As I sat in the stands watching Melky Cabrera never attempt a bunt with a man on 1st and no outs in the 9th inning down by one three thoughts popped into my head 1) he is going to hit into a dp 2) girardi is an idiot 3) where is Joe Torre? This is baseball 101, there is no excuse for not bunting with your 9 hitter down 1 in the 9th. Especially a 9 hitter hitting 240 and who is 0-21. I am pretty sure that there is something about this in the Baseball Coaching Handbook for Dummies. Maybe Girardi should read that vs reading Baseball Prospectus. Sure knowing stats are good but so is making good baseball plays. If you are going to let Melky hit and not bunt, then put up jeter, at least he has a real chance of getting a hit. And if he doesnt get a hit, we fans can live with it: ITS DEREK JETER NOT MELKY CABRERA. Girardi was willing to bunt in the top of 1st with a man on 2b and no one out, with a lefty up, needing to just hit a groundball to 2b. I am fine with this choice but be consistent.

Continue reading "Clueless Joe??"

I find it ludacris that the media is making a big deal about this a-rod madonna thing. The guy is a married man leave him alone who know what your doing to his relationship. He should be getting praised for the way he has embraced the young boy with cancer who he brought to the game last night. Instead he is bombarded with MAdonna questions, with the young boy right in front of him.

 Just let the man live! Everything he does isnt front page news.

Continue reading "Whats up with the New York Media"

I still am in shock over not bunting last night but its time to get over it. Tonights game is 100 % on the offense. They need to score whatever it takes, ifits 10 runs they need to get 10 if its 20 they need 20. Hank is right they need to step up. The pitching has been great the last few games and if the offense was average they would have won most of them. So tonight and the next few are on the offense. I dont care who you face the offense needs to get the job done. Jeter, Giambi, Abreu, Cano, A-rod, Damon, Gardner, Betemit get the job done tonight and lets face Boston with a positive feeling.

 Posada can not be the catcher right now. He either needs to dh, move to 1b, or go back on dl.  This is reminding me of Mike Piazza. Any time someone reaches 1b they steal second. He cant throw anyone out. Its not his fault he got hurt but its still a problem that teams take advantage of. He is still a leader and very important part of the lineup but he just cant throw. He needs to move to another position for the good of the team. What are the Rays and the Sox gonna do the next few games? Its gonna be ugly if he cant throw and everyone sees this and runs more and more.

Continue reading "General Opinions"

Following the Yankees 18 run outburst it looked like they were back and ment business. Apparantly that was just a mirage as this team continues to struggle. The only thing consistant about this team is their inconsistency. One day they look amazing like world beaters (either with a pounding like wednesday or by doing enough to beat Santanna Sat) and then they have games like lastnight or monday, tuesday where they do nothing right and their general interest in the game has to be questioned.

Its hard to question a teams effort because I really hope they are giving it their all. They should be for all the money they are being paid. And good pitching makes teams look lethargic, I know this, but last night was dreadful. They let Jon Lester throw 80 pitches in the last 8 innings and 101 for a complete game shutout. That is a joke. This is supposed to be one of the best lineups in the game not a AA lineup. Continually swinging at the first pitch and doing nothing with it last night. Melky gets a single so Damon and Jeter swing at next two pitches (pop up and GIDP,) it was almost as if the team had somewhere else to be. Maybe a party with Madonna? Maybe Jon Lester was just great lastnight but I think the Yankees lineup was at fault and didnt do anything to tire him. Instead of facing a tired Sox bullpen, now it is rested and ready for the last 3 games of the series.

Continue reading "Yankees Embarassed"

As the time nears for Terry Francona to announce his selections for the 2008 allstar game at Yankee Stadium, I do believe there should be good contingent from the Yankees. Besides Jeter and A-Rod who are the top two vote getters I believe that they should be joined by Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi, and Johny Damon. Damon is hurt so he should be named and he wont even need to play. Mussina is 2nd in the league with 11 wins and showed Francona what he can do last night. Giambi is in top 5 in OPS and HR's and could easily fill in for Ortiz as the DH. A case can be made for Matsui but I do not think that there will be more than 5 Yankees.

