Historic Opening Day being played one day late

Eh, who needed an off day on the second day of the season anyways? Not the Yankees, as today's Opening Day was rained out and will be played tomorrow.

In the last Opening Day at the current Yankee Stadium, Chien-Ming Wang goes up against Roy Halladay. Happy 28th birthday to the Wanger as well, as he celebrated in the rain today.

Meanwhile, some things that the Yankees need to keep in mind to start the season:

-- Get off to a better start. 9-11 is the reason why we didn't win the AL East last season. A solid April would do wonders for a team that picks up the winning as they progress along the season.

-- Don't just rely on the home run. Sure every player up and down the lineup could belt one out at any time, but relying on that would be foolish. Play small ball every now and then. Sac bunts, steal a base, play some hit and run. Joe Girardi will surely bring this element from the National League in.

-- Get up for the big games, and the not so big games. Sure the Yankees will show up against Boston for all 18 times we play them this season, but what about the 12 against the Royals? Don't take anyone lightly and you'll be set.

-- Spread out the innings in the bullpen. This was perhaps Joe Torre's biggest flaw. He killed Tanyon Sturtze, Tom Gordon, Paul Quantrill and Scott Proctor. Back to back is fine, but if a pitcher is tossing six times a week, you won't have him past June.

--Ease the kids in slowly. Let them get out of jams, but don't be afraid to lift them in the sixth if they're in trouble, even if they're only at 65 pitches.

Should be a good 2008. With John Kruk predicting a Chicago Cubs World Series win, things are looking good for anyone except for the Cubs. Enjoy Opening Day.

Taking a crack at the Opening Day roster

The photo on the left was taken on October 26, 2000. Pictured are the likes of Orlando Hernandez, Jose Vizcaino, Jorge Posada, Chris Turner, Derek Jeter and Luis Sojo. On this night, Marc Anthony sang the Star Spangled Banner, Lenny Dykstra threw out one of the first pitches and a World Series came to a close. This was the last time that the Yankees took home a World Series Championship.

Could 2008 be the year the Yankees snap the postseason skid that has been haunting them for the past seven years? They certainly have a different look than previous years. Gone are aging veterans manipulating the starting rotation and in are some young rookies looking to make an impact in the starting role. Instead of Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson or Roger Clemens, we have Ian Kennedy and Philip Hughes. Bernie Williams, David Justice and Paul O'Neill aren't patrolling the outfield. Hideki Matsui, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu will be shouldering that load. The infield has three MVP's standing on it in Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi and Jeter. The bullpen won't have Jeff Nelson, Ramiro Mendoza or Mike Stanton, but it will have Joba Chaberlain, Kyle Farnsworth and Mariano Rivera. This could be the year to break the slump.

On March 22, 2008, here's what we know the lineup will look like come Opening Day:

C - Jorge Posada
C - Jose Molina
1B/DH - Jason Giambi
1B/OF/DH - Shelly Duncan
2B - Robinson Cano
3B - Alex Rodriguez
SS - Derek Jeter
INF - Wilson Betemit
INF- Morgan Ensberg
OF - Johnny Damon
OF - Hideki Matsui
OF - Melky Cabrera
OF - Bobby Abreu
SP - Chien-Ming Wang
SP - Andy Pettitte
SP - Mike Mussina
SP - Ian Kennedy
SP - Philip Hughes
RP - LaTroy Hawkins
RP - Kyle Farnsworth
RP - Joba Chamberlain
CL - Mariano Rivera


That's 22 out of 25 spots on the roster that are filled. The position players are locked down, with Ensberg being added to the 40-man roster, and his major league salary being picked up yesterday. The remaining three spots will be filled with relief pitchers. Here's who has a chance to make the team with a week to go:

Jose Veras
Brian Bruney
Sean Henn
Billy Trabar
Jeff Karstens
Darrell Rasner
Russ Ohlendorf
Chris Britton
Scott Patterson

The Yankees may have found their left handed reliever in Billy Trabar, who has yet to allow an earned run in 6.2 innings of ball this spring. Darrell Rasner or Jeff Karstens will be the long reliever. Each of them has had one rough outing, but take that one outing out and they have almost identical stats. It will come down to who looks better or who is the healthiest in the closing days of exhibition games. For the last spot, you have a crap-shoot. Patterson hasn't allowed a run and allowed only one hit in six innings this spring. He is, however, injury prone. Britton has been effective, as has Ohlendorf. Big Britton has a 1.80 era in five innings, Ohlendorf a 1.35 in 6.2 innings. Veras should be off to AAA. Bruney has struggled with control, but is still sporting a 2.84 era in 6.1 innings. None of the above have more than Ohlendorf's six strikeouts, while Britton and Patterson haven't issued a walk or hit a batter.

My pick for the last three spots:

Billy Trabar
Jeff Karstens
Russ Ohlendorf

Let's see what happens come March 31.

Who said Spring Training doesn't matter?

It was good old fashioned hardball over the past week in spring training games between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. First, on Saturday Elliot Johnson ran over minor league catcher Fransisco Cervelli at home plate. Cervelli broke his wrist and will be out 8-10 weeks. Then today, Heath Phillips hits Evan Longoria with a pitch in the first inning, then Shelley Duncan slides into Akinori Iwamura with his spikes up high, prompting Johnny Gomes to charge Duncan and incite a benches clearing incident. And these games don't even count?

This has become costly not only in the fact that Cervelli is out for that long period of time, but Joe Girardi and Duncan are both facing suspensions that will be served in the regular season. Imagine Girardi's first day of managing the New York Yankees actually being managed by Rob Thomson.

In all honesty, both teams are at fault for what happened today. The decision to run over a catcher in a game that means nothing was a stupid one. It's understandable to debate that Johnson is a young kid trying to make a Tampa Bay major league team and he wanted to do whatever he could to make the team. But if Johnson really has to rely on bulldozering a teenaged catcher for a run that didn't matter to make the big league club, he has other things to worry about. Maybe Cervelli shouldn't have been blocking the plate in a Spring Training game, but the whole outside of the plate was open. He wasn't lowering his shoulder preparing for the hit, which makes it look like it caught him by surprise.

Then, Girardi openly criticized the Rays, which it something that hasn't been done by the Yankees in about 12 years. Duncan was then invited into the fracas, prompting immediate thought that both teams would be arriving to the minor league complex today with boxing gloves on.

Finally, Duncan used poor judgment when sliding into second base with his cleat thigh high. Gomes took exception, charged at him and the congregation at the second bag took place.

Phillips' hitting Longoria, and being tossed for it, shouldn't come up at all in this conversation. With two runs in and two runners on, ole Heath didn't have his stuff today. The pitch got away, brushed Longoria and the umpire overreacted.

Also tossed in all of this were Yankees's third-base coach Bobby Meacham and Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long. Not sure why, other than some heated exchanging of word with the umpires. Girardi wasn't tossed, but still may face disciplinary action from the league.

This is all nonsense. Johnson was out of line, Duncan was out of line. Gomes was out of line. Suspensions to Duncan and Gomes will probably come of this and perhaps rightfully so. Girardi may face a fine, but that should be it.

Also, fall out from this should not occur when these two teams lock horns again in another three days. They meet twice more this Spring, and then 18 times in the regular season. Is there new bad blood? Yes. Does that mean there will be brawling, beaning and ejections in the next 20 meetings? Not a chance. What it means is that the Rays, who have played the Yankees tough the last few years, now have newfound reasons to play the Yankees even tougher. The Yankees, who have seemingly taken an off day every time they met the Rays the last couple of seasons, now have newfound motivation to get up for the games against the worst in the AL East. There may be a couple more hard slides, barreling of the catchers and brush back pitches. Emotions will be high, and good baseball will ensue. The Yankees need some more passion from their players at times, so this can only help them. This also means that in the next two meetings this spring, Cody Ransom will be playing third base and Joey Porter will be in left field for the Yankees. Girardi won't chance Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriquez's health on this nonsense.

Enjoy the new rivalry. It means good things for Yankee fans in the long run.

Crowded outfield? No problem.

On paper, the Yankees outfield arrange looks like a log jam, but when you really look at it, it becomes apparent that it really is the ideal situation.

The Yankees have six players in camp right now that have major league experience playing the outfield. They have another two that are young kids who played AAA ball last year and another couple that are being looked at to be used as fill-ins.

Now, you might be thinking,"how in the world will that work out come Opening Day?" Well, that question's really not a difficult one. Let's look at it, shall we? Here are the outfield candidates for the 2008 season, in no particular order. These are all of the players who may see outfield time this season:

Bobby Abreu
Melky Cabrera
Johnny Damon
Hideki Matsui
Shelly Duncan
Jason Lane
Morgan Ensberg
Wilson Betemit
Jose Tabata
Brett Gardner

Other candidates such as Austin Jackson and Colin Curtis could be included, but they are too inexperienced. There's a good chance that you'll see them in the future though.

Come March 31, manager Joe Girardi will have an ideal outfield situation. Matsui's barking knee makes the decision even easier. Here's what the outfield will look like when the Yanks open up against Toronto:

RF - Abreu
CF - Cabrera
LF - Damon

Matsui can be the everyday designated hitter, plus he can fill in left or right when someone needs a day off. A rotation in the outfield will keep everyone healthy. Having Melky play in 140-150 games will only help him continue to grow. His defense has sometimes been a little suspect, but he's growing and learning. His plate discipline was better in 2007, and he makes for a great number eight or nine hitter.

Abreu has a gun in right, but his main drawback is his unwillingness to get his uniform dirty. He covers decent ground in right, and has less space to work with, which benefits him. He will be in the three spot in the order as well, getting on base for A-rod, and driving in Derek Jeter and Damon.

Damon is great in left. He'll have less responsibility than center, yet he has the speed to cover up for any flaws by Melky. His arm is his major drawback, but the shift to center takes some focus off of that. He is a great leadoff hitter, as well.

Those are the real givens. Matsui as the everyday DH is where the first real analysis comes in. With an achy knee, he could break down if he has to play left everyday. By keeping him at DH, he can fully heal that knee, yet still contribute with the bat. Getting him in at left or even right field once or twice a week will help him keep his range and outfield abilities. The defense is better with him at DH too, as he doesn't have the range of Damon, and his arm isn't that of Abreu's or Melky's.

Duncan can fill in at left or right should someone go down and land on the DL, or if more than one person needs a break. He doesn't look awful out there, which is a plus, but a bulk of Duncan's playing time will come at first base in a platoon situation with Jason Giambi.

Betemit and Ensberg will be tried out there, and they will fail. Betemit gave it a shot last season a couple of times. He has an arm, but looks lost tracking fly balls. Ensberg will be unhappy if he doesn't make the team as an infielder, and his body probably could not handle any of the rigors involved with playing the outfield.

Lane was an interesting signing by the Yankees in the offseason, but he'll be playing somewhere else come Opening Day. He's a non-roster invitee, but there are better options. He may accept a minor league assignment and be called up if there is an emergency situation, but that's best case scenario.

Tabata and Gardner could be Yankee stars, but not until 2011 or 12. Both are young and quick. Gardner has power, Tabata is an extra base hit maniac. Both have solid arms, but both have defensive flaws. Tabata will most likely be the Yankee's future right fielder, while Gardner may have to move from center to left, unless he progresses better than the Melk man.

Curtis will be interesting to see as he has outstanding defensive ability. He'll have to hone his offensive skills at AA this season, but we may see him in four or five years, if he sticks around that long. Jackson is one of the Yank's most highly touted prospects. He'll make a case for sticking around the big league roster in a few years as well.

Not much to really debate on this topic. Next time, starting roster and bench players. We'll see if my predictions hold up.

First base, party of six

The Yankees will open training camp with an abundance of first basemen, six to be exact. None of them, however, are proven at the position. Here's who we've got:

Jason Giambi
Wilson Betemit
Shelley Duncan (pictured right)
Morgan Ensberg
Jason Lane
Juan Miranda

Come Opening Day, I'd venture to guess that three of those players are gone, while the other three make up the majority of the bench. Let's break them all down now then, shall we.

Giambi - He can be a valuable tool at first base, as long as he's healthy. Hideki Matsui seems primed to be the everyday DH with lingering knee problems, even after off-season surgery. Giambi has notoriously hit better when playing first base as opposed to being the DH, which is a plus. He can also scope the ball out of the dirt with the best of them, and isn't a poor fielder if the ball is hit within a step or two of him. His problems come when he has to move left or right farther than two steps, has to flip the ball to a pitcher covering and turning a 3-6-3 double play will have the ball landing in either left field or three feet short of the second base bag. Giambi is also extremely injury prone, and if he can't stay healthy as a DH, there's no way he can be relied on playing the field.

Betemit - Wilson hasn't played too much first base in his career. His real value comes when he is at second or short. He has some pop in his bat off the bench too. Some real work with Tino Martinez could help him at first, but don't look for him to take the job.

Duncan - Shelley might be the best choice at first. He also has value at the corner outfield positions. He has an explosive bat from the right side, which could make him a great platoon partner with Giambi. He's been working hard, getting his fielding down and learning the position as he was only a DH in the minors last year. He could be the favorite as long as his defense and health hold up.

Lane - A weird signing by the Yanks, as Lane is an outfielder. With a plethora of outfielders already on the team, there really isn't a spot for Lane unless he really impresses or someone gets hurt. Don't expect too much from him though.

Ensberg - Primarily a third baseman in his career, Ensberg fell out of favor with the Astros and Padres recently. He still has 30 homerun power, but he may only hit .225. He's right handed in a righty heavy lineup so several hurdles are in front of him. His defense was always just above average at third, so if he can bring that to the other side of the field, he will be in the running.

Miranda - The Cuban defect is either 23, 25 or 32 years old. No one knows for sure. What is known is that he has the second most experience at first base besides Giambi. He hits from the left side with a little pop, so if Giambi goes down, he would be a legitimate backup option.

Prediction time. Here is who I believe makes the big league roster:

Giambi (for 1b and DH)
Betemit (too valuable not to have him on the bench for all other INF positions)
Duncan (as long as he's healthy, he'll tear up lefties)

Giambi and Duncan could create a platoon. Giambi against righties and Duncan against lefties. If Ensberg looks good and one of them go down, then he'll be the man for the job for the short run. Joe Girardi will look at Miranda longer than Joe Torre would have, but he'll start in the minors along with Lane. If Ensberg isn't on the big league roster to start the season, he'll catch on with another team instead of accepting a minor league gig with the Yanks.

Next time: outfielders. Enjoy pitchers and catchers until then.

Yankees bullpen always a cause for concern

Gone are the days of Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton bridging the gap to Mariano Rivera. Over the last few years, Yankee fans have been treated to innings of uneasiness courtesy of high priced veterans like Felix Heredia, Felix Rodriguez, Ron Villone and Tanyon Sturtze. Recent signings of Kyle Farnsworth two seasons ago and LaTroy Hawkins this season will continue that trend for the Yankee faithfuls.


What fans do have to look forward to is the recent surge of youth being shot into the bullpen. With the price of relievers skyrocketing by the signings of Scott Linebrink, Octavio Dotel and New York's own Rivera, the Yankees' farm system has slowly gotten the call up one by one. Here's who the Yanks will have in camp this year to try out for the roles of sixth, seventh and eighth inning men:


Mariano Rivera - RHP - 38 years old
Latroy Hawkins - RHP - 35 years old
Kyle Farnsworth - RHP - 31 years old
Brian Bruney - RHP - 27 years old
Chris Britton - RHP - 25 years old
Ross Ohlendorf - RHP - 25 years old
Jose Veras - RHP - 27 years old
Edwar Ramirez - RHP - 26 years old
Jonathan Albaladejo - RHP - 25 years old
Chase Wright - LHP - 25 years old
Kei Igawa - LHP - 28 years old
Sean Henn - LHP - 26 years old
Jeffrey Marquez - RHP - 23 years old
Daniel Giese - RHP - 30 years old
Steven Jackson - RHP - 25 years old
Mark Melancon - RHP 22 years old
Heath Phillips - LHP - 25 years old
Scott Strickland - RHP - 31 years old
Billy Traber - LHP - 28 years old

Lots of names, lots of uncertainty. Obviously Rivera and Farnsworth are locks to make the team. If Hawkins shows up healthy he'll also be on the team, as the Yankees threw a lot of money at him. After that, it gets interesting. Wright and Igawa are lefties who had poor showings at starters, so they might get a shot at relief, since the Yanks are lacking in the lefty department. Bruney and Britton are power pitchers with erratic control, and both fell out of favor with management last season. Ramirez has an incredible changeup and a fastball that gets hit incredibly far. Henn was a scapegoat for the Yanks last season, coming in and taking a beating on several occasions, really inflating his ERA. Traber had trouble sticking with the Royals, so don't expect much from him. Many of the others are just too young, or too washed up to make the roster. Marquez and Jackson are two names to watch for September callups, or if they dominate the farm system.

Joba Chamberlain (pictured above) is preparing to be a starter this season. Not since Rivera set up John Wettland have the Yankees had an eighth and ninth inning tandem as dominant as Joba and Mo. It would be unfortunate to lose that in the beginning of the season, but if he starts in the rotation and stays healthy, a strict innings limit will put him back into the bullpen after the all-star break.

Here's what I predict the Yankees' bullpen will look like to start the season:

Rivera
Chamberlain
Farnsworth
Hawkins
Ohlendorf
Veras
Henn

Substitute Bruney in for Chamberlain if he's in fact a starter. Everyone else will be down in the farms to start, but Henn, Veras, Bruney and Hawkins are all candidates to be replaced quickly. With Joe Girardi as manager, I'd expect a little more youth up in the pen.

No matter how you slice it , the bullpen doesn't strike fear in anyone and is very vulnerable. Starters can't be expected to go seven innings every night, so hopefully there will be a couple of gems waiting to be found in the system.

Next time, I'll break down the extremely cluttered first base situation. Until then...

Spring training right around the corner

Spring training is right around the corner for the Bronx Bombers, and already hype is at a mid-season level. What I'll do here is preview certain elements of the team each post. I'll start it off with the starting rotation.

For the first time in a number of years, the starting rotation isn't a majority made up of older veteran starters. This year there are two seasoned vets, two kids, and two who have gotten their feet wet, but haven't hit the age of 30 yet. Here's what the rotation may look like come Opening Day:

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

Add in Joba Chamberlain to the bottom of that list as the sixth starter, but I have this gut feeling that with all of the Yankees' bullpen problems, they wouldn't want to trust LaTroy Hawkins in the eighth inning if they don't have to.

Wang is a great ace to have. Him and the Mets' Johan Santana are the winningest pitchers since Wang arrived in the bigs three years ago. 19 wins in back to back seasons is all you can ask for from your number one starter, even if he doesn't blow players away for the strikeout.

Andy Pettitte is the lone lefty starter for the Yanks. He was healthy last year for most of the year, and while it's unrealistic to think any starter can make 40 starts a season anymore, at least there aren't dwelling questions on whether his elbow will hold up. He deserved to win three or four more games than his 15-9 record showed for 2007. He had a sub-four era in a tough AL East and looks to continue to look good, while showing normal signs of aging.

Hughes survived an off-season full of Santana rumors and couldn't be more happy. He's shedding number 65 for Sean Henn's 34, and looks to stay healthy this season. He showed enough to make people think he will be an elite pitcher for years to come, and will be a nice follow-up to a softer throwing Pettitte in a series.

Mussina is getting up there in years, and may have showed signs of fatigue last season, but I am not convinced that he is a pitcher that had trouble getting out of the early innings like he did on several occasions last season. If healthy he can provide toughness and finesse following a more power style Hughes. He will undoubtedly help show leadership as well as mentoring to the younger kids.

Kennedy looked like a solid end of the rotation starter before experiencing some shoulder problems last year. He'll be on a strict innings limit, meaning that complete and late inning games may not be the norm for him. A solid six innings every five days should be all you should expect from him, which isn't a bad thing.

Joba the Great will be available for either fill in duty if someone gets hurt, or he'll start the season in place of Kennedy or Mussina should they not be up to the task, but only in the very beginning of the season. He won't bounce back and forth between the pen and rotation once the season gets really underway, so wherever he starts will most likely be where he ends up for the whole season. The only exception to that would be late in the year if he has reached his innings limit, the Yanks might move him to the bullpen to protect his arm.

I'll be back in the next couple of days with a preview of the bullpen. Until then, enjoy the excitement of waiting for pitchers and catchers.