The Day in Mets Camp

Here is a list of Mets pitchers for the intrasquad game on Monday, the first exhibition game will be on Tuesday. There is also a list for the first 3 exhibition games. March 1-Egbert,Everts,Blackley,Niese,Stoner,Dickey,Mejia March 2 vs Atlanta-Figueroa,Takahashi,Parnell,Dessens March 3 at Atlanta-Misch,Feliciano March 4 vs St. Louis-Dickey,Stoner Jerry Manuel said today that he doesn't believe that Kelvim Escobar will be able to contribute at the beginning of the year and may start it on the disabled list. He didn't rule out that he could start with the team but he hasn't even thrown off a mound yet, nevermind even throwing BP or in a game. There are some good pictures and video as always on Matthew Cerrones Metsblog.com which can be found at http://metsblog.com

Saturday Notes from Yankees Camp

The New York Yankees were rained out down in Tampa today. They had to get their work in, inside. They had some batting practice and pitchers throwing inside but everything was light today due to the inclement weather. Joe Girardi did announce his pitchers for the first 11 spring training games. These were just the starters and 5th starter candidates. The relievers weren't announced. Here is the list courtesy of Chad Jennings and the Lohud Yankees Blog: The first name is the starter for the day. Andy Pettitte isn't starting until March 12 but he will throw a simulated game in Tampa on March 7th. March 3 vs Pittsburgh: Chad Gaudin,Sergio Mitre,Alfredo Aceves March 4 at Philadelphia: CC Sabathia March 5 vs Tampa Bay: Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain March 6 vs Toronto: A.J. Burnett March 7 at Minnesota: Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre March 8 vs Philadelphia: Javier Vazquez-Split Squad March 8 at Pittsburgh: Alfredo Aceves March 9 vs Pittsburgh: CC Sabathia March 10 at Detroit: Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes March 11 vs Atlanta: A.J. Burnett March 12 at Washington: Andy Pettitte March 13 vs Baltimore: Javier Vazquez-Split Squad March 13 at Detroit: Undecided

Recap of the day in Mets Camp

Jenrry Mejia threw live batting practice today. He was wild but Jerry Manuel was impressed with the natural cut on his fastball. Jon Niese and R.A. Dickey also threw batting practice and according to SNY producer Matt Dunn, Niese was happy to just be throwing again. The team had a media training this morning and Darryl Strawberry, John Franco and Mookie Wilson all spoke during the meeting. The Mets announced their will be a interleague game on Monday and Nelson Figueroa will open the grapefruit league on Tuesday. Arturo Lopez has cleared waivers and will return to camp as a non roster invitee. Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News is reporting the Mets have made an offer to lefty reliever Joe Beimel. Top prospect Ike Davis is drawing a lot of buzz around camp. Jerry Manuel said today he envisions a opening day lineup of Angel Pagan, Luis Castillo,Jose Reyes,Jason Bay, David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Jeff Francouer and Rod Barajas. He said he could flip flop Bay and Wright. He said he thinks Ike Davis would best be served down in the minors. I agree with this you don't want to rush the kid, he is the first baseman of the future, you have to be patient with him and let him develop. He also said he thought Luis Castillo had a good year last year despite the dropped pop up agains the Yankees and expects him to be good this year. To see some video and photos of todays action in Port St. Lucie visit here

The Day in Tampa

There really wasn't a whole lot of news coming out of Yankees camp today. Brian Cashman did indicate that Marcus Thames have a opt out of his contract if he doesn't make the team so basically him and Jaime Hoffman are in the same position. If Hoffman doesn't make the team he has to be offered back to the Dodgers due to him being a Rule 5 pick. If thames doesn't make it he can become a free agent. Joe Girardi stated that he would have a team bonding exercise on Tuesday but wouldn't say what it was yet. He also said he knows who will start Wednesdays Grapefruit league opener and will announce that tomorrow. Joe Girardi said that he will put both Gardner and Granderson in left and center during the exhibition games. He said he knows they can both handle center but wants to see if they can handle left. Mariano Rivera and Damaso Marte will each throw a bullpen on Monday which will be their first one. Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain both threw batting practice today. Hughes threw 29 pitches getting 6 swings. Joba threw 30 pitches and got 7 swings. Chad Jennings of the Journal News said he probably would say Chamberlain had the better commnad. You really can't find out much from these sessions, during the games is when you find out a lot. Joba and Phil are both taking this competition as fun, they are friends and were joking about it today. If you want to hear some audio of them visit the http://yankees.lhblogs.com/ which is the Lohud Yankees Blog by Chad Jennings and Sam Borden. A.J. Burnett, Javier Vazquez and Wilken De La Rosa all threw bullpens today. The other pitchers who threw live batting practice other then Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes were Boone Logan, Dustin Mosely, Edwar Ramirez and Mark Melancon. The other group consisted of Kei Igawa, Zach McAllister, Ivan Nova, Kevin Whelan, Hector Noesi, Jeremy Bleich and D.J. Mitchell. There was still no sign of Chan Ho Park, maybe he will arrive tomorrow.

