Yankees baseball blog

Giambi to miss at least three weeks

Yankees slugger Jason Giambi will be shelved for at least three weeks with torn tissue in the arch of his left foot. Giambi, 36, was examined in New York on Thursday by Dr. William Hamilton, an orthopedic foot and ankle specialist. Giambi has been informed that he is suffering from plantar fasciitis and a partial tear of his plantar fascia, the band of tissue connecting his heel to his toes.

Giambi will be placed in a walking boot and is scheduled to be re-evaluated in three weeks, Yankees team spokesman Jason Zillo said. The Yankees will officially place Giambi on the 15-day disabled list prior to Friday's game at Fenway Park in Boston, where the club is set to open a three-game series with the Red Sox. Continue

Ankle sprain will keep Hughes out

The Yankees might be adding Roger Clemens to their rotation on Monday, but don't look for Phil Hughes to rejoin them anytime soon. Hughes, who has been in Tampa rehabbing a strained left hamstring for most of May, suffered a Grade 3 sprain - the most severe grade - of his left ankle while doing agility drills on Friday.

Hughes underwent an MRI on his ankle yesterday, and the test revealed the severity of the injury, which will keep him from getting on a mound for 4-6 weeks. The setback will likely push his return to the end of July or the beginning of August. "It's frustrating," said Hughes in an e-mail. "But it's in the past. I'm just focusing on getting back as soon as I can. That's pretty much all I can do." Hughes added that his hamstring is "completely fine," but the Yankees want him to stay off his ankle for the immediate future. "It just seems like nobody can catch a break right now," he said. Continue

As wife packs up, is A-Rod out at home?

Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez vowed yesterday that revelations about his off-the-field antics wouldn't affect his play for the slumping Bombers. "I certainly don't think this will be a distraction to our team," A-Rod said before last night's winning effort against the Toronto Blue Jays.

But it may be a distraction at home: His wife, Cynthia, brusquely left their East Side pad last night with two suitcases, refusing to speak with reporters. A-Rod wouldn't directly address reports that he spent Sunday night out on the town with a sexy blond gal pal - while his wife was back in New York with their 2-year-old daughter. But his manager, Joe Torre, spoke up for his star player after meeting with him in private. Continue

A-Rod sees no negatives

Despite the Yankees' sluggish start and the latest controversies swirling around him on and off the field, Alex Rodriguez reiterated last night that he wants to stay in New York beyond this season. Rodriguez has an opt-out clause in his contract that allows him to become a free agent at the end of the year but he has insisted that he wants to finish his career in pinstripes.

"I've always said, going back to what I said in Tampa a month and a half ago, that during my struggles in the middle of all of it last year, I wanted to stay in New York," Rodriguez said. "New York is the place for me." Rodriguez had no comment on his latest off-field issue, namely the published photos of him with a blond who was not his wife, Cynthia. "I have absolutely comment about anything personal," Rodriguez said. "I certainly don't think this will be a distraction to our team. With those two things said, if you guys have any baseball questions..." Continue

Yankees end five-game slide

The Yankees shunned batting practice on Wednesday and it paid dividends, snapping a five-game losing streak with a 10-5 victory over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre Wednesday. They'll be back to the recipe of getting their swings in the next time they suit up, but given their success, who knows what they might skip then?

Seeking to shake up their offensive doldrums, the Yankees were permitted to take their time getting to the stadium, only briefly stretching on the field before lining up for dual national anthems. But once the game started, the Yankees had their 5 o'clock swings intact, ripping Blue Jays rookie Jesse Litsch for five runs in the top of the first inning. Continue

Stray-Rod

Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez stepped up to the plate with a mysterious, busty blonde in Toronto, as these intimate, exclusive photos reveal. The cozy duo dined with two pals at a pricey steakhouse late Sunday night, then headed to a glitzy strip club before making their way to his hotel, where the pair ducked into an elevator and headed upstairs just after midnight.

Cynthia Rodriguez - A-Rod's wife and mother of their 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Natasha - was nowhere to be seen during the slugger's big night out on the town, which occurred the evening before the last-place Bronx Bombers' pathetic 7-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. And it came as Rodriguez took a room at Toronto's Four Seasons hotel - down the street from the Park Hyatt, where most, if not all of his Yankee teammates and coaches are staying during a three-game stint that ends tonight. "No comment," Rodriguez said when The Post asked him about his north-of-the-border jaunt with the blonde. Continue

Cut-bloat biz

STOP talking about Todd Helton and Richie Sexson now. Those are not solutions for the Yankees. That is the cancer. That is the reason why they are in this horrible state: Their unquenchable habit of meeting every crisis by going to players who are famous, expensive and almost certainly have already played the best baseball of their careers.

This is how you end up with Jason Giambi for seven years or Johnny Damon for four or Bobby Abreu for 11/2. They were all instant gratification with no concern for the future, kind of like driving a Hummer today with no concern that will some day lead to your grandchildren clearing the polar icecaps from their back yards. Continue

Clemens won't face Red Sox

Roger Clemens will not face the Red Sox this weekend. As much as the idea of the Rocket coming in to spark some type of inspiring turnaround at Fenway Park may be intriguing, the Yankees think they would be better served by keeping their front three pitchers on schedule. Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte are in line to face the Red Sox.

Joe Torre said he would not commit to a date for Clemens to make his first major-league start of the season until he talks to Clemens. However, Torre said: "All indications are that he's ready to go. It's probably going to be the first day in Chicago." Continue

Jason to take cortisone shot

Jason Giambi will get a cortisone shot tomorrow, taking another step to deal with the pain caused by a bone spur and plantar fasciitis in his left foot. While the Yankees head to Boston following tonight's finale in Toronto, Giambi will return to New York to receive the injection tomorrow morning. Although players typically need a couple of days to rest after getting a shot, the Yankees are hoping that Giambi will be ready to play against the Red Sox on Friday night.

"We can't afford to let ourselves fall any farther back," Giambi said. "In a perfect world, we would have a couple of days to heal, but unfortunately, we don't have that time." "He feels he needs to play and we feel the same way; he's a presence in the lineup, even if he's not 100%," Joe Torre said. "People are still fearful of him, but we'd much prefer a healthier guy at this point." Continue

Late sac fly downs Yanks in Toronto

Johnny Damon charged down the first-base line, ripping past artificial turf as fast as his aching 33-year-old frame would carry him, just in case the Yankees had some unforeseen gasp of hope. And as Damon was retired on a routine putout, ending the Blue Jays' 3-2 victory at Rogers Centre on Tuesday, the center fielder skidded his batting gloves disgustedly across the roof of the dugout, bounced his helmet and disappeared from view.

New York's season, it seems, is in danger of doing the same. The Yankees fell eight games below .500 with their fifth straight loss, suffering the indignity of watching Toronto's Aaron Hill successfully steal home plate on starter Andy Pettitte in the seventh inning. Continue

Late sac fly downs Yanks in Toronto

Johnny Damon charged down the first-base line, ripping past artificial turf as fast as his aching 33-year-old frame would carry him, just in case the Yankees had some unforeseen gasp of hope. And as Damon was retired on a routine putout, ending the Blue Jays' 3-2 victory at Rogers Centre on Tuesday, the center fielder skidded his batting gloves disgustedly across the roof of the dugout, bounced his helmet and disappeared from view.

New York's season, it seems, is in danger of doing the same. The Yankees fell eight games below .500 with their fifth straight loss, suffering the indignity of watching Toronto's Aaron Hill successfully steal home plate on starter Andy Pettitte in the seventh inning. Continue

Yankees payroll

Yankees payroll as of opening day $195,229,045 according to Baseball Prospectus.com.

DJ: None of your business

Derek Jeter might be the Yankee least likely to share anything he considers a private team matter. He would not be the guy to pass along details from yesterday's pregame team meeting. But Jeter has no problem delivering a message to teammates if and when he thinks they need it."Just because I don't tell the media what I do, don't think that I don't speak to people," he said yesterday. "Everything doesn't have to be dealt with through the media. If I think something needs to be said, I'll say it."

Whether Jeter, as the team captain, has felt the need to say much lately is not something he would acknowledge. "Losing, it should bother you," he said. "It should be something that doesn't make you feel good. You should never accept losing. When you accept losing, that's when you're in trouble." Continue

Rocket zeroes in on relaunch

Ignite the Rocket engines. The Yankees' $28 million ace is ready to join Joe Torre's rotation after his third and final minor-league tune-up with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees last night. The only question is if Roger Clemens' second stint in pinstripes will be the magic elixir that saves a season falling apart at the seams.

"I'm ready to go. I'll do the best I can when they give me the ball. I have expectations to do well. I'm ready to get back with those guys," Clemens said after working six shutout innings against the Toledo Mud Hens, surrendering two hits with two walks and six strikeouts. "We still have a long part of the season left. The talent that this team has, on the major league level, is like none other. Guys'll get it going. I'm sure they're all feeling the same way. They know it's there. They just need to put it all together." Continue

Cashman's backers have the boss' ear

Just like a year ago, when GM Brian Cashman talked George Steinbrenner out of firing Joe Torre, there are voices within the Yankee organization telling The Boss that boxing Cashman isn't the right move. Steinbrenner put his GM in the crosshairs Friday when he said, "He is on a big hook." Since the Yankees have lost all four games since Steinbrenner voiced his displeasure with Cashman, The Boss' frustration rises with every defeat.

"There are people trying to talk him out of it," an organizational voice said yesterday. Since The Boss has been leaning on his sons, Hank and Hal, it's likely they are backing Cashman, whom Steinbrenner's family genuinely likes. Continue

McGowan sharp in win over Yankees

Dustin McGowan turned in the strongest start of his young career, shutting down the Yankees en route to a 7-2 victory for the Blue Jays on Monday night at Rogers Centre. The win marked the first for McGowan as a Toronto starter since Aug. 9, 2005, which was his first season in the Majors. The 25-year-old right-hander, who has been given the chance by the Jays to be a full-time starter this season, shut out New York for seven frames before yielding a two-run home run to Hideki Matsui in the eighth. Entering Monday's outing vs. the Yankees, McGowan (1-2) was 1-7 with a 7.52 ERA in 14 career starts for Toronto (23-27).

Against New York (21-28), McGowan gave up five hits, walked one and set career highs with seven strikeouts and 7 2/3 innings. The Yankees, who have lost four straight, had runners on first and second base with two outs in the second, but McGowan induced an inning-ending fly ball from Doug Mientkiewicz to end the threat. Continue

Joe hears the Bronx cheers

Good thing the Yankees are leaving town for 11 days - it will take at least that long to fumigate the Stadium from the rancid odor left behind by the home team. The fans even let Joe Torre have it yesterday, booing the manager for his ill-fated decision to replace Mike Mussina with Scott Proctor in the seventh inning.

It should have been occasion to celebrate a strong rebound from Mussina after his previous two clunkers, but disaster started looming almost from the moment Proctor entered. The usually reliable Proctor couldn’t throw a strike, and before long the Angels had the lead and a 4-3 victory over the Yankees to complete a three-game weekend sweep. Continue

Faith may be blind; hard numbers aren't

They are all in the same predicament - members of a $200-million team 12 1/2 games out of first place and only a game out of the cellar - yet their perception of that predicament seems to vary based on where they sit, in the clubhouse and in team history.

To Joe Torre and Brian Cashman and Derek Jeter, especially Jeter, there is no question that what is happening to the Yankees right now is merely a temporary condition, zits on a beauty queen, and nothing that a couple of wins won't cure.They are of the generation that not only was raised on "Yankeeography" but starred in it. They cannot conceive of this kind of world, an alternate universe in which the Yankees are not only not dominant, but non-competitive. Continue

Spirit of '78 is history in Bronx

Let's get the obligatory reference to 1978 out of the way. Not that anyone needs reminding, but those Yankees were under so much dirt, it's a wonder they could breathe, and they still managed to claw and scratch from 14 games back and win the World Series. Blah, blah, blah, Bucky Dent. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ron Guidry. Fight, fight, fight, Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin.

It's never too late to invoke the Boston Massacre, even if this season is drifting away from the Yankees quicker than a busted raft at Jones Beach. Following another ugly, dispiriting loss yesterday, the Yankees tumbled to 12-1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the American League East, and the nicest thing we can say about the Bombers is they won't be around to sully the Bronx for the next couple of weeks. "Twelve is a lot and that's just in the division," said Mike Mussina, honestly articulating what millions of Yankee fans are screaming. Continue

Walks cost Yankees in finale

Scott Proctor's seventh-inning wildness cost New York on Sunday, as the right-hander walked in two runs to help the Angels rally and sweep the Yankees with a 4-3 win. Mike Mussina pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out six, and backup catcher Wil Nieves had a big day at the plate. Neither performance, however, could get the Yankees out of their funk.

The Yankees struck first in the second inning. Nieves brought in Bobby Abreu with a two-out single to left field en route to a two-hit, two-RBI day. Nieves' second hit came in the fourth, which plated Robinson Cano -- who reached on a double that extended his season-best hitting streak to 11 games -- from second base. Continue

The manager strikes back

Maybe it was meant to divert attention from his players. Or maybe it was just frustration bubbling over. Whatever the case, in 12 seasons as Bombers manager, Joe Torre has never shown as much anger as he did in the Yankee clubhouse yesterday. The source of Torre's ire was a questionable called third strike to Bobby Abreu that ended the Yankees' listless 3-1 loss to the Angels at the Stadium, and left the tying runs on base.

"The sad part about it is that you stand there at home plate and take strike three and it's in the other batter's box," Torre said of home plate umpire Jeff Nelson's call. "We'd like to at least be able to determine our own fate. There's no excuse for it and then (Nelson) has the nerve to argue back at Abreu." Continue

Under pressure

If George Steinbrenner thought his angry words would immediately turn the Yankees' lagging season around, he was wrong. The Yankees have lost two straight games since Steinbrenner's proclamation from Tampa that just about everyone involved with the struggling team was on notice and GM Brian Cashman was "on a big hook." Clearly, the Boss' loud words did not have their intended effect.

"The frustration is very high," Joe Torre said, speaking carefully about what the owner's words meant to his team after his squad lost to the Angels, 3-1 yesterday in The Bronx, hours after they fell 10-6 on Friday night. Continue

Yankees drop game, set to Angels

There are different methods of venting frustration: One of the pillars in the Yankees' clubhouse is scarred with crumbling plaster, with the indentation of a bat barrel clearly visible. The Yankees chose a different avenue for letting off steam on Saturday, taking aim at home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson for his called strikeout of Bobby Abreu, ending their 3-1 loss to the Angels and stranding the tying runs on base.

The events turned manager Joe Torre's tone uncharacteristically testy, who called the play "sad" and a "joke" while saying that the Yankees wished Abreu at least could have determined his own fate. "When you literally take the bat out of somebody's hands, you can't do anything about it," Torre said. "It's not strike one. It's not strike two. It's strike three." Continue

Bossed around, taking it

All through the Yankees' mediocre start, general manager Brian Cashman has been saying some variation of "blame me." On Thursday night, The Boss did.

"He's on a big hook," George Steinbrenner told The Associated Press by telephone in a rare interview. "He wanted sole authority. He got it. Now he's got to deliver." Cashman's response? "There's no surprises here," he said. "Everyone's asking me what he says to me privately. He's said this to me privately ... He can say whatever he says because this is his team. "This is my job. It's my job to figure it out and get it going." Continue

Rocket countdown extended

The relaunch of the Rocket has been scrubbed. At least temporarily. While there had been talk of Roger Clemens making his much-anticipated Yankees debut in Toronto on Tuesday night, those plans have now been scrapped following Clemens' mediocre outing in Trenton on Wednesday night. Instead, the veteran righthander will take the mound Monday night for Triple-A Scranton against the Toledo Mud Hens in what could be his final minor league tuneup.

"We want him when he's ready, no sooner than that and no later than that," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said yesterday. "He's lined up to start Monday in Scranton and we'll take it start by start. We'll evaluate him after each start. When he's ready, then we'll launch him. But other than that you have to go through the process." Continue

Setback as Hughes twists his ankle

Rehabbing Phil Hughes twisted his left ankle Thursday, and even though the Bombers insist it’s no big deal, they scheduled their young phenom for an MRI. “Hughes turned his ankle a little, nothing serious. He was doing his agility drills and his spike got caught. They don't think it’s anything. It may set him back a couple of days,’’ Joe Torre said. “[GM Brian] Cashman told me he rolled it a little bit. They didn't seem to be concerned at all, but there's a chance it may set him back a couple of days.’’

Hughes was expected to have an MRI either last night or today. The rookie -- put on the DL May 3 with a strained left hamstring _ was expected to miss about six weeks, and the Yanks are still hoping he’ll be back in mid or late June. (NY Post)

Pitchers struggle, Yanks fall to Halos

Henry David Thoreau wrote that "in wildness is the preservation of the world." Well, since the Yankees are considered the arc of the baseball universe, about 50,363 fans at Yankee Stadium would disagree with the philosopher's statement after watching their pitchers get knocked around on Friday in a 10-6 loss to the Angels -- all because of wildness from the mound.

"If there was one common denominator, it was a lack of command tonight," manager Joe Torre said. The six walks (two intentional) were one thing, but for the most part, starter Tyler Clippard and those who followed just didn't throw quality pitches. Continue

Stimulus package

Twelve days ago, Johnny Damon tucked himself into a locker in Seattle’s Safeco Field and talked about how eventually he was going to ignite a dormant Yankees’ lineup. Two nights before the Yankees were blanked. In a few hours they would score one run. “It’s my job to get this offense going and it hasn’t happened yet,” the leadoff hitter said. “It starts at the top. I always tell the guys that if the first guy hits, everybody will hit.”

In his second Yankee season, Damon hasn’t always hit. Calf problems slowed him from Opening Day but weren’t serious enough to land him on the DL for the first time in his career. While Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi have been the biggest reasons the Yankees’ high-priced lineup has been inconsistent, Damon has to shoulder some of the blame. Continue

Bud takes aim at Giambi

Bud Selig will take his time over the next couple of weeks and decide whether he has the stomach for a legal fight over Jason Giambi. MLB officials who questioned Giambi about his latest steroid admission Wednesday are turning their report over to the commissioner, and it will be up to Selig whether to seek punishment that would no doubt draw a grievance from the Players Association.

MLB sources have said that "hawks" in the commissioner's office are pushing for Selig to punish Giambi for essentially admitting to USA Today last week that he had used steroids in the past, elaborating on what he said in February 2005 when he publicly apologized, but never said for what. Several MLB officials concede that they would probably lose an arbitration battle with the Players Association, but want Selig to force the union to defend a player outed as a longtime steroid user, and who was identified by the Daily News on Wednesday as having failed an amphetamines test last season. Continue

Jeter's next job? How 'bout owner

Derek Jeter already has one impressive title - Yankees captain - and eventually wouldn't mind trading that for another. How does Boss Jeter sound? The Yankees shortstop says he'd like to own a major league baseball franchise after his playing days are finished. Jeter first broached the subject in an interview with ESPN-1050 earlier this week. And he's got a role model in mind.

"Definitely I'd be hands on, I'd be like The Boss," Jeter said yesterday, referring to George Steinbrenner. Jeter, who turns 33 next month, hasn't considered the specifics, but Jorge Posada said he's already on board with Jeter, if and when a potential ownership opportunity arises, several years from now. "That would be the thing I'd like to do, too," Posada said. "Me and Derek together and a couple of guys, we'll see. You're going to need some guys to help you out obviously, but it would be a lot of fun." Continue

Rocket not rockin'

Hold off on the Rocket re-launch. In his second minor-league start after signing a one-year, $28 million prorated deal with the Yankees, Roger Clemens clearly looked his 44 years of age in his start for the Double-A Trenton Thunder and may need another tune-up before putting on the pinstripes.

Unlike last Friday's mostly seamless effort pitching for the Single-A Tampa Yankees, Clemens struggled from the outset last night against the Portland Sea Dogs, the Red Sox's Double-A affiliate. In 5-1/3 innings, Clemens gave up three runs on six hits, while walking four and fanning five. Continue

Yanks put on a hitting clinic to top Sox

The Yankees jumped out to an early lead and the Red Sox couldn't recover in the finale of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. Andy Pettitte gave up eight hits and one run over seven innings to lead the Yankees to an 8-3 win and improve his record to 3-3 on the season. He struck out two and walked one.

After scoring three runs in the first -- highlighted by a Derek Jeter single and Hideki Matsui's two-run homer -- the Yankees scored one run each in the following three innings. Jeter ripped an RBI single in the second -- his 2,215th career hit -- Jorge Posada brought in a run with a single to right in the third and Doug Mientkiewicz hit a solo homer deep into right field in the fourth. Continue

Pavano to get Tommy John

Carl Pavano will undergo elbow ligament transplant "Tommy John" surgery, likely ending his career with the Yankees. General manager Brian Cashman said that all four surgeons who examined Pavano's right elbow recommended the operation, and Pavano's agent confirmed by phone that he will undergo the surgery.

"It's extremely -- and put this in quotations and capitalized and italics -- frustrating," Clifton said of Pavano's sentiment. "Carl really had hoped that 2007 would be the year that he could show everybody why the Yankees signed him." Continue

Giambi is unsafe at any speed

Jason Giambi failed a Major League Baseball-administered amphetamines test within the last year, which has subjected him to additional drug testing, sources told the Daily News. Giambi tacitly admitted last week that he has used steroids, but he failed to mention that he has been caught using other drugs.

Because Major League Baseball's amphetamines policy keeps a first positive test secret, however, it is unlikely Giambi will be asked about it when he meets with representatives from commissioner Bud Selig's office, possibly as soon as tomorrow on the Yankees' day off. Giambi declined comment before last night's loss to the Red Sox, saying, "I can't really talk about anything." Giambi's agent, Arn Tellem, said in an e-mail: "For the record, I'm not commenting." Continue

Torre's just shell-shocked

Perhaps it was just wishful thinking. The embattled Yankee manager, who had all his "good luck" pals - Yogi Berra, Billy Crystal, Marvin Hamlisch - in-house last night for what was one of the most important games of his 12-year tenure, sounded like he truly believed the turning point of this miserable season was at hand. Maybe it was actually a good thing the schedule-makers had deemed the Red Sox to follow the first Subway Series with the Mets on the Yankee docket. After all, didn't the Sawx always bring out a renewed intensity and focus with Torre's troops?

"With the Red Sox being here, all of a sudden the mind overrules the body," Torre said. He was talking about Johnny Damon, who the night before had played a pivotal role in the Yankees' winning the opener of this critical three-game series, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases. But he was also allowing himself to think a seemingly stabilized Yankee rotation combined with facing a steady diet of righthanded pitching for the foreseeable future could in be the formula for righting the season. Continue

Back to reality

There are wins, of which the Yankees only have 20 in 44 games this year. And then there are wins, consecutive ones over the Mets and Red Sox, having put the color back into Joe Torre’s cheeks like it was litmus paper dipped in the acid of this rivalry.

“Let’s put it this way,” said the Yankees manager before the game. “If we do well in this series, it’s a test worth taking this soon. We have a chance to build on something without anticipating the [question], next time we play [Boston]: Are we as good as we think we are?” Continue

Yankees see winning streak end

One start after his rhythm was thrown off by a rainout, Mike Mussina might have fared better had Mother Nature interceded once more. The 38-year-old right-hander had a rough go in a 7-3 loss to the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, surrendering all seven runs on 10 hits before being relieved in the seventh inning.

Mussina served up a three-run home run to Manny Ramirez in the first inning and a solo blast to Mike Lowell leading off the fourth before finally settling into a groove, retiring the next nine batters to face him. But the silence was broken with two outs in the seventh, as Boston cracked through for three runs to open up a sizable advantage. Julio Lugo stroked an RBI single and Kevin Youkilis had an RBI double in the inning to chase Mussina, and David Ortiz greeted reliever Mike Myers with a hit to score Boston's final run. Continue

Damon suddenly appears light & lively

Joe Torre never makes it personal, at least not in a Larry Brown kind of way. He doesn't criticize players publicly, and won't admit if he's unhappy with them, yet he has a way of getting his message across. In Chicago last week the manager sat Johnny Damon one day in favor of Melky Cabrera, telling reporters that he liked Cabrera's "energy" from the previous night, and that he was looking for someone to "spark" his slumping ballclub.

As buzzwords go, those come right out of Damon's job description as the Yankees' leadoff hitter and resident free spirit. Torre couched the benching by saying Damon was nagged by an achy back and had to be careful with that calf problem. Damon, meanwhile, may have thought there was more to it. Though he didn't complain publicly, he was less than thrilled that he wasn't playing. And though he'd never say so, that may be exactly what Torre wanted. Continue

Joe awaits Clemens’ green light

Joe Torre said it's up to Roger Clemens to decide if tomorrow night's start for Trenton (Double-A) is his last in the minors. "It will be his last if he says it is," Torre said of Clemens, who will be making his second minor-league outing since signing with the Yankees.

Clemens and pitching guru Billy Connors will use John Madden's custom bus to make the trip from New York to Trenton. Barring injury, the 44-year-old Clemens will start for the Yankees in Toronto next week. If they keep him on four days' rest, that would be Monday. But Andy Pettitte starts against the Red Sox tomorrow night and Monday would be his day. Continue

Wang pulls Yanks closer to Red Sox

Ron Guidry's greeting was mixed as Chien-Ming Wang walked out of the shower on Monday night, fresh off a victorious evening of work against the Red Sox. On one hand, the pitching coach said he was pleased -- especially since the Yankees defeated the Red Sox, 6-2, to take the opener of a three-game series. But Wang sensed frustration, stemming from the three walks he'd allowed while testing out a new soft-tossing style.

"You're not too happy," Wang told Guidry, who responded in the affirmative. But as Wang went lighter on his trademark sinker and trusted his developing changeup and slider more, offering a new look to the Red Sox, the experiment came away with mostly positive results. Continue

Give the kid win and a save

By the time this gangly rookie, Tyler Clippard, took the mound last night, Detroit and Cleveland had both won again and the Red Sox were 11 games ahead in the East. Things were as bleak as they can get in May, and now it sure looked as if the very near future of Joe Torre was in the hands of a goofy-looking, 22-year-old starter with teacup ears and a 72-mph out pitch. If you looked past Thursday with Torre, you figured you were looking too far. "As tough as it's been here," Torre called it. Nobody outside the Yankees' organization really had paid much attention to Clippard, a ninth-round draft selection back in 2003. If you knew his first name, you were a very big Yankee nerd.

Torre remembered how he'd met Clippard in spring training, looked into the guy's eyes, and the pitcher didn't look intimidated one bit. That's what Torre said, but of course that's what Torre had to say. The Yankees didn't have a choice, really, unless they wanted to overwork Chien-Ming Wang or place their fate on the unsteady shoulders of Kei Igawa. Clippard, an unknown, was better than Igawa, an established disaster. Continue

Yanks need to make move

The Yankees have always given the impression that rivalry series such as the ones they play against the Mets and the Red Sox are annoyances; interruptions in the routine of preparing for the postseason. The organization gives the impression that the games that mean so very much to their fans are intrusions, that they and their sport would be better served with fewer interleague games against the Mets and more, say, against the Pirates or Nationals.

It gives the impression the hype that surrounds every single one of their 19 games against the Red Sox is overdone and that baseball would be better served by a return to the balanced schedule, where the Yankees would play an opponent such as Texas as often as Boston. Continue

Clippard neutralizes Mets in debut

Tyler Clippard was the first Yankees player to report to Shea Stadium on Sunday, and as it turned out, he'd be the last one to leave. In between, Clippard made the most of his hours at the ballpark, pitching the Yankees past the Mets, 6-2, in his Major League debut. He also clubbed a double in the contest, stealing the stage in the Queens Subway Series finale.

"He accomplished a lot of firsts today -- first start, first hit, first win," said Yankees center fielder Johnny Damon. "He sure made it look easy." Damon had a two-run double, and Derek Jeter came up with a clutch home run to back Clippard, a 22-year-old right-hander who was summoned from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and added to the Yankees' roster before the game. Continue

Brian: Brain trust questions Bomber effort

Brian Cashman conceded that as the Yankees have stumbled to a 10-1/2-game deficit in the standings to the Red Sox, some members of the front office have questioned whether the players have shown the appropriate desire and effort to win. "There was a buzz around," he said yesterday. "You're going to have that when you don't swing the bats or don't (have success). "Accusations have been made, but I didn't see that (as an issue) today."

He declined to point a finger at anyone, though the list of potential culprits is a long one because it could include any of the many slumping hitters. One club source suggested that if there were players suspected of not giving a full effort, they were being dealt with internally.Continue

Yank killer instinct seems to be dead

The Yankees couldn't win a game yesterday when the Mets did everything they could to give it to them in the late innings, when the Mets tried to do everything possible to breathe life into what is such a dead team these days. So the Yankees couldn't make this the kind of game they were winning early in the season, against the Orioles, against the Indians, when they could still come all the way back and scare the other team half to death and look like the Yankees they used to be and are supposed to be.

You want to worry about the 2007 Yankees? Worry about them now, because they couldn't close the deal yesterday at Shea when the Mets were trying to give it to them. Once they seemed to win games like this all the time. This one ended, 10-7, for the Mets after it had been 8-2 for the Mets and Tom Glavine after four innings, before the rain started coming down hard and the whole thing turned sloppy, and it became almost a footnote that Glavine won his 295th and did it against the Yankees. Continue

Rasner adds to bad breaks

After Endy Chavez's grounder deflected off his right index finger for a single two batters and nine pitches into the bottom of the first inning yesterday, Darrell Rasner got back on the mound and tried to go back to work.

But a few painful practice throws proved the Yankees starting pitcher's day was done. Rasner suffered a fractured finger and will be out at least three months."It turned out to be a pretty bad break," general manager Brian Cashman said after the Yankees' 10-7 loss to the Mets. Rasner is the second Yankee to be knocked off the mound in the first inning. On April 28 against the Red Sox, rookie Jeff Karstens had a bone in his leg fractured by a comebacker hit by leadoff batter Julio Lugo. Continue

Yanks can't catch up to Mets at Shea

The Yankees were staggered after just nine pitches on Saturday, suddenly left to fend without their starting pitcher. A succession of later blows withstood a late surge as the Mets pounded out a 10-7 Subway Series victory.

Yankees starter Darrell Rasner was forced out of his start with nobody out in the first inning, suffering a fractured right index finger on a comebacker hit by the Mets' Endy Chavez. With Rasner down and out earlier than expected, the Yankees had to turn to their bullpen to soak up the load. Mike Myers had campaigned unsuccessfully to start on Sunday and was summoned first, but his effort didn't go as the left-hander might have hoped. Myers surrendered two home runs to David Wright -- a three-run shot in the first inning and a two-run blast in the third -- in his two innings of work, charged with four runs and five hits. Continue

Woes for Joe

This Subway Series is about the Yankees. More specifically, it is about Joe Torre. It is about making inroads toward survival, for a star-filled team and its famous manager. Torre would have been fired already this season a) if a worthy heir were available or b) if Torre had not been such a valuable prop in the seduction of Roger Clemens, a lure beyond the pro-rated $28 million to convince The Rocket back to pinstripes. Clemens told Yankee management he was expecting to come back to play for Torre, not Don Mattingly, not Larry Bowa, not Joe Girardi.

Perhaps those two factors are season-long salvations for Torre. Some people in the Yankee organization will tell you the Torre crisis has passed, that George Steinbrenner's tepid statement of support on April 30 provided season-long amnesty. But you also will find folks in the organization who are not quite so sure about that. Continue

Slumping A-Rod: I'll get better

Alex Rodriguez carried the Yankees through April, but now he seems to be buckling under the weight of that burden. Buoyed by his unconscious start, Rodriguez still entered the Subway Series tied for the major league lead in RBI. But he's driven in a paltry five runs in 80 at-bats since April 23 after going 0-for-4 in last night's 3-2 loss to the Mets. Only one of his majors-leading 15 homers has come in that 22-game span.

"I think they're pitching me more careful. And that's natural, when you have an April like that, they're going to be a little bit aware, and not keep throwing it in there," Rodriguez said after extending his slump to 18-for-80 (.225). "Now it's my job to adjust." Continue

Uneasy 'roider?

With the cooperation of the Yankees, Major League Baseball is looking into Jason Giambi's recent comments in which he all but admitted using steroids without uttering the exact word. "The commissioner's office will be looking into this, and at this point I can't comment on this," GM Brian Cashman said.

Calls to MLB offices met with no comment, and MLB informed the Yankees to zip their lips on the explosive issue. Though Giambi didn't use the word "steroids" in a Wednesday interview with USA Today, he did say: "I was wrong to use that stuff. What we should have done a long time ago was stand up - players, ownership, everybody - and said: 'We made a mistake.' We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and gone forward." Continue

Yanks' bats silent in loss to Mets

Making his return to an intracity rivalry in which he always fared well, Andy Pettitte gave the Yankees the usual quality effort. It wasn't enough. Endy Chavez's two-run homer off Pettitte provided the margin of victory as the Mets defeated the Yankees on Friday, 3-2, in the opening game of this season's Subway Series at Shea Stadium.

Pitching against the Mets for the first time as a Yankee since 2003, the 34-year-old Pettitte allowed a one-out sacrifice fly to Carlos Delgado in the first inning as the Mets opened the scoring before surrendering a homer to reserve outfielder Chavez in the sixth. The home run by Chavez was the first Pettitte had allowed to a left-handed hitter in a span of 23 starts, when he surrendered a blast to Chicago's Scott Podsednik. Pettitte left after seven innings for a pinch-hitter, having scattered five hits in an 87-pitch performance. He allowed a walk and struck out four. Continue

Giambi admits he took steroids

For the last four years, Jason Giambi has been the one BALCO defendant who didn't deny to the grand jury that he ever used steroids or human growth hormone, but yesterday, he went a step further. Giambi said he believes Major League Baseball should have apologized long ago for its widespread drug problem.

"I was wrong for doing that stuff," Giambi admitted to USA Today before the Yankees played the White Sox yesterday. "What we should have done a long time ago was stand up - players, ownership, everybody - and said: 'We made a mistake.'" Before yesterday, Giambi had not publicly admitted taking steroids, even though he had offered an oblique apology before the start of the 2005 season. "We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and gone forward. ... Steroids and all of that was a part of history. But it was a topic that everybody wanted to avoid. Nobody wanted to talk about it." Continue

Kyle: Rocket perks bogus

Kyle Farnsworth isn't one to voice his opinions very often, but the reliever said yesterday that he isn't much of a fan of the "family plan" clause in Roger Clemens' contract. Farnsworth told a Chicago radio station yesterday morning that Clemens' clause, which allows him to leave the team between starts and skip road trips in which he is not scheduled to start, could "cause some friction" inside the Yankees' clubhouse. "It might cause some friction," Farnsworth told "The Score" (WSCR radio). "Granted this is going to be his 23rd or 24th year and he can get the opportunity to do that, but still, I think if you're going to be part of the team you should be there always. "You win as a team, you lose as a team," Farnsworth added. "I respect what he's done and I respect him as a person and a player, but to be a part of the team you have to be there with the team."

Farnsworth is the first Yankee to publicly criticize Clemens' arrangement, which is part of his one-year, $28 million deal. David Wells last week suggested that by leaving the Yanks, Clemens would be disrespecting his teammates, but no player inside the Yankees' clubhouse had spoken against it publicly. Continue

DeSalvo, offense misfire in loss

The slumping Yankees, in the midst of one of their most difficult stretches of the season, appear to be in dire need of a wakeup call. Could the Subway Series be enough to shake things up? A getaway day matinee Thursday at U.S. Cellular Field surely wasn't the tonic. Rookie right-hander Matt DeSalvo was roughed up early and the Yankees' offense kept a low profile for the afternoon, leaving town with a quiet 4-1 loss to the White Sox.

"We're playing hard, but coming up empty," said Yankees manager Joe Torre, whose club fell to 18-21 with the loss, nine games behind the Red Sox in the American League East. "We're keeping the game close enough to win. Everybody feels like they are letting everybody down. We need to get in a position where we play consistent, winning baseball." Continue

May swoon has A-Rod reeling

After spending a month as the hottest hitter on the planet, Alex Rodriguez has leveled off in May. A-Rod went 0-for-8 in the Yankees' day-night doubleheader against the White Sox, giving him just two hits in his last 25 at-bats. "I think they're pitching a little more careful to me," Rodriguez said between games. "So with that, I have to be a little more patient, take my walks and hit the ball hard."

Rodriguez hit .355 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI in April, earning Player of the Month honors in the American League. Since May1, A-Rod is hitting .236 with one homer and five RBI. Joe Torre thinks Rodriguez looks "a little out of whack" at the plate, with his timing problems leading to more swings off his front foot. Continue

Bombers will have to use their arms

This is why you can't begin to dismiss the Yankees as contenders, no matter how old and tired their bats and legs look these days, no matter how exasperated you may be with Bobby Abreu and some of the others: Slowly but surely, while Roger Clemens prepares to ride in on his white horse, the Yanks are making people forget how ugly their pitching was in April. In a few weeks, depending on Clemens and the wonder kid, Phil Hughes, they might just have a starting rotation that can go pitch-for-pitch with the Red Sox.

All of that is wishful thinking for the moment. The Yankees don't look anywhere near ready to make a charge at the Sox, with an offense that is on life support now that Alex Rodriguez has officially stopped hitting. Still, Chien-Ming Wang pronounced himself ace-worthy last night, delivering a gem in an 8-1 victory in the nightcap of a day-night doubleheader with the White Sox that the Yankees desperately needed. And that may turn out to be more significant than another day that makes you wonder why the Yankees can't hit. Continue

Yankees earn split behind Wang

Chien-Ming Wang pitched seven strong innings and Hideki Matsui drove in four runs as the Yankees rolled to an 8-1 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday, securing a split of a day-night doubleheader at U.S. Cellular Field. Having dropped the first game of the rain-necessitated twin bill behind a troubled effort from Mike Mussina, the Yankees sorely needed a solid starting performance.

They got one from Wang, who limited the White Sox to one earned run and six hits in picking up his second victory of the season, leaving with a three-run lead before the Yankees blew the game open with four runs -- including homers from Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada -- in the ninth inning. Continue

Mussina suffers setback in Game 1

The walk from the visiting bullpen to the dugout at U.S. Cellular Field is only about 350 feet, but it must have felt much longer for Mike Mussina. A long day of split-doubleheader baseball became even more of a grind for Mussina and the Yankees, who suffered a 5-3 defeat in Game 1 on Wednesday.

"I left the 'pen and didn't feel like I had anything on the ball," said Mussina, who allowed five runs -- including two homers -- in 5 1/3 innings of work. "In that circumstance, I knew it was going to be a lot of work as soon as I got going." The 38-year-old right-hander had turned in a pair of sharp efforts for New York since making his way off the disabled list from a strained left hamstring. But one day after his scheduled start against the White Sox was postponed by rain, Mussina's luck ran out in the sixth inning, handing back the lead after the Yankees had twice evened the contest. Continue

'Moving furniture'

The last time Joe Torre moved Alex Rodriguez out of the cleanup spot his third baseman went from fourth to eighth in Game 4 of the 2006 ALDS against the Tigers and the Yankees' season ended. Looking to get his Dead Bat Society going last night, Torre elevated A-Rod from fourth to third last against White Sox rookie lefty John Danks.

Since the tilt was washed out and will be played today as the first of a split doubleheader, Torre wasn't sure if he would stay with A-Rod in between Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada, the top two hitters in the AL East. "I haven't looked at it, we will see what our options are,'' Torre said of his lineup against Danks. Continue

All systems go for Rocket

The Rocket could relaunch as soon as May 28 when the Yankees start a three-game series in Toronto. Just over a week after he signed a prorated one-year, $28million deal to inject some life into Joe Torre's ailing rotation, Roger Clemens threw his first bullpen session at the club's minor-league complex yesterday and did not rule out taking the mound against the Blue Jays later this month.

"I think anything's possible," the 44-year-old Clemens said at Legends Field following his 71-pitch effort. "If I come out of the first two (minor-league starts) decent, they'll pull me aside and I'm sure we'll all visit about that, for sure. I don't think it's out of the question." Continue

Dead wood

Two years ago Brian Cashman turned Tony Womack into Robinson Cano and Kevin Brown into Chien-Ming Wang. Last season, when injuries deleted Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield, the GM summoned Melky Cabrera from Triple-A, Joe Torre turned to Bernie Williams and Bobby Abreu was acquired from Philadelphia.

In each instance, the moves helped carry the Yankees to an AL East title. Now, with the reeling Bombers 81/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox, there is no place for Cashman to turn after he landed Roger Clemens.The GM has highly-paid All Stars at every position except first base, trade possibilities are nil and the minor-league system doesn’t have anything to offer. And the depth of Torre’s bench is about as slim as the distance between Kate Moss’ hips. Continue

Add Cashman to list of those wary of Boston's red-hot start

Brian Cashman remains wedded to the mantra that there is a lot of time to right the Yankees ship. However, the GM agrees with Johnny Damon’s belief that if the Red Sox continue to win 70 percent of their games, the AL East is going to have a new champion.

“If they play .694 ball the rest of the way with an (81/2-game) lead, no one is going to catch them,” Cashman said yesterday, 24 hours after Damon uttered the same words in Seattle following a 2-1 loss which, coupled with Boston’s 7-1 win over Detroit last night, dropped the Yankees a season-high 81/2 games behind the front-running Red Sox. “They have had an impressive start, but there is a long way to go. We can’t worry about them at all. We have to get ourselves right.” Continue

Clemens likely to make minor league start Friday

If Roger Clemens comes through tomorrow's bullpen session in Tampa without a problem he will make a minor league start Friday and start the clock ticking toward Rocket II. "We are figuring he will probably start Friday," Joe Torre said. "That will be based on how Tuesday goes."

Clemens will hurl for Single-A Tampa against Ft. Myers. Should that go well he would go five days later for Double-A Trenton versus Portland. If the Yankees and Clemens decide two minor league gigs is all he needs, the first day he would be able to start a big league game would be May 28 when the Yankees are in Toronto. Should Clemens require a third minor league game on that date, his re-entry into the Yankees' universe would come on June 2 in Boston. "We don't know if it will be two or three (minor league starts)," said Torre, who doesn't think Clemens will require more than three. Continue