New York Yankees lose final spring game to the Detroit Tigers

 The New York Yankees were defeated by the Detroit Tigers on Monday afternoon.  The game took place at 

George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida and the final score was 5-2.  It was the final spring game

as the Yankees headed north after to begin the season on Thursday afternoon in the Bronx.  Domingo

German started for the Yankees and he pitched well.  Giancarlo Stanton hit a double and Thairo Estrada

hit a homerun.  

German pitched four innings giving up four hits and two runs with four strikeouts.  He lost his first game

of the spring.  Chad Green pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and three runs with a walk and a

strikeout, Darren O'Day pitched to one batter and got him out and Jonathan Loaisiga pitched a perfect 

inning and he struck out one.  Michael King pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts, Luis Gil 

pitched a perfect inning, striking out the side and Reggie McClain pitched an inning with a walk and 

two strikeouts.  

Jose Urena pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up a hit and a run with five walks and three strikeouts.  Urena

won his second game of the spring.  Derek Holland pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and he struck

out three, Jose Cisnero pitched an inning with two strikeouts and Buck Farmer pitched an inning

giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout.  Miguel Dan RBI and Aaron Hicks had a hit and drew a walk.

Stanton had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Ezequielel Pozo pitched an inning giving up a hit.  

Gleyber Torres drew a walk, Estrada had a hit and  Ezequial Duran had a hit.  Jay Bruce drew a walk,

Clint Frazier drew a walk and Stanton hit a double and Estrada hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 

1-5 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.  

Victor Reyes had two hits, Daz Cameron drew a walk and Miguel Cabrera had two hits and three RBI.  

Harold Castro had a hit, Dustin Garneau drew a walk and Akil Baddoo had a hit and two RBI.  

Castro and Reyes each hit a double and Baddo and Cabrera each hit a homerun.  The Tigers were 1-7

with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.  Short had a stolen base and Ramos 

committed an error.  

In the first Stanton hit an RBI double to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.  In the second Baddoo hit a 

two-run homerun to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.  In the fifth Cabrera hit a three-run homerun to push the

Tigers lead to 5-1.  In the bottom of the eighth Estrada hit a solo homerun cutting the lead to 5-2 but

that would be the final score.  

The Yankees will fly home to New York to begin the regular season on Thursday afternoon against

the Toronto Blue Jays.  

New York Giants prepare for season opener on Wednesday night

Just six days before they host the Dallas Cowboys, the Giants today reached the 53-man regular-season roster limit and the lists of the players let go and those remaining included the usual assortment of minor surprises. Friday was the final cut down day and the setting of the roster as it will look on Wednesday for the regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys at home.  This came courtesy of Giants.com and I added a couple of my own thoughts also. 

Terrell Thomas the fifth-year cornerback, and Shaun Rogers the 12-year veteran defensive tackle, were placed on injured reserve. D.J. Ware and Greg Jones were cut.
The Giants had to make 22 moves to get down to 53. In addition to placing Terrell Thomas and Rogers on IR, here’s what they did:

*Cornerback Bruce Johnson was waived/injured.

*Besides Ware’s, the contracts of four other veterans were terminated: cornerback Dante Hughes defensive tackle Marcus Thomaswide receiver Isaiah Stanback and offensive lineman Chris White.

*Thirteen players were waived: Jones, wide receivers David Douglas and Dan DePalma defensive ends Craig Marshall and Matt Broha defensive tackle Dwayne Hendricks linebacker Jake Muasau tight end Larry Donnell offensive linemen Matt McCants, Selvish Capers and Stephen Goodin quarterback Ryan Perrilloux and defensive back Laron Scott.

*Safety Tyler Sash has begun serving his four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Sash can rejoin the team on Oct. 1.

“It’s always difficult to release players that have been here and have really worked hard and have earned our respect and our admiration,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “Those are guys like Dwayne Hendricks, who I have great respect for, and DePalma, who has worked hard for us for a couple of years and has done a good job. Isaiah Stanback is another guy who has done an outstanding job here and worked hard and really gained our respect.” It is tough but they have to let a certain number of guys go.

“Greg Jones was a very difficult decision to make,” Coughlin said. “Danny Ware was here for a while and any time you have those relationships with people, it’s tough to see them go. Fortunately, these are men and they understand that decisions have to be made.”


The current makeup of the team includes 16 players (30.2 percent) who were not on the 53-man roster when the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5. The list includes five 2012 draft choices (Wilson, Randle, Hosley, Robinson and Kuhn); four veteran free agents (Bennett, Rivers, Locklear and Stevie Brown); Andre Brown (a 2009 Giants draft choice) and Tracy (a 2010 selection) who were on the practice squad for the entire 2011 season; Austin, who spent last season on injured reserve; Hill, a first-year free agent, and Ojomo, a rookie free agent; and Tryon and Coe, cornerbacks who played for the Giants last year before going on injured reserve.

