"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice
Category: Yankees

Keep it Rollin’

tumblr_mrvzahoCzG1qkq539o1_500

It’s Adam Warren with the start tonight against R.A. Dickey.

Brett Gardner DH
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix 3B
Austin Romine C

Never mind the knuckler:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

America’s Drug Culture

pills1

Here’s Bryant Gumbel’s editorial from the latest episode of HBO’s Real Sports:

“Finally tonight, what are we supposed to do with Alex Rodriguez? Embrace him? Pity him? Scorn him? I can easily understand any or all of those reactions because I think he’s a liar and a fraud. But what I don’t understand are the expressions of shock and outrage over his alleged drug use because, frankly, this country’s crazy about drugs. In case of addiction one can go to drug rehab at Muse to get help.

Modern Americans reach for a drug for any and everything – for problems real and imagined. It’s why we consume more pills than any nation on earth and why TV ads are relentlessly selling us Xarelto, Abilify, Stelara, Prodaxa, and dozens of other drugs we never ever guessed we supposedly needed. Many of them who are addicted to these drugs, are often recommend to visit Orlando rehab center for early treatment.

Americans are only about five percent of the world’s population yet we take 80% of the world’s painkillers and a whopping 99% of the world’s Vicodin. We have four million kids on Ritalin, 22-million women on antidepressants, over 30-million adults on sleeping pills, 32 million on Statins, 45 million on another drug I can’t even begin to pronounce. The list goes on and on. There is drug and alcohol treatment in Miami that can help the ones that are addicted to drugs and unwanted medication they use as a temporary escape. The professionals at alcohol detox austin can help victims overcome addiction issues.

So think what you will of Alex Rodriguez but when so many moms and dads are active parts of a national drug epidemic, let’s stop crying that a ballplayer’s the one setting a bad example for kids. And let’s skip the expressions of outrage and shock because however you may choose to view A-Rod’s alleged drugs use, there’s no denying the ugly reality that that’s become the American way.”

Double Your Pleasure

 tumblr_mru58liy4J1qe0lqqo1_500

That’s what the Yanks did yesterday. They trailed in both games and came back to win ’em both. Ivan Nova was roughed-up early and then pitched a solid game; Phil Hughes did well, too. Robbie Cano was the star in the afternoon with Chris Stewart’s 3-run home run the big play, and Jayson Nix was the guy at night, hitting a game-tying homer and then the game-ending base hit in the bottom of the 9th.

Yanks 8, Jays 4.

Yanks 3, Jays 2.

According to Chad Jennings, “You guys can feel it,” Austin Romine said. “When you come in here it’s loose; it’s fun. We’re not out of it until we’re out of it, and that’s every game. We’re scrapping. We’re getting big hits from guys when we need it. Case in point tonight with Nixy coming up huge with that line drive to left. It’s fun. We’re having fun.”

Is this the start of a run or just a nice week? Either way, it’s always fun to see your team win both games of a double header.

[Photo Credit: Melissa Ann Pinney via MPD]

Double Dutch

tumblr_mrtwt8fLTO1s2kubqo1_500

Ah, just got Elmore on the brain.

Yanks and Jays play 2 today.

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alfonso Soriano DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Curtis Granderson LF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix SS
Chris Stewart C

Nova goes first; Hughes tonight.

Never mind the nonsense:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

 

[Photo Credit: hisaya katagami…man, I just love this picture.]

You Can Take it Upstairs…To The Fatman!

goose-gossage-001312345

Here’s a cool old relic from the last great era of Yankees dysfunction. It’s a clip of Goose Gossage losing his shit in front of the New York media in 1982–the beginning of a miserable, drawn-out decade for the organization, when all that ’70s glory turned to pinstriped shit.

This year has nothing on the Bronx Zoo hangover years.

From Volume 1 of Celebrities at Their Worst.

