ICHIRO AND THE YANKEES BEAT THE MARINERS 4-1

The story of the night, of course, was the Yankee debut of Ichiro Suzuki. The fact that his debut is taking place at the home field of his former team just added to the drama. He went to the batter's box in his first at-bat as a Yankee to a standing ovation, and he responded with a classy bow of respect.

He proceeded to line a pitch up the middle for a base hit, and followed it up with his 16th stolen base of the season. It was a great moment for him and for the Yankees.

Hiroki Kuroda looked strong as he struck out 9 and gave up a single run through 7 innings. He had location and he varied his pitches enough that batters couldn't quite connect. He handed the ball to David Robertson, keeping the long relief well rested for Freddy Garcia tomorrow night. He even flashed some glove, stabbing a liner from Jesus Montero to turn a 1-4-3 double play in the seventh.

Kevin Millwood started out well, with some good defense behind him, turning three double plays on the night. However, the bats eventually got to him in the fourth. Mark Teixeira has continued his hot hitting as he doubled down the right field line with two on to get the Yankees on the board. Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones followed with back-to-back RBI singles give the Yankees the lead 3-1. Overall, the Yankees got nine hits, two walks, and three runs over 7 innings.  Tex got another double in the eighth.

Russell Martin, in a little bit of tit-for-tat, got his second stolen base of the year off of opposing catcher John Jaso, after Jaso got one on Martin earlier in the game.  Personally, when he got to third and they put the shift on, I would have taken an enormous lead and tried to steal home. But that's just me...

Alex Rodriguez, who has been tattooing the ball the last few games, finally got one over the fence in the eighth. His homer count now goes to 644 for his career. It would have been the second of the game if his double in the top of the fourth had been a little higher on the wall.

David Robertson gave us all a heart attack, as it looked like he might have hurt his leg pitching in the eighth. The pitch that followed was an inning-ending strikeout pitch, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, he was lights out as he retired the inning in order, striking out two. That's 2 more bucks that we here at BYB will put into the pot to help out High Socks for Hope!

Rafael Soriano followed DRob, a night after blowing a save, to retire the side in order for his 25th save.

Final score: Yankees 4, Mariners 1. Nice win...Nice debut by Ichiro.

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BASEBALL AT IT'S BEST: DONNIE BASEBALL & A NO-HITTER

Don Mattingly was always one of my favorite Yankees. I marveled at his subtle greatness. His crouched batting stance and his amazing play at 1^st Base. I wanted to be a 1^st baseman because of Donnie Baseball. I was saddened that he never got a ring as a player and is still the greatest Yankee to never have played in a World Series. I also lamented about Donnie not getting the manager job. Nothing against Girardi but Donnie is a Yankee icon and he was mentored well by Joe Torre but no regrets. Joe got us our 27^th so life is good all around here in Yankeeland.
 

 As for Donnie Baseball these days, as we know he landed in Los Angeles with the Dodgers as bench coach for Joe Torre and eventually succeeding him as manager. I gotta tell you. It is really hard to see Donnie in Dodger Blue. I have never liked the Dodgers. They were my mom's favorite team dating back when they were still in Brooklyn. But, since her death in 03, my loathing of LA has subsided somewhat, but not altogether.

So, fast forward to last Friday night, June 8^th. Living in Seattle now, I cheer for the Mariners, (when they don’t play my Yanks of course) and I was really looking forward to seeing Donnie Baseball again for the first time since he left the Yankees. However, I had no idea it would be on a historic occasion.

I tried to get a good pic of Donnie, but unlike Bobby Valentine who is despised by his players, the Dodgers love Donnie and he is usually surrounded by coaches and players, and with everyone wearing blue sweatshirts, it was hard to make him out. The Dodgers have a great pitching staff but without Matt Kemp, their lineup is not that formidable.

The Mariners are not that great either but Kevin Millwood who started, has been on a resurgence this season. The game sped along without much action and when I glanced up at the scoreboard in the 4^th inning, I noticed that the Dodgers were hitless and then again in the 5^th and 6^th and I started getting a feeling that something special was gonna happen this night. I had never seen a no hitter in the hundreds of games I have been to in my life so far so I was getting excited. But, that changed when Millwood was pulled due to a groin injury, I thought, there goes the No-Hitter but was I wrong. 5 M’s relievers combined to preserve what Millwood started including Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League and Tom Wilhelmsen. For an intense 1-0 Mariners win. This was the 10^th combined no-hitter in baseball history. And anchoring the Mariners that night was none other than former Yankee phenom, Jesus Montero.

I was very happy for Jesus to have played such a pivotal part in this historic moment. Looks like his catching isn’t so bad after all. Still, I’m not looking back on letting Jesus go, I keep looking forward. Everything happens for a reason I believe and it was Jesus’s time to not be with the Yankees any longer. Can’t dwell on it.

The bottom line, it was great to see Donnie Baseball again at a ballpark, it brought back many memories of seeing him many times in Yankee Stadium. But it made it even more special was getting to see him on such a historic night. 

