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Gardner is batting .190 for the year. He is 10 for 41 since being recalled in August. He plays god defense and has a good arm.

Is he ready for primetime in 2009? Can he hit .280, .375 OBP and steal 50 bases next year? Or should Melky get another chance?

It is a tough call. Gardner does not have the power Melky does. Melky can hit 15 HR’s a year, Gardner will be lucky to hit 5. Both play very good defense. Melky can steal bases but Gardner has lightening speed. Gardner is more of a gamer, Melky looks like he “glides”.

I have followed Gardner in the minors the last couple of years. I am also a big Melky fan, at least besides this year.

A lot of it comes down if Melky can play like he can play. Ideally he grabs the CF spot and hit .290, 15 HR’s, 80 RBI;s, steals 20 bases and plays great defense. Then Gardner can be a reserve outfielder and pinch runner in 2009.

8 games left in 2008.

Yankee Stadium closes for good Sunday night. What an amazing place and amazing run.

Nothing lasts forever and I am looking forward to the new Yankee Stadium.

I am going to shed a few tears Sunday night and miss the old stadium. I have been to about 50 games the last 10 years. My best moment was 2002 in the ALDS when Bernie hit a HR last in the game. I was in the bleachers and the place was going crazy. It was so sureal I almost forgot to breath.

I also remember the first time coming out of the tunnel and seeing the green grass and being in aw.

It has been a tough year for Yankees fans and Sunday night is not going to make it any better knowing the team will be going home September 28th.

To Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Dimaggio, Mattingly, Maris, Ford, Berra, Jeter, Munson, Guidry, Sottlemyre, Howard, Dickey, and all the other Yankee greats, thanks for the memories.

This spot should be well filled by Matsui. His knees will not allow him to play the outfield on a regular basis and he seems to like the DH spot. Matsui has also said he could play first base.

Ideally Matsui plays 140 games at DH. Hits .300, 25 HR’s and 100 RBI’s. He is one of the few clutch hitters on the team and has a good eye.

Pitch recognition is a major issue with the team right now and Matsui has a good eye.

8 games back with 10 to play. Will there be a miracle???

My high school Chemistry teacher passed away yesterday. He was a great guy and will be missed by everyone. My condolences go out to his wife and daughters.

Again, Joba is the x-factor for this area. If he is the 8th inning guy, the bullpen has great potential. If he is a starter, the bullpen will need some guys to step up.

Mo will be Mo as the closer. He has shown this year he has not lost anything and he is a fierce competitor. He will be the closer in 2009.

If Joba is not the 8th inning guy someone will have to step up. I like Ramirez and Veras in the bullpen. This is the first full year for both of those guys and hopefully they learned a thing or two to be a little better next year. They are not lights out guys but have the potential to be very good 7th inning guys.

Robertson has been up and down while in the majors which is typical for a young guy. He has the stuff to be a very good reliever.

A potential 8th inning guy is the kid Melancon. Reports are he has great stuff. By the beginning of 2009 he will be 24 months past his TJ surgery and should be 100%. He has thrown about 100 innings this year and has stayed healthy (except for a tweaked back recently). He could be a great setup guy if Joba is in the starting rotation.

Coke is another younger pitcher with potential to be a very good reliever if he is not starting. He has thrown 8 scoreless innings this year.

The Yankees also have some long reliever types in Giese and Rasner. Britton may also be an option in the bullpen.

The Yankees have a good crop of young arms in the minors. Some of them may convert to very good relievers.

This is one strength for the Yankees and an even greater strength if Joba is the 8th inning guy. I think the Yankees should spend what money they have on a starting pitcher and centerfielder.

The big question is will Joba be a starter or a reliever in 2009? He will pitch about 100 innings this year so a jump to 200 will not happen. Do they start him in the minors and limit him to 5 innings a game, then call him up in mid May to make 20 or so starts?

I think the Yankees need to bring back at least Pettite or Moose, maybe both if the contracts make sense.

Aceves looks good but if I had a dollar for every young pitcher who pitched well in September and had a bad pitching career I could retire.

Hopefully Kennedy or Hughes can develop this offseason. Hughes goes tomorrow night and has the potential to develop. Kennedy has more work to do.

The Yankees do have some other kids at AAA who can maybe develop but they are big maybes right now. I am hoping Wright gets another chance.

If Joba starts, the Yankees sign Pettite and Moose, Hughs develops and the Yankees make a splash with someone like Sabathia, the Yankees should have a good rotation in 2009.

A team can never have enough pitching and the Yankees have some arms in the minors that look real good. The trick will be to develop the kids, make some good free agent signings and mix and match and develop a great rotation. It will take a lot of work patience and a little luck.

My Internet was down over the weekend.

I am going to do the whole outfield because positions may vary depending on how the offseason goes.

Nady will be back and will play either RF or LF. I do not think they should pick up Abreu’s option for 16 million. He is not worth that kind of money. He is a lot like A-rod. Puts up good numbers but on an everyday basis is overrated. Although he actually hit the wall a few times this year. He must know his option may not be picked up.

