LADY AT THE BAT

Jeter and Rivera: The Breakthrough Two

2012-01-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

Ever since the news came down a few weeks ago that Jorge Posada was going to announce his retirement, I have been trying to figure out what to call Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, the two remaining members of the Core Four. Well, I think I have figured it out.

People have been coming up with names that just don't sit right with me. My cousin Eddie felt that the name was staring me right in the face: "The Remaining Two." To me that sounded like the other two had died. Someone else said to just call them "Jeter and Mo." That reminded me of Curly and Mo! Michael Kay asked for suggestions on his show yesterday and the winner appeared to be "The True Two." Are Posada and Pettitte false? Or, fake?

I decided this morning to try to nip this thing in the bud. I thought about what the criteria should be for choosing the name and came up with 1) It has to rhyme with "two" and 2) It has to define what Jeter and Mo (and Posada and Pettitte) were to the recent Yankee dynasty: cornerstones. Foundations. Beginnings. They were groundbreaking. What word should I choose?

Breakthrough! I believe that is the word. So, from now until one of the two retire, I will refer to Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera as the Breakthrough Two.

Sound good? Then, help me get the word out about it! Pass it on. I just hope the Breakthrough Two have good years and don't end up as the Terrible Two.

Go, Yankees!

For Jesus (Montero), No Room In The Inn

2012-01-14T10:33:00.000-05:00

I arrived home from work last night to an explosion on my Twitter timeline. Everyone was tweeting about the big trade that went down, sending Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Michael Pineda and Jose Campo. Shocked and saddened, I expressed my feelings as best I could by tweeting: "Did the Yankees really just ruin my weekend?"

I really felt that way, but then I got a chance to sleep on it. I woke up this morning feeling somewhat better about it because I saw it differently: Jesus Montero was expendable.

Just as there was no room for the original Jesus thousands of years ago, for Jesus Montero, there was no room in the inn. The Yankees didn't have a position for their top prospect. If there was room for him, I am pretty sure he'd still be a Yankee today. Instead, he heads to that northwest manger where he'll play everyday. Will he save the soul of the Mariners? I believe he will. Their offensive soul anyway.

Goodbye, and thank you, Jesus.

Ten Memories of Jorge Posada

2012-01-11T14:30:00.000-05:00

Like all other Yankee fans, I experienced a flood of emotions when I learned that longtime catcher Jorge Posada will be announcing in his retirement in a few weeks. I started thinking about Posada's career and I wasn't surprised that my memories of him are not the purely statistical and on-the field variety. I am never able to hold on to those kinds of memories, but I do remember off-the-field things, some of which would be considered quasi off-the-field, such as the following (in no particular order):

1. While he was still Joe Girardi's backup he was quoted in the media as saying "I'm tired of being a prospect." I remember Ken Singleton chuckling when he read it during a game. He wasn't chuckling anymore after Posada became the starting backstop.

2. There was a game televised on FOX one Saturday which Posada started. He came up to bat early in the game and grounded out. Upset about it, he didn't run all the way to first base. A mic'd up Joe Torre was heard chastising Posada for failing to touch first base. He never failed to touch it again.

3. His first real job was as Doc Gooden's personal catcher. He told an interviewer that he was hopeful that more pitchers in the rotation would be impressed enough with his work with Gooden that they would ask him to catch them as well. They didn't have to ask; his bat made that decision for them.

4. He told a funny anecdote on YES Network's "Centerstage," about an old couple he rented a room from in the minor leagues: When he failed to catch a ball he could hear the man in the stands yelling "Catch the ball!" He sounded just like an old man when he imitated the old geezer.

5. Who can forget that All-Star Game during which Posada sent his young son, Jorge Jr, running out onto the field during player introductions? I can still see the look of pride on Posada's face during that moment. Just adorable.

6. Pitcher Hideki Irabu had to be one of the most difficult pitchers Posada had to deal with. After a game up at Fenway Park in which Irabu had pitched very well, Posada told reporters that he specifically told Irabu's interpreter to "make sure he's comfortable out there." The look on Posada's face as he recalled saying it said "and I mean it, too!" He definitely didn't take crap from anyone.

7. Posada was never great at blocking the plate. There were many days where runners passed him and I yelled at the television in frustration. But, so many championships point to the fact that things have a way of working out.

8. Fleet of foot he was not. It was painful to watch Posada on the basepaths at times. But, more often than not, he made up for it by knocking the ball out of the park. I loved hearing John Sterling say "Jorgie juiced one!"

9. I laughed at a faux pax made by Posada and his best buddy Derek Jeter on Team Picture Day years ago. It was Posada's birthday and his wife made a spaghetti dinner for the three of them before the guys went off to the ballpark. They lingered over the meal too long and showed up too late to be in the team picture. I believe they were air-brushed into the photo.

10. And finally, I was moved when I watched Posada get emotional when he was interviewed after Jeter became the all-time Yankee hits leader last year. Seeing how close he is to the Captain was really touching.

So those are some of my memories of Jorge Posada. What are some of yours? I wish him all the best during his retirement. Congratulations Sado.

10 New Year's Resolutions 10 Yankees Should Make Right Now

2012-01-04T13:41:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year Yankee fans! It's a new year, which means a new baseball season is right around the corner. Are you looking forward to the 2012 season? I have to admit that I'm a little leery about it. I have been thinking about this Yankee team and I feel that, in order for them to be successful this year, certain things have to fall into place.

I don't know how many Yankees make new year's resolutions but, whether they do or not, here are 10 resolutions 10 Yankees should be make right now (in no particular order):

1. Mark Teixeira. Tex needs to resolve to hit more balls to left field while batting left-handed. All he did during the entire 2011 season was hit into the opposing infield's shift. He did it over and over again. Sounds like the definition of insanity to me.

2. Alex Rodriguez. The 2011 season was a lost season for A-Rod. His 2012 resolution has to be to return to his 2010 form or, his form from any other successful year he has had. Perhaps those German knee treatments will do the trick.

3. AJ Burnett. The 2009 AJ keeps getting further and further away. He has had two bad years in a row now and needs to resolve to turn things around. Come on, AJ, forget your wild hair styles and tattoos. Your pitching style is what you need to change.

4. Phil Hughes. Another Yankee who had a lost 2011 season. I don't think Hughes was in shape last season. He needs to resolve to get in shape and work his way back to his great 2010 season.

5. Brett Gardner. Brett's new year's resolution is very simple: Get off to a good start and stay consistent.

6. Boone Logan. Logan was the lone lefty in the bullpen in 2011 and, at times, it was as if there was no lefty in the bullpen. His resolution should be to be a force against left-handed hitters, the way he was in 2010.

7. Joba Chamberlain. No rocket science here. Just get healthy and come back as soon as possible during the 2012 season.

8. Rafael Soriano. Soriano's first year in pinstripes was filled with mediocrity. His resolution should be to pitch the way he pitched his last year in a Rays uniform.

9. Ramiro Pena. Can Ramiro Pena hit at the Major League level? I'm not sure, but that needs to be his new year's resolution. Give it your best shot, Nino.

10. Eduardo Nunez. The key word here is defense. Nunez was the error king last season. He should resolve to clean up his defense. If he does, that, along with his decent bat, will make him into a really nice player.

Of course, there are probably other things I'm leaving out. But I think this is a good start. Get it done guys.

Happy Holidays From Lady At The Bat

2011-12-23T12:55:00.000-05:00

As another year comes to a close, I want to wish everyone who has visited the blog over the past 12 months a very happy holiday season. I will be taking a break from posting for the next week so, unless something major happens, I will resume updating the blog shortly after January 1st.

In the words of Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol, "God bless us. Everyone."

Manny Ramirez Up To His Old Antics Again

2011-12-12T11:04:00.000-05:00

It's funny how Manny Ramirez's reinstatement came around the same time the Ryan Braun news broke. Funny, but sad. We will hear more about Braun in the coming days or weeks, presumably, but Manny has finally decided to talk.

He granted an interview to ESPN Deportes which is summarized here. In it he claims he received bad advice on what to do after the second positive test was announced. He also expresses his support for Braun:

"Ryan is a tremendous ball player ... the information out there is pure speculation. He must be allowed to speak in order to know what is happening,"

Speculation? Is that what you're calling it, Manny? Okay, whatever. Let's see if a team takes a chance on you in 2012, after you serve your 50 game suspension.

Fifty games! This really has me hot under the collar. Apparently his mini-retirement is being counted as "time served," and he will only have to serve 50 games, not 100. To borrow a line from Braun, I think that is B.S.. He shouldn't get off that easily. But, he is. The whole thing reminds me of when I compared him to a character in an episode of the old "Twilight Zone" TV series. He is still that small boy, getting away with everything while the adults sit nearby watching helplessly.

I'm tired of Manny and his antics. Hopefully there are 30 MLB teams out there who are tired as well.

On The Marlins And Their Busy Off-Season

2011-12-07T13:41:00.000-05:00

The off-season continues to be a quiet one for the New York Yankees: a few rumors, a few minor signings but nothing earth-shattering. The team that is doing its best to shatter the earth is, of course, the Miami Marlins. They have been doing it since before the season ended, when they hung Ozzie Guillen on their Christmas tree, otherwise known as their new stadium.

They have added two more ornaments since then: Heath Bell and, just today, Jose Reyes. They are trying their best to reach the top of the tree to add the star, a shiny bauble named Albert Pujols. If they can't add Pujols, they will do their best to decorate the tree with other high-priced free agents on the market.

What kind of a tree is it? Is it an evergreen? Will it stay filled with life after the 2012 season? Heck, will it stay filled after the All-Star Break? As everyone knows, baseball has a terrible track record in Florida, where people go to retire, people who have already been rooting for other teams their entire lives. Why should they switch to the Marlins or the Rays? I suppose the Marlins have resigned themselves to this, since they are going after the Latino market.

How do Latinos in South Florida feel about this? Will it really make them want to come out to the ballpark just because Jose Reyes is flying around the bases and Albert Pujols might be hitting balls into the seats? Or, are they insulted by this marketing plan? My personal experience with Latinos has led me to believe that they don't really care who plays on their teams. So, I am of the opinion that this appeal to Latinos will go unanswered.

In any case, I can't wait to see how this all turns out. We will find out soon enough whether a tree grows in South Florida or non-existent fans I'll call Paul Bunyan chop it down.

Bobby Valentine as Red Sox Manager? Doesn't Sound Right

2011-11-30T13:39:00.001-05:00

I don't know why but, when I heard this morning that Bobby Valentine probably will be the next Red Sox manager, I did a double take. Yes, I am aware that his name has been mentioned as a candidate for some time now. But, for some reason, I never thought he would actually get the job.

People are calling this a perfect fit. They are saying he will restore order to the Red Sox Clubhouse, he is the exact opposite of Terry Francona, he will out-manage Joe Girardi, and, he will put a spark in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Really?

I don't know much about Valentine. I only know what I remember seeing when he managed the Mets: the mustache incident, the weird way he had his first basemen play first base with a runner on, and that creepy smile. He has a reputation for thinking "outside of the box." Call me crazy but, I don't think his is a personality that fits well with Boston. If I were a betting woman I would totally bet against it. Would you? Click here for your online sportsbook.

Of course, if the Red Sox win, none of this will matter. But, if they don't, watch out, Bobby. You'll be ripped to shreds faster than you can say "Steve Phillips."

10 Baseball Things To Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T13:49:00.000-05:00

On this Thanksgiving Day Eve, I thought I would take a moment and come up with some things to be thankful for as a baseball fan. So, here they are, in no particular order, 10 Baseball Things To Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving:

10. The new CBA. For years, baseball fans were the ones suffering through work stoppages and threats thereof. Now, with this new agreement, we can be assured of uninterrupted baseball through the 2016 season. Congratulations to both sides for getting it done!

9. Jackie Robinson. Need I say more? If not for him, so many players in MLB today wouldn't be there. Thank you, Jackie.

8. MLB Network. Wall-to-wall baseball coverage, all day, every day of the year.

7. Social Media. Thanks to sites like facebook and Twitter, fans can interact directly with their favorite players (or, the reps of those players).

6. Sportstalk Radio. It has its drawbacks, but there are few things more entertaining than listening to fans and show hosts argue over the finer points of the game.

5. BaseballReference.com. Chock full of information, this site is the go-to place for anyone even remotely connected to baseball.

4. Tony LaRussa. The careers of guys like Mariano Rivera might have turned out totally different had it not been for LaRussa's innovations.

3. Ballbug. I discovered this site years ago when, while checking my blog statistics, I noticed they had published a link to one of my blog posts. If you're looking for one place with links to all the baseball stories on the web, this is the place to go.

2. Bud Abbot and Lou Costello's "Who's On First" Routine. Still funny, no matter how many times I listen to it.

1. The (Insert favorite baseball team here.) For me, of course, that team is the New York Yankees. I hope your team has made you as happy as mine has made me.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

100 Days 'Till Pitchers and Catchers!

2011-11-11T09:56:00.000-05:00

For a die-hard baseball fan, especially one who doesn't closely follow other sports, the off-season can be a very restless time of the year. I find myself in that boat right now but, yesterday I welcomed good news via a couple of tweets from a few Yankee beat writers:

100 days 'til Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training

Pitchers and Catchers report date: 2/19

First Workout: 2/20

Position Players report date: 2/24

First Full Squad Workout: 2/25

Music to my ears!

This news, with the fact that the off-season awards will be announced starting on Monday is enough to make me forget about the horrible news week it has been. Well, almost. My thoughts and prayers go out to both the Penn State victims and to Nationals Catcher Wilson Ramos.

On Brian Cashman's Plans To Help The Homeless

2011-11-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

As the off-season continues to heat up, Yankees GM Brian Cashman's plans to talk to the agents of CJ Wilson, Roy Oswalt and Mark Buehrle have made news. They've also made me wary. The only one of the three that I think has some promise is Buehrle. I just hope that, if they make an offer to him, it isn't for too much money or too many years.

Another of Cashman's plans this month makes me very happy. Cashman is on the board of directors at Covenant House, an organization committed to helping homeless youth. You may have already heard that, on the night of November 17th, as part of his involvement with Covenant House, Cashman will sleep outside in a cardboard box, to call attention to and raise money for homeless kids. He and 49 other CEOs and top executives will participate in the Solidarity Sleep Out. They hope to raise $500,000 for this great cause.

