Yankees baseball blog

New centerfielder Gardner looking long term

Brett Gardner was as low-key as could be about being named the Yankees' Opening Day centerfielder.

That's because, to Gardner, the work is just beginning. Getting the nod in centerfield to begin the year is nice, but he wants to be there for a long time to come.

"I'm really excited, but at the same time, I know the hard work has just begun," Gardner said.

Manager Joe Girardi announced the selection of Gardner over Melky Cabrera on Sunday, but Gardner had already left the ballpark. Gardner said he was confident he would win the job, but not overly so, given that he has yet to line up housing in New York. Continue

Jeter only a bruise

-Derek Jeter collided with Braves first baseman Greg Norton as Jeter led off yesterday's game, falling on top of Norton.

It could have turned into a disaster for Jeter and the Yankees, but he merely bruised the knuckle on his left pinkie finger. He remained in the game - a 6-4 win over the Braves - until the third inning, when Joe Girardi replaced him with Ramiro Peña. But Girardi said Jeter won't miss any action. "He's OK," Girardi said. "I didn't take him out because he was hurt." Continue

Gardner favored to start in center

Brian Bruney walked through the Yankees' clubhouse yesterday toward a rear door when he spotted Brett Gardner holding court with reporters.

"Did you just get cut?" Bruney asked Gardner, who has been in a camp-long competition with Melky Cabrera for the starting center field job.

Gardner smiled and said something about having a back-and-forth with Bruney about his inability to retire Philadelphia's Matt Stairs, who has spanked the reliever this spring.

If Gardner, 25, is cut it would be a colossal upset, since many believe he will be named the starter tomorrow when Joe Girardi would like to announce his Opening Day roster. Continue

Joba minding his pitch count as starter

 Joba Chamberlain was pleased with the way he "competed" yesterday against the Phillies, but he said he has to become more efficient with his pitches to go deeper into games.

It took only 4 1/3 innings for Chamberlain to surpass his pitch limit of 75, something he attributed to not having complete control of his fastball and trying to be too fine with his pitches.

The only two hits Chamberlain gave up were back-to-back homers by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the first inning. But he also walked three, contributing to the high pitch count. Continue

A.J. continues solid spring

 It didn't have the intensity of a typical Yankees-Red Sox game, but the 7-1 win over their hated rivals left plenty of things for the Bombers to be excited about.

A.J. Burnett  who is 5-0 with a 2.56 ERA in his career against Boston, allowed one run on three hits and two walks in 5-2/3 innings, striking out four. He threw 82 pitches, 49 for strikes, extending his pitch count as high as any Yankees tarter has this spring. Continue

A-Rod ahead of schedule

Hitting coach Kevin Long talked to Alex Rodriguez yesterday and reported the rehabbing third baseman has added weight lifting to his program. "He said he was doing good, (with) exercise bike, pool and lifting," Long said. Joe Girardi doesn't believe he will see Rodriguez, who is rehabbing in Vail, Colo., before the Yankees head home April 1. Continue

Nady counted on to offer righthanded power

In their search for righthanded power in the absence of Alex Rodiguez, the Yankees hope X marks the spot.

Xavier Nady, the Yankees' rightfielder, may be the star-laden team's most under-the-radar regular player. But with A-Rod out until mid-May after hip surgery, Nady might just become front and center in the lineup - especially against lefthanders, whom he has hit to a .308 career clip.

Consider this: The Yankees' projected Opening Day lineup - if you give Brett Gardner the starting nod in centerfield - includes four lefthanded batters, two switch hitters and three righthanded batters, two of whom (Derek Jeter and Cody Ransom) are not power hitters. Continue

A-Rod and Eliot (#9) Spitzer have something in common

A former Manhattan madam who supplied Eliot Spitzer with hookers also counted Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez as a customer - and found him so charming she dated him herself for free, former employees of the call-girl agency tell the Daily News.

A-Rod wooed ex-madam Kristin Davis with flowers, jewelry, persistence and heated e-mails, according to the sources.

"Throughout the years, there were a number of clients that I befriended and it was not uncommon for them to want the women they can't have whether it be the phone bookers or the madam," Davis said. Continue

Posada thinks he is on the right track

Three different times, a Yankee minor-leaguer broke for second base. All three times, the bag was swiped successfully.

Jorge Posada bounced one throw and another sailed a bit wide, but he hardly was concerned with the end results of those stolen-base attempts. He simply was elated for the opportunity again to be making such throws under game conditions.

Posada caught Andy Pettitte for five innings Friday in a minor-league intrasquad game, but the Yankees' $52.4 million catcher felt there was nothing minor about the latest step he took in his return from season-ending shoulder surgery last July. Continue

Teixeira having strong spring with Yanks

 Mark Teixeira usually is a slow starter. It could stem from the fact that he is a switch hitter; it tends to take longer to get one's timing right from both sides of the plate. It's something he is actively trying to change.

With a new team, an eight-year, $180-million contract and Alex Rodriguez out to start the season, this would be a particularly good year for Teixeira to get off to a strong start. So his performance in spring training has him pleased.

Teixeira, who was not in the starting lineup for last night's game against Toronto, was hitting .423 with a 1.005 on-base plus slugging percentage in 26 at-bats. Continue