Pettitte’s Return

Andy Pettitte will hold a press conference tomorrow (with his lawyer) in Florida and will attempt to shed some light on a few of the questions people have regarding his PED use. Honestly, I don’t care much for the HGH scandal anymore. I hope that this conference will allow Pettitte to clear the air and eliminate distractions so that he can get back to work for the Yankees (and be effective).

Matt DeSalvo Gets a Chance

Matt DeSalvo, who made 6 starts with the Yankees last year and pitched well in the minors (07), recently signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta. Depending on his spring, DeSalvo could have the chance to break into the Braves’ starting rotation. His stuff has impressed manager Bobby Cox, however, it won’t be easy for the guy. He’ll have to beat out a couple of talented players, including Mike Hampton and Chuck James.

Sunday’s Bits: Pettitte’s HGH, Girardi’s Rules, Igawa’s Something

Here are some interesting bits for you guys:

• The AP has some news about Pettitte’s HGH use in relation to his congressional deposition. According to the report, Tom Pettitte (Andy’s father), who actually provided Andy with HGH in 2004, had actually received the substance from Kelly Blair, a Texas gym owner/steroid dealer and a guy who went to the same high school as Andy Pettitte.
• Also, Wallace Mathews (of Newsday) has produced a partial list of Joe Girardi’s rules for players attending Spring Training in Florida. There aren’t many surprises, but I bet Jeter, Giambi and co. aren’t happy with the 1 a.m. curfew rule. I guess there won’t be any late-night trips to Miami (Thanks to RAB).
• And, finally, Girardi, Brian Cashman and Dave Eiland met with Kei Igawa in order to discuss his performance last year and and what he’ll be doing this year. They seem to attribute a lot of his problems to the cultural changes he experienced in 07. I think Igawa could be a serviceable number 4-5 starter and he will be an important part of the club’s plans this year (long reliever)

More stuff later. The sun is actually shining today in Seattle so I need to go outside.