Long time readers of this blog know that the subject of homelessness is very personal for me. Two years ago I announced in a post that I had been forced to join the ranks of New York City's homeless population. Over the next few months I posted the occasional update about my condition and was very happy when I was able to post that I was leaving the shelter system and moving into an apartment.

Homelessness came to me as an adult and, because of the City's shelter system, I never had to sleep on the streets. However, those months were very trying for me. I can only imagine how much worse it is for children and teenagers who are outside without a roof over their heads. That's why I'm so glad Brian Cashman is participating in this event. I am not in a position to donate money to it but I hope that someone who reads this post is, and finds it in his or her heart to do so. For more information click here.

Thank you and best of luck to all the participants.

My Thoughts On Off-Season Job Number 1: CC Sabathia

2011-10-29T10:38:00.004-04:00

Now that the World Series is over and the congratulatory remarks have been made to those comeback kids in St Louis, the Cardinals, the off-season is ready to begin. For the New York Yankees, that means several things, first and foremost, the contract of CC Sabathia.

In case you have been living under a rock, Sabathia can opt out of his 7-year, $161 million contract next week. He has just completed the 3rd year of the deal and, if he opts out, he will be looking to add to his status as the highest paid pitcher in baseball. News outlets are reporting that Sabathia and his agent are spending the weekend in talks with the Yankees, trying to come up with an extension, thereby avoiding an opt out.

I would love for the Yankees to avoid a CC opt out. However, the idea of an extension does not sit well
with me at all. I know, I can't have my cake and eat it, too. But at more than 290 pounds, CC Sabathia just does not inspire much confidence in me right now, especially with the weight he put on during the season. No one is saying how much he gained, but rumor has it that he gained back all the weight he lost last off-season and then some. I believe the weight gain was one reason, if not the main one, that his second half performance did not equal what he did in the first half of the season. Also, Sabathia is 31 years old. Everyone knows that the older you get, the harder it is to lose weight and keep it off. It is also harder to carry around extra weight as you get older. I am finding that out first hand right now.

Sabathia has four years left on this current deal. That alone scares me, let alone an extension. If it were up to me I would offer him a 1-year extension. He'd probably turn that down and opt out, but I'd feel confident that I'd done the right thing for the organization. After that, I'd give Hector Noesi and some of the other kids in the system a chance to make the rotation.

So what will happen? I have no idea, but here's hoping the Yankees don't go overboard and get dragged under by--no offense, CC-- a 290 plus pound whale.

Memories Of Reggie After Three By Pujols

2011-10-23T12:32:00.001-04:00

This year's World Series hasn't been at the top of my list of things to do. In fact, it hasn't been on the list at all. My continuing heartache over the Yankees' elimination a few weeks ago has pretty much assured my obliviousness to this year's Fall classic. Anyone claiming that baseball is just a regional sport will get no argument out of me.

Unless, of course, you mention the name Albert Pujols. His 3 home run performance last night in Game 3 was enough to pique my interest in this series again. Maybe I'll watch Game 4! Well, maybe not. Anyway, it was cool that Pujols became the third player to hit three home runs in a World Series game. The last player to do it was, of course, Reggie Jackson. If you don't remember Reggie doing it back in 1977, or, you weren't alive yet, take a look at the video below, from the YES Network:

If memory serves, this was the game that earned Reggie that nickname: Mr October. The back page of today's New York Daily News channels Reggie with this tribute to Pujols:

Good job, Daily News and, congratulations, Sr Pujols.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End Of Season Awards: Stan Musial Award (AL)

2011-10-16T12:45:00.000-04:00

This year's American League MVP race was more interesting than it has been in a long time. Many candidates emerged as the season progressed, and the old debate about whether a pitcher should be considered was taken up again, thanks to Justin Verlander's outstanding year. I don't envy the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). They had a tough job in front of them and it will be interesting to see who they picked as the winner next month.

By the end of this month, however, the Baseball Bloggers Alliance will announce its choice for the Stan Musial Award for Top Player. I worked on my ballot for the award this morning and, let me tell you, it was not easy by any means. It was also depressing. As a Yankee fan I was disappointed that none of the candidates on my team had stats worthy enough to win them the award (in my opinion). I had to settle for them being in third and fourth place, respectively. So, the following is my ballot for the award:

1st Place, Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
2nd Place, Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
3rd Place, Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees
4th Place, Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
5th Place, Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox
6th Place, Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox
7th Place, Michael Young, Texas Rangers
8th Place, Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers
9th Place, David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
10th Place, Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

There you have it. This is the last of the BBA awards this season. It is always interesting to compare our organization's votes with those of the BBWAA. They are usually the same or similar. That makes me feel pretty good about the baseball blogosphere.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End Of Season Awards: Walter Johnson Award (AL)

2011-10-16T11:16:00.001-04:00

The Detroit Tigers lost the 2011 American League Championship Series in 6 games. Had their ace, Justin Verlander, pitched more than once in the series, it's possible that Motown would be headed to either St Louis or Milwaukee for the World Series. But, there will be no chance at a ring for Verlander.

What Verlander does have a chance at is the American league Cy Young Award. Did I say "chance?" Silly me. The man is a shoe-in for the award. He's also a shoe-in for the BBA's Walter Johnson Award for Best Pitcher (AL). It is not even worth a discussion, so I will simply list the names on my ballot and leave it at that:

1st Place, Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
2nd Place, Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3rd Place, James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays
4th Place, Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox
5th Place, Ricky Romero, Toronto Blue Jays

Congratulations Mr Verlander.

The last BBA award of the season is the Stan Musial Award for Best Player. I'll post my ballot by this afternoon.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End Of Season Awards: Goose Gossage Award (AL)

2011-10-12T13:54:00.001-04:00

The next BBA award I get the pleasure of voting for is the Goose Gossage Award for Top Reliever. As a Yankee fan it is so tempting to vote for Mariano Rivera to win it, especially after he became the all-time saves leader. However, the award is for the 2011 season only, not for a lifetime of work. With that in mind, here are my votes:

1st Place: Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers. After the guarantee this guy made against the Yankees in the ALDS, I am in no mood to give him any votes. But I must be an honest, responsible blogger and pick him as the winner. Valverde converted 49 of 49 save opportunities, pitching to a 2.24 ERA and getting a .198 batting average against. Congratulations to him.

2nd Place: Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees. Rivera did convert 44 of 49 save opportunities, pitched to a 1.91 ERA and had a .215 batting average against. He also continued to set the example of how someone who's been there and done that is supposed to act on the mound. Valverde, are you listening...ah forget it.

3rd Place: Brandon League, Seattle Mariners. League was on a terrible team but compiled 37 saves against 42 opportunities, with a 2.79 ERA and a .239 batting average against. League has always been a tough pitcher to hit, going back to his days as a reliever with the Toronto Blue Jays. Put him on a better team and he could have challenged Valverde for the win.

Two more awards to vote for. I'll post my selections for them later this week.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End Of Season Awards: Willie Mays Award (AL)

2011-10-09T13:46:00.001-04:00

Last week I posted my ballot for the first BBA award of the season, the Connie Mack award for Top Manager. Today I make my choice for the top rookie in the American League, The Willie Mays Award.

Like the previous award I have to put three names on the ballot. Here are my three:

1st Place: Jeremy Hellickson, Pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays. Hellickson is my choice to win the award because, although he had only a 13-10 won-loss record, his ERA was a sparkling 2.95. He also struck out 117 batters and waked 72. Hellickson is another in a long line of Rays pitchers that continue to keep that team in the running to make the playoffs. Too bad they can't afford to keep any of them long term.

2nd Place: Eric Hosmer, First Base, Kansas City Royals. This kid made his debut for the Royals early in the season against my Yankees. I was impressed with him them and I'm still impressed with him now. He led all rookies with 153 hits and was second among them with a .293 average. He is probably the best thing to come along for the Royals since Carlos Beltran.

3rd Place: Ivan Nova, Pitcher, New York Yankees. Ivan Nova led all rookie pitchers with 16 wins and was second only to Hellickson in ERA (3.70). He didn't lose a game after mid-June, and didn't let a mid-season demotion set him back. Nova was so good down the stretch that he earned a spot in the postseason rotation as the number two starter. He truly earned his nickname: Super Nova.

Okay, then. Next award: The Rich Gossage Award for Top Reliever. Hopefully I will be able to post my votes for it later this week.

Lady At The Bat Has Been Nominated For An Award!

2011-10-07T15:23:00.047-04:00

I am very pleased to announce that this blog has been nominated for Shape Magazine's Best Blogger Award!

The award nominees are divided into six categories, and Lady At The Bat (LATB) is one of 20 sports blogs (all written by women) to be nominated. There will be six finalists and one grand prize winner.

I'm not sure who did the nominating but, thank you very much, whoever you are!

Now comes the fun part. Help LATB win the award, by voting, as often as you can (and tell your friends to do the same). To vote, click here, or click on the badge on the blog's right sidebar. Once the page loads, click on "Vote for this blog!" to the right of my picture. You'll be taken to another page where you can scroll down to see the ballot. Voting ends October 28th.

Thanks for voting and thank you all for your continuing support.

A First Round Yankee Exit Really Stirs Up My Emotions!

2011-10-07T13:55:00.000-04:00

I won't lie. First-round exits are no fun. They're sickening, frustrating, and downright embarrassing, and I'm speaking as a fan. Imagine how the members of the 2011 New York Yankees feel.

There is another emotion to add to the list: Anger. I'm not angry with the Yankees, per se. I'm angry with two other populations that have ties to the team.

First, I'm angry with the media. Throughout this entire series, and even more so when it ended, the media could talk of little else besides the fact that the Yankees offense was anemic. It was so anemic, according to them, that it, more than anything else, lost the Yankees the series. Wrong. Saying that is not only irresponsible, it is disrespectful. It is disrespectful to the Detroit Tigers pitching staff, who made all the right pitches to keep the Yankee lineup in check. It is as if the men and women of the New York sports media forgot (or never heard of) the classic truism, Good Pitching Stops Good Hitting. Instead of criticizing the Yankee bats, we should all be tipping our caps to Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Max Scherzer, their setup guys, and, albeit grudgingly, their closer Jose Valverde.

Second, I'm angry with some of my fellow Yankee fans. Why is it that, every time this team is eliminated or is in trouble of any kind, the first and practically only person that gets blamed is Alex Rodriguez? You would think that A-Rod was hitting in every spot in the order and pitching nine innings, and that guys like Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher and Ivan Nova weren't even on the team. Don't get me wrong. I am well aware of Alex Rodriguez's history, all the troubles that he has brought on himself. But that is no reason to use him as a scapegoat.

I know, I'm talking to a wall (or, should I say, writing on one?). As long as the Yankees continue to have the highest payroll in baseball, and, as long as Alex Rodriguez continues to wear Yankee pinstripes, nothing is going to change, and that makes me sad.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End of Season Awards: Connie Mack Award (AL)

2011-10-05T21:06:00.002-04:00

With no Yankees playoff action tonight, I thought it would be a good time to start working on my ballots for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End of Season Awards. First up: The Connie Mack Award for Top Manager.

As a Yankee blogger I am only required to put together a ballot for the American League winner, along with a second and third place finisher. So, here is my ballot:

1st Place: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays went into the 2011 season with no one expecting them to compete, having lost several key players from the previous few seasons. When they got off to that dreadful start, those low expectations seemed to be confirmed. However, as the season went on, so did the Rays, until they found themselves in the ALDS. Why did they get there? Joe Madden, that's why.

2nd Place: Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers. In the AL Central this year, the Minnesota Twins were the sexy pick. Until injuries knocked the bloom off their rose. Enter Jim Leyland and his Detroit Tigers. The Tigers soon established themselves as the clear division favorite, In addition to Justin Verlander, they have Leyland to thank for it.

3rd Place: Joe Girardi, New York Yankees. The manager of the team with the highest payroll getting votes for this award? Why not? He knows how to manage an older team, how to handle his bullpen, and how to get the most out of starters who were previously left for dead. Great job, Joe!

And there you have it. The next ballot I post will be for the Willie Mays Award for Top Rookie. Look for my choices sometime next week.

It Was "The Curse Of The Andino!"

2011-09-29T20:32:00.000-04:00

So the collapse of the 2011 Red Sox is complete. After all the talk at the beginning of the season and after their dominance of the Yankees all season long, they are going home and not going to the postseason. It goes down as the greatest collapse in MLB history.

How could it happen? All the so-called analysts are all over ESPN, MLB Network and other outlets, offering up explanations. I yawn when I hear them. I have heard only one explanation that I like: The Curse Of The Andino.

Michael Kay was the first person I heard utter the phrase. He said it on his radio show today and he attributed it to Nick Swisher. I doubt Nick made it up himself, because if you google it, it turns up in over a half dozen search results. In any case, it appears we have a new Red Sox Curse, and we have none other than Robert "bleeping" Andino of the Baltimore Orioles to thank for it. His clutch hitting against Boston over the last few weeks helped to seal the fate of the Red Sox.

I loved what Andino said about his accomplishments: "End of season like this, to make Boston go home sad, crying, I'll take it all day." [NESN]

So will I, Robert. So will I.

"Go Rays," Said The Yankee Fan, Part 2

2011-09-26T12:25:00.000-04:00

As anyone who has read this blog knows, I hate the Boston Red Sox. Nothing would be be more satisfying than to see Red Sox Nation crying their eyes out over their team not making the playoffs this year. So you can imagine how good I felt last night in the first inning of the night portion of the day-night doubleheader, when the Yankees scored 3 runs off John Lackey.

But they were able only to score 1 more run, and when all was said and done, after 14 innings, the Red Sox won the game and still retained a 1-game lead in the AL Wild Card Race. To say I was disappointed would be putting it mildly. It almost felt as if the Red Sox had swept the doubleheader.

So Boston still leads and Tampa Bay is one game behind. Boston is in Baltimore for its final three games. The Yankees, who have 97 wins, start their final regular season series tonight against the Rays. They are all saying the politically correct thing: "We want to win our games." Come on, guys. What's more important: winning 100 games or knocking the Red Sox out of the playoffs? Don't know? Just ask Russell Martin.

Go Rays. Go Orioles.

