Eric Schaal's New York Yankees fan blog

Well, you've waited and your day has come, Yankees fans.  Opening Day is here.  What's new?  The Yankees are rebuilding (in 2 rotation spots) and the underdog (in some sports book, somewhere, I'm sure).  Otherwise, the juggernaut, led by King Alex, seems poised to take off yet again.  The pitching could surprise and lead to great things.  Opening thoughts, first, though.

THE YANKEES ARE BETTER FOR THE DEAL THEY DIDN'T MAKE

Melky Cabrera is one of the biggest reasons the Yankees made it out of their funk and stormed into the playoffs.  You can point to a number of factors: his small-ball approach at the plate, offering balance to the lineup; his assists, saving runs and prohibiting the advance of baserunners in general; but more than these, his intangibles are what make Melky special.

Continue reading "THE THREE BURIALS OF MELKY CABRERA / GAME ON!"

Dear Lord: I pray to you that I never witness another Curt Schilling interview for as long as I live. That I never see his fat face spouting what he believes is brilliant but is normally useless (to paraphrase Lou Piniella, "Many have forgotten more baseball than Curt Schilling knows."). I pray that you take pity on his long-suffering wife, who must have been driven mad decades ago by the man who likes to talk and talk and be heard (and, I hear, even read). Obnoxious though all this is, I write in a time of uncertainty in old Curt's career, a time when his body has broken down -- yet again -- in an unmistakable pattern of fatigue and injury since the end of the 2004 season: the moment steroids were effectively banned in baseball.

WAS CURT ON THE JUICE?

Of course no one can say for sure. So instead of taking testimony from unreliable sources or putting two and two together, we'll look at some very public evidence and take it from there.

Continue reading "CURT SCHILLING'S SAD STEROID SAGA"

In a whimsical moment the other day, I touched upon something that has nothing to do with baseball: looks.  That is, men's looks, the way the players style themselves, the way they carry themselves on the field.  I never thought much of it, really, until the Red Sox teams of recent years began dissolving camera lenses across the country, leading to an investigation by Major League baseball.  What was happening? 

<>Well, first of all, it was my girlfriend who pointed out the hideous nature of Red Sox players.  I hated them for their personality: the faux-tough Varitek ("I'll fight you -- with my catcher's mask and pads on!"); the whiny, just dying to be beaned Youkilis; the moronic Manny, ready to trip over his own pants -- if

Continue reading "DO YOU HATE A-ROD? THEY DO! WHY RED SOX FANS ARE STILL BITTER IN 2008..."

I know what some of you are thinking: that the Yankees have become the Red Sox and the Red Sox the Yankees.  They didn't have to wait another 83 years to win a World Series; they came in 1st place in the AL East; and, worst of all, they don't look bad next year either.  Do they have dynasty written all over them, while the Yankees gear up for another embarrassing finish?   Not so fast, fans...<><>

FOLLOW THE LUCK

This is hard to do.  How much did luck have to do with the Yankees 3 straight WS wins, 4 in 5 years, 5 appearances in 6 years?  The short answer is, it DEFINITELY came into play.  Then again, so did confidence and the "been there, beat them" attitude that O'Neill, Tino and Mariano exuded every time they took the field for a playoff game.  Let's not forget, the 2001 team was fairly weak and came within ONE OUT of winning the World Series.  Guts, bravado, miracle home runs (see: Confidence, again): all of these things allowed the Yankees to let their very best moments come out when they needed them the most.  

Continue reading "THE END OF THE YANKEES? MERELY THE BEGINNING? GOODBYE, RED SOX..."