--Thomas Brophy, BYB Guest Writer





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WHY THE YANKEES SIGNED RAMON ORTIZ

I'm not sure why the Yankees signed 39 year old Ramon Ortiz, I'm not going to lie. I have never once looked at Ortiz and said "Yeah, we really need to get that guy." Never... and he's been around since 1999. Seriously though, Ortiz is a veteran of the game, he's been around and the only real reason Ortiz has been singed to a minor league deal is two fold, the Yankees are stock piling arms, which is always a good thing and the Yankees now get a chance to give the guy a look, much like Kevin Millwood and Carlos Silva last season. It's just alittle exercise they're going through...maybe something happens, maybe not. Anyway, Marc Carig had the tweet about Ortiz HERE.Don't forget, it wasn't too long ago that Ortiz was released by the San Francisco Giants. Read HERE. In 2011 with the Chicago Cubs, Ortiz racked up a 4.86 ERA with a 1-2 record. He had 25 strikeouts and 11 walks. His best season was 2002 in Anaheim when he was 15-9 with a 3.77 ERA. Those days are long gone, but if the Yankees can strike lightening in a bottle, why not right? Hey it could be worse... we could have just signd Sergio Mitre again... I think I'd jump off a bridge.

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WHY THE YANKEES WILL PLAY THE HAND THEY'RE DEALT

It makes no difference who the Yankees end up with, the Yankees are the Yankees and we play with a desire, guts and alittle luck every single season. Some time we hum through a 10 game winning streak and sometimes we get swept, but it is my theory that if you play it one game at a time and win each series, you will make the playoffs and can definitely win the World Series if the focus is there.

I know, I’m preaching the the choir, but the reality is, I was looking through our BYB archive for 2010 and there was more concern than happiness. Yet, the New York Yankees won 97 games last year with the rotation we had. Pretty impressive if you think about just how inconsistent AJ Burnett was and how the mysterious "Dead Arm" issue affected Phil Hughes. Think about it, Bartolo Colon was a savior… so was the mighty Freddy Garcia.

David Robertson proved the me that he belongs with the big boys for a long long time, he’s dominant, likable and he just hates to lose, plus, he’s a great dude.

Derek Jeter proved everyone wrong who said .270 was the new .290 for Jeet. The guy fell just short of .300, plus, got his 3000^th hit just happened to be a home run. The more I think about just how spectacular that is, the more I’m in awe of the Captain. There is no doubt the guy has an angel on his shoulder.

The Yankees will play with the hand they’re dealt this season, and they'll be fine. Sure, we’ll pick up a few pieces off the scrap heap, cheap, but eager contribute and sure, they’ll be guys that you wouldn’t necessarily think are New York Yankees, but then again, either was Bartolo Colon.

Look, I’m the first one to admit that I was wrong about Colon. I didn’t think he had a shot, yet, I believed Kevin Millwood did. I was wrong. I like to be wrong when it comes to my New York Yankees. That’s a good thing because it’s a true surprise when good things happen.

I believe in my Yankees and alittle bit of luck too. Sure, we can win it all in 2012, but the heart needs to be there and after reflecting on this silly Yankee off season, I’m at peace. Cashman believes in his Yankees, and I believe Cashman. I’ll tell you what, one things for sure, if Cashman’s wrong, the Steinbrenner’s will no doubt tell him he is. But going into January, I’m starting to get excited, Spring Training is closer than we think and we’ll be seeing the boys in blue real soon and let’s be honest… I can’t wait.

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WHY A SERIES WIN IS A GREAT WIN

There's something to be said about young pitchers going out there every 5th day and pitching their heart out. Sometimes they just can't adjust and are shipped back to AAA for alittle extra work. Sometimes they struggle, but the potential is there, so they stick around. Others earn a spot because they have heart and determination and the whole team is behind him. Ivan Nova is that choice for sure, because while we all know of his troubles the second and third time round the opposition's batting order, we know this kid is something special, so, we continue to put him out there. For both he and us, things are working out just fine so far.
Ivan Nova got his second win today and he did it well. Yes, there were moments where his fastball wasn't working, but for the most part, he was able to rely on other pitches and lasted until the 7th. The best part of Nova's appearance was he didn't freak out after letting up that home run in the second inning. Instead, he just kept on plugging away.

Mark Teixeira got us started with his home run in the first inning. And I need to tell you, at that point, I just had a feeling we were going to win this one. The shot was glorious and sometimes you just know when it's going to be a good day. Today was.
The bottom of the fifth is where it all came together for the Yankees and it gave Ivan Nova some breathing room. Jorge Posada got a double. Brett Gardner got a single to right and then Granderson got his 8th homer of the year.

Huge props to the Grandy man who just continues to hit homers and you really have to credit Kevin Long with this. Seriously, it's Granderson in the box and yes, he's the one cranking them out, but Kevin Long is the one that found the flaw in Grandy's swing and fixed it. A 3 run home run was great and put the Yanks ahead for good. Granderson and Cano both have 8 home runs and are tied for the team leaders in homers. Weird, right? I would have pegged Tex of A-Rod by now. Funny how baseball works.

