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February 12, 2008
Olney: Yanks Sweating Pettitte's Condition
A hat tip to WasWatching.com reader baileywalk for a heads-up on this one.....
From Buster Olney:
Andy Pettitte no longer has to go to Washington, and instead, he is scheduled to report to the Yankees' training camp in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday. But staff members expect that Pettitte will be behind in his preparation for the 2008 season, because of the off-field issues that have dominated his offseason.
The Yankees won't get a first-hand read of just how far Pettitte will be behind until they see him throw later this week, but the status of the team's No. 2 starter is a major concern within the organization.
But because of his past relationships with Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, Pettitte has effectively been drawn into the vortex of a bitter dispute between the 7-time Cy Young Award and trainer. In addition, Pettitte's son Josh was injured in a football game last fall. These circumstances have apparently set back Pettitte's usual preparation for spring training.
In past years, Pettitte has worked out during the offseason -- sometimes with Clemens and McNamee -- before starting his throwing regimen in early January. The Yankees' staffers don't know exactly where Pettitte is in his training, but they will operate under the assumption that he will be behind Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Hughes and their other starters.
While I agree there's a chance that Pettitte could be behind where he usually is with respect to his off-season program, because of his thoughts about retiring, the Mitchell Report mess, and his son's accident, I think there's still plenty of time for him to get in shape for this season.
Andy has two weeks before exhibition games. And, even if Pettitte is delayed, in terms of getting into game action, until around March 10th before his first exhibition appearance, that would still be enough time for him to get in a handful of starts before the season. That's all he needs to prepare, at this stage in his career.
Here's a thought: Could this be a smoke-screen by the Yankees? Is there a chance that they want to bring in an experienced starter as insurance for Hughes and Kennedy - without doing anything to mess with the confidence of Hughes and Kennedy - and they're using the Pettitte concerns as an excuse?
Nah, that's probably not the case. The Yankees would never do something in a surreptitious manner, would they? I guess it depends on how smart, or dumb, you think the team is, right?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at February 12, 2008 05:35 PM
Comments
my concern for pettitte isn't so much whether or not he will be a week or two of arm's strength behind the other pitchers. my concern is where pettitte may not have been running or lifting...and if thats the case, he can either tire down the stretch run of the season or start throwing with too much arm and not enough leg and base strength and hurt himself. we aren't blessed with a depth of quality arms and pettitte going down early can mean another awful april
Posted by: yankcrank20 ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at February 12, 2008 05:49 PM
Here's a thought: Could this be a smoke-screen by the Yankees?
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Here's my thought: Could this be Olney facing a deadline?
Posted by: Basura at February 12, 2008 05:49 PM
Do we REALLY believe that IF the Yanks did get another vet innings eater, that the kids would be the least bit upset? I think that's silly. Between Andy, Moose and the kids, I would LIKE to see us have a fallback SP.
Posted by: singledd at February 12, 2008 07:37 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/sports/baseball/13yankees.html?ref=sports
[...]
Like Jeter and Girardi, Jorge Posada said he had also communicated with Pettitte to show his support. Posada said that Pettitte told him he had been working out, but “his mind has been a little bit involved with this.” Still, Posada called Pettitte tough, and said he believed Pettitte would get through this period.
Posted by: Rich at February 12, 2008 10:24 PM
I have alway's felt that Yankee management has not been the biggest fan of Pettitte. I've never understood this because of how clutch he has been for the Yanks in his career.
Steve, I think you hit the nail on the head. I wouldn't put it past the team to "set-up" for a future move to replace Andy. I just don't get where a team doesn't feel they can use reliable left handed pitching???
Posted by: Roger'sNeedle at February 13, 2008 09:41 AM