New York Yankees

Both the New York Post and New York Daily News reported today that Brett Gardner has been working hard on his bunting skills hoping that he can get on base with his speed.

This strategy was first reported by this writer in a Brett Gardner Daily Update on Bleacher Report about two weeks ago.

George King in the Post reported Gardner saying he has been bunting more in order to utilize his speed.

Theo Epstein gets more bang for his buck than Brian Cashman.

Temporarily setting aside the century-old Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, let's put into perspective the decade-long Cashman-Epstein rivalry.

There is no rivalry. Beyond Epstein's perennial duping of Cashman in his many faux free-agent pursuits, the former dominates the latter where it really matters: the bottom line.

Comparing each General Manager's potential 2010 payroll with his prospective 25-man roster's 2009 production reveals Epstein's superiority.

Is this really for real?

Paula Volpoff loves the Cleveland Indians.

She suffered through the early 1950s, when great Cleveland teams were edged out by the slightly better, or as she says, "luckier," Yankees.

Volpoff vividly recalls what happened to the Yankees in 1954.

Followers of the off-season Yankees are left thinking about a single bench position. Let's take a look at the roster. They will carry 12 pitchers. 

These are the nine position players (I note lefty, righty, and switch in parentheses):  C Posada (S); 1B Teixeira (S); 2B Cano (L); SS Jeter (R); 3B Rodriguez (R); LF Gardner (L); CF Granderson (L); RF Swisher (S); and DH Johnson (L).

For all intents and purposes, Francisco Cervelli and Jamie Hoffman have made the team: C Cervelli (R); OF Hoffman (R).  

New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman had said going into the offseason that one of his priorities was to upgrade the starting pitching.

But he would not get seriously involved in the Doc Halladay sweepstakes because the stakes were probably too high and Toronto was never likely to trade Doc within the American League East.

Cashman also apparently made no serious efforts to go after free agent John Lackey who signed with arch rival, Boston.

Art Lawrence is a rabid Yankees fan, but there was one time when he rooted for the Yankees' opponent.

The Yankees had summarily dismissed Casey Stengel after the 1960 World Series.

In June, 1963, Casey Stengel managed at Yankee Stadium, but he was managing the Mets. For one of the few times in his life, Art Lawrence wanted the Mets to win.

Joseph Abstein was a Boston fan until his team moved to Milwaukee in 1953. Joe still roots for the Braves.

He fondly recalls the 1957 World Series in which the Braves beat the Yankees, but once in while, he still has nightmares about the 1958 World Series.

The Yankees Were "Just Another Team" Until the 1957 World Series

I was a Boston Braves fan who was extremely upset when the team moved to Milwaukee in 1953, but I remained a Braves' fan.

The Red Sox were our primary rival because we played in the same city.

Rich Fox is an Orioles fan who remembers when the Orioles were the Yankees' patsies, but even in those days, the Orioles had their moments.

Rich takes great joy in recalling how Hoyt Wilhelm no-hit the the "arrogants" from New York on September 20, 1958.

It wasn't until June 11, 2003, that the Yankees again suffered the humiliation of being no-hit.