Skip to content

Not bad news yet but not music in New York Yankee fans ears either

Posted by on 28 March 2012, 3:02 am

The bad news is that New York Yankees slugger Curtis Grandersonis hurting.

Curtis Granderson

Curtis Granderson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported that Yankees GM Brain Cashman confirmed that the reason Granderson was out of the line-up was due to a sore right elbow.

So, why is this necessarily bad news?

No not necessarily yet, but Cashman did go on to say that Granderson was having, “…a precautionary MRI tomorrow to make sure it’s nothing significant.”

No one gets an MRI unless a doctor is looking for the source of the pain, and needs to dig deeper because the x-rays and physical tests could not determine anything.

So, why does this make a “precautionary” MRI on Granderson’s elbow a serious concern?

Well speaking for myself, yes I am concerned for two reasons.

1) The first being that the Yankees use the word “precautionary” before an MRI a lot and in the past has turned into a serious injury or a lengthy DL stint too many times.

A recent example from last season is when Joba Chamberlain required Tommy John surgery. It was reported everywhere that Joba had a precautionary MRI exam.

Also last season; remember when Rafael Soriano did not appear in the 8th inning on May 11th?

The reason was stated as soreness in his throwing elbow, Soriano took the game off and will have a precautionary MRI exam. And he did not pitch again until end of July.

2) My own personal experience from a recent tennis injury. Continue reading ‘Not bad news yet but not music in New York Yankee fans ears either’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
Comments Off

New York Yankees: 3 pitching scenarios maybe 4

Posted by on 25 March 2012, 12:13 am

The New York Yankees have some pitching situations to solve.

I have narrowed it down to three or four possibilities based on what I believe the 2012 Opening Day rotation should be, which in order is Sabathia, Kuroda, Pineda, Nova and Hughes.

My crazy pitching diagram.

First being the plethora of starting pitching.

That leaves Freddy Garcia hanging out to dry, and initially I thought Garcia should go the bullpen but now since he is willing to hear any trade ideas that GM Brian Cashman should send Garcia hiking.

Second up is Andy Pettitte’s return, and what to do when the southpaw decides to grace us with his presence again.

Someone has to go either the bullpen, or more likely Triple-A Scranton as it allows the cast-off to keep his arm fresh by pitching every five days.

This should not be decided until Pettitte and the Yankees set a date. And the odd-man should not be told he is out until the day before Pettitte arrives. Determining ‘who’ should be performance based, so the biggest loser goes.

Thirdly, with the devastating news about Joba Chamberlain’s trampoline injury, which will sideline him indefinitely, the Yankees cannot just keep him on the payroll because they like him. It is not going to be easy but they need to cut Joba. I know it is harsh considering all the crap Joba has been put through but reality is the Yankees owe him $1.6 million for 2012 and reality is players are paid to play. Joba can be resigned next season, which I feel is the Yankees are almost obligated  to do if he can pitch. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 3 pitching scenarios maybe 4’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
14 Comments

New York Yankees: Andy Pettitte you missed us too much

Posted by on 16 March 2012, 2:42 pm

As I was sitting down to watch the Yankees host the Washington Nationals today, the YES networkboys dropped a bomb.

English: Andy Pettitte

Image via Wikipedia

That pitcher Andy Pettitte has un-retired and had signed a minor league, 1-year, 2.5 million deal with a plan to return to the Bronx again.

It was said that Pettitte is allowed to take all the time he needs to get ready and that a rotation spot will be ready for the 39-year old southpaw.

The last time Pettitte was on the mound was back in 2010, making 21 starts and finishing 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA. Pettitte was having a career year but he missed 4-5 weeks with a groin injury and Yankee fans were forced to stomach Sergio Mitre during that time.

Pettitte’s return was a total shock, as I knew he was invited to camp to be a guest instructor but the NY Post writer George E. King declared that, ….the legendary lefty won’t be attempting a comeback if he accepts.

Shows how much King knows, as GM Brian Cashman said this has brewed since late December.

Around Christmas time, Pettitte had heard the GM on the Michael Kay Show talking about how much the Yankees would still want him if he ever wanted to return, and that got his juices flowing.

That sparked a whirlwind of back and forth between the two, which at first didn’t pan out because of the Yankees overflow and money but Pettitte did not stop throwing the entire time. And after more back and forth, followed by throwing a good secret bullpen for Cashman, Girardi and Rothschild a few days ago all led to Pettitte now being officially back in the pinstripes. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Andy Pettitte you missed us too much’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
4 Comments

New York Yankees: Cashman you are losing it again

Posted by on 23 February 2012, 11:05 pm
David Aardsma

Image via Wikipedia

Are the New York Yankees in need of another right-handed reliever?

No, no…. the Yankees need a lefty to aid Boone Logan out of the bullpen, and even more so now that LHR Hideki Okajima failed his physical a few days ago.

Well, not when your GM is named Brian Cashman who is on his quantity vs. quality crusade again hoping to look like a genius; when in actuality it is skipper Joe Girardi & Co. who has to deal with another over-crowded camp in Tampa weeding through a plethora of has-beens.

And he can thank the Yankees GM for once again handing out invites to Spring Training to every injury riddled, washed-up or even old-for-a-veteran player who at one time displayed a little talent.

The latest in Cashman’s stockpile is injury-riddled player, right-handed reliever/closer David Aardsma.

