankees, who have relied on their Pacific scouts for several years. Following the disastrous signing of Kei Igawa, however, the Yankees aren't taking any chances, sending one of their most trusted talent evaluators to look at potential acquisitions. Among the potential free agents is Koji Uehara, a 33-year-old righthander who was Hideki Matsui's teammate with Yomiuri for four years before the Yankees lured Matsui to New York in 2003. Uehara, who is 109-61 with a 2.96 ERA since making his debut in 1999, has made it known he intends to pitch in the majors next season. He spent eight seasons as one of the Giants' top starters before moving into the closer role in 2007, although he is expected to be a starter in the majors. Two other players who could make the move from Japan to the U.S. are righthander Kenshin Kawakami, a righthanded starter, and Hitoki Iwase, a lefthanded reliever, both of whom play for the Chunichi Dragons.

Source: SI

WTF are they thinking?

They're thinking it might be a good idea to send a real scout (Gene "The Stick" Michael) to Japan if they actually hope to find good players...

The Yanks let me down big time this year. Hopefully next year they will do better.

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Like I've been saying, this could be a blessing in disguise. A poor year will force management to go out and make some major moves which will hopefully keep the Yankees contenders for the foreseeable future

It's been AWESOME not having Cock Schilling around all year and he just needs his 15 minutes again (as usual)

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Schilling throws brushback at N.Y.

BOSTON (AP) -- A shoulder injury has kept Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling sidelined all season, but his mouth is in good enough shape to take on New York.

Schilling blasted New York sports fans, calling them "bitter and mad and miserable" for their apparent glee over New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's season-ending knee injury.

Schilling talked about Brady's injury Tuesday during his weekly appearance on WEEI radio.

"The euphoria in New York is palpable," he said. "I mean, the Yankees suck this year. And they're bitter and mad and they're making excuses over that. And now, you know, now they got Tom going down, so, you know, New York's excited."

He later added: "They want us to be as bitter and mad and miserable and they are. And, unfortunately, it's not going to happen. The sad part is going to be when [the Patriots] beat the Jets next week."

Schilling has taken shots at New York in the past, and Tuesday acknowledged he's not a favorite there. But he said that's fine with him, recalling Boston's rally from three games back to beat New York in the 2004 AL championship series. Schilling famously forced a seventh game, pitching as blood seeped through his sock from a suture on his ankle.

"I was front row and center when their quote/unquote dynasty ended, so I'm OK with that," Schilling said.

Source: SI

Schilling isn't even relevant. This is his sad attempt to get airplay.

Hopefully this will help:

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Plan in motion to overhaul Cano's swing

NEW YORK -- Robinson Cano hears the whispers, even if he refuses to look over his shoulder. To do so would only compound the disappointment the Yankees second baseman fights each day.

Playing through the final month of a frustrating season, Cano has been stung by criticism labeling his on-field effort as nonchalant. Yet those adjectives have been meaningless compared to the cold splash of reality Cano feels each time sees a batting average hovering in the .260s, wondering why it belongs to him.

"I don't want to say this is a bad year, but it's at least a year that I'm going to learn from and not be back in this situation again," Cano said. "This is a year that you can just say, 'OK, this is not happening again.'"

The Yankees hope so, and they are preparing steps to move in that direction. Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long plans to travel to the Dominican Republic to work with Cano in November. The work there will be extensive and represents a complete overhaul of the infielder's swing.

The promise is of a completely revamped player in advance of Spring Training. Long outlined pieces of his blueprint for Cano by eliminating excess action, while putting him in a better position to hit, squaring up more with the pitcher. Addressing Cano's strike-zone discipline is also high on the to-do list.

"You're going to see a huge difference visually," Long said. "You'll see less movement, an explosive, compact swing, and you'll probably see more home runs. I think his average will go way up and I think his walks will go way up."

