Noteworthy News

Much has been written about the Yankees mash-up of Cleveland last night. But other stories made for some interesting headlines as well. Here's some noteworthy news from around Yankeeland:

• Joel Sherman of The NY Post discusses how Curtis Granderson's return will force changes in the outfield.

• Dan Martin, also of The Post reports on Derek Jeter's progress and how Joe Girardi is seeing improvement.

• The NY Daily News' Mark Feinsand reports that Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco's drilling of Kevin Youkilis comes after a 6-game suspension for a similar incident last August.

• Stefan Bondy of the Daily News also reports that Jay-Z will sell his shares in the Brooklyn Nets franchise, a condition necessary to take on his new venture as a sports agent.

• ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews discusses how Vernon Wells is proving the naysayers wrong.

• Mike Oz of Yahoo! Sports' Big League Stew bids a fond, pictorial farewell to Joba Chamberlain's mustache.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Yanks Pitching Woes Continue; Can CC Rebound?

AP Photo / Carlos Osorio

If the Yankees expect to make any noise in the AL East this year, the pitch staff  had better turn things around and quickly. Yes, I know we're only 5 games and one week into the season, and yes, their now 1-4 record was the same as last year when they went on to win 95 games. But it bears mentioning, again, that with as many power hitters as the Yankees have missing from this lineup until who-knows-when, pitching has to lead this team to wins. It's just that simple.

Yesterday's 8-4 loss to the Tigers came again on bad pitching. I won't put all of the blame on Phil Hughes though; he actually pitched well through the first 4 innings, limiting Detroit to just one run. But it all fell apart for Hughes in the top of the 5th. Detroit's Austin Jackson singled to left field; Torii Hunter followed with a double to center, scoring Jackson; Miguel Cabrera followed with a single to center scoring Hunter. The three were the only hitters Hughes would face in the iining, as Joe Girardi decided to pull him and bring in Boone Logan. The 2 runs would give Detroit a 3-1 lead.

Boone Logan, who has been awful in relief so far against Detroit, gave up a single to the very next batter Prince Fielder, moving Cabrera to 3rd. Victor Martinez followed with a sacfly scoring Cabrera, and a single to Andy Dirks prompted Girardi to make another pitch change for David Phelps. Phelps would then give up a single to Jhonny Peralta which scored Fielder.

The Yankees would go on to score 3 runs in the 6th inning on singles by Travis Hafner and Lyle Overbay, as Detroit starter Max Scherzer had walked several batters. Detroit lead 5-4 at this point, but Phelps gave up 2 more runs in the inning. Joba Chamberlain replaced Phelps for the top of the 8th and gave up a single, 2 walks and threw a wild pitch. He would provide Detroit's final run of the game giving up a sacfly to Dirks which scored Cabrera.

This afternoon, CC Sabathia makes his second start against Justin Verlander. Sabathia did not pitch

AP Photo / Matt Slocum

well in his first start against the Red Sox, and has shown to be a slow April starter in recent years. What the Yankees will need from CC today is for his four-seamer and slider to be dead on. In his first outing, his fastball sat in the mid to high 80's; he'll need to improve that to at least the low 90's to stand any chance against the top of Detroit's lineup. Both Cabrera and Fielder have a combined 15 RBIs and 3 home runs against CC.

The start of today's game is at 1:08 pm.

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The Inside Yankee Experience

Steinbrenner Field

So I normally head down to Tampa each year to catch at least one game during Spring Training. I check in at the Comfort Inn at Raymond James Stadium (which is only about a 10 minute walk to Steinbrenner Field), have a nice dinner at Lander's Steakhouse (located on the hotel's property), catch the game, sleep, and then make my way back to NYC the next morning. In the past, this was all I needed to get me geared up for the oncoming season, but this year I took my visit a step further.

From the goodie bag

The Yankees have started what they call "The Inside Yankee Experience." For those fanatics, like myself, willing to pay a "little extra" to be in on what every true Yankee fan would dream of, you get an opportunity to meet a Yankee player(s) from the current roster, a member of the team's personnel, field seats and entry to early batting practice where, if you're lucky, you might be able to talk to the players while they warm-up. You also walk away with some cool items including a Yankees cap, replica WS Championship ring and an official Rawlings baseball.

So my day at Steinbrenner Field began at 7 am. Those of us who signed up for thr "Experience" were registered, given our goodie bag, and taken in to one of the stadium's meeting rooms for a complimentary breakfast buffet. It was a nice spread--scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast, bagels, omelets made-to-order and a selection of fruits. While the food was the first thing we noticed as we stepped in to the room, it was the memorabilia on the walls that made everyone say, "Wow!"

Yogi's jersey and gear

There were glass cases with signed jerseys of CC Sabathia and Tino Martinez. Mariano Rivera's jersey case included a pair of his Nike sneakers. And then there was Yogi Berra's jersey case, which included his old baseball glove and face mask; to see Yogi's gear gave me goosebumps. There were also cases with more signed balls and bats from other notables like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte. One signed ball that I really got a kick out of seeing was that of "Goose" Gossage. When I was a kid, "Goose" was one of my favorite pitchers because I went to a game (don't remember which) where he almost hit the batter in the head and knocked him to the ground. "Goose" was ferocious and I loved that about him.

