Kissimmee, FL, March 3 — The Yankees experienced their first significant drawback to 2008 Spring Training when Mike Mussina failed to record an out in the third inning of a 7-6 win over the Astros in Kissimmee. A less than glowing subplot involved some shaky play at first base, the most unsettled defensive position on the team. Continue reading
Category Archives: On the Field
7 Great Innings, But a 7-7 Tie
Tampa, FL, March 2 — It was incumbent first baseman Jason Giambi’s turn to pole a three-run first-inning home run to give the Yanks an early lead on the Phillies on Sunday, this time in Legends, soon to be Steinbrenner, Field. The lefty power hitter did nothing to hurt his case playing first base in the field either, and he collected both the homer and an even more impressive line double to the gap in left against lefty pitching. Continue reading
Clear Winner at First in Clearwater
Clearwater, FL, March 1 — Yankee fans have a lot of change to adapt to in 2008. Hank and Hal Steinbrenner are replacing their aging father at the helm. Joe Girardi slips into the manager’s chair, vacated by Joe Torre after 12 years. And the team opted not to trade young pitching for an older experienced stud. Continue reading
All But One Pass a College Test
Tampa, FL, February 29 — A few years back, the Houston Astros broke a long streak and lots of Yankee fan hearts when they strung together a no-hitter against the Bombers, the first no-hitter in major league history shared by six pitchers. Friday, six of the Yanks’ most promising new arms allowed one single among them, pitching to just 25 batters in eight innings of an 11-4 victory. Continue reading
Old Friends
Tampa, FL, March 7 — I can’t tell you at what point this season watching and rooting for Andy Pettitte in a game will lose the sense of nostalgia and thrill at having him back. At some point, I’m sure, it will morph into the more workmanlike (though thrilling) work of pulling for the team and the guy representing them on the mound, just because that is what I do. It hasn’t happened yet for sure, and let’s just say that it took a moment to recover from the sight of Chris Denorfia’s bat head hurtling toward number 46 in the first inning of tonight’s Reds/Yankee game in Legends Field. Continue reading
Two for ‘The Show’
Winter Haven, FL, March 6 — The best news to come out of the Yanks’ first loss of the spring season, 6-5 to the Indians in Winter Haven, is perhaps the performance of Phillip Hughes in his second time out. Despite the fact that he took the loss, the second best report concerns the work of Russ Ohlendorf. The two prospects pitched the fourth through seventh innings and posted four strike outs, and should have been clear with no runs scored and just three hits. Continue reading
Then Came Bronson
Tampa, FL, March 5 — The first surprise I was confronted with as I entered Legends Field under a dazzling cloudless sky Monday was the number of front-line Tigers who had made the trip to Tampa from Lakeland. Jim Leyland pencilled the names Ivan Rodriguez, Placido Polanco, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen, Brandon Inge, Sean Casey, and Curtis Granderson into his starting lineup, handed the ball to Justin Verlander to pitch the first, and used both Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney to pitch late innings to protect a slim lead. Continue reading
The Perils of Pavano
Clearwater, FL., March 4 — A lot of good things happened as the Yanks won their fourth straight spring game Saturday, 10-5 over the Phillies in Clearwater. Carl Pavano pitched two effective, though not dominant, innings. Jeff Karstens and Luis Vizcaino threw well later in the game, 18-year-old outfield prospect Jose Tabata showed some signs in left, Melky Cabrera notched his first three hits of the campaign, and Kevin Whelan posted his second save is as many appearances. Continue reading
The Kids Are Alright
Tampa, FL., March 3 — Pitching dominated over hitting yet again on Saturday in Tampa, as the Yanks needed a late three-run rally to overcome the visiting Pirates, 4-3. But while the arms dominating was business as usual, the milieu in which the game was played was anything but. Light rain fell in the morning and then again late in the game, and temps ranged in the 50s for much of the afternoon. Continue reading
Maddon Madness
St. Petersburg, FL., March 2 — The 6,500-plus fans attending the Devil Rays spring home opener vs. the Yankees in St. Petersburg today were doubly blessed, particularly the many Yankee fans among them. On the one hand the widely predicted showers coming from the north and west never arrived. And coming from the east, almost the entire starting roster of the Bombers appeared, making the brief road trip often reserved to just a handful of the frontline players. Continue reading