04/05: Johnny Damon Superstar?
Posted by: James
Mr. Abraham over at The LoHud Yankees Blog pointed out a link to Mr. Damon jamming on stage with Alter Bridge back in October of 2004. I couldn't help linking to it - he looks pretty funny on stage. Not quite as funny as cornrowed Bronson Arroyo who joins him onstage...but still, it's pretty amusing seeing Damon look all goofy.
Another link worthy of your time is over at Mike A's In George We Trust. He charted the velocities for both Harden and Mussina throughout last night's game and posted the results (and if you all don't know by now, I'm a sucker for graphs!) Take a look at the velocity Mussina is sitting at right now. Keep in mind that this is only as good as the radar gun giving out the results so if that's off, we could be looking at skewed numbers. Maybe if we ask nicely Mike can keep this up for a couple of Mussina starts to see where his pitches are consistently sitting. Still Mike mentions it in his post and I mentioned it during the projections - if your fastball is topping out at 90 mph when you used to consistently hit the low 90s, you will have problems adjusting. Still, if anyone can figure out a way to work and thrive with a new set of tools, the Moose from Stanford can.
Finally, on a sad note, Doc Gooden was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in prison for violating his probation by using cocaine.
Another link worthy of your time is over at Mike A's In George We Trust. He charted the velocities for both Harden and Mussina throughout last night's game and posted the results (and if you all don't know by now, I'm a sucker for graphs!) Take a look at the velocity Mussina is sitting at right now. Keep in mind that this is only as good as the radar gun giving out the results so if that's off, we could be looking at skewed numbers. Maybe if we ask nicely Mike can keep this up for a couple of Mussina starts to see where his pitches are consistently sitting. Still Mike mentions it in his post and I mentioned it during the projections - if your fastball is topping out at 90 mph when you used to consistently hit the low 90s, you will have problems adjusting. Still, if anyone can figure out a way to work and thrive with a new set of tools, the Moose from Stanford can.
Finally, on a sad note, Doc Gooden was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in prison for violating his probation by using cocaine.
With credit for time already served in jail and a drug treatment facility, Gooden likely will spend about 7½ months in state prison, said his attorney, Peter Hobson.
Gooden, 41, was serving three years of probation for speeding away from police during a drunken driving traffic stop last year when he failed a drug test and acknowledged to a probation officer that he had used cocaine.
"I have a problem, sir, with cocaine," Gooden, dressed in an orange jail outfit, told state Circuit Judge Daniel L. Perry. "I had a cocaine relapse."
Gooden, 41, was serving three years of probation for speeding away from police during a drunken driving traffic stop last year when he failed a drug test and acknowledged to a probation officer that he had used cocaine.
"I have a problem, sir, with cocaine," Gooden, dressed in an orange jail outfit, told state Circuit Judge Daniel L. Perry. "I had a cocaine relapse."
Posted by: Patrick
Well, it's been a while since our last interview in this series, but now it's my turn. So, let's get it over with. :)
When you're not blogging about the Yankees, thinking about the Yankees, talking about the Yankees, reading about the Yankees or watching the Yankees, what are you doing?
I own the iFroggy Network and my work (including YanksBlog.com) takes up a majority of my time. I'm also a Miami Dolphins fan. I watch some TV (House, 24, The Simpsons, Family Guy, The War at Home). I'm also into music (big Diddy and Bad Boy fan, but I listen to other things, as well), gaming (I like America's Army, but it's been months... I go long stretches without playing - I just get busy), investing, writing and reading, in addition to other things.
When you're not blogging about the Yankees, thinking about the Yankees, talking about the Yankees, reading about the Yankees or watching the Yankees, what are you doing?
I own the iFroggy Network and my work (including YanksBlog.com) takes up a majority of my time. I'm also a Miami Dolphins fan. I watch some TV (House, 24, The Simpsons, Family Guy, The War at Home). I'm also into music (big Diddy and Bad Boy fan, but I listen to other things, as well), gaming (I like America's Army, but it's been months... I go long stretches without playing - I just get busy), investing, writing and reading, in addition to other things.
Posted by: Seamus
After watching last night's opener at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, you might've thought the Yankees would score 1,200+ runs this year and go undefeated. It sure looked that way. The Yankees, however, were brought back to Earth tonight after Scott Proctor served up a game-winning single in the 9th inning to Marco Scutaro as the A's defeated the Yankees by a score of 4-3. Mike Mussina had a pretty decent game in his season debut, giving up only five hits and striking out six in 7 innings, but two of those hits were home runs off the bats of Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez. Johnny Damon and Alex Rodriguez each had two hits and Jorge Posada drove in two, but the Yankees didn't muster much more than that on offense as the A's bullpen was very effective in relief of Rich Harden.
Maybe it's because the season's just beginning, or perhaps I'm still just not familiar enough with Kyle Farnsworth, but I thought it might have been a better idea to leave him in for a second inning than to throw Proctor in there in the bottom of the 9th inning. In that critical part of the game I just think I'd like to see someone a little more reliable in there. Bottom of the 9th in a tie game doesn't really seem like the situation for a guy who struggles with his control as much as Proctor does. It's not like any of the other guys have been "overused" already and the Yankees have a day off Thursday.
Oh well, can't win 'em all but that first loss is always a stinger inside. The Yankees will try to bounce back tomorrow night as they send Chien-Ming Wang to the mound to face Dan Haren. Chien-Ming Wang is coming off a very solid rookie season and was a crucial part of the Yankees success last season. Haren is coming off a decent season himself, as he went 14-12 last year with a 3.73 E.R.A. in his first year with the A's.
Maybe it's because the season's just beginning, or perhaps I'm still just not familiar enough with Kyle Farnsworth, but I thought it might have been a better idea to leave him in for a second inning than to throw Proctor in there in the bottom of the 9th inning. In that critical part of the game I just think I'd like to see someone a little more reliable in there. Bottom of the 9th in a tie game doesn't really seem like the situation for a guy who struggles with his control as much as Proctor does. It's not like any of the other guys have been "overused" already and the Yankees have a day off Thursday.
Oh well, can't win 'em all but that first loss is always a stinger inside. The Yankees will try to bounce back tomorrow night as they send Chien-Ming Wang to the mound to face Dan Haren. Chien-Ming Wang is coming off a very solid rookie season and was a crucial part of the Yankees success last season. Haren is coming off a decent season himself, as he went 14-12 last year with a 3.73 E.R.A. in his first year with the A's.
Posted by: Michael
We are set for the opening with fireworks and the star spangled banner in the background. I've got the mlb.tv broadcast up and running with it dialed into an Oakland channel for the pregame. Booo! Update: I just noticed as I was typing up this entry that they (the powers that be at mlb.tv) floated the broadcast over to the YES network. Most likely this is because YES and ESPN2 are broadcasting the game. Who knows...but I'll take it!).
Randy Johnson takes the mound this evening against Barry Zito who finished up last year with an abnormal 14-13 record.
First Inning: The top of the inning starts off with Damon striking out looking and Jeets popping out in foul territory. Zito then begins to work both Sheff and A-Rod high and tight. Both were able to draw walks to give way to Giambi. Giambi then strikes out and the second strike would have most definitely been a foul. The bottom of the inning begins with Randy Johnson throwing a first pitch strike. Another interesting stat is that its his 14th opening day start. Ellis pops into the centerfield and Damon records his first defensive play in pinstripes. Kotsay has a broken-bat hit to A-Rod, who drops the ball, picks it up and fires it to Giambi. Giambi totally misses the ball, and Kotsay is able to make it to second. Score an error for Jason. Bobby Crosby strikes out and Chavez hits a streaker to right only to be caught by Sheff. End of the inning with no score.
Randy Johnson takes the mound this evening against Barry Zito who finished up last year with an abnormal 14-13 record.
First Inning: The top of the inning starts off with Damon striking out looking and Jeets popping out in foul territory. Zito then begins to work both Sheff and A-Rod high and tight. Both were able to draw walks to give way to Giambi. Giambi then strikes out and the second strike would have most definitely been a foul. The bottom of the inning begins with Randy Johnson throwing a first pitch strike. Another interesting stat is that its his 14th opening day start. Ellis pops into the centerfield and Damon records his first defensive play in pinstripes. Kotsay has a broken-bat hit to A-Rod, who drops the ball, picks it up and fires it to Giambi. Giambi totally misses the ball, and Kotsay is able to make it to second. Score an error for Jason. Bobby Crosby strikes out and Chavez hits a streaker to right only to be caught by Sheff. End of the inning with no score.
Posted by: James
Here's the final portion of the community projections which details the bullpen and of course, Mr. Rivera.
I'm not sure how many people agree with my personal outlook but I really believe that the bullpen has been upgraded quite a bit. However, Joe Torre has to manage the bullpen well, which to this point, isn't something that he has excelled at. I also think that Tanyon Sturtze's contributions to this ballclub can be (and will be, due to injury) replaced at some point by someone from AAA (whether that is Ramiro Mendoza, Matt DeSalvo, etc. I'm not sure.) Chime in and let me know if these projections look too optimistic or if you see something you want to comment on.
| G | IP | W | L | BB | K | HD | SV | BlSv | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP: Kyle Farnsworth | 76 | 78.1 | 5 | 3 | 30 | 95 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 3.03 |
| RP: Octavio Dotel | 39 | 42.2 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 57 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3.03 |
| RP: Tanyon Sturtze | 46 | 56 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 4.53 |
| RP: Mike Myers | 66 | 39 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 23 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3.11 |
| RP: Ron Villone | 71 | 71 | 6 | 3 | 34 | 67 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3.84 |
| CL: Mariano Rivera | 71 | 75 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 75 | 0 | 46 | 4 | 1.71 |
I'm not sure how many people agree with my personal outlook but I really believe that the bullpen has been upgraded quite a bit. However, Joe Torre has to manage the bullpen well, which to this point, isn't something that he has excelled at. I also think that Tanyon Sturtze's contributions to this ballclub can be (and will be, due to injury) replaced at some point by someone from AAA (whether that is Ramiro Mendoza, Matt DeSalvo, etc. I'm not sure.) Chime in and let me know if these projections look too optimistic or if you see something you want to comment on.
04/03: One Team - One Goal
Posted by: Michael
Tonight marks the start for the 2006 Yankees on their quest for the team's 27th World Championship. I'll be back here later this evening, weather permitting, to live blog the opening game from Oakland, CA. Weather Update: Here
To get us started, lets see how the Yankees are focusing on the new season. I found this on yankees.com and thought I would share:
Are the current Yankees team the definition of the word TEAM? Is there anyone on the team who lets themselves get in the way of the team goal? I can think of several from the previous years, but none come to mind for this current roster. I'd be interested in your thoughts, and any pre-game rituals you might do before a game. See you back here tonight at 10:05pm ET.
To get us started, lets see how the Yankees are focusing on the new season. I found this on yankees.com and thought I would share:
T-off shirt: When the Yankees came off the field and returned to the clubhouse, in front of each player's locker was a custom T-shirt bearing a message/challenge.
The white lettering on the blue shirts listed the team's entire 2006 schedule -- from the first game of the Grapefruit League to the last game of the World Series.
Above the schedule, the shirt read: 257 Days/37 Weeks/9 Months.
Below the schedule: One Team/One Goal.
The white lettering on the blue shirts listed the team's entire 2006 schedule -- from the first game of the Grapefruit League to the last game of the World Series.
Above the schedule, the shirt read: 257 Days/37 Weeks/9 Months.
Below the schedule: One Team/One Goal.
Are the current Yankees team the definition of the word TEAM? Is there anyone on the team who lets themselves get in the way of the team goal? I can think of several from the previous years, but none come to mind for this current roster. I'd be interested in your thoughts, and any pre-game rituals you might do before a game. See you back here tonight at 10:05pm ET.