The 2011 Yankees: Three Key Moments From The Key Three

2011-09-22T13:34:00.000-04:00

Until last night it had been a special season for two of the three active Core Fore Yankees. Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit in story-book fashion and Mariano Rivera notched his record-breaking 602nd save. But, for Jorge Posada, the season was anything but special. It seemed as if he was on his way to an unceremonious career end, relegated to the bench late in the season and not expected to make the postseason roster.

Until last night, that is. As he has done so often in his career, Posada rose to the occasion and drove in the go-ahead, division-clinching runs. After the final out of the game, Kim Jones of YES interviewed Posada, and asked if this was a special personal achievement, the way Jeter's and Rivera's were earlier this year. He said, "I don't know about that," and added something to the effect of just helping the team win. Here's te interview:

Always the humble one, that Posada. Well, he may not consider it a big personal achievement along the lines of Jeter's and Rivera's, but I do. I think it's fitting that he was the one who got the game-winning hit last night, and I think it's very meaningful that the three of them, The Key Three, shined the way they did this year. They are the anchors of this great playoff run which began in 1995 and, except for a hiccup in 2008, continues each year to this day.

Congratulations to Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and the entire Yankee team!

Go Yankees? Asked The Yankee Fan

2011-09-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

Earlier this season, if anyone had said the Yankees would have a big say in who would be the AL Wild Card team this year, you would have thought they meant fighting off the Rays and Angels in order to win it, right? Well, here we are going into the last week and a half of the season, and it's the Boston Red Sox who are doing the fighting. They're desperately fighting off a Rays team who, going into today, is only 2 games behind.

Those Rays have 7 (and the Red Sox have 3) games remaining with the Yankees, whose magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 5 and 7 to win the division. That leaves me in a quandary.

In my last post I expressed my hope that the Red Sox would be knocked out of playoff contention and I was very happy that the Rays did their part this past weekend to make that happen. But, do I really want the Yankees to do their part? Do I really want the Yankees to lose to the Rays, and put their own playoff chances in jeopardy? Of course not.

So I have to root for the Yankees to win these 7 games (or, most of them). In so doing, I am indirectly rooting for the Red Sox.

Ugh. I think I'm going to be sick.

LATB POLL RESULTS: Voter apathy was the story in the latest LATB Poll, which asked if pitchers should be ineligible to win the MVP award. Only 12 people were interested enough to vote. Of those 12, only 3 said they should be ineligible for the award. Perhaps Justin Verlander's 24 wins have made this a non-issue.

"Go, Rays," Said The Yankee Fan

2011-09-15T13:27:00.002-04:00

A big four-game series starts tonight and the Yankees will only be spectators. Yes, I'm talking about the Red Sox-Rays series which opens tonight at Fenway.

Just before the season began, the Boston Red Sox were proclaimed AL East Champions by just about every MLB "expert" in every media outlet in the country. The Red Sox were going to run away with the division, they all said, and we were probably looking at a Red Sox-Phillies World Series.

Well, not so fast, guys. There appears to be a fly in the ointment, so to speak. The Red Sox have played themselves out of first place, into a four-game lead against Tampa Bay in the Wild Card standings. Boston has been playing lousy lately and Tampa Bay has gained ground. Can they gain more gound this weekend? I hope so. In fact. I'm hoping for a four-game sweep by Tampa Bay. I'm hoping Tampa Bay destroys Boston and, over the next few weeks, knocks them completely out of the playoffs.

Will my hopes turn into reality? Probably not. Boston is just too good. But, just imagine it happening. After all that was said in the off-season and during Spring Training, and after Boston's complete domination over the Yankees practically all season long, the Red Sox don't even make the playoffs. Talk about a major upset!

I'll be watching this series closely all weekend and I hope it happens. Go, Rays!

POLL UPDATE: There are still a few days to vote in the latest LATB Poll, which asks whether pitchers should be considered for the MVP award. Go to the top of the left sidebar to cast your vote. Thank you!

LATB Poll: Should Pitchers be INELIGIBLE To Win The MVP Award?

2011-09-05T11:24:00.003-04:00

Happy Labor Day everyone! Now that we have come to the unofficial end of Summer, the end of baseball's regular season is in sight. It won't be too long before the playoffs and, after that, the postseason awards.

With the season Detroit's Justin Verlander is having he is an absolute lock for the American League Cy Young Award. In fact, he has pitched so well this year that there is talk of him being considered for the league's MVP award. I can't watch a sports show on TV or listen to one on the radio without seeing or hearing baseball "analysts" debate this issue.

People on both sides of the debate make sense. Those against it say pitchers have their own award and they are not everyday players. Those for it argue that the Tigers are well over .500 in games Verlander pitches and only around .500 when he does not pitch. They also point out that there is nothing in the BBWAA by-laws that says pitchers are not eligible for the award.

What do you think? The latest LATB Poll asks the question: Should pitchers be INELIGIBLE to win the MVP award? The poll is up on the top of the blog's left sidebar. You have until Sunday night, September 11th to cast your vote, but don't wait. Vote now and let your voice be heard. Also feel free to leave your comments about this debate below. Just click on "Cheers and Jeers" to get started.

UPDATE, 9/12/11: The voting period for the poll has been extended. You now have until Sunday night, September 18th to cast your vote. So, what are you waiting for? Express your opinion now!

Thoughts On The Francisco Cervelli-Red Sox Incident

2011-08-31T13:38:00.001-04:00

Francisco Cervelli has way more energy than I do. If I had one ounce of the energy Cervelli has I would not have waited as long as I have waited since my last post to this blog. Apologies to all my loyal readers and advertisers out there for not doing a good job here lately.

Cervelli doesn't need to apologize. I love the way this guy plays the game. The way he moves behind the plate, and how he pumps his fists and claps his hands is really entertaining. I saw nothing wrong with the way he celebrated his towering home run last night against John Lackey and the Red Sox at Fenway Park. You keep right on celebrating, Cisco, and don't let anyone tell you to do otherwise.

I did have a problem with something else Cervelli did. When Lackey plunked him in his next at-bat, Cervelli took issue with him and shouted angrily toward the mound. Definitely the wrong thing to do. If Cervelli wants to demonstrate his energy and celebrate, he can't expect not to suffer the consequences for it. When Lackey hit him he should have done nothing more than run to first base.

You can't have it both ways, Cicso. If you want to keep saying "That's Cervelli," you are going to have to pay the piper.

Maybe The Yankees Can Just Ask AJ Burnett To Leave

2011-08-21T18:49:00.001-04:00

This weekend the Yankees were denied the chance at a sweep of the Minnesota Twins, thanks to AJ Burnett. Burnett, already vilified by Yankee fans, hit a new low with the antics he pulled after Joe Girardi removed him from Saturday's game. We don't know what went on behind closed doors but, outwardly, Girardi didn't throw Burnett under the bus, which he should have done.

Maybe the Yankees can do what the Florida Marlins did to Burnett. On a September day in 2005 Burnett had just lost his sixth straight game and had some very critical things to say about his Marlins teammates, the coaching staff and the front office:

"We played scared. We managed scared. We coached scared. I'm sick of it, man. It's depressing around here. A 3-0 ballgame, I give up one run and leave guys on base, it's like they expect us to mess up. And when we do, they chew us out. There is no positive, nothing around here for anybody." [NY Daily News]

The next day the Marlins asked him to leave the team and he did, one inning shy of 210 innings pitched, which would have landed him a $50,000 bonus.

What an easy solution. Just ask him to leave!

I'm not holding my breath.

Joe Giraradi Show: Guess Who?

2011-08-14T11:19:00.000-04:00

Before today's game against the Rays was postponed I thought about what might have happened if the game had been played. Thanks to Freddy Garcia's kitchen accident, the starter for the Yankees would have been AJ Burnett. He would have faced James Shields. Is anyone else out there glad the game was rained out?

Rain outs call for TV networks to present alternate programming. So, in keeping with that tradition, I present some alternate programming of my own, courtesy of the YES Network. Below you can watch a segment of the Joe Girardi Show, during which Joe is tested to see how much he knows about his players. He knows a lot! Enjoy:

After Another Awful Loss To Boston, A Call For A Roster Move

2011-08-08T12:33:00.000-04:00

The Yankees just completed a 5-2 road trip. But it feels like they went 2-5. They are only 1 game out of first place. But it feels like 10 games. They are virtually assured of a playoff spot. But it feels like it is in jeopardy. This is the way things feel when the Yankees lose 2 out of 3 to the Red Sox and 10 of 12 overall this season.

Perhaps I wouldn't feel this bad had the Yankees been blown out last night. But the game was almost won and it slipped away. To make matters even worse today is an off-day. The proverbial page can't be turned until tomorrow night.

Tomorrow night the Angels come to town. I don't know the pitching matchups, but it appears that Ivan Nova will start one of the games. Yes, he's still on the roster. At least, as I write this he is. So is Jorge Posada, although, he's just taking up space at this point. I applaud Girardi's decision to bench him. This is tough to say but, he should be released. Let him go and call up Jesus Montero. It's time.

Thanks, Jorge. It's been fun.

The Red Sox, The Rotation and Supernova

2011-08-05T14:06:00.000-04:00

Baseball Armageddon returns tonight when the Yankees open their three-game weekend series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Thanks to the Yankees seven-game winning streak it will be a battle for first place in the AL East. I'm looking forward to the series. I can't wait to see which team will end up on top when all is said and done on Sunday night.

Another thing I can't wait for his the decision the Yankees will make about the rotation. The six-man rotation they used this past week worked out pretty well, if you don't count AJ Burnett's awful start. The team is not committing to continuing the six-man staff next week so it is likely that someone will have to removed from the rotation. Who?

It doesn't look like it will be Phil Hughes. He has already been tapped to start on Tuesday against the Angels. That decision was made before Ivan Nova even made his start last night and I don't think that was fair. By doing that they were essentially telling Nova he was going to be taken out of the rotation. Why? He has pitched better than Hughes this season. Yes, Hughes won 18 games last season but, that was last season.

I'm not saying Hughes should be taken out of the rotation. That distinction should go to Burnett. Big money contract or not, AJ Burnett should be taken out of the Yankees rotation. But, it probably won't happen. Ivan Nova will be sent to Scranton in the next few days. I just hope he keeps pitching well and doesn't let it get in his head.

Here's to you, Supernova.

After The Trade Deadline: The Yankees Can Still Win The War

2011-08-01T11:54:00.000-04:00

When the trade deadline came and went yesterday without the Yankees making a move, I was one happy camper. After all, there was no one out on the market that was worth trading for, not even Ubaldo Jimenez.

Maybe I should say especially Ubaldo Jimenez. The guy had a great first half last year. He did nothing much before that and hasn't done much since. And Colorado wanted Banuelos, Betances, Montero and Nova for him? Absolutely ridiculous.

Now the question is this: Can the 2011 Yankees, as presently constituted, win the World Series? When you look at the moves some of the other teams made, especially those of the Rangers and the Phillies, the answer appears to be no. And if the two comeback artists, Colon and Garcia, suddenly reach their expiration dates, the answer is surely no. I know, trades can still be made if a player can clear waivers, but really, who is out there that can really help the Yankees? No one I can think of. So, the Yankees probably can't win the World Series this year.

Is that such a bad thing? I may be committing blasphemy according to the rules of Yankees Universe, but I'm going to say no. I've make a decision to look at my fandom as a war and at each individual season as a battle. They may lose the battle this year but with their prospects still in tact and their farm system the 4th best in baseball, they can win the war in the very near future.

Go Yankees.

Ramiro Pena Dances With The Stars (Well Sort Of) (VIDEOS)

2011-07-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

There are important things going on in MLB these days. The trade deadline is almost here, pennant races are heating up, and Ramiro Pena is dancing. Well, actually, as Yankee fans know, he's recovering from an emergency appendectomy. But I was surfing around on YouTube this morning and found him dancing up a storm, twice in fact. In the first video he is dancing with a mascot on a baseball diamond, probably in Mexcio. It's absolutely hilarious. Take a look:

Tell me you didn't crack up when the mascot started slapping him on the backside!

The other video I found wasn't so much hilarious as it was joyous. He is shown in this one dancing at his own wedding with his beautiful bride, Anahi:

There's also a video of him being photographed with Anahi on the day of the nuptials, presumably in his hometown in Mexico.

The wedding videos were posted in December 2010 so, it appears that Ramiro is a newlywed. Congratulations to the happy couple and, get well soon, Nino.

Hideki Irabu: Forever A Part Of The Yankees Family

2011-07-28T21:42:00.002-04:00

When I first heard the news today of Hideki Irabu's passing, one of the first things that came to mind was a question: Will the Yankees hold a moment of silence for him before tomorrow's game at the Stadium?

As every Yankee fan knows, Irabu's tenure with the team was an unsuccessful one, so much so that, when he left, he was forgotten quicker than you could say sayonara. He was rarely mentioned by the Yankees. It was almost as if he never existed. So I was a bit surprised when I saw the statement the Yankees released earlier today, expressing their sadness over his death. I was particularly touched by one sentence in the statement:

"Every player that wears the Pinstripes is forever a part of the Yankees family....

That is a beautiful thing to say. If it was sincere, and I think that it was, Irabu will get his moment of silence tomorrow night. If I am home and if they show it on TV, I will pause and do my own reflection of the man. I will remember that slow windup of his, that delivery, and that splitter which, on a good day (and there weren't many of those), made him look like one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Goodbye, Irabu, and rest in peace.

Sadness and Anger: The New York Times Kei Igawa Article

2011-07-25T14:30:00.000-04:00

Remember Kei Igawa? He was the Japanese lefty the Yankees signed back in 2007, who had a very brief, disastrous tenure with them before being banished, first to triple A and then to double A. The other day the New York Times published an article about Igawa, a very informative piece about what he has been doing since his last Major League appearance in 2008.

The article paints a truly sad picture of Igawa, playing out his big money contract in the minor leagues, refusing to accept "trades" back to Japan, still hoping against hope that he will get another chance in the Majors. The further I read through the article the more sorry I felt for Igawa. I also felt another emotion, but not towards Igawa. The other emotion I felt was anger, and it was at the New York Yankees, specifically at GM Brian Cashman.

Cashman is quoted in the article as saying the Yankees scouting and signing of Igawa was "...a disaster. We failed."

It is okay to say you failed. There is nothing wrong with that. The problem I have is that the Yankees and Cashman decided the Igawa signing was a failure after the pitcher made only 16 appearances for the team.

