Pavano's Return Was Actually Possible?

We heard reports of this over the offseason but I never took them seriously. I guess I probably should have. Here's more from Tim Bontemps:

Carl Pavano spent four forgettable years with the Yankees, but the disappointment that came from his struggles in his stint in The Bronx nearly led him back here last winter.

...

"It could have been a good opportunity to turn the story into a good story, instead of obviously a big disappointment for everyone involved the first time through," Pavano said before the Yankees and Twins played last night.

"We definitely had some dialogue, and there was some interest on both sides, but things just didn't work out."

...

"I think it was an interesting opportunity . . . maybe do well in a spot where I didn't do very well the first time," Pavano said. "But, like I said, things just didn't pan out.

I can't imagine the reaction from fans had that move gone down. Thank goodness it didn't happen.

The Carl Pavano Homecoming

Here's a wild thought for today, the Yankees pretty much have the best record in baseball locked up. This means they're going to have to face either the Tigers or Twins in the first round of the playoffs. Although the Tigers have a slim lead, the Twins are very close. I decided to check out the Twins roster. Guess who the second starter on their depth chart is? None other than Carl Pavano. That could set up an intriguing matchup between the two former Marlins teammates, Burnett and Pavano, for Game Two, no? I'm rooting for the Twins to win the AL Central just so we can get the sight of Carl Pavano being booed off the mound in Yankee Stadium.

Pavano Headed to Minnesota

Carl Pavano was traded from Cleveland to Minnesota today for a player to be named later. He's 9-8 with a 5.37 ERA. And in 125.2 IP he's allowed 75 earned runs on 150 hits, walked 23, and struck out 88.

I'm just amazed he's actually made 21 starts and thrown 125.2 innings.

Yankees Totals: 26 starts and 145.2 innings pitched.

Pavano Speaks

I can't believe I missed this... On Thursday ESPN's Andrew Marchand (hat tip to River Ave. Blues) reported that Carl Pavano released a statement regarding the news that Joe Torre said in his book that "The players all hated [Pavano.] It was no secret."

"I am extremely disappointed that someone I had a lot of respect for would make these type of comments in his upcoming book," said Pavano, in a statement released to 1050 ESPN New York through his agent, Tom O'Connell. "I wish nothing but the best for Joe Torre and my former Yankee teammates, but with that said it does explain why I haven't received any Christmas cards from Joe the last few years."

How About Some More From Torre's Book?

Oh well, what the hell else is going on?

Towards the middle of the post we find out that Torre blames Mo for David Roberts stealing second in game 4 of the '04 ALCS.

Tyler Kepner has these great tidbits:

*To demonstrate a key difference between Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, there is an anecdote about Rodriguez visiting Jeter’s house and flipping on the TV. Rodriguez asked Jeter where he can find the baseball package, and was stunned that Jeter does not subscribe.

“It was just so funny because Derek will never watch a baseball game other than the one he’s playing in,” said the former Yankees bullpen catcher Mike Borzello, who was there that day. “They’re just complete opposites. I remember Alex’s reaction to it was like, ‘How is that possible?’”

The Yankees should have talked to Tim Raines before signing Carl Pavano. Raines, the former Yankee who was coaching with the White Sox when Pavano signed, had played with Pavano in Montreal. During Pavano’s first Yankees season, Raines told Borzello, “He didn’t want to pitch except for the one year he was pitching for a contract. I’m telling you, he’s not going to pitch for you.”

Of course, by then, the Yankees already had a bad feeling about Pavano: team officials were startled to see him rudely rebuke his mother in April, using a mild curse word. Why? He was angry at his mother for wearing a Yankees’ “NY” in face paint on her cheek to the game.

* Though he accuses Kevin Brown of “pitching stupid” by taking the ball in Game 7 of the 2004 A.L.C.S. despite an ailing back, Torre expresses more pity than anger at the troubled right-hander. “There were a lot of demons in this guy,” Torre says, and he mentions that after Brown allowed six runs in the first inning of this 2005 game, he stormed into the visitors clubhouse at Tropicana Field, curled up on the floor in a corner of a storage area and told Torre, “I’m going to go home.” Torre told Brown that if he did that – if he quit on his teammates — he would never be welcomed back.

Brown got up, fired his cellphone across the locker room, put his jersey back on and threw four more innings. The authors do not mention it, but Brown won his next four starts, the final four victories of his career.

