Around the Yankee Universe, 05.29.09

There are plenty of interesting stories around the Yankee Universe today, despite Thursday having been on off day. Let's take a look.

• Leave it to Peter Abraham to find a site listing some amazing data about the home runs flying out of the new Yankee Stadium. Hit Tracker shows the Stadium allowing a major-league best (worst? leading?) 3.78 home runs per game.  You can even see a graphic detailing where all of the home runs have landed. It's pretty amazing stuff, and pretty damning when you see how many of the home runs could be considered 'cheapies.'
• Speaking of all of those home runs, ESPN's Jayson Stark has some reaction from the Phillies, who play in a pretty cozy park themselves.

This week we surveyed players from another team that plays in a hitter's palace, the Phillies, after they returned from their first visit to the House That A-Rod Built. And after a series that featured a seven-homer game and a broken-bat home run (by Mark Teixeira), they voted, just about unanimously, that Citizens Bank Park is a regular Petco compared to the new crib in the Bronx. One typical reaction:

"There's some sort of tornado effect," Jayson Werth said. "The wind comes in, swirls circularly and creates an upshoot -- because fly balls actually shoot up …

"I know it was only three days. But I think the ball definitely flies better there than [in Philadelphia]. In Philly, the park can play big at times. I don't know if that park in New York can play big, because there's nowhere for the wind to blow in. The place is so closed, there's nowhere for the air to get in and blow balls back."

• Jorge Posada will be back in uniform for the Yankees tonight against Cleveland. In more good news, Melky Cabrera will be available off the bench this weekend.
• If you are really interested in following the demolition of the old (the real?) Yankee Stadium, you can see all the sad and gory details at DemolitionOfYankeeStadium.com.
• Sliding Into Home has a note that the Yankees are considering trying to acquire Cleveland jack-of-all-trades Mark DeRosa. I'd love to have DeRosa, but I doubt the Yanks will do this.
• Apparently, WFAN's Mike Francesa went off on a 'Joba belongs in the bullpen' rant the other day. You know I have no use for that argument, and not much use for Francesa. Fortunately, since River Avenue Blues already got all worked up and put Francesa down I don't have to.
• RAB also has a note about the Yankees apparently telling Chien-Ming Wang not to work out his legs during the off-season. Geesh, no wonder the guy has lost velocity.