He’ll be at the Stadium today for Old Timer’s Day. Tonight gives Yanks, Tigers.

Enjoy, everyone:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Why wait? Alex Rodriguez swung at the first pitch he saw from Justin Verlander last night–a fastball on the outside part of the plate–and popped it over the wall in right field. Hit number 3,000 was a home run.

It was a sweet moment and Rodriguez seemed to soak it in. Got big hugs from C. C. Sabathia and Brian McCann and Joe Girardi, pats, slaps, and daps from the rest of his team. Pointed and blew kisses to his daughters, Natasha and Elia, sitting in the stands behind the Yankee dugout.

A quick look at the articles around the web this morning and I see most of them hone-in on what this moment could have been–should have been–if only Rodriguez hadn’t botched it all up. Stain, shame, tarnished, asterisk, you’ve heard it all before.

John Flaherty was less than sanguine on the YES broadcast last night, noting that none of the Tigers applauded as Rodriguez rounded the bases. It was a fair observation but incomplete as the replays didn’t show if any of the Tigers clapped or saluted while Rodriguez was hugged by his teammates and cheered by the crowd. When Sabathia hugged Rodriguez, they turned, smiled and pointed to someone on the other side of the field, presumably in the Tigers dugout. Perhaps the Tigers didn’t cheer–this was no lovefest like the one Jeter got the day he hit 3,000–but it was misleading of Flaherty and YES to suggest the Tigers apathy and not give a full account of their actions–Miguel Cabrera, for one, gave Rodriguez a hug after the game.

Rodriguez told reporters after the game, “The thing that I’ll take away from a day like today is, after the last out is made, Miguel Cabrera comes over and gives me a hug,” Rodriguez said. “Twenty years from now, that’s really what I’ll take away — the fans’ reaction, sharing it with my teammates and seeing their reaction.

“Everything about this year has been a surprise. I’ve never enjoyed the game as much as I have this year.”

This gray area is of Rodriguez’s making and some of us don’t like to have the innocence of the prize-in-the-crackerjack moment sullied by anything as sticky as reality. But Rodriguez has always been a challenge, even before 2009, hasn’t he?’

Leave it to Ken Davidoff to make sense:

You don’t view this as a redemption tale? Good. Me neither. A-Rod had nothing from which to redeem himself; he served his year’s suspension in 2014 and returned as a player with the same rights as all of the others. For me, it’s a tale of perseverance — the guy just won’t go away, even with two surgically repaired hips and his extensive rap sheet — and of comeuppance for the blinders-wearing moralists who thought, just with the force of their consternation, they could will A-Rod into oblivion.

You’re expending energy trying to determine whether A-Rod is using something right now? Ay yi yi.

You’re searching for a level of truth that is virtually unobtainable — if not necessarily about A-Rod, than it is about the player population in general. What a shame to lose sleep wondering who uses illegal PEDs and who doesn’t. The drug tests, to repeat a line, are IQ tests. The same goes for baseball’s investigative department, which capitalized on the stupidity of A-Rod and his fellow Biogenesis guys to rely on the unreliable Anthony Bosch for their stuff.

A-Rod is great for the game because he gets people to care, one way or the other. The game needs its villains just as badly as its protagonists, and in this age of social media, can we really hope to find a worthy successor to this guy?

Anyhow, never mind the angst–or the professional putz who caught the ball and won’t fork it over–it was a lovely moment. Even better, was Adam Warren, who pitched 8 innings (the longest outing of his career), held the Tigers to a couple of runs, and got home runs from Didi Gregorious and Brett Gardner as the Yanks beat the Tigers, 7-2.

[Photo Credit: Bill Kostroun; Frank Franklin II/AP]

Brett Gardner LF

Chase Headley 3B

Alex Rodriguez DH

Mark Teixeira 1B

Carlos Beltran RF

Didi Gregorius SS

Stephen Drew 2B

John Ryan Murphy C

Mason Williams CF

It’s the Warren Report, and, of course, all eyes on Alex as he looks to get hit #3,000.

Never mind the flashbulbs:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Alex Rodriguez got a couple of base hits last night and was sitting on career hit 2,999. He got two final at bats. Lined out to right in the first one, and then, in the bottom of the 8th–when the Yanks broke open what had been a tight game–he walked on four pitches. The reliever, Sam Dyson, had already walked Chase Headley and didn’t have much control. Neither did the crowd, who leveled the reliever with boos. And they didn’t let up. (They were irked because they knew their chance at seeing Rodriguez get hit number 3,000 was lost.) It was poor form, I’d say, but also amusing. Nice to hear that the old obnoxious Bronx Cheer loud and clear.

Anyhow, it was Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran with the big hits–each hitting a two-run homer. Gardner was fired up like a wrestler when he returned to the dugout after hitting his dinger. Don’t recall ever seeing him so animated. And Beltran took a 3-1 pitch for a called strike, didn’t like the call, stepped back in the box, and then hit his home run.

C.C. pitched pretty well–Mike Stanton hit a low line drive home run that brought back memories of Dave Winfield–and the Yanks won, 9-4.

[Photo Credit: Kathy Willens/AP]

It’s the Big Fella on the hill on a gray, chilly evening in the BX. The Old Fella, the Relic, the Good Fella.

C’mon, C.C., we love ya, dude.

Brett Gardner LF

Chase Headley 3B

Alex Rodriguez DH

Mark Teixeira 1B

Brian McCann C

Carlos Beltran RF

Didi Gregorius SS

Stephen Drew 2B

Mason Williams CF

Never mind Giancarlo:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Picture by Bags

Now, that’s more like it.

Yeah, Michael Pineda had a no-hitter going into the 7th inning and that was cool. Then he gave up his first hit, a solo home run. No big deal, right? ‘Cept the Yanks only had 2 runs of their own and with Pineda’s pitch-count nearing the magic number (100), he didn’t make it through the inning.

Then in the 8th, trouble: first and third, one out. Enter, Mr. Betances. A ground ball to first, Garrett Jones–who’d been robbed of a run-scoring hit to end the 7th–fields, hesitates, throws high to the plate, runner called safe, tie game. The Yanks have the umps review it, call’s overturned, the lead safe. Betances handles the rest and preserves the 2-1 lead for a much-needed win.

Alex Rodriguez got a couple of hits and is now just three away from Mr. 3,000; Carlos Beltran also had two hits.

Picture by Bags

Back at home, Big Mike looks to rebound from an ass-kicking.

Brett Gardner LF

Chase Headley 3B

Brian McCann C

Alex Rodriguez DH

Garrett Jones 1B

Carlos Beltran RF

Didi Gregorius SS

Stephen Drew 2B

Mason Williams CF

Never mind this losing:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

The on-again, off-again Yankees are in off-again mode.

Last night, Nathan Eovaldi gave up 8 runs in the first inning and that was that. The final was 12-2. Man, oh, man, it was ugly.

Always did like that David Phelps though I’ll be rooting against him tonight. Course, he’s pitching against the dude he was traded for. How odd is that?

Brett Gardner CF

Didi Gregorius SS

Mark Texieria 1B

Brian McCann C

Chase Headley 3B

Carlos Beltran RF

Chris Young LF

Brendan Ryan 2B

Never mind the fish:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

The Yanks were down 2-1 with a man on and two men out in the 9th inning when Alex Rodriguez came to the plate as a pinch-hitter. And he got a standing ovation. I’m not sure he’s ever been received so warmly at Yankee Stadium. It was like being in some kind of alternate universe for a moment. The love didn’t translate into a hit–he popped out to right field to end the game, just missed, too–but the drama was there. Even as an old man, Rodriguez is boffo.

Tough loss for the Yanks and Masahiro Tanaka who pitched a good game–and a Sergio Santos did a sweet job in relief getting out of a bases-loaded, nobody out jam in the 8th.

Picture by Bags

Yanks have an odd week–play two against the Marlins in Miami, then two against the Marlins in New York.

Tonight gives Tanaka and a close-up look at Mr. Stanton.

