Pettitte Won’t Testify

From the NY Times:

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Oversight Committee is supporting Andy Pettitte’s request not to have to testify publicly against his former teammate Roger Clemens at a public hearing on Wednesday, a congressional staff person said Monday.

The chairman, Democrat Henry A. Waxman of California, wants to take Pettitte off the witness list but he is consulting with Republican members of the panel first, said the person, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Two other people familiar with the case said it is also possible that Clemens and his accuser, the former trainer Brian McNamee, may be the only witnesses who will ultimately testify on Wednesday.

Pettitte asked out of public testimony because he did not want to say something to hurt his friend and former teammate while in the glare of national television coverage, according to a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

There has been no final decision on Pettitte’s request, the official said. A final witness list may be released shortly.

I don’t know much about legal matters, but hopefully Pettitte won’t have to testify about Clemens. The papers can say what they want about their friendship, or lack thereof. At the end of the day, they’re definitely still cordial with one another and this makes sense.

**UPDATE – Pettitte and Knoblauch have been excused.

Asshole, Asshole, Asshole…

John Rocker is back (don’t throw up yet). Apparently, he is saying that many in the MLB, including Bud Selig, knew he was on steroids and some of the league’s “doctors” as well as some of those in the player’s union guided him and several other players in its use.

Last time we heard anything from Rocker, I think he was trying to get a “Speak English” campaign going on and even appeared on FOX News (don’t even get me started). Okay, you can throw up now.

Posada Versus Bat, Plus Joba Stuff

From Jack Curry:

Jorge Posada swung, his bat shattered and, for a millisecond, everyone around the batting cage gasped. After Posada’s bat broke, a large chunk of it ricocheted off the backstop netting, the same side of the backstop where Derek Jeter was standing, and hit Posada in the right leg.

Posada, who was not wearing a helmet, brushed something off his leg but said he was not injured. Jeter, who was also not wearing a helmet during these informal workouts at the minor league complex in Tampa, Fla., was also fortunate to avoid any flying slivers of wood.

“No damage,” Posada said.

Posada, 36, who signed a four-year contract in the off-season and hopes to still be catching when he turns 40, is as honest as any Yankee. So, when Posada was asked if Boston was the team to beat, he quickly and succinctly acknowledged that the Red Sox are.

“They won,” Posada said. “Now it’s up to us to take that away. They’ve done things right. They got a good group of guys. They’ve got some youngsters that played good toward the end of the season. Obviously, they’re the defending champions. There’s no question, we are following them.”

I bet Jose Molina was one of the first to ask Jorge if he was okay (glove in hand). Posada did receive a small cut on his calf after the bat hit him, but it’s not supposed to be serious. At least we know that Jeter and Posada are down in Florida (along with Shelley Duncan, Chris Woodward, the “Big Three” and others) and are getting some work in. Speaking of getting work in, Joba Chamberlain is down there and had the following to say:

“This game is definitely a marathon, not a sprint, and I understand that,” Chamberlain said. “Last year, it was kind of frustrating, having the rules, but you understood what it was about. I understand the work load and what’s going to go on, but this is going to be my first go around, so I’ve got to be patient and learn and understand that I’ve got to ask questions as I prepare myself for a full season in the big leagues.”

Chamberlain has been throwing off a mound for the past month at the Yankees’ minor league complex. The on-field success has changed his off-field life, which includes being recognized more in public and invitations to baseball events.

“I definitely got some frequent-flyer miles, I’ll tell you that much,” Chamberlain said with a smile. “It’s just the opportunities that came, and the people that I got to meet was great. If you don’t perform on the field, you don’t get to do all that great stuff and enjoy yourself in the off-season. It was definitely an honour. Hard works pays off, but you’ve got to come back and work even harder so you can have that much fun next year.”

The report (AP) also went on to say that Joba threw off of a mound (all this happened today) for 45 minutes. That’s basically a complete game against the the KC Royals.

Doug Mientkiewicz (It’s a Title in Itself)

The Pirates have grabbed another one of our spare parts from the revolving door that is first base, signing Doug Mientkiewicz to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. First Josh Phelps and now Douggie Fresh? Come on now Pittsburgh, stop taking all of our fan favorites..

Clarifying Joba’s Role

Last week Brian Cashman told Bryan Hoch that, barring any injuries, Joba will most likely start the season in the bullpen. PA has an article up for the Journal News that confirms this belief, yet again (and by Brian Cashman).

“We’ll prepare him as a starter, get through spring training and then determine where he starts,” Cashman said. “He has an innings limit and won’t go start to finish as a starter. That won’t be allowed.”

So if you needed further verification, there it is. Joba will start the season in the pen and will probably spot start here and there, maybe giving Mussina, Hughes or IPK a rest.

Monday Morning Bits: Eiland, Clemens and Jeter

It’s the worst day of the week, but hopefully these bits will provide you with a much needed break from your morning routine.

• The Daily News has a nice writeup on Dave Eiland, our new pitching coach. Eiland actually used to pitch for the Yankees, and, although his numbers are pretty poor, it looks like he’s finally found his calling. Mark Newman, who deals with the Yankees’ farm system, describes Eiland as “low-key” and “tough,” saying that he’s “not going to blow smoke.” These types of descriptions (e.g. “tough,” “not flashy,”) have got me pretty excited about the new coaches (and managers) on hand this year.
• Secondly, we’ve got some Roger Clemens news. Apparently, a few professors from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business have sunk their teeth into the statistical report released earlier this year that was meant to defend Roger Clemens and his ability to perform the way he did as he got older. It’s a battle of statistical wit, as ERA Margin (league ERA – pitcher’s ERA), WHIP, and generic ERA all go head-to-head. It’s kind of laughable if you ask me, simply because Clemens should have never released the report to begin with. In fact, one of the better rebuttals to the report (that I read) was the following by Dave Pinto.
• Last but not least, we have another report from the Daily News by Anthony McCarron. McCarron spoke with Derek Jeter and Jeter seems to be pretty confident (what else is new?) with the 2008 squad. He talks a bit about having a lot of the same faces returning for another year and he also talks about the influx of youth (talented youth) that has come up to play an integral part in what he hopes to be another championship run.

See you later in the day (and be sure to check out the new iYankee Message Board!).

The iYankees Message Board

Hey guys. Thanks to all the loyal readers and Yankee fans that stop by. I like this blog (obviously), but I also thought it would be nice if you guys could create your own posts and provide us with your own information/commentary/discussion topics, etc. Therefore, I’ve created The iYankees Message Board (a forum-based community) that will allow you to do just that. Feel free to register on there and create your own user profiles, posts, etc. I think message boards are fun, and they could serve as a valuable tool when you’re bored and in need of a good discussion with fellow fans. If the board becomes popular, I’ll add on some new features and post up some other cool stuff…

Here’s the link: http://www.mfipb.com/index.php?mforum=iyankees&act=idx

The address is pretty hard to remember off the top of your head, but if you stop by (here) it’ll always be on the right-hand side of the blog (right under the BLOGROLL and RESOURCE sections). Oh yeah, and if you get the chance, invite some other people over as well (fans). If you can get a lot of people over there, I can make you a moderator on the message board, and, that way you’ll have some form of online-power (lame, but still).