Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Bobby Valentine meant no disrespect to Andy Pettitte, but he chuckled at the suggestion that the longtime Yankees lefty’s decision yesterday to come out of retirement will have a profound effect on the American League East.
“I don’t think he’s coming back to where he was,” Valentine said. “Call it a hunch.”
Pettitte, who turns 40 in June, retired before last season and hasn’t pitched since 2010 when he went 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 21 starts. He signed a minor league deal worth $2.5 million and is expected to report to the Yankees’ camp by Tuesday.
“Is he going to be a starter or just pick people off?” Valentine said, referring to Pettitte’s tricky pickoff move. “I thought they had too much pitching before. Now what do they have? Too, too much pitching.”
Herald - Just kidding, Yankees
I'll admit, Valentine's "Now what do they have? Too, too much pitching" comment got a chuckle from me.
But the Red Sox aren't necessarily in a position to start mocking other franchises for their pitching depth. Not when we've spent the last 4 months scouring halfway houses, homeless shelters and Kuwaiti Club Teams looking for anyone that could throw a baseball for minimum wage. If you put Pettitte on the Sox roster, today, he'd probably be the odds-on favorite to get that 5th spot in the rotation.
But that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun with it. And with Valentine's unique talent to inject himself into every baseball-related storyline, we all knew he'd have something to say about Pettitte. I may change my mind about this in 3 months, but thus far I've enjoyed the Bobby V experience.
And he's right about the impact Pettitte will have. You're simply not the same pitcher, at 39, as you were at 37. That doesn't mean he can't be good and play a key role for the Yankees. But you're getting a 39 year old pitcher who's been out of the game for a year. As I said yesterday, this signing doesn't worry me in the least.
And speaking of pitchers making a comeback, check out the Herald's article about Dice-K below. Things are looking good.
Rest of the links:
Herald - Big Papi last of dying breed | BP’s progress for Matsuzaka | Globe - Hill feels the utmost relief | CSNNE - Ortiz questions Pettitte's return | Iglesias scratched from Friday's lineup | WEEI - Red Sox agree to terms with Mercedes | Sox option Middlebrooks, Lin to Triple-A
