Well.... let's see if we get this right this year.
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2009 New York Yankees
- Thread starter min0 lee
- Start date
We will start with Tex....he needs a nickname....something short for Teixeira
Mark Teixeira can be real positive for Yankees
TAMPA - Steroids have made us suspicious of everybody, all the more so since Alex Rodriguez has been outed. And yet I have to admit that after 15 minutes of listening to Mark Teixeira, I came away willing to bet he's cleaner than Derek Jeter, if that's possible.
In fact, if it's hip to be square in baseball these days, Major League Baseball should be thrilled that Teixeira is now a Yankee, likely to raise his profile as one of the game's best players. The squeaky-clean slugger, if you will.
Or call him the anti-A-Rod. Upon arriving here Monday, Teixeira said he would attend Tuesday's highly anticipated press conference in support of A-Rod, saying it was important for teammates to rally around one another, yet he obviously has strong feelings about steroids, the result of a strict upbringing in a military family.
"I grew up in a family where there was zero tolerance," Teixeira said. "No drugs, no alcohol, that kind of stuff didn't fly. If I ever got caught doing drugs my parents would kill me before any media could.
"That's just how I was raised. My dad was a military man who went to the Naval Academy, my mom was a teacher. My sister and I grew up knowing drugs weren't an option. People look at steroids as though (they were OK years ago) because they weren't tested for, they were semi-legal, but they're drugs in my mind.
"I never messed with them. That's something I thank my parents for, and as I got older I realized it wasn't the right thing to do anyway."
If that sounds preachy, it's not really the way Teixeira came off in person. It just seems to be his personality. If this were the 1986 Mets, he'd be Gary Carter, a bit too wholesome for his notoriously hard-drinking teammates' liking but respected for the way he played the game. In this day and age, however, for a team that has been lacking championship chemistry in recent years, perhaps Teixeira can be a unifying force instead. Baseball people say that he cares about all the right things on the field, putting winning ahead of individual statistics in the manner of the late '90s Yankees.
In the clubhouse, he oozes such sincerity as to sound the cynic's alarm. Before he'd unpacked his bag Monday Teixeira made a point of going around to shake the hand of every player in the room at the time, and then did the same with each of about 15 reporters who converged on him, promising to memorize all the names within a few days.
It's not typical of Yankee players' practiced aloofness, and you automatically wonder if it's phony, but people who have covered him in the past say he's just genuinely pleasant for the most part.
We'll see if the New York experience changes him, but for now at least, he seems like exactly the kind of player baseball can use hitting cleanup for the Yankees.
Put it this way: Unless he's the biggest liar ever, Teixeira is not going to feel the pressure to cheat the system to live up to the expectations of his $180 million contract the way A-Rod says he did upon going to Texas in 2001.
For that matter, Texieira was a teammate of A-Rod's with the Rangers in 2003, his rookie year, and Monday he scoffed at talk that surviving the brutal heat of those Texas summers was one reason that several players on that team apparently did steroids.
Again he credited his strict upbringing for making steroids a non-issue to him, and said, "For me it'd be more of a reason not to do drugs. When I got to the big leagues I realized that eating well, drinking water and getting your sleep, that's what you need to do to get through those Texas summers."
Teixeira admitted he was aware that steroids were an issue in baseball when he reached the big leagues in 2003, but he said he had no idea that A-Rod or anyone else on the Rangers might have been involved.
"I never heard anyone talk about it," he said.
Strongly as he seems to feel about steroids, Teixeira said he wouldn't judge A-Rod or anybody else who used steroids but said he has pushed to rid the game of them.
"It may be disappointing," he said of steroids users, "but as part of the union, we've made big strides, making every effort possible to clean up the game."
Teixeira also dismissed stories that he and A-Rod didn't get along in Texas, saying that he sought out A-Rod during their one season together to ask about pitchers and what they would throw him.
"I learned a lot from him," he said, "And I'm definitely going to try to have a relationship with him here."
A-Rod and the anti-A-Rod. Teixeira may never hit 800 home runs and be the clean home run champ everyone wanted A-Rod to be, but the new guy sounded like someone you could believe in, even if it's hard to believe anybody in baseball these days.
Mark Teixeira can be real positive for Yankees
TAMPA - Steroids have made us suspicious of everybody, all the more so since Alex Rodriguez has been outed. And yet I have to admit that after 15 minutes of listening to Mark Teixeira, I came away willing to bet he's cleaner than Derek Jeter, if that's possible.
In fact, if it's hip to be square in baseball these days, Major League Baseball should be thrilled that Teixeira is now a Yankee, likely to raise his profile as one of the game's best players. The squeaky-clean slugger, if you will.
Or call him the anti-A-Rod. Upon arriving here Monday, Teixeira said he would attend Tuesday's highly anticipated press conference in support of A-Rod, saying it was important for teammates to rally around one another, yet he obviously has strong feelings about steroids, the result of a strict upbringing in a military family.
"I grew up in a family where there was zero tolerance," Teixeira said. "No drugs, no alcohol, that kind of stuff didn't fly. If I ever got caught doing drugs my parents would kill me before any media could.
"That's just how I was raised. My dad was a military man who went to the Naval Academy, my mom was a teacher. My sister and I grew up knowing drugs weren't an option. People look at steroids as though (they were OK years ago) because they weren't tested for, they were semi-legal, but they're drugs in my mind.
"I never messed with them. That's something I thank my parents for, and as I got older I realized it wasn't the right thing to do anyway."
If that sounds preachy, it's not really the way Teixeira came off in person. It just seems to be his personality. If this were the 1986 Mets, he'd be Gary Carter, a bit too wholesome for his notoriously hard-drinking teammates' liking but respected for the way he played the game. In this day and age, however, for a team that has been lacking championship chemistry in recent years, perhaps Teixeira can be a unifying force instead. Baseball people say that he cares about all the right things on the field, putting winning ahead of individual statistics in the manner of the late '90s Yankees.
In the clubhouse, he oozes such sincerity as to sound the cynic's alarm. Before he'd unpacked his bag Monday Teixeira made a point of going around to shake the hand of every player in the room at the time, and then did the same with each of about 15 reporters who converged on him, promising to memorize all the names within a few days.
It's not typical of Yankee players' practiced aloofness, and you automatically wonder if it's phony, but people who have covered him in the past say he's just genuinely pleasant for the most part.
We'll see if the New York experience changes him, but for now at least, he seems like exactly the kind of player baseball can use hitting cleanup for the Yankees.
Put it this way: Unless he's the biggest liar ever, Teixeira is not going to feel the pressure to cheat the system to live up to the expectations of his $180 million contract the way A-Rod says he did upon going to Texas in 2001.
For that matter, Texieira was a teammate of A-Rod's with the Rangers in 2003, his rookie year, and Monday he scoffed at talk that surviving the brutal heat of those Texas summers was one reason that several players on that team apparently did steroids.
Again he credited his strict upbringing for making steroids a non-issue to him, and said, "For me it'd be more of a reason not to do drugs. When I got to the big leagues I realized that eating well, drinking water and getting your sleep, that's what you need to do to get through those Texas summers."
Teixeira admitted he was aware that steroids were an issue in baseball when he reached the big leagues in 2003, but he said he had no idea that A-Rod or anyone else on the Rangers might have been involved.
"I never heard anyone talk about it," he said.
Strongly as he seems to feel about steroids, Teixeira said he wouldn't judge A-Rod or anybody else who used steroids but said he has pushed to rid the game of them.
"It may be disappointing," he said of steroids users, "but as part of the union, we've made big strides, making every effort possible to clean up the game."
Teixeira also dismissed stories that he and A-Rod didn't get along in Texas, saying that he sought out A-Rod during their one season together to ask about pitchers and what they would throw him.
"I learned a lot from him," he said, "And I'm definitely going to try to have a relationship with him here."
A-Rod and the anti-A-Rod. Teixeira may never hit 800 home runs and be the clean home run champ everyone wanted A-Rod to be, but the new guy sounded like someone you could believe in, even if it's hard to believe anybody in baseball these days.
I hope he doesn't change to be a jerk, the NY media are like hyenas when they get a fresh new face.
Yanks get look at their power arms
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/yankees/February 14, 2009
A few notes from the first workout at Steinbrenner Field:
??? CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Joba Chamberlain each threw side sessions in the bullpen, giving the Yankees a good look at their three power arms. The last time the Yanks had three guys in their rotation with this kind of power was 2003, when Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina each topped the 180-strikeout mark.
"With so many good pitchers in the rotation, it will be a friendly competition where everybody is trying to out-do each other," Sabathia said. "That just makes our team better."
Incidentally, Sabathia is still sporting a close-cropped beard - a Yankees no-no. He said nobody had said anything to him about it, but I'm guessing that will change as early as tomorrow.
??? Hideki Matsui took batting practice for the first time since his knee surgery, reporting no problems.
"In terms of hitting, I don't have any concerns," Matsui said. "Running at 100 percent is more the concern."
??? Girardi won't use his regular five starting pitchers in the first four spring games, since that would give them an extra start because of the longer spring schedule. Some combination of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke could be used to start those games. Expect to see one of the primary starters take the ball for the first time on March 1.
??? The regular-season rotation hasn't been announced, but it should look something like this - Sabathia, Wang, Burnett, Pettitte, Chamberlain. Girardi said he wanted to split the lefties and not have Burnett and Chamberlain back-to-back.
??? The arrival of Sabathia and Burnett have pushed Wang's return far under the radar. For a guy who won 19 games in both 2006 and '07, Wang has been largely unnoticed.
"That's okay - let him fly under the radar," Girardi said. "That's not always a bad thing. His return is vital to our staff. We missed him a lot last year. We missed his innings, we missed his leadership on the mound, what he brought to the table."
??? Brett Tomko, signed to a minor-league deal on Friday, will compete for a long-relief/spot starter role. Girardi caught Tomko in 2003 with the Cardinals and seems to like him, which could be bad news for the likes of Aceves and Dan Giese.
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/yankees/February 14, 2009
A few notes from the first workout at Steinbrenner Field:
??? CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Joba Chamberlain each threw side sessions in the bullpen, giving the Yankees a good look at their three power arms. The last time the Yanks had three guys in their rotation with this kind of power was 2003, when Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina each topped the 180-strikeout mark.
"With so many good pitchers in the rotation, it will be a friendly competition where everybody is trying to out-do each other," Sabathia said. "That just makes our team better."
Incidentally, Sabathia is still sporting a close-cropped beard - a Yankees no-no. He said nobody had said anything to him about it, but I'm guessing that will change as early as tomorrow.
??? Hideki Matsui took batting practice for the first time since his knee surgery, reporting no problems.
"In terms of hitting, I don't have any concerns," Matsui said. "Running at 100 percent is more the concern."
??? Girardi won't use his regular five starting pitchers in the first four spring games, since that would give them an extra start because of the longer spring schedule. Some combination of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke could be used to start those games. Expect to see one of the primary starters take the ball for the first time on March 1.
??? The regular-season rotation hasn't been announced, but it should look something like this - Sabathia, Wang, Burnett, Pettitte, Chamberlain. Girardi said he wanted to split the lefties and not have Burnett and Chamberlain back-to-back.
??? The arrival of Sabathia and Burnett have pushed Wang's return far under the radar. For a guy who won 19 games in both 2006 and '07, Wang has been largely unnoticed.
"That's okay - let him fly under the radar," Girardi said. "That's not always a bad thing. His return is vital to our staff. We missed him a lot last year. We missed his innings, we missed his leadership on the mound, what he brought to the table."
??? Brett Tomko, signed to a minor-league deal on Friday, will compete for a long-relief/spot starter role. Girardi caught Tomko in 2003 with the Cardinals and seems to like him, which could be bad news for the likes of Aceves and Dan Giese.
C.C. shaved his beard, Hideki Matsui looks shot to me.
What's next for Phil Hughes?
TAMPA - Phil Hughes is only 22, yet he???s endured seismic shifts in his career, from the night he was injured while working on a no-hitter in his second big-league start to dangling last winter in a potential trade for Johan Santana to being given a rotation spot last year and losing it.
After the Yankees??? winter pitching binge in which they signed CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett and re-signed Andy Pettitte, Hughes??? career has taken another twist. He???s not considered one of their five starters heading into camp and is likely to start the season in the minors, quite as change from last spring, when he was a jewel of the Yanks??? new commitment to young pitching and started the third game of the season.
Where does Hughes go from here? He has shown incredible potential, but also struggled with injuries and he longs to last a full season to show what he can do. The Yankees value him highly, yet unless there is a spring injury to one of the starters, Hughes is only another name on a list of possible rotation replacements, alongside pitchers such as Ian Kennedy, who was also assured a starting spot last spring, Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke. Hughes??? best chance for big-league starts may come if the Yankees need to skip Joba Chamberlain???s turn to limit Chamberlain???s innings.
For his part, Hughes was saying all the right things at the Yankees??? minor-league complex in a recent interview, the sun glinting in his eyes during a break from a workout in preparation for spring training. Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow.
???It is what it is,??? Hughes said of his situation. ???It???s the Yankees and we???re going to put the best team on the field. Last year was obviously a different situation than this year. But I???ve been in spring training before where there wasn???t a spot open for me and that???s the way it goes.
???If I pitch really well in spring and I still start the year in Triple-A, there???s nothing you can do about it. You just go out and pitch well and let things fall how they will. It???s one thing to complain about the guys we signed, but on the other hand, we???ve got a pretty good team. There???s no lack of effort by the front office to put a good team on the field. I look at that as a good thing.
???I think there???ll be opportunities. You don???t often hear about guys who are lights out at Triple A and never get an opportunity. I look at it from that aspect. I don???t look at it in any sort of a bitter way or anything like that.???
Still, it once seemed as if Hughes would be further along in his career by now, perhaps even a star. He made his debut at 20 and one start later took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in Texas, but hurt his hamstring.
He started 2008 as the youngest pitcher in the majors, but his year was wrecked by a fractured rib and he finished 0-4 with a 6.62 ERA - he and Kennedy combined to go 0-8. Hughes did pitch well in two late September starts, though, allowing three runs in 12 innings.
Hughes had a memorable relief outing against the Indians in the 2007 playoffs, but he won???t be a reliever. ???That???s not something in our minds,??? GM Brian Cashman said. ???There just aren???t enough quality starters in the game, in the system, to do that. You can always find relievers, but we believe Phil is a quality starting pitcher.???
Hughes added 10 pounds over the winter to get to 240 - he???s 6-5 - because he felt he was too light last season at 230. ???I???m trying to keep myself where I can be durable and be able to get through a whole year,??? Hughes said. ???For once, right?
- Anthony McCarron
TAMPA - Phil Hughes is only 22, yet he???s endured seismic shifts in his career, from the night he was injured while working on a no-hitter in his second big-league start to dangling last winter in a potential trade for Johan Santana to being given a rotation spot last year and losing it.
After the Yankees??? winter pitching binge in which they signed CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett and re-signed Andy Pettitte, Hughes??? career has taken another twist. He???s not considered one of their five starters heading into camp and is likely to start the season in the minors, quite as change from last spring, when he was a jewel of the Yanks??? new commitment to young pitching and started the third game of the season.
Where does Hughes go from here? He has shown incredible potential, but also struggled with injuries and he longs to last a full season to show what he can do. The Yankees value him highly, yet unless there is a spring injury to one of the starters, Hughes is only another name on a list of possible rotation replacements, alongside pitchers such as Ian Kennedy, who was also assured a starting spot last spring, Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke. Hughes??? best chance for big-league starts may come if the Yankees need to skip Joba Chamberlain???s turn to limit Chamberlain???s innings.
For his part, Hughes was saying all the right things at the Yankees??? minor-league complex in a recent interview, the sun glinting in his eyes during a break from a workout in preparation for spring training. Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow.
???It is what it is,??? Hughes said of his situation. ???It???s the Yankees and we???re going to put the best team on the field. Last year was obviously a different situation than this year. But I???ve been in spring training before where there wasn???t a spot open for me and that???s the way it goes.
???If I pitch really well in spring and I still start the year in Triple-A, there???s nothing you can do about it. You just go out and pitch well and let things fall how they will. It???s one thing to complain about the guys we signed, but on the other hand, we???ve got a pretty good team. There???s no lack of effort by the front office to put a good team on the field. I look at that as a good thing.
???I think there???ll be opportunities. You don???t often hear about guys who are lights out at Triple A and never get an opportunity. I look at it from that aspect. I don???t look at it in any sort of a bitter way or anything like that.???
Still, it once seemed as if Hughes would be further along in his career by now, perhaps even a star. He made his debut at 20 and one start later took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in Texas, but hurt his hamstring.
He started 2008 as the youngest pitcher in the majors, but his year was wrecked by a fractured rib and he finished 0-4 with a 6.62 ERA - he and Kennedy combined to go 0-8. Hughes did pitch well in two late September starts, though, allowing three runs in 12 innings.
Hughes had a memorable relief outing against the Indians in the 2007 playoffs, but he won???t be a reliever. ???That???s not something in our minds,??? GM Brian Cashman said. ???There just aren???t enough quality starters in the game, in the system, to do that. You can always find relievers, but we believe Phil is a quality starting pitcher.???
Hughes added 10 pounds over the winter to get to 240 - he???s 6-5 - because he felt he was too light last season at 230. ???I???m trying to keep myself where I can be durable and be able to get through a whole year,??? Hughes said. ???For once, right?
- Anthony McCarron
Cashman says no surgery.
He'll play through it.
Man oh man.. if A-Rod comes out and is effected by the injury, there are going to be a lot of people blaming steroids and not his Cyst/torn labrum.
He'll play through it.
Man oh man.. if A-Rod comes out and is effected by the injury, there are going to be a lot of people blaming steroids and not his Cyst/torn labrum.
It worked well for Mike Lowell last year.
And Chase Utley.
LAbrum repair using those two as an example would mean 6 months.
Guess it will depend on how much pain he is in.
If it is me I would shut him down get surgery and hopefully have him back for the later half of the season.
Catcher mentioned A-rod and Chase have a very similar swing, where they lock out there hips during the follow through. Hip Labrum to me would be more a mechanical problem
LOL...conspiracy theories.
If A-Rod does need surgery, he's probably best off getting it done now and, like you said, be ready for the second half of the season. If he plays for a month or two and then decides on surgery, the Yankees will be even more screwed.
I agree, Iain.
6-9 weeks is laughable.
Typical Yankees - Originally the Yankees came out and said that it was a cyst that Rodriguez would be able to play through before having surgery next offseason. Two weeks later and he's out for 6-9 weeks? I don't buy it.
6-9 weeks is laughable.
Typical Yankees - Originally the Yankees came out and said that it was a cyst that Rodriguez would be able to play through before having surgery next offseason. Two weeks later and he's out for 6-9 weeks? I don't buy it.
It was just a quick fix to get him through the season. From what I understand, getting the full surgery is what would keep him out 4-6 months.
This is off the subject but has to do with the Yankees....
What's the name of the team captain/shortstop???
What's the name of the team captain/shortstop???
Derek Jeter
Oh yea yea! I have a story about him 
but I dont tell stories all that well
but I dont tell stories all that well
Oh yea yea! I have a story about him
Do tell!
Haha - you must tell.
Oh yea yea! I have a story about him
Is the story that's he gay? We all know that already.
Brett Gardner is now center of attention for Yankees
Brett Gardner is now center of attention for Yankees
Monday, March 9th 2009, 9:40 PM
Brett Gardner is now center of attention for Yankees
Monday, March 9th 2009, 9:40 PM
I love his speed and his play in the outfield.
I would take him over Melky any day.
I would take him over Melky any day.
Hughs is pitching better than he is, I still say Joba should be a middle reliever.
JOBA JOLT: Joba Chamberlain makes his third start of the spring tonight, looking for his first good performance. Chamberlain has allowed seven runs over two starts while retiring just three batters, struggling against Team Canada five days ago as he gave up a hit and walked four without getting an out.
"We want to see progress," Girardi said. "We need him throwing strikes."
Mariano Rivera tosses off concerns
TAMPA - Mariano Rivera's return to the mound is now just a week away after the closer threw another incident-free bullpen session Monday.
Rivera, who had shoulder surgery at the end of last season, tossed 30 pitches at what appeared to be full strength, reporting no problems. He will throw batting practice Wednesday and should make his spring debut on Sunday or Monday.
"Everything will depend how the arm feels," Rivera said. "So far it feels good."
Said Joe Girardi: "He really hasn't had any setbacks, so we'll keep our fingers crossed."
Come on, Mino - He's a fourth or fifth outfielder at best.
He is the second coming of Mantle.
Right......but who is he competing against.
Damon has no arm, Melky is OK but I prefer Gardner.