“The roster turnover is always about one-third in my mind,” Coughlin said. “I don’t think the guys that have been here are turnover guys. They were on the team and they were injured. They have experience with us and I think that’s the way to look at it.”

Ojomo arrived at camp as a relative unknown – he started only 14 games at the University of Miami – but was relentless in his play and led the Giants with 4.0 sacks in the preseason.

“There is a perfect example of a young man for whom preparation meant opportunity and he succeeded,” Coughlin said. “He worked and he worked and he worked and he enjoyed playing. He got confident. He sized up the opponent and he made timely, timely plays throughout the entire preseason. He played on special teams. He earned the opportunity to have his spot.”

The Giants can still reshape their roster prior to the opener. But that might be less likely this year than in other seasons, because they play on Wednesday, four days before most teams begin their season.

Some of the players who were waived will be asked to join the eight-man practice squad, which the Giants can begin constructing at noon tomorrow.

Terrell Thomas and Rogers had held out hope that they would avoid injured reserve and be able to play this season.

Thomas spent the entire 2011 on I.R. after tearing his right ACL in a preseason game vs. Chicago on Aug. 22. He entered training camp last month looking to regain his starting right cornerback job but aggravated the repaired knee early in camp. Thomas said he expected to play this year, but the Giants believe that is not possible and placed him on injured reserve.

Rogers was diagnosed with a blood clot after the preseason opener in Jacksonville three weeks ago. Coughlin initially said Rogers would miss the entire season, then expressed a glimmer of hope he might get back on the field. That hope ended today.

Ware was the longest-tenured player who was released. He had been with the team since 2007 and earned two Super Bowl rings. But the Giants chose to keep Scott and Andre Brown behind Bradshaw and Wilson.

“There was good competition at that running back spot,” Coughlin said. “Andre Brown and Da’Rel Scott have both earned the right and they’ve both proven that they can be special teams contributors as well, which is what we were looking for.”

Ware was signed by the Giants off the Jets’ practice squad on Dec. 4, 2007. In five seasons he played in 45 regular-season games with one start and played in four postseason games with one start. Ware’s regular-season totals included 81 rushing attempts for 324 yards (4.0-yard avg.) and one touchdown, 37 receptions for 252 yards and 25 kickoff returns for 486 yards (19.4-yard avg.). Ware has also scored twice on 2-point conversions. In the postseason, Ware had four rushing attempts for 10 yards and two receptions for 21 yards.

In 2011, Ware played in all 16 regular-season games for the first time with one start and played in all four postseason games with one start. He had career-high totals of 46 rushing attempts for 163 yards – both third on the team – with a long run of 17 yards, and 27 catches for 170 yards with a long reception of 22 yards.

Jones was a sixth-round draft choice in 2011, when he played in every game as a rookie, with five starts. He finished the regular season with 25 defensive tackles (22 solo) and six special teams tackles (four solo). In the postseason, he led the Giants with seven special teams tackles (six solo). Jones was the only Giants rookie to start the season opener at Washington on Sept. 11. He had four solo tackles, including one on the game’s first play. Jones was the first Giants rookie linebacker to start on opening day since Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor in 1981, the first defensive rookie to start an opener since tackle Barry Cofield in 2006 and the first rookie to start since tight end Michael Matthews in 2007. He also started the following week vs. St. Louis but his playing time diminished as the season wore on.

“There were a lot of numbers issues (at different positions) and you can’t keep everybody,” Coughlin said. “You don’t like to let a guy go that has played and contributed and done the things that Greg has done. However, the unfortunate part about it is you only have so many spots.”

Also waived was this year’s sixth-round draft choice, McCants, the tackle from Alabama-Birmingham. The team’s fourth-round selection, offensive lineman Brandon Mosley, was placed on injured reserve earlier this week with an ankle injury.

Stanback was signed on Nov. 30, 2011 to the Giants’ practice squad and spent the rest of the regular season and the postseason there. He caught three passes for 26 yards in the preseason and made the highlight play of the summer when he reached high to make a one-handed catch of a David Carr pass for a five-yard touchdown in Jacksonville.

Marcus Thomas, who played the previous five seasons for the Denver Broncos, was signed on August 16 after the Giants suffered a spate of injuries at defensive tackle. He recovered a fumble by New England’s Brian Hoyer Wednesday night to set up Lawrence Tynes’ game-winning field goal in the Giants’ 6-3 victory.

Hughes is a six-year veteran who was signed on May 24. He previously played for Indianapolis and San Diego.

White was in training camp with the Giants in 2011. He was let go in the final cutdown last year and re-signed on Feb. 13. White has previously played for Green Bay, Houston and Seattle.

Johnson, who hurt his shoulder last week and missed the preseason finale, was waived/injured. He missed the entire 2011 season after tearing his Achilles tendon in training camp. In 2010, Johnson was placed on I.R. after six games when he injured his knee.

Hendricks was on the Giants’ practice squad each of the last three seasons. In 2011, he was signed to the active roster on Oct. 15 and played in one game, at New England on Nov. 6.