All in all, a nice game for the Yankees and for Ivan Nova.

Oh and just a note for anyone that didn't know, Kevin Millwood has opted out of his contract with the Yankees. Yes, Millwood was trying to come back and accepted a minor league deal with New York but he had until May 1st to choose what the do, if by then the Yankees didn't call him up. Kevin, we wish you well.

Final Score today: Yankees 5 - Blue Jays 2.

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WHY SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE

Sometimes Cashman reminds me of the tortoise in the old Tortoise and the Hare story teaching every child about life. He really does, especially after this winter after Lee decided he was afraid to play in New York.With Phil Hughes "maybe" being on the shelf this year with "maybe" Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, many suspect "maybe" Cashman will push the panic button and go get a starting pitcher. (The latest on Hughes is HERE.) According to Cash, that's not the case.

Says Cashman: "There's no starting pitching to go find. Everything we have to deal with is right here in front of us."I get it. Who's out there that we can get? Yes, we long for the days of King Felix in pinstripes, but that may be the big name for the trade deadline. If you're talking about right now, names like Colon, Garcia and Millwood dare I say Carlos Silva have been snatched up already, by us. Guess what? They were the best of the free agent market after Lee and we got them.

So, let me be frank, we need to stop the bitching and stick with what we got. Yes, Yankees fans are used to the here and now and "We can do anything we want." But the harsh reality is, Cliff Lee changed that for Cashman and the Yankees. So now we hate Cliff Lee. So, how do we get back at him? Beat him down with our Bomber bats next time he's scheduled to pitch against us. Or, how's this for a winning scenerio; A Game 7 World Series in Philadelphia this fall. Our Yankee bats could unleash a hit attack to send Lee a message as we go on to win our 28th championship. That, may I suggest, would be the greatest payback of 2011

But back to my point. Cashman is taking things slow. If we learned anything so far, we learned the Yankees put trust in rusty veterans and were getting back on our "cheap" investments. When someone becomes available, Cash will snatch them up. For now though, we stick with what we have...and we should.

WHY IT'S PRIOR & MILLWOOD AGAINST THE WORLD

Mark Prior was the pitcher that everyone had dead and buried after all his injuries during his brief flicker of greatness with the Cubs. The great news about Mark is he has been promoted to Scranton Wilkes-Barre by the New York Yankees. Read the story HERE.

It's a story no one's really been talking about, except us. And I don't mean the reporting on his promotion, I'm talking about the personal story of Mark Prior. If he gets all the way back to the Yankees, which everyone is rooting for at this point, not only will he be a bright spot in the Yankee bullpen, his story should be developed into a film. Now before you jump down my throat, did you ever see Dennis Quaid as Jim Morris in The Rookie? (Morris story HERE) If so, then you know there's potential.Mark Prior has travelled a long road back and this come back to the Yankees would be amazing. After all, that's where it all started for him. Look, take a moment, read about Prior HERE, and understand I'm not over exaggerating this guy. It's worth the read, trust me.

And speaking of comebacks, Kevin Millwood, is still in the minors and apparently he's made strides. He pitched for Trenton (Read it HERE) and went seven innings and allowed 1 hit in his last start. So what does it mean? They'll keep watching him and if he improves, stays consistent in this appearances and gets his pitches touching 90, I say eventually he could get a call up.

It's funny, the stockpiling of veteran pitchers is interesting right now. Hughes needs to be put on the DL and Colon gets a shot Wednesday night now in Hughes' place. Garcia pitched well in his first game and he's currently 1-0. If, for example, one of those guys sucks in their next appearances, they probably go "on the radar." If Millwood is stretched out next game and pitches well in his next start, he'll be highlighted and if Garcia and Colon were to continue struggling, Millwood could be brought up to fill in. Who knows, I just like the options right now.

2 quality pitchers with gas left in their tanks, Prior and Millwood. Let's hope the price for each coming up to the pros is just right and they shine for Yankee brass and for us fans. One thing's for sure, Cashman will be looking like a genius and smiling ear to ear and so will we.

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WHY THE YANKEES SIGNED SILVA

Jon Heyman tweeted that the Yankees signed former Cub Carlos Silva. I quickly looked at the date and made sure it wasn't April 1st. Weird. Kind of came out of nowhere, that's what I was thinking. Yes, there was rumor about Silva and the Yankees about 1 month ago, but that went away. So if pitching depth is what the Yankees are looking for, I guess they're getting it.

My only guess of why the Yankees signed Silva was that they are worried about Phil Hughes and /or they aren't settled on Freddy Garcia. Plus, reports out of Scranton is that Millwood's minor league debut didn't look too promising. Millwood was limited to 48 pitches, went two-plus innings, but allowed 3 runs on 2 hits while walking 2 and striking out 2. Read it HERE.

Look, in my opinion, we clearly have Freddy Garcia in the 5th slot and Kevin Millwood is just getting ready in the minors for if the Yankees need him, whether for Hughes, Nova, Garcia, whatever. We even have Colon, who's our long man, but can easily start if needed. Do we really need another starter?

