Red Sox "Occupation" At The Stadium

The 79th All Star Game at Yankee Stadium has to go down as one of the best in ASG History. The starters standing along side their Hall Of Fame counterparts during introductions, George Steinbrenner's surprise appearance, Joe Buck's acknowledgement of Bob Sheppard, and everything else was just great, including the revelation that Ichiro Suzuki gives an annual expletive-laden pep talk to his AL teammates just before the start of every mid-Summer classic.

About the only thing that grated on my nerves during this whole All Star Week, was the media's obsession with the Red Sox "taking over" Yankee Stadium. Way too much was made of Terry Francona occupying Joe Girardi's office, of the all the Red Sox in the starting line-up and about the fact that JD Drew, a Red Sox player, was the game's MVP. I was particularly annoyed with Jeanne Zelasko for talking about all of this garbage during her post-game interview with Drew. She ridiculously tried to tie together the story about the buried Sox jersey at the new stadium construction site with last night's game, bringing that up and then saying that the Red Sox gave the current Stadium a big send-off last night. Uh, hello? The season has another half to go, Jeanne. The Stadium didn't close it's doors last night. If an opposing team is going to give Yankee Stadium a "send-off," it'll be the Baltimore Orioles in September.

All-in-all, though, it was a wonderful night in the Bronx. I don't collect many DVDs, but if the 79th All Star Game makes it onto a disc, it's definitely going in my collection.

The Lady

Memories Of Bobby Murcer

Baseball was still unknown to me in 1965 when Bobby Murcer first donned the Yankee pinstripes, and by the time I discovered the game, he'd been traded to the San Francisco Giants. So when he returned in 1979 I had no fond memories of him. But I remember how happy everyone was to see him back in a Yankee uniform, and I remember feeling jealous, because I hadn't been able to experience the good times that he'd given to Yankee fans in the past.

Those next few years, which proved to be the last of his career, were not terrible ones, but they certainly were not all-star caliber. Being a relatively new baseball fan, I was unimpressed. I didn't understand why he was so beloved. I didn't understand that he had earned that love back in those glory years of the late '60s and early '70s.

Then he retired and moved into the broadcast booth. To me, he seemed in over his head. He was a fish out of water. He'll never make it, I thought. I was alone in my thoughts, it seemed. Even in the broadcast booth, he was the Beloved Bobby Murcer.

Yesterday, after the YES Network announced his passing, Joe Girardi and several players talked about Bobby. The common thread running through all their thoughts about him was that he was always positive and always smiling. YES Network commentators echoed those sentiments and it was difficult for them to maintain their composure as they did so. YES played clips of his playing days and his days in the booth. I was particularly taken with a clip of what was probably his last Old Timers Day appearance. He played left field and wore a mic, sharing the experience with all the viewers. I smiled as I watched, because it was then that I finally began to understand. I could finally see what a great human being he was. I was no longer alone in my thoughts. He was, indeed, the Beloved Bobby Murcer.

The Lady

The 'Stache Lives

Congratulations to Evan Longoria and Corey Hart winners of the 2008 All Star Game Final Vote. Alas, the Big G came in third in the AL voting. However, fret not Giambino fans. You can still support the 'stache. A company down in North Carolina is selling a tee-shirt with this cool picture on it:Buy it and you'll also be supporting a New York City charity.

Long live the 'stache!

The Lady

Support The 'Stache!

The Final Vote balloting closes tomorrow at 5 PM Eastern. If you haven't voted yet, what are you waiting for? Jason Giambi needs a rally to win this thing. So get out the vote!

To help things along, the Yankees will be giving out fake mustaches to the first 20,000 fans attending this afternoon's game against the Rays at The Stadium. Also, Giambi's candidacy has been endorsed by the American Mustache Institute.

Support the power of the 'stache!

The Lady

Girardi's Faith In Melky Comes Back To Bite Him

I've declared my undying support for Melky Cabrera about a dozen times here on Lady At The Bat. My anger at those who have wanted to rip the pinstripes off his back and send him off to Minnesota for Johan Santana or, now, to Cleveland for CC Sabathia, is well-documented here. But, sometimes support means taking things away from someone.

Last night, with the Yankees trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth and nobody out, Rangers closer CJ Wilson walked Wilson Betamit on four pitches. Alberto Gonzalez came in to run for Betamit. The next batter was Melky Cabrera. As much as I love the guy, I know that he's in the midst of a terrible slump. I assumed that Joe Girardi would either pinch hit for Melky or would have him bunt. I'm sure I wasn't alone in my thoughts. Everyone and his uncle was thinking the same thing.

But no, everyone wasn't thinking the same thing. One very important person wasn't thinking it: Joe Girardi. With Derek Jeter on the bench last night, Girardi sent a slumping Melky Cabrera up to the plate. There was no bunt. Melky took the first two pitches for strikes and then hit into a double play.

Girardi later explained his reasoning: he had lefty hitters coming up after Melky and they hadn't done well against the Rangers closer in the past.

Well okay, but why not send Derek Jeter up to bat for Melky? Besides, two of those lefties were Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu. Right now, I'd rather see Damon or Abreu up in the bottom of the ninth inning (even if they're 0-50 against a left-handed closer) instead of Melky Cabrera.

Girardi has said, "Melky is our centerfielder." But that faith in his centerfielder came back and bit him in the ass last night.

The Lady

The Gardner Era Begins?

According to published reports, Brett Gardner, the Yankees' highly-touted centerfield prospect, has been called up from Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. He's scheduled to be in uniform tonight at The Stadium when the Yankees take on the Texas Rangers.

There's been no official announcement from the Yankees, but if this is true, what will the corresponding roster move be? Here are some possibilities:

Designate catcher Chad Moeller for assignment.

Designate pitcher LaTroy Hawkins for assignment.

Option infielder Alberto Gonzalez to Triple-A.

Option outfielder Justin Christian to Triple-A.

Of all the scenarios above, I think the last one is most likely. Last week in Pittsburgh, the Yankees were scheduled to face 3 lefthanders in a row. With Hideki Matsui (now on the DL) and Johnny Damon both nursing injuries, the Yankees needed a stop-gap for the outfield. They called up the right-hand hitting Christian to fill the gap. Starting tonight against the Texas Rangers, the Yankees will be facing three right-handers in a row. Brett Gardner is a left-handed hitter. I'm guessing Christian will be sent down.

Another scenario that will not happen, but that a lot of Yankee fans hope will, is that Melky Cabrera will be benched or platooned with Brett Gardner. I'm not saying that this will never happen. I'm sure it'll be a possibility down the road, especially when Matsui comes off the DL. But, I'd be floored if it happened now. So, all you Melky haters out there will just have to keep watching the Melkman for the time being.

The Lady

Oh, The Trials Of Being A Big League Player!

In Pittsburgh last night, the game between the Pirates and Yankees was delayed by rain after 2.2 innings and, eventually, it was rained out. They'll start again from scratch on July 10th. That'll be the second off-day the team loses, the first being one that'll actually come in September when they make up a game with the Tigers.

Because of today's double-header with the Mets, the Yankees had wanted to play last night's game in the daytime, but the Pirates refused. Also, today's game 1 starter, Dan Giese, was supposed to return to New York yesterday afternoon, but according to Pete Abraham, Giese missed his original flight because he was getting something to eat. He then couldn't get a second flight out of Pittsburgh because of the weather. So he ended up flying back with the team and getting in at some ungodly hour this morning.

As I look out my window now, I see lots of clouds and no sunshine. At some point today there's going to be a huge downpour. Will there be another rainout?

What will the guys do? How will they get through it? This is terrible.

Yeah, right. If anyone feels sorry for these guys they're crazy. When a mediocre pitcher like Shawn Chacon can slam his GM to the ground, be otherwise insubordinate, get released and still collect his Major League salary, it's very difficult to feel sorry for guys in the same union who have to travel in the middle of the night, play a two-stadium double-header the next day using a tired game 1 starter and lose a couple of off-days along the way.

Suck it up guys.

The Lady

Pat Venditte: Pitcher For The Staten Island Yankees

Have you heard of Pat Venditte? He pitches for the Yankees Class A affiliate in Staten Island, NY.

Big deal, you say? Uh, yeah! Pat Venditte is a switch pitcher. He pitches both right-handed and left-handed. He made his professional debut Thursday night when he came in to pitch the bottom of the 9th inning against the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets Class A affiliate. According to MLB.com, Venditte got the first two outs on ground balls, then gave up a single. The next batter was switch-hitting Ralph Henriquez. What happened next was sheer comedy: Venditte, who uses a custom-made six-fingered glove (see photo, above), switched it to throw with his left hand. Seeing that, Henriquez moved over to the right side of the plate. It went on like this for a few minutes, the two players switching back and forth, until the umpires stepped in and, eventually, Henriquez batted right against Venditte throwing right. Henriquez struck out on three pitches to end the game.

I wish I had been at that park in Brooklyn to see that! I've seen footage of it, and if this doesn't go down as one of the all-time funniest baseball videos I don't know what will. I'm sure the New York Penn League will make sure nothing like this happens again, though, so the fun stopped Thursday night, at Keyspan Park in Brooklyn, New York.

