Sabathia Or Bust

The Yankees are still very much cursed in my mind-- but if there's an off-chance that all this recent losing in heartbreaking fashion is mere coincidence, then its imperative-- ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE-- that the team signs ace pitcher C.C. Sabathia in the offseason, no matter the cost.

Cut him a blank check, and let him dictate his own net worth. Invite him to pitch Opening Day in baseball's Mecca and a state-of-the-art stadium, equipped with a clubhouse and lockerroom larger than a football field. Offer him access to TWELVE luxury boxes for all of his California family and buddies to cohabit-- Hank Steinbrenner himself will gladly serve them pigs-in-a-planket from a silver platter (It'd be the first time he'd be making himself useful). Just do it. Whatever he wants. He'll want a championship caliber team-- and this Murphy's Law-type 2008 season notwithstanding, the Yankees offer just that.

If that's not enough, tell him that on the occasional days where he doesn't have enough juice to go the distance, that it won't be Joe Borowski or Salomon Torres closing out his games and preserving his wins-- it'll be Mariano Rivera. Only the best for C.C. Sabathia.

Everyday, I comb the blogs, newspapers, and websites (I might do an entry solely based on listing what I look at and guide my sports life by-- perhaps it'd influence a few diehards fanatics like me) and read about the preliminary thoughts of what the Yankee ethos will be this winter as they try to regain their playoff-caliber form. I know the postseason has just begun, and free agency won't really begin until November, but nonetheless, I like to see what all the local and national beat guys are saying as the offseason approaches.

Mark Feinsand-- of whom I am a great admirer -- had this to write today in the New York Daily News about Sabathia:

"He has a big frame (6-foot-7 and about 260 lbs) which certainly seems to be able to handle the workload, having never had any major arm injuries while throwing at least 180 innings in each of his eight big-league seasons.

He’ll be 28 years old on Opening Day, entering what should be the prime years of his career. Let’s assume for a minute that he wants the same deal that Santana got (6 years/$137.5 million) from the Mets. Would it be worth it?

Sabathia would be 33 years old in the last year of that deal - hardly a candidate for retirement. In fact, he might wind up getting another long-term deal when that contract is up.

There are plenty of people who feel his size will eventually catch up with him. But why? If the arm is sound, there’s no reason to think he’ll break down. Look at the last hefty lefty to have a successful career: David Wells."

Although I'm fairly certain that Sabathia will get either seven years and an option or a guaranteed eight-year deal based on his heroics this year-- and he was easily the best pitcher in baseball this year and deserves MVP and Cy Young consideration-- I think Feinsand hit the nail right on the head. I absolutely LOVE that David Wells parallel.

Boomer may have walked fewer batters year in and year out, but he never could throw the ball 97 with great movement like Carsten Charles can, a consumate power pitcher. Both guys were/are known for having rubber arms, being underrated as athletes (Wells was one of the better fielding pitchers of his days, believe it or not, and could get to first base on infield grounders with an agility that defied physics and all logic), and above all else... they're team guys who want the ball when the season is on the line. Four straight starts on three days rest to carry the Brewers into the postseason is evidence enough that this is the ace stopper you'd want pitching in a Game 7.

Feinsand continues:

"Wells came to the Yankees in 1997 at the age of 33, having thrown 427 innings over the previous two seasons and at least 187 in three of the five seasons before that. Wells went on to throw 218 and 214 1/3 in his two seasons with the Yankees, then 231 2/3 and 229 2/3 in the two seasons after that with the Blue Jays. Injuries limited him to 100 innings in 2001 with the White Sox, but Wells came back to throw 206 1/3 and 213 in 2002 and ‘03 with the Yankees at the age of 38 and 39.

Why can’t Sabathia be the same workhorse he’s been over the next five or six years? Other than natural pessimism, there’s no reason to think he can’t."

Wells's was more an anomaly of a pitcher's life and its expectancy, so to say Sabathia will be this freak of nature as he ages into his mid-thirties onward may be foolhardy. But that's not what the Yankees would be signing up for-- they're getting the best pitcher in baseball (save, arguably, for Johan Santana, who would have cost them either a package centered around Phil Hughes or Chien-Ming Wang and Ian Kennedy-- Sabathia costs them draft picks, which they'll get some back if Damaso Marte/Bobby Abreu/Ivan Rodriguez/Jason Giambi decline arbitration and sign elsewhere. At least one, and probably two, of those players will.) in his prime, WITHOUT a history of injury trouble, let alone arm trouble.

Since he came into the league at age 20 in 2001, C.C. Sabathia has never pitched less than 180 innings.

If you're the Yankees, you can finally have it both ways: You keep Joba, you keep Hughes, you keep Wang... and you get back to baseball in October with Sabathia at the forefront.

Just don't leave anything on the table.

Great Football Is About Great Players Playing Great Football...

In light of how Oakland Raiders' owner, the mercurial Al Davis, fired head coach Lane Kiffin in a scene that could have come straight out of the film "Conspiracy Theory," (starring the also-mercurial Mel Gibson) let's have some fun with an out-there hypothetical that-- given Davis's whacked-out, fragile mental state-- could actually be feasible:

You know that guy, Frank Caliendo? Of course you do, at least if you're a baseball fan. He's been on TBS once every 14.3 seconds during the playoffs now for the past two years. You'd know him as a football fan, too-- he's John Madden. A dead-ringer, right down to the guffaws, to the nonsensical, generic pigskin yammering, to the ongoing man-crush with Brett Favre: "Here's what I know about FieldTurf: you see, half the field is real, and half the field is fake-- but, but Brett Favre... is all real."

What if Frank Caliendo-- er, John Madden, who a hall-of-fame coach who once upon a time worked for Davis-- showed up in Oaktown and Network Associates Coliseum (or whatever they're calling that stadium now), and marched into Davis's office on a bombastic, booming roll? I think Big Al would have stars in his eyes, reliving the days of Jim Plunkett, Jack Tatum, and Kenny Stabler-- it would be the glory days of the 1970's all over again, with Madden at the helm... only, it would be a guy in a bad wig and fake orange eyebrows spouting out these pearls of wisdom:

"The way we get to the Super Bowl is if we tackle well... we block well... we run the ball well, we pass the ball well, we kick the ball well... and we snap the ball well. If we do all those things well... that's when the Oakland Raiders will do well."

"JaMarcus Russell, here's a guy as a quarterback who when he throws the ball deep, big gains are going to happen. He's got all kinds of talent, and before all is said and done, he'll have more hardware than Ace-Is-The-Place..."

"Y'know, BOOM! Our linemen have to stuff those holes fast-- and, and with authority... like I do when at Thanksgiving, stuff a chicken into the cavity of a duck... and then stuff that into the cavity of a turkey... and make the delicious Madden meal now known the world over as 'Turducken.'"

"We've got the talent to be a talented team, and if we make the playoffs, that'll prove that we're a playoff caliber team in this AFC West... and to play in the AFC West with the Broncos, the Chargers, and, and Kansas City, you've, uh... you've got to be a talented team."

Hey Al, if you can hire and fire Art Shell twice, we're not ruling out a second reign of Madden on the sidelines... even if the guy doesn't REALLY know a post pattern from a post office.

Memories of the Big House in the Bronx -- September 7, 2003

I hadn't been even two weeks into college at UAlbany before I walked around the Campus Center and found a flier on one of the many bulletin boards outside near the fountains, promoting a bus trip to Yankee Stadium to see the Bronx Bombers take on the Boston Red Sox on a Sunday afternoon. At the time, I had only $40 cash on me and was still waiting for my ATM card to come in the mail at my house back in Wappingers Falls, two hours south.

For those who may not know, freshman undergraduates are not allowed to have their cars at UAlbany, really for no reason other (or so I was told by my R.A.) than to handcuff freshmen into living on campus and buying their meal plans. I planned to be on premium lockdown with my slim funds for almost a month, so I debated for about a minute in front of the flier as to whether or not I should roughly fifty percent (it was a $15 bleacher ticket, transportation included, which in hindshigt was an incredible deal) a of my available money on a baseball game, but ultimately decided to pass it up to save the dough for an emergency.

I walked back to my dorm room (I lived in a 22-story high-rise tower located smack-dab in the middle of the quad) on the sixth floor-- but as soon as I push the button for ther elevator, I see on the adjacent bulletin board on the wall the same flier, taunting me with a wide-angle shot of Yankee Stadium from the upper deck, behind home plate. My resolve held, though, and the elevator arrived.

A few hours later, I hear a knock on my door. Thinking it may be my 6'2, 300-pound Goth roommate, Jason, with the mohawk, fishnet shirt and nipple piercings (no reason to mention that other than that I think it remains incredibly an amusing and disturbing vision five years later) forgetting his keys again, I get up and answer the door. Outside are Matt and Chris, my suitemates, who want to know if I would like to go to dinner with them. I say that I would, and as we make our way to the elevator, the flier is still sitting smack dab in the middle of the bulletin board. Matt points to it and says: "We're gonna have some fun next Sunday, doncha think? Yanks-Sox? Chris and I got our tickets at the Campus Center today. I think Lisa and Melissa, and Tom and Dewey, are going too." As we get in the elevator, I listen to Matt and Chris continue to talk about the game, and I break. Feeling the two wrinkled twenties in my pocket the next day, I go to the office of the bus terminal on campus and grab one of the final five tickets available.

The day of the game arrives, and I realize that this is going to be a long day with no cash and only a warm bottle of water to bring with me for the enitre day. I don't remember exactly, but I think I grabbed a quick breakfast from the cafeteria (the food was quite noxious, and remains so to this day, so I'm sure it was something light) and boarded an 8:45 AM bus at Collins Circle bound for the "Boogie Down."

This was the day when I first realized that Red Sox Nation was a viable entity. Though it may be a product of my youth, I don't remember the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry being a huge deal until 2003 and the pennant chase between the two clubs. In fact, during the Yankees' dynasty years, the team that I remember being the main competition in the AL East was Baltimore, who played the Yanks in the 1996 ALCS and won the division in 1997, and still had Albert Belle, Mike Mussina, and Cal Ripken Jr. for the majority of that time. When the Yankees beat Boston in the 1999 ALCS, there wasn't nearly the buzz you'd expect if you've been exposed to Yankees vs. Red Sox only for the last five years or so. The only two players I remember playing for the Red Sox at the time were Pedro Martinez, their best player and the game's best pitcher at the time, and John Valentin, who hit a couple of home runs in the ALDS series against the heavily favored Cleveland Indians to help the Sox come back to win in five games. Now that I think about it, the Indians were REALLY the main rival of the Yankees, as they were the only other team in the American League whose recent resume could match that of the Bombers (two World Series appearances in 1995 and 1997, and division titles every year from 1995 through 2001). In 2003, however, the Red Sox became a scary team-- they would routinely bludgeon the Yankees with an offense that always seemed to put up crooked numbers in the early innings, and the rest of the game(s), the Yanks would be trying to catch up against a bad bullpen. Many times that year, they did-- probably more often than should have been expected.

