Let The Games Begin

As the Yankees start their exhibition games, the question is still on the starting rotation. Even though he might wind up in the bullpen, Joba Chamberlain will be the first starter used against the University of South Florida. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy will also start against the Collage team.

Chin Ming Wang, who will likely be the Opening Day starter, will go against the Phillies in Clearwater on Saturday. Andy Pettitte will the nod in the Grapefruit home opener in Tampa on Sunday. Sunday's game will be the first one we can see on TV on YES. So let the games begin and let's take it one day at a time.

Time Off For Vets?

New Yankee Manager camp seems harder than in the past few years.Last year there were a number of Yankees down due to ham string injury's. So "Drill Seargent Joe" has the Yankees doing harder and longer work outs in camp so maybe the problem last year won't happen as much this up coming season.

Joe Girardi has said he will give his veterans off more this year. Shortstop Derek Jeter, who will be 34, has been told by the Manager he might get more time off. Other veterans expect the same. That is why role players such as Shelly Duncan and others might see some more time. Maybe instead of 12 or 13 pitchers the team could take an extra bench player north.

Doing The Right Thing

Andy did the right thing. On Monday afternoon Andy Pettitte met the media for the first time and came off as very good and sincere. He took questions for over an hour and answered all accept the ones that by law he was not allowed to.

I feel this is the best way to go. He could of came into camp and dodged everything or just answered a few but he answered just about all of them. He first apologized to the team then the fans. It kind of reminds me of the drug scandal in the mid 80's when Keith Hernandez said he would answer all questions that day and never again. Today Pettitte did that and hopefully like the Hernandez deal it is over and on with baseball.

New Coach, Old Problems

Dave Eiland was one of the top pitching prospects in the Yankee chain in the late 80's and early 90's. He never panned out as a major league starter, but maybe his clamed to fame could come as the Yankee pitching coach. Dave Eiland has worked his way up the system as a coach, and last year was the Yankees Triple A pitching coach at Scranton.

The front office liked the work he did with the teams top three pitching prospects: Phil Hughes Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy. In a perfect world the rotation would be:

1 Andy Pettitte
2 Chien-Ming Wang
3 Phil Hughes
4 Mike Mussina
5 Ian Kennedy

with Joba Chamberlain in the pen setting up Mariano. If it's anything like last year it wont be that easy. This year the team has 25 pitchers in camp with a lot of jobs to be won or lost. If one of the starters goes down the team does not have too many choices from within. Kei Igawa who was a bust in first year in America plus Jeff Karstens who pitched well in the Pan Am game this winter.

Watch out for Alan Horne a 25 year old righthander who jumped threw the system and dominated in Trenton with 11 wins. As the pitchers and catchers get ready for another day of work outs, Eiland can only hope everyone stays healthy and some of the youngsters really come forward. If not Dave Eiland will have a lot of sleepless nights and maybe the minors did not look that bad. Who do feel would be the Yankees top rotation?

The Real Action

After a day of the Roger Clemens and Brain McNamee saga on Capitol Hill, the Yankees pitchers and catchers report today. Andy Pettitte was given the ok to report to camp late maybe by Monday.

Pettitte, who was excused from the hearings on Wednesday, admitted through his attorney that he took additional HGH as late as 2004. Overall it was a sad day for all of baseball. There is some belief that Pettitte might forego his 2008 salary and retire but that is all speculation. In ohter spring traning news theYankees plan to go easy with Hideki Matsui who is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery. During the off season the Yanks did try to ship Matsui to the Giants but with his physical condition the deal did not get off the ground.

Woodward, Martinez, Cone & Pavano

As camp gets ready to open, add another name to the list of spring training invitations: Chris Woodward, a journeyman infielder who played with the Blue Jays, Mets and last year with the Braves. Unlike the last few years there are a few jobs open in the Yankee camp to win.

This past week with all the negative news with Roger Clemens, some good news about ex Yankees Tino Martinez. He is back with the team as spring training instructor,and will stay with the team during the season working with minor league players.

And now in the broadcast booth its #36 David Cone. David is back for his second stint on the YES Network and could do up to 50 games this year. And under the Gone-But-Not-Forgotten file: Carl Pavano showed up in Yankee camp on Friday. Not sure if he will pitch this year as he enters the final year of his 4 year, $39.95 million dollar contract.

The Numbers Game

Like many Yankee fans I go down memory lane too much. But years ago before the Internet,blogs and newspapers sending 10 reporters to cover spring training there was numbers game. You are saying, "What is he talking about?" I am talking about guessing what Numbers the new players would be wearing. For example, in spring training 1977 the new Yankee in town was Reggie Jackson I knew he could not wear #9 --Nettles had it --so they issued him #20. But by opening day they acquired Bucky Dent from the White Sox and he took #20 and Reggie took #44 and the rest is history. Now, when a new player is acquired, nine times out of ten you will know right away what number he will wear the following season. As we are only days away from spring training 2008 in this Yankee camp there will be only a few low numbers available: #6 #11 #12 #19 #22 and #30. My question to you: should the Yankees issue Joe Torre's #6? I would not... What do you think?

Andy Testifies

Congratulations to the NY football Giants in one of the best Super Bowl wins ever!

On Monday Andy Pettitte was in Washington as he gave his deposition to a panel as part of the on going hearings about performance enhancing drugs used by major league baseball players. His over two hour interview was in preparation for another hearing next week on Feb 13th that will focus on Roger Clemens, who denies using performance as detailed in the Mitchell Report.

So as a Yankee fan is Andy doing the right thing? Is it the only thing he can do. To me its like a person you know who wound up on the wrong side of the tracks because of the crowd they ran with. Andy, who admitted using the growth enchaners for pain only,should come clean. He should tell the truth and stay clear of Clemens. I think Pettitte will win back the respect of Yankee and some other baseball fans. By the way... if Andy leaves the Yankees again for another team in a few years don't take Rogers #21... use your own#46. I have a feeling Roger Clemens Yankee#22 will be given out at spring training this year and not retired...we will find out in about a week.

Yankee Moves

This week New Manager Joe Girardi was handed another name for his first base platoon, Morgan Ensburg. I did not see that coming; the former Astro third base man will be given a shot at the bomber first base job. He joins the party of Jason Giambi, who was told he would see more time at first. Wilson Betemin, the utility man from last year and Shelly Duncan, who last year gave the Yankees the right handed bat off the bench they needed.

Its kind of like the presidential primary last fall when there were a lot of candidates, then it fizzled off. Also if there is another dark horse its Jason Lane, another former Astro who was given a minor league contact. What do you think? Let the competition begin; pitchers and catchers in 13 days.