"Oh man, I’m looking forward to more of that this season."

i'm glad to see my favorite baseball analyst psyched about my favorite baseball team!

"Joe Girardi has said he’ll name his starting center fielder this weekend so that he can play his regular season lineup over the final week of spring training. Looks to me like he’s already doing that. ... Brett Gardner walked and stole a base in three trips. Melky Cabrera didn’t come to bat."

yup, uh-huh. i'm down with this. the jeter-damon flip-flop, as well.

i agree with what was said about aaron boone in an earlier thread. i actually had some hope for him when he came over. iirc, he was once a 25-25 threat (though i don't think he ever achieved those #'s in cincy) and could man 2nd & 3rd. he was brutal in the '03 WS and, of course, as luck would have it, i was gigging in south florida during the last game. didn't help that my ex was completely nuts and the gig was going awry, on top of it all. you'll have that...

aaron comes from a historic baseball family and is (was?) married to a playmate (laura close), but no one this young (mid-30's), should have to undergo such a scary surgery, even if it's deemed "not that serious". it's still VERY scary and i wish him a complete and speedy recovery.

let's all dedicate opening day to Todd Drew - Mr. Justice!

That kind of pitching is what gives me hope for this season...except it was against the C-lineup of a middling NL Central team. C-C. Bah.

It's that Yankee lineup that scares the crap out of me. That's ugly. Is there one guy I want to see in a big spot? Besides my curiosity of what Teixeira will do with NY Pressure, um.....no.

The potential vulnerability of the Yankees' lineup is all the more reason that Swisher should start. He gets on base and helps wear down starting pitchers, which is exactly what they need.

I think the season rests on the durability of Posada's right shoulder. If the Yankees make a move to strengthen the team, it should be for a young catcher who can hit in order to provide insurance against a re-injury.

@3

That insurance on Posada has been needed for each of the last five years. What makes you think Cashman will do any differently now? Because it already cost them one season? Pssh. Instead they'll carry Berroa to back up Jeter and Ransom to back up A-Rod.

[4] I agree, that's why I think it was so stupid to trade Navarro (which I posted on numerous blogs/boards at the time). I don't necessarily think that Cashman will do anything differently, I'm merely stating that if they are going to move any surplus talent, that's the area they should target. There have been numerous reports about the Sox looking for a young catcher. The Yankees need to be in on that hunt as well.

[5] I would think that everybody is looking for a young catcher. In reality, the Yankees are relatively strong in minor league catchers. The problem is at the AAA/AAAA level, where they really don't have anyone who can step in and play for extended periods competently should Posada get hurt again.

Then again, few teams have the luxury of carrying multiple, MLB-starting-quality catchers.

[6] That's true, but as we saw last season, Posada's health may be the single most determinative factor in this team's ability to reach the postseason. So yes, they have Romine and Montero (and perhaps even Cervelli) as potential heir apparents, but if Posada's shoulder doesn't hold up this season, all the money they have invested in this team may not be enough to overcome that.

My only point is that as a result of this vulnerability, they need to be involved in any trade negotiations with teams (Texas, Arizona?) that may be willing to move a young talented MLready catcher that can hit, and to do that they should probably not move any tradable assets (Ian Kennedy?) for other needs.