Damon is a backup for CF. Hopefully Gardner or Melky can shake off their development woes and grab CF. They are both better CF’s if they lay up to their ability.

In LF, Damon can hold down that position with Matsui occasionally subbing.

Any way you slice it, the Yanks need 1 more good outfielder unless they hope Gardner or Melky develop and can have an OF of Nady, Damon and Gardner/Melky.

The Yankees have a kid named Jackson who just finished a strong AA season but should not be rushed. He needs a full year at AAA first.

The Yankees also have fillers like Christain or Matt Carson but neither have the bat to be a full time ML Outfielder.

Not sure what is available on the free agent market this year for outfielders. A 1-2 year contract for someone that can play all 3 OF positions wel would be good. To hold down the fort until some of the young kids at AAA and AA can show what they have. There is a kid, Colin Curtis who had an ok year at AAA who I am rooting to make a big splash. He could be a Paul O’Neill type right fielder.

Outfield is not a strength for this team like the infield is. Lots of question marks and some glaring holes, especially if Abreu leaves. Maybe the Yanks pick up the option for a 1 year stopgap?

Going to be a fun offseason with lots of changes. Hopefully Cash will be back and running the show.

Love em or hate em, he is most likely the Yankees third baseman for the next 9 years. He is way too expensive to trade and he still brings people to the park so the Yankees will hold onto him. Maybe in 3-4 years when other contracts start reaching 25 million a year he can be traded but by then he will be 36-37.

He is a very good baseball player and easily the best third baseman in the AL. The issue I have is he is not as great as the numbers show. He does not have great baseball instincts. If you watch him every day, he is not a great baseball player. I know that is easy for me to say from my couch but I have watched a lot of baseball in my life.

I researched his numbers in 2006 and he has something like 25 HR’s and 80 RBI’s in the games (about 25) the Yankees won or lost by more than 6 runs. In the other 130 games he played in, he was pretty average. He pads his numbers on bad pitching. Good pitching will get him out most of the time.

I will always root 110% for him because he wears the pinstripes and I hope he has a great year next year. He will be the starting third baseman in 2009 and beyond.

In the minors there again, is not much depth at third base. Eric Duncan, a former first rounder who was rushed has never really developed as a blue chip third baseman. He will be 24 and may still have a chance but he was exposed in the rule 5 draft and no team picked him up which speaks volumes.

Vecchionacci had a great spring in 2007 but then had a so so spring in 2008, got hurt and have a very dissapointing season. He may rebound in 2009 but his time is running short. The Yankees also have a kid Hilligoss who may develop but also had a dissapointing 2008. The Yankees also have the usual young prospects in low ball but you never really know where they may end up 2-3 years down the road.

Final home series for the cathedral. What a sad way to end its run.

This position is set for 2009 with the Captain, Mr. Derek Jeter.

It is hard to believe he will be 35 next year and 2 years away from free agency. He has lost a step but is still a very very very good shortstop and future hall of famer. His numbers will not look great this year. Hopefully a .300 batting average 10-11 HR’s, 70 or so RBI’s, solid defense. He has struck out less this year and seems to have a better eye at the plate.

I doubt he will put up lofty numbers again like a .320 BA, 15 HR’s, 90 RBI’s, 120 Runs, 215 hits. Those days are gone but he is still a very good shortstop. Maybe at 35, after a tough year he will have one last glory year?

As for the minors, it is similar to second base. No blue chip prospects at AAA or AA waiting to take Jeters spot in 2010. Pena and Corona are utility type guys. They do have some your kids in the low level of the minors but you never know how they will turn out.

It will be interesting to see what they do with Jeter. Sign him early to a contract extension to keep him a Yankee for life? Move him to a new position in a few years? Let him leave as a free agent?

One thing is certain, he will be the starting SS for the Yankees in 2009 and will play with a lot of heart. If only the guy to his right had the baseball instincts Jeter has, he wouldn’t be such a goat.

I was joking yesterday about trading Cano. It would not be wise to trade him when his value is low. He is also only about 25 y/o and is pretty cheap at 8 million a year for the next 3 years.

He is not have a great year but is not having an awful year. .265, 13 HR’s and 60 RBI’s with an .982 fielding percentage is not awful. With that said, he needs to improve next year. He can be a much better baseball player than he showed today. Was it the contract he signed in the offseason? Did he just get lazy? Is he just not as good as advertised? I think it may be a combination of things. I think he deserves a chance to redeem himself in 2009.

In the minors, the Yankees have some options but no blue chip prospects at the AAA or AA level. Ramiro Pena or Reggie Corona are more utility guys who have a great glove but not much of a bat. I do not think they have the all around talent that Cano has. The Yankees do have some possibilities at low A ball but they are 2-3 years away.

So unless there is a huge suprise and Cano gets traded this offseason, he will be the starting 2nd baseman in 2009.