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Technically spring does not begin until March 20th, however, my spring in Tampa has come to an end. One thing that I have taken away from this camp, more than in previous seasons, is how mentally prepared and relaxed these players are going into the 2010 season.

This relatively tranquil camp is all thanks to an October/November postseason run that garnered a 27th world championship to the most storied franchise is sports history. Sitting here in the press box on my last day before I make my way back up to New York, I've been thinking about the interviews that Chris Shearn and I have done. Each player has made it known that they are not content with just winning the 2009 title and that the goal is the same every year.

The core four won their world championships at a relatively young age on a very veteran ballclub. Now they have assumed the role of leaders and I always got the sense that they felt they had unfinished business. They have achieved that goal and it's like the weight of the world and the biggest city in the world is off their shoulders. Each of them can now focus on winning as they always do and do it with a clear mind.

The young players that were a part of the 2009 roster and on the postseason roster all echoed that they gained years worth of experience in just one month of baseball. They all have one more year under their belt and all of them are extremely comfortable in front of the camera. I can remember interviewing Brett Gardner, David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes for my Down on the Farm features, when they were making their way through the Yankees system. Now each of them -- under the intense pressure of questions coming at them from a national press corps during the 2009 Fall Classic -- has made them professionals even at their young age.

Of the almost two weeks of coverage on YESNetwork.com, my favorite day was getting to talk to Johnny Damon and Phil Coke in Lakeland. I know many fans are very upset with Johnny, but in typical Damon fashion, he went out of his way to make sure we had a one-on-one video interview and that he answered all of my questions. It's really funny that Johnny was one of the calming factors to a clubhouse in turmoil when he arrived to New York in 2005 and now that he is gone, a lot of the other players took his lead.

I also got a chance to speak with Javy Vazquez who did say that he felt a change in the clubhouse and the atmosphere of the camp from the last time he was here in 2004.

There are quite a few things I'm really going to take away from this trip. I got to meet a lot of the younger Yankees and will possibly see them in New York sooner than later. One of those younger players that I have had the chance to interview several times over the last couple of years is Jesus Montero, who is a terrific young man that can crush the ball.

I've also learned some non-baseball related things on this trip. One is that Joe Girardi's daughter Serena is going to be in an upcoming animation produced by Ray Negron called Henry and Me. She is an aspiring young talent and a natural in front of a microphone.

All-in-all, we tried to bring you the best coverage from Tampa and now that this chapter is complete, I'll meet you all back at the bat!

It feels like the Yankees just won their 27th World Championship and now it's already time for Spring Training games. Starting on Wednesday, March 3rd, YESNetwork.com will be in Tampa to cover the Yankees as they begin the quest for another World Championship.

In the time we are in Florida, we will try and produce as much content as possible. Our coverage will include interviews with players, coaches, and writers as well as blogs, vlogs, podcasts, daily shows, behind the scenes photo galleries and some surprises.

Chris Shearn will once again join our team as on-air talent and will be reporting from his blog, Off the Wall.

Don't forget to check out @JoeAuriemmaNYY, @BPTV17 and @YESNetwork on Twitter for any breaking news and updates for new content has been added to YESNetwork.com.

This year I want to do a little something different. I would like to give everyone an opportunity to ask a question to their favorite player, coach or just a general question for one of our many broadcasts from Spring Training. Please message me via MYYES, Twitter direct message me (@JoeAuriemmaNYY) or email offthewall@yesnetwork.com to have a chance to have your voice heard and we will do our best to get these questions in.

I want to give another shout out to my colleague here at YESNetwork.com, Jon Lane. He has been providing quality coverage of the Spring Training stories thus far with his blog, Life in the Fast Lane. Be sure to check that out as well.

Another season with more stories to be told. We will do our best to bring them all to you right here at YESNetwork.com

I think the title of my blog speaks for itself. It certainly has been way too long since my last blog and I promise with the new season quickly approaching, I will fulfill my duties as a Featured Blogger here on My YES.

This offseason has been a good one, filled with doing podcasts, new video and going on some radio shows to discuss the Yankees' offseason moves. When not working on the Yankees this winter, I've had to work on the Nets, who are really having a rough time to say the least. A 4-48 season to this point is pretty awful, but with the free agent class this summer and the possibility of landing the No. 1 pick and John Wall in the draft, the Nets could greatly improve in 2010-11.

My blog entry today is not going to be about the woeful play of the Nets, nor about my three-month layoff, but about what we can expect from the 2010 Yankees. With pitchers and catchers already in Tampa preparing to report for the new season, expectations are very high for a team that won 103 games and the World Series in convincing fashion. The main question that the Yankees have coming into this season is, have the Yankees done enough this offseason to get back to the Fall Classic and win it?

My standard answer this offseason has been unequivocally YES!

Exit Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon is going to be missed in the clubhouse and at the plate, but at this point in his career, and actually for the last several years, he has become a major defensive liability. He also received his highest and best offer this offseason from the team he wanted to return too. Players have taken a hit to their pride in the past and less money than they think they're worth to return to the team that they truly want to play for. To me, Damon overvalued himself and what he can offer at team at his age, and not being able to play a premiere position like center field anymore.

The clubhouse chemistry is going to be fine without him. The one thing that winning does to everyone on a team is bring them closer together. These players went into battle together in 2009 and came out champions, and the departure of one or two players is not going to take that away from the core of players that are still with the team. All this means is that someone else is going to have to step up, like David Cone did in the mid 1990s and be the go-to guy on a daily basis to answer the brunt of reporters' questions.

Enter Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson is truly one of the more talented, young outfielders in the game today. In 2007, he pulled off the 20-20-20-20 (More than 20 2Bs, 20 3Bs, 20 HRs, and 20 SBs in a single season) feat, which has only been done a handful of times in the history of baseball. This is a five-tool star that will be just 29 on March 16th in the midst of the prime of his career. Last season, he only had a .249 average and a .327 OBP, but he did slug 30 home runs and score 91 runs. In his two previous seasons combined he hit .292 with a .363 OBP, hit 45 homers, drove in 140 runs, score 234 runs, stole 38 bases and had an OPS of .887.

In this Yankees lineup, with all of the protection that he will receive, I expect that he will return to the numbers he posted from just a couple of seasons ago while adding his power bat from last season, especially being a lefty in the new Yankee Stadium. He is an upgrade defensively from anyone that was playing in the Yankees outfield last season. 

Exit Melky Cabrera
Stop with the sentimentality people! Melky is not a big-time player and in return, the Yankees got a pitcher that gives them one of the strongest starting staffs in baseball.

Enter Javier Vazquez
The one thing I'm tired of hearing this offseason, is how Yankee fans hate this move. They received a pitcher that averages, 200+ innings, 200+ strikeouts and wins 12-15 games for a fan favorite outfielder who will amount to nothing more than a career fourth outfielder outside of this Yankees lineup. The Yankees already have a bona fide ace with CC Sabathia and two really good pitchers behind him with A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte. With Vazquez, they've added the model of a consistent pitcher as their fourth starter. Not many teams in baseball can boast that they have a Javy Vazquez type starter as their No. 2 pitcher. Just ask the Mets!

I know a lot of people are sour about the last time Vazquez donned the pinstripes and have a bad taste in their mouth from the forgettable Game 7 in the 2004 ALCS. This is a different Javy Vazquez. On that team he was asked to be the ace of that staff, replacing the likes of Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. Also, he was hurt in the second half of the season and pitched down the stretch in pain. He still ended the season 14-10 and made the All-Star team. He would have had a much better campaign if not for the injuries.

All I ask the Yankees fan is to give him a chance. Forget the past. He knows he has something to prove and is motivated to do so. If he pitches the way he is capable of pitching, the Yankees will have a heck of a rotation. This is a team that won a championship with three very good/great starting pitchers and adding one more will just make them even more of contender to get back to the Fall Classic. 

Exit Hideki Matsui, enter Nick Johnson
When you look up clutch in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Hideki Matsui next to it. In his final game in pinstripes, Matsui showed the Yankees faithful why the team signed him seven years prior. His tenure with the team will be remembered by that wonderful November night that he had in 2009 and the World Series MVP trophy that he will take with him. Matsui will be missed, but, again, age is a factor. He is one injury away from possibly retiring. He can't play the field anymore and has bad knees. In 2006 and 2008, he was limited to 51 and 93 games. He could very well have a good year for the Angels and I hope he does, but the Yankees felt it was in their best interest to not only get younger, but add a true designated hitter who could get on base and still play in the field when asked to.

Nick Johnson will be the Yankees everyday DH and play first base to give Mark Teixeira a rest every once in a while. Johnson is still a decent first basemen, but the lure to Johnson was his .426 OBP last season and .420 OBP over the last four seasons combined. Johnson has had injury problems in the past, but the thinking is that as a DH, he will be able to stay healthy, which he basically has anyway three of the last four seasons. His power numbers went way down last season, as he hit just eight home runs, but he is capable of still hitting the long ball, especially in the middle of this lineup and in Yankee Stadium. They will expect Derek Jeter and Johnson to set the table for the rest of the potent lineup by getting on base.

Left/center field situation
The Yankees have a good problem if you ask me. They signed Randy Winn to play the outfield. Winn is a very good defensive outfielder and can play center and both corner outfield positions. His offensive numbers may have dipped last season, but he is still a professional hitter. Granderson can play both center and left as well. That may very well make him the everyday left fielder once the season begins, with Winn and Brett Gardner playing center. 

Marcus Thames will provide a power bat off the bench and is still very capable of playing in the field as well.

The old adage is that defense and pitching wins championships, well this World Series champion upgraded in both areas this offseason, while keeping their offensive prowess intact. To me, this is a team that should be the preseason favorite to win a second consecutive World Series title.

There is a lot of talk on sports radio and throughout New York discussing Andy Pettitte pitching on three days rest. The consensous out of these "experts" is that this is a bad move for the Yankees and we will be back here for a game seven. The argument has been that with his advanced age, number of years that he hasn't pitched on three days rest and cold weather will all affect Pettitte to the point that he will have a rough go at it tonight.

I say nay to all of those naysayers. It is my opinion that Andy Pettitte will be just fine. It is not like Pettitte has been overworked since the end of the regular season. This will be his fifth start tonight in the last month. He's had four starts in the postseason and that spans all the way back to October 4th. That's not exactly taxing someone's arm.

Pettitte is also not a power pitcher. A lot of time short rest effects power pitchers more than the so called finesse pitcher. At this point in his career, Pettitte does not rely on blowing anybody away to have a good game, he relies on his control, outsmarting the hitter and his defense, which has proven they are more than up to the task.

This is Pettitte's last start of the season tonight. He also knows that after tonight, he's going to have months of rest and doesn't have to pitch like this again until Spring Training. If he decides to retire, this might be his last time he ever has to pitch. With that being said, do you really think that  Andy Pettitte, who we have seen time and time again have huge Postseason moments for the Yankees will not go out there tonight and just give it everything he has? I think this gives the Yankees the best chance to win.

We've all seen that time and time again that Pettitte is a competitor and a fighter. He knows coming into this start that he and his teammates are 27 outs away from clinching their 27th World Championship. Pettitte has nothing to lose tonight, but everything to gain.

Don't forget to come back to YESNetwork.com tonight for all of the video coverage from Chris Shearn and myself and Jon Lane will have his fingers burning tonight with his blogs. Who better to get your World Series coverage from the team that has been covering the Yankees since Spring Training.

The Yankees with their 3-1 lead are now 27 outs away from their 27th World Championship. Keep it right here during the game for updates on my live blog.

8:00 P.M. First pitch here at the ballpark. I just had a little dinner with Chris Shearn. A roasted pork sandwich with Chickie's and Pete's Crab Fries...mmm mmm. Jeter just grounded out and Damon just got a base hit. How am I doing so far? I keep saying that I think the Yankees are going to win tonight, but I seem to be in the minority here among everyone here.

8:03 P.M. Does A-Rod get hit again? A smattering of boos around the ballpark.

8:05 P.M. New Yankee Postseason record with 16 RBIs now for A-Rod surpassing Scott Brosius from 1998 and Bernie Williams from 1996. Why does anyone continue to pitch to this guy? Good start for the Bombers. They get on the board early. I was saying before, Cliff Lee is due for a clunker. He was 2-4 with a 6.13 ERA in his last seven regular season starts. This guy isn't Sandy Koufax. Pitchers rarely ever have two lights out games in a row against the Yankees.

8:10 P.M. So here's the situation. The last two games we have sat and stood in the Press Box, but tonight we have assigned seats in the auxiliary Press Box, which is actually out among the fans. We are right near the left field Yankees fan group that just did roll call. That was very funny.

It's a chilly 50 degrees out here tonight and the one thing we do have is a TV right in front of us without audio, so we can examine close plays. I did however catch the first Black Taco commercial. I couldn't miss that one.

8:14 P.M. Jimmy Rollins gets a base hit. I wonder if he predicted that before the game. He's been so dead on this series.

8:15 P.M. Wow. Jimmy Rollins was going on the pitch. Shane Victorino squaring to bunt and got hit by that pitch. If he didn't square to bunt, I don't know if that would have hit him.

8:17 P.M. Chase Utley just hit his fourth home run of the World Series. Burnett has to calm down here. The positive is that Lee is not throwing his best stuff as evidenced in the first inning. He needs to stop the bleeding here. Just remember, he gave up four runs to the Angels in the first and battled the rest of the night.

8:20 P.M. That last pitch to Howard sure looked like a strike. The strike zone looks like it's the size of the toy you get in the Cracker Jack box.

8:23 P.M. A.J. Burnett records his first out of the game. A lot of game left.

8:24 P.M. Chickie's and Pete's is not agreeing with me right now! Such a hot day, milk was a bad choice.

8:26 P.M. Why does it feel like A.J. always has that one bad inning. Maybe he got it out of his system and he will be better the rest of the way out. The question is how is Cliff Lee going to respond after a shaky first inning himself?

8:35 P.M. Cliff Lee goes 1-2-3 against the bottom part of the order. Chris Shearn and I saw a couple of grown men in Clifford the Big Red Dog costumes down on Ashburn Alley. Grown men! You couldn't pay me enough to wear a Clifford costume, unless I was dressing up like Martin Short from the movie Clifford. I'll stick with my Al Bundy Halloween Costume for the next 20 years.

8:40 P.M. I'm not listening to the announcers, but someone just told me that Tim McCarver said AL hitters don't know Cliff Lee. Is he kidding me? Really? Didn't he spend the majority of his career in the AL including this season? He has to think about retirement.

8:46 P.M. There were some technically difficulties on the site, but the blog is back in a big way. Burnett, even though he walked Rollins, has calmed down a bit. This game to me has all of the makings of that A.J. game against the Angels.

8:49 P.M. sharabc123 I really do think he's settling down. How many times have we seen A.J. have that bad inning, which sometimes comes in the first and then settled down. He's going to have to if they have plans on celebrating here in Philly tonight.

8:53 P.M. Another good Damon at bat to work the walk. Mark Teixeira is currently hitting .067...67! I think that was my final grade in Spanish class in high school. I'm not bilingual...come to think of it I'm not very lingual.

8:54 P.M. The Mark Teixeira average continues to fall, but Chris Shearn just predicted home run to me....let's see if he's right.

8:55 P.M. A-Rod hit that one in the air, but just missed it. Everytime someone has an incorrect predicition I just wish I carried around a speaker that had the BOM BOM BOM BOM, WAH from the Price is Right. I would be playing that an a lot.

9:00 P.M. Of the 26 batters in the last game, Burnett had thrown first pitch strikes to 21 of them. Now I don't have the official count tonight, but his ratio is no where near that. I'll cook up that stat after this half inning.

9:02 P.M. Did Chase Utley use the grease from hair on his feet that time to make himself faster to steal that bag? I saw a shot of him in the dugout before. He looks kind of like a young Pat Riley. It's the Pat Riley School of Dippity Doo.

9:07 P.M. One thing that has been a problem with Burnett all year was control. He led the American League with 97 walks. He's showing it tonight.

9:08 P.M. Jayson Werth with the RBI single and still no outs in this inning.

9:10 P.M. A.J. Burnett's night is over after giving up another RBI single. No outs, runners on first and third and now David Robertson is in the ballgame. He'll probably pinch hit Jorge as soon as possible. Molina will stay in the game until that point. A.J. Burnett ends the season on a sour note after basically saving the Yankees bacon in game two. The Yankees wouldn't be here without him.

I had a good feeling all day about this game. Maybe it was a fever caused by more cowbell.

9:16 P.M. Cliff Lee up at the plate now. The only saving grace or silver lining is that the Yankees have worked his pitch count tonight and if they can get him out of the game, they may be able to get to the bullpen.

A 6-1 lead is very hard to come back from. We've all seen the Yankees do it, but they have to get out of this inning first. Geez!

9:22 P.M. Am I the only on Twitter right now with the mentality that there is a lot of game to be played. Again, Cliff Lee has thrown a lot of pitches. If they can get him out of this game and get to the bullpen, who knows? They are even going to have pop at the bottom of the lineup when Jorge comes in the game. Search for your inner Yogi, It ain't over till it's over.

9:27 P.M. Robinson Cano has been an automatic out in this World Series. He is now 2-for-17 with a .117 batting average. Just awful. What is that about? This is someone that hit .320 in the regular season.

9:32 P.M. Saw that Joe Girardi was talking to the announcers. Would have like to have heard what he said. I'll keep saying it till I'm blue in the face, which I am right now because it's cold out here. There is a lot of baseball to be played here.

9:38 P.M. Jorge Posada batting for Molina...It's the right move and again the Yankees have some pop at the bottom of the order the rest of this game.

9:42 P.M. Eric Hinske now up at the plate pinch hitting, ending D-Rob's night. David Robertson did his job.

9:44 P.M. Eric Hinske draws the walk and Jeter gets another postseason hit. Would you expect any less from Jeter. By the way one swing and this is a ballgame again everyone.

9:47 P.M. Looking out at the bell in centerfield and it looks like two morons have climbed up there. Security is going nuts on them right now. Kevin Sullivan, "They are so arrested when they come down."

9:48 P.M. Teixeira continues to struggle at the plate. Inning over, but the Yankees did chip away a little bit. Alfredo Acevas now in the game for the Yankees.

9:52 P.M. What a play by Brett Gardner in center. As he was going back on that ball underneath where we are, it looked like he was going to get it as soon as he stuck out his glove. Jayson Werth rounded the bases like he had hit an inside the park home run. Was probably hoping for Phil Cuzzi to call that a dropped ball.

9:55 P.M. The Phillies again fail to score. This is where the Yankees can continue to chip away, work Lee's count and try to get into that bullpen. The Philly Phanatic is driving around on his ATV...He's money. One of the best mascots in sports if you ask me. The only one I like better is the now defunct San Diego chicken, who I still think is Pete Rose underneath that mask.

10:00 P.M. Even with A-Rod's flyout, I don't know what it is. I still feel the Yankees are going to win this game. People might think I'm nuts, but I just feel like it's goling to happen.

10:01 P.M. There are three Phillies fans on the roof. It's definitely not security and the guys are still up in the bell tower so to speak. Interesting.

10:05 P.M. Not going to comeback in this game leaving the bat on your shoulders.

10:10 P.M. I'm officially freezing out here, but I just remembered the last time I wore that coat was Game one. It's officially now in my bag. I am risking hypothermia for a Yankees comeback all on a coat theory.

10:20 P.M. Posada has to know that the if you try to call timeout the ump doesn't have to grant it. Also, take your bat off your shoulders.

10:21 P.M. Jeter up...let's see if he can rustle up any more magic.

10:24 P.M. Nope.

10:30 P.M. I'm back, sorry about the delay. Chase Utley is unreal. He now has five home runs in the World Series. The most in Phillies franchise history. That guy is deadly. If the Phillies wind up coming back and winning the series, there my friends is your M-V-P.

10:34 P.M. Chase Utley is now tied with Mr. October for most home runs in one World Series with five and he's the first player since Willie Aikens in the 1980 World Series to have two multi-hr games in one World Series.

10:39 P.M. OH BOY! THAT IBANEZ HOME RUN WAS A ROCKET. In fact he hit that car sign. He wins a Chrysler! Can he at least get a steak for that?

10:43 P.M. The Phillies pep girls are on top of the dugout in shorts...are they crazy?

10:50 P.M. A-Rod is a BEAST! He's now on third after the Swisher groundout. Park on the mound applying his famous spitter.

10:59 P.M. The internet went down here, but we are back. It's now 8-5 after that sac fly.

11:04 P.M. Yolly, anything can happen. I'm not as confident as I was hours ago, but I still feel that three runs is not a huge lead against the Yankees. Posada, Matsui, and Jeter are going to hit in the ninth. If they could get something going, they go right back into the heart of the Yankees order. and against whoever the Phillies throw at them, anything can happen. 

11:13 P.M. I'm like Billy Joel right now and I'm keeping the faith.

11:28 P.M. They just sang High Hopes here. Harry Kalas' singing on the big board. The Yankees have to be pleased. They are going home up 3-2 with Andy Pettitte on the mound. Look Burnett was awful, but my god the Yankees were in this game till the end. This loss is on Burnett and Coke, but again it comes back to the Bronx. Fans have been waiting a long time for a celebration and they might get it.