Standings

It is a little ironic that the week that I decide not to blog about the Yankees on a daily basis is the week that the team reaches its season high record of 3 games over .500. Have the Yanks finally turned a corner? Are they ready to move into the next gear of the season?

10-4, good buddy

Mussina secured his TENTH win of the season last night and seems to be on track to win 20 games this year. It is unbelievable to me that some reporters and talk show hosts are still skeptical about his performance. Many I have listened to recently say that Mussina's run will not last. Here is what the MLB had to say:

Mussina's 260th career victory makes him the sixth pitcher in Major League history to record 10 or more wins in 17 consecutive seasons. He will undoubtedly receive heavy consideration to represent the American League All-Star team next month at Yankee Stadium. If he does, the veteran right-hander's accomplishment would only help his interesting case for enshrinement in Cooperstown.

Here are the standing for the week:

Volunteer Opportunities

A few months ago, while trying to find out just how hard it might be to get tickets to the All Star game, I found a link on the Yankee website that allowed me to file an application to volunteer for the events taking place that week. Admittedly, my first thought was that I could sign up for a job at the stadium and watch the game for free. Maybe they needed help selling dogs? But when I read the material with a closer eye, I discovered that the actual All-Star game was not one of the events that would be covered by volunteers. Shoot! But, what the hell? I signed up anyway.

Yesterday afternoon was the first informational session. It took place at Yankee Stadium and, as exciting as it is just to be in the stadium (especially when it is empty), it wasn't any big thrill to wait in line for an hour, sit in the sun waiting for 45 minutes, and then listen to stupid people ask stupid questions for another 30 minutes before getting "interviewed".

Granted, most of the waiting time was my fault. I totally misjudged the traffic getting to the stadium and was so worried that I wouldn't find a parking spot that I left my house super early. I wound up getting there at 4:15pm (an hour and 15 minutes early) BUT I was able to park directly in front of Gate 6, which is where I needed to be. I am really glad that I arrived when I did because the others arrived quickly after me... and there were lots of them. We lined up in groups sorted by last name (I was first in my line...yay!) and waited for all the workers to figure out their game plan. As we were watching the one girl who seemed like the one in charge go around and explain the process to the other workers there, the guy behind me commented on how it looked like organized chaos. I have to say, I thought they did a pretty good job of handling all the people who showed up, about two thousand or so by my estimate.

When it was time, I was asked to sign a waiver, was given a copy of my application to make corrections, was searched (just like before a Yankee game) and told to have a seat in the stadium. No, not anywhere in the stadium. We were behind right field and we filled up three complete sections. After everyone was processed from the line, the volunteer coordinators introduced themselves and started by asking a few Yankee trivia questions for people to win free tickets to upcoming games:

Who was the last Yankee to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Who was the Yankee manager before Joe Torre?

How many World Series titles have the Yankees won under George Steinbrenner?

In what year did the Yankees win their first World Series?

There were so many people there that, even though I was sitting in the second row, I didn't have a chance getting picked to answer. Well, I guess I had a chance, but not a very big one. Needless, to say, no free tickets for me. It was a nice way to start out the session though.

A spokeswoman for MLB then explained some of the areas where they needed volunteers and let us know that, out of the over 6,500 people who applied to volunteer (the most ever), only approximately 2,200 would be selected. Schedule availability, background checks, the "interview", and luck would determine who that would be. You could choose to work at Fan-Fest, which is the DHL-sponsored, week-long event at the Javitz Center or choose to be a NY Ambassador, someone who would help with parties and other events, travel, etc. I choose to apply to be an ambassador. They only need 700 of those by the way.

Then it was stupid question time:
(Answered provided by me, not the MLB)

Will we get any chance to see the All-Star game?
(Yeah, if you buy tickets, Jackass.)

Why don't we get paid to do this?
(Because it is a volunteer opportunity, Jackass.)

What color will the uniforms that we get be?
(Nope, I am not kidding. Someone asked this one too. What a Jackass.)

Eventually, we were done and it was time to line up for the "interview". Luckily, they decided to escort people out of the stadium in the same order they arrived, so I got out quickly and was the first one in my group to be "interviewed".

Now, you may be wondering why I keep putting quotes around "interview". It is because it really wasn't an interview. It was a questionnaire that just happened to be filled out by someone else. Some of the questions I was asked:

How long have you lived in the NY Area?
(All my life.)

Will you be able to stand for long periods of time?
(Didn't I just do that waiting on line?)

Are you a Yankee season holder?
(Yes!! But I am not sure why this makes be better able to volunteer.)

Can you work for three consecutive days or three days total?
(Gee, can't you get this info from the availability sheet that you just made me verify?)

Where else have you volunteered?
(I stretched the truth here just a bit but hey, whose going to know, right?)

And that was basically it. I should get a letter in the mail within two weeks telling me if I made it or not. The process wasn't too painful, I suppose. Considering that they don't do this very often, they organized it relatively well. I did wish the "interview" was more selective though because I didn't really feel like I had any better chance of getting selected than some of the jackasses from the question-and-answer session. Such is life.

Keep your fingers crossed. I will let you know if I get in!

The end of this blog as we know it...

Perhaps you could blame it on a lack of personal time, as it takes a big commitment to write a daily blog. Maybe it is just the fact that there isn't too much to write about when the Yankees continue to follow the same pattern: one game over 500... back at 500... one game over 500... back at 500... one game below 500... back at 500... one game above 500... back at 500... one game over 500... See what I mean, not to exciting to read either.

So, I have decided to stop trying to blog after every game. There are plenty of other bloggers out there who write daily game summaries... the world doesn't need another.

I may write every couple of days, it could be weekly... I am not really sure at this point. If you are a regular reader (and your name is not Jed or Amy), shoot me a quick message to let me know that someone actually reads what is written here.

Go Yankees!

Yanks out of money?

The Yankes lost again... bla bla bla

I found this interesting:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Yankees baseball team wants a city agency to sell $350 million of bonds for its new stadium or else it will not be able to complete the project, state Assemblyman Richard Brodsky said on Tuesday.
The Internal Revenue Service, however, would have to approve the new bond sale. The federal tax agency cracked down on financing these types of projects with tax-exempt debt after the Yankees got a waiver for the first sale of debt for their new stadium in the Bronx, the Westchester Democrat said.
"Right now, they (the Yankees) are saying they don't think they can complete the stadium unless the Internal Revenue Service ruling is reversed and they apparently have been joined in this effort to reverse the ruling by the Nets and the Mets," Brodsky told Reuters by phone.
However, Yankees President Randy Levine said: "This will not affect the completion of the stadium."
Levine and the city's debt-selling agency confirmed they wanted a waiver from the IRS. "We are working under the strong leadership of the city and state to try to seek relief from the regulations," Levine said.
The Yankees, one of the most profitable U.S. sports enterprises, once threatened to move out of the Bronx.
Though the team that has won 26 World Series titles decided to stay put, civic advocates say they and their cross-town rivals, the Mets, got overly rich taxpayer subsidies.
The new Yankee stadium is expected to open in 2009, replacing the 1923 stadium made famous by Babe Ruth.
In addition to other benefits, the city's Industrial Development Authority in 2006 sold $941 million of tax-exempt bonds for the Yankees and $548 million of debt for the Mets, whose Shea Stadium in Queens dates back to 1964.
The Mets, a team that has won two World Series titles, plan to open a new home in Queens next year.
The National Basketball Association's Nets now play in New Jersey but plan to build a new arena in Brooklyn that will anchor a billion-dollar office and housing development, which now faces a cooling real estate market.
Tax-exempt debt is crucial for the new basketball arena's financing. The Nets, which won two championships when they were in the American Basketball Association, plan to open the Brooklyn arena in time for the 2010-2011 season.
Janel Patterson, an Industrial Development Authority spokeswoman, confirmed the city would consider selling more debt for the Yankees and said the IRS ruling blocks other projects.
"The City is working with the State in Washington to seek relief from the applicable IRS regulation, as this regulation has taken away a tool that would be useful for a number of important, New York economic development projects, not just Yankee Stadium," she said in a statement.
A spokesman for the Nets had no immediate comment. A spokesman for the Mets was not immediately available.
Brodsky demanded reforms and more accountability, saying: "The explosion of public debt issued by obscure semi-public and private institutions is reaching unmanageable proportions."
Brodsky also questioned if a city corporation, the Capital Resource Corporation that now plans to sell debt formerly sold by another agency, had met disclosure requirements. He added: "These deals are usually negotiated secretly, with little accountability or public oversight, and directly or indirectly leave taxpayers on the hook.

Yanks 3 - Oakland 1

Call me a wimp but I just can't seem to make it through the day after having watched a west coast game with a first pitch that occurs at 10:05pm. So, I don't even try. Therefore, there will be no detailed write-ups of the series in Oakland... sorry dedicated readers.

Instead, here is the box score from last night's victory. Go Yankees!

Don't blame Mo...

You can't expect Mariano to be flawless. He is human, after all. There will be times when he will give up a run, in yesterday's case, a home run. It was Jose Guillen's lead-off homer in the ninth that gave the Royals the unrecoverable lead of 3-2 but I blame Cano and/or Melky for this game. With two men on base and one out, Cano could do nothing. With the bases loaded and two outs, what did Melky do? A crap ground out directly to first on the second pitch.

The Moose didn't deserve the no decision for this game. He gave the club 8 innings and only let 2 runs cross the plate. 65 strikes in 89 pitches with no walks. It is a shame the Yanks couldn't do more to get runners home.

It is back to .500 for the Yanks (and yes, I am getting tired of saying that). Win one, lose one. Win two, lose two. The Yankees have to break this cycle soon.

Yanks Over Royals 6-to-3

I watched Sunday's game from the comfort of my air conditioned home. A friend of mine asked if I wanted to join him yesterday but, after sitting in the sweltering heat for Saturday's game at the Stadium, there was no way that I was going to do it again. I had tickets to today's afternoon game as well but sold them on StubHub since I had to work. I feel bad for anyone that has to be outdoors today in the predicted 100 degree temperatures.

Back to yesterday's game... Joba made it into the fifth inning and pitched much better than his first start. 53 strikes in 78 pitches, 5 strikeouts and one walk. He left the game with three runs on the board. Giese came in to relieve him and did very well. Three strikeouts, no hits, no walks. Veras successfully ate up the 8th and on to Mo for the save. Giese got the win for the day.

Giambi came through once again in the 6th with a home run (his 14th of the season). Bobby Abreu had also hit one out in the first inning to give the club its early lead.

The stuff the Bronx is made of...

It was all about Johnny Damon yesterday. Not only did he tie the game in the 8th inning... not only did he win the game for the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth... but he had six hits during the course of the day... something not done by a Yankee since 1934!

"All these great players that played here didn't do it," Damon said. "I was fortunate to have that opportunity to do it. I'm definitely blessed."

For those of you who are really observant, you would have noticed that Johnny shaved his moustache off before yesterday's game. Hmmm....

Yes, it certainly was a crazy sort of game. Andy Pettitte started the game and gave up 10 runs, the last four of them via a grand slam by Guillen. But, like Thursday's game against Toronto, the Yanks pressed forward and worked their way back into the game. That is the most important part in my minds. It is that perseverance... that winning attitude that makes me proud to be a fan.

It was a game that was played in a sweltering heat (trust me, I was there). Mark, the beer guy, traded in his beer bucket for some Poland Spring water and wound up selling over 23 cases. The home plate umpire had to leave the game after getting hit by a ball off Posada's glove which cause a brief 7-min "ump-delay". Mo, who came in for the ninth the preserve a tie instead of make a save, wound up giving up a home run but still got the win.

"When you've got a day like that, you know it's going to happen," closer Mariano Rivera said. "Somehow it's going to happen. And it did."

So the Yankees take the second game in the series from the Royals by a score of 12-to-11 and are back at .500 for the 20th time this season!

Here are the Sunday Standings:

No Support for Rasner

He pitched an amazing game for the Yankees. He released 118 pitches from the mound and 75 of them passed across the plate for strikes. He walked none and only let two runs score. He lasted 8 innings which, by recent Yankee pitching standards is incredible in itself. But yet again, his teammates were unable to perform for him offensively and Rasner wound up taking a loss for last night's 2-to-1 game against Kansas City.

In fact, in his last 3 starts, the Yankees have only scored 2 runs for Rasner. This is not the way to catch up to Boston.

Abreu, Rodriguez, Cano and Cabrera all went 2-for-4 last night and one would think that would have been enough to put more than one run in the books. But that doesn't always happen when you strand 9 men on base. A ground out double play (A-Rod) is not the way to move runners.

To the teams defense however, I think that it was the obnoxiously incorrect call by the home plate official (Ed Montague) in the bottom of the eighth inning that cost the Yankees this game. It happened with Giambi at the plate with runners at first and second and Jason didn't even come close to swinging at a 3-2 pitch but was called out for not checking his swing. It is surprising to get such a poor call from a veteran official... a call that never would have come to pass if Montague would have first checked with his colleagues at first and third base, as he is supposed to do.

"It doesn't matter now. I can't really do much about it," Giambi said. He is right... but where was the skipper to support his slugger? I would have liked to at least see Girardi leave the dugout to argue this one.

So the Yanks return to last place and one game under .500, unable to beat a team that was toting an 11-game losing streak on the road. They will have three more chances this weekend. The next one today at 1:05pm. I will be at the stadium. Perhaps I can provide the Bombers with a little bit of luck.

So maybe it IS the moustache...

Well, one thing is for certain... that moustache isn't goin' away anytime soon for Giambi. Not after that pinch-hit, walk-off home run that landed in the upper deck to give the Yankees the 9-to-8 win over Toronto on Thursday afternoon. For as long as mlb.com keeps it up, you can catch a glance at the game saving play here.

It was by far the most exciting game this season (as least the ending, anyway) and a much needed boost for the Yankees. It was looking pretty dismal for the Bombers after Wang's pitiful performance on the mound. Wang left his team with a five run deficit in the 5th inning after 90 pitches; but not before giving up 5 hits, 7 earned runs, and walking 4. The Yanks did rally in the next two innings to reduce the deficit to 1 run but then Girardi, as if he hasn't learned his lesson yet, brought Fartsworth in during the 9th to give up 3 hits, one run, and load the bases before getting out of the inning. I think the Yanks got lucky.

So New York takes this series 2 games to 1 and is back to the .500 mark, ready to host Kansas City this weekend. Now if we could just inspire the likes of Robinson Cano and others to grow a little facial hair we might be in better shape.

Consistency and Confidence

So much of success in baseball (or anything at all really) can be attributed to consistency and confidence. The two are so tightly related that sometimes it is impossible to possess one without the other. When pondering what makes a team successful, it is clear that consistency plays an important role. Mike Mussina is a perfect example here. Often an overlooked starter in the Yankee rotation, the Moose can no longer be dismissed as a player that can't get the job done. Actually, if you have been following my blog you would know that I have been sticking up for Mussina all season. It sort of pisses me off to hear everyone promoting his success now that he has been successful when all they could do was bad mouth him weeks earlier. If you are a regular listener of Michael Kay you know what I am talking about. Even Kim Jones when she was interviewing Jeter after the game last night asked if Jeter was surprised at Mussina's performance... if he was going beyond expectation.

I am getting away from my point. What we have been seeing from Mussina this year is confidence. He is modifying his pitches, he is getting balls inside, and batters are finding him difficult to hit. This confidence has made him a consistently good performer for the Yankees. The more consistent he is about winning, the more confidence he will build. See the circle here? Currently, the Moose has 9 wins and that stat ties him as the pitcher with the most wins so far this season in the American League.

