We made it to Friday! Here’s the latest:
- The Boston Globe’s Tony Massarotti handicaps the race for Manny Ramirez in a blog piece. He lists the Mets, Phillies and Dodgers as favorites, with the Yanks, Angels and Giants (!?) in the next tier.
- Peter Abraham at the LoHud blog reports that the Yanks have been eliminated from the Peavy sweepstakes. Its down to three NL teams: the Braves, Cubs and either the Cards or Astros. He also clues us in on a potential cross-town battle for Derek Lowe.
- Joel Sherman and George King of the Post report that a Mike Cameron for Cabrera and pitching swap might be in the works with the Brewers. Also, Wilson Betemit may also be on the move.
- At Newsday, Ken Davidoff reports that the Yanks declined their option on Damaso Marte. He also chimes in on the possible Cameron deal, stating that Ian Kennedy would probably not be included in any package. An update: No deal will get done until the Brewers know for sure whether Sabathia is staying (he and Cameron are buddies, and the Brew Crew don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the chances of re-signing C.C.)
- Over at ESPN.com, Brian Cashman keeps an open mind on the future of Phil Hughes, “”He’s a significant piece for us as we move forward. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be traded, either. He continues to be a guy that gets asked about quite often, so he must being doing something right despite the ’08 season.” Cashman also seems happy to hear that Andy Pettitte would like to return next year.
- Congrats to Mike Mussina on winning his 7th Gold Glove award. He was the only Yankee so recognized.
- Happy 40th birthday to a guy who made his ML debut with the Yanks at age 23, pitched 14 games for them in 1992, and has since pitched for 7 other teams, Russ Springer. The big 7-0 to a Yankee broadcasting favorite, Jim Kaat. Also, a happy 70th to the man that preceeded Munson behind the plate, Jake Gibbs.
- On this date in 1963, Elston Howard becomes the first African-American to win the A.L. MVP Award.
- On this date in 1978, Jim Rice edges out Ron Guidry for the A.L. MVP. Rice led the AL in homers (46), RBI (139), hits (213) and SLG (.600), and became the first AL player to accumulate 400 total bases since DiMaggio in 1937, while Guidry posted a 25-3 record with 248 Ks and a 1.74 ERA.
- On this date in 1997, the bombers trade Kenny Rogers to the A’s for a PTBNL, which turns out to be Scott Brosius.
Why do we want Mike Cameron?
[1] Cuz even with all the injuries, he's still an upgrade from Melky?
From PeteAbe: Joe Girardi revealed for the first time that Mike Mussina told him after the season that he planned to retire. He has not heard from Moose since.
Andy Pettitte, contrary to some reports, said he wants only a one-year deal and he wants only to play for the Yankees. He is hoping a deal gets done soon.
If true, I'll really miss Moose.
[1] 'coz he's 35 or older, strikes out a lot, can't hit for average, has a great fielding reputation then made an egregious error in the postseason, recently got busted for amphetamines, bats right handed in a park that suits left handers. hmmm. shall i go on?
i'm a cammy fan mainly 'coz i like the power/speed combo and root for him to reach the 300-300 club. outside of the PED incident, he's supposedly a good guy. he's from outside atlanta and a guitar buddy of mine teaches (or taught) his nieces. as far as him being on the yanks...yeah, what you said! : )
[3] pettitte will be back, i'm sure, and i'm totally cool with it. he best take a pay cut... that would truly suck about moose. there are so many conflicting reports. there's the camp that says the longer he waits, the better the chance he returns. i think he knows the Yanks would have him back. i know he says, 'if he's back for 1, he's back for 3,' and that makes sense. but, at least, come back for 1 and see how it goes...