Do they Relize It's Just A Kids Game??

Yankee Joe: Hello my fellow Yankee fans. It’s been a few Weeks since I posted a New Blog. Sorry about that life gets the better of me at times- I suppose. I have been keeping up with the Yankees Spring Training and I have to say I’m very happy with a lot of what I have been seeing.


Disco: Hey there Yankee Fans. Can you believe it? I’m still here. Yankee Joe has allowed me to continue to assistant coach this mind blowing Yankee Blog. I’m so excited!!! HEEEE HEEE!! We have been very busy and no I did not keep track of the Spring Training games. I’m just waiting for the season to start so I can kick everyone’s butt in Yankee Joe’s Fantasy Baseball League.

Yankee Joe: First and for most Robinson Cano, is having a PHENOMINAL Spring. He is currently hitting .447 with 1 HR and 11RBI’s. If Robbie can carry that into the regular season he should have one hell of a year. Bobby Abrue is showing signs that he might not have his typical slow start. He is hitting .467 with 2 HR and 3 Doubles and 8 RBI’s. Abrue notoriously is a slow starter, but with a good spring under his belt we could get a great start out of him. A-rod is hitting the ball well too at a .500 clip with 3 HR’s and 8 RBI’s. Jeter has struggled at the plate hitting .242 with 0 HR and 0 RBI’s. I would not be too concerned about the Captain thou. He will bring his A game to the regular season, I have no doubt about this. Shelly Duncan has also had a good spring, hitting .333 with 3 HR and 11 RBI’s. Giambi is hitting .407 with 1 HR and 6 RBI’s. If I had to choose between the two I want Duncan playing first on opening day, for no other reason then Giambi in the field is a guarantee of two things. Plenty of Errors at first base and an eventual injury that will plague him all season and bring his offensive numbers down. The way I see it keep Giambi at DH and as a Pinch hitter TO HELL with the paycheck, I’d rather see us win games.

Disco: Did Jeter struggle last year? I thought spring training games were just practice. I’m lost. No worries here. It is just practice right?

Yankee Joe: Pitching wise everybody in the Projected Starting Rotation has had good and bad games. Wang was beat up in his first spring start then threw two very strong games in a row. In his last outing he was once again throwing batting practice to the other team. To be fair in the last game Wang was experimenting with a slider and changeup, and really only struggled in one inning. I’d prefer he working on new pitches now in the spring. Work the kinks out and maybe start the season with some more options in his pitching arsenal. Phill Hughes up until his most recent start has been nothing short of un-hittable. In his last outing thou he seemed to be making up for lost time and gave up plenty of base hits including a few HR’s. Again I would not be concerned, it’s spring training and I’d prefer he got hit hard now then latter once the season starts. If what we have seen most of this spring is any indication, Hughes could very well have a hell of a season ahead of him. Andy Pettit has spent most of the spring season dealing with Performance Enhancer scandals and nursing injuries. When he has pitched he has looked very sharp thou. Hopefully Andy can leave all the troubling news and injuries behind him in Florida. Ian Kennedy has had a good spring. In 9 innings of work he has a 3.00 ERA and has looked sharp most of the time he has pitched. As our likely number 5 starter I believe he is going to seriously turn some heads this year, although I would not count on more then 12 wins from him for the season he has a lot of work to do still. My bigger concern pitching wise is Moose. He has looked TERRIBLE all spring and I just don’t know WHY the Yankees having him in the rotation. If Moose can’t cut it as a starter then he has to except the BP roll as a long reliever and spot starter. Moose has however taken on the roll of working with and teaching the young pitchers in camp. If anything Moose’s value to the team this year may be measured more in how well these young arms pitch rather then how well he pitches.

Disco: When we went to spring training practice, Moose appeared to give the younger pitcher pointers but he seemed to be struggling when he threw. Maybe he is a future pitching coach in the making. A good Teacher/Coach can be inspiring for a young Student/ Player.

Yankee Joe: Now before I call it a week I’d like to talk a bit about Little League Baseball. See both my two sons this year are playing in the local Cal Ripken League. My Youngest son who will be turning 7 in a few moths is in T-ball. My oldest son who just turned 10 is in Minor Leagues where the kids play all the positions including pitcher. For my youngest son this is his first experience at little league baseball, and his coach this year although a very nice person is just not very good at the job. It’s hard to watch him with these kids. He has no interaction with them and most of the kids look bored most of the time- generally not having any fun. I look at other coaches and they interact with their kids teaching them and generally have fun. Personally I think my son’s coach is new to all this and really does not know what he needs to be doing. He seems to be simply going threw the motions. Again it’s nothing personal about him he is a very good person and means well. It’s just very obvious by how my son approaches playing and the other kids on the team that they really aren’t having the fun that they should be having. Hopefully before the season ends that will change, but to be honest from what I have been seeing it’s not likely to happen any time soon. Keep in mind we are talking about T-ball here so nobody is keeping track of the scoring the kids all get to hit each inning and chaos generally ensues every time a ball is hit. (Imagine a ground ball to the first basemen and the ENTIRE infield and half the out field go running to field it) My son for example loves to slide into the bases. ALL THE BASES!! See he will get a hit run to first and slide (Or basically flop on top of it) into first base. He then, proceeds to slide into second then third then home. I think I might have caught him sliding into the dugout as wellJ My point hear is these kids are to young to be taking any of this serious and this is supposed to be fun for them.

Disco: Little League is so much fun to watch because it is just a Game to the kids and they want to have fun. When the whole team follows the ball it takes all my strength not laughing hysterically. There have even been some occurrences where everyone tackled the ball like in football, just to get the ball first. Sometimes I think if the Major Leaguers and some over zealous fans remembered that it is just a game they would enjoy the game more.