Raul Ibanez

So after taking pictures and filling up on breakfast, we were greeted by three Yankee players: Ivan Nova, Raul Ibanez and Rafael Soriano. Sure, it would have made my entire year if A-Rod, Mariano or Jeter had walked in, but that would have been too good to be true. But to see Nova, Ibanez and Soriano was actually a nice surprise. The group sitting at my table all believed that we'd probably get minor league players, so to have those guys come in--particularly Nova who is becoming big with the Yankee faithful--amazed all of us. They signed our baseballs and took photos with us. We didn't get much time to hold a conversation with them, since it was close to the time of their practice, but I did manage to sneak in a question to Ibanez. I asked him if he was ready for the fans in New York. He looked at me smiling and laughed, "I hope so!" That drew laughter from many in the room.

Suzyn Waldman

After the players returned to practice, Suzyn Waldman, who covers Yankee games with John Sterling on WCBS Radio came in and spoke to us. It's been said by many that Waldman is not a great radio personality because of her perceived lack of baseball knowledge. Well, that is far from being true. Waldman knows baseball! She spoke about the team and some of her thoughts on different players; about up and coming minor league players that she believes will be called up at some point this season; about the situation with Joba Chamberlain, and what improvements she's seen with A-Rod regarding his motion at the plate. Waldman also pointed out that her style of reporting is to focus on the personality of the players and talk about moments, while Sterling calls the game and talks stats. She took questions from us and afterward, I found myself having a whole new respect for her.

Next stop was to head out to the field for early batting practice. We were told that someone from Yankees personnel would be waiting to greet us. I immediately thought that perhaps one of the trainers would be talking to us about what the players' workout regimens were and so on, or maybe one of the coaches like Tony Pena or Larry Rothschild would talk to us. We were already told that the "legends"--Yogi, Ron Guidry, Reggie Jacson, etc.--had already left training camp, so we knew that opportunity had already passed. I really didn't want to get my hopes up for this, but found myself having an "Oh my God!" moment when I saw who was waiting for us. It was Tino Martinez!

Me and Tino

Trying not to get too giddy and prevent an embarrassing moment from happening, I pulled myself together while waiting on line for Tino to sign my ball, and tried to think of a good question to ask him. Besides his greatness as a player, one of the things that I enjoy about Tino is when he's in the booth as a commentator. So when it was my turn to have my ball signed and take a photo with him, I asked him if he would be in the booth for any games this year.

"No, not this year," Tino said. "[YES Network has] so many guys covering so, they don't need me {laughing}." I went on to tell him that I enjoy him as a commentator, and he thanked me graciously, seemingly surprised that he was impressive enough to deserve the compliment.

Being able to see, touch and talk with Tino was the biggest thrill for me at that point. I'm like most fanatics that revere great players from the past, and Tino was one of my faves from those teams in the late '90s. I was good for the day by then and wasn't expecting much more after that. That was until the players took the field  and our group got up close and person with The Captain.

Left to right: A-Rod, Jeter and Russell Martin

It's sometimes the little things about Jeter that make him so loved by Yankee faithful. As the guys were doing their stretch exercizes, directly in front of us, of course some people from our group called out to them to get their attention. "Hey, Alex, how ya feeling?" "Good morning, Jeter!" "Hey there, Robbie!" These were just some of the cries from impatient fans that wanted "their" team's attention. I chose not to say anything, realizing that these guys were focused on their workout, and weren't interested in having conversation. Some of them waved at us acknowledging our presence, but a wave is never enough for Yankee fans. The shouts persisted, but to no avail, as the players ignored the cries and continued to stretch. As the cries not only became even more persistant but louder, Jeter decided to do what any Captain should do: represent his team by saying some kind words on their behalf. Jeter walked up to us--as we were standing in the front row--and greeted us.

"Hello everyone," he said, his greeting reciprocated. "On behalf of the team, I'd just like to thank you all for coming out today and I hope you enjoy the final game. We really appreciate you guys for always supporting us. Thank you."

The greeting came with many thanks from us, and it "calmed down" the shouts. Great move by Jeter, who always remembers how important Yankee fans are to the team and organization. I was just thrilled to actually hear him say anything in person. It was a cool moment, and I can forever tell everyone that Derek Jeter spoke to me up close, and expressed his appreciation for me.

Andy on the mound.

Afterward, Joe Girardi came over to us and thanked us all for coming out while signing some of the kids' baseballs. He ran off after a few minutes of shaking our hands and taking some quick questions, and by then, it was time for us to settle in and get ready for the game. Turned out to be a good one, as our boys beat the Mets with a score of 8-3. And of course, the biggest thrill being the return of Pettitte, who pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

It was a great "Experience" fanatics, and I'm looking forward to signing up for another one next year. The Yankees organization has always come up with ways to provide their fans with events to remember, and this was no exception. The Yankee's staff in Tampa took great care of all our needs, and treated us like friends. I'll remember this forever, and who knows, I may sign up for the "Experience" here in New York. Stay tuned...

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

According to Joba...

Getty Images

Joba Chamberlain spoke to the media yesterday before last night's game, and made some interesting comments regarding his ankle injury.

What we know now is how the injury happened. Joba and his son Karter were jumping back-and-forth between what we can assume were several trampolines. On Joba's final jump, as he tried to "take off," he could "feel" that something happened. He doesn't explain whether it was a pull or a snap, only that he grabbed his leg and said, "Ah, man!"

Realizing something was wrong with his ankle, Joba said that he just sat down (on the trampoline), put his leg up, and called the paramedics. Once he arrived at the hospital, he continued to make more calls; one need not assume that one of those calls was to Brian Cashman.

Joba went on to tell the media that one of the things that bothered him was the report that he had lost a large amount of blood, and that his injury was "life threatening." "It's one of those things where I know there wasn't a lot [the media] had out there when it happened, but it's one of those things that bothered me too, you know, people are calling me asking if it was life threatening and I was going to lose my foot. There was no bone even out of my ankle. It was just something that bothered me, to have my family go through that."