Posted by: James
We posted the lineup earlier today and here are the starting pitching projections (and their replacements pending injuries) that will back that offense.
Interesting stuff here. Lots of people are expecting a bounceback from The Big Unit (even in his advanced years), quite a bit of Shawn-love being thrown around and Jaret Wright is oh so wrong in these projections. Chime in with any thoughts in the comments.
I'll be compiling and posting projections of the relievers this evening so until then, if you all of a sudden decide that you want to insert your 2 cents, go ahead. There wasn't all that much interest in the relievers though, which I thought was interesting. I was surprised that more people didn't chime in on Mariano though. I guess that we all expect greatness from him for yet another season. Also, you can find the totals for the hitters here.
| G | GS | IP | W | L | BB | K | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Randy Johnson | 33 | 33 | 223.3 | 19 | 7 | 45 | 228 | 3.36 |
| SP: Mike Mussina | 29 | 29 | 185 | 14 | 9 | 47 | 145 | 4.40 |
| SP: Chien-Ming Wang | 28 | 27 | 168 | 14 | 7 | 41 | 103 | 3.86 |
| SP: Carl Pavano | 24 | 24 | 142.3 | 12 | 9 | 31 | 85 | 4.39 |
| SP: Shawn Chacon | 35 | 30 | 194 | 16 | 9 | 63 | 103 | 3.79 |
| G | GS | IP | W | L | BB | K | HD | SV | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaret Wright | 15 | 6 | 43.6 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 6.38 |
| Aaron Small | 35 | 7 | 76 | 4 | 4 | 26 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 4.39 |
Interesting stuff here. Lots of people are expecting a bounceback from The Big Unit (even in his advanced years), quite a bit of Shawn-love being thrown around and Jaret Wright is oh so wrong in these projections. Chime in with any thoughts in the comments.
I'll be compiling and posting projections of the relievers this evening so until then, if you all of a sudden decide that you want to insert your 2 cents, go ahead. There wasn't all that much interest in the relievers though, which I thought was interesting. I was surprised that more people didn't chime in on Mariano though. I guess that we all expect greatness from him for yet another season. Also, you can find the totals for the hitters here.
Posted by: James
I know I said that these would be up yesterday night but a) it's my birthday so cut me a little slack and b) these old bones don't move as quick as they once used to.
Moving on, I believe a wise man (it might have been Confucius ..or Greg Maddux, I can't remember, the mind is slipping with time) once said, "Chicks (and everyone else) dig the long ball!" Well, that definitely proved the case with our projections as there was more participation for hitters than pitchers. For the most part, people were pretty optimistic about what the team will do this year (of course, we're a bit biased - this is a Yankees blog!) and we'll see how close each player comes to what we thought they could do. That being said, here is what ended up being predicted for the 2006 Yankee lineup:
Double digit home-runs for 10 guys on the team, Posada with a rebound, A-Rod with another monster (MVP) season...there's certainly optimism here. Is there too much? Let me know what you think.
Moving on, I believe a wise man (it might have been Confucius ..or Greg Maddux, I can't remember, the mind is slipping with time) once said, "Chicks (and everyone else) dig the long ball!" Well, that definitely proved the case with our projections as there was more participation for hitters than pitchers. For the most part, people were pretty optimistic about what the team will do this year (of course, we're a bit biased - this is a Yankees blog!) and we'll see how close each player comes to what we thought they could do. That being said, here is what ended up being predicted for the 2006 Yankee lineup:
| AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C: Jorge Posada | 457 | 69 | 19 | 73 | 0 | .266 | .363 | .443 | .806 |
| 1B: Jason Giambi | 502 | 91 | 37 | 106 | 0 | .280 | .428 | .534 | .962 |
| 2B: Robinson Cano | 577 | 87 | 19 | 78 | 6 | .300 | .333 | .476 | .809 |
| SS: Derek Jeter | 648 | 123 | 22 | 82 | 18 | .311 | .393 | .464 | .857 |
| 3B Alex Rodriguez | 610 | 128 | 50 | 146 | 24 | .320 | .424 | .626 | 1.049 |
| LF: Hideki Matsui | 611 | 104 | 25 | 116 | 3 | .304 | .373 | .484 | .857 |
| CF: Johnny Damon | 620 | 122 | 13 | 71 | 19 | .303 | .364 | .432 | .797 |
| RF: Gary Sheffield | 567 | 106 | 32 | 115 | 5 | .291 | .383 | .505 | .888 |
| DH: Andy Phillips | 274 | 46 | 14 | 50 | 2 | .267 | .336 | .449 | .785 |
| DH: Bernie Williams | 345 | 52 | 14 | 58 | 3 | .258 | .331 | .423 | .753 |
Double digit home-runs for 10 guys on the team, Posada with a rebound, A-Rod with another monster (MVP) season...there's certainly optimism here. Is there too much? Let me know what you think.
