Tampa Grab Bag

I don't consider any of the items coming out of Tampa "news", but I am a Yankees blogger, so I suppose I will offer my comments on the goings on down South.

1. Steve Swindal's DUI

This is silly. It's criminal, and I agree with Steve's take on the situation over at Was Watching. I think DUI is a hard crime to forgive completely when the consequences are so potentially devastating, and doubly unforgivable when the person involved is as filthy rich as the Yankees managing general partner. Get a cab.

2. Moose's comments on Pavano

It's hard to like Carl Pavano. It's hard to defend Pavano. I'll try for one second before piling on. The guy is at camp and, by all accounts, he's been working hard to be ready for the 2007 season. He deserves a crack at rebuilding his teammates confidence in him, not to mention the fans. However, he seems to be in complete denial about how people perceive him. He doesn't believe that he has any image problems, and he doesn't see any problems with his teammates. I know that the atmosphere of the team both in the media, and I'm sure in the locker room, can't have escaped his attention. Classic denial. Mussina calls him out in the press a bit, and I think it's a good swift kick in the ass to let him know that he has to try harder to rebuild his standing around the team. Whether he cares or not is another question. I hope he pitches well for a month or two and find his way to Colorado.

3. The Spring uniforms

The white panel on the jersey is okay. Whatever. I own a Matsui batting practice jersey with his name on the back, so I believe there's a place for some non-traditional merchandise. I think all of us have gotten used to the pink Yankees hats for the ladies, and the rainbow assortment of Yankees attire for the fashionistas. Not my cup of tea, but whatever. The hat is stupid. What good is it to add white piping all over the already perfect Yankees cap. Different colors are where I think I draw the line. The "new" hat looks like a pastry experiment gone wrong. In the end, it hardly matters to me as long as none of it ever sees the playing field at Yankee Stadium. The day the Yankees compromise their on-field product for trendiness is the day I throw eggs and tomatoes at whoever the GM is at the time. On a side note, does anyone remember the hideous MLB attempt at "future" uniforms to go along with the idea of "throwbacks"? I seem to remember that the Yankees were the only team to decline participation, but there may have been a handful of others. Ouch.

4. Mariano

Let Mariano use the press to negotiate. The Yankees aren't going to let him go anywhere, and I find it hard to believe he would go anywhere of his own accord. It's nearly unfathomable that Mo would suddenly drop off the face of the Earth in 2007, prompting the team to forgo signing him for 2008 and beyond. Mo will pitch his last contract with the Yankees, and appear in the new Stadium. All the talk right now is buying him a few hundred thousand extra dollars on whatever deal he gets next year. That's all.