STARTING PITCHING

If Cliff Lee tests the free agent water (which he is expected to do), then he will in all likelihood come to New York. No one – especially Texas – will outbid the Yanks in dollars, even if the Rangers were able to acquire the battle-tested lefty starter in a trade with Seattle after he seemed to be on his way to the east coast. Adding Lee to a rotation that includes CC Sabathia will make a huge difference.

RELIEF PITCHING

Sure, Mariano Rivera had another fantastic season as the game’s top closer, but how much longer can he continue to produce in this fashion? He is in his forties, so sooner or later his age will catch up to him. Kerry Wood was a good transaction for GM Brain Cashman, but he will probably get a better offer on the market to be a closer again. It was a good thing that David Robertson and Boone Logan took a step up, because former set-up man Joba Chamberlain took a big step back.

INFIELD

The biggest question is what will be the outcome of the Derek Jeter situation. It is almost unthinkable for him to be in any other uniform besides the pinstripes but even Joe Montana finished his career wearing odd-looking colors. The captain will have to be reasonable when it comes to his contract extension and his age and production will be a two major factors. Figure on a quick resolution.

OUTFIELD

Both Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner played well enough that Cashman will feel comfortable enough to pass on free agents Carl Crawford and Jason Werth.

CATCHER

Jorge Posada‘s skills, especially defensively, are in a steep decline and Francisco Cervelli is not an everyday starter, so they Yankees need to upgrade at this very important spot. Jesus Montero will get a long look in the spring.

Photo by Bill Menzel

That may in fact be the case for the New York Yankees this season, but not a certainty. They have had some key players miss time with injuries, have not played their best baseball while their ace, CC Sabathia, has one win in his last six starts. Even with all of that, the Bronx Bombers find themselves trailing the division leading Rays by a mere two games.

Tampa Bay has begun to fade a bit after a fast start and is 4-6 in their last 10 games. With three strong teams in the American League East including Boston (third place, 3 1/2 games behind), the Wild Card will in all likelihood come from this group. When it is all said and done, put you money on the Yanks. They have the most experience and will make the necessary moves before the trading deadline to lock up the division.

The class of not only the ‘junior circuit’ but all of baseball, keep your dime on the Yankees to repeat as world champions.  Still not convinced? Take a look at their rotation. The rest of the starters have picked up Sabathia and his 4.14 ERA, with A.J. Burnett (6-3, 3.72), Andy Pettitte (7-1, 2.47), Philip Hughes (7-1, 2.54) shouldering the load. Even Javier Vasquez has turned it around and has been very effective of late. Every team may be a little thin in middle relief, and the Yankees are no exception. But the other clubs don’t have Mariano Rivera to call on in the late innings. The ageless wonder has converted 12 of 13 saves and has an ERA under two.

Playoff time is synonymous with the Yankees, and that is a tough pill to swallow for their rivals. A steady club that can turn it on when needed, they will be hard to unseat.

Photo by Bill Menzel

Fast forward to the fourth of November and all of the chatter early on that you can’t buy a championship has quieted. Yes, the Yankees do have many home grown components on the roster but without the addition of the big three free agents there would not have been a 27th World championship won.

After a rash of busts that have gone through Yankee Stadium since the last championship in 2000, the organization was meticulous in doing their home work. They needed to address the starting rotation and did so in astonishing fashion, inking lefthander CC Sabathia and righty A. J. Burnett. With Jason Giambi’s albatross of a contract finally expired, the Yankees had a hole at first base.

At the 11th hour, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman swooped in and signed Mark Teixiera right under Boston’s nose. This completed the trifecta of big name additions and immediately put the Yankees as favorites to win it all.

They not only dominated the regular season by finishing with the best overall record but easily dismissed the Twins and Angels in the playoffs. They then defeated the defending champions in six games. The Phillies were a formidable opponent but it was men versus boys. Even the biggest Yankee hater has to tip his or her hat to them following the 7-3 clincher at the new Yankee Stadium.

It is quite amazing when you sit back and ponder that not only have the Yankees captured 27 titles but also 40 American League pennants since they moved from Baltimore back in 1903. The next two teams on the list are the St. Louis Cardinals with 10 World Series championships and the Athletics franchise (Philadelphia, Kansas City and Oakland) is next with nine.

Even the staunches Yankee hater has to tip his or her hat to them. Come to think of it, a bigger story this year would have been if they didn’t win it all.

NEW YORK YANKEES WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIPS

1923, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009

Photo by Bill Menzel

Call it jealousy, envy or whatever word you can conjure up to describe why the Yankees are so beloved by their fans (and themselves) but despised by everyone else with a pulse. Not only has the organization spent money like a shipload of drunken sailors on leave during the worst economic situation in 80 years, but even outbid themselves during this free agency free-for-all.

Other organizations have made their feelings well known and have publicly denounced many of the Bronx Bombers’ moves, dating back longer than just this past offseason. Perhaps one of the more colorful ‘nicknames’ came out of a 2002 New York Times interview with Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, who berated the Yankees for outbidding his team for Cuban free agent pitcher Jose Contreras. Lucchino initially did not want to comment on the issue but then stated, “No, I’ll make a comment. The evil empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America.” The name has taken on a life of its own, even being mentioned in the Wikipedia page for ‘Evil Empire’ to reference the Yankees. Not surprisingly, the fan base of the Yankees embraced the nickname and wear it as if it were a badge of honor.

This past winter, southpaw CC Sabathia was the biggest fish on the open market as far as staring pitchers went. After blowing everyone else out of the water with a six-year, $140 million offer, the Yankees added a year and $21 million to the contract, as well as an “opt-out” clause after three years. Why top it out at $161 million instead of an even $160 you may ask? That’s an easy answer, if you subscribe to the Yankee mentality. You see, they had to ensure that Sabathia would average $23 million per year, topping Johan Santana’s paltry $22.9 million average he received from the cross town Mets a year ago.

The Milwaukee Brewers, who traded a bevy of youngsters right before the trading deadline last July to acquire Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians, obviously wanted him back. The small market club offered five years and $100 million and were even contemplating adding a sixth year when the Yankees began courting the near 300-pound hurler.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin was not too thrilled at the Bombers for upping their offer by 40 percent. “They could have offered him 110,” he said to reporters in November. “There was no reason to go up to 140. It sounds to me like they’re overbidding.

“(The Yankees) have been pretty adamant about bidding on everybody,” continued Melvin. “That doesn’t mean that’s what the market is. That’s just one team’s offer.”

Read between the lines with that last part of Melvin’s statement and you can understand why it always seems like ‘us versus them,’ with ‘them’ being the Yankees and ‘us’ the other 29 teams.

After the Yankees signed Sabathia, they also inked righthander A.J. Burnett and first baseman Mark Teixeira for a shopping spree that cost them $243 million for all three new players.

As if you really needed to be  told, the Yankees also have the top four highest paid players not only in baseball, but in all of sports. Alex Rodriguez, who wasn’t satisfied earning $25.2 million a summer, opted out of that monster deal he originally received from the Texas Rangers and resigned with the Yankees for $275 million over 10 years. Up next is shortstop Derek Jeter with his $189 million/10-year deal he signed in 2001. Newbies Teixeira (8 years at $180 million) and Sabathia follow to give the impression that there is a printing press pumping out $100 bills somewhere in the bowels of that new ballpark.

Speaking of the Bombers’ new digs, a mere $26,325 will buy you a full season seat in the Field Level. For those without a calculator handy, that comes out to $325 per game, of course not counting the gas, tolls, parking lot, hot dog and beer. Add at least another $100 per nine innings for all the extras and who do you think will be sitting in Sections 115 through 125

On second thought, even those guys are feeling the recession these days. Perhaps if things get worse before getting better, the Yankees one day will have to do things the old fashioned way, just like the rest of the country.

The Yankees becoming ‘commoners?’ Don’t bet on it.

Photo by Bill Menzel

What the report did state was that Rodriguez had tested positive for Primobolan and testosterone. Fast forward to today’s Bronx Bombers mini-circus that was held under a tent (literally) and even though he didn’t acknowledge seeing the report, A-Rod says that he used injectible Primo, which he mistakenly said was called ‘Boli” or “Bali.” There was not one question concerning the testosterone. I’ll get back to this in a little while.

Rodriguez also brings a mysterious “cousin” into the picture and said that it was he who was his source, purchasing the steroids “over the counter in the Dominican Republic.” Here is where not knowing a thing about steroids showed once again. Throughout Latin America, steroids can be purchased at any “Pharmacia” as easy as a box of condoms. Even if you need to get a prescription, one can be had very easily. Still having trouble? Just pick up veterinary steroids “for your dog.”

By A-Rod telling a group of middle-aged, wide-waisted reporters that it was an over the counter, he is trying to semi-legitimize it.

Casper the friendly cousin and Rodriguez used these steroids for three years and, according to what he said today, used them only “two times a month.” Later on, he said it may have been “even once or three times a month.” He said that he wasn’t really sure of what he was taking (“I didn’t think that they were steroids“) and that “all these years I didn’t know that I did anything that was wrong,” but later on said, “We knew we weren’t taking tic tacs.”

Out of the many problems that we should have with this is that Rodriguez claims that he shot up so infrequently that he isn’t even sure if he benefited from it, only admitting that he felt more energy from it.

By using both Primo and test, A-Rod was stacking steroids and please don’t try to tell us that you had no idea what you were doing. That is as lame as Andy Pettitte saying he used HGH “only once.” If you are at the level that you’re stacking, you have graduated to a different level of steroid use.

The mere fact that A-Rod admitted to two other years different from the 2003 positive tests indicates that there is something still yet to come out. It would seem that A-Rod dabbled in 2001 and took it to another level two years later using a strong and expensive drug in Primo and stacking it with the granddaddy of them all, test.

Primo is a good cutting agent and stacking it with a mass builder such as test makes for a strong cycle. Using small amounts of Primo, such as “twice a month,” will not benefit the user too much, thus the seed A-Rod planted today. Injecting 350 mgs every other day is common and the stack with test propionate or enanthate is recommended.

Hardly the stuff of “amateur hour,” as A-Rod said he and his cousin went through.

Photo by Bill Menzel

It’s hard to fault Andy Pettitte for trying to shake the Yankee tree for as much money as he can. With the organization throwing money around as if it grew on the proverbial tree, the 36-year-old figures this may be his last shot at cashing in. The way his second half went last year, he may be overestimating his market value by a large margin.

The Yanks are offering him $10 million for one year and Pettitte wants the $16 million he earned the past two seasons in the Bronx. A 14-14 mark with an ERA of 4.54 will not help his cause, especially when you consider that he went 2-7 in his last 11 starts.

In case Pettitte forgot, he did state all summer long that he wanted to pitch in the new Yankee Stadium and that there aren’t many teams burning up his phone line with offers. This is a chance for him to go out gracefully the way he wants to and make a nice payday on top of it.

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Even if Pettitte returns, his place in the rotation would be number four at best. The offer that general manager Brian Cashman made to him in person at his Houston home will not be on the table forever. The Yankees are looking to ink another free agent hurler, such as A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe or Ben Sheets – all who are more effective than Pettitte.

Even if Burnett accepts the five-year, $80 million package from the Yankees, Pettitte may still have a spot on the team. But he has to keep in mind that he is not exactly the same pitcher he was when he joined the Astros as a free agent in 2003. He is older, suffered arm injuries and went through the Mitchell Report – HGH incident.

This will in all likelihood be Pettitte’s final season. It would be appropriate for him to finish up in a place that he is welcomed and feels comfortable in. Is $10 million such an insult? When the Bronx Bombers are giving a 300-pounder money that he wasn’t even asking for, it just may be.

The Yankees declining Jason Giambi’s 2009 option came as no surprise, but the fact that he may end up back in Oakland can be viewed as a mild one. The slugging first baseman’s former guru with the Athletics and Yanks, Bob Alejo, has been brought back by the A’s as director of strength and conditioning. Can this spell the return of the former American League MVP?

Giambi’s relationship with Alejo goes back to 1993 and after he was banned from the Bronx Bombers’ clubhouse in 2005, Giambi could not have been thrilled. Rekindling that relationship has to have some value to Giambi, who paid Alejo $125,000 (including a 401(k) plan) to leave his position as Oakland’s strength and conditioning coach in 2002 to become his personal trainer.

Giambi had a different look and attitude when he was in Oakland, and was known for his long hair and goatee as much as his tattooed biceps. In New York, he conformed to the clean-cut style that the Yankees demand, but did grow a pretty nice sized mustache last summer.

Although many view his tenure in the Bronx as a failure, Giambi did hit at least 30 home runs and drive in over 80 runs in five of the seven seasons in which he played in 100 games or more. he turned 37 last season and hit .247 with 32 long balls and 96 RBI.

Currently at the ‘gateway’ position, the A’s have Daric Barton (.226, 9, 47) and Jack Hannahan (.218, 9, 47). That’s not a typo or misprint – both guys had the same power production. At DH, the A’s have Frank Thomas and Jack Cust, so if they do sign Giambi, it would be as a first baseman.

First it was the Mets, then the Brewers and ultimately the Dodgers. The Philadelphia Phillies, who will now have six days off before beginning the World Series on the road, beat out all three, in both the regular and post season.

They earned that right on Wednesday night at Chaves Revine, sending Manny, Joe and the rest of the Dodgers packing. Manny, of course, is Manny Ramirez, who will be hitting the open market after carrying Los Angeles into the playoffs and nearly the Fall Classic. Joe is our old friend Torre, who stuck it to the Steinbrenners by taking a coveted job and making good. Reaching the playoffs and winning a round was a heck of a lot better than the Bronx Bombers did this season.

Did the Dodgers lose to a better team? There is no question that the Phils were more talented and bettered the Dodgers easily, losing only Game Three, the first of the series on the left coast, 7-2. In the final game, Jimmy Rollins opened the game with a home run while ace Cole Hamels was sharp in the 5-1 clincher. The Dodgers only run? What else but a long ball from Ramirez, who, in eight playoff games, hit a whopping .520 (13 for 25) with four homers and 10 RBI.

The turning point in the series came in the eighth inning of Game Four. With the Dodgers leading 5-3, Ryan Howard singled and Torre decided to take out reliever Hong Chih-Kuo, who had a 1-2-3 seventh. On came Corey Wade, who retired Pat Burrell then surrendered the game-tying two-run home run to Shane Victorino.

After an out and a single, Torre lifted Wade for his closer, Jonathan Broxton, who would face pinch hitter Matt Stairs, a journeyman left-handed hitter who recently turned 40. The veteran turned on Broxton’s 3-1 pitch and crushed it into the right field seats. 7-5 Philadelphia, and instead of the Dodgers drawing level in the series, they were one loss away from extinction.

Although Los Angeles is not the Bronx, Torre faced some tough questions during the off day on Tuesday. His handling of the pitching changes were taken to task, and the Brooklyn native defended his actions, starting with the quick hook of Kuo.

“I don’t think the ball was coming out of his hand as easy (as opposed to the previous inning) and that’s why I removed him in that part of the game,” Torre told reporters during a scheduled press conference at Dodger Stadium.

Concerning the Victorino home run, Torre said, “He (Wade) threw a breaking ball and it stayed up and Shane just knocked the hell out of it.” Critics said that Torre should have brought in Broxton instead of Wade at that point, but in all fairness, lefthanded hitters were hitting only .211 off of Wade prior to the game.

“I have a two-run lead in the seventh inning, and the game’s in my court and then the winning home run is hot off my closer,” continued Torre. “I don’t know what I could say to myself that would change what I would do, to be honest with you.”

Luckily for Torre, Game Five did not have any decisions that could have been questioned. For what it’s worth, the Phillies were the better team on paper and the field. Their comeback in that pivotal game proved that and they will be a tough out in the World Series, regardless of the opponent.

When Barry Bonds grabbed the microphone last Saturday night during the Giants’ celebration of their former outfielders, his statement of “I haven’t retired, thank you,” should have been listened to intently as an offer for his services. The dog days of August are upon us and the races are getting tighter. With the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline behind us, it will be extremely difficult to obtain a potent bat to pad the line-up.

That is if you’re not looking at Barry Bonds as a short-term project. Down in Tampa Bay, the Rays are enjoying their finest season and current hold a three game lead over Boston in the AL East. But they have recently went through some injuries, including outfielder Carl Crawford and closer Troy Percival, two losses that may hurt them down the stretch. The Yankees are in third place and trail both the Red Sox (6.5 games) and Twins (3.5 games) in the wild card race.

It may be now or never for the Bronx Bombers, who today dumped Richie Sexson and sent down outfielder Melky Cabrera. They need to make up a lot of ground fast and their offense has been a problem all summer long. Losing Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui for long stretches definitely made a negative impact, and a veteran bat that can reach that short right field porch at Yankee Stadium would give them a solid boost, perhaps enough to make a legitimate playoff run in the last season of the original – well, almost original – Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees contemplated signing Bonds at the end of July, and his name came up in organizational meetings. Who’s to say that adding the home run king back then would not have given the team enough juice (no pun intended) to cut into and perhaps take over the wild card lead? They chose to go with Sexson, who has been abysmal for years and produced nothing (one home run, six RBI) in his short stay in New York after being picked up off the Seattle scrap heap on July 18.

The Rays were interested in Bonds during spring training, and not even the Amazing Kreskin could have predicted that the young club would have been this successful in 2008. They passed, and now that they have proven themselves to be a serious player, they should give Bonds a second thought.

Crawford underwent surgery on his right middle finger and is probably done for the season. Rocco Baldelli, who was the then-Devil Rays’ lone bright spot at one time, returned after battling a slew of injuries and has been playing right field. Eric Hinske and Cliff Floyd have been playing left field and designated hitter, respectively, but there is definitely room for improvement. Hinske, the former Blue Jay, is batting .253 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI, while Floyd – who is another player that always seems to be injured – has been more of a locker room presence than in the batter’s box with a paltry .261/8/22. Both may be lefthanded hitters like Bonds, but neither come close to the power the former Giant brings to the table.

If some team gathers up enough balls to sign Bonds, they need to act fast. For a player to be eligible for the post-season roster, he must be on the team by August 31.

A day before the Major League Baseball trading deadline, the Bronx Bombers made a bold move, which shored up their catching situation following a season-ending injury to Jorge Posada. Middle reliever Kyle Farnsworth was sent to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for 14-time All Star Ivan Rodriguez, who has went from being the elite at his position to very average amidst numerous allegations of him using performance-enhancing drugs.

Rodriguez, 36, has been in the big leagues since the young age of 19 and is still looked at as one of the better defensive catchers around. The problem has been his hitting, which was a superstar-status .332 with 35 home runs and 113 RBI in 1999, when he won the American League MVP. His production has fallen off considerably since then, with his long ball totals being 27, 25, 19, 16, 19, 14, 13, and 11.

Although Rodriguez is batting .295 in 82 games, his power numbers being a dreadful 5 home runs and 32 RBI. He has also struck out 52 times with only 19 walks. A far cry from the height of his career, which just so happens to be when the suspicions of his steroid use began.

Jose Canseco stated in his first book, “Juiced,” that he observed Rodriguez using steroids when both of them played on the Texas Rangers together. John Rocker also made a statement that a doctor hired by the Players’ Association had a conversation with him, Rodriguez, Raphael Palmiero and Alex Rodriguez during spring training in 2002 when they were with Texas. The doctor informed the group of players about safe ways to use the drugs.

“Look guys, if you take one kind of steroid, you don’t triple stack them and take them 10 months out of the year like Lyle Alzado did, if you do it reasonably, it’s not going to hurt you,” is Rocker’s version of what the doctor said.

Alzado died of brain cancer in 1992 after an NFL career of steroid abuse, but his illness could not be attributed to his drug use. Palmiero tested positive for Winstrol in 2005, while Rocker was one of the players named in the Mitchell Report for receiving two HGH prescriptions in 2003. A-Rod has had his name thrown about by Canseco in accusations, but has never failed a steroid test.

Rodriguez – Ivan, not Alex – has staunchly denied all of the steroid allegations from Day One, but it is difficult to buy that when his three best seasons (1998-2000) came during the prime years of baseball’s ‘steroid era.’ He has also appeared considerably smaller since that time, another indicator used by the media. When Rodriguez’ contract expired with Texas after the 2002 season, he had a near-impossible time landing any job, having to settle for a one-year, $10 million deal with the Florida Marlins. Having a good season, Rodriguez was a leader on a young team that got hot and surprised everyone by winning the World Series.

Trying to capitalize on that, Rodriguez once again hit the open market after Florida wouldn’t give him a raise, but did not attract a lot of attention. The Tigers, coming off a 119-loss campaign, were the only team to make him an offer, a back-loaded, four-year, $40 million one.

The Yankees are taking on his contract only for the remainder of this season. With Posada re-signed to a ridiculous long-term expensive contract last offseason, they probably will let Rodriguez walk, even though they are trying to wean Posada away from behind the plate.

Rodriguez hopes to parlay his time in New York into another contract. “It’s going to be exciting to play with the Yankees,” he said to reporters. “It’s time for me to take the trade and go somewhere else. Right now, I’m going to be there for two months. I hope I can stay there.

“We’ll see what happens, but at the same time, I’m just going to concentrate every single day there and try to make the Yankees make the playoffs again.”

Even with his best days long behind him, Rodriguez is sort of a good luck charm in some aspects. The Rangers made the postseason three times during his tenure, the aforementioned run in Florida, and the Tigers rebounded to make the 2006 World Series. Perhaps he can bring some of that to the Yanks, who – at the time of the deal – were a game out of the wild card lead and four back of Tampa Bay in the division.

If they can make a run with the catcher known as “Pudge,” the trade will be viewed as a shrewd move. Even though Rodriguez may be a shadow of his former self.

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