The Big G

Here is a scruffy looking Big G at his press conference today returning to his roots. He said he is going to stay scruffy. He also thanked the Steinbrenners and Cashman. "I played with basically 25 superstars in New Yorkeveryday. They're incredible guys and we had the time of our life." "I'm here to win,i didn't come here to be the prom queen again and ride through the floats." Its quotes like these that will make you miss the Big G but in the end the Yankees made a good business move by getting 10 yrs younger, more athletic, better defensively and not as injury prone with Big Tex. I really do wish him well out in Oakland, it will be pretty impress with Giambi and Holliday in the middle of that order but do they have the pitching?

New York Rangers

The halfway point of the NHL season has been reached. The New York Rangers are first in the Atlantic division with 51 points. They are only one point ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and 2 points ahead of the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers even though they have their problems with scoring and mostly on special teams meaning power play and shorthanded they are still in first place. If the Rangers can get it together and get a good seed for the playoffs they will be in good shape. They have Henrik Lunquist(King) and he always gives them a chance in the playoffs. I always like the NHL playoffs they are very exciting. Lets go Rangers in the second half.

3rd or 4th that is the question

Where to bat Mark Teixiera is the big question now. Joe Girardi was asked this question yesterday at the press conference and said he has some idea but wants to meet with all the coaches and players next month when they reach Tampa for Spring Training. I personally think Arod should bat 3rd with Tex protecting him in the clean up spot. I wonder though would Arod be insulted by this, i dont think he would and hope he wouldn't. I am sure people have many opinions on this and would like to hear what you think on this, please comment on this and im sure we can have a great discussion on it. If you go over to the http://faceoff.lohudblogs.com they are having a debate over this. Sam Borden of the Journal news and Rick Carpinello are the participants in this debate. I am sure Girardi will look at the stats and Tex does have better numbers batting 3rd and of course was unbelievable in that spot in front of Vlad Guerrero when he got traded to the Angels last year. Manny got all the attention but he batted over 350 himself and over 400 in the playoffs. Here are the career splits batting 3rd and 4th. Batting third 311BA,,293RBI,394obp,573slugging Batting 4th-278BA,77HR,247rbi,378obp,523slugging. He does have 123 more at bats in his career batting 3rd.

Yankees are Busy

The Yankees are keeping me busy today. They have signed Angle Berroa to a minor league deal. He was the AL rookie of the year in 2003 and has done nothing since. The Yankees will give him a shot at making the bench. They also signed OF John Rodriguez to a minor league deal. Peter Abraham of the Journal News is saying he heard the Yanks signed several guys that will most likely wind up in scranton, but nothing has been announced yet other then these two. Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports reported Berroa and Joel Sherman of the Post reported John Rodriguez. The Big G-Jason Giambi has agreed to a 1 yr 4.5 million dollar deal with Oakland. He has a 5 million option for 2010 or a 1 million dollar buyout. He never really lived up to his hype with the Yanks but lets wish him well, as he was a fun guy to have around. He is a very colorful person and he will do well back in Oakland where he can grow his hair out and party a little more. Watch out the Big G is loose on the West Coast. Big Tex will join CC and AJ in not participating in the World Baseball Classic. The only Yankees that will be participating as of now are Arod for the Dominicans and Jeter for USA. Wang,Posada and Matsui because of injuries will be told by the Yankees not to participate and it is allowed. This bodes well for the Yankees to keep most of the team together in the spring and try and mesh together with a lot of new guys, Robinson Cano should also not participate and really work hard and get himself in shape.

More Tex Pics

Big Tex in New Stadium with bat are the top 2 pictures,Tex with Hal and then with his Mom,Dad,Wife and Sister. The last 2 pics are Joe G,Tex,Hal and Cash and the last pic is of Joe G and Tex. That to me is a great pic, he is going to be like the perfect player for Joe G. If Girardi could create a perfect player this would be it.

The American Idle

I guess as long as you have a pulse someone will give you a chance. Carl Pavano signed a 1 yr contract with the Cleveland Indians for 1.5 million with 5.3 million in possible incentives. I wonder what those incentives are, boy that is a good agent, and I wonder if he will pitch against the Yankees in April when Cleveland opens up in the New Yankee Stadium. I am sure the fans will really razz him if that does happen. This country is really an amazing place, there is always someone dumb enough to give you a chance,I mean the guy pitched what 30 something times in the last 4 years.

