Live Chat For UFC 157

I know this is a baseball blog but I am also a huge UFC fan like I am sure a lot of Yankees fans are so I decided I would experiment and put this live chat up. NO rules here so have fun!

Yankees Alex Rodriguez Is Clean In Recent Drug Test

Stemming from the fall out of the Biogenesis Clinic and Anthony Bosch Major League Baseball had all the players who were linked in any way take a drug test, including Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, and so far all the tests have come back clean. It is reported that Gio Gonzalez went through both a blood and a urine test for performance enhancing drugs only two days after the news story dropped and passed his test and we can only assume that Alex Rodriguez went through the same procedure. This is still an ongoing investigation and I do not pretend to know just how long some of this stuff stays in your system or is recognizable but according to the test A Rod is clean right now and that is all I need to hear.

New York Yankees Officially The "Evil Empire"

Way back in 2002 Red Sox president Larry Luchino tagged the New York Yankees with the nickname "the Evil Empire" after losing out on the Jose Contreras bidding. The Yankees have  been in court with a company called Evil Enterprises Inc. over the moniker since 2008 and they have finally won the court battle which gives them all trademarks to the "Evil Empire" nickname when it is baseball related.

Yankees Rout Braves 8-3 In Spring Opener

The Yankees opened their Grapefruit League schedule today against the Atlanta Braves and started it off with an impressive 8-3 victory. Robinson Cano hit a two run home run and so did Yankees switch hitting outfield prospect Zoilo Almonte. Almonte also threw out a runner trying to go from first to third on a Freddie Freeman single off of David Phelps. David Phelps final pitching line was 2 IP 3 H 0 ER. The Yankees will play again tomorrow on MLB Network against the Toronto Blue Jays at 1:00 pm ET.

Yankees Spring Training In Pictures Part 3

A member of The Greedy Pinstripes family, @RobbinsDynasty on twitter, has been doing a great job documenting the Yankees spring training camp this year in pictures and sharing with the readers of the blog. This is part three of hopefully an ongoing series this spring with us following the Yankees in spring by pictures. Go and follow @RobbinsDynasty on twitter and give him a thanks for sharing the pictures and being a loyal The Greedy Pinstripes family member. Follow @GreedyStripes as well on twitter to stay up to date on all things Yankees. Enjoy the pictures!

First full squad work out of the spring

Tyler Austin being distracted while doing an interview

The Captain!

Tyler Austin doing another interview

Tyler Austin signing autographs for the fans

New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves 2/23

Welcome back to real baseball even if it is just a Spring Training game. The New York Yankees will open up their Grapefruit League schedule against the Atlanta Braves today at 1:00 pm ET. David Phelps will start today and is scheduled to throw about 35 pitches.

The Yankees will send out pitchers David Phelps, Brett Marshall, Nik Turley, Mike O'Brien, Kelvin Perez, Branden Pinder, Juan Cedeno, Preston Clairborne, Ryan Pope, Francisco Rondon, Josh Spence, and Chase Whitley.

The available positional players will be Francisco Arcia, Francisco Cervelli, Kyle Higashioka, JR Murphy, Austin Romine, Robinson Cano, Walter Ibarra, Dan Johnson, Corban Joseph, Luke Morton, Eduardo Nunez, Jose Pirela, Mark Teixeira, Gil Velazquez, Zoilo Almonte, Tyler Austin, Matt Diaz, Ramon Florez, Adonis Garcia, Slade Heathcott, Melky Mesa, and Juan Rivera.

Here is your New York Yankees lineups:

Eduardo Nunez SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Juan Rivera DH
Matt Diaz LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Melky Mesa CF
Zoilo Almonte RF
Corban Joseph 3B

New York Yankees Spring Training Notes 2/23

In just a few hours the Yankees will play their first Spring Training game as they open their Grapefuit League schedule against the Atlanta Braves at 1:00 pm ET. We have a few notes to share with you before David Phelps takes the mound.

Nick Goody has been shut down after he hurt and sprained his ankle in an apparent car accident. He will be shut down for a while and that is a shame because he was looking to be a fast mover through the Yankees system this season.

Dan Johnson will play third base again today as he looks to be this year's version of Eric Chavez, a left handed third base and first basemen bench player.

There will be more for the game and after the game so stay tuned to TGP!

Yankees Spring Training In Pictures Part 2

We are sharing part two of a member of The Greedy Pinstripe's family, @RobbinsDynasty on twitter, sharing Yankees spring training pictures while he spends time down in Tampa with his family. Give @RobbinsDynasty a follow and tell him thank you for sharing these awesome pictures. Also follow The Greedy Pinstripes on twitter @GreedyStripes. Enjoy!

Tyler Austin, Brett Gardner, and Ichiro standing out in the outfield 

Huddles around the cage watching batting practice

Catching drills and work outs

Gary Sanchez taking pop up drills

Tyler Austin

Meet A Prospect : Cody Eppley

I know that Cody Eppley is not exactly still a prospect but Cody Allen Eppley was born on October 8th, 1985 in Dillsburg, PA where he went to Northern High School in Dillsburg, PA. Cody spent his college years at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond Virginia. With a 6'5" 205 lb frame and a jerky delivery from the right side you can see why the Texas Rangers drafted Cody in the 43rd round of the 2008 MLB First Year Players Draft. With his very unusual sidearm delivery that allows him to hide his four seam fastball and sinker that sit in the high 80 mph range and slider and change up. After a surprise 2012 season for the New York Yankees where Cody continually handcuffed right handed batters he will look to improve and build on that in 2013.

Cody Eppley started his professional career in the 2008 season after the Texas Rangers drafted him and made his way from the Rookie League all the way to Class A for the Clinton Lumber Kings where he was named an Arizona League All Star. Eppley would spend the next three seasons in the Rangers Class A, Class A+, AA, and AAA affiliates between 2009 - 2011 before being promoted to the majors in April of 2011. He would be sent back down to the minors in May of that year where he spent his time with the Rangers new PCL AAA affiliate the Round Rock Express. Eppley would spend the rest of the 2011 season and ultimately his Rangers career down in AAA.

The Rangers designated Cody for assignment at the end of Spring Training in 2012 and the Yankees scooped him up and hid him in AAA with their Scranton Wilkes-Barre team. The Yankees called him up the first time on April 19th where he went 0-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 4 games before being sent back down to Scranton on April 29th. The Yankees would recall him again, this time for good, on May 15th when David Robertson went down with a strained oblique muscle. Cody would put up a 2012 pitching line of 1-2 with a 3.33 ERA in 46 IP while striking out 32 batters and putting up a 1.37 WHIP. Cody looks to be once again an integral part as a right handed specialist in one of the leagues stronger bullpens.