2007 Random Yankees Ramblings

[browntown653]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Andy Phillips returned to the Yankees on Thursday after a week-long absence spent attending to his mother, Linda, following a serious traffic accident in Alabama.
Linda Phillips, 53, was seriously injured on Feb. 28, when a tractor trailer ran a red light and slammed into the driver's side of her vehicle, causing significant trauma.

With two surgical procedures complete -- one on a shattered pelvis and hip area and another to attend to clotting issues -- Phillips' mother has stabilized enough that he felt it appropriate to leave her bedside.

"She's getting better every day," Phillips said. "She's doing good. She's responding as much as she can right now. The doctors seem really optimistic about what she's doing and what they've been able to do. It's very encouraging."

Phillips said he had returned home following a workout at Legends Field on Feb. 28 when he received a call from his younger sister, Erin, informing him of the accident.

Erin was in hysterics and Phillips said he barely could make out the sentences, but he understood enough to know that he needed to leave the Yankees as soon as possible. He belonged with his mom in a Birmingham, Ala., hospital.

"It was an emotional roller coaster there for a while," Phillips said.

Cleared by the Yankees to take as much time as he needed, Phillips' ongoing first-base battle with Rule 5 Draft selection Josh Phelps quickly became a complete afterthought.

Manager Joe Torre has said that the absence will not hinder Phillips' chances of making the club, and that the 29-year-old will be able to return to action shortly after returning to baseball activities.

"We don't count the fact that everybody has a heartbeat," Torre said. "I think we all relate to personal things, since what we do is so public. Sometimes I think the private stuff is forgotten, but we all have that side of us."

While in Alabama, Phillips did not work out and was consumed with caring for his family, but he also considered his occupation and what was taking place some 500 miles away in Florida.

Phillips told teammate Andy Pettitte that he had watched one of the left-hander's starts on MLB.com. Once, a Yankees broadcast found its way to a television in Linda's hospital room.

She recognized the symbolism of the telecast, telling Phillips, "Spring Training."

With friends and family by her bedside, Linda Phillips continuously told visitors to continue praying for her health; she was in the Yankees' thoughts as well, with players making telephone calls and sending text messages of support.

A deeply religious individual, Phillips believes the prayers made a difference.

"If you see the wreck and see what happened and the situation, the fact that my mom is alive is a miracle," Phillips said. "We certainly hung on to the word. With all the people that were there and praying, you sensed it made a difference in how my mom was improving."

Linda was taken off an oxygen respirator on Wednesday and is now breathing on her own, which helped Phillips reach the decision to return to Tampa. It did not come without some hand-wringing.

"She's still not as alert as I would have liked," Phillips said. "You always hope you can have a conversation and you can explain what you're doing. But I felt comfortable with where she was in improving, and trying to balance that with knowing that I needed to get back and get going."

For Phillips, the incident marked the second consecutive spring that has been interrupted by personal issues. Last spring, his wife, Bethany, was fighting a rare form of cancer related to a lost pregnancy, an issue Phillips kept quiet even from his teammates until midseason.

This spring's events, Phillips said, have been easier to handle because of the good news he is receiving on a daily basis. Asked about the support his teammates have shown, Phillips grew choked up and emotional.

"It's been pretty overwhelming," Phillips said. "It's been tough -- not only this, but it's been a tough year and a half. To see the way this team and these guys reached out, it makes you proud to call these guys teammates and friends."

Rocket fuel: Roger Clemens' visit to Legends Field on Wednesday only furthered speculation that the future Hall of Famer will eventually find his way into Yankees pinstripes this season, but general manager Brian Cashman doused those rumors with a cold splash of reality.

Cashman said he briefly greeted Clemens, who popped in on the Yankees exhibition game to watch Andy Pettitte work against the Cincinnati Reds. The subject of their conversations was quite tame, Cashman said.

"There were no quiet meetings behind the scenes," Cashman said. "No secret negotiations took place. He just came to watch his buddy pitch."

Cashman said that he felt no need to reiterate the Yankees' interest in adding Clemens to their pitching rotation, given the fact that Clemens' camp is already aware of the organization's thought process and nothing has changed.

"If he wants to play, and wants to play for the Yankees, we have an interest," Cashman said.

Moose hacks: Mike Mussina allowed two runs and four hits in three innings on Thursday against the Braves, including a solo home run to Jeff Francoeur in the second inning.

He was more satisfied with his feel on the mound in his second spring effort than his first, but it was a third-inning at-bat against Braves starter Tim Hudson that truly tickled Mussina's fancy.