Rooting for the Bad Guy

i-1

We moved four months ago, but the process still isn’t over. We never quite finished clearing out the garage and attic at our old place, but since new renters were set to move in on Sunday, we spent Saturday packing everything out and all day Sunday trying to find space in the new garage for all the stuff we had left behind. We still aren’t done, but at least we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So as the Yankees and Red Sox were squaring off for the final game of their three-game set at Fenway Park, I was knee deep in a sea of boxes and assorted debris covering my driveway. I had hoped to be done by the first pitch, hoped to be lying down on the couch enjoying a nine-inning reward for the day’s work, but as it was I was stuck listening to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Listening to a baseball game on the radio (or an iPhone, in this case), is a completely different experience than watching on TV. Baseball’s languid pace fits perfectly with radio, as most radio announcers are comfortable enough to let the game breathe and take on a life of its own. The twenty-second gap between pitches allows for choices; an announcer can weave elaborate stories with history and anecdotes in and around an at bat, or he might simply choose to let the ambiance of the ballpark filter through to the listener.

With Sterling and Waldman, there isn’t much ambiance. They tend to prattle on throughout the game, sometimes talking about the action on the field, other times remembering Broadway musicals from the 1950s, and so it was on Sunday night. F.P. Dempster was on the mound for the Red Sox, and although he gave up a double to the smoldering Robinson Canó in the first inning, the game didn’t get interesting until CC Sabathia toed the rubber in the bottom half.

Sabathia was good his last time out, but even at the time that looked more like an aberration than a correction, and the CC we’ve grown used to seeing was back on Sunday. He walked Jacoby Ellsbury to start the inning, then gave up a single to Shane Victorino before finally walking David Ortíz to load the bases with one out. After a sacrifice fly from Johnny Gomes and a single off the bat of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, the Sox were up by two.

But the game really started in the top of the second when Alex Rodríguez walked up to the plate. A-Rod has always been a polarizing figure, and he’s been accustomed to hearing boos in every ballpark, including his own, for the majority of his career, but it’s never been anything like this. With everything that’s been going on off the field for Alex (and things got even crazier on Sunday as general manager Brian Cashman revealed that he no longer talks to A-Rod because of legal concerns), his on-field appearances over the past two weeks (and the past three days in Boston) have been met with the loudest and most sustained booing that any baseball player has ever had to endure.

And so it was as A-Rod strode to the plate for his first at bat on Sunday night. With the boos raining down, F.P. Dempster threw his first pitch behind Rodríguez, and the boos immediately turned to cheers. Everyone in the park (except, apparently, home plate umpire Brian O’Nora) knew what was probably going on, and when F.P.’s next two pitches were aimed at A-Rod’s belt buckle, it was clear that he was doing his best to send a message. His fourth pitch was a bit higher and a bit tighter and drilled Alex in the arm.

As Fenway exploded with glee, O’Nora flew into action, warning F.P., the Boston dugout, the New York dugout, and a peanut vendor in the front row. Remember when George Brett flew out of the third-base dugout after being called out in the Pine Tar game? Joe Girardi’s reaction to O’Nora’s warning was pretty much identical. He sprinted out to engage O’Nora and was thrown out almost immediately. Sterling and Waldman were in complete disbelief over the entire scene, and they wondered aloud about why Girardi would’ve been ejected so quickly. “We know he didn’t swear at O’Nora,” explained Sterling, “because Girardi does not swear.”

When I finally got to watch the recording hours later, the video told a different story. Girardi was furious that F.P. hadn’t been thrown out, and even a novice lip reader would’ve had no trouble deciphering his words for O’Nora before and after being tossed: “You fucked up! You fucked up!” Next Girardi turned on Dempster and reviewed his performance: “That’s bullshit! You’re a fucking pussy!” (Buster Olney reported on Monday morning that Girardi probably tripled his career profanity total in those five minutes.)

madjoe

I’ve never seen Girardi so angry, and I can’t say that I blame him. Not only did O’Nora fail to act, but he essentially condoned F.P. Dempster’s moral crusade. Apparently it’s now okay for a pitcher to throw at a player because he doesn’t like what he’s doing and saying off the field, but it’s no longer okay for a manager to defend his player. As several members of the media said in the moment and afterwards, if baseball doesn’t suspend F.P., they’ll be just as guilty as O’Nora.

So Rodríguez stood at first base, but even more important than that, his team stood united behind him. Players from both dugouts and bullpens had wandered out onto the field during the dispute, but it was clear that Yankee players were just as angry as their manager. A-Rod eventually came around to score after Curtis Granderson doubled him to third and Eduardo Núñez singled him home, and he received a hero’s welcome when he returned to the dugout. Even as members of the front office continue to distance themselves from Alex, his teammates seem to have embraced him. Just another item on the long list of contradictions concerning Mr. Rodríguez.