Yet as we college students made our way under the train tracks on the south side of the Stadium, a sea of red formed around us-- (Carl) Yastremski #8 shirts, Martinez #45, (Manny) Ramirez #24, and even one that said "Millar Time" with a beer bottle as the "1" next to the "5," making "15," Kevin Millar's number. I didn't know until that day who Kevin Millar even was-- before 2003, he was a journeyman player who primarily played first base for the woeful Florida Marlins in the National League. After this day, he would remain centered in my mind as the loudmouth, scrappy player who had a flair for playing above his head against the Yankees. Moreover, it was the first time I had ever had an encounter with Red Sox fans-- its weird, I just never remembered growing up with them around in Southern New York. There weren't any in my high school that I can remember... perhaps it was a sheltered existence, but I always suspected this Red Sox Nation thing was a bandwagon phenomenon. Anyhow, it was a bit of a surreal moment-- like how Adam and Eve must have felt after eating the forbidden fruit and suddenly realizing they were buck naked, I instantly became aware that this was a foreign, but very real experience. There existed a significant throng of fans cheering a visiting team at Yankee Stadium than there were fans rooting on the home club. With Boston winning the first two games of the series on Friday and Saturday, they were as close to the Yankees in the standings (1 and 1/2 games back) as they had been all season-- and, thankfully, as they would be for the rest of 2003.

We get to the center field bleachers and in another immediate revelation, I instantly regret not bringing sunscreen. If this didn't turn out to be such a great and memorable game, it may have been remembered as being quite the miserable experience-- almost four hours of no food, no drink, and a sun poisoning that actually cooked my face to the point where my nose bubbled and grease flowed from the expanded pores. Now that the disgusting part of this entry is out of the way...

David Wells, one of my favorite Yankees of all-time, took on Jeff Suppan, who came to Boston at the same trade deadline as Aaron Boone did to the Yankees-- when the Sox got Suppan, he was 10-7 with a 3.57 ERA, and was considered to be a #3 or #4 starter, a reinforcement to a rotation headed by Martinez, with Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield, and John Burkett. At the time, I remember he had beeen pitching pretty well for Boston, too, and held the Yankees in check for six innings, matching Boomer Wells frame for scoreless frame. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Jorge Posada walks and the Yankees finally get a baserunner aboard for Bernie Williams.

Bernie was the type of player that you didn't know how valuable, nor how talented, he was until a late and clutch situation. He's only been retired for two years, but it seems like twenty. 2002, the year before, was his last great year, and 2003 had been a struggle with injuries and the first rumblings for a replacement in center field due to Bernie's notoriously weak throwing arm and declining range. He took Suppan deep on this day, almost in the same spot as Darryl Strawberry did in the right-centerfield bleachers seven years before, the last time I was at Yankee Stadium. As 50,000-plus fans finally had reason to stop sitting on their hands, I noticed a fair amount of the students in our group remained seated-- again, a seminal moment, as I finally began to understand that the Albany area reprsented a more equal split of Yankee and Red Sox fans due to the geography of the area and the aforementioned rise in "Red Sox Nation."

The two runs would hold up as the Yanks would tack on one in the 8th inning, and Mariano Rivera closed it out in the ninth (but not before pesky Kevin Millar singled to lead off the inning and brought the tying run to the plate three times). The Yanks would go on to win the division, and the ALCS a month later thanks to that lovely, great, wonderful, and handsome Aaron Boone and his walk-off Game 7 homer in the 11th inning, and for one last season, all was right in the universe with Yankees #1, Red Sox#2. How I miss those days...

What I forgot about THIS game was the fact that Derek Jeter (1-for-3 with a walk) for the Yanks, and Bill Mueller (2-for-4) for the Sox, were in the midst of their battle for a batting title. At the end of the day, they were tied at .322. Mueller, like Millar, was another guy that before 2003 I had never heard of, who seemingly found the "S" on his chest once he signed with Boston. He would never be as good after his batting crown season in '03 (he finished at .326 to Jeter's .324), but he remained the type of clutch role player that was a constant thorn in the side of the Yanks until he left to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006.

Memories of the Big House in the Bronx -- July 28, 1996

July 28, 1996 -- New York Yankees 3, Kansas City Royals 2

It wasn't my first Yankee game at the Stadium, nor even the first time I saw them win a game there-- but it was extremely special all the same. Back then, the walk-off home run was something that, at 11-years-old, I had only seen once: Joe Carter in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, off of Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams. Coincidentally, it was the first time I became self-aware that the mullet was a very silly coif... but I digress.

Where was I? Walk-off homers, right. Now, I find that they happen with much higher frequency (a disproportionate amount for the Red Sox, to boot), but this game was special because I was in the lower deck of the left field grandstands (right next to the visitor's bullpen) and I saw my first real-life walk-off ding-dong job. The bottom of the ninth saw the Yankees down 2-1, and Tino Martinez (who was my favorite player-- I bought a shirt with his name and famous #24 on the back that day near Gate 2) base on balls off Royals closer Jason Jacome. Gerald Williams came in to run for Tino (as the '96 Yankees were apt to do, as in their first year under manager Joe Torre they were built more like a national league team-- hitting and running, sacrificing the baserunners to second and third, and stealing bases-- very much unlike the homer-happy Yanks of present-day), and up to the plate strolled Darryl Strawberry.

My pop is a Met fan, so I grew up watching their games in the late 80's and early 90's-- I actually didn't know that Yankees existed until my gandfather took me to Yankee Stadium for my first game there in 1992. So, the familiarity with "The Straw" was strong for me-- we used to sit on the couch, my father and I, chanting "Darryl... Darryl" in that monotone that became infamous in ballparks around the nation as either an encouragement or a catcall, depending on the location and which team Darryl played for (Mets, Dodgers, Giants, & Yankees over the course of 17 seasons) at the time. To this day, I'll maintain that his natural loping, fluid stroke from the left side is the greatest swing I've ever seen, and perhaps will ever see.

In 1996, Strawberry was a part-time player for Torre's Yankees. After being in and out of trouble with the law with drugs and illicit behavior for years prior, in addition to nagging injuries (Straw hadn't played more than 43 games in a season in five years--1991-- before his 63 in '96.), Torre lobbied to bring in Strawberry back to New York, to the city in which his star shined brightest. Strawberry rewarded Torre's faith by becoming his primary left-handed pinch-hit threat (along with Cecil Fielder from the right side, and former All-Star Ruben Sierra, the Yankees perhaps had one of the best power-hitting benches in major league history), and someone who could spell the aforementioned Williams in left, or Paul O'Neill in right field a day or two a week.

In a lefty-lefty matchup, Jacome decided to pitch to The Straw, and fell behind 3-1 with Williams dancing off first, threatening to swipe second. He came back with a strike that Darryl flailed at, bring the count full at 3-2. After two throws to first to check on the runner, Jacome elevated a pitch, and in turn, Strawberry elevated it out to right center. The moment you heard the bat crack and began to trail the flight arc of the ball, as with so many Strawberry homers, the only question remaining was how far back into the bleachers the ball would travel. The ball soared past future Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon (babyfaced at 22-years-old, in his second year with the Royals), then the 385-foot sign in right-center and landed about ten rows deep as the crowd erupted. The homer was Strawberry's 300th of his career-- the caption on the back page in the New York Post the next day read: "Straw-some."

What I forgot about that day was that Dwight "Doc" Gooden pitched for the Yanks and would have taken the hard-luck loss (8.0 IP & 2 ER, the only blemish being a 2-run homer off the bat of Jose Offerman in the third inning) had not Strawberry bailed him out with his heroics. The "Dead End Kids," as Sports Illustrated once labeled them at the nadir of their simultaneous drug and legal problems, found their way (at least for a little while) in the mid-90's as Yankees, and this game represents one of their last few great days as ballplayers.

For those interested in the box score, the link is: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199607280.shtml

Karaoke Suggestions

Hey yo-- I guess most of you who already read this already know because you're at the bar with me, but for those who may not... I sing karaoke at the Washington Tavern in Albany on Wednesday nights. You same folks who didn't know that, and have the means to get there-- COME! Atmosphere, camaraderie, a few oat sodas and a microphone lends itself to legendary hump days. I like to think that most of us sing well, or at least with flair and a sense of unbridled fun.

Putting on Ray-Ban sunglasses and doing figure-eights with my head in the spirit of a lame (and arguably offensive) Stevie Wonder impression aside, my own tendency is to focus on singing. I lean towards the classic Elvis songs, mixed in with some Hootie & The Blowfish. I have been known to rock out some Counting Crows, while slightly murdering The Black Crowes. Tom Jones has not been spared in my attempts to camp up the catalogues of dozens of artists-- Elton John, Bob Seger, and Don McLean also are regulars in my repetoire.

I say repetoire loosely, for my goal is to sing a different set of songs each and every week. Ideally, I'd like to never repeat a song unless its asked for by a couple of my friends (although I'm leaning towards putting the kibosh on "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban for a while-- create a bit of a market demand for it, and pull it out as my ace-in-the-hole if it'll put a great karaoke night over the top... that's the plan).

I'll use this space to put down a few songs that I'm planning on singing/performing this week and open it up to suggestions, if anyone feels like doing so. Try to knock my proverbial socks off. I eagerly await such a scenario.

This week (As they say in the boxing world, "card subject to change"):

"Closer" by Nine Inch Nails

"O.P.P." by Naughty By Nature

"Hot For Teacher" by Van Halen

"Handlebars" by Flobots

"Maggie May" by Rod Stewart

Winning At Fantasy Baseball

I'm at a point in my life where I'm almost 24 years old-- I still can't get steady work in my career as a professional journalist, I have only $1,200 dollars to my name, my relationship with my girlfriend is like Yankee Stadium in '75-- a lot of great history, once pristine, needing an overhaul, almost repaired but not quite ready to be considered championship caliber-- and I think I just put on five pounds. I'm struggling with a lot of things.

But damn, am I getting good at this fantasy baseball thing.

