[johngriffen]

School is still out on Bird. Lot's of promise, not much delivery on it yet.

And good catch... Headly was indeed traded back to the Padres two days ago

But, the core of the line up is simply deadly. They are going to be very dangerous in 2018

[pjmpjm]

I'm on the Yankees' mailing list, so get at least one update per day, usually more . . .

"The New York Yankees announced when their spring training workouts will start in 2018 and their full Grapefruit League schedule. Pitchers and catchers will report to Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 13. Their first workout will be the next day. Position players will report Feb. 18. The team's first full squad workout will be the following day."

First 'Grapefruit League' game of the spring training season will be on February 23rd, against the Detroit Tigers, at GMS Field in Tampa.



What fun it would be to spend some time around here during spring training. Alas . . . it's just too far away for me.

[johngriffen]

Back in the day... I had a client in Phoenix. He was a hard core baseball fan. Every February he would schedule (a Marketing Meeting) and requested that I come out for it.
We would spend the mornings in some "tough" meetings (eating donuts, drinking coffee, talking baseball) and then go off site in the afternoons to tour the manufacturing facilities... which just happened to be in Mesa, right down the street from the Cubs Spring Training Park



Needless to say, we never made it to the manufacturing facilities

[johngriffen]

Just what the Yankees need... More pitching.

It's been a successful offseason for Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees so far, and it appears the team is still looking to make moves ahead of 2018.

The Yankees are discussing a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed starter Gerrit Cole, a person with knowledge of the situation told George A. King III of the New York Post.

The deal could potentially include New York outfielder Clint Frazier, according to King's source.

The Yankees have been interested in Cole for some time now, and have been linked to a trade for him in numerous reports.

Cole was originally drafted by the Yankees 28th overall in 2008, but he did not sign. He was later taken first overall by the Pirates in 2011.

The 27-year-old - who finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2015 - made a career-high 33 starts for Pittsburgh last season, going 12-12 with a 4.26 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 203 innings.

He's not eligible for free agency until 2020 and is projected to make $7.5 million through arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

Frazier, who was considered one of baseball's top prospects before making his MLB debut last season, doesn't appear to have a future in a Yankees outfield stacked with Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, and Brett Gardner.

The 23-year-old hit .231/.268/.448 with four home runs and 17 RBIs for New York last season, but struck out 43 times in 39 games.

Cole would be a great addition to the rotation. The rich keep getting richer.

[slynch9994]

i had not heard about talks for cole. every year i want them to get good pitching. and no matter who they get or how much hype, somehow we seem to fall short in the pitching department. as with any team, injuries, slumps, io am hoping this years i get to change my email signature. it currently reads "GO YANKEES 27 TIMES WORLD CHAMPIONS"

[pjmpjm]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrit_Cole

John, here's Gerrit Cole's Wikipedia page. Strangely enough, he's married to the sister of SF Giants' SS Brandon Crawford.

slynch, yes, the Yankees do in fact need pitching . . . even if they now have the best-hitting outfield in the majors. Sad state of affairs for Clint Frazier, to say the least . . .

[johngriffen]

hoping this years i get to change my email signature. it currently reads "GO YANKEES 27 TIMES WORLD CHAMPIONS"

Gee, what a bummer... mine reads.

"FINALLY, ONE ****ING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN MY LIFETIME"


Cole is a step in the right direction for you guys. He's solid and can match up with the best in the league.

[slynch9994]

agree pj i believe frasier has great promise. john - one is your lifetime? not to give away my age but there have been 16 in my lifetime

[johngriffen]

Yeah... rub it in

I'm just glad they FINALLY GOT ONE before I died

[pjmpjm]

Boston College and the University of Iowa will play in the 2017 'New Era Pinstripe Bowl' at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, December 27th.

http://web.pinstripebowl.com/index

This is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game that is held at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York City. The bowl is organized by the New York Yankees, primary tenants of the venue, and is currently affiliated with the Atlantic Coast Conference (until 2019) and Big Ten Conference (until 2021). The game previously had ties with the Big 12 Conference and the Big East Conference. The current champions are the Northwestern Wildcats.

The winner of the game is awarded the 'George M. Steinbrenner Trophy,' while the 'David C. Koch MVP Trophy' is awarded to the bowl's most valuable player. The Pinstripe Bowl is one of two FBS bowls held in the Northeast, the other being the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Maryland. It is also one of three bowls that are played outdoors in what are considered cold-weather cities, joining the Military Bowl and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl held in Boise, Idaho.

[johngriffen]

The College Play Off series has made many of the non play off Bowl games not profitable. Many of the smaller less prestigious games are having a hard time surviving.
However, the ones being run by major sports franchises, like the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, are doing nicely. It's a total win/win. While attendance is dropping for most minor bowl games, there is usually no or a lesser rental fee for the stadium in situations like this one, and they still make the TV revenue, putting far less pressure on having a packed stadium. Plus, New York is a good destination city, and two decent conferences are involved.

[pjmpjm]

I wonder if anyone at Mobilism is following one of the world's most hotly contested international sporting events, the regular cricket competition between England (where cricket originated) and 'upstart' Australia. For those who know nothing about it, here's a potted history from Wikipedia:

"'The Ashes' is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The Ashes are regarded as being held by the team that most recently won the Test series. If the test series is drawn, the team that currently holds the Ashes retains the trophy. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, The Sporting Times, immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, their first Test win on English soil. The obituary stated that English cricket had died, and 'the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.' The mythical ashes immediately became associated with the 1882–83 series played in Australia, before which the English captain Ivo Bligh had vowed to 'regain those ashes.' The English media therefore dubbed the tour the quest to regain the Ashes."

The five test series is currently underway. Australia won the first two tests and is leading the third. So Australia is on the verge of regaining the Ashes from England . . . with truly outstanding batting contributions of Captain Steve Smith, now emerging as one of Australia's all-time greats.

For those who think baseball games are long . . . take note that a game of 'test cricket' can last up to five days, and can easily end in a draw. In recent years the faster 'one day cricket' or 'limited overs cricket' have become more popular. The newest version of the ancient game is '20-20' cricket (each side batting for only twenty 'overs' of six balls each), which approximates the length of a nine innings baseball game.

Pictured above is the famous urn that holds 'The Ashes.'

[johngriffen]

Actually, I have heard of the event.
However, Cricket is not one of the sports I'm very knowledgeable about.
One of my British buddies tried explaining it to me one night in a bar.
Whether it was the booze or my simple inability to understand...
I still don't have a clue

[pjmpjm]

John, when I was visiting my brother in the US, quite a few years ago, we attended a baseball game in which his 3rd son was playing, at his university in southern Maine. We were sitting on the third base side, and way out beyond the right field fence, I began to notice that something odd was going on. I was quite absorbed in the game at hand, but suddenly I realised (because of the characteristic running back and forth, and back and forth) that a game of cricket was going on there! I later learned that sub-continent students attending the university often played cricket in an empty field beyond the outfield fence! I reminded my nephew of this game when I visited back in July, because he actually won the game with a triple in the bottom of the ninth. His then-girlfriend (now his wife and mother of their two children) was also in attendance that day . . .

[slynch9994]

oh john i think i misunderstood. you said finally got one. but i am just realizing you are not talking about the yankees. what team is your team,. ?