Enough about Moose... let's move on to Jeter. The Yankee captain is now number three (below only Gehrig and Ruth) for the most amount of hits as a Yankee. Last night his total became 2,416. When you think about Jeter is is hard not to think about consistency. No, that doesn't mean that every time he steps up to the plate he performs... every player is subject to a slump. But if you look at the overall picture... if you reflect on what Jeter has done for the Yankees over the course of his career, you will have to agree that he is a consistently good player. This is what makes him a superstar. There is no way that any player can keep company with Gehrig and Ruth without it. I will go further to say that that makes for some pretty confident stuff.

So what I would like to see from the entire Yankee roster is more consistency and confidence and less superstition. I have news for you Giambi and Damon: growing a moustache or wearing pink panties or doing whatever you have been doing because you think it is making you hit better is not the answer... so please, let's not see anymore facial hair. I can't stand listening to my wife complain about how bad you guys look. Instead, let's remember who we are: The New York Yankees. Keep that in mind every time you step up to that plate. Remember what got you in those pinstripes and let your confidence erase everything else. A consistent winning record may be just around the corner.

Final score of last nights game: Yankees 5 - Toronto 1.

Yanks Should Dump Joba...

Yes, of course I am kidding. I just thought perhaps I might stir up a little blog traffic from the search engines.

As any Yankee fan knows by now, Joba's first outing on the mound as a major league starter was a bust. To a standing crowd, Joba threw his first pitch, a ball, and it went downhill from there. 62 pitches total (38 in the first inning) Joba lasted just 2-1/3 innings. He walked 4 (3 in the first inning) and balked. He allowed two runs on one hit. Clearly not a night the Joba will want to remember.

What does all this mean? Absolutely nothing. Joba IS the Yankee's ace. No doubt about it. But with all the hype surrounding last night's start and all the anxiety that Joba (who is still a kid in major league terms) must have felt, his pitching was affected. Give it time... hell, give it till Sunday... I think we will start seeing some awesome-ness from number 62 soon.

I have heard all the debates about Joba and many feel that although this transition is the best move for him personally that it may not be the best move for the team as a whole. I completely dismissed all these critics until I saw yet another crappy performance by the bull pen, who ultimately lost last night's game for the team. Although newcomer Dan Giese took the blow for the 9-to-3 game, he wasn't to blame. Actually, he didn't do so badly. Veras and Ramirez on the other hand... absolutely pitiful.

Now is the time that the Yankees have to do anything that they can to fix their bull pen woes. Let's be honest here... it was broken before Joba made the transition and it is not like one great set-up man is going to carry the entire pen anyway. So, if I were Girardi, I would stop wasting time and figure out what needs to be done. Earn the money the Steinbrenner's are paying you.

Hitting last night... nothing special either. Jeter hit a milestone: tying Mickey Mantle for all-time Yankees hits with 2,415. Damon continues to be hot, going 3-for 4 with a double and a triple.

The Yankees will play Toronto again tonight at 7:05pm.

A waste of time...

Last night's game just seemed like a waste of my time. With so many other projects that I have going on around the house, I often feel guilty sitting in front of a TV for an entire game on a weeknight evening. If I could have gotten myself motivated, I would have painted the guest room while I listened to John Sterling call the game on the radio... but I didn't. I sat through all nine innings and watched Andy Pettitte give up one Yankee lead after another. He really wasn't pitching well last night. "It's an extremely disappointing loss," Pettitte said. "I'm extremely disappointed in the way I performed. The team gave me the lead three different times, and it's unacceptable."

The pitcher that I really want to talk about though is Kyle Fartsworth. For the life of me I can't understand why he is brought in during close games. Yes, I understand that he is the consideration for replacing Joba as the set-up man and that just makes me more irate. He should be dumped on his ass off the team no matter what it winds up costing the Yankees. He is worthless. Every time, without fail, he loses the game for us. And what REALLY gets me is the fact that Fartsworth doesn't think he is doing anything wrong: "I'm throwing my pitches, and I get beat on my best pitch," Farnsworth said. "It's going to happen. You've got to take the good with the bad. You just keep on going at it." What a friggin' idiot!

Probably the only excitement that came from last night's 6-to-5 loss was watching the plethora of close officiating calls. A-Rod's "safe" call at home being my favorite.

The Yanks will be back home tonight to battle the Jays with Joba Chamberlin on the mound.

Back on the See-Saw

The Yankees once again seem to be teetering on a win-loss record that has them balanced at the .500 mark. Yesterday's 5-to-1 loss in Minnesota wasn't disastrous but it was disappointing. The Yankees still lead the Twins in this 4-game series, two games to one.

The team finally decided that Morgan Ensberg was not working out as planned. I too had bigger hopes for Ensberg pre-opening day but after watching him play for the last two months, the appropriate move was to dump him and that's what the Yanks did. In his place, right-handed pitcher Scott Patterson got his major league debut yesterday afternoon coming in to relieve Rasner, who was definitely off his mark though he did keep the club in the game. Patterson was ok, I suppose. Nothing that I didn't expect. He threw 21 strikes over 40 pitches and let one run in. Patterson was followed by Chris Britton who did far better: 9 strikes over 14 pitches and nothing but zeros across the board.

Hitting for the Yanks was sluggish and 8 men were left on base including a bases-loaded situation. The only run scored was a result of a solo home run in the 5th inning by Derek Jeter, who has been in a bit of a slump lately.

Tonight's game at the Metrodome will begin at 7:05 p.m.

Third Win in a Row

Bobby Abreu was the hero in last night's game 2 against the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees won it 7-to-6 in the 12th inning off of Bobby's clutch single RBI that allowed Damon to cross the plate. Both Damon and Abreu led the team with 2 hits over 5 at-bats.

Ohlendorf wound up getting the win and he deserved it. He pitched 2 scoreless innings and kept the Yankees in the game as it played out in extra innings. Mo secured his 15th save of the year.

Wang was once again a little flimsy on the mound and, although he put 5 innings on the board, he made me nervious all the way through. He certainly wasn't pitching like an ace last night. Fortunately, the Yanks were good enough at the plate and ultimately took the game.

"I knew in my heart we were a much better club than what we were playing," Girardi said after the game. "We weren't playing well, and when you have the talent level we have, you should play better. That's exactly what we're doing."

The bombers are now one game over .500 in the standings and 5.5 games behind the fabulous Tampa Bay DEVIL Rays.

Yanks over Minnesota 6-to-5

Well, what do you know? Another win for Mike Mussina. Now if you have been reading my blog you know that I have been a strong advocate for the Moose. No, I don't think that he is an ace for the Bombers. He is not a "sure win" kind of pitcher. He comes with baggage. But, as he has shown so far this season, he has worked hard to work on his delivery, has begun to pitch to different zones, including inside, and is capable of setting the team up for a win. Last night's 6-to-5 victory over the Twins was no exception. The Moose struggled a bit in the first inning but then quickly regained control to go 6 complete innings with a notable 109 pitches (73 of them strikes).

Let's take a quick look at pitching records so far this season:

Mussina.... 8-4
Wang....... 6-2
Pettitte... 5-5
Rasner..... 3-1
Kennedy.... 0-3
Hughes..... 0-4

Rather interesting, I think. Of course a significant factor in the ability for a pitcher to secure a win is whether the team is hitting on any given night. Yesterday, the Yanks were hitting.

Abreu was the most impressive with 3 hits (2 of them triples!) and a walk. Bobby brought in four of the six runs for the team. Matsui and A-Rod continue to be successful at the plate, both of them going 3-for-4 from the box.

As well as some of the Yankees were hitting, some were not... Jeter was 0-for-5, and Duncan and Betemit continue to be a waste of space for the team. Nine runners were left on-base last night and that is unacceptable.

Fartsworth came in as the set-up man in the 8th inning (something that apparently he will supposedly do quite frequently now that Joba has left the bullpen) and it was not surprising to me that he allowed a home run. What Girardi is thinking by considering Fartsworth for this spot is beyond me.

The Yankees got the win and have now leveled themselves in the standings once again at .500 with a record of 27-and-27. Tonight's game two of the four game set will begin with first pitch at 7:10pm.

