Yankees error-filled intrasquad game, Mariano’s regiment, Murcer’s cancer scare, and the Steinbrenner clan

Ah, the second day back. I’m gonna need some conditioning drills if I’m going to go this alone for the foreseeable future.

• Newsday reports that “The Yankees played an intrasquad game on the coldest day yet of spring training. It was 54 degrees and windy on a field that was extremely wet after torrential rains Tuesday night. That contributed to an error-filled game, with seven miscues in seven innings.” Clearly, this is all Jeter’s fault.
• “Mariano Rivera is pretty much on his own program again this spring,” writes the Post’s Joel Sherman in his Hardball Blog. “Limiting his innings and, thus, the wear and tear on his invaluable to the Yankees body. He is not scheduled to appear in a spring game before next Wednesday. It might be worthwhile to remember, therefore, that in many ways Rivera is already working on borrowed time, that closers generally do not have this kind of extended run of brilliance. The burnout rate is high. Just consider that Rivera already has 11 straight seasons of 25 or more saves.”
• In sad news, it’s possible that Bobby Murcer might have another brain tumor. His wife sent an email to friends, including Bill Madden of the Daily News, indicating Murcer will undergo a brain biopsy to (hopefully) determine that he’s just got scar tissue, not a tumor. Here’s hoping everything is okay.
• And finally for today, Jonathan Mahler has written a lengthy article on the Steinbrenner family for the NY Times’ Play Magazine. I haven’t read it  yet, (it is a lot of words, afterall) but I suspect it deals with the succession of George’s two sons.

So until tomorrow (or the next day), adios.

And we’re back! Yankees Spring Training news and notes

Oh boy, this blog has gotten pretty dusty since last we wrote. It’s been fairly hectic in our own lives here at Team Torso, what with me continuing my graduate education and Torso (the man himself) working for an honest-to-God real newspaper covering the fineries of high school athletics.

We haven’t missed much. For the first time in a long time it seems like the Yankees didn’t go out and acquire some huge name in the offseason. Oh, the Yankees very nearly got Johan Santana in a deal that would have sent Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera to Minnesota, but cooler heads prevailed and General Manage Brian Cashman decided to stick to his vision of developing young players from the inside. How this will all play out is yet to be seen, and Bossman Jr. Hank Steinbrenner has already made it clear he will regret this if Johan helps the Mets make the playoffs (he will) but the Yankees don’t perform to expectations, but I think it was the wise move.

No big new faces, but some old ones returned with a new price tag. Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera were paid handsomely to stay with the Yankees in their waning years, and Alex Rodriguez was given the most lucrative contract ever to spend the next ten years in pinstripes. The Yankees locked up the best player in the game, and I approve, his playoff performances thus far be damned. One of these days he will tear it up all through the playoffs, and if the Yankees don’t win it all that year, you ass-hats will have to find a new whipping boy.

Of course, there was that whole steroid debacle with Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. I think it’s better if we don’t even comment on that trash. Clemens won’t be back in pinstripes, and Pettitte has come clean. Let’s move on and let the other bloggers comment on that mess. We have a brand new season to focus on.

So, Spring Training has been upon us now for nearly two weeks, and it’s about time we jumped right back into the thick of things and caught up with our boys. We can’t go back and list every newsworthy item we’ve read in the past few weeks, so we’ll just start from today and try to be vigilant in keeping this up to date. Sound good? I thought so.

SI’s Ted Keith wrote up a good article here touching on what I mentioned before - how the Yankees made no huge new acquisitions and have decided to stick with their young pitchers. Pretty informative, and it’s good to see that Mike Mussina has snapped out of his bitchy mood from last year and has taken on a mentor role for Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Moose was starting to piss me off last year, not just for his poor performance, but his dickish comments about being removed from the rotation (for Kennedy, no less).

Our old pal Ken Davidoff wrote a column today about new manager Joe Girardi fitting in fine already. I had no doubt he would.

Tyler Kepner of the Times has an article about Giambi and the first base situation. It seems the Yanks are banking on Giambi to play the majority of games at first. As long as the guy can rake occasionally and not split his pants or tear up his PLANTAR FASCIA!! in the field then I will be okay with it.

The Post’s Mike Vaccaro has a good read about the importance of center field in Yankee Stadium (the position and the actual turf) and talks about how Melky Cabrera understands the importance of the role he’s in. Bold prediction from me: Melky is gonna put up some big numbers this year. Feel free to talk shit to me after the season is over and I was completely wrong.

Oh, and don’t forget individual tickets go on sale for regular season home games this FRIDAY, so get over to the Stadium or get on the Yanks’ website and pick up a ton. Send this old park out the right way.

Brian Cashman & Theo Epstein Appear Together

Here’s a story from SI.com about Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein appearing together at a function.  Enjoy!

Yanks, Cano working on 6-year contract

Jon Heyman reports here.

Excellent move here. Cano is gonna be a beast for years if he stays healthy.

Thanks for 20,000, kids

It ain’t much obviously but we’re still happy to have people reading our views on our beloved Bronx Bombers. So thank you to all who read our blog.

We’ll be getting back into regular updates soon, since pitchers and catchers will be reporting on Feb. 15 (my birthday). We’ll start breaking down what to expect in the upcoming season, and hopefully present to you some real analysis, not just this Roid-ger Clemens BS. Keep checking back! And thanks again!

Roger Clemens on ‘60 Minutes’

Hey everyone, here is the link to the ‘60 Minutes’ website where you can access the Roger Clemens interview.

I spoke with my Team Torso co-founder Muscles Coleman last night, and he seemed to believe what Roger had to say. I do not. It was almost comical to hear that Clemens had no idea what Andy Pettitte was doing, being they were/are so close. 

The way I gauge steroid usage is stats. I know that’s not the best method, but I feel like it is a pretty good indicator. For example, Barry Bonds never hit more than 49 home runs before he hit 73 in 2001 (and it was the year before). Hmm.

Well, when the Rocket left Boston, people were saying he was washed up—over a decade later he’s still throwing heat. I just can’t buy it. But see for yourself.

He is suing, so apparently he means business, but I just can’t believe him for some reason.

Just my personal opinion. What do you Team Torso readers think?  

**UPDATE: This story keeps getting weirder. 

Brian McNamee talks to SI’s Jon Heyman

Read it here.

One guy’s word against the other’s. This is lame.

Leyritz Charged With DUI Manslaughter

Really sad story about Jim Leyritz killing someone as a result of driving drunk.

One thing about these stories that I never like. Sure, ESPN and others want to focus on Leyritz’s memorable home runs, especially the three-run shot in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series, and his habitual bat twirling.

But why don’t they tell you about the woman he killed and what she was like as a person? She is the one who should be remembered in this debacle, not the idiot who killed her. Let’s hear her story, and from the family she left behind, if they choose to talk.

Not much more to say about this other than: What a terrible tragedy.

 ***UPDATE: Leave it to Newsday’s Shaun Powell to come through with a great story about Leyritz and the family he affected. Powell is certainly one of the best in the business.

Off topic, Powell also wrote a great column about Clemens going on “60 Minutes” with Mike Wallace on Sunday.

A-Rod on ‘60 Minutes’

Here’s some brief video clips of Alex Rodriguez’s “60 Minutes” interview with Katie Couric, courtesy of CBS.com

The truth behind the Mitchell Report - A Red Sox conspiracy theory, from Carl

Check it out here.

Hilarious.