Yankees News

The New York Yankees have signed pitcher Jason Johnson to a minor league deal. Joe Girardi says he will compete for the fifth spot in the rotation. I wonder if this is just a filler move, put pressure on Petitte? I thank the Journal News Sam Borden for reporting this and its on http://yankees.lhblogs.com This I think is more important, Shelly Duncan was designated for assignment to make room for Big Tex on the 40 man roster. Lets wish him well, i always liked him, how long do you think it will take for the Cards to sign him? According to GM Brian Cashman Phil Coke has been told to come to camp ready to be a starter. It looks like Phil Coke,Phil Hughes,Alfredo Aceves,Jason Johnson and Ian Kennedy will be competing for that 5th spot in the rotation. I dont know what to think of Coke as a starter, i mean he really did well in that role in the minor last yr and he is a young lefty but he looked really good as a relief pitcher last yr. I like having two lefties in the pen, but maybe with Marte they feel they dont need that.

A beaming Mark Teixera

Watching the press conference you can tell he really felt comfortable. He looks like a perfect Yankees and a guy Joe Girardi will love. He is hardworking, crew cut, comes from a military family. I really think it will be a pleasure watching him for the next 8 years. He is a guy who seems like he can really handle the media and pressure, he said he knows he struggles in April and if he does and they get on him, it won't bother him because he knows at the end of the year his numbers will be there.

Big Tex and his Wife Leah

This is a nice shot of Big Tex and his wife Leah. Sam Borden of the Journal News was live at the Press conference and had some interesting quotes from Hal Steinbrenner. On Andy Petitte-"They didn't like our offer and we aren't happy with what they want,anything is possible." On other owners being critical of the Yankees spending-"If some owners are upset we invest in our team, im not going to lose sleep over it." This is one of my favorite quotes, i agree who cares what anyone says, i like being the big bad Yankees a lot better then them not spending and missing the playoffs.

Big Tex Press Conference

The Yankees unveiled their newest prize today Big Tex. He is wearing number 25 the Big G old number and current manager Joe Girardis number when the Yanks won 3 out of 4 World Series. Big Tex looks and sounds like the perfect Yankee, he is great with the press, getting up there and saying fire away guys. He said the Yankees were always his first choice and that they were always involved in the process. He is the closest in distance to his family he has ever been and that was a huge thing also. Don Mattingly is his favorite player, wearing a yankee cap to orioles games because of him. Here are the quotes- "Im getting a chance to play for the greatest sports franchise in sports history" a beaming Teixera said. He gave most of the credit to his wife saying she said I just want whats best for you, go ahead and go to the Yankees. I will be posting more quotes and pics as they become available later.

MLB News and Notes

Philadelphia Phillies reliever JC Romero and Yankees minor league reliever Sergio Mitre were both suspended 50 games at the start of the 2009 season. They were suspended for positive testing for banned substances. According to Ken Rosenthal of foxsports Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher are both getting serious interest from other teams. I have said this before and I will say it again, i really think the Yanks are best served by keeping all these guys and rotating them. Gardner or Melky can be the starting CF,Nady RF,Damon LF,Swish can play RF and LF and 1B a little when those guys need to rest,they haven't had a good bench and so long and now they will. Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad passed away at age 93,im a little late with this one. Dont forget the Mark Teixera press conference is roughly 45 minutes away on both YES and the MLB network. If you go to http://yankeeslhblogs.com vote for that blog in the 2008 weblog awards. He is running behind and needs all the Yankee fans support. We can get Pete this award, come on guys.

Andy Petitte

Andy Petitte has decided to reject the Yankees 1 yr 10 million offer. There is now no outstanding offer on the table from the Yankees. I say goodriddens, if he thinks he can make more somewhere else, then go right ahead. He was 14-14 last yr with a 4.5 ERA. He just isn't worth that much anymore. Franchise Phil can be the fifth starter and the Yanks will be fine. Andy really owed it to the Yanks after putting them through the whole HGH scandal last year. This does not mean the Yanks are done with him or he is done with the Yanks but it seems less likely now and it was becoming more unlikely anyway. I would love to see what he can get out there, and watch if he cant get at least what the Yanks gave he would come crawling back, and then if I were the Yanks I would make him take even less. This is being reported on yankees.com and mlb.com

Giambi Going Home

The Yankees are going to introduce Big Tex, their new first baseman tomorrow. As they do that the Big G looks like he will be returning to the Oakland Athletics where he started his career and made a name for himself. I really do like the Big G and I think that will be good for him,he can go back to his long hair and partying ways,the Yankees had to move on for younger and a better player. I plan on having some quotes and hopefully photos regarding the press conference up tomorrow. I am really excited for this press conference, I really get a feeling that he hates the Red Sox and I hope he brings up Donnie Baseball, his idol.