04/01: Rotation Announced
Posted by: Patrick
From ESPN.com:
Bruised his left buttocks... lol. Poor guy (seriously).
But, that was the rotation I was hoping for (1-4). So, that's good. We're just a couple days away. Don't forget to participate in our community projections.
Yankees manager Joe Torre picked Chien-Ming Wang and Shawn Chacon for the third and fourth spots in New York's rotation Friday, leaving Jaret Wright as the fifth starter and long reliever.
The Yankees also shut down right-hander Carl Pavano, who already had been scheduled to begin the season on the disabled list because of a back injury. Pavano bruised his left buttocks diving for first base while making a play in a minor league game on Tuesday.
The Yankees also shut down right-hander Carl Pavano, who already had been scheduled to begin the season on the disabled list because of a back injury. Pavano bruised his left buttocks diving for first base while making a play in a minor league game on Tuesday.
Bruised his left buttocks... lol. Poor guy (seriously).
But, that was the rotation I was hoping for (1-4). So, that's good. We're just a couple days away. Don't forget to participate in our community projections.
03/30: Community Projections Update
Posted by: James
Hey everyone,
With Mariano's projection up, we've gone through 23 of the major players for the 2006 Yankees so here's a reminder that if you haven't posted your thoughts and projections yet, you still have a little time to do so. I know I've been slacking on my projections, especially through the relievers, but I'll go through them today and tomorrow and I'd encourage everyone who's been waiting & lurking in the wings to go ahead and throw your thoughts in the ring as well. I'd certainly like to read them. Everyone will have until Sunday afternoon to do so and then I'll cull all your projections and post the community's thoughts Sunday night. And then of course, we'll have some real games to watch on Monday (woo hoo!) and we can see just how close we get. All right - PSA over - start commenting!
With Mariano's projection up, we've gone through 23 of the major players for the 2006 Yankees so here's a reminder that if you haven't posted your thoughts and projections yet, you still have a little time to do so. I know I've been slacking on my projections, especially through the relievers, but I'll go through them today and tomorrow and I'd encourage everyone who's been waiting & lurking in the wings to go ahead and throw your thoughts in the ring as well. I'd certainly like to read them. Everyone will have until Sunday afternoon to do so and then I'll cull all your projections and post the community's thoughts Sunday night. And then of course, we'll have some real games to watch on Monday (woo hoo!) and we can see just how close we get. All right - PSA over - start commenting!
| C: Jorge Posada | SP: Randy Johnson |
| 1B: Jason Giambi | SP: Mike Mussina |
| 2B: Robinson Cano | SP: Chien-Ming Wang |
| SS: Derek Jeter | SP: Shawn Chacon |
| 3B: Alex Rodriguez | SP: Carl Pavano |
| LF: Hideki Matsui | SP: Jaret Wright |
| CF: Johnny Damon | SP/RP: Aaron Small |
| RF: Gary Sheffield | RP: Kyle Farnsworth |
| DH: Andy Phillips & Bernie Williams | RP: Octavio Dotel |
| RP: Tanyon Sturtze | |
| RP: Ron Villone | |
| RP: Mike Myers | |
| CL: Mariano Rivera |
