Blog Archives

“We can’t make it a habit of falling behind and trying to score four or five runs off other team’s closers,” Jeter said. “But just because we lost doesn’t mean there was a letdown.”

…”This is the time we’re going to need to make a charge,” said Johnny Damon, who snapped an 0-for-15 slump with an infield single in the ninth. “Last night was huge for us. It just stinks right now. We know we’re going to play better in June.”
(Kepner, N.Y. Times)

So much for momentum. The Yankees were listless on Monday night in Chicago. Matt DeSalvo, who is not ready for prime time, didn’t make it out of the second inning–fielding mistakes by Alex Rodriguez, and especially, Josh Phelps–helped his early exist. Chicago’s Jon Garland was not sharp in the early innings but the Yankees didn’t do much about it. Garland settled down and his pitches got tougher as the game went on. Ron Villone gave up a two-run dinger to Jim Thome, and Chris Britton–who pitched well–served up a solo shot to Paul Konerko. By the time the Yankees staged a rally in the ninth inning, it was too late, and they lost, 6-4.

It was a game that had me grumbling to myself all evening. One step forward, one step back, that’s the way the Yankees roll this year. About the only good news came late, as the A’s beat the Red Sox in extra innings.

Hey, at least Tyler Clippard is on the hill tonight…more grumbling. Derek Jeter is banged-up and slumping a bit, Johnny Damon is 4-for-his-last-29, and Joe Torre would like to give Rodriguez a breather. Bobby Abreu, however, is starting to improve offensively and Robinson Cano is stinging the ball again.

Finally, on a sad note, ex-Yankee Clete Boyer died yesterday. Boyer was one of the great defensive third basemen of them all. He was overshadowed by Brooks Robinson, but for those who played with him, he was nothing short of great.

…to say, wow, LeBron James is the MAN. Dude scored 48 points in the Cavs’ double overtime win last night against the Pistons. The Cavs now hold a 3-2 series lead. More than that, James, still just 22, scored the final 25 points for his team, on a wide variety of shots–dunks (oh, do the Pistons miss Big Ben now, or what?), and impossible three-pointers. The game reminded me of that classic Isiah Thomas performance against the Lakers. Dag, it was stunning. I really hope the Cavs find a way to close it out and reach the Finals. That would be dope.

Okay, just couldn’t help myself. Now back to baseball.

The Yanks will be without Jason Giambi for at least a minute, but possibly for the entire season. According to George King in the Post:

Giambi was diagnosed with a partially torn plantar fascia tendon on the bottom of the left foot, was immediately put in a walking boot and will be placed on the disabled list before tonight’s game. While he will be re-evaluated in three weeks by Dr. William Hamilton, who examined Giambi yesterday in New York, it’s usually a three-to-six-month process according to medical sources. Surgery is an option, but not one that is routinely used to release the tendon. Mark McGwire required surgery to fix the same problem.

If surgery isn’t done and the healing process takes three months, that would get Giambi out of the boot at the beginning of September. After that much time off and no minor league games to play in, it’s not realistic that the 36-year-old Giambi could bounce back in time. If it’s any longer than three months, Giambi is definitely finished for this season.

Uh…drat.

The Yanks won and the Sox lost last night. I know it’s my birthday tomorrow but I didn’t know it was a holiday (okay, it wasn’t all good, see the latest on Phil Hughes). The Yanks scored early–Johnny Damon led off the game with a home run and later collected the 2,000 hit of his career–and late, and Alex Rodriguez was in the middle of a controversial play, what the Blue Jays later called “a bush league play.”

According to the Times:

The Yankees were leading the Toronto Blue Jays by two runs in an eventual 10-5 victory when Jorge Posada lifted a lazy fly ball to third base with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. Third baseman Howie Clark camped under it, but he backed off just after Rodriguez ran slowly past him.

Rodriguez said he shouted “Ha” as he passed Clark, who was fooled into thinking that the shortstop, John McDonald, had called for the ball. When Clark backed away, the ball dropped safely onto the turf for a run-scoring single.

Jason Giambi followed with a single scoring two more runs and that was the game. It was a much-needed win for New York (Mariano Rivera got four outs to record the save), but after the game, Rodriguez, who made the front and back cover of the Daily News today for very different reasons, was the topic of conversation. Matt Stairs called it a “horsesh**t” play; the Blue Jays manager said it was not the way the Yankees play baseball.

It was a high school play, all-schoolyard, for sure. But the Jays are upset because they allowed such a thing to happen in the first place. Howie Clark, the third baseman, was playing in his first big league game of the year.

Mike Vaccarro hit the nail on the head in the Post this morning:

Put it this way: If Pete Rose did this, men would write poems about grittiness, paeans to aggressiveness. But with A-Rod, it rubs opponents the wrong way.

Put it another way: the next time the Yankees face the Blue Jays, the next time A-Rod steps in against A.J. Burnett or Roy Halladay, he may want to wear two batting helmets.

But as Leo Durocher once wrote:

If a man is sliding into second base and the ball goes into center field, what’s the matter with falling on him accidentally so that he can’t get up and go to third? If you get away with it, fine. If you don’t, what have you lost? I don’t call that cheating; I call that heads-up baseball. Win any way you can as long as you can get away with it.

Let’s give Emma Span the final word this morning:

Personally, I get a kick out this stuff. Dirty plays that might get someone hurt are dangerous, and no fun to watch; but as far as I’m concerned, anything and everything goes when messing with your opponent’s head. After McDonald and Clark and even Gibbons finished barking at him, A-Rod stood at third clearly trying to suppress a grin, and not quite succeeding. Ha! Matsui scored on the play, and The Yanks went on to win 10-5.

…Look, I wish I could offer more lofty sentiments, but let’s be honest. At this point in the Yankees’ season, if getting an actual win requires A-Rod to screw thirteen transvestite prostitutes, on a pile of corked bats, in front of Babe Ruth’s plaque in Monument Park? Fine.

The Yanks are going to put a beatin’ on someone one of these days. Why not tonight?

The Yankees held a closed-door meeting for close to an hour last night before they were shut-down by the Jays, 7-2. The Red Sox won again, and the Bombers are now tied for last place with the Devil Rays, thirteen-and-a-half out.

Roger Clemens pitched well in Scranton last night and appears headed for Fenway Park this weekend. Too little too late? Oh, how Sox fans must be licking their collective chops at a chance to bury the dead this weekend.

The first man Mike Mussina walked on Sunday afternoon was also the last batter he faced. With one man out in the seventh inning, Joe Torre relieved Mussina with the Yankees holding a 2-1 lead. Scott Proctor quickly gave up a double and then walked three consecutive men as more than 50,000 Yankee fans sat on their hands, helplessly. The Angels ended the inning leading 4-2 one just one hit. When Torre came to get Proctor after the third walk, the Yankee manager was showered with boos from the Stadium crowd, whose frustration had boiled over.

The Bombers staged a rally in the ninth against K-Rod and for the second straight day they came up just short. Rodriguez got Jeter to fly out to center field to end the game. Final: Angels 4, Yanks 3. A fine effort from Mussina spoiled. The Yankee offense was terrible. Jason Giambi is slumping so badly he’s practically giving away at bats (he’s 4-for his last-44). Oh, and John Lackey showed why he’s a tough, big-game pitcher. He goes right after hitters and is as good as he is ugly.

Hey, and what do you know, the Red Sox won for a change. New York is now 12.5 back. Only fantastic memories of 1978 are keeping hope alive for Yankee fans now. However, this Yankee team is looking more like the 1979 vintage. They didn’t give up yesterday, but it seems as if these guys are down 2-0 before the first pitch is thrown these days. Still some time left, but they’ve got to play .600+ ball for the rest of the season. Oy.

Chien-Ming Wang had a rough first inning. His pitches were up, his control was off and the Angels scored three runs. He was terrific over the next seven innings. The Angels didn’t score again, but wouldn’t ya know it, they already had more than enough to beat the Yanks, 3-1. Kelvim Escobar, and then the dynamic duo of Shields and Rodriguez were in fine form, the Yankee offense left 758 runners on base, and New York finished the day 11.5 behind Boston, who won again.

