Yankees Trivia Answer

On Tuesday I asked the question: Who is the only Yankee to hit two grand slams in a game?

The correct answer is......Tony Lazzeri.

The Hall of Fame second baseman hit 2 grand slams on May 24, 1936 against the Philadelphia A's. He also had 11 RBIs that game, the most RBIs in a single game by any Yankee too.

Lou Gehrig holds the MLB record for most career grand slams (23), but he never hit more than one in a game.

Don Mattingly hit all 6 career grand slams in 1987, the single-season record, but never two in one game.

We got 6 votes this time, 3 for Lazerri. So this segment is improving and I think we will continue it next week. Maybe we can double our total votes again to 12.

Quick note, I won't be near my computer until Saturday night, and Jim's computer is broken and I'm not sure if it's fixed yet. So if there is any major news in the next 24-30 hours we may not have it up on the blog.

Oh, and here is a quick link on the work I've been doing for the Quinnipiac Chronicle:

http://www.quchronicle.com/2010/01/bobcats-continue-winning-ways-defeat-wagner/

See Ya!

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The Untouchables

As most of us have heard, yesterday Mark McGwire finally admitted to using steroids. Now he finally closes the book on "not talking about the past."

He's just another name in the so-called Steroid Era, which has tested the faith of many baseball fans and cast a shadow of a doubt over all Major League Baseball Players.

A few players over the past 20 years have been "above suspicion" for one reason or another. There are four players, in my mind, that may cause Major League Baseball to lose any credibility it has left if it is discovered that they used steroids or any type of performance enhancing drug.

Ken Griffey, Jr.- He was one of the best players of the 1990's, and currently has 630 career home runs. He may have had a chance at the All-Time Home Run record, but injuries derailed his career in the early 2000's. Those injuries actually helped his credibility as being steroid-free, and he is one of the few home run hitters people don't think did steroids.

Cal Ripken, Jr.- The Iron Man. His stretch of 2,632 consecutive games played is truly a record that will never be broken. After the player's strike cost MLB the 1994 World Series, baseball was in trouble, and his breaking of Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130 was one of the first steps on the sport's long road to recovery. If it was revealed that he did steroids to stay on the field during that streak, it would be a blow from which the sport may never recover.

Albert Pujols- While he may not have played throughout the entire Steroid Era, Pujols is seen by many to be the face of clean, steroid-free baseball in the future, especially since Alex Rodriguez admitted to doping.

Derek Jeter- Jeter has always been the epitome of what a professional athlete is supposed to be. He's generous, smart, says all the right things without sounding scripted, and plays the game the way it's supposed to be played. While he may never be considered the greatest player of his generation, he is a member of 5 World Series Championships (and hopefully with still more to come), and one of the sport's all-around "good guys" that actually lives up to being a role model for kids.

I'm sure there are players that would rock each individual fan's faith based on their allegiances, but I feel that these players would affect the majority of baseball fans.

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Game 142: Orioles at Yankees

YANKEES (91-50)
Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Cabrera LF
Gardner CF

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (13-6, 4.10).

ORIOLES (56-83)
Roberts 2B
Izturis SS
Markakis RF
Reimold LF
Mora 3B
Scott 1B
Wieters DH
Pie CF
Moeller C

Pitching: RHP Chris Tillman (1-3, 4.66)

TIME/TV: FIRST PITCH SCHEDULED FOR 8:20, YES

As I'm sure you all already know, Derek Jeter needs just one hit to pass Lou Gehrig for 1st on the All-time list.

Right now, I'm waiting to watch Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame induction speech. The ceremony is on ESPN. I lived just outside of Chicago at the end of the Jordan-era, so I enjoyed watching the '97 and '98 championship teams.

UPDATE 12:35 AM: Jeter finally did it, congratulations. The rain put a damper on things, that's for sure. I cannot believe they are going to restart this game. I think the MLB needs to review its rain-delay policies. This is ridiculous, and it's not the first time its happened this season. Enjoy the game if you're staying up to watch.

UPDATE 12:37: ALL THE STARTERS ARE OUT OF THE GAME? And they're going home? This is more ridiculous than the pine tar game where Billy Martin put Ron Guidry in centerfield and Don Mattingly at second. This is by far the weirdest thing I've ever seen.

UPDATE 12:42: After years of listening to Kay, he finally made me laugh. He used his "If you're keeping score..." line before telling people to just stop. He's by no means a standup comedian, but he actually told a somewhat joke.

Or maybe it's just cause it's almost 1 AM.

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It's a Long Way to the Top

Well, Alfredo Aceves pitched 3 innings without surrendering a hit. Jorge Posada hit a pinch-hit three-run home run. The Yankees had their 45th come-from-behind win.

But none of it matters because it was not their night.

Jeter" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" height="352" width="307">Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

This night belonged to Derek Jeter.

The Yankees shortstop picked up his 2,721st hit, tying Lou Gehrig for first on the All-Time Yankee hit list. With the inside-out swing we've all come to know and love, he drove the first pitch of the at-bat down the first base line. The ball went passed the diving Chris Richard, and the crowd went crazy.

After both dugouts stood to applaud the Captain, Jeter paused to tip his cap to the fans, who continued to shower him with applause.

With his parents watching from a luxury box, Jeter seemed to follow the advice of his father and enjoy the moment.

He's still going to be Derek Jeter, doing whatever it takes to win; diving into the stands, running across the field to flip the ball home, coming up with clutch hits. But if he enjoys some of those special moments a little bit more as he moves on with his career, it's going to be fun to watch as he passes more of these milestones.

So, from Michael Kay's Successors, here's to you Derek Jeter. Let you pick up another 2,721 hits before you're done. Thank you for the memories over the past 2,118 games and for all the memories yet to come.

SEE YA!

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Got Melky?

Yankees 8 15 0
White Sox 5 11 0

WP: Sabathia (11-7)
LP: Buehrle (11-5)
S: Rivera (30)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Melky Cabrera. He picked up the first cycle for the New York Yankees since Tony Fernandez in 1995. So Michael Kay will mention Melky whenever someone comes close to hitting for the cycle, instead of Fernandez.

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

PLAY OF THE GAME: There were a lot of great defensive plays in today's game, but I'll give it to Melky's diving catch.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: We can't give everything to the Melk Man, as the TPOTG goes to Johnny Damon's RBI single in the 4th inning that gave the Yankees the lead.

GAME NOTES:

• Cabrera is the 5th Major Leaguer this season to hit for the cycle and the first since Michael Cuddyer on May 22. And I was surprised by how quickly someone put up the fact that Melky had hit for the cycle on Wikipedia.
  
• This win helps the Yanks avoid the sweep and halt a three-game skid.
  
• Boston won a slugfest against the Orioles, so the Yankees remain 0.5 games ahead of them with only 4 days before the start of a 3-game set in the Bronx. Tampa Bay fell to the Royals, as they fall 6 games out of first.
  
• Derek Jeter tied Babe Ruth for the 4th-most games played as a Yankee with 2,084. Yogi Berra (2,116), Lou Gehrig (2,164) and Mickey Mantle (2,401) are ahead of him on the list.
  

TOMORROW:
Off-Day
Stay Tuned for a Michael Kayism

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