Do Ballplayers Care About Politics?

C.J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers had the following to say about politics and baseball:

“It’s frustrating,” says C.J. Wilson, the 27-year-old Texas relief pitcher. “I’d say there are two reasons. One, there’s a general lack of education among us. But two — and most important — you’re talking about a population that makes a ton of money, so the ups and downs of the economy don’t impact whether we’re getting paid. Therefore, we often don’t care.”

Although Wilson got into some heat over his comments (he continued his remarks on a baseball blog), I don’t think he was specifically talking about the Rangers, but was generalizing about the entire baseball community. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when you make so much money that you could care less about who the President is or will be, or whether or not the economy is working for “normal” people.

A Pair of Fringe Yankees

Here’s a nice read by Dawn Klemish about Darrell Rasner and Jeff Karstens, our two favorite fringe Yankees. Both guys–Joe Girardi characterizes them as “strike throwers”–went down last season with significant injuries and either one could make the team as the long-man out of the pen (Karstens probably has the best shot).

The Maturation of Ian Kennedy

 

Pete Caldera’s got a nice read on Ian Kennedy. He talks a bit about the passing of his grandfather, his marriage, Mike Mussina, the off-season trade rumors (about Santana) and what he hopes to achieve this year as a full-time starter for the Yankees.

Mussina Fighting For His Spot

From Tyler Kepner (about Mike Mussina):

“When you come into this game, you’re pushed at the beginning, trying to prove yourself,” he said. “If you’re lucky enough to play a long time, the middle seems to be a smooth period. At least you know what you’re doing. At the end, you get pushed again. That’s just the nature of it. I knew that I wasn’t going to just stroll into camp and be a starter. I have to got out there and prove that I can still do it. Maybe it’s time that I be pushed again.”

I wouldn’t say that Mussina was complacent before his 2007 campaign. Honestly, when you’re a viable, top-of-the-rotation starter for many years, it just seems like you become relaxed and know that you have the ability to dominate and have a long career. You’re not necessarily worrying about the next guy, the guy in the minors who’s been overpowering the system’s competition. That’s how any successful, middle aged (or relatively young) starter sees it.

However, now that he’s well into the twilight of his career, Mike Mussina knows that he has to work hard, yet again. As you can see in the quote, he even admitted to not knowing whether or not he was going to be a starter this year. I may be a dreamer, but I think he could put up some solid numbers. He’s got a lot to prove.

McLovinCutchen

Here’s a nice read by Peter Abraham (LoHud) on Daniel McCutchen, who’s been fighting for a place in the somewhat hazy mist that is the Yankee bullpen. Good stuff.

Congress Continues With Clemens Fiasco

The AP is reporting that Congress has asked the Justice Department to launch an investigation in order to find out whether or not Roger Clemens was lying in his Congressional hearing. In related news, Debbie Clemens’ breasts are getting Roger into even more trouble. Who knew discussing boob jobs could be so damning?

Relievers Relieved That Torre is Gone

From Mark Feinsand:

Bruney also admitted to a level of fear in playing for Joe Torre, who was constantly criticized in recent years for overusing certain relievers.

“With Torre – and I’m not trying to bad-mouth anybody – sometimes you would go out there and try to be so good because you were scared of doing bad,” Bruney said. “You can’t pitch like that. (Joe) Girardi understands that you make mistakes – and I’m going to make them.”

Bruney also went on to say that he’s more comfortable with Dave Eiland (the new pitching coach) and that he and Guidry didn’t have much of a relationship (Gator had his problems and wasn’t a highly regarded pitching coach, as many of you know).

I can picture a pitcher as Torre motions to the pen, sitting there… cringing. Remember Edwar Ramirez? He had that long layoff, then Torre plugged him in one day against the D-Rays and he gave out hits like a drug dealer. Torre often questioned the quality of the relievers at his disposal, however, maybe it was always the way in which they were used that caused their various problems (with confidence, performance, etc.).

Now, guys like Ohlendorf or Bruney (the racist reliver) feel they have a better chance, knowing that they won’t get put in the infamous Torre Doghouse if they make a few mistakes. In the bullpen, the biggest part of the game is having a short memory and if your manager is holding you down after a mishap here or there, then how can you ever forget your mistakes?

Joe Girardi is looking to change this problem, which almost seems like an inherent issue for Yankee fans. He’s truly the right guy for the job.

Spring Training Pictures

Props to the guys at RAB for posting these great shots.

Here’s one of the cool pics you’ll see:

That’s A-Rod and Hideki Matsui.

What do you think Matsui’s saying? How about, “I won’t put my hands down until Girardi starts me in left.” Seriously, A-Rod looks like he’s trying to talk him off a ledge.

I’ve never had the opportunity to catch Spring Training, although I would definitely like to check it out. The closest I ever got to actually going was last year, when I was in Florida (Kissimmee) for spring break. However, when you’re a college kid on spring break, I’m sad to say (well, not really) that watching baseball isn’t your primary goal.

Robinson Cano Hits Puberty

From The Star-Ledger:

Offensively, this could be the year Cano displays the power he has long been projected to provide. Though Cano said he didn’t focus on strengthening any particular muscles this offseason, it’s apparent he’s filled out and grown into himself. Long said this is the age when a player’s body goes from “a young man to a man.”

Yes, this is all sort of creepy. Okay, but seriously, do the Yankees project Cano to hit maybe 20 or so home runs, very soon?

“There’ll be a lot more power in there with his body the way it is and as strong as it is,” Long said.

As Cano becomes more experienced and more selective as a hitter, (Gene) Michael said, his power numbers likely will continue to improve. He hit a career-high 19 home runs last season, 13 coming after the All-Star break as he bounced back from a sluggish first half.

I too think that Cano will hit 20+ HRs in a season. I don’t necessarily think it will happen this year, but when he reaches the age of 27 and up (the prototypical “power years”), he could maybe put up a 25-30 HR season. This isn’t even reaching, as he hit 19 in 2007 at the age of 24.

Cano’s power is nice, but the real point of the text in the Ledger pertains to his work ethic. As we all know, there are quite a few people who believe that Cano needs to be constantly motivated in order to succeed. Well, it seems like that really is the case, as it was confirmed by the Yankees staff and Robinson Cano himself.

Cano, who cracked the majors three years ago at the age of 22, has always been an immensely talented player. But he has also been tagged as someone who lacks concentration. In the past two years in particular, Cano counted on Bowa, the third-base coach, to help keep his focus and develop his ability, to ride him when he lagged and demand extra fielding practice when he’d just as soon be smacking batting-practice fastballs.

Bowa is gone, following Joe Torre to the Dodgers. Cano now has the significant cushion of a four-year, $30 million contract. Does that portend a regression for the budding superstar?

The Yankees — including Cano himself — are taking steps to prevent it.

“There’s guys on this team that aren’t going to let him slide,” hitting coach Kevin Long said. “Derek Jeter’s not going to let him slide. Alex Rodriguez isn’t going to let him slide with his conditioning. He was in here at 7:30 this morning doing extra conditioning. He’s taking the bull by the horns. He’s taking the initiative.”

Already, Cano has been shoring up his support network. His first day in camp, he went up to Bowa’s replacement, Bobby Meacham, with a request.

“I told him, the way I told Bowa the first time that I met him,” Cano said, “if you see that I’m lazy or anything, tell me.”

Cano admits he likes having an authoritative coach keeping an eye on him. While teammates such as Rodriguez have offered guidance and new workout routines, each player’s first responsibility is to himself.

The constructive criticism will come from a coach, and Cano welcomes it.

“That’s something people from outside can see better,” Cano said. “That’s the point, just helping me out. That’s what you want, people to be honest and tell you the truth.”

On the defensive side, Meacham responded to Cano’s request by promising Cano he would receive plenty of information on a daily basis.

“Just reminders,” Meacham said. “He probably hasn’t developed a routine of what makes him go. As I’m sure Bowa did last year and I’ll do this year, is to continue to remind him what he needs to do to get better and what he needs to do to be a good player, and eventually be a great player.”

Cano isn’t necessarily lazy, but he is susceptible to falling into some mental lulls that can truly hinder his overall level of play. He himself admits that he needs some sort of structure and rigid discipline in order to remain focused. One would hope that with the Yankees (and their support), Cano will eventually mature a bit more as a person and a player. Only then will he be able to succeed entirely on his own.