The Daily Yankeeland - 1/16

Most players or coach would like to avoid road trips for as long as possible, but Yankees' hitting coach Kevin Long hit the road early this year. Bergen Record writer Pete Caldera tells us about Long's trips to see A-Rod, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada, and Johnny Damon.

The Roger Clemens perjury investigation continued with sleaze bag Kirk Radimonski on the stand. Fellow sleaze bag Brian McNamee thinks the Rocket is headed for prison. Perhaps they should share a cell.

Shelley Duncan cleared waivers and was out righted to Scranton. He'll also receive an invite to the Major League training camp along with Austin Jackson, Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, Mark Melancon, Kei Igawa (CRINGE), Jason Johnson, Angel Berroa, Jason Johnson, Kevin Cash, Kyle Anson, Colin Curtis,Eduardo Nunez, Ramiro Pena, P.J. Pilittere, John Rodriguez, Doug Bernier, Justin Leone, Todd Linden, and Kevin Russo.

Xavier Nady, Melky Cabrera, and Brian Bruney have filed for salary arbitration.

Jorge Posada said he's training for the World Baseball Class, but the Yankees have other thoughts...like NO.

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Yankees Blogs Touched by Sadness

I never knew Todd Drew. Never had the chance to speak with him. But his death has touched me and the Yankees community. He and I shared a blog link. He wrote his own blog, "Yankees for Justice", as well as contributed to "The Bronx Banter".

He lost his battle with cancer early yesterday morning at age 41. Way too young. We all the know the pain of cancer. Way too much. He's being remembered today by Yankees beat writers like Pete Abraham and Tyler Kepner, other Yankees bloggers, and even Curt Schilling.

It's difficult to read his last entry on December 22 without getting choked up. Rest in peace, Todd.

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Anybody Got a 5?

Still no Andy Pettitte, still no sure #5 starter in the Yankees' rotation. We thank you for participating in our most recent poll - What should the Yankees do about Andy Pettitte?

We were a bit surprised by the number of people (31%) who said let him walk. We think there's a direct correlation to his HGH use, as well as leaving once before, and that poll selection.

The highest vote total (40%), of the 86 readers who answered the poll, agreed with our choice- add incentives to the $10 million guarantee.

"Stick to your guns" and keep the offer where it's at came in third (20%), while giving in and giving Pettitte $16 million was last with just 8 voters opting for that choice.

Now we'll sit back and see how this all plays out.

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Michael Young will NOT Replace Robinson Cano

Okay, those of you throwing that crazy idea out there of trading for Michael Young and playing him at second base, can stop now. Young has agreed to play third base for the Rangers and has retracted his request to be traded.

Some Yankees fans, those who need an all-star at every position, were hoping the Yankees would deal for Young, enabling them to either move Cano to center field or trade him for pitching or a star center fielder.

Elvis is in the building - Young's spot at shortstop will be taken by 20-yr old rookie Elvis Andrus, who was acquired in 2007 as part of the Mark Teixeira deal with the Braves. He hit .295 last season at Double-A Frisco, with a .350 on-base percentage, and 54 stolen bases, and is considered a stellar defender. He also got a glimpse of Yankee Stadium in it's final season as a participant in the Futures game.

Young know his transition will be tough, but knows it will be even tougher for the rookie.

"Elvis is a good kid," Young said. "There were a couple of things about this that were tough. One is, the fans shouldn't have to choose between the club and a player. We're all working for the same thing. That's the last thing I wanted to happen.

"It's also tough for Elvis. He's a good kid. I met him last year in Spring Training and really like him. I want to be there for him and do everything I can to help him.

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Captain Clutch

We're not talking about Derek Jeter this time. An amazing round of applause, kudos, high fives, back slaps, kisses, and bro hugs to Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III. The 57-yr old is America's hero today after safely landing US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River yesterday afternoon.

It's mind boggling to think of what Capt. Sullenberger did, avoiding ships, bridges, the Intrepid Museum, etc., to bring the plane down after double engine failure.

We think we can this Captain throwing out the first pitch at a Yankees and/or Mets game before you know it.

Here's to you Captain!!!