Perrilloux was in training camp with the Giants in 2011. He was waived and re-signed to the practice squad 13 times during the regular season and postseason. This preseason, he completed eight of nine passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

Marshall was with the Giants in training camp last year and did two short stints on their practice squad in November. He had 2.5 sacks in the just-concluded preseason.

Broha, a rookie free agent from Louisiana Tech, was second on the team with 3.5 sacks in the preseason.

Muasau was a rookie free agent from Georgia State. He was signed after impressing the coaches while attending the rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. Muasau finished the preseason with three tackles after missing the opener with a hamstring injury.

Douglas was a free agent from Arizona who impressed early in training camp. But he was slowed by a quad injury that kept him out of the preseason opener. Douglas finished the preseason with one 23-yard reception and four punt returns for just two yards.

DePalma spent the entire 2011 season on the Giants’ practice squad and was signed to the active roster on Feb. 8. In the preseason, he caught three passes for 46 yards.

Donnell was a free agent from Grambling. He did not have a reception in the preseason.

Capers was signed to the Giants’ practice squad on Sept. 5, 2011 and was waived and re-signed to the squad nine times in the regular season and postseason.

Goodin was a rookie free agent from Nebraska-Kearney.

Scott was signed on Aug 16, soon after his release by the New Orleans Saints

The New York Yankees defeat the New York Mets in final spring training game

The New York Yankees defeated the New York Mets by the score of 8-3 on Wednesday afternoon. The game took place in Tampa, Florida. The Mets and Yankees both started their regulars but they didn’t stay in the game too long. The Yankees started Freddy Garcia and the Mets Dillon Gee. They both pitched pretty well with Gee pitching better. Eduardo Nunez, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Francisco Cervelli and Brett Gardner all had hits for the Yankees. Daniel Murphy and Ike Davis each had two hits for the Mets. 
Garcia pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up four hits and three runs with two walks and four strikeouts. Clay Rapada faced a couple of batters and walked one and struck out the other. Andy Pettitte appeared in his first game and pitched a scoreless inning giving up a hit, Dave Robertson pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk with three strikeouts and Cory Wade got the win pitching an inning giving up a hit. Gee was the only pitcher of note for the Mets. He pitched five innings giving up four hits and one unearned run. He walked one batter and struck out five.

Nunez had a hit, Curtis Granderson drew a walk and Cano had a hit for the Yankees. Rodriguez had a hit, Bill Hall drew a walk and Cervelli had a hit and two RBI. Cervelli was upset after the game as he was optioned to AAA Scranton. The Yankees traded pitcher George Kontos for veteran catcher Chris Stewart, they put Stewart on the roster as the backup catcher. Gardner also had a hit. Cervelli hit a homerun, the Yankees were 2-11 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. Gardner had a stolen base and Wade made an error.

Torres drew a walk for the Mets. Murphy had two hits, Wright drew a walk and Davis had two hits and three RBI. Jason Bay drew a walk. Davis had a homerun, the Mets were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Turner had a stolen base and Vaughn was caught stealing. Wright, Sandoval and Muno each had an error. The Mets will open their season on Thursday afternoon at home against the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees will open their season on Friday afternoon in Tampa against the Rays.

New York Yankees Sunday night notes

Here are the Sunday night notes as Spring training winds down and we get ready for Opening Day on Friday afternoon.  Chad Jennings has the notes from the Lohud Yankees blog with my opinion in here as well.  The MLB season will start on Wednesday, the Mets on Thursday and the Yankees on Friday. 

CC Sabathia hasn’t had a particularly good spring. It’s absurd to get too caught up in spring numbers with a guy like him, but tonight’s four-inning, three-run start left him with an even 5.00 ERA for the spring. He’s allowed 21 hits in 18 innings, and today his fastball command was sloppy.  I never worry about the veterans because they have a track record and also they know what they have to do to get ready for the season. 

“Usually I’m not that bad,” he said. “Today, I was bad. I’ll work hard in my bullpen to make sure I’m getting my fastball where it needs to go. … It’s always a worry for me. That’s always the biggest issue for me; fastball command. It wasn’t there today, but that’s no reason for me to feel like it won’t be there Friday.”

“He also probably didn’t say he doesn’t feel great today either,” Joe Girardi said. “He’s physically a little bit under the weather. I think it’ll be there when the bell rings, I really do. Guys probably want to have a good tune up and feel great, but there’s a different adrenaline that comes during the regular season, and I have a feeling it will be there.”

Sabathia came into camp as the Yankees Opening Day starter, and short of an injury, there was nothing that could have happened in the past month to change that. For some guys, spring struggles send up a red flag. For Sabathia, until proven otherwise, it’s just a note along the way.

“I’ll be ready on Friday,” Sabathia said. “Would I like to have had more success? Sure. But my pitches are doing what they’re supposed to. I’m ready."