Continue reading "Yankee Allstars and an Interesting Starter for the game."

I am still getting over some of the decisions for the Allstar game. Here are some of the questionable calls (I realize some of this is my Yankee bias) I will not argue with fan picks, but the player and manager picks definitely have some question marks.

Snubs:

1) Jason Giambi- The Big G has ranked in the top in the league in OPS, Slugging and Hr's. He would be a perfect replacement for Ortiz and has a shot to be the last man in. But he is a Yankee its his home ballpark and his play has merrited a trip to the allstar game. Plus it would be fun to see the Stache get a shot to win the Homerun Derby

2) Mike Mussina- Moose is in the top 2 in wins and top 15 in ERA. He has been the Yankees ace and has definetly been one of the top pitchers in the AL in the first half.

3) Jermaine Dye- Dye has been the Whitesox best player in the first half. Every game I watch the Whitesox play he is making a great catch, hitting a homerun, or getting a clutch hit.

Continue reading "Allstar Snubs"

Wow what a game. In a typical Yankee-Red Sox fashion, tonights Sunday Night ESPN game was one to remember. It was a game that the Yankees probably don't win last month or even last week. Girardi's tyrade seems to have woken the team up and gotten them going. They kept fighting and clawing and finally found a way to win. Maybe it wasnt the prettiest game but it earned them a split, which is great after dropping the first two.

 This was an old time Yankee win. Mo finally remebered how to pitch in a tie game and dominated over two innings. He even embarassed Manny in another Manny Being Manny moment where he didnt even swing at one pitch after pinch hitting. Francona could have used a skeleton and had the same result. And then Cano is able to single after falling down 0-2. The Yankees finally bunted Melky to get Cano to second. And Gardner scratched and fought off all of Papelbon's fastballs, he finally got a splitter and hit a bouncing ball up the middle, would have been a single if gloved, but it bounced off Cora's glove for a walk off winner. It was Luis Sojo esque circa 2000.

Continue reading "Bret Gardner Comes Through"

All of New York needs to give Kyle Farnsworth a little forgiveness. Everytime he enters a game or even warms up there is a chorus of boos and groans. Everyone is always expecting the worse everytime he enters the game. In actuality they should be expecting him to get the job done. He has been extremely servicable and dependant this year as the 8th inning man.

Is he Mariano Rivera? No. But who is? He is actually one of the top 8th inning guys in the league. He is just as good as Okajima and better than Delcarman. He might give up some runs or homeruns, but he hasnt blown a game. He has filled in admiralably for Joba as he transitioned to a starter. He has had an ERA under 3.50 and has kept the team close in the games he has pitched in.

This weekend was a great example of that. He entered Sat's game and had a 1,2,3 inning and held the lead at 2. What did he do Sunday to follow it up? Even though all of NY was expecting disaster he has another 1,2,3 inning to keep the score tied. Pretty impressive stuff.

Continue reading "Krazy Kyle Deserves Some Dap"

As we head into the final week of the unofficial first half of the 2008 season there are a lot of interesting story lines. From the Devil Rays, i mean Rays, and the big moves in the NL Cetral Major League baseball is in a great position.