Clearly Joba believes that media speculation is where the story of his injury being life threatening began. Interesting. Even more interesting was his claim that there was no bone out of his ankle. This would mean that there was no "open dislocation," but according to Cashman, that's exactly what it was. He says he confirmed with Joba's doctors that the skin on his ankle was indeed "broken," making this an "open dislocation" and that Joba did lose blood. However, the injury was never life threatening. A member of the press, however, did clarify that the person--who works at the recreation center--that made the 911 call told the operator that Joba lost a lot of blood. Joba said that he tried to calm the person down, noting that he recognized how scared this person was at the sight of his blood.

Joba also insisted that the injury wasn't very painful, and that he will continue to do what he can as far as his rehab from the Tommy John surgery. He pointed out that he can still work on his upper body, and will put a plan in place to make that happen.

Another member of the media asked Joba what he learned from this experience. His immediate response was, "Never question being a father." He went on to say that he feels like he let the team down with this injury, but upon reflection, he realizes that his role as a dad to Karter is his most important.

"This game is very important to me; it allows me to do a lot of things. But my son is my pride and joy, and I think that was the biggest thing, is to don't be so hard on yourself and realize what you were doing. You were trying to be a great dad."



So what's left now is to wait and see how quickly Joba recovers from the injury and whether he will actually pitch sometime this year. Cashman refused to answer questions about the team's option to void Joba's contract, stating that what happened to Joba was an aaccident; the implication being that this wasn't something Joba did on purpose. To drive his point home, Cashman recalled former Yankee pitcher Kevin Brown punching a wall as no accident.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

The Rollercoaster

The past week in Yankeeland has had more peaks and valleys than any we've seen in a very long time. Great news was later overshadowed by not-so great news, and vice versa. The season is almost upon us, and I just want for everything to be on course when the Yankees take the field in their first, official game. Here are some of the big headlines from the past week.

Getty Images

Joba could pitch - News of Joba Chamberlain's ankle injury spread like a wildfire, leaving some folks feeling sympathetic, and some outraged that he would put himself in a position to be hurt. Amidst talk of Joba possibly being out for the season, Joe Girardi "lightened things up" a bit with his assessment that Joba could possibly pitch come July or later. Because the open dislocation of Joba's ankle left no microfractures, Girardi believes Joba could pitch this year, barring any infection of the ankle area. Joba was released from the hospital Sunday, and will be in a cast for six weeks.

Andy still grooving - Andy Pettitte's comeback has seen much success thus far. He was so impressive in his first bullpen session last week, that he's already thrown one live batting practice and is expected to throw his second today. It's common for pitchers to throw in a game after a second LBP, so it will be interesting to see if Andy sneaks one in before the season starts. Girardi has already been vocal in saying that he believes he will.

Ibanez' coming out party - It's been a ghastly Spring Training so far for Raul Ibanez. Heading into Saturday's game against Detroit, Ibanez was hitting to an .054 AVG with a .103 OBP. But he managed to finally show some power, and connected on a 2-run shot in the Yankees' 4-2 win. Don't get excited yet; it was Ibanez' only hit of the game. He went 1-for-3, and boosted his AVG to a mere .075

Getty Images

A-Rod gets plunked - As usual, there's not a month during the baseball season where Alex Rodriguez won't feel the back-end of a fastball pitch inside. It would amaze me more if Alex were to escape getting hit, than him actually playing 162 games this year. Seriously. He was drilled on Sunday by a 95 mph pitch from Detroit's Bryan Villareal, but is okay, and is expected to play in tonight's game.

Garcia makes his mark after trade rumor - The battle for a rotation spot won't be easily decided if Freddy Garcia has anything to say about it. Reports of the Yankees actively trying to trade The Chief came out Friday, and Garcia answered with a stellar performance in Saturday's win against Detroit. In 4.1 innings, Garcia allowed only one hit. no runs and struck out four. Yes, if you were betting on who would be pushed out of the rotation, the easy money would be placed on Garcia. But he's giving the Yankees reason to maybe reconsider making any moves until Pettitte's return forces a decision.

Associated Press

The Captain returns - Derek Jeter returned to play on Friday against the Minnesota Twins after rehabbing from a calf injury.  He went 1-for-2 against the Twins, then went 2-for-3 on Sunday against Detroit. Looks like The Capatian is doing just fine. David Robertson also made only his second appearance of the Spring on Sunday, after missing three weeks following a foot injury. He pitched one inning, striking out one and allowing no runs.

Player dealings - The Yankees made several moves last week, optioning players back to Triple-A and reassigning others to minor league camp. Among the notables were Dellin Betances, David Phelps, Ramiro Pena and Brandon Laird; all optioned to Scranton Wilkes-Barre. The New York Post's George King III reported Sunday that the Phillies are interested in acquiring Pena, who would fill in for the ailing Chase Utley at second base.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Joba, Joba, Joba

Associated Press

Ugh! The news of Joba Chamberlain's dislocated ankle surgery hit like a ton of bricks today, and it makes me wonder, "What more could possibly happen to this kid?" Just when it seems like he's progressing and getting himself back on a track...bam! A setback.

While I usually don't take kindly to athletes getting hurt outside of the rigors of their sport, I am in no way upset at Joba. Word around the blogosphere is that he dislocated his ankle while playing on a trampoline with his son, and I see nothing wrong with that; I'm sure that whenever he recovers, that practice will be one that he stays away from. For sure, there are many of you out that who deem Joba's latest incident as "foolish" or think he " should have known better." Well, life is trial and error, folks, and I believe that if he ever thought there was a possibility that he could sustain this bad an injury, he never would have done this. One of the things about him that I've always loved is the close relationship and attentiveness of which he bestows upon his son, and I won't condemn him for spending quality time with his child, in whatever capacity.

Perhaps had this injury taken place while he was in the "non-baseball activity" stage of his rehab from Tommy John surgey, the blow would be less crushing. He was well ahead of schedule as far as returning, and according to reports, had excellent bullpen sessions this Spring. He was so close, and well on his way to taking the mound in June. And now, he faces being out for the entire season; a season which I felt in my gut was going to propel him back to the awesomeness of his 2007 late-season campaign.

I wish Joba the speediest of recoveries and pray that this latest incident will not do any damage to his spirit. It is a very hard thing to stay positive when the chips continue to stack themselves against you. But perhaps rest, and time to reflect will make him come back stronger than ever. It's the best anyone can hope for.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Best of the Weekend Blogosphere

Happy Monday fanatics! The days are flying by and we're getting closer to having Yankees baseball. Everyone is in camp, and my fellow bloggers have been doing a great job of covering everything that you guys would want to know is happening with our boys in pinstripes and around the league. Here are some of my favorite stories from the blogosphere this weekend:

Over at The Yankee Analysts, Steve Sciacco argues that Joba Chamberlain should be sent to Triple -A to rehab from Tommy John Surgery as a starter.

John Munson/The Star Ledger

The Mighty Casey of Bleeding Yankee Blue gives his point of view on why Robinson Cano is ready to take over the no. 3 spot in the Yankees lineup.

At an A-Blog for A-Rod, Brad V. takes a satirical shot at the Red Sox in response to their "beer ban."

Michael Pawluk of Yankees Fans Unite breaks down the Yankees rotation and asks Who Should Be the Fifth Starter?

Bryan Hoch, beat writer for yankees.com, reported Joe Girardi's use of a 2009 World Series celebration video to motivate players at camp.

Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News

The Captain's Blog's William Julian, presents an indictment of MLB's handling of "leaks" after Ryan Braun's 50-game suspension was overturned.

Chad Jennings of The LoHud Yankees Blog, gives us an inside look at Alex Rodriguez' Saturday press conference.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

June Earlist Comeback for Joba: Cashman

As you can probably tell from the Fan Poll on the right, I think that Joba Chamberlain's return from Tommy John surgery, could be a major storyline for the Yankees this year. Joba has amazing "stuff" with a lethal slider, and the surgery may have helped him regain some of the speed he lost on his once 100 mph fastball. Reports on Joba have been that's he's looked well pitching from a half-mound so far, and Joba himself is excited about his progress:

HERE WE GO!2012!#newarm #newchapter #newattitude

— Joba Chamberlain (@Joba_62) February 19, 2012

So the question here is, when will Joba return to the bullpen? According to Brian Cashman, we won't get a look at his "new" arm until no earlier than June. The following is from Andrew Marchand's blog on ESPNNewYork.com:

Joba Chamberlain's rehab is going so well, he will soon be throwing off a mound, but Brian Cashman will not rush Chamberlain back.

So Joba can talk about April or May or next week, but the GM will not listen.

"We have to really help him with that," Brian Cashman said.

Cashman said that Chamberlain, recovering from Tommy John, will be back around June, at the earliest.

"For all of our sakes, we just have to be careful for him and for us," Cashman said. "It was a huge loss when we lost him last year and it will be a huge gain when we get him this year. We just have to make sure that when we get him back , he is here to stay."

Joba, to his credit, is doing the work to be ready.

"If you want to have a scale from 1-to-10 with 10 being the best with someone fully committed to doing the rehab and not cutting any corners and doing everything done that he needs to do, he checked off at the highest level of that scale," Cashman said. "That still doesn't erase the typical time-frame of this surgery."

While it's a bit disappointing for us fanatics to have to wait so long to see our guy get back out there, I appreciate Cashman making a decision that's probably in the best interest of our young Joba. While I won't go on a rant about it here, we've seen the Yankees make bad decisions in Joba's regard in the past, and it's nice to know that there will be no pressure for him to rush back out on the mound any sooner than he has to. Good looking out, Cash!

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Yankees Tender Contracts to Eligible Players

Today, the Yankees tendered contracts to all eligible players on their roster, including notables who were up for arbitration.

David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, Russell Martin, Brett Gradner, Boone Logan and Phil Hughes, all arbitration eligible, were retained by the Yankees almost a week before next Monday's midnight deadline according to a report on yankees.com. No word yet on the amounts, which are most likely still being worked out.

Each of these players have been a huge part of the Yankees success in the past few years, and that is expected to continue for some time to come. There were rumors earlier this year of the Yankees considering trading Chamberlain in a package deal for a starting pitcher; that never happened as no starters were available for a trade, and Joba ended up missing most of the season following Tommy John surgery. Also, Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon came up big for the Yankees in their starting rotation, so a trade really wasn't necessary. Word is that Joba has recovered from surgery expeditiously and could possibly be ready for opening day. If the surgery was a success, Joba should be back to hurling fastballs at 95 mph.

Of all the players mentioned here, I'm expecting nice raises for Robertson, Gardner and Martin. Robertson has solidified himself as the heir-apparent to Mariano Rivera, who may be retiring after this season. Gardy finally worked out his issues at the plate and came up big in key situations this season, although his batting average, RBIs and runs were slightly down from last year. Martin was a huge offensive threat in the beginning of the season and started to wind down around May, but his defense behind the plate was stellar; he ranked 6th amongst all catchers with a caught stealing average at 30%.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Bartolo, Cano Shine In Yankees Win

Before last night's 3-1 Yankee win over the White Sox, I tweeted to my fellow fanatics that we would see if Bartolo Colon was the real deal. I've given him much praise for what he's done so far, but there was still a part of me that was not ready to believe that he is as good as he looked in his start before last night. Bartolo proved me wrong, again.