For the second year in a row, I'm about to win my Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball League-- The 2008 Winchell Memorial League, to be precise. Its named after my good buddy Andrew Winchell, who as a fantasy manager was the antithesis of me-- apathetic, quits at the first sign of trouble, and steadfast against trading any of his players (and I thought, as a rule, hardcore Republicans-- like Andrew-- were bulldogs when they put their mind to something?). Last year, to make a political analogy, he pulled a Ross Perot after our league draft-- an event on a day which, for me, now ranks up there with Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday, and Wrestlemania-- dropping out of contention when it looked like he had a shot to win the league with his roster (including ace pitcher John Lackey, who ended up scoring me some major points when we had our supplemental draft from Winchell's roster). According to my bud, Billy, Winchell had a history of this tomfoolery, so we eighty-sixed him this year and just named the league after him as a tongue-in-cheek postmortem.

The league is filled with characters who personify how NOT to run your fantasy team:

* Garrett "Polish Power," who meets his demise each year by falling in love with his draft and refusing to make any move until two months into the season. Our first year, he led the league from Opening Day until August, and in an instance of art reflecting life, collapsed like his favorite real-life team, the Mets. Speaking of which...

* Billy "NYMets08Champs," aforementioned, getting fall-down drunk and depressed, releasing half his team to free agency after being spurned by a desired female. Thanks for David Wright and Brandon Webb, by the way.

* One girl, "Freakin' Boys/YEAHHHHHHHHH," who finishes in the top half of the league every year despite not ever watching baseball, and thus not knowing the difference between a hit, a run, and a double (and yes, she literally asked me to distiniguish each, and so I did... a year and a half after I joined the ranks). She'll draft guys with funny names (Coco Crisp) or because they're cute (Scott Kazmir), and yes... I think there needs to be one of her in every league. Even if she holds onto Vladimir Guerrero with a vice grip and gnarled teeth.

* Some dude named "Roberto Pancakes" who sends four or five absolutely absurd trade offers a day, driving the rest of the league crazyand flooding our e-mail boxes-- though three or four of those trades eventually goes through when another player in the league decides to be a maverick. He also is your main competition in picking up flashy rookies and injured superstars off the waiver wires and free agent lists.

* Kyle "Ecto Cooler," who is... a sweet, sweet kid. A poor soul. Singing embarassing soul music to me on the phone every Sunday at 8:00 PM, as per our bet on who would be ahead of the other at the All-Star Break this year. Three months and 140 points later (i.e., A LOT, for those who don't play), Kyle spends his weekends channeling his inner-Teddy Pendergrass.

So what's the secret to conquering your fantasy league? I'll try another list-- all players both inside and out of parenthesis were on my roster the past two seasons, and are those to whom I owe my success:

* Luck. Plain and simple. A substansial amount of good fortune makes up a championship campaign. Many of your decisions will be based on feel-- like a Jason Giambi having a comeback year, or Johan Santana having a Cy Young year after being traded to a pitcher's park in a weaker National League. Some things just can't be realistically expected-- one of my pitchers (Brandon Webb) fired four straight complete game shutouts last year, and another had a no-hitter (Justin Verlander), catapulting me to the top of the standings. Also, at the beginning of the year, your draft order will often be random-- if you get the first pick, its great-- however, the draft order goes like a snake: for example, 1,2,3,4, and then 4,3,2,1. When it wraps around, those at the end have to wait what seems like an eternity before their next pick. The first round, really, is luck, and the most predictable-- after that, the savvy players rule the draft. All the same, getting the top pick, and thus an A-Rod or Albert Pujols, can make up for two or three lesser players taking up two or three more positions in your lineup. Most of all, free agent pickups during the season are a roll of the dice-- but the more you roll, the more you'll be successful and pick up the unexpected, inexpensive, and indispensible parts you need-- Hello, Milton Bradley!

* Trades. You should draft a team, and then either trade/drop at least 75% of them before September-- you're simply not going to get everyone you want in a draft, particularly in a large league with twelve teams like ours. Our league is unlimited trades and no deadline-- the latter which we might implement next year to simultaneously spice things up and prevent one-sided "dump" trades-- thus, unlimited roster tinkering is allowed and essential. I knew who I wanted for my team (Webb, Pujols, & Hanley Ramirez), and I didn't rest until I had all of them. Be persistent. Know your opponents and their personal affections for players (MLB team allegiances is an obvious one and a great starting point) and make something work.

* As a hybrid of the first two categories, knowing when to "buy low" and "sell high" on players in trades will be mostly based, again, on feel. The tangible evidence, however, is always in the statisitics-- let them be your bible. Guys with track records of having 100 RBIs or 30 homers, but are off to slow starts, will more often than not pick it up before the end of the year and will meet their career norms. On the flip side, anyone who owned Chipper Jones was right to be skeptical on him staying healthy even when he was hitting .400 through the month of June. Trading him at any time after the first month of the season was a smart move. Guys playing above their heads-- and as much as I loved the monumental production of Nate McLouth the first half of the season, the guy never had more than 400 at-bats in the major-league year-- can net you big gains. There was no evidence that he would keep up that pace, especially now that performance enhancing drugs have been by and large phased out of baseball. There'll be no mirage Brady Anderson seasons, anymore. Call it a gut feeling based on some research.

* Save your waiver claim and use it only two or three times a season, on a player that's can't miss. If there's moderate risk or less than notciable reward, save it. Especially in large leagues, where you go to the back of the line if you win a claim and have to play the waiting game sometimes for months to be in a good claim position. Trust me, over the course of 162 games, someone in the league will drop a useful guy (Ben Sheets or Rafael Furcal) because of injury, or a can't-miss prospect (Chris Davis or Taylor Teagarden) will become available.

* Judge and employ pitchers by WHIP rather than wins or even ERA, and high strikeout rates are often your friend.

* Don't waste a top 10 draft pick on a closer or other reliever-- they don't pitch enough innings to warrant any significant bump in scoring categories other than the obvious "saves" column-- and over the course of the year, undrafted set-up men graduate to closers due to injury or ineffectiveness, and saves are a readily available commodity.

* Punt the position player strikeout category. If you're self-conscious about strikeouts, you'll eliminate from your mind a large portion of superstar players that contribute greatly towards four or five offensive categories while being a detriment to just one-- and a lot of the guys who strike out a lot also walk and homer a lot, too. See: Grady Sizemore. Speaking of which...

* Draft Adam Dunn. Just do it-- he'll be available after five or six rounds. You'll thank me later. J.P. Ricciardi probably never wins his fantasy league.

* Don't draft rookie pitchers, and don't sign them until they have either a high win total or a 1.20 WHIP or lower after 50 innings pitched. Even then, don't sign them if they don't strikeout at least two hitters to every one hitter that they walk, minimum (2:1 K/BB ratio).

*Stockpile ace pitchers if you can-- you can piece together offensive categories with undervalued, underrated parts if you're smart. Proven commodity pitchers will eliminate headaches. Easier said than done, and being open-minded and flexible on trades is probably the only way to get it done.

* Value middle infielders above all other position players. Quality, productive first basemen and outfielders are a dime-a-dozen. Getting a Brandon Phillips is a boost to your lineup and hurts everyone else when they're left with scraps like David Eckstein and Marco Scutaro at second base.

* Have at least four guys in you lineup that are eligible to play two or more different positions, and two than can play three. A Chone Figgins type (who can play 2B, 3B, and the outfield) makes your lineup flexible and essentially allows you load up in other areas.

There's a quick dozen, and I probably could think of a dozen more-- but those really stick out in my mind. Just pay attention, and know your scoring categories. In our league, holds are not considered something that can give you points, so middle relievers have little or no value unless they net saves. Of course, that increases the value of closers and starting pitchers. Little nuances like that are what makes the game great-- on some level, running a successful team parallels managing a successful business. You've got to have a game plan and guts, taking a few calculated, high-stakes risks. I'm still not 100% on all the details of playing the game, but with what I do know, fantasy success has become a reality.

808's & Heartbreak -- 3 Months Away

Yo-- first post in a long time. Here goes nothing.

Saw the MTV VMAs for the first time in about four years, and I was actually a fan of that Russell Brand character that they put up there (who few people knew, even though he had been a VJ on MTV around the time of the 9/11 attacks-- he was fired for showing up to work dressed like Osama Bin Laden on September 12, 2001). The Britney Spears stuff with the femalre Christ was a bit repetitive, as was the catty rap that Brand/Jordin Sparks/Jonas Brothers had during the night over purity rings, but overall, there were some pretty neat performances. Did we need Katy Perry singing a karaoke version of "Like A Version?" Probably not-- but Christina Aguilera looked pretty good not so far removed from having a baby.

Kanye West killed-- that was a great way to end the show, with the drummers and the blinking heart on his suit lapel. The song he sang, "Love Lockdown" actually won't be officially released for another month for the charts-- but you can find it on YouTube right now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugK5GWX7CMI

The blinking heart was the logo for his new album, "808's & Heartbreak." The countdown is on-- 100 days until Christmas, and three months until the brand new Kanye.

George Carlin, 1937-2008

The first time I ever saw George Carlin was when I was eight years old-- my Dad had just taped his "Jammin' In New York" HBO special at the (then) Paramount Theatre. It really was an accident, as I pressed "play" on the VCR, thinking it was my oft-watched copy of "The Sword In The Stone."

Instead, there was this guy on the screen swearing up a blue streak, asking the audience if they've ever tried to piss, sneeze, and pass gas at the same time (the answer, of course, is never-- the brain can't process that kind of high functioning, and you'd probably explode). Then, as all little kids will do, I reiterated the joke in front of family the next time everyone came over to the house. Suffice to say, people were amused at this little kid working the room with toilet humor.

However, in the fifteen years since my first exposure to the counter-culture comic, I've learned that what the world has just lost was a master of sociopolitical satire-- not just the scatalogical humor. His insights, however humorous and tongue-in-cheek they were, made people question their beliefs in their country, their media, and their faith in God-- he may have actually been the closest thing to a modern-day prophet we'll ever see. He was, and his material remains to be, profound and often imitated but never duplicated in its impact on an audience-- you never forgot a George Carlin set. I as lucky and blessed enough to see him live twice.

During his time here on Earth, he described himself as "simply here for the show"-- he loved watching the backwards ways of American society and picking apart the language we use with little regard for the things we say:

" 'Get on the plane?' 'Get ON the plane!?!?'
F*** you, I'm getting IN the plane!!!
Let Evel Knievel get ON the plane, for crying out loud!"

He was a master observer, and a truly gifted actor, comedian, and man. We'll miss you, George-- its been on hell of a ride!!!

New York Yankees Season Preview: Starting Rotation

I'll try to get the next two, and final, previews done before the Yankees take the field before the last-ever Opening Day at "The House That Ruth Built." Next season, they'll be moving across the street to "The House That Lonn Trost Built." Just doesn't have the same ring to it... but for $1.3 billion, I'd imagine it'd be pretty swell.