Cano completed the Yankees' 10-game road trip batting .261 with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs in 143 games. His .295 on-base percentage is among baseball's lowest for regular players, and after Cano went hitless on Wednesday at Anaheim, he had not walked in his last 99 plate appearances, a sure sign that his plate discipline has gone backward.

"At a point there, it was moving in the right direction," Long said. "I'll take blame for it, but he's got to take blame for it, too. You can't go up there and continue to expand the zone and swing at pitches that you can't drive."

The Yankees were aware of the storm clouds brewing with Cano, even when New York placed a four-year, $30 million wager that the 25-year-old would continue to improve. Even if Cano wasn't going by the book mechanically, Long said, he was still able to achieve great results in the batter's box, leaving no options to do but watch and wait.

"You can't [overhaul] a guy that's had that much success," Long said. "I think he's still going to be a real good player. He's got to make some changes with the mechanics of his swing, but coming in with all the success that he'd had doing it that way, there's really not much anyone could do other than just let him go with it."

Source: Yankees

Hank Steinbrenner says Yankees made mistakes

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Hank Steinbrenner is disappointed the New York Yankees could be eliminated from postseason play during Yankee Stadium's final homestand.

"We're going to have to look at what has been done wrong over the last five years, which I've had one year to try and figure out," he said Thursday at the Yankees' spring training complex. "Clearly, a lot of mistakes were made."

Hank and his brother Hal took over most of the Yankees' day-to-day operation last fall. Their father, George Steinbrenner, bought the Yankees in 1973.

"I'm going to be reviewing the entire organization," said Hank Steinbrenner, a team co-chairman along with his brother Hal.

New York opens a 10-game homestand Friday night against Tampa Bay. The Yankees, fourth in the AL East, are 8 1/2 games behind AL wild-card leader Boston with 16 games left.

"We're going to do everything we can to win next year. We're not going to wait," Steinbrenner said. "Do everything we can that makes sense. "We're going to fix what we have to fix."

New York is expected to be active in free agency. Pitchers CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets and A.J. Burnett, and first baseman Mark Teixeira are among the players whom the Yankees might be interested in signing.

Steinbrenner has already said that manager Joe Girardi will return next season, but the contract of general manager Brian Cashman ends this year and extension talks won't take place until after the season.

In addition to the GM spot, Steinbrenner is looking at setting up an advisory group, such as the one his father established before the Yankees' run of four World Series titles from 1996-2000.

"If Brian stays on as GM, that doesn't mean he won't be the No. 1 guy," Steinbrenner said. "But the fact is, the more opinions the better. I think that's probably the best way. It worked in the 90's, and it can work again."

Injuries and offensive struggles have been key factors this season, which will likely end with New York missing the playoffs for the first since 1993.

"Our offense was a major disappointment," Steinbrenner said.

The Yankees lost more than 30 combined starts due to injuries to Chien-Ming Wang (foot) and Joba Chamberlain (shoulder).

"Where would we be if we weren't down two-thirds of our top three starting pitchers?" Steinbrenner said.

Source: SI

Steinbrenner says he'll call the shots from now on

If Johan Santana was a free agent this year, you can bet Hank Steinbrenner would not have taken ‘no’ for an answer.

The Yankees only have a bittersweet 16 games remaining in their lost 2008 season, but their course for ’09 is about to begin. And when it does, the co-chairman plans to be at the wheel.

“Suffice to say, there’s not going to be any more, on my part, of trying to keep everybody happy. If I want somebody, I’m going to go after him,” Steinbrenner told The Record by phone this afternoon.

Immediately after the season, Steinbrenner plans to review the entire organization. “Just as my dad would have,” he said, adding that George Steinbrenner has equally been dismayed by the Yankees’ fourth-place standing. “It’s been a very disappointing year for both of us.

“Other people might tend to look at [the Yankees] more like a business, and as long as business-wise [the club is profitable] everybody’s happy. But we don’t see it like that.”

To restore the Yankees into a World Series contender, “We’ve got major work to do, there’s no question,” Hank Steinbrenner said.
Asked if general manager Brian Cashman would continue to spearhead the baseball operation beyond his contract expiration next month, Steinbrenner said, “I think both parties still have to decide.

