Posted by: Patrick
Not a big shock or anything, but regarding the Twitter accounts of CC Sabathia and Nick Swisher, Peter Abraham reported:
... to be accurate, neither guy is doing the actual Twittering. They send text messages to their marketing rep, who sanitizes the Twitter posts for their protection.
Posted by: Patrick
From the AP:
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez underwent arthroscopic surgery Monday to repair torn cartilage in his right hip, and doctors said they found nothing that would keep him from returning to the lineup in May.
"The surgery went exactly as we planned," said Dr. Marc Philippon, who performed the 80-minute procedure at Vail Valley Surgery Center in Colorado. "No surprises."
"The surgery went exactly as we planned," said Dr. Marc Philippon, who performed the 80-minute procedure at Vail Valley Surgery Center in Colorado. "No surprises."
Posted by: Patrick
Update: We have the last person. Thanks!
Tomorrow, the Yankees Bloggers Fantasy Baseball League for 2009 is drafting. We are looking for one more player to give us an even number. So, I wanted to put up a last call. If you'd like to join, please e-mail me as soon as possible and I will get you the info. Thanks!
Tomorrow, the Yankees Bloggers Fantasy Baseball League for 2009 is drafting. We are looking for one more player to give us an even number. So, I wanted to put up a last call. If you'd like to join, please e-mail me as soon as possible and I will get you the info. Thanks!
03/08: Cashman Denies Teahen Rumor
Posted by: Patrick
Earlier today, Bob Dutton of The Kansas Star reported:
It didn't take long, however, for Brian Cashman to squash that rumor.
Via Steve Adams.
Alex Rodriguez's decision to undergo surgery on his hip is fueling rumors that the Yankees are interested in Mark Teahen as a temporary replacement at third base.
Royals officials, for now, are brushing off the speculation, and general manager Dayton Moore has long maintained that Teahen is more valuable now to the club than in previous years because of his versatility.
Royals officials, for now, are brushing off the speculation, and general manager Dayton Moore has long maintained that Teahen is more valuable now to the club than in previous years because of his versatility.
It didn't take long, however, for Brian Cashman to squash that rumor.
"I'll be honest with you; we have not had any discussions internally about that -- not myself daydreaming or my pro scouting director [Billy Eppler], though I know he's proactive, so I'm sure he's got his lists lined up," Cashman said. "I guess that's a gray area. Thankfully, we're getting [Rodriguez] back, so if something makes sense that you run into, I think we'd gravitate to it. But it's hard to run into things that make sense, so we'd probably wind up going with what we've got."
Via Steve Adams.
Posted by: Patrick
Ian O'Connor shares the details of a terrible car accident that Cody Ransom was in, as a passenger. Here's the opening:
Via Tyler Kepner.
Bodies and blood were all over the desert freeway, and somehow Cody Ransom landed on his feet. He was standing upright inside a flipped 15-passenger van, death and dying all around him, and he had no idea how or why he was chosen to live.
His feet had plunged through a shattered window and were planted firmly on the ground. The van belonging to the South Mountain Community College baseball team had blown its right rear tire on Interstate 10 in Arizona, crashed into a Palo Verde tree and rolled over two or three times on its catastrophic tumble from the fast lane to the other side.
His feet had plunged through a shattered window and were planted firmly on the ground. The van belonging to the South Mountain Community College baseball team had blown its right rear tire on Interstate 10 in Arizona, crashed into a Palo Verde tree and rolled over two or three times on its catastrophic tumble from the fast lane to the other side.
Via Tyler Kepner.
Posted by: Patrick
Bryan Hoch reports that A-Rod has gone for the "hybrid" option. From the Times:
This limited surgery will sideline A-Rod for 6 to 9 weeks, meaning that he'll be back in April or May, as opposed to July or August, which would have been the case with the full surgery. After the season, he'll have the rest of the work done.
Dr. Philiipon, the Vail, Colorado doctor who will perform the operation, said that he is 85-90 percent sure that A-Rod will not suffer a setback this season, following the initial surgery.
Via Ben.
The limited surgery would probably sideline Rodriguez at least four weeks and may allow him to play most of the season. But he would still need a more involved procedure at a later time to fix what caused the tear.
This limited surgery will sideline A-Rod for 6 to 9 weeks, meaning that he'll be back in April or May, as opposed to July or August, which would have been the case with the full surgery. After the season, he'll have the rest of the work done.
Dr. Philiipon, the Vail, Colorado doctor who will perform the operation, said that he is 85-90 percent sure that A-Rod will not suffer a setback this season, following the initial surgery.
Via Ben.
Posted by: Patrick
Bryan Hoch reports that, on Friday, A-Rod went through more tests and worked out, gathering more information for an eventual decision on his next step. Though, it sounds like the possibility of surgery is becoming more and more real.
Says Peter Abraham:
So, we're in wait and see mode right now. But, if it's bothering him as much as it sounds like it is, I say let's get it done.
"Alex is our future," Cashman said. "What's best for him is best for us. Ultimately, this is Alex's career. This is his life. I know one thing: he wants to do anything he can to help this team now."
