Hey there readers! Sorry for being away for so long, but I'm back now with some poll results. I'd like to thank everyone for voting in my most recent poll. The question I asked was, "should the Yankees go after C.C. Sabathia in the offseason?" With each passing day in the 2008 Yankee season, it seems more and more likely that we will need help with pitching in 2009. The struggles of Phil Hughes and the recently demoted Ian Kennedy have been well documented, and have brought into question Brian Cashman's decision to not pursue last year's stud lefty free agent, Johan Santana.
Believing that the Yankees will fear making the same mistake again, it seems to me that the Yankees might be more likely to go after Sabathia for pitching help. I was not surprised by the split in the voting for this topic. Half of the votes believe the Yankees should pick up Sabathia, with the other half hesitant to pull the trigger.
I am going to have to side with the hesitant voters for this issue. Sabathia's early struggles in 2008 are something to keep an eye on. It is usually tough for Cy Young winners to handle the pressure of the award in the following season, but I'm not ready to let him slide with that excuse. This is also a contract year for him, and history shows us that ballplayers elevate their games when the money is on the line. So something has got to give in this situation, and so far Sabathia's pitching has been sub-par. If the hefty lefty can right the ship this season, he might be sailing right to the Bronx in '09.
Keep your eyes open for a new poll this week, and thank you to everyone who has been voting!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Past Week
I just want to assure everyone that I am not neglecting you. As most of you know, I'm a senior in college, and the past few weeks have been extremely busy for me. Not making excuses, just asking forgiveness for being slow to react to things as of late.
I hope you all understand that this is a tough time for me too. Normally I have a forum to unleash some Yankees frustration, a practice that is somewhat therapeutic. Now, on top of all the stress associate with graduation from college and finding a job, I can't even find the time to yell about the Yanks.
Please forgive me, I promise something good this weekend... call it a recap of what I've been missing. Thank you all, take care.
PS: Check out this comment I made on another blog about the word VQUZESHUF
I hope you all understand that this is a tough time for me too. Normally I have a forum to unleash some Yankees frustration, a practice that is somewhat therapeutic. Now, on top of all the stress associate with graduation from college and finding a job, I can't even find the time to yell about the Yanks.
Please forgive me, I promise something good this weekend... call it a recap of what I've been missing. Thank you all, take care.
PS: Check out this comment I made on another blog about the word VQUZESHUF
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Results are In!
Hello again readers, and welcome to my latest post! I had asked everyone to vote on what they thought the fate of the Detroit Tigers would be in 2008. This question arose after the highly touted Tigers got off to one of their slowest starts in team history. Not only was their pitching mediocre, their hitting was almost non-existent, and they couldn't win a game in the opening week of the season.
On paper, the Tigers were supposed to be a powerhouse in the A.L, so their horrible start came as quite a surprise... but not to me. When Detroit traded for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, a lot of people began to panic, believing that this would raise the Tigers to a level that could bring them to the promise land. This trade created a tremendous buzz around the team, but I still didn't quite see a WS front runner in Detroit. It's no secret that I think the D-Train is completely overrated, so the question still loomed of who else other than Verlander was going to pitch for them? Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman don't exactly paint the World Series portrait for me. Also, the loaded lineup that Detroit should not have scared everyone. Yes, Miguel Cabrera is great young hitter, but that doesn't mean anything when I-Rod and Guillen are borderline washed up. If you're wondering why I'm not bringing up Magglio, it's because he almost has to have a season worse than last years. An outbreak in hitting for usually consistent hitter occurred for Ordonez in 2007. Sad thing here is that this is during the steroids era, and Mags is named in Canseco's new book. I'm not saying Magglio is a cheater, (you still can't trust Jose) but I think the controversy will affect him. Only time will tell.
So the start of the Tigers' season could not have been any better for my point, as for a time it didn't even look like they were going to win a game. Since then, they have almost been no-hit, and were shutout for an entire 3 game series!
These facts made it very easy to predict the results of the poll. It appears that almost all of you out there believe that the Tigers will miss the playoffs. I don't blame you for voting "No". With the Indians, and now the resurgent White Sox in their division, the Tigers will need to make a drastic turn-around, and fast. Before long, the Tigers might find themselves on the outside looking in.
Also, has anyone found the definition of VQUZESHUF yet? I apologize to anyone not wanting to be involved with this topic, but this is for class.
On paper, the Tigers were supposed to be a powerhouse in the A.L, so their horrible start came as quite a surprise... but not to me. When Detroit traded for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, a lot of people began to panic, believing that this would raise the Tigers to a level that could bring them to the promise land. This trade created a tremendous buzz around the team, but I still didn't quite see a WS front runner in Detroit. It's no secret that I think the D-Train is completely overrated, so the question still loomed of who else other than Verlander was going to pitch for them? Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman don't exactly paint the World Series portrait for me. Also, the loaded lineup that Detroit should not have scared everyone. Yes, Miguel Cabrera is great young hitter, but that doesn't mean anything when I-Rod and Guillen are borderline washed up. If you're wondering why I'm not bringing up Magglio, it's because he almost has to have a season worse than last years. An outbreak in hitting for usually consistent hitter occurred for Ordonez in 2007. Sad thing here is that this is during the steroids era, and Mags is named in Canseco's new book. I'm not saying Magglio is a cheater, (you still can't trust Jose) but I think the controversy will affect him. Only time will tell.
So the start of the Tigers' season could not have been any better for my point, as for a time it didn't even look like they were going to win a game. Since then, they have almost been no-hit, and were shutout for an entire 3 game series!
These facts made it very easy to predict the results of the poll. It appears that almost all of you out there believe that the Tigers will miss the playoffs. I don't blame you for voting "No". With the Indians, and now the resurgent White Sox in their division, the Tigers will need to make a drastic turn-around, and fast. Before long, the Tigers might find themselves on the outside looking in.
Also, has anyone found the definition of VQUZESHUF yet? I apologize to anyone not wanting to be involved with this topic, but this is for class.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Jersey Incident/Hank Speaks!
Hello readers, and welcome to this special edition post! It has been an extremely interesting past few days for the Yankees, with news breaking that a construction worker building the new Yankee Stadium had buried a David Ortiz jersey in the cement foundation of the visitors dugout. This was an effort to "curse" the New York Yankees, claims the construction worker, Gino Castignoli, a Red Sox fan since he was a child... a man who apparently hasn't grown up. Don't panic, the Yankees had the jersey dug up on Monday, April 14, 2008.
I had a reaction to this that I believe is a little different than most people's reactions, so I'd like to share that with you. If you know me, you certainly will not be surprised to hear what I think about this stunt. My immediate reaction was "how greedy". My rants and raves about this historic rivalry often center around the fundamental differences between Yankees and Red Sox fans, and why I'm proud to be able to call myself a Yankees faithful. The biggest difference I've noticed in the past is that Yankee fans are always concerned with the Yankees. We cheer for our own team, a practice very contrary to how Red Sox fans behave. Boston fans bad-mouth, and try to bring down other teams as their way of cheering for their own team. Since this is a tough thing to explain, I'll use an example from last season's World Series. This example will certainly give you an idea of the differences between Yankee fans and Red Sox fans. In game 4, with Boston in complete control, and obviously moving towards a sweep of the Colorado Rockies, Fenway belted out their rendition of "Na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye". A completely ridiculous thing to do, in my opinion, lacking class and respect for the game. Winning the World Series didn't make them happy enough, they had to embarrass an overmatched, inexperienced team by acting like, quite frankly, a bunch of assholes (Pardon my French). Don't get me wrong, I enjoy seeing the Red Sox lose, but my number one priority is the Yankees. When Aaron Boone hit that homerun, was the first reaction of the crowd to heckle Tim Wakefield? Of course not, Yankee fans would rather celebrate their own team than be concerned with the misery of others.
If you're asking yourself what this has to do with the buried Ortiz jersey, rest assured, the previous paragraph is relevant. My theory on Red Sox fans was proven again last week, when the world found out that Gino Castignoli even exists. This is a Boston fan who has been given 2 World Series titles in 4 years, and he is trying to do what?? Curse the Yankees?? Why couldn't he be happy being a fan of a team who has been on a run in recent years? What is he, some sort of Red Sox missionary? Please, give me a break. This is another example on an extensive list of Boston fans not being concerned with their own team. All they're worried about is bringing down other teams, just like taunting the Rockies in '07... it's all a bunch of nonsense.
I'm also under the impression that Gino didn't even care if this little stunt worked. I'll ask the readers to put themselves in the construction worker's postion for a moment. Say you had buried the jersey, and you really wanted it to be a curse... wouldn't the last thing on your "to do" list be to tell everyone about it? I know I would've kept it a secret at least until the stadium opened. Getting the word out indicates to me that Gino was merely looking for his 15 minutes of fame, and maybe a few high fives from his buddies... nothing more.
Not only do I think that Gino was only concerned with playing a prank to get public recognition, but I feel that this burial never could have worked anyway. Let's take a look at the major curses that have been involved in baseball's long history. There are two that come to mind. Of course I'm speaking about the Curse of the Bambino, and the Billy Goat Curse. For those of you unfamiliar with these curses, the Billy Goat Curse is what has been haunting the Chicago Cubs for about 100 years, and the Curse of the Bambino haunted the Red Sox for 86 years. Legend has it the Cubs ejected a man and his pet goat from Wrigley Field. The man and his goat were allowed entrance into the stadium, but when it started to rain, Cub's owner, Philip Knight Wrigley, had the two ejected because of the smell associated with wet goat. The outraged man then put a hex on the ballclub that they would never win another pennant or play in another WS game at Wrigley Field. So far, it would appear that his curse has worked. The Curse of the Bambino does not involve any pets, but the very name of the curse lets you know who it revolves around. It's no secret that Babe Ruth (The Great Bambino) once dawned the uniform of the Red Sox, only to be sold by the team to the Yankees. After the sale in 1920, the Yankees organization took off, while the Red Sox faded for 86 years.
So why do these curses tell me that the buried Ortiz jersey couldn't have worked? The answer is simple, the cursed organizations of the past and present had to committ some sort of error or mistake in judgement in order to experience hard times. Boston sold the best ballplayer known to man (at that time, and even today IMO), and the Cubs ejected an innocent man and his goat trying to enjoy a ballgame because it was raining. Those are two mistakes that the Baseball Gods deemed punishable by curse. What is the Yankees mistake in judgement? Anyone who said "Carl Pavano", consider yourself to be funny. In all seriousness, however, the Yankees did not commit one of these "sins of Baseball", and therefore, should not be punished. If anything, I'd be worried if I were a Sox fan, as a fellow member of the farce "Nation" just tempted fate.
Moving on to one of my favorite segments of the blog... Hank Speaks! Mr. Steinbrenner has been nothing short of open to talk about anything, particularly when it comes to the Boston Red Sox. Surprise, suprise, the new Boss had something to say about this jersey incident. Keeping it short and sweet, Hank issued the statement, "I hope his co-workers kick the (expletive) out of him." Now, I won't condone any violence on this blog, so I won't agree that this man should be beat up (regardless of whether or not I'd want to do it myself). I was thinking something more along the lines of firing him, or at least assigning him some heavy lifting job on the outside of the construction site as his penance.
Til next time, Go Yanks!
