Thoughts About Old Timers Day

There's been a lot on my plate lately, so much so that I haven't been able to update this blog in a week. It was a week the Yankees won series against the Reds and the Rockies, but I could do nothing more about it than smile and cheer.  Yesterday I smiled and cheered more than I have at any point during this season. It was Old Timers Day, of course, one of the highlights of every Yankee season.

There was so much I liked about yesterday:

• The return of Bernie Williams and his double to left centerfield.
• Lou Piniella's return and his willingness to step up to the plate and try to hit.
• The ovation that Joe Torre received.
• The love shown to head trainer Gene Monahan.
• Tino Martinez's home run.
• Rick Cerone looking like a snowman in his Yankee uniform.

Then again, there were some things I didn't like:

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Looking Back: The Cubs Series (Wrigley Field Edition)

Ah, Wrigley Field. One of the great places to watch a Major League baseball game. The hand-turned scoreboard. The rooftop seats. Day games. Ivy. Beautiful Wrigley Field.

Really?

I've never been to Wrigley Field. I've never seen the scoreboard, the seats or the ivy, except on television, and, on television it looks just like any other ballpark. Nothing special at all. Hopefully that will change for me in the near future. But, right now the only beauty I see is the series win for the Yankees this past weekend.

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Father's Day Giveaway: The Winning Entries (Part 3)

The three winners of last week's Father's Day giveaway submitted some wonderful stories of baseball memories they have involving their fathers. With their permission, and in recognition of Father's Day, I am sharing them with you. Below is the third and final winning entry, by Ronni Redmond. Enjoy Ronni's story and, after you read it, pay a visit to her blog, Garlic Fries and Baseball.

It was 1958 and Pan Am introduced the first 707 trans Atlantic jet service, President Eisenhower sent 5,000 Marines to Lebanon, The United States launched its first satellite and the New York Giants moved to San Francisco.    The latter is important because if they had stayed in New York, chances are good I never would have seen a Professional Baseball Game.  And I never would have met Willie Mays.  At least not when I was 15, when it really counted! 

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Father's Day Giveaway: The Winning Entries (Part 2)

The three winners of last week's Father's Day giveaway submitted some wonderful stories of baseball memories they have involving their fathers. With their permission, and in recognition of Father's Day, I am sharing them with you. Below is the second of the three entries, by John Southee. Enjoy his story and, after you read it, pay a visit to John's blog, Kaught Looking. 


My father was very strict growing up. He really put his foot down when it came to what my brother and I could and could not do. He wanted us to be such model citizens that sometimes I think he forgot to show his affection. It always came as a surprise whenever my Dad decided to do something with us but when he did it made me feel like the happiest kid ever.

The night before my 13th birthday I'd been reading the newspaper and saw that there was a doubleheader going on at the local minor league park. I nonchalantly brought it up to my Dad that it might be fun to go not even expecting that he'd possibly take us. Surprisingly, he asked what time the games started. All I remember was that whatever time I mentioned it was within at least the next half hour. So he said, "Lets go."

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Father's Day Giveaway: The Winning Entries (Part 1)

The three winners of last week's Father's Day giveaway submitted some wonderful stories of baseball memories they have involving their fathers. With their permission, and in recognition of Father's Day, I have decided to share them with you. The first one is by Stephen Jordan, Managing Editor of  Pastime Post Please read and enjoy, and pay a visit to his site, too!

My father was not around much when I was a child, sadly enough. Over the years, our constant connection though was always through sports. We could always talk long-distance on the phone, always being physically separated by countless states, about baseball and football. It was the sturdy cement foundation of all of our conversations, and it was the glue that held our relationship together, no matter how strained it truly might have been.

I will always recall one story more than others: upon reflection it seems to capture a special magic I shared with my two brothers and our father. It was the summer of 2007.

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Injuries, Indians, Injuries, Rangers and Injuries

If you came here expecting to find a post titled "Looking Back: The Indians Series," you won't find one. I have been up to "here" with work and other things the last few days and I just couldn't find the time to sit down and write it. I'll just say I was glad to see the Yankees take 3 out of 4 from Cleveland and it was also nice to see them get off to a good start last night against the Texas Rangers.

What's not good is all the injured players the Yankees have right now. The injury bug seems to have hit them suddenly, right in solar plexus. According to the LoHud Yankees Blog, the Yankees have 11 players down right now. Eleven? Including Russell Martin, who is day-to-day, I count ten:

Joba Chamberlain
Eric Chavez
Bartolo Colon
Pedro Feliciano
Phil Hughes
Derek Jeter
Damaso Marte
Russell Martin
Amaury Sanit
Rafael Soriano

Of all the men on this list, Bartolo Colon's name really jumps out at me.  Sure, Derek Jeter's quest for 3,000 hits has been put on hold but, as far as I'm concerned, Colon is the key. He's been the Yankees ace in my opinion.  He promised he'd be back in late June and I sure hope he's right.

As far as that 11th man goes, I'm completely stumped. If anyone knows, please let me know. Thank you.

And The Winners Are...

Thanks very much to everyone who entered the Father's Day Giveaway. The winners have been selected:

John Southee of Texas
Stephen Jordan of Maine
Ronnie Redmond of California

They will each be receiving a copy of Yankeeography: The Core Four Collection. Also, their memories with their fathers will be posted here on the blog later this week. They're great stories so be sure to come back and read them!

Congratulations to the winners and thanks again to all who entered.

