Pettitte: sympathy for Damon; Me: not so much

Andy Pettitte says he knows what Damon is going through by not wanting to take a paycut to return to the Yankees. I get what he’s saying, but, I think, it was completely different for Pettitte. First of all, he was a stalwart on four championship teams and two other pennant-winning teams. Damon was there for just four years and won only one World Series. Pettitte got more of a raw deal in that sense. Second, if anybody offers you $7 million/year for two years at age 36 and you turn it down (especially when you can’t play the field and have NO ARM WHATSOEVER), you deserve whatever you get. Damon has only himself and his greedy agent to blame for him not having a place to play. Also, can anybody forget about the whole episode of him wanting to retire a couple of years ago right before spring training (if you never heard about it, read Joe Torre’s book)? And finally, if he loved the Yankees so much is $7 million/year so bad…especially when he knows he has a legitimate chance to play October baseball with said team? Good f’ing riddance and good luck finding a deal comparable to that…oh yeah, and have fun watching the playoffs from home. Dick.

Roy Halladay is now the Mets’ problem. Good, better them than the Yanks. Actually, sometimes I feel bad for those Metropolitans and all the bad breaks thrown their way over the past few seasons…PSYCH I hope it keeps raining shit on them in Queens.

Adeinis Hechavarria (AKA the next Jeter) is expected to be able to sign with a major league team as early as next week. The 21-year-old is expected to be courted by the Yanks. If he knows what’s good for him (and his bank account) he’ll sign with NYY. Imagine having another Jeter waiting to replace Jeter when Jeter retires. WOW. Although I don’t think he’ll be able to pull as much tail as Captain did, but you never know.

Georgie says his shoulder “feels good” and expects to catch about 120 games this season. That’s a relief, I just hope he can still mix it up like he did last season. However, it wouldn’t be a bad thing seeing Frankie Cervelli behind the dish, or ever Jesus Montero getting a crack at the Majors. But I guess we’ll have to settle for Posada. Darn.

CC: I ain’t afraid of no workload. That’s a relief, because the Yanks will need him to throw another 5,000 innings this season and then another 1,500 in the playoffs. Hey, you gotta earn that $160,000,000 million somehow.

Swish Dog…the boxer? Apparently Swisher shed 12 pounds via a new offseason boxing workout. It seems the 2010 Yanks are whatever the opposite of complacent is: everyone arriving at spring training early, everyone excited to be back, no (serious) offseason drama, new guys willing to do whatever it takes to win and no steroid talk. I smell a repeat, maybe even another three-peat…On another note, I guess the apple does fall far from the tree because Girardi actually ENJOYS talking with Hal Steinbrenner. Was he adopted? Is he a pod person? Is this bizarro world? Jesus Christ, between players arriving early, good attitudes and the manager enjoying the company of ownership, can this era of Yankees baseball be any further removed from the last few years of Torre’s reign? Let’s hope so.

Kenny Powers can stop calling it “Jew York” now because boxing reigns supreme over Bar Mitzvahs…at least in the Bronx.

And finally, take a look at what the old Yankee Stadium has become. Caution: this pic might make you cry like a little girl. I know I did.