“I don’t think any of us expected this to happen this year,” Steinbrenner said of a 77-69 club that — barring a baseball miracle — will become the first Yankees team to miss the playoffs since 1993.

“Even besides injuries, certain players didn’t perform. Certain things didn’t get done,” Steinbrenner said. “It was somewhat the result of things that had been done over the last five years, and now I plan on fixing them.

“I’m very disappointed in this team. But at the same time, there’s no question injuries were a huge factor.”

Because of those injuries, the major league roster “might not be as difficult to fix as you’d think,” said Steinbrenner, whose chief concern is at the root level.

“The biggest mission, for myself, is making sure the farm system is stronger than it’s been the last few years,” Steinbrenner said. When it comes to prospects, “I want more.”

Within the AL East, the Yankees have seen the Red Sox replenish, and the Rays rebuild, by developing their own stars. But there’s room for a dynamic starter, and CC Sabathia could expect to receive a full-court, pinstriped press as a free agent.
Steinbrenner would not discuss names, and would not reveal if he intended to bring back his own two major free agent starters — Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte.

The Yankees have four other free agents coming off the books this year — Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Ivan Rodriguez and Carl Pavano — for a net savings of $84.25 million (not including $6.95 million in buyouts).

Potentially, the Yankees would have to replace their No. 3 hitter, fill the first base opening (possibly internally with Jorge Posada), and bolster the rotation. But money won’t be an obstacle for any player Steinbrenner desires — even with the inherent, long-term risks for a veteran pitcher.

“The Mets did it with Santana, and I came damn close to doing it with Santana,” Steinbrenner said of the trade he advocated last winter with Minnesota. “You look at it on a player-to-player basis, and you look at the market.”

The injury histories of Ben Sheets, and A.J. Burnett, two top potential free agent starters, complicate a long-term commitment. Steinbrenner believes he already has two top starters in Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain, and was extremely complimentary of Mussina’s 17-win season at age 39.

“You look at what [Mussina] did, and if everybody else had been healthy ... you get an idea of what we could have had,” Steinbrenner said.

A part of Steinbrenner still wonders whether he should’ve insisted on Santana, too.

“[Would] Santana have made enough of a difference with all our injuries [this year]? I don’t know,” Steinbrenner said. “It certainly would have made us a lot closer.”

Source: North Jersey

Report: Bernie to return for sendoff

NEW YORK -- Bernie Williams is coming home to Yankee Stadium, one last time.

Williams told the New York Post that he plans to be in the Bronx as part of the pre-game festivities on Sept. 21, when the Yankees and Orioles will play the final regular season game in the Stadium's rich history.

A Yankees mainstay for 16 seasons and a key component of New York's four World Series championship clubs in five years from 1996 through 2000, Williams has not been to the ballpark since the end of the 2006 season, when he went unsigned as a free agent.

"It will bring me back to my first time in 1991, when I played my first game," Williams told the Post in Friday's editions. "It will be amazing. The fans are going to be great. I'm obviously very sad to see the Stadium go -- you have a lot of great memories -- but you move on."

The Yankees have not made an official announcement on Williams' appearance. Steve Fortunato, Williams' marketing representative, said, "Right now, there's nothing to report on anything to do with Bernie for Sept. 21."

A .297 career hitter, Williams has not officially retired and had hoped to be signed to a contract for the 2007 season.

The Yankees offered only a Spring Training invitation, which Williams did not accept, believing that his performance in 2006 -- when he batted .281 with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs in 131 games -- should have warranted a guaranteed deal.

In the two years that have passed, Williams, who turns 40 on Saturday, has used his free time to pursue a musical career that sparked during his active playing days.

Williams spoke to the Post at a musical performance that benefited Robinson Cano's Foundation Fundraiser at Frankie & Johnny's Pine Restaurant in the Bronx.