The Lady

[Photo: George Napolitano]

Yankeeography Mega-Set Winner!

I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the Yankeeography Mega-Set is Fred from Caguas, Puerto Rico!

The three Yankees Fred would choose to have dinner with are Jim Abbott, Mariano Rivera and David Wells. I loved what he said about Jim Abbott:

"...Sometimes we are encountered with some hard positions in life, and we feel so helpless and useless and its hard to see a sunny day, and we have so many things that help us be capable of standing up to the world, but we take it for granted, and yet there's people like Jim [who] although [they] have dissabilities, ...don't use it as an excuse to give up on the world and archieve their goals. Seeing re-runs of him pitching that no hitter in Yankee Stadium still gives me chills.."

Congratulations, Fred and thanks to everyone who participated.

The Lady

Yankeeography Giveaway: Last Chance To Enter!!

Attention everyone: The winner of the Yankeeography Mega-Set will be announced at the end of this week! If you haven't already submitted your entry, you have until Thursday to get it in. To find out how to enter click here.

So hurry up and enter and, good luck!

The Lady

Lisfranc Injury For Wang

I've been watching WFAN's Mike & The Mad Dog this afternoon and Mike Francessa just read a statement from the Yankees, stating that Chien-Ming Wang has a lisfranc injury to his right foot.

This basically means he's out for the remainder of the regular season, give or take a few weeks. This is horrible news for Yankees Universe.

I'll have more to say about this development tonight at 9PM Eastern on A Show Of Their Own, the radio show I co-host.

The Lady

Wang's Injury & The Future

Chien-Ming Wang is scheduled to have a battery of tests today to find out exactly what happened to his right foot after he rounded third base in yesterday's game against the Astros in Houston.

Wang will miss at least his next start and, worse case, he could miss the rest of the season. So that means a replacement is needed, and the name going around baseball is, of course, CC Sabathia. Here's my take on a deal for CC Sabathia:

First of all, Sabathia will be a free-agent at the end of the season and will demand, deservedly so, at least the same amount of money that Barry Zito gets. In the past, this would not have been an issue for the Yankees. However, this past off-season, when Johan Santana was on the trading block, they passed. They passed on it partly because they didn't want to trade away their future, but mostly because they didn't want to have to give a pitcher a huge amount of money. So if they didn't want to give Santana, who is aguably the best pitcher in the game, that huge amount of money, why would they want to give it to Sabathia?

That leads me to my next point: If they're not willing to sign Sabathia, would they still be willing to trade away their future for him? Indians GM Mark Shapiro isn't going to give up his ace for just anyone. He'll demand the best, especially when he sees how desperate the Yankees are. The name I keep reading on other blogs and sites is Robinson Cano. I know he's having a poor season, but for the life of me, I cannot see the Yankees saying goodbye to five-tool player Robinson Cano for a half-season of CC Sabathia. Melky Cabrera is another story. However, his upside isn't as strong as Cano's so, I doubt Shapirio would be interested.

I don't know what the future holds for the Yankees if Chien-Ming Wang's injury is long-term, but I definitely don't see CC Sabathia as being part of it.

The Lady

Yankees Seeking More Funding To Complete New Stadium?

This morning on ESPN 2, Sage Steele mentioned briefly that the Yankees are seeking an additional $400 million in public funding to complete their new stadium and that, if they don't get it, the new stadium might not open in time for the 2009 season. Naturally I was concerned so I did some checking. I found out, of course, that there's a lot more to it than that.

I read two articles, one on Yahoo and the other in the New York Post. Basically, the Yankees would be interested in additional public funding for the new stadium if a change is made to an IRS regulation that prohibits additional public funding to private projects. Changing this IRS regulation would not only benefit the new stadium, but also the Mets new stadium and the arena being planned by the New Jersey Nets. Officials from the both the city and state are working in Washington to try to change the regulation. So, this is not about the New York Yankees, as some in the media would have you believe.

This whole thing will have no affect on the completion of the new stadium. Yankees president Randy Levine denied statements by New York State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, who said he was told by Seth Pinsky, president of the city's Economic Development Corporation, that the stadium might not be completed if the issue is not resolved. (Also, acting like the politician that he is, Brodsky came down hard on the general idea of private organizations securing public funding.)

My guess is that Levine did tell Pinsky the stadium might not be completed, but it was only a weak threat. Even if they don't get the additional public funding, there's no way that the probable richest sports team in the world wouldn't be able to secure enough funding (albeit taxable funding) to complete the new Yankee Stadium.