Aardsma…Who?                      

Good question, as why would you know Aardsma; he didn’t pitch at all in 2011 but he did manage 31 saves over a total of 49 innings in 2010 and 38 saves in 2009.

That doesn’t explain why over his six-year career Aardsma got tossed to five different clubs the Giants, Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox and his last stint was as the Mariners closer from 2009-2010. He spent all of 2005 in AA because of total inefficacy.

Aardsma just turned 30-years old, and has suffered from serious hip and elbow injuries. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Cashman you are losing it again’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
22 Comments

New York Yankees hot stove: Who is Jorge Soler?

Posted by on 15 February 2012, 6:05 am

With all of New York City under complete Lin-Sanity, any Yankees news has been put on the back burner.

Who is JORGE SOLER??

As pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training this coming Sunday, technically the off-season hot stove is still in session.

And the latest player rumored to be on the Yankees radar is a 19-year old, Cuban outfielder named Jorge Soler.

Now, if you are like me you might be wondering who is this Jorge Soler?

Soler is the other highly talented Cuban player who got overshadowed this off-season by fellow countryman Yoenis Cespedes.

Cespedes is five years older than Soler, and is considered more Major League ready because of it.

Now that Cespedes has signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the Oakland Athletics; the focus has started shifting to Soler and what he can bring to a team.

Soler make-up is of a five-tool player, but whether he will actually become the next Justin Upton is a whole different story.

The one advantage Soler has is time. At 19, Soler will have ample time to work his way up in the minor leagues, which is a luxury of added experience Cespedes will not be getting. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees hot stove: Who is Jorge Soler?’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
6 Comments

You Got To Feel Blue For AJ Burnett

Posted by on 14 February 2012, 4:49 am
ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: Pitcher A. J. Bur...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

You have to feel bad for New York Yankees pitcher AJ Burnett, as the New York and sports media has him already packing for Pittsburgh to join the Pirates.

I get that “baseball is a business,” as players have uttered this sentiment like a broken record forever to a point where it feels like they have been brainwashed.

The business world is harsh, but not many struggling businessmen get their dirty laundry aired out in the public eye like baseball players do.

And yes, people should get fired for not doing their job everyday but not like in baseball. When a team wants to dump a player, and are willing to eat millions of dollars just to get you out, can’t feel good.

All the blame lands solely on the player for underachieving, which usually entails fan and media backlash.

In Burnett’s case, the media and fans have pegged him as enemy #1.

There is some merit behind Burnett being ridiculed, as he has not been able to do his job consistently for sometime; but he was vital to the 2009 Yankees success. Along with some other shining moments, Burnett just continued to aggravate New York fans, which FYI is not a very hard to do.

There is not doubt that Burnett can pitch, and I mean like an unhittable ace when everything is flowing. Problem was that no one, including himself, knew what AJ would show up on the mound on any given night.

So, in a sense the Yankee fans are just as much at fault because Burnett’s biggest hurdle is in his head. And nobody seem to care enough to maybe try to be supportive to see if that would trigger the confidence, or tame the wild thoughts that continually have possessed Burnett throughout his career.

Well, Yankees Universe has been cheering to get rid of Burnett for three seasons, and I can only imagine how the six weeks have been on the righty.

Knowing that you have no choice in the matter just sucks.

And being forced to leave a winning team like the Yankees, to go play for the Pirates is basically career suicide.

It must be heartbreaking. Continue reading ‘You Got To Feel Blue For AJ Burnett’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
20 Comments

New York Yankees: 3 pre-season reasons to be very afraid of this team

Posted by on 13 February 2012, 5:20 am
English: CC Sabathia (left) and Mark Teixeira

Image via Wikipedia

The 2012 New York Yankees have a team that is built to win the World Series, and offer plenty of everything for opposing teams to be very afraid about.

And here are the three reasons why:

1) MOTIVATION.

From CC Sabathia to Mark Teixeira to Alex Rodriguez, if the Yankees have made one thing very clear this offseason it is how unhappy they were with their 2011 ALDS early exit. I saw first hand back in December how hard Sabathia was training by his evident weight loss.

Tex is throwing out the BSOHL card, Best-Shape-Of-His-Life. He recently tweeted about his 14-pound off-season weight loss, and told the NY Post that he plans to be laying down some bunts this season, which would be a first for the switch hitter. With the way defenses shift over when Tex bats lefty, it could really be a difference maker even if he only bunts 10 times all season. The first basemen also tweeted “One of the greatest thrills of my life…the victory parade down the “Canyon of Heroes”, while watching the New York football Giants parade on February 7th. It is safe to say that Tex wants to stroll down the parade route in NYC once again.

A-rod went as far as Germany; on the advice of NBA star Kobe Bryant to have experimental procedures on his knee and shoulder. A-rod is doing everything possible to make sure he stays healthy this season, and regardless what some critics say, the Yankees are better all around with A-rod active.

And the NY Post confirmed that Spring Training has already started for the Captain, who has been hard at work at Steinbrenner Field for well over two weeks already. This is standard for Derek Jeter, who is always the first to arrive at camp, and is happy to help 19-year old shortstop Cito Culver who is taking full advantage by shadowing the Captain. Jeter is already in the batting cage, as he wants to start 2012 the way he ended 2011.

2) FLAWLESS. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 3 pre-season reasons to be very afraid of this team’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
7 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. ...
  9. 19