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Starting Rotation:

Chien-Ming Wang (RHP) -- I remember sometime during the 2005 season, Wang's rookie campaign, reading Peter Gammons's blog and hearing his reports of Wang throwing a 97 mile-per-hour sinking fastball. At the time, I thought it may have been a typo-- if we had that kind of special arm, I thought, then why the hell is Kevin Brown and his balky back still in the rotation with his, comparatively, 89 MPH "stinker?" Well, a $15 million difference in salary probably led to former skipper Joe Torre giving the ancient Brown the benefit of the doubt (though I'm certain in order to do so, he would have had to have the 2004 ALCS permanently wiped from his memory through a hypnotist, or perhaps a really good therapist), but Wang didn't let his manager waver for long. By the time the playoffs came around, Wang was starting Game 2 in the ALDS against Anaheim and pitching 6 and 2/3 innings of quality ball, allowing only one run. At that point, Wang had arrived-- but Yankee fans probably never expected the type of stats that the Taiwanese would put up over the next two seasons.

38 wins in 2006 and 2007 (back-to-back years of 19 victories) ranks as the highest amount for any pitcher over the last two seasons-- and though such gaudy win totals can partially be attributed to the incredible run support the New York lineup can provide year in and year out, Wang has stymied many a lineup over the last two years with basically one pitch: the power sinker.

When he's at his best, Wang is the Yankees' best threat to throw a complete game because of his ability to get groundball outs, and when men are on base, double play balls. As mentioned, Wang's sinker is his plus offering, topping out at around 95-96 MPH, which is far faster than a regular sinkerballer's velocity, with left-to-right movement and (when he's effective) bearing down towards a right-hand batter's kneecaps. Though hitters know that Wang almost pitches exclusively off the sinker-- in an average game, Wang throws it between 60-75% of the time-- they struggle mightily to elevate the ball when making contact, hence the high groundout rate. An opposing player once described Wang's sinker as "trying to hit a bowling ball," so unlike most pitchers, Wang has the luxury of being able to pitch to contact and still be effective-- an with his low strikeout numbers (227 Ks in 533.2 career innings), it'll have to remain the same for Wang to be a winner in the majors. Last year, he only gave up only 9 homers all year, which will always translate to a good ERA (3.70 in 199.1 IP).

The rest of his arsenal is effective, but not the stuff of an ace pitcher. Wang throws a four-seam fastball that can get up to 97 MPH itself, which is plus-velocity-- but because its not that much of a speed difference from the sinker, hitters have less trouble timing it and hitting it hard because it has little movement and often stays up in the strike zone. He'll occasionally mix in sliders or changeups, but they're basically "show-me" pitches that are meant solely to keep hitters honest and to set up the sinker. Of the two, he'll throw the slider more regularly if he gets into a two-strike count, trying to get swinging strikeouts-- but many times, hitters will jump on pitches early and the count and never work themselves into that situation.

Wang has good control, and hasn't walked more than 59 batters in a season. He has an exaggerated wind-up, like most Asian imports, when delivering the ball to home plate, lifting the ball in his glove high over his head before stepping towards home plate, which actually helps to keep his mechanics in check. When he pitches from the stretch with runners on base, he has trouble maintaining velocity and sink (for his career, batters hit .296 with men on base against Wang, as opposed to .249 when the bases are empty) and gets tagged for big innings from time to time.

Reports out of Spring Training say that Wang is really trying to develop the changeup further to increase his strikeout rate-- if he'll deviate significantly in pitching patterns remains to be seen. He had a poor camp and was hit hard often, but with that too, it remains to be seen if poor Spring numbers will carry over into the regular season. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. Combine that with a disastrous postseason performance against Cleveland last October when the Yankees needed him to be their anchor (5.2 IP, 19.06 ERA, 14 H, 4 BB, and 2 K), its conceivable that Wang could have his worst year in pinstripes thus far if he hasn't rebounded mentally. More likely than not, though, at 28 and in his prime, Wang should remain a 15-game winner with a sub-4.00 ERA. Whether he likes it or not, there's a lot riding on #40.

Andy Pettitte (LHP) -- Pettitte told the truth right after the release of the Mitchell Report about his use of HGH in 2002, and also on Capitol Hill amidst the denials of former teammate and good friend Roger Clemens. He's not honorable for cheating the game, and he's not exemplary for telling the truth, as such behavior should be expected-- but he's honest all the same and admitted his mistakes, and a modicum of respect as a person he has now from me. As a pitcher, meanwhile, Pettitte has always been a huge fan favorite and is, of course, one of those precious remaining remnants of the Yankee 1996-2000 dynasty that won four World Series championships. Last season marked a "welcoming home" of sorts for Pettitte after three up-and-down seasons for his hometown Houston Astros, and he pitched as if he never left, compiling a 15-9 record and stabilizing a Yankee rotation early in the 2007 season that was injected full of youth and inexperience from the minor leagues to patch holes while veterans Wang (injury) and Mike Mussina (ineffectiveness) struggled to find their way back to form. He picked up his 200th career win last September, a great milestone, and gave the Bombers their only quality start of their playoff series against Cleveland, showing guts and guile while shutting out the Indians for six innings.

Pettitte is 35, and with youth again being prevalent in the Yankees' 2008 rotation (with Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and down the road, perhaps, Joba Chamberlain), its imperative for Pettitte to stay healthy and just as effective. If there's any team that absolutely needs a pitcher to make 35 starts and log in over 200 innings in 2008, its the Yankees with Pettitte if there is to be any shot at winning the American League East.

The cut-fastball is Andy's best weapon, and he can use it effectively to strike out both righties and lefties. While it doesn't have the mid-90's velocity or movement of Mariano Rivera's legendary cutter, its a fine offering more along the lines of what former Yankee-turned-YES Network broadcaster Al Leiter used to specialize in. Ranging from 90-93 MPH, he catches the corners regularly and stays ahead of hitters in counts to set them up for a really good 11-to-5 curveball that has impressive break for strikeouts. Moving back to the American League and some regression with age cost Pettitte about 35 strikeouts (178 K in 2006 with Houston; 141 K in 2007 with New York with nearly identical IP: 214.1 & 215.1), but expecting 150 isn't unreasonable if he has a full year and would still classify him as a swing-and-miss pitcher. Pettitte used to walk a few too many batters in his younger years for the Yankees, cut his yearly totals by about a third in his prime (approximately 75 to 50 per season), and now has almost come full circle the past two years, racking up 70 and 69 walk, respectively. Still, the numbers are not bad and Pettitte is regarded as a pitcher who has decent control.

Pettitte cuts an imposing figure to both the batter and the baserunner while on the mound. He pulls the brim of his baseball cap down around his eyebrows and holds his glove right below his face, giving a stone-faced stare to the hitter. Many hitters find this unnerving, along with Pettitte's ability to hide the ball very well in his long delivery to home plate-- the 6'5, 235-pounder gets great drive towards home plate by planting his tree-trunk like right leg into the dirt, and his pitches look as if they're snapped to home plate rather than thrown. If opposing hitters DO in fact get aboard with singles or walks, Pettitte has what's regarded as one of the best pick-off moves in baseball because of his being left-handed and the fact that his delivery doesn't change much from the wind-up to the stretch-- it allows him to hold the ball for as long as possible before quickly firing his pitches to the catcher. In his career, he has picked off 77 baserunners, and runners have been caught trying to steal 69 times. The combined figure, 146 outs made on the basepaths, is actually greater than the amount of steals Pettitte has given up in 13 seasons in the majors (140). Thus, he too is a candidate to keep baserunners honest and get a little extra help from double plays to get out of jams.

Pettitte should be counted on to eat innings and be consistent in doing so-- if he does his job and keeps the Yankees in games most times out, and mixing in a dominant seven or eight-inning effort every four or five starts when his team needs a victory, he'll be fine. Well, he'll be Andy Pettitte, basically, Mr. Consistency.

Phil Hughes (RHP) -- No Yankee prospect within the last 10 or 15 years has come with the hype of Phil Hughes-- except the bandwagon jumping onto Joba Chamberlain, who came like a whirlwind only last August-- and he showed glimpses of why expectations should be so high for the guy who was universally-regarded as the top pitching prospect going into the 2007 season. A high schooler drafted in the first round of the 2004 entry draft out of Mission Viejo in southern California, Hughes took two-plus years to develop in the system before getting his shot due to injuries in the Yankee rotation in late-April of 2007. In his debut against Toronto he got hit relatively hard, but struck out more than a batter per inning. The next time out, it was a bittersweet, eye-popping outing: No-hitting the Texas Rangers in the 7th inning, Hughes was pulled from the game after injuring his hamstring and would not be seen again until the stretch run. Once back, he continued to have yo-yo type outings with lots of strikeouts (58 in 72.1 IP) and lots of walks as well (29). He's only 21 years old, and had the Yankees' lone win in the playoffs last year against the Indians in Game 3, picking up the pieces after the old and disgraced Roger Clemens couldn't get past the third inning.

One thing you'll notice from watching games on television is that Hughes's pitches probably have more visual movement than any other Yankee starter. Problems with his mechanics and injury at the big league level sapped the power from Hughes and his two types of fastballs (a four-seamer that was clocked around 93-95 MPH while in the minors at AA Trenton in 2006, and a two-seamer with good movement at 90 MPH), but he maintained his curveball, which is a lights-out pitch with "Barry-Zito-in-his-prime" type 12-6 action when Hughes is pitching well, a true "nose-to-toes" offering that is clocked in the mid-to-low 70's. That type of disruption in a hitter's timing will lead to many strikeouts, and if Hughes is healthy and has his power pitches back up to snuff, the disparity could lead to 15o Ks this season (Hughes, because of age and lack of service time, will be on a strict innings count set by pitching coach Dave Eiland and Girardi that will probably max out at 160 or 170 IP at the most). His fourth pitch is a change-up which, like Wang, is not fully-perfected but is being focused on in work with Eiland in being developed into more than a below-average offering. He hadn't had a problem with walks in his minor league career (66 BB in 275.0 IP), so expect the K/BB ratio to be better than the 2-to-1 statistic he put up last season.

So much rides on Hughes taking a step forward this year and fulfilling some of that massive potential, and with his even-keel demeanor and the genuine fun he gets out of playing the game (which he details in his own blog at www.philhughes.wordpress.com, now a popular detour for online Yankee fans), he's got the mental makeup to be absolutely fine, even in the madhouse that is New York. Staying healthy, like most Yankees, will be the only thing that could stop Hughes from winning 15 games this year.

Mike Mussina (RHP) -- "The Moose" had an outlier-type season that defied his decline in 2006 (15 wins, 172 Ks, 1.11 WHIP good for third in the AL) that did two major things-- it put a halt to an otherwise obvious regression in skill and it persuaded the Yankees that Mussina would be worth a two-year contract worth around $23 million. 2007 was back to what should be the expected form for a 39-year-old finesse pitcher, an 11-10 campaign that saw Mussina have his first career ERA over 5.00 (5.15, to be exact). While Mussina walked just as many batters as 2006 (35), he pitched 45 less innings and gave up 188 hits, getting knocked around routinely as the Yankees were making their chase for the playoffs (including a ghastly three-start stretch against the Angels, Tigers, and Mariners-- all contenders last year-- where he pitched only 8.1 innings, with 15 earned runs and only 2 strikeouts) and losing his spot in the rotation to rookie Ian Kennedy. He'll be in a starter for probably his final season in New York and perhaps his career, and that's primarily because Joba Chamberlain has an innings limit this year and will be in the bullpen for the first half of 2007.

Mussina's strength is his cerebral pitching, and has really made the most out of an 88 MPH fastball and only one plus pitch, his knuckle-curveball. He's a high-IQ guy (a graduate from Stanford, no less) who knows how to work hitters with very good control and changing speeds and even arm slots. The knuckle-curve has tighter spin and greater movement than a standard curveball, but is harder to throw-- but Mussina's the best at using it, and usually has excellent command of his off-speed stuff. When working, his knuckle-curve can have a three-foot break, starting at the batter's eye level and ending up right in the strike zone. His other complimentary pitches-- the split-finger fastball, the slider, and the changeup-- are only average and might grade below-average as Mussina's velocity diminishes, creating less of a discrepancy between the hard and soft stuff.

For years, Mussina used to be a lock for 200 innings-pitched, but over the past four has battled minor injuries to his shoulder, arm, and back, limiting his length and effectiveness. On the other hand, Mussina averaged 5.2 IP per start in 2007, so even with 3o or so starts at that rate, it'd be hard to get back to 200. The only hope for Mussina to really remain effective, and he did look sharp in Spring Training, is to slow down all his breaking stuff to keep hitters uncomfortable, and to remember to pitch inside on hitters to expand his strike zone. Too often, Mussina will allow the hitter to stay in and make contact-- at this stage of the game, with all his peripherals heading south, such is a bad idea. Expect a lot of 5-inning starts and a record around .500, maybe a touch better if the Yankees can provide him a lot of run support.

Ian Kennedy (RHP) -- If Kennedy is the Yankees' fifth starter, then they perhaps have the best one in baseball (with respect to El Duque of the Mets, Cliff Lee of the Indians, and Clay Buchholz of Boston). Kennedy burst on the scene last year in September and was overshadowed because of the ballyhoo around Joba Chamberlain, but had three very respectable starts, including one outstanding outing versus Toronto at the Rogers Centre (7.0 IP, 7 K, and only one hit) before being shutdown due to a strain in his right shoulder blade. His whole season in 2007 was exemplary, dominating at three different levels (For Class A Tampa, 6-1, 1.29 ERA, 72 K; for AA Trenton, 5-1, 2.59 ERA, 57 K; and for AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 1-1, 2.08 ERA, 34 K) and was named MILB's "Pitcher of the Year" With many tagging Joba for having a good shot for Rookie of the Year in the AL, don't necessarily count out Kennedy should he reach double-digit wins and utilizes his above-average command and control to his advantage for a similar season in 2008-- he'll be working with an 180 IP limit this season, which would surprise me if he reached as a fifth starter, anyway. Kennedy had a great spring, and its hard not to be optimistic that the 23-year-old will be a mainstay in this Yankee rotation for years to come barring injury.

Kennedy will always be compared to Hughes and Chamberlain because of their closeness in age and having all come up in the same year, which is unfortunate. He doesn't have Hughes's incredible curveball, nor does he have Joba's blazing 100 MPH fastball and knockout slider. In fact, in terms of stuff, his best pitches-- his fastball, which he can get up to 92-93 MPH and his changeup-- are only slightly above-average. What makes him special, however is that he is developing a reputation as a winning player (an All-American college pitcher at USC, he finished up with a 24-12 record, with 380 K in 311.1 IP) who knows how to make the most out of his physical ability. Above all, and as previously mentioned, his control has been unerring all through college and the minors, though it remains to be seen if that will be a real, identifiable asset at the major-league level, where the hitters are more patient and turn mistakes that would be doubles in the minors into long homers. He has been compared to a young Mike Mussina, and even throws a developing knuckle-curve as an out-pitch to match his changeup in racking up strikeouts. He's further developed than Hughes and Chamberlain, and could be the best in 2008 of the three if his counterparts suffer growing pains with newfound expectation. If he's the pitcher he was last season, he wins 13-14 games and is a key reason the Yankees make the playoffs. Its a lot to expect from a pitcher who has only 19.0 IP in his big league career, but has the tools and the track record to make it happen.

New York Yankees Season Preview: Infielders

Time for the third, and lengthiest, installment yet concerning the Yankees in 2008: The infield. We'll go from left, and reigning American League MVP Alex Rodriguez, to the big question mark known as first base.

Oh, and one quick aside-- looks like the New York Times has caught onto Brett Gardner fever. Again, the only thing missing from his game (though its a BIG thing) is power.

Here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/sports/baseball/24yankees.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

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Infielders:

Alex Rodriguez (3B) -- 10 years, $275 million, $30 million in potential bonuses. I think its incredibly funny that last Sunday's Miguel Cabrera signing for 8 years and $153 million was hyped to the max, while the richest contract ever signed in baseball history barely got the back pages in New York. But, I guess if one polarizing figure can transcend a $300 million price tag, its "Alexander the Great."

There's little that I can add for background, because if you're reading this, chances are you know all the details: Big fanfare coming to the Yankees in 2004. Two MVP's in four years, while the Red Sox have two titles in four years. Atrocious clutch hitting in the playoffs (only one extra-base hit in over 60 AB since Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS). The "Ha!" game in Toronto, in the midst of a whirlwind extramarital affair. Love/hate relationship with Derek Jeter. Opting out of his contract during the World Series clincher last season, then apologies and coming back hat in hand to the Steinbrenners to stay in pinstripes. The possible sacking of uber-agent Scott Boras. Big-time man crush on Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long.

The Yankees are not Derek Jeter's team anymore (Mike Lupica in fact said the very same in his New York Daily News column yesterday: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2008/03/23/2008-03-23_yankees_in_arod_we_trust.html)
Good, bad, but never indifferent, the Yankee Universe revolves around (un)lucky number 13-- and the Yankees just offered at least 275 million reasons as to why.

As a defender, A-Rod got back to his normal self after a very poor 2006 (24 errors, tying a career high) at the hot corner-- losing bulk in the 2006-07 off-season and thereby increasing his athleticism and stamina, he made only 13 last season. He still has one of the best infield arms in baseball-- with a quick release, balls look like laser beams flying from his hand to first base on ground outs. However, its still a bit disconcerting that Rodriguez has kept the odd sidearm motion that he, without rhyme or reason, adapted to two years ago when throwing the ball. Many of his throws are simply all arm and no drive from the lower body. By not coming over the top like he used to, A-Rod has occasional balance issues that don't allow him to set his feet properly and square up in the direction he throws, leading to balls curving right and away from first basemen, and sometimes dangerously close to runners trying to reach. It seems that a collision and injury, if A-Rod doesn't change his style, is that more likely to happen for a Jason Giambi or Shelley Duncan when trying to stretch for errant throws.

Back to the relatively positive, A-Rod moves incredibly well to his right and steals a lot of line drive doubles inside the foul lines away from hitters. His range is still a solid tick above average for a third baseman, but his Gold Glove days are probably over because of the moderate amount of errors each year and because too many singles pass by him in the third base/shortstop gap when lunging towards his left. He probably couldn't play anything above a serviceable shortstop anymore, either-- though Derek Jeter, if healthy, will occupy that spot for the next three or four years, and possibly beyond. Simply put, he's an everyday, more-than-adequate presence (averaging 155 games at 3B) in the field for the Yankees.

I'm always torn about a line-up being constructed around A-Rod, which I know will seem foolish, and borderline blasphemous, to most Yankee fans. However, my eyes do not lie with what I've seen now watching the guy everyday for four seasons, so here's the real article about A-Rod: its downhill from here. I was there watching when he hit walk-off homers against Chris Ray and Joe Borowski in April. I saw the 9th inning Papel-bomb he launched into the Red Sox bullpen at Fenway in June off the Boston closer, with the Yankees struggling just to get back to .500, let alone the playoff hunt. I saw the three homers hit hit during that tide-turning Labor Day series against Seattle at Yankee Stadium, including the gargantuan blast off of Horatio Ramirez into the middle of the left-field upper deck, a place where I've only seen one other hitter reach, and barely (Gary Sheffield off of Alan Embree in 2005). After all that in 2007-- 54 homers, 156 RBIs, 143 runs scored-- he's still not the guy I want up with the game on the line.

The big thing A-Rod did to have such an amazing season was, as I mentioned earlier, shedding weight to make his bat quicker through the zone. A right-handed hitter in a ballpark and team with a lineage of catering to lefty mashers, the reason he bulked up prior was to have the type of power to hit homers out to cavernous left-center, and thus, all fields in Yankee Stadium. The side effect was that A-Rod just simply couldn't get around on a plus-velocity fastball anymore, and Detroit's Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, and Joel Zumaya continually blew it by his "slider-speed bat" in the 2006 ALDS. Leaner meant meaner in 2007, as A-Rod had far better success against the opposing teams' scouting report of pitching him inside with hard stuff-- instead of losing power, A-Rod truly enhanced it by crafting his body into a lither build, exploding on anything out and over the plate into the right-centerfield bleachers, and getting around on inside fastballs and launching doubles and homers to left. In fact, its that ability to take the ball the other way, with amazing hand and wrist strength, for homers over the 385-foot wall in right-center that makes A-Rod a one-of-a-kind hitter. Its where he hits 'em when he's at his best, and I've never seen a player, on this any other team, who does that consistently other than A-Rod. None.

And besides Manny Ramirez, there's nobody in baseball that can hammer off-speed stuff, particularly sliders, like A-Rod. If I were an opposing manager, I'd tell my pitchers to never throw a strike to A-Rod unless its bound to blow past him due to velocity. To beat him consistently with anything other than a plus-fastball, a pitcher will need to have mid-90's power sinker (think Fausto Carmona or even Yankee teammate Chien-Ming Wang) that's too heavy to lift, or a devastating splitter (think Curt Schilling, though you might not ever consider him anymore with injuries and age rendering him all but retired). Thus, you'll find that A-Rod will have the other-worldly regular season stats, hitting a never-ending slew of mediocre starters on bad teams who max out at 88-92 MPH and feasting on the soft underbelly that is middle relief in the American League, and will struggle mightily against the aces and set-up men/closers of playoff teams as the weather turns colder and velocity of heaters closes in on triple digits.