I can't blame the Yankees for trying to get additional public funding, but I can also see Brodsky's point of view. As much as I love the New York Yankees, I don't want to love them at the expense of the City and State of New York.

The Lady

Heard Around Yankees Universe: Get Rid Of Melky!

It's happening again. Every time he goes into a mini-slump it starts, but this time he isn't even in a slump: Melky Cabrera grounded out in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded to end the game against the Royals yesterday. Now he's persona non grata among Yankee fans. Trade him! they cry. Bench him! they shout. He's all glove and no bat, they say. Even the pros are joining the chorus.

Melky Cabrera is batting .270 this season, with 6 HR and 27 RBIs. He has a .322 OBP and a .386 SLG. He's hit safely in his last 7 games. I'll admit the OBP and SLG could be higher but, can someone tell me what's wrong with the other numbers?

The problem here is that Bernie Williams is still fresh in the memories of Yankee fans. Compared to Bernie, Melky is a scrub. He doesn't have the power numbers Bernie had and it's possible that he never will. But why is it so important for the Yankees Centerfielder to be a big offensive threat? Doesn't anyone remember Mickey Rivers?

The chorus has a solution: Brett Gardner. His numbers down in Triple A Scranton: .295 average, 3 HR, 25 RBI, .414 OBP and .448 SLG. Pretty impressive. But does Melky Cabrera's performance this year warrant benching or trading him just to have a look at this kid? Absolutely not. I'm not joining the chorus. I'm a soloist, and I'm singing: "Lay off Melky!"

The Lady

Giambi's Home Run Covers Up Another Fine Mess

I'd hardly had a chance to enjoy Jason Giambi's pinch-hit walk-off home-run yesterday before the announcers started reminding everyone why he had to do it in the first place:

1) Wang is still wrong: The Yankees swear he's not hurt. It's just that his sinker ball isn't sinking these days. Well, what happened to all those other pitches he was working on in Spring Training and that he appeared to be using earlier in the season? Did he forget how to throw them? I'm totally confused about this.

2) Speed off the bench: In the bottom of the 8th with the Yankees trailing 7-6, Jorge Posada walked. Posada, not a speed demon, was lifted for a pinch runner: Shelley Duncan. Duncan is the fastest person on the Yankee bench. How pathetic. Is Ben Broussard fast? If he is, they'd better get him to the Bronx NOW.

3) Cano can't bunt: Robinson Cano was batting when Duncan came in to pinch run. Cano had been asked to bunt. I'll bet he's never been asked to bunt in his entire career. If anyone is angry with him for not getting the job done, they're crazy. I heard callers on radio talk shows yesterday calling for him to be benched. That's like killing the messenger. Girardi and company need to incorporate more bunting into batting practice. It's as simple as that.

4) Eighth inning relief: Kyle Farnsworth let the first two batters he faced get on and the fans in the Stadium booed him. If I were there I'd have booed him, too. However, the Yankee announcers, Michael Kay and Al Leiter, body-slammed the fans for this. Farnsworth had made good pitches, they said. You can't blame him for doing what he was supposed to do, for throwing the right pitches. What? Are they serious? I know that New York fans are probably the smartest in the game, but this is ridiculous! How in the world is a fan sitting out in the stands supposed to be able to see that Farnsworth is throwing good pitches? I'm far from being a baseball genius, but isn't that asking too much? Am I alone here?

In any case, if the Yankees don't fix these things soon, Yankees Universe will hear fewer and fewer chants of "Yankees Win, theeeeeeeeeee Yankees win." It'll be more like a Laurel & Hardy short, in which Oliver Hardy cries, "Another Fine Mess!"

The Lady

[Photo: Willens/AP]

On Gerrit Cole: Yankees Top Draft Pick for 2008

Here's the statement from the Yankees on their top draft pick:

“Gerrit [Cole] has a big, strong, projectable body with a high ceiling. He throws a power fastball with sink in the 94-98 range and has also developed a good changeup. He’s a competitor every time he takes the mound, and he pitches with a lot of confidence. We were really pleased with both of our first two selections.”[Lo-Hud Yankees Blog]

Cole was projected to be drafted higher. He wasn't. Why? Because he is a client of Scott Boras. Other teams took a pass on him because they didn't feel they could successfully negotiate with Boras. The Yankees are confident that they can negotiate with him and that they can sign Gerrit Cole.

In the 1991 draft the Yankees had the first overall pick and chose pitcher and Boras "client" Brien Taylor. The word client is relative, since back then, unsigned players were not permitted to have agents. In any case, Boras got Taylor $1.55 million for signing with the Yankees and Taylor never made it to the Major Leagues.

Hopefully the Yankees learned their lesson from that one. Good luck Gerrit.

The Lady

[Photo: Aflac All American Game]

Staying The Course, Starting With Joba

When it was announced that Joba Chamberlain would enter the starting rotation sooner than later, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. All I could think about was the big hole he was leaving in the bullpen. But after Ian Kennedy was placed on the DL, I didn't think there was any other choice. What were the Yankees supposed to do? Call up Chase Wright? Give Kei Igawa another shot? Two-fifths of their starting rotation are on the DL. Joba is Major League-ready. To me, that is a no-brainer. You put Joba Chamberlain in the starting rotation now.

I think that a lot of the debate about this has to do with the expectations that the Yankees will panic and trade away blue-chip prospects to get someone like CC Sabathia. Years ago that probably would have happened. Joba would have stayed in the pen and the Yankees would have traded away someone like Austin Jackson or Mark Melancon just to get Sabathia. But I believe those days are over. The Yankees have learned to stay the course and develop their youngsters. They see how it's paying off for other teams and they remember how it paid off for them in the late '90s and early '00s.

There's another part of this lesson, as well: staying the course and developing youngsters likely means fewer trips to the playoffs. I'm not sure if the Yankees are ready to publicly embrace that part of the lesson, but privately perhaps, they might have.

The Lady

[Photo: Willens/AP]


*Enter the Lady At The Bat Yankeeography Mega-Set Giveaway!*

Yankeeography Mega-Set Giveaway

Well the Yankees didn't start the Month of June off very well, but here at Lady At The Bat we certainly are. I am pleased to announce that, courtesy of A&E Home Video, I am giving away a copy of a Yankeeography Mega-set to one lucky reader!

"Yankeeography," the Emmy Award-winning YES series is now available as a 12-disc DVD set. It has over 40 hours of programming, including 34 episodes of the series and 10 hours of bonus footage. Currently on sale at A&E for $69.97, the suggested retail price of this set is $99.95.

Do you want a copy of this great set? Keep reading to find out how you can win it.

Contest Instructions:

1)Send an email to me at ladybatting@gmail.com. The subject line should read "Contest."

2)In the body of the email, answer the following question: Which three Yankees, past or present, dead or alive, would you want to have dinner with and why?

The person who submits the most creative answer wins the Yankeeography set.

Please take your time and submit only carefully thought-out answers. Answers such as, "Derek Jeter because I love him so much!" or, "Johnny Damon so I can meet his wife!" will not be considered.

The contest will end at 11:59 PM on Monday, June 16, 2008. The winner will be notified by email (so be sure to leave an address where you know you can receive a reply), and will be announced here on the blog later that week.

So, put your thinking caps on and, good luck!

The lady

Yankees Looking To Fix Things At First

Yesterday the Yankees signed first baseman Ben Broussard to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Could this be the death knell for Shelley Duncan?

I love Shelley Duncan just as much as any other Yankee fan, but the guy just isn't getting the job done this season. He's batting only .164 with a .242 OBP, with 1 HR and 6 RBIs. Broussard's a left-handed hitter and the Yankee lineup is stacked with leftys, but at this point anything would be better than Duncan's practically non-existent right-handed bat.

In other news: After the home run derby in Baltimore last night, Ian Kennedy was placed on the DL. Now two of the "three amigos" have gone down with injuries. Joba Chamberlain will move into the starting rotation sooner than later now. Will the third amigo end up on the the DL as well? If that happens, the Yankees might as well start thinking about folding up their tent early and calling it a season.

The Lady

Heard On YES: Terry Crowley Is Lucky He's In F*cking Baseball

On last night's Yankee game telecast on YES, Ken Singleton was in the middle of talking about Orioles hitting coach Terry Crowley when, all of a sudden, an unknown voice made its way onto the air, saying, among other things: "Terry Crowley is lucky he's in fucking baseball." Here's a clip:




I couldn't believe how quiet it got in that booth after this happened! It was as if Singleton, John Flaherty and Michael Kay disappeared into thin air. There was nothing but dead air for what seemed like ten seconds! Luckily nothing was happening on the field for those ten seconds.

Where did this come from? According to another blog I saw, some have speculated that it was either a producer who was talking in Singleton's ear and accidentally got on the air or it was a YouTube clip of Earl Weaver that someone in the booth was watching. In any case, I think it's safe to say that the number one regional sports network in the country is a little red-faced right now. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the media handles this one!

The Lady

Update, 5/23/08: Mystery solved. It was a clip of Earl Weaver that someone in the booth was watching. Click here for the details.