When Marc Brownstein dictated the history of Darrell Rasner’s career to me, I knew he was an extremely knowledgeable baseball fan.

The Disco Biscuits’ bass player grew up in New York City cheering on his beloved Bronx Bombers. Our Hidden Track Baseball Preview continues, as Brownie was kind enough to share some thoughts on the upcoming Yankees’ season, as well as his love for the popular rock band Phish.

Photo by Jennifer Hartswick

Scott Bernstein: What do you think of the moves that our beloved Yankees made in this past offseason?

Marc Brownstein: Great moves. [GM Brian Cashman] had to get rid of Sheffield and Johnson, and now it’s time to get rid of A-Rod. I love A-Rod, but his head is fucked up. He is the most talented player on the team, but if he can’t deal with media circus, it’s better for him and us if he leaves.

SB: What are your thoughts on the Yankee pitching staff as we enter the season?

MB: I love having Pettitte back — you just know he is going to perform. I also love the young pitchers like Rasner, [Jeff] Karstens, and [Brian] Bruney…especially Bruney. How can you not like Bruney?

SB: Is it hard to follow the team from the road?

MB: Everytime the Yankees won the World Series I was on tour, which was tough for me. I watch pretty much every game either on MLB.TV or on television. If we are within 300 miles of New York City, I tune in to 770 and listen to the game on the radio.

Read on for more of this classic Bernstein vs. Brownstein baseball face-off…

SB: Are you a Jason Giambi fan?

MB: Giambi is great, he’s one of my favorites. I wish the other guys who juiced came out and admitted their mistake. I’ve made mistakes. I mean I’ve never taken steroids but people probably think stuff I’ve taken in the past is bad.

SB: What do you think about the Yankees outfield?

MB: I love the Melky situation, and I love Bobby Abreu. The whole vibe of Abreu fitting in is terrific. Everyone has been taking more pitches. Living in Philly I smiled when all the Phillies fans were excited to get rid of Abreu.

SB: Did you have an opportunity to meet Bernie Williams at the 2nd Annual Jammy Awards ceremony?

MB: Oh yeah…that was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Bernie and I got to hang out alone for about 20 minutes and we just jammed a bit and chatted. That was amazing.

SB: I’ve heard from a number of a people that you are a big Phish fan. These days not many musicians cop to that.

MB: I’m not afraid to say it. You can be too cool for school or you can be real. I like Phish, big fucking deal. The other day my friend Berkowitz and I took a road trip. He put on the Decemberists and then Wilco, after a while I was like “enough” and we put on Rift.

Many thanks to Brownie for taking the time to speak with us about the season. We hope to check in with him at the All-Star break, and at the end of the season, to discuss how the year turned out for the Bombers. The Biscuits will head to Chicago in a few weeks to take part in the Green Apple Music & Arts Festival.