On the Yankees beat

This was passed along to me by the Reds media relations director this afternoon. As some of you may know, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre manager Dave Miley's 17-year-old son, Cody, died in a car accident this year.
A scholarship fund has been established named the Cody Miley Memorial Art Scholarship Fund. It will go to a deserving student in need from Chamberlain High School in Tampa, where the Mileys live. Tax-deductible donations can be made by check to the Cody Miley Memorial Art Scholarship Fund and mailed to attn. of
Community Foundation of Tampa Bay
550 N. Reo St., Suite 301
Tampa, FL 33609-1037

On a different minor league note, you can keep up with the minor and major leaguers in the Arizona Fall League via Humberto Sanchez's blog. It's here: http://aflyankees.mlblogs.com/http://aflyankees.mlblogs.com

Bobby Abreu and Ivan Rodriguez were among the first Yankees to file for free agency yesterday, along with Chad Moeller and Sidney Ponson. There's a pretty good chance that none of those guys wind up back with the Yankees in 2008. I'd say Abreu has the best chance, and not a strong one at that, of returning. Moeller's really the only other one with any chance of being back.

Here's a link to my story on the upcoming start of free agency, in which we talk starting pitching (CC Sabathia), Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez.

Now that the World Series is over, the hot stove season can officially begin. So what should the Yankees do?

Everyone knows their top priority is starting pitching, and ideally they'd land CC Sabathia. There have been all sorts of "friends" of Sabathia quoted in stories saying this or that -- he wants to be in California, he's open to anything, etc. Probably no one knows for sure except CC. However, unless he wants absolutely no part of NY, the mountains of money the Yankees will throw at him would seem enticing.

Mike Mussina hasn't made a decision yet, at least not publicly, but I would expect that fairly soon. Retirement would seem the more likely choice, given all that he said. Andy Pettitte, I would expect to return.

So let's just say for argument's sake that the Yankees get Sabathia. A huge supposition, I know, but let's start with that. Then their rotation would be Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang (assuming he comes back healthy), Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain, with one spot yet to be determined. The Yankees could make another fairly big splash by getting someone such as A.J. Burnett, Jake Peavy, Ben Sheets or Derek Lowe. Or, with four solid starters, they could leave the fifth for a lesser-tier signing or a rising pitcher such as Phil Hughes or another prospect.
My guess is that if the Yankees get Sabathia (with either Pettitte or Mussina back), they'll be less bound and determined to get another higher-end free agent. If their biggest-name pitching get is someone else, even Burnett or Peavy, I think they'll want two of that similar tier.
Then there's the offensive side, which I'll leave for another discussion.

And a public service announcement, based on my own recent experience -- make sure to check your computer for viruses often and back up. Otherwise you could lose almost everything :(

The World Series could be over as early as tonight, and shortly (very shortly) thereafter begins what I call open season. It's not really the offseason, not when so much happens. But it's more like everything is open. It's time to talk trades, free agency, and what kinds of moves will happen.

Any of us could make our guesses as to where CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez et al. will wind up, and I'm sure we'd hit on someone. Like, I'm pretty sure at least one of those guys winds up in Yankee pinstripes, and probably not Manny. But we'll all be wrong about some things. That's what makes it fun, though. What anticipation would there be if we knew exactly what was coming?

A couple other notes. Our friends at Bronx Banter are on the move. Their blogsite is moving to www.bronxbanterblog.com, where it will be part of the SNY network of blogs. They do a great job, as do so many sites on the Yankees.

And one disappointing note. Joba Chamberlain's not the only pitcher to be arrested for DUI this month. Former Yankees reliever Luis Vizcaino was arrested in Tampa for DUI this weekend. Please, people, take a cab or find a sober friend. It will save lives.

Things are still quiet for the Yankees, but that will change once the World Series ends. Soon thereafter free agency will open for business, and the hot stove will get hopping. In the meantime, here are a few topics of potential interest.

Here's the latest on how some Yankees prospects are doing in winter ball:

As far as the trade market goes, Jake Peavy is readily available from the Padres. There had been talk that he would prefer to go to the Braves, or at least that it was one of his top choices. But Braves GM Frank Wren said this week he doesn't expect to trade top prospects to get Peavy. Wren told the Associated Press yesterday: "From our perspective we still feel the same annd we are looking to the future when that next wave of talent I spoke of arrives in Atlanta." That was apparently in response to a question about Peavy, and Wren's previous statement that he wouldn't trade top prospects. Peavy's not believed to be high on New York.

One division rival that hasn't been making as many headlines as the Rays or Red Sox lately is the Blue Jays. Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi told FoxSports's Ken Rosenthal that the team's main offseason goals are to re-sign right-hander A.J. Burnett and add a hitter. Asked if Manny Ramirez could be that hitter, Ricciardi told Rosenthal: "Manny is not priority No. 1. I can't even say he's priority No. 2. It would really be a long shot for us to bring him to Toronto. He's on our radar, but maybe not on nour radar like some people will report. I don't see us getting involved in unbelievable, astronomical numbers. We would not go down that path."

As for Yankees players in winter ball, several are doing really well. Juan Miranda is playing great for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. Through 10 games, he is hitting .344 with a 1.137 OPS, nine extra-base hits, seven RBIs and eight runs scored.
Miranda's teammates on the pitching side, Phil Hughes and Humberto Sanchez, are struggling. Hughes has allowed nine runs, eight earned, in 12 2/3 innings for a 5.68 ERA. He has allowed 12 hits and eight walks with 11 strikeouts. Sanchez has given up 10 earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Also in the AFL: Austin Jackson's doing decently, hitting .265 with a .751 OPS. Kevin Russo's hitting .344 with an .806 OPS. Jeffrey Marquez and Kevin Whelan are pitching well, Whelan has thrown six shutout innings and Marquez has a 2.70 ERA in four games.

A number of players are involved in other leagues -- Hawaii, the Dominican, Mexico or Venezuela.
Jeremy Bleich is 1-1 with a 2.41 eRA in four starts and 18 2/3 innings for Waikiki. Victor Zambrano (no, not a prospect), has pitched 11 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts for Magallanes in Venezuela. Reegie Corono's hitting .462 with four extra-base hits and four RBIs in five games for Magallanes.

Just wondering how interested all of you are in the World Series, with no involvement from the Yankees. I didn't have to make any official pick for the paper, but I'm going to make an unofficial prediction that the Rays win, probably in seven games. Anybody else's thoughts?

No real Yankee news at the moment. There probably won't be much until the World Series ends. So I'll be laying low most likely as far as the blog goes.

Here are some updates on Joba Chamberlain's situation. Hopefully it was a one-time very bad judgment error and not a sign that he truly has a problem. Here's an update from Lincoln, Nebr. http://http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spjoba1021,0,2858525.story

And here's a statement of support from Hal Steinbrenner: Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees' co-chairman and the most involved of George Steinbrenner's children in the team's baseball operations, voiced his support for Joba Chamberlain today, in the wake of Chamberlain's arrest early Saturday morning for driving under the influence in Lincoln, Neb.

"We're behind him 100 percent," Steinbrenner said at a Manhattan news conference to announce a joint venture between the Yankees and Dallas Cowboys. "He knows he made a mistake, and he's come out and said that.

"We've always said that we're an extended family. The Yankee family. And we will support him 100 percent with that."

Interesting to see the Yankees and Cowboys, two of the nation's most beloved and hated teams, join up together in any type of venture. Even simply one that deals with concessions.

So I'm one of the many, many dummies who never thought the Rays would be in the World Series. Mad props to them for getting there though. The way they played, they deserve to be in the World Series. They earned it, especially staving off the Red Sox after the Sox rallied to tie the Series. It's fun to see a Cinderella story happen. We always look forward to those in March Madness, but they don't happen so frequently in baseball. Not often does a team really, truly come from nowhere to get to the World Series.

David Price -- wow. That's all.

Here's the latest on Joba's arrest for DUI:

By KAT O’BRIEN
Kat.Obrien@Newsday.com

Joba Chamberlain apologized to the Yankees and their fans Sunday for being arrested for allegedly driving under the influence Saturday.
Chamberlain was arrested around 1 a.m. Saturday, according to Nebraska State Patrol spokeswoman Deborah Collins. He was pulled over for speeding on U.S. 77 near his hometown of Nebraska, the Associated Press reported, and was then cited for alleged DUI, speeding and having an open container of alchohol in the vehicle.
Chamberlain, in a statement released by agent Randy Hendricks, said: “I want to apologize to the New York Yankees and the fans for an error in judgment and for putting myself in a difficult situation. I intend to properly resolve this situation, and do not intend to be in such a situation again. My goal is to focus on pitching for the Yankees in the 2009 season.”
Chamberlain, 23, was taken to the Cornhusker Place, an emergency detox center in Lincoln where drunk drivers are taken, according to the AP.
The right-hander has become immensely popular among Yankees fans since his August 2007 debut. He went 4-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 42 games, 12 starts, this season. The Yankees have not commented on his arrest.

This report contains information from the Associated Press.

So the Yankees' organizational meetings wrapped up yesterday. Nothing too surprising. They want to go after top free agent pitchers, as we've known for some time. A couple of guys may not be so interested in the Yankees, though. Jake Peavy (trade target) would prefer to stay in the National League and also to go South if possible, like Houston or Atlanta.

The most notable thing about yesterday's meetings is probably that George Steinbrenner was included. He was not in on the first day of meetings.