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