Michael Kay Gaffe

I was just looking at my twitter account, and saw Michael Kay's name flash across the news feed more often than it usually does (which is, not at all, especially in the offseason), and was trending in NYC. At first I thought, "OMG we've gone viral." Such was not the case.

Apparently Kay broke news that Royals ace Zack Greinke was traded to the Phillies. He based this news on a tweet by SI writer Jon Heyman's (his account can be found here). Unfortunately for Kay, the tweet came from a different account that was a fake Jon Heyman account (which I can't seem to find, possibly deleted). So Kay is pretty much getting bashed for this right now. Truth is it's probably not even his fault, that seems like it would be the producer's job, but it's not called "The Producers" (pretty sure that name's already taken anyway), it's "The Michael Kay Show." Kind of the way a pitcher gets the "L" when it was bad pitch calling by the catcher.

I'm inclined to give him a break, because 1) he probably wasn't the one searching through Twitter for the news 2) it could happen to anybody and 3) assuming he comes out and admits he was wrong, no harm done.

The best tweet I saw about this came from @asilecchio.

Michael Kay = Ron Burgendy Twitter= teleprompter.

If you don't get that reference, watch this YouTube clip:


Then go watch Anchorman.

And as long as Michael Kay doesn't get fooled by this Twitter account, he should be ok.

I'm Jim Geant? saying

SEE YA?

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Strasburg in Syracuse

On Friday, 2009 First Overall Draft Pick Stephen Strasburg made his first start with the AAA Syracuse Chiefs. Since I'm here until my last final exam tomorrow, I went to see him in person.

He went 6 innings, threw 65 pitches, gave up 1 hit, and struck out 6. He also had a hit and 2 RBI's. His fastball was topping out at 98-99, but it was even more impressive how well he could locate it. He threw several 98 mph fastballs at the knees, leaving the Gwinett Braves looking like Little Leaguers. His "secondary" pitches were just as nasty, and yes, the quotes are necessary. People would kill to have his secondary pitches. His slider had tremendous horizontal and vertical movement. Then he throws his changeup at 81 mph. When batters are gearing up for 98 and get 81, they basically have enough time to swing at the pitch twice. And the only words I can use to describe his curveball are "sick and nasty." He should have to pitch lefty to these guys in the Minors, it's just not fair.

I've got a few camera pics from the game:

Some of the media that was there to watch Strasburg pitch



















Strasburg warming up in the bullpen
























This has nothing to do with Strasburg, but it was Triple A Safety Patrol night, so these are the people who would be pulling out the tazers if we decided to run across the field. (My friend's dad actually texted him and sarcastically told him he should run on the field. We told him we didn't think it was a good idea.)






















Yanks go for the sweep of the Sawks tonight with AJ Burnett on the mound. We'll be back with the lineups later.

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Hughes Continues to Shut Down Opposition

White Sox 3 6 2
Yankees 12 16 1

WP: Hughes (3-0)
LP: Buehrle (2-4)

Player of the Game: Phil Hughes. Hughes was dominant once again, shutting down the White Sox lineup over 7 innings. He allowed just four hits and one walk.

Honorable Mention: Mark Teixeira. Big Tex hopefully broke out of his April funk in the 2nd day of May with a 4 for 5 showing at the plate.

Play of the Game: Marcus Thames sliding catch. Thames is going to get more time in left field with Granderson on the DL, so if he can hold his own defensively, it will be good.

Turning Point of the Game: Brett Gardner's home run in the 4th inning. When a singles hitting left fielder with 3 career homers, one of which is an inside-the-parker, hits a 400-foot bomb, you know it's going to be a good day for the Yanks.

Notes:

• I was in attendance for today's game: It was pretty hot and humid, but I was discouraged by all the empty seats in the Legends Seating, but what else is new?
• Apparently after some home runs (but thankfully not all) the Yankees put a Michael Kay graphic up on the board with a "Seeeeee Ya!" I tried to take a picture, but I couldn't get my phone out in time. (BTW, I took that picture from our seats. SU Alum and Sport Management Advisory Board Member Brandon Steiner helped the Sport Management Club get some good seats).
• Like I said before, hopefully today helps Tex get into the groove. I told a Yankee-hater on the bus that Tex was due, and he delivered for me.
• The junior hot dogs at Johnny Rockets saved me a boatload of money once again. While all of my fellow classmates dropped upwards of $20 for food, I spent $6 on two hot dogs. And sneaking in a water bottle that is refillable at water fountains erases the need to buy a $5 drink.
  

SEE YA!

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News, Notes, and a chance meeting

Little bit busy for us the past few days but I thought I'd just share a few stories from Spring Training.

• CC Sabathia had a rough start against the Pirates, going 4.1 innings, 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 2 runs, 2 Ks and surrendered a home run. He threw 57 pitches, 29 of them for strikes. Not good, but it is only the third start of spring training, and Girardi wasn't concerned, "He was very sound today. He was good. He was really good today."
• It's just a rumor about a wild discussion, but there are reports that the Phillies have discussed trading Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols straight up. As John said to me, the Phillies would be the one to get the best player at a position, and then trade away the second best player at the same position.
• Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg has been lights out in spring training, fueling speculation about whether he will open the season at AAA or with the big club. Personally (and selfishly) I hope he starts in AAA because the National's top club is in Syracuse,NY, so I would get a chance to see him up close.
• Speaking of Syracuse, the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament bracket was announced. I've got my bracket all filled out. You'll never guess who I picked to win it all.

And, I almost forgot to mention this, but I have a good story from my trip home for spring break. I took the Amtrak down from Syracuse, and it arrived late (surprise, surprise) so I missed the earlier NJ Transit train home. With a 45 minute wait, I grabbed a bite to eat and sat across from the Hudson News stand in the station. One second I looked up and walking by was none other than Michael Kay. It took me a couple of seconds to recognize him, and then I heard him talk to one of the people he was with, and that confirmed it was him. He was too far away by the time to say anything by the time I realized it was him (but I did get a few suggestions from friends, none of which I can repeat). But we will meet again one day.



That's all for now, but we've got less than THREE WEEKS until opening day!!!

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I Don't Want to Miss a Thing: Yanks win classic game

Angels 3 8 2
Yankees 4 13 3

WP: Robertson
LP: Santana

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Alex Rodriguez. He has gotten the Playoff (Rally) Monkey off his back and now is beating it to a pulp. (Don't come after me PETA.) He only had one hit, but it was a big one as it tied the game in the 11th inning after the Angels had gone ahead. After another right-center field home run to tie the game, it's almost to the point where we expect this from A-Rod.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Just another a great moment this postseason gave the Yankees and the fans the feeling that we were going to win this game.

PLAY OF THE GAME: While it may have been an anti-climactic way to end the game, the error that allowed Jerry Harriston, Jr. to score was obviously the most important play of the game.

GAME NOTES:

• I can only imagine the scene at Yankee Stadium after that game. I'm sure it was worth the pneumonia John probably caught after sitting in the cold for 5 straight hours.
• With a game like this, it's a huge lift for the Yankees and a bit of a downer for the Angels. But as the saying goes, momentum stops with the next games starting pitcher. So it's up to Andy to stay the course with a solid start on Monday (which is tomorrow now).
  
• The Yankees pitchers stranded 16 runners on base and the bullpen allowed 5 hits and only one run in 6.2 innings of work.
• If you take a step back from the excitement of this game, it was pretty sloppy defensively and both offenses wasted a lot of opportunities. The teams combined for 5 errors and 28 runners left on base. It's not exactly clean baseball but, in the Yankees case, a win is a win is a win.
• Even though it didn't matter in the outcome of the game, the Aybar play was the right call. I HATE the neighborhood play. There are ways to touch the base, protect yourself, and get rid of the ball. If Little Leaguers and High Schoolers can do it, why can't Major Leaguers?
  
• The game lasted 5 hours and 10 minutes. Just for something to compare that to, the Yankees-Red Sox 15 inning game lasted 5 hours and 33 minutes.
  
• Two thoughts from watching the YES Network post-game show: 1) Only Michael Kay could wear that hat and get away with it. 2) Great, now we get to listen to Mike Francesa yell at the people who call into his show on Sunday mornings, too.
  
• And I think this was probably the best pie from AJ. He had the element of surprise going for him because no one knew who he was going to pie. He could have gone for Melky or A-Rod, but decided to go for Harriston.
• Photo from ESPN.com
  

NEXT GAME:
Game 3 ALCS:
Yankees at Angels
Monday 4 PM ET (which means I will be sprinting back to my dorm from class)
Pettitte vs. Kazmir

SEE YA!

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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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Game 133: Yankees at Orioles

Lineups from the Big Man Upstairs. You know, upstairs, in the press box.

YANKEES (84-48)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Swisher 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Hinske RF
Molina C

Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (15-7, 3.56).

ORIOLES (54-79)
Roberts 2B
Izturis SS
Reimold LF
Markakis RF
Mora 3B
Wieters C
Scott DH
Wigginton 1B
Pie CF

Pitching: RHP Jason Berken (4-11, 6.33).

TIME/TV: 7:05, YES.

Correction: Last night I mistakenly said the Yankees Magic Number was 26, but I did not realize that 26 was the number before last night's game, so it is now 25.

Boys of Summer: Yankees during the first 81 games: 51-37, .580 winning percentage. The second half: 33-11, .750 winning percentage.

It was only a matter of time before Kay did the CC~Cy Young thing. It was just as bad as I thought it would be.

UPDATE 8:41: I've got the game on in the background and muted, but it seems like CC is gutting this one out without having his best stuff. 83 pitches and 1 run through 5 innings. Yanks need to help him with some hits.

UPDATE 9:15: A-Rod with the big single right there. You know he's feeling well when he goes back up the middle. One man on, no outs, don't stop now.

UPDATE 9:17: A-Rod gets a little greedy and guesses wrong with the lefty on the mound, it happens.

UPDATE 9:39: Bruney continues to struggle. He's pitching his way out of a chance to be on the postseason roster. At this point, he may have to be worried about having a job next year.

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GAME 114: Yankees vs Blue Jays

Lineups via PeteAbe
YANKEES (70-43, First Place AL East)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Matsui DH
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher 1B
Hinske RF
Cabrera CF
Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (10-5, 3.67).

BLUE JAYS (54-58, Fourth Place AL East)
Lineup TBA

Let the Good Times Roll: They Yankees are 5-1 on the homestand, have won 8 of their last 9 games, are 27 games over .500 and 5.5 games up in the division with A.J. Burnett on the mound today.
Can They Do It Again?: The Yankees have hit back-to-back home runs in their last three games, can they make it 4?
Homer Haven: The Yankees have hit 14 home runs in their last 6 games. They lead the majors with 173 home runs, 105 at home.
Not Quite Invincible: Mariano Rivera gave up his first run since June 12 yesterday after 2 months of throwing scoreless innings.
Joba Update: Girardi has said Chad Gaudin will get the start Sunday and Joba's next start will be on Wednesday. This is to make sure he can limit his innings and stay in the rotation and pitch in the postseason this season.

I don't know if I'll be able to throw in any updates for this game, but I'm sure you will find enough great insight from Michael Kay during the broadcast. That is if he doesn't make the broadcast an extension of his radio show like he normally does.

UPDATE 4:45: So I (Jim) just get home as the game is tied 3-3 in the 10th. Jeter left the game early with a contusion (bruise) on his foot after getting hit by a pitch in the first inning.

UPDATE 5:10: Wow, Robbie got a hit with runners in scoring position. Nice win for the Yanks.

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Yanks go for Sweep Tonight

After the Yankees took the first three games of the series, they send Andy Pettitte to the mound against John Lester to attempt to sweep Boston.

John and I will be at the game, so there won't be any in-game updates. We both feel extremely sorry for those of you who have to listen to the Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, and Steve Phillips (aka the Three Stooges).


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Johnny B. Goode: Damon and Yanks sweep Jays

Yankees 8 10 0
Rays 4 11 0

WP: Aceves (7-1)
LP:Rzepczynski (1-3)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Johnny Damon. With a 3-5 night at the plate with 3 RBI's and a home run, he helped spark the line up.

Image via Wikipedia

PLAY OF THE GAME: The catch by Melky Cabrera as he went back to the wall in the 8th inning in support of Phil Hughes.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: The 7th inning. The Yankees scored 4 runs to take the lead with a game-tying home run by Swisher and then 3 singles by Matsui, Damon, and Teixeira.

GAME NOTES:

• So now that this series is over, we can turn our full attention to the Red Sox series. Thanks to the Rays, the Yankees will go into that series 2.5 games ahead of the Sox.
• The bullpen situation: Hughes has pitched 2 straight days, but Mo did not pitch today. So Philthy may not be available tomorrow, but Mo can maybe get 4 outs tomorrow.
  
• I have the YES Network Postgame on as I'm writing this, and Bob Lorenz just said something about "doing his 'Sweating to the oldies' tape twice a day now." Is the not-talking-about-baseball thing (AKA the Michael Kay syndrome) contagious?
• PeteAbe says the Yankees told him that Muhammad Ali will be honored before the game tomorrow night. Upon hearing this, John and I set the over/under for Michael Kay boxing references at 7.
• The Yankees are 30-16 since the last time they played the Red Sox, so they are a very different team than they were in mid-June.
  

TOMORROW:
The Empire Strikes Back
Red Sox at Yankees
Smoltz vs Joba

And I am rooting for the Yankees not only because I am a die-hard fan, but because I already have a great headline for it if they do.


SEE YA!

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Michael Kayisms: Tying a Record Held By Many

It's an off day today in Yankeeland, so you know what that means...Michael Kayism day! Today, we will talk about how pointless it is to say a player has tied a record held by many.



For those unfamiliar (but if you watch enough Yankee games, you are) whenever a player records all three outs in one inning it prompts Michael Kay to say "and he ties a record held by many."



For example, the first out of the inning will be a groundout to Mark Teixeira. The second out is popped up to Teixeira. The third out is another grounder to Teixeira. As Teixeira records the final out Kay will say something along the lines of this: "Pretty play by Teixeira as he makes all three put outs in the inning, tying a record held by many."



Ok, so if it is a record held by many, why even bother saying it in the first place? If it is something many players before him have accomplished, why make it noteworthy? I mean, he could say he made all three put outs, but why say he ties a record held by many? And why stop there when there are plentY of other plays in a game that have happened before. He can easily say someone tied a record held by many in any other circumstance in a game (not that I condone he should).



Say A.J. Burnett strikes out the side. Kay doesn't say, "Burnett strikes out thre batters in one inning, tying a record held by many." Or if Jeter and Damon lead off the game with back-t0-back doubles he won't say, "Back-to-back doubles by the first two batters in the game, tying a record held by many."



Basically what I am trying to say is that you cannot say he ties a record held by many because if it has happened so many times, it really isn't a record. Technically, the amount of times someone has made three putouts in an inning would be the record, but nobody keeps track of this, because it is a common occurence. Baseball has been played for over 120 years and the same player making all three putouts in an inning has probably happened thousands of times.



I know when dealing with Kayisms it could get a bit confusing, but if you didn't understand some of the above just read this. It pretty much explains much of what I tried saying. Just remember, today we tied a record held by many trying to make sense (that's another one, make sense of things) of Michael Kay. See how stupid and pointless it was to say that?

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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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Michael Kayisms: Fallacy of the Predetermined Outcome

We are continuing our segment on the weird things that Michael Kay says (over and over and over and over again). In the first post, John wrote about whether the Yankees have a "rally in their bones" or not.

Now, I'm here to tell you if I believe in the "fallacy of the predetermined outcome."

First of all, there is no such thing as the fallacy of the predetermined outcome (FPO), Kay just made it up. But did I really need to tell you that?

The definition of the FPO, according to Kay (considering he made it up, who else is going to define it?). For ease, I'm going to use a somewhat recent example to explain:
In the game on July 6, Derek Jeter was incorrectly called out trying to steal third base. The next batter got a hit. It would be natural to say, "Oh, if the umpire hadn't screwed up, Jeter would have scored on that hit!" Then Kay will say, "only if you believe in the FPO," because, if Jeter had been on third, the pitcher may have pitched the next batter differently and he wouldn't have gotten a hit.

The problem is, you can't "believe" in a fallacy. I'm going to use a philosophical example here so stay with me. A philosophical skeptic believes that there can be no absolute truth, that truth is relative and is different for everyone. But that means that no one can be wrong. Then, I could say there are absolute truths, and, based on the logic of a skeptic, I am right. That is the fallacy of the skeptic. (See, I actually did pay attention in my Western Civilization class). You can be a skeptic (or a predetermined outcomer) but there is the fallacy of each. You cannot believe in the fallacy, it's there or it isn't there.

So, the point is, Michael Kay isn't Socrates. He does have the whole "the only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing" thing down, but he still should not philosophize on-air.

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We now call to the stand... David Cone?

Well, another baseball player will be appearing before the Senate, but this time, it is not about steroids.


As you may or may not know (and if you don't know, you shouldn't have slept through US History), Supreme Court Justices must be confirmed by the Senate and are interviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee prior to confirmation. President Barack Obama's nominee, Sonia Sotmayor, will have her hearing next week.

Apparently, Sotmayor will have former Major League pitcher David Cone on the stand to testify. Cone was heavily involved in the Players Union during the 1994 Strike (aka The Lost Year). This from the New York Times:

David Cone, the former pitcher, presumably will echo President Obama’s claim that Judge Sotomayor saved baseball when she ended the 1995 strike.

I really hope he doesn't speak in those short choppy sentences like he does on air, that will be kind of embarrassing. And you know Michael Kay will mention it on air a thousand times when it happens so you'll hear about it again.



This is unrelated, but I am watching SportsCenter. The Yankees highlight comes on. Some guy at the Metrodome had a #4 Brett Favre Minnesota Vikings jersey, so the anchor goes on some rant about the Viking trainer going down to Mississippi to check on Favre's arm. In the middle of the highlight! I know they love to beat the Favre thing to death, and then beat it to death some more, but do they really need to do it in the middle of a baseball highlight?

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Blue Jays 7- Yankees 6

Blue Jays 7 8 0
Yankees 6 12 0

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ricky Romero. Romero held the Yankees down very nicely, until the 7th inning when he began to tire. But only allowing 3 runs was enough because Pettitte allowed 6 and then the Bruney allowed another one to bring the total to 7.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Alex Rios's 3-run home run in the 3rd inning that gave the Blue Jays a 4-0 lead. The second base umpire had just blown a call at second base to keep the inning alive and Rios took advantage of it.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Scott Rolen's 2-run double in the 7th inning made the Toronto lead too much to overcome. And it was very important considering the rally the Yankees put up in the ninth.


GAME NOTES:

• The Yankees obviously have the fire power to overcome big deficits, but there is a few things they need to do. First, they need to stop giving up tack on runs. When they fall behind, it is extremely important that the pitchers stop the bleeding, and hold the opposing team down from there on in. Second, the Yankees need to stop waiting until the end of the game to score runs. They scored 1 run in the 5th and then a combined 5 runs from the 7th inning on. Whatever switch they are flipping needs to get flipped earlier.
  
• It is also a lot easier to score runs when you get hits with men on base. The Yankees had 12 hits today but were 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
  
• The Yankees seemed to sleepwalk a little bit through the first part of the game. Maybe it's all the day games, or maybe its the fact that they already won the series, but it needs to stop happening. When they have there opponents by the throat in the series, they can't let up. Winning series is great. Sweeping them is better.
• The Blue Jays defense was excellent today. That makes you wonder if this team can make a run to get back into this AL East race.
  
• Nobody should try to blame the game on the umpires. I'll be the first to say that the umpires sucked (and if you know me, I usually am the first to say that the umpires sucked), but if you want to blame somebody for the loss, it's Andy Pettitte.
• Oh, and in case you didn't hear it a thousand times on YES, the Joe Girardi Show is on tonight.
  

TOMORROW:
Yankees at Minnesota


SEE YA!

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News and Notes

• Fan Voting for the All-Star Game ends tonight at midnight. Mark Teixeira is a mere 40,000 votes behind Kevin Youkilis for the starting first base spot. If Youkilis wins the vote, the Red Sox will have had the starting first baseman in the AL Lineup for four straight years. We cannot take four years of more of the same, so Vote for Teixeira as many times as possible. There is a loophole: You don't have to put in a valid e-mail address to vote, so you can just make one up. This allows you to vote more than the maximum 25 times. ESPN said who they thought should be voted in for the AL and NL lineups. Derek Jeter is there starting shortstop. Considering this is ESPN, I am honestly surprised they deemed a Yankee worthy of the All-Star Game.
  
• Aroldis Chapman, considered the best Cuban pitching prospect, has defected. Chapman is considered the "best player to defect since Jose Contreras." Yeah, we all know how that turned out. He pitched for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He was 0-1 in 2 starts with a 5.68 ERA. He struck out 8 in the 6.1 innings and showed off a 100-mph fastball. According to the article, there are some questions about his other pitches. 8th inning reliever anyone?
• Major League Baseball has now added another player to the All-Star teams. So now 33 players will represent their teams for their respective league.
  
• Lou Pinella got ejected last night for the first time this season. Really? It took him until July 1 to get ejected? That has to be a personal record.
  
• We saw Public Enemies last night, and it was very good. Johnny Depp was born to play criminals and Christian Bale traded the Batman growl for a Southern accent.
• I'm watching the Shaquille O'Neal introductory press conference, and it is nothing like a Yankees press conference. It's set up more like a talk-show. And Shaq is rocking a pink tie and a pink shirt, only he could actually pull that off.

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Michael Kayisms: "Rally in Their Bones"

We at Michael Kay's Successors have decided to do a new segment. We will do it every off-day and try to do it weekly. It will be on the less intelligent things Kay says in a game, or his phrases he has made famous to Yankees fans, which we will call "Kayisms." The purpose of these posts are to discuss how annoying and pointless these constant phrases really are, and to give the readers something entertaining to read on a slow Yankees baseball day.

We know there are many fans who will shake their head in disappointment and roll their eyes to the things Michael Kay says on air. From his his loud, ear-bleeding cackle to his home-run calling "See Ya's!" we set to ponder why he does such things and what he could do instead. At the very end of this segment (which we have no idea when that will be) we will have a poll on which Kayism is the most annoying. (Also vote on our latest poll on the right)

Today's Kayism: "Do the Yankees have a rally in their bones?"

We start out with this particular phrase because the 2009 season is quickly becoming the "rally in their bones" season for Michael Kay. With the Yankees major-league leading 23 come-from-behind victories, Kay's use of this phrase has become more and more prevalent. Very rarely does he not say this after the eighth inning in games the Yankees trail. Then one day Jim asked me, "what exactly does rally in their bones even mean?"

I gave him my best translation: "Do the Yankees have a rally in them?"

This would seem to make more sense and Jim agreed. But then he followed up with the tough part of the question, "Why bones then?"

Honestly, I have no clue. I mean think about it. Have you ever heard another announcer say that? Or a Little League coach say that when the team is down and needs a rally? I know I haven't. We looked it up to see if it was a real phrase and it is not. It is just something Kay totally made up on his own. It is probably one of the most nonsensical things I have ever heard said. I mean do they have a rally in their bones? Who the heck comes up with this stuff? And then the worst part is he beats that phrase into the ground more often than ESPN does Brett Favre stories.

I don't know what Kay is aiming for by saying this. Is he trying to be funny? clever? It has certainly gotten annoying. Maybe he just wants to come up with his own original phrases. Whatever the reason is, its caught our attention and has been added to the list of Kayisms.

So Yankees do us all a favor, and get out to leads early in the game, so we keep the ridiculous things Kay says down to a minimum.

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GAME 72: Yankees at Braves

YANKEES (39-32, tied 2nd place AL East)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Swisher RF
Gardner CF
Ransom 2B
Pettitte LHP

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (7-3, 4.26).

BRAVES (34-37, 4th place NL East)
McLouth CF
Prado 2B
Jones 3B
McCann C
Escobar SS
Anderson LF
Francoeur RF
Kotchman 1B
Lowe RHP

Pitching: RHP Derek Lowe (7-5, 4.09).

I'm posting this too late to put game notes, as the Yankees are already up 2-0 on a double play by Tex and a home run by A-Rod.

UPDATE 7:29: Despite what he might say publicly, I think Reggie Jackson is probably pissed off, because I sure would be. Guys like him and Hank Aaron are being passed by guys who used illegal substances to enhance their performance.

Image via Wikipedia

UPDATE 7:48: Hey! Who's this guy and what has he done with Alex Rodriguez?

UPDATE 8:09: Now Michael Kay is commenting on how the bat boy does his job. It's only the 3rd inning and he's reaching for stuff to talk about.

UPDATE 8:13: My man Jonny Flynn (from Syracuse) just got picked 6th by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Draft.

UPDATE 8:39: The Yankees are piling it on here as Ransom shoots one into the gap to make it 8-1. And as of 2 minutes ago, MKS is now on Facebook, become a fan today.

UPDATE 9:02: So much for this being a blowout. Pettitte out.

UPDATE 9:47: This is John taking over. Unlike Jim, I probably won't write anything about the NBA draft in my updates because I am sure nobody from Quinnipiac will be drafted. Anyway, even though the Yankees are winning this game is pathetic. Up 8-1 you'd expect Pettitte to go at least 7, eat up some innings, and semi-rest the bullpen. Instead Aceves pitched, who you might need tommorow if Sabathia's arm is bothering him, and now Coke, Bruney, and probably Rivera if it stays at 8-6.

UPDATE 9:58: 2-run single for A-Rod. I guess those 2 days of rest are finally showing. He's now 3-4 with 4 RBIs.

UPDATE 10:09: Web Gem nominee for Mark Teixeira right there. I wonder how many hits/errors Teixeira has saved compared to Giambi last year? It seems like every other day Tex impresses with a nice defensive play.

UPDATE 10:50: I have the game recap all finished but David Robertson refuses to let this game end. He gave up a monster shot to McCann now an Anderson single. If Mo has to come into this game that would be very disapointing.

UPDATE 10:54: This is ridiculous. Robertson can't get the last out and now it is a save situation. 1 out to go with Mo coming in. First and second 2 outs, this game better end soon.

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Yankees 8 Braves 4...FINALLY!

Yankees 8 10 1
Braves 4 8 2

WP: Chamberlain (4-2)
LP: Medlin(2-3)
S: Rivera (16)...remember him?

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Joba Chamberlain. He did what he was supposed to do and kept the Yankees in the game. He looked like the future ace he is supposed to be and he had control, good velocity (93-94) and his breaking pitches were working.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Frankie Cervelli's home-run. It officially resurected the Yankees bats from the dead and it broke up a perfect-game, which would have been devastating.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Girardi's ejection. Way to get the team fired up. After Gardner was picked off (which he was safe on) Girardi got ejected farguing the call and the team responed well. The Yankees went on to score 4 runs that inning immediately following it, starting with Cervelli's homer.

GAME NOTES:

• Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami left the game after the third when he was struck by a line drive in the neck off the bat of Joba Chamberlain. he is listed day-to-day.
• The Michael Kay jinx prevails again, as he killed both a perfect game, no-hitter, and the Yankees hitless streak all in one inning.
• Mariano Rivera's appearance was his first since June 16. Yikes.
• If you want to see a sick action movie, go see Transformers 2. It was a tad bit too long, but it was awesome nonetheless. I'd advise watching the first one beforehand, so you see the characters develop, and to see if you would want to see the second.

That's it for tonight...See Ya!

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Marlins 6 Yankees 5...Time to Panic?

Yankees 5 8 1
Marlins 6 9 0

WP: Volstad (5-7)
LP: Bombko (0-2)
S: Lidstrom (14)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Chris Volstad. Other than 3 runs in the third inning, Volstad did enough to beat the Yankees. They Yankees never got anything going after that inning, and continued to struggle offensively. Give credit to Volstad for buckling down after that rough third inning.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Cody Ross's solo HR off Brett Bombko (It's the nickname he got when he played for the Dodgers). Ross put the Marlins up 4-3 and never had to look back after that.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Hanley Ramirez's 2-run HR off Bombko (notice a trend). Aceves just shut down the Marlins making an emergency appearance after Sabathia came out of the game. But Ramirez changed everything with his home run. The home run sparked the Marlins to rally and beat the Yankees.

MICHAEL KAY QUOTE OF THE GAME:
(To Ken Singleton and Paul O'Neill) "You know when you guys had no doubt you would be major league players. When I played Little League everyone had no doubt I WOULDN'T be a major league player."

Can anyone picture Michael Kay playing any sport?

NOTES:

• Sabathia left the game after 1.1 IP with a tight left bicep. Hopefully it is nothing big, because this guy is the only person who I have confidence in.
• A-Rod went 1-4 with an 2RBI single and 2K's. Nothing great, nothing horrible. We'll see how he does against the Braves.
• Volstad is a guy who has some good stuff, but lately he has been roughed up and lost his last 4 starts. The Yankees couldn't get anymore than 3 runs off this guy. Their offense is struggling badly.
• I wrote how the Boston Red Sox series wasn't a big deal. That the team needs to put it past them and continue to play like they did beforehand. I don't know if that series completely depleted this team or what, because including the Red Sox series, the Yankees are 4-8. They are 4-5 in interleague play, usually a part of the schedule the Yankees dominate. Maybe it's been all the rain, but I feel like it's April watching this team play.

Tommorow is an off day. They will play the Atlanta Braves Tuesday.

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