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Texas Twosome Twistin' in the Wind

Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were once on top of the world. The demand for their services was high. They could command just about any price they wanted to pitch in the major leagues. That was never more evident than when the Yankees paid Clemens $28 million to pitch part of the 2007 season. But all that changed last winter with allegations and/or admittance of performance enhancing drug use.

Clemens is a pariah at the moment, keeping as low a profile as possible. Last year he showed up at the Astros' Spring Training camp in Kissimmee, but this year owner Drayton McLane basically said, "thanks, but no thanks".

"He kind of came on his own last year and I thought that presented too much confusion, with all the media around these 19- to 25-year-olds," McLane told the Daily News Tuesday. "That's putting a lot of pressure on these young men. As far as pitching to minor leaguers this year, I'd have to sit and talk with him, but I think most likely not."

Pettitte meanwhile sits, waiting to sign a contract somewhere, preferably with the Yankees. Combine a bad economy with an average season, throw in the taint of HGH usage, and there isn't quite the demand for Pettitte that there has been in the past. In fact, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that negotiations between Pettitte and the Yankees is losing steam.

Without Pettitte, the Yankees will leave up to Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Al Aceves, Jason Johnson, and the rest of their minor league arms to battle it out for the fifth spot in the rotation. Of course, the Yankees could still make a trade or sign another free agent to fill the open slot.

Clemens' problems go way deeper than Pettitte's of course. He continues to get tried in the media and by fans for his purported steroid use. Then there is the heated battle with trainer/sleaze ball Brian McNamee. In addition to the anti-defamation suit that the Rocket slammed McNamee with, a grand jury is investigating whether Clemens lied to Congress. McNamee's testimony will be key as will that of investigator Jeff Novitzky.

One wonders if they could turn back the clock, would Clemens and/or Pettitte change the way they handled things in the past as well as the present. We'll never know.

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R-Lev Gets Subpoenaed

Yankees' president Randy Levine was subpoenaed on Tuesday by Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) to testify before a state assembly committee on Wednesday concerning monies spent on the new Yankee Stadium.

Brodsky is upset at the Yankees, and the New York City Industrial Development Authority, for what he sees as a lack of cooperation in providing documentation to back further funding requests by the Yankees.

Levine appeared on Mike Francesa's radio show to clear the air. Here are some excerpts.

Francesa: "Why has this become such a hot issue?"

Levine: "2 reasons- secondary financing, which is common and was contemplated all along... Every cent is being paid for by the Yankees"

Levine then took Brodsky to task for grand standing and distorting the facts. The facts are that the Yankees are spending 1.3 billion of their own money. New York City owns the ballpark and the Yankees are tenants. The Yankees responsible for all maintenance costs of the new Stadium.

Francesa: "The NYC Comptroller said an audit shows direct cost to the city is $325 million due to oversights and mistakes."

Levine: It's not the actual Stadium that he's referring to. As part of the arrangement, the city is building the infrastructure - brand new parks, parking garages, etc...Rising construction costs are effecting it. The Yankees get no revenue from the garages. In fact, despite spending $1.3 billion, the Yankees only get 600 parking spaces."

Francesa: "If you are paying with private financing, why going to the city?"

Levine: "The Stadium is being built with a tax exempt financing mechanism. We have a 43 year lease with the city. Since the Yankees are tenants, there are no property taxes. The Yankees will pay make payments on the bonds issued in lieu of a property tax."

Francesa: "Could this have done without the city's help?"

Levine: "No, because borrowing would have been so much higher it would have been impossible. You don't have to pay federal tax on the bonds as you would with a bank. The Yankees are also putting $225 million of their own money on top of the bond money."

So there you have it. You can listen to the entire interview on WFAN's website. The Stadium will actually cost $1.5 billion and these issues will probably be resolved pretty quickly. As Newsday reported, Mayor Bloomberg took a shot, through a spokesman, at Brodsky as well.

"I guess it makes for good political theater because it's the Yankees, but when it comes to valuable taxpayer dollars, decisions should be made on return, not rhetoric," Bloomberg spokesman Andrew Brent said.

Play Ball!

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We're Still Laughing

You may have seen it by now, but if you haven't, be prepared to laugh. To laugh heartily. The Yankees and Mets unveiled their 2009 uniform commemorative patches. Only one team got it right and one team got it wrong. Any guesses?