I had a reaction to this that I believe is a little different than most people's reactions, so I'd like to share that with you. If you know me, you certainly will not be surprised to hear what I think about this stunt. My immediate reaction was "how greedy". My rants and raves about this historic rivalry often center around the fundamental differences between Yankees and Red Sox fans, and why I'm proud to be able to call myself a Yankees faithful. The biggest difference I've noticed in the past is that Yankee fans are always concerned with the Yankees. We cheer for our own team, a practice very contrary to how Red Sox fans behave. Boston fans bad-mouth, and try to bring down other teams as their way of cheering for their own team. Since this is a tough thing to explain, I'll use an example from last season's World Series. This example will certainly give you an idea of the differences between Yankee fans and Red Sox fans. In game 4, with Boston in complete control, and obviously moving towards a sweep of the Colorado Rockies, Fenway belted out their rendition of "Na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye". A completely ridiculous thing to do, in my opinion, lacking class and respect for the game. Winning the World Series didn't make them happy enough, they had to embarrass an overmatched, inexperienced team by acting like, quite frankly, a bunch of assholes (Pardon my French). Don't get me wrong, I enjoy seeing the Red Sox lose, but my number one priority is the Yankees. When Aaron Boone hit that homerun, was the first reaction of the crowd to heckle Tim Wakefield? Of course not, Yankee fans would rather celebrate their own team than be concerned with the misery of others.
If you're asking yourself what this has to do with the buried Ortiz jersey, rest assured, the previous paragraph is relevant. My theory on Red Sox fans was proven again last week, when the world found out that Gino Castignoli even exists. This is a Boston fan who has been given 2 World Series titles in 4 years, and he is trying to do what?? Curse the Yankees?? Why couldn't he be happy being a fan of a team who has been on a run in recent years? What is he, some sort of Red Sox missionary? Please, give me a break. This is another example on an extensive list of Boston fans not being concerned with their own team. All they're worried about is bringing down other teams, just like taunting the Rockies in '07... it's all a bunch of nonsense.
I'm also under the impression that Gino didn't even care if this little stunt worked. I'll ask the readers to put themselves in the construction worker's postion for a moment. Say you had buried the jersey, and you really wanted it to be a curse... wouldn't the last thing on your "to do" list be to tell everyone about it? I know I would've kept it a secret at least until the stadium opened. Getting the word out indicates to me that Gino was merely looking for his 15 minutes of fame, and maybe a few high fives from his buddies... nothing more.
Not only do I think that Gino was only concerned with playing a prank to get public recognition, but I feel that this burial never could have worked anyway. Let's take a look at the major curses that have been involved in baseball's long history. There are two that come to mind. Of course I'm speaking about the Curse of the Bambino, and the Billy Goat Curse. For those of you unfamiliar with these curses, the Billy Goat Curse is what has been haunting the Chicago Cubs for about 100 years, and the Curse of the Bambino haunted the Red Sox for 86 years. Legend has it the Cubs ejected a man and his pet goat from Wrigley Field. The man and his goat were allowed entrance into the stadium, but when it started to rain, Cub's owner, Philip Knight Wrigley, had the two ejected because of the smell associated with wet goat. The outraged man then put a hex on the ballclub that they would never win another pennant or play in another WS game at Wrigley Field. So far, it would appear that his curse has worked. The Curse of the Bambino does not involve any pets, but the very name of the curse lets you know who it revolves around. It's no secret that Babe Ruth (The Great Bambino) once dawned the uniform of the Red Sox, only to be sold by the team to the Yankees. After the sale in 1920, the Yankees organization took off, while the Red Sox faded for 86 years.
So why do these curses tell me that the buried Ortiz jersey couldn't have worked? The answer is simple, the cursed organizations of the past and present had to committ some sort of error or mistake in judgement in order to experience hard times. Boston sold the best ballplayer known to man (at that time, and even today IMO), and the Cubs ejected an innocent man and his goat trying to enjoy a ballgame because it was raining. Those are two mistakes that the Baseball Gods deemed punishable by curse. What is the Yankees mistake in judgement? Anyone who said "Carl Pavano", consider yourself to be funny. In all seriousness, however, the Yankees did not commit one of these "sins of Baseball", and therefore, should not be punished. If anything, I'd be worried if I were a Sox fan, as a fellow member of the farce "Nation" just tempted fate.
Moving on to one of my favorite segments of the blog... Hank Speaks! Mr. Steinbrenner has been nothing short of open to talk about anything, particularly when it comes to the Boston Red Sox. Surprise, suprise, the new Boss had something to say about this jersey incident. Keeping it short and sweet, Hank issued the statement, "I hope his co-workers kick the (expletive) out of him." Now, I won't condone any violence on this blog, so I won't agree that this man should be beat up (regardless of whether or not I'd want to do it myself). I was thinking something more along the lines of firing him, or at least assigning him some heavy lifting job on the outside of the construction site as his penance.
Til next time, Go Yanks!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Horrible Round 1 in Boston
Well, if you've been watching the past few games from Fenway, you can probably guess my mood. For those of you who haven't been watching, consider yourself lucky. In a nutshell, poor pitching and even worse decision making combined for the disaster in Boston.
I really want to discuss game 2 on Saturday afternoon. I was a little worried going into this game because you never know what Mike Mussina you're going to get. It's either the effective veteran, who has complete command in and out of the zone, or it's the washed up bum, with no "out pitch" and no heart. To my surprise, Mussina actually showed up to pitch on Saturday... he even got himself out of a jam early on by getting the slumping David Ortiz to weakly slap a double play ball. Unfortunately, the mistakes I couldn't have foreseen cost the Yankees the game.
Let me paint the picture of the situation for you the readers. In the top of the 6th inning, the Yankees got on the scoreboard with a 2 spot, taking a 2-1 lead. Now any pitcher knows that you want to have a quick inning right after you take the lead. This was not the case for Mike Mussina in the bottom of the 6th. Mussina found himself in a jam, with runners on second and third with 2 outs. Coming to the plate was right-handed RBI machine, Manny Ramirez. But no problem, first base was open with Kevin Youkilis on deck. Right??
Well out comes Joe Girardi to talk strategy with Moose, or maybe they were chatting about who is earning their paycheck less! The plan that was hatched on the mound was, in a word, idiotic. After listening to the post-game show on the radio, I learned what the discussion was all about. Apparently Moose told Girardi that his confidence level was the same facing Ramirez or Youkilis. That just doesn't make any sense to this blogger... one might very well end up in Cooperstown, and the other is Kevin Youkilis. You do the math. The strategy that was set when Girardi returned to the bench was if Mussina got behind to Manny, he'd put him on. Before I explain how this ridiculous plan unfolded, let me explain my problems with it.
First of all, Joe Girardi was sweet talked by Mike Mussina. Here's a tip, Joe; DON'T EVER LISTEN TO A PITCHER WHEN HE TELLS YOU HE'S CONFIDENT PITCHING TO A BATTER! The manager must evaluate the situation, and do what's best for the team. As a pitcher, I know that the answer to any confidence question is always "Yes, I can get him out." Of course every pitcher says this, but often times its not the case. It's times like that when you need a coach who can realize how to play the situation. God help the New York Yankees if Mike Mussina's confidence keeps us from intentionally walking top-notch hitters with first base open.
Problem number two is more frustrating than Girardi listening to Mussina. This would be the fact that Joe Girardi and the Yankees chose to challenge the percentages. The percentages are the percentages for a reason. It doesn't matter how confident Mussina says he is, when the best hitter on a ballclub comes to the plate with a chance to drive in the go-ahead runs, with first base open... YOU PUT HIM ON! Giving their best hitter a chance to do what he's supposed to do is bone-headed, and its decisions like that one that cost you ballgames. If you're going to ignore the logical moves of baseball, you might as well just phone in the game and not waste everyone's Saturday.
Needless to say, this decision to pitch to Manny backfired. Mussina did not get a chance to fall behind, because Manny drove in both runs on the first pitch. Right then and there, the Yankees had given the game away. Of course, there is no telling what would've happened had Mussina intentionally walked Manny to get to Youkilis, but at least you can lay down at night and know you made the right move on paper. This isn't "Major League", and Mike Mussina isn't Rick Vaughn... walk the guy next time. I can accept a bad decision here and there, but this was a part of something much bigger, and much more alarming. Taking the start of the season and viewing it with a broad scope, the Yankees have given away 2-3 games... already. Let's forecast for a second. In the first half of April we've handed 2-3 games away. If we average that for the entire season (2-3 games every half month for 6 months) we're looking at around 30 games! You find me a team that can give away 30 games and make a serious run in the playoffs, and I'll find you a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
I'm disappointed in the pitching, but the managing is even more troubling. Bad pitching or bad play is going to happen no matter how much you try to avoid it... bad managerial decisions can be, and must be eliminated.
I really want to discuss game 2 on Saturday afternoon. I was a little worried going into this game because you never know what Mike Mussina you're going to get. It's either the effective veteran, who has complete command in and out of the zone, or it's the washed up bum, with no "out pitch" and no heart. To my surprise, Mussina actually showed up to pitch on Saturday... he even got himself out of a jam early on by getting the slumping David Ortiz to weakly slap a double play ball. Unfortunately, the mistakes I couldn't have foreseen cost the Yankees the game.
Let me paint the picture of the situation for you the readers. In the top of the 6th inning, the Yankees got on the scoreboard with a 2 spot, taking a 2-1 lead. Now any pitcher knows that you want to have a quick inning right after you take the lead. This was not the case for Mike Mussina in the bottom of the 6th. Mussina found himself in a jam, with runners on second and third with 2 outs. Coming to the plate was right-handed RBI machine, Manny Ramirez. But no problem, first base was open with Kevin Youkilis on deck. Right??
Well out comes Joe Girardi to talk strategy with Moose, or maybe they were chatting about who is earning their paycheck less! The plan that was hatched on the mound was, in a word, idiotic. After listening to the post-game show on the radio, I learned what the discussion was all about. Apparently Moose told Girardi that his confidence level was the same facing Ramirez or Youkilis. That just doesn't make any sense to this blogger... one might very well end up in Cooperstown, and the other is Kevin Youkilis. You do the math. The strategy that was set when Girardi returned to the bench was if Mussina got behind to Manny, he'd put him on. Before I explain how this ridiculous plan unfolded, let me explain my problems with it.
First of all, Joe Girardi was sweet talked by Mike Mussina. Here's a tip, Joe; DON'T EVER LISTEN TO A PITCHER WHEN HE TELLS YOU HE'S CONFIDENT PITCHING TO A BATTER! The manager must evaluate the situation, and do what's best for the team. As a pitcher, I know that the answer to any confidence question is always "Yes, I can get him out." Of course every pitcher says this, but often times its not the case. It's times like that when you need a coach who can realize how to play the situation. God help the New York Yankees if Mike Mussina's confidence keeps us from intentionally walking top-notch hitters with first base open.
Problem number two is more frustrating than Girardi listening to Mussina. This would be the fact that Joe Girardi and the Yankees chose to challenge the percentages. The percentages are the percentages for a reason. It doesn't matter how confident Mussina says he is, when the best hitter on a ballclub comes to the plate with a chance to drive in the go-ahead runs, with first base open... YOU PUT HIM ON! Giving their best hitter a chance to do what he's supposed to do is bone-headed, and its decisions like that one that cost you ballgames. If you're going to ignore the logical moves of baseball, you might as well just phone in the game and not waste everyone's Saturday.
