The Bronx Stop: A Yankees Blog

Press Release/Yankees.com:

Still not saying it is very probable, but until he decides not to opt out of his contract in Los Angeles, there is still a small possibility for the Yankees to recruit Larry Bowa back to the Bronx.

SportsNet.Ca:

The Yankees will have a clearer idea of who their third base coach will be later this week.

That's when Larry Bowa will meet with Dodgers brass to discuss his future. Bowa, who is the Yankees' No. 1 choice to replace Bobby Meacham, recently finished the first of a two-year deal to coach third for the Dodgers. Nevertheless, Bowa has an out in the contract.

Bowa, the best third base coach in baseball, was with the Yankees in 2006 and 2007 but not retained when manager Joe Torre didn't return for the 2008 season. Instead, Bowa joined Torre in Los Angeles.

If Bowa decides to stay with the Dodgers, the Yankees might turn to Mike Gallego or Dale Sveum.

Hank and Hal, Randy Levine, Lonn Trost, Cash-Money, and other assorted Yankee Brass have gathered at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa today to begin the meetings that will plan the different strategies that will hopefully lead the Yankees back to the promised land in 2009.

According to Hank, the goal of the meeting is to fix whatever was broken in 2008 and restore order to the universe for 2009.

"It's to set our offseason priorities, certainly, and what we need to try and do," Hank Steinbrenner said Wednesday. "This year, we definitely are all pretty much on the same page. We know what we have to do, and it's going to take a lot of work and a lot of effort. Hopefully we can get as much done as we hope."

"Our goal is to win the World Series," Steinbrenner said. "This year was a little strange because the American League East was so powerful. We finished third because of the division we're in. But, is it acceptable for us to be with what we ended up with? No, it's not. So we're going to do what we can to correct that."

This will officially kick off a lot of interesting moves that we will be following this offseason. I hope you join me in the fun!!!!

Ed Price/Star Ledger:

The Yankees will not renew the contract of third-base coach Bobby Meacham, the team said today.

Also, Rich Monteleone will not return as special pitching instructor, according to a member of the organization who was told of the move but asked not to be named since he is not authorized to announce the move.

Meacham, a former Yankees infielder, was brought to the staff by manager Joe Girardi, who had Meacham as his third-base coach with Florida in 2006.

No replacement for Meacham has been named, and the Yankees could not say whether the rest of the staff will remain intact. General manager Brian Cashman was not immediately available for comment.

Now that Cash is back for another three years, Yankee management has a lot of work ahead of them. One of the first things they need to do is to sort out the problems with the coaching staff.

According to George A. King of the New York Post, one of those possible coaching changes is releasing third base coach Bobby Meacham. Apparently, fans and media members are not the only ones who criticized the way Meacham coached third base, as players have supposedly been grumbling about some of the decisions he made waving them home when they should have been staying on third, and halting players who should have come home.

I personally thought Meacham was pretty bad, but not horrible. But check this out.  According to King, if Meacham is released, it could open the door for Larry Bowa to return.  Now that would be something.  Girardi and Bowa together would be a vast improvement to the current coaching staff. If it means releasing Meacham to get Bowa, the Yankees better do anything they possibly can to make this happen.

Yankees special assistant to the general manager, Stump Merrill, was taken to a hospital after being hit just above the lip by a thrown ball during batting practice before Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay.

Merrill was collecting balls near a screen behind second base when he was struck by a ball thrown from the outfield. He was taken off the field on a stretcher.

The Yankees said Merrill was conscious and alert.

Just caught this over on Yahoo! Yankees News.

"We're right on the schedule that's going to lead us up to the opening of camp," Eiland said. "It's a real good situation here."

Phil Hughes and Jeff Karstens also are working out with Eiland, and both have thrown two mound sessions. Other pitchers, including Ian Kennedy, who don't live near the Yankees' facility are taking part in throwing programs at home.

"It's running along smooth like it always has here," Eiland said. "I've already talked to all the veteran guys, too. We're all on the same page. We're all preparing to get started."

Eiland thinks the early hands-on sessions with the young pitchers are important.

"Veteran guys, they know what they need to do," Eiland said. "This is Joba's first major league camp. This will be Ian's first major league camp. Phil's going into camp as a member of the team. Now going in, I'm going to know exactly what these guys have been doing for the past month. And I'm preparing them for the program that we're going to be doing in spring training. So that's huge. It's a huge advantage."

Eiland is entering his first season as Yankees pitching coach. He worked with Chamberlain and Hughes in the minors and spent time with them with the big league club last September.

"You prepare guys and you do the work that you have always done to get them ready to pitch," Eiland said. "Obviously, they're pitching at the highest level now, but they can't be somebody they're not. So you still prepare them and get them ready to attack hitters with their equipment. The game is still the same. You're just facing the best of the best now. You make adjustments. You just don't make any major changes."

Great news obviously. With Eiland in as pitching coach, do not be surprised if all three of these young gun's awe people this year.

Bill Madden had a great interview with Hammerin' Hank in todays New York Daily News. Ironically though, Hank was not the most interesting thing in the article. Apparently, Tino Martinez will be returning to the 2008 Yankees in some sort of special instructor/coach capacaity. Madden explains how he first found out Tino would be "back in the fold":

"As he was talking, I noticed a familiar face approaching our booth. Tino Martinez, another Tampa sports celebrity, and an older man whom he introduced as his grandfather had been dining across the room."

"Hey, Tino, how you been?" Hank said, looking up. "You get that all worked out?"

"I haven't heard back yet," Martinez answered.

"Well just call (Brian) Cashman - I'll call him, too - but I'm sure it's all set."

After Martinez departed, I asked: "Back in the fold?"

"Yeah," Hank said. "Tino asked about doing some work for us, coaching, instructing, and at the very least he'll be in spring training with us."

"In that respect, I thought, Hank is just like his dad when it comes to having a soft heart for old Yankees, especially Yankees with championship rings."

The New York Yankees announced today they have donated a total of $60,000 to the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua to aid in both countries' hurricane relief effort.

Yankees players Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera and Edwar Ramirez, along with coaches Rob Thomson and Tony Pena, presented the Yankees' donation of $25,000 on Wednesday, Nov. 14, in Hogar Santo Domingo Savio, Dominican Republic, which was struck by Tropical Storm Noel in late October. The donation will benefit Food for the Poor, a non-profit organization that ministers to spiritually renew impoverished people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and improve the health, economic, social and spiritual conditions of the men, women and children they serve. Following the donation, Yankees Minor League manager Jody Reed, several Yankees Minor Leaguers and Yankees Latin America scouts held a baseball clinic for 240 local orphans.

Click here for more....

Joe Girardi will be officially introduced as the new Yankee's manager with a coronation set for Thursday. Girardi made a strong vote of confidence for the new team he is set to inherit saying:

"I understand the expectations, and I think that's the advantage of being a player in New York," Girardi said. "You understand what's expected. I expect it as well. I expect to be playing in the Fall Classic next October -- I think that's everyone's expectation. You do everything that you possibly can to get there."

Joe Girardi has already begun the process of establishing a coaching staff for his new Yankee team. With Joe Torre apparently moving West, the Yankee's are mobilizing in order to retain pieces of last years managerial staff.

An article from the New York Post has reported:

"The Yankees and Girardi have moved swiftly to keep hitting coach Kevin Long, who is expected to sign a rare three-year deal for close to $1 million. The Yankees are also keen on retaining field coordinator Rob Thomson as Girardi's third base or bench coach. Tony Pena, who interviewed for the job Girardi was offered yesterday, also will remain."

Tony Pena has officially concluded the same rigorous interview process that the other potential succesors to Gentleman Joe, Joe Girardi and Donnie Baseball, had gone through earlier this week. Here are some excerpts that I liked from the press conference call that was held after completion of the interview.

"Any time your talking baseball, it is a great day."

"I just expressed that I want to take this team to the final line- to win the World Series."

"We have great talent in this organization."

"I am very proud to wear the uniform that I have worn for the last couple years."

"With the talent that we have, there is no question in my mind we can go on and do the job."

""If I don't get the job and they ask me to come back as a coach, I have no problem with that. I'm in love with this organization. I'm very, very proud to wear that uniform."

Personally, I do not think that Tony Pena gets this job. Do I think that he is more than capable of handling everything that comes with this job? Yes. But he just is not going to get it. What is amazingly positive for the Yank's however, is summed up with the last comment he makes to reporters- "If I don't get the job and they ask me to come back as a coach, I have no problem with that. I'm in love with this organization. I'm very, very proud to wear that uniform."

And you know what Tony. We as Yankee's fans are very, very proud to have you in that dugout as well. See you in '08.