Another slow news day today

Tino Martinez, an assistant coach at South Florida, doesn't want any nonsense when the Yankees play an exhibition game against the university today:

Tino Martinez remembers a San Diego State player sliding hard into second base against the New York Yankees in a 1998 exhibition game in San Diego. As a volunteer assistant coach at South Florida, Martinez also knows the college players will be nervous today at Legends Field when the Yankees host the Bulls in an exhibition game.

So, Martinez, also a special assistant to Brian Cashman, spread the word to the USF staff that there will be no "look-at-me-slides" and no trying to jam Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and the rest of the Yankees' star-studded lineup.

"I told our coaches, no pitching inside," Martinez said. "You don't want a catcher setting up inside on Jeter or A-Rod and then having the pitcher be nervous and miss," Martinez said.

From the same article, the big three will each pich today. I know it's a spring game against a college team, but I can't wait to hear how they fare:

Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes will be the first three pitchers used by Joe Girardi today. Chamberlain and Kennedy will throw two innings and Hughes one.

Again from the same article, don't expect to see Mo until Wednesday:

Don't expect Mariano Rivera in a game before Wednesday. Rivera isn't slated to work Sunday against the Phillies at Legends Field and doesn't normally travel, so he won't pitch Monday (at Houston) and Tuesday (at Toronto).

"Mo knows exactly what he is doing with his body," Girardi said of the ease-into-it plan Rivera adopted the past two springs.

This shouldn't be surprising; this is how Mo typically does spring training. We'll probably see him for 8 - 10 innings. What I do wonder about is if we'll see him bust out and continue to work on the changeup we saw him throw with some success last year. It could be a huge weapon for him as he continues to get older.

The Times makes even harder to not love Joba Chamberlain:

If everything works out for Joba Chamberlain — and life has been a dream lately — he will start and finish this season with a trip to Disney World. That is where athletes go after winning a championship, and it is where Chamberlain is going this weekend, with a family from Nebraska in tow.

Chamberlain is still so new to the major leagues that he remains, officially, a rookie. He will start the Yankees’ first exhibition game Friday against the University of South Florida, and his outsized persona — incandescent on the mound, effervescent off it — has made him an instant celebrity.

That status is felt most acutely in his hometown of Lincoln, Neb., where he is revered as a role model. An American Indian of modest roots, Chamberlain might as well be Johnny Appleseed or John Henry, a folk hero for children.

“For Lincoln to have someone like Joba, it’s the ultimate dream of little kids here,” said Deb Dabbert, the principal at Belmont Elementary in Lincoln. “He’s someone who worked really hard and made it great. Teachers use Joba a lot as an example of work ethic and following your dream. But they also stress his humbleness, because fame has not changed him.”

Chamberlain is 22, and his talent is the envy of pitchers much older. But he remains a “big kid,” he said, enamored with tattoos and text messaging, bounding through the clubhouse and telling no one in particular about the virtues of a big bowl of Apple Jacks.

Chamberlain has never been to Disney World. His father, Harlan, worked at a prison and raised two children without a wife, and he could never afford a family vacation. Chamberlain did not fly on an airplane until he was 18.

Last November, as he relaxed after a dizzying season, Chamberlain reflected on how far he had come and decided to invite someone like himself along for the ride. When he gets to Disney World this weekend, a family of five from Lincoln will be there with him, courtesy of Chamberlain.

“There are a lot of foundations, like Make-A-Wish, that do things for sick kids, and that’s great,” Chamberlain said. “I love that, and I do things like that. But a lot of things go unseen about parents that live paycheck to paycheck and make it by, but they don’t have anything extra to go take a trip.

“I’ve never taken a family vacation my entire life. I started thinking, I want to do something for a family — not necessarily that has someone sick, but someone who works for a living, pays their bills, provides for their family but doesn’t have enough extra money to do something that they want to do.”

Chamberlain often trades text messages with Jerome Ehrlich, his high school coach, who was one of the first people he contacted after he reached the major leagues last August. Ehrlich is also the physical education teacher at Belmont Elementary, which Chamberlain remembered because Ehrlich used to take the baseball team there to read to the children.

Chamberlain asked Ehrlich and Dabbert, the principal, to pick a worthy student from a working family to accompany him to Disney World, where he will take part in a weekend promotion for ESPN.