Mussina -- a career .178 hitter in 45 at-bats -- flied out to Francoeur in right field, laughing as he returned to the dugout. Mussina said he told Hudson, "Thanks," for throwing him a hit-me fastball; Hudson returned a grin.

"I wasn't even going to swing," Mussina said. "I was going to take three pitches, but when you're throwing 87 [mph] right down the middle, I've got to at least put it in play."

Mussina said that his 44-pitch effort was fine for this point in the spring.

"I had to work a little bit today," Mussina said. "It's still the first 10 days of March. It's still new. It's getting the ball down and away, it's getting breaking balls over the plate. It's the same stuff."

This and that: Right-hander Humberto Sanchez (right forearm tightness) continues to soft-toss on flat ground and could return to a mound by the weekend. He has reported no further stiffness. ... Outfielder Bobby Abreu (strained oblique) has attempted swinging a broomstick and felt no pain. He may begin taking dry swings with a bat this weekend. ... Pettitte will be held back from Monday's game against the Red Sox at Fort Myers, Fla., given the long trip for a night game. Torre said that right-hander Ross Ohlendorf is likely to be awarded the assignment instead.

Quotable: "He'd either have to be hurt, or all his kids are going to have to graduate from high school. I don't know what it's going to take." -- Mussina, on what might eventually prompt Clemens to declare his retirement

Coming up: Carl Pavano (0-0, 4.50 ERA) makes his second start of the spring on Friday against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, facing off at Legends Field at 7:15 p.m. ET. Pavano went two innings in his Grapefruit League debut at Clearwater on Sunday, allowing one run. Jeff Karstens, Chase Wright, Kyle Farnsworth and Sean Henn are also scheduled to pitch for New York.

Right-hander Tim Corcoran (0-0, 0.00 ERA) counters for the Devil Rays, who are also planning to throw J.P. Howell, Jae Kuk Ryu, Al Reyes and Gary Glover.




Good to see Phillips back...although his case certainly wasn't helped by Phelps getting the tying sac fly and game winning hit today.

[browntown653]

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The second time around, Kei Igawa's performance appeared brighter. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that his vision was a little dimmer.
Igawa's second Grapefruit League start was deemed a success, as the left-hander threw three innings in New York's 5-3 victory over the Pirates on Saturday.

He allowed five hits, including a two-run homer, but pitching coach Ron Guidry said the development of the day was Igawa's eyewear selection.

Recently, the Japanese hurler asked Guidry for permission to wear sunglasses during game competition. Guidry received clearance from the umpires at McKechnie Field on Saturday and said that the accessories might have given Igawa some added comfort.

"The worst [the umpires] can tell you to do is take it off," Guidry said. "I think up here" -- Guidry pointed to his temple -- "maybe, psychologically, he liked the sunglasses. Just in a day game, though. I told him, 'We don't pitch with sunglasses here at night.'"

Five days after a rocky debut against the Tigers at Legends Field, Igawa's line improved, as he walked none and struck out four in a 40-pitch (29 for strikes) performance.

Igawa finished up with 15 more pitches in the bullpen, a step up over his debut, when he worked too fast for the Yankees' tastes and used his allotted 40 pitches in one-plus inning.

"Chalk it up to [being] the first time out and all the stuff around him," Guidry said. "He could have been nervous. He said he wasn't nervous, but that doesn't mean anything. You can still get pumped up for that."

With four spring innings in the books, Igawa said that his changeup leaves something to be desired. He said that he continues to be mindful of his need to prove that he belongs as a Major League pitcher.

Pittsburgh's Ronny Paulino took advantage of a pair of hanging offerings from Igawa, hammering a double off the left-field wall in the first inning and blasting the two-run shot in the third.

"This is the time in the season where I have to prepare," Igawa said through interpreter Yumi Watanbe. "All I thought was I wanted to show I belong there. ... My command will get better."

The Yankees have an idea what Igawa offers them. Guidry opined that Igawa could be an innings-eater, and catcher Raul Chavez predicted that Igawa's changeup will be a legitimate Major League pitch.

"When he gets that pitch down, he's going to get a lot of outs in the big leagues," Chavez said.

A three-time strikeout champion with the Hanshin Tigers, Igawa continues to ring batters up for third strikes. He fanned four Pittsburgh batters in the three-inning performance and now has seven for the spring; in his first start, Igawa struck out all three batters he retired.

"This is pretty much what we expected: Throw a lot of strikes and be able to mix it up," manager Joe Torre said. "He made a couple of pitches in the middle of the plate, but that's Spring Training. That's one thing we have to keep in mind. We can't look for perfection at this point."