Down in Port St. Lucie

The New York Mets held their first official full squad workout today. Here are some of the highlights. The team had a meeting with the coaches this morning and then hit the field for the workout. The workout was focused on running the bases and defensive fundamentals. Johan Santana threw a side session and Oliver Perez, John Maine,Mike Pelfrey and Fernando Nieve all threw batting practice. Jerry Manuel talked about last year and how you have to move on. He said the team is more angry then embarrassed about last season but they have to put it behind them and move on. He said that K-rod has pink eye and is not with the team. Manuel spoke about David Wright and said he was impressed with his batting practice session today. Jerry Manuel said that Citi Field didn't have a negative impact on David Wrights power it was just one of those years. I don't buy that at all, I think he changed his swing because of the field and then got all out of whack and it just led to a down year. Jerry Manuel said he didn't get to see Oliver Perez bullpen but heard he was outstanding and this was his best yet. Jerry Manuel believes that Perez has made a concious effort to be mentally and physically ready this year. If you want to see some good pictures and some videos of the days events down in Port St. Lucie then go to http://metsblog.com This is Matthew Cerrones great Mets blog and he is down in Port St. Lucie with the team, he has videos and pictures and lots of good information so make sure you go and check it out.

A Year Later and A Different A-rod

Alex Rodriguez was under a tent last year in Tampa admitting his steroid use. He went through a very difficult press conference and then had to go to Colorado to have surgery and rehab his hip. He came back to the Yankees on May 8th and was a different person buying into the team concept. He went on to become a World Series Champion and playoff hero and now he was under the tent again this year in a very different press conference. Today was all about how last year was, how he has changed. He said he will continue to do the things he did last year and just focus on baseball. He said the taste of being a champion only leaves him hunger for more. Here are some of the quotes from his press conference today " I kind of divorced myself from the idea of numbers." This is what he said on Johnny Damon "I was just crossing my fingers, hoping he would come back." This is what he said about Derek Jeter " He was born to be a Yankee." The full audio of the press conference can be found at http://yankees.lhblogs.com/ It can also be heard at http://mlb.com/ and http://yankees.com/ The springs first live batting practices were today and basically the pitchers called out the pitches and location and for the most part the hitters just stood there. Here are the pitchers who threw batting practice and the 2 groups they were in. Field 1: Chad Guadin, Sergio Mitre,Jon Albaladejo, Royce Ring, Grant Duff and Arias Field 2: Alfredo Aceves,Jason Hirsch,Dave Robertson,Segovia,Sanchez and Sanit. They tried to mix up the outfield assignments for instance both Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson were in LF. Ramiro Pena was at second. CC Sabathia will start the second spring training game. One of the 5th starter candidates will start the opener and it won't be Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes according to Joe Girardi. He made that announcement today so it will be Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre or Alfredo Aceves.

New York Mets News from Port St. Lucie

Here is some of what Jerry Manuel the Mets manager had to say today down in Port St. Lucie. He said that reliever Pedro Feliciano is working on a cutter and feels it can be a good weapon for him. He hopes that Sean Greens prounounced submarine delievery doesn't make him a specialist. He said he doesn't know Rod Barajas well but does not about his ability to handle pitching staffs. He will wait and see how the catching competion pans out before he decides how many games Baraja will start. The Mets are looking at Hisanori Takahashi as a Darren Oliver type pitcher. That means a guy who can come in for multiple innings or they also may use him as a situational lefty. He said lastly that Fernando Nieve will be in competion for the long man out of the bullpen but he feels he is versatile enough to be a 8th inning guy or starter. There are a bunch of photos and some video diaries on http://metsblog.com Matthew Cerrone does a great job and you should check it out. Rod Baraja arrived in camp this morning and is in pretty good shape even though he just signed and pitchers and catchers have been there for a week already. He will wear number 21. Arturo Lopez was designated for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster for Barajas. Both of the new Japanese pitchers threw live batting practice today. Mets catchers today were involved in extensive drills. The drills included blocking balls in the dirt, throwing to first and second base and working on popups. The Mets full squad will officially report tomorrow although a lot of them have been down there and popping in and out.