 Nick Swisher admitted that he didn’t go all out for a foul ball down the right field line, but that was according to plan. Swisher’s been told to be smart about his sore groin these last few days. “I would not say I’m 100 percent,” he said. “But I’m close.”  I would agree with that, in spring training there is no reason to go all out if not 100 percent.  Friday is a different story, then he needs to go all out as it counts. 

Swisher said he doesn’t feel anything when he swings or when he’s running in a straight line, but he’s still a little cautious when he has to cut and turn. His timing is “absolutely” ready for Opening Day, and his 2-for-3 afternoon (including a home run) seemed to be proof. “I felt great, man,” he said. “I’ve been itching to get back in the lineup. Today I just felt like a little kid out there.”

 Dave Robertson said he feels good, and he’s scheduled to pitch tomorrow after taking two days off. His last outing spanned two innings at the minor league complex.

Maybe there’s a reason Mariano Rivera never goes on the road in spring training. He played today and gave up a run in the fifth inning. It was Rivera’s first earned run in a spring training game since 2008, ending a streak of 28 spring innings without one.  I think it is just coincidence but it is kind of funny. 

 Apparently the Marlins had some problem with the roof last night and the infield got soggy, which made it play like “sand” according to Swisher. Alex Rodriguez also said it wasn’t perfectly normal. If you saw some guys running a little slower than usual, that’s probably why.

 On the whole, players seemed impressed by this place. No one had a bad word to say about it. Even the bad infield was seen as more of a fluke that a problem. “Fair. Normal,” Girardi said of the way the park played. “The ball seemed to carry to left field a little bit and they said it really carries when the roof is opened, and I think it will be open tomorrow night as long as we don’t have any weather issues. I’d kind of like to see it both ways, and we’ll get that opportunity. It’s a nice ballpark.”

Derek Jeter had two hits today and is batting .342 for the spring. … Raul Ibanez continued his late-spring surge with a double. His average is up to .167, a jump of well over 100 points from where it was not so long ago. … Swisher hit the only Yankees home run, but Jeter, Ibanez, Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner, Eduardo Nunez, Bill Hall and Eric Chavez all doubled in the game. … Doug Bernier wound up at first base and made an error on an awkward play. He’s rarely played there, and I find that utility infielders always talk about how much harder it is to play first base than it might seem. Some plays there are just a little bit awkward and unlike any other position.

 Rivera, Rafael Soriano and Cory Wade each gave up runs out of the Yankees bullpen. The only Yankees pitchers to go without a run were George Kontos (1.1 innings) and Juan Cedeno (.2 innings), who closed out the game. Kontos got the win and Cedeno got the save.

 Rodriguez was asked whether this new ballpark, had it been built a few years ago, might have tempted him to sign with the Marlins. “I really, really love living here,” he said. “I love playing in New York.”

The New York Mets lose 9-2 to the Tigers

The New York Mets were defeated by the Detroit Tigers by the score of 9-2. The game was on Sunday afternoon in Port St. Lucie, Florida. R.A. Dickey started for the Mets and pitched well and Daniel Herrera and Jon Rauch didn’t pitch so well in relief. The Mets managed two hits on the day. 
Dickey pitched four innings giving up three hits and one run with three strikeouts. Herrera got charged with a blown save and a loss. He pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up four hits and five runs with two walks, Rauch pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up four hits and three runs with a walk. Josh Edgin pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up one hit and striking out three and Erik Turgeon pitched one inning giving up one hit.

Ruben Tejada and Daniel Murphy each drew a walk and so did David Wright. Ike Davis had a hit and two RBI, Jason Bay drew a walk and Lucas Duda had a hit. Mike Nickeas drew a walk, Davis had a homerun. The Mets were 0-3 with runners in scoring position and they left six men on base.

The Mets record fell to 7-19 in the grapefruit league. The Mets will play in Orlando against the Braves tomorrow afternoon at 12 noon. They will then take on the New York Yankees in a home and home series to cap off the grapefruit league. They will open up the regular season on Thursday afternoon at home against the Atlanta Braves. Johan Santana will make the start on Thursday.

