Sunday, April 30, 2006
Yanks Win, Atop the East
Andy Phillips hit his first home run of the year in the fifth to give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead followed up by a Johnny Damon double and four walks, the last of was a bases-loaded walk to Alex Rodriguez.
Joe Torre was ejected from the game for the first time this year arguing about the new umpires strike zone. This particular umpire was a AAA call up and had a very obscure strike zone, one which Mike Mussina thought was a little small.
Mariano Rivera closed out the game for a save.
Final Score:
Yankees 4, Blue Jays 1
Player of the Game:
Johnny Damon went 3-4 with a run score and a double
Up Next:
Yankees @ Red Sox
Chein-Ming Wang (1-1, 4.80 ERA) vs. Tim Wakefield (1-4, 3.90 ERA)
Red Sox Update:
Sox lose to the Devil Rays
Posted by Steve Kenul at 6:22 PM
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Yanks Destroy Jays
I guess the Yankees read my blog last night because something happened, they won! By a lot!
Johnny Damon hit two home runs, Jason Giambi had a huge blast, and one final one by Jorge Posada.
The Blue Jays started out with two runs in the first inning but was quickly nullified when Jason Giambi hit a three-run shot in the third deck.
In the second, Damon hit one of his two home runs to widen the lead to 5-2 only to be tied again by the Jays with back-to-back-to-back doubles off starter Randy Johnson.
Yankees scored two more in the third thanks to a double by Posada.
Damon hit his second home run in the fourth to give the Yankees a 9-5 lead.
One inning later the Yankees made it 11-5 in a messy fifth.
Posada hit his home run in the sixth and after a three-run seventh, the Yankees had a commanding 16-6 lead.
Gary Sheffield was taken out of the game in the sixth after colliding with first baseman Shea Hillenbrand and is considered day-to-day.
If you have been paying attention to this post, you would note that the Yankees scored in every inning, the first time since they defeated the St. Louis Browns back on July 26, 1939 and the sixth ever American League team.
Final Score:Yankees 17, Blue Jays 6
Player of the Game:Johnny Damon went 3-5 with two home runs, five runs scored, 3 RBI, and a stolen base.
Up NextBlue Jays @ YankeesMike Mussina (3-1, 2.45 ERA) vs. Gustavo Chacin (4-0, 5.11)
Red Sox Update:Game not yet played.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 5:03 PM
Wright Blows it Again
Jaret Wright, you're fired! That's what Donald Trump would have said if Wright was on The Apprentice.
Jaret Wright allowed four runs, but you can't always blame the pitcher, they try their best, so I will blame the "all-star" line up who went 0-7 with runners in scoring position. Thats right, every time a runner reaches second or third base, the Yankees don't care. Hello!!! We need points, there is a playoff bracket to enter at the end of the season. So when there is an opportunity to score, take it. How can you be a domninate team if you can't produce runs? How can we scare the opposition if the pitchers think, let them get on base, they can't do anything. The Yankees have only two productive guys on the team, Derek Jeter, who is off with one of his best starts of his career and Jason Giambi is hitting solid.
The only runs the Yankees were able to scratch was a Bernie Williams two-run home run in the sixth inning.
Final Score:Yankees 2, Blue Jays 7
Player of the Game:Bernie Williams went 1-4 with a two-run home run.
Up Next:Blue Jays @ YankeesRandy Johnson (3-2, 3.73 ERA) vs. Josh Towers (0-4, 8.35)
Red Sox Update:Sox lose to the Devil Rays.
Kevin Mench Update:After going up a 1/2 inch on his shoe sive, he has hit seven home run is seven games, one away fro tying Dale Long, Ken Griffey Jr., and former Yankee Don Mattingly. Maybe the game-used bat card that I own will be woirth something someday?
Posted by Steve Kenul at 8:33 AM
Friday, April 28, 2006
Yanks Take D-Ray Series
Hideki Matsui broke out of his hitting slump with a two-run single in the sixth to spark a three-run rally. Unlike last night when the Yankees drew 14 walks with not a single one coming in to score, all three free passes came in and counted.
Shawn Chacon's quality outing was the fifth one by a Yankees starter in as many games. Chacon allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings pitched.
Derek Jeter went 3-3 with a walk and boosted his season average to .408.
Final Score:Yankees 4, Devil Rays 1
Player of the Game:Derek Jeter went 3-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Up Next:Blue Jays @ YankeesJaret Wright (0-1, 7.20 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (2-1, 3.60 ERA)
Red Sox Update:Sox got spanked 15-3. Ouch!
Barry Roids Update:MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said that he will not celebrate Barry Bonds' 715 home run.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 7:47 AM
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Babe Ruth Day
As Barry Roids nears closer and closer to Babe Ruth home run mark, we must take a look back at what Babe Ruth did for baseball.
George Herman Ruth first broke in as a pitcher with the minor league Baltimore Orioles before being signed by the Boston Red Sox. There he was a dominate pitcher leading the league in ERA and strike outs a couple times. Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the Yankees to finance his Broadway musical and thus set in the Curse of the Babe. The whole story of Frazee and his plays are more of a myth than anything else, but I'm not going to get into that.
Ruth remained a pitchers until the management saw that he could hit too so they decided to switch him to the outfield.
He lead continuously broke his own home run records and kept raising the bar and the layout of baseball glory. In 1921, the Yankees won their first ever pennant only to lose to the New York Giants. Babe Ruth was the last out as he was caught stealing second. You may think that fat people shouldn’t be running fast, but Ruth was a skinny fellow back in his early days and was a prolific base thief.1923 marked the first time the Yankees won the World Series, a tradition that the Yankees have kept up.
On August 16, 1948, Babe Ruth died of throat cancer and his body was laid in Yankee Stadium so that over 10,000 fans could walk by and mourn him.
Babe Ruth was one of the greatest players of all time; he set the bar for baseball today and is the icon of all sports and one of the most recognized sports figures in the world next to Muhammad Ali, Andre the Giant, and Michael Jordan.
Today we celebrate George Herman "Babe" Ruth
His career stats compared to the all-time lists goes as follows:
Slugging percentage: .6898, 1st
Career OPS: 1.1638, 1st
Home Runs: 714, 2nd
RBI: 2,117, 2nd
At-bats per home run: 11.76, 2nd
On-base percentage: .474, 2nd
Extra-base hits: 1,356, 2nd
Walks: 2,063, 3rd
Runs: 2,175, 3rd
Total bases: 5,793, 5th
Batting average: .3421, 9th
For more information, click
here
Posted by Steve Kenul at 12:19 PM
Wang Dominate, Rivera Not
Chein-Ming Wang has earned some more of my respect last night as he dominated the Devil Rays allowing two runs through seven innings pitched.
Yankees offense had some great moments, and some horrible moments. Johnny Damon stole three bases, Jason Giambi drew four walks, and Gary Sheffield hit a home run.
Sheff's home run came in the sixth to tie the game at two, giving him 453 for his career.
Tampa starter Seth McClung threw a game that many teams would have normally taken advantage of, he gave up a team record 14 walks, and with an ERA higher than 10, why didn't the Yankees do anything. It's because of the weak hitting with runners in scoring position.
Yankees stranded 16 runners, a hard kick in the ass.
Mariano Rivera took the mound in the ninth and pitched well, until the 10th, where he lost it. He allowed a hit, stolen base, a walk, a double, and a sac fly and took the loss. Rivera usually has trouble against Boston, but if you are starting to have trouble against Tampa, maybe you need a little more work.
Final Score:Yankees 2, Devil Rays 4 (10 innings)
Player of the Game:Chein-Ming Wang pitched seven innings, struck out three and allowed two runs.
Up Next:Devil Rays @ YankeesShawn Chacon (2-1, 5.59 ERA) vs. Mark Hendrickson (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Red Sox Update:Sox lose to the Indians 7-1
Barry Roids:Bonds hit his 711th home run to tie the game in the ninth.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 7:32 AM
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Moose Shuts Down Rays
The Yankees lost 11 of 19 against the Devil Rays last year, but this year looks different.
Mike Mussina took the mound and was spectacular; after the first inning...
The only run was a Johnny Gomes solo shot to give the Rays a quick 1-0 lead, but things changed for the best.
Yankees made a comeback with three runs thanks in part by Derek Jeter's two-run home run.
Not done yet as the Yanks added another run on the board in the fourth due to Johnny Damon's sac fly.
In the sixth, four more runs came across thanks to a huge two-run double.
Mussina left after the seventh inning and one hit later, allowing only four hits in his start. He joins four other pitchers with quality starts in all of his outings so far this season. He also leads the American League in most 1-2-3 innings through the season with 17.
Taynon Sturtz, Ron Villone, and Scott Proctor each went an inning to close out the game.
Final Score:Yankees 9, Devil Rays 1
Players of the Game:Derek Jeter went 3-5 with three RBI including a home run and a double.
Mike Mussina three seven innings, allowed four hits and one earned run.
Up Next:Devil Rays @ YankeesChein-Ming Wang (1-1, 5.48 ERA) vs. Seth McClung (1-3, 10.90 ERA)
Red Sox Update:Sox defeat the Indians in a true playoff-like game.
Steroid Update:Barry Bonds hits his 710th home run and winces before he rounds third, hello DL, hello more "medicinal" steroids.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 9:30 PM
Monday, April 24, 2006
Quest for 27 Unvieled!
Here is the official Bronx Bloggers "Quest for 27" logo:
Posted by Steve Kenul at 10:40 PM
East Takes a Break
A rare event for the Al East, all five teams have the day off. Nothing to blog, no scores to report, no Yankee updates, no Red Sox updates, no change in the standings, one hell of a boring night.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 9:19 PM
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Giambi, Johnson Lead Yanks
If the Yankees want a winning record, today is the day to do it. They sent Randy Johnson to the mound against the Orioles for the series clincher.
Johnson surrendered a home run to Miguel Tejada in the second to make it a quick 1-0 deficit followed up by a Jason Giambi home run for an instant tie. Still in the second, Andy Phillips hit in Jorge Posada to take the lead.
Giambi's encore two-run shot in the third gave the Yankees a 4-1 lead and his second home run of the game.
Yankees tacked on another run in the fifth by an Alex Rodriguez sacrifice fly.
Randy Johnson cruised through the game in his old form retiring 21 out of 24 batters after giving up a home run to Tejada giving up three hits, all by Tejada
Final Score:Yankees 7, Orioles 1
Players of the Game:Jason Giambi hit two home runs and drove in five, Randy Johnson allowed three hits, one run and earned the win.
Up Next:Devil Rays @ YankeesMike Mussina (2-1, 2.67 ERA) vs. Scott Kazmir (2-1, 4.07 ERA)
Red Sox Update:Sox defeat the Jays and go 1.5 up on the AL East.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 1:12 PM
Yankees Win Behind Chacon
You lose one, you win one, that has been the story of the Yankees so far this season. So tomorrow, expect a loss.
Anyway.
Shawn Chacon took the mound tonight with a monsterous 8.03 ERA against the hard hitting Orioles and pitched his best game of the season allowing one run on four hits through seven solid innings.
Yankees took a lead in the third with a Derek Jeter RBI single followed up by an RBI sacrifice fly Bernie Williams in the fourth.The sixth provided some more runs. With the bases loaded, Matsui got redemption by smacking a two-run double with an encore by Johnny Damon who singled in a run and Jeter drew a bases loaded walk.
Kyle Farnsworth threw a perfect eighth and Ron Villone closed out the game in a non save situation.
Final Score:Yankees 6, Orioles 1
Player of the Game:Shawn Chacon pitched seven innings, allowed one run, four hits enroute to a win.
Up Next:Orioles @ YankeesRandy Johnson (2-2, 4.63 ERA) vs. Bruce Chen (0-2 8.10 ERA)
Red Sox Update:Sox lose their third in a row, hang on to first due to an Orioles loss.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 12:33 AM
Friday, April 21, 2006
Yanks No Longer Clutch Team
The bottom of the ninth went like this:
Johnny Damon struck out.
Derek Jeter drew a walk.
Gary Sheffield got a single, Jeter to third.
Alex Rodriguez drew a walk to load the bases.
Jeter and Sheffield each advanced a base on a fielders indifference.
Jason Giambi struck out.
Hideki Matsui loaded the count to 3-2 with two outs and the bases loaded, a bloop hit would have tied the game, just a little tappy tap just out of the reach of an infielder.
NO!
Strike out LOOKING!! At least make an attempt to hit the ball, ground out, fly out, better yet, get on base, don't just stand there and look like an ass, make an attempt to score a run, one simple bit of contact would have been great. But if you want to stand there and be made a fool of, go ahead, Yankees fans do boo, just a little warning.
But I won't put all the blame on Matsui.
Chein-Ming Wang was also responsible for some damage. I've always said that he is a long relief pitcher, one who can last about four innings, not a strong starter, not yet.
The Orioles scored three times in the third and the sixth all on the arm of Wang.
Yankees managed to stay in the game with a two-run home run by Robinson Cano in the fourth to tie the game at three. The in the fifth, due to an A-Rod RBI single, took a temporary lead. The O's responded back with another trio of runs taking the lead and closing out the game.
Yankees just can't seem to stay above .500.
Final Score:Orioles 6, Yankees 5
Player of the Game:Hideki Matsui (I know I reamed him) went 2-3 with two runs scored and two hits, and a choke to end the game.
Up Next:Orioles @ YankeesShawn Chacon (1-0, 8.03 ERA) vs. Daniel Cabrera (1-1, 5.40 ERA)
Red Sox Update:The Blue Jays scored four in the bottom of the ninth sent the game to extra innings, at the time of this posting, they are in the 12th tied at 6.
Streaks:Losing: 11, by, guess who, the Kansas City Roayls. They lost 19 in a row last year, can they do it again?
Posted by Steve Kenul at 9:37 PM
Two Yankee Minor Leaguers Die in Crash
Not a good day when I have to tell you some bad news. However, just because they are in the minor league organizations, doesn't mean they can be ignored. The Yankees farm system and all associated coaches are all part of the Yankees.
On Wednesday Oscar Acosta, international coordinator of instruction and manager of the Gulf Coast Yankees, and Humberto Trejo, field coordinator of the Dominican Summer League Yankees, reportedly lost their lives on a highway outside of Santo Domingo.
The Yankees will observe a moment of silence in honor of Acosta and Trejo prior to Friday's 7:05 p.m. ET game versus the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 1:12 PM
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Mussina Shines in Yankees Win
Welcome back Moose!
Mike Mussina took the mound against the Blue Jays earlier this evening and dominated. Seven strike outs, zero walks, one run and a W in the win column.
Of course a little offense helps too.
Alex Rodriguez hit his fifth ome run of the season and his 435th of his illustrious career in the fifth inning giving the Yankees an early one-run lead. Hideki Matsui added another run while Jorge Posada was deciding which base to go to in a run down. Matsui scored before the tag was applied to Posada.
Kyle Farnsworth relieved Mussina and pitched a great couple innings before handing the ball to Mariano Rivera who closed out the ninth earning his second save for the season.
Final score: Yankees 3, Blue Jays 1Player of the Game:
Mike Mussina pitched 7 1/3 innings, struck out seven, no walks and one run earned.
Up Next:Chein-Ming Wang (1-0 4.08 ERA) vs. Kris Benson (1-2 3.32 ERA)
Red Sox Update:Don't want to talk about it, still playing and having a huge lead due to a complete lack of Tampa Bay defense.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 8:11 PM
Randy Johnson...Ugly?
Entertainment Magazine came out with a column called 100 Most Unsexiest Men in the World. Some notables on this list include actor Brad Pitt, international terrorist Osama Bin Laden, child lover Michael Jackson and comedian Jay Leno.
But they didn't stay in the showbiz spotlight, they went into the sport field. Five baseball figures made the top 100 list.
#91 - Jose Canseco
#83 - Barry Bonds
#72 - Grady Little (Former Red Sox Manager)
#71 - George Steinbrenner
#29 - Don Zimmer
And believe it or not, at #2 is the ace of the Yankees rotation, Randy Johnson. What saved him from being the top ugliest was comedian Gilbert Gottfried.
In an interview with Baseball Digest back in the early 1990s, he was interviewed and asked what makes him look so mean. His response, "make up".
Whether or not make up makes him ugly is up for the fans to decide, however, he does not get paid to be