I'm not a baseball expert. I've never played the game. I'm just a fan. The Yankee brain trust knows a helluva lot more about the game than I do. But 16 appearances? I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that one.

Igawa's contract ends at the end of this season with the Yankees never having given him much of a chance. Perhaps another team will. I hope so.

Stay Cool, Yankee Fans

2011-07-22T11:25:00.000-04:00

I'm hot. No, I don't mean sexy. I don't mean beautiful. I just mean HOT! It's going to be 100 degrees here in New York City today and, without air conditioning in my apartment or on my job I am roasting.

Oh, yeah. I forgot. This is a baseball blog, not a weather blog.

Ah, who cares?

I keep imagining the late Yankees PA announcer Bob Sheppard saying the following:

"Your attention please, Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer!"

I've been told it's all a state of mind. Think cool. Okay. Looking at pictures like this should help:

Well, it's a start.

Stay cool, Yankee Fans.

Yankees Split With Toronto Adds Up To 10 The Hard Way

2011-07-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

More often than not the Yankees usually open the second half of the baseball season with a win. That didn't happen this year, as they lost the first two games of a four-game series in Toronto. Then, as YES Network announcer Ken Singleton likes to say, they split the series "the hard way," by wining the last two games. Singleton also likes to say the Yankees have won a series the series the hard way when they lose the first game and win the remaining games.

Singleton doesn't work every Yankee game. In fact, I only remember hearing him say this on one other occasion this season. However, yesterday's win got me to thinking. It seemed to me that the Yankees have won or split series the hard way many times this season. I decided to do a little research to find out exactly how often this has occured.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Yankees have won or split series the hard way 10 times this year. The've done it against the Rangers, White Sox, Mets, Angels, Cubs, Rockies, Rays, and, including yesterday, 3 times against the Blue Jays.

This goes a long way in explaining why the Yankees, after losing all but one game to the Red Sox this season, are only 1.5 games out of first place and 4.5 games ahead in the AL Wild Card standings. This team doesn't give up.

Tonight the Yankees begin a four game series in St Petersburg, against the Tampa Bay Rays. If they lose tonight, Yankee fans, it's no big deal. Just remember that the Yankees like doing things the hard way.

Derek Jeter and All Star Game Ratings

2011-07-14T11:23:00.000-04:00

The question comes up every year: How do you improve All Star Game ratings? I've heard a lot of ideas. Some advocate moving the game to Wednesday in order to give aces who pitched on the Sunday before a chance to play in the game. Others want to drop the mandate that every team has to be represented. One person actually waved the white flag, saying the game should be done away with. Then there is the argument that it should be mandatory for all players voted in by the fans to show up at the game.

That brings me to Derek Jeter.

You know the story by now. Jeter got his 3,000th hit last Saturday, then announced that he would not be attending the All Star Game. He has been criticized for his decision ever since. The harshest criticism came from an MLB official who chose to remain anonymous:

"Derek Jeter has done everything right during his whole career. He was wrong on this one." [NY Daily News]

This anonymous MLB official made his comments before the game and before the announcement that this was the lowest rated All Star Game ever. I'm sure he knew that ratings for the game have been low for years. When Jeter got hit number 3,000 on Saturday he and the rest of MLB brass were likely giddy with excitement, anticipating a ratings windfall. Jeter let the air out of their balloon in a hurry, dashing their hopes of a respectable showing, making one exec so angry that he had the gall to say that the great Derek Jeter was wrong.

Derek Jeter was wrong. He should have been at the All Star Game. He owed it to all the fans who voted for him. So go ahead and blame him for not showing up, MLB. But the blame game should end there. Jeter is not responsible for the low ratings. That one's on you.

Derek Jeter Gets His 3,000th Hit (And I Didn't Miss It)

2011-07-10T17:20:00.001-04:00

The bad thing about sports milestones is that, as a fan, there is always the chance that you could miss seeing them for one reason or another. Work might get in the way, you may not have cable TV, you could be sick or, as the mother and sister of a certain Yankees Captain experienced, you have to go to a baby's christening.

In the months leading up to Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit, I was very afraid that I was going to miss seeing him reach this magical milestone. Because of work, if the Yankees are at home and/or playing a team in the Eastern Time Zone I usually miss the first inning. I was beside myself. I just knew Jeter would get his 3,000th hit in the first inning of some game while I was walking home from work. I hoped and prayed for it to happen on a Saturday or a Sunday.

After Friday's rainout Jeter went into Saturday needing two hits to 3K so it was entirely possible he'd get there this weekend. That left me one happy lady, right? Not exactly. I had a million things to do on Saturday morning. The anxiety I felt could have been cut with a knife. I raced through all my chores and errands and managed to get settled in front of the TV ten minutes before game time. As I made myself comfortable I remembered another milestone, on another Saturday, by another Yankee: Alex Rodriguez's 500th home run back in 2007. I was just as anxious on that Saturday morning as I was yesterday. As I blogged later that day:

"I've raced through the streets like a madwoman, trying to get home in time; I've run around my apartment like it was on fire, trying to get things done in time; and, I've sat on the job praying that he wouldn't hit it while I was [there]."

Alex Rodriguez didn't disappoint and neither did Derek Jeter. Jeter was awesome yesterday, homering for his 3,000th hit, going 5-5 and driving in the winning run. Many are calling it a storybook day. I concur, not only for what he did but when he did it. On a Saturday. And I didn't miss it.

Thank you, Derek Jeter, and congratulations.

After Rays Nix Doubleheader, A Recollection Of A September 2009 Incident

2011-07-09T09:01:00.000-04:00

Last night's rain out of the Rays-Yankees game had me really hot under the collar. Well, not the rain out itself, but the refusal by the Rays to play a doubleheader today. A doubleheader today would have given Derek Jeter more opportunities to get his 3,000th career hit at home.

It was the Rays right, of course. Visiting teams have the last word in such situations. The Rays say they are a banged up team and, therefore, a doubleheader wouldn't work for them right now. They would rather make the game up in September when they'll have the luxury of an expanded roster.

The decision makes sense, but I wonder how much of that decision was just wanting to give Derek Jeter fewer opportunities to reach that coveted milestone against them. After what happened in September 2009 with Mark Teixeira I wouldn't put it past them.

Teixeira was tied with then-Ray Carlos Pena for the league-lead in home runs at 39. Pena's season had ended a few weeks earlier when he broke two of his fingers while getting hit by a pitch. The Rays hosted the Yankees for what I think were the final games of the season. During the series Rays pitchers didn't give Teixeira anything to hit, thereby making it impossible for him to hit his 40th home run. Pena and Teixeira ended the season tied at 39 home runs a piece.

Any team that pulls stunts like will never be given the full benefit of the doubt by me. Because of what happened in '09 I will always be suspicious of this team whenever they make the kind of decision they made last night.

Here's hoping today is the day for Derek Jeter. He needs 2 hits to reach 3,000. Go Captain and go Yankees.

The 2011 AL All-Star Selections: Ron Washington Shows Off His Inner Joe Torre

2011-07-04T12:23:00.000-04:00

Like most members of Yankees Universe, I was offended when I learned that CC Sabathia had not been named to the 2011 AL All-Star Team. Sabathia is 11-4 with an ERA just a tick above 3.00. How could he not be selected?

The Yankees already have six players on the team (Cano, Jeter, A-Rod, Granderson, Martin and Rivera). I'm sure that was a big factor in manager Ron Washington's decision not to choose Sabathia. But, since Sabathia's turn in the Yankee rotation would have made it impossible for him to pitch in the All-Star Game, Washington could have chosen Sabathia and then replaced him with his own guy, CJ Wilson. That would have been the respectful thing to do. Instead, Washington snubbed Sabathia and chose Wilson outright. Washington is wrong here.

Or, is he? Remember Joe Torre? He did things like this all the time during the Yankees recent championship years. I don't remember any Yankee fans complaining back then. When you win you can do whatever you want.

Have fun, Ron. Just don't forget that the game counts. (Can we overturn that silly rule, already?)

The End Of The Subway Series: A Lost Game & A Lost Tweet

2011-07-04T11:29:00.001-04:00

I had my tweet all ready:

"Sweep!" #Yankees #SubwaySeries."

I couldn't wait to hit "send." The only thing left was for Mariano Rivera to get that final strike. He never got it. Instead, the Mets tied game three of the final round of the Subway Series. One inning and two Ramiro Pena errors later, Scott Hairston scored the winning run and the Mets won the game 3-2.

So I was reduced to tweeting:

"It almost feels like the #Yankees lost this #SubwaySeries."

I couldn't take solace in the fact that the Yankees won the series. All I could think about was this loss and the bitter taste it left in my mouth. Kerel Cooper of the fantastic Mets video blog On The Black tried to make feel better (I think) by tweeting this at me:

"@BernadetPasley: Mets needed this one more than you guys did."

It didn't work. I still felt bad and I still do.

Well, at least Interleague Play is over with for the season. It seemed to go on a lot longer this year than in previous years. Now, on to Cleveland and the return of The Captain. Six more hits to 3,000. Whoo hoo!

After Two Years, My CC Sabathia Mea Culpa

2011-07-01T11:01:00.001-04:00

As I watched CC Sabathia strike out 13 Milwaukee Brewers in yesterday's 5-0 Yankee win, I couldn't help thinking back to late Summer 2008 when Sabathia was a Brewer. He had a monumental half season for them, going 11-2, throwing an insane amount of pitches and pitching on three days rest in his final three starts, catapulting Milwaukee into the playoffs. The man was an absolute beast. Then the beast became a free agent and I became afraid.

I didn't want the Yankees to sign CC Sabathia. I was dead-set against it. Here is what I wrote on this blog on November 4, 2008:

"[The Brewers] squeezed every bit of juice out of him in 2008 and will toss his rind to that big-market team whose mouth is watering the most. My big fear is that it will be the New York Yankees.

Since he was traded to Milwaukee before the trade deadline, the Brewers have treated CC Sabathia like a machine. A pitching machine. I know he's a big, strong guy, but it's my opinion that he threw way too many pitches for the Brewers this year, and it'll come back to haunt whatever team that eventually signs him. He'll get injured middle-way through the season or will just get tired and won't be effective, all because the Brewers were selfish enough to use him and throw him onto the scrap heap for some greedy, money-flashing team to grab up."

I ended my post with:

"I have one message to the New York Yankees: Stay away from CC Sabathia. He's nothing but an injury waiting to happen."

Well, as of today, July 1, 2011, that injury is still waiting. Sabathia has been nothing short of a stud since 2009 and shows no signs of slacking off. It took me two years, but today I can smile, hold my head up high and proudly say: I was wrong about CC Sabathia.

And for my next trick.... I predict CC Sabathia will opt out of his contract, but he will remain a Yankee for the rest of his career. Here's to you, Big Fella.

Thoughts About Old Timers Day

2011-06-27T10:06:00.001-04:00

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:

The commercial for Perillo Tours during the ceremony for Gene Monahan.
My all-time favorite Yankee, Don Mattingly, couldn't be there.
My old crush Dave Winfield wasn't there, either.

What I loved most was how the Yankees came from behind later in the day to beat the Rockies. Two almost old timers, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera turned back the clock, Posada hitting a long home-run to tie the game and Rivera striking out the side to end the game. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Today is another off-day for the Yankees. Is it me, or are there a lot more off days this season? Whatever the case, I don't like it. I just want to move on to the next opponent, the Milwaukee Brewers. Go, Yankees.

Looking Back: The Cubs Series (Wrigley Field Edition)

2011-06-20T11:36:00.001-04:00

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.

The Cubs played the Yankees tough up until the final innings of the last game. I wasn't expecting that at all. I really thought it would be a cakewalk. When Doug Davis shut them down in the first game, I was shocked. I know, I shouldn't have been. After all, as the old saying goes, "You can't predict baseball." I waited to exhale during most of the second game but breathed a little easier when when Brett Gardner threw Carlos Pena out at the plate. I laughed when Russell Martin showed Pena the ball after the ump called him out. Last night was another nail biter, until Nick Swisher broke the game open with his 3-run homer.

Swisher and Gardner both had great series and have been a successful platoon in the leadoff spot. I think the writing's on the wall as far as where Derek Jeter bats when he comes off the DL. But will Joe Girardi read that writing? I doubt it.

Next up: The Cincinnati Reds. I'm kind of disappointed that the Yankees won't be seeing Aroldis Chapman during this series. But they'll see their old friend, former Yankee Miguel Cairo and the reigning NL MVP Joey Votto. The Reds are a pretty decent team. They're better than the Cubs. What does that mean? Nothing, except that you can't predict baseball.

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

2011-06-18T15:06:00.003-04:00

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!

Dad and mom took me and my cousin, Denny, to watch the San Francisco Giants play at Seal Stadium on August 31, 1958. I can remember everything. The stadium probably wasn't very big but to me it was the biggest stadium ever built. And the crowd was probably pretty small by today's standards, maybe 10,000, but to me it was huge, with the best, loudest and wildest bunch of fans ever gathered for a sports event. I was overjoyed with the thought of it all! I'd spent the entire summer scoring every broadcast game, play by play, glued to the radio and occasionally the TV. If there was a game that day, I had my home-made scorecard ready complete with line-ups, pencils sharpened and ready to go, and carefully recorded every play. When dad walked through the door at night I went over the game with him, play by play, every detail recorded precisely as it happened.

But this day I didn't have my home-made scorecard and pencils. No, today, I was a spectator at a Giants and Dodger game and boy was I proud to be there! The one thing I remember most about that game was when Willie Mays hit his home run. There were a couple home runs hit that day, but the only one I remember was Willie's. When Willie hit his home run and he threw the bat down, and he began his trip around the bases, it was an incredible sight to see. He had the longest legs I had ever seen, and they stretched out, straight out, with every step, and I swear it only took him 12 steps to get around the bases. I kept telling my dad, "Did you see that, did you see that?" We (Denny and I) were jumping up and down. I've seen pictures of Willie Mays running the bases since then and it doesn't seem like anything spectacular, but back on August 31, 1958, it was truly a spectacular thing.

After the game, when the players left the ballpark, I leaned over the railing and yelled at Willie and he looked at me and I did catch his eye for a split second (a very split second), and that was when I first met Willie Mays, at least in my mind, for a split second, even though I'm sure he would never remember this. To a 15 year old kid back in 1958, it was the making of a memory of a lifetime. And that's the way I'll always remember it. Me, my dad and Willie Mays, together at Seals Stadium, in downtown San Francisco, on August 31, 1958.

