Sunday’s game between the Yankees and Rangers was tedious, filled with fielding errors and bone-head base running. Can’t anybody here play this game? No matter which team you were rooting for, it was a long, frustrating afternoon. Here in New York, the only relief was the steady pleasure of hearing David Cone call the game with Michael Kay.

The Yanks were down 4-0 but crept back into the game and it held a 6-5 lead in the eighth thanks in large part to four hits by Derek Jeter and three by Curtis Granderson. Two of Jeter’s hits went over the fence, his first two home runs of the season. Now in the eighth, the bases were loaded for Francisco Cervelli who worked the count full and then hit a fastball on the sweet spot of his bat to dead center. I thought it was a sacrifice fly and then maybe a double but the ball cleared the fence. Whadda ya hear, whadda ya say, indeed! It was the first grand slam of Cervelli’s career and the first homer he’s hit since June, 2009. Mark Teixeira added a two-run moon shot and the Score Truck was in full effect.

Final Score: Yanks 12, Rangers 5.

Bombers tied for first with the Rays. Applaud, exhale, digest.

Dear Yanks,

Git ’em.

‘Nuff said.

Doughnut Plant via scissors and spice.

Hey all you mudda’s out there…Heppy Mudda’s Day! We love ya, each and every one of you.

Never mind the napkins…

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Justin Verlander lost a bid for a perfect game when he walked a batter–in a 12-pitch battle–in the eighth. But a double play got him out of the inning and then he retired the side in order in the 9th, good for the second no-hitter of his career.

Mazel Props.

Big sports Saturday. The Kentucky Derby is in a few hours. If you’ve never read Hunter Thompson’s “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved,” here’s your chance.

Later tonight, Manny Pacquiao fights “Sugar” Shane Mosley, though Gary Andrew Poole wonders when Pacman will fight the Right American (aka Floyd Mayweather, Jr.).

For you hoop heads, the Celtics look to avoid going down 3-0 like the Lakers. Good news for them is that they are at home. I figure they’ll win tonight but don’t think they can stop the Heat in the series.

On the baseball diamond, Andre Ethier looks to tie a Dodger team record by extending his hitting streak to 31 out at Citifield. And down in Texas the Yanks would love to see Bartolo Colon to keep things rolling. Bunch o runs wouldn’t hoit, now would it boys?

Get the clicker ready, good people, grab some eats, and settle in for a night of high fat bastardness.

[Photo Credit: Christian Science Monitor]

Conrad Roset.

…in action…

Conrad’s drawing from conrad roset on Vimeo.

Jorge Posada is swinging the bat better from the left-hand side of the plate this week (although he is hitless from the right side this season). He thanked manager Joe Girardi for sticking with him. The Post has the story. Posada has already been relieved of his position as catcher and I could see him unceremoniously benched in favor of Jesus Montero come the middle of the summer if he doesn’t start hitting.

Derek Jeter is another case entirely. I just got back from the vet with one of my cats and the vet, a die-hard Yankees fan, spent most of the appointment talking about not giving up on Jeter even if he’s no longer a great player.

He told me how all he hears on talk radio is shouting about how the Yankees should trade for Jose Reyes. I haven’t listened to that noise but it doesn’t come as a surprise. Part of it is our insatiable urge to tear people down. Jeter is lordly and cool–so controlled–and has enjoyed such great fortune over the course of his Hall of Fame career that is must be delightful to some–they can have at him now that’s he’s vulnerable. As is the case with most great players things will likely not end well for Jeter.

There is no place to move him. So, like Cal Ripken, Jr, Jeter will be called selfish as his skills decline if he’s not prepared to be a part-time player. The rub is that the same characteristics that made Jeter great–the skill, drive, ego, the competitiveness–can turn on him, make him out-of-touch, or worse, a detriment to the team’s success.

It must be the hardest thing for a player to admit he’s losing it, that he’ll never be what he was, and also the easiest things for fans to see. You can’t blame him for not being ready to call it a day yet, and I don’t think you can blame management for giving him some leeway here. We’re not dealing with absolutes and in Jeter’s case there is more to the story than simply what is best for the team on the field. You may disagree, but that’s just the cold, hard truth of it.

If the Captain doesn’t improve offensively I can see Girardi moving him down in the line up this season but I don’t see him being replaced as the regular shortstop. If he has a lousy season, that will be addressed this winter. In the meantime, the Yankees are going to play with an average shortstop. Okay, you may argue he’s below average, but he’s the also most famous Yankee since Mickey Mantle and that’s part of the equation. I’m rooting for him, and will not be surprised if he has a couple of big moments left. If he doesn’t, so be it. Then it’s up to the rest of the team to pick him up.

Saturday Morning Beat to get you bouncin’…

When Ivan Nova is on, he throws a heavy ball with loads of rotation and induces ground balls, most of them harmless as domesticated gerbils. He was on like never before and stifled the Rangers for two hits in seven and a third innings (a career high) on Friday night. Curtis Granderson hit two home runs and picked up the slack for the weak bats all around him. The Yankees beat the Rangers 4-1. Coming on the heels of three straight Yankee losses, this was a fantastic performance from both players.

Nova was great, but he cannot do it alone. All those grounders must be fielded. He coaxed 14 groundball outs to only one strikeout. The infield looked spry behind him, especially Derek Jeter who ran a 5K covering both edges of his positional responsibility. In the middle innings of a lot of his starts, the grounders turn into liners and Nova struggles. Three games in row he has pitched well past the sixth inning and avoided the disaster inning. Tonight was the first time since his debut that his Chien Min Wang potential leapt out at me.

Nova did not issue to a walk until the eighth, but he backed it up by getting a routine bouncer to first which looked to be an inning ending double play. Teixeira booted it and Nova got his feet tangled around the bag and two probable outs evaporated into nothing.

Girardi, realizing he was in uncharted waters with Nova, correctly went to the bullpen. Soriano allowed a single and a run to score, but got the two outs that ended the threat. If it’s veteran pitcher out there and the other lineup hasn’t sniffed him all night, he’d have more rope in that spot. But this is literally the longest start of his career, his pitch count was nearing 100, and he had just had the emotional let down of watching his double play bounce off Teix’s glove. That’s the right time to get help.

Mariano came in and threw darts. 14 pitches, ten strikes, two whiffs and a perfect save. The YES gun is giving him more love lately, more than I remember seeing all of last year too. Tonight, he worked the two corners of the plate like Clint Eastwood worked the two families in Fistful of Dollars.

To support Nova’s wonderful effort, enter Curtis Granderson. In the first inning, after Jeter fisted a ball into rightfield for a single, Granderson pounded a fastball on a line into the upper deck in right center. It was a special home run, the kind that might be on display on a loop in your living room in Heaven. It was also off a lefty. Huzzah! After it was clear none of the other Yankees were going to do anything, he added another impressive solo shot for the fourth run.

What did you guys think about green-lighting Arod in the second inning at 3-0 with bases loaded and two outs? I prefer to take a pitch there. At that point, a ball is a run and taking the pitch eliminates the risk of swinging at a ball. I think Arod’s pitch was high, but may have been called a strike. That’s exactly the type of borderline pitch you’d hope to avoid on 3-0 with bases loaded.

I had planned on revisiting the ALCS, this being the first game back in Texas since the Rangers stomped through to the Series. But with no more Cliff Lee, Hamilton and Nelson Cruz injured, this felt like playing one of the post-Arod Rangers squads from 2005-08. Hardly anything here to get worked up about and plenty of reason to expect good hunting for the rest of this series.

Yanks return to the scene of the crime. At least they are out of Detroit. Let’s hope for a mess o runs, piled high and deep. Yeah, and another good start from Ivan Nova would be swell too. Here’s Cliff with the preview.

Don’t burn the brisket and Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photograph by Steve Perille]

Here’s Jerry Crasnick on the hot-hitting former Yank, Lance Berkman:

Teammates, opponents, managers, fans, media members and scouts regard Berkman as an uncommonly nice person and the classic case of an athlete who has his act together. He’s quotable, approachable and brimming with perspective, and he’s that rare star player who’s able to dissect his game through a self-deprecating lens. But the game isn’t always fun when the bat and ball can feel like a ball and chain.

“Most of my career, I’ve almost had to let that cloud hang over me, because it’s part of what keeps you sharp mentally,” Berkman said by phone earlier this week. “I know the fickle nature of hitting. You can be as hot as a pistol one day, and the next thing you know you can’t figure out where to put your feet. It’s such a difficult thing to do, you’re always just trying to survive.

