Managing the Yankees

Before the season began they were speculation that the Yankees designated hitter Nick Johnson would provide offense on the 2 hole. Well they are right about one thing – it’s all speculative. Until now I couldn’t believe why the Yankees administration took a chance on a player who spends more time on the bench (recuperating) than on the baseball field. Sure Nick Johnson has a good on base percentage and yes he would be a perfect compliment to Derek Jeter on the top of the line-up but that is when he is healthy. That is not exactly the case.

This season Nick Johnson has only played 24 games and is only hitting .167, not a good performance coming from your DH. How I wish the Yankees has a time machine and get somebody else as a DH instead on the injured bug Johnson. They were a lot of options back then. There is Jonny Gomes who is hitting .291 with 9 homers. Eric Hinske is another option who has a batting average of .309 with 5 home runs. Or they could get anybody else for that matter as long as that player is “HEALTHY” and able to contribute to the team.

Now the Yankees are a man short and their bench is not as deep as it used to be. With injuries to regular stars like A-Rod and Posada plus the inconsistency of Mark Teixeira, the Yankees offense is experiencing power outage. Not unlike last year when they still have Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon plus a supportive bench.

The good thing about these unfortunate events is it is never too late for the Yankees to correct their mistakes. They can dig deep to their pockets and get somebody from a mid season trade. The Yankees have a chance to win another World Series if they add firepower from a trade. Will they do it? They better be or else they have to wait for Nick Johnson who might possibly get injured again when he comes back.

Just look at this picture from above. It is very clear that Hideki Matsui is no longer part of the New York Yankees organization. But in every Yankee fan, Matsui will still be in their hearts. Matsui is an integral part of the Yankees most especially in the 2009 World Series against the LA Angels where Matsui outperformed everybody by bagging the World Series MVP.

In my opinion, I would still prefer that the Yankess should have instead picked Matsui over new acquisition Nick Johnson. Sure, Johnson is 4 years younger than Matsui but that doesn't much apply since Johnson is injury plaque. In terms of salary they are pretty much the same and both just have one year contracts.
So far this are their performance for 2010:

Hideki Matsui: (In 14 games)

.314 batting average; .397 OBP; .588 SLG; 3 HR and 8 RBI

Nick Johnson: (In 12 games)

.158 batting average; .407 OBP; .289 SLG; 1 HR and 5 RBI

It so obvious that Matsui is a much better player than Johnson. Matsui could produce more runs for the Yankees and is Mr. Clutch.
Until now I am still in awe of why didn't the Yankees got the services of Matsui. Their line-up could have been much better with Godzilla around.

But looking on to the future, I guess not signing Matsui is a good way to go. Why? Because other players in the Yankees line-up will step up. Guys like Robinson Cano and speedster Bret Gardner will be given a lot of time to show to the league that they can be stars if given the chance. So far the two of them are doing great.

This is also a good time for the Yankees to prepare their old guys like Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter to be assigned as a designated hitter.
Particularly Jorge Posada, who seems to be on his last year for playing the catcher position. The Yankees are grooming Jesus Montero and Austin Romine to be the next everyday catcher.

If all goes well, we might see the Yankees bringing up slugger Jesus Montero in the middle of the season. If Nick Johnson gets injured or doesn't live to the our expectation, look for the Yankees calling the number of Montero very soon.
We all know Montero's power and hitting prowess. He's ready to play in the big leagues. What remains to be seen is his catching and defensive skills. He still needs to improve and develop those skills to be a catcher in the MLB.

Anyway, the Yankees have deep pockets and they can get someone from the trade route if Montero is still not MLB ready. There are a lot of guys out there that the Yankees can get somewhere in the middle of the season who can immediately make an impact and contribute to the team.

Again, I love Hideki Matsui. But it's time to move on. Giving the young guys a break, being economically sustainable and being more athletic will make the Yankees a much better team in the future. Maybe not this year but in the following years to come.

Life has a cycle and the Yankees are very much aware that the beloved Matsui is not anymore part of their organization. Just like in the book, Matsui's chapter is finished. We are now continuing to another chapter. A much better one!

The Yankees lost to the Red Sox... it's a tough one especially coming from a season opener. But that's only one game. They still have 161 games to go. Anyway not only did the Yankees starting pitcher played poorly but also the Red Sox ace Josh Beckett.
Next game we will see AJ Burnett and the avenging Yankee line-up. Yankees' offense looks great. Brett Gardner showed flashes of brilliance stealing home and hitting. Newcomer Curtis Granderson homered. They are still a team to beat.

Things seems okay. But I'm a little worried of the Yankees bench. There's nobody that can provide instant offense. New acquisition Randy Winn and Marcus Thames are a nice pick-up but will they provide some spark off the bench?
Last year the Yankees have Melky Cabrera, Xavier Nady and defensive catcher Jose Molina of the bench. It's a little bit slim this year.

Let's just hope that the Yankees will encounter minimal injuries in the future. They can't afford to lose guys like Nick Johnson and Jorge Posada or things would look bleak.
That is why the Yankees must be ready with their minor league players if something happens.

Players like Jesus Montero, Austine Romine, Juan Miranda could help out if necessary. This homegrown talents needs just a little tuning before they enter the majors.

So far the Yankees looks great even if they lost to the Red Sox. Let's just cross our fingers guys because we need a lot of regular season win to get to championship number 28.