 The best story in baseball is the amazing transformation of the Tampa Rays. They have gone from the worst team in baseball for the past ten years, to what appears to be a legitimate playoff contender. They currently have the best record in the major leagues and have 9 and 4 game leads in the loss column over the Yankees and Red Sox respectively. They are a story just like the 1969 Mets and the 1991 Braves as they attempt to go from worst to first. They have done it with a lot of athleticism, youth, pitching and defense. Led by Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, and BJ Upton the Rays can run with anyone and play great defense. Their pitching staff has turned into one of their rocks. With Scott Kazmir, Jamie Shields, and Matt Garza upfront they have a 1-2-3 that can match up with anyone else. And their bullpen is now one of the top in the leagues anchored by Troy Percival who has re-ignited his career. But the main guy to focus on is third baseman Evan Longoria. He has brought instand credibility to the Rays lineup. He plays gold glove third and can hit with anyone else. He is a clutch performer who will be the face of their orginization for years to come. I do not expect the Rays to go anywhere the rest of the way as even a 500 finish will lead them to 90+ wins.

Continue reading "Good For Baseball"

Not much to say here, Vote for the Stache and Jason Giambi. He would have a lot of fun and be a great quote in the event. He would have a legit shot at the HR Derby and doing it for the hometown crowd. so PLEASE VOTE GIA

Continue reading "VOTE STACHE"

Taking a look around baseball one thing is clear, younger is better. Baseball is not a game dominated by older, experienced teams. It has become a game that is about youth, athleticism, energy and excitement. This is an extremely exciting time in baseball as there is a brand new fresh crop of youngsters who are taking the game by storm. Every team that is leading their division or contending for a playoff spot has a lot of youth and enthusiasm. They are ready to take the torch from older players like Ken Griffey Jr, Greg Maddux, Curt Schilling, and John Smoltz. With players like Jay Bruce, Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Hanley Ramirez, Jon Lester, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Braun, and Evan Longoria the league looks like its in good hands.

Continue reading "No League For Old Men"

I never got to see Bobby Murcer play. However I have listened to him announce and I will greatly miss him. Yesterday was a sad day for me. Finding out Bobby Murcer had passed away came as a quick and sudden shock. He seemed like such a nice and amazing man and all the stories about him seemed to confirm it. Listening to the stories about him on and off the field really have been a joy. He was the lone bright spot on some miserable Yankee teams and he was the link between Mantle and Mattingly. Bobby Murcer meant a lot to a generation of Yankee fans and they always loathed the day he was traded. No matter how much it helped the team win two championships they always wanted him there. You could also see how much he meant to everyone as former teammates, broadcast partners, and current Yankees could barely hide the tears as they reminsced about the kindess of Murcer. The allstar week should be a time of celebration and this has brought some damper to that joy. Baseball and the Yankees have lost someone very special, but we know Bobby Murcer will Always be a Yankee.

Continue reading "RIP Bobby Murcer: Always A Yankee"

The New York Yankees couldnt wait to get the allstar break. Of 32 ab's this afternoon only 7 went past 3 pitches. That means that 25 at bats were three pitches or less. That is an unbelievable stat for a team famous for grinding and making pitchers work. They need to bring back Jorge Posada's saying from 2006 "Grind It," because the team definetly isn't. I have to compare back to the late 90's teams but do you think that Paul Oneill, Scott Brosius, Bernie Williams, and Tino Martinez would ever let the team have 25 at bats of under three pitches?I dont think so, they were famous for tiring out pitchers and getting to bullpens and beating the mediocre middle relief. That is why they were always succesful vs guys like Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens. Some of it is losing Johny Damon and Hideki Matsui for a couple weeks, they should be back in a week, but there are too many free swingers who don't work counts. The team seems to have lost the focus. Hopefully this is just a case of them being antsy to have a rare four days off in the middle of the season. But still that is no reason to have lacksidasical ab's when every game means so much. Lets hope they come back from the break focused and ready to go on a tear like last year, because as Andy Pettitte said, they stink right now.

Continue reading "Limping to the Break"

Allstar week has brought some heavy duty excitement to New York City this week. As baseball gets ready to honor America's Sports Cathedral one last time, all eyes will be on the House that Ruth Built. Since Friday there have been exciting events going on all through out the city. As All-Star week is sadly half over, I have to admit that I will be lucky enough to have been able to attend or will attend all the major events that have made up All-Star Week 2008.