Yankees Hold First Full Squad Workout

The New York Yankees held their first full squad workout today. The day started with Derek Jeter addressing the media. It went basically as expected with the majority of the questions being about him being in the last year of his contract. He said that this will be the only time he will talk about it all season, he won't mention it again until after the season is over. He stated this is always where he wanted to be and that is still the same. He said he can't worry about next year because he is worried about this year and what he has to do to help the team win. I know everyone wants to talk about it but it will never be an issue, the Yankees and Jeter will always be synonomous together and this will be taken care of very easily after the season is over. The workouts went pretty much as you would expect. There was 8 groups of players for batting practice, there was fielding practice and there were a few pitches who threw bullpens. Tomorrow live batting practice will begin. Joe Girardi said he expected it to get louder with the position players being around. The problem is Nick Swisher who may be the most rowdy and fun player forgot a plug to his IPOD, he said don't worry he will have it for tomorrow. Tomorrow A-rod will meet with the media in the morning. Curtis Granderson had a few things to say today. He said that he has to prepare for the roll call, " I have got to prepare for that, I got to talk to these guys to understand the full logic and understanding and concept of it all to make sure I don't mess it up." It is still a get to know you time for Granderson and he said " It is kind of like the first day of school all over again. There are a bunch of names that if you quiz me right now, I might forget them." Joe Girardi said he is very pleasant and a hard worker. He just seems like a real quality person. I will have more information later on tonight about the batting practice pairings and bullpens etc. so check back for more later. It is almost time for the games to begin and then we can really start getting into the baseball season.

Yankee Notes from Tuesday

Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain each threw 40 pitches in their bullpens today. They will throw again on Friday when they throw live batting practice to the position players. Joe Girardi said he didn't see Andy Pettittes bullpen today, he was watching the catchers throw to second. He said the main reason he was there was to see their arm strength but also to tell them not to overdo it. Damaso Marte was sporting an ice pack on his left shoulder today. He still hasn't thrown a bullpen, he said he will next week. He has thrown off flat ground. Boone Logan has decided to go to a changeup as his third pitch, he has been using a splitfinger in recent years but decided to go back to the changeup which has come back to him fairly quickly. Here are the pitchers who threw today Group 1 was Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes,Andy Pettitte and Edwar Ramirez. Group 2 was Kei Igawa,Mark Melancon, Boone Logan and Dustin Mosely. Group 3 was Zach McAllister,Ivan Nova and Kevin Whelan. Group 4 was Jeremy Bleich,Hector Noesi and D.J. Mitchell Derek Jeter will meet with the media tomorrow and Alex Rodriguez on Thursday. Joe Girardi will give his team address tomorrow morning.

Yankees Full Squad Report Day

The New York Yankees full squad had to report to spring training today. Tomorrow is the first official workout but this morning beginning at 7:30AM they took their physicals. Derek Jeter will be addressing the media tomorrow and I am sure the topic will be about his lame duck contract status. Alex Rodriguez will be meeting with the media on Thursday and then next week the games will begin. It really has been camp quiet around the Yankees and it seems like it will stay that way. Alex Rodriguez was a big controversy one year ago and now he is a World Champion and maybe had the best performance of any player in the postseason which no one could of seen coming. I am sure he is going to stick to the same routine of not saying too much and when he does it will be all about the team. He will let his baseball talent do the talking for him. Mark Teixeira did have a little to say this morning. He said that he doesn't see any reason why the Yankees can't defend their title. He also said they could be better then last year and isn't worried about complacency because this is the Yankees and we know we have to win every year. There is audio of him speaking this morning on the Lohud Yankees Blog at http://yankees.lhblogs.com I will be back with more later on today, there should be some news and notes but like I said it has been eerily quiet.

Yankees Day in Camp

Jesus Montero put on a show, he hit one ball on top of the scoreboard. He just has amazing raw power and Joe Girardi said that his offense is real mature. He also talked about how he has been improving behind the plate and they still view him as a catcher. This kid appears to be a amazing offensive machine and that is what is going to get him to the big leagues, they will figure out the rest. Montero said that he hasn't been trying to hit long homeruns, he said this " Today I found it a little bit, I tried to put a good swing on the ball and that is what happened." The other big story of the day was Posada catching A.J. Burnetts bullpen. Here is what A.J. had to say " It all went back to when I was right, if Jorge was going to catch me or not is irrelevant becasue when my mind is right then everything is a lot easier for Jorge." A.J. Burnett was blaming himself and then added everything went well today and he hopes he catches all his bullpens and starts all year. Here is what Joe Girardi had to say " I think sometimes when people talk about the relationship, they make the relationship bigger then it is, like it's what they do when they aren't in the game together." " To me it is just the understanding of the pitcher when he is on the mound that day and what you need to do. That's the relationship that you continue to learn." Here is some more of what A.J. had to say " I never questioned Jorge, never would and never did. I questioned myself and then everyone thought I questioned Jorge. He has caught in this league for a long time and I can do nothing but learn from him, so I am looking forward to it." There is audio of A.J. Burnett as well as Joe Girardi on the Lohud Yankees Blog