Guidry said that Igawa's slider, for the moment, is trustier as a strikeout pitch, working off his low-90s fastball and changeup. His curveball is more for show at this point, and Guidry said that Igawa may go until the regular season before truly feeling comfortable with the curve.

"Like every pitcher knows, you're not going to have great stuff every time out," Guidry said. "Sometimes it's going to be a struggle. As long as you can tune it down to minimal damages, the club here will have a shot to win the game. He doesn't have to go out and pitch shutout ball."

Pavano returns: Carl Pavano returned to Legends Field on Saturday, one day after he was excused from a scheduled start against the Devil Rays to attend to a personal issue.

Torre said that Pavano, who threw a 10-minute bullpen session Saturday, has attended to the matter. Having missed what would have been his second spring appearance, Pavano is now scheduled to start on Monday against the Red Sox in Fort Myers.

"He understands what he needs to do," Torre said. "The other stuff isn't baseball-related. Whatever attention he has to pay to it will be on his own time."

Darrell Rasner and Ross Ohlendorf, both of whom Torre had tabbed earlier to start that 7:05 p.m. ET contest, are now scheduled to pitch in relief.

Off the bus: Catcher Wil Nieves was scratched from Saturday's trip to Bradenton with inflammation of his right elbow.

The backstop, vying to hold off veteran Todd Pratt in a race to serve as Jorge Posada's backup catcher, remained behind in Tampa and was scheduled to have tests performed. P.J. Pillittere made the trip in Nieves' place.

Side action: First baseman Andy Phillips is close to returning to game play, Torre said. Current plans are for Phillips to bat against Andy Pettitte in a simulated contest on Monday at Legends Field.

Phillips missed a week of camp when he left the team to attend to his injured mother, Linda, in Birmingham, Ala., following a serious automobile accident.

Phillips has resumed training and will see several at-bats in a four-inning afternoon affair, which is being conducted in order to save Pettitte from making a lengthy trip to Fort Myers for an evening game.

The simulated game also prevents the Red Sox from receiving an advance look at Pettitte, who is returning to the American League after a three-year stint with the Astros.

Torre said that Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui will be among the regulars making the trip to Fort Myers.

Abreu update: Torre said that right fielder Bobby Abreu (strained right oblique) hit off a tee on Saturday and showed no effects. Earlier, Torre said Abreu "felt fine" after taking dry swings with a bat on Friday.

Abreu has been sidelined since Feb. 26, but has been working on strengthening his midsection to avoid a recurrence.

"The big step is going to be batting practice, because that's when it's unrehearsed," Torre said. "Tee stuff, there's no surprise. The ball doesn't move, [and] you don't check your swings."

Dinner time: Former Yankees outfielder and current YES Network broadcaster Paul O'Neill will be honored with a dinner and auction in New York on April 16.

Proceeds from the event will benefit a charity being established by O'Neill called "Right Field Charities," which is a product of his long involvement with non-profit ventures for the community.

The dinner will be held at the Hammerstein Ballroom at 311 West 34th Street in New York, with Yankees broadcasters Michael Kay and John Sterling serving as masters of ceremonies. For ticket information, contact Eagel Sports Promotions at (914) 332-4772.

Coming up: The Yankees play the 11th game of their 30-game Grapefruit League schedule on Sunday, matching up against the Cleveland Indians in a 1:15 p.m. ET start at Legends Field.

Chien-Ming Wang (1-0, 3.60 ERA) is scheduled to start for New York, and is scheduled to be followed by Phil Hughes, Scott Proctor, Chris Britton and Ron Villone.

Cleveland counters with Fausto Carmona (0-1, 9.00 ERA), followed by Roberto Hernandez, Jason Davis, Fernando Cabrera and Brian Sikorsky.

[love_that_reefer]

Arod stays hot by hitting his 8th homer of the year. Posada also hit one so did Mientkiewicz.

[browntown653]

You know some crazy shit's going down when Dougie Fresh goes deep.

[Highlander]

Who's the first Yankee reliever whose arm will fall of from exhaustion this year?

[browntown653]

All of them simultaneously after Joe Torre realizes his voodoo spells won't work.

[Hammer]

proctor so far. vizcaino was going at a pretty good rate, but since hes proven to suck balls over the last couple games, i imagine he'll get used less.

[love_that_reefer]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAArod with another AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAbomb!!! He is now tied with Griffey for the AL lead for homers in the month of April.

[browntown653]

Unfortunately, Igawa sucks...BJ Upton just hit an absolute laser HR to take a 5-3 lead for the Rays.