Yankees First Base Review

The Yankees have Mark Teixera penciled in as the everyday first baseman. Nick Swisher could also see some time over there but probably not a whole lot. Jorge Posada could play first in a pinch but he should not be over there much at all unless something seriously goes wrong. AAA-Juan Miranda should be the starter here with Shelly Duncan,Chris Malec,Eric Duncan also possibilities. Most likely Chris Malec will be in AA. AA-Cody Ehlers should be the starter with Chris Malec also here. In the lower levels Brandon Laird is one to watch, he actually had a higher slugging percentage then Jesus Montero in Charleston last year. The Yankees really dont have much depth here as you can see and thats why I thought all along they had to sign Big Tex. I like Juan Miranda and Shelly Duncan but not as everyday players. Laird is too far away at this point and the other guys aren't really much of prospects.

Spring Training Tickets

If anyone is going down to Florida for Spring Training tickets will be going on sale on Friday at 9:00AM. I have personally been down to spring training about 3 times. The last time I went a couple years ago was just solely to go to spring training. I saw the Yankees at Legends Field,in Tampas training site,in Lakeland against Detroit. I also went down to Port St Lucie and saw the Mets, my grandmother lives about 10 minutes from the stadium. I also visited the Astros in Kissimee and I have been to Disney where the Braves are. It is a great time, sit back relax, take in some sun and just enjoy baseball, not caring about if its a win or loss. Legends Field is very difficult to get autographs, very high security for the Yanks, better off seeing them on the road. If you go to the minor league fields, behind Legends Field or across the street behind the football stadium you have a better chance, but you will mostly only get prospects there. Legends Field is a very nice stadium to see, if you haven't gone before you have to go at least once. There are plenty of games and other then the Yankees you shouldn't have a problem getting tickets, but if your going to see the Yanks hurry and get them right away or they will be gone. It really is amazing I get to talk about Spring Training already, i am so excited to get the 09 season started. It should be a great one for the Yanks. If you go to Yankees.com they have all the ticket information you need for Spring Training.

Big Names off the Board

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a 2 yr 16million dollar contract with OF Pat Burell. I think this is a very good move for them, i suspect he will mostly DH for them, and should be a nice upgrade on offense. The Chicago Cubs have agreed to terms with OF Milton Bradley for 3 yrs 30million. They have to have him pass a physical and work out some contract language and then it will be official. These two deals were being reported by Foxsports.com Ken Rosenthal. The Mets will be ramping up their efforts to sign Derek Lowe now that the holidays are over. They need to keep him away from Philly and for the Yankees sake Boston.

Baseball Vacation Over

We have reached the New Year and beyond. Today is January 5, 2009, not only do the Yankees resume business but baseball as a whole also. The Yankees will have the Big Tex press conference tomorrow at 1:00PM at the Old Stadium, which im sure will be the last event held over there before they move into the new stadium in about a month or so. I can't believe it but spring training is only 40 days away and most of baseball has a lot of work to do before then. There are about 140 unsigned free agents and im sure teams will be filling out their rosters in the next 3 weeks. The biggest guy left of course is Manny Ramirez, he probably will end up staying with the Dodgers especially now that they are clearing money by getting rid of Andruw Jones. The Yankees are pretty much done but will they come to a deal with Andy Pettite? Do they sign a middle infielder or just go with Cody Ransom? If they dont sign Pettite do they just let Hughes,Kennedy and Aceves battle it out or sign someone else to fill that spot? Will they trade any of the extra OFS? I personally hope not, they have a lot of depth for once and it will all work out. Damon and Matsui are getting older and more fragile, it is fine to have Swisher play a little first to keep Tex fresh and also mix between LF and RF to rest the other guys also. Jan 20th salary arbitration figures are to be exchanged. The only players the Yanks have in this category are Brian Bruney,Xavier Nady,Melky Cabrera. The Hall of Fame results will be announced on January 12th. It should be a happy day for Rickey Henderson and will Jim Rice finally get in?

NFL Playoffs

The Wild Card weekend has come to an end and the matchups are all set for the divisional round. The Philadelphia Eagles went into Minnesota and took care of them by a score of 26-14. They will face off against the New York Giants in the meadowlands at 1:00pm Sunday afternoon. The Arizona Cardinals took care of business at home defeating the Atlanta Falcons and setting up a date with the Carolina Panthers in Carolina on Saturday night at 8:15PM. In the AFC the San Diego Chargers defeated league MVP Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in which was probably the best game. The Chargers won in OT 23-17. The Chargers will play at Pittsburgh on Sunday at 4:45PM. The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Miami Dolphins in Miami by a score of 27-9. Baltimore will play at Tennesee on Saturday at 4:30PM. I think the Giants/Eagles can really setup as a great game. These are division rivals who know each other well. My early prediction is that the Giants will hold them off but I will have the official picks by the end of the week. I think Pittsburgh will end the Chargers streak and I think Baltimore could upset Tennesee. I also think the Panthers will defeat the Cardinals. I think next week will be a good weekend of football.