Yankees News and Notes as the season nears

The New York Yankees announced their rotation on Saturday with Ivan Nova winning the fourth starter position and Freddy Garcia the fifth position. Bartolo Colon despite outpitching Garcia will be in the bullpen. He is the longman and spot starter although Joe Girardi envisions him being like Alfredo Aceves a guy who can do multiple things like pitching an inning or two or long relief or spot starting. Sergio Mitre was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday for outfielder Chris Dickerson. The Yankees feel they don't have great outfield depth and this would help. Dickerson in his first game on Saturday went 3-3 but he came out of the game with what they think is cramps. He was better on Sunday but they still don't know for sure what is bothering him. The Yankees lost to the Minnesota Twins 7-6 on Sunday but Robinson Cano and Austin Romine each hit a homerun. The only guy who pitched who may be on the Yankees this season is Steve Garrison. The only reason he has a chance is because Pedro Feliciano is almost certainly beginning the year on the DL. The Yankees haven't announced their backup catcher, backup infielder and utility guys yet but they are expected to do so on Monday. It is expected to be Eric Chavez, Eduardo Nunez and Gustavo Molina. Francisco Cervelli should be returning in the beginning of May and Molina will hold the fort until then. Montero will be in AAA and Romine in AA and continue to develop, they are both young guys and the future at that position why rush them. The Yankees still don't know Curtis Granderson status but it looks like he may not have to go on the DL. If he doesn't that would be a good thing even if he can't start on Opening Day. Joe Girardi said he still isn't sure about the lineup, he is still thinking about it and won't know until Thursday what he is going to do. It seems that Romulo Sanchez may be traded, stay tuned on that one. The Yankees announced they will be doing their third annual Hope Week again this year. It will take place in July and they had a little girl today at the game that saved another girl from drowning. It is a great week that they have produced the last couple of years and it will continue.

Mets release Oliver Perez

The New York Mets finally released Oliver Perez. It was a long time coming and a move that Mets fans everywhere are embracing. They have now gotten rid of Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez in a span of three days. They were probably the two most hated Mets over the last few years. The Mets new regime is trying to start fresh and get their guys in. They still have the Madoff mess hanging over their heads but at least the team is trying to head in a new direction. The Mets won Monday on a walk-off single by Luis Hernandez who Terry Collins wants as his second baseman. No one has been able to claim that job because no one has impressed. They won the game 8-7 over the Atlanta Braves. The Mets will name a second baseman soon and probably place Carlos Beltran on the disabled list because it is now 11 days away from Opening day in Florida against the Marlins and I don't think there is any way he could be ready by then. The Mets have to be encouraged by what they have seen from their pitching. Jason Isringhausen though has a sore elbow which isn't good but they don't believe it is a big problem and he should only miss a couple of days. The Mets will hold their breath because it looks like he could become their eighth inning guy. The Mets will travel to Lakeland which is a long 2 1/2 hour trip to play the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday afternoon. They will bring most of their regulars as the season draws near and they want them playing together.

Regular Season Game 6-Nationals at Mets

The New York Mets and Washington Nationals will play the rubber game of their 3 game series. The Mets won the first game on Friday night and the Nationals won yesterday. Here are the pregame notes and lineups for todays game. Mets Lineup: Reyes(SS) Cora(2B) Wright(3B) Bay(LF) Jacobs(1B) Francoeur(RF) Matthews Jr.(CF) Barajas(C) Santana(P) Nationals Lineup: Morgan(CF) Taveras(RF) Guzman(2B) Dunn(1B) Willingham(LF) Desmond(SS) Nieves(C) A. Kennedy(3B) Hernandez(P) Sean Green was put on the disabled list and left hander Raul Valdez was brougt up. To make room on the 40 man roster Clint Everts was designated for assignment. Jeff Francoeur has collected at least one hit in each of the teams first 5 games. He is hitting 444 on the season. Fernando Nieve became the first Mets player to pitch in all 4 games to begin a season. Doug Sisk pitched in the Mets first 3 games to start the 1985 season. Johan Santana since joining the Mets has the second lowest April era in the majors. His era is 2.13, Zack Greinke has the lowest at 1.28.

Jose Reyes is Back

The New York Mets received good news today when they found out that Jose Reyes will be rejoining them in Florida. His thyroid levels have gone down and he is able to resume baseball activities starting tomorrow. It is not known right now when he will be able to get into a game and if he will be ready for opening day but for the Mets this is a good day. The fact that he is back is a good sign because I know when I heard 2-8 weeks I figured it would be the latter and who knows with the Mets. If Reyes doesn't start the season with the team he should be ready not too long after. The Mets did play a game today and defeated the Atlanta Braves by the score of 7-6. Oliver Perez made the start for the Mets and was his typical wild self. He pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits. He walked 4 and struck out 3. Jenrry Mejia was working on back to back days and looked good. He pitched a scoreless inning, Ryota Igarashi also pitched a scoreless inning. Bobby Parnell pitched a inning giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 1 strikeout. Sean Green pitched 1 inning giving up 1 hit, 2 runs and 1 walk. Alex Cora was 1-4 and Luis Castillo was 1-2 with 2 walks. Mike Jacobs was 1-1 with 2 rbi, David Wright drew a walk and Jason Bay was 1-4 with a rbi. Jeff Francoeur was 1-2 with a rbi and 2 walks, Gary Matthews Jr. was 2-4 with a rbi. The Mets will take on the Houston Astros tomorrow at Tradition Field at 1:10PM. Here are some notes and quotes from todays postgame. Jerry Manuel had this to say about Jose Reyes "I couldn't give you a timetable, but it sure is good to have him back." Here is what he said about a question of Reyes batting third. "We need Jose for the majority of the baseball season. We can't get caught up in opening day lineups." He talked about Jenrry Mejia and said he wouldn't start out as the 8th inning guy if he makes the team. Here is what he said "I'm comfortable with him and his adrenaline. It was good that he was able to pitch the way he did today, very impressive."