The Bombers staged a two-out rally in the ninth but Bobby Abreu struck out looking to end the game. The final pitch was not close to a strike, but the Yankees can’t complain about a poor call spoiling the game, although they did anyway. According to Anthony McCarron in the News:

“The sad part about it is that you stand there at home plate and take strike three and it’s in the other batter’s box,” Torre said of home plate umpire Jeff Nelson’s call. “We’d like to at least be able to determine our own fate. There’s no excuse for it and then (Nelson) has the nerve to argue back at Abreu.”

…”I’m not saying (Nelson) cost us the game,” Torre said. “The next pitch, he may have popped up. I’m saying I’d like to have that 27th out. That’s why the game is what it is. I just don’t think it was there for us because he never had a chance to swing at the pitch.

“And I’m not saying we don’t swing at pitches over our heads or in the dirt, okay? I’m not one to go harp on umpires, that’s part of the game, but this just got me because it was the end of the ballgame with two men on base and at least you want to give your hitter a chance to swing at a pitch.”

As frustrating as the ending was–and I came close to throwing and breaking something—the fact of the matter is the Yankees simply did not hit. No excuses, they did not hit. And the Angels did what they do best: beat the Yankees.

The Angels were in town to beat the Yankees about the face and neck once again. The Yanks should just say, “Thank you sir, may I have another?” when they play these dudes. Jared Weaver wasn’t great, but it didn’t matter because the Yankee pitchers were far worse. So the Angels did what they normally do against New York–they smacked the ball around the field, ran around the bases, and flashed some leather (Orlando Cabrera robbed Alex Rodriguez of a hit and an RBI and first basemen Casey Kotchman was nothing short of outstanding). 10-6 was the final, but it wasn’t even that close. The Bombers fell another game behind Boston who beat the Rangers last night.

Johnny Damon looked terrible in center field and left the game early with cramps in his calves. Damon is not in the line-up this afternoon.

Meanwhile for the first time in a long time, The Boss speaks, un-cut.

As for today’s game, no better time than the present for the Yanks to turn their luck around against the Angels. I’ve got faith. Bombers will roll today.

Heaven Help Us: Let’s Go Yan-Kees.

By Jon Kay, Guest Columnist

Bronx Banter Barbecue

In my travels to the South, it has been relatively easy to find excellent barbecue. Sonny Bryans in Dallas and Rendezvous in Memphis are standouts. Until recent times, barbecue dining choices in New York City left one longing for another road trip down south. The last few years have brought excellent additions to the NYC barbecue scene. Here are a few of my favorites; feel free to add in yours.

R.U.B. (Righteous Urban Barbecue)

208 West 23rd (7th & 8th)

No reservations accepted.

This is by far, my favorite barbecue spot and I recommend you give it a try. RUB has a combination of down home atmosphere (paper plates and plastic cups), great service and excellent food. An order of St. Louis ribs, slaw and a couple of sides will send your taste buds to heaven. RUB cooks limited quantities of ribs each day so get there on the early side. When they run out, that’s all until the following day. For the adventurous, try the deep fried oreos for dessert.

Dinner for 2, $60.

Blue Smoke
116 East 27th (Park & Lex)
Reservations suggested

Danny Meyer
adds a touch of class to the BBQ scene at Blue Smoke. By barbecue dining standards the décor is upscale. Food and service are excellent. The menu is more varied here, with gourmet items you would not find at most barbecue restaurants. A Fried Oyster Po’Boy on Homemade Brioche Bun with Caper-Tarragon Tartar Sauce is just one example. I stick with the traditional ribs and side orders which they prepare as well as anyone. The bar is a great spot to watch a ballgame while you are washing down some ribs with a beverage of choice.

Downstairs, you will find a club called Jazz Standard which offers a limited menu of barbecue treats.

Dinner for 2, $80.

Brother Jimmy’s BBQ Express
Grand Central Terminal, lower level food court.

Grab a smoked brisket sandwich to go and you will be the envy of everyone in your section. Orders are cleverly placed in clear plastic bags to insure easy passage thru Stadium security.

Lunch for 2, $25

Ribs on the Run
2225 Central Park Ave, Yonkers NY

Take out only.