His performance last night at the stadium was an even better showing than the start in Toronto. The biggest difference was that he pitched a brilliant 8 innings without any signs of fatigue or wear. He allowed only one run and struck out 6 batters. Again, he had all four of his pitches working last night--fastball, curveball, changeup and slider--and he dialed his fastball up to 96 mph. This is amazing when you consider that before this season, he hadn't pitched in the majors since '09.

But besides the performance, Colon is showing a cool confidence on the mound right now, that I believe is the reason why Joe Girardi opted to keep him in the game for 8 innings. We knew before the game that Rafael Soriano, who's clearly in a battle with himself right now, would probably not be available for the 8th inning, but I don't believe that to be the reason why Colon was stretched. David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain and Boone Logan were all available. I think Girardi saw what I did: a guy in a good pitch count that was in complete domination mode. Colon simply dominated the White Sox last night. He now sports an ERA of 2.77. Dare I say that Bartolo may be moving back to his 2005, Cy-Young form? It certainly looks that way right now.

And let's give it up for Robinson Cano, who is on his way to another standout season. With singles from Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, Robbie clubbed a sharp line drive to the right field seats for a 3-run home run that would prove to be all the Yankees needed last night. He now has 4 homers and 10 RBIs on the season.

Overall, the Yankees offense didn't do much, but the home run was just enough for Bartolo to keep them in line for the win. Tonight, the ace, CC Sabathia, gets the start against Edwin Jackson. Could be another good night for Robbie, as lefties are hitting .329 against Jackson so far.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

The 3-day Yankee Rewind

My sincere apologies, fanatics, as I have failed to post on the last 3 Yankee games. Apparently my browser, Mozilla Firefox, became cranky for whatever reason and kept blocking me from opening up Bomber Boulevard. Don't really know what happened; I tried to clear cookies and the cache to no avail for 2 days, and now all of a sudden, I'm back in. So, I'm not gonna question it, I'll just be grateful that it's working and hope this never happens again.

So where do I begin? Perhaps I'll start with a quick review of Saturday and Sunday's games. In a nutshell, the Yankees beat up on the Orioles. The birds had no answer for the Yankees brutal offense and dominating pitching of CC Sabathia on Saturday, as they were shelled, 15-3. Two homers by Russell Martin--3-run homer and solo shot--a 2-run homer by Jorge Posada and a grand slam by Alex Rodriguez put the game away. But the sweetest of them all was the 2-run homer by Brett Gardner in the 9th inning to answer an obvious shot to Martin's back by Orioles pitcher, Josh Rupe, who clearly didn't appreciate Martin embarrassing his team. Not only did Gardy back up his catcher, he also got the big hit he needed to hopefully get himself back on track.

Sunday's game was another stellar showing for Freddy Garcia who pitched 6 scoreless innings, showing the same "stuff" he displayed against Texas the week before. Unfortunately, his bullpen collapsed with Joba Chamberlain giving up a 2-run homer in the 7th to Mark Reynolds, and then the invincible Mariano Rivera showing his "human" side as he gave up a walk, single and double to allow one more run to score in the 9th. The game was tied; Garcia lost his chance for a 2nd straight win, but the Yankees scored 3 runs in the 11th and won the game, 6-3.

And now we get to last night's loss at the stadium to the Chicago White Sox. The lowly Chicago White Sox, who, going into last night's game, had lost 10 of their last 11. Why is it that the Yankees always seem to allow a lesser team to sneak one in? While I doubt the Sox will win this series, it just irritates me that they managed to best the Yankees last night. Typical of the Bombers to shut down to a pitcher they've never faced before, but this Phil Humber dude sported an 2-5 record with a 4.42 ERA coming into yesterday's game. With the way the Yankees' offense has been swinging the bats, I thought this game would go down as a win, but, that's baseball. On any given day the best team will fall to one of the worse. It happens.

But the worse part of the loss was that AJ Burnett pitched another great game. He gave up only 1 run on 3 hits and he pitched 8 innings. Going into the game he hadn't pitched more than 6.1 innings in any of his starts. He gave the Yankees exactly what they needed, but got no help from his offense. That A-Rod broke up what was turning into a no-hitter by Humber in the 7th, was a relief, but very little consolation. The loss was the first April loss for AJ since becoming a Yankee. His record now stands at 8-1.

Tonight is game 2 of the 4-game series. It's a beautifully warm day in the Bronx and Ivan Nova is on the mound. He won his first career win in a solid performance last year against the White Sox. Let's hope history repeats itself.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Season of the Home Run Continues In Yanks Win

There's a reason why I chose to call this site Bomber Boulevard. The Yankees have always been a team to come up big when they need to via the home run. So far this season, homers have been what's propelled this team to lead the AL East in standings, not to mention break their own franchise record with 27 homers in their first 14 games. Last night, the "Season of the Home Run" continued as the Yankees took the series from the Texas Rangers with a 6-5 comeback win.

With all this talk of home runs, it was a single that actually won the game last night. Eric Chavez, who replaced Alex Rodriguez at 3rd while he continues to nurse his stiff back and oblique, broke a 5-5 tie in the 8th inning with a line-drive single to center that scored Mark Teixeira from second. I have to say that Chavez was a great pick up by the Yankees as he seems able to fill in for A-rod beautifully. Not just with his offense, but his defense is still solid.

