Tidbits du jour

The remarkably underrated LoHud beat writer/blogger Pete Abraham has some goodness coming from directly from his chat with Hal Steinbrenner, covering a wide range of topics in a short amount of space:

On the start of the free agent period:

Hal said the organization will be ready for the start of free agency on Friday. He would not reveal any details about payroll. “We’re going to do what we’ve always done and that’s field a team that can compete for the championship,” he said. … I asked him about getting personally involved with free agents and he said that he planned to, after stressing that Brian Cashman’s job is to negotiate the deal. But Steinbrenner expressed an interest in getting to know the key agents. Steinbrenner that as far as incorporating young players from the farm system goes, “the goal is balance.”

On Hal's position within the organization:

You sort of get the impression with Hal that he would rather he someplace else. He clearly doesn’t enjoy the media give-and-take or being the public face of ownership. But he understands his duty to his father and he’s doing his best to carry it out. He met with Cashman yesterday and will again today. Hal is clearly the guy shouldering the responsibilities.

On TNYS' status:

Lonn Trost said that the Stadium is 12.5 days ahead of schedule and is now now built beyond the point of bad weather being a factor. ... The Metro North Station is expected to be done by the third homestand. ... The Yankees have seven suites they haven’t sold yet, which is a result of the slumping economy.

On the bounty of Cisco gear:

The 1,100 flat screen, HD monitor around the Stadium can be individually programmed with real-time stats, traffic information, weather, etc. The entire Stadium will have high-speed wireless. The long-range plan is that once we’re all toting around smart phones, you can use that to access concessions stands, merchandise, get highlights, stats, chat, etc.
.....
The Cisco people stressed that the Yankees are way ahead of the curve with this stuff. No stadium in North America will be more advanced in terms of delivering video to fans. It’ll start in the suites and spread to the seats in time. There is $17 million worth of wiring and other hardware in the Stadium.