Trivia Answer

Who hit the most home runs at (the old) Yankee Stadium?

The answer is Mickey Mantle. The switch hitter had 266 home runs opposed to Babe Ruth's 259. I figured more people would pick Ruth, but I guess you people are cheating. Lou Gehrig isn't that far behind either, with 251 home runs. If Mantle was a lefty only and never got hurt, who knows how many more he could have hit.

Be sure to check out Jim's post on should #21 be retired. Interesting stuff, considering number 51, 2, 6, 42, and possibly 46 will also be retired from this era.

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Should #21 be retired?

With Syracuse apparently about to be getting some heavy snow, the University canceled afternoon classes, which is a big deal. They cancel classes because of the weather less often than Robinson Cano gets a hit with runners in scoring position. Boom! Roasted! (Sorry Robby.) The last time they canceled an entire day of snow was before I was born, so even half a day off is unexpected. So with an impending storm and a stomach virus going around my dorm that is basically causing this, it should make for an interesting weekend.

Image via Wikipedia

Anyway, yesterday, the Derek Jeter press conference got a lot of talk on the ESPN, but that had more to do with the fact that its February and it was a slow news day. News sources try to stir up controversial stories out of nothing to draw viewers because that's what they are in the business of doing: drawing viewers. We all know that Jeter will retire as a Yankee, have his number retired, and then go into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee.

But that second point, having his number retired, got me thinking about another Yankee great, Paul O'Neill.

O'Neill retired after the 2001 World Series, with a memorable sendoff from the Yankee Stadium faithful, after a 17-year career.

His number 21 had not been reissued until 2008, when it was given to LaTroy Hawkins. That lasted all of 2 weeks before Hawkins changed to number 22 after a talk with Jeter and Mariano Rivera. The fans would jeer and start the "Paul-O-Neill" chant whenever Hawkins entered the game, leading to the change.

The number has not been given out since, leading to the question of whether #21 should be retired forever.

Case for the number being retired:

• He was an integral part of 4 World Series Championships
• 4-Time All-Star
• Yankee Stats: .303/185 HR/ 858 RBI
• 6 seasons with over 20 home runs, 4 seasons over 100 RBI's
• The fans: Will any other player really want to take the number if they are going have to take constant abuse from the fans?

Case against the number being retired:

• He was only a Yankee for 9 seasons
• He (most likely) will not be inducted into the Hall of Fame
• The Yankees already have 17 numbers retired (including 8 twice and Jackie Robinson's 42). With Jeter's #2 and Rivera's #42 sure to be retired how many more numbers can the Yankees afford to retire?
• There is the possibility that you can "unofficially retire" the number for the next 30-40 years and then reissue the number once my generation of fans (people currently ages approximately 16-29 or the Jeter Generation) is older and a more accepting fan base exists.

Personally, I think the O'Neill should be recognized in some way, but I do not think his number will ever hang in Monument Park. What do you think?

SEE YA!

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Can't get enough of us?

As Spring Training gets under way with the first official position player workout today, I just wanted to take care of some housekeeping things.

There are several ways to keep up-to-date on our posts.

1. Become a fan of the Michael Kay's Successors Facebook Page. Every time we write something on the blog, there will be a post on that page with a link to the article. There are also a few photos from when we met Brian Bruney.
2. If you are on Twitter, be sure to follow us @KaysSuccessors. There, you will also find a link to our most recent posts. You can also follow my personal page @jgeant, where you will not only get linked back to this website, but hear my thoughts on the Yankees, Syracuse Basketball, and odd things going on around me (like a kid who was walking around campus in a Cookie Monster costume the other day. No, I'm not kidding.)
3. For fans of RSS feeders, you can go here to pick up our feed.
4. If you find something we write interesting, funny, or intelligent (and we hope you always do) you can Tweet it or share it with your Facebook friends with the nifty device on the left-hand side of the page underneath our Twitter feed.
   
5. If you want to get in touch with us you can always e-mail us at MichaelKaysSuccessors@Yahoo.com or by leaving a comment at the bottom of a post. We encourage you, our readers, to provide us feedback and to have your thoughts and opinions heard.
   

Make sure you take a crack at our trivia question, and get ready, because the Grapefruit League season starts in 1 week.

UPDATE: John here, yeah so, I screwed up something on the layout so the poll had been closed for the trivia question I apologize and the problem has been fixed. But now the five people who have been voting can continue to do so...

Also, instead of making a new post, I figure I'll put this here: Chad Jennings of the Lohud Blog has excerpts from Derek Jeter's press conference today. Most of it covers his contract situation, which he said that he focuses one season at a time and will worry about it later. He also said that today is the first and last time he will talk about his contract situation with the media. So, I guess you could say him and the Yankees are on the same page as of now...am I right?

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Yankees Trivia and Other Stuff

Yeah, I'm still going to do this. I've had a busy day so sorry for the late post, but here's a good one I found.

Who holds the most home-runs at the (old) Yankee Stadium?

A.) Babe Ruth
B.) Mickey Mantle
C.) Alex Rodriguez
D.) Lou Gehrig

Voting will last untill noon Friday.

Speaking of home runs, in case you haven't heard, catching prospect Jesus Montero hit the M. of the George M. Steinbrenner field sign at the spring training complex on Monday.

Position players have their first workout tommorow (Wednesday) so I'm sure everything will be centered around A-Rod, because it always is.

Former Yankee great Aaron Boone officially retired and will join ESPN. NY Times baseball writer Jack Curry will be joining the YES Network too.

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Park to pitch at Stadium this year

The Yankees have signed 36-year old right-hander Chan Ho Park to a 1 year $1.2 million deal. Brian Cashman could not confirm the deal, as it had not been officially completed but Park held a press conference in Seoul, South Korea just after 1 AM Eastern time. Park will join the bullpen mix, instead of joining the competition for the fifth starter spot that is already pretty packed with Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre, and Alfredo Aceves.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

With the NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies last year, Park went 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA. That ERA is bloated as he made 7 starts to the tune of a 7.29 ERA. But, after moving to the bullpen, Park recorded a 2.52 ERA and a WHIP of 1.18.

While being most widely known as the first South Korean Major League, Park made some headlines in December when it became public that he was suing his former Dodger battery mate Chad Kreuter for failing to pay off a loan. So, don't go asking for him to loan you any money, Jorge.

Good move by Cashman, bringing in another quality arm to help David Robertson, Damaso Marte, and the rest bridge the gap to Mariano in the 9th because, as Cashman himself states, "The more the merrier. You can never have enough."

The Yanks 40-man roster is currently full, so there will be a corresponding move to free a spot when Park's contract becomes official.

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Damon Agrees to sign with Tigers

Ex-Yankee Johnny Damon finally has a team for the 2010 season. He has agreed to a 1-year $8million contract with the Detroit Tigers. He essentially replaces Curtis Granderson while Granderson is replacing Damon.





I don't know what Damon or Scott Boras were thinking when negotiating with the Yankees. They Yankees offered 2 years $14mil and they declined. I know they wanted an Abreu-like deal but there was no way he would get the money he was looking for from any other team.Now he accepted a one year offer for just $1 million more. I wonder how badly Damon needs that extra million.





In other Yankees news, CC Sabathia threw today and said he felt fine. Sabathia threw 240 innings including the postseason and Girardi knows they need to keep an eye on him but at the same time knows he is capable of a heavy workload.



Enjoy your Saturday night.

See Ya!

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This Week's Trivia Answer

On Tuesday I asked, When was the first and only time the Yankees had spring training on the West Coast?



A.)1949
B.)1951
C.)1956
D.)1976



And everyone who voted got the answer right. It was 1951. I guess my hint made it really easy, but it's good to know that nobody thinks Mickey Mantle's rookie season was 1976.



In 1951 the Yankees held spring training in Phoenix, AZ for the first time because co-owner Del Webb was from Phoenix and wanted the team to hold spring training in his hometown. He was able to do this by agreeing with New York Giants owner to switch locations for the 51 preseason.

The Yankees competed in the Cactus League that year, and manager Casey Stengel brought in a lot of minor leaguers into camp becasue the team had been aging. A young shortstop by the name of Mickey Mantle, who was not expected to make the team, caught the eye of Stengel. The 19-year-0ld displayed power from both sides of the plate (which was not common then) and incredible speed. Mantle made 55 errors in the minors the season before, and had trouble with balls right at him. So Stengel moved him to the outfield, and eventually, he would become Joe DiMaggio's successor.

Nonetheless, the only time the Yankees opened spring out west was pretty eventful. For more on the Spring of '51 and the start of Mantle's career, I got my information from: http://www.ultimateyankees.com/springtraining.htm

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Every journey starts with a small step...

And that small step was taken by the Yankees pitchers from the right field line towards center field. A small group of fans cheered them on as they took the first steps in their quest for a 28th World Series Championship. Girardi talked about lightening the work load of his pitchers this spring. Jayson Stark of ESPN wrote about the positive vibe surrounding the Yankees as they enter Spring Training.

Sorry for the short post, but I'm getting ready to watch my fifth-ranked Syracuse Orange take on number 10 Georgetown. This is our big rivalry game, so hopefully Wes Johnson and Co. can recover from a bad loss on Sunday. Destroya the Hoyas!

Also, be sure to get your answers in for the Trivia Question!

SEE YA!

UPDATE 6:54: John here, so Jim pretty much covered everything except one very big detail. It appears that Andy Pettitte has a mohawk. Check the fourth story on Yankees.com and look at Pettitte's hair. I am currently browsing the web for a better picture but if anyone has one send it to michaelkayssuccessors@yahoo.com so we can feature it on the blog. I just find this absolutely hilarious.

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First Day of Spring Training Wrap-Up

It's the first day of spring training. The start of when the fans are happy and everybodys hopes are high (even Mets fans), the players are happy, and the managers are ready to get their team back into shape and right to work. It's been a long winter, but we no longer need the hot stove to keep us warm. Instead we have the images of the pitchers on the freshly cut green grass with the bright, beaming Florida sun shining down on them as they loosen their arms up for their first day of a long season ahead.

Now, you probably have heard what the deal was today for the Yankees, but if not, here is a quick rundown:

• Pitchers and catchers reported to Steinbrenner (Legends?) Field today at noon, as well as some other players, including captain Derek Jeter and newcomer Curtis Granderson.
• Joe Girardi spoke to reporters today and touched on a number of subjects. First, he said there needs to be some "ironing out" concerning the lineup. In other words, who bats where.
• He also spoke about the role of the number 5 guy in the rotation. He set a deadline at March 25 for that to be determined. The front-runners are Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes and Girardi said that whoever does not get the job will most likely end up in the bullpen. He also reiterated that more than just Spring Training stats will factor into the decision.
• Girardi also said he would put Granderson and Gardner both in leftfield during some games this spring training.
• Finally, Girardi spoke about defending the Yankees 27th World Series Championship. He said, "The expectation here is the same every year...In a sense, you’re supposed to repeat every year… I don’t really consider (complacency) an issue because I know the people in the room.”

Here are some player quotes from today:

Phil Hughes:

"It's one of those things that's not a bad position to be in...To have three or four very capable guys to battle for one spot, I think a lot of teams would like to be in that situation. I'm not treating this spring any differently than any other. Last year, I just tried to come in and do everything I could do on the mound and see what happens."

Curtis Granderson:

"Change is always a good thing...I'm excited to get a chance to go to the defending world champions and learn from those guys over there. They've got great veterans and great players, [a] great coaching staff -- a great organization. I'm looking forward to all of those different things."

Jorge Posada:

"To repeat, you have to have a good team, and we have a very good team...It's all up to us to put it together like we did last year and click at the right times."

Javier Vazquez:

"It's great to be back...It's exciting; it's a blast having CC, A.J. and Andy. They're three great pitchers. I'm very excited to play with these guys."

Here is a link to some of the pictures taken at spring training today. Remember, there is a trivia question that expires midnight tomorrow so take a stab at it and enjoy. Baseball season has begun.

See Ya!

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'Twas the Night Before Spring Training...

So we're simply counting down the hours until pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report in Tampa for spring training, and I just wanted to pass along a few quick news stories to get you ready.

• Former Yankee Chien-Mien Wang signed a one-year $2 million contract with the Washington Nationals. Wang will get a chance to join the Nationals rotation once he's healthy, which is an opportunity he may not have gotten with the Yankees.
• The Nationals are also reportedly interested in Kris Benson, and you cannot talk about Kris Benson without mentioning his wife, Anna Benson. That would be the same Anna Benson who threatened to sleep with the entire Mets organization, "even the ball boys," if her husband cheated on her.
• Johnny Damon remains without a job for the 2010 season, despite the fact that his agent Scott Boras says talks with the Detroit Tigers are "moving forward." I'd be willing to be money that Damon wishes he took the two-year $14 million that Brian Cashman says the Yankees offered him.
  
• While the Yankees are waiting until after the season to extend Derek Jeter's contract, they may be targeting a potential replacement for when Jeter eventually retires. 21-year old Cuban defector Adeinis Hechavarria will be looking for a $7-8 million signing bonus once he is "unblocked" by the Office of Foreign Assets Committee after they verify his age, identity, and residency. (Just a side note: how can it be an Office and a committee? It's not the Office of THE Foreign Assets Committee, which would make more sense. I think we need a committee to determine the validity of this committee. Ok, enough ranting.)
• Yankees ace CC Sabathia is already in Tampa, having reported early, and talked about how the Cour Fore will prevent any let-up after last year's World Series win.

Be sure to look on the right and take a crack at this week's trivia question.

SEE YA!

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Twenty Hours Away (And Trivia Question)

It may be snowing right now at my school in Connecticut (Quinnipiac) but in 20 hours and 22 minutes pitchers and catchers will be reporting for the 2010 New York Yankees. We'll have more on spring training tomorrow, including updates on the players who are already there and what spring training means to baseball fans everywhere.

And since we are on the eve on spring training...let's have a spring training related trivia question.

The Yankees current home to their spring training facility is Tampa Bay, FL. When was the first and only time the Yankees held spring training on the West Coast?

A.) 1949
B.) 1951
C.) 1956
D.) 1976

HINT: It was Mickey Mantle's rookie season.

We'll have more tomorrow. It's time to get excited because in 20 hours, it's officially baseball season.

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Trivia Answer

So...the question is, during Don Larsen's perfect game, who was the play-by-play announcer(s)?

Mel Allen
Vin Scully
Ernie Harwell
Allen and Scully
Allen and Harwell

The answer is D.) Mel Allen and Vin Scully. Now some of you might say that's easy becasue one's the Yankees announcer and the other is the Dodgers. However, there was only one broadcast of this game, so they actually split it up! Mel Allen called the first half of the game, then Vin Scully called the second half.

It is also interesting to note that Scully never, NEVER mentioned that Don Larsen was throwing a perfect game. He took a tradition that the players have on the field and brought it into the booth. Now, everytime Michael Kay or Tim McCarver or Joe Morgan mention a perfect game in like the fourth inning people start freaking out. But Scully called more no-hitters and perfect games, and actually did say "perfect game" during Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965.

Anyway I digress. Here is Scully introducing the ninth inning of Larsen's perfect game:

"Let’s all take a deep breath as we go to the most dramatic ninth inning in the history of baseball. I’m going to sit back, light up, and hope I don’t chew the cigarette to pieces."

With one out to go:

"Yankee Stadium is shivering in its concrete foundation right now as Larsen pitches to Mitchell."

And the final call:

"Got him! ... for Don Larsen. A no hitter, a perfect game in a World Series ... Never in the history of the game has it ever happened in a World Series ..."And so our hats off to Don Larsen -- no runs, no hits, no errors, no walks, no baserunners. The final score: The Yankees, two runs, five hits and no errors. The Dodgers: No runs, no hits, no errors ... in fact, nothing at all. "This was a day to remember, this was a ballgame to remember and above all, the greatest day in the life of Don Larsen. And the most dramatic and well-pitched ballgame in the history of baseball. ..."Mel, you can put this in your ring and wear it a long time."

Man...to hear Mel Allen and Vin Scully call the same game. Today we're stuck with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver calling every World Series. Maybe one day that will change...

See Ya!

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Yankees Trivia Question

We're almost there! Just 8 more days until pitchers and catchers report!!!! Plus, there's been relevant Yankees news. Chad Jennings has a list of the Yankees non-roster invitees to spring training. Despite the snowstorm that's about to hit southeastern Connecticut, I can start to feel baseball season.


Now, for our weekly trivia question. Last week I asked who was the Yankees all-time strikeouts leader, and the answer was Whitey Ford.

Now, the question I'm about to ask doesn't have anything to do with Yankee players. Since we named our blog after a Yankee announcer, we should probably incorporate the announcers in a trivia question, and I'll make it a tough one (unless you know your baseball announcers).

In 1956, Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history in a 2-0 Yankees win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Who was the play-by-play announcer(s) during the game?


A.) Mel Allen
B.) Vin Scully
C.) Ernie Harwell
D.) Both A. and B.
E.) Both A. and C.

Vote on the poll to the right. Voting ends midnight Thursday unless there are no votes by tomorrow evening, then I extend it into Friday at noon.

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Buster Olney Picks Red Sox Rotation Over Yanks

With both teams recent acquistions this past winter, there has been much debate over who has the best rotation, the Yankee or Red Sox. Well, Buster Olney thinks it is the Red Sox. Now, this is an ESPN Insider article, so I'll just show you what he says about each:

"Red Sox: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Clay Buchholz, No. 6 Tim Wakefield. On paper, a strong group -- if Beckett has a season worthy of a contract drive, if Lackey succeeds in making the transition to the American League East, if Matsuzaka can finally get on the same page as the Red Sox staff and if Buchholz continues to improve.

Yankees: CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Javier Vazquez, Phil Hughes. As usual, Burnett is the key for this group; it could be the best if he pitches at an elite level."

To me, that's a lot of "if's" for being the best rotation in the majors. Also, Olney said he was basing it off the best starting 5, not the best two. The Red Sox rotation is more top-heavy than the Yankees, making the Yankees rotation more balanced.

Honestly, it's right before Spring Training, so it's a toss up between the two at this point. But all I'm saying is that it looks like the Yankees have less question marks and "if's" than the Red Sox at this point...

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Trivia Answer

This week I asked who was the Yankees all-time strikeouts leader?

All four choices were in the top four, but Whitey Ford is the person with the most strikeouts in Yankees history.

The Chairman of the Board struck out 1,956 batters in 16 seasons with the Yankees along with 236 wins in a Hall of Fame career.

Ron Guidry is second all-time with 1,778 strikeouts, but Andy Pettitte will most likely pass him this season as he is only 56 strikeouts behind Guidry with 1,722 as a Yankee.

If you're wondering where Roger Clemens is, these are the strikeouts during their time with the Yankees, and most of the Rocket's 4,672 strikeouts came with other teams.

The wait for Spring Training is almost over, and pitchers and catchers report in 12 days! There should be more news during then. Until that time we are doing our best to keep you entertained and we'll be sure to let you know if Johnny Damon finds a job soon.

Enjoy your Super Bowl Weekend...Who Dat!

See Ya!

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How closely did you pay attention to the 2009 Yankees?

This has been making the rounds on the internet, so I thought I'd post it.

A quiz asking you to name everyone who appeared in at least one game for the 2009 Yankees has been created on Sporcle, a gaming website.

If you are unfamiliar with Sporcle, you probably fall into one of three categories;

1. You were not a senior in high school in May 2009 (as I was)
2. You are not someone with a lot of free time on their hands
3. You have the ability to not procrastinate (I am in awe of you)

The Mission Statement for the website is "We actively and methodically search out new and innovative ways to prevent our users from getting any work done whatsoever." This fit perfectly into my philosophy for school last year after March 13 (the day I got the acceptance letter from Syracuse), which was: "Actively and methodically search out new and innovative ways to prevent from getting any work done whatsoever." It so happens that this was the philosophy of many classmates, so we all caught on to playing it (and even got a few teachers who accepted the fact that we had full-blown Senior-itis to start playing).

There's a quiz about almost anything from Countries of the World (there's 195, in case you were wondering) to listing the things mentioned in Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire, to naming every Pokemon (I witnessed this being completed), to filling in lyrics to the theme from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which anyone who grew up in the 90's should be able to tell you most of (come on, you know it, "West Philadelphia, born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days").

Some other Yankee-centric quizzes include: Yankees retired numbers (My Personal Record in this one is 30 seconds), Yankees Managers, Yankees Captains, and Teams that have lost to the Yankees in the World Series. Even more can be found here.

Despite how this sounds, this was not a paid advertisement (unless Sporcle wants to pay me, I'm 100% cool with that), just something to write about until we get to some actual baseball news when Spring Training starts. We're resigned to nothing but football news until then (I think I know more about Dwight Freeny's ankle than my own at this point), but Yankees pitchers and catchers report in less than two weeks (February 17). So stick with us as we get ready for that, and we'll have some fun stuff for you.

SEE YA!

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Weekly Yankees Trivia

We are 16 days away from the date pitchers and catchers are set to report for the Yankees. The Hot Stove is cold, Johnny Damon doesn't have a job, and the Super Bowl is Sunday. In the meantime we will keep the Yankees on your mind by asking some trivia questions.

Last week we asked who is the only Yankee to hit two grand slams in one game? The answer was Tony Lazerri. This week I'll move away from the home runs and see how well you know your Yankee pitchers.

Who is the Yankees all-time leading strikeouts leader?

A.) Whitey Ford
B.) Red Ruffing
C.) Andy Pettitte
D.) Ron Guidry

Remember vote on the poll to the side. Voting closes Thursday at midnight so make sure you get in your vote!

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