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“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over”…

There is a reason that Mariano Rivera has been my favorite Yankee for a very long time.  I know that Derek Jeter is a quality guy and a favorite of many, but for me, Mariano Rivera has always been the premier player in my opinion.  It doesn’t mean that I feel Jeter’s not a great player…he is.  He is most likely a first ballot Hall of Famer and will go down as the greatest shortstop in Yankees history (with no disrespect to Phil Rizzuto).  But Rivera has always handled himself with dignity and class, and he’s always been accountable when things have gone wrong.  He has never disrespected another player or team, nor has he placed blame anywhere but with himself.  He

Locked and not loaded?...

Worst case scenario seems to be playing out with news that Michael Pineda’s shoulder is cause for concern.  Everybody has wondered who would be the odd man out of the rotation, given the strong spring performances by Freddy Garcia and Phil Hughes. There’s been talk of moving either of those two or Ivan Nova to the bullpen, but all things considered, that’s not an ideal spot for any of the three.  I was hopeful that Yankees could find some trade value in Garcia to move him and make room for the others, given that Andy Pettitte looms on the not-so-distant future.  Yesterday, there were indications that Michael Pineda needed to have a strong performance to nail down his much anticipated spot in the rotation.  I didn’t watch

We took a mulligan on the first 21 rounds…

It amazes me when I look down this list of names…

Carl Everett, OF

Robert Eenhoorn, SS

Tate Seefried, 1B

Kirt Ojala, LHP

Richard Lantrip, INF

Sam Militello, RHP

Jalal Leach, OF

Tim Rumer, LHP

Matthew Terrell, OF

Darren Hodges, RHP

Richard Hines, RHP

Ron Frazier, RHP

Jeff Motuzas, C

Bo Siberz, RHP

Michael Smith, RHP

Ricky Ledee, OF

Bryan Faw, RHP

Bob Deller, OF

Brent Gilbert, RHP

Kevin Jordan, 2B

Keith Seiler, LHP

These are the players that the Yankees selected prior to Andy Pettitte in the 1990 MLB June Amateur Draft.  Of course, Carl Everett’s name stands out but he achieved major league success elsewhere.  I always had high hopes for Ricky Ledee, but he didn’t live up to the hype. 

His accounting degree was the first tip-off…

So, it’s true that the fiscal conservative in Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner is coming to the forefront.  It’s clear that the Yankees have shown considerable restraint in their financial decisions in recent years and none more evident than this off-season when the Yankees watched and let others pay exorbitant dollars for free agent talent.  It was widely rumored that the Yankees have their eye on 2014 and the desire to get their payroll under the $189 million threshold for luxury tax purposes.  But now that Hal Steinbrenner is on record for the stated goal, it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the next few years.

While there are other guaranteed contracts, the most notable in 2014

Joe says it so it must be true!...

So now even manager Joe Girardi is expressing interest in a left-handed bat!  Joe’s joined the club of us overly intelligent, know-more-than-Brian Cashman fans!  LOL!  Just kidding.  But it is interesting to see a key Yankee figure express the need for additional help.  With free agents Raul Ibanez (wow, I almost typed Mondesi!), Hideki Matsui, and Johnny Damon lurking on the sidelines, GM Brian Cashman recently indicated the Yankees would pursue help via trade.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.  Obviously, the Yankees need to unload a pitcher.  With three starters vying for the #5 spot in the rotation (Freddy Garcia, A.J. Burnett, and Phil Hughes), it’s clear that this is going to end badly

End of the road…

Jorge Posada has apparently told reporters that he does not expect to be back with the Yankees next year.  Of course, that’s really a statement of the obvious as the organization has shown no signs of wanting to bring the Yankees lifer back for one more go ‘round.  Ideally, I would like to see Jorge call it a career on his playing days and walk away as a Yankee.  But somehow, I suspect that he’ll be back for one more season even if it is a limited role like the one that Jim Thome will fill for the Philadelphia Phillies.  I heard the Miami Marlins might be a possible fit for Posada, and that would certainly be okay in my mind.  I wouldn’t want to see Posada play for a Yankees rival like the Red Sox or the Rays, so

The Pride of the Red Sox…

I am sure that there are Yankee fans rejoicing tonight at the news the Boston Red Sox and manager Terry “Tito” Francona have mutually decided to part way.  There is no rejoicing on this Blog.  I have a great deal of respect for Tito and he was/is arguably one of the best managers in baseball. 

When Joe Girardi was named manager of the Yankees, I was a bit disappointed.  Of course, I’ve been a huge fan of Don Mattingly since he came up through the Yankees farm system and he was my favorite choice for manager despite his lack of managerial experience.  I liked Girardi the player, but he was never one that I was able to fully embrace.  I was concerned about the red flags that he exhibited during his