First here is the Yankees' patch. Nicely done. Very nice.















And now, drumroll please. Here is the Mets' patch.

WTF definitely comes to mind, but our favorite is Big League Stew's comparison to the Domino's Pizza logo.

Inaugural season of what? You guys forget to put "Shea Stadium" or do you need to save that money to sign Oliver Perez?

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Braves Get Their Man

After losing out on A.J. Burnett and seeing their long time starter/closer John Smoltz head north to Boston, the Atlanta Braves came to an agreement today with free agent starter Derek Lowe. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that terms are 4 years and $60 million.

The Braves offer for Burnett fell short of the money the Yankees came up with and they weren't willing to guarantee enough money for Smoltz's liking. So while they talked to Lowe along with teams such as the Mets (Seriously Omar and the Wilpons, how could you not make a comparable offer? Tim Redding?), they bided their time by bringing in Japanese starter Kenshin Kawakami.

Lowe will be playing for his 4th team in his 13 year career, the last 4 of which were spent with the LA Dodgers. He's coming off a solid 14-11, 3.24 campaign and has tough 200 innings in 5 of the last 7 seasons (he missed out on a 6th by just 2/3 of an inning).

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New Big Unit to Debut Soon

We all heard good things about Andrew Brackman when the Yankees drafted the 6'10" pitcher with their first pick in the 2007 draft. But we quickly learned the NC State product would also need Tommy John surgery, meaning he wouldn't be contributing to the Yankees any time soon. That's all about to change.

Lisa Winston of MLB.com reports that Brackman is almost ready to make his professional debut. When pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, Brackman should be ready to go. He was expected to pitch in the Gulf Coast League late last season, but an emergency appendectomy threw those plans out the window. He did get to throw in the Hawaiian Winter League.

Brackman went 3-4 with a 5.56 ERA, striking out 36 batters in 34 innings and limiting the league's batters to a .235 average. He went five or more innings in four of his starts, including three of the last four.

"His velocity was between 94-97 [mph], so he had no problems and he's ready to go for Major League camp," said Mark Newman, the Yankees' senior vice president of baseball operations. "His stuff is outstanding, and he's getting a feel for his delivery and throwing strikes. But first and foremost, he was healthy and, at times, dominant."

The delivery and mechanics are definitely the biggest challenge for Brackman, and not just because he has had so little mound time. For a pitcher of his size, there are both benefits and challenges.

"The benefits are the power and deception because the ball is released closer to the plate," Newman explained. "But the downside is you have long levers to manage, and it takes time. There aren't many of those guys in the environment to use as test cases, but most people believe that taller guys take a little longer to get their command."

That said, Newman added that Brackman has the advantage of being an exceptional athlete.

"To watch him run, he looks like he's 6-foot-2," Newman said of the young man who offsets that explosive heat with a knuckle curve and a developing changeup.

Here's hoping he can have a comparable career to the real Big Unit...with much less acrimony.

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Rickey, Rice Head to Cooperstown

As expected, Rickey Henderson was a first ballot selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame in voting announced a short time ago. But Jim Rice is the man who really has to be ecstatic today. After unjustly failing to get in for several years, the Red Sox slugger and non-friend to the media received 76.4% of the vote to enter the halls of Cooperstown.

Henderson, the game's all time stolen base king (he'll be the first to remind you) was an easy choice. He's also the top run scorer of all time and second in walks to Barry Bonds, and stroked 3,055 hits. The only thing keeping him out of the hall, was his continual desire to play well into his forties.

Rice put up the numbers, but never got along with reporters, and it took it's toll in his post-career life as he snubbed time and time again for the Hall. As someone we watched in our teens, we knew that Rice deserved to be in the Hall. He was one of the most terrifying sluggers in the game, more so than Big Papi or even Manny Ramirez. We congratulate him on finally getting his due.

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Disappointment

We had no expectations during the Giants run to a Super Bowl championship. This season buoyed by an 11-1 start, we had very high expectations. At the very least, to return to the NFC championship game. But it's all for naught.