Saturday Night- Livin on a Prayer with Bon Jovi

Continue reading "Allstar Week Packed With Action"

Well one manager got it right and one well got it half right.

Clint Hurdle made the right choice for the NL Starter. Ben Sheets has had a great year and has never had the honor of starting the game. Hurdle was left with only two choices, Sheets and Edinson Volquez, as everyone else who deserved to be there (Tim Lincecum and Brandon Webb) both threw lastnight. Volquez was eliminated by his manager Dusty Baker as he threw over 120 pitches Saturday. (Hopefully Lincecum, Webb, and Volquez can all get an inning of work and showcase their talents). So that left Sheets as the starter, and he was the right guy to get the nod.

On the otherhand Terry Francona had the chance to give a former Cy Young winner, a good guy in the game, and one of the top pitchers in baseball for the last few years the honor of throwing the first pitch in the final Mid-Summer Classic at Yankee Stadium. The idea for Mariano Rivera to start would have been a great story and very unorthodox, basically it was unrealistic and just a fantasy. So because it was unrealistic the choice should have been Roy Halladay. This is not to say Cliff Lee hasnt been great this year but Halladay has been one of the games best for over five years. This would be a great honor for him. His start Friday night, a two hit shutout of the Yankees should have put his 1st half resume over the top. Apparantly Francona had other ideas and went with Lee. Maybe Halladay will remember this next time he faces the Red Sox, a team that he usually cant beat, and can pitch halfway as effectively as he has versus the Yankees in his career.

Continue reading "Cliff Lee vs Ben Sheets"

Just hours away from the real beginning of the Yankee Stadium All-star festivities, beginning with tonight's Homerun Derby, I cant help but feel a little sad. Don't get me wrong I am as excited as I have been for any game that I have attended and that includes World Series games. It is almost on par with Game 7 2003 Yankees Red Sox. This is a once in lifetime opportunity and I have been hoping to get a chance to go to one of the events when it was announced this time last year. To be lucky enough to go to both events is amazing. I can't be happier to go.

But the feeling of sadness comes from it being here and coming so quickly. The next two days will be ones I will hopefully never forget as I get to see the game's best and brightest send off the most famous stadium in the world. And I will be able to share the experience with my dad who keeps saying how excited he is to be going to this great event. I have been looking forward to this day for over a year and to think it will all be over in about 36 hours is a little hard to believe. This could be the last great event in the House that Ruth Built as there is no guarantee that playoffs will happen this year.

Continue reading "Bittersweet"

Its late and I have a big day ahead of me with Fanfest and the All-Star Game but The Homerun Derby did a great job of getting this even off to a great start. The atmosphere and spectacle all lived up to and actually surpassed the hype. There was a lot of downtime but hey its in Yankee Stadium with the best fans in the world and your watching the best players in the world, things could be worse.

Watching both teams take batting practice on the field was quite a spectacle. They make it all look so easy. It was awesome to watch Scott Kazmir and Roy Halladay work on pitching together. Or see Big Carlos Zambrano and Tim Lincecum talk shop. To listen to what they have to say would be amazing. Also you get to see how all the players really love the game and get alone despite rivalries. Heck Mariano Rivera posed for a picture with Paperlbon and Varitek. Oh yea, and he requested it. And watching the hitters hit was amazing. They were hitting balls into area codes that are rarely seen. Finally seeing A-Rod take bp at Yankee Stadium was a sight. He can really launch the ball all over the yard.

Continue reading "What a First Night- The Natural Steals the Show"

 

So I think I have finally recovered from the longest All-Star game in history. Many people have compained about the length and the end time and I understand it but you know what? I loved every minute of it. I was there when the gates opened and was there when they closed. It was truly a great way to spend a day. I am still gathering my thoughts and how to fully express what I witnessed. It is tough to put into words about how I feel about yesterday. It was truly one of the best baseball experiences I have ever had, it is very close if not ahead of Game 7 2003. From touring Monument Park in a Stadium full of Legends the day started great.

Continue reading "An Amazing All-Star Night (Early Morning)"

The un-official Second Half of the Yankees Season begins tonight. Derek Jeter summed up the first 90 games by saying "The team has been good enough to be 6 games out." The only consistant part of the team has been their inconsistency. The best example of this is the final week of the first half. They win 4 straight over Boston and Tampa and then flounder away the final 4 by losing three of them to the Pirates and Jays. They could have gone into the break really hot but instead have caused Yankee fans a lot of anxiety this past week. This will tell if replacing Joe Torre with Joe Girardi was a good move. Torre never missed the playoffs now Girardi has a lot of pressure.

This might be the season that injuries have finally caught up with the team. They have sustained some substantial injuries. Derek Jeter missed a week with a quad pull, A-Rod and Posada spent between two weeks and a month on the DL, and Posada has been unable to succesfully remain the catcher. Now Matsui appears to be out for the year and Damon has been out for two weeks and will be out atleast one more. This has to be one of the main reasons the offense has struggled. You never know who will be healthy and who will not be. There have been only a handful of games where the opening day lineup has been on the field.

Continue reading ""Second Half" Surge Needed along with Health"

The Yankees could not have had a better return from the All-Star break. After falling on their face in Pittsburg and Toronto in the 4 games prior to the break. The Yankees came back looking focused and ready to make a serious run at the playoffs. They showed they could win games in different fashions this weekend. They can pound a team like Friday night, win in extras and tie a game in the 9th inning like Saturday, and win with great pitching and defense like Sunday. Those last two games are the games they need to win to get to the playoffs.

Joe Girardi's team had the look of a team ready to do some damage. They got contributions from everyone. From Alex Rodriguez to Brett Gardner and Jose Molina on offense and from Andy Pettitte to David Robertson pitching. The pitching this weekend was superb, outside of one inning by Jose Veras. They were sharp, crisp and threw strikes. They basically didn't walk anyone which is always a good recipe for success. Andy Pettitte capped off the dominating weekend with a 8 inning 10 k performance Sunday afternoon. It was vintage Pettitte as he threw 115 pitches and got the ball to Mariano Rivera on his own.

Continue reading "Dandy Andy Finishes Sweep"

Just as the Yankees season was starting to pick up, a major wrench was thrown in its side. They have learned that not only will Hideki Matsui be out for the year but Jorge Posada will likely be joining him on the bench. This team has battled injury after injury all year and they have finally put themselves in a position to make a run at the playoffs in the seasons final two months. But this news could be the straw that breaks the camels back as this might be too much for them to overcome.

Any other season where the offense was performing upto standard they could get by with these injuries. Names like Jeter, A-Rod, Abreu, Damon, and Cano should carry a team. But this year, where offense has been hard to come by, the loss of two of your best hitters is killer. Especially a switch hitting middle of the order guy like Posada. He was key to keep lefties from dominating the team. Now they are looking at the likes of Jose Molina and Bret Gardner being key bats in the bottom third of the order.

Continue reading "Will this major pot hole slow the steam engine down?"

As the Yankees rest up on one of their few off days remaining, they are in a great position to make a move this weekend and move past the Red Sox. The one thing that cannot happen is a sweep. If they are swept and return to their light hitting ways the Yankees can kiss the division good bye and possibly the Wild Card as the Rays could add some distance to their lead. The Yankees just need one game this weekend to stay in it.

Let's get the negative out of the way, Bobby Meachum. He continues to kill rallies, get people thrown out, or be over aggressive and have "lucky runs score." Two times yesterday he sent a runner home, one time Jose Molina who is almost as slow an 80 year old man with a piano on his back, try and score when they were barely around third when the fielder had the ball. It took two lucky breaks to have the runners be safe. He could have ended some rallies quickly. Maybe with a big lead trying to get an extra run is an ok play, but not when its Jeter or A-Rod trying to score. They are so valuable to the team you cant risk injury at this point. He needs to play safe. The Yankees rank in the top in the league in having guys gunned down at the plate, last year with Larry Bowa they were one of the best. So you know its not the team its the guy waving them in like mad because its the same players. Girardi is going to need to control this, Meachum is almost as bad as Wendell "Send em in" Kim from the Red Sox in the late 90's. They just windmill people in no matter the situation. How many times does someone have to be out at before he realized Ryan Sweeney has a great arm and not to run on it. With the short wall in left this weekend lets hope Meachum learns and plays it safe.

Continue reading "One Positive and One Negative on Off Day before the Showdown in Beantown"

Sorry this has been a busy weekend and I havent given my thoughts about a great Yankee weekend.

* Don't let lastnight get you down. The Yankees aren't going to win every game the rest of the season. They won 8 in a row and the series in Boston so everything is fine. It was Sidney Ponson he probably wont be around too much longer anyway.

What we learned:
* The Yankees can win big games on the road. Only the Yankees and Angels have winning road records out of the contenders. The Sox and Rays are terrible out of their own parks and the Yankees just went to the Sox hittining friendly Stadium and held them to 1 earned run over the first 18 innings.

* Joba is an ace. No more arguments about relieving. Where are all the people who six weeks cried when the transition started? They were all chearing and amazed at his dominance Friday night. He is due for a bad start, a clunker, it happens to everyone, but no question about it he has ACE makeup. He has a lot more Roger Clemens in him, the pitching mentality not HGH, than anyone thoughts. He completly got into Kevin Youkilis head and made him look silly in the 7th. He can be the guy, barring injury, the Yankees count on for years to come.

Continue reading "What a Weekend in Boston"

Before everyone writes off this recent trade by the Yankees as a steal and says the Yankees gave up nothing for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, they should all look at Carlos Quentin. Quentin was cast off the Diamondbacks following last season. He was supposed to be a big time star coming out of Stanford. He began the year as the starting right-fielder and had a dreadful season. He was sent back to minors and fell out of such favor with the orginization that he was sent to the White Sox for almost nothing. Well look now, the change of scenery has made Quentin into the star everyone expected. He is top 5 in homeruns and is one of the main reasons the Chi-Sox are in contention this season. Think the Diamondbacks could use a bat like Quentin this year?

Could the same be of Jose Tabata? The Yankees always thoughts highly of him. He was supposed to be the next Manny Ramirez (on the field) and even played in the prestigious MLB Futures Game at the ripe young age of 17. He is only 20 now and is being caste as immature. What 20 year old is mature? He is still developing and maturing, he has had a few runins this

Continue reading "Remember Carlos Quentin"

So are the Yankees the team that floundered through the first half playing 500 ball and who didnt hit with RISP? Or are they the team that won 8 straight and 10 in a row at home, even winning 2 of 3 in Boston and came through with big hit after big hit? Or are they the team that returned the last two nights struggling against the hapless Orioles at home and failing to make big pitches?

They have two months to figure out who they are. Less than 60 games to go, and most on the road, to figure out if they will be playing in October or missing out for the first time since 1995. First year Manager Joe Girardi will have a lot of explaining to do if this team cant run down and catch the young Rays or the rival Red Sox. It is true that they have lost no ground on the Red Sox as both teams have struggled of late, but the Yankees are chasing the Sox and each day they lose is another day off the schedule. The Rays and Sox magic numbers get reduced every time the Yankees lose. So even a losing day for Boston can go down as a partial win. The Yankees cannot afford to lose 5 or 6 in a row or even 7 out of 10. With Darrel Rasner and Sidney Ponson pitching 40% of the games right now, the team needs to win almost every game Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, and Joba Chamberlain start. They need to keep the good momentum they had built and keep up their run.

Continue reading "Will the real Yankees Please Stand up"