The student they picked was a fifth-grade boy, Kristan Martin, who will meet Chamberlain with his parents, Jeremy and Jeni Mort; his brother, Peyton Mort; and his sister, Sage Mort. Jeremy Mort told Dabbert that he cried after learning of the trip.

“We’re all in shock; it’s phenomenal,” said Mort, who is the general manager for the Kabredlos convenience store chain. “It speaks volumes to his character that he’d do something like this for a family he’s never even met before.

“The teachers obviously saw something in my son as far as his work ethic, which is something my wife and I try to instill in all our kids. It’s a Nebraska thing — hard work, that’s what we do.”

He's an amazing pitcher, and an equally as amazing person. How many athletes, met with almost instant celebrity and larger-than-life status in New York, would do something like this? I can't think of many.

How many teams regret letting Joba fall into the Yankees' hands with the 41st overall pick in 2006? Although, to be fair, I don't think the Yankees could have foreseen his meteoric rise to the majors.

Bobby Murcer will undergo a brain biopsy

There's a chance it's scar tissue from radiation, but there's also a chance it's another cancerous tumor. Hopefully it's just scar tissue...I like Murcer in the booth, and he seems like a great guy. My thoughts and prayers are with he and his family this evening. From the Star-Ledger:

"I've got to go back to Houston on Monday for more tests," Murcer told the Daily News, "which means I'm going to have to miss the first two spring-training (broadcasts). I still hope to be in Tampa in time for the third game (on March 7) and I'm still planning on doing my full schedule of games for the regular season."

According to the Daily News, Murcer's wife sent an e-mail to friends saying that an MRI revealed an "area that doctors are concerned about. ... Please pray that it will be determined to be necrosis (scar tissue from the radiation), and not another cancerous tumor. It's one of the two."

Not too much in the news today

Kind of a boring morning in terms of Yankee articles.

Matsui wants to play left, but the Yankees are penciling him in as the DH. I would have him take some reps at first, to see how he handles it. If he can do even a decent job there, it gives the Yanks a lot more flexibility. He may be unable to handle it, but it's worth a shot.

Girardi is planning on Moose having a spot in the rotation. This isn't all that surprising; unless he is lit up this spring, I always figured he'd be starting, at least at the beginning of the year. It sounds like he thinks his struggles last year were injury related:

Mussina had the worst season of his career, a path he started down when he strained his left hamstring in his second start. Karstens and Rasner were young pitchers getting opportunities to start but were struck down by injury early in the season.

"Health-wise, I was OK until Minnesota," Mussina said. "Then it was just one thing after another. Hamstrings take a long, long time to heal."

Moose continues with the display of humor:

When Mike Mussina was asked about Roger Clemens being referred to the Department of Justice for investigation, his first comment was: "I wasn't at the party." He was alluding to the Jose Canseco barbecue that has gotten so much press in recent weeks. When someone joked that they had pictures, he said: "You may have photos, but I'm not in them."

First round draft pick Andrew Brackman is a big man. And he temporarily struggled with his decision to give up basketball for baseball:

As a 6-foot-10 power forward on North Carolina State's basketball team, Andrew Brackman might have been an NBA draft choice. "I was told I could play at the next level," said Brackman, 22, who made a "very difficult decision" in choosing baseball over his first love. A right-handed power pitcher, Brackman also was rated the seventh-best overall prospect in last June's draft by Baseball America.

Elbow problems allowed him to slip to the Yankees with the final pick in the first round. He signed a four-year, $4.55 million deal, but admitted to "a little bit" of regret before undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. "If I was playing basketball, would I be having this surgery?" Brackman said he asked himself.

Brackman is bracing for a full year of rehabbing in Tampa, but is now comfortable with his decision. "Being here, and being able to participate [in big league camp] sort of makes you work that much harder for next year," said Brackman, who could battle for a spot in next year's starting rotation.

Brackman probably won't be battling for a spot in next year's rotation. His basketball commitment and a few injuries kept him from pitching too many innings in college. He most certainly needs some time in the minors, just to gain some more experience on the mound.

On another note, between Brackman, C.J. Henry, and Austin Jackson, the Yankees could have one hell of a minor league basketball team. If necessary, they could even bring back Aaron Boone on a minor league deal.