But back to the homers. In the 2nd inning, Robinson Cano hit a solo shot to the rightfield second deck, pulling the Yanks with one as Texas' Adrian Beltre had launched a 2-run homer in the first. With the Yanks down 3-1 in the 5th on an RBI single from Beltre in the 4th, Russell Martin slapped a run shot to left on a 1-2 count scoring Chavez, who singled to center. In the 6th with the Yanks down 4-3, Curtis Granderson hit another 2-run shot to right scoring Derek Jeter who singled to right. With the Yankees ahead 5-4, Texas' Michael Young doubled scoring Ian Kinsler, and the game was tied at 5-5 in the 7th. The previous play mentioned by Chavez and Teixeira in the 8th would win the game.

Even with the win though, I am a little thrown by CC Sabathia. He pitched another "shaky" game last night, giving up 8 hits and 4 earned runs in 6.1 innings on 117 pitches. He struggled to locate his fastball last night, and this has been his biggest issue in all of the games he's pitched so far. But, CC somehow still has great numbers. His ball-strike ratio last night was 39-73. His ERA is at 2.52, and he's only allowed 7 runs in his first 4 games. Not bad at all, but my concern is that he's laboring through his starts right now, and doesn't seem comfortable at all. I just hope that his performances and another win opportunity gone don't get into his head and take him out of his game. That missed opportunity came via Joba Chamberlain, who walked Kinsler in the 7th to set-up the RBI double by Young that tied the game.

Next game will be tomorrow in Toronto against the Blue Jays. With the off day today giving him 2 days to treat his back, A-Rod should be available.  AJ Burnett gets the start against Kyle Drabek, who's 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 3 games. Since coming to the Yankees, Burnett hasn't had much success against his former team. He has a 1-4 record combined for both the '09 and '10 seasons. Hopefully, he'll continue to pitch well tomorrow and improve to 2-4.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Pie!!

I can tell you, fanatics, that there was much buzz and excitement at last night's game. I was there, and even when the Yankees were down to the Orioles for eight innings, there was a sense that something magical was going to happen. My brother-in-law, who supplied the tix for last night's game, left after the eighth inning. I refused to go, as no die-hard fanatic of my caliber ever would, and I told him, "These are the Yankees. You never know what's going to happen." and I was right.

Ninth inning. Yankees down by one run. Jorge Posada steps to the plate and first pitch, BAM! Game tied at 5. Yankees would score no more runs that inning, and the game would go into overtime. In the 10th, Mark Teixeira would work a walk and Alex Rodriguez would follow with a single, moving Tex to 3rd. Nick Swisher would follow an out by Robinson Cano with a sac-fly to one of the best right-field arms in baseball in Nick Markakis. We've seen him gun men down at the plate before; Yankees batters especially. But not last night; Tex put it into 2nd gear running to home plate and the Yankees won, 6-5.

This game could have easily gone to the Orioles. Phil Hughes struggled again with his velocity and location and Orioles batters took complete advantage for 4.1 innings. They had tagged Hughes for 5 runs by then. The Yankee batters got hits here and there, but they were unable to capitalize for 4 innings. But in the 5th, A-Rod doubled. Robbie doubled. A-Rod scored. In the 6th Brett Gardner got on. Derek Jeter singled moving Gardy to 2nd. Tex doubled and Gardy scored. Then A-Rod hit a sac-fly and Jeter scored. The score was then 5-3 and you knew that the Yankees were going to do something special.

And so they did. They mounted an amazing comeback. Jorge's silent bat came to life and gave the team a chance. But even before that, Joba Chamberlain made one of the best plays at the plate that you could ever expect from a pitcher. He threw a wild pitch behind catcher Russell Martin, and Orioles leftfielder Felix Pie attempted to advance to home plate from third. Joba charged home plate, received the throw from Martin who retrieved the ball, and he tagged Pie out. The brilliance of the play was that Joba used his right leg to completely block the plate; Pie was tagged before he could even make contact. The out kept the score then at 5-3.

A-Rod had another great game, going 3 for 3. Robbie went 2 for 5. Curtis Granderson finally came out of his slump and went 2 for 4. Speaking of Grandy, he and Swish made two fantastic catches in the outfield yesterday, keeping the Orioles from extra base hits which would have surely allowed them to take the win. And, oh yeah, Bartolo Colon, the surprise of all surprises, came through again, pitching 3 innings in relief without giving up a run.

Yesterday's win was a great win and it marked the first "pie" game of the 2011 season. That honor went to Swish for the winning sac-fly. His excitement following the smash paralleled the excitement that was ever present in the stadium last night. The boys did their thing. It was a good night for pie.

Poor Pitching Results in Yankees First Loss

Hopes for a series sweep of the Tigers were shattered yesterday, as the Yankees came up short in a 10-7 loss. This was a game that any baseball person would say should have resulted in a win since 6 of the 7 runs were made via the home run. But great offense is never enough if it's not backed up by solid pitching.

Phil Hughes was the starter and loser of today's game, and it was obvious from the first inning that his day would fare "problematic." After allowing a hit to Detroit DH Brennan Boesch, he gave up a 2-run homer to Miguel Cabrera on a breaking ball that sailed across the middle of the plate, putting Detroit up 2-0. Victor Martinez was next, and after getting him behind in the count on 2 strikes, Hughes struggled to put him away as Martinez fouled off several pitches. This struggle continued throughout the day for Hughes, and after only 4 innings, he had 90 pitches. He came through the second inning unscathed but in the third gave up an RBI single again to Boesch allowing Austin Jackson to score, followed by another 2-run shot to Cabrera. Throughout his start, Hughes struggled to locate his fastball. He would pitch 4 innings, give up 5 hits, 5 ER and only record one strikeout. He starts 2011 with an 11.25 ERA and decreased velocity on his fastball which failed to reach 90 mph.