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

2011-06-17T13:43:00.000-04:00

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."

I was so ecstatic to be going to a game. I professional baseball team the night before my 13th birthday. I had been to only one other minor league game in my lifetime at that point so going to my second one was like walking into Yankee Stadium. I took in the ballpark and enjoyed the fun, kid amenities. I sat through the first game and watched and watched. I was hoping for the ultimate prize, a foul ball souvenir. No luck through the first game.

Second game was going and it was getting late. I remember it being late because I didn't realize how long a doubleheader could be. Anyways, while sitting in my exact assigned seat I remember seeing the ball foul back towards the higher seats we were sitting at. I remember the ball hit the seats and a bunch of us kids attacked the ball like candy that had just fallen out of a pinata. There was my chance. The ball was just sitting there. I dove for the ball in between the seats and smothered it. I was so elated that I felt like I was smothering that ball for half an hour. I finally got up and raised the ball up in my hand and the crowd around me clapped. I looked at my Dad and he smiled.

I was the happiest almost 13 year old that night. My Dad took me to something I enjoyed. I got the ultimate souvenir. I recently revisited home as I live across the country now and went to the local ballpark to attend a game. I sat just down below from where I caught that ball that night. I shared the story with my wife. That feeling that night as a young 13 year old was one of the best feelings I ever felt and I can thank no one other than my loving father.

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

2011-06-16T14:32:00.000-04:00

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.

It was not a perfect relationship that we all shared with Dad. As a kid, personally I had wished Dad could attend some of my baseball games, y'know in Little League and in High School. That never happened. Dad was an alcoholic troubled by his demons. Nonetheless, I do know, however, in my heart and mind how much he loved all of us kids, and the special place he always had in his heart for us kids, and sports.

Me and my family would always listen with great interest to my youngest brother Scottie, whenever he would share with us his rare and wild sports predictions (only when the spirit struck him so; he would never predict anything unless he “had that feeling”). His curious, unprovoked predictions historically had always turned out to be spot-on correct. So, when he spoke about his premonitions, we all listened.

My Dad started referring to Scottie as "the Guru" during Barry Bonds homerun race to catch Hank Aaron's mark of 755 homers. (None of us were every Bonds fans for sure, but we were all sports history buffs, and we did fully realize the magnitude of that moment and the importance of that baseball record.) Scottie scratched his head and threw out a prediction that Bonds would hit homerun number 754 on July 27, 2007. He “felt it.” My Dad laughed and expressed his skepticism. Bonds prior homerun, number 753 was hit nine days earlier.

On the night of July 27, 2007 though, sure enough, Bonds hit homerun number 754, as was predicted by the Guru. Dad seemed to become more interested in Scottie’s predictions. He demanded that Scottie predict when the next Bonds homerun was going to happen. After a little bit of thought, Scottie informed Dad that Bonds would tie Aaron at 755 on August 4, 2007. When making his predictions, he would never say “I believe that . . .” and then state his prediction. Instead, he would always say, “X will happen, on Y date,” as though it were previously written in the stars, or the bible or something.

True to form, Bonds slugged 755 on August 4, 2007. The prediction came true, again. Dad simply could not believe it! He shouted to his boys, "Wholly Shit! My boy's a fuckin’ psychic!" "When is Bonds going to pass Aaron?," Dad asked of the Guru. Scottie scratched his head, then looked up at the sky. "Tuesday." "Tuesday, August 7th, he'll get homerun number 756!" My Dad replied, "You're damn straight I'll be staying up for that one. No more falling asleep for me on that night. I have to watch history in the making!" Dad was so excited on the phone, stating how it was going to be so great to see. "You can predict it all Scottie! "Bet everything," Dad had said. "Bet the farm on this!"

Sadly, on the morning of August 7th, me and my siblings received a phone call from the complex Dad was living at in Atlanta, Georgia. The kids all learned that Dad had died that morning. He had lived to only 62 years of age.

As that painful day slogged along, and the reality of our father’s death slowly settled into our collective minds, me and my family all wondered if that night Bonds would actually hit that 756th homerun. And, as if this were written by some twisted Hollywood scribbler, Bonds indeed hit that record-breaking homerun, on August 7, 2007--the same day my father died, the same day Scottie had predicted the record would be made.
We had sports. We had baseball. It kept us away from all of life's unpleasantries. We shared that final moment without Dad with us, but he sure was in our hearts that night and thereafter. We cried when it had happened. I can only hope he watched the feat from his eternal seat within the clouds.

We still love you Dad. We miss you. Happy Father's Day to you.

Cheers, love always your son Stephen

Injuries, Indians, Injuries, Rangers and Injuries

2011-06-15T14:16:00.000-04:00

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...

2011-06-13T12:52:00.000-04:00

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)

2011-06-10T12:23:00.001-04:00

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

2011-06-06T11:27:00.000-04:00

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)

2011-06-05T20:32:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-03T12:45:00.001-04:00

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?

A-Rod, Derek Jeter and Joba Chamberlain top the list of overrated players in SI's annual poll. Okay. There are 750 players in MLB. Only 185 players responded to the survey. That should tell you everything you need to know right there.

Bartolo Colon's complete game shutout against the A's this week put him firmly in contention for the Comeback Player Of The Year award. However, I can't stop thinking about the stem cell procedure he had over the Winter. If MLB finds wrongdoing, you can be sure the Yankees will be accused of knowing about it and signing him anyway. I can already hear the cries of "tainted championship."

It was announced this week that Yankee players lead the voting in most All-Star categories, even though not all of them are having All Star seasons. I'm usually pretty objective when it comes to All Star voting but not this year. Don't ask me why. I just want to vote for as many Yankees as I can for as long as I can. Except when it comes to Jose Bautista. I'm not that stupid.

Ivan Nova starts for the Yankees tonight against the Angels. If he doesn't pitch well his spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy. If he does pitch well an unlikely mentor might be taking some of the credit: AJ Burnett. There was a really nice article in the New York Times this week about the bond the two have formed. Click here to read it.

Okay, that's all I got. Check back with me early next week for a recap of the Angels series. Also, be on the lookout for a special Father's Day giveaway. The prize involves the Yankees Core Four. Details will be posted before the end of next week so be ready!

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

2011-06-03T10:55:00.000-04:00

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!

Lowlight
No harm no foul, since they had the lead each time it happened, but the Yankees ran themselves out of innings several times during this series. Time to get your heads back on the basepaths, guys.

Looking Ahead
The Anaheim Angels are next. (I refuse to call them that other long name.) The things I'm hoping to see in this series include:

1. A good outing by Ivan Nova. If it's not good his spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy.

2. No Dan Haren. Hopefully his back issues keep him off the mound this weekend.

Three more west coast games and then, finally, back to normal viewing times. It can't come fast enough. Go Yankees.

Looking Back: The Mariners Series

2011-05-30T12:20:00.001-04:00

When I saw the pitching matchups for the just completed series against the Mariners in Seattle, I resigned myself to believing the Yankees would lose two out of three. After all, they were facing Michael Pineda, a pitcher they'd never seen before, in game1. As every die-hard Yankee fan knows, they never manage to do much against a pitcher they are facing for the first time. The game 2 starter, Felix Hernandez, has dominated them for pretty much his whole career.

If you watched the first two games you were probably as excited as I was when the Yankees were able to knock Pineda and King Felix around, taking leads each time. When they ended up losing both games by one run, I was sick with disappointment, both at the fact that they could have won both games and the fact that I'd stayed up watching games that started at 10 p.m. New York time, only to see them lose. (Actually, I stayed up for the entirety of only the first game. When Boone Logan came in to pitch the 10th inning of the second game, I lost all hope, assuming Logan would blow it. But, as I found out in the morning it was Mariano Rivera who gave up the winning run. I'm kind of glad I missed that.)

At least CC Sabathia was able to save the weekend with his dominance in the series finale. Sabathia looks ready to rattle off a bunch of wins, and they couldn't come at a better time.

Moving on: The Yankees have two more stops on this west coast road trip, in Oakland and in Anaheim. It won't be easy, for either the Yankees who'll be facing two good teams, or for their fans who'll have to endure more inconvenient starting times. Personally, I'll be able to watch only today's game in its entirety. I'll either be working or sleeping during rest of the games on this road trip. I'm not looking forward to missing so many innings. I can't wait for this trip to end.

Looking Back: The Blue Jays Series (The YES Network Edition)

2011-05-25T21:49:00.001-04:00

In case you've been living under a rock, let me just state that Curtis Granderson has been the Yankees' best player so far this season. That distinction has earned him some extra attention from the YES Network. Before the Blue Jays came to town this week, YES ran a series of promos for the series that featured Major League home run leader Jose Bautista and the second place home run hitter, Granderson. The spots fell just short of promising a home run derby between the two players, implying that there would be lots of balls leaving the yard off the bats of Bautista and Granderson.

Of course, that didn't happen. Bautista hit a solo home run in the series opener, then managed only a single the rest of the series. Granderson didn't hit any home runs. It would have been nice if he had answered Bautista in that first game with a homer of his own. He did have a better series than Bautista, going 6-9, with 2 RBI, 2 stolen bases, and scoring 6 runs, including the winning run of the walkoff victory in game 2. But, home run derby it wasn't.

During the final game of the series YES started airing promos for the next series, a three-game set with the Mariners in Seattle. The spots feature Curtis Granderson again, but this time the opposing player featured is Ichiro Suzuki. Now, I can live with Granderson being compared to Bautista, but Ichiro? That's going to far. Come on, YES. Ichiro is a hall-of-famer! Last time I checked Granderson was not a hall-of-famer.

If Granderson continues to excel this season, will YES continue these crazy, yet amusing promos? If they play the Cardinals will he be compared with Albert Pujols? Then again, Pujols isn't having such a good year right now, so maybe it would be appropriate somehow.

Anyway, keep it going, Grandy Man!

Looking Back: The Subway Series (Round 1)

2011-05-22T17:17:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned several times on this blog about how tired I am of the Subway Series, but a series win by the Yankees always makes it a little more tolerable.

Highlights
1. The starting pitching continued to shine. The Yankees got good starts from Freddy Garcia, AJ Burnett and Ivan Nova. All three starters kept the team in the game and, had it not been for a great start by the Mets' R.A. Dickey in game 1, the Yankees could have swept this series.

2. The balls continued to leave the yard for the Yankees. Wait, is this a highlight or a lowlight? Hard to tell by the way fans and the media are debating about it. Anyway, five more homeruns were hit, pushing the team total over 70.

3. In game 3, the Yankees finally got off the snide as far as hitting with runners in scoring position goes. They were 5-10 with RISP, thanks to an 8-run 7th inning (during which no homeruns were hit, by the way).

4. The Yankee bullpen also deserves its props. Rafael who? The pen has been lights out since Soriano went on the DL. Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson have done just fine in his place and they continued to do so in this series.

Lowlight
A highlight was also a lowlight: runners left in scoring position. The Yankees had their chances in game 1 and couldn't get the big hit. In game 2 the relied on the long ball. Can they continue what they started in game 3? Let's hope so.

Looking Ahead
The pesky Toronto Blue Jays come back to town tomorrow night, with their running game and their ML home run leader, Jose Bautista. It'll be nice to see Bautista and the AL's second-place HR hitter Curtis Granderson go head-to-head, so to speak. To win this series, the Yankees have to do two things: 1) keep Bautista in the ballpark and 2) Keep Rajai Davis off base. Good luck, guys.

Looking Back: The Orioles Series (The Hit-By-Pitch Edition)

2011-05-20T12:11:00.001-04:00

For the Yankees, there's nothing like playing a series in ~~Yankee Yards~~ Camden Yards to help turn a six-game losing streak into a distant memory. They have put up monster numbers in the place ever since it opened back in 1992. This latest two-game set was no different. Once again, they pounded Orioles pitching, winning both games. And, once again, Orioles pitching pounded them, resuming an on-again, off-again beanball war that has been going on for years against the two teams.

Robinson Cano and Chris Dickerson are only the latest casualties. Look back over the years and you'll be reminded of how former Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera would plunk Yankee hitters with regularity. Look back further and you'll remember the infamous Armando Benitez, throwing at and hitting Tino Martinez after giving up a home-run to Bernie Williams.

Yes, the beaning has been going on for years. But, until recently, the way the Yankees responded to it was different. Back then, they answered being hit by pitches by trying to win the game. Big deal. Don't get me wrong. Of course I want my team to win the game when this happens. But things always seemed so unsettled when they didn't retaliate, whether they won the game or not. They seemed so wimpy. Now, thanks to people like CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, retaliation is part of the Yankees game plan, and I am loving it.

I would love it even more if happened against the Mets in this weekend's Subway Series. Something has got to happen to make this annual snore-fest start appealing to me again. The novelty wore off many years ago. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm sick of the Subway Series and I'm sick of interleague play.

Looking Back: The Rays Series (Houdini Edition)

2011-05-18T14:54:00.000-04:00

Did you hear it? Did you hear that big sound last night, that collective sigh of relief? It came from Yankees Universe after the team's six game losing streak came to an end with a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays and a split of the two-game set.

After losing the first game in such horrifying fashion and turning to young pitcher Ivan Nova to save them in the second game, I mentally prepared myself for another sweep. But Nova, coming off his worst start of the season, pitched well. Alex Rodriguez's two home-runs helped his cause, along with the pitching of a certain middle reliever by the name of David Robertson.

If you regularly watch Yankee games, you know why Robertson's nickname is Houdini. The guy comes in with runners in scoring position or with the bases loaded and gets the job done nearly every time. The game was truly on the line last night. With BJ Upton at the plate, it could have been a replay of the previous, horrifying night. Instead, Houdini found his way out of the jam and helped to make the Yankees losing streak disappear.

Can they start a winning streak tonight against Baltimore? If they do there is a good chance that David Robertson will be right there in the middle of it, once again.

LATB Poll: Can Jorge Posada Turn His Season Around?

2011-05-17T15:24:00.001-04:00

The Jorge Posada mess seems to have finally blown over. Everyone is "on the same page." Now comes the hard part. Posada has to start hitting.