But back to the game. Lyle Overbay tied the game with a sacrifice fly, Sabathia had a quick and easy bottom of the second, and the Yankees went ahead 3-2 when A-Rod extracted a tiny bit of revenge (there would be more later) with an RBI groundout in the third.

Things started to look bleak almost immediately after that. Sabathia gave up a run to tie the score in the third, two more in the fourth, and then he walked in a sixth run in the fifth. I really don’t know what to say about Sabathia anymore.

In the top of the sixth, drama walked to the plate in the form of Alex Rodríguez. With F.P. Dempster still on the mound, A-Rod put a good swing on a 1-0 fastball and the boos suddenly went silent. It was the type of ball we’ve seen countless times from A-Rod over the past ten years, launched towards center field by a vicious swing but deceptive in its length. Ellsbury drifted back, but it quickly became clear that he wouldn’t have a play. He looked up and watched it soar deep into the night before settling several rows back in the bleachers, 446 feet from home plate.

It was a monster home run, but it meant much more than just a single run. The ball landed in the stands just as A-Rod rounded first, and the cameras caught him screaming in triumph and stealing a glance towards the mound. It wasn’t just about cutting the lead to 6-4; this was something personal. He sprinted around third, looked into the Yankee dugout, then paused for an extra second at home and did his best Big Papi impression, standing at the plate with two index fingers pointed skyward, either completely oblivious to the boos or soaking them in like warm sunshine. Needless to say, he was mobbed when he arrived back in the dugout. When asked afterwards about how he felt while rounding the bases, A-Rod didn’t hide behind any cliché about helping the team. His response was short and sweet: “It was awesome.”

But the Yankees didn’t stop there. It wasn’t long ago that a 6-3 deficit heading to the sixth inning would be too much of a mountain for the Yankees to climb, but no longer. They would load the bases with one out after Núñez and Overbay singled and Chris Stewart worked a walk, finally pushing F.P. Dempster from the game and bringing Brett Gardner to the plate. Gardner had been one of the more animated Yankees on the field after A-Rod’s beaning, so he might’ve been disappointed to be facing a reliever instead of the starter, but he still managed to punish F.P. He launched a shot to the gap in right center for a bases clearing triple that might’ve been an inside the parker if he hadn’t had to come to a complete stop near second when it looked like it might be caught, and suddenly the Yankees had a 7-6 lead.

Just as A-Rod had done at the beginning of the inning, Gardner let loose a scream as he dusted himself off at third. His triple might’ve come off of Drake Britton, but all the runs were charged to F.P. Dempster, a point that Gardner made after the game. “There’s no doubt what the guy was trying to do, but it is what it is, and he gave up seven runs today.” Those seven runs shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. F.P. has a career record against the Yankees of 0-6 and 7.57 — that’s not an airplane, that’s his ERA.

The Yanks added a run in the seventh (Mark Reynolds rapped a single to center to score Granderson) and another in the ninth (Stewart singled in Jayson Nix), and Mariano Rivera closed things down for a 9-6 win, but Sunday night was about Alex Rodríguez. As clueless as he sometimes can be, right now he seems to understand exactly what’s going on. (When a reporter asked afterwards if he thought F.P. should be suspended, Rodríguez chuckled and said, “I’m the last guy you should be asking about suspensions!”) He’s sitting in the eye of the storm that he created, but somehow he seems more comfortable than he ever has. Coming off a severe injury and an invasive surgery, fielding endless questions after every game, enduring barbs from his team’s front office, and facing hostile crowds every night, A-Rod is somehow playing the best baseball we’ve seen from him in two years.

Alex Rodríguez is the villain, and he likes it.

Stay Low and Keep Firing

tumblr_mk6voo84lh1rytfqio1_500

Okay, are the Yankees’ cooked, have you given up hope, or do you believe that they can still make a run? If you think they’ve still got a chance then tonight’s performance is a big one for the Big Fella. Biggest game of the year, in fact.

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Curtis Granderson DH
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Stewart C

Never mind the ESPN Dummies:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Elliott Erwitt]

Skip To My Boo

afp-getty-176711440-20130817

Hiroki was due for a bad start but he wasn’t horrible yesterday. The Sox score 3 runs in the 4th inning thanks to an error and a blown call by umpire Bill Welke. But when you only score a single run that stuff is secondary, right?