Looking Back: The Red Sox Series (The Retaliation Edition)

I'm calling this re-cap "the retaliation edition" because, if you're a Yankee fan, that was the only good part of the series. Until last night David Ortiz had never been hit by a pitch thrown by a Yankee. CC Sabathia changed all that when he threw a ball right at Big Papi's gut. Yankees Universe knew it was coming because both Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez had been hit by Josh Beckett earlier in the game, but also because Sabathia was on the mound. The big fella can always be counted on to protect his teammates.

So, what about the rest of the series? Forgettable, just like the last time the Red Sox were here. The Yankees are now 1-8 against Boston so far this season. If you're an optimist, you'll fondly remember 2009 when the Yankees were something like 0-8 against the Red Sox at the start of the season before evening up their record and going on to win the World Series. If it could be done once it can be done again, right?

Not necessarily. That 2009 team was a great team. All the pieces fit into a neat little package that gave Yankee fans thrills every time they opened it. The 2011 package has holes in it. More and more holes get poked into it everyday, it seems, the latest one being Joba Chamberlain's elbow injury. The Yankees have some work to do if they're going to follow the success of the 2009 model.  Hard work, and it won't be easy. In fact, it could get worse before it gets better. Hang in there, Yankees Universe.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians are in town now for a four game series. Cleveland has come back to earth a little. Perhaps the Yankees are catching them at the right time. Let's hope so.

Father's Day Giveaway- Yankeeography: The Core Four Collection

With baseball season in full swing, June 19th, Father's Day, is fast approaching. Many of us share a special connection with our fathers surrounding the game. Dad may have taken us to our first game, taught us how to swing a bat or told us stories about the Golden Age of Baseball. Whatever the connection is, I'm sure it has developed into a long-lasting memory. Do you have a memory? What is your best baseball memory involving your father?  Your answer to this question could win you a copy of the DVD set Yankeeography: The Core Four Collection.

The Yankees Core Four (Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada) laid the groundwork for the Yankee championship years in the '90s, and in the years 2000 and 2009.  This 2-disc set tells their stories. It's a great addition to any Yankee fan's collection and a great Father's Day gift, too! For more details on the set click here.

Contest Details
1. Send your best baseball memory involving your father via email to ladybatting@gmail.com.  Include as many details as possible. Don't just say, "My dad took me to my first game." Describe what happened that day and why you'll never forget it.

2. The contest ends Sunday June 12, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. Three (3) winners will be chosen. The winning entries will be selected on Monday June 13, 2011. Winners will be notified via email and their memories will be posted on the blog.

3. DVD sets can only be shipped within the continental United States.

Okay, let's get it started! Please get your entries in as soon as possible, and, good luck!

Looking Back: The Angels Series (End Of The Road (Trip) Edition)

Yay! The Yankees West Coast road trip is finally over. No more staying up all hours of the night watching games and waking up way too soon after not getting enough sleep. The trip ended today with a series win against the Angels.

An away series against the Angels usually is not that much fun to watch. But that chamber of horrors in Southern California  was anything but this past weekend. The Yankees had a chance to win all three games. They pitched well and, best of all, they hit well. They even got hits from Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher! Next thing you know they'll be having a winning West Coast trip.

Oh, wait. They did have a winning West Coast trip. The Yankees were 6-3 on this just completed trip. The three loses could have been wins, too, had they been able to score a few more runs in each game. But, hey, six out of nine on the West Coast ain't bad at all.

So the Yankees get a day off tomorrow to let their bodies re-adjust to East Coast time. I'll finally be able to go to sleep at a normal time. Oh, but the Red Sox come to town on Tuesday. With the long games the Red Sox and Yankees always play, they might as well be out on the West Coast. (Yawn) Never mind.

Some Friday Yankee Musings

It has been a busy, often trying week for me and I am glad that it is almost over. I did my best to stay above water the past few days and I pretty much succeeded. However, it left me little time to think about some interesting stuff going on in Yankees Universe. Now that things are stabilizing (for now, at least) I finally have time for some Yankee musings:

• The return of Cousin Yuri. Alex Rodriguez's steroid-supplying cousin has been hanging out with him on road trips. MLB says it's fine. There's been no wrong-doing. Really? Well, maybe not technically, but A-Rod still looks bad here. Send Yuri away, A-Rod. Far away. Like to Siberia. After all, doesn't "Yuri" sound like a Russian name?

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Looking Back: The Athletics Series (The Late-To-The-Party Edition)

Yes, I know. The series ended two days ago. The Yankees have moved on to Anaheim. I'm late to the party. But I didn't want to move on to other posts before I said a little something about the Yankees three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics earlier this week.

Highlights
1. Bartolo Colon and his complete game shut-out in game 1. If this guy isn't voted Comeback Player Of The Year it'll be a complete injustice. I just hope MLB doesn't uncover any wrongdoing regarding the stem cell procedure he underwent.

2. Hits with runners in scoring position! The Yankees appear to over their inability to hit with RISP. Although, on second thought, I think I'll reserve judgement until they face a better team. Like the Angels this weekend.

3. Overall, the offense, which had awakened in the final game of the Mariners series, stayed awake in this series. Mark Teixeira is on a roll, Nick Swisher is finding his stroke and Derek Jeter keeps inching closing to hit number 3,000.

4. While the Yankees were sweeping the A's the White Sox were sweeping the Red Sox. The Yankees now have a 2-game lead in the AL East. Thanks, Chisox!

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