Morgan Ensberg

I have always had an irrational fondness for Morgan Ensberg. I think it's because he was my standard sleeper at third base in fantasy leagues for several years in a row. With the exception of a monster 2005, I have been pretty badly burned by this loyalty. And still I root for him.

I was thrilled when the Yankees signed him to a minor league deal this offseason. If he magically rediscovers his form (an extremely remote possibility), the Yankees have an impact right-handed bat, capable of replacing Giambi at first when injury inevitably strikes. If he repeats his last two seasons, the Yankees have a bench player with some patience and power, capable of playing the corner infield spots. If he regresses, they can cut ties at no loss. I also like that Ensberg turned down some offers guaranteeing regular playing time in order to sign with the Yanks. He wants to be here, and thinks he's up to the challenge.

He got off to a good start in today's intra-squad game, which was played like a Little League game. Ensberg went 2-3 with a double, a walk, and 3 runs scored in a game that featured 7 errors and 8 walks in 7 innings. Nothing should be read into this game, as it was the first game action in quite a while for many of the players. It was also 54 degrees and windy, and the field was wet.

Every year, I pick an unheralded player in camp and root like hell for them. Some years it works out ok (2004 Miguel Cairo) and others not so much (2005 Jaret Wright). Here's hoping Ensberg is my first unbridled success.

Why I love Mike Mussina

There are a lot of Yankee fans who strongly dislike Mike Mussina. They see him as distant, meticulous about his routine to a fault, unable to pitch with a lead, and easily thrown off his game when something goes wrong. While there may be something to these beliefs, Mussina is one of the best pitchers of this generation, and he's been solid with the Yankees, even if he hasn't quite lived up to expectations.

These days, Moose has become a mentor to the Yankees young pitchers, particularly Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes:

Mike Mussina requested that Ian Kennedy be given a locker next to his this spring training. A couple of days into camp, Mussina asked for Phil Hughes to be moved to a locker on his other side, figuring he might as well give out advice on a two-for-one basis.

Mussina, 39, has earned the role of elder statesman on the Yankees. Entering his 18th major-league season, he ranks fifth on the active wins list with 250 (fourth if Roger Clemens stays retired). But Mussina is taking to the role more than anyone could have asked.

This is fantastic news for the Yankees, and I hope the young players absorb as much as possible from Mike. If one of them has a career like his, the Yankees will be extremely lucky.

Moose has also been showing his sense of humor this spring, which I love to see. An example from an excellent cnnsi.com article from today:

To make his young Paduan learners feel more at home, Mussina decorated the spare, gray cinderblock wall with a picture of a window looking out on a beach, and added curtains, a wall clock and a calendar. "We're going to have a sign that says Mussina, Hughes and Kennedy, Attorneys at Law," says Moose.

I particularly like the picture of a window overlooking the beach.

In other news from Yankee-land this morning...

Today is the first intra-squad game. It's about damn time...I'm getting sick of the NBA, and the Rangers don't play often enough.

I've always liked Joe Girardi, but his use of one of my favorite Seinfeld quotes of all time during the dinner with the writers has made me an even bigger fan:

Our reservation got a little messed up and we had to wait a bit to get seated. I checked it out with the manager and reported back to the group.

“Anybody can take a reservation,” Girardi said, quoting from an episode when Jerry rented a car. “They key is holding the reservation.”

Jonathan Papelbon is apparently a 19-year-old frat boy:

A less filtered sentiment came from closer Jonathan Papelbon, who, when asked to assess the Yankees' chances, said, "Dude, I don't even know who's on their roster this year."

From the same article, it was confirmed that Manny Ramirez is a baseball-hitting savant:

There's a reason for that, said hitting instructor Dave Magadan. To his disbelief, Magadan noticed that Ramirez was separating his hands on the bat – by a full inch, a habit that started on its own and was hard to break.

"Manny didn't know why he was doing it, but it really messed up his swing for most of spring training," Magadan said. "The thing about him is that he's a very smart hitter – believe me, he's not stupid -- and a hard worker. I've never seen a guy spend so much time in the cage. But this one really stumped us."

How do you not know your hands are separated on the bat? And Dave, no one is believing you when you say Manny isn't stupid.

Jason Giambi is hoping to bounce back by hitting the ball the other way:

On Tuesday, Giambi focused on hitting to the opposite field during batting practice, lining balls to left and left-center with ease. With fresh legs for the first time since last April, Giambi is hoping to recapture some of the magic that prompted the Yankees to sign him after the '01 season.

It's easy to go the other way in BP, so let's hope he carries it over into the season and stays healthy.

Brian Bruney is in better shape and not scared to fail:

Bruney credits his offseason conditioning program - daily workouts, no alcohol, a strict diet and plenty of sleep - with improving his outlook, but he also believes the changes on the Yankees' coaching staff - particularly Dave Eiland taking over as pitching coach for Ron Guidry - have helped him focus on the task at hand rather than worrying constantly about the consequences of a bad outing.

"I formed a relationship with Dave where he's easy to talk to," Bruney said. "In the past, I might not have had that relationship; I didn't talk to Gator."

He can be in shape all he wants, I hope he's not scared to throw strikes, because he's got a fantastic arm. He could be a huge part of the pen.

Theo Epstein...not cool

Though I despise the Red Sox and everything they stand for, I've always had at least some small amount of respect for Theo Epstein. That is, however, until this story hit:

Theo Epstein, general manager of the Boston Red Sox, called Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina a "bad apple" for complaining about the team's trip to Japan in 2004.

The Red Sox open this season against the Oakland A's in Japan. Appearing on Boston radio station WEEI last Friday, Epstein said, "Kevin Brown and Mike Mussina spent the whole time bitching about it ... and by the time the Yankees team got back from the trip they were all using it as a crutch."...

"The research that we've done on the Japan trip from the teams that have previously gone," Epstein said, "is one or two bad apples can spoil the lot."

Really Theo...bad apples? Though he could have said something more unprofessional, this was pretty bad. He has absolutely no business commenting on how Mussina handled the trip. There's no excuse for bad mouthing a player from another organization, especially when he wasn't at all around the team at the time. If he worked for the Yanks in some capacity and then switched teams, he might have an argument. Since that's not the case, he has no reason to talk.

Moose's handled the situation quite well:

Told of the comments, Mussina said sarcastically, "Yeah, we used it as an excuse for winning the division."
...

Said Mussina: "You need a comment from me about him calling me a bad apple? I don't have one."

His first quote made me laugh. I don't need to mention what happened in the playoffs, but the Yanks did win the division that year. If they were using it as a crutch, it didn't show in their play over the course of the season.

Baseball America releases Top 100 prospects list

And the news is pretty good for the Yankees. On the list were:

#3 - Joba Chamberlain
#37 - Jose Tabata
#41 - Austin Jackson
#45 - Ian Kennedy

Four players in the top 50 is exciting, especially when you consider how bad the system was just a few years ago. Joba is the top pitching prospect, falling one slot ahead of Clay Buchholz (who I think has one of the stupidest names in the Majors).

I'd like to see Kennedy a little higher, given his results and proximity to the majors, but most of that is me looking through my pinstriped glasses.

I also think Alan Horne should have been on the back end of the list, but there are enough questions (age, command) about him to defend leaving him off.

After reading the opinions of many Yankee fans around the Internet, I feel like I should make some sort of comment about how BA hates the Yankees, but I just don't see it.

Spread the Word, Yankee Fans...

For today a new blog is born!

This is my second attempt at starting and maintaining a Yankees blog. I used my last one for a total of about three weeks, before the student teaching responsibilities forced me to back off. I was planning on simply reopening that one, but I figured it was better to start fresh. And I'm aware the title is lame, but in many ways so am I.

I like to think that I'm knowledgeable about baseball; I've been a Yankee fan for as long as I can remember, and I devour any information I can get each day about anything related to the Yankees. In the last few years, I've been trying to learn more about the Yankees farm system, and I've built up a fair amount of information about it, though not enough to really argue with experts. I know all of the big names and many of the smaller ones, but since I never get to see them, I can only provide secondary information.

I'm hoping to offer here a combination of analysis, news, and some minor league info. I'd also like to do some FJM style article bashing, but I'm not sure I can live up to their lofty standards.

Anyways, here's hoping I can come up with enough content to update this frequently.