New York Yankees 2010 Preview

Its that time of year again. The time when your putting away the shovels and the boots you find that dusty baseball glove laying in the corner of the garage. Time to dust that baby off. Spring is here, and that means baseball is here too.

The New York Yankees are coming off their record 27th World Series Title and 40th American League Pennant after an exhilarating 2009 season. The new stadium opened and the atmosphere could not have been better last season. However last season is last season, and we Yankee fans know, its no good unless you can do it all over again. Lets take a look at the projected lineup, starting rotation, and key additions and losses.

Starting Rotation
L C.C. Sabathia
R A.J. Burnett
L And Pettitte
R Javier Vazquez
R Phil Hughes

Starting Lineup
SS Derek Jeter
DH Nick Johnson
1B Mark Teixeira
3B Alex Rodriguez
2B Robinson Cano
C Jorge Posada
CF Curtis Granderson
RF Nick Swisher
LF Brett Gardner

Key Additions: Curtis Granderson (OF); Chan Ho Park (RHP); Marcus Thames (OF); Randy Winn (OF); Nick Johnson (DH/1B)

Key Subtractions: Johnny Damon (OF); Phil Coke (LHP); Hideki Matsui (DH); Ian Kennedy (RHP); Chad Gaudin (RHP)

The Yankees traded for Curtis Granderson early in the off-season and said goodbye to Melky Cabrera, who came on last season but was very inconsistent in his time with the Yankees. Granderson is the perfect clubhouse guy and an outstanding team player with a great swing suited for Yankee Stadium, but his defense in the later part of last season is a concern for me and I'm sure a lot of other Yankee fans. You wouldn't mind lesser numbers from Granderson this year if his defense is significantly better. With all the power in front of him, he just needs to be consistent.

After what could have been a disaster for the Yankees last year in the playoffs, the Yankees do not want to go through what they went through last season, and that is carrying only 3 starting pitchers in the postseason. Even though it worked out, the downfall is far too great in a best of 7 series. So the Yankees went out and worked out a deal with Javier Vazquez. Many Yankees fans cringed when they heard of the signing. Not me. Vazquez is perfect for the role he will play on this team. He will not be called upon to be their ace like he was in 2004. The pressure is no where near the level this year it was back in his first stint with the Yankees. The Yankees didn't have to go out and sign John Lackey or trade for Halladay or Cliff Lee. They have their top of the rotation set, and anything more would just be greed and an overkill.

The biggest question entering spring training was who was going to be the fifth starter. After a month of competition, Phil Hughes will be the fifth srater, leaving Joba Chamberlain to the bullpen, where he belongs. Another year learning from the greatest of greats Mariano Rivera will mold Joba into the closing role once Rivera retires, which I believe will be after this season. Joba had a bad spring and Hughes won the job decisively. With Joba and Rivera, along with Mitre, Marte, Robertson, and Aceves, the bullpen is in good hands. With Hughes in the rotation, if Pettitte stays healthy, the Yankees have a rock solid starting five, definitely one of the top five in the MLB.

There were some losses for this team. Johnny Damon is an irreplaceable clutch hitter. The Yankees will definitely miss his presence both in the clubhouse and once October rolls around. But the blame can only go to Damon. He was offered a 2 year $14 million contract by the Yankees but declined it, seeking more. The Yankees parted their ways and went and traded for Granderson. Damon reluctantly signed a one year $8 million dollar contract with the Tigers after he tried to go back to the Yankees who had moved on. Damon will be missed, but I thought the Yankees treated Damon fairly. Hideki Matsui on the other hand I don't understand. I thought when the Yankees got rid of Nick Johnson the first time it was a mistake, and Brian Cashman desperately wanted to bring him back. But after the postseason Matsui had, it is mind boggling to me that the Yankees did not even offer him a contract. If I had my choice at DH of either Matsui or Johnson, I choose Matsui any day of the week. But Matsui is not getting any younger, and whether or not he can play in the field is still a question. Nick Johnson is versatile and can give a few guys here and there a day off by playing the field.

With everything still intact and a few minor moves this off-season, the Yankees look poised to defend their World Series Title in 2010.



Comments

NFL owners adopt new OT rule for playoffs

The NFL will now be a little more like college football. NFL owners voted 28-4 in Orlando today to change overtime rules for the playoffs.

Under the new rules, if the team that wins the coin toss and kicks a field goal, the team that lost the toss will have a possession. If they kick a field goal on that possession, then the next team to score wins. If they score a touchdown, the game is over. Also, if the team that wins the toss in overtime scores a touchdown on the first possession, the game is ends. For a complete breakdown and reaction from owners and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, please click here.

This has been a debate that has gone on for some time now in the NFL. Statistics have shown over the past 15 years that ever since the kickoff was moved back 5 yards to the 30, the team that won the toss won nearly 60% of the time. That was apparently enough to convince more than enough owners to change the rule. 24 owners needed to vote yes in order for it to pass.

Players have stated this week that they want to have a say in this process, but all rule changes are made by a vote by the owners.

Interestingly, the Vikings voted AGAINST the rule change. Had the rule been in effect last year, the Vikings would have had a possession after the Saints kicked the winning field goal in overtime of the NFC Championship last season. Owner Zygi Wolf said he voted against it because he wanted consistency between the regular season and the playoffs.

I like this rule change. The regular season is the regular season. We can have ties in the regular season. We can't in the playoffs. The statistics don't lie, since the kickoff was moved back and the game has advanced dramatically offensively, more teams are scoring on their first possession. The same can be said on the first possession of the game and the first possession after the second half. This rule makes sense for all the teams and does not favor one over the other.

Comments

Tiger STILL not answering questions people want answered

Tiger Woods today granted a five minute interview to ESPN's Tom Rinaldi in Orlando, the first since he crashed his SUV in his driveway last Thanksgiving. You can watch the entire five minute interview here.

Tiger once again refused to answer questions regarding what happened on Thanksgiving night at his home where he crashed his SUV. He still contends the events surrounding Thanksgiving night are between he and his wife. That just does not add up to me. Crashing a car and having affairs with several women are two distinctly different issues. If they are one in the same, then I would assume that Tiger Woods crashed his SUV after getting into a dispute with his wife after she confronted him about having extramarital affairs, something Woods denied happened in his press conference a couple of weeks ago. If they are not one in the same, then I believe Tiger's problems stem deeper than sex addiction. I do not care about the women Tiger has slept with and the motives he had to sleep with them. That stuff is for The View. What matters to me and golf fans is to why he's been away from the game for 5 months.

It has been reported that Tiger underwent treatment for sex addiction at a rehab facility in Mississippi. Quietly, the National Enquirer has also reported that Tiger Woods sought treatment in Arizona for substance abuse of prescription medications after he finished rehab in Mississippi. You can read that story here. In the police report, it was cited that Tiger's wife Elin turned over two prescription drug bottles to police officers at the scene. This along with the fact that Tiger declined to be interviewed by the Florida highway patrol after the accident is more than enough evidence to me that something else is going here.

The events of the past several months do not add up. If you ask me, I believe that Tiger Woods has a problem of abusing prescription medication, which may or may not have possibly lead to other inappropriate actions in Tigers life. But we don't know, and that's the problem. Tiger again controlled this press conference by limiting the time to five minutes. No time for follow-up questions, and no time to get deep into certain issues the public wants to hear about. Tiger again had the opportunity to set the record straight and put this entire thing behind him. Instead it continues to drag on as the Masters gets closer and closer. And that is something I would not want to be hanging over my head as I play the biggest major championship of my career.

Your thoughts on Tiger in Comments

Florida Pro Day

The Day Tim Tebow fans have been waiting for has finally come. Tebow today worked out in front of pro scouts and coaches for his final shot to prove he is NFL ready and fit to be a starting quarterback in the league. Will his new and improved motion on display in front of scouts elevate his draft status come April? Only time will tell. You can read my take on Tebow from an earlier blog here. For a complete breakdown of Tebow's day, be sure to check out the Fox Sports Blog.

CB Joe Haden was also looking at a shot to improve his draft status after a not so good showing at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Haden reportedly ran a 4.43 40, much better than the 4.57 he ran at the Combine. Need to be in that range to be able to run with wide receivers in the NFL. Haden will be a first round pick come April, and his showing today only solidified that.

TE Aaron Hernandez also had a nice showing today by reportedly running a 4.5. He is going to be a beast of a tight end in the NFL. At 6-2, 250 he is a big, physical tight end with great hands that will be an unstoppable weapon in the red zone come Sundays. He gets off blocks and his lack of ability in pass protection is overblown in my opinion. Behind Oklahoma's Jermain Gresham, he is the best TE available in the Draft.

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin was on site to see the 15 or so University of Florida players workout at their Pro Day. The Giants are in desperate need of linebacking help after they released their middle linebacker and leader Antonio Pierce. Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes was an option for the Giants to replace him along with Alabama middle linebacker Rolando McClain. I say was because Spikes has been a concern for a lot of pro scouts because of his speed and is not projected as a top 15 pick by most. Most draft experts have Spikes going late first round, early second round. But his stock may drop even further after not breaking 5 seconds on his 40 time today, leaving me and many others shaking their heads. He ran a 5.02 and 5.08 in his two attempts, according to reports. The Giants might be looking in a direction other than Spikes for their middle linebacker, but regardless this issue must be cleared up prior to the start of the season if the Giants wish to return to their Super Bowl form from 3 years ago. If they do not sign or draft a middle linebacker by the start of the season, the competition in camp will be between Chase Blackburn and Jonathon Goff.

The Giants current starting linebackers are Danny Clark, who is 32 and his tackles have declined in recent years, and Michael Boley who, when healthy last year, was great in pass defense and productive in stopping the run. The Giants really could have settled this issue by pursuing LB Carlos Dansby, but Giants GM Jerry Reese decided to go in a different direction and build through the draft after a busy offseason last year in signing free agents on defense.

If the Giants want to use their #15 pick to get a middle linebacker, they will have to hold their breath between picks 9-14 to see if McClain falls to them. Denver plays a 3-4, a system McClain thrived in at Alabama under coach Nick Saban, and would fit perfect in their defense. A system the Giants do not play. If Denver loses WR Brandon Marshall prior to the draft, they will undoubtedly take WR Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State. If not, McClain could be their man. The Browns also need help on defense, although mainly in the secondary. McClain may be their guy. If hes gone, look for the Giants to trade down.

Comments. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tiger Woods to make return at The Masters

Tiger is back. He will return next month at The Masters. This will be Tiger's first tournament since his accident and subsequent fallout from last Thanksgiving.

The choice makes total sense from his standpoint. TMZ and the like do not have credentials to the Masters and won't be there to hound Tiger with questions not pertaining to golf. He may get some non-golf questions from the regular golf media but nothing that will make Tiger uncomfortable.

The fans are another distraction Tiger must face on his return. Another advantage for him in choosing the Masters is they are strict about golf etiquette. They will escort off the grounds anyone they deem is disrupting either other fans or the players. This is something only done at Augusta and no other PGA tournament or USGA tournament. No one will be yelling in Tiger's swing or chanting any obscenities. The following clause appears on the Masters website:

"In golf, customs of etiquette and decorum are just as important as rules governing play. It is appropriate for spectators to applaud successful strokes in proportion to difficulty but excessive demonstrations by a player or his partisans are not proper because of the possible effect upon other competitors."

"Most distressing to those who love the game of golf is the applauding or cheering of misplays or misfortunes of a player. Such occurrences have been rare at the Masters but we must eliminate them entirely if our patrons are to continue to merit their reputation as the most knowledgeable and considerate in the world."

Tigers return will do wonders for ratings for The Masters, which always usually have high ratings.

More on The Masters as it gets closer. Comments