Spring Training is here. But before we really dig in to the Yankees development, let me give you something that could be a distraction to one of the the Yankees stars..... Alex Rodriguez.
As we all know the fame and personality of A-Rod have attracted a lot of women in the past. There was Madonna, then came Kate Hudson, and now there are rumors that A-Rod is dating Hollywood star Cameron Diaz.

The baseball pro was caught getting pretty cozy with Cameron Diaz at the CAA Party in Miami a couple of weeks ago. Pre-partying for the Super Bowl with friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes at the W Hotel, Cameron seemed to be having a blast with A-Rod as the two danced the night away.

“They were having a great time,” a partygoer tells OK! while Cameron was, “grinding on A-Rod.”

According to the partygoer, a tipsy Cameron was being very, “fun and flirty,” with the Yankee player sitting on the couch beside her as she, “was dancing by herself and then turning into [Alex] some.”

Last year A-Rod had a monstrous season especially in the post-season overcoming his past failures. Some people say ex-girlfriend Kate Hudson is the reason why. Now Cameron looks like to be on board.... will A-Rod have the same effect?

To tell you the truth, I don't really care. It's not our business who A-Rod dates. Let him have his personal life to himself as long as he remained "the best" baseball player in the league. That's all our concern.

So my message to A-Rod; "just keep on swinging and blasting"!

Baseball and the Yankees will have to step aside for the moment and give praise to the winner of the NFL Super Bowl XLIV, the New Orleans Saints. Louisiana native Tracy Porter, a corner back, played a crucial role in the New Orleans Saints' magical run to a Super Bowl title and their victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

A second-round draft pick who grew up in Port Allen, across the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge, Porter watched the Saints every Sunday with his family and friends. He remembers bags on the heads of embarrassed fans during the franchise's lean years.

Now the Saints have done the previously unthinkable in large part because of him in a 31-17 victory Sunday. Porter's 74-yard touchdown on an interception of a Peyton Manning pass gave the Saints an insurmountable two-touchdown lead late in the fourth quarter.

It is so nice to see a city like New Orleans who was nearly destroyed by a hurricane 5 years ago upset a winning team like the Indianapolis Colts for their 1st Super Bowl title. Who Dat?

Congratulations New Orleans Saints! Just like the New York Yankees, you are now at the top of the mountain.

Do you know that the New York Yankees has the most number of retired numbers in Major League Baseball? They have retired 15 numbers for 16 players. Here are the list:

1 - Billy Martin 2B
3 - Babe Ruth RF
4 - Lou Gehrig 1B
5 - Joe DiMaggio CF
7 - Mickey Mantle CF
8 - Bill Dickey C
8 - Yogi Berra C
9 - Roger Maris RF
10 - Phil Rizzuto SS
15 - Thurman Munson C
16 - Whitey Ford SP
23 - Don Mattingly 1B
32 - Elston Howard C
37 - Casey Stengel M
44 - Reggie Jackson RF
49 - Ron Guidry SP

42 - Jackie Robinson (retired throughout the league)

The number 42 was retired throughout Major League Baseball in honor of Jackie Robinson on April 15, 1997, the 50th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier.
The day was declared Jackie Robinson Day, and would later be observed by all of baseball, with select players from every team wearing the number 42.
Mariano Rivera, the current closer for the Yankees still wears the number due to a grandfather clause and is the last remaining player to do so.

So that's 15 Yankee retired numbers plus the retired number of Jackie Robinson which make a total of 16. That means the Yankees now have only 84 numbers to choose from out of a 100. The Yankees have never issued number 0, the only two single-digit numbers that have not been retired are number 2, currently worn by team captain Derek Jeter, and number 6, last worn by former Manager Joe Torre.
If both numbers are ultimately retired, the team would become the first in baseball history to have all of the numbers 1–10 retired.

The Yankees are considering to retire additional numbers of several prominent figures who wore them in the past. This people are:

21 - Paul O'Neill RF (1993-2001) = Relief pitcher Latroy Hawkins briefly wore the number in the 2008 season but, on April 16, 2008, Hawkins switched to number 22 in response to the criticism he received by many Yankee fans.

51 - Bernie Williams CF (1991-2006) = The Yankees All-Star center fielder; He played his entire 16 year career with the Yankees.

35 - Mike Mussina SP (2001-2008) = nicknamed the Moose; Mussina played the last 8 years of his career with the Yankees.

6 - Joe Torre M (1996-2007) = Led the Yankees to 6 American League Pennants and 4 World Series Championships. In addition he managed the team to the postseason each year during his tenure as manager.

So that's another 4 numbers of the chart. With Andy Pettitte (46) close to retiring, and Mariano Rivera (42), Derek Jeter (2) and Jorge Posada (20) not far behind, the Yankees will seriously retire their numbers without a doubt. That's another 4 off the chart and a total of 8.
Less than a decade from now the Yankees might also retire the numbers of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and CC Sabathia (if they continue their careers as a Yankee). Add another 3 numbers to it.

You got a potential of 11 retired numbers coming soon. Sooner or later the Yankee organization will run out of jersey numbers to play with. This is just to show how dominating this franchise is. The Yankees, time and time again, have managed to have great players to their team. That is why they have the most number of World Series Championships with 27 titles and still counting.
They remained competitive every year by getting good players.

So don't be surprise if you suddenly see a Yankee player in the field wearing jersey number 112. With 15 Yankee retired numbers plus a lot more coming, this scenario will become a possibility.






will there be a player in the future who has a jersey no of 162 or 103