The other side of the coin is, stockpiling experienced starting pitching and just being safe than sorry. It just all seems like a bit of a motley crew at this point between Garcia, Colon, Millwood and now Silva. I can honestly say I never expected to see all of those guys in the same room, but the Yankees are managing to help that thought along.

The Silva signing is a minor league deal. Bronx Baseball Daily says of the deal:

"Silva... is still owed his full $11.5 million, but that will be paid by the Cubs with the Yankees picking up just the pro-rated major league minimum which is slightly over $400,000. Silva also has a mutual option included in his deal for next season that obviously will not be exercised. It does include a buyout which the Cubs are responsible for."

So, I guess Silva and Millwood can just hang out together in the minors, compete, and even feed off each other until a call up is necessary. So while Garcia is the 5th starter, I think it will depend on what the Yanks want to do that day. They'll be studying matchups, and cracking open the Girardi binder just to try and figure out for example, if someone like Silva is a smarter matchup against the Rangers, than Garcia. Or, maybe they want to use Millwood one day instead of Garcia because they like the numbers. Who knows. It's all just very interesting.

Stockpiling starters. The new strategy of the New York Yankees... and Girardi and Rothschild just can't get away from the Cub connection, can they? Hmm.

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WHY MILLWOOD HAD ME AT HELLO

Kevin Millwood is in Yankees camp. He's ready and he was interviewed. This quote is courtesy of Wallace Matthews of ESPN.

“Now it’s just try to get ready, do what they want me to do and see where it takes me. If that’s all they’ve got, that’s all they’ve got…Obviously, I’d prefer to be a starter and go that way, but we’ll see what happens.”

For all of the press that hyped up Millwood and Boras as "holding out" for the Major League contract and all this press of Millwood's "ego demanding more", it all seems to have gone away at this moment. Kevin Millwood had me at hello. He actually sounds like a New York Yankee.

Look, I know what Kevin Millwood’s capable of and I like that the Yankees made the offer they did and he accepted. It was a smart offer as far as I'm concerned because Millwood's got to perform now. If he does, he'll get a job somewhere on the team...beautiful.

Millwood can and will be a helpful pitcher this season especially with injury prone guys like Garcia and Colon. The Yankees are clearly worried about how long Freddy and Dr. Chubby can last during a full season, so that's why Millwood arrived. Cashman played the waiting game correctly with Kevin. Hopefully it all pays off.

Now, I’ve always said stockpiling pitchers is what the Yankees needed to do this winter, especially because they lost out on the big fish, Cliff Lee. To me, it makes sense and it's a cheap alternative. I’m looking forward to Millwood making the team and contributing, I know he will, plus, his positive attitude just made me smile.

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WHY THE YANKEES SIGNED MILLWOOD

(photo: Getty)

Yeah, you read that correctly, according to WFAN and Jon Heyman from SI, the Yankees have signed starter Kevin Millwood to what is being called an “incentive-laden” minor league deal. Heyman says Millwood will begin the year in the minors. Read it HERE. Here are Millwood's numbers last year for Baltimore: 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA in 190 2/3 innings.

90% of you just groaned. 10% are Millwood fans. Many of you don't get it, some do. This is my official take, hear me out.

The Yanks are not a patient franchise, they never have been. They can preach it, they can even practice it to an extent, for instance, they've been riding it out with Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon all spring, but the reality is, there is not All-Star coming forward from these two pitchers, just flashes of brilliance.

So you ask "Ok, Casey, so now Millwood's an All-Star?" No. He's not and I never said he was. My theory on this is simple. Stockpiling pitching.

Look, the Yanks lost out to Lee, they moved on. Turns out, it may be the best thing that ever happened to the Yankees. We saw a lot of great young talent this spring and we signed 2 former great pitchers in Colon and Garcia. They duked it out, but even if they get the nod to be our number 5 starter, can they stay solid all season? Will they break down? Enter Kevin Millwood.

Now, I don't know what Millwood's contract is, I don't even care, I'm just trying to understand the thinking of the Yankee brass. If Garcia or Colon, or both fall apart by May, we have an innings eater in the minors ready to come up, battle tested and ready to go. Millwood's no bullshit, he never has been, and yes, while he's in the category of Garcia and Colon when it comes to age, he has a much better health record then them both.

(photo: AP)

Now you ask "Then Casey, why not just give Millwood the 5th spot?". No, I wouldn't. I find a move like that to be douche, to be perfectly honest with you. Why would Freddy and Bartolo be busting ass, for what could possibly be their last shot and then let Millwood just "show up" and take the job? No, Millwood's going to have to earn it as well. That's why he was offered a minor league deal. Smart move by the Yanks.

In my opinion, I see positives here. We have nothing else to work with and instead of just rushing Manny Banuelos up to the Majors, we buy us some time. Trust me, this can work out in the Yankees favor.

Baseball's coming... now let's get ready.

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WHY IS MILLWOOD STILL LIKELY?