Yankee Joe: Then there is my 10 year old son and his coach. Let me tell ya my son’s coach is STERN, and does not like to see goofing off. Now don’t’ get me wrong at this age I don’t’ mind seeing this at all. Here’s the thing thou as stern as this coach is he also knows when and where he needs to do this. He reminds these kids all the time that “Hey this is all supposed to be fun!!” and more importantly he has passion for the game and is actually teaching them about the game while having fun. He has a VERY GOOD balance. In their first 5 games thou the team has yet to win a single game. Unfortunately these kids have not quite come together as a team, and tend to make a few mistakes that cost them some runs during the games. What I really love about this coach is that he never really keeps track of the score. We parents all know it’s getting ugly but the coach who probably has figure it out as well is more concerned with how the kids are playing the game and making sure they don’t’ get to down on them selves and are having fun. Don’t’ get me wrong he wants them to win, it’s just not the most important thing he worries about and if you ask me that makes him an EXCELENT coach. Now if only the same could be said about a few of the parents. I swear some of these people don’t’ realize the pressure they put on their kids. One dad in particular spends half the game screaming at his kid. Between this dad and his wife their kid is berated with a steady stream of advice and criticism. I just don’t’ understand how this kid puts up with it. At one point during a bad play the dad stood up swore out load and started pacing around like a wild beast. I calmly looked over to him and said “Hey relax it’s just little league baseball”. He gave me the look like I had lost my mind smiled and said “O Right that makes it better”. He then proceed the rest of the game to tell his kid (And a few others on the team) that they better start playing like the guys in the big leagues who make millions if they want to win. I Just don’t’ understand this mentality at all. I mean it’s baseball, and yes this is competition and we want to see our children win and play well. At what cost thou?? The chance that we might make playing the game they love so much a miserable experience. My oldest son who absolutely LOVES the game of baseball is needless to say not the best player on the field. Actually, truth be told at the start of the season he was struggling A LOT. He has in a short time come a long way but still has a lot of work to do. The thing is I don’t envision him as some great ball player playing in the majors in a few years. If that happens that would be great I know it would make him happy. For me I don’t want to expect that kind of thing from him, all I want is for him to enjoy the chance he has to play the game he loves. If he can’t enjoy himself then he will grow to hate the game and I just could not bear to be the one responsible for that. It’s not about how well he plays the game that makes me proud of him. It’s the fact that he goes out there to play it every time, and no matter how much he struggles he still gives it everything he has because he LOVES to play. Parents who don’t see this in their kids and constantly push their kids take all the fun out of playing the game. When you do that you’re going to push them away from wanting to play the game, because you made them. For all those that may read this if you have kids and they play Little League baseball or ANY Sport for that matter. No matter how badly you want them to win, no matter how much they struggle. PLEASE for the love of the game JUST LET THEM BE KIDS and have fun. The truth is no matter how much the pros get paid or how big and exciting the Majors become. Baseball is still just a kids’ game and it should REMAIN that away. So please don’t’ take the fun away from your kids and ruin the experience of the game. If you let them just have fun and leave the coaching to the coaches, I promise you they will love this sport for the rest of their lives.

Disco: These kids just want to play the game. Our oldest son’s Coach Is the greatest. He has shown our son the encouragement he has needed to try hard and practice more. It is very frustrating to watch a parent yelling at his kid, “Do it like the Major leaguers!”, when most of the kids are still figuring out how to read the coach’s signs and how to do a double play. I don’t see Derek Jeter’s parents telling him how to play while he is fielding a ball. Remember it is just a game. Let’s them have fun.

Disco: I’m not sure what Yankee Joe will talk about next week but if he lets me I will still be here putting in my two cent as Assistant Coach to the most mind blowing Yankee Baseball Blog you ever read. See ya!

Yankee Joe: Next week?!?!? Hmmm Lets see the season is fast approaching so Id say next week Ill lay out my Predictions for next year. Ill give ya Details on who will win the East Central and West in both leagues and of course where the Yankees fall into that. So till next week I plan to feed the two Geriatric Hamsters that power my Crystal ball some extra special kibble. Maybe this year ill actually get a few right.

Till Next Week.

The Yankee Fan (And Disco)

Spring Training Part 2

Welcome back my fellow Yankee fans. Well if you read last week you know me and my wife (AKA Disco) collaborated with some insight on spring training. Well this week as promised we plan to give you our very own and quite unique perspective of our Spring training Experience.

Yankee Joe: So because my two oldest kids are playing Little league baseball we could not make our trip up to Legends Field until Sunday the 24th. Not that this matters much and in the end it worked out nice as Saturday turned out to be on the Rainy side. So Early Sunday morning we loaded the kids our selves and provisions (Sandwiches, Drinks, Digital Camera, balls and Pens) into the Family truckster and motored our way up to Legends Field. We arrived around 11am and were able to find some seats on the third base side of the field. At the time these were great seats, because the sun was still behind the clouds and when the players came out we would be less then 3 feet from the players. About 11:45 after the grounds crew finished touching up the field the Yankees came out to the field. They all gathered in right field and begin stretching and calisthenics. As I mentioned in my previous Blog Legends Field is comprised of three fields. The Yankees were practicing on two of the fields. On the Main field A-Rod, Melky, Posada, and Giambi worked out on. On field two Jeter, Abreu, Cano, and Matsui worked out on. The rest of the team and spring training invites moved between both fields threw out the work outs. We spent most of our time on the Main field but did manage to catch some action on the Secondary field as well.

Disco: YES, we loaded up our children, two boys (9 & 6) and one girl (almost 7mos.) and fought the 45 minute traffic to the beautiful Legend Fields. Now if you have kids, you would know that traveling with kids can be frustrating but we are very lucky to have 3 wonderful kids that played with their toys during the trip. Once we get to Legend fields the best place to park is in the Buccaneer parking lot acrosse the street from Legends Field but we have to walk up a very long steep ramp/ bridge crossing the street below. It is difficult to get a close seat with a stroller so we decided to carry our 7mos daughter now weighing 16lb., 7 oz. Can you say ouch? Our backs hurt from trading off carrying our child. Yankee Joe likes to sit by third base but I prefer to sit near the first base line because it’s near the Yankee dugout and normally where they sign autographs.
Yankee Joe: After calisthenics they brought out the batting cages and the team started batting practice. On the main field Moose, Edwar Ramerez, and Russ Olendorf were throwing batting practice. Edwar looked extremely impressive, and seemed to have a pretty good handle on his fastball. Last year if you all remember Edwar struggled because he could not complement his killer Change-up with his fastball. If what I saw Sunday is any indication he may very well have a fantastic season because his fastball looked amazing with some seriously scary movement on it. I swear Mo may very well may have been teaching him the cut fastball if I did not know better. We also got our first look at Jonathan Albaladejoe who we got when we traded Tyler Clipperd to the Nationals. I’ll be honest I was not impressed with this kid at all. For starters he seemed to be a bit out of shape to me, and if batting practice was any indication he is going to give up A LOT of hits. Then again this is just spring training but considering Clippered possible up side I’m expecting A LOT from this kid, so I hope my first impression of him is wrong.

