Some Sunday thoughts

I love the first images of spring training. For those of us who live in the North, and are forced inside for 5 months by the weather, seeing palm trees and tee shirts is, perhaps, the most beautiful sight in the world. It just feels like something new is coming.

I even love watching that first game. It's like being introduced to baseball all over again. I want to see how Jeter and Mariano and Jorge and the rest of the guys look. Anyone seem to be in excellent condition? Anyone have a few too many Twinkies in the off season?

And how about the new guys? You can look at pictures of CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira and AJ Burnett all day long. It doesn't replace actually seeing them on the screen for the first time (hopefully in HD) and watching them play a real game.

The most fun, however, is watching the rookies. I remember a few years ago, when the Yankees were high on Jose Tabata, I couldn't wait to see what the kid actually liked like. He stepped up to the plate and, to me, he appeared to be the spitting image of a young Manny Ramirez. He didn't do anything spectacular with the bat (I believe he flew out to left) but his bat speed, his plate coverage, and his overall look just had me salivating. When the Yankees traded for Nady and Marte last year, and Tabata was included in the deal, I understood. Nady was having a great year and Marte was a supremely valuable lefty reliever who could pitch in late-inning situations. Plus, Tabata had fallen on hard times in the minors, both statistically and emitionally, and it was obvious the Yanks were no longer high on his makeup.

But there is a part of me that still expects that, one day, Tabata is going to be that mini-Manny Ramirez and we will all regret the decision to send him packing to the Pirates.

But that is spring training. Every February, hope springs eternal. Every rookie is Roberto Clemente in the making, every veteran is due for a bounce back year.

It has been hard to think about anything other than A-Roid and scandal the last few weeks (another baseball gift from the kind of melo-drama himself) but I have decided to completely block that out and focus on the beauty of Florida baseball. So here are the things I am looking forward to seeing the most over the next 6 or so weeks.

-Someone always looks different when they are on your favorite team and you get to watch them week in and week out. I have been a supporter of Sabathia for a few years now, believeing that the hefty lefty found something that turned him from a good player with great talent into a great player utilizing all of his skills.

But now, CC will be in pinstripes all season long, and I will be interested to see what he really looks like out there on the mound. Will he be as impressive? What kind of demeanor and personality does he have? What kind of arsenal of pitches does he employ each day? These are things you don't pay attention to when he is on another team. You're watching your own guys at the plate, wondering why they can't hit what he is dealing. Now all the attention will be on the big guy and I can't wait to see what he does.

And the same goes for Tex. He is kind of the found money of the offseason. I think most Yankee fans recognized that something needed to be done with the offense this season, but would still have been happy with Sabathia and Burnett, as those signings restructured the entire rotation. But then Brian Cashman and the front office swooped in and grabbed Tex right out from underneath the Red Sox noses. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Very amusing to me. Now, it will be interesting to see how Tex, the Yankee first baseman for many a year to come barring injury, looks with that interlocking NY on his head each day. I have a feeling both will be very impressive.

- It seems like the Yankees are hell bent on giving the center field job to either Melky Cabrera or Bret Gardner. This will make for a fascinating competition for the position. Most of the time with the Yankees spring training is about as interesting as a CSPAN highlight reel. The club is filled with veterans who know their role and have their assignment. That is mostly the case again this year. First, second, third, short, right, left, and catcher are all secured barring injury. But that center field spot is open, meaning that, for two players spring will be more than just an extended period in the weight room.

What really interests me about this competition is that I truly believe both guys have a lot of potential. Melky looked like dead-man walking last year - barely worth a fourth outfield spot on the team. However, it was only 2 years ago that Melky looked to be a .280+ hitter with decent speed, some pop, and a knack for getting big hits. He looked like the grinder role player the Yanks have been sorely lacking over the years. A guy who isn't delusional enough to believe he will be a hall of famer or even a multi-year all star, but a guy who does the little things in order to help the team.

Add that to his arm and his defense and Melky quickly became one of my favorite players to watch and an unheralded hero of that 2006 season. Can he recapture any of that magic?

Then you have the case of Brett Gardner. The speedy outfielder looked like a deer in the headlights when he came up last year and it looked like another case of the Yankees over estimating one of their prospects. But a late season call up proved immense for him, as he batted over .280 for that period and showed off his good defense and his excellent speed.

Gardner is fascinating because he has the skills to be an Aarond Rowand type player, with less power and more speed. He is obviously a hustle player and he does all the little things right, from bunting to hitting behind the runner to putting the ball on the side of the field that will most likely get the job done. But it is his speed that really sets him apart. You could easily see this kid stealing 50+ bases if he could get on base at a .360 clip. That is a dimension the Yanks have not seen before.

I don't know who I am rooting for more, to be honest. One part of me would love to see my little favorite player, Melky, regain his footing and prove that he can be a good player in this league. He has a fire and determination, and a joy for playing the game, that I think the Yankees could use. On the other hand I love the way Gardner plays the game - that no-nonsense approach where your jersey is going to be dirty every single game and you'll run through a brick wall to score a run. That is old-school baseball and I like it.

I, personally, will be happy with any outcome other than both players flopping and the Yanks having to put Damon or Swisher in center, or making a trade for some old, washed up guy like Mike Cameron or Randy Winn.

- There are two rookies I can't wait to see, but I have different feelings about both. First is Austin Jackson. This is supposedly the best prospect in the Yankee farm system and potentially the next great home grown player for the team. However, a lot of the reports I have read have been mixed. Some have said that, despite his obvious athletic ability, he has not displayed a tremendous amount of baseball ability just yet. His year, stats wise, in AA were decent but by no means outstanding, and his performance in the Arizona Fall League was somewhat disappointing. Now, put his minor league stats next to those of Hanley Ramirez and you'll notice they are about the same, so it might just be that Jackson needs to mature and progress and he will be a monster player in the future. Or, it might be that the Yankes, as they so frequently are, were wrong about Jackson and that, instead of him being a top-flight prospect, he is simply a run-of-the-mill player with little value.

So, I am excited to see Jackson, but I also dread seeing him because I believe the over-under on being disappointed what I see lies exactly 50-50. I remember a few years ago watching Phil Hughes in the minors and not being impressed. It was easy to dismiss that first impression as it was spring training, guys were just getting in to shape, and he was a youngster trying to impress on the big stage. But I remember thinking "man, this kid doesn't throw nearly as hard as everyone has said." Turns out, at least for now, that first impression was the correct one.

That's my fear with Jackson.

Now, on the other hand, am absolutely thrilled at the idea of getting a first look at Jesus Montero, the catching prospect. This kid seems to be the real, real deal and after everything have read, he seems like one of those rare prospects who might simply fly through the system. He's only 19 now, but he seems on the fast track already. He supposedly has a gun for an arm, power even at this age, and a real command of the strike zone. A lot of people believe he is destind for a position change. Unless there is something wrong with his knees I don't see why. If he has a great arm and can block a ball (he didn't have a lot of passed balls last year) can't you teach him how to handle a pitching staff? And, considering your perrenial all star catcher isn't getting any younger, and they aren't exactly giving catchers away around baseball, why would you move a stud away from the position at which he could be most valuable?

Either way, I am excited to see him and see if the hype is correct.