The final: Red Sox 6, Yanks 1.

Notes from Chad Jennings and Pete Abraham.

[Photo Credit: Jim Rogash, Getty Images]

The Play Is The Thing

tumblr_mrkmadrUV51qkq539o1_500

Our man Hiroki vs. Big John Lackey.

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Curtis Granderson DH
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Stewart C

Never mind the Fox announcers:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Big Wheel Keeps On Turnin’

bilde

Yesterday afternoon, another chapter in the Alex Rodriguez vs. MLB soap opera dropped. Item goes: Alex Rodriguez or one of his associates ratted on his fellow players including teammate Francisco Cervelli. Before the game, Rodriguez told reporters that he’d spoken to Cervelli in the morning:

“He understands completely that it’s not true,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve been a member of this union for 20 years. It’s important for all the guys to understand that my loyalty is to this union. That would never happen, it would never occur. And it didn’t happen. Let’s make one thing clear: For the next seven weeks, it’s going to be a very, very bumpy road. Every day, expect a story like this if not bigger. After arbitration, I’ll have an opportunity with a full platform and I can tell my full story.”

Later, according to Chad Jennings, Vernon Wells said:

“I’ve always taken the stance that he has nothing to explain to me,” Wells said. “This isn’t my story. This isn’t even a Yankees story. This is an Alex Rodriguez story. If he feels he has to address the team, then great. We’re going to continue to move on and go play baseball.”

And play baseball the Yankees did last night, winning baseball, because Andy Pettitte was solid and the offense, including Rodriguez who went 2-4 with a walk (and both of his outs were well-struck), remained hot.

Final Score: Yanks 10, Sox 3.

Never believe this but Alfonso Soriano hit a 3-run home run giving him 18 RBI (a good month) in his last 4 games. And Mark Reynolds homered in his first Yankee at bat. Again, from Jennings, here’s Reynolds:

“We battled these guys with the Orioles last year, but this is different. When you’re on deck, I mean, you can’t repeat what the fans say to you, but it’s just a different vibe, a different atmosphere for sure. But all that stuff does is motivate us as players to go out there and perform better. It’s all in good fun, and it’s a great spot to be in, in this rivalry.”

The hysteria will continue for sure today and tomorrow what with the games on National TV. Last night, Rodriguez wasn’t upset by the jeering. Let’s hope the Yanks keep pushing along, sideshow and all.

[Photo Credit: USA Today]

Come Fly With Me

tumblr_mrkjhxTI7S1r9rnjbo1_500

Yanks and Sox in Boston.

Bring the ruckus. Or rumpus. Or whatever you want to call it.

Never mind the hostilities:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Via: BullDays]

The Score Cycle

IMG_2317

The Yankees pounded out 19 hits on Tuesday, 12 hits on Wednesday and I was worried the hittin’ shoes would be all worn out for Thursday’s afternooner, which I’d be attending with the extended family. The Yankees kept on hitting – 15 more hits today – but they stopped at third most of the time and wound up in a familiar spot, the losing end of a Phil Hughes start.

Next time, leave the cycle at home boys, and back up the score truck.

My father has fed a steady stream of criticism to Hughes through the TV this season, so I’m sure he was overjoyed when his Father’s Day gift turned out to feature the much maligned starter. We took bets on his outing: six innings / two runs; seven innings / three runs; four innings / four runs. Overall, we were an optimistic group and came close to nailing the actual line, six innings and three runs.

Hughes got touched for a run on a couple of singles in first, but he struck out Mike Trout on a slider with teeth so you almost had to forgive him. The Yankees were all over C.J. Wilson with hits in every inning and multiple base runners in most of them. But they turned a triple and three singles into only the tying run in the third as Vernon Wells rapped into rally-killing 5-4-3 double play with the sacks packed.

The Angels reclaimed the lead with a quickness in the fourth. It was the bottom of the order, and I don’t know if Hughes let up or if it was just one of those things, but they punched him up for a big double (Erick Aybar), a long sac fly and a 2-out homer (Chris Nelson) that really let the air out of the crowd.

But this is not the limp-bat lineup we’d have written off a few weeks ago. This team had plenty of offense left and, to their credit, the crowd perked up each inning rising to a crescendo in the bottom of the seventh. Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez both took big hacks at tying the game. All the kids in my row were really hollering, making up chants and cheers for the hitters. But neither big hack resulted in the much wished for big fly. And this time the air was out for good.