	"At this point, the contract is less important than the situation. Kevin is looking for the best opportunity." --Scott Boras

(photo: Getty)
Look, Kevin Millwood is an innings eating pitcher that for some crazy reason, the Yankees are fascinated with. According to SI's Jon Heyman, the Yanks offered him a contract after he threw at UC-Irvine earlier in the week. Another report about the offer is HERE.

Millwood wants a Major league deal. As we know from earlier this winter, the Yanks offered him a minor league deal and he rejected it. In the meantime, they picked up some once great group of pitchers, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and Mark Prior, all with big time injury and all working their way back. Millwood, probably has the best health record of them all, which is why the Yanks find him somewhat appealing.(photo: espn)
But, as this very moment, my question is why? Why are the Yankees still pursuing this guy? There's nothing wrong with stockpiling pitchers, true, in fact, I like that, especially being in the position the Yanks were in all winter. I assume they feel that even though Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia pitched well this spring, trouble's coming. It makes sense. Maybe there is just a feeling of being extra safe in getting an innings eater like Kevin Millwood on the roster, putting him in the 4th or 5th hole and using Colon or Garcia as a long man. Then they could put Nova in the number 5 hole and ditch Sergio Mitre. This is me just rambling, but I'm just trying to understand this, and I can't.

Look, I firmly believe that Millwood's record with the Orioles last year was because of who he played for. Yes, he is getting older and he doesn't pitch like he used to and didn't down the stretch for the Orioles, so yes, it was a combination of things, but I don't feel like that 4-16 record would be a Yankee problem like it was an Orioles problem. The offenses are quite different and there would have been more wins and less losses for sure.

This soap opera's not over with Millwood. Not sure why but let the Yanks do what they must, I have faith in them. The fans have been wrong before. There's a method to Miyagi's (I mean Cashman's) madness.

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WHY I LOVE SPRING NUGGETS

The East coast got crushed with more snow yesterday, but I don't care, Spring training is here and many things are happening:

• Alex Rodriguez is in perfect form according to Kevin Long, 10 pounds lighter, more flexible, stronger are all ways Long described Alex. Alex even said that he was given the green light to really train the way he's always done it, but the hip injury kept him back for a bit. To me, that's great news. Maybe a combination of feeling good, training hard and dating Mary will keep the guy on track for what I believe will be the best season of his career.

• Kevin Millwood turned down the minor league offer from the New York Yankees and talks appear to be over. Clearly the Yankees don't read BYB. If they did, they would have offered a 1 year Major League offer because we all knew Kevin Millwood and his ego would never accept that. Millwood, while an older timer at this point has a much better health record than Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia and those guys knew they'd never get a major league offer based on their injury record. Millwood eats innings and doesn't have the injury history like they do. You could see him not accepting that months ago, well, actually BYB did, Yanks did not. In the end, Millwood not coming to New York could be a good thing, the Yanks have plenty of pitchers to compete and I've accepted what they have.

• Mark Teixeira said he'd reject a trade for Albert Pujols. While I love Albert Pujols, I don't want to lose Mark Teixeira... Ever. You can't replace him, he's a huge upgrade after Jason Giambi and he's helped us win our first championship since 2000. It's a respect thing, so, respect that!

• Derek Jeter needs 74 hits to be the 28th man to have 3000 hits in baseball and he finally says he's going to try and enjoy it. Look, I love Jeter but there's this robot-esk thing about him that drives me crazy. It's good that finally he admits that he'll enjoy the hit and be alittle human. You should Jeet, you are the man.

• Yankees prospect Gary Sanchez had heart surgery. The kid is 18 years old and had an extra nerve in his heart since birth. He's resting comfortably and will make a full recovery. Get well soon Gary.
  

• On February 26th, the Yankees will play their first spring game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Tampa. It's important because we're 1 step closer to Opening day. Expect nothing but players trying to prove themselves and our starters sitting a lot, but it will be live baseball at least and it will be the first time we see Cliff Lee since the playoffs and that could be interesting.
  

Forget the snow in the New York area, Yanks baseball is here. Enjoy it, it'll help melt this crap and we can get on to better things.

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WHY SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Yankee baseball finally began this week. Pitchers and catchers is a delight.

Bronx Baseball Daily had some great pictures, even one of my favorites this spring, Mark Prior.

To me, Spring Training's first week of Pitchers and Catchers isn't so much about watching men stretch each other, although some of the ladies might like that. To me, it's just a great sign that spring is here. Couple that with Yankee camp controversy, Captain Crunch and chubby pitchers and all the lousy East coast winter, seems to melt away, even though the black snow is still in my yard.

Every night this week, I was able to tune in to Florida on the local news sports hits as well as MLB Network just to get a glimpse of the sports guy in a golf shirt reporting from George Steinbrenner field... And for a moment, life is good.

So, What do we have to look forward to this year?

• Will we get an MVP year from Alex Rodriguez?

• Will we get a bounce back year from Derek Jeter and AJ Burnett?

• Who will get hurt this year... and I'm not talking 15 day DL hurt, I'm talking "Nick Johnson out for the year" hurt?

• Will the Yanks pick up another pitcher this spring?Is Millwood still on the radar? Many say yes, but not at $5 million and only in a minor league deal. Millwood's ego won't go for that.