Musings

I don't know about you but I really like listening to sports commentators. My car radio is almost always tuned to ESPN radio. Sometimes a good determinant of whether I enjoy watching a baseball game on TV is who the particular color commentator is. One of the things I like most is the banter and discussion that takes place during this coverage.

Last night's game was a good example: When Joba came in to relieve Andy Pettitte in an effort to build up his pitch count, the commentary of course was directed to the decision by the Yankees to transition him to a starter. The plan was re-hashed, a clip of Girardi talking about Joba was played in which Joe stated that Joba would probably like to pitch every game, even if he had to do it under-hand, and there was speculation about whether Joba might get Kennedy's next start. Joba began his night on the mound a little shaky. He walked the first batter and, with only a one run lead at the time, was making everyone just a little bit anxious. Michael Kay then posed an interesting question: Who do you put in for Joba if he begins to get into trouble? Yes, the Yankees were trying to get him around 55 pitches last night but they needed the win more. At this juncture in the transition plan, would you ever want to bring Fartsworth in save Joba? A rather scary thought, I think. Of course, it never came to that. Joba straightened out and got the Yankees to the 9th in 28 pitches. I did wonder if Girardi considered keeping him in to finish the game and he probably would have if the Yankees didn't wind up leaving the bases loaded in the top of the ninth. Instead, Mo was brought in for the save... and did a fine job, despite A-Rod's error.

Speaking of errors... the Yankees have been making their share of them lately.

After the game, Kim Jones got a hold of Giambi (who has been showing promise lately and went 2-for-3 last night with a homer) and one of the things she asked about was his moustache. In case you haven't noticed, Jason began growing a little fuzz under his nose. My wife is adamantly against it and can't stand looking at him anymore (though I am not sure that she swooned over him before, either). Anyway, there is superstition everywhere and Jason said that the moustache is staying. Hey, if he continues hitting I bet the Steinbrenner's would let him grow a mullet and a mohawk too. What is funny to me is that there is an entire press release article on the Yankees website that discusses the moustache craze.

So here is my point, and I do recognize that this concept is probably one of those things that will always be much clearer in my mind than on paper... I enjoy the full baseball "experience" from April till October. When the Yankees are not doing well, I like listening to people talk about it. I get a certain comfort in that. When New York is at the top of the standings (and I sure hope they are sooner than later), I like listening to people talk about how they got there. The side stories surrounding the baseball season are almost as much fun.

That is why I decided to write a blog, even if it is only for the two people that read it semi-regularly (thanks Jed and Amy).

The Yankees won last night's game by a score of 4-to-2, avoiding the sweep in Baltimore. They will be off today and begin a four game series against the Twins on the road on Friday night at 8:10pm.

Yanks Lose Home Run Derby

This was a game that never should have been lost. Said a different way: these are the games that the Yankees need to win. I went to bed during the rain delay and I am so glad I did. No reason to lose sleep over this one.

First let's talk about the odd... 9 home runs in one game (according to the baseball almanac, the record is 10). Giambi, Damon, Abreu, and Rodriguez sent balls to the stands for the Yankees. Millar (2x), Herandez, Mora and Scott for the Orioles. A home run is exciting to watch, don't get me wrong... but last night's game almost pushed that limit for me. No doubt about it though, the Yanks hit well last night, especially Damon who went 4 for 5.

Now on to the bad... when are the Yankees going to realize that Ian Kennedy sucks? I have said it here many times, but let me say it again... the Yankees should get rid of him while other teams still might be fooled into thinking he is worth something. 4 runs in 3 short innings... a 7.41 ERA... we can do better. Kennedy hurt himself last night and will be added to the DL with a strained right lat muscle. Maybe Joba will be ready to take his place next week since he is scheduled to throw 50-55 pitches tonight to relieve Pettitte.

And to the awful... Latroy Hawkins. From the moment he joined this team he was trouble. He reminds me a lot of Fartsworth with his ability to screw up when he is needed most. I hope we are not going to have to pamper him now. Veras would have been the better choice last night.

Ohlendorf... yeah, you sucked last night too buddy; but I think you are a better pitcher than your performance in that game. Besides, if Kennedy would do his job, we wouldn't have to tax you so much. You get off easy, in this blog post anyway.

One last rant before I end this... Girardi was completely in the right for arguing to the officials about the rain coming down when Matsui was at bat in the top of the ninth. How convenient for them to wait until after the Yankees are retired before calling for the tarp.

Baltimore over New York by a score of 10-to-9 after 11 innings of play. It is back to 2 games below .500 and 6 games out, in that comfortable little spot in last place for the Yanks.

Rasner = Good, Bullpen = Bad

At least that was the story yesterday afternoon when the Yankees fell to the Orioles, losing by a score of 6-to-1. The first 5 innings were scoreless and Rasner pitched great. He left after 6 innings, having thrown 98 pitches (68 of them strikes), and was only responsible for one run. Then came LaTroy Hawkins... he only lasted .2 of an inning but managed to give up 2 hits and 3 runs. Veras didn't do much better with 2 hits and 2 runs.

Bullpens will give away games from time to time and although it bothers me, I can deal with that. What I don't understand is why Cashman hasn't done anything to put a lefty in the Yankees hand. They haven't had much luck in this area. Mike Meyers did little for the team last year and neither did Billy Traber. I would put this transaction on the top of my to-do list.

I was reading Greg Cohen's blog this morning and he posed an interesting question: why do we need both Duncan and Ensberg on the active roster? Neither of them are performing and it seemingly makes more sense to move one of them down to make room for someone else. Brett Gardner is the quick answer for a replacement. Clearly, the second thing on my list would be to strengthen the bench.

I am hoping that yesterday's game was just an anomaly and that New York can take the next two games against Baltimore to capture the series and stir some movement in the standings. Tonight's game starts at 7:05pm with Ian Kennedy on the mound. I am cautiously optimistic.

Yanks Sweep Mariners... again.

For the second time this month, the Yankees swept Seattle. Yesterday's 6-to-5 victory brought New York to the .500 mark and allowed them to jump over Baltimore in the standings. It was their 5th consecutive win but, more importantly, it was a win that was earned in the eighth inning when New York was down by 3 runs. The first win of the season that was achieved after the team had been down after the seventh inning.

"We got contributions from everyone, especially there in the last inning with walks and with timely hits," said shortstop Derek Jeter, who got the rally started by drawing a lead off walk. "We pretty much did a lot of things right."

Timely hits... it is what the team has been lacking and it is good to see the Yankees back on track.

They will begin a three game set against Baltimore today at 1:35pm.

Yankee Bats Come Alive

The Yankees secured their 4th consecutive win on Saturday when they beat the Mariners by a score of 12-to-6. This victory brings New York to a record of 24-25. The team still has an uphill climb in the standings but there seems to be a more positive feeling surrounding the club. Pitching has stabilized and the offense is clearly in a different place then they were just a week ago. The Yanks brought in 35 runs over the last 4 days and hitters that were previously struggling seemed to have found a way to connect with the bat. Cano going 4-for-4 and Giambi at 3-for-4 for the day are the most notable.

Joba Chamberlin began his transition to become a starter by pitching the 6th and 7th innings and a total of 40 pitches, 22 of them strikes. I purposely have not written anything about the official word that came this week regarding Joba's move out of the "set-up" spot but only because it has been covered so heavily in other areas. I do fully support this decision however and think the Yankees will be a better team because of it. My only hope is that Fartsworth does not become Joba's replacement... we can't afford to give up that many home runs.

Here are the standings as of today:

Were the M's Jet-lagged from Detroit?

I really wasn't surprised by last night's Yankees' win. After all, they were playing a last place team who had just gotten swept by a last place team. (Yeah, I know... the Bombers too are in last place, but that just makes it more special.) I was a little taken back however by the blowout of a score: 13-to-2.

Mariners' coach John McLaren tried to pull a Girardi-type tantrum in the 2nd inning by arguing balls and strikes. Perhaps he was trying to motivate his team too. But, unlike the Yankees who used Girardi's anger to inspire them to win their game the night before, the Mariners just seemed to lose their direction without their coach and the runs began to flow in the 4th and 5th innings.

We saw a three-run homer by Duncan, his first of the year and a much needed one for him if he is going to continue to live up to the reputation that he began to develop last year. We saw two respectable doubles from Giambi and Cano. But most impressively, we saw 2-out RBI's from Moeller, Abreu, Rodriguez, and Cano. The team seems to be learning how to get their base-runners home, something they have been struggling with early this year.

Pettitte pitched well going 6 innings and securing the win to make his record 4-5. He did get himself into a bit of trouble but he managed and dealt with it well.

The highlight of my evening spent at the stadium last night in Tier 11, Row B was the Jeter pop-up foul ball in the 3rd that bounced off my wife's lap and I recovered. I wish I could have written something more magnanimous like how I dived over three rows to catch it one-handed, but the truth is I was taking a sip of beer at the time and had to scramble when I saw it coming our way. Many balls have come towards me in the many years that I have been going to games. Some caught by guys next to me, some by those directly in back of me. This was the first time I was able to take one home in my pocket. Very cool.

Girardi gets mad!

It was refreshing to watch a close game last night. A 2-to-1 game that ended in a walk-off RBI single by Cano. It was nice to see the Yanks work effectively, and good to see some stability out of Kennedy. Heck, it was even good to see Fartsworth not blow a game for a change. But perhaps the greatest show last night came from Girardi, just before he secured his 100th win as a manager (even though he had to watch it happen from the clubhouse).



As shown in the video (and my thanks to Greg Cohen for finding and posting it on his blog), Girardi got ejected in the bottom of the ninth after arguing (Billy Martin style, I might add) about a strikeout call on Giambi.

Now, I don't know if this was just a dog-and-pony-show by Girardi to motivate his team or not but it certainly worked. It is exactly what the Yankees needed right now. The players needed to see it and more importantly, the fans needed to see it. The bottom line in baseball is that it is just a game. It is entertainment... and the people paying for this entertainment need to be inspired just as much as the players. Good job, Joe!

The Yankees will begin a 3-game series against the struggling Mariners at the stadium tonight. Seattle is coming off a 3-game losing streak after being swept in Detroit and is currently holding an 18-and-30, last-place record.

Sometimes you get lucky...

No, I am not merely referring to the Yankees beating the Orioles last night by a score of 8-to-0. Hopefully this win was a sign of things to come, a mental turn-around of sorts. A display of what this team can really do that has nothing to do with chance. The good fortune that I am talking about has to do with Darrell Rasner. What a spectacular performance that we saw from him: 61 strikes thrown over 95 pitches, lasting 7 innings. Rasner gave up only one walk but returned 6 strike-outs for the club as he moved the ball across the plate in a timely fashion and with conviction. Michael Kay on the YES broadcast compared Rasner to an Aaron Small in 2005 who, although not a rookie at the time, seemingly came out of nowhere to pitch a 10-0 season for the Yanks. And then there was Shawn Chacon also in 2005 who surprised the club by coming in mid-season to provide 7 wins from 10 starts. Both Small and Chacon had something special going on in '05 and perhaps Rasner, with his now 3-0 record, will be that gift to New York in '08. You never know... sometimes you get lucky...

...and sometimes you don't. And of course I am referring to A-Rod's second home run of the night that was mistakenly ruled a double by the officiating crew. The line drive hit that ricocheted off the yellow-painted stairs behind the blue padded wall was clearly hit "out-of-the-park" and A-Rod knew it. Of course, without the benefit of instant replay, it was difficult to tell. This is now the third time this week (the second at Yankee Stadium) that major league baseball could have benefited from the use of a replay monitor by the officials. Let's hope that the commission uses this opportunity to reconsider their policy in these situations before a pennant or world series game is decided upon a bad call.

It was nice to see the Yankees take the infield after the game to shake hands and it brought a smile to my face to review the box score from last night. The team found hits up and down the lineup and were able to support the efforts of Rasner on the mound. Let's hope it wasn't just a lucky night.

The Yankees face Baltimore for the final game of their three game set tonight at 7:05 pm.

Who is to blame?

And I thought the Yankees' performance against the Mets on Sunday night was bad... last night's loss at the stadium to the Orioles with a final score of 12-to-2 was pathetically pitiful. Twelve Baltimore players crossed the plate last night and only 4 of them were earned runs. The YES announcers last night would lead you to believe that it was Jeter's error on the throw to 1st base in the 1st inning that started it all. Yeah, I don't think so. Moose clearly had nothing last night.

A-Rod returned last night and he was good for a two-run homer in the sixth inning but that was it. Like I have said before, A-Rod can not heal this team. Even if he were able to send balls into the stands every game, the Yanks are not going to survive this season on home runs alone. Among other things, the Yankees need to start playing small ball. They need to manufacture runs from the first at-bat. It isn't pretty and it isn't what the New York fans are paying to watch but the fans certainly aren't happy about these losses either.


In business, or more appropriately... in life; we like to assign blame to things that go wrong. It is actually a healthy thing to do. It creates responsibility and forces people to take ownership. The question I have been pondering is: Who is to blame for the the way the Yankees have been performing, or shall I say, not performing? The obvious answer is the position players on the field, but what kind of weight should the manager be carrying for these losses? If you are going to talk about how Girardi was voted "Manager of the Year" and if you are going to credit managers when you talk about winning seasons and world championships, then you can not just blame the players when the losses start rolling in either. Girardi is also responsible for these losses. Clearly, he needs to do something and so far, I haven't seen him do much. Kim Jones asked Joe in the post game interview if he was going to say anything to the team regarding last night's loss. He said no, explaining that they all ready know that something was wrong and that they need to correct it. Here is one of the problems as I see it. We seem to like to idolize the players, treat them like professionals, but we do not come down on them hard enough when they don't perform. I don't know about you but if I don't perform at my job, I am going to hear about it. I am going to be concerned about losing that job. This is the feeling that Girardi needs to instill in his players.

It is time for force...

It is bad enough that the game last night was aired by ESPN. Their coverage is so incredibly awful that it is almost painful to sit through. To have to watch the Yankees perform the way they did last night, losing 11-to-2 to the Mets, was more than even I could take. I admit it: I turned off the tube and went to bed in the eighth inning. To even imagine that the massacre would have been so much greater if the officials had actually not second-guessed the home run by Delgado is unspeakable. The Yankees performance last night was absolutely pathetic... and something needs to be done.

It is time for Hank to be "forceful". I, of course, am referring back to his recent comments about the team:

"This is going to get turned around," Steinbrenner said. "If it's not turned around this year, then it will be turned around next year, by force if we have too."

But my advice to Hank would be not to wait until next year. Something needs to be done now. I am getting a little tired of hearing about how our line-up is hurting. A-Rod and Posada are not going to fix what is broken here. I am not going to sit behind my computer monitor and pretend that I have the answers because I don't. Nor should I. That is not my job as a fan. But the Yankees better use this off day well. They better figure out what they need and get it. It needs to start at the top and it needs to happen today.

7 Train De-rails 4 Train in Subway Series Opener

There wasn't too much to get excited about during yesterday afternoon's 7-to-4 Yankee loss to the New York Mets. What started out as a good game with a 13 pitch, 3 strike-out first inning performance by Pettitte and a two-run lead by the bombers, quickly turned sour... probably at the moment when Damon was called out sliding into home on a Bobby Abreu double. That call at the plate seemed to be a turning point in momentum for the Yankees. Pettitte returned in the fourth to an incredible struggle that seemed to last forever resulting in 3 runs for the Mets.

As if that were't enough, Fartsworth came in during the 7th inning to give up 3 more runs (from 2 homeruns by Reyes and Wright). The Yankees tried to rally with a couple of home runs by Giambi and Abreu but with no one on base at the time, and little else happening with the Yankee offense, a recovery of the lead just wasn't in the cards.

I did almost have to opportunity to be on tv but that too didn't come to pass. Although I convinced the roving cameraman to pose for a quick snapshot with me, the lens passed up me and my buddies in section 627.

So the Yanks reach a season low of 3 games below .500 and Willy Randolf's job as manager becomes slightly more secure (if you believe all the hype by the media regarding the subway series pressures). Tomorrow night's match-up of Wang against Perez will last game of this abbreviated series because of Friday night's
rainout.

Here are the standings (as depressing as they may be) as of 5/18/08:

A Beneficial Rainout

I am not quite sure why the Yankees waited until 7:18pm and had fans trek to the stadium before calling last night's game against the Mets. It had been raining the entire day in New York and all the forecasts called for the rain to continue through the wee hours of the next day. I had several friends who showed up at the stadium last night only to turn around before even getting to the front of the beer line.

Despite its inconvenience to fans though, this rain out is clearly an advantage to the Yanks. Because the game will not be made up this weekend (mostly because of TV line-ups, believe it or not) and can not be played on Monday's off-day because the Mets already have a double-header scheduled for the following day, Friday night's makeup will likely occur next month sometime. This means that a match-up that otherwise would have been played without Posada and A-Rod, will likely include those sluggers later this season.

The other nicety that comes from this rainout is that Pettitte will now face Santana instead of Rasner. I do believe that Rasner can continue to prove himself as a quality starter for the club but, all things considered, I feel more comfortable with Andy Pettitte on the mound for this game. Better still, I will be at the game today!

I don't like Ian Kennedy

Actually, I never did. I listened to everyone say what a promising pitcher he was... how he had such great starts last year. I hear about all the wonderful things he does in triple-a. You know what? This kid is no better the Igawa. I have said it before and I will repeat it again: I don't give a rat's ass what this kid can do in the minor leagues. If he can't do it where it counts, get him off the mound. He had three lousy starts last year and took away one single win. Certainly nothing to base a career on. "I think I belong here and I want to work out my problems here," is what Kennedy had to say about yesterday's 5-to-2 loss to the Rays. You know what Ian... Yankee Stadium is not the place to work out your problems. And another thing: stop all your whining and excuses... you haven't earn the right to complain about anything yet. It is not going to be long before this kid starts getting booed whenever he takes the field. Yankee fans are not terribly supportive of players that can't perform.

Now that I have had my rant about pitching, this is normally where I would comment about hitting. Except, once again, there is not much to say... Damon and Giambi, nothing. Our two pinch-hitters, Matsui and Abreu... nothing. Appearently, Girardi likes to try to spark things up by bringing in substituting hitters. The only problem is that they haven't been generating any sparks. Even the hitters of the afternoon only came through with singles. 8 left on base... not a great way to try to win a ball game.

So, it is back to New York where the Bombers will face the Mets. One would believe that the way the Mets have been playing, perhaps this would be a good opportunity for the Yankees but I am not so sure anymore. I hope I am wrong.

Excitement

Wait a minute... isn't that a fist pump that Morgan Ensberg gave after tagging Cliff Floyd out at third to end the second inning? I thought that emotional reaction of excitement had been outlawed by the Yankees. I mean, after Goose Gossage denounced Joba Chamberlin a few days ago for fisting David Dellucci, I thought someone from the Yankees organization would have spoken to the team. Wasn't that the subject of the 45-minute, closed-door team meeting that occurred before last night's 2-to-1 Yankee win over the Rays? Seriously folks, if this cheerful display of confidence goes unchecked, we might soon see Melky Cabrera high-fiving fans over the wall just like Manny.

Well, I propose that it is this kind of excitement that will take the Yankees to where they need to be. All too often I think we tend to forget that this is a GAME. If we have to second guess what our opponent might be "feeling" before reacting to a good play, then we are thinking too much. I am not saying that we need to chant in the dugout like the Nationals, but a little excitement can go a long way.

Moose pitched an amazingly good game last night and since I am the kind of person who likes to say "I told you so," I hope all you radio talk show callers and bloggers who were calling for the Moose to be "put down" in early April are able to take notice that Mussina has won his last 5 starts and is now 6-and-3.

The Yankees bats aren't really where I would like them to be but it is nice to see some life in Cano who went 4-for-4 last night. More importantly though, it seems like Girardi has finally woken up to the fact that he needs to more aggressively manage this team. Perhaps it was the report from Hank demanding more fire from the team, but Joe is showing more signs of life too.

The Yanks will have a chance to even up the 4-game series against the Rays today at 4pm.

Yanks Fail... Rays Prevail

I think Matsui said it best:

"We shouldn't be depending on guys like Alex and Jorge to score. We should be able to score runs without their presence, as well,"

If you listen to some of the sports talk shows and read some of the press releases discussing last night's extra-innings, 2-to-1 Yankee loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, many will cite that New York is hurting without the strong slugging of Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada. Ok. Fine. But wouldn't you think that the 12 players currently on the active roster could do better than 2 runs in the last 24 innings?

You can't blame Wang because there was nothing wrong with the way he pitched. Going seven innings and only giving up one run is something that any MLB club would take. You can't blame Rivera (and shame on you to anyone out there who is) because even the sandman is human. Go and try to find another 0.56 ERA closer. Joba did his part. Even Fartsworth gave the lineup a chance.

So, let's look at the lineup from last night:

Damon, DH .271
Jeter, SS .305
Abreu, RF .287
Matsui, LF .319
Giambi, 1B .194
Cabrera, CF .269
Cano, 2B .183
Gonzalez, 3B .290
a-Duncan, S, PH .188
Ensberg, 3B .219
Molina, C .203

I will let you make your own determinations here. One thing I don't understand is why Girardi would have Duncan (who has been ice cold lately) pinch hit for Gonzalez (who has been promising at .290) in the seventh.

So now we have the Rays in first place on a six-game winning streak while New York is making sure that our Canadian friends aren't too lonely at the bottom of the AL-East.

"It is only May," I keep telling myself. "It is only May."

See-Saw Baseball

I don't know about you but I am getting a little tired of watching the Yankees teeter on the .500 mark of baseball. With last night's 7-to-1 loss to the Rays in Tampa, the Yankees fell once again to one game below .500. This is the 8th time this season that this has happened... trust me, I have been counting.

It is rather amusing to me (insert sarcasm here) that it is the Tampa Bay Rays who are partially responsible for holding them back. Last night's Yankee lost translated to a Ray's win that put Tampa Bay six games above .500, the first time ever that that has happened in their franchise history. Who would have thought that this team would still be sitting in 2nd place and now just 1/2 game behind Boston? The truth is, Tampa played last night's game exactly the way the Yankees should be playing. They hit the ball well, were aggressive on the bases, and came through when there were runners in scoring position.

Yes, I realize that this a Yankee blog and it is pathetic that I have to find my excitement by writing about an opposing team. So let's talk about Pettitte and the Yankees. The last time that Andy Pettitte lost a start against Tampa, gas prices were at $1.15 a gallon and Bill Clinton was denying sexual relations; Windows 98 was just released and Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a first-run series. Although Pettitte started out the night looking sharp, he crashed in the 4th inning giving up 7 hits that scored 4 runs. For the first time this season, Pettitte left the game pitching less than 5 innings and did so with 82 throws across the plate. He was clearly distracted and admitted in the post game interview that he let the runners on base get to him.

Offensively, we had nothing. Gonzalez was the only one that showed any life at all really with 2 hits. Molina crossed the plate for the Yanks' only run.

Sorry to be so depressing, but sometimes you just have to write about what there is. Wang, Mussina, and Kennedy will try to do something with the next three games in Florida before Rasner gets a shot against the Mets on Friday night.

Mother's Day Rainout

The rubber game of the three game set between the Yankees and the Tigers was rained out on Mother's Day. A make-up date has not yet been announced by July 24th and September 1st seem to be the two possibilities.

The Yankees have arrived in Florida and will begin a four game series against the Rays beginning tonight at 7:10pm.

Standings

I wasn't able to watch yesterday afternoon's 5-to-2 Yankee win over the Tiger's, so I had to resort to the box score to write this entry. It seems as though Rasner might be sticking around for a while if he can continue to perform like he has been. Giving the Yanks six solid innings and only letting 2 runs score on his watch... yeah, we'll take that.

Today it will be important for Pettitte to secure the win so that New York can leave Detroit with the series. The standings have them 4.5 games back at this point and, although it is still early, this is a good time to start narrowing the gap. Four games against Tampa Bay this week give the Yankees some real opportunity for movement in the standing before taking on the Mets at home.

Kei Igawa got his shot last night to show that he has made some improvement since last season. I didn’t see any improvement.

His inability to pitch low is still the main concern and the Tigers took advantage of this weakness, taking 11 hits over 3 innings (though really only in the 1st and 3rd innings). Igawa, who struggled all last season for the Yankees, had been showing better stuff in Triple-A this spring. But as we all know, Triple-A is not the majors. The current plan, according to Girardi during the post-game interview, is to give Igawa another chance. Whether or not the Yankees follow through with this plan is, well, up to the Yankees. More than likely Ian Kennedy, another "star"of the minors, will wind up replacing him.

I personally do not think that the solution to New York’s pitching woes lies in their Triple-A teams. We need to be looking further and outside of the organization. If Boomer is serious about coming back then let’s get working on the paperwork. Igawa, and Kennedy for that matter, are nothing more than band-aids for the moment. Unless the team is in a position to lose a minimum of 2 of every 5 games for the rest of the season, some more permanent plans need to be formed.

And what the hell was the deal with Betemit? Third base is clearly not the best of his utility positions and Ensberg should have been at that bag. There is no doubt that much of last night’s loss rested on Wilson’s shoulders. I haven’t quite figured out what some of Girardi’s logic is when he creates these lineups.

So the Yankees offense did what they could to save the game but a pop out from Duncan sent the team to the clubhouse with a loss of 6-to-5.

Four errors in total for the evening. 14 hits that couldn’t allow us to take the lead. And Albaladejo is going to the DL with an elbow injury to be replaced by Chris Britton. Tonight is another game.

Confidence

I always wonder why some people don't consider certain wins to be more important than others. I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine who said "a win is a win and a loss is a loss". His point was that at the end of the season, it is the number of games won as compared to the number of games lost that determine whether a team advances to the post season. No one will likely remember in October, an outfield catch in April that allowed a team to win a game against an seemingly insignificant opponent. Ultimately, this may be true except for the overwhelming effect of confidence.

Most will agree that a victory over an arch rival or a win that breaks a runaway losing streak can boost a team's confidence. And so much of sports (and life, for that matter) is about confidence. Those who have it will always have an edge over those who do not. Yesterday afternoon's 6-to-3 Yankee win against Cleveland may make only a small difference in September but, for at least some Yankees, it may help to turn things around.

The players who really performed yesterday were the very players that needed to perform. Giambi and Cano especially but it was nice to see something from Betemit too. Sometimes a home run or a key hit is all that is needed to bring a player around. I heard a statistic during the broadcast yesterday indicating that only one other Yankee in the last 80 years had performed as poorly at the plate as Cano and Giambi have at this point in the season. That one other player, whose name I can't remember (I wonder why?), played in the '60s.

My point is this... Cano is not a .172 hitter and Giambi can do better than .163. In the same way that a team's average in September has a way of "correcting" itself, so does a player's batting average. If you believe this, and there is no reason why someone shouldn't, then there are some Yankee hitters that are going to have to make a turn around real soon. And this will happen... it is inevitable. All that is necessary is a turning point. Hopefully yesterday's game was just that. Confidence. It is a powerful thing.

Now, on the same topic, I wanted to address the Joba fist pump that seems to be resurfacing to the headlines. Nothing more than confidence. For the very best players, a sport can be such an emotional thing. The pressures, the anxiety, the unpredictability. One pitch can mean a win or a loss... it is as simple as that. Greg Cohen did an great job in his blog yesterday analyzing the incident. I agree completely with his post, so I won't bother re-hashing it but you can find it here. While you are at it, check out another take on the issue here.

So the Yankees face Detroit tonight to see if they can give some payback for last week's licking that they took when they faced the Tiger's in the Bronx. Wouldn't it be nice to build a little more confidence?

Are bloggers really losers?

There has been a little battle going on between some sports bloggers and Michael Kay, host of The Michael Kay Show on ESPN radio and also the play-by-play Yankee announcer for the YES network. Let me start by saying that I have always been a fan of Michael Kay. I value his opinion on most things and respect his views on some other things I might not agree with. The comments he made on his talk show yesterday afternoon however really rubbed me the wrong way.

It all started a few days ago when Michael Kay criticized Joe Torre for making phone calls to Yankee players, namely Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada. Kay's feeling was that Torre was crossing a fine line by having private conversations with players on another team. Regardless of the relationship that Torre might have had with these players for the last 10 years, it is still "improper".

Also on this broadcast, Kay referred to Torre as "St. Joe", indicating that he is virtually untouchable in baseball. "He’s earned that aura from all his years," Kay said. "He can do no wrong. I don’t think he’s doing anything in his mind that’s wrong. But he shouldn’t be calling players from other teams in my opinion."

I suppose my feelings are mixed on this issue but I can certainly see the point that Kay was making.

Ok, fine. But then Neil Best from Newsday does a write up of Kay's comments in his Watchdog blog. People begin to read the Newsday blog and, as what happens on most blogs except for mine, readers post their comments. Kay, who apparently says that he doesn't normally read blogs did read the Watchdog blog because he knew that Neil was writing about him. He also read the comments posted by the blog readers and didn't like what he saw. One in particular, written by Rich, stood out for him:

Besides being a sub-par play by play announcer he's been a hypocrite for years. Why didn't he say things like this during his Yes broadcasts over the years but had no problem saying things like it on his radio show? It's fine if he wants to say it on both platforms but to be quiet on his "paying gig" shows a lack of class. Not exactly the type of person you can trust.

So, yesterday afternoon, at the top of the four o-clock hour, Kay responds to Rich's comments on the air. He defends his reputation and clarifies that ESPN, in addition to YES, pays him very well for his radio talk show and also distinguishes between the fact that ESPN is indeed a talk show that thrives on commentary whereas the YES gig is merely a play-by-play job and it would be out of place for him to elaborate on his personal opinions while performing his job there.

That is where it should of ended (maybe even before then). But instead, Kay goes on further and starts to attack bloggers in general. No different than a racist who generalizes about a group of the population, Kay proclaimed his hatred for the blogging population. "I can almost see what they look like", Kay said referring to bloggers like Rich, "I bet there is a pocket protector involved". He went on to infer that if he ever met some of the guys who wrote blog comments he would surely not be up against a tough guy in a leather jacket but rather a wimp who hides behind a computer screen, afraid to share their views in public.

Shame on you Michael. There are personal opinions and there are private opinions. I agree that your personal opinions about the Yankees can (and should) be voiced on your talk show, in fact, that is why people listen to you. But critizing someone like you did yesterday for merely expressing their personal opinion (as harsh as it might have been for you), well, that is more "improper" than Torre calling his former players. You didn't just attack "Rich", you attacked me as well. You made a blanket statement that would lead people to believe that all bloggers are losers. I may not have many readers and I certainly don't have your medium, but I stand by everything I say, would say it in public, and no, I do not own a pocket protector.

P.S. The Yankees lost to the Clevland Indians last night by a score of 3-to-0.

So what...

I guess the more tv you watch and radio that you listen to, the more you will hear people repeat themselves. It happens with news headlines all the time. I am so tired of hearing about Obama and Clinton... just have the damn election already and be done with it! Fortunately, this blog is not about politics, but about baseball, so let me translate some of my "enough already" moments to the Yankees.