"If he was retiring after the year, this is a no-brainer," Girardi said. "That's not the case. I think you do have to take that into account, and it's a big part of the decision."
"If he was retiring after the year, this is a no-brainer," Girardi said. "That's not the case. I think you do have to take that into account, and it's a big part of the decision."
Says Peter Abraham:
Things have changed since yesterday. The Yankees said then that the plan was for Alex to try and play and have surgery after the season. Now both Hal Steinbrenner and Girardi have talked about Alex needing to make a decision about having surgery.
Alex underwent more tests today and supposedly planned to throw and even hit in a cage out in Colorado. Then he will take a day or two to decide what to do, in consultation with the Yankees.
The sense I get from talking to people both in Tampa and elsewhere is that Alex will be having the surgery and it would be as soon as Monday. The Yankees are fearful of his trying to play and then having to come out of the lineup.
Alex underwent more tests today and supposedly planned to throw and even hit in a cage out in Colorado. Then he will take a day or two to decide what to do, in consultation with the Yankees.
The sense I get from talking to people both in Tampa and elsewhere is that Alex will be having the surgery and it would be as soon as Monday. The Yankees are fearful of his trying to play and then having to come out of the lineup.
So, we're in wait and see mode right now. But, if it's bothering him as much as it sounds like it is, I say let's get it done.
03/07: Could Cano Move to Third?
Posted by: Patrick
From ESPN's Buster Olney:
Via Tim Dierkes.
The Yankees have talked internally in the past about how Robinson Cano's best position might be third base in the long term. And it might be that if they determine A-Rod will be out for a long period of time, they could shift Cano from second to third and create another set of options for themselves as they try to replace A-Rod's offense.
Via Tim Dierkes.
Posted by: Patrick
Bryan Hoch, Ben Kabak, Joel Sherman and Chad Jennings review some of the candidates that the Yankees could turn to, if A-Rod is unable to play.
Cody Ransom is the name that jumps out as the internal candidate. Angel Berroa is another one. Externally, Mark Grudzielanek is a free agent and Scott Rolen, Melvin Mora, Chone Figgins, Blake DeWitt and others are mentioned as potential trade options.
Cody Ransom is the name that jumps out as the internal candidate. Angel Berroa is another one. Externally, Mark Grudzielanek is a free agent and Scott Rolen, Melvin Mora, Chone Figgins, Blake DeWitt and others are mentioned as potential trade options.
Posted by: Patrick
Yesterday, news broke that A-Rod would need surgery and would be out for 10 weeks. When the Yankees made their official comments, they said that the decision was rest and rehab, in hopes of him avoiding the surgery this season and staying on the field.
According to Tyler Kepner, the reality is that A-Rod will have surgery at some point because this is not the type of thing that just heals. Brian Cashman told the media that the surgery would knock A-Rod out of the picture for four months. So, if he got it done today, he'd be back by July 6, at the earliest.
Peter Abraham spoke with his own hip specialist and pointed out:
Meanwhile, the Kepner report mentions that the Yankees spotted an issue in A-Rod's hip last year, but decided not to invest it further.
Ben Kabak discusses how the Yankees decision not to follow up on the MRI may now cost us dearly.
After reading these articles, part of me says that he should just have the surgery now. It sounds like the hip will only get worse from this point. I think I'd rather be fairly certain of getting a healthy, rested A-Rod back by August 1, than I'd want to just play him and see how it goes and have him break down later in the year.
According to Tyler Kepner, the reality is that A-Rod will have surgery at some point because this is not the type of thing that just heals. Brian Cashman told the media that the surgery would knock A-Rod out of the picture for four months. So, if he got it done today, he'd be back by July 6, at the earliest.
Peter Abraham spoke with his own hip specialist and pointed out:
Cashman said all last season that Jorge Posada’s torn labrum could be treated with rest and rehab. Then on July 30, as Posada underwent surgery, they made a surprise trade for Pudge Rodriguez.
Meanwhile, the Kepner report mentions that the Yankees spotted an issue in A-Rod's hip last year, but decided not to invest it further.
Cashman said the Yankees discovered an irregularity in Rodriguez’s hip last May when he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam for a right quadriceps injury. By June or July, the hitting coach Kevin Long said he could notice subtle changes in Rodriguez’s hitting, notably in his right foot — the back one in his stance.
The foot was not pivoting fully, Long said, and as a result, Rodriguez could not completely turn his waist and clear his hips. This caused his bat to drag and prevented him from driving through the ball and generating maximum power.
The foot was not pivoting fully, Long said, and as a result, Rodriguez could not completely turn his waist and clear his hips. This caused his bat to drag and prevented him from driving through the ball and generating maximum power.
Ben Kabak discusses how the Yankees decision not to follow up on the MRI may now cost us dearly.
After reading these articles, part of me says that he should just have the surgery now. It sounds like the hip will only get worse from this point. I think I'd rather be fairly certain of getting a healthy, rested A-Rod back by August 1, than I'd want to just play him and see how it goes and have him break down later in the year.
