Joe Girardi

Due to financial reasons, a highly-paid pitcher moves from a solid team and comes to the Bronx with high expectations.

People spoke on how he comes from a weaker division, and wonder how this right hander, who is a control specialist but strikes out his share of batters, will fare in the mighty American League East, a division which had four of the top five hitting teams in the AL.

This starter is a workhorse, rarely missing a start and throwing 200-plus innings with relative ease.

The primary reason why athletes play the game, any game, is their competitive fire drives them to win. What helps drive the Major League baseball player is to obtain the World Series Championship ring.

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has both his critics and his advocates.

If Kelly Shoppach hadn't broken up CC Sabathia's no-hitter with two outs in the eighth inning of yesterday's game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, Girardi would have made a managerial move that could have converted many of his supporters.

He told ESPNNewYork's  Wallace Matthews, "Shoppach was [CC's] last hitter, no matter what." 

That translates to, "If CC had a no-hitter entering the ninth inning, I wouldn't have let him attempt to make history."

The New York Yankees.  Lord of their realm, with fans who let you know it.

Talking to a Yankee fan is generally an exercise in futility, since they are programmed to utter two basic phrases:

Phrase one: “Twenty-seven rings, baby”, or a something along that vein.

He just couldn't wait to get out there.

Manager Joe Girardi appeared to be out of the dugout before Kelly Shoppach's line drive single to left hit the turf in front of Brett Gardner with two outs in the eighth inning.

It was the Rays' first hit of the afternoon off CC Sabathia and with the big lefty at 111 pitches in his second start of the season, Girardi basically sprinted onto the field to pull his pitcher from the game with an 8-0 lead.

It was only one game into the 2010 baseball season for New York Yankee fans, there were 161 more to go, but panic was in the air. The newest addition to the bullpen, Chan Ho Park, was roughed up. Curtis Granderson reiterated to all involved that he couldn't hit left-handed pitching, CC Sabathia couldn't last through six innings, and Joba Chamberlain's performance in the eighth inning indicated that he couldn't get out batters whether he was a starter OR a reliever.

The Yankees and Red Sox took the field for the rubber match of a three game series in Fenway Park. For the third game in a row, there was a good pitching matchup. This time it was Andy Pettitte for the Yankees going against Red Sox newcomer John Lackey.

The Good

- Curtis Granderson. The Grandy Man Can! Granderson hit his second home run of the season, this time a 10th inning solo shot off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon that gave the Yankees the lead and eventual win.

Through five innings, CC Sabathia appeared on his way to an Opening Night victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

But the Yankees' ace quickly ran into trouble in the sixth, issuing a walk to Dustin Pedroia before Victor Martinez doubled and Kevin Youkilis brought them both home with a triple to cut Boston's deficit to 5-4.

After the Sox tied the game at 5, New York once again jumped ahead at 7-5, only to see the lead disappear another time thanks to poor middle relief by newly acquired Chan Ho Park and always erratic Damaso Marte.

So it was all for nothing.

The innings limits, the pitch limits, the extra days off between starts the Yankees forced Joba Chamberlain to undergo during the second half of 2009—that rendered him impotent come the playoffs—under the guise that they were "protecting his arm" so that he could at long last become a full fledged starter this season...it was all a lie.

Tossed aside because of 3 2/3 spring innings.

The regular season is just a few weeks away and the Yankees roster is beginning to take shape. A few of the position battles are starting to clear up as players are released and sent to the minors.

The Yankees lost to the Phillies today as Phil Hughes gave up a game-ending home run in the bottom of the ninth. The home run was one of three given up by Hughes today. Despite the long balls, Hughes pitched very well, as he made batters swing and miss using his changeup.