Grapefruit League Game 15-Mets at Red Sox

Mike Pelfrey will make the start for the Mets this afternoon. He has not won a game yet and has a 9 era, it is his second start against the Red Sox this spring. Here are some of the pregame media notes. The Mets will wear Green hats today in honor of St. Patricks Day. The Mets have hit 13 homeruns over their last 8 games and 21 this spring which is most in the majors. The Mets hit the least amount last season. David Wright has 3 homeruns this spring, he had 10 all of last season. Bobby Parnell,Kiko Calero,Jenrry Mejia, Tobi Stoner and Elmer Dessens are all schedule to pitch or available today. Here is the Mets lineup for todays game; Pagan(CF) Cora(SS) Matthews Jr.(CF) Murphy(1B) Tatis(3B) Catalanotto(DH) Santos(C) Martinez(LF) Tejada(2B) The lineup is courtesy of Matthew Cerrone and his great Metsblog.com.

Yanks Game Rained Out

The New York Yankees game tonight against the Atlanta Braves was rained out. There really wasn't any news coming out of Tampa. A.J. Burnett threw a simulated game indoors tonight to make up for him not being on the mound tonight. There were some changes in the travel roster for tomorrows game which is also weather permitting. Here are the changes in the travel roster for tomorrow: Dave Robertson, Royce Ring and Jonathan Albaladejo have been added. Wilkens Arias,D.J. Mitchell, Christian Garcian and Zach Segovia were taken off of the list. Mariano Rivera is scheduled to get in his first game next Tuesday. The Yankees will get a chance to see old friends Brian Bruney and Chien-Ming Wang tomorrow. Tonight was supposed to be the first of 6 night games this spring for the Yankees. That should be it for tonight, I will be back at it tomorrow hopefully. If the game tomorrow is called it will be early in the morning and I will have that info up. It stinks for the people who were supposed to go to the game because you can't make it up, it isn't like the regular season.

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.

New Jersey Nets Week in Review

I know you are all thinking what is going on here with the basketball but I am getting a little help from a friend. I will reveal that information soon enough but for now I am going to be posting some basketball stuff for you NBA fans out there and to bring something else to the blog, to digress a little from baseball but of course I will continue to have daily coverage of the Mets and Yankees do don't worry for those not interested in basketball. Here is the recap of the New Jersey Nets week. The great news for the Nets was that they won a game this week. They also lost a game but who cares. They beat the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night by the score of 104-93. It was the second time this season they have beaten Charlotte. It is pretty amazing considering they are 5-49 on the season. Courtney Lee was the high scorer for the Nets with 21 points. Brook Lopez scored 16 points before fouling out. Everything was back to normal again the next night when the Nets returned to their losing ways. Miami handed them a 87-84 loss at the Meadowlands. Dwayne Wade was injured in the first quarter and did not return to the game. Despite his absence the Nets were not able to take advantage. New Jersey had a 80-74 lead with 5 minutes left but Miami finished with a 13-4 run to close out the game. The Nets are now 5-49 and a embarrassing 29 1/2 games out of first place in the division. They are 22 games out of a playoff spot and what can you say except there is always the lottery and next season.

New York Mets report to Camp

The New York Mets seem to be quiet a chatty bunch early on. Johan Santana met with the media today and when asked who the best pitcher in the NL East is he said Johan Santana. You have to remember that Roy Halladay is in the NL East now also. He also said that he expects the Mets to win the World Series just like David Wright had said yesterday. The Mets are coming off a terrible year which was preceded by 2 epic collapses to miss the playoffs. I wonder if this is a new attitude because of all the losing, they decided to be cocky and arrogant and maybe it will rub off on everyone. They have to remember the best way to get people to forget about the dissappointments is to win. They just have to get on the field and win ballgames and then no one will care about anything else. Johan Santana said that he spoke to Oliver Perez who is mentally prepared this year, he said he didn't have that last year. That is a big problem, to me this is your livlihood shouldn't you always be mentally prepared?? The Daily News has a video of Oliver Perez throwing a bullpen. Jose Reyes did a interview with Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. He said that he doesn't want to go anywhere and isn't thinking about his contract. He will earn 9 million this season and the Mets have a 11 million dollar option for next season. He said right now he just wants to go out on the field and do his job to help the team win. He said he wants to finish his career as a Met. Reyes is a huge key for the Mets this season, when he goes the team goes, he has to stay healthy and tone it down a little bit and produce. It looks like he will take on more of a leadership role this season which the team really needs.

Some random notes for a quiet Saturday

I can't believe I forgot about this yesterday but the San Francisco Giants and Tim Lincecum avoided arbitration. He signed a 2 year deal for 23 million. It would of been really interesting to see what would of happened in arbitration and coming out of it. It is good they settled though for him and the team. The Yankees apparently have targeted a cuban defector as the successor to Derek Jeter at shortstop. Here is the story from George King of the New York Post. The Yankees have gone down this road before with El Duque who had great success with the Yankees. They also had Jose Contreras who was not as good as they thought and Juan Miranda who has been good in the minors but has not made it to the majors regularly yet. They also bombed out with Adrian Hernandez and Andy Morales. We will see what happens but usually if the Yankees want someone they will get him. Scott Richmond of the Toronto Blue Jays suffered a shoulder injury while preparing for spring training. He was hoping to make the rotation, he will now be behind the other pitchers due to this injury. The Washington Nationals have interest in veteran right hander Kris Benson. He hasn't pitched a full season since 2006 when he was with the Orioles. His wife is the more famous one, Anna Benson who once said that if she caught him cheating she would sleep with the whole team he was on. His agent is saying he is now 100 percent healthy and had a good workout in front of several teams. This will probably be the extent of the blogging today as it is really quiet. We will get heated up though starting on Wednesday with pitchers and catchers. Everyone take a deep breath and relax and then lets get going with the Baseball season finally. I hope everyone will comment and start discussions on here as we go through spring training and then the season. I welcome any and all suggestions even if they are against me or a criticism. Just remember to keep it clean and I will get back to everyone. I almost forgot to I had a article published on www.numberonebaseball.com this morning. It is a 2010 season preview for the Yankees. I also did one for the New York Mets but I am not sure when that will be published. Please check it out and also read me on that website and keep coming back here for more news and insight, I thank you for all the support and continued support.

5 days until Pitchers and Catchers

This is the worst time of the year, there isn't much going on and pitchers and catchers are about to report. It feels like 5 days is 5 months and it can't come soon enough. Pitchers and catchers is just a symbolic thing and then they work out for about a week or so before the other players show up. There still won't be any actual games until the first week of March but still it is something, baseball is back. Here is some baseball news to hold you over until next week. It looks like the Johnny Damon saga could be ending soon. It appears it is down to the Tigers and White Sox. I would guess he ends up with Detroit by Monday or Tuesday. Brian Cashman was speaking at a university yesterday and had some interesting things to say. He said he told Scott Boras and Johnny Damon he wouldn't fight for a contract to Hal Steinbrenner unless he knew they would sign it. He then said that he was expecting Johnny to get a Bobby Abreu type contract and if he didn't he should of been a Yankee and that isn't the Yankees fault. A really interesting thing Cashman said is prior to one of the World Series games he was talking to the Tigers GM. This is where the root of the Granderson trade came from, Dave Dombrowski was like dude you have a game at 8 and Cash said yeah but my work is done I have to start thinking about next season. Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News is already down in Tampa and has been blogging about the workouts at the minor leage complex. He wrote in his blog today that Brett Gardner has shown up and has long hair, at least for him. Joba Chamberlain, Francisco Cervelli, Boone Logan, Dave Robertson, Alfredo Aceves and some minor leaguers are all there.

Where will the Damon story end?

The New York Yankees and Johnny Damon seemingly came to a bitter end with a painful divorce the other day. The Yankees signed Randy Winn and confirmed that Damon would not be coming back. The thing is usually when you have a bitter parting of ways there is anger, resentment, talking bad about each other etc. GM Brian Cashman was on the Yankees Hot Stove Show last night on the Yes Network and said that he wanted Damon back but it just didn't work out, he said he just hopes wherever he winds up it isn't for what he could of stayed a Yankee for. Johnny Damon was on WFAN this afternoon with Mike Francessa and said his heart is in NY and even floated the idea of returning to the Yankees in midseason via a trade. He said if not by a trade then maybe resigning with them at a later date. I just don't understand this whole thing. If both sides really wanted each other then they should of made it work. I am not one of those that thinks this is devestating for the Yankees. I like Johnny Damon a lot, I always have but they have gotten younger and they are much better defensively. Damon was not a good outfielder, had a terrible arm and runners took the extra base on him constantly. The good of Damon was he is a clutch player, he is fast and his swing was ideal for the New Yankee Stadium. He will not be the same player on another team, you watch and see his power numbers go down. I think the Yankees with Granderson in left and Gardner in center and Winn as the 4th outfielder are much better defensively. The Yankees are more versatile also as Winn can play all 3 outfield positions. He doesn't have any power compared to Damon but last year was his worst year and in other areas like speed and batting avg he is pretty comparable. He is a much better defender then Damon especially in the corner outfield positions. The comments on sports talk radio today and also on the internet are amazing. There are people so upset over this that they are threatening to not renew their season tickets. I think this is going a little overboard, I undertand that fans are upset but the Yankees are probably a better team right now then last season even without Johnnny Damon. This is a team that will be fine offensively and be better pitching wise and defensively. I know it is hard to say a World Championship team can get any better but in my mind they are and will be tough to beat next year. The Yankees know what they are doing and are going to be fine, they actually had a budget for once and stuck to it and you can't fault them for that. It will be interesting to see where Johnny Damon ends up, in the end best of luck to him and hopefully he won't regret his decision.