A decent takeout spot in the heart of Yonkers’ Central Avenue culinary wasteland. Ribs on the Run’s claim to fame is they cater post game meals for the Yankees. You might run into ROTR’s
owner at a pre game Stadium tailgate party.

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park, 23rd and Madison.

Danny Meyer strikes again with an outdoor burger stand in Madison Square Park. The burgers are cooked to order and are a cut above what you would get from fast food. You get to enjoy your grub in an adjacent outdoor seating area or just find a park bench. The lines tend to get long but the handy ShackCam gives you a heads up on what to expect.

Lunch for 2, $25.

5th Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party
June 9th-10th, Madison Square Park, 23rd and Madison.

Pitmasters and rib eaters converge in Madison Square Park for this annual BBQ-Fest. Local representatives include Blue Smoke, Dinosaur, Hill Country and Rack and Soul. Ten out-of-town pitmasters round out the field. The long lines for food can be avoided with the advance purchase of a Bubba FastPass. Live music adds to the festivities; this year’s headliner is James Blood Ulmer.

Bubba Fastpass, $100.

By the time Alex Rodriguez came to bat in the first inning the Yankees had a 3-0 lead. Curt Schilling did not throw at Rodriguez, nor did any other Boston pitcher. Schilling had troubles of his own–as did his fielders–as the Yankees added single runs in the second, third and fourth. Andy Pettitte pitched a terrific game, and was helped out by two key double plays (including one very slick play by Robinson Cano). Godzilla Matsui and Mr. Minky both homered as the Bombers won, 8-3.

Over at his blog, 38 Pitches, Schilling called his performance “a craptastic finish to what could have been a nice series. I never gave us a chance to even get into this game.”

Kyle Farnsworth upset the good mood temporarily with a characteristically shaky performance in the eighth inning, but Mariano Rivera struck out the side looking in the ninth, with home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor providing the theatrics. Bucknor’s exaggerated strike-three call certainly did not make it any easier for the Red Sox. Lugo, who was called out on an absolutely nasty cutter that hit the inside corner on the plate, got in Bucknor’s face. The YES announcers were cracking up–Paul O’Neill mentioned how angry hitters get when they feel like the umpire is putting too much mustard on a call. For Yankee fans, it was a much-needed moment of levity. A fine way to end the evening.

Couple of things:

Derek Jeter had three hits last night, including a triple. He tied and then passed Joe DiMaggio on the all-time Yankee hit list.

Jason Giambi, who went 0-4 last night and is mired in a hitting slump, met with MLB officials yesterday, then was tight-lipped about what went on when confronted about the meeting later by reporters.

It’s official: Carl Pavano will undergo Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his misbegotten term in pinstripes.

Roger Clemens labored through a minor league start last night in Trenton. There is no word yet if he’ll pitch once more in the minors or if his next start will be in the big leagues.

It seems alarmist to say that a game in late May qualifies as a “must-win,” but man, the Yankees really do need this game tonight. Curt Schilling, one of the outstanding big-game pitchers of his generation, is on the hill tonight for Boston. Andy Pettitte goes for New York. Should be interesting to see if Schilling plunks Alex Rodriguez after the Yankee third baseman’s take-out elbow last night. Man, I sure hope the Yanks and Sox don’t get into a brawl. That is the last thing this charged rivalry needs, especially with the possibility of Clemens returning to the big leagues next weekend in Boston.

But first things first: Let’s Go Yan-Kees.

Yanks look to gain another game on the Sox tonight as Moose gets the start vs. Julian Tavarez. C’mon fellas, whatta ya say? Three-in-a-row would be lovely.

In recent years Roger Clemens has said that he gets more satisfaction from the games he has to plod through without his best stuff than from the games he dominates. Chien-Ming Wang was far from sharp last night. He fell behind batters constantly, lots of 2-0 counts, lots of three balls counts. The Red Sox have hit Wang well in the past so he threw more sliders and off-speed pitches than normal.

