Pavano Ready to Go

From Ed Price:

"There's nothing like being in a big-league clubhouse and earning your way back," he said yesterday. "I can't say enough about the opportunity I've been given."

"(Today) is a big start for me and the team," he said. "I'm not here to make amends. I'm here to do my job, and that's to win ballgames. that's what I'd like to have been doing the last three years, but that just hasn't worked out that way. And to put my energy into thinking about the past, worrying about what has gone on, does me no good and does the team no good.

"I've lived the frustration and disappointments of letting myself down and my team down. Yeah, it's disheartening. But I've been through other adversity in my career. ... You've just go to keep moving on. I've got enough time in the major leagues and in baseball to know that you've got to have a short memory. You've got to move on quick or this game will take you down."

"There's definitely an urgency," Pavano said. "There's always an urgency to win, especially this time of year. And we definitely have goals ahead of us that we need to attain, and that's wins. I want to be a big part of that."

Asked what he expects Saturday night, Pavano said, "I expect to go out and compete, definitely be aggressive. My command, I feel, has been really good. And go out there and throw strikes. That's what I've done in the past."

"I'm healthy, and I'm going to keep moving on," he said. "I'm not looking for other things to go wrong, and I don't expect them."

At least he's saying the right things.

It's clear that signing Pavano has been a disaster, nobody can deny that. But he's back and we all have to hope he can give this team 5-7 good starts down the stretch - That's all that matters now.

I find it pretty shocking how important a roll Pavano could play on this team. I mean did any of us ever think that Carl Pavano could make or break the Yankees playoff chances this season? But sure enough, with 34 games to go and the Yankees behind by six games, every game is important, and every game Carl Pavano starts is important. IF he can go out and give the Yankees a solid start every fifth day it could be a huge boost for this team.

But I'm sure the expectations aren't too high, and after the previous 3+ seasons I can understand why. On one website I saw a poll that said 42% of fans expected him to leave tonight's game with an injury before the third inning.

So what do you expect from Pavano tonight, and for the rest of the season? Post you predictions in the comments section.