A Snowy Day at the New Stadium

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Yanks Lock Up a Legend for Two More Years

There were reports earlier this month that Yankees PA announcer Bob Sheppard was struggling and possibly wouldn't be able to return to Yankee Stadium this season, but thankfully, it now appears "the Voice of God" will be back at The House that Ruth Built.

From Ken Davidoff, with a tip of the cap to River Ave Blues:

Bob Sheppard, the Yankees' venerable public address announcer, recently signed a two-year extension. While he probably won't be ready for Opening Day -- last October's case of pneumonia took a great deal out of him -- Shepherd, believed to be 97, should return about two months into the regular season.

Yankee Vets Want Ring

Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, and Mike Mussina, all came to the Bronx in search of one thing: a World Series championship. They expected it, but as we've seen, winning a world series hasn't been as easy as some may have expected. Here's what the three of them had to say to Peter Abraham about chasing that elusive ring:

Jason Giambi:

"I thought by the time my contract was over, I would have played in the Series three or four times and won at least two of them," Giambi said yesterday. "We get to the playoffs every year, but we can't finish the job off."

"It would be huge," he said. "That's the main reason I came here, to win and play for the Yankees. I wanted that opportunity every single year. It would suck to say I played for the Yankees all those years and never won the World Series."

Mike Mussina:

"It would be nice to win it one time before I retire," Mussina said. "I knew it would be difficult, but I thought I had a better chance with the Yankees because they have been so successful. I was right because we've had our chances every year. But when you get in the playoffs, things can happen and happen quickly."

Mussina played 10 years in Baltimore with Cal Ripken Jr. "He used to tell us how Baltimore won it in his second year and he assumed they would be that good every year," Mussina said. "They never got there again. That's what made '01 and '03 hard - we had the chance.

"I think about what Cal said all the time. We've been in the playoffs every year, but winning the Series is not as easy as some people think it is. We're the best proof of that."

"When it's coming down the homestretch as far as a career goes, you realize it would be nice to say you won it at least once," he said. "It would mean a lot to me."

Hideki Matsui:

"Ever since I was young, the focus has been to win the championship. I won't feel complete with the Yankees without it," said Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui.

"I hoped when I signed with the Yankees that I would be part of a championship team. It's hard to say what changed," Matsui said. "It looked like a good situation then, and it still is. But we haven't been able to do it. For me, that's the biggest thing. I want to say I helped the Yankees win the championship."

I hope these three can finally get what they came here for.

Jeter Has No Plans to Move From SS

Jeter told Mark Feinsand of The Daily News that he plans to play SS through 2010 and beyond.

"That's the plan," Jeter said. "I haven't really thought about how long I'm playing. I take it one year at a time; I don't sit down and say, 'Well, I hope I'm playing in two-thousand whatever.' It's a tough question, because I haven't really thought about it much."

Many scouts believe Jeter would be able to make an easy transition to the outfield, where his speed, strong arm and terrific instincts would make him a natural. Asked about the possibility, Jeter waves off the question before it's finished.

"I ain't going out there," Jeter said. "It's not as easy as it sounds to just pick up a glove and say, 'I'm going to be an outfielder today.' It doesn't work like that."

He also said that he can't see himself playing another position, and hopes he doesn't have to think about it for "quite some time."

Well despite what Jeter thinks, one day he will have to switch positions. Steve Lombardi over at WasWatching.com may have said it best: "The deadliest of all baseball player sins is that pride which does not allow them to realize that time does not stand still for them."

All shortstops can't be Omar Vizquel. Robin Yount moved to the outfield, Ernie Banks moved to first base, Cal Ripken Jr. moved to third, all in their early to mid 30's. Eventually, Jeter will have to follow suit and move from his native shortstop. It's inevitable. And it will probably be a move to first, that will be the best for Jeter, and the Yankees.

What position do you think Jeter should play after his days at shortstop are over?

Wang To Start Opening Day

According to Kat O'Brien, Joe Girardi has Chien-Ming Wang lined up to pitch the season opener vs. the Blue Jays at the Stadium. No surprise here, the guy has won 19 games in each of the past two seasons. He had to get the opening day nod.

Friends Forever

Maybe they don't hate each other after all.

From George A. King III:

Yesterday, Jeter said he knew about Rodriguez's prediction Thursday that Jeter would have a season worthy of an AL MVP award.

"He mentioned it to me when we were out at lunch the other day," Jeter said. "We were talking about different workout programs. I don't really think about it. The bottom line is to win." ...

... Jeter and Rodriguez had lunch, believed to be at P.F. Chang's before Wednesday's first full-squad workout, ...

"You all assume things you shouldn't assume," Jeter said when asked about the lunch being something of a surprise. "I have lunch with a lot of people."

When asked about the lunch, Rodriguez said, "Where did you get that [information] from?" Told Jeter voluntarily offered it, Rodriguez grinned.

A Yankees official said the relationship is "getting better, and that is good for the team."

"People put a lot more into [them not getting along] than they should. Alex having a family changed the dynamics, but people read too much into that," said Yankee manager Joe Girardi.

The best thing that can come out of this is that the media stops speculating about whether the two are friends or not. Oh, and I guess a little good team chemistry never hurt.

Yankees Health Report From BP's Will Carroll

Here is how he ranks the Yankees starters, and I warn you, this may not make you happy. I'll start with the good news:

The Green: Melky Cabrera, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, and Bobby Abreu

The Yellow: Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, Ian Kennedy, Mike Mussina

... and now the bad, or scary news,

The Red: Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Mariano Rivera

If you were wondering about the Red Sox, they have three players in the red; Jacoby Ellsbury, J. D. Drew, and Clay Buchholz.

If you would like to know more about these rankings here is some info from Will Carroll:

Each year at Baseball Prospectus, I've done Team Health Reports. Over time, I've developed a system that uses an actuarial base to predict the likelihood of injuries for a given population...

Like any prediction system worth its salt, it's merely measuring probabilities, not certainties. The Giants won the Super Bowl, but I wouldn't have advised betting the mortgage on it. The tough thing for some people to understand about probabilities is that sometimes, the unlikely thing happens. If you flip a coin ten times, the probability is that you'll see heads five times. If you get six, the coin isn't defective. If you get ten, it's not even that special. When we discuss the realities of playing a game, noting the probabilities leads to the ability to perform. Kerry Wood is the poster boy for this concept. Few pitchers in recent memory have been as talented. Few pitchers have had as complete an arsenal of filthy pitches that leave hitters muttering to themselves as they walk back to the dugout. Few pitchers have been as sidetracked by injuries.

Each of the players in my system gets a rating: red, yellow or green. Unless you're color blind, these are easy to understand and since I live in Indianapolis, the auto-racing analogy is one I tend to fall back on. Underlying these simple colors are actually a band of probabilities, chances that each player sees an injury that lands him on the disabled list. A simple 15-day visit for a strained eyelid or a season-ending shoulder injury both "count" and there's no differentiation. For each player, there's always some level of risk. One never knows when Prince Fielder is going to run someone over at home. Red, the worst rating, is just short of a coinflip. For these players, the best possible rating is a 45% chance of being injured. If you're a glass half-full type, that's a 55% chance at health. You just have to hold your breath all season long that Jonathan Papelbon's shoulder holds up, that Brian Giles' knee responds to microfracture surgery, or maybe that Joba Chamberlain's usage pattern will keep him from following Kerry Wood's path to pain.

(Hat tip to NYY Stadium Insider)

News & Notes From Tampa

Here are some random news and notes from Yankee camp in Tampa.

- Bryan Hoch reports that Hughes has been throwin very well:

Having just completed receiving Phil Hughes' latest bullpen session, an impressed Molina told Posada, "You know what? Phil looks like he has more pop."

Posada concurred, and the backstops aren't the only ones who have noticed.

Said manager Joe Girardi: "You watch him and he leads the groups in running. He just looks like an athlete, a thoroughbred and a leader."

Hughes confirms he's hitting the glove with more force than in his debut season, when he won five games for New York, plus one more in the playoffs. But more importantly, he has confidence that nothing else will go wrong.

"It's not so much the velocity," Hughes said. "It's really the fact that I've felt more comfortable and I've been able to trust my body. I don't have any inklings or thoughts in the back of my head that something will flare up again. I think that's the key, to trust all my pitches and finish everything."

- Joe Girardi was impressed by Sean Henn (yes, that Sean Henn) and Steven Jackson:

Joe Girardi complimented Sean Henn's session. He also called Steven Jackson's sinker "exciting."

Peter Abraham also tells us that Girardi was also impressed with Mike Mussina, who was able to keep his pitches down today, Joba Chamberlain, who's change-up was very good today, and Jesus Montero who Girardi said is “a strong young man, a strong hitter.”

- Jeter not focusing on MVP, he wants a ring:

Derek Jeter was "flattered" by Alex Rodriguez's fitting the Yankees shortstop for an MVP Award, but the captain -- true to his team-first form -- would rather win another World Series instead.

One day after Rodriguez, unprovoked, threw out a prediction that Jeter would capture an honor that has thus far eluded him in his career, the shortstop said that raising a flag at the end of the season is by far the most important goal.

"I don't really think about [an MVP Award]," Jeter said on Friday. "The bottom line is -- I've said it time and time again -- you play to win. You always want to do well, because the better you do, the better the team can be."

- Kat O'Brien tells us that "The Boss" was seen around Steinbrenner field today:

George Steinbrenner was in Max's Cafe at Legends Field, along with son Hank. I was in the clubhouse at that point, but colleague Ken Davidoff was there, and said Andy Pettitte popped in to say hello. George Steinbrenner told him he had done well (dealing with the HGH aftermath). Hank Steinbrenner, when asked which of them makes decisions for the club, said they usually agree.
(hat tip to Scott Proctor's Arm for the pic)

Peter Abraham also tells us this story from inside the Yankee clubhouse:

An exhausted Mussina came back to the clubhouse and said, “Tomorrow we’ll go to the airport to pull planes with our teeth.”

Phil Hughes sat slumped in his chair. He’s working out with Andy Pettitte in the morning and doing the running in the afternoon. By the end of the day, he can barely move.

“You’re only 22, you should be fine,” Mussina said.

“I’m 21,” Hughes said.

“See?” Mussina said. “I’m old, I can complain.”

- So far, Yanks like what they're seeing from Igawa - remember he hasn't pitched in a game yet:

"We are giving him a little extra mound time because that's what he is accustomed to," first-year pitching coach Dave Eiland said of Igawa, a $46 million bust last year who has no place in the rotation this year unless a pitcher breaks down. "Physically, he feels good doing it and more importantly, mentally, he feels better."

At the end of last season, the Yankees altered Igawa's delivery, focusing on stripping it down.

"He maintained that in the offseason, so delivery-wise and command-wise, he is way ahead of where he was last year," Eiland said of Igawa, who looked lost on the mound in the early days of spring training a year ago. "We cleaned up his delivery a little bit. He had a lot of things going on. We simplified it."

In 14 games (12 starts) last season, Igawa was 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA and spent parts of the season in the minors.

If Eiland can turn Igawa into an effective pitcher, he's a miracle worker.