As I write this, he's batting .165 and is 0-24 against left-handed pitchers. Will his numbers improve? Or will he sink even further? The latest LATB Poll asks this question. I'd love to know what you think. The poll is at the top of the left sidebar on the blog.

The poll closes next week so hurry and let your voice be heard!

Looking Back: The Red Sox Series (5/13/11 - 5/15/11)

2011-05-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

Swept. A five-game losing streak. Looking back was never so hard.

Highlights
Bartolo Colon had a good outing in game 1. Other than that, unless you want to count a few insignificant Yankee homeruns, all the highlights in this series came from the Red Sox. Moving right along...

Lowlights
1. Colon's outing notwithstanding, the pitching was horrible. The starters couldn't make pitches when they had to and the bullpen simply stunk.

2. What happened to the Yankee defense? Errors and passed balls ruled the weekend. The low point? A ground ball through Alex Rodriguez's legs. I was ready to turn off the TV at that point.

3. Once again, the offense failed to show up. The Yankees left a ton of men on base and the bats remained cold with runners in scoring position.

Looking Ahead (Glady!)
The Yankees play two in Tampa Bay and two in Baltimore before coming back to the Stadium this weekend to host the Mets. Everyone knows how easy it is for players to turn the page. We'll find out this week if they can turn it on.

A Few Words About The Jorge Posada Mess

2011-05-15T14:23:00.002-04:00

Until last night, I never thought Yankees-Red Sox could take a back seat to anything. That all changed after the Jorge Posada mess started to unfold before the game. Posada's demotion to 9th in the batting order, his subsequent scratch from the lineup and GM Brian Cashman's statement that Posada was not injured had me and more than a few other Yankee fans wishing the game would hurry up and end so that we could all get to the bottom of this.

The bottom wasn't pretty, it turns out. We found out that not only is Jorge Posada not a team player, but that he is also a liar. He selfishly refused to play when demoted to the 9th spot even after Cashman spent an hour with him and his agent trying to convince him to do otherwise. Then, in an attempt to save face, he made up a story about having back stiffness.

I realize that Jorge Posada is going through a tough time right now. He's trying to adjust to the DH spot and trying to come to terms with the fact that his career is coming to an end. But what he pulled last night is downright shameful. He was wrong and he needs to admit it. He also needs to apologize to everyone involved, accept the demotion and move on.

Update, 5/16/11: Posada apologized before yesterday's game and all is forgiven. The only way it will be forgotten, however, is if he starts hitting.

Looking Back: The Royals Series

2011-05-13T15:13:00.001-04:00

Until this week, the Kansas City Royals hadn't won a series at Yankee Stadium since 1999. I remember going to work after that '99 series and being taunted by my Met fan co-workers. I had the last laugh later that year when the Yankees were winning another championship and the Mets were going on vacation. If 2011 ends the same way 1999 did, I'll sign up for losing two of three to the Royals anytime.

Highlights
The highlights boil down to three pitching performances. Freddy Garcia pitched six innings of 1-run ball in game 1. In that same game, David Robertson pitched out of a bases loaded 1-out jam. AJ Burnett pitched seven innings of 1-run ball in game 2. That concludes the highlights, ladies and gentlemen.

Lowlights
1. The Yankees left way too many runners in scoring position in this series, especially in game 3. They were 2-16 with RISP and left 15 men on base. They just haven't been able to find a way to get that big hit.

2. In game 2, the Royals intentionally walked a batter to get to Jorge Posada. In what had to be the lowest moment of his career, Posada struck out. Is he finished? I don't know but I feel awfully sorry for him.

3. Robinson Cano was hit in the helmet with a pitch and had to be removed from game 2. Thankfully, he is fine.

4. Ivan Nova's great outing in Texas was followed up by a dud in the series finale. It shouldn't surprise anyone. Most young pitchers just aren't consistent.

5. That final game was one of the sloppiest of the year for the Yankees. Errors by Cano and Cervelli, along with other plays that were not called errors, made this game really hard to watch.

Looking Ahead
Rivalry renewed. The Boston Red Sox come to town tonight to start a three game series with the Yankees. Big deal. I'm so sick of Yankees-Red Sox. The two teams meet too often these days for it to mean anything. That being said, I'll be glued to my TV all weekend. Go, Yankees.

Today's NY Post Front Page: Derek Jeter

2011-05-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

Every morning I like to go to the websites of the three major newspapers here in New York City to see what they have on their front pages. This is the front page of today's New York Post:

Really? Come on. I love Derek Jeter just as much as the next Yankee fan, but let's face it: What he did yesterday is not front page news. There are way more important things happening in this city. I realize they're trying to sell newspapers here but how many more newspapers do they think they're going to sell? As popular as the Yankees are in this city they aren't the only "game" in town. They're only a small part of all the things going on in New York City.

Jeter may very well be back, however. Coming into this breakout game, he had been hitting the ball better, going back to the series in Detroit earlier in the week. The critics will soon be silenced, and it can't come soon enough. Congratulations to the Captain.

Looking Back: The Rangers Series (5/6/11 - 5/8/11)

2011-05-09T09:55:00.001-04:00

The Yankees took two of three from the Texas Rangers this past weekend, but it could very well have been just one of three. Thanks to the long ball and a breakout game by a certain Yankee captain, they won the series. ~~By doing so they also won the season series between the two teams 4 games to 2.~~ They now lead the season series 4 games to 2.

Highlights
1. Ivan Nova pitched 7.1 innings in game 1, the longest outing of his career. Nova is a ground ball pitcher and he had the ground balls working in this game. He's really progressed nicely this season and I can't wait for his next start.

2. Yanks dig the long ball. Eight balls left the yard in this series. There were home runs by Teixeira, Swisher, Cervelli (grand slam), Granderson (3) and Jeter (2). Granderson now leads the AL with 11 homers.

3. Speaking of Derek Jeter, he sent the fans and the media a message yesterday with the day he had. The message: "I'm still alive and kicking." In addition to his two home runs, he stole his first base of the season. He was 4-6 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Lowlights
1. Bartolo Colon had his first bad start of the season in game 2, giving up 5 runs in the first 2 innings of game. He lasted only 4.1 innings. Hopefully it's not the beginning of the end for him.

2. Boone Logan, the only Yankee lefty out of the bullpen, didn't do the job, taking the loss in game 2. His doom was sealed when the Rangers put the suicide squeeze on in the bottom of the 6th inning, resulting in the go-ahead run crossing the plate.

3. The finale of the series was a really sloppy game for the Yankees. Officially they made 4 errors but they played worse than that. They could have lost this game had it not been for all the home runs and Jeter's good day.

Looking Ahead
The Melkman returns! The Kansas City Royals come to town tomorrow for a three game series and with them, former Yankee Melky Cabrera. It'll be his first appearance at the Stadium since the 2009 World Series. Melky wasn't the best player the Yankees had by any means, but he was a fan favorite. I'm really looking forward to watching him play in this series.

Looking Back: The Tigers Series (5/2/11 - 5/5/11)

2011-05-05T21:21:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees have lost three straight games for the first time this season. Losing three of four to a team that had previously lost seven straight really stings, especially when you lose the way the Yankees did this week.

Highlight
I can think of only one highlight: the starting pitching. Each of the four Yankee starters (Colon, Sabathia, Garcia and Burnett) pitched seven innings, keeping their team in the game and giving them a chance to win. But it all goes dim after that...

Lowlights
1. We saw several baserunning gaffes in this series: In game one Curtis Granderson stole second base but overslid the bag and was tagged out. In game two Andruw Jones, apparently going on his own, was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a flyball to medium centerfield. Also in game two (and these were even more egregious) both Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada were picked off first base in the 6th inning. What were they all thinking?

2. The offense sputtered in this series. Aside from a go-ahead RBI single by Nick Swisher in game one, the timely hits just didn't come. You can't win games like that.

3. Eduardo Nunez started at shortstop in game four and made two errors, the second one a costly one. It was a throwing error that allowed two runs to score, creating a deficit the Yankees could not overcome.

4. Eric Chavez broke a bone in his left foot while legging out a triple in game four. He was simply running the bases. He didn't trip, stumble or slide, yet he broke his foot. Talk about injury prone!

Looking Ahead
Up next, a weekend series with the Texas Rangers tomorrow night in Arlington, Texas. The Yankees took two of three from the Rangers last month at Yankee Stadium. Taking two of three this weekend will be a tall order but it is exactly what the Yankees need to to if they want to have a successful road trip.

Looking Back: The Blue Jays Series (4/29/11 - 5/1/11)

2011-05-01T20:22:00.000-04:00

The Yankees start the month of May in first place by 2.5 games, thanks in part to having won almost every series they've played so far this season. (The only series they've lost was to the Boston Red Sox, near the start of the season.) They won another series this weekend, taking two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Highlights
1. AJ Burnett pitched well once again, putting a bow on a successful first month of the season. Can he keep it up for the next five months or will he again be Mr April?

2. Ivan Nova pitched into the 7th inning, matching his previous start, the longest outing of his career. He wasn't Super Nova but he made pitches when he had to and that's all that matters.

3. Rafael Soriano bounced back in this series, pitching a scoreless 8th inning in game 2 and again in game 3. Now let's see when he'll pitch a 1-2-3 inning. He hasn't done that since Opening Day.

4. There were 4 more Yankee home runs, 2 by Robinson Cano, and one each by Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson. However, game 2 was won without a home run being hit. See, they can do it!

Lowlights
1. In game 1 the Yankees were 0-8 with RISP. They had the bases loaded with nobody out in the 5th inning and couldn't score. They were loaded again in the 8th and again no runs crossed the plate. Disgraceful.

2. Also in game 1 reliever David Robertson made a throwing error that led to two Blue Jay runs scoring. Robertson is from tornado-torn Alabama. Perhaps his head wasn't in the game.

Looking Ahead
Next on the schedule: The Detroit Tigers. Losers of 6 straight, the Tigers will be looking to right their ship against the Yankees in a four game series at Comerica Park. The key to this series? Miguel Cabrera. If the Yankees can keep him in the ballpark they'll have a pretty good chance to win this series.

Looking Back: The White Sox Series

2011-04-29T12:09:00.001-04:00

The White Sox came limping into Yankee Stadium on Monday night, a broken bunch that looked as if it would break more. Instead, Chicago hung with the Yankees, earning a split in the four-game series.

Highlights
1. The starting pitching was lights out in this series. AJ Burnett, Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon and CC Sabathia each produced solid starts, giving the Yankees a chance to win each game.

2. We saw some signs of life from Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher, who both came up big in game 4. Gardner now has three home runs and Swisher finally hit his first last night.

Lowlights
1. Rafael Soriano's struggles continued. He pitched poorly in game 1 and really laid an egg in game 2. But, Joe Girardi is sticking with him. What else can he do?

2. Although the bats came to life in the final game, the Yankee offense was missing in action throughout most of this series. I don't think you could call what they were in a slump. They ran into three great pitching performances, especially Phil Humber's in game 1. There also was some stellar White Sox defense, including Brent Lillibridge's game saving catches in the 9th inning of game 2.

Looking Ahead
It's back to AL East opponents this weekend as the Yankees play a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. With Jose Bautista in the Jays lineup and the Yankees leading the Majors with 41 homers, this series could easily turn into Home Run Derby. That being said, we'll probably see three pitchers duals. Go Yankees.

The Vandalizing Of Brent Lillibridge's Wikipedia Page

2011-04-27T14:44:00.000-04:00

While I'm still licking my wounds over what Brent Lillibridge of the White Sox did last night at Yankee Stadium, I am managing a smile at what happened to his Wikipedia page. Yahoo Sports is reporting that someone changed the "Early Life" section of his page to read as follows:

Lillibridge was born in the deepest caverns of ancient mesopotamia. When he was five years old he mastered the art of natural pwning through rightfield. His dad, the famous god Marduk gave him the power of ultimate invincibility, giving him the force to withstand glass. Due to a virgin birth, his mother never loved him :'( but it didn't matter because his friends were there for him. One thousand years later, he laid dormant until the white sox discovered his frozen body in the jungles of Mexico.

Kind of funny, I guess. It definitely wasn't written by a Yankee fan. Too tame. What I find interesting is that the blurb was removed by "Wikipedia minions" just minutes after it was added. Out of all the thousands of Wikipedia pages, how did they know of this vandalism so quickly after it occurred? My guess: the minions themselves, having seen or heard about the end of the game last night, decided to have a little fun for a few minutes. They assumed no one would know but, thanks to Yahoo, more than a few people found out about it.

Looking Back: The Orioles Series (4/22/11 - 4/24/11)

2011-04-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

The Yankees have now faced the Orioles four times this season and have won all four games. The latest series was full of drama, pathos, tears, laughter and--oh, never mind. Here's a recap:

Highlights
1. Coming off a bout with the flu, CC Sabathia earned his first win of the season, pitching 8 innings, giving up 3 runs, walking 1 and striking out 7. Can he have the flu before every start?

2. Freddy Garcia gave the Yankees another 6 scoreless innings. Freddy Garcia! Who'd a thunk it?

3. The home-runs just keep on coming. A total of 6 Yankee homers were hit in this series, including 2 by Russell Martin and a grand slam by Alex Rodriguez. Can we just declare A-Rod the AL MVP right now?

4. Robinson Cano continued his offensive dominance at Camden Yards. Why don't we just call the place Robinson Yards?

Lowlights
1. Game one was rained out. That brings the total number of Yankee games postponed by rain to three. No makeup dates have been announced for any of them.

2. Mariano Rivera blew another save. Let the annual "Is Mo Finished?" debate begin.

3. Russell Martin got plunked after hitting his two home-runs Saturday night. He thought it was intentional and so did I.

Looking Ahead
The reeling Chicago White Sox come to the Bronx tonight to start a four game series with the Yankees. Chicago is 8-14 and has lost 9 of its last 10 games. Means nothing. Every team gets up to play the Yankees and the White Sox will be no different. The question is this: Will they get to play all four games? There is rain in the forecast for all four days. Not cool, Mother Nature. Not cool.

Blacks In MLB Down To 8.5%: My Thoughts

2011-04-22T15:12:00.000-04:00

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central Florida has released its annual report on the diversity of Major League Baseball. According to an article on ESPN.com, the report lists the percentage of black MLB players at 8.5%, down from 9.1% in 2010. It has been declining a little every year since 2008 when it was at 10.2%.

At last count, the article on ESPN's website generated 2,582 comments, most of them critical of the article and the report. Most of the comments asked why no one is doing studies on the small number of whites and asians in the NFL and NBA. For example, jayk318 said this:

"Here's what I don't get......why aren't there studies done to determine the lack of white, hispanic, asian, etc. players in the NFL or NBA? Or the lack of asian players in the MLB? I could go in several directions with this, but the point is made. Why is the focus ONLY on the percentage of black players in MLB? And how is it anyone's responsibility to raise that percentage?"

Why? Jackie Robinson, that's why. Jackie Robinson was not only the first black player in Major League Baseball. He was the first black player in any major American sport. He paved the way, not only for other black baseball players, but for black players in the NBA, NFL and beyond. Had he not been successful, who's to say if or when a black athlete would have been given another chance? Also many historians believe that things like Brown vs Board Of Education and the Civil Rights Movement would never have happened had Robinson not been successful.

Now keep all of this in mind and think about that 8.5% again. The sport that started it all, that led to doors opening throughout society, has dwindling numbers of blacks on its fields. I think that's pretty significant.

What do you think?

LATB Poll Results: Jeter Will Reach 3,000 Hits Before The All-Star Break

2011-04-21T14:53:00.001-04:00

Derek Jeter is now 60 hits away from 3,000, and according to the results of the latest LATB Poll, he'll get them before the All Star Break.

It was a small sample size, but 61% of those who voted said Jeter will will join the 3,000-hit club before the mid-summer classic. Another 38% said he'd get there after the All Star Break. No one thought it would happen at the end of the season or next season.

I was part of that 38% who said Jeter wouldn't get there until after the All Star Break. He doesn't look good at the plate right now or at shortstop either for that matter. He's definitely on the decline.

Didn't get a chance to vote? You can still let your voice be heard. Click on "cheers and jeers" below the blog post to leave your comments.

Looking Back: The Blue Jays Series

2011-04-21T14:16:00.000-04:00

This week's Yankees/Blue Jays series was a two-game set, sandwiched between two off-days. Two off-days in one week? What's that about? I'm sure the players love it. (Nick Swisher tweeted something about going fishing on the second off-day.) The fans (well, me, at least), not so much.

Anyway, there were two pretty exciting games north of the border this week. Here are a few highlights and lowlights:

Highlights
1. Bartolo Colon was great. He pitched into the seventh inning in game two, allowing only two runs on five hits, retiring 12 straight at one point. He made me think of his glory days in Cleveland, Montreal and Anaheim. If he can pitch like this all season the Yankees will have truly found lightening in a bottle.

2. David Robertson showed off his Houdini act in game, coming into a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning. He struck out two, including Travis Snider, who broke his bat over his leg in frustration. Robertson said that if he did what Snider did he'd have broken his leg. That made me laugh.

Lowlights
Just one, really. Mariano Rivera blew his first save of the year. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's stunning to everyone, and no one looks more stunned, to me, than Rivera himself. Not fun at all.

Looking Ahead
The Yankees spend this weekend in Baltimore playing the Orioles. The pitchers for the series are CC Sabathia, Freddy Garcia and Ivan Nova. Will this be the weekend CC finally gets his first win of the season? Will Garcia have another great outing? Will Ivan be Super Nova? The Yankees play well in Baltimore, but this, of course, is baseball. Anything can happen.

Mo Falls Apart, I Stay Pain-Free

2011-04-20T15:08:00.000-04:00

I don't know about other Yankee fans, but when the Yankees suffer a really tough loss, like last night's, I like to pretend that the sports media doesn't exist. I don't listen to sportstalk radio, I don't watch Sportscenter, and I stay away from the back pages of the local newspapers. It's just too much of a painful reminder of the previous night or day.

Unless, of course, it was a night like last night. Last night the New York Knicks fell into an 0-2 hole after losing their second straight playoff game to the Boston Celtics. I guessed that the media's focus would be on the Knicks and not on the Yankees and Mariano Rivera's shocking blown save. I was right. It's been practically non-stop Knicks ever since the final buzzer sounded last night in Boston. The only blip on the radar was early this morning when a stupid Mets fan called into WFAN and laughed hysterically at Mariano Rivera.

Stupid? That's a little harsh. But wait, the Mets have the worst record in baseball and he has the nerve to laugh at Mo? Yeah, he's stupid.

Looking Back: The Rangers Series

2011-04-18T09:11:00.001-04:00

I still get depressed when I think about the 2010 ALCS. The Yankees were two wins away from the World Series but just couldn't get it done. That they got it done this past weekend against the Rangers is little consolation but I'll take it.

Highlights
1. Freddy Garcia gave the Yankees a much-needed 6 scoreless innings in game two. Doing this after not having pitched in 18 days was pretty good. Doing it against the Texas Rangers, an offensive powerhouse, was downright impressive.

2. Lance Pendleton made his Major League debut in game one, retiring all 6 batters he faced. Could we have another Aaron Small on our hands?

3. The home runs just keep on coming. Mark Teixeira (1), Robinson Cano (2), Russell Martin (1) and Curtis Granderson (1) all homered in this series. That's 24 in total so far for the team.

4. Eric Chavez continued to make Brian Cashman look like a genius, getting the winning hit in game 3. In fact, most of Cashman's acquisitions over the Winter (Chavez, Garcia, Martin) are making him look pretty good right now.

Lowlights
1. Ivan Nova has reverted back to his 2010 form. He couldn't get out of the 5th inning in game one.

2. Speaking of the 5th inning in game 1, it was a total disaster, with walks wild pitches and hit batsmen the order of the day. Very painful to watch.

3. Rafael Soriano had a very shaky game two, giving up two runs in the 8th, almost wiping away Freddy Garcia's great start. Soriano and Joe Girardi blamed the outing on the cold weather. Cold weather. Heard of October, Sori?

Looking Ahead
The Yankees have two off-days this week, today and Thursday. Two? What is that about? Anyway, the Toronto Blue Jays are the next oponent. The Jays always play the Yankees hard and these two games scheduled against the Yankees won't be any different. Look for two very intense days north of the border.

Freddy Garcia's Pitching Clinic

2011-04-17T09:12:00.001-04:00

Okay, raise your hand if you thought Freddy Garcia would pitch as well as he did yesterday. No, I can't tell if you're raising your hand, but I don't have to. I know you're not.

Garcia turned in a great performance, pitching 6 scoreless innings, giving up only a walk and two hits. This with his velocity in the mid-to-high 80s. He located all his pitches and changed speeds, which meant he didn't have to throw 95 MPH. Phil Hughes, were you paying attention?

Speaking of Hughes, he starts a throwing program today, designed (hopefully) to strengthen his arm and increase his velocity. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild said, “We’re going to try to tire it out a little bit, tire it out and rest it. We’ll go that way and see what we get.” [Bombers Beat] Sounds like Rothschild is experimenting here. We shall see how his guinea pig does.

Reminder: Don't forget to vote in the poll on the left sidebar of the blog. Let me know when you think Jeter will reach 3,000 hits!

Looking Back: The Orioles Series

2011-04-15T10:16:00.000-04:00

The Orioles came into Yankee Stadium leading the AL East by one game and, thanks to the Yankees, left it trailing by one game. It's early, of course, but no matter what time of year it is, Yankee fans love the sound of "first-place Yankees."

Highlights
1. AJ Burnett pitched well for the third straight start. As someone in my Twitter timeline tweeted, he now has more wins (3) than the Boston Red Sox (2).

2. The offense picked up. Guys who hadn't been hitting (Teixeira, Jeter, Posada, Granderson) were able to fatten up on Orioles pitching.

3. The defense was smoking, especially in the second game. There were great plays by Granderson and Swisher, but Joba Chamberlain's block of the plate saved game 2.

4. Bartolo Colon continued to impress. Once again he stopped the bleeding and gave his team a chance to come back.

5. The first pie of the season went to Nick Swisher!

Lowlights
There is just one, really. Phil Hughes continued his terrible start to the season. This time he was gone after just 70 pitches. His fastball averaged only 89.05 MPH.

Looking Ahead
The AL Champion Texas Rangers are next, a three-game weekend series at the Stadium. I hate to admit it, but the Yankees look over-matched in this series. However, as every good baseball fan knows, you can't predict baseball. Go, Yankees.

LATB Poll: When Will Derek Jeter Reach 3,000 Hits?

2011-04-13T16:39:00.000-04:00

Going into today's action, Derek Jeter is 67 hits away from 3,000. He's hitting .206 with 5 walks, 5 strikeouts and 2 RBIs. The slow start he's gotten off to has me wondering just when he'll get base hit number 3,000. Will he get it before the All-Star Break? After the All-Star Break? At the end of the season? Next season (Yikes!)?

I've put a poll up on the left sidebar of the blog asking this very question. What do you think? The poll closes a week from today, so cast your vote and let me know!

Looking Back: The Red Sox Series

2011-04-11T09:15:00.001-04:00

In and of itself, a first series loss of the season isn't such a bad thing. But when it comes at the hands of the Boston Red Sox it is bad. And when it comes against a Red Sox team that went into the series 0-6 it is downright depressing. Here is my reluctant look back:

Highlights
1. Robinson Cano continued his offensive dominance at Fenway Park. Going into last night's game his Fenway batting average was .367. On Saturday I tweeted, "Maybe they should call it Robbie Park."

2. New additions Russell Martin and Eric Chavez had their first taste of Yankees/Red Sox and they liked it, Martin homering twice and Chavez getting a couple of key hits.

3. Bartolo Colon pitched well enough to win on Friday. He looked like the dominant pitcher he was for the Cleveland Indians years ago.

Lowlights
1. Phil Hughes and his lack of velocity. Need I say more?

2. Ivan Nova reverted back to his 2010 form. He let the leadoff guy on in each inning he pitched and could not get out of the fifth inning.

3. Mark Teixeira's great start seems to have turned into a false start. After jumping out of the gate he is now batting only .182. He was hitless in this series and also made a costly error in the field.

Looking Ahead
Buck Showalter and his Baltimore Orioles come to town tomorrow night. Every team Showalter touches turns to gold and the Orioles are no exception. Baltimore is no pushover anymore and I expect this series to be just as intense as the Red Sox series was. More later this week.

A Question For Manny Ramirez

2011-04-09T12:45:00.000-04:00

Manny Ramirez is either really, really dumb or he just doesn't care.

As everyone knows, he retired yesterday after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. This makes three times that he has tested positive, not two, as most media outlets are reporting. The New York Times reminded readers today that Manny was one of the players, along with Alex Rodriguez, who tested positive during survey testing back in 2003.

So he got caught three times. I have one question: Has Manny Ramirez ever heard of HGH? Don't get me wrong. I'm not a proponent of performance-enhancing drugs. Unlike some fans I do care whether or not the game is tainted. But there is no test for HGH. Why didn't Manny just use that if he wanted to enhance his performance?

I guess it's not that simple. Or is it that Manny is that simple? All I know is that he looks pretty stupid right now.

Phil Hughes: No Answers

2011-04-09T11:19:00.000-04:00

Everything is fine, he says. He's not hurt. He's not fatigued. It's nothing mechanical. Why, then, has Phil Hughes lost the velocity on his fastball?

No one has an answer, and that has me scratching my head. With all the technological advances to the game these days, you'd think this would be something that could be figured out relatively easily. But Yankee management is making it sound as if all anyone can do is hope and pray that Hughes finds his velocity.

How long does one hope and pray? Until after his next start? Until the end of April? Or, does no one have an answer to that either?

It boggles my mind.

Looking Back: The Twins Series

2011-04-08T10:41:00.001-04:00

The Yankees ate some Twinkies this week. Here's how they tasted:

Highlights
1. In his first start of the season Ivan Nova gave the Yankees 6 innings, something he could never manage to do last year.

2. Once again, CC Sabathia pitched well enough to win.

3. AJ Burnett continued his mastery in the Month of April.

4. Andruw Jones showed why he is a better fourth outfielder than Marcus Thames.

Lowlights
1. Rafael Soriano's implosion in game 2.

2. Soriano's failure to meet with the media after game 2.

3. Michael Kay's name for the bullpen trio of Joba Chamberlain, Soriano and Mariano Rivera: JoSoMo.

4. John Sterling's home run call of Jones' first Yankee home run: "Andruw Jones makes his bones!"

Looking Ahead
The Yankees head to Fenway Park this afternoon to begin a weekend series with the 0-6 Boston Red Sox. Ha! I can't type "0-6 Boston Red Sox" without grinning like a fool. I suspect, however, that I won't be grinning as much once this series gets under way. Whether they are 0-6 or not, the Red Sox are still a great team and Yankees won't have an easy time this weekend.

Soriano Implodes, Doesn't Face Reporters

2011-04-06T07:25:00.001-04:00

Last night's Yankee loss left a really bad taste in my mouth. That taste became worse this morning when I read the end of Mike Feinsand's column in the Daily News:

"...I can't tell you how Soriano will handle his implosion. He bolted the clubhouse before talking to reporters, leaving his teammates to answer for his mess. Nick Swisher, Dave Robertson and Boone Logan all stood by their lockers like men and took accountability for their part in the loss. Soriano can't say the same."

Houston, we have a problem. Rafael Soriano's bad reputation has reared its ugly head. Soriano, who was not welll-liked during his tenure with the Tampa Bay Rays, showed signs of this reputation during Spring Training, when, unbeknownst to Joe Girardi and the rest of the coaching staff, he decided that he wasn't going to face AL East teams until the season started. Shortly thereafter, again unbeknownst to Girardi and the staff, he declared himself ready for the season.

Now we have this latest development. Can the Yankees nip things in the bud to prevent further problems? Or is this a disaster in the making? We shall see.

Looking Back: The Tigers Series

2011-04-04T09:38:00.002-04:00

The 2011 Yankees appear to be off to a good start after taking 2 out of 3 in their opening series against the Detroit Tigers. Here are my thoughts on the series:

Highlights
1. The Yankee offense was in mid-season form. Nine home-runs were hit, including three by notoriously slow starter Mark Teixeira. Seeing all the balls leave the park this weekend made me think back to 2009, the first year of the new Stadium. I wondered if we were going to have that "problem" again in 2011, until I heard home-run totals were up all over the Majors this weekend. There also was baserunning, including a stolen base by catcher Russell Martin! Manager Joe Girardi has said that the team will be running more this season. I like the versatility this will add to the team.

2. The Bridge To Mariano was up and working. We saw it when Game 1 was shortened to a 6-inning affair. Chamberlain, Soriano and Rivera pitched the last three innings, wrapping up the 6-3 victory. Many are saying that, because of this, the Yankees have the best bullpen in baseball. I agree.

3. AJ Burnett had a decent outing. Though he had ear and throat infections and felt, as he put it, "terrible," he was able to get through five innings, including a perilous 5th, in which he held it together, snuffing out a potential Tiger rally and keeping the lead for the Yankees, something he never would have done last season. It stands to reason then, that if he pitched decently with a cold, he should pitch even better without one. I'm looking forward to seeing if this is, indeed, the case later this week.

Lowlights
1. Phil Hughes' velocity kept him from pitching well. He hung out between 87-89 mph, topping out at 91. The Tigers were all over him. What's so alarming about this is that there is no plan or program to fix this problem. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild was quoted on Yankees.com as saying it really "just has to happen naturally." How depressing.

2. Bartolo Colon stunk up the joint. His line: 4IP, 4R, 6H, 1BB, 5SO. A long reliever has to be better than that. He has to keep the opposition from scoring more runs and give his team a chance to come back. Colon didn't do that, and I have very little confidence that he will do it moving forward.

3. Billy Crystal's visit to the YES booth was boring as hell. Out of all the celebrity Yankee fans out there, and there are a lot of them, Billy Crystal is the least interesting of them all. The man stopped being funny years ago. I was tempted to turn the sound down on the TV and listen to none other than John Sterling on the radio. But, I didn't.

4. Speaking of John Sterling, in case you missed it, his home-run call for Russell Martin was, "Russelll has muscle!" God-awful.

Looking Ahead
The Yankees open a 4-game series with the Minnesota Twins tonight. We'll get our first look at the back-end of the Yankees rotation as Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia are scheduled to pitch in this series. The Twins lost 2 out of 3 to the Blue Jays this past weekend and are now headed to their long-time Bronx chamber of horrors. I'm not counting the Twins out, however. Every game they've played with the Yankees is close and I expect nothing but more of the same with them this week. I'll have a look back at the series at the end of the week.

Opening Day: An Old Friend

2011-04-01T11:05:00.000-04:00

I watched ESPN's "Mike and Mike" this morning and heard Mike Greenberg liken the return of baseball to seeing an old friend that you haven't seen in a long time. He hit the nail right on the head. That is exactly how I felt yesterday watching the Yankees play the Tigers on Opening Day.

It was so nice to see all the familiar sights and sounds again, among them: CC Sabathia acting like the ace that he is, keeping his team in the game; Curtis Granderson homering for the third straight Opening Day; Mark Teixeira defying the early season odds by hitting a three-run homer (granted, not as familiar a sight and sound); the voices of Michael Kay and Ken Singleton on YES; and, of course, Mariano Rivera closing things out in the ninth inning.

I know, it was only one game. Sabathia could tank. Granderson could follow yesterday's performance the same way he did last year: with a prolonged slump. Teixeira still could have a poor April. Kay and Singleton will probably get on my nerves at some point. And Mariano Rivera will remind us that he is human after all.

Still, Opening Day is Opening Day. Full of pageantry and promise, celebration and cheers. A wonderful day for a wonderful sport.

Thoughts About The Yankees 2011 Rotation

2011-03-25T12:11:00.000-04:00

With Opening Day now less than a week away, the Yankees appear to be finalizing their pitching staff, particularly their five-man rotation. This finalization, what they will go to war with, has me worried.

No announcements have been made yet, but based on what's been going down the last day or two, it appears that the rotation will look something like this:

1. CC Sabathia
2. AJ Burnett
3. Phil Hughes
4. Ivan Nova
5. Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia

Why am I worried? First of all, AJ Burnett is the number two starter. The number two starter! I know he's had a decent Spring but I'm still not convinced he's put all his demons behind him. In my opinion Phil Hughes should be the number two starter.

Second, Ivan Nova as the number four. He's had a great Spring. A terrific one. But it's only Spring. How many A lineups has he faced? Plus, I just can't stop thinking about how he could never get out of the fifth inning last year.

Finally, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. I really don't think I need to say more, but I will, just in case.... These two guys have had good Springs but, that's just it. They've had good Springs. It is entirely possible that their best years are behind them.

Hmmm. Will Yankee fans be looking at a depleted farm system come July 31st due to the trading away of their prospects for pitching? I hope not!

Curtis Granderson And Twitter

2011-03-11T12:27:00.000-05:00

The thing that I am enjoying most about Spring Training this year isn't taking place on the field. (At least, I hope it isn't.) It has nothing to do with any of the Yankee prospects, Derek Jeter's swing, the fourth and fifth rotation spots or anything else that has been reported on since training camp opened nearly a month ago. What I am enjoying most is following Curtis Granderson on Twitter.

Known as @cgrand14, Granderson tweets about the usual things a player tweets about, like how he is doing getting ready for the season and when his next public appearances will be. But he does more than that. He shows off his love and respect for the history of the game:

Mar 8- "Happy 58th birthday to Hall Of Famer Jim Rice!"

Mar 9- "Hall Of Famers Billy Southworth (1893) and Arky Vaughn (1912) were born on this date! Vaughn had a career .406 OBP."

Sometimes he will post a poll:

Feb 27- "In honor of the Oscars, what is your favorite baseball movie? I vote for either The Sandlot or Brewster's Millions!"

He posted daily tweets for Black History month, among them:

Feb 23- "...Which Negro Leagues player earned his nickname because of the sound his line drives made when they hit the wall?" [Ernest "Boojum" Wilson]

Granderson took some heat from some of his followers during Black History Month. "NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE NEGRO LEAGUE!" was the general complaint he received. He seemed to take it all in stride, taking the high road by simply re-tweeting the complaints without commenting.

At least, I assume it was him doing the re-tweeting. I am assuming Granderson is doing his own tweeting and it is not someone he hired that is doing it. In any case I enjoy his tweets immensely. They are so much better than those of some of the other athletes out there, namely CC Sabathia, although CC has improved some recently. (No more tweeting in the third person, an obvious tip-off that someone else tweets for him.)

So, if you don't follow Curtis Granderson on Twitter, I recommend it. He's definitely worth the follow.

Curbing My Enthusiasim For The Killer B's

2011-03-04T10:10:00.000-05:00

Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman. The Killer B's. These three Yankee pitching prospects (especially Banuelos and Betances) are turning heads down in Spring Training right now. Everyone is excited about what they've done in the early goings-on of camp and about what they could do for the team in the future. The enthusiasm of Yankee fans is through the roof.

Well, pardon me if I curb my enthusiasm about these three guys. As a matter of fact, I think everyone should curb their enthusiasm about the Killer B's. These three guys are not just baseball prospects, they are Yankee prospects. What does that mean? It means they don't have the same chance as prospects on other teams do, of making their Major League debut with the club they were drafted by. They could be traded away before that happens.

I hope that doesn't happen but I am afraid that it might, especially when I hear talk of the Twins' Francisco Liriano possibly coming to New York. I wouldn't want to see Banuelos or Betances making a Major League debut in a few years wearing a Twins uniform, but I could. Seeing prospects end up succeeding on other teams: An occupational hazard of being a Yankee fan.

Cano + Boras = Request For Contract Extension

2011-02-21T10:11:00.001-05:00

Interesting post about Robinson Cano yesterday on the LoHud Yankees Blog. Cano talked about the great year he had last year and his plans for this year.

One plan he does not have, or so he says, is that of getting a contract extension from the Yankees, even though Scott Boras is now his agent. He says he signed with Boras because Boras's company can do a lot for him, both on and off the field, not because he wants more money from the Yankees.

Well, Cano may not want more money from the Yankees but you can bet that Boras does. As I understand it, once a player signs with Boras he has to give the agent total control. Total control usually means holding up teams for exorbitant amounts of money for an excess amount of years. The player may not necessarily want that, but since they have given Boras total control, they have no say in the matter. The only way out of it is to fire Boras, and that rarely happens.

So look for Scott Boras to go after a contract extension for Robinson Cano. I just hope the whole thing isn't too messy.

Happy Pitchers & Catchers Day!

2011-02-14T10:56:00.000-05:00

When I woke up this morning the temperature was 50 degrees. Fifty degrees in New York City. Fitting for a wonderful day, a day all Yankee fans have been waiting for all Winter long: the day pitchers and catchers report to the Yankees Spring Training complex in Tampa, Florida.

It wasn't a good off-season for the Yankees and their fans. There are plenty of questions as the team heads toward the 2011 season. Yes, it could be a rough one. Things might not work out. But right now, optimism abounds. All is right with the world.

Happy Pitchers And Catchers Day!

Cliff Lee And Andy Pettitte's Retirement

2011-02-04T12:39:00.000-05:00

So, I watched Andy Pettitte announce his retirement today. A class act. Some thoughts:

One of the big questions was whether or not he will stay retired. Will he come back and pitch at some point? He did utter the three magic words, "Never say never." I'll bet those words end up on the back page of at least one newspaper tomorrow. But anyway, something else he said makes me think he's at least thinking "never." It was his comments about Cliff Lee. He said he felt a huge obligation when the Yankees didn't get Lee. He "felt a tremendous amount of pressure...." Yet, pressure or no pressure, he still retired. That tells me he is done for good.

So, what happens now? The Hall Of Fame debate is just getting started. Personally, I don't think Pettitte belongs in the Hall Of Fame. His career ERA is closer to 4 than it is to 3 and there is his use of performance enhancing drugs.

Whatever the case, he will be missed by teammates and fans alike. I, myself, will especially miss that look in his eyes when he faced opponents.

Congratulations, Andy, and good luck.

Will Soriano Be a Problem For The Yankees?

2011-01-17T10:15:00.000-05:00

Bill Madden of the New York Daily News is reporting that Rafael Soriano has a bad attitude and "was hated by almost everyone in Tampa Bay last year." Madden says Soriano didn't like being brought into games in non-save situations or having to pitch more than one inning in a game.

Will this be a problem for the Yankees or will Soriano tow the line for the Yankees like so many other troubled players have done once they put on the pinstripes? We'll have to wait and see, of course. But it looks like the Yankees have prepared themselves for the worst just in case, by giving Soriano two opt out clauses and by not giving him a no-trade clause. If he opts out, they'll get their draft pick back. If they want to trade him, it can be to any team.

Hopefully his three-year deal will be a successful one, free of opt outs and trades. Good luck, Rafael Soriano.

Poll Result: Pettitte Will Play

2011-01-17T09:10:00.000-05:00

The results are in. In an LATB poll which asked whether Andy Pettitte will play or retire in 2011, Lady At The Bat readers made their voices heard. Of those who voted, 63% said that Andy will play, 37% said he would retire. No one answered "Don't Know." Pretty definite opinions.

Still no announcement from Pettitte. The wait continues...

Poll: What Will Andy Pettitte Do?

2011-01-10T13:58:00.000-05:00

Today is January 10, 2011 and we still have not heard from Andy Pettitte. What will he do? Retire or play? I've decided to take a poll to see what you all think.

The poll is on the top of the left sidebar of the blog. Voting ends on 1/17/11. Don't be shy. Let me know what you think!

Andy Pettitte And His Future

2010-12-29T14:01:00.000-05:00

If we are to believe what we read, Andy Pettitte still has not made up his mind as to whether he'll pitch in 2011, although he is leaning toward retirement. From what I've been reading on blogs and on Twitter, most Yankee fans want him to return. I'm not so sure that is a good idea.

Pettitte is 38 years old and, even though he had a good year in 2010, he suffered a groin injury during the regular season and back stiffness during the playoffs. Who's to say this (or something worse) won't happen in 2011?

Anyway, I think Pettitte is taking too long to make up his mind. The Yankees need to give him an ultimatum. Tell him to decide by a certain date and, if he has not decided by then the Yankees should cut their losses and move on. Very simple. But, then again, that wouldn't be showing the patience Brian Cashman has been talking about.

I don't care. He needs to decide. Now. Got that, Andy?

To You And Yours...

2010-12-24T14:51:00.000-05:00

...a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Russell Martin Injured

2010-12-16T14:56:00.001-05:00

According to the LoHud Yankees Blog, Russell Martin will be having knee surgery due to a slightly torn meniscus discovered during his physical this week. They expect him to be ready for Spring Training.

Martin is expected to be the Yankees everyday catcher in 2011. What does this mean for Jesus Montero, the Yankees top catching prospect?

He could be traded for pitching. Brian Cashman said the team is in "a better position to do so," now that they have Martin.

So the Yankees signed an injured player to be their everyday catcher and Jesus Montero gets put on the trading block? I don't like them apples.

Whether Yanks Sign Him Or Not, Cliff Lee Is A No-Win Situation

2010-12-13T13:55:00.000-05:00

In my previous post I said that if Cliff Lee wants 6 years the Yankees don't need him. Well, as everyone knows, they have offered him a 7-year deal. Crazy.

I don't believe a pitcher over the age of 30 should be given more than a 5 year deal. Even 5 years is a lot. He'd probably be good for only three of those years. With Lee's history of back trouble, it might even be less.

As I write this, Lee has yet to make a decision. If he decides to sign, it's bad because the contract is too long. If they don't sign him, they will likely trade the farm system for pitching. Jesus Montero, the Yankees big catching prospect will never catch a game for them if that happens. It's a no-win situation.

Whatever Lee's decision is, I'm not looking forward to it.

Thoughts On The Jeter Deal

2010-12-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

So the Jeter deal is complete. Was there any doubt that it wouldn't be? Anyone who thought he would go elsewhere needs to have his or her head examined. Derek Jeter is the face of the New York Yankees. He'll be a Yankee, in one form or another, until the day he dies.

The negotiations were tough. Will they have an effect on his relationship with the team going forward? Probably not. I say all will be forgotten. Jeter's a smart enough guy. I believe he understands the Steinbrenners are running a business.

Now, with the Winter Meetings starting, the Yankees turn their attention to Cliff Lee and, perhaps, Carl Crawford. They don't need Crawford, and if Cliff Lee wants six years, they don't need him either. Good luck Brian Cashman. Glad you got down the building safely!