A Little Catching Up

I'm so not a fan of blogging once a week. My schedule is pretty hectic right now though I anticipate it dying down soon. I typically blog during my lunch break at work but that hour has been overrun by meetings and having to spend it catching up on other stuff because of meetings. So not fun. Today's a free day, so here I am. Let her rip.

Chan Ho Park is now officially a Yankee. His arrival should strengthen what I think is already a pretty solid bullpen. The only downside to the move is that to make room for Park on the 40-man roster, the Yankees had to designate Edwar Ramirez for assignment. Depending on your view of Edwar, it may or may not be a bad thing. I've never been a big Edwar fan so for me, it's not a bad thing. Edwar had some promise but by and large he never materialized into much of anything. His 2008 campaign was decent. He pitched to a 3.90 ERA and opponents hit .215 off of him. His 2007 and 2009 season were dismal. In those seasons, he combined to throw 43 innings, allowing 49 hits and 32 walks (1.88 WHIP) and had an ERA just south of 7 at 6.91. Edwar is also turning 29 in a few weeks and I believe that makes him the oldest RP on the staff next to Damaso Marte (35), Sergio Mitre (6 weeks older than Ramirez), Park(36), and the legend Mariano Rivera (40). Marte is a lefty so Edwar loses there. Mitre can start so Edwar loses there. Comparing Edwar to Mariano is like comparing me to Mariano. So that pretty much leaves Park. So it comes down to who would you rather have: Edwar or Park? I'll take Park. He's been around. He's more reliable. He can start in a pinch. I don't think he's by any means a saving grace, but he doesn't have to be. I like the move. Who knows? Maybe Edwar will make it through the process and return to the organization.

We're 2 days away from the spring opener. I'm so excited. I have to remember to set the DVR. The only drawback of ST games, besides that the scrubs play most of the games, is that they're usually in the afternoon. Can't wait to start watching the highlight shows. I'm just hoping I can fit it in around my kids schedules. Can't miss Handy Manny. Chad Gaudin will start the opener but the real fun starts on Thursday when CC Sabathia squares off against Roy Halladay in a Worl Series rematch. This could very well end up being the same matchup we see for game 1 of the 2010 World Series. I'm looking forward to each tossing their handful of innings.

The last thing I wanted to discuss was the contract status of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Is it me or does it seem like the media is making a big deal out of the Yankees not negotiating with these guys prior to the end of their contracts? It's gotten way too much play if you ask me. It was even mentioned during the news portion of The Howard Stern Show. This is such a non-story. Both of these guys will be back in Pinstripes next year and neither are bothered by the fact that the Yankees are waiting to negotiate the deals with them. There is absolutely zero chance that these guys end up somewhere else. I wouldn't be surprised if their deals are signed within a week of the end of the season. The Yankees basically just need to give these guys whatever they want.

I had plans to write a little more but my lunch is about to end and I'm off to a meeting. Lunch breaks are never truly lunch breaks because people still come up to me and need something. I spent about 45 minutes writing this and I'd say that 25 of those minutes were spent doing work things. Part of the reason I'm waiting for these games to start is because I'll blog after the games and tweet during the games. The activity here will definitely be picking up. My apologies again for the delay in posting.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie