Lights … camera … links! Here’s the news:
- Mooooving Day at the Stadium: MLB.com has all the details on the Yanks moving their offices into the new Stadium. They’ve got a photo gallery and a video report.
- LoHud’s PeteAbe has some photos from the move.
- RiverAveBlues offers up a nifty virtual tour of the new park.
- Jon Lane of YES Network provides a pro/con analysis of the contenders for the fifth spot in the rotation.
- The Post reports that Astros’ owner Drayton McLane believes that Andy Pettitte probably won’t be pitching for them in ’09.
- Bernie Williams will be back in New York … this Sunday night. He’ll be an honoree, and a performer at the annual BBWAA dinner at the Hilton (YES Network).
- If you have at least $33,275 to spare, you can bid on a signed team photo of the 1927 Yankees.
- Heard of Arodys Vizcaino? Keith Law thinks he’ll be the Yankee prospect to make the jump into his Top 100 prospects next year.
- Over at the Post, Kevin Kernan summarizes the off-season to date for the Mets and Yanks.
- 2-tour Yankee Neil Allen turns 51 today. He was purchased from the Cards in July of ’85, traded to the ChiSox in ’86, released by them in August of ’87, and picked up by the Bombers again for the last month of ’87.
- Tim Stoddard, a teammate of Allen’s in ’87, turns 56. Stoddard was acquired from the Padres in exchange for the failed free agent experiment known as Ed Whitson.
- On this date in 2000, Yankee prospect D’Angelo Jimenez suffers a broken neck when a car he is driving collides with a bus. Jimenez is not paralyzed but will miss the 2000 season.
See you Monday!
Allen was also a bullpen coach late in the Torre administration. Stoddard was the Yankee pitcher seen when Tom Hanks and his buddy go to the Stadium in the movie Big.
And, yes, there is absolutely nothing going on right in Yankee-land now, though pitchers and catchers report three weeks from yesterday.
Ahhhh.... what appears like nothing is most likely something.
With Stealth Cashman at the wheel, no news is often good news until the news becomes the news. (Got that?).
1) Frankly, with our payroll, penciling in Melky/Brett for CF makes sense. Yes, it's our weakest spot, but we are already around $200m. Sure we would be better with a real bat in CF, but I have to put it at the very bottom of our wish list. Who knows.... maybe Melky will surprise us.. and Brett has got to be motivated. He may never get a better shot.
2a) The Yankees need Pettitte.
2b) Andy Pettitte needs the Yankees. Who will blink first? Andy has shown he has an ego. Will he actually blow this opportunity out of pride? And what of Cashman? Will he be smart if Andy is stupid?
3) The NickX twins. Would be nice to keep both these guys so we can stack the O on occasion with JD in CF, have one good bat on the bench, and be able to give routine rest to JD/Swish/XMan/Matsui. My guess is between rest, LIDR and starting when we have a fly ball pitcher, Melky/Brett could still get 300 or more ABs. I think some GM will have to dangle someone really pretty to get XMan. (Hopefully Swish is a keeper).
4) I do not believe Cash will spend another cent for BP help.
5) UIF anybody? Cora would have been VERY nice for this spot. Will Ransom due? Or is this who we trade XMan for?
6) Who can bench press more? ARod? or Madonna?
i actually *just* heard of Arodys Vizcaino. i read the USA Today Baseball paper each week (now called Sports Weekly and essentially a football paper...). last week's issue had a 3-page spot on the Jankees and here's what they said about our latest Vizcaino...
RHP Arodys Vizcaino: His name resembles the current Yankees third baseman, but he's a lanky Dominican pitcher who looks more like a young Pedro Martinez. As for his pitching, it was good enough that the Yankees signed him for $800,000, 2007's highest payout for a pitcher not subject to the draft. He's 18, throws in the mid-90's and made his debut with 48 strikeouts in 44 innings in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League last year.