We watched Hancock last night and though that was bad. It was an Oscar winner compared to today's game. The Giants played an abysmal game on the offensive side of the ball en route to a 23-11 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Eli Manning, as we've seen before, played poorly in front of a rabid home playoff crowd. He continued to show that he struggles in his home, windy field.

They can deny it all they want, but their teammate Plaxico Burress really cost them this/the season. They lost 3 of their last 4 to finish their season, (We threw the Vikings game out the window since it was meaningless and the starters hardly played.) largely because they didn't have Burress to distract defenses and make big plays.

Don't get us wrong, there were other reasons the Giants lost today besides Manning's play and Burress' absence.

The defense could not stop the Eagles in third down situations and put next to no pressure on Donovan McNabb.

Kevin Gilbride made some very questionable play calls (where was Buddy Ryan when you need him?).

Tom Coughlin made some questionable decisions, including a challenge that he was clearly going to lose, costing the Giants a time out.

John Carney missed field goals from 46 and 47 yards. Had he made even one of them, the Giants would have only needed one score, rather than two, down the stretch.

So it's Eagles-Cardinals in the NFC championship game and the Ravens against the Steelers-Chargers winner today. And we are disappointed.

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I Don't Give a Damn 'bout my Bad Reputation

Pitchers and catchers report to Florida and Arizona just over a month from today, and Manny Ramirez is still unemployed. Perhaps the man-child is finally paying the price for his erratic behavior, and immense immaturity. There was no hiding the fact that he tanked it this past season to get out of Boston. But his roughing up of an older Red Sox employee may have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

In case you had forgotten, back in June the Red Sox were playing a series in Houston. Ramirez requested 16 tickets from traveling secretary Jake McCormick, who informed him that he may not be able to get that many tickets. Ramirez screamed at McCormick to do his job. An argument ensued and Ramirez shoved McCormick, who is in his 60s, to the ground. Ramirez later would apologize, but the damage was done. An already questionable reputation had worsened.

The proof is in pudding - Ramirez has been practically begging for contract offers. Other than the Dodgers' 2 year, $45 million, offers have been few and far between. Ramirez may want a 5 year deal, but he may have to take a 1 year deal to prove himself- not his baseball skills, but his dedication to his team.

You get what you pay for.

We still think Joan Jett's favorite team, the Orioles, would be a good fit for Manny.

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The Newest Japense Imports

Actually it's one old and one new. The Red Sox have signed reliever Takashi Saito to a one year deal with a club option for 2010. That news come from Ken Rosenthal who reports the deal is worth between $1.5 million and $2.5 million, and could pay up to $7 million with incentives.

Saito has been his 3 year major league career as a closer for the Dodgers, but elbow problems limited him to 45 games this past season and the Dodgers decided not to offer him a deal for the upcoming season.

Former Japanese top pitcher Kenshin Kawakami has agreed to terms with the Braves, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 33-yr old will reportedly receive a 3 year deal. Kawakami won the Sawamura Award, given to Japan's top starting pitcher, in 2004.

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Swisher or Nady, Which Will it Be?

It seems a certainty that either Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady will be dealt prior to Spring Training, or at the very worst, prior to the start of the regular season. It seems almost comical in light of the recent free agent signings, but the Yankees want to lower their payroll to a figure comparable, if not lower, to last season's salaries.

That's where Swisher and Nady come in. The Yankees don't want to deal Johnny Damon and realize that Hideki Matsui doesn't have the trade value he once did. So as Ken Davidoff of Newsday writes, it's down to Nady and Swisher.

We like both players and were really impressed with Nady in his post trade deadline stint here. We'd hate to see him go, but he's a free agent after this season and with Scott Boras as his agent, the Yankees aren't likely to bring him back.

Meanwhile, Swisher is signed through 2011 and can play both outfield and first base, though he doesn't particularly stand out in either spot. Swisher's ability to play center field also weighs in, and to a lesser degree, the fact that he's a switch-hitter. The Yankees also like Swisher's "upbeat personality and fiery attitude".

With Andy Pettitte still not signed, Nady could have major value in obtaining another starting pitcher. Now it's up to Brian Cashman to find the best deal possible, which may not be easy since more calls are coming in about Swisher than Nady.

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