"Joba falters as Yanks fall to Tribe" was the headline on the Yankees website this morning. Ok, fine. This is true. Joba gave up a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth to pitch-hitting David Dellucci . But, so what? Joba may at times appear to be God-like but he is definitely not God. Mistakes are going to happen and fans need to know that. Joba's problem last night wasn't even a one-pitch mistake that resulted in a hit to the stands but rather difficulty finding the strike zone. This will happen to a pitcher, any pitcher, at times. Tonight is another game.

"Kennedy returns to form in minors" So what? If he can't find a way of pitching effectively in the majors then what difference does it make. Speaking of God-like, if you were listening to John Sterling last night during the game broadcast you would have thought that he and Suzyn Waldman were talking about the Messiah. One hit over 7-1/3 innings and no walks IS good pitching but my $60 face value tickets are not for games played in Scranton.

"Oh no... Igawa is scheduled to pitch on Friday!" Ok, so this wasn't a headline anywhere (that I could find anyway) but it might as well be. I am no happier than the next guy when it comes to resorting to Kei Igawa on the mound but let's face it folks, a loss is a loss, right? Does it matter if it is earned by Igawa or Hughes? What I mean to say is... what else do we really stand to lose by giving Igawa another chance? We certainly paid a helluva lot of money for him. Igawa is in the rotation... so what?

I have more of these and I could probably keep going (i.e. A-Rod is a wimp because he passed out when his baby was born... so what?) but, unlike the local media, I am going to move on.

Tonight will be a game to watch as two undefeated pitchers take the mound. Wang (6-0) for the Yankees will go against Lee (5-0) for the Indians. Which one will emerge as victorious? I say it has a lot to do with whether or not the Yankee bats decide to rally.

Much needed wins...

So my Yankee prayers on Friday afternoon were answered this weekend as the Yankees took all three games from the Seattle Mariners. Sweeping this series was a very important step in the rebuilding of confidence and momentum for the Yanks. This past week or two brought some misfortune in the way of injury and lack of performance but the team has made some adjustments and only additional time (and games played) will determine the effectiveness of these changes.

It would appear, at least for the time being, that the Yankees have switched to a four-man pitching rotation. With Phil Hughes on the DL and Ian Kennedy sent down on Sunday, the probable pitchers lineup indicates Pettitte, Wang, Mussina, and Rasner for the next four games. The team does have the night off on Monday so this modification will have little to no effect this time around.

Fox news last night had a poll question that asked: "Are the Yankees going to be better off without Hughes and Kennedy?" Admittedly, I dozed off before hearing the results but it is an interesting question to ponder. The one thing that jumps out at me, at least when looking to yesterday's performance by Rasner, was that we have been watching a completely different offense this past weekend. Now this is not to diminish Rasner's pitching in any way and I think he was magnificent in his major league debut of this season, but the Yankees outscored the Mariners 19 runs to 4. Had they performed this well at the plate when the two kids were on the mound, we may have seen some different game outcomes. One might argue that Seattle is not Boston, and this is certainly a valid argument. Nevertheless, it is an interesting question to ponder.

Speaking of Boston, they also picked up the broom this past weekend and swept the Tampa Bay Ray's at Fenway 26 runs to 10. The Yankees therefore were not able to gain positioning in the standings and remain 3 games back in the AL-East. This weekend was all about opportunity though and as more of those opportunities reach the Yankees with Cleveland, Detroit and Tampa Bay in the immediate future, I am confident that brighter times will prevail.

Ice Cold Beer

When you go to Yankee Stadium to watch a game you are getting more than nine innings of baseball. There is history there... from the old timers like Ruth and DiMaggio to the sacred hollow of Munson to the current legends like Rivera, Jeter and Posada. You also get to see some great service people; like my friend Mark who vends beer in the upper decks. When you have a season ticket plan you begin to appreciate "regulars"; you use the fastest gate, buy your food from the same stands, and build a bond with the fans around you. I had recognized Mark from the many times over the years that I had seen him selling hot dogs. Yesterday, I happen to notice that he was carrying beer. "Two over here, beer man!"

While he was pouring, I told him that I remembered him from his hot dog days and congratulated him on his "promotion". (I am not positive, but I was told once that vendors start with things like cotton candy and foam fingers and move their way up the ranks to beer... the highest tipped merchandise). Mark and I began talking and I learned that he currently is in his 15th year of service at Yankee Stadium. 15 years! I was just a young whipper-snapper right out of college back then. Mark has seen a lot over the last decade and a half and I also learned yesterday that he is putting all of these memories in a book he is writing called, of course, "Ice Cold Beer". Ok readers... tell me that you can meet people like this at the newer SafeCo Field. Tell me that Nationals Park has a guy like Freddy who lets you bang out a quick rhythm on his clover-covered frying pan. If the Yankee Brass really wants to make the new stadium special, they will take care to make sure that some of their other legends, namely Freddy, the pan-man and Mark, the beer-man make it safely across the street. In the mean time Mark, please don't forget about section 627!

Yesterday's game was a lot like Friday night's outing. Quality pitching from the Yankees (and bloggers, please recognize The Moose's performance, winning three in a row now with a 4-3 record), some decent hitting by the Yankees, and a lot of errors by the Mariners (4 on Friday and 2 yesterday afternoon). Cano was back in the game to yet again contribute nothing; Giambi not looking any better these days.

Johnny Damon hit his 400th career double and asked to keep the ball. Derek Jeter also had a nice double that enabled him to surpass DiMaggio's record of 389 (Yankee Doubles).

So the Yankees take Game 2 against Seattle 6-to-1 and regardless of today's game will win the series.

Here are the Sunday standings:

Pretzels

It was a cold, damp night at the stadium last night... one of those games when your first beer gives you the shivers but your fourth makes everything feel alright. I saw people eating dippin-dots, and that just blew my mind. It was a relatively short game (2:57) and I was amongst friends, so all was good in my world. (Notice the two Mariner fans in the picture... two great friends of mine who just happen to like to root for the wrong team. I shot this one early in the game, while they were smiling and before the depression had a chance to set in.)

First of all, I would like to officially thank Joe Girardi for benching Cano last night. I was getting angry at just seeing out there and I am glad the Yankees recognized that his simply needs some time out of the game. Wang pitched a decent game last night and is now 6-and-0, the first pitcher to tout this kind of start in the American League. He gave us a little scare last night when the medical staff was called to the mound but it turns out it was just a cramp in his hand. Of course, I have seen him at time when he was more on his game but a win is a win and that's all that really matters.

The Yankees offense looked slightly better last night. The 4 Seattle errors certainly helped us out in that regard. Melky Cabrera's double base, double RBI in the second inning was probably my favorite play of the game. We are really very fortunate to have Cabrera, and I hope that the Yankees finally realize that.

Bobby Murcer got a standing ovation last night when his video feed came on the big screen to the tune of "Welcome Back". He also had the honors of pulling the switch after the fifth inning to change the home game countdown number from 69 to 68. God bless you Bobby, I hope you are with us for a long, long time.

The Yankees received some information yesterday indicting that Posada will not need to have shoulder surgery this season but will likely not be able to pick up a baseball for the next two weeks. I am hoping that we see in back behind the plate in June. Posada did mention that it did not hurt him to hit, only to throw, but I doubt that the Yankees are going to take many chance with him. Posada will explore off-season surgery at the end of the year.

So, overall a good win for the Yankees last night, taking the first game of the Seattle series with a final score of 5-1. My seats acquired from StubHub were decent and the I enjoyed the company of my Seattle seatmates. My one complaint... and this is more of a general gripe about Yankee Stadium and not specifically last night's game... is that it is way too difficult to get a damn pretzel in the house that Ruth built. I mean, unless you get one in the first inning, you are screwed. The geniuses working at the pretzel carts seem to think it is good idea to put only 10 pretzels on the fire at one time (even if they have a line for 30 people) and then will tell you that it takes 10-to-15 minutes for the them to heat up. I am told that in the new Yankee Stadium, this will all be different. I am told that this will be a place where every fan will be able to get a hot, fresh pretzel. Where bathroom paper towel dispensers will be checked and refilled regularly and the employees might actually thank you for handing them a twenty for 2 cups of beer. This is my dream.