The book/Torre even blames Mo for David Roberts stealing 2nd base in game 4 of the '04 ALCS:

*When the pinch-runner Dave Roberts stole second base in the fateful ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2004 A.L.C.S., Tom Verducci and Torre write, he had no intention of stealing second on the first pitch because his legs were not yet loose. But Mariano Rivera helped him by making three pickoff attempts before his first pitch to Bill Mueller. “Rivera had done him a favor,” the book says. “Roberts was now fully immersed in the flow of the game. His plan had changed. He made up his mind to steal on the first pitch.”

How does Torre, or anyone, know what Roberts was thinking when he came into the game? All I know is what I thought as it was happening; oh David Roberts is running, he's going to try to steal.

And then there was this story from the 2007 playoffs:

* Before the 2007 playoffs, when Torre arranged for his friend Bill Crystal to make a short film to show the players in the clubhouse in Cleveland, Crystal knew how to get laughs. The film started with a pornographic scene, prompting nervous laughter, before Crystal replaced the pornography and said, “Now that I’ve got your attention….”

Crystal and Robin Williams then went into a 12-minute comedy bit, poking fun at various players before turning serious. They told the players to be grateful for the opportunity and for their health. “And there is somebody we should all pray for, because he has not been blessed with the same great health. So before you go out there, when you hit your knees, say a prayer … for Carl Pavano!”

The room, the authors write, erupted in laughter.

The more I hear about the book the worse Torre looks, but with that said the book is going to be very entertaining.

Torre Was Not Happy With The Makeup of The Post-2001 Teams

From Neil Best:

Beyond the blunt critiques of Alex Rodriguez and rising tensions with Brian Cashman, one theme dominates "The Yankee Years," the new book "co-authored" by Joe Torre:

That the Yankees of the former manager's final six seasons were a self-absorbed, overpaid imitation of the famously gritty bunch that brought him four rings in his first six years.

"It was just not an unselfish team," Torre says of the revelation that hit him in 2002.

"The team wasn't tough enough . . . A lot of those players are more concerned about what it looks like as opposed to getting dirty and just getting it done. Those other teams, they were ferocious."

I've pretty much felt the exact same way for a number of years now. I also think that the team had lost sight of the importance of a very good pitching staff since the 2003 season ended. That changed this off-season.

Here's some more quotes about certain Yanks who Torre apparently didn't like:

First Jason Giambi:

"They wanted Jason," Torre says. "George [Steinbrenner] really liked the big bopper. I was outvoted, which was fine."

Then some others:

Kevin Brown breaks his pitching hand punching a concrete pillar. "That's the most -- selfish thing I've ever seen anybody do!" Torre screams at him.

Randy Johnson? "The biggest surprise to me was how Randy Johnson could get rattled."

Carl Pavano? "The players all hated him. It was no secret."

Not many Yankees fans like these guys either, but then again, they didn't wrote a book about it. Still, I'm not angered by any of this --- Sorry guys. But with that said, that doesn't mean that I don't think Torre is wrong for airing his dirty laundry out in the public, I'm just not personally upset by it.

Even More on Torre's Book

UPDATE 11:45 a.m.: It seems that Torre/the book's main target in the book is Alex Rodriguez, and to be honest, I'm not surprised by that in the slightest. He's the target of most Yankees fans too.

Here's some more about Torre's take on A-Rod from Michael S. Schmidt:

But what stands out the most about the book are the frank, and often critical, statements that Torre makes about Alex Rodriguez,...

In the book, which was written with Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated and refers to Torre in the third person but quotes him extensively, Torre said that the clubhouse became strained after Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees before the 2004 season.

“Alex monopolized all the attention,” Torre said.

“We never really had anybody who craved the attention,” Torre added. “I think when Alex came over he certainly changed just the feel of the club.”

And Torre clearly had concerns about Rodriguez’s well-chronicled failures in key moments, particularly in recent postseasons. Torre said that when everything was on the line, and when Rodriguez was at the plate, Rodriguez was too often unable to “concern himself with getting the job done” and instead became distracted with “how it looks.

Rodriguez's good friend and former Yankees bullpen catcher Tom Borzello, also had some quotes about A-Rod:

“It doesn’t help,” Borzello said, referring to Rodriguez’s relationship with Jeter. “You would rather that the stars are in the same place, pulling together, but I don’t think it affected the other players. It just affected the feel in the clubhouse.”

Borzello added that he used to tell Rodriguez that he was coming to the stadium and trying to get everyone to look at him, but that they were already looking at him: “You’re Alex Rodriguez. I don’t understand that.”

So, it's not just Torre who saw some issues with A-Rod.

Peter Botte of the Daily News reports in Monday's paper that Joe Torre and Brian Cashman have already spoken about the book, and their relationship is fine.

One day after reports surfaced that Torre takes shots at the Yankee GM in his memoir "The Yankee Years," Cashman said the former Yankee skipper reached out to him by phone from Hawaii.

Cashman, who said he was "surprised" by the reports, added that he is "very comfortable" with his relationship with Torre.

"Joe Torre called me from Hawaii not too long ago actually. I just will say, I'm glad he gave me a call," Cashman said at the Baseball Writers Association's annual dinner in midtown last night, "and I think you should wait for the book."

"I will just say I'm very comfortable with the relationship I have with Joe Torre and that the Yankees have with Joe Torre," Cashman said. "He was a fantastic manager and you couldn't ask for any more than what he did for us. We had a lot of great times, more than you can count or remember, to be honest, and that's the sole focus that we all have, myself included, obviously. Despite what was in the paper today, I'm glad Joe gave me a call from Hawaii. It certainly made me feel better about what I was reading today."

Peter Abraham confirmed this.

Cashman said last night that he spoke to Torre about the book and that reports about the contents appear to be overblown. He said his relationship with Torre was fine.

If the guy he talks about in the book isn't upset, why are you?

Anyway, Joshua Robinson of the NY Times has some more info abou the book itself.

Here's what the book had to say about Carl Pavano:

According to the book, Pavano had once been at the top of Torre’s wish list. But Torre still suspected Pavano might be a problem after a chance meeting at a restaurant in West Palm Beach, Fla. At a wedding rehearsal dinner, the book says, Torre saw Pavano as awkward and ill at ease and began to worry that he might underperform in the New York crucible.

Torre’s fears materialized. Injury followed injury — including a car accident in 2006 — and Pavano seemed all too happy to take his time rehabilitating. Torre was especially irked, the book says, about Pavano’s apparent disregard for his responsibility to his teammates.

And, it seems that by spring training in 2006, Torre had caught wind of the clubhouse’s dislike for Pavano. Instead of protecting him, Torre had Pavano join the squad for their final spring training trip and effectively threw him to the wolves.

“They can see him, get on him, whatever they’re going to do to him,” Torre said in the book.

On George Steinbrenner's fading health:

Torre and Verducci make several allusions to George Steinbrenner’s waning health, citing only brief memories of conversations and phone calls. The book describes Steinbrenner’s “emotional jags,” like crying before certain games. As Torre’s time with the Yankees wore on, the once-forceful and boisterous Steinbrenner appeared increasingly passive and aloof — never more so than in the meeting that ended Torre’s tenure.

“He sat there, slightly slouched, and kept his dark glasses on in the indoor room,” the book says of Steinbrenner while the rest of the Yankees’ leadership negotiated with Torre. “At one point he got up to make himself a sandwich.”

It was clear to Torre that the old Boss had left the building.

The book also mentions that Torre had problems with Yankees president Randy Levine.

Torre was particularly disturbed, it seems, by Levine’s willingness to find a way to avoid honoring the contracts of players struggling with issues off the field. As the book puts it, “The Yankees’ reaction to a player in crisis often included exploring the possibility of getting out from under the responsibility of having to pay the player.”

The book names Chuck Knoblauch (throwing problems), Bubba Trammel (depression), Kevin Brown (breaking hand on wall), Johnny Damon (contemplating retirement), Carl Pavano (being awful) and Jason Giambi (roids) as examples of players the Yankees and Levine looked to cut ties with.

And here's what the book had to say about steroids:

Throughout the book, Torre maintains that he never knew anything was going on inside his clubhouse. But the book does describe the years when Brian McNamee, then an assistant strength coach for the team, was hanging around.

McNamee was not well liked in a clubhouse that was increasingly littered with performance-enhancing drugs, the book claims. And with a don’t-ask-don’t-tell approach to supplements, McNamee, and whatever he was supplying, became a running joke. According to the book, players would rib the teammates who showed obvious physical changes, saying things like, “He’s on Mac’s program,” or “He’s on ‘The Program.’ ”

But in the book, Torre diminishes the findings of the Mitchell report, which was heavily fed by interviews with McNamee and Kirk Radomski, a former employee in the Mets’ clubhouse and a convicted steroids dealer.

“You had two guys from New York doing all the talking in the Mitchell Report,” Torre told Verducci in the book. “That’s why you have more information on New York players. If people want to devalue the 2000 team, is that how we lost 15 out of 18 down the stretch? We dried ourselves out and then got a heavy dose for the postseason? One thing I’ve learned is that people are going to feel the way they’re going to feel, regardless of what happened.”

It should be remembered that Verducci used many different sources for this book, so when it says something like "According to the book, players would rib the teammates who showed obvious physical changes, saying things like, 'He’s on Mac’s program,'" that's not necessarily coming from Torre.

