MVN - Most Valuable Network

Spring Training Roundup 03/01

The Yankees defeated USF in an exhibition game yesterday, and there were two interesting story lines stemming from the game. The first is the effectiveness of the young pitching. Obviously a game in late February against a college club used to swinging metal bats is not a great barometer for judging pitching quality. Nevertheless, the trio of Joba, Phil, and Ian pitched the first 5 innings, allowing one hit and notching 5 strikeouts against zero walks. The final three innings went to Jeff Marquez, Alan Horne, and Chase Wright, and they were equally impressive, pitching three innings without allowing a hit or walk. The second story to come from the game comes from the 6th inning, which was pitched by Kei Igawa. Quite predictably, he was brutal. He allowed two walks, a HBP, and a Grand Slam. I think we have reached a point where the Yankees should begin to view Igawa as a sunk cost and just keep him in the minors for the duration of his contract. He did strike out two batters, which is exactly what makes the Yankees so determined to turn Igawa into a useful member of the team. Even when struggling last year, he displayed a knack for striking batters out. However, he has never shown the ability to get outs consistently, and it would be a shame if the Yankees waste Major League innings on him this season with so many younger, more talented pitchers available in the system.

In other news, the Yankees play the Phillies at 1:05 today in their first official spring training game. I plan on watching the game, and will post my impressions at some point this evening. A few things that should be interesting to look at for evaluation purposes: Shelley Duncan at 1st, Morgan Ensberg with the bat, Brett Gardner in center, and all of the pitchers that follow Wang. With the competition for the last few spots in the bullpen being as stiff as it is, every pitch and every game counts, and it will be interesting to see who seizes the moment and who buckles under the pressure.

Update: The Yankees defeated the Phillies 9-3. The notable performances included: Shelley Duncan with a 2B, a HR, 5 RBI, and a scoop at first base, while Ensberg went 0-3 with 2 K’s. Wilson Betemit, A-Rod, and Jesus Montero (great power) also homered, and Eric Duncan had a hit as well (about time). Chris Woodward went 2-3, and he has a real chance of making the opening day roster as the utility man, especially if Ensberg plays poorly and Betemit ends up in a platoon at first. Pitching-wise, Albaladejo was impressive, while, Heath Phillips, Billy Traber, and Ross Ohlendorf looked solid as well. Darrell Rasner had a rough outing, and Dan Giese was decent, although he allowed a HR in his one inning of work.

Finally, Hank Steinbrenner had some rough words for Red Sox Nation. In an interview with The New York Times’ Play magazine, Hank said,

“Red Sox Nation?” What a bunch of [expletive] that is,” he said in an interview with The New York Times’ Play magazine. “That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans.

“Go anywhere in America and you won’t see Red Sox hats and jackets, you’ll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We’re going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order.”

I happen to agree almost entirely with Hank. There was no RSN five years ago, as the only Red Sox fans I had ever heard of in public life were Bill Simmons and Ben Affleck. Suddenly, every second celebrity is a card carrying member of Red Sox Nation, and the Sox outdraw even the Yankees on the road. However, I do not think that it is a creation of ESPN and the Red Sox. Quite frankly, I think it just speaks to the fact that America loves a winner, and the Sox have unfortunately been the biggest winners over the last few seasons. Hank is right in stating that there are Yankees fans everywhere, but that is because the Yankees have traditionally been a championship level contender. In the 80’s, when the Yankees were struggling and the Mets were excellent, the Bombers were outdrawn in their own town, to say nothing of their attendance on the road. Ultimately, I think Hank is right in suggesting that Red Sox Nation is a silly conglomeration of fair weather fans. All the Yankees have to do to get rid of it is start winning championships again. Hopefully that begins in 2008.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 1st, 2008 at 12:30 pm and is filed under Off the Facade. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.