Williams was not present at the Yankee Stadium All-Star Game festivities in July, though he did make an appearance related to the MLB All-Star FanFest at the Javits Center in New York, leaving no question about his affiliation while wearing a striped Yankees polo shirt.

"I check the games once in a while," Williams said in July. "I like to check the guys that I built relationships with. I like to see them do well. I talk to Derek [Jeter] and Jorge [Posada] a lot, and Mariano [Rivera] and Joe [Torre]. I still consider myself a Yankee still. I don't think that will ever go away."

Williams was also conspicuously absent from the final Old-Timers Day at Yankee Stadium; the club explained that Williams had a long-scheduled vacation that prohibited him from attending. He told the Post that he did not want to discuss his baseball future.

"I wouldn't want to talk about that right now," Williams said. "I'm doing my music right now. I'm having a great time with my time off. I'm still training, so you never know."

The Yankees have not released details of the final plans for the Sept. 21 finale at Yankee Stadium. A source said that a memorable sendoff celebration will be held, involving many former Yankees greats and Hall of Famers.

Source: Yankees

Who honestly wouldn't have rather had Bernie available to come off the bench these last two years than fucking Wilson Betemit?

The way the Yankees handled Bernie was pretty bad. We certainly could have used him down this stretch run. It's a shame that we've lost our core and replaced it with overpriced and overhyped non-talent.

I've certainly missed Bernie. He was a great contribution to the team, and we certainly could have used him since they treated him like crap.

I agree with you both.

Here he is again, grasping for a spotlight

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Manny says he doesn't deserve to be NL MVP, as Schilling calls him out

The media called Manny Ramirez's quirks "Manny being Manny." Curt Schilling sees it differently.

In an interview Wednesday on Boston radio station WEEI-AM, the injured Boston Red Sox starter took his former teammate to task, saying Manny's "level of disrespect to teammates and people was unfathomable."

Ramirez was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline after complaining the team had tried to turn the fans against him and that the Red Sox no longer deserved him. Ramirez was in the last year of his contract, with the team holding two one-year options for $20 million each.

There were times when you had players who were on like fire duty, 'Show up tomorrow, I'm not sure if you're playing or not, we've gotta find out what [Manny] wants to do.' That's not fair to anybody.

In eight seasons in Boston, Ramirez's quirks were widely seen as harmless, or dismissed as a small price to pay for having such a gifted hitter in the lineup. But Schilling, speaking with "Big Show" host Glenn Ordway and former Red Sox players Brian Daubach and Lou Merloni, said Manny's antics disrespected his teammates.

"The guy got to dress in a locker away from the team for seven years," Schilling said. "And then [when] he's on this crusade to get out of here, all of a sudden he's in the locker room every day, voicing his displeasure without even having to play the game that night."

Manny's behavior was hardest on Red Sox manager Terry Francona, Schilling said.

"Nothing makes a guy that respects the game and respects human beings like Terry Francona feel worse than looking at a guy and saying, 'Go ahead, [mess] with me, [mess] with your teammates, I'll put you in the lineup,' and then turn around to a guy who's there every day early working his [butt] off who gets 110 at-bats a year and saying, 'You know what? Yeah, I can't put you in there tonight,'" Schilling said.

"There were times when you had players who were on like fire duty, 'Show up tomorrow, I'm not sure if you're playing or not, we've gotta find out what [Manny] wants to do.' That's not fair to anybody."

Ramirez, who hit .299 with a .529 slugging percentage and 68 RBIs in 100 games in Boston, has seen his production skyrocket since joining the Dodgers. In 44 games in L.A., he's hitting .400 (64-for-160) with a .738 slugging percentage and 44 RBIs entering Thursday's games. He's batting .330 for the season overall.

Schilling said his teammates are not angry that Ramirez's power numbers have spiked dramatically since he donned Dodgers blue.