Needless to say, this decision to pitch to Manny backfired. Mussina did not get a chance to fall behind, because Manny drove in both runs on the first pitch. Right then and there, the Yankees had given the game away. Of course, there is no telling what would've happened had Mussina intentionally walked Manny to get to Youkilis, but at least you can lay down at night and know you made the right move on paper. This isn't "Major League", and Mike Mussina isn't Rick Vaughn... walk the guy next time. I can accept a bad decision here and there, but this was a part of something much bigger, and much more alarming. Taking the start of the season and viewing it with a broad scope, the Yankees have given away 2-3 games... already. Let's forecast for a second. In the first half of April we've handed 2-3 games away. If we average that for the entire season (2-3 games every half month for 6 months) we're looking at around 30 games! You find me a team that can give away 30 games and make a serious run in the playoffs, and I'll find you a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
I'm disappointed in the pitching, but the managing is even more troubling. Bad pitching or bad play is going to happen no matter how much you try to avoid it... bad managerial decisions can be, and must be eliminated.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Opening Week: Average Start for Bronx Bombers
Hello again readers and welcome to my latest post! Well,there was big news last week, as Major League Baseball's 2008 season officially began for every team. This includes the New York Yankees, of course, who began their 2008 season with an average opening week. When I say average, please understand that this means I am very disappointed.
Sporting a mediocre 3-3 record, the Yanks are already facing serious questions. Questions that should not be arising this early in the season. If you've been watching the games, you've seen Joba and Mariano do their jobs, and do them well I might add. Last season, and now in the opening week of this season, the end of the bullpen seems to be a great advantage for the Yankees. That being said, the bullpen on the whole has been pretty good. There are, however, two members of the Yankee bullpen that seem to trying to bring down the efforts of the rest of relief pitchers. These two men are none other than LaTroy Hawkins and Kyle Farnsworth. Both men have had significant success in the bullpen in their careers with other clubs, but are simply not cutting it for the Yanks.
The rest of the bullpen seems to have their head on straight. My hope is that the Yankees organization and coaching staff realizes that these two men need to be in as few games as possible before its too late. I know it was only the first week, but how losses are losses, and they start adding up from day one. How many more games will we let slip away trying to let Kyle and LaTroy work everything out?? My hope is that the answer to this question is zero. If we keep letting games fall through the cracks now (and games we should be winning!), we will be sorry later on.
On a side note, LaTroy Hawkins needs to change his number. If you haven't noticed, he wears number 21. The same 21 that belonged to Yankee great Paul O'Neill. I for one am embarrassed by the fact that O'Neill never had his number retired, and that a washed up middle relief guy who can't get anyone out now wears his jersey. Hopefully this situation will work itself out soon, i.e. O'Neill physically removes the jersey from Hawkins, or Hawkins gets sent to Scranton... both would be fine by me. Either way, LaTroy Hawkins should not be wearing number 21, period.
PS. Anyone who can tell me the definition of the term VQUZESHUF will be forever respected.
Sporting a mediocre 3-3 record, the Yanks are already facing serious questions. Questions that should not be arising this early in the season. If you've been watching the games, you've seen Joba and Mariano do their jobs, and do them well I might add. Last season, and now in the opening week of this season, the end of the bullpen seems to be a great advantage for the Yankees. That being said, the bullpen on the whole has been pretty good. There are, however, two members of the Yankee bullpen that seem to trying to bring down the efforts of the rest of relief pitchers. These two men are none other than LaTroy Hawkins and Kyle Farnsworth. Both men have had significant success in the bullpen in their careers with other clubs, but are simply not cutting it for the Yanks.
The rest of the bullpen seems to have their head on straight. My hope is that the Yankees organization and coaching staff realizes that these two men need to be in as few games as possible before its too late. I know it was only the first week, but how losses are losses, and they start adding up from day one. How many more games will we let slip away trying to let Kyle and LaTroy work everything out?? My hope is that the answer to this question is zero. If we keep letting games fall through the cracks now (and games we should be winning!), we will be sorry later on.
On a side note, LaTroy Hawkins needs to change his number. If you haven't noticed, he wears number 21. The same 21 that belonged to Yankee great Paul O'Neill. I for one am embarrassed by the fact that O'Neill never had his number retired, and that a washed up middle relief guy who can't get anyone out now wears his jersey. Hopefully this situation will work itself out soon, i.e. O'Neill physically removes the jersey from Hawkins, or Hawkins gets sent to Scranton... both would be fine by me. Either way, LaTroy Hawkins should not be wearing number 21, period.
PS. Anyone who can tell me the definition of the term VQUZESHUF will be forever respected.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Results are In!
Hello again readers, and thank you for voting in this week's poll! I asked everyone to vote on who they thought the Yankees will have to watch out for the most in 2008. The results of this poll did not surprise me in the least bit, but I was hoping for more of a mix. The Red Sox finished first in the poll, being one of two teams that received any votes. The other team the readers voted for was the Detroit Tigers, who finished in a close second.
I expected the Red Sox and the Tigers to get the most votes in this poll, but I was slightly surprised to see that the Indians (the team who ended the Yankees' season last year) did not get one single vote. The Indians are a very young team with quite a bit of talent as they proved in '07. A year ago they were right on the cusp of being in the World Series, and I predict they will be just a big factor in the A.L. again this season.
I also thought maybe I would get one of you crazy readers out there to vote for Seattle. The Mariners are back, featuring some good young ball players coupled with two very solid young arms. If everyone stays healthy, and the young guys don't make too many stupid mistakes, the Mariners could make a serious run in the American League.
I put the Angels on this poll before Kelvim Escobar's injury... with him on the shelf, I don't see them being much of a contender.
Overall, I really believe that the Yankees could have to end up worrying about all of these teams, minus the Angels of Anaheim. Everyone else has the talent or experience, or both to give the Yankees a serious run for their money.
I expected the Red Sox and the Tigers to get the most votes in this poll, but I was slightly surprised to see that the Indians (the team who ended the Yankees' season last year) did not get one single vote. The Indians are a very young team with quite a bit of talent as they proved in '07. A year ago they were right on the cusp of being in the World Series, and I predict they will be just a big factor in the A.L. again this season.
I also thought maybe I would get one of you crazy readers out there to vote for Seattle. The Mariners are back, featuring some good young ball players coupled with two very solid young arms. If everyone stays healthy, and the young guys don't make too many stupid mistakes, the Mariners could make a serious run in the American League.
I put the Angels on this poll before Kelvim Escobar's injury... with him on the shelf, I don't see them being much of a contender.
Overall, I really believe that the Yankees could have to end up worrying about all of these teams, minus the Angels of Anaheim. Everyone else has the talent or experience, or both to give the Yankees a serious run for their money.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Opening Day - Red Sox vs. A's in Japan (Despite Boston's Threat)
Despite the threat of the Boston Red Sox last week, Major League Baseball's opening day went off without a hitch at 6:00 am this morning. I obviously did not enjoy the outcome of today's game (Boston 6 - Oakland 5 F/10), but it was an exciting game. A's closer Huston Street took a blown save and a loss, while hometown hero, Hideki Okajima got the win for Boston. Although Boston walked away with a win, I was still very happy to see Daisuke Matsuzaka struggle... I can only hope its the shape of things to come.
With all that being said about the game, I would like to revisit what went on leading up to this trip. I was not only shocked, but appalled by the threat issued by the Red Sox last week. Let me start by describing the situation that triggered this threat. In the last two seasons, MLB's opening series has been Japan, with the all players as well as all the coaches and trainers each receiving a special bonus for the trip. This year's agreement between the Player's Association and MLB did include a special bonus for the trainers and coaches of each team (Red Sox/A's). Now, the Red Sox organization did not realize or did not pay attention to the change in this year's contract, and assumed that all of their trainers and coaches would be receiving the bonus. The day the Red Sox were supposed to be boarding a plane for the trip, they were made aware of this change, causing the players to threaten to not get on the plane for Japan. The Red Sox not only said they would not be boarding the plane for Japan, but they would not even take the field for their Spring Training game against the Dodgers unless their demands were met, and the trainers and coaches received the same bonus the players were getting. Eventually, the league agreed to pay half of each $40,000 bonus for the trainers and coaches, and the Red Sox organization picked up the other half.
If you are wondering why I mentioned earlier that I was shocked and appalled, its quite simple. It now appears as though ransoms can be held by baseball teams over the league. Or at least the Red Sox can hold up the league for a ransom. This move by the players was ridiculously glorified by ESPN, reporting on this as though the Red Sox stood up to the stingy, penny-pinching bully known as Major League Baseball. As usual, ESPN shined the most positive light possible on actions taken by the Red Sox. In this instance, they marveled at the players who were bold enough to make MLB pay up. Keep in mind, that this was all a misunderstanding, and I am being generous when I say that. Boston simply didn't take enough time to understand the contract that the Player's Association signed off on. They assumed that bonuses were included for their trainers/coaches, and then uninformed Red Sox players (Mike Lowell), claimed that MLB pulled back the bonuses in the 11th hour. This couldn't be further from the truth, the fact is, they were never included in this year's bonus package.
I have a laundry list of problems with this entire situation. This was one of the most outrageous events I've ever heard of in sports. My immediate reaction upon hearing that the Red Sox were not going to go to Japan unless the bonuses were paid was, "Who the hell do they think they are?! They're putting a gun to the head of Major League Baseball, and telling them to empty their pockets!" Not only was I furious over the act undertaken by the Red Sox, but I was further enraged by the way ESPN praised the players for taking this "stand". This wasn't a noble action... noble action would've been a few of the millionaires on the Red Sox, or in the Red Sox front office telling their trainers and coaches, "Don't worry about it, we'll take care of you." These bonuses were chump change for most of the organization's members. If they were so concerned with the money going to their trainers/coaches, why didn't they cough some of it up themselves? After all, trainers and coaches take care of the players as their job, why couldn't the players return the favor?
This was the most obvious example of ESPN's favoritism involving the Boston Red Sox. Do any of you readers believe that the Yankees would have been so heavily praised if they had put a ransom out for those bonuses? I feel like if the Yankees did this, they would've have been buried by the ESPN reporters, claiming that the "Evil Empire" was just looking for more money even though they have so much. It was almost surreal to me watching ESPN's coverage of this ultimatum. I couldn't believe what I was seeing... it was as if everyone had gone crazy but me.
For those of you who are still under the impression that the Red Sox did something noble, please tell me where you can draw the line on what is acceptable in future matters like this. From now on, is it ok for teams to just not take the field if there is some sort of monetary dispute? Say a team wants to move cities at the end of a season, but the league won't approve it, can that team just not play games until the league agrees? What happens if the $40,000 isn't a good enough bonus for next year's teams competing in the opening series? You can see where I'm going with this... where does baseball go from here? What will setting this precedent lead to? All I know is that this ransom should not have happened nor should it have been celebrated by ESPN. Plain and simple... this was a black eye for baseball.