The next four innings saw the debut of Bartolo Colon at the stadium and it was easy to forget his great Spring Training, yet remember why so many fanatics were up in arms when the Yankees signed him. He gave up a single to his first batter, Ramon Santiago; followed that with a 2-run homer to Boesch, who would go 4 for 4 today. Colon settled down though, striking out the side, but there was more of the same in the 6th inning. He walked Jackson, gave up 2 singles to Jhonny Peralta and Santiago, putting Detroit up 8-6, and then followed with a sac-fly to Boesch to put Detroit up by 3. He managed however, to make it through the 7th and 8th innings without giving up a run.

Joba Chamberlain pitched the 9th and after giving up Boesch's 4th hit, it seemed like he might make it out of the inning okay after inducing a 4-3 double-play. But he wouldn't. Outfielder Ryan Raburn tagged Joba for an RBI double, scoring Boesch and Detroit would go up, 10-7. The one plus to Joba's outing, was that he dialed his fastball up to 96 mph.

As frustrating as the pitching was today, the offense was fantastic. The Yankees hit 4 homers, the first of which was a 2-run, first-pitch blast from Jorge Posada which tied the game at 2-2 in the second inning. Mark Teixeira hit his third homer in as many games in the 3rd, putting the Yankees within 2 behind Cabrera's second 2-run shot. Robinson Cano's solo shot to the second deck in right field followed in the 3rd, and Posada came through again the 5th, hitting another 2-run homer, putting the score at 7-6. Russell Martin had another solid outing, going 3 for 4 with a double and 2 singles and Nick Swisher finally broke through, going 3 for 3 with 2 line-drive singles and an RBI double.

Not a great day for Yankee pitchers, particularly Phil Hughes. It's not at all time to push the panic button yet, but Hughes did give some cause for concern. Decreased velocity, poor location of his fastball and the inability to put batters away after 2 strikes are not a recipe for the kind of success he saw in 2010. Hopefully, we'll see a marked change in his next start.

And...

Alex Rodriguez continued his hit streak today, going 1 for 5 with a single to center.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ ra_cooper

The Home Opener

Yankees and Tigers line up for Opening Day ceremonies

So the first game has been played and the Yankees have secured their first win of the season, defeating the Detroit Tigers 6-3. On a cold, stark and misty day in the Bronx, the Yankees were able to pull out the ol' magic and give fanatics another great opening day for the record books. You had to love the way the Yankees stayed in that game yesterday, pretty much justifying their opposition to being called underdogs. There was much to muse at and some things to scoff at, but overall, the Yankees played THEIR game: getting the big hit when they needed it, showing patience at the plate, having their ace grind out 6 innings to keep them in the game and securing the win by bringing in "The Sandman." Here are the highlights:

Hits

Grandy's defense - The oblique strain that threatened to sideline Curtis Granderson for a few days was obviously fine yesterday, as Granderson made 2 fantastic body-stretching catches against Will Rhymes and Brandon Inge, both avoiding extra-base hits. Grandy's second catch against Inge was one for the highlights as it was an over-the-shoulder catch of a ball that was far in front of him.

Grandy's offense - With the game tied at 3-3 in the 7th, Granderson clocked a homer off former Yankee Phil Coke, who seemingly appears to be sporting a new "attitude" looking slimmer and sporting a longer "do." Nonetheless, the homer was the game winner that pretty much secured Grandy as Player of the Game.

Tex's homer - Mark Teixeira knows that he is the one guy besides Jeter that fans will be keeping a close eye on offensively. His problems in April are as analyzed as Jeter's range at shortstop. But Tex got the big, big hit yesterday with a 3-run homer which put the Yanks ahead 3-1 in the third. Yeah, it's only the first game, but we fanatics know that baseball is as much a mental game as a physical one. That homer yesterday could have only done positive things for Tex's psyche, and could possibly have been all he needed to shake his April blues.

Gardy working the bunt - Brett Gardner's legacy as a baseball player at the end of his career will be his speed. Until he really gets his swing in order, bunting will be his second tool to get on and run the bases. He worked hard on perfecting his bunt in Spring Training, and it was nice to see him not shy away from it in yesterday's game. Bunting with his speed, he could easily add about 10 more stolen base opportunities to his season total.

A-Rod - Coming off of the best ST of any other player in the lineup, Alex Rodriguez continued his hitting ways yesterday with a solid double to center. A-Rod's swing is on point and he's locked in. Unfortunately for him, yesterday's windy conditions prevented the double from being a homer and giving him his first RBI of the season.

Moose throwing out the first pitch - Mike Mussina stood on the mound at the new stadium yesterday for the first time to open the season by throwing the first pitch to of all people, Jorge Posada. Remember that drama? But it was all an afterthought to both former teammates and to Yankee fans as they gave Moose a standing ovation.

The relievers - Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera pitched the 7th, 8th and 9th innings, respectively. Nine up, nine down. Enough said. 

Misses

A rusty CC - I give him all the credit in the world for grinding out 6 tough innings yesterday, but CC Sabathia's pitch performance was less than admirable. He was perfect in the first inning, striking out the Tigers' 1-2-3 hitters. But he struggled afterward in the second, loading the bases and giving up a sac fly to put Detroit ahead 1-0. Throughout the game, he struggled putting batters away after getting two strikes. He would give up 2 earned runs in 6 innings on 106 pitches. Not a terrible day for the ace, but not a great one either.