“There were some good changeups, good sliders and two-seamers with movement,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “That’s just the (evolution) of a good young pitcher. I don’t necessarily think it’s a different strategy. It’s a maturing pitcher.”
(N.Y. Daily News)

The results weren’t especially pretty, but in the end, they were effective. Wang allowed two runs over six-and-a-third, the bullpen didn’t allow a run the rest of the way, as the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 6-2.

Johnny Damon showed some life in his legs, swiping a couple of bases, Alex Rodriguez homered for the third consecutive game, and Jason Giambi planted a Tim Wakefield knuckleball way up in the upper deck, a whiffle ball home run come to life. Robinson Cano had a big, two-run triple, and also made a nifty back-hand pick in the eighth inning with the bases loaded. Julio Lugo hit a Scott Proctor pitch squarely with two men out. Cano fielded it cleany and flipped it to Jeter at second for the force and the Red Sox rally was squarshed.

Just a couple of few notes:

Jack Curry weighs in on Jason Giambi’s latest controversy, while George King writes that the Angels may be interested in the Yankee slugger.

Over at Was Watching, Steve Lombardi has a link to a Bob Klapisch article where Jorge Posada talks about the losing mentality that has overcome the Yankees this season.

Ben Kabak has the latest on a Metro North train station at Yankee Stadium.

Saturday saw more misery for the Yanks, who lost starting pitcher Darrell Rasner in the first inning with a broken finger (he’ll be gone for three months), and then the game, 10-7. Robinson Cano had a couple of hits, including a home run, but his three errors overshadowed his offensive contributions.

Fortunately, the Yanks salvaged the Sunday Night game as rookie Tyler Clippard pitched a fine game, and held his own with the stick to boot, as the Yanks won, 6-2. Not a bad way to start your big league career, eh?

Couple of few notes:

Jason Giambi’s candor might just land him in more trouble than his current 1-26 slump.

I know we’ve been over this time and again here for the past three, four seasons, but man, is the Yankees bench weak or what? How many teams in the majors have a less effective bench? Oh, for the days of D. Strawberry.

On a positive note, how much fun has it been to see how well Jorge Posda and Derek Jeter are performing? It’s especially exciting to see Posada mashing like he is. Jeter? Eh, we’re used to this kind of consistency.

In Sunday’s News, Bill Madden notes:

Maybe if it wasn’t for the fact it’s been obscured by the overall mess of this Yankee season so far, there would be more of an appreciation for the quiet, Joe DiMaggio-like hitting job Derek Jeter has been doing game after game. With his seventh-inning RBI single yesterday, Jeter has now hit safely in 37 of 39 games in which he’s had an official plate appearance. While there’s no way he could ever keep up such a pace (which would mean he’d hit safely in 153 games barring injury), if he did manage to maintain this hit-per-game consistency which began about a year ago, Jeter would be in position to equal or break a unique record he shares with four others. According to the Elias Bureau, the record for most games hitting safely in a season is 135, set orginally by Rogers Hornsby in 1922 and later equalled by Chuck Klein in 1930, Wade Boggs in 1985, Jeter in 1999 and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.

But there’s a lot more to what Jeter is doing that already separates him from those four and puts him in a place right below DiMaggio in the modern age of baseball. When, on May 4, Jeter had his 20-game hitting streak for this season snapped, he had previously hit safely in 59 of 61 games dating back to last August. Excluding DiMaggio (who hit safely in his next 17 games after having his record 56-game streak snapped in 1941), the last player to have only two hitless games within a streak of 56 or more was Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty, who hit safely in 61 of 63 games in 1899. This research was compiled by Trent McCotter in the most recent Society of American Baseball Research journal. In other words, without any fanfare, Jeter has already accomplished something not done by anyone other than Joe D in this century.

After yesterday, Jeter’s streak was 73 of 76 games. According to McCotter, there have been 12 such streaks of more than 56 in which players have had only three hitless games, the most recent being Johnny Damon, who hit in 57 of 60 games from June 10-Aug. 20, 2005. But, again, Jeter’s surpasses the previous longest – George Sisler’s 67 of 70 in 1917.

Mr. Steady and the Bombers have their work cut out for them this week as they return to the Bronx to play the Red Sox and then the Angels. Just ask David Ortiz:

We’re playing well. We’re doing our thing right now,” David Ortiz said. “They need to figure out what they’re going to do to beat us. We don’t have to worry about it.

“I’ve been here for five years and we don’t need to worry about nobody right now. Everybody needs to worry about us.”
(N.Y. Daily News)

Giambi will be back in the line-up tonight. Abreu looked better on Saturday and Sunday, so maybe he’s starting to come out of it. Alex Rodriguez is struggling badly though. Aren’t they lucky? They get to face Knucksie jr, Tim Wakefield.

The Mets pitch better and field better than the Yankees. That was evident last night in the first meeting of the year between the two teams as the Mets edged the Yanks, 3-2 in a brisk game at Shea Stadium. Oliver Perez, whose cocky disposition on the mound didn’t make things easier for Yankee fans, pitched very well. Andy Pettitte turned in another fine performance with nothing to show for it. The Sox were rained out and the Yanks now trail Boston by ten games. This is the first time a Joe Torre Yankee team has been ten games out of first. It’s getting late early.

Darrell Rasner hopes to stop the bleeding today when he faces future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine. A win, a win, my Kingdom for a win.

The Yankee offense couldn’t do much against some very good White Sox pitching yesterday in a 4-1 Chicago victory. The Bombers are 9 1/2 games behind the Red Sox who swept a double-header from the Tigers in Boston. Now, the slumping Yankees head into their first meeting with the Mets with a record of 18-21, by far the worst record they’ve had going into the subway serious since Interleague play began eleven years ago. The Yankees as underdogs? Go figure.

It is supposed to rain today and tomorrow. Anyone got anything encouraging to say? Hey, let’s just hope the Yanks find a way to win two-of-three, right?

Matt DeSalvo has pitched well twice since joining the big league team, in spite of the fact that he isn’t getting batters to swing and miss. Boy, the Yanks sure could use a nice, fat win today before the Subway Serious kicks off tomorrow night at Shea. Color me skeptical, considering how the Bombers have been playing, but heck, pessimissm be damned, Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

When they hit, they don’t pitch, when they pitch, they don’t hit (nevermind the fielding). The Yankees lost a heartbreaker, 2-1 yesterday. The Bombers had two men on with one out in the seventh, but came up empty when Minky hit into a double play. Alex Rodriguez came to the plate with two men on in the eighth and was blown away. Then in the ninth, JJ Putz struck out the side, despite giving up a one-out double to Hideki Matsui.

Johnny Damon told the Times:

“We need to start closing the gap real soon,” Damon said. “I think the next month is really important. We get Rocket back in about three weeks. When we get him back, we need to be within five. We can’t keep losing ground.

“Granted, if the Red Sox keep playing the way they are, nobody’s going to catch them. They’re playing at about a .750 clip. That’s pretty good, and they’ve been able to stay healthy. I think if we were a little healthier, we probably could be within three or four. But we haven’t swung the bats consistently enough or pitched consistently enough to merit that right now.”

Bobby Abreu drew his first walk in 61 at bats yesterday but is mired in a 2-22 skid, and is experiencing what is far and away, the worst slump of his career. According to the Daily News:

Joe Torre believes that the Yankees’ 17-19 record has made it more difficult for Abreu to find a groove, as he is trying to right himself and spark his team at the same time.

“It’s the pride factor and the responsibility factor; his biggest problem right now in his mind is letting people down,” Torre said. “I think he’d have an easier time snapping out of this thing if we had been winning a lot more.”

The Yankees have the day off today and then play three in the Windy City before heading to Shea to play the Mets this weekend. Joe Torre, however, has returned to New York to be with his ailing brother, Frank.

The Yankee bats were shut out on Friday night but came back well enough on Saturday. D. Rasner and M. DeSalvo both pitched very well. Hey, the Yankees need to find the 2007 versions of Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon. For the time being, Rasner and DeSalvo are pitching well (though I have to admit, without knowing much about DeSalvo he doesn’t look like he’s got much stuff).

The Old Guard, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada are carrying the load offensively, as Alex Rodriguez has tapered off and Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano continued to struggle and Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi battle to stay healthy.

Yanks look to take the weekend series this afternoon.