Mike Trout hit a 2003-ALCS-Game-7 double to lead off the top of the 8th and my seats for today’s game (third base side, upper deck) gave me the same vantage point as when Posada hit his double all those years ago. I could see right away that the ball was falling in and instead of watching Cano track into short center, I focused on Trout sniffing the double from about halfway up the first base line. He turned on the jets and, well, damn. That’s the best player in baseball for you.

Trout appeared to be stuck there at second, but with two outs, Girardi got cute, walked a .236 hitter intentionally and set-up the end game. Logan battled the no-stick catcher Hank Conger and lost him to an unintentional walk. Then Chris Nelson wacked him for a grand slam. Nelson had two RBI in ten games for the Yanks earlier this season. He had five RBI and quite possibly won the game this afternoon.

You know, it’s not everyday that you get to see Phil Hughes and Joba Chmaberlain get beat around by the same team – it’s every fifth day. Wocka, Wocka. Hughes wasn’t terrible though, especially for the new-look lineup. The Yanks had one more rally in them in the ninth, but they were too far behind and the final score of 8-4 is both unfair to the Yankees and the Angels in a weird way.

It’s not the 1995 Cleveland Indians or anything, but as currently constituted, this a fairly dangerous lineup and a well-rounded team. It almost looks like a contender if they were starting today.

But they’re not, and that’s why we had a blast at this game. For pennant fever, we watched the scoreboard for Pittsburgh-St. Louis updates (we’ll be in Pittsburgh on Saturday for the D-backs) and for sheer baseball excellence, we watched Mike Trout. And oh-by-the-way, the Yankees have some great players too, as Cano (Henry’s favorite), Arod, Granderson, Soriano and Gardner reminded us with 11 hits and three walks.

Much like Henry and this ice cream cone, the battle was lost but it was a hell of a ride.

IMG_2329

IMG_2330

IMG_2333

Better Belated Than Never

tumblr_mrhmwxW4E31qkuvjao1_500

Good gorsh, day game. I forgot.

It’s chuck-and-duck Phil Hughes.

1. Brett Gardner CF

2. Alfonso Soriano LF

3. Robinson Cano 2B

4. Alex Rodriguez 3B

5. Vernon Wells RF

6. Curtis Granderson DH

7. Eduardo Nunez SS

8. Lyle Overbay 1B

9. Austin Romine C

 

Never mind my tardiness: Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: New York Explorer]

The Prodigal Son

Soriano

I would never try to tell you that I was disappointed when the Yankees traded away Alfonso Soriano for Alex Rodríguez before the 2004 season. Rodríguez was the best player in baseball back then, so it would be hard to argue with that deal even knowing what we know now, but I was definitely sorry to see Soriano go. He should’ve been the hero of the 2001 World Series, he was coming off two spectacular seasons in ’02 and ’03, and even though there were holes in his swing and questions about his work ethic, it was hard to argue with the numbers on the back of his baseball card.

So when my summer tour of the Midwest was interrupted by the news that the Yankees had reacquired Soriano, I was thrilled even if Brian Cashman wasn’t. Even if you accepted that the odds of hanging a twenty-eighth banner this October were slim, it still felt like a good deal to me. Any extra bat added to the anemic attack we’d suffered through over the first four months would have to be a good thing, right?

Of course, no one could’ve imagined what happened over the past two days against the Angels. Soriano had hit two home runs and driven in six runs on Monday night, with all of that damage coming in the final four innings, and he picked up right where he left off on Tuesday.

Jered Weaver was on the mound for the Angels, and I don’t particularly like Jered Weaver. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because he always looks like he’s absolutely miserable. Remember when your dad used to tell you stop crying or he’d give you something to cry about? Well, the Yankees gave Weaver something to be miserable about, but quick. After Brett Gardner and Ichiro made the first two outs of the first inning, Robinson Canó laced a single right back over Weaver’s head, then A-Rod promptly doubled him over to third. The right-handed Weaver played the percentages and gave the left-handed Curtis Granderson four straight balls to load the bases for our boy Soriano.