“I have a tendency to take things to extremes and take a doomsday approach when things aren’t going well. I’ll think, ‘This is not good,’ or, ‘The next slump is just around the corner.’ I’m always leery of hot streaks, because I know the game can turn on you in a heartbeat.”

Good dude, that Lance (even if his name is Lance). I’m glad he’s doing well.

I always have been partial to collar bones myself. That and an elegant neck line. Oh, and hands, feet, eyes, lips. Hell, there ain’t much on a lady that I don’t admire.

Drink it in. Loveliness is, well, lovely.

Homemade coffee ice cream?

Yes, please.

La Kocinera does it up right.

Every painter has got to make a picture of a sink. It’s a humble assignment but one that often yields strong, vigorous results.

I dig this one.

[Painting by Chelsea Bentley James]

So just how long should the Yankees wait before making some kind of move with Derek Jeter and/or Jorge Posada? While it’s become fashionable to proclaim both players as fully cooked and ready to begin their five-year waits for Hall of Fame consideration, those calls convey ignorance and a lack of knowledge about the Yankee organization. First off, it’s foolish to make full judgments based on the first month of the season. The same people that always cry out “sample size” conveniently forget about the principle when it involves players they don’t like. Jeter has been so reviled by some in the Sabermetric community that they’re ready to drop the guillotine at a moment’s notice.

His critics will quickly add that Jeter’s poor performance is a continuation of his 2010 finish, but his overall 2010 numbers were hardly as bad as what he’s done early in 2011. On the whole, Jeter was a passable player in 2010. So let’s give it more than a month before we proclaim a death knell. I would suggest the Yankees give Jeter at least until the end of May, if not until the middle of June, before they drop him to a lower spot in the batting order. And if his lack of hitting continues beyond that, let’s say into July, then it would certainly be fair for the Yankees to consider removing him entirely from the starting lineup.

There is another reason to have patience. Who exactly is ready to step in to become the starting shortstop? Bucky Dent and Tony Kubek are not available. Eduardo Nunez’ throwing problems make it clear that he’s not ready NOW; he might be later this season, he might be in 2012, but he’s clearly not ready at the present time. Ramiro Pena, starting at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, is an excellent defensive shortstop but isn’t likely to represent any improvement over Jeter’s current hitting. Are Yankee fans really ready to wade through a bottom-third of the lineup that has both Pena and Brett Gardner? I know I’m not.

Then there’s the case of Posada, who’s coming off a respectable season in 2010. Would it be smart to give up on Posada so quickly, especially when he’s at least shown significant power over the first 30 games? I don’t think so. I would suggest a similar timetable with Posada. If he’s still struggling badly at the end of May, it would be fair to consider a platoon with another player, perhaps Andruw Jones. And if Posada is still struggling into July, and the Yankees are in danger of falling out of contention, then yes, it might be the right time for a total replacement.

In the case of Posada, the Yankees DO have tangible replacement options. Jones is one; the other is super prospect Jesus Montero, who is close to being ready to hit in the major leagues, if not handle regular catching duties. (Montero is finally drawing a few walks and has his batting average up to .372.) Montero could be just what an aging offense needs, particularly if Jeter’s punchless hitting continues. The problem with demoting Posada is what to do with him? Teams do not need backup DH’s who cannot play the field and cannot run the bases. Unless the Yankees change their mind about using Posada as a backup catcher, he could become a roster albatross by the middle of the summer.

It’s certainly possible that Posada and Jeter, who’s been nicknamed “Captain Groundout” by Rob Neyer, might be done as useful players. It’s just too early in a long season to draw that conclusion once and for all. So let’s give it a little more time before we make them walk the plank…

(more…)

More Chet.

[Photograph by William Claxton]

Don’t cry. There’s more baseball tomorrow.

Lo Hud’s got the post game notes.

No showing from the Score Truck, a bad throw by Derek Jeter’s sub, and the Yanks wasted another decent start by A.J. Burnett as they lost to the Tigers, 6-3. Eric Chavez was hurt and there are hard feelings all around as the Bombers limp out of Detroit. I missed the game and got nuthin’ fuh ya, man.

Tomorrow is a new day…deep in the heart of Texas.