• Will Freddy Garcia open people's eyes?
  

• Will more people read Bleeding Yankee Blue by Opening day? Shameless plug.
  

This is when we find out all the answers. Are you as excited as me? The boys of summer are back officially back.

Now I have not seen any reports of Alex Rodriguez strolling into camp, but I have a prediction. Alex may be showing up late on purpose. Why? He wants everyone to forget about "Popcorn-gate". Smart Alex, no one needs to show up to Spring Training, open their locker to finding bags of popcorn falling out while CC and AJ are laughing hysterically. (Can't you just picture it?) Let people forget Alex. I get it bro.

So the first week of baseball is here. I'm ready. I'm wearing a full Yankee uniform under my work suit right now, stirrups and all. Should I wear the eye black? Hmm, it may be distracting in my meetings.

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HERE COMES MR. FIX IT

"I'll get it fixed." - - Brian Cashman

Andy isn't even off the plane back to Texas yet and Cashman's already trying to make the pain go away. Good, let him earn his money now.

ESPNDEPORTES.com is reporting that the Yankees and Ronnie Belliard have agreed to a minor league deal. Belliard will make $825,ooo plus incentives if he comes up to the Bronx. I suspect he will and he will also be a good bench player. Not a bad choice. One problem, he'll need to cut his hair.

Sweeny Mirti is reporting that the Yanks are bringing infielder Eric Chavez in a minor league deal as well. Hmm. Interesting. Chavez is a career .267 hitter with 230 home runs and 787 RBIs in 1,320 games over 13 seasons in Oakland. He's also buds with Swish. I think I like this.

And of course, on the pitching front, there are many many names being thrown around. Ken Rosenthal had tweeted that the Yankees are also looking at Scott Kazmir, Joe Saunders and even Gio Gonzalez. What did I tell you. The floodgates are opening. Money is burning in Cashman's pocket. Moves need to be made. Patience is out the window.

There is also still plenty of talk and rumor about Cashman continuing to have conversations with starters like Kevin Millwood or Jeremy Bonderman but I suspect something bigger is in the works. Something that no one expects. A February Surprise. I wrote about it in WHY THERE ARE 21 DAYS LEFT and I believe it. Now that Pettitte's retiring is officially confirmed, whatever moves Cash was getting in place are now IN place. I suspect that that whiff about Joba being on the trading block a month ago is actually true, and Cashman's leak to the media about being willing to trade him was just setting it up. Now, he could move forward. I just have no idea who the other player would be and what Yankee prospects Cashman would need to include with Joba to get the deal done. That being said, I think it's going to happen. Why do I feel that way? Because I just don't understand why the Yankees would go after someone like Jeremy Bonderman. It doesn't make sense to me. And here's a good rumor. Carlos Zambrano. There was talk about this crazy dude last year and it disappeared. But now, the Morris Daily Herald took a nugget from the Chicago Sun Times and are suggesting that Carlos Zambrano is on the Yankees radar again. What? Do we really want to do that? We all know Carlos is a gamer and yes, maybe a change of scenery would be good for this guy, but let's face it, this guy is a ticking time bomb and the Bronx will eat him alive in his first bad outing. But hey, these are desperate times, who would you want, Zambrano or Mitre. (It all goes back to Mitre. Poor, poor Mitre.)

What's my point? The Yanks are about to go into high gear, they got the signal and have some extra cash now and my God... here we come. Get ready.

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WHY IT'S A SAD DAY IN YANKEELAND

Tomorrow, Andy Pettitte, one of the greatest New York Yankee Pitchers of all time will call it quits after 16 years in baseball. It's not sad today because the Yankees need to scramble to a rotation filler, No, instead, It's a sad day because Andy Pettitte will be deeply missed by all of his fans. Even if you aren't a Yankee fan, you can appreciate Andy's dominance in the post-season, his ability to pitch in any do or die situation and his love for his team and teammates. I have always called him Ol' Reliable, and he is.

Andy Pettitte won five World Championships with the Yanks. He will retire with 240 wins, 2251 strikeouts and a 3.88 ERA. But it was the post season that I loved Andy most. 19 wins and a 3.83 ERA in the playoffs. Pettitte is the all-time winningest pitcher in postseason history. You have to love that. You have to respect that, Yankee fan or not. That's just awesome.

So now, the Core Three will power on without Andy and there will be emptiness I am sure, but the reality is there are still battles to be won, with or without Andy Pettitte. They know that and they will reflect the next few days and then get into the zone as they start their 2011 season looking for their 28th title.

Sport Illustrated's Jon Heyman, who clearly has a grasp on everything, tweeted about Kevin Millwood last night and the Yankees continued interest in him. Heyman obviously was aware Pettitte was retiring. You got to respect that guy, Heyman really does always get it right.

According to Buster Olney, Kevin Millwood is looking for a deal worth $4-5 million. Many believe that that much money for a 4-16 record and a 5.10 ERA is ridiculous. I do not. Here's why... He was on the Orioles. Yes, being a good pitcher will get you wins, but if your team can't score, you lose. The Orioles were a terrible team before Showalter showed up and by the time they were winning, Millwood was probably exhausted. The positive thing about Millwood is he is an innings eater. Couple that with durability and I say GO FOR IT.

The Bleacher report wrote this: "The Yankees would probably prefer to give Millwood a minor league deal with incentives based on starts. At this point, it seems unlikely that Millwood would take that kind of an offer, but if the incentives were enticing enough, he might consider it."

While I agree with the theory of a minor league deal, I wonder if it's going to happen. Would Millwood go for it? Would his ego allow it? I can't imagine the Yankees convincing a veteran like that to accept it.

No, I say look for the Yankees to make a deal with Millwood for about $5 million between now and the Super Bowl and look for Millwood to be put in the rotation for the beginning of the season. Look, the Yankees may not act like they're freaked out, but they are. They want to win, and the need to tools to do it. Without Andy, nothing's a sure thing.

So for the rest of today, give Andy a salute. Watch his press conference tomorrow at 10:30am, Reflect, wave goodbye and wish good luck. Andy put his time in, he succeeded at ever turn. He deserves a huge sendoff. Thank you Andy, Thank you for taking pride in your work and wearing the pinstripes.

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WHY VETERANS GIVE STABILITY

Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman, the master of baseball blabber, the God to us all, has twatted that the Yankees are still looking at veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood. Crazy I know, but not a bad idea. Why? Because the Yankees, for the first time in the off season don't have a sure thing.

Touching base with guys like Kevin Millwood are a good thing. Relationship building for 1, and secondly, the longer Millwood is out there, the cheaper his price will become. Look, Millwood is an innings eater like no one I've seen (other than CC) and his health is relatively good compared to the other free agents out there. He's actually a good choice. People like my friend Chet would choose Millwood over a Bartolo Colon just because of the "chunk" factor alone. Then, when you add in Millwood's stability and years and Chet would definitely agree, it's the better choice for a back of the rotation pitcher.

So, if the Yanks can keep in contact with this horse the whole way through, maybe they can lasso Millwood cheap come February 18th or something. It just makes sense. Now, it's not an easy game. There are plenty of teams talking to this guy, the Indians, the Orioles, and who knows what the evil Red Sox will do, but the reality is Millwood's a smart idea, just alittle too expensive for the Yankees taste right now.

Stay close to Bleeding Yankee Blue for all the latest news. By the way, 12 days until Spring Training officially begins...how sweet it is.

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WHY WE NEED TO RECAP

Starters like Doug Davis, Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Bonderman, Freddy Garcia, Rodrigo Lopez, and Brian Moehler are all out there for the Yanks to snag off the free agent market if they want a quick fix at the back half of the rotation.

Bartolo Colon is pitching in a Dominican Winter League and there are mixed reviews about how he's doing. Colon clearly wants to make it back, the question is, will the Yankees take a chance on him or will it be a team like the Royals.

Then you look at pitchers like Pedro Martinez or Jarrod Washburn and these guys haven't pitched in the majors in a while. Over a year.

You then have guys like, John Maine, like Justin Duchscherer and 90 year old Jamie Moyer (who just keeps on ticking). The problem with these guys are they're all coming off injury. The only name the Yankees have been connected to is Justin Duchscherer, but who knows if he's still on the radar.

Andy Pettitte is by far the Yankees top choice. Reliable, durable and comfortable, but there's one issue of concern... It's January 25th. Ladies and Gentleman, Don't panic. I have a good feeling about this guy, I feel like he's coming back. I've said it before in IF YOU BUILD IT, HE WILL COME (BACK), Andy waited until January 26th before and this may seem like a long time, but it's actually not. Tomorrow's the 26th. After that, well, then you have to start to worry. My gut says Andy's coming back, that being said, it is very possible he's "getting pitcher ready" to see how his body responds to the daily workouts. It's possible that he's seeing how he feels day in and day out to see if he can handle a full season. It's reality. So, while I feel good about Andy, keep that in the back of your mind. Be patient... We'll know soon.

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WHY THERE ARE 21 DAYS LEFT

If you're a true baseball fan, a true New York Yankees fan, being stuck in the winter and snow means 2 things:

1. You're sick of it.
2. Countdown to Pitchers and Catchers.

In years past, it's about getting down to Tampa and seeing all your Yankee favorites but also seeing the new guys. This year oddly, there's not a ton of hype, just a lot of wait and wonder. People are freaking out, me included and there's tons of questions... Is Cashman going to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade for a starter? If so, when? How about Pettitte... is he coming back or what? Is the bench really just Andruw Jones, Eduardo Nunez, and Ramiro Pena, Greg Golson and Colin Curtis? We could use a cheap veteran to mentor these kids too, right? Andruw Jones is great, but put another vet in there. Someone with the Tony Clark gene.

Sure, once we get to Tampa, we'll calm down alittle bit, after all, the boys are playing baseball, what's better than that? But the problem still remains... Pitching. CC, AJ, Phil and what? Yes, the Yankees have Ivan Nova, but I'd give him the 5th starter role no problem. Many think I'm anti-youngster. I'm not, I just don't think you should just force it on someone. Spring Training's where we'll see those kids, maybe we'll see some magic. But in the meantime, we still need a 4th starter. Will it be Pettitte? Millwood? My friend Jared? Who? I've been bitching about this hole since Pettitte filed for free agency. Yes, I gave Cashman a hard time, but the reality is, quality pitching will come in a trade this winter, not in the free agent market. We can patch the hole with a Garcia or a Millwood, but we can't feel really good about it unless Millwood suddenly gets back to his prime. It's a tough market. That's why in the back of my mind, it may not be the January Surprise we're waiting for, it's the February Surprise that Cashman's about to drop on us.

I remember the Winter of 2004, I was driving home from a signing featuring Bucky Dent and Mike Torrez. It was cold that day. As I put on the radio, sports came on 1010 wins and said the Yankees just traded Alfonso Soriano to the Rangers for Alex Rodriguez. It was February 16, 2004. Remember that date for 1 reason and 1 reason only, Cashman's not done, and he's never done. Something's up his sleeve. I truly believe that. Listen, you can rank on Cashman all day long saying he's dragging his feet. I do from time to time as well. But look at what he's dealing with? I even killed him saying he screwed us in the Lee deal... we're all pissed. But answer me this question... When Cashman leaves the Yankees when his contracts up and he signs a deal with another Eastern Division team, are you still going to be saying that? Cashman is one of the best GM's in baseball and while he may not have the Yankee Empire behind him if he moves on, he'll have that savvy GM mentality, the contacts, the friendships and that Golden Boy reputation. You don't want to compete with that, trust me. At the end of the day, time isn't standing still you BYB freaks, I swear it's not. With pitchers and catchers just 21 days away, it's about to get warm. We're about to see our heroes, the green grass, the sunshine and Mr. Brian Cashman... And he might... might... might have alittle surprise for all of us... in February. We just need to trust him.

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WHY MILLWOOD’S THE FLAVOR OF THE DAY

So, free agent pitchers riddled with injuries got you down? Apparently it’s got the Yankees down too. They’ve been sifting through medical records and strikeout records and injury records and even record albums to try and find anything, ANYTHING, to give them guidance on who to try and plug in their starting rotation that hasn’t had too many issues. There are elbow problems and hip injuries and who knows what else. Good News Yankee Fans, today’s flavor is Kevin Millwood. Yesterday, it was Freddy Garcia. Tomorrow we’ll get a report that Bartolo Colon pitched well in his winter league and he’ll be back on the radar. It’s just plain nuts.

So, back to Kevin Millwood. I mentioned in WHY I LIKE LEFTOVERS and WHY ANDY IS COMFORT that Millwood is the possible best option for the Yanks, merely because of his health record being better than the other free agent pitchers out there and he being an innings eater. Plus, while Kevin Millwood’s career may be behind him at this point, he’s much better than the 4-16 record he put up with the Orioles in 2010. Part of that record’s blame needs to go to the Orioles, who didn’t play well last year. The other blame needs to go to Millwood because, let’s face it, he’s not the pitcher he used to be. That being said, none of these guys are. I would expect if the Yankees signed Millwood, we would get more wins than when he was with the Orioles, plus, the Yankees are a much better team offensively. If we got 10 wins from Millwood in 2011, I’d be thrilled.

Look, the pitchers we’ve looked at time and time again this off season. Yes, all have had decent careers and brief flashes of greatness. Some used to be lights out. Some struck everyone at one time. Others were just plain dominant. The problem? To put it simply…it's 2011, not 2004. All of them and I mean all of the pitchers that the Yankees are looking at have been hurt, some more serious than others, and have had operations to correct the problems. Kevin Millwood, seems to be the exception. If you line up all these pitchers against a brick wall, Kevin Millwood may stand out as the pitcher that fits the Yankees mold perfectly.

He's an innings eater. The Yankees are looking for an innings eater. Someone like Freddy Garcia has pitched UNDER 300 innings the past 4 years. Millwood has not. Millwood can pitch innings all day long, in fact he usually pitches up to 30 games a season.

His health record is MUCH better than the others. The Yankees ideally would not want someone who may not be able to pitch through the season.

He’s a former ace that can balance out the Yankees rotation? Millwood would be a great 4th or 5th starter in the rotation, no doubt.

He’s a better option than Sergio Mitre. Let’s face it, even Colon and Garcia are a better option than Mitre. Actually, that’s an unfair attack against Mitre. I apologize.

There is 1 thing that will be a factor with Kevin Millwood though. It’s Money. How much would he request to pitch in the Bronx. No doubt it will be more than these injury riddled pitchers who are on their way back. Those guys can’t ask for a lot because, well, they’re damaged goods… they would have to have balls to do that. Millwood, could ask for quite a bit more, because while his record was horrible last year, he may be the best pitcher of the lot. If that’s the case, look for the Yankees not to spend on a Kevin Millwood then. Then again… that’s what I said about Rafael Soriano.

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