Statistically, it was the right move, but it didn’t work. Weaver left a fastball right over the heart of the plate, and Soriano did his job. He absolutely crushed it to straightaway center field for a grand slam and a 4-0 Yankee lead.

The heart of the lineup — and this lineup actually has a heart now — did more two-out damage in the second inning. With runners on first and second, Canó ripped a single to right to push the score to 5-0, and after a walk to A-Rod, Granderson singled in another run, making it 6-0. This brought up Soriano, who crushed another ball, this one just a double to score two. 8-0.

An eight-run cushion would be enough even for a fifth starter, but when it’s your ace on the mound as it was on Tuesday, you might as well send everyone home. Ivan Nova didn’t have his best stuff, but he labored through 7.1 innings and only gave up three runs.

As I said, the eight runs would’ve been enough for Nova, but they weren’t enough for the Yankee hitters. When Soriano led off the fifth inning with another home run, his fourth in two games, he elevated himself into some fairly exclusive company. With six RBIs on Monday and seven more on Tuesday, Soriano became just the seventh player in history to total at least thirteen RBIs in consecutive games and only the third player to have six or more RBIs in each of two consecutive games.

The Angels finally wised up and walked Soriano in his fourth and final at bat of the night, but he scored along with Granderson on a Chris Stewart single for the game’s final runs. Yankees 11, Angels 3.

The only downside that I can see to all this is that the Yankees have me believing again. Maybe this lineup is good enough to score on a consistent basis. Maybe Ivan Nova will continue to string together quality starts. Maybe Hiroki Kuroda (the team’s other ace) will do the same. Maybe Derek Jeter will finally get healthy and add even more depth to the lineup.

Maybe this team will make the playoffs. And after that? Who knows.

[Photo Credit: Rich Shultz/Getty Images]

Souped Up

Classic American Muscle Car Photography Stock Image

Ivan Nova squares off against the talented Mr. Weaver.

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Curtis Granderson DH
Alfonso Soriano LF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C

Never mind getting ahead of ourselves:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Kevin Hulsey]

Fresh Direct

get-attachment (100)

Well, Goddamn. The Score Truck and an old fashioned Bronx beat down. Remember them?

The game was close, the Yanks were behind early, but then they proceeded to beat the snot out of the Angels, and after a late rain delay, and an unfortunate performance by Dellin Betances, the Yanks won by a touchdown, 14-7. Couple of homers and 6 RBI for Lil’ Sori; 4 Ribbies for Nunez, a win for C.C.

Yeah, it was a good night.

Somebody Come and Play

tumblr_mihlnvuufF1r7x7w9o2_1280

It’s C.C. C’mon Big Fella, we got your back.

Eduardo Nunez SS
Alfonso Soriano LF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Vernon Wells RF
Curtis Granderson CF
Jayson Nix 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Austin Romine C

Never mind the raindrops:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Martha Cooper]

Close Encounter

yankees-angels

I liked Chris Nelson when he was in New York for a few minutes earlier this season. Maybe it was his sympathetic face but watching him I appreciated how hard it is for some guys to stay in the big leagues. I felt sad when the Yanks let him go and pleased when the Angels picked him up.

Well there he was last night in the 9th inning. The bases were loaded, 2 men were out, the Yanks ahead, 2-1. David Robertson was on the mound, having replaced Boone Logan. They were pitching because Mo had the night off. Nelson stood at the plate and worked the count full.

I’m sure Angels fans and Yankee fans were both thinking the same thing–my team is going to blow this. Robertson threw a fastball over the plate but it was high and well out of the strike zone. It was one of those rising pitches, however, that is tough for a right-handed hitter to lay off. Nelson bit and swung. Didn’t come close to hitting the ball and the game was over.

I was relieved and then looking at Nelson’s face as he walked off the field I felt sad for the guy. Not as sad as I would have felt for Hiroki Kuroda, who was fantastic once again, but I couldn’t shake the feeling because in baseball someone is always losing.

Final Score: Yanks 2, Angels 1. 

[Photo Credit: Corey Sipkin/Daily News]

Angels Mit Doity Faces

 tumblr_mqwwqkLEmL1qbo6vso1_500

Our man Hiroki vs The Wonder Boy and his gang of Angels.

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Curtis Granderson RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C

Oy, with these Angels. Even when they’re a lousy team, I still don’t like ’em.

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

[Photo Credit: John Kingman]

feed Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email
"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver