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Previewing Spring Training Game 1, Pittsburgh @ NYY, 1:05

Pre-season is still "season," in my head. So I'd like to abolish the "pre" prefix, to assert myself strongly in the belief that baseball starts at 1:05 today.

Good God, it's about time.

Today, Chad Gaudin gets the ball against Paul Maholm, who may look back on this game as the most hyped and significant game of his career.

Chad Gaudin, who mercifully has been identified as the Yankees' 5th starter (as opposed to the We-have-3-working-pitches-between-the-2-of-us-do-with-that-what-you-will pair of Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes), gets charged with throwing the first pitch of the Yankees' season.

Of course.

A few points about Gaudin:

Star-divide

1.) Because he is such a bizarro yet steady cog, and more importantly, because he is a Yankee, he avoids any of my contempt when it comes to athletes whose names are pronounced absolutely nothing like the way they are spelled. For some reason, Chone Figgins and Bill Mueller draw my ire to irrational degrees, but Gaudin is totally acceptable.

2.) I absolutely LOVE the fact this random late season pickup boasted the stat of the Yankees winning every game he pitched. It makes zero sense. Actually, his 3.43 ERA on the Yanks was the 2nd best of his career, beat only by his 3.09 in 2006 while on Oakland. His 2-0 record with us is one of my favorite B-list stats of the year.

3.) I'm not sure how many innings our 5th starter will actually toss, since according to Yankees.com, "Sergio Mitre, Alfredo Aceves, Jonathan Albaladejo, Wilkins Arias, Jason Hirsh, Royce Ring, Amaury Sanit and Zack Segovia have been instructed to be at the ready." The first 3 guys I know. The last 5 could be the finalists from last year's Scripps Spelling Bee for all I know. 

A few points about Paul Maholm:

1.) His page on Baseball-Reference.com is sponsored by something called "Pirates WFC Blog." Which used its sponsorship space to aver, "Maholm, Duke and Ohlendorf are the Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz of the 2010s. Prepare for the Pirates' impending World Series championship now by reading the Pirates WFC blog." THE PIRATES IMPENDING WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP.

Impending? As in "hovering threateningly"? As in "imminent"? It actually would sound just as weird to say "Yankees impending WS Championship" because, well, it's March. The only thinking impending is the need to recharge my computer's battery.

2.) Maholm hasn't had a winning season since 2005, when he went 3-1.

3.) His stats make him sound like he's a washed up middle-aged also-ran, a la Matt Herges. He's 27.

4.) In 2007, he ranked 2nd in the NL in shut-outs. One.

5.) In 2008, he made $424,500. In 2009, he made $2,500,000. Apparently going from 10-15 to 9-9 is grounds for a 589% raise in the NL. It makes me a little less bitter about the whole if-I-only-did-.300-of-my-job-I'd-get-fired thing.

Yankees.com also tells us that Girardi will "definitely" play Curtis Granderson in several games this spring. Well. I should hope so? Girardi is really coddling us these days. First, he assures us he is NOT going to go with a 3-man rotation in spring training. Then last night, pulls a Johnny Moxon and takes the team out to an arcade. And now, he makes the bold statement that he absolutely is going to play his biggest off-season acquisition occasionally before the official games start.

It's spring training, I'm okay with being spoon-fed stuff. Soon enough, we'll all be in the Bronx, where the crowd, weather, atmosphere, and everything else, is a bit different than the sunny skies, affable crowds, and skee ball machines of Tampa.

Here we go. Today it starts. Technically, today's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates will not in any way affect how the Yankees season pans out, won't affect their standings or record.

But I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

Every game counts. Otherwise you wouldn't take the field.

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Sorry, CYC, but the season starts April 4th.

Also, Gaudin pronounces his name properly. I had 4 years of french in high school, that seemed like 8. GAW- DAN is the way to say his name.

by designatedquitter on Mar 3, 2010 2:13 PM EST reply actions  

They're playing baseball right now

So the season has started. Just because I don’t start working til 11am, doesn’t mean the work day doesn’t start at 9am. If I’m in the office, I’m at work. Psh, at any rate, stop being ants at picnic and let me have this one! I’ll give you Gaudin. Call it even.

by CrazyYankeeChick on Mar 3, 2010 2:20 PM EST reply actions  

Yeah that's baseball.

I guess it only counts as baseball if they’re scoring and hitting for you? That’s weird.

by CrazyYankeeChick on Mar 3, 2010 2:44 PM EST reply actions  

Johnson scored on a single from second.

Eat that.

Yankees all day.

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." ~Rogers Hornsby

"If you're not doing it right, you're doing it wrong. And there's no in between." ~Mark "Lunch" McKenzie

by Onishadow14 on Mar 3, 2010 2:58 PM EST reply actions  

They blew a 3 run lead.

Now it’s exhibition baseball, sort of. It’s not really baseball until the following occur:

1) It counts
2) You’re trying to win
3) The uniform numbers of the players on the field in the 9th inning add up to less than 500.

by designatedquitter on Mar 3, 2010 3:41 PM EST reply actions  

Sorry. They don't call you Crazy Yankee Chick for nothing

It’s just that I have spent many years telling my children not to get worked up over exhibition game results, even if they go 0-30. Clearly, you were in need of a baseball fix.

If it’s any consolation, I also never understood Bill Mueller being “Miller” either. Or why you would have him and Millar. Or 2 Ramon Martinez’. (Or any).

by designatedquitter on Mar 3, 2010 3:46 PM EST reply actions  

Yeah, I make no promises when it comes to being reasonable

I am 100% cogent of the fact many to most of my arguments are in total opposition to anything that resembles logical thinking.

by CrazyYankeeChick on Mar 3, 2010 4:17 PM EST up reply actions  

exhibition games mean nothing, but it’s still nice to see the prospects play and see how different players are looking.

by Wraithpk on Mar 3, 2010 8:20 PM EST up reply actions  

I think that it's meaningless for hitters

especially veteran hitters. It, however, does give a good chance for young players to showcase their skills and it gives pitchers a chance to work on pitches/mechanics/delivery/whatever.

This sticker is dangerous and inconvenient, but I do love Fig Newtons.

by Lord Duggan on Mar 3, 2010 8:44 PM EST up reply actions  

Now now children.

Play nice

Yankees all day.

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." ~Rogers Hornsby

"If you're not doing it right, you're doing it wrong. And there's no in between." ~Mark "Lunch" McKenzie

by Onishadow14 on Mar 3, 2010 3:51 PM EST reply actions  

Nobody asked me but,

1. Its real baseball, just not in the standings. If you find Colin Curtis mowing his lawn in Podunk 10 years from now, try and tell him his walk off didn’t happen because it was ST.

2. Did anyone see Lincecum’s lowlights yesterday…announcers on MLB said he was “working on mechanics”, opposing hitters were successfully working on line drives to the alleys.

3. Even if jersey numbers did total 500+ (good line by DQ above), what would any of us give to wear 93 for a day and a chance for a pop up to RF?

4. Given this winter’s weather, the over/under on April games snowed out? 10!!

We did better 'cause we got better...Yogi

by mickey07 on Mar 4, 2010 12:00 PM EST reply actions  

Don't Worry about Established Pitchers

A lot of them are working on mechanics, or working on 3rd or 4th pitches. You know the adage “don’t get beat on your worst pitch?” Well, in ST it happens all the time for pitchers that are guaranteed a rotation slot. They throw a circle change they are working on in a crunch situation because they’re getting work in, not because it’s a good idea, and don’t care if it gets hammered beyond getting feedback on the pitch.

by d_c_guy on Mar 4, 2010 2:23 PM EST up reply actions  

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