All is right in the world

Derek Jeter has officially resigned with the Yankees. There's a press conference at 2:30 on ESPN. I'm stuck in class, but if anything important comes out of it, I'll post later.

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Going Shopping...

Well Black Friday always marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and it usually marks the beginning of the Baseball Offseason as well. Let's get caught up on what's going on.

Derek Jeter
Well, these negotiations have pretty much turned "messy" as Hal Steinbrenner forewarned. Word around town today is that he wants $150 million (cue Dr. Evil pose). That's much much more money than Jeter (or anyone else for that matter) is worth at this point. The Yankees have drawn the line in the sand with $45 million for 3 years. I don't understand why they don't sign a reasonable player contract and then do one of those personal services contracts for when he retires. I think, no matter what, Jeter's probably going to be laughing all the way to the bank.












Mariano Rivera
There had been talk about Rivera pulling an Andy Pettitte and going year to year, but now he apparently wants a 2-year deal. I don't see why the Yankees don't sign him to that contract right now. The second year is probably tied to the chance to pass Trevor Hoffman on the All-Time Saves list. This deal will probably get down soon, and with hopefully less drama than Jeter's deal.





Cliff Lee
And now we move on to the biggest non-Yankee target the coveted left hander Lee. There are conflicting reports on whether an official offer has actually been made, but Cash Money (Brian Cashman, not the rap label) went down to Arkansas to visit with him and his family. It's probably more a matter of years at this point, because Lee's going to want about 7, but he's 32 so he's probably going to have to settle for less.







So that's it for now. But as more news develops, we'll keep you updated.

SEE YA!

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That's All She Wrote

I know Yankee fans (well, I am) are circulating around the blogosphere to make themselves feel better. The fact is the Texas Rangers just outplayed the Yankees. Their offense kept piling on runs and their pitching stifled the Yankees bats. Sure there are moments we can blame Girardi or a player or two, but the bottom line is the Rangers were just the better team.

The Yankees did win the World Series last year so, for me personally, it doesn't sting as it has in years past. But the team just didn't seem to have that special feeling it did last year. The second half of the season was a mess, and injuries (Pettitte) and underperformance (Burnett) were hard to overcome this season.

And I have the postgame on the YES Network and they just interviewed Andy Pettitte. Man, that was tough to watch. It sounds like he may not come back and we've seen the last of Pettitte. He's been debating retiring for a few years now, so it would be no surprise if he retires. There's going to be a lot of questions in the offseason and moves to be made.

I do want to say one more thing. When Mark Teixeira went down with that hamstring injury in Game 4, that changed the whole dynamic of the series. It seemed like it was the final nail in the coffin for a series that didn't have anything go right except for 15 pitches in Game 1.

We will do our best to keep the blog going through the offseason and into the 2011 season. It's a place where we've been able to vent our frustrations and share our excitement, whether anyone actually reads it or not.

There's only one thing to say...See Ya!

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Why I'd pitch CC in Game 4

Going into the top of the ninth inning, it was 2-0 Rangers, and Cliff Lee was dominating. I was prepared to just be "Lee pitched a helluva game, nothing you can do about that." But then that monstrosity of a 9th inning happened and really pissed me off. You can't let a team score tack-on runs, especially 6 of them, in the playoffs. We all know that the Yankees can score in bunches to win games in the late innings (see: Game 1) but not when they're down 8. If it's a 2-0 loss, you just tip your hat and come back the next day, but 8-0 leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Then there's the AJ Burnett situation. Joe Girardi immediately told the media Burnett is starting tomorrow. I disagree with this decision 100%. The Rangers are throwing Tommy Hunter, who gave up 3 runs in 6 innings against the Rays in the ALDS, but isn't in the same ballpark, zipcode, state, country, or even continent of Cliff Lee. The Yankees should (if they wake up) hit him well. But do you really want to have to try to win a 10-9 game with Burnett pitching? I say they throw CC to shut down the Rangers and tie this thing up 2-2.

John disagrees with me (which, believe it or not, actually happens from time to time.) His concern (and I have to admit, it is a valid one) is that if CC loses, do you really want AJ pitching Game 5 down 3-1? The answer to that is obviously no. But, to me, it's like when a pitcher's pitching in a tough spot; when they have the option between their best pitch and their fourth-best pitch, they pick their best pitch every time (or at least they're supposed to). If you are going to get beat, you have to lose with your best. If the Yanks go down 3-1 with CC on the mound, at least you know they weren't screwing around went all in and they play "all hands on deck" the rest of the way. If AJ loses, sure you have CC to pitch Game 5, but you still have to win 3 games in a row, 2 of them on the road.

The reason CC isn't starting this game outright is Girardi and the Yankees don't want to use Hughes and Pettitte (who also pitched a helluva game tonight) on 3 day's rest. Hughes because he's already thrown a lot more innings than he ever has and Pettitte because he was injured most of the second half. Here's my solution to that: CC pitches Game 4 and wins. AJ starts Game 5 with Hughes ready to come out of the bullpen for 2, maybe 3 innings (it would be his throw day), you go Pettitte Game 6, and CC Game 7, if necessary. I would still throw Pettitte on 3 days rest for a few reasons: 1) I think his performances so far in the postseason prove he's healthy, 2) the Yankees have no long-term investment in him. I know it's not a nice thing to think about, but Pettitte's contract is up after the season, and he's been hinting at retirement for about 5 years now. If something happens to Pettitte, he just goes off quietly into the sunset waiting for his number to be retired and possibly be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Chances are that's what is going to happen anyway.

Now, this is baseball, so AJ could channel his inner Sandy Koufax tomorrow and pitch a gem and make me come back tomorrow night and eat my words. I hope to the Great Yankee Fan in the Sky that happens, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

SEE YA!

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2 up

There were some doubts about Andy Pettitte coming into tonight. Mostly concerning him coming off the recent injury and just how deep he could go into the game. He answered all those questions without a doubt with 7 innings of 2 run ball. Lance Berkman came up big with a homer and a RBI double, and Mo was Mo.

Now the Yankees have a day off tomorrow before Hughes takes the mound for Game 3 in the Bronx. We'll get to have John being torn between wanting the Yankees to win and clinch the series, or lose so he can use his Game 4 tickets. It's situations like that where your moral fiber is really tested.

SEE YA!

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Breathing Room

The Yankees have risen to the challenge the past two nights, giving them a 2.5 game lead over the Rays in the AL East, and lowering the magic number for a playoff birth to 3 after the Red Sox loss tonight.

Hughes came out and pitched a strong 6.1 and then Javy and Joba worked well out of the bullpen. They also gave Mariano a night off, so that's a plus.

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) I feel much better about the State of the Yankees today than I did on Sunday night. But, this is a four-game series, so the Yanks need another win to take the series, and I for one am not going to say "No" to a sweep.

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New Poll Question: How'd AJ get the black eye?

If you saw the game last night, you probably saw that big bruise around AJ Burnett's right eye.( I apologize if you didn't, I couldn't find a decent picture of it online) After the game, he and Joe Girardi had no comment on how it happened. So that's just going to let me speculate on how it happened. Here's what I've come up with:

1) AJ pulled a David Wells, went out bar hopping the night before a start and got into a fight.
2) After doing something wrong, he got frustrated and somehow hit himself in the face.
3) Joe Girardi pulled him aside and told him that he needs to start pitching better...or else. And to drive the point home, he punched him in the face.

Let us know what you think in the poll in the top right hand corner of the page. The poll closes at 7:05 next Wednesday, the day of AJ's next start, assuming he doesn't receive any more mysterious injuries.

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Swish Stops Sweep

With one swing of the bat, Nick Swisher put a halt to the Yankees 3 game losing streak and prevented the lowly Baltimore Orioles from sweeping a series in the Bronx for the first time since 1986.

If the Yanks had gotten swept by the Orioles this late in the season, that would have been horrible. Losing 2 out of 3 to the O's this late in the season is still pretty pathetic, but obviously not as bad as getting swept.

As of 4:15 PM, the Yankees are 2 games in front of the Rays in the AL East. The Yankees have an off day tomorrow before heading to Texas to take on the Rangers. Just so you know Cliff Lee will start in Sunday's game against Dustin Moseley, as the Yankees are skipping over Phil Hughes in order to keep his innings under the limit.


SEE YA!

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September 1

It's been a while. Cross country preseason, moving into my house at school, and school itself, has consumed my life the last 10 days or so, causing me not to have time to blog. Anyway, today is September 1 and the Yankees sit atop the AL East at 82-50. However, they are just one game up on the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yankees have the best home record in the AL so winning the division would be a priority instead of falling back into the wild card. The Rays have 15 games left against teams under .500 records, while the Yankees have just six. The Yankees and Rays have seven more games against each other head-to-head. The Rays finish the season against the Royals while the Yanks finish against the Red Sox at Fenway. The Yankees expect Andy Pettitte and A-R0d to return shortly.

With all that being said, do you think the Yankees will win the division or the wild card? How do you feel about the team at this point? Check out the new poll and feel free to comment.

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Yankees vs Tigers

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Texas Rangers 8-6 today to give them a temporary 1/2 game lead on the Yankees. Here's the lineups that will attempt to keep that lead temporary. Once again, no A-Rod.

Yankees
Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher DH
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Austin Kearns RF
Ramiro Pena 3B

RHP Dustin Moseley

Tigers
Austin Jackson CF
Ramon Santiago 2B
Ryan Raburn RF
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Johnny Damon DH
Jhonny Peralta SS
Brandon Inge 3B
Alex Avila C
Don Kelly LF
Jeremy Bonderman P

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Hey Yankees, WAKE UP!

On the morning of August 1st, the Yankees were 66-37, and 2 games up and the Rays. Since then, the Yanks have gone 6-9, and are now tied with the Rays for first in the AL East.

Someone may have forgotten to tell the Yanks, but teams in the playoff hunt are supposed to play better in August and September. They haven't won a series since taking 3 of 4 against Cleveland at the end of July. They lost a 3-game series to the Rays before splitting series against the Red Sox and Rangers.

If the Yankees are going to make the playoffs, and repeat as World Series Champions, they're going to need to turn this slump around, and fast.

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Time To Put The Sox Away

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of the Red Sox just lingering around waiting to jump back into the race for the AL East. The Yankees begin a four-game series tonight with Boston and this series is far more important for the Red Sox than it is the Yankees because, essentially, the Red Sox season is on the line. So if the Yankees can take 3 of 4 that would be huge and basically putting the Red Sox away and not have to worry about them the rest of the way.

Javier Vazquez takes the mound tonight against Clay Buchholz to start the series off. I'll be out this evening so I will be spared the flashbacks of Vazquez's postseason moment against the Red Sox. But Vazquez has been better lately and they can definitely win tonight.

Here's the lineups:


Yankees

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Lance Berkman DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner LF

Red Sox

tba

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Uh-Oh...

AL East Standings
NY Yankees
66-39 .629
Tampa Bay
66-39 .629
Boston
60-46 .566 6.5

After losing two of three to the Rays, A.J. Burnett melted down in the fifth inning and the Yankees lost 8-6 to the Toronto Blue Jays. Meanwhile, the red-hot Twins and the American Idle himself (Carl Pavano) couldn't take care of the Rays, and both teams are in a dead tie for first place. The Red Sox lost 6-5 to the Indians, but still loom just 6.5 games back.

For the first time all season, I'm a little nervous about the Yankees. Burnett cannot, and I mean CANNOT, keep pitching like this. A-Rod needs to hit his 600th home run so he can just move on and stop worrying about it, and the Yankees desperately need Andy Pettitte back from the DL. The Rays are hot right now, the Red Sox are getting healthy, and even if the Yankees fall back and land the wild card, do you want them to face Cliff Lee and the Rangers in a five game series?

Tomorrow is the beginning of the race for the AL East. There are 57 games remaining. Out of the Rays and Yankees, whoever finishes with the best record over the next 57 games, wins the AL East and avoids Cliff Lee. Every game will be under the microscope until a playoff birth is clinched. It's time for the Yankees to find their identity this season and show us who they really are.

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Game 100: Yankees at Indians

So I came back in from my run, showered, turned on my TV at 7:15 and missed nothing. Turns out there was a rain delay. Looks like the tarp is off but apparently they're waiting an hour before starting. Here's the lineups:

Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner LF

Indians
Trevor Crowe CF
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Shin-Soo Choo RF
Carlos Santana C
Travis Hafner DH
Austin Kearns LF
Matt LaPorta 1B
Andy Marte 3BJ
ason Donald 2B

History in the Making....still: A-Rod's 22nd at bat since his last home run will pass Willie Mays' mark the longest time any player has taken to go from 599 to 600 home runs.
A.J. the Stopper: CC Sabathia lost his first game since May 23 so it's up to A.J. to right the ship and prevent the losing streak.

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This is the Curtis Granderson we traded for

Since Curtis Granderson's name is in the headline, that should make it fairly obvious that A-Rod didn't hit #600. So A-Rod Watch will go in to Day 6.

But Curtis is finally starting to pick it up. He's had a pretty crappy season so far, while missing most of May. But he's in the middle of a 6 game hitting streak and has 3 homers in the past 2 days. If Granderson and Teixeira can hit to their ability in the second half of the season, the Yankees can put a little breathing room between them and the Rays.

Speaking of the Rays, Matt Garza threw the first no-hitter in franchise history against the Tigers. That's the 5th no-no of the season (6th if you count the 28-batter perfect game by Armando Gallaraga). It also means the Mets and the Padres are the only teams with 0 no-hitters in team history. There was one point when I was about 14 that my dad grew his beard out and said he wasn't going to shave it off until the Mets threw a no-hitter. I think that was the year Tom Glavine had one going with 2 outs in the 8th before giving up a hit. Luckily the old man decided not to follow through on that, or I'd be living with Zach Galifianakis.



The Trading Deadline is also coming up at the end of the week, so we'll obviously have news on that if CashMoney pulls the trigger on any deals.

SEE YA!

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Offense slugs Yanks to victory

I took in today's game in the Bronx. First things first, it was hot. Like really really hot. I was loving it when the Yankees were up 5-0 and Javy was dealing. It was going to be an easy Yankee win and take about two and a half hours. Then the 5th inning happened.

But the Yanks offense was able to help Javy out and get him over the .500 mark. But I'll tell you some of the stories that you wouldn't get from watching on TV.

First of all, I was sitting in Section 203, home of the Bleacher Creatures. The roll call that takes place at the beginning of every game is cool when you hear it from another part of the Stadium but it's another thing to actually participate in it. I recommend doing it at least once.

Funny story about Colin Curtis's home run. After we were done trying to figure out why Gardner had been thrown out, I turned to my dad and said, "Now Curtis is gonna step up and hit a three run homer." Four pitches later, and Curtis is taking a curtain call after belting his first Major League home run. I'm not on the level of Paul the Octopus, but you know, baby steps.

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First Half Report Cards

Here are our grades for the individual players dfirst half performances of the Yankees.

Starting Pitchers
CC Sabathia: A. After a rough start, Sabathia finished the first half winning his last eight starts and has returned to the CC we can count and rely on.

Andy Pettitte: A+: Is there anything more you could ask for? The guy is at the end of his career and proved to be the most consistent pitcher on the staff and his ERA is 2.70, top five in the AL.

Phil Hughes: A-: Hughes had a great start to the season winning 10 of his first 11 decisions, but hit a rocky road at the end of the first half.

A.J. Burnett: D: Probably the most disappointing starter the first half. He went winless the month of June and was atrocious during the absence of Dave Eiland.

Javier Vazquez: C+: After a rough start to the season and questions about overcoming his last New York stint, Vazquez turned it around and has had the lowest ERA on the staff since mid-May.

Infield
Mark Teixeira: C: Teixeira's bat was disappointing much of the first half, but he has began to heat up and turn things around and his defense has remained flawless.

Robinson Cano: A+: The first-half MVP of the Yankees. He led the majors most of the first half in batting average, though it has dropped to .336. He has taken over the fifth spot nicely, coming up with big hits and hitting with RISP. His defense has also been superb.

Derek Jeter: B: After a terrific start, Jeter has struggled through the month of June and early July. His defense has been shaky as well, not making plays he used to.

Alex Rodriguez: B+: Just when it seemed his power numbers were down, he came out the last two-three weeks of season crushing the ball and returning to his old self.

Jorge Posada: C+: Posada spent some time on the DL and has been banged up most of the first half. However he's been productive wihle in the lineup, but age and injuries is catching up to him.

Francisco Cervelli: B: Numbers with RISP are ridiculous, cooled off after long playing time exposed him as just a backup. Still brings lots of energy, especially defensively.

Outfield
Brett Gardner: A: Who would have thought Gardner would be hitting over .300 and had a handful of home runs by the All Star Break? Not to mention his tremendous defense.

Nick Swisher: A-: Swisher has finally putting up power numbers while hitting for average which garnered him his first All Star appearance. His defense has looked to improve too.

Curtis Granderson: C: His numbers against lefties have not improved much and has been average so far. Spent time on DL, but has had some big moments.

Marcus Thames: C: Thames filled in nicely for Granderson against lefties until he got hurt. His defense is awful, but has only two walk-off hits this year for Yanks.

Relievers
Mariano Rivera: A: Still the best at 40. Couple of bumps here and there, but can't be perfect all the time.

Joba Chamberlain: D: Dominant at times, but an ERA above 5.00 is not what you want from your setup man.

David Robertson: C: Inconsistent season so far.But 3.09 ERA since May 7 shows some promise and improvement.

Damaso Marte: C+: Has held lefties to a .146 batting average, but 4.06 ERA is not good. However, it's a bit inflated since he's usually in for 1/3 of an inning.

Chan Ho Park: F-: His pitching is diarhea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GIEHPGj9sI

Sergio Mitre: B-: Effective early in season as long reliever. But struggled at times when Aceves went down on the DL. Finished last five weeks on season on DL with oblique injury.

Other
Ramiro Pena: C: Has filled in nicely on the bench, but has no bat whatsoever.

Kevin Russo: C: Did a good job playing out of position and had an awesome debut. But since then has not been hitting ball well, but I still take him over Randy Winn.

Nick Johnson: Incomplete: Almost forgot he was on the team, spent basically whole season on DL.

Alfredo Aceves: Incomplete: Too much time on DL. May not return this season.

Joe Girardi: A: You can't argue with the best record in the majors, but sometimes bullpen management has been frustrating. Then again, there's nobody you can trust in the pen.

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George Steinbrenner Dies at age 80

More sad news to Yankees fans this week. George Steinbrenner died this morning in Tampa after suffering a massive heart attack at the age of 80. Just days after the passing of legendary PA announcer Bob Sheppard, Steinbrenner follows. While the last couple of years Steinbrenner has given control of the team to his sons and has disappeared from public view due to his health, it still comes somewhat of a shock, especially after one Yankee legend just passed.

The Boss revolutionized the free agency of baseball and is largely responsible for the way it is today due to his belief of handing out unprecedented contracts to superstar players. Steinbrenner won seven World Series and 11 pennants during his ownership of the Yankees. He took over the Yankees after they had some awful years in the late sixties and early seventies, and returned them to greatness by the end of the seventies.

Steinbrenner was a colorful, controversial owner, who wanted nothing more than to just win. He had an up-and-down relationship with the Yankee fans and players, but in the end, it is the great things he did for the franchise and the players and coaches under him that will be remembered.

Steinbrenner, in my mind, is unquestionably the greatest owner in sports, and today will be one of the saddest days in the sports world. I am sure today's All Star Game will be a tribute to the Boss, and the Yankees will continue to honor him the rest of the season.

Last year, the Yankees World Series mantra was to "Win it for The Boss." This year, I'm sure it will be "Win it for The Boss, Again." Because we all know Steinbrenner doesn't settle for just one championship.

We'll have more and Yankee player reactions as well throughout the day.

RIP George M. Steinbrenner III. 1930-2010.

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Lee to Rangers, Not Yankees

Joel Sherman and Ken Rosenthal are both reporting that the Seattle Mariners stepped away from an agreement with the New York Yankees to trade Cliff Lee and instead are trading him to the Texas Rangers for Justin Smoak, Mark Lowe, three others and cash.

So the good news, Cliff Lee is probably not pitching against the Yankees tonight. The bad news, is the Yankees appeared to have Lee in their hands, only for the Mariners to back out the last second and now he's on the NL West-leading Texas Rangers.

I really do not think it was necessary for the Yankees to acquire Lee. They still have the best record in the majors and one of the best pitching rotations without Lee, and will probably sign him in the offseason.

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Game 85 Yankees at Mariners

All this madness about basketball almsot made me forget to make a post. Anyway back to baseball season.

Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Brett Gardner LF
Ramiro Pena 3B
LHP Andy Pettitte (10-2, 2.82)

Mariners
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Chone Figgins 2B
Franklin Gutierrez CF
Russell Branyan DH
Jose Lopez
Kotchman 1B
Josh Bard C
Josh Wilson SS
Michael Saunders LF
LHP Jason Vargas (6-4, 3.22)

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