[browntown653]

Ugh...Igawa is coming out of the game in the 5th after an RBI double by Iwamura. 6-4 Rays.

COLTER BEAN TIME!!

wtf my ERA just blew up...I feel like Igawa

[browntown653]

Bases clearing double for Upton, 10-6 Tampa Bay in the 7th.

I'm fed up with this team already.

[browntown653]

Stat of the night:
Scott Proctor is the 10th pitcher in MLB history to appear in 12 of his team's first 17 games.

[browntown653]

Per Rotoworld

Yankees optioned LHP Chase Wright to Double-A Trenton.
Manager Joe Torre indicated after Sunday's game that Wright would get another start Friday, but he's already thought better of it. Instead, the Yankees will use Phil Hughes on Thursday and Jeff Karstens on Friday.

The Yankees will call up Phil Hughes to start Thursday against the Blue Jays.
It's not quite a panic move, but we doubt the Yankees would be going to Hughes already had they just won two out of three against Boston. Hughes' command was quite shaky this spring, and he's only been dominant in one of his starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It's still going to be worth using him in AL-only leagues right away, but expect some inconsistency. Mixed leaguers should pick him up and reserve him initially.

[browntown653]

ARLINGTON -- Marty Miller's tenure as the Yankees' director of performance enhancement is officially over.
He was relieved of his duties less than 24 hours after rookie pitcher Phil Hughes strained his hamstring, the latest in a series of injuries that has contributed to the Yankees slow start this season.

Pitchers Mike Mussina and Chien-Ming Wang, along with outfielder Hideki Matsui have also suffered hamstring injuries this season. The perception is the hamstring injuries were related to Miller's work with the club.

"At the end of the day we have had so many hamstring issues, and that's something you can't deny," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "[The] 'why' is something I will continue to try to figure through, but it got to the point where perception is a bit of the problem here. Real or not real, perception becomes reality."

Miller was hired by Cashman after spending the last three years as an education consultant with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He spent nine years as the director of fitness at the Ballen Isles Country Club in Palm Beach, Fla., and worked in the Minor Leagues from 1995-1997. He has a master's degree in performance enhancement and injury prevention.

"Ultimately, I hired Marty, and now, I made the decision to make the change there," Cashman said. "Marty was here to help our players and he did everything he possibly could to do so. Things just haven't worked out, and that's unfortunate."

Cashman received full support from manager Joe Torre.

"I trust Brian Cashman and what he does," Torre said. "The knowledge Marty had certainly was impressive. Does that mean because you know a lot about the body as it relates to baseball? That's what we don't know."

Cashman acknowledged a possible "disconnect" between Miller and the players as part of the issue. He added that there were other factors that could lead to injuries on his team apart from his players' decisions to work or ignore Miller's program. Working with Miller's program was optional and not required.

"To be quite honest, this is where it gets complex," Cashman said. "There's a lot of guys not doing Marty's program. Truthfully, some of the guys who have gotten hurt were doing their own program. That's where it gets [to be] a grey area and complicated in our sport of baseball."

Miller's program included machines and other exercises some of the players were not familiar with. He did provide equipment when it was requested by the players, but there are reports that he was unpopular in the clubhouse.

"There are a number of factors that contribute to [injuries]. But when pitchers come up with hamstring problems? That normally does not happen," center fielder Johnny Damon said. "I think when you get a number of pitchers going down with the same problem, it opens up your eyes and makes you start thinking, 'There might need to be a change.' ... We never wanted to have injuries here. Unfortunately for the team and for Marty, it happened."

Dana Cavalea, Miller's assistant, will take over as the interim director.

"This is as much my failure as anything else," Cashman said. "I take full responsibility. I'm the one who hired Marty. ... There are a lot of variables in play in every aspect of this sport. At the end of the day, this is a result-driven sport and a result-driven industry. Based on the results this far, I felt I had to make a change."

Somebody had to take the ax for this. I don't know how much it will actually affect the players, but anything to make the Boss happy.

[brewersfan19]

Yankee fans, I know that I have done my share of Yankee bashing in the past. But I just felt like I should say that I truly don't enjoy bashing them with all the injuries they are piling up, especially the the Phil Hughes one. I know the feeling, remember that I am a Brewer's fan and have felt this pain and frustrations for many years!!


Rest assured though, when they are healthy, I will get back to giving the SMAK to you. But it is all meant in good fun. I really do respect the game of baseball and many of the players on the Yankees (and all of baseball for that matter).


It is just not the same to kick a dog when it is down. So rest and heal up, so we can have some fun heckling each other!