Disco: Remember Yankee Fans, I don’t know anything about baseball but Man did Edwar look good out there. He had great form and control but seemed to just lack the experience. To quote Yankee Joe “He is all done cooking, he just lacks the seasoning.” Ross Ohlendorf was not even close to being as impressive as Edwar but seemed to get the job done. So I’m told by Yankee Joe, Jonathan Albaladejo is a pitcher the Yankees recently received in a trade. Well the Yankees need to send him back because he is out of shape and could barely throw a pitch. It is just Spring training, he could shape up. Darrell Ranser appears to have the experience, control and great form. I personally think this guy could be a great relief pitcher but according to Yankee Joe he normally starts. Yeah you never know they could always change it.

Yankee Joe: Ok so about 1pm the sun finally came out. On the upside we did not have to worry about rain washing out the workout. On the down side this IS FLORIDA so being in the sun is not always a good thing. Needless to say we moved from the third base side of the field to the first base side. There was more shade over there and we could still get close enough to the field. Not long after we got there my wife points out to me that A-Rod’s wife and daughter are sitting behind home plate. About a minute later Alex comes walking out of the dugout, and heads straight over to his wife and daughter. They exchange Pleasantries for a few minutes, and then A-Rod goes back to work. Not long after this Alex’s wife and daughter left their seats and never returned. A few fans that saw this commented that it must be a publicity stunt because he has done it before. My thoughts were that this is Alex’s wife’s way of telling him she made it to the field. You have to figure Alex leaves for work A LOT earlier then his wife and kid would like to be out of their rented Condo. So it’s more likely Cytha (Alex’s wife) takes her time getting to the field. When she gets there they head to the seats behind home plate to let Alex know they are there. Once he sees them he comes over says hi to his daughter and wife spends a min or two with them then goes back to work. His wife and child at that point head to the air conditioned Suites (Yes even Legends Field has those) so they can be comfortable, and wait for Alex to finish workouts.

Disco: Alex looked great out there. It was so sweet to see Alex lean over and kiss his daughter. We got some very good pictures of Alex with his daughter and wife. During practice Alex was fielding first base, I wonder if they are considering changing his position. Hmm, think of the possibilities. Ladies, DEREK Jeter, WOW! Dam he looks good!!! He has toned up and fielding like the MVP that we know he is. All I can say is WOW!! DEREK JETER has left me speechless.

Yankee Joe: So we spent the rest of our time on the first base side of the field. The sun was just too damn hot and normally at the end of practice, fans can lineup next to the dugouts and normally get an autograph from a player. At some point I decided to go grab some drinks for the kids and my wife, thankfully the concession stand was open unfortunately at this time A-Rod decided to go visit the fans on the first base side and sign some autographs. When I returned with drinks in hand fans were racing to the first base side of the field to get an autograph. So I quickly put the drinks down where we were standing and grabbed both kids and the balls we had brought (and a pen) and headed into the frey. Now you have to understand I have only dealt with autographs in two situations 1) at the end of practices, and 2) on the second and third practices fields. In both situations security had things well in hand having the fans lineup to get autographs. This was not he case with A-Rod on the main field. People were leaping over seats climbing over other fans and generally shoving their way to the front to get an autograph. Security I believe was caught off guard because they could do nothing to retain order during any of this. Remember I was with my kids and because we were already on the first base side we were able to get close to field level right away this however turned out to be a bad thing. As fans started piling onto this small area that A-Rod was walking down signing autographs I found my self trying less to get up to the gate where Alex was walking by and mostly trying to keep both my kids safe as other fans shoved their way past, threw and yes OVER us. At one point a barely grabbed my son out of the way before some idiot bulldozed over him. When I made a comment to the guy he gave me a eat shit and like it look and proceed to shove the next person out of his way. I had not noticed it but we had worked our way to the edge of the dugout and in doing so also moved practically in front of the field. WE were inches from Alex and an Autograph but at the same time the crowd was getting dangerous. I grabbed my youngest son and picked him up because I was scared he would get trampled, my oldest son I stood behind and managed to keep a few fans at bay as he waited for another fan to step out of the way. This VERY kind gentlemen and his wife explained they already had an autograph from Alex and were just trying to get a picture. Once he got that picture he planned to move and allow my son to take his place. His wife helped me by positioning her self next too me allowing us to make a small pocket for my oldest son to stand in and not get trampled. If it was not for these to very kind people this situation could have become VERY dangerous for my kids I can’t express how grateful I was for their help. Once Alex walked by us Fans started yelling for him to sign what they had. Another women who ended up standing next to me, also saw my predicament. She was at the time trying to get Alex to sign her jersey. He had already done so and when she realized she would not be able to leave where she was she offered to take my son’s balls and ask Alex to sign them. Unfortunately for my oldest son he was bumped by the crowd and he dropped his ball momentarily. I had already handed my youngest son’s ball to the women, and Alex was busy signing it while I yanked my oldest son up off the floor (Ball in hand) before he ended up getting trampled. At this time Another fans directly behind me came flying forward, he managed to catch his balance as I stepped in front of him to keep him from landing on my son. I at the time gave him a piece of my mind. Truth is the poor guy had been shoved, and had no control of what had happened. I Honestly wish I could apologize to him because he truly felt bad, so if you happen to be that guy and are reading this I was that guy that gave you hell for nearly landing on his kid. I know you did not do it intentually and thank you for putting up with me at that time. Also I want to thank the women that got the ball signed for my youngest son. He is THRILLED to have an autographed ball from Alex you really helped make his day. Lastly THANKYOU to the couple that helped me keep my kids safe. With out you I’m scared to think what could have happened. Ladies and gents the moral to this story is if you have kids save the autograph hunting for the end of practice or the secondary field. During practice if a player is signing have your kids stay behind and take your chances by your self. Most of the fans trying to get autographs are complete idiots, but there are a few as I have pointed out that are good people. My point is be careful and leave the kids in their seats they will be safer at least during workouts on the main field. On the secondary field things aren’t as bad but they can get rough at times as well.

Disco: People are just crazy about A-ROD, unfortunately they almost squashed my children. Crazy is not always good. Thanks to those that helped protect my children!!

Yankee Joe: So my oldest son was very disappointed about missing his chance to get A-Rod’s autograph. Unfortunately nobody on the main field was going to stay after and sign so as we were getting ready to leave my oldest son was feeling pretty upset. As we were getting ready to head to the parking lot another fan came by and said Giambi was signing autographs on the secondary field. So with a look to my wife who basically said “Go!!” I handed my daughter off to her and grabbed my oldest son and we headed to the secondary field. Giambi was there sure enough along with Jason Lane and they were both signing autographs. We managed to get both of them to sign his ball and basically made my sons day. Now I’ll admit I’m pretty hard on Jason through out the year considering his injuries batting average and the whole Roids thing. Something I will give him credit for thou is that he has always been all about the fans. This man signed Autographs for a good 45 minutes and would not leave until he had signed one for every last person. He also took a minute to ask my son if he played baseball and basically have a quick conversation with him. Not a phoney one a REALL conversation. I may not be a big Giambi fan but I will say this he is a good person when it is all said and done regardless of what mistakes he has made. This does not mean I plan on going easy on him mind you but I will say that I have a bit more respect for the guy after seeing him deal with the fans.

Disco: I personally did not care for Giambi due to the Roids thing but after seeing him with my son, I believe him to be a good person. Giambi gave out autographs before and after practice. When I saw him practicing on the small field I caught a small bit of his conversation with the hitting coach and my impression is that he is a good guy. I hope he does well this season.

Yankee Jo: Ok well that pretty much wraps up Spring Training for us. After getting Giambi’s and Lane’s autographs we hit the gift shop bought some pennants for the kids, and headed home. While in the gift shop I was hoping to grab a Joba Rules T-shirt. Unfortunately it was priced out at nearly 30 dollars. Hey I love my Yankees but 30 bucks for a T-shirt is a bit to pricy for me.

Disco: We are going, going, gone! We are out of the park! Let’s Go HOME!

Till next Week

The Yankee Fan (And Disco)

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!

Spring is in the air and I’m happier than a fat man at an all you can eat buffet. (AKA Red Sucks Fan) SPRING TRAINING HAS ARRIVED which means yes my fellow Yankee Maniacs BASEBALL IS BACK!!! Now mind you Pitchers and Catchers (Unless your name is Andy Pettit) have reported to there respected Spring Training locations and for the New York Yankees that means Legends Fiend Field (Soon to be Renamed Steinbrenner Field) in Tampa Florida. Now as it so happens, I your ever loving Yankee fan and Blogger extraordinar live down here in sunny Florida just 45 minutes from Tampa. Now for the last few years I have made the trek up to Tampa and enjoyed watching the Yankees warm up and prepare for the Spring Training Season and I have enjoyed a fair share of spring games as well. Now you know that no self respecting Yankee fan can do these sort of things with out dragging their significant other (Kicking and Screaming) along for the ride. I’m no different in this aspect. So this week and next you will be treated to a very special blog. A sort of He Said, She Said run down on Spring Training. Me and the Wife (AKA Hot Lips to me, Disco to the rest of you guys) will give you a run down of what to expect if you decided to catch a Spring game, where and when to go for the Spring Workouts, about how much in US Greenbacks you can expect to spend, and some of the best places to go and try to catch some of our Favorite Yankees out and about and off the playing field in Tampa Florida. To distinguish who is saying what, my comments will be tabbed with a Yankee Joe, and my Wife will be tabbed with Disco. Easy enough to figure out I suppose.

Yankee Joe: Ok first and for most you have to understand that Pitchers and catchers reported on February 13th. Now nobody was on the field until the 14th because on the first day of reporting every body has to take a physical, and sign paperwork and what not; this usually take the whole day. Now after the 14th the Workouts begin which are free to the public and happen around 11am till around 2pm Monday threw Sunday. These workouts thou are strictly pitchers and catchers so if you like watching BP sessions or watching catchers stretch out this can be a lot of fun but to be honest I prefer to wait until the full team works out starting on February 20th. These workouts are a lot more fun and tend to run a bit longer. There is always a full batting practice, as well as fielding drills to watch. Also because the full team is there the opportunity to grab an autograph is much better because some players will take a break and spend some time with the fans. Speaking of the Fans if you go to these practices you basically have the run of the place. There is no assigned seating so you can get as close to the field as you like although I must warn some of you overly ambushes fans that they still do not look fondly on fans jumping out on the field and giving the players a hug, basically stay in the stands.

Disco: Okay, Ladies and gentlemen. I’m the wife and I’m the one Yankee Joe (YJ) drags kicking and screaming to Spring Training. Last year I went to Spring Training without the notorious Yankee Joe because he was sick and he wanted the inside scoop. That is what you really get when you go to Spring Training. I love going to see the Pitcher and Catchers train. There are not as many fans there and you get to watch those stretches (yes cute butts). You even get to see more of the big named pitchers and young rookie pitchers actually showing their stuff. Remember I’m not a baseball fan but I love going to Spring Training. If I could I would go to every Spring Training practice because you get to see the players as people not famous baseball heroes. Last year I saw A-Rod being the family man with his wife and very cute daughter.

Yankee Joe: Now legends Field is broken up into 3 fields. Mostly the practices are done on the main field but on the two secondary fields you will find many of the Yankee minor league players that were not invited to the big teams Spring Training. This can actually be a lot of fun for two reasons. One you get a first look at some of the up and coming Yankees that are in the minors. For example last year I got to see Joba throwing from a mound before most Yankee fans had a clue who he was. A few years before that I could say the same thing about Chen Ming Wang. Both at the time gave me the same impression, which was they were going to make a big splash on the Yankees when they made their way to the big team. In Joba’s case I had no clue how soon that would be. Now the other reason these workouts can be fun is because many former Yankees come to spring training to help coach and instruct. Reggie Jackson for example can be seen regularly at any one of the three fields and is probably one of the most autograph friendly former players out there. Ron Guidry before he was the Pitching coach was also a regular and rumor has it he will be in Tampa again this year as a special instructor. Last but not least the best thing to do if you happen to have any question about when the workouts start or where you can park call Legends field directly at (813) 879-2244 or you can always visit there website at http://www.legendsfieldtampa.com/

Disco: Enjoy the atmosphere. Grab a hot dog and a Coke. Yes they have stadium food (Not Free) for you to enjoy while watching your favorite Yankee. Also Legend Fields has a souvenir shop that has some Yankee peripheral you don’t see in the everyday sports shop. Be sure to bring a working pen, paper or ball, and your baseball gloves (to catch any pop flies). Normally after practice a few of the players will sign autographs. Make sure to ask your local security guard where they will be signing them that day and sit as close to that spot as possible because you will be standing in line for a long time. You can some times catch a Yankee near the bull pen practice fence. Enjoy the atmosphere!!

Yankee Joe: Ok so you went to the Spring Workouts and had a blast but no matter how loud you screamed his name Derek Jeter, A-rod or any other Yankee just would not come over and give you an autograph. Ok first and foremost let’s not get to upset over this. Remember gang they are down in Florida to get ready for the season so these workouts are important. With that said our Yankees after workouts are not a bunch of stay at home wimps. O No not at all. Yes the Yankee do like to get out and have them selves some fun. One of the best places to go and try to catch a Yankee out in public (or many other MLB players for that matter) is at International Plaza & Bay Street, which happens to be right next to the Tampa Airport. For one thing this happens to be a kick ass mall. It has three levels for your shoping pleasure with the third level including an out side area where most of the Resturants and bars are located and THAT my friends is where you can find many a Major League ball player including some of our favorite Yankees. Now aside From the mall other great places to run into a Yankee would be at any Golds Gym in the Tampa area the one close to Legends field seems to be the most popular. If you want to run into the boss or one of his sons the I-Hoop just around the corner form Legends field is a great place to go. You basically would have to stake the place out because they don’t’ have a regular schedule as I’m told. You can bet thou that they do tend to go after yankee pratice is over so maby after enjoying some time at Legends Field pop on over to I-HOP and you might catch a glips of the Boss and his sons. The Local beachs is a rare place to find a ball player but there have been a few sightings at times. Jason Giambi has been known to run along the beach in the mornings just befor pratices in the past. If ya want to know what beaches are in the Tampa area here’s a link to find them. http://www.tbo.com/static/sections/tbo-life-travel-beaches/ You have to keep in mind that most of these Yankees know they will be spending the next 2-3 months down in Tampa depending on when they report in. So a lot of them either have bought property down here (like Derek Jeter) or Rent Condos most do not stay in a Hotel so staking out the hotels is probably not a good plan.

Disco: Going to the mall to see a Yankee. What are you crazy? The Tampa International Mall is just a cool place to be. The night life there with live bands and no cover charge is just worth the trip. If you see a Yankee in the process, that is just a bonus. Florida has so much to offer, don’t limit it to the Field. Your bound to run into a Yankee just touring our Beautiful Tampa.

Yankee Joe: Ok so you either have followed my advice or listened to my wife and decided to just wander the City of Tampa your self. In either case you have had the luck to run into a Yankee ball player like say Derek Jeter. Now there are a few ground rules I think I should pass on to you guys. Ok for starters NEVER and I mean NEVER scream at the top of you lungs and run charging at said player. This, I can promise you is more likely to get you arrested and then committed to a locally nuthouse then get an Autograph. Secondly if you happen to run into said player at a Gym I can’t strongly suggest enough that you DO NOT try to approach them while they are working out. For the most part these guys are just trying to get a bit more work in, and really are just looking for a quite place to do it. If you bug them their less likely to be receptive to it and on top of that the chance that they won’t come back are pretty big. What I suggest is to wait till they finished on one particular machine and as their walking threw politely approach them and ask for an autograph. If you’re not interrupting them their less likely to be annoyed and will likely give you an autograph. In a lot of cases I have known players to actually stop and talk with the person that asked them for the autograph in these cases. Mostly because they had finished their workouts, and were either getting ready to leave or hadn’t decided what they were going to do next so the brief interruption doesn’t bother them and sometimes they welcome it. Now I just can’t stress this ENOUGH especially for the Ladies if you happen to run into a player at the gym THE SHOWERS IS NOT A GOOD PLACE TO ASK FOR AN AUTOGRAPH!!! So before you get that water proof pen and your flip-flops out please for the love of all that is baseball keep that in mind. Honestly thou guys and girls the most important thing to remember if you meet a player simply treat them with a bit of respect and for the most part like a normal person. In most cases I have found that all they really want is to keep a low profile and just enjoy their time away from the field. Most are happy to chat for a few minutes, and give an autograph. They tend not to respond to excessive complements, screaming there names and Marriage Proposals (Although depending on their mood ya never know). Truth is just be nice to them respect their boundaries a bit. If they feel like you’re trapping them in so they can’t leave the first thing their going to do is bolt. If you stay relaxed keep it casual and remain friendly they will do the same and you will later have a story to tell your buddies about.

Disco: Yankee Joe is right about the showers but they can’t stop you from dreaming about it. Yummy!! Wet and Naked!! Yummy!! Sorry in Dreamland. What Yankee Joe is trying to say in not so many words is treat a Yankee like an everyday JOE not a Yankee. I don’t think I would even recognize a Yankee out of uniform so to me every Yankee is a Yankee Joe.

Yankee Joe: Ok to some this all up. If you’re coming down to Tampa to catch the Yankees make shore you come for the Workouts. It’s free, and a great chance to see some of our favorite Yankees past and present. After the Morning practices hit the town, check out the malls, beaches, and other attractions, your bound to run into a Yankee out there. If that happens just remember they don’t want to be harassed while there off the clock (Or need help with that soap on a rope) so give them there space and just use some common curtsey when approaching them. As for money hey it’s a vacation right?? The Workouts are free but most everything else will cost ya money so make shore you bring a reasonable amount. Off the top of my head if I was spending say 4 days in Tampa for spring training I would set aside 400-500 dollars just for running around money (not including normal expenses) and that’s per person. Now keep in mind you can probably do it a lot cheaper but I’m figuring if it’s me and I’m on vacation I am going to be a bit thrifty with my spending.

Disco: Come see your Yankees drop the ball and show off their cute butts. With some luck you might get an autograph by just spending sometime in beautiful sunny Florida. Next week we will be going to Spring Training and I can give you my unknowing insight to the Yankee’s progress. Yankee Joe can give the real scoop from the Yankee fan perspective.

Yankee Joe: She says she doesn’t know what she is talking about but last year she predicted Posada’s career year, Abrues season long slump and Melky’s great second season. So don’t let my wife fool ya she is as much a baseball fan as me, just from a slightly warped perspective. (Hey that’s the number 1 reason I married her)

Disco: Yes, I’m slightly wrapped but I did marry Yankee Joe. So join us next week for our wrapped views on Baseball and very cute butts.

Till next Week

The Yankee Fan (And Disco)

The Deal With Santana

Man Do I have Timing or what?? I said last week I was going to talk about Johan Santana, then late this week the Mets go and pull off a trade for him. Interestingly enough, a lot of experts believe the Mets got the deal because the Yankees walked away and the Red Sox lost interest and I personally would have to agree with that sentiment. Truth be told the Mets should be counting their lucky stars this week, because in the end the Twins got Greedy and Impatient and it cost them big. Now don’t’ get me wrong the Mets gave up 4 prospects to get Santana and they were pretty good prospects for the most part. But if you go back and look at what the Yankees and the Red Sucks where willing to give up to get Santana you have to start wondering how drunk the Twins GM was when he finally agreed to this deal with the Mets. In terms of over all value both the Sucks and Yankees were offering A LOT more, yet the Twins kept turning them down asking for more. Lets break this down shale we.

The Yankees were offering Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, and two other prospects. Melky has two seasons, 1024 AB and 286 games under his belt in the majors. He has led the league in OF assists 2 years in a row, and is a virtual spark plug in the Yankee offense. Hughs has been the Yankees number one prospects for the last 2 years, nearly pitched a No hitter in only his second Major League outing. He was brought into a pressure filled MUST WIN playoff game and was phenomenal. The Twins in this deal were getting two MAJOR LEAGUE READY IMPACT players that were barely in their twenties plus TWO other prospects that would likely be in the majors this year or next.

The Sucks took things a step further. They offered Coco Crisp, John Lester, and Two Prospects or behind DOOR #2 was the Jacoby Elsebury, John Lester, and 2 Prospects offer that was also on the table. In the First deal Crisp although a bust in Boston is a well established Major League CF, with a decent bat and glove. A Change of scenery would and probably eventually will do him some good. Lester is a top prospect with at least a full season under his belt. He missed half of this season and half of last because of Cancer. Don’t let that fool you thou the kid, has a lot of talent and is likely to be an impact player for the sucks one way or another. In the Second deal, Elsebury has 2 and a half months of major League experience under his belt a month of that is in the playoffs were he played a major part in the Sucks offense. Between his speed and his batting skills combined with a very good glove this kid could be and likely is the real deal. In Both deals offered the Sucks were giving up 2 players that were YOUNG, had the ability to make an IMPACT on the Twins roster, and obviously were major league ready. The Remaining two prospects would likely be ready to play in the majors this year or at the latest next.

Now what the Mets gave up to get Santana in the end value wise was much much less. Carlos Gomez has only played in 52 MLB games, and total 125 AB, Philip Humber has a grand total of 6 MLB games under his belt only 1 of which he has started. Both are considered good Prospects neither can be consider players that are likely to make an impact on the Twins this year. They might very well do that but it is less likely, because so far they have really not done much in the majors up to this point. This year will be a development season for them and they will either perform or need more time. Basically nobody can say either of these two are ready for the Majors because hey haven’t seen enough of the Majors. The Remaining two prospects the Mets gave up are Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra, both are considered decent prospects neither are expected to see the majors for the next year or two and when they do both are seen as back of the rotation guys if not eventual bull pen fodder. Their not bad prospects, they are all young cheap and have talent. But when you compare what the Twins WANTED from the Yankees and Sucks and what they eventually agreed to take the price tags just don’t’ match up.

What really blows me away is that after turning down the above deals from the Sucks AND the Yankees the twins went and made this deal when truthfully they would have been better off waiting for July. Why you might ask well let me explain. First of all come July a lot of teams will not be wondering about who in the roster is going to have a break out season, which rookie is really ready for the Majors, and they KNOW who is injured and likely not coming back before the end of August. Add that to the Pennant races where you will have the usual suspects (Yankees, Red Sucks, Cardinals ect; ect.) but also many teams that nobody realy saw coming. Case in point in the NL west you have the Dodgers, who are expected to be in the thick of the race but has a pitching staff that’s older then the great Pyramids. A young Lefthander that could very well walk away with the NL Cy young would be a HUGE boost to them in July if their close in the Division race. Then there are the Padres, the team that lost out on the playoffs thanks to the Rockies this year. They have a STRONG young team with Jake Peavy to anchor their Staff. Imagine if they added Santana at the end of July?? Not only would it give them a HUGE boost toward winning their division, but it would give them one hell of a 1-2 punch going into the playoffs. Then there is the Diamondbacks last years NL West winners who already made waves picking up Dan Haren this off season. Imagine if they made this trade in July, bringing Santana to the Desert now sporting a Rotation of Web, Haren, and Santana for the second half of the season. That’s just the NL West. Now imagine the teams in the rest of the NL in July would be looking seriously at adding an Ace to their team for a serious playoff push. The list would include the Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Possibly St Louis, and even Cincinnati. Then there is the Al besides the Yankees and Red Sucks you can’t count out the Angels, Tigers, Blue Jays, Indians, or the A’s for that matter. A lot of people would point out that most if not all of these teams likely would shy away from Santana because of his contract demands. Thing is thou most teams would be simply looking at getting him to get to the Playoffs and eventually the WS. How many big deals have we seen go down where a guys was traded with the team knowing full well they likely won’t be able to keep him when the season ends. To make the playoffs and go deep in them teams are willing to take that chance especially in July. At that point Santana would be better off waiting till the end of the season to garner a new contract, because if he is brought into any team and IMPROVES it, then the contract he will get in the off season will only get bigger. Then add more to that contract if they make the playoffs and Santana comes up big. Hell even if he is simply ok making the playoffs raises his contract even more. In the end Santana would. Have gotten a MONSTER deal had he been traded in July and waited to be a FA. Also the Twins would have gotten a MUCH better return because they would have had more teams in the mix for Santana, and teams would be willing to take Santana if nothing more then to bolster there Playoff chances. It is part of the game, that gambles are made more in July then they are in the off season. Why?? Well because from December to the end of May EVERY MLB TEAM believes they can win it all in the upcoming season. Yea most are out of their minds but you have to remember most teams will sign a proven FA and keep their prospects before they will make a blockbuster trade. Most teams want to see if what they have NOW will work for them before their willing to trade it away for a sure thing. More importantly most winter trades don’t’ pan out. July trades thou have a much higher success rates because most teams know exactly what their getting in return. Look at the Sucks last year. They traded for Gage-Me and he was having a GREAT year for the Rangers. He came to Boston and STUNK for them. The point here is in the winter most teams are not willing to take a chance for a sure thing. In July however most teams have to make that decision because most of their off season questions have been answered. A few new questions have come up and GM’s have very little time to find an answer before their team hits the point of no return in a playoff race.

In the end I’m glad the Yankees did not trade for Santana. Giving up Melky would have killed our offense, and would have weakened us in CF. Loosing Phill Hughs would have hurt the team as well. Santana would have been a boost but Hughs is a number 3 starter with the ability to be a number one starter at some point. Loosing both players would have hurt the Yankees with out a doubt. Then add to it the money we would have had to shell out to keep Santana. Sure the first 2 years would be great, but at some point Satan was going to have an injury season. EVERYBODY has one, and a lot of players never survive it. Hughs at 21 is likely to have an injury season but not at least for another 4 to 5 years. The same can be said of Melky who is also 21 and just starting to show off his true value to the Yankees in the field AND at the plate. I’m glad we did not trade for Santana simply because we have been down this road too much in the past 5 years. Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson were two guys that were sure thing trades the Yankees made and they both blew up in our face. Brown worse then Johnson but to be honest neither ever came close to meeting expectations. Then there is the Free Agents we have signed, Giambi, Mussina and Farnsworth were all brought in to help the Yankees win a WS. NONE of them have done this and the Yankees haven’t even seen the second round of the Playoffs since 2005, and DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED on Carol Pavano. My point here is the Yankees have been going out and getting the big names and it has produced nothing but nightmares. All they got was a bunch of guys that either, burst into flames, become PR nightmares, never produce like they were expected to, or simply get injured the entire length of their monster contract. Simply put going after the BIG NAME sure things has NOT WORKED. It’s time to try something different, it is TIME the Yankees mixed in some youth and brought in their own talent rather then over paying for a NAME only to have it blowup in there faces. The Yankees have made a commitment to their farm system starting last year when Cashmen restocked our farm and we have seen the fruits of that work already in Joba, Kenedy, Melky, Cano, and Wang just to name a few. These kids are just getting started and most of them have a very bright future ahead of them. Many fans feel that this is a mistake that the Yankees don’t grow their own talent. I mean players are not plants. Nope, the Yankees go out and trade everything for nothing or beg for free agents to join the ranks of Yankees. We need to invest in our future. So let’s start by teaching potential talent the ways of the Yankee and keep a loyal crew not a money hungry Name. The last group of home grown Yankees included the names of Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera just to name a few. As a young core of players-they did nothing special really right??. I mean all they did was win 4 WS form 1996 to 2000, won the AL East 10 years in a row, and have averaged anywhere form 90 to 100+ wins a season form 1996 to present. Just IMAGINE what this next young crop of home grown Yankees will do.

Next week I’m talking about the Mitchell Report, Roger Clemens and the Congressional Hearings that will be taking place in the up coming weeks. So!

Until Next Week

The Yankee Fan

New Year New Blog!!

I’M BACK!!!! Hello my fellow Yankee Fans; I am back, and raring to go. First allow me to explain. The reason for my long absence from the world of weekly blogging, without going into to much detail, on July 31st my beautiful wife and I became the proud parent of a bouncing baby girl. Now so ya know because I don’t talk about my private life too much here, I now have a grand total of three kids. Those of you reading this that have kids know that a new born alone can basically take over your life for a time. So that’s where I have been. Things at the old home steed have started to calm down some, and I now find myself able to start Blogging again. So hopefully I’ll be able to post a new blog every Sunday once again without any interruption, of course as we all know life is full of unexpected surprises. I make no promises other then I’ll do my best to have something new posted every Monday or at least have a guest blogger if I can’t do it my self.

Ok now that my excuses are out of the way lets recap the last half of the season and the winter off season as best as I can.

First and for most we have to give our Yankees credit, they made an AMAZING come back in the second half of the season. They almost found a way to take the AL East from Boston. In the end Boston’s lead and a few badly timed loosing streaks cost us the AL East for the first time in 10 seasons, but (on a happy note) we did manger to win the Wild card and make the playoffs. Not that it mattered much the Indians (with some help from those DAM MIDGES with their LUCKY charms!!) made quick work of us in the ALDS then managed to choke against the Sucks in the ALCS. What really bothers me is that we COULD HAVE BEATEN BOSTON in the ALCS had we gotten past Cleveland. We owned them last season even with us loosing the first three series against them including a sweep in Boston. The Yankees managed to win every series after that against the Sucks and even swept them in the last home series of the season. Had it been the Yankees in the ALCS we would not have choked with a 3-1 lead, I have no doubt about that. Unfortunately the Sucks once again have a WS trophy in their position. It just goes to show you that if you want something done right you simply have to do it yourself. 2008 will be a different year for the Yankees and Boston will not be celebrating a WS win so long as they have to get past the Yankees in the playoffs.