That said, for all the reshaping and retooling with Kevin Long, A-Rod still strikes out too much. As many times as he'll break open a first inning with Johnny Damon, Jeter, and Bobby Abreu on base, he'll foul things up just as much with not putting the ball in play. Trust me, you can do far, far worse than A-Rod there in the clean-up spot-- but if the Yankees had Albert Pujols in that spot, I'd have no doubt they'd finally reach that elusive 1,000 runs scored as a team milestone. Though, I'm sure, everyone would take Albert Pujols in their lineup. A-Rod still runs very well and very smart, and steals bases at a very high success rate (24 out of 28 in 2007).

Statistics vs. clutch play will remain the divide between Yankee fans-- will ten more years of 40 homer, 100 RBI seasons, 20 steals, All-Star starts, and an eventual passing of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Barry Bonds, be enough without eventual playoff success? He's in his prime now-- if its going to be done with him as the legitimate focal point as the Yankees' best player, its got to be done within the next two or three years. Maybe I'm wrong-- I just don't see A-Rod being any better than he was last season, and the Yankees still didn't get past the first round of the playoffs. He says all the right things to the press-- he wants a title more than any other accolade, and wants to do it in New York, wearing a Yankee uniform, finishing out his career. Still, he's a mentally soft player that, if you look at the bottom line between winning and losing championships, hasn't been worth the distraction, nor the price of admission. All you can hope for as a fan is redemption sometime down the road. Hope, not trust.

Derek Jeter (SS) -- Its hard to come down on the captain of a successful baseball team and a guy who has won 4 World Series titles-- yet Jeter enters this year in limbo. In name, he's the leader of the team-- but is he really the focal point of the Yankees anymore? Or even their THIRD-best player? A season removed from finishing second in the AL MVP award race, Jeter had a slight regression in most offensive categories in 2007, and for the first time in his career, his ability to play shortstop has been called into question by now-infamous sabermetrician Bill James, whose Baseball Handbook tracks the ranges of infielders through statistical analysis. Above all, his postseason was incredibly poor (.176, 4 K, and 3 GIDP in 17 at-at bats), and though a four game sample is hardly indicative of the talent of a ballplayer, remember this is Derek Jeter-- Mr. Clutch, Mr. Playoffs. That reputation will never go away fully, yet you wonder how much of the invincible aura of Jeter diminishes as the Yankees move further and further from 2000 and their last championship.

As I mentioned, Bill James categorizes Jeter's 2007 season as the worst of all regular major league shortstops, with his range being limited to his left (glove) side to the point that any hard hit ball up the middle will get past Jeter if he isn't within a body length of it, and his 18 errors were his most since his career high of 24 in 2000. Other baseball people still say that Jeter plays the position quite well-- he has a strong arm and makes that classic jumping throw while his momentum is carrying him the other way into the outfield (and if you've ever seen a commercial for the MLB playoffs, or have watched the playoffs, or hell, if you've ever watched the Yankees for more than a few games at a time, you can envision that exact play in your mind) with seemingly pinpoint control. Jeter's athleticism also allows him to turn a pretty double play, and his flair for the heads-up, hustle play (think the relay throw in the 2001 ALDS vs. Oakland and the dive into the stands in 2004 vs. Boston) are intangibles that cannot be charted and broken down. Is he a bit overrated because of the flashy play and his exposure by playing in New York? Certainly. Did he deserve the three Gold Gloves he won from 2004-2006 when he didn't even have a .980 fielding percentage in any of those years? Probably not. But he's done enough over the course of his career to justify playing him everyday at shortstop in 2008, and he's still in his prime.

... And, like most of the Yankee All-Stars, Jeter makes his pay by being a premier offensive player. Year in and year out, you expect 200 hits and a batting average well above .300, coupled with 110 runs and an on-base percentage close to .400, which makes him a force out of the two-hole. Jeter is unique because his approach at the plate is to almost "dive" into a pitch with his body, leading to outstanding plate coverage with his swing. Pitchers will try to counteract Jeter's method by burying fastballs up and in around his hands, but with his level, inside-out swing, Jeter explodes on the ball by getting great rotation and torque from his upper body while planting firm his back leg, becoming a master at hitting singles the opposite way to right-center field. In fact, if Jeter sacrificed all power and decided to become an Ichiro-style slap hitter, he could probably challenge DiMaggio's 56-game hit streak, because he could have two singles every game if he wanted. His consistency is unmatched amongst his Yankee teammates, who often have gone into prolonged slumps in efforts to meet expectation-- every month in 2007, Jeter hit over .300, a remarkable feat. His power in and of itself is slightly below-average with his approach because Jeter will never compromise his average and ability to hit into the opposite-field gap for doubles, so he rarely ever pulls the ball. If all lines up, he could hit 20 home runs again, but I wouldn't expect more than 15 in any season from this point onwards in his career. He's a very smart, above-average baserunner who used to be elite, but nowadays will occasionally get thrown out going from first to third and gets into a few too many rundowns. His speed is still good, and he's a year removed from his career-high of 34 steals in 2006-- though team philosophy has dictated whether or not Jeter makes the most of his running game. With Girardi's small-ball, he could have 30 again.

The Bombers could win it all in 2008, and with a typical Jeter postseason of heroics, he'll be Teflon forever-- and yes, I do think it would take one more title for that to happen. But if the rotten karma that's haunted the Yankees since the outset of this decade persists, I don't think Jeter could keep playing the role of the calm, omniscient figure and have his teammates regard him as a leader with a pulse. He plays with fire and passion, and is a leader by example to be sure-- but there's an aloofness that comes off in his interviews and dealings with the media that makes you think he's frustrated and incapable of relating to his teammates, who are thirsty to have rings like he does. I could be wrong, and he could be a fiery, approachable guy that his teammates adore behind the scenes... but I'm of the mindset of "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" when it comes to Jeter.

Robinson Cano (2B) -- Ladies and gentlemen, meet the reason you should be excited about Yankee baseball going forward. Not A-Rod, not Jeter, and not even Hughes, Chamberlain, and Kennedy (though you should be excited about all those guys in the years to come)-- its Robbie Cano, doncha know (to steal from John Sterling once more)...

Fresh from signing over his remaining controlled years (and possible fortune made through salary arbitration) for a nice little payday ($30 million over the next four seasons), Cano is the Yankees best player age 25 or younger, and there are a handful of potentially elite players to choose from-- not bad for a guy that was being shopped all over the place for pitching help in 2004 and rejected by several scouts from other clubs, particularly Arizona when initially exploring the eventually-consummated Randy Johnson trade (instead of Cano as the centerpiece of the deal, the Diamondbacks got pitcher Javier Vazquez). A career .314 hitter in three seasons in New York with developing power, Cano is being predicted by many to be the best offensive second baseman in the majors over the course of the next five years and the Yankees' eventual successor to Bobby Abreu, occupying the all-important third spot in the high-octane Yankee lineup. He's tearing up Spring Training to the tune of a .467 average, mixing in doubles and a couple of long, majestic homers and making hitting look easy-- its hard not to be incredibly optimistic about Cano being the silent catalyst of what could be a legendary Yankee offense in 2008.

What will surprise most people who aren't familiar with Cano is that he could be a Gold Glove-quality second baseman. He was brought up in the system slowly and initially was a big-time liability as an infielder, making a ton of mental errors. Even in 2005 and his rookie campaign, he would occasionally make the errant, easy throw and cost the Yankees a big inning or two-- now heading into 2008, he's put together a real solid game, thanks in large part to an incredible work ethic and the mentoring of now-departed third base coach Larry Bowa, who worked extensively with Cano as his pet project in 2006 and 2007. First, he's got a well-above average arm for a second baseman-- one that could translate well at shortstop or even third base-- but with two Hall-of-Famers occupying the left side of the Yankee infield in A-Rod and Jeter, Cano is more or less planted at 2B. His range is above-average, covering a lot of ground to both sides, and he makes the diving play to his left as well as anyone in baseball today. Perhaps the best quality Cano has as a fielder, though, is a fearless nature in turning the double play-- he doesn't shy from barreling baserunners coming in hard to second base and completes his throws knowing that there's a good chance he'll be upended or spiked, and possibly injured. That also includes making tags on stolen base attempts, as he's always in good position and makes quick, fluid tags. All the little intangibles that make a second baseman great Cano exhibits, and has become a wonderful defensive presence. He's incredibly fun to watch.

As a hitter, there's merit to the claims from baseball experts that Robinson Cano could win a batting title or two. With an open stance, he rocks in a rhythmic pattern in the batter's box before zeroing on the ball, giving him a good view of pitches coming out of the hands of righties and lefties alike. His sweet, fluid stroke relies on good timing, which leads to streakiness as a hitter, which in turn makes such a high average year in and year out incredibly impressive. After hitting .342 in 2006, Cano started slow in the first half of 2007 (.274, with a mere 6 home runs) before getting back to that elite echelon of contact hitters in the second half (.343 and 13 homers). With Cano still a few years away from his prime, its truly scary to envision what he might become if he keeps progressing. Cano has average speed and runs the bases just fine, but probably will never steal more than 10 bases in a season because of his role in the lineup and overall lack of basestealing skill.

If there's a weakness to Cano's hitting, its the fact that his pitch selection at the plate still needs significant improvement-- though its encouraging to see that he more than doubled his walk total in 2007 (39, to the 18 he had in 2006) from the year before. If he walks 55-60 times this year, it'll make him that much more dangerous, because it'll also mean that he'd be cutting down on strikeouts as well (his 85 K in 617 AB, however, is a respectable number). As aforementioned, expect his power to take a jump this year, as now he's really coming into his own-- and as I've said with many players so far, a lefty hitter who drops the bat head on the ball with authority will reap the benefits of the short porch in right field. I think he could rival A-Rod as the offensive force of the Yankees this year-- .330 (good for a run at the batting title), 25-30 HR, his first 100 RBI season, and 45 2B. If he does that, The Yankees will probably let Abreu go and try to get a Mark Teixeira to come in and be the 5-hitter in 2009, leading to a Cano/A-Rod/Teixeira heart of the order, behind Johnny Damon and Jeter. Unreal, if it ever happens-- and it certainly could, as Teixeira was a Yankee, particularly a Don Mattingly, fan growing up.