Tex to be introduced

The Yankees offices have been closed since christmas. They will be reopening tomorrow and it looks like they may be ready to unveil Big Tex on Tuesday. The Daily News was reporting this today. A interesting part of this Tex signing is that Bucky Dent Played with Tex father in high school and was reunited with him years later when Tex first came to Texas and Dent was a coach there. Bucky Dent says that Tex will thrive in NY, lets all hope so. The Yankees will be holding a clinic in Taiwan Jan 7-11 for pitchers, catchers and coaches. The taiwanese participants are all high school level. This is the Yankees largest outreach to Taiwan, of course they have the most popular guy from there in Ching Ming Wang.

Alexandra Brooke Marchese

Here is me and the newest addition to the Yankees family my precious daughter. This is the reason i have not been active with this blog in the last week or so.

Andruw Jones

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to trade or release embattled OF Andruw Jones. He has agreed to defer much of his 22million dollars left on his contract. The question I have is, if the Yankees can get him to sign a minor league deal, would it be worth taking a flier on him? I dont know if i would do it, but it could be interesting. If he comes to camp to compete with Gardner and Melky, maybe that would give them a kick in the butt and Jones cant really be as bad as he has been right? He would be motivated by a new team and he is only 32. I am just throwing this out there, what do you guys think? Peter Abraham has also posted this on his yankees.lhblogs.com blog, check it out. I would personally just let Melky and Gardner battle it out, but its worth thinking about.

Slow Baseball Month

The Florida Marlins announced today that they have signed former Yankee Scott Proctor. He was signed for 750,000 with a 250,000 incentives clause. I wish him all the luck, i am sure he will do well finally being away from Joe Torre. I expect to see him pitch less then he has in years thanks to having a manager other then Torre. A construction worker fell 12 feet today at the new stadium and got injured. It looks like he will be fine, i hope he can get some tickets for all his hard work and the trauma this caused. I dont know if anyone really payed attention and it isn't about baseball but its related. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 in the winter classic at Wrigley Field. I do think this is a really cool idea and enjoy seeing the outdoor games. I would think at some point they will probably use Citifield or Yankee Stadium but we shall see. I will remind everyone when it gets closer but I will be guest blogging on Peter Abrahams yankees.lhblogs.com blog on January 21. It is a slow month for baseball and I recommend that everyone check out the guest blogs on his site that started yesterday and run through the first week of February. Make sure you comment on the posts and dont forget about me.

Brett and the Jets

Brett Favre had his MRI and it looks like he has an excuse for his poor play at the end of the year. He had a torn biceps tendon and calcification in the area causing the pain in his shoulder. I hope Brett just bows out quickly here and doesn't play games with the Jets and their fans. They need to move on now with a new coach and get a QB for the future. It will be interesting to see who the quarterback will be if not Favre though, will they go back to Clemons or could the get Matt Cassell or draft someone? The Jets need to handle these two situations well and get that franchise going somewhere otherwise they will be the same old Jets.

Manny being Manny

Reports out of San Francisco are stating that the Giants have offered Manny a 4 year contract. There are no financial details yet, i will be sure to get them to you when I have more information. I find this interesting since the Giants do need a bat and they are used to controversial sluggers. I would think Manny would take the best deal he can get and other then the 2yrs 45million the Dodgers offered there is nothing else until now. I wonder if Manny would be as nice and fuzzy to the press out there as Barroid was.

Eric Mangini

Im a little slow getting around to this, but the Jets went ahead and fired Eric Mangini after a colossal slide to end the season. I do think he probably was deserving of a firing for not getting them into the playoffs after being 8-3 and having a very easy shedule. The question is who replaces him, Bill Cowher took himself out of the running already. They will be interviewing Steve Spagnaulo the Giants Defensive Coordinator, Rex Ryan the Baltimore Ravens Defensive Coordinator amongst others. Mike Shanahan has also been rumored since he got canned by the Denver Broncos. It will be interesting to see how this turns out. I wonder also if Brett Favre will have anything to do with any of the candidates decisions. I think its time for Favre to hang it up, and he should just decide quickly, not turn this into another fiasco like he did with Green Bay. The Jets im sure will find a way to screw this up, since well thats what they do.