Yankees Sign Marcus Thames

Thames could be the Yanks go-to pinch hitter this season

Marcus Thames has rejoined the Yanks, signing a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.  If the 33-year-old makes the opening day roster, he will make $900,000.

The outfielder/ first baseman has made more headlines with his bat than his glove during his career. The former Yankee prospect’s first major league at-bat got him a curtain call after hitting a homerun off of Randy Johnson on June 10, 2002.

Thames was a top prospect after hitting 31 homers for AA Norwich in 2001, but was traded to Texas for pinch hitting superstar Ruben Sierra in the middle of the 2003 season.  Thames has spent 2004-2009 in the Tigers Organization.

Last year, he hit .252 with 13 home runs in 294 at bats and will provide a much needed right handed power source off the bench.

That is if he makes the team.

Thames may very well be competing for the final outfield spot on the roster with newly-acquired Jamie Hoffman.  Whoever shows the most promise will most certainly be heading up north at the beginning of April.

Thames hopes he’s heading to New York, not Scranton.

SWISHA Met Your Motha

Monday night marked the acting debut of Nick Swisher on an episode of CBS’s How I Met Your Mother.

Swisher enjoyed filming the show, but probably not as much as winning the Series

The episode, entitled “The Perfect Week” had a baseball theme as the main character Barney tries to score with a different woman each night of the week.  There were baseball references galore including not mentioning “the perfect week” for fear of jinxing it as well as the sound score from the movie Major League.

Barney’s perfect week was almost ruined during his attempt at sealing the deal with girl number seven.  He was close to closing out the game when Swisher, playing himself, walked into the bar.

As, the show pointed out, you can’t compete with a New York Yankee. Just look at the list of women Yankees have dated over the years.

Better yet, go look at some pictures.

Goodbye Johnny Damon...We'll miss you and your wife

This was my first time watching the show and it wasn’t bad. I liked the baseball references and the cameo by Jim Nantz, which was hilarious.  Swisher didn’t say much, but it’s fun seeing a player doing something other than playing baseball.

Derek Jeter and George Steinbrenner still have the edge with the acting chops, as both have hosted Saturday Night Live. Jeter, Bernie Williams, and Paul O’Neill, Danny Tartabull have all appeared on Seinfeld at one time or another as well.

Although it was cool seeing Swisher, if you’re like me, you can’t wait until you see him and the rest of the Yankees on the field in Florida starting spring training.

Who is Jamie Hoffmann?

By Brenden Monroe

As of right now, it looks like the Yankees left field situation will be a platoon of Brett Gardner and newly acquired Jamie Hoffman.  Hoffman has come over from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 draft, which means that if he does not make the Bombers opening day roster, he has to be sent back to L.A.  On top of that, he must remain on the roster for the remainder of the season.

If the Yanks were going to take a gamble like that, then they would definitely do it for a good young player.

We all know what Gardner brings to the table: blazing speed and great range, a weak bat and arm, and all-out hustle.  He will take the extra base and steal a base in a clutch situation.

With all that being said, he has not proven that he is an everyday player.  Yankee fans are living with the fact that Johnny Damon will not be their left fielder next year, but they are still wondering what Hoffman will bring to the ballpark in the Bronx.

Jamie Jerome Hoffmann is a right handed hitter from Minnesota who stands at 6′3, 205 pounds. According to baseball-reference.com, in five minor league seasons, Hoffman hit .283 with 36 HR’s and 279 RBIs.  This includes his stint with the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes last year where he hit .291 with 10 HR’s and 64 RBIs.

Baseball America has rated him as an above average defender in all categories, which is something the Yankees need considering Nick Swisher still roams right field.

He will have this spring training to prove himself worthy of wearing the pinstripes on opening day.

Otherwise, it’s back to Albuquerque.

As seen on Smoking With Hank

Derek Jeter Tying the Knot: Which World Series Ring Will His Wedding Ring Replace?

Usually at this point of the year you hear about the market for certain players.  How much money can they make? How many years will they get? Which team wants him?

Oh, you wish

Well, this isn’t about that market.  This is about the market for Derek Jeter’s love.

Jeter has been a star since he burst on the scene in 1996, scooping up numerous world series rings and hot female celebrities.  He has dated everyone from Mariah to Minka and is the only man who can answer which Jessica is better.

Dear God, Thank You. Sincerely, Men

Most women don’t care if Jeter’s range is fading, but they will care about this report from the Associated Press:

NEW YORK – Admirers of Yankees most eligible bachelor Derek Jeter could be cheering a World Series victory in November — then mourning his marriage a few days later.

The New York Post reports Sunday that the star shortstop and girlfriend Minka Kelly will be married Nov. 5 on Long Island. Acting on a tip, a reporter posing as a bride-to-be spotted an entry reading “JETER wedding” on the calendar for the Oheka Castle in Huntington, N.Y. Sales manager Rick Bellando insisted that a celebrity wouldn’t be listed under his real name when the reporter pointed it out.

The Oheka Castle is the second-largest private residence in the United States and recently hosted the wedding of one of the Jonas Brothers.

This brings up a lot of questions. Is this story true? When will Rick Bellando get fired? One of the Jonas Brothers got married? They’re still relevant?

One thing is for certain; Jeter was smart enough to book it for after the World Series.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mrs. Derek Jeter

Off-season Issues: The Bullpen

The Yankees have once again had a dominant off-season, trading for Curtis Granderson and Javier Vazquez while signing Nick Johnson.  There are still a few holes remaining that need to be filled before the 2010 season starts.

Today let’s focus on the bullpen.

Last season, Phil Hughes became arguably the most important man in the bullpen not named Mariano Rivera.  Damaso Marte, who I ripped on repeatedly, became the Graham Lloyd of 2009, making me eat my words by dominating everyone he faced in the playoffs.  David Robertson was possibly the biggest surprise, finishing among the league leaders in K/9 (strikouts per every 9 innings) and of course, Mo was Mo.

Thankfully I was completely wrong about Marte

The Yanks have told Hughes and Joba Chamberlain to each prepare like they will be starters this year, which likely means that who performs the best this Spring Training may earn themselves the 5th spot in the rotation.  Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin will be in the mix for the rotation as well.  Robertson will be back, along with Marte.

Brian Cashman does not seem to be inclined to sign another arm for the pen (for the reason why, Google “Kyle Farnsworth”).  This means that the aforementioned names will make up the pen, along with some young arms.

Mark Melancon struggled last year during his stints in the big apple, but he has put up great numbers in the minor leagues.  If he can make the jump from AAA to the majors and not become a AAAA pitcher, then the Yankees will have an extremely dominant pen.

I need to get back on my pedestal and reiterate something that I have mentioned anytime I write down his name:  Joba Chamberlain needs to be in the bullpen.  The Yankees have their next closer in Chamberlain and this season will be the perfect one to get him into the bullpen.  They have four solid starters, and three guys (Hughes, Mitre, and Gaudin) who could capably handle the 5th spot in the rotation.

Joba needs be pumping his fist in relief appearances, not starts

At the beginning of the 2009 season, although earning a starting role, Chamberlain was the backup plan if Mo went down with a prolonged injury.  Chamberlain lost a few mph on his fastball as a starter, but as a reliever in the World Series, his fastball was up around 95-97mph.  If you miss the catcher’s target, you better have a fastball fast enough to throw by batters.  Joba needs to be at that speed considering his lack of strike-throwing.  If he proves to be a solid setup man, the combination of Joba and Mo could possibly be even more effective than 2009’s Metallica combo.  That is Hughes and Rivera.  Hughes would enter the game to Metallica’s “All Nightmare Long” while Rivera comes out of the pen to “Enter Sandman”.

Get it? Metallica Combo?....Yeah I am clever

Don’t expect any signings by the Yanks in regards to the bullpen.  The Bombers will rely on in-house options.  Other than left field, the bullpen will be the most interesting storyline to watch this spring training.

YESSSSS!!!!

27!!!!!!!!!
What the hell am I supposed to write besides
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

MLB Considers Rule Change

Game four of the World Series gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead in the series.

It may have also changed the way the game is played.

The game came to a standstill in both the first and fifth innings as the Jorge Posada met with CC Sabathia multiple times. Fourteen times to be exact.

Posada and Sabathia wore out a 60-foot, 6-inch path between the mound and home plate, including a span where they visited each other four times during one Jayson Werth at-bat.

This has been an all too familiar scene this postseason

“It’s just part of the game,” Posada told the Associated Press (AP). “We want to talk to each other so we know what we’re doing.”

Major League Baseball’s vice president of umpiring Mike Port said that frequent mound meetings will be discussed during the off-season.

“It would fall under the province of pace of game,”said Port.

Not everyone agrees with the possibility of changing the rules, including Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland.

“You can’t take away from the beauty of the game. I know fans get upset and Major League Baseball may get upset with that, but that’s just part of the game.” Eiland told the AP.

There are currently rules that apply to coaches visits to the mound, but none that limit the amount of times players can meet. A coach can visit the mound once per inning and any more visits means the pitcher must be taken out of the game. To prevent long games, MLB has tried to enforce the few rules they do have in place to dictate a quicker pace of play.

The most notable player to be penalized is Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Paplebon, who was fined a few times this season for failing to deliver a pitch in a reasonable amount of time.

Eiland has a better idea to help shorten the games. “Don’t take three minutes between innings. You know how many times a pitcher is standing on the mound waiting for the umpires call to throw the first pitch?” he said.

Chase Utley is an American Psycho

I am really digging Chase Utley’s Patrick Bateman haircut:

Seriously, he looks like Bateman with hat-hair and minus the chiseled physique.  I wonder if he kills hookers in his spare time? Is he obsessed over business cards?  Does he listen to Phil Collins?

More on that later…..

DON’T JUST STARE AT IT!!! EAT IT!!!

-Brenden

WORLD SERIES BOUND

I am beyond excited for the WS to start.
Complete preview coming this afternoon and I just want to point out that basically all of my ALCS predictions came true.
YANKEES IN SIX!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Brenden

Steve Phillips Fails at Life Too…

If you thought trading Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano was stupid, check this out

So far he has been suspended by ESPN for a week and his wife has decided not to extend their marital contract for the 2010 season.