Brett Gardner LF

Chase Headley 3B

Brian McCann C

Mark Teixeira 1B

Garrett Jones RF

Stephen Drew 2B

Didi Gregorius SS

Mason Williams CF

Masahiro Tanaka RHP

Never mind the view:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

All-in effort from the Yanks today, especially the bullpen and Mr. John Ryan Murphy who came through with a couple of big hits as the Yanks beat the O’s, 5-3 to avoid being swept. Baltimore is hot but the Yanks did a nice job to get the “w” today.

Exhale.

[Photo Credit: Joel Zimmer]

Hey Guys,

How about not sucking today?

Brett Gardner LF

Chase Headley 3B

Alex Rodriguez DH

Mark Teixeira 1B

Garrett Jones RF

Stephen Drew 2B

Didi Gregorius SS

John Ryan Murphy C

Adam Warren’s on the hill.

Never mind the losing:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!
Mason Williams CF

Picture by Bags

Win a little, loss a little: That’s what our pal Hank Waddles said this season is going to be like and after winning seven in a row that Yanks have now dropped three straight. Stupid fielding, weak pitching did the trick last night as the O’s beat the Yanks 9-4. The less said about this one the better.

Oh, but I have to share this tweet from another old pal, Emma Span: “A-Rod hits home run #666. Somewhere in Wisconsin, blood spontaneously appears on Bud Selig’s ceiling in the shape of a pentagram.”

You can’t fake funny and boy, oh, boy, Emmma’s still got it.

C.C.’s on the hill tonight in Baltimore.

Let’s hope he puts together a solid outing and the boys score him plenty of runs.

Brett Gardner LF

Chase Headley 3B

Alex Rodriguez DH

Mark Teixeira 1B

Brian McCann C

Carlos Beltran RF

Didi Gregorius SS

Stephen Drew 2B

Mason Williams CF

Never mind last night:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Knut Egil Wang]

Maseo homered in his second big league at bat last night and you just have to love that. Harder to love was the beating Big Mike took and boy did he get whupped as the Orioles sailed to a 11-3 win. Alex and Tex had a couple of hits each–and Rodriguez is now 5 away from 3,000–otherwise there’s not much to talk about.

They are at it again tonight. Let’s hope the results are better.

Big Mike’s on the hill tonight in Baltimore.

Brett Gardner LF

Chase Headley 3B

Alex Rodriguez DH

Mark Teixeira 1B

Brian McCann C

Carlos Beltran RF

Didi Gregorius SS

Stephen Drew 2B

Mason Williams CF

Mase! Never mind the nerves:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo via @orioles/twitter h/t @jessespector]

Nova can’t return soon enough.  When he does, maybe Warren can go back to the pen to help Betances out while Miller gets healthy.

[Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sport]

Bad news all around for the Yankees today as Andrew Miller hit the DL with a forearm strain and the cascading bullpen shuffle hamstrung Girardi and contributed to a tough loss.

The Yankees struck in the bottom of the seventh again, turning an 0-2 hole into a 4-2 lead. But instead of the Betances-Miller hope-killer, we saw Eovaldi start the eighth. He allowed a hit and when Jacob Lindgren came out of the pen, something was officially NOT RIGHT.

Lindgren pitched OK for a guy who gave up a game-tying homer. He got Bryce Harper, the key at-bat, we thought, and induced a possible inning-ending double play. But Stephen Drew double-clutched when a single-clutch was all that was called for and the inning leaked forward for pinch-hitter Michael Taylor to ruin a really nice day.

Extra innings played out as Yankee fans began filing missing persons reports for their bullpen aces. When neither appeared in the 10th and 11th, the looming loss crystalized. It was Denard Span with chopper in the eleventh if you’re looking for the official cause of death. Nats pulled it out, 5-4.

The Yankees dropped three of four to Washington overall and at least two of those losses were real stingers. But losing Miller is the real test here. The bullpen hasn’t been anything special outside of those two dynamos, so we’ll see what happens when rubber meets the road.

It’s Senior Eovaldi as the Yanks and Nats play a matinee in the Bronx.

Brett Gardner CF

Chase Headley 3B

Alex Rodriguez DH

Mark Teixeira 1B

Brian McCann C

Carlos Beltran RF

Chris Young LF

Jose Pirela 2B

Brendan Ryan SS

Never mind the commencement speech:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!