Jose Canseco

I do not want to waste many words on this post as enough has been said on the subject, but here is my take -

Jose Canseco is a one man cancer to the game of baseball.

Stadium Mememtos

Have been looking up some things about the original Yankee Stadium and came across this poster from the 70’s;

Somehow I can’t see any such generous offerings in place this time next year….Especially since I’ve heard that Steiner sports have negotiated first refusal on virtually everything sellable from within the stadium…

Outfield prospects

While Brett Gardner is without doubt an excellent prospect, in 2008 i would much prefer to see him getting 400 ab’s at AAA than sitting on the bench in the majors. He has been exceptional this spring and, on merit, may deserve a spot on the roster but i have to think that he will start the season in the minors, especially with Matsui handling his rehab well and Shelley Duncan also looking decent in the outfield.

Further down the line though, i do not see Gardner patrolling centre field in the new stadium full time. If Melky is replaced, with RF being a probable destination for him, Austin Jackson will be the man ready to follow in the footsteps of DiMaggio, Mantle, Murcer and Williams. Jackson’s upside is significantly higher than that of either Brett Gardner or Jose Tabata and after some more seasoning in MiLB, he should be primed for the big time armed with all five tools.

All in all, the outfield picture is looking pretty good for the Yankees for years to come and it’s refreshing to be able to look within the system for plyers instead of constantly exploring trades or projecting possible free agents three years down the line.

Next in a long, exceptional lineage?

 

A piece in today’s NY Times gives an good insight into the attitude and expectations of Brett Gardener, who seems more than comfortable being tipped as the next in a long, illustrious line of Yankee CF’s.

While he may not displace Melky in centre any time soon, it seems that the team will be in a decent position when Johnny Damon’s contract finishes. He certainly doesn’t seem short on confidence, which should hopefully serve him well as he progresses through AAA. Hopefully he can make this progression at a decent rate and not end up a perpetual “AAAA” player like Bubba Crosby….

A helping hand from the Mets?

There’s an interesting piece in today’s Daily News about A-Rod. It offers some interesting insights into just how much influence Boras had had on his career up until this offseason. Thankfully the Mets loss in 2000 seems to be the Yankees gain in 2008, as his decision to stay seems to have been motivated by his regret at not going to the Mets in 2000.

Whether his decision to marginalise Boras is down to his maturing, or the fact that he had his wife and kids to consider this time, I’m most definitely glad that he didn’t go chasing the $, and devided to stay where he feels happy. He seems to be a player that does his best when he’s at peace with all things off the field, so hopefully his contentedness with staying in NY will help him continue to put up massive numbers for the duration of his contract.

It still really annoys me that in spite of what seems to have been a negative role in his career, Boras still stands to earn more than most of us will in a lifetime from this one contract from just one of the players he represents…..

Today’s news

Most of the news today seems to be focusing on an encouraging outing by Phil last night, which seems to be getting good feedback from all involved, most notably Phil himself who says he was finally comfortable throwing all of his pitches for strikes. Here’s hoping he carries that kind of form and development into next week.

This might be especially important given the concerns about Andy Pettitte’s back. Of course, the Post is naturally treating this like the end of the world, and that it’s indicative of him being finished, and that he’ll not be able to be relied upon this year. Me, I prefer to think of it as something that’ll maybe cause him to miss a few starts, but we should still see 190+ innings, and 15 wins this season.

Joe Girardi and A-Rod are both seeming very optimistic about Giambi’s form going into the season. Mind you, A-Rod seems to think everyone will have a big season – gotta love being an eternal optimist… I’d really like to see Giambi have a big season. I doubt he’ll be back for 09 no matter what, but after all of the struggles (albeit largely self-inflicted) he’s been through, it would be a fitting way to sign off on his tenure in pinstripes.