Hey Carl, Shut Up!

From Anthony Castrovince:

Carl Pavano's four seasons with the Yankees were painful enough on the physical front.

But when speaking to reporters Friday about his decision to sign with the Indians, Pavano made them sound painful on the emotional front, as well.

"When you're down, you expect your organization to pick you up, not kick you when you're down," Pavano said. "I've had to pick myself up quite a few times the last four years."

Wow, what a tool.

I'm so glad they're done with this mistake. So glad.

Pavano Signs With Cleveland

UPDATE: According to Tony Renck the deal is worth $1.5-million and includes $5.3 million in incentives for games started and innings pitched.

SI.com is reporting that the Cleveland Indians have signed Carl Pavano to a one-year deal.

Good luck with that Cleveland.

Yanks Decline Options On Both Giambi and Pavano

From Bryan Hoch:

In a pair of paperwork decisions that were anticipated for months, the Yankees declined their 2009 options on first baseman Jason Giambi and right-hander Carl Pavano on Tuesday, officially making both players free agents.

This news is not surprising at all.

Cashman Willing To Bring Back Pavano?

From Mark Feinsand:

When Carl Pavano walked off the mound on Sept. 25, most people assumed it would be the last time he would ever wear a Yankees uniform.

Not so fast.

Pavano, one of the biggest free-agent busts of all-time, could wind up back with the Bombers this winter as the Yankees look to fill three spots in their starting rotation.

General manager Brian Cashman, who inked Pavano to a four-year, $39.95 million contract in December 2004, remains a big fan of the oft-injured righthander, according to a source, making a return to the Bronx a realistic possibility for the 32-year-old.

"Cashman has definitely not closed the door on Pavano at all," the source said.

Remember this would only be a backup plan (I think), but still, I wouldn't do it. Just cut ties with this mistake and move on.

Yanks Shopping Pavano

From George King:

Could "The Idle" be moving?

Carl "American Idle" Pavano is scheduled to start tomorrow night against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium - unless another team wants him.

The Post has learned Pavano was put on waivers within the last 24 hours and available to be claimed and then traded if the Yankees find a match.

Pavano, who returned to the big leagues last Saturday in Baltimore after being out since April of last year because Tommy John surgery on the right elbow, is in the final season of a four-year, $40 million deal.

With John Maine John Maine a strong possibility to be done for the season because of a shoulder problem, the Mets New York Mets might be interested in Pavano if the Yankees agree to pick up some of the $3.78 million left on the contract. There is approximately $1.83 million remaining this year and a $1.95 million buyout on his contract.

At this point if they could get anything in return for Pavano it would be great. There's no reason not to trade him if they can. If the Yanks had won the two previous game and were still in the race I could understand keeping him around, but they didn't.

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.

It's Official: Pavano Will Start On Saturday

According to his agent, Carl Pavano has been told that he will start Saturday's game against the Orioles. This is being reported by many sources. It will be the first time since April 9, 2007, that Pavano will start a major league game. Like I said yesterday, good luck Carl.

Pavano Seems Ready To Go On Saturday

It appears that the neck stiffness was no big deal, and that Pavano is lined up to go on Saturday.

From George A. King III:

Though Joe Girardi won't divulge the identity of Saturday's starter, there were strong indications today that it will be Pavano, ...

First, according to Trenton (Double-A) pitching coach Scott Aldred, Pavano looked strong in a bullpen session today.

"He was perfect," Aldred told the Trenton Times. "It was the best I have seen him."

Two, Phil Hughes isn't believed to be ready for big-league action yet after five minor-league rehab starts.

"If anything we are excited," Jason Giambi said of Pavano.

"We need a win and he is a guy who can help. I hope we get the real Carl Pavano."

"Everyone knows we need wins," Johnny Damon said. "Hopefully the guy can provide them. Every game is important. Everyone is just looking to win games; if it means Pavano, hopefully he can win."

I'm glad that stiff neck turned out to be nothing, but I still can't believe the Yankees are relying on Carl Pavano in any way. Oh well, desperate times call for desperate measures. Good luck Carl.

Uh Oh, Pavano Hurt? AGAIN!?!?!

From George King:

Carl Pavano Carl Pavano came out of a minor-league rehab start Sunday with stiffness in his neck and didn't throw a bullpen session yesterday.

Pardon us if you have heard that, or something close to it, before concerning the "American Idle," who has been sidelined forever with a list of injuries ranging from a balky back to a bruised buttocks to rotator-cuff tendinitis to a torn elbow ligament.

We'll find out more today, if Pavano is going to start on Saturday he will need to throw a bullpen session today.

Can this dude gross some balls and just pitch? I'm so sick and tired of this freaking guy. It's make you wonder how Cashman could say yesterday that Pavano is "one of the hardest working we've got."

Zambrano A Possibility For Saturday????

With his fine outing yesterday for AA Trenton has Victor Zambrano earned himself a chance to start on Saturday? Joel Sherman thinks so.

From The New York Post:

Right now, the Yankees are saying that either Phil Hughes Phil Hughes Carl Pavano or Carl Pavano will start Saturday in Camden Yards. But let me throw a surprise name into the mix: Victor Zambrano. Now no Yankee official has uttered his name to me. This is based simply on two observations: Zambrano's results have been brilliant in the minors and the Yanks are desperate for every win possible and must take whichever starter they deem gives them the best chance for victory in every game.

To date for the Yanks, Zambrano has made three starts and yielded no runs over 13 innings with eight hits, three walks and 14 strikeouts. The first two starts were in the Rookie League. But on Monday night, he worked five shutout innings for Double-A Trenton. That means he would have enough rest to go on Saturday at Camden Yards if the Yankees opted to go that way. GM Brian Cashman has been a bottom feeder over the past months trying to create as many options as possible. That is how Sidney Ponson ended up in the rotation. And that is why he signed Eric Milton and Zambrano to try and revive their careers in the Yankee system.

Now wouldn't it be amazing if Zambrano -- a blight on Met history -- could help the Yanks at this desperate moment. It remains a long shot, but boy it turned into an interesting long shot all of a sudden.

I really don't expect him to start, although I didn't expect Sidney Ponson to be an integral part of the Yankees' starting staff either. If only Hughes had pitched well the other day, then the decision would have already been made, but he had to struggle and now we may actually see Victor Zambrano pitch a game for the New York Yankees.

If it were up to me I'd probably start Pavano on Saturday, and give Hughes one more start in AAA before calling him up. But with the question marks surrounding both Hughes and Pavano I guess Victor Zambrano isn't that bad of an option. ... I can't believe I actually just typed that.

Pavano May Start Saturday

From Joel Sherman:
Carl Pavano

One other Yankee who just might be coming back Saturday in Baltimore is Carl Pavano. This is Pavano, so between now and Saturday he can end up with anything from typhoid to gangrene. But here is the thing for Pavano: He has an opportunity here to make himself more than a punchline to a joke. There is not enough time for a total facelift to his reputation, but for Pavano there is enough time to help this Yankee season, which means there is enough time to add some positives to his record.

Phil Hughes had the Saturday start all but locked up before his start last night against the weak hitting Lehigh Valley IronPigs, but Hughes struggled, and with Pavano having a nice start (6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) for AA Trenton last night he may now be the leading candidate to make that start.

It would be his first start since April 9, 2007 against the Minnesota Twins. In that start Pavano threw 7 strong innings to pick up his first and last win of '07. In the game he allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits, while striking out two and walking none.

I really thought we would never see Pavano on the mound for the Yanks again, but to shockingly there is a strong possibility that Carl Pavano could actually come back. Hey, he could even help this team - after almost four years, and $40 million, Carl Pavano may actually help the New York Yankees.

Pavano Back On Yanks Radar?????

From George King:

Carl "American Idle" Pavano is back on the Yankees' radar. Pavano, who has appeared in 19 games in four Yankee seasons and cost them $40 million, is close to going on a minor-league rehab assignment.

"There's certainly a chance for him to pitch in the majors this year if everything goes right," Brian Cashman said.

Could you imagine if he ended helping this team make the postseason?

Pavano Could Return Before Hughes?

From George A King III:

Dropping him into the clubhouse might prove to be too much of a challenge, but there is a chance Carl "American Idle" Pavano could be ready to pitch for the Yankees New York Yankees before Phil Hughes Phil Hughes .

"I haven't asked, but it's possible," GM Brian Cashman said last night. "Pavano should be ready by August and Hughes in August."

Considering Pavano, who is trying to rebound from last year's Tommy John surgery, is throwing curveballs off a mound and Hughes (fractured rib) isn't even on a mound, Pavano would be considered ahead of Hughes.

"The rehabs are different," Cashman said. "Phil Hughes will start throwing from flat ground, but it won't be as long (as Pavano's)."

Imagine Pavano comes back, has a good August and September, and leads the Yankees to the playoffs?

Well I can't.

It would be nice if he did contribute something to this team, but I just don't see it happening.
I'd be very surprise if he ever pitched for the Yankees again. He may be in line for an August return, but we all know he's going to have several setbacks in his rehab.