Blog Archives

Good thing there are still some low-budget, no-frills greasy spoons left in this town.

Ask Bags, he knows.

Check out Joe Posnanski’s appreciation of Miguel Cabrera over at Sports on Earth. Cabrera is in the running for the American League MVP. I don’t think he’s the best player in the league–and I generally feel the best player is the most valuable–because when you factor in base running and defense, Mike Trout is his superior.

But I think Cabrera will win the award (see 1996, Juan Gonzalez over Alex Rodriguez). He’s got the RBI and he’s been great for a long time now. This will like when Paul Newman won the Best Actor Oscar for The Color of Money, a lifetime achievement award. And even if you believe Trout is the MVP, you could do worse than Cabrera.

Whether he’s your MVP or not, he sure is a Load.

[Photo Credit: Robin Buckson/Detroit News]

From the constantly entertaining site, Laughing Squid.

Get healthy and head on over to Food 52 for Edward Giobbi’s spaghetti ala foriana.

What, me worry?

[Image Via This Isn’t Happiness]

“Peasant Burning Weeds,” By Vincent Van Gogh (1883)

A lost interview with Ali, found.

The Yankee offense was nowhere to be found again tonight. They stole seven bases yet scored two lousy runs. Fortunately, the Jays only scored one as the Yanks took the second game of today’s double header. Ichiro followed up his three hits this afternoon with four more tonight, including the biggest hit of the game, a single that was slapped to left field with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Oh, yeah, he also swiped four bases in his finest day in pinstripes.

For most of the game, his performance, and an admirable job by David Phelps–as well as scoreless work from the Yankee bullpen (Logan, Eppley, Soriano)–was overshadowed by the Yankees’ inability to score runs. Alex Rodriguez had an awful night and was booed with vigor after his third strike out. His teammates didn’t receive the same rude treatment but they weren’t much better.

But none of that will be remembered. David Phelps was a star tonight–he retired 12 straight at one point–but Ichiro was the hero.

And we go to bed Heppy Kets, pulling hard for King Felix.

Final Score: Yanks 2, Jays 1.

[Photo Credit: Drew McKenzie, Sportspress Northwest]

One is never enough, especially now. But the Yanks are going to need a delivery from the Score Truck tonightski.

Pile it high and deep, boys.

Never mind the scoreboard-watching: Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Via: Pug King]

The Yanks won another nail-biter this afternoon, the one, 4-2. They scored three runs in the first and then were shut down by Henderson Alvarez. Meanwhile, Andy Pettitte had more than a little rust on him but worked out of three jams and pitched five scoreless innings.

Ichiro had a big day for the Yanks with three hits and Nick Swisher had a huge RBI base hit in the eighth. It was critical because the game almost slipped away in the top of the inning. The Jays greeted Dave Robertson with three straight hits (double, single, single) and after a strike out, Omar Vizquel hit a double that put runners on second and third, score, 3-2. One out.

Then Robertson got another strike out–killing us softly in the process–before being lifted for Rafael Soriano.

Who walked the number nine hitter to load the bases. Yeah, it was one of those. He got Raja Davis to line out and after the insurance run worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save. He earned this one.

No style points on this one, plenty of sweaty moments for us, but I ain’t complaining as the win is the thing.

[Photo Credit: Story Road; Jason Szenes/Getty Images]

It’s return of Andy Pettitte this afternoon. Tonight gives Dave Phelps.

Yanks are going to need to score runs and plenty of them. Let’s make this long day of baseball a good one, fellas.

Ichiro Suzuki LF
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Eric Chavez 3B
Raul Ibanez RF
Eduardo Nunez SS

Never mind the nonsense: Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Via: Gruesome Twosome]

Brett Gardner is set to return to the Yankees as a pinch-runner. Daniel Barbarisi has the story in the Wall Street Journal:

It has been eight weeks since the surgery, and Gardner says he feels normal. But he only swung a bat for the first time Tuesday, and is nowhere near being ready to hit, which the .265 career hitter said isn’t such a big deal.

“Obviously I have to be able to swing a bat,” Gardner said. “Somebody joked with me, I think it was one of my buddies down in Tampa. They said, ‘What can you not do?’ I said I can’t hit. They said ‘What’s changed?'”

So for now, he’ll try to salvage his season with his best tools: his legs, and his glove, filling a September role usually reserved for minor leaguers with great legs and weak bats. Instead, manager Joe Girardi will have a veteran to deploy.

“He can play defense if we needed him to play some defense,” Girardi said. “He’s not going to be able to hit, but you have enough guys on your bench that if his spot came up in a crazy game, you could do something.”

[Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images]

Art in a book. Katharina Gaenssler via This Isn’t Happiness.

Sometimes I look up at the Empire State Building and am filled with pride. Being a New Yorker is dope.

[Photo Credit: Adriano Neves]

David Lebovitz makes a meatball sandwich.

Two for Toozday.

[Photo by Burt Glinn via Je Suis Perdu]

We’ve had a few chilly mornings in New York but today was the first one where I smelled the fall. The streets of the Bronx are littered with fallen branches from last night’s storml.  The sun is out and it is clear and bright.

The Orioles continued their miracle season last night beating the Mariners 4-2 in 18 innings. That’s right, 18 innings. As irritating as that news is for us Yankee fans, it’s also hard not to be impressed.

Yanks play two today and have to win ’em both.

We’ll be watching.

[Photo Credit: Alex Trautwig/Getty Images]

Tonight gives the return of Andy Pettitte. It also brings a rain storm that’s supposed to be something fierce. They might not get this game in which would mean a double header tomorrow I suppose.

If they play tonight, we’ll be root-root-rootin’ for the home team.

Never mind twister: Let’s Go Yank-ees!

UPDATE: It’s been cancelled. They’ll play two tomorrow. First game at 1:05.

[Photo Via: Art Deco Architecture;  My Philosophy]

Sad news to report. Steve Sabol has died. He was 69. To me, NFL Films is the best thing that ever happened to pro football.

Here is a terrific piece on Sabol by Rich Cohen over at the Atlantic.

Sabol will be missed.

A British friend of my mother’s once clipped out an article on the British food shop Myers of Keswick that appeared in Parade Magazine. Must have be in the mid-’80s. It was a home away from home for my mom’s friend and for years it was the only place I could find HP or Daddies sauce here in New York.

It’s still here–which is no small achievement–and worth a visit. Check out the Serious Eats tour.

[Photo Credit: Off the Broiler]