Joe Torre’s State Farm Commercial

Apparently, Joe is loving his time in LA (wheat grass, what?).

King Felix Hits A Grand Slam Off Johan Santana

I just saw it and it was amazing. All 4 runs were unearned but Santana tossed Felix a fastball that was up and just on the outer edge of the plate and Felix laced into deep right for his first career HR and a game-changing 4-run slam. Brian Cashman is a genius.

Nick Johnson’s Season Possibly Over

Nick Johnson has been out since May 15th with a tear in the tendon sheath of his right wrist (similar to David Ortiz’s injury, although Ortiz’s isn’t as severe) and is now headed for surgery in order to correct the problem. Johnson will likely miss the rest of the season and while some NYY fans were clamoring for a trade during the offseason (I thought it would be nice but I also thought it was unrealistic), he’s clearly proven to be a totally unreliable player in terms of his fragility. Meanwhile, Jason Giambi (who Johnson would have platooned with or replaced) is experiencing one of his better years in a Yankee uniform and is completely healthy (knock on wood). Well, that’s baseball for you.

Schilling Has Surgery

Curt Schilling went in for surgery today and while his rotator cuff wasn’t damaged, repairs were done to his labrum and tendon (shoulder). Schilling could possibly pitch again, but it would a long and lengthy process, which is hard enough when you’re 26 let alone 41. Although I hate Curt Schilling, he pitched in some memorable games between the Sox and the Yankees and I wouldn’t miss him, necessarily, but I’d miss the added element that he brought to games. Whenever he stepped on the mound for the Sox and was facing the Yankees, the “rivalry factor” definitely bumped up a notch or two and that’s what I’ll miss.

Battle Brian

The Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, A’s and Mets are all competing for Rockies closer, Brian Fuentes. There are reports stemming from a Joel Sherman article that state that the Phillies are currently in the lead to lock up the deceptive lefty, as he would take over in the 8th inning. Hopefully the Yanks can grab him and before the other teams do, although Kyle Farnsworth may actually be a “good enough” 8th inning guy (for now). The Red Sox have recently experienced an Okajima backlash, as his numbers have been terrible in the month of June, so they too could become very serious competitors for Fuentes.

Aceves Promoted

I haven’t talked about Alfredo Aceves much, as I’ve been waiting to see what happens with him in the minors. Aceves, who has been putting up great numbers, has in fact been promoted to Triple-A Scranton and could be an option for the team down the road if he proves to be a capable AAA starter. According to this report, some scouts are somewhat critical of Aceves’ stuff, but he’s apparently a solid pitcher that can throw all of his stuff for strikes (the second coming of Darrell Rasner?), so it will be good to have him as an emergency plan if Giese, Rasner or even Sidney Ponson fail in their opportunities. Whenever Brian Cashman can’t stop talking about you, there’s certainly something there in Aceves.

Giambi’s Resurgence Enough For A New Contract?

Okay, so this is a debate that I’ve been having with other Yankee fans for the past week or so. With Jason Giambi’s 2008 resurgence, many fans are wondering if Giambi will be back next year. In fact, many are very open to this idea and think that the Yanks should consider buying out his 2009 option ($5 million) which is worth $22 million, and then signing him to a one-year deal or maybe even a two-year deal. Now, I like Jason Giambi and have enjoyed watching him play this year. The entire mustache story is pretty hilarious and actually provides the Yankees with some legitimate character and personality. Plus, he’s certainly one of the best first basemen in baseball this year, as his offensive production has been tremendous.

However, I must also pose this question. Why hasn’t Jason Giambi participated in an offseason workout program like the one he did for this season, in previous seasons? Why didn’t he seriously work on his legs in the past and attempt to better his overall level of conditioning? For years, Jason Giambi has been hampered by nagging injuries, specifically leg injuries that have cost him 100’s of AB’s. This has obviously hurt the Yankees as well, as they could have used a healthy Giambi who could play the field, everyday and for every game. However, Jason Giambi is suddenly a vision of health and is playing the field with no problems. With this being a contract year (essentially), Giambi knew that he needed to prove himself and his workout regimen in the offseason has certainly helped him in 2008. This is the problem though, again, why didn’t Giambi really work on his legs during previous winters? Was there no incentive there?

This is why I don’t really understand the desire to bring Giambi back. He’s a question mark, even though he’s putting up phenomenal numbers and has put up phenomenal numbers for the Yankees. Giambi’s year, while great for the team, is also a frustrating demonstration of his work ethic from previous years. If Giambi wanted to be in great shape, he could have done so as we have seen him remain healthy throughout the year. He would have been able to play everyday and would have been very productive as well. However, he basically waited until he was heading into a contract year before really flipping the offseason switch. Now, the man can tag up, he can round the bases without us holding our breathe, and he’s picking it at first. So, what happens if Giambi is given a new contract? Will he simply forget the work ethic that gave him a clean bill of health for 2008? With a 37-year old player, health is certainly one of the biggest factors.

With Giambi’s contract off the books in 2009, the Yanks will have a lot more flexibility with their roster. They could make a play for Mark Teixeira, who is considerably younger and a better defensive player (plus he’s a switch-hitter), instead of signing an aging first baseman. Also, he plays practically everyday (he had an injury that kept him out a bit last year), which is an obvious plus. Again, I’m not discrediting Jason Giambi or saying that what he’s done for the team isn’t real or praiseworthy, all I’m saying is that, in terms of his health, can we really trust him to have another great year (or two or even three)?

Jeter Takes Lead In AS Voting

Derek Jeter is now the overall leader in the AS voting for the American League. I guess that hitting streak is finally earning Jeter some votes. The only other player worthy of the SS position for the AL probably would have been Michael Young, but he has tapered off considerably as of late (performance-wise). So, as of right now, Jeter and A-Rod look like they’ll definitely be in the game and if David Ortiz can’t play by then (he’s second in overall votes), Matsui could possibly take his spot as the DH.

Yanks May “Miss” Farnsworth

During yesterday’s game, Farnsworth took a liner off his hand and he needed 3 stitches afterwards in order to close the wound. The team doesn’t expect him to end up on the DL (sorry Yankee fans), but I’m sure he won’t be used for at least a few days. Expect Jose Veras or even Edwar to get the call in the 8th inning.

Ponson Gets A Shot?

Based on some minor league rotation lists from Chad Jennings, PA at the LoHud Blog believes that Sidney Ponson will get one of the starts on Friday in the doubleheader against the Mets, although nothing is certain at this point in time. Now, I don’t like Ponson, but I think it’s definitely worth it for him to get a shot. Who knows, maybe the Yanks can turn him into a law abiding citizen decent player.