Finally, Some Good News

• Cano and Marte both received a seemingly clean bill of health after spending some time in the ol' MRI tube. Test revealed shoulder bursitis for Cano and some inflammation for Marte, confirming what Yankee trainers and officials suspected.

It might just be me, but it seems like a pretty rare day when a Yankee injury in camp isn't season-threatening. Let's hope it stays that way.

• The new look Brian Bruney not only reported to camp 40 pounds lighter than his '06 form, and 20 pounds lighter than last year. He also sports a new attitude, confidence, and overall level of determination. Bruney wants the 8th (despite what most Joba-to-the-pen morons think) and is prepared to take it.

"I look at it like it's mine," Bruney said. "I've got to prepare for the eighth inning. Until somebody tells me what I'm throwing, my goal is the eighth inning. That's what I'm mentally preparing for [...] I like people that doubt me," Bruney said. "I would rather somebody doubt me than call me the best. Tell me I can't do something, and I'll do it. That's how I look at it. Now it's my goal to prove all the doubters wrong."

I love this and think Bruney's more than capable of being the man in that situation. He was very impressive before that crazy foot injury (same one that shelved Wang and killed our season) last year and returned late in the season to finish up with some sick to fairly sick numbers. Check it:
In 34.3 innings he surrendered only 18 hits, posted 33K's, and allowed just 16 walks. That's a WHIP of 0.990 - add to that an ERA of 1.83; pretty nasty.

Sure it's an injury shortened season, but his new commitment to himself, his teammates, and the game has me thinking that 2009 will be the breakout year for Brian Bruney and will, hopefully, quiet most of the asinine waterheads who still think Joba is best suited in the 'pen. I'm looking squarely at you ESPN and MLB Network.

• Jorge Posada took his rightful spot behind the plate and caught his first game in nearly a year. He reported no difficulty after catching three innings for Andy Pettite on Sunday. The next step will be catching in consecutive games and testing out that arm during steal attempts.
  

This is good news. Posada's health and ability to rebound from shoulder surgery is without a doubt the single most important part of our team's success going forward. We need him to catch and we need him to catch often. For those of you hoping for a return to the '06 form, he's also hitting a .360 clip this spring.

• Stay tuned because Mo goes tonight.
  

Obviously, this is tremendous. Little else needs to be said about the importance of Mariano Rivera.

• And on the lighter side, Manny Ramirez's triumphant return is being halted by, you guessed it Red Sox fans, a bad hamstring. Go figure, the guy hamstrings the organization all winter long by rejecting every offer laid in front of him, then he hurts his hamstring when running down a ball (at around half-speed mind you) during his first in-game action out in left.

Those morbid Yankee fans who are still holding out hope that we get Manny if he opts out in 2010 can officially get off the bandwagon and return any and all Yankee memorabilia they own. This is why you do not want anyone over 35 who only brings offense to the table in your outfield. While I truly hope Manny's injury isn't serious, as he's a fascinating personality and tremendous hitter, I do hope most fans will pull their collective heads out of their collective asses and let Manny be Manny someplace far, far away.

And in reality it's never good news if a player gets hurt (unless of course they play for Boston, get well soon Dustin, you too Julio.)