With all that being said about the game, I would like to revisit what went on leading up to this trip. I was not only shocked, but appalled by the threat issued by the Red Sox last week. Let me start by describing the situation that triggered this threat. In the last two seasons, MLB's opening series has been Japan, with the all players as well as all the coaches and trainers each receiving a special bonus for the trip. This year's agreement between the Player's Association and MLB did include a special bonus for the trainers and coaches of each team (Red Sox/A's). Now, the Red Sox organization did not realize or did not pay attention to the change in this year's contract, and assumed that all of their trainers and coaches would be receiving the bonus. The day the Red Sox were supposed to be boarding a plane for the trip, they were made aware of this change, causing the players to threaten to not get on the plane for Japan. The Red Sox not only said they would not be boarding the plane for Japan, but they would not even take the field for their Spring Training game against the Dodgers unless their demands were met, and the trainers and coaches received the same bonus the players were getting. Eventually, the league agreed to pay half of each $40,000 bonus for the trainers and coaches, and the Red Sox organization picked up the other half.
If you are wondering why I mentioned earlier that I was shocked and appalled, its quite simple. It now appears as though ransoms can be held by baseball teams over the league. Or at least the Red Sox can hold up the league for a ransom. This move by the players was ridiculously glorified by ESPN, reporting on this as though the Red Sox stood up to the stingy, penny-pinching bully known as Major League Baseball. As usual, ESPN shined the most positive light possible on actions taken by the Red Sox. In this instance, they marveled at the players who were bold enough to make MLB pay up. Keep in mind, that this was all a misunderstanding, and I am being generous when I say that. Boston simply didn't take enough time to understand the contract that the Player's Association signed off on. They assumed that bonuses were included for their trainers/coaches, and then uninformed Red Sox players (Mike Lowell), claimed that MLB pulled back the bonuses in the 11th hour. This couldn't be further from the truth, the fact is, they were never included in this year's bonus package.
I have a laundry list of problems with this entire situation. This was one of the most outrageous events I've ever heard of in sports. My immediate reaction upon hearing that the Red Sox were not going to go to Japan unless the bonuses were paid was, "Who the hell do they think they are?! They're putting a gun to the head of Major League Baseball, and telling them to empty their pockets!" Not only was I furious over the act undertaken by the Red Sox, but I was further enraged by the way ESPN praised the players for taking this "stand". This wasn't a noble action... noble action would've been a few of the millionaires on the Red Sox, or in the Red Sox front office telling their trainers and coaches, "Don't worry about it, we'll take care of you." These bonuses were chump change for most of the organization's members. If they were so concerned with the money going to their trainers/coaches, why didn't they cough some of it up themselves? After all, trainers and coaches take care of the players as their job, why couldn't the players return the favor?
This was the most obvious example of ESPN's favoritism involving the Boston Red Sox. Do any of you readers believe that the Yankees would have been so heavily praised if they had put a ransom out for those bonuses? I feel like if the Yankees did this, they would've have been buried by the ESPN reporters, claiming that the "Evil Empire" was just looking for more money even though they have so much. It was almost surreal to me watching ESPN's coverage of this ultimatum. I couldn't believe what I was seeing... it was as if everyone had gone crazy but me.
For those of you who are still under the impression that the Red Sox did something noble, please tell me where you can draw the line on what is acceptable in future matters like this. From now on, is it ok for teams to just not take the field if there is some sort of monetary dispute? Say a team wants to move cities at the end of a season, but the league won't approve it, can that team just not play games until the league agrees? What happens if the $40,000 isn't a good enough bonus for next year's teams competing in the opening series? You can see where I'm going with this... where does baseball go from here? What will setting this precedent lead to? All I know is that this ransom should not have happened nor should it have been celebrated by ESPN. Plain and simple... this was a black eye for baseball.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Results Are In!
Hello readers, and thank you to all of you that participated in my most recent poll. This poll was a simple question; "Who should start opening day?". The five choices were Wang, Pettitte, Hughes, Kennedy, and Mussina. The results were in line with my feelings at the top. I am a firm believer that Wang deserves the opening day start. After all, he is the ace of this staff. I've been a big fan of Chien-ming ever since his debut... it's pretty hard to find a 95 MPH sinker ball. Hopefully Wang can turn in another season worthy of Cy Young consideration in 2008.
Since making this poll, things for the Yankee pitching staff have been looking up. Pettitte, Kennedy, and even Mussina have pitched well. Mussina has been particularly good, which probably surprised many of you... I know it surprised me. If you were around me last season, you probably would've heard me call for Mike Mussina's head. I was so down on him after his whining about Japan, and I feel like he never recovered from the trip. He is still a baby in my book, but this year he doesn't have to travel to Asia. Let's keep in mind that he might look like the Mussina of old in '08, which is a scary thought if I'm in the A.L.
Thanks again to everyone who voted in the poll... keep checking out BronxBomers08. The new poll is on it's way.
Since making this poll, things for the Yankee pitching staff have been looking up. Pettitte, Kennedy, and even Mussina have pitched well. Mussina has been particularly good, which probably surprised many of you... I know it surprised me. If you were around me last season, you probably would've heard me call for Mike Mussina's head. I was so down on him after his whining about Japan, and I feel like he never recovered from the trip. He is still a baby in my book, but this year he doesn't have to travel to Asia. Let's keep in mind that he might look like the Mussina of old in '08, which is a scary thought if I'm in the A.L.
Thanks again to everyone who voted in the poll... keep checking out BronxBomers08. The new poll is on it's way.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Hank Speaks!
Recently I received a request to react to the comments Hank Steinbrenner made regarding Red Sox Nation and ESPN. Thank you for your request, John E. I appreciate your interest, and I will gladly speak on this topic. I would also like to thank you because you gave me the idea for "Hank Speaks!" - which will be the title of newest segment of the blog. If there is a debate on something I blog under the title of "Let's Settle It", and if a poll closes I blog about the results under the "Results Are In!" title. Now, whenever Hank has something to say, I will react to his words under my "Hank Speaks!" title.
For those of you who didn't read or hear what Hank had to say about Red Sox Nation, allow me re-introduce a point I made a long time ago. When the "Nation" was created overnight after Boston's '04 WS victory, I was outraged. ESPN had finally shown its true colors. I was always under the impression that the Bristol, CT based company had some sort of bias for the Red Sox. Almost everything the Sox did was viewed in a positive light; they were praised from every angle, win or lose. In 2003, Aaron Boone hit perhaps the most heroic home run of all-time, and all I heard the next day on ESPN was how such a great franchise in baseball was still cursed. It seems to me that the attention should have been on the A.L. pennant winners, the New York Yankees. Instead, I got to see Dan Shaughnessy cry, as well as listen to Peter Gammons talk about how bright the future was for Boston. Despite all that, it was only in '04 that ESPN stopped trying to hide whose side they're on.
ESPN, like every other Red Sox fan that was hiding under a rock for 30 years, decided to celebrate the end of the curse in full force. In what seemed like an overnight phenomenon, "Red Sox Nation" was born. Sports Center anchors started referring to the Red Sox as the "Nation", while the term "Empire" was used for the Yankees. This was of course in reference to Larry Lucchino's remarks about the Yankees being an Evil Empire, buying up players and blah blah. I even started to see red wristbands with the words "Red Sox Nation" on them. This nation didn't even exist until the Sox won it all, and the ridiculous part is, it will fade if the Red Sox are ever bad again. This wasn't some secret society waiting to make it's debut... this was people jumping on a bandwagon, nothing more.
Moving on to what Hank actually said, please read the following quote on Red Sox Nation, compliments of Wikipedia. "Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of bullsh*t that is...That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans...Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."
These were the words of Hank Steinbrenner earlier this month. For those of you who know me, and even for those of you that don't know me who have been reading this blog, you should have no trouble believing that I whole-heartedly agree with Mr. Steinbrenner. This is a true Yankee country, despite ESPN's attempts to change that. ESPN has made it fashionable to be a Red Sox fan for the time being, while taking nearly every opportunity to throw the Yankees under the bus. If the Yankees do come out on top this year, I assure everyone that order in the universe will indeed be restored.
I look forward to hearing more of what Hank has to say this season. I doubt he'll ever leave me hanging too long without a new set of comments. He's always got something to say, and hopefully the fiery new attitude is just what the Dr. ordered.
For those of you who didn't read or hear what Hank had to say about Red Sox Nation, allow me re-introduce a point I made a long time ago. When the "Nation" was created overnight after Boston's '04 WS victory, I was outraged. ESPN had finally shown its true colors. I was always under the impression that the Bristol, CT based company had some sort of bias for the Red Sox. Almost everything the Sox did was viewed in a positive light; they were praised from every angle, win or lose. In 2003, Aaron Boone hit perhaps the most heroic home run of all-time, and all I heard the next day on ESPN was how such a great franchise in baseball was still cursed. It seems to me that the attention should have been on the A.L. pennant winners, the New York Yankees. Instead, I got to see Dan Shaughnessy cry, as well as listen to Peter Gammons talk about how bright the future was for Boston. Despite all that, it was only in '04 that ESPN stopped trying to hide whose side they're on.
ESPN, like every other Red Sox fan that was hiding under a rock for 30 years, decided to celebrate the end of the curse in full force. In what seemed like an overnight phenomenon, "Red Sox Nation" was born. Sports Center anchors started referring to the Red Sox as the "Nation", while the term "Empire" was used for the Yankees. This was of course in reference to Larry Lucchino's remarks about the Yankees being an Evil Empire, buying up players and blah blah. I even started to see red wristbands with the words "Red Sox Nation" on them. This nation didn't even exist until the Sox won it all, and the ridiculous part is, it will fade if the Red Sox are ever bad again. This wasn't some secret society waiting to make it's debut... this was people jumping on a bandwagon, nothing more.
Moving on to what Hank actually said, please read the following quote on Red Sox Nation, compliments of Wikipedia. "Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of bullsh*t that is...That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans...Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."
These were the words of Hank Steinbrenner earlier this month. For those of you who know me, and even for those of you that don't know me who have been reading this blog, you should have no trouble believing that I whole-heartedly agree with Mr. Steinbrenner. This is a true Yankee country, despite ESPN's attempts to change that. ESPN has made it fashionable to be a Red Sox fan for the time being, while taking nearly every opportunity to throw the Yankees under the bus. If the Yankees do come out on top this year, I assure everyone that order in the universe will indeed be restored.
I look forward to hearing more of what Hank has to say this season. I doubt he'll ever leave me hanging too long without a new set of comments. He's always got something to say, and hopefully the fiery new attitude is just what the Dr. ordered.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Did Joe Girardi Cause Brawl?
If there was one thing I didn't want to see already, it was Joe Girardi mis-handling a situation. Joe Torre seemingly never had a bad read on a situation, so he always knew what to say to the media. I had a feeling Girardi would slip up in his media handling, I just didn't expect it so soon.
Let's go over Girardi's problem with a hard collision at home in spring training. I was pretty surprised to hear those words coming from Joe Girardi. The same Joe Girardi that played a hard-nosed brand of baseball his entire career. I am a big fan of the new Yankees manager, but I really believe that he was wrong for speaking out on this. I understand that a young catcher had his wrist broken, but there is more to consider in this situation. The no-name on the Rays (Elliot Johnson) must play hard in spring training... it's all he has. The spring is the only time he'll get to prove he can cut it in the show. If he didn't go all out on that play, and got thrown out, he probably would've found a red tag in his locker upon returning to the clubhouse. A player like Elliot Johnson must make good on every opportunity to have an impact. It's not like his hit was illegal. It was a good, clean hit, and Girardi of all people should have realized that. I think Joe was just upset because a young kid got injured, leading to an emotional response in the media. When will people learn that emotional reactions and the NY media make for a deadly combination?
Moving on to yesterday's brawl. I think that the tone set fourth by Girardi led to the altercation. Speaking from experience, when the manager of a baseball team makes statements in public, it is usually the tip of the iceberg. Recently, there have been a number of outbursts at podiums and so on, but those are rare cases. Most times, head coaches and managers save up all that yelling and screaming for the clubhouse. It's my belief that Girardi had quite a bit to say about retaliation prior to yesterday's rematch with the Rays. It was clear that there was an edge in the personality of the Yankees in round 2. Shelley Duncan has every right to be upset that his teammate was injured, they're probably even friends from Duncan's minor league days. But Duncan's slide was ludicrous. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it for the first time... if you haven't seen the slide, let me paint a picture. Shelley is pretty clearly going to be thrown out trying to leg out a double. He approaches the bag, the throw comes in to Akinori Iwamuri (Rays' infielder). Realizing he's dead to rights, Duncan basically jump kicks as he "slides". Fact is his spikes were up to Iwamuri's waist, and he was tossed immediately for it. Standing up for your team is one thing, but Shelley was retaliating for an injury, not a dirty play. I think we should ask the injured catcher if he thinks the hit was dirty. I'll bet as he was awaiting the throw, he wasn't saying to himself; "Don't worry, its spring training. He won't hit me." In fact, I'm certain he expected the hit, as all catchers are trained to do.
It's unfortunate that a clean play led to a brawl, but it takes two to tango. If you know me, you have probably heard me say that I think Johnny Gomes is a steroid user. He came out of nowhere, putting up solid HR totals, and weighing in at 225lbs of muscle. I think he saw Duncan's slide and blew a fuse. Steroids are the only way I can explain the right fielder starting a brawl at second base. It was either 'roid rage, or baseball players really aren't as smart as they used to be.
I will say that I'm happy to see some fire from the Yankees, but I think I would've enjoyed Joe Torre's reaction to the broken wrist on this one. A calm, rational response from an old-time ball player was appropriate here... in my opinion at least. As for the question posed in the title of this post, I do believe that Girardi played a role in instigating this incident.
Let's go over Girardi's problem with a hard collision at home in spring training. I was pretty surprised to hear those words coming from Joe Girardi. The same Joe Girardi that played a hard-nosed brand of baseball his entire career. I am a big fan of the new Yankees manager, but I really believe that he was wrong for speaking out on this. I understand that a young catcher had his wrist broken, but there is more to consider in this situation. The no-name on the Rays (Elliot Johnson) must play hard in spring training... it's all he has. The spring is the only time he'll get to prove he can cut it in the show. If he didn't go all out on that play, and got thrown out, he probably would've found a red tag in his locker upon returning to the clubhouse. A player like Elliot Johnson must make good on every opportunity to have an impact. It's not like his hit was illegal. It was a good, clean hit, and Girardi of all people should have realized that. I think Joe was just upset because a young kid got injured, leading to an emotional response in the media. When will people learn that emotional reactions and the NY media make for a deadly combination?
Moving on to yesterday's brawl. I think that the tone set fourth by Girardi led to the altercation. Speaking from experience, when the manager of a baseball team makes statements in public, it is usually the tip of the iceberg. Recently, there have been a number of outbursts at podiums and so on, but those are rare cases. Most times, head coaches and managers save up all that yelling and screaming for the clubhouse. It's my belief that Girardi had quite a bit to say about retaliation prior to yesterday's rematch with the Rays. It was clear that there was an edge in the personality of the Yankees in round 2. Shelley Duncan has every right to be upset that his teammate was injured, they're probably even friends from Duncan's minor league days. But Duncan's slide was ludicrous. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it for the first time... if you haven't seen the slide, let me paint a picture. Shelley is pretty clearly going to be thrown out trying to leg out a double. He approaches the bag, the throw comes in to Akinori Iwamuri (Rays' infielder). Realizing he's dead to rights, Duncan basically jump kicks as he "slides". Fact is his spikes were up to Iwamuri's waist, and he was tossed immediately for it. Standing up for your team is one thing, but Shelley was retaliating for an injury, not a dirty play. I think we should ask the injured catcher if he thinks the hit was dirty. I'll bet as he was awaiting the throw, he wasn't saying to himself; "Don't worry, its spring training. He won't hit me." In fact, I'm certain he expected the hit, as all catchers are trained to do.
It's unfortunate that a clean play led to a brawl, but it takes two to tango. If you know me, you have probably heard me say that I think Johnny Gomes is a steroid user. He came out of nowhere, putting up solid HR totals, and weighing in at 225lbs of muscle. I think he saw Duncan's slide and blew a fuse. Steroids are the only way I can explain the right fielder starting a brawl at second base. It was either 'roid rage, or baseball players really aren't as smart as they used to be.
I will say that I'm happy to see some fire from the Yankees, but I think I would've enjoyed Joe Torre's reaction to the broken wrist on this one. A calm, rational response from an old-time ball player was appropriate here... in my opinion at least. As for the question posed in the title of this post, I do believe that Girardi played a role in instigating this incident.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Results Are In!
Hello everyone, and thank you for participating in my most recent poll! The poll question was something that I thought was an important topic for the Yankees to consider. Who should start at first base in 2008? I offered four choices including Giambi, Duncan, Betemit. The fourth option was a free agent signing, but it appears as if that will have to wait at this point.
The results from the poll were somewhat surprising to me. First of all, the readers of this blog impressed me by giving Jason Giambi 50% of the vote. Finishing in a close second was Shelley, taking home 37% of the vote. I am not all that surprised by your selections at the top, but I expected Betemit to do a little better in this one. Mr. Wilson received zero votes... zero! Not one of you out there thinks he can fill in at first a little better than Shelley? My thoughts here are that Betemit is a decent back-up at 3B and SS, making a move over to the "not so hot corner" fairly easy. Betemit has also been around for a while in the bigs, so with consistent at bats you can expect some decent output at the plate.
Now don't get me wrong, Shelley has a lot of qualities that make him a reasonable choice in this poll. He's a big target over there, and has shown quite a bit of pop with the bat. Shelley will certainly see some time at 1B this season, but I really expected Wilson to be closer in votes.
My thoughts about who should start at 1B seem to be in line with you the voters. It's no secret that I have always believed Giambi was underrated on defense. His throws aren't always pin point, but he can be pretty nifty with the leather. I used to play the 1B position, and when working on defense I always kept in mind that I wanted to be the guy the infielders were happy throwing to. What I mean here is that guys aren't worried about making the perfect throw. I feel like the Yankees infield can be happy to throw to Giambi. He's a big target, but that's not all. He can save a high throw, and he's pretty consistent when it comes to scooping those worm burners. Overall, I believe that Jason Giambi should be the starting first-basemen, but I strongly support giving him a lot of days as the DH. If I were Girardi, I'd work Shelley and/or Betemit in often.
I would like to thank everyone who voted, and I invite you all to vote in this week's poll!
The results from the poll were somewhat surprising to me. First of all, the readers of this blog impressed me by giving Jason Giambi 50% of the vote. Finishing in a close second was Shelley, taking home 37% of the vote. I am not all that surprised by your selections at the top, but I expected Betemit to do a little better in this one. Mr. Wilson received zero votes... zero! Not one of you out there thinks he can fill in at first a little better than Shelley? My thoughts here are that Betemit is a decent back-up at 3B and SS, making a move over to the "not so hot corner" fairly easy. Betemit has also been around for a while in the bigs, so with consistent at bats you can expect some decent output at the plate.
Now don't get me wrong, Shelley has a lot of qualities that make him a reasonable choice in this poll. He's a big target over there, and has shown quite a bit of pop with the bat. Shelley will certainly see some time at 1B this season, but I really expected Wilson to be closer in votes.
My thoughts about who should start at 1B seem to be in line with you the voters. It's no secret that I have always believed Giambi was underrated on defense. His throws aren't always pin point, but he can be pretty nifty with the leather. I used to play the 1B position, and when working on defense I always kept in mind that I wanted to be the guy the infielders were happy throwing to. What I mean here is that guys aren't worried about making the perfect throw. I feel like the Yankees infield can be happy to throw to Giambi. He's a big target, but that's not all. He can save a high throw, and he's pretty consistent when it comes to scooping those worm burners. Overall, I believe that Jason Giambi should be the starting first-basemen, but I strongly support giving him a lot of days as the DH. If I were Girardi, I'd work Shelley and/or Betemit in often.
I would like to thank everyone who voted, and I invite you all to vote in this week's poll!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Hey Readers!
For those of you who have been eagerly awaiting posts I would like to apologize. I have been out of the country for a week and did not have internet access. But I'm back and feeling better than ever! More posts and polls are on the way!
Tune in this week as I will be discussing the question mark at first base, and by the request of John E, I'll share my thoughts on Hank. Again, my apologies for this past week... new post tomorrow!
Tune in this week as I will be discussing the question mark at first base, and by the request of John E, I'll share my thoughts on Hank. Again, my apologies for this past week... new post tomorrow!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Survey Says: Bronx Biggest Sports Event Destination in '08!
For those of you who have not heard of TSE Sports & Entertainment, let me start out with a few words about them. Each year, TSE runs what they call the "Tuchman Sports Event Index", which "measures corporate interest in travel to major sporting events in the U.S." Based on Corporate America's overall demand to attend the biggest events in sports, TSE is able to generate a list of the most sought after events each year. Why is Corporate America important here? Well its no secret that a great way to secure a potential client or seal an important account is to send tickets to the biggest events. With the amount of money riding on making the right impression, Corporate America has no choice but to keep it's finger on the pulse of the sporting world. So, when TSE's annual survey is printed, its usually an accurate reflection of what will be hot in the upcoming year. If you are still unclear on what this list may look like, please visit the TSE website and check it out.
In recent years, there appears to be some consistency when it comes to popular sporting events. The Masters (look out for Tiger this year), the Super Bowl, and the NCAA Final Four always show up when this survey is complete. Now while that may come as no surprise, MLB events do not get quite as much love. In fact, the World Series isn't even in the top ten this year, and wasn't in the top ten in '07. I don't know about you, but I think that says a lot about our national pastime. (While you may be thinking that people are sick of juiced-up ballplayers etc, I'll maintain that the reason no one wants to go to the WS is because of Boston's projection to win it all the last two years.)
Anyway, 2008 has somewhat of a surprise at the top of the list. Events like the Olympics and the World Cup, that are not played every year, tend to rise to the top of TSE's survey when they come around. However, the Beijing Summer Olympics have had no such luck. Instead, they have finished second to the MLB All-Star game. For those of us who have forgotten where this event will be held in 2008, let me remind you that its in The House that Ruth Built. This tremendously historic venue is, without question, the reason for the jump in TSE's rankings. Who wouldn't want to see the final All-Star game in Yankee Stadium history? For me, I'm excited to see the game, but I'm more excited to see the Home Run Derby... think Prince Fielder or Ryan Howard can hit the Courthouse?
Let me wrap this up by giving everyone something interesting to think about. When Boston won the W.S. in '07 (what a sad time that was) a close friend pointed something out to me that was very troublesome. Picture this... in 2008, Joe Torre will manage zero games in the home dugout of Yankee Stadium. Terry Francona will manage one. I can't wait for him to hear it from the New Yorkers every time he walks to the mound. I can think of no better way to stick it to Terry than to let him manage for Yankee home field advantage in October, but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. No matter what, one thing is for sure. The 2008 All-Star game in Yankee Stadium will be electric, and TSE's survey indicates that Corporate America agrees.
In recent years, there appears to be some consistency when it comes to popular sporting events. The Masters (look out for Tiger this year), the Super Bowl, and the NCAA Final Four always show up when this survey is complete. Now while that may come as no surprise, MLB events do not get quite as much love. In fact, the World Series isn't even in the top ten this year, and wasn't in the top ten in '07. I don't know about you, but I think that says a lot about our national pastime. (While you may be thinking that people are sick of juiced-up ballplayers etc, I'll maintain that the reason no one wants to go to the WS is because of Boston's projection to win it all the last two years.)
Anyway, 2008 has somewhat of a surprise at the top of the list. Events like the Olympics and the World Cup, that are not played every year, tend to rise to the top of TSE's survey when they come around. However, the Beijing Summer Olympics have had no such luck. Instead, they have finished second to the MLB All-Star game. For those of us who have forgotten where this event will be held in 2008, let me remind you that its in The House that Ruth Built. This tremendously historic venue is, without question, the reason for the jump in TSE's rankings. Who wouldn't want to see the final All-Star game in Yankee Stadium history? For me, I'm excited to see the game, but I'm more excited to see the Home Run Derby... think Prince Fielder or Ryan Howard can hit the Courthouse?
Let me wrap this up by giving everyone something interesting to think about. When Boston won the W.S. in '07 (what a sad time that was) a close friend pointed something out to me that was very troublesome. Picture this... in 2008, Joe Torre will manage zero games in the home dugout of Yankee Stadium. Terry Francona will manage one. I can't wait for him to hear it from the New Yorkers every time he walks to the mound. I can think of no better way to stick it to Terry than to let him manage for Yankee home field advantage in October, but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. No matter what, one thing is for sure. The 2008 All-Star game in Yankee Stadium will be electric, and TSE's survey indicates that Corporate America agrees.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Get Your Yankee Stuff Before the '08 Season!
Be sure to represent the Yankees in style this season with all the latest and greatest NYY merchandise! Stock up on your favorite players jerseys to show your true colors, or buy your favorite Yankees collectible products.
Get anything and everything Bombers at the NY Yankees Shop online! Hurry, the 2008 season is just around the corner!
For an extensive list of articles relating to products above and beyond the New York Yankees, please visit : http://www.dentalplans.com/dental-health-articles/Category.asp?CatID=12
Get anything and everything Bombers at the NY Yankees Shop online! Hurry, the 2008 season is just around the corner!
For an extensive list of articles relating to products above and beyond the New York Yankees, please visit : http://www.dentalplans.com/dental-health-articles/Category.asp?CatID=12
Friday, February 22, 2008
Results Are In!
Hey readers, hope everyone out there is staying safe in all this snow! I would like to thank all of you who voted in my most recent poll. I appreciate the consideration on the topic.
I don't know about everyone else, but I thought the Yankees need for middle relief last season was a blessing in disguise. Joba was touted as one of the next great starting pitchers for the Yanks, but lack of pitching in the bullpen forced him to change roles. This change was supposed to be temporary, but the rising star excelled in middle/late relief. He was phenomenal in the set-up spot for Mariano... I even dare to say he looked like Mo himself. Not physically of course, Joba looks more like I do than he does Rivera. But let's not forget that Mo auditioned as the set-up man before becoming the closer, perhaps the same way Joba has... just something to think about.
Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, understand that this theory all depends on Mariano. He will be the closer for this team as long as he can pitch. If Mariano plans on pitching another 2-3 seasons, then Joba will have to move back to his original destination in the rotation. I love Joba out of the pen, and I think he'd make one hell of a closer, but Joba is far too talented to keep as a set-up man for too long. Once he hits full stride in the bigs, the Yankees have two choices... starter or closer. Anywhere else is much too unimportant for an arm of Joba's caliber.
Moving on to the poll question. When the Yankees revealed that Joba would be starting the season out of the pen, I had mixed emotions. Part of me was disappointed that we won't get to see Joba as a starter just yet. The other part of me believes that Joba belongs in the bullpen for now. The Yanks have a pretty solid rotation as is (talented enough to win 90+ games in my opinion). They also have a monster advantage over just about any team when it comes to late relief. The Joba/Mo combination usually slams the door shut in the 7th... I don't know of any other team that can say they have relief like that. My point here is that for now, the Yankees might be better off as a team with Joba being a set-up man for Mo. It appears as though the majority of you out there feel the same way, with "reliever" receiving 78% of the votes.
Thanks again to everyone who voted! Keep tuning in, new poll coming soon!
I don't know about everyone else, but I thought the Yankees need for middle relief last season was a blessing in disguise. Joba was touted as one of the next great starting pitchers for the Yanks, but lack of pitching in the bullpen forced him to change roles. This change was supposed to be temporary, but the rising star excelled in middle/late relief. He was phenomenal in the set-up spot for Mariano... I even dare to say he looked like Mo himself. Not physically of course, Joba looks more like I do than he does Rivera. But let's not forget that Mo auditioned as the set-up man before becoming the closer, perhaps the same way Joba has... just something to think about.
Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, understand that this theory all depends on Mariano. He will be the closer for this team as long as he can pitch. If Mariano plans on pitching another 2-3 seasons, then Joba will have to move back to his original destination in the rotation. I love Joba out of the pen, and I think he'd make one hell of a closer, but Joba is far too talented to keep as a set-up man for too long. Once he hits full stride in the bigs, the Yankees have two choices... starter or closer. Anywhere else is much too unimportant for an arm of Joba's caliber.
Moving on to the poll question. When the Yankees revealed that Joba would be starting the season out of the pen, I had mixed emotions. Part of me was disappointed that we won't get to see Joba as a starter just yet. The other part of me believes that Joba belongs in the bullpen for now. The Yanks have a pretty solid rotation as is (talented enough to win 90+ games in my opinion). They also have a monster advantage over just about any team when it comes to late relief. The Joba/Mo combination usually slams the door shut in the 7th... I don't know of any other team that can say they have relief like that. My point here is that for now, the Yankees might be better off as a team with Joba being a set-up man for Mo. It appears as though the majority of you out there feel the same way, with "reliever" receiving 78% of the votes.
Thanks again to everyone who voted! Keep tuning in, new poll coming soon!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Let's Settle It! Better Baseball Player: Jeter vs. Reyes
Hello again readers, and welcome to this special edition post! Recently, it has come to my attention that there are people out there (particularly Mets fans) that truly believe that Jose Reyes is a better baseball player than Derek Jeter. Not only do people believe this, but they will argue it to the death. I contend that if Jose Reyes did not play for the Mets, (cross-town rival of the Yankees) that this argument would have never even been thought of. Can anyone honestly tell me that people would argue Reyes is better if he were playing SS for the Cincinnati Reds?
Answer: No. I believe that this argument is just a way for Mets fans to attempt to bring down the Yankees and their fans, as well as all the glory involved with loving the Bombers. It has nothing to do with shortstops, its quite simply Mets faithful finally having a great player and feeling the need to compare him to the best. The Mets fans that I have come across in my life (and that's quite a few seeing as I'm from NY) have always had some sort of complex about this rivalry. When Yankee fans think about an upcoming season, they wonder whether or not they'll get a parade when it's all said and done. Mets fans wonder if they'll beat the Yankees in inter-league play. Now keep in mind I'm making generalizations about Mets fans. There are some out there that actually know the game and take it for what it's worth, all bias aside. For those Met lovers, I can say they are true baseball fans. For the majority of them, however, Mets fans prove why their not the best baseball fans when they dream up comparisons like this.
Let's move on to the arguments I've heard about why Jose Reyes is better, shall we? First and foremost; Reyes has so much more speed than Jeter. Yes, you're right, Jose Reyes is one of the fastest baseball players I've ever seen. He can have 60 steals in his sleep. But does that mean we should call Ricky Henderson the best player to ever live? Of course not! Ricky has the most steals of all-time... unfortunately, this does not make him the best player of all time. I think we can all agree that speed is a vital part of being a great baseball player, but let's not kid ourselves. Hall of Fame voters don't just turn to the stolen base category to decide who gets in. There is so much more to a great baseball player than speed. Oh, and not to mention, Derek Jeter is not slow! In fact, he's pretty fast! I would say Jeter has above average speed, swiping anywhere from 15-30 bags in a season, only getting thrown out a handful of times. Jeter is also well-known for being very heads up when it comes to running the bases, making up for any speed he might give up to Reyes.
The second most popular reason for why Reyes is better than Jeter also deals with speed... imagine that. Anyone reading this who feels that Jose Reyes having more triples makes him a better ballplayer, please stop reading here. Triples are not that important in the grand scheme of things. If that were the case, then Curtis Granderson would have to be added to this discussion. Let's be serious, CG has no business being compared to the Yankee Captain, and quite frankly, I don't think Reyes does either. I will give credit where credit is due... I want to be fair to Reyes here. He's an electrifying player with great speed and a great arm. He plays solid D for the most part and is a great lead-off guy. I'll give him all that, its the truth, no doubt about it... but I won't call him a better player than Jeter. I think that's enough about my views on this though for now, let's just go to the facts. I've tried convincing everyone, now I'll just convey the evidence.
We'll start by looking at their 2007 stats, then go over career numbers. I promise, after reading these numbers, you'll have no choice but to face it... Derek Jeter is a better baseball player than Jose Reyes.
| 2007 Season Stats: JOSE REYES | ||||||||||||
| | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG |
| Season | 160 | 681 | 119 | 191 | 36 | 12 | 12 | 57 | 78 | .280 | .354 | .421 |
| Career | 596 | 2518 | 420 | 715 | 118 | 52 | 45 | 242 | 234 | .284 | .330 | .426 |
DJ's 1st 5: R 600 H 996 2B 149 3B 34 HR 78 RBI 407 SB 108 BA .322 OPB .395 SLG .865
| 2007 Season Stats: Derek Jeter | ||||||||||||
| | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG |
| Season | 156 | 639 | 102 | 206 | 39 | 4 | 12 | 73 | 15 | .322 | .388 | .452 |
| Career | 1835 | 7429 | 1379 | 2356 | 386 | 54 | 195 | 933 | 264 | .317 | .388 | .462 |
Here it is folks! The brass tax... numbers can't lie, they don't know how. With these numbers, brought to us by http://espn.go.com/, it's clear that Jeter has the better numbers. In 2007, Jeter dominated the numbers comparison in offense. With the 2007 comparison out there in the open, lets discuss careers. Now Jeter has played 13 seasons to Reyes' 5, so we'll only compare through 5 years. For easy comparison, I've put the totals for Jeter right under the career line of Reyes. The numbers are there... take a look. Jeter through 5 years had a better offensive career by the numbers. In case any of you Mets fans out there are now turning to the, "Reyes is a better defensive SS than Jeter" I would like to point out that they have an identical fielding percentage at .975. Additionally, Derek Jeter has won 3 A.L. Gold Gloves at SS ('04, '05, '06). To my knowledge, Reyes can claim zero Gold Glove awards. On top of all that statistical evidence, Derek Jeter has 4 World Championship Rings, and a World Series MVP award.
That MVP in the World Series was in 2000... if you're a Met fan, you know all too well how great Jeter is in the clutch. This award brings me to my next, and perhaps the most important point I have on this topic. Jeter is one of, if not the best clutch performer in baseball/sports history. I understand that this is a bold claim, but I would put Jeter on the same plain as the great Michael Jordan. I think it's at least safe to say that there is no one Boston wants at the plate less in a big situation than the Captain... I would consider that the highest of compliments. Derek Jeter has something that can never be measured on paper like a batting average... intangibles. This is where he separates himself from everyone else in baseball, including Jose Reyes.
Not only is Derek Jeter the better player when it comes to the numbers, but he has something that can't be taught, and can't be learned. He has one of the best baseball mind's in the history of the game. He's a leader, a champion, and he's the most heads-up, clutch performer of his generation. There is no comparison here... Derek Jeter is a better baseball player than Jose Reyes.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Results Are In!
I would like to thank everyone who took a moment to participate in my most recent poll! The question was simply, "Which Joe will have a better first season?" This was in reference to former Yankees' manager Joe Torre, who recently took over the helm for the Dodgers, and of course, new Yankees' manager Joe Girardi.
I believe that the Yankees are a better team than the Dodgers so its hard to say Torre will have the better season. On the other hand, however, the Yankees play in a much more talented division, in the tougher league. Not to mention all the scrutiny that will hang over Girardi and the Yankees if everything doesn't go well out of the gate.
The results are in, the blog readers have spoken! It appears that the majority (and a very slight majority) of you that voted agree with me and feel that Joe G. will have a better first season than Joe T. Thanks for voting, thanks for reading, and keep an eye out for the new poll!
I believe that the Yankees are a better team than the Dodgers so its hard to say Torre will have the better season. On the other hand, however, the Yankees play in a much more talented division, in the tougher league. Not to mention all the scrutiny that will hang over Girardi and the Yankees if everything doesn't go well out of the gate.
The results are in, the blog readers have spoken! It appears that the majority (and a very slight majority) of you that voted agree with me and feel that Joe G. will have a better first season than Joe T. Thanks for voting, thanks for reading, and keep an eye out for the new poll!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Mets vs. Mariners: Which Team Will Have A Bigger Impact In '08?
Hello again readers, and welcome to my latest post!
It's been a very interesting offseason since October's disappointing finale. Usually, the offseason turns into an arms race between the Yankees and the Red Sox. However, baseball's "Cold War," if you will, has been surprisingly uneventful. A few signings here and there for non-impact players by both teams but nothing much beyond that. It appeared for a while as if one of the two would land lefty-ace Johan Santana, but neither team could strike a deal. These two A.L. East rivals seem to be happy with what they've got, leaving the door wide open for other teams to make big moves.
Aside from maybe the Detroit Tigers, who acquired P Dontrelle Willis and 3B Miguel Cabrera from FLA, the two biggest winners this offseason have been the Yankees' cross-town rival New York Mets, and Seattle Mariners. The Mets made one of the biggest deals in recent memory, snagging 2-time Cy Young Award winner, Johan Santana in exchange for what amounts to be their entire minor league system. I for one believe the Mets made a great deal. In a much more quiet deal, the Seattle Mariners added a young, dominant lefty ace of their own in Erik Bedard. In order to get him, the Mariners had to give up a load of minor league talent just like the Mets (moral of the story here: the Yankees have always had it right - winning has a price). On a very interesting side note, these two lefties pitched against each other on opening day of 2007. Any way you look at this offseason, the Mets and Mariners have set themselves up for a very promising '08.
But the question still remains; which team will have the bigger impact? In 2008, I think the Mets will have a bigger impact than the Mariners. Playing in the weak-hitting National League is advantage number one. Johan Santana has built his career by dominating the power-packed lineups in the A.L for years. There is no reason to believe that Santana's numbers will do anything but improve (I know, a very scary thought). In my estimation, the Mets are now in position to be the best team in the N.L. Falling very short of their expectations in '07, the Mets have reloaded, and reloaded big time. I challenge any team in the N.L to stop them from getting to the World Series in '08.
That being said, I still believe that the Mariners will have a big impact this season. I just don't see them being a contender for the A.L. pennant... yet. Seattle now has one of the premier pitching rotations in all of baseball, but they are a little young, and for the most part a little inexperienced. But, there is potential Seattle's new look pitching staff, led by Bedard to have a monster season. Bedard, King Felix, and Jarrod Washburn provide a very solid core. If Felix Hernandez can come of age, with Bedard and Washburn providing the consistency every pitching staff needs, not mention one of the game's better closers in J.J. Putz, its safe to say that the 2008 Seattle Mariners are the front-runner for the A.L. West crown. For now, I figure the M's will show signs of how good they'll be in the future, maybe even win their division, but I don't see them making a splash as large as the Mets this season.
So... what does this all mean in the world of the New York Yankees? Well there are a lot of things to consider here. First things first... the major fire power that has moved this offseason is not in the A.L. East. Santana could have easily joined forces with Boston, a nightmare I'm glad didn't come true. The way I see it, the Yankees are now better off. Not having to face Erik Bedard as often is a big plus. As far as the playoffs go, everyone knows that one or two losses can decide everything. The Yanks are set to play the Orioles 19 times in 2008's regular season, and I sure am glad Erik Bedard won't be starting any of those games. The lack of these two ace left-handers in the A.L. east is nothing but a positive for the Bombers. With all the moves that have gone on this offseason, 2008 should be a great season... let's just hope the Yankees close the House that Ruth Built in style.
For more big news and baseball transaction updates please check out http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/index
It's been a very interesting offseason since October's disappointing finale. Usually, the offseason turns into an arms race between the Yankees and the Red Sox. However, baseball's "Cold War," if you will, has been surprisingly uneventful. A few signings here and there for non-impact players by both teams but nothing much beyond that. It appeared for a while as if one of the two would land lefty-ace Johan Santana, but neither team could strike a deal. These two A.L. East rivals seem to be happy with what they've got, leaving the door wide open for other teams to make big moves.
Aside from maybe the Detroit Tigers, who acquired P Dontrelle Willis and 3B Miguel Cabrera from FLA, the two biggest winners this offseason have been the Yankees' cross-town rival New York Mets, and Seattle Mariners. The Mets made one of the biggest deals in recent memory, snagging 2-time Cy Young Award winner, Johan Santana in exchange for what amounts to be their entire minor league system. I for one believe the Mets made a great deal. In a much more quiet deal, the Seattle Mariners added a young, dominant lefty ace of their own in Erik Bedard. In order to get him, the Mariners had to give up a load of minor league talent just like the Mets (moral of the story here: the Yankees have always had it right - winning has a price). On a very interesting side note, these two lefties pitched against each other on opening day of 2007. Any way you look at this offseason, the Mets and Mariners have set themselves up for a very promising '08.
But the question still remains; which team will have the bigger impact? In 2008, I think the Mets will have a bigger impact than the Mariners. Playing in the weak-hitting National League is advantage number one. Johan Santana has built his career by dominating the power-packed lineups in the A.L for years. There is no reason to believe that Santana's numbers will do anything but improve (I know, a very scary thought). In my estimation, the Mets are now in position to be the best team in the N.L. Falling very short of their expectations in '07, the Mets have reloaded, and reloaded big time. I challenge any team in the N.L to stop them from getting to the World Series in '08.
That being said, I still believe that the Mariners will have a big impact this season. I just don't see them being a contender for the A.L. pennant... yet. Seattle now has one of the premier pitching rotations in all of baseball, but they are a little young, and for the most part a little inexperienced. But, there is potential Seattle's new look pitching staff, led by Bedard to have a monster season. Bedard, King Felix, and Jarrod Washburn provide a very solid core. If Felix Hernandez can come of age, with Bedard and Washburn providing the consistency every pitching staff needs, not mention one of the game's better closers in J.J. Putz, its safe to say that the 2008 Seattle Mariners are the front-runner for the A.L. West crown. For now, I figure the M's will show signs of how good they'll be in the future, maybe even win their division, but I don't see them making a splash as large as the Mets this season.
So... what does this all mean in the world of the New York Yankees? Well there are a lot of things to consider here. First things first... the major fire power that has moved this offseason is not in the A.L. East. Santana could have easily joined forces with Boston, a nightmare I'm glad didn't come true. The way I see it, the Yankees are now better off. Not having to face Erik Bedard as often is a big plus. As far as the playoffs go, everyone knows that one or two losses can decide everything. The Yanks are set to play the Orioles 19 times in 2008's regular season, and I sure am glad Erik Bedard won't be starting any of those games. The lack of these two ace left-handers in the A.L. east is nothing but a positive for the Bombers. With all the moves that have gone on this offseason, 2008 should be a great season... let's just hope the Yankees close the House that Ruth Built in style.
For more big news and baseball transaction updates please check out http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/index
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Yankees Products
Products are among the most important elements of today's society. Products are everywhere... you can see them being advertised on television, you can read about them in magazines, you can listen to commercials about them on the radio, and you can find any product in the world on the internet. Let's face it... products are everywhere.
In my time being old enough to appreciate products, I have come across both good and bad products. I really enjoy the satisfaction I get from good products, and no one has better products that the New York Yankees. The Yankees have a countless supply of memorabilia and merchandise, and their fans support these products proudly (especially this fan).
Check out all of your New York Yankees' products @ the Yankees Store Online!
To learn more about products, please read this great article about the effectiveness of products in marketing: Products Article
In my time being old enough to appreciate products, I have come across both good and bad products. I really enjoy the satisfaction I get from good products, and no one has better products that the New York Yankees. The Yankees have a countless supply of memorabilia and merchandise, and their fans support these products proudly (especially this fan).
Check out all of your New York Yankees' products @ the Yankees Store Online!
To learn more about products, please read this great article about the effectiveness of products in marketing: Products Article
The Super Bowl - What It Meant For Sports
Hello again readers, and thank you for coming back for more!
Well, what a week of sports it has been. Let me start first by saying "YYYAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" There, its out of my system... until tomorrow. This scream of joy is for the magnificent victory of the New York Football GIANTS in the Super Bowl! For those of you wondering why a blog devoted to the Yankees is starting off with a celebration for the Giants... I assure you, its relevant. First off, the Super Bowl was far and away the biggest event that happened in the past week of sports (as made clear by it being the most-viewed Bowl of all-time), and second of all this was not just a football game... for me, this was NY putting it's foot down and putting a very sudden halt to New England's domination of pro sports.
I believe that the courageous, gutsy, hard-fought, inspiring, heart-filled, emotional effort put fourth by the G-Men is exactly what everyone needed to see. A breath of fresh air for all of sports. In 2007, the Red Sox won the World Series, the Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, and the Patriots completed an undefeated regular season. All systems go for New England... right?? That was then - this is now. The new year has proven one thing, that 2007 is over and done with, and for this blogger, hopefully it will end the reign of New England's supremacy in sports. So far, NY is off to a great start... crumbling perhaps the strongest link in the chain. The mighty Patriots have fallen, as have the hopes for a perfect championship season, and the arrogance of a region. It is no secret that the New England area is proud of their teams, but the recent success of 2007 had brought on this tremendously pompous attitude. One where a professional NE sports team was going to win, no matter what, no questions asked.
This attitude was torn apart, quickly bringing around the old emotions of NE sports fans once again: depression, confusion, and misery. This was a spitting image of those days when everything looked so promising, but always ended in disaster. Quite frankly, this was a change in the tide... and this is where the Super Bowl relates to the Yankees.
Being the die-hard Yankee fan that I am, I could never admit this truth... until now. I not only felt the swagger of NE's teams, but realized that their confidence was truly intimidating many teams in the NFL, MLB, and NBA. I have played my fair share of sports in my life, and I know that confidence is one monster competitive edge when it comes to athletics. The team that isn't afraid to do something great, usually ends up on top. Finally, NY is back to being the area that isn't afraid to do something great! It isn't just about the Giants, its what the Giants' victory over the Patriots signified... we won't be pushed around any longer. Sooner or later everything must come to an end. For NY and the rest of sports, NE's dominance is what needed to end. Thankfully, the Giants were there to end it sooner rather than later. Just as NE seemed to build confidence as a region, NY has now not only eliminated their confidence, but has re-established our own. I obviously can't say for sure that the Yankees will return to their winning ways in '08, but I can say for sure, that the momentum that has now completely shifted to NY's corner will carry over into the Bronx.
For those of you readers familiar with the Will Smith movie, "Independence Day", I would like to provide an analogy for you. NE's professional sports teams had suddenly positioned itself over the rest of the sports world. NE had become the dark cloud cast by the gigantic alien ship. Seemingly no one under the shadow could come up with a solution... no one could come up with the right plan to stop these teams. Time went on and the teams got stronger, shooting down doubters and beating down anyone who got in their way. It was approaching the final hour... The aliens were about to crush the final tactics of the human race, and the Patriots (and the NE region) were about to become the greatest team of all time. With the perfect football team, the World Champions of Baseball, and one of the best 3-man teams basketball has ever seen... there would be no turning back. And right on the brink of the unthinkable disaster... the saving grace emerges. With the U.S. military out of missiles in their last battle, and all of the pressure of the entire sports world squarely on the shoulders of the Giants (of all teams), it looked very grim. But out of nowhere, "Russell Casse" (played by Randy Quaid) and Eli Manning save the day! I apologize if you haven't seen the movie, but try to imagine it. Within moments of complete failure, the Giants and the world triumph... the massive dark cloud falls from the sky.
A little dramatic I know... but hey, so was the Giants game-winning drive! This is a new year, but it has brought back an old friend of New York... a championship! With this championship comes a surge of momentum, and a return to a winning attitude. 'Bout time.
Thank you for reading, and remember to comment. I know you can't read this and not have something to say to me. Disagree, agree, love me, hate me... let me have it. I want to hear what you think.
For those of you who have not seen "Independence Day", I highly recommend it. A story that is truly as inspiring as the Giants themselves. Read reviews, the synopsis and check out the cast @ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116629/.
Well, what a week of sports it has been. Let me start first by saying "YYYAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" There, its out of my system... until tomorrow. This scream of joy is for the magnificent victory of the New York Football GIANTS in the Super Bowl! For those of you wondering why a blog devoted to the Yankees is starting off with a celebration for the Giants... I assure you, its relevant. First off, the Super Bowl was far and away the biggest event that happened in the past week of sports (as made clear by it being the most-viewed Bowl of all-time), and second of all this was not just a football game... for me, this was NY putting it's foot down and putting a very sudden halt to New England's domination of pro sports.
I believe that the courageous, gutsy, hard-fought, inspiring, heart-filled, emotional effort put fourth by the G-Men is exactly what everyone needed to see. A breath of fresh air for all of sports. In 2007, the Red Sox won the World Series, the Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, and the Patriots completed an undefeated regular season. All systems go for New England... right?? That was then - this is now. The new year has proven one thing, that 2007 is over and done with, and for this blogger, hopefully it will end the reign of New England's supremacy in sports. So far, NY is off to a great start... crumbling perhaps the strongest link in the chain. The mighty Patriots have fallen, as have the hopes for a perfect championship season, and the arrogance of a region. It is no secret that the New England area is proud of their teams, but the recent success of 2007 had brought on this tremendously pompous attitude. One where a professional NE sports team was going to win, no matter what, no questions asked.
This attitude was torn apart, quickly bringing around the old emotions of NE sports fans once again: depression, confusion, and misery. This was a spitting image of those days when everything looked so promising, but always ended in disaster. Quite frankly, this was a change in the tide... and this is where the Super Bowl relates to the Yankees.
Being the die-hard Yankee fan that I am, I could never admit this truth... until now. I not only felt the swagger of NE's teams, but realized that their confidence was truly intimidating many teams in the NFL, MLB, and NBA. I have played my fair share of sports in my life, and I know that confidence is one monster competitive edge when it comes to athletics. The team that isn't afraid to do something great, usually ends up on top. Finally, NY is back to being the area that isn't afraid to do something great! It isn't just about the Giants, its what the Giants' victory over the Patriots signified... we won't be pushed around any longer. Sooner or later everything must come to an end. For NY and the rest of sports, NE's dominance is what needed to end. Thankfully, the Giants were there to end it sooner rather than later. Just as NE seemed to build confidence as a region, NY has now not only eliminated their confidence, but has re-established our own. I obviously can't say for sure that the Yankees will return to their winning ways in '08, but I can say for sure, that the momentum that has now completely shifted to NY's corner will carry over into the Bronx.
For those of you readers familiar with the Will Smith movie, "Independence Day", I would like to provide an analogy for you. NE's professional sports teams had suddenly positioned itself over the rest of the sports world. NE had become the dark cloud cast by the gigantic alien ship. Seemingly no one under the shadow could come up with a solution... no one could come up with the right plan to stop these teams. Time went on and the teams got stronger, shooting down doubters and beating down anyone who got in their way. It was approaching the final hour... The aliens were about to crush the final tactics of the human race, and the Patriots (and the NE region) were about to become the greatest team of all time. With the perfect football team, the World Champions of Baseball, and one of the best 3-man teams basketball has ever seen... there would be no turning back. And right on the brink of the unthinkable disaster... the saving grace emerges. With the U.S. military out of missiles in their last battle, and all of the pressure of the entire sports world squarely on the shoulders of the Giants (of all teams), it looked very grim. But out of nowhere, "Russell Casse" (played by Randy Quaid) and Eli Manning save the day! I apologize if you haven't seen the movie, but try to imagine it. Within moments of complete failure, the Giants and the world triumph... the massive dark cloud falls from the sky.
A little dramatic I know... but hey, so was the Giants game-winning drive! This is a new year, but it has brought back an old friend of New York... a championship! With this championship comes a surge of momentum, and a return to a winning attitude. 'Bout time.
Thank you for reading, and remember to comment. I know you can't read this and not have something to say to me. Disagree, agree, love me, hate me... let me have it. I want to hear what you think.
For those of you who have not seen "Independence Day", I highly recommend it. A story that is truly as inspiring as the Giants themselves. Read reviews, the synopsis and check out the cast @ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116629/.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Welcome to BronxBombers08!
I know the Super Bowl is right around the corner, and there are no bigger Giants fans than me. But that doesn't mean I forgot about the Yankees.
As I'm sure you already know, the Yanks have been involved in trade talks with the Minnesota Twins over the past several months. The centerpiece of these trade talks was ace left-handed pitcher, (one of the best of this generation, or any generation) Johan Santana. Santana consistently ranks among the best of major league pitchers in statistics such as Strikeouts, Innings Pitched, Wins, and Quality Starts. Santana, at 28 years of age, has already made himself a viable candidate for the Hall of Fame when he hangs 'em up.
Acquiring a pitcher of this caliber would have launched the Yankees right back to being a World Series favorite for 2008. So the question is, why couldn't they reach an agreement? The answer is simple... the Twins were too greedy! You see, the biggest rival of the Yankees (the Red Sox of course) was well aware of what it would mean to add a pitcher like Santana to their roster. So they threw their name into the trade talks with the Twins as well. Some speculate that this move was just a ploy to get the Yankees to have to increase their offer, but that will remain unknown. So the Yankees and the Red Sox seemingly had set themselves up for a bidding war for the Twins star. The mistake the Twins never realized they could make, was waiting too long to pull the trigger on a deal. Both the Yankees and the Red Sox offered incredible amounts of proven MLB talent to the twins, but Minnesota kept holding off on making a deal, believing that they could squeeze more out of one of the teams. Sorry, but that ended up costing them quite a bit.
Both the Yankees and the Red Sox backed away from the superstar pitcher and left the Twins with only one place to turn... the unlikely New York Mets. The Mets unloaded a bunch of minor league prospects in the 11th hour of Minnesota's declared deadline for trading Santana. With that offer now being the only one on the table, the Mets flat out stole a potential Hall of Fame pitcher. Good for them, now they have been projected as a World Series favorite to represent the National League. But between you and I, I still think they're a second rate organization that will probably fall short of their potential. But we'll save that for another post.
So the Yankees off-season negotiations with the Twins didn't work out. Some might be upset by that news, but consider this... The Yanks would've lost at least two up and coming stars in this deal. You never know, sometimes the best deals are the ones you never make.
Thanks for reading my first ever blog! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had rambling on about the team I love! You're always welcome (provided you aren't a Red Sox fan... jk) and I hope you check this out next week.
Go Giants!!! Coming Soon: Go Yanks!!!
To learn more about the New York Yankees and just how great of a franchise they really are please visit:
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nyy
As I'm sure you already know, the Yanks have been involved in trade talks with the Minnesota Twins over the past several months. The centerpiece of these trade talks was ace left-handed pitcher, (one of the best of this generation, or any generation) Johan Santana. Santana consistently ranks among the best of major league pitchers in statistics such as Strikeouts, Innings Pitched, Wins, and Quality Starts. Santana, at 28 years of age, has already made himself a viable candidate for the Hall of Fame when he hangs 'em up.
Acquiring a pitcher of this caliber would have launched the Yankees right back to being a World Series favorite for 2008. So the question is, why couldn't they reach an agreement? The answer is simple... the Twins were too greedy! You see, the biggest rival of the Yankees (the Red Sox of course) was well aware of what it would mean to add a pitcher like Santana to their roster. So they threw their name into the trade talks with the Twins as well. Some speculate that this move was just a ploy to get the Yankees to have to increase their offer, but that will remain unknown. So the Yankees and the Red Sox seemingly had set themselves up for a bidding war for the Twins star. The mistake the Twins never realized they could make, was waiting too long to pull the trigger on a deal. Both the Yankees and the Red Sox offered incredible amounts of proven MLB talent to the twins, but Minnesota kept holding off on making a deal, believing that they could squeeze more out of one of the teams. Sorry, but that ended up costing them quite a bit.
Both the Yankees and the Red Sox backed away from the superstar pitcher and left the Twins with only one place to turn... the unlikely New York Mets. The Mets unloaded a bunch of minor league prospects in the 11th hour of Minnesota's declared deadline for trading Santana. With that offer now being the only one on the table, the Mets flat out stole a potential Hall of Fame pitcher. Good for them, now they have been projected as a World Series favorite to represent the National League. But between you and I, I still think they're a second rate organization that will probably fall short of their potential. But we'll save that for another post.
So the Yankees off-season negotiations with the Twins didn't work out. Some might be upset by that news, but consider this... The Yanks would've lost at least two up and coming stars in this deal. You never know, sometimes the best deals are the ones you never make.
Thanks for reading my first ever blog! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had rambling on about the team I love! You're always welcome (provided you aren't a Red Sox fan... jk) and I hope you check this out next week.
Go Giants!!! Coming Soon: Go Yanks!!!
To learn more about the New York Yankees and just how great of a franchise they really are please visit:
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nyy
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