Jason Giambi (1B) -- The "Giambino" reported to Spring Training this year perhaps in the best shape he's been (well, at least while not aided by performance-enhancing drugs) while as a Yankee, and its probably little surprise he's done so for a few obvious reasons:
1) Its a contract year for the 37-year-old slugger, and he's auditioning for perhaps one last payday.

2) He's taking preventative measures by getting in peak shape to avoid the injury bug which has plagued him off and on during his Yankee days.

and:

3) With younger, hungry guys like Shelley Duncan and Wilson Betemit vying for playing time under a new manager who preaches fitness and physical preparation, Giambi basically had no choice without the backing of Joe Torre, which he had for the past six seasons-- it was either shape up or ship out.

Giambi hasn't lived up to the seven-year, $120 million the Yankees paid him to become the cog that would extend the 1996-2001 Yankee dynasty. Taking away the best player on their then-closest rival, the Oakland A's, the theory was that the Yankees had let Tino Martinez go at the tail end of his usefulness and had gotten a year-in, year-out MVP candidate. Martinez was eventually back, insurance for Giambi's mysterious "tapeworm" that partly sabotaged an ill-fated 2004 season and cut into the first two months of 2005. He's had ups (AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2005, playing in the World Series after hitting two homers off Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS), downs (steroids, "tapeworms," and most recently, a broken foot which forced him to miss half of last season), and yet he's still respected and revered by teammates and remains one of baseball's more affable, friendly players. He's an anomaly in baseball-- an honest, forthright, and accountable guy who did a dishonest thing and lost major creditability. A World Series title has eluded his time in New York, which seemed unfathomable considering the promise he brought to the Bronx in what seems like a lifetime ago.

Defensively, Giambi's improved shape has allowed him slight improvements on his limited range. I always believed that the criticism about Giambi being an absolute statue at first base was a bit harsh and overstated. He actually has a two strengths, the most noticable being that he is quite adept at scooping balls that are thrown almost at his feet on errant throws-- if its close, Giambi's a vacuum, catching anything thrown his way, and has good baseball sense when playing the position, knowing when he needs to make a swipe tag if throws are REALLY offline. The second positive to his game is that he genuinely hustles and will surprise you at times with making athletic plays (this Spring in a game against the Twins, I remember vividly how Giambi leapt up as high as his linebacker body and snagged a screaming line drive to take away a potential big inning for Minnesota). That said, he has always been uncomfortable, and therefore erratic at making throws to second when turning 3-6-3 double plays, and his lack of foot speed makes it almost impossible for Giambi to field bunts down the first base line, often leading to pitchers having to chase down balls they probably shouldn't have to. At this stage in his career, Giambi has become an max-effort player in trying to get to ground balls, trying justify not being a full-time DH. He has stated that, for some inexplicable reason, he feels more comfortable hitting when he plays in the field as well. While I don't ascribe much to that theory (see: David Ortiz), its probably best not to mess with Giambi's mojo if he's healthy, because even with poor defense, he's not as bad as he's often made out to be and will relieve the problem of finding playing time for both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.

It seems like its always a huge surprise within the last three or four years when Giambi puts up good numbers, but for as enigmatic as his injury/illness history has been, when healthy, he's still an All-Star-caliber force. Perhaps only Bobby Abreu can match the plate discipline and presence of Giambi, who still may have the best batter's eye in all of baseball with an incredible knowledge and understanding of the strike zone. He's past his prime, but plate discipline is almost like an inherent skill that hardly diminishes-- if you have it, you'll always have it, and when you don't, hitting will always be inconsistent, and dependent on the skill of the opposing pitcher (i.e. in this day in age, when pitchers have binders upon binders filled with statistics, along with video tape, they're MUCH smarter and often have the advantage). Experience alone will allow Giambi to have an OBP close to .400 if not above-- his career number is .411, which includes the bizarre 2004 season and last year, both cut short by injuries-- and he could walk 100 times again, which makes him such a valuable weapon if he is slotted down in the sixth or seventh in the lineup. Its amazing that those in the everyday lineup, 1-to-9, could have a shot at 100 RBI if they remain healthy (though the "Melk Man" would be a BIG stretch) -- and the key to that will be Jeter, Abreu, and Giambi getting on base over 40% of the time. Power-wise, Giambi is a dead-pull hitter that still can take mistakes middle-in and park them deep into the confines of any ballpark-- reports are Giambi and hitting coach Kevin Long are working on Giambi going the other way, which will up his doubles and batting average, but I've also heard those claims before, and defenses will no doubt still use the "Giambi shift" (which shows you how much of a reputation he has for pulling the ball) to neutralize any balls hit below their heads. Giambi continues to regress gradually in his ability to catch up with a high fastball, so pitchers will keep trying to pitch him up and away and if they don't give in, they'll be met with one of two fates-- either falling behind in the count and walking Giambi or retiring him on either weak contact or a swinging strikeout.

The barrel-chested Giambi is often death on the bases, often looking like comical while hustling from first-to-third (think Fred Flintstone twinkle-toeing around a baseball diamond), and is held to singles on balls that would often be doubles for runners with merely average speed. So again, the question will be how much Giambi's body transformation will help him in the speed department. My guess would be not too much, so expect Giambi to be pinch-ran for late in games.

Expect him to surprise you and be more-or-less healthy through the whole season (If he plays 140 games at a high level, it'd be the first time since 2003), but don't be surprised by 30 HR, .275 AVG, .400 OBP, 100 RBI, 100 BB-- he can do just that if you believe in the power of a contract year. I'd imagine he'll do everything in his power to force Joe Girardi to keep Duncan, Betemit, and Morgan Ensberg away from first and instead towards other positions. History's not on my side, but I just have a hunch.

Wilson Betemit (1B, 2B, SS, and 3B) -- In terms of talent, the Yankees basically stole Betemit from the Los Angeles Dodgers last year at the trade deadline for journeyman reliever Scott Proctor, and in his first at-bat in pinstripes against All-Star hurler Jon Garland-- then of the White Sox-- Betemit launched a long home run just shy of the blacked-out bleachers in center field. It was essentially his lone highlight in New York, as he struggled with irregular playing time to find a rhythm at the plate, hitting a mere .226 in 84 AB. Yet he's only 26 and just entering his prime, has big-time power potential and already-existing numbers (if you combine his at-bats in 2006 and 2007 and create essentially one full year, you get this line: 32 HR, 35 2B, and 103 RBI), and the Yankees--whether you believe them or not-- said they were fully prepared to have Betemit start at third base if Alex Rodriguez had left through free agency. That says a lot about how the franchise feels about Betemit. For now, he'll be relied upon to serve as a super-utility infielder who can play at any position, though his strength is playing on the left side (3B or SS). He could start for several clubs right now, and might serve as trade bait for a third season in a row if the Yankees find themselves in need of pitching help at the end of July.

Playing four different positions, and all four at least adequately, creates irreplaceable value for the Yankees, who will probably want to carry 12 pitchers on their 25-man roster as they begin to break in a young crop of starters and a questionable bunch of middle relievers. Shortening their bench could allow Betemit to piece together a 350 AB season, which also makes him a more valuable hitter. Betemit made only 7 errors last year while bouncing all around the diamond, and he's solid-average all across the board. He's got a fairly strong arm-- though I'd have to see more than the limited action I've seen thus far to rate it above-average. If you don't believe in Giambi staying healthy, odds are he'll spend most of his time at 1B, Betemit's newest and least-comfortable position-- something to keep an eye on.

The switch-hitting of Betemit, on the surface, seems like another big-time bonus for a part-time player, but he probably should stick with the left side of the plate, especially playing in Yankee Stadium. From the right, he's simply a non-factor and probably couldn't even be called a big league talent. Here are the career splits:

Left-Handed: .263 AVG, .347 OBP, .464 SLG, 31 HR, 101 RBI, 39 2B
Right-Handed: .232 AVG, .281 OBP, .353 SLG, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 8 2B

The real problem, left or right, though, is that Betemit strikes out at a higher rate than any other Yankee-- 258 K in 909 career AB averages out to be 1 K per 3.5 AB, and that rate became even worse in a half-season playing for New York (33 K in 84 AB, or 1 K per 2.5 AB). His swing is long and Betemit still has problems with chasing pitches out of the zone, like young hitters tend to do (which goes to show what makes Robinson Cano, a player of similar service time and age, such a special player-- in 1261 career at-bats, Cano has struck out 207 times, or 1 K per 7.8 AB). Still, like Shelley Duncan from the opposite side, he's a hitter than could scare a RHP late in games with his ability to slam homers in pinch-hit situations. When he starts, he be placed in the eighth spot in the lineup. Its hard to accurately predict what he could contribute, but double-digit homers and a fair share of doubles are safe bets.

Morgan Ensberg (1B and 3B) -- I'm a little confused as to why Morgan Ensberg was added to the 40-Man roster earlier this week, though he certainly offered the best pedigree of all the non-roster invitees in camp this Spring Training. A former college standout at USC and an All-Star in 2005, Ensberg battled inconsistency and injury in 2006 and 2007, and was let go by the Houston Astros before being signed by the San Diego Padres for their pennant chase. There, he was underwhelming, too-- hitting just .224, though he did have 4 homers in just 58 AB.

Ensberg's stats are baffling. 2005 seemed to be a fluky arrangement of spikes (26 more homers than 2004, 49 more BB, and 73 more Ks in only 100 more AB), and then he walked 101 times in 2006 and had only 91 hits-- the only other player to do that was Barry Bonds. You just simply do not know what to expect, so my feeling is that the Yankees felt that even a .234 average this spring was not indicative of what they feel they'll get from him during the regular season. Though Chris Woodward, Cody Ransom, Jason Lane, and perhaps even Greg Porter had just as good, if not better numbers in March, none offer the promise of a player with over 100 career home runs. He's a high-risk, high-reward talent that will round out the roster and play mostly first base.

Defensively, Ensberg is nothing to write home about and makes his fair share of errors (a career fielding percentage of .955 is a shade below average). His arm is fine, but not in the league of an A-Rod or even Betemit. He's played only one career game at first base, but from his experience at playing third-- the harder, more athletic postion-- Ensberg should be a quick study and better defensively than Giambi or Shelley Duncan.