Now this second half surge was fueled by YOUTH of all things for the Yankees. Leading the charge was the ever impressive Joba Chamberlend out of the BP and virtually solidifying the setup roll for Mo. Behind him we had Phil Hughs FINALLY making the major league team and showing us why teams have been falling all over themselves trying to get the Yankees to trade him. Then there was Ian Kennedy. This was another kid like Joba that started the season in single A ball and was pitching for the Yankees by the end of August, and doing a dam fine job. The rest of the notable Youth movement are some familiar names; Wang who won another 19 games for us and was a Cy Young contender for most of the season, Melky Cabrea who once he got regular playing time starting in mid June managed to drive in 73 runs and score 66 runs in 150 games. Due the math folks that means in 150 games Cabrea was responsible for at least 139Yankee runs, and remember he was not getting full time play until mid June so how many of those 150 games was he in there simply as a pinch runner before he was given real playing time. Obviously Robie Cano is included in this category as well who although he had a slow start still managed to finish the season with a 300+ batting average and almost 100 RBI’s. A few honorable mentions belong to Armas Remerez, and Rus Olendorf out of the BP. At times these kids looked unbelievable and other times their inexperience was very obvious. In both cases the learning experience alone can only make them strong and I believe we will have two very strong arms out of the BP this year. Then there was Chase Wright and Tyler Clippered. Both had a few early games where they were impressive, both eventually hit hard times. Clippered was traded over the winter for a young arm in the BP. I hated seeing him go because this kid has talent but we did get a good return for him and if he pans out he can always come back down the road. Personally, I hope the kid sets the baseball world on fire. Wright on the other hand could very well be damaged goods. Joe Torre in one of many questionable moves last season left Wright in a game not after 1 not 2 not 3 NOT EVEN 4 HRs but after 5 HRs against the Red Sucks. Even then he did not go out to the mound. Wright was left out there to stew and did to his credit eventually get out of the inning. I’ll just never understand why Torre or Guidry for that matter was not out on that mound talking to this kid and calming him down after at least the second HR. The result of this was his confidence was destroyed. Now hey he is in the majors and he should be able to bounce back but still it was pretty obvious the manager left him out there to die. Hopefully he can move past this and eventually become a strong prospect for the Yankees again. Time will tell. Personally the kid has great stuff; he just needs his confidence back. Joe Gerardi the new Manager of the Yankees has a decent track record dealing with young pitchers. So I’m hoping he is a positive influence on Wright; if he makes it back to the majors in 08.

Now this Off season also included the release of Senator Gorge Mitchels report on Performance enhancers in baseball. I’m not going to go to much into detail on this one today I’ll give you the Cliff notes on my thoughts. First the report itself is lopsided unfair and Biased as hell. I mean GIVE ME A BREAK, the main source if this investigation comes from a former NY Yankees trainer and former NY Met clubhouse attendant. So it should not surprise anybody that most of the accused are current or former NY Yankees and a few Mets scattered in there as well. Lets be clear about something thou, Gorge Mitchel is a DIRECTOR for the BOSTON REDSUCKS, so it comes to no surprise to me at least that ONLY ONE Red Suck was named in his report and AMAZINGLY enough it’s was basically a no name that’s not even on there roster any more. Gage-Me was also named but he was barely a Suck so to me he doesn’t’ count. Then there is Clemens, a guy that has pissed off the Red Suck Nation more then any player named Bucky Dent or Aaron Boon.(And that’s saying allot!!) So is it any wonder he was named in this report? His accuser Brian Macnamie has an inconsistent story, a record of LYING to get him self out of trouble, and an extremely shady past. Clemens for his part has come out swinging and many would say that it’s all ego because he wants to save his legacy. This very well could be true and it could cost him dearly in the end but if you ask me Clemens is fighting too dam hard and with too much passion to be lying. He has done what MANY accused have not done. He has filed a lawsuit against his accuser. When asked about testifying to congress he response in short is “Bring it on”. He has confronted his accuser and stated time and time again “All I want is the truth” Now I get that this could be a HUGE scam on Clemens part. He could be lying and to be honest when it was first reported my thought were simply that he was lying. As the weeks have gone by Clemens anger, and pursuit to clear his name and how STRONGLY he is attacking it leads me to believe that he may be telling the truth and that he may not have ever taken Roids or anything else for that matter. I could be wrong and many will believe that I am. Hey I’m cool with that. Your welcome to believe anything you want but my gut is telling me Clemens never used. I hope I’m right even if I personally can’t stand Clemens as a ballplayer (Great talent but I hate his Ego). Andy Pettit was also named in this report and he has come forward and said “yes the report is true I did this” he also said he was sorry if it upset any of the fans that he did this and swears he only did it the one time (2 shots). On one hand I’m angry with Andy for using what he was doing was wrong and did it anyway. I can however respect Andy for simply coming right out and in no HGH, even if I understand his desire to get back in the game he still knew uncertain terms saying YES I USED HGH. To me that was a classy thing to do. He did not come out and say I did something and I’m sorry for that something, it’s a distraction that something Blahh Blahh Blahh. Unlike another Yankees caught using Performance Enhancers (Jason Giambi) at least Andy can be straight forward with the fans about his mistake. On the subject of Giambi I’m done bitching about his former Roid use. He has done his time and has been paying the price for it the last 4 or more season. I’m not talking the media, the fan jeers or mine, and others bitching and screaming for his departure from the Yankees. Nope I still don’t’ like the guy as a Yankee, and can’t wait till he is gone. His fielding ability has gone from poor to god awful in the last three seasons. Oh sure, we have had a few streaks of greatness from him but the guy can’t field to save his life. His power is slowly going, going, gone, and his batting average every season keeps getting smaller. Every year there is a NEW set if injuries, to his formerly roided up body. In the end Giambi is more of a hindrance and detriment to the Yankees, but it has nothing to do with his admission or lack of admission to using Roids. It’s does have a connection to his usage. The Yankees seem to have caught on to Giambi’s uselessness by decreasing his playing time and it is a matter of time before he is traded or just released by the Yankees. I mean at some point we have to cut our losses and with a Log jam in the Outfield we need more playing time for Damon, Matsui and Abrue at DH because all 3 of them AND Melky can’t play in the OF- We need Melky n the lineup! For those of you that are fans of Giambi, hey look if you like the guy by all means more power to ya. Just understand I don’t’ have to like him, and I’m not the only one that sees how he has been hurting the Yankees with his poor seasons and persistent injuries. It’s simply My Opinion. The way I see it many Fans hate A-rod, I personally have no beef with him. I think he is an amazing player that just needs to keep his mouth shut avoid the media like the Plague and just as Boca in the movie Mr 3000 said “Just do your thing baby.” Now many will disagree with me. Hey that’s cool, I never said I was right but I never admitted to being wrong, and I most likely never will.

Well this has gotten longer then I wanted it to be, so on that note Ill be signing off. Next week ill talk Santana and why I’m happy the Yankees never made a trade for him. After that I plan to go more into detail on Clemens and the Mitchel Report, The Youth movement of the Yankees, and our off season moves or lack there for of. I also will be Posting my annual Spring Training how too Blog, with lots of info on where to go who you might see and when the best times are to go.

Until Then

The Yankee Fan