First-pitch strikes - Patience at the plate is a Yankee trademark, but sometimes it's also a curse. Again, Derek Jeter and Gardy allowed first-pitch fastballs to come straight down the middle without taking a swing. I don't know the stats on this, but I'm certain enough that these two have to have lead the team in this category last season, perhaps with Nick Swisher close behind.  It drives me crazy, especially with Jeter who's one of the best fastball hitters in baseball. I don't understand it, but hopefully they'll both work on it as the season progresses.

Alex's miscalculation - I'm willing to forgive this one because it is something that you rarely see A-rod do, but yesterday he cost himself an extra base by assuming his double was a homer. As we know, Alex's trademark after a homer is to toss his bat toward the Yankees dugout and look in at his teammates. The 2 seconds it takes to do that, combined with the typical home run "trot" slowed Alex down and when he realized he missed the homer, he could only make it into 2nd with no chance of reaching 3rd. Again, Alex never does this, and I'd assume Joe Girardi probably said something to him afterward.

And...

Russell Martin went 1-3 in his catching debut at the stadium
Jeter earned his first RBI with a sac-fly in the seventh inning, scoring Martin
Swisher went 1-4 with an RBI single in the eighth, scoring A-Rod
Yanks walked five times (Jeter - 1, Teixeira - 1, A-Rod - 2, Cano - 1)

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Cashman Said...What?!

I'm a day behind on this one, but there was no way that I would let this story pass Bomber Boulevard without a retort.

Yesterday, Brian Cashman attended the WFAN Breakfast With a Champion annual sit-down with Mike Francesa, and shed some interesting light on his opinion of the future of Derek Jeter. There were also other comments that Cashman made, particularly that of Joba Chamberlain, which may end the endless debate over his future as a starter or reliever.

Mike Francesa has long been very open about his belief that Jeter will eventually be moved from SS to third, thereby moving Alex Rodriguez to DH. When he brought up Jeter possibly vacating SS to Cashman, the GM responded by saying that he would "be surprised" if Jeter remained at SS for the next four years; terming it a "Robert Yount situation," Cash sees Jeter moving to the outfield.

Okay, okay, okay. We fanatics and those around the blogosphere and some in the media, have speculated for a while now that Jeter will probably end his Yankee career at either third or the outfield because in either scenario, his failing range would be less exposed. So Cashman's opinion on this doesn't surprise me at all and I don't take offense to them. What bothers me, just a tad, is that the comment was made at all.

Did Cashman not learn anything from the Jeter negotiations about discretion? While I understand that he was posed a scenario by Francesa, did he really have to go into specifics about his opinion? Cashman did tell Francesa that "Jeter's our shortstop, period." Why couldn't that have been all he said? Even if he believed the opposite, why go there?

It was apparent at Jeter's press conference his disdain for the lack of discretion surrounding his negotiations with the Yankees on his new contract, do you think that Jeter is going to be OK with this latest "diarrhea-of-the-mouth" moment by his GM? I'd find it hard to believe that he would. A ballplayer of Jeter's caliber, whose held the same fielding position his entire career, can't be thrilled to hear his boss hypothesizing him being moved elsewhere. Cashman seems to be making it very obvious to everyone that he's "over" Jeter and what Jeter once was as an SS. Maybe I'm being a little too sensitive about this, but that's what it sounds like to me. And listen, if Cashman feels that way, so be it, but I find no necessity in having to voice it to a media and fan base that cling onto every word uttered in regards to the Yankees, particularly Jeter.

And, make no mistake, at Jeter's first meeting with the media in Spring Training camp, these comments will be brought up. Prepare yourselves for The Captain to lay down another "polite" zinger at his GM. As modest and humble as Jeter is, he's very sharp in his retorts to "negative" press.

And now, on to Joba Chamberlain. Cashman confirmed yesterday that Joba will remain in the bullpen because he has not been the same pitcher since he sustained a shoulder injury in Texas in 2008.

Wow. As I commented to my buddy Carlos in my Why Not Joba Chamberlain? post, an arm or mechanical problem that the team wasn't talking about, seemed the only logical explanation for why Joba wasn't being considered for a spot in the rotation. It was about time that someone actually came out and just said it, so that the speculation and debate over Joba since the signing of Rafael Soriano, could finally come to an end. You guys know which side I stood on on this issue, but I'm willing to concede my position, if for no other reason, what's best for Joba. I think he's been messed with enough already.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper 

Chamberlain , Hughes, Logan Agree to 1-Year Deals

Via Jon Heyman, on twitter, the Yankees signed starter Phil Hughes and relievers Joba Chamberlain and Boone Logan to 1-year deals in the millions, thus avoiding arbitration. Hughes was signed for $2.7 million while Joba and Logan both received $1.4 and $1.2 million, respectively.

This was the first time in their careers that Joba and Hughes were arbitration eligible. Both made under $500,000 in 2010, so each deal was a considerable raise. No surprise that Hughes walked away with the most "greenbacks," as the recent 18-game winning, All-Star season proved his capability as a top-of-the-rotation starter. He was lights out for the majority of last season, his first full year in the rotation. 

Joba's raise is likely to evoke many comments in the Yankees Universe. The Soriano signing has many people taking sides on what Joba's role should now be, as the Yankees insist on keeping him in the pen while many--myself included--think he should go back to the rotation. $1.4 million is a drop-in-the-bucket for the Yankees, but is significant a raise to at least assume that the Yankees still believe in his value. However, it's a typical amount for a bullpen reliever, so this could very well back up what the Yankees obviously think of Joba as a starter.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper