Yankees come north after successful spring

The Yankees finished spring training with the best record (22-10-1) in the Grapefruit League.

The biggest surprise of the spring may have been Brett Gardner's emergence as the newest star in the Yankees Galaxy. His strong spring showing earned him the honor of being the 2009 recipient of the James P. Dawson Award.
He also will be the starting CF on Opening Day, edging out Melky Cabrera.

The speedy 25-year-old Gardner batted .390 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 7RBIs and 5 stolen bases in 24 games.

The power numbers were surprising, as he had a reputation of being a singles hitter.

So, will he be the next great Yankee CF, following in the footsteps of Mantle, Murcer, DiMaggio, and Williams, or just a guy who had a great spring?

Only time will tell.

Go Yankees

Yankee bats are coming alive

A-Rod, Giambi and Posada all belted homers in yesterday's battle with the Royals. This is the team I expected, one with power, and the ability to put up a lot of runs in a hurry. So, I'm pretty happy about that. The staff is ailing, though. While it may have been Andy Pettitte's worst game in years, if the pen wasn't in such disarray, he would have been gone long before the Guillen grand slam.
Today, Joba takes the hill in his second start. I'm not sure how many pitches he is scheduled to throw, but it is pretty damned stupid to announce it before the game like they did last time.
Melky Cabrera is becoming one of my favorites. He seems to get lost in the shuffle, and yet, his upside is so tremendous. It's hard to believe he is only 23 and this is only his 3rd year as a full time player. His predecessor in center, Bernie Williams, was sent to the minors at age 23.
I know Melky's name was bandied about over the winter in trade talks, but I firmly believe he will be, one day, mentioned in the same way other great former Yankee players are-- joining Mickey, Joe D., Bernie, and Bobby Murcer as legendary players who have patrolled centerfield in the Bronx.



Go Yankees