New York Mets mini camp

The New York Mets started a 3 day optional mini-camp today in Port St. Lucie,Florida. Oliver Perez, Johan Santana, John Maine, Daniel Murphy and others were there. Johan Santana and Oliver Perez will begin throwing off a mound tomorrow. Johan Santana remains a optimistic person and had this to say. " I believe, if we stay healthy our team is much better." He said that if the team stays healthy they will be good and that they are looking forward to the season starting. Mets manager Jerry Manuel was in attendance and said the team needs to get off to a strong start. He also said he considers Angel Pagan the frontrunner to be the centerfielder in Carlos Beltrans absence. I think that is the right move as Gary Matthews Jr. is a bench player and should not be more. He also said at catcher he considers Omir Santos the starter but it wasn't a ringing endorsement. He did talk up Josh Tole and said it isn't out of the question that he could start. I just don't see the Mets going with a rookie catcher but who knows. If they don't sign anyone they really don't have a starter, they are all backups and then the young kid. He said he is anxious to see Kelvim Escobar and Ryota Igarashi pitch, he considers the 8th inning very important. These are the guys that will be competing for that role. Jerry Manuel said the 8th inning role will be determined by someone that will throw strikes, he considers that a key in the park they play in. He said that they have to play good defense also. He said that the free agent market wasn't very good and that was a challenge they had to add another starting pitcher. Jerry Manuel said that he won't act any different because of the pressure to perform this year. He knows his job is on the line but doesn't seem too fazed by that right now. Here is what the GM Omar Minaya had to say. " I do believe that we are going to have a good team. I think that a healthy New York Mets team will contend for a playoff spot. I think it is fair to say that the Philadelphia Phillies have improved themselves. We have a lot of work to do but I think these guys are committed, Jerry is going to be committed to get back on track to what we did in 06, 07 and 08. Is this guy for real, how can they not be committed and also didn't they lose in the NLCS and then blow playoff spots the following 2 years. I think you want to improve on that not get back to that point. Omar did say they are still considering Carlos Delgado. He was asked a question by Kevin Kernan of the NY Post about the team being a joke. He did seem to be taken aback but said he didn't consider them to be a joke but that you have to win. I personally just think the Mets are poorly run from top to bottom and that is why they have the reputation that they have. They just don't seem to get anything right that they do and they always look worse and worse. The only way for them to get away from that is to go out on the field and win. It is hard to see this team doing that though without getting at least another pitcher, other then Johan Santana you really have to worry. I also need to say that most of the information coming from the mini-camp was via Ken Davidoff of New York Newsday and his blog. I have given my opinions but obviously wasn't there so have to rely on others that were.

NFL Championship Round

The AFC and NFC Championship games will be played tomorrow. The first game will be the New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts for the AFC title. The Colts were undefeated in week 16 when the Jets came to town needing to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The Jets did pull out a controversial victory and have reeled off 3 more in a row after that to get to this point. The reason the game was controversial is because the Colts were 14-0 and leading at the half when head coach Jim Caldwell decided to pull his starters and the Jets went on to win the game keeping them in the playoff hunt and eventually they did make it and won 2 playoff games on the road to get here. The Colts fans really wanted the undefeated season and this is something that win or lose will be discussed all offseason. If the Colts do go on and win a Super Bowl it won't be as big of a deal but everyone will still wonder if they would have gone undefeated and if they lose well then it really will be criticized. I really like what the Jets have done in the playoffs and they won't change their style now. They will run the ball and play good defense but in my mind the Colts are the best team in football and they are home. I don't see the Jets winning this game although it should be close. I am picking the Colts to win by the score of 24-17. The NFC Championship will be at 630 tomorrow night and have the Minnesota Vikings taking on the New Orleans Saints. The Saints who have been a long suffering franchise will host their first ever title game. They have never made it to the Super Bowl. I think with all that has gone on in that city they really need this and are riding a wave of momentum and passion. The Vikings have played great football this season but not on the road and I think this will be the end for them. I see the Saints winning this game by the score of 35-21. I hope everyone enjoys the championship games and tomorrow night we will find out who will be facing off in the Super Bowl.

New York Giants name new defensive coordinator

The New York Giants search for a new defensive coordinator has ended. They hired former interim coach of the Buffalo Bills Perry Fewell as their new defensive coordinator today. He was the defensive coordinator in Buffalo for the last few years before being named interim head coach for the final seven games of this season. The Bills went 3-4 in the 7 games he was head coach. He worked under Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville as the secondary coach and will bring some fire and passion to the job. His defenses have been know for takeaways which will be good for the Giants since they have been lacking that lately. He also plays a aggressive defense which should suit them well also. The Giants have a lot of work to do on the defensive side but hopefully this is one step in the right direction. If they can get their defense back to where it should be,they have a good offense. The Giants will need a running back but other then that they are set on the offensive side of the ball.