最新一期鄉民信箱: http://tinyurl.com/3y6mml Q:What would you think about using Hideki Matsui at first base and using Jason Giambi solely as a designated hitter? I know the Gary Sheffield experiment didn't work out, but Giambi's defense scares me. -- Mike H., Mount Joy, Pa. I think it's safe to say that nobody with a rooting interest would be especially keen on watching Giambi lug around at first base for 80-100 games, even though he really does seem to love playing defense. You had to see Giambi's glow when former manager Joe Torre would put his name into the lineup card at first base, trotting out of the clubhouse and announcing, "The Big G is loose!" Unfortunately for Giambi, let's be charitable and just say that he's not a top-notch defender, which is why the Yankees came up with so many different options to find something that clicks. If manager Joe Girardi wants to put Matsui -- or, for that matter, Johnny Damon -- out at first base to take ground balls during Spring Training, there doesn't necessarily seem to be any harm with that. I just wonder about Matsui's ability to make the transition to playing there full-time, especially since he's coming off arthroscopic right knee surgery. Would the Yankees be comfortable with seeing those players bang their bodies around on the infield flagging down ground balls? Then again, it's not like Matsui or Damon are especially shy about sliding or diving for plays in the outfield. Damon took balls at first base during batting practice last year when he'd lost center field to Melky Cabrera, and he actually made it into five games late in the season. The crowded mix of infielders the Yankees have assembled, though, seems to decrease the importance of forcing an outfielder to play out of position. They'll already have Giambi, Shelley Duncan, Wilson Betemit, Morgan Ensberg and Jason Lane showcasing their wares. Q:The Yankees offered Cabrera and Phil Hughes, and instead Johan Santana goes to the Mets? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we are staying with our youth, but what were the Twins thinking? Were those four Mets actually a better package than the Yankees' offer? -- Brian S., Pequannock, N.J. There's no question that Twins general manager Bill Smith's decision to play hardball and ask for more -- Ian Kennedy, namely -- at the Winter Meetings remains ripe for second-guessing. What we know is that the Yankees did, at one point, offer Hughes and Cabrera in the same deal, reportedly along with Minor Leaguers Jeff Marquez and Mitch Hilligoss. Smith couldn't have seen it, but that was as good as it was going to get from the Yankees' standpoint, be- cause when the Twins hesitated, Andy Pettitte suddenly decided he wasn't re- tiring, after all. The Mets' package for Santana remains decent given the circumstances, and there's always so much uncertainty when you handle prospects. All things being equal in projection, Carlos Gomez could be an All-Star center fielder someday, but I'd still take Hughes over any one of the three pitchers the Mets gave up -- Deolis Guerra, Phil Humber and Kevin Mulvey. Q:With the signing of Ensberg, do you think this lowers Duncan's chances of making the team? -- Brian M., New Jersey Slightly, but only because there's now another competitor to log Spring Training at-bats and innings in the field. The signing of Ensberg seems to be a great low-risk move -- you're looking at a guy who hit a combined 59 home runs in 2005 and '06 and comes in on a Minor League contract with a non-roster invitation. It costs the Yankees essentially very little to see if Ensberg could be their answer at first base. To me, the potential is even greater than last year, when they brought in Josh Phelps as a Rule 5 Draft pick for a quick look. Phelps actually wound up being the Yankees' Opening Day first baseman. Who's to say Ensberg doesn't have that potential at least? He'll have to make the defensive switch to first base, but that might not prove too difficult, given his background at third base. Q:What ever happened to Chris Britton? Is there any chance that we will be able to see him in the Yankees' bullpen this season? -- Kevin S., Queens, N.Y. Sure. Britton is right there in the mix of candidates who will head to Spring Training trying to lock down one of the unsettled relief jobs. Really, behind Mariano Rivera, Kyle Farnsworth and LaTroy Hawkins, it's going to be open season for Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland to lock down the other jobs. Anybody in the big league clubhouse with a uniform and a healthy pitching arm is going to have a shot at it, and Britton's one of them. Q:I realize that the Yankees have a lot of candidates who are going to battle for a bullpen spot, but why don't they sign Akinori Otsuka? He is an establish- ed reliever whose ERA over the past two years has been well under 3.00. -- Reza V., Vestal, N.Y. Perhaps if he were healthy, but Otsuka is going to have surgery on his right elbow and is expected to miss all of 2008. Q:Is Sean Henn the only lefty reliever on the active roster? What are the Yankees looking to do to fill that hole? -- Jonny R., State College, Pa. To see how Torre used Henn last season didn't really speak to what the Yankees think of him -- many in the system are still high on his stuff, even though he saw so much duty as a "white flag" guy. In any event, the Yankees are also going to look at Kei Igawa and Chase Wright as potential lefties to keep in their bullpen. Billy Traber, once a No. 1 Draft pick, is also in camp on a non-roster invitation and seems to have a decent shot if he pitches well this spring. Q:I remember the Yankees were offering Carl Pavano a Minor League contract in an effort to clear up room on the 40-man roster. I was curious what the out- come of that was. Also, what would it cost for the Yankees to cut him from the team? -- Kerri B., Buffalo, N.Y. Pavano's camp was resistant to the idea, and the Yankees eventually moved on with other plans. It may have been a nice gesture on Pavano's part, but it was also nothing he was required to do. As it is, Pavano remains on the Yankees' 40-man roster, but he'll eventually be moved to the 60-day disabled list, where he would not occupy a roster spot. The Yankees owe Pavano $11 million for the 2008 season, so hypothetically, they'd have to cut him that check no matter what. Though the odds seem to run against it -- he's coming off Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery and isn't a quick healer -- there's still an outside chance Pavano could pitch later in the year. One other note: Lots of fans have written in asking about Yankees 2008 single- game ticket sales. Those games will go on sale through Yankees.com on Feb. 29. ------------------------------------------------------------ 所以最後一個問題才是重點？ (菸) 另外在亞伯的blog裡看到，休斯說他今年會改穿背號34，去年是香汗 的背號；據說休斯換到背號的代價是一頓晚餐。XD -- 宇宙裡的微小塵埃 http://www.wretch.cc/blog/AllyDai --

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