Some Mets News

Carlos Beltran arrived in Port St. Lucie today and spoke about being upset with the situation with the injury for about a week. He said it took him that long to get over it but he knows he has to get back with the team and help them win and everything will be ok. He is going to rehab with the team which is a good thing, he can help some of the younger guys. He said there is now no pain in the knee and he is positive and happy with how the surgery went. Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated is saying that Jerry Manuel isn't kidding and until Carlos Beltran comes back Jose Reyes will be batting third. Jenrry Menjia who is a 20 year old kid is drawing buzz today. He threw yesterday and they said he has an electric arm. Jerry Manuel wouldn't rule him out to be the 8th inning guy. I think it is wrong to rush him, he hasn't pitched above double A and he did struggle there some, he is also a starter and could be a top of the rotation guy. Jerry Manuel felt that K-rod threw well today in his bullpen, he said he had a life on his pitches. He said that Kelvim Escobar hasn't been cleared to do anything other then pitchers fielding practice and light workouts which he has been doing. He said that if Beltran wasn't injured Reyes batting third wouldn't be an issue. He also said he spoke with Beltran but only about how he was doing as a person, he will later discuss how he is doing physically.

Yankees sign Chan Ho Park and Damon formally introduced in Detroit

The New York Yankees have signed right handed pitcher Chan Ho Park. He played for the Phillies last season and Brian Cashman said he had been talking to his agent all winter long. He is being signed as a bullpen guy and will receive 1.2 million for one year. It is a move that came out of nowhere and is a little curious because of all the guys the Yankees have like Alfredo Aceves, Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre and the younger guys. Cashman said you can never have enough pitching even though he wouldn't specifically say that Park has signed. I guess he is right in that you can never have enough pitching and he pitched well out of the pen for the Phillies but it still is a curious move. I am guessing that Sergio Mitre will be the one to go now but I guess we will see what happens. They have to clear a 40 man spot before Park can be officially signed. Johnny Damon is about to be introduced as a Detroit Tiger at 2:00PM. He signed with Detroit for one year and 8 million. The Yankees had offered him 2 yrs and 14 million, he said all along he wanted to stay but he badly overplayed his hand and this is what happened, they were the last team standing that even offered him anything. I guess he decided there is nothing else left to wait for I just have to take this deal and hope it works out. I think Damons power numbers will go down in spacious Comerica Park and his defense which isn't great to begin with will also be hurting in that park but I like him and wish him well. I just think he made a dumb move and it will end up costing him.

Weekend Notes from Yankees Camp

Javier Vazquez asked to throw on Sunday and was allowed to do so. I know you may ask why I am saying that well all the Yankees starters have been held back because of their workloads last season. He said though that he was throwing in Puerto Rico and hadn't thrown in about a week and a half and wanted to get back out there. There wasn't much excitement in camp on Sunday, it was expected that Johnny Damon would be a hot topic but there wasn't much said about him signing yesterday for 1 year and 8 million with the Detroit Tigers. The people that did speak about him like Joe Girardi wished him well. I still think that he overplayed his hand and should of come back to the Yankees for 2 years but that is his fault. Almost all of the pitchers have now thrown 2 bullpens and with the exception of Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes are up to 40 pitches. They have only been throwing fastballs and changeups but will now start throwing their breaking pitches. Chad Jennings heard a lot of good things about Andrew Brackman who was one of the Yankees top picks a couple of years ago. Nardi Contreras who is the roving pitching instructor had some good things to say. If you want to check out more on that you can visit http://yankees.lhblogs.com. Brett Gardner was in the clubhouse for a little while today and sat talking with relief pitcher Kevin Whelan. It is not known what they were discussing. The pitchers who threw today were in Group 1 Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Javier Vazquez and Edwar Ramirez. Group 2 was Mark Melancon, Boone Logan, Mosely and Christian Garcia. Group 3 was Kei Igawa, Zach McAllister, Ivan Nova and Kevin Whelan. The last group was Jeremy Bleich, Andrew Brackman, Mitchell and Noesi. The position players are reporting on Tuesday and then Wednesday is the first full squad workout. March 3rd is the first game so things will start heating up after tomorrow and there will be more news coming out of Tampa. It has been very quiet for the Yankees but that should be expected after a World Series Championship and not much else going on.