"I wouldn't say [they're ticked], I'd probably say disappointed more than anything," Schilling said. "Because the one thing about Manny is that he was … he was very kind, and well-mannered, but there were spurts and times when you didn't know who he was. You know, he was always kind and nice for the most part, but he'd show up the next day and say, 'I'm through with this team, I want out now.'"

Perhaps it was one of those kinder moments that came through, when Ramirez demurred about talk that he should be voted the NL MVP.

"It's nice that some people think I deserve it," Ramirez said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I'd like to win it. But I have to be realistic. Someone who was only here for two months doesn't deserve it. It should go to someone who played the six months of the season."

Ramirez also said he knows there's a chance he might never be named MVP. "I've played 16 years, I've been a pretty good player and I've never won it," he said in the Times. "It's not a big deal. I'll go on with my life."

Schilling acknowledged that it was awkward for him to speak out on Ramirez, given the fact that he has missed the entire season with an injury. "I'm the last person in the world who should be telling you who's right and who's wrong in this," he said.

"But I was a teammate, a member of this family, and I saw it … And to me, it was always those guys, the guys who played a crucial role on teams that weren't the marquee players, are the ones that were disrespected the most."

Addressing Merloni, who was a role player in Boston, he said, "Lou, you're in Seattle, and if you refused to get on a team plane, you know what they'd do? They'd give you an Air France ticket home."

Source: ESPN

I don't like Manny, but I can't stand Schilling either, what with that whole Country Boy/John Wayne thing he tries to convey.

EXACTLY PB! I can't wait 'till he retires. Hopefully I'll never have to hear from him again, but I highly doubt that

I'd take Manny in a heartbeat.

Schilling is just trying to be relevant, and unfortunately for him his team has moved on and clearly doesn't need him anymore.

Schilling usually opens his mouth and gabs a lot of shit. However, for once I agree with him. Manny may be talented, but he is arrogant and one of the worst team players ever.

If he were on your team, you'd love him. He's one of the best big game pitchers of our era.

Sports Illustrated has a cover story this week on Yankee Stadium. I haven't read it yet.

...have you bothered to look at the NL West? Manny has basically recharged the entire Dodgers team and turned them from a bunch of Torre-led robots who were floundering into a loose clubhouse with a drive to win, and it shows as they're going into the playoffs.

I pray the Dodgers don't retain him and we can pick him up in the offseason, but the Dodgers are experiencing such a revitalized fan base that I suspect they'll try to open the warchest and keep him. I don't blame them.

He was. I'm pretty sure this last batch of injuries have sealed the deal on Schilling.

Nah, he'd probably cry about the team's performance and we'd have to trade him to the Diamondbacks.

I don't like him. I agree that he's talented. I agree that he's a great hitter. However, he's a sloppy, arrogant bastard who would rather make it personal, and decide at the last minute whether he's going to play that day or not. That's not a good team player. And all the public pissing and moaning? Aw, poor Manny!! That mean team in Boston wanted to pay you millions and millions and put up with your whiny crap for years! Let's all have a pity party for YOU.

Shut up and play ball.

I'm pretty sure he has shut up and play ball - take a look at the change from pre- and post-Manny LA. It's pretty obvious. For not being a team player, he's energized his teammates and carried his team to the playoffs.

I tell you what - let's compare this Manny '08 vs. A-Rod '07. Both guys are going to carry their team to the playoffs. But you tell me who you'd rather have on your team: A-Rod, the hard-working, likable guy who despite his flaws off the field is considered to be a character guy, or Manny, the goof-off and lazy player who, despite on-field antics, has uplifted his team and, more importantly, is clutch?

I think I'll take the guy with the dreads, and I'll go win me some championships.

I hate to say it but you're right DJ, I'm with you

Big Stein Will Not Make Stadium Finale

Teh sad. He must be in terrible health.

Here is George from the ASG:



He didn't look terrible at the ASG or Old Timers Day, but it's also terrible that not only will we miss George, we'll be missing the Voice of God, Bob Sheppard, as well, who still hasn't recovered from his year+ long battle with pneumonia.