Mariano Rivera

(All photos in the public domain)

I wanted to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about Mariano Rivera.  Before the Yankees' game against Kansas City on Thursday, Rivera tore his right ACL shagging fly balls during batting practice.  It was announced the next day that he would be out for the remainder of the season.  On Friday morning, before he announced that he was planning on coming back for 2013, I  wrote a little something about what he meant to me.  I wanted to let the news sink in before I wrote anything.  Here is what I wrote that morning.

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The accomplishments of Mariano Rivera speak for themselves.  I don't need to recant the stats in the regular season and postseason that prove that he is indeed the greatest relief pitcher of all time.  I don't need to make the argument that he might be one of the ten best pitchers to ever toe a rubber.  Those cases make themselves, certainly there is nothing I could say to further prove them.  But I do want to talk about what the man has meant to me over the course of my childhood. 

The Yankees have always been an extremely important part of my life.  They have always been there whenever I needed to escape stress from the real world.    There have always been a few constants, with Rivera being one of them.  For every Yankee memory I have, Rivera is there.  

The 2000 World Series, my first real baseball memory, game 5 at Shea Stadium.  A light popup to centerfield, Bernie Williams camps under it, and the Yankees win the World Series.   And there was Rivera on the mound, making the last pitch, clinching the title, doing what he does best.

Or my favorite baseball memory of all, game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.  Aaron Boone takes a Tim Wakefield knuckle ball into the left field seats at the old Yankee Stadium to clinch the pennant in the 11th inning.  And there was Rivera, kneeling on the mound, crying his eyes out as Boone touched home.  Rivera pitched 3 scoreless in that game. Boone is what's remembered, but Mo is what won the series.  So overcome with emotion, that all he could was cry on the mound.  And because of it, he was carried off the field in the arms of his teammates as he tipped his cap to the fans.

Then there's the favorite memory of my life.  August 9, 2005.  Not a memorable date for baseball reasons, but  for me it marked a special occasion.  I was given the opportunity to go inside the Yankees dugout, and outside of their clubhouse.  I sat next to Joe Torre, and shook hands with Jorge Posada.  I even got to have a 5 second conversation with Derek Jeter.  But then there was Mo.  I was this wide-eyed 12  year old.  I remember looking around the tunnel area outside the clubhouse.  I see this shadowy figure coming down the steps of the dugout.  A skinny, tall man walking slowly with this calmness and confidence.  It was #42.  There was Mo, this living legend, this icon, the greatest of all time.  And there I was, a little kid, simply in awe of what I saw.  My voice squeaked, "Mo!"  He looked at me with that famous smile, and with the same soft spoken tone he has patented he said back at me, "Hey buddy, how you doing?"  The rest of the conversation is blurry to me because I couldn't believe who I was standing next to.  I had this book of pictures, and I flipped to the one of him, and handed him a marker.  He inked his elegant and simple signature on the photo.  He handed me the book and said, "Enjoy buddy," still smiling.  All I could muster was, "thank you."  Not thank you for the autograph, of course I meant that too, but thank you for all that you have done for the team that means so much to me.  Thank you for closing, and being so damn good at it.

Forgive me if I'm a little understated, or cliche, but it's hard for me to put the words down on the page.  Thinking that this might be the end, with the way it happened, it's difficult to find the right things to say that would do his accomplishments justice.  He's a great pitcher, but he's an even better human being.  So for this injury to possibly cause the end of one of the most remarkable careers in sports history just doesn't seem right.  Last night when I heard he tore his ACL, I almost cried.  I had to fight back tears, it goes way beyond being a Yankee fan or a Mariano fan, it was about feeling for this incredible person.

So if this is the end, thank you Mo.  Words fall short here because of all you've done, but thank you for everything you've meant to me and my team.  God bless and I hope you have an easy recovery.

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Obviously we know now that Mariano is planning on returning in 2013, which certainly changed my mood and made me feel a lot better.  I never should've thought this would be the end, that wouldn't be Mo.  Of course he was going to come back, nobody knows how to close like Mo, and what a better way to finish off a career than a triumphant return to the Bronx.

Rainy Sunday Video

Rainy Sunday from Joe Peyronnin on Vimeo.

Spring Break

It was really nice to have a week off to relax, here's what I did over break.

Podcast Profile: Colin Curtis' story

Here's another podcast I did, this time on a much less prominent Yankee, but one with a great story nonetheless.  This one is about the path to the majors of outfielder Colin Curtis.

What Pettitte's return means for the Yankees

Here is a podcast I did regarding Pettitte's comeback to the Bronx.  I break down the signing and what it might mean for the team in 2012.

 
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Photo Credit: New York Daily News

Shaking out the rotation

Going off a great article written by Chad Jennings of the Journal News, there seems to be a misconception as to the 5-man starting rotation for the 2012 season.


To everyone it seems obvious that there is only 1 spot up for grabs at this point, the 5th slot, between Freddy Garcia and Phil Hughes.  However, Joe Girardi said some interesting things today in Tampa about how he views his group of starters, and that only CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda are guaranteed a place in the rotation.  "We’ve got a competition here," he said. "We have to iron out five spots, and sometimes the five you leave with aren’t the five you end up with. We’ve got time. There’s no rush."

Just based on the words said, that would mean we are to assume that not even last year's 16-game winner Ivan Nova, and this winter's prized pickup Michael Pineda are locked in.  

"If they go out and they struggle," Girardi explained, "or they perform badly in spring training and they don’t have anything, or they’re not right where they’re supposed to be and you guaranteed them that spot and we say, ‘You know what, we don’t think you’re ready and we’re going to send you down,’ the guy goes, ‘You guaranteed me a spot and I was working on things.’ You gotta go out and earn it."

To me the quotes look like typical coach-speak, and overall fairly vague.  What I take away from that is that CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda are his number 1 and 2 starters.  Everything after that is open.  Not open as in they are looking for 3 starters, but open as in they are looking to fill spots 3-5, and figure out which pitcher fills which spot.  We know who he has to choose from, there can't be any surprises in terms of filling those three spots.  We know Pineda will be there because if he's not, why give up Jesus Montero for him?  Nova will be there too, he came up huge last year, and exceeded most people's expectations.  What Girardi was trying to say was that he hasn't told anybody that they are the "3rd starter," etc.  He's letting them know that they're going to be in the rotation, but that they have to earn their place in terms of number.

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On another note, today Girardi announced Robinson Cano will be his third hitter this year, and that he will build the lineup from there.  He said nobody else is fixed in their place in the order, but he'd like to have Cano be the permanent third hitter, and with good reason.

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Photo Credit: Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post

Week Wrapup

It was a busy week for the Bombers, with a few additions to the roster, the position players reporting to camp, spring training is in full swing today with the full squad in Tampa.

Just to recap a few of the goings-on from this past week at George Steinbrenner Field in sunny Florida:

• Yankees add DH/OF Raul Ibanez

The team came to terms with the 39-year-old slugger on Tuesday on a 1-year, $1.1 million Major League deal.  With the addition, the team fills its need for a left-handed hitting power hitter for the designated hitter position.  It appears at this point that the DH spot will be rotated between Andruw Jones (righty) and Ibanez, depending on the opposing team's pitcher that day.  

Ibanez is a professional hitter, and brings his presence to an already potent lineup, filling a hole the team had for great value.  In 2011, Ibanez hit .245, but clubbed 20 homers, and 84 RBI in 535 at-bats for the Phillies.  While his batting average, and on base percentage, .289, may not be much to write home about, Citizens Bank Park is similar to Yankee Stadium in terms of its dimensions and the way it plays for left-handed hitters.  The production the Phillies got out of him certainly compensates for the subpar numbers. The Yankees should expect similar production out of Ibanez because he won't be playing in the field everyday, and he slides into a lineup that will certainly allow him to face more than a fair share of fastballs. That type of run production for the $1.1 million they signed him for could turn into another great bargain for Brian Cashman.

• Bringing back IF Eric Chavez

On Tuesday night, the team agreed to terms for a 1-year, $900,000 contract with Chavez.  After adding Ibanez to the fold, the only remaining hole in the offense was a backup corner infielder.  Last year that role was filled by Chavez, and they were able to bring him back for the 2012 campaign.  Before breaking a bone in his foot in May, Chavez hit .303/.410/.606 with 6 RBI in 33 at-bats.  Chavez adds flexibility to the roster as a 3B/1B, as well as a DH if need be.  With these two additions, it seems as though the 25-man roster is all but set (with the exception of 1 reliever), and it will be a very tough group to crack for a non-roster invitee.

• Adding RP David Aardsma to the fold

On Wednesday Aardsma and the Yankees came to terms on a 1-year, $500,000 deal, with a club option for 2013.  Aardsma is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and likely won't see the Majors until after the All-Star break, but this move points towards the future.  In 2009 and 2010, he was the closer for the Mariners, and amassed 69 combined saves in 78 opportunities.  If he is to make any impact in pinstripes, it'll likely be in 2013, and possibly beyond in a new-look bullpen should Mariano Rivera retire.  While Cashman denies that this move is a response to the speculated retirement, it sure seems that way.  Aardsma probably won't be the guy to replace Rivera, or even the 2nd or 3rd in line for that responsibility, but he's just another name to throw into the hat to add more depth to arguably the best bullpen in the game.

With the whole team in camp, and the roster virtually completed, we can finally begin to talk about baseball.

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Photo Credit: Corey Spinkin/New York Daily News

It's official: Burnett is out

The rumors had been rampant for about a week, but the feeling had been growing for a few months.  Yankee fans, and people within the organization knew A.J. Burnett was a goner, it was just a matter of when, and where.  With the winter additions of righties Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda, Burnett's days in the Bronx were no doubt numbered.  There were now 7 starters to fit into a 5-man rotation, somebody had to go, and he was likely to be the odd man out.


Well now it is official, A.J. Burnett is no longer a New York Yankee.  On Friday, reports said that the Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates had finally agreed upon to the rumored deal that would send the righty to the Bucs.  The Yankees would be sending the inconsistent 35-year-old to Pittsburgh along with $20 million of the $33 million remaining on his contract, in exchange for two minor leaguers, outfielder Exicardo Cayones, 20, and reliever Diego Moreno, 25.  Because of the large amount of cash being sent from New York to Pittsburgh, the teams were waiting upon approval from the Commissioner's Office to make it a done deal.  Today, Burnett passed his physical with the Pirates, and the powers that be cleared the trade.


Burnett's three-year tenure with the Bombers was certainly an odd one, a time of ups and downs on the mound.  There were some poor moments, cutting his hands after a bad outing two seasons ago, pitching with an unexplained black eye in 2010, and a rumored feud with manager Joe Girardi in 2011.  And there were some good moments, Game 2 of the 2009 World Series.  After losing Game 1 at the hands of Cliff Lee and the Phillies, Burnett came up big in a must-win spot and made a name for himself as a Yankee with a 7-inning, 4-hit, 9-strikeout performance to even the series.  Much of the time since that October evening don't serve as good memories for Burnett or Yankee fans, as he went a combined 21-26, with a 5.20 ERA over the 2010 and 2011 seasons, hardly living up to the 5-year, $82.5 million contract he signed prior to the 2009 season.


With the move of Burnett to Pittsburgh, the Yankees rotation picture looks a little clearer as pitchers and catchers officially reported today.  As of today, it seems that Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia will compete for the final spot in a rotation that will include CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, and Hiroki Kuroda.  In addition, with approximately $13 million coming off the payroll, the team is said to be pursuing, and rumored to sign, both OF/DH Raul Ibanez, and IF Eric Chavez.
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Photo Credit: Associated Press

Getting Started

I've been a huge Yankee fan my entire life.  Ever since I can remember they've been a big part of my life, and they are truly something that I love.  The team, and the sport has really given my life direction, because when I'm older I want to be a play-by-play announcer.
Since the season is about to start, pitchers and catchers report in 6 days, I think this an appropriate blog to start up.  On this site I hope to keep people up-to-date on what's going with the team, in terms of rumors, games played, and whatever else is surrounding the organization.
The goal is to be informative, and insightful, and not too biased.  Hopefully I can do all of that, and keep the blog current.