As a hitter, the Yankees hope that Ensberg can give them some right-handed pop in a very lefty-heavy lineup. Coming from a homer haven in Houston to Yankee Stadium and "Death Valley," Ensberg will be lucky to hit 10 home runs this season if you combine lack of plate appearances, physical degeneration, and degree of difficulty. He could have actually had a similar revival to Mike Lowell in Boston had he made the Red Sox, as I can see Ensberg hitting a lot of doubles off the Green Monster in Fenway Park. I envision that Girardi might find Ensberg some playing time when the Yankees visit the Sox-- just a feeling. To be truly effective, however, Ensberg will have to show the ability to get on-base at the level of 2005-06, where his OBP was close to .400. He doesn't hit for a high average, so if he can do that, he'll fit in nicely with the team concept of taking pitches and "keeping the line moving." To me, however, he seems like a player that doesn't really fit in with the mentality that Girardi is trying to implement-- speed, hit-and-run, and defense. We'll see what happens.

Alberto Gonzalez (SS) -- No, not the failed Attorney General, but the slick-fielding prospect the Yankees feel could be a great defensive replacement late in games after a bit more seasoning in the minors. On the 40-man roster, Gonzalez will most likely not be seen at the big-league level until September when the rosters expand. Playing last year at AA Trenton, Gonzalez had a fast start, hitting .330 in 28 games and earning a promotion to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. There, he regressed against superior talent, dropping to .247-- though he did have 11 of his 12 steals on the year in AAA. In camp this year, Gonzalez has hit .208. He was one of the four players dealt to the Yankees in the Randy Johnson trade during the 2006-07 offseason, and is highly thought of in the farm system.

Fielding being a strength, Gonzalez has well-above average range and an average arm which can develop as he gets older. With the Yankees in September, though, he looked a little hesitant and overwhelmed in what was essentially a pressure-free environment after the Yankees clinched halfway through September, which led to sloppy play-- he only had one error, but I was lucky enough to have seen most of his time in the field and that's the impression I was left with. Another year at AAA will probably perfect his skills, but all scouting reports say that he could be the Yankees' best defensive infielder right now.

Gonzalez only had one hit in his 14 AB in September, and at this point, he's not ready to contribute offensively with any consistency for the Yankees. If all goes right, Gonzalez could be a .250 hitter in the majors with below-average power and above-average speed, though he needs to hone his craft at swiping bases (12 SB last season at three levels, but 7 CS as well, which is too many). If he can increase his average to somewhere around .270 or .280 at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year, he may warrant consideration to be Jeter's backup in 2009, provided Betemit could be traded or released by that time.

Juan Miranda (1B) -- The Yankees invested $2 million in the 24-year-old Cuban product in December of 2006 with visions of home run after home run leaping from his left-handed bat. Miranda remains on the 40-man roster, but will begin the season at AA Trenton, where he was part of last year's Eastern League championship squad. If all goes according to plan and Miranda develops well as a hitter, he could compete for a job next year, but a lot can, and will, happen between now and then that might block him from ever starting regularly in the Bronx.

Miranda has below-average range at first and with a wide, bulky body, may not be athletic enough to play first base on an everyday basis. He's still learning the nuances of the game, and will be average for a handful of years in the league in the best of scenarios. However...

...The Yankees love his bat, and in his first season of organized ball at two levels in the U.S. and seeing all-new pitching, he had 16 HR, 96 RBI, and 34 2B in 446 at-bats, which was quite impressive and just a start to what the Yankees feel could be 30-homer power. Interestingly, despite Miranda being described as a below-average runner, he had five triples, which probably means that he's got a good sense of knowing when to take the extra base. He didn't really do anything remarkable this Spring, but he could be someone to watch out for if he gets off to a hot start in the minors and the Yankees are dealing with injuries.

New York Yankees Season Preview: Catchers

I probably should have done infielders next, but I think I'll hold off until we get closer to Opening Day and see if Betemit, Ransom, Woodward, et al. are cut or not.

These next two, however, are locks for the 25-man roster.

* * *

Catchers:

Jorge Posada (C) -- To have a career season at 36 years of age would be an accomplishment in and of itself-- however, for a catcher to do so signifies perhaps something we'll see only once or twice in a lifetime. Posada, in his tenth straight year of catching 110+ games (and eight straight with 135 or more) posted career highs in batting average (.338, good for 4th in the American League), on-base percentage (.426, 3rd in the AL), and slugging percentage (.543, 8th in the AL), all while handling fourteen different starting pitchers, tied for the most (2005) he's had since taking over behind the plate in 1998. He was selected to his fifth All-Star Game, and saved his best baseball when the Yankees needed clutch wins in September with an out-of-this-world 1.142 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. You'll find many writers, broadcasters, and fans alike who'll say that without Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees would not have made the postseason-- but to get such production from a catcher and team leader like Posada was all at once unexpected and greatly needed. Such efforts were rewarded this off-season with the now-familiar terms of the identical Johnny Damon/Hideki Matsui contracts -- four years, $52 million guaranteed to stay in pinstripes. Above all that, he's one of the few remaining Yankees who know what it's like to win a World Series in the Bronx, playing on four championship teams between 1996 and 2000.

Behind the plate, Posada has been steady in most aspects of his game, and has a great reputation for working and handling all kinds of pitching staffs-- the easily maintained (think 1998 through 2003), and ones in full-blown crisis mode (ever since then). When former manager Joe Torre added Tony Pena, another former catcher known for his great defensive prowess and ability to teach the fundamentals of the position, to his coaching staff for the 2006 season, Posada had a renaissance in throwing out would-be basestealers, at a rate over 35 percent, moving more nimbly and hastening his release time to match his accurate throwing arm. Last year, Posada came back down to earth to around 20 percent, more in line with his career numbers. I'd guess that the 2006 numbers, while a product of Pena's influence (he remains the Yankees first base coach after the departure of Torre), were more likely a fluke spike than definitive improvement-- though Posada certainly won't hurt a team with his defensive play. His 13 passed balls last year is a figure that is middle-of-the-road, and one Yankee fans can live with as long as Posada keeps on hitting in a very "un-catcherlike" manner.

To expect the offensive firepower of last season, or 2003 (30 HR & 101 RBI), would be wishful thinking. Posada will turn 37 this August-- and for a catcher, passing through your mid-30s is often equated with stints on the disabled list and quick deterioration of skills and athleticism from baseball's most demanding physical position. Those within the Yankee organization will be quick to point that you can't view Posada as having the mileage of a normal catcher of his age because he began his career in the minors as a second baseman-- however, he's been a catcher since 1993, which by my watch makes this fifteen years now of regular duty crouching, diving, and running after balls that make their way to the backstop. Posada has been incredibly fortunate have never sustained serious injury while in the majors, but even still, its always something to watch out for at this stage in his career. By the time his contract ends in 2011, the Yankees expect Posada to primarily assume their designated hitter role with the hopes of developing a young offensive catcher in their farm system to pass the torch to, like a Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, or Francisco Cervelli.

Posada takes quality at-bats from both sides of the plate, and its his ability to switch hit that often made him a popular option for Joe Torre to bring him off the bench late in close games to pinch-hit -- this also cut into his off-days, which may have attributed to fatigue in October (for as well as Posada played during the September stretch run, he was awful in the playoffs versus Cleveland: 2-for-15, 3 K, 2 GIDP, and only one extra-base hit). The popular opinion remains that Posada hits for better average and power left-handed, but his career splits show that his numbers are superior in all major categories from the right (.267 AVG from the left vs. .301 from the right, .379 vs. .384 OBP, .470 vs. .502 SLG). Such stigma persists most likely because of the hitter-friendly dimensions of right field in Yankee Stadium, which always favors lefty hitters. Posada's place will likely alternate between fifth and sixth in the lineup, so RBI opportunities will be copious and ever-present.

A weakness of Posada's game is his baserunning, as he combines slow speed with instances of absentminded gaffes where he forgets to take signs from coaches or plays it far too safe when it comes to stretching singles into doubles, and yes, even some doubles into triples on line drives in the outfield gaps. Formerly a lock for striking out over 100 in a season, Posada has a better feel for the strike zone and hasn't reached the unenviable milestone since 2003.

The challenge for any offensive catcher is to stay healthy and try to get 500 AB. If Posada can do that again, like he did last year, the Yankees should expect, at minimum, the customary 20 homers, 90-or-so RBIs, 30-35 doubles and close to .400 OBP. And with that, the Yankees will feel as if they had made a wise investment.

Jose Molina (C) -- The former Anaheim Angel came to the Yankees close to the trade deadline last year and ended the nightmare known as the Wil Nieves era in the Bronx. After the retirement of John Flaherty in 2005, the Yankees had shuffled through a slew of backup catchers-- like Kelly Stinnett, the loveable Sal Fasano, and of course, Nieves-- before finally admitting the error of their ways and acquiring a solid major leaguer for next to nothing (minor league LHP Jeff Kennard, who didn't make the Angels' pitching depth in Baseball America's 2008 Prospect Handbook). Molina gave Posada some much needed days off in the second half of the season, and overachieved offensively after switching coasts -- in 29 games, he hit .318 with New York. Perhaps his best moment as a Yankee thus far came in an early September game against the Seattle Mariners, hitting a home run off Jarrod Washburn to help put the Yankees ahead in the Wild Card race for good. At 32, the Yankees now have a defensive catcher with plus-arm strength in his prime that can hit in a representative manner-- or at least better than Nieves, who has spent his entire career seemingly below the Mendoza line (if you need to look up that reference, are you really a baseball fan?).

Molina's strengths, like Posada, are a strong, accurate throwing arm and the ability to bring a good game out of the pitchers he handles. The brother of Bengie (one time Yankee-killer with Anaheim, now in San Francisco as their clean-up hitter, replacing Barry Bonds) and Yadier (of the St. Louis Cardinals), Jose is part of a lineage of fine catchers adept at throwing out runners at not only second base, but also picking men off first base as well. Despite not playing on a daily basis, he makes few errors and blocks balls in the dirt with good form. He has a wide, heavy-set body, but he moves with deceptive agility and quickness when setting up his targets on the corners of home plate, and he frames the ball (that is, he swiftly brings his mitt in the strike zone for balls that are marginally outside) better than any Yankee catcher I personally can remember. Though his offense leaves a lot to be desired, the Yankees wouldn't panic with Molina starting for a dozens or so games if for some reason Posada faces injury, due to his defensive prowess.

His bat brings some moderate power from the right side of the plate, but would never be considered a true power threat, and pitchers can get him to chase off the plate when ahead in counts because of his free-swinging nature and inability to draw a walk. Molina, Posada, and Jason Giambi would all be considered strong candidates from "slowest man on the roster," and he ranks mainly below-average in all other batting categories-- all to be expected from a backup catcher, however, so Molina won't necessarily be booed for hitting .240, considering his role in the Yankee universe.

Molina should be a solid and steady role player for New York, spelling Posada if needed and providing an equally trustworthy and guiding hand to the plethora of young pitchers the Yankees will break in this season.