(George Steinbrenner is here. He spent about an hour in the clubhouse after it was closed to the media, prior to the first pitch).
Today, It's all about tuning up for postseason, and a little house cleaning for the Yankees today at the Trop.
Can Mark Teixeira get his 40th home run? Can Swisher get his 30th? Will Derek Jeter bat over .335? (he's got two hits already, here in the 3rd inning). Can Mariano Rivera get his 45th save?
That's all fine, but nothing compares with A.J. Burnett showing some command, and Joba Chamberlain doing the same when he gets in later. Also, Joe Girardi said he'd like to get Hughes, Robertson, Coke and Marte some work today.
Lots of talk about the Tigers/Twins situation today. The Yankees have been assured that they don't have to finalize which division series they'll take until after the Central is resolved, and Girardi says some roster spots are still in the air, due to match-ups with Minnesota or Detroit.
Also this morning, the beat writers had a chance to sit down with Alex Rodriguez for a bit.
"There's no reason to change the approach I've had, and the approach the team's had,'' A-Rod said. "We have one goal, and that's to win 11 (more) games.''
There does seem to be a genuine peace about him as he goes into this postseason, and we'll see how that goes. But if you had to guess, wouldn't you bet he'd display at least close to normal A-Rod production within this ensemble in October?
The Boss must have loved watching Arod crack two homers in one inning. What a performance. He does love it when the stars shine.
Posted by: Rob A from BBD | October 04, 2009 at 07:47 PM