» New York Yankees News

So far there is good news and bad news about the Yankee catcher situation. The good news is that Jorge Posada has been swinging the bat well in the early going.

The bad news is that he was held out of today’s game because of minor soreness and weakness in his surgically repaired throwing shoulder. Posada and manager Joe Girardi downplayed the situation, and admittedly, soreness at the beginning of spring training is not unusual.

What is disturbing is the report of weakness in the shoulder. If Posada’s throwing shoulder is weak, then he cannot catch. If he cannot catch, he has limited value. With the arrival of Mark Teixeira, a move to first base is no longer possible. That limits Jorge to a role as a designated hitter. But Girardi has already stated Hideki Matsui will be the DH this year. So if he cannot catch, Posada has no place to play.

But worse, if Posada cannot catch, the Yankees are left with no viable player for that position. Jose Molina is a fine defensive catcher, but he cannot hit at all. Kevin Cash is a journeyman. Jesus Montero, the catcher of the future, is only 19, and not ready for prime time. Ivan Rodriguez looked like he was finished and was not resigned.

If Jorge cannot catch, the Yankees will have a permanent dead spot in the lineup at the nine hole. They can still win with that situation, but it will be a lot harder.

We will continue to monitor this situation.

I want to say a brief word about the Arod situation, and then I never want to hear about it again.

Major league baseball officials are preparing to meet with Arod to discuss his use of performance enhancing drugs. Bud Selig has said Arod’s actions were shameful. What a hypocrite!

Bud Selig was the one running the show when the steroids epidemic happened. He and his fellow owners were willing to turn a blind eye to the situation as long as Mark Magwire and Sammy Sosa were putting fans in the seats. Now Selig is shocked. Rather like Claude Raines in Casablanca, who was shocked to find there was gambling at Rick’s.

I think we can all agree that performance enhancing drugs were bad for baseball. The records set in the late 90s will always be viewed as tainted. But baseball appears to have cleaned up the situation, so ENOUGH ALREADY. The media fixation with what happened in the past is pointless now.

We could all demand that the list of 104 players who tested positive in 2003 be released. We could endlessly speculate about how David Ortiz suddenly went from a scrub in Minnesota to a star in Boston at age 27. But why bother.

It’s time to put steroids behind us. Baseball season is coming. Bud Selig should get a life.

Greetings from the Gormans. We are the ultimate Yankee aficionados. We know everything about the Yankees except why they hired Joe Girardi as manager, and we will be providing you with the benefit of our informed insights throughout the forthcoming season.

We are comprised of three interrelated persons, known as The Father, The Son, and The Other Son. The Father has been a Yankee fan for more than half a century. His first waking memory was of Billy Martin diving behind the mound in Game 7 of the 1952 Fall Classic to save the series for the Yanks. He is a student of Yankee history and has seen every important Yankee game played over the last fifty seven years.

The Son and the Other Son were the product of a mixed marriage (their mother grew up a Dodger fan, but was forced to convert when she married The Father). In his youth, the Son exhibited his mixed heritage by taking a brief side trip into Met fandom. Fortunately, the problem was diagnosed in time, and after a year in a rehabilitation facility, he emerged with the proper belief in the one true team.

The Other Son suffered no such deviation. He was born with a navy blue birth mark on his chest shaped like a capital N with a capital Y on top, and his fealty to the Yankees has never been in doubt. It must be noted that despite the best efforts of the Father to educate him, the Other Son has lately exhibited an unfortunate refusal to accept the concept that Joe Girardi is a boob.

Over the next few months, we will be offering our commentary as the Yankees stride inexorably to their 27^th World Championship. We will be addressing the pressing questions of the day, such as is A.J. Burnett the new Carl Pavano, how long has David Ortiz been on steroids, and why does the New York Daily News allow a White Sox fan to cover the Yankees?

We look forward to writing for you. Rest assured that this blog will be based on the basic principles of baseball life, which are:

1. Jeter is God.

2. The Red Sox are evil.

3. World civilization peaked in 1998.

4. The Yankees should have all the best players.

On to Spring Training.

Here we go again…A-Roid is stirring up trouble and controversy in the Yanks clubhouse. This really makes me wonder how the new guys are handling this situation… Sabathia, Texeira…Should they be worried too? I suppose time will tell.

After hearing Alex’s Rodriguez’s explanation after testing positive of using performance enhancing drugs, the Yankees are all but eager to help A-Rod move forward.

The Yankees broke media silence on A-Rod’s predicament just hours after the latter talked in an interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons.
The statement reads: “We strongly believe there is no place in baseball for performance enhancing drugs of any type, and we support the efforts of the Commissioner to continually improve the testing process,”

“We urged Alex to be completely open, honest and forthcoming in addressing his use of performance-enhancing drugs.  We take him at his word that he was.  Although we are disappointed in the mistake he spoke to today, we realize that Alex — like all of us — is a human being not immune to fault.

“We speak often about the members of this organization being part of a family, and that is never truer than in times of adversity.  Alex took a big step by admitting his mistake, and while there is no condoning the use of performance enhancing drugs, we respect his decision to take accountability for his actions.  We support Alex, and we will do everything we can to help him deal with this challenge and prepare for the upcoming season.”

Rodriguez stated that he had been in constant communication with Yankees officials and also with teammate Andy Pettitte, who also confessed of using human growth hormone almost one year ago.

Before Rodriguez’s interview was televised, shortstop Derek Jeter and catcher Jorge Posada told reporters from the club’s Himes Avenue Minor League complex in Tampa, Fla. Both said that they support Alex.

“Alex is my teammate and Alex is going to be my friend forever,” Posada said. “I’m going to support him any way I can.”
Jeter uttered his concern that the results of the 2003 testing, which was supposed to be unspecified, gauged to see if a test was to be repeated the following year.

“They said when the Mitchell Report came out, ‘This is the end of it, everyone will move on,’” Jeter said. “Now we have this. What if something else happens? … The thing about the list that you’re supposedly concerned with is the fact that it was supposed to be anonymous.”
Both Jeter and Posada were asked if they were bothered that they might be included on the similar testing as Rodriguez’s, both Yankee player said they weren’t. “Why would I worry about me being on the list?” Jeter said. “I think that I’ve done things right,” said Posada, “and I don’t think I put anything on my body that could be positive on one of those tests.”

This season will surely be the time for A-Rod to face. In his interview still with Gammons, he spoke of the Yankees’ chances this 2009 season and is excited to play with new teammates CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. A-Rod also was relieved since he spoke about the three stained seasons with the Rangers.

“The most important thing for me in my career is to be honest and forthright, to go into my ‘09 season as part of the greatest organization in the world, as one of the guys to go out and try to reach our goal,” Rodriguez said. “And when you have that monkey on your back, it’s really hard to be the person that you know you can be. It’s hard to fulfill your potential that way.”

Issues concerning Alex Rodriguez would always be on a constant shadow for the league, whether it may be good, bad, or otherwise.

“The Yankee Years”, a 447 page book by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci should’ve sparked the not so entertaining days of Spring Training even if the CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira controversies weren’t interesting enough.

All of a sudden, no one is that interested in what was noted in the book: people in the clubhouse calling him “A-Fraud,” rumors of him opposing with Derek Jeter and the ever so popular peanut butter and jelly sandwich agenda

With Sports Illustrated’s shocking story last Saturday that ARod had tested positive for two anabolic steroids during his AL MVP season last 2003, current terms such as testosterone and Primobolan, is twisting the tale to another direction.

Although there were no penalties for testing positive during the 2003 survey, it is safe to say that Rodriguez is in no danger of a suspension that would deteriorate his 2009 season.

Rodriguez’s wealth is on the safe side as well: Sources told Sports Illustrated that the 10 year, $275 million contract is still on the go, since there is no word about the steroids news that would put Rodriguez on the line.

Is it safe to say that A-Rod is the complete package: All his potential as well as the shadows of controversies all molded into one person?

“No,” A-Rod said then. Sunbathing topless in Central Park, and scoring Madonna’s cell number can be one way to put it.

Torre praised Rodriguez for his work ethic, but at the same time commented on the latter for gaining too much attention in the clubhouse.

He also made it a point to note Rodriguez’s measures, although it is not always true. One thing is on the honest point though; A-Rod was indeed a steroid user.

A number of writers have already promised in print that they will not vote for Rodriguez as a Hall of Famer, according to a Sports Illustrated article. But with his contract not expiring until the end of 2017, decisions could very well be changed overnight, considering Rodriguez’s name should appear on the 2002 ballots.

With 553 home runs under his belt, Rodriguez only needs 210 more to surpass the record held by Barry Bonds, a likely feat that would soon be accomplished in the near future.

Instilled with his provocative actions is the media, wherein flocks of reporters, writers and not to mention critics going where the Yankees go, those responses is short lived since Alex Rodriguez is rumored to be in the Bahamas.

It was on a lone summer that Any Pettitte stole the limelight away from A-Rod. Before his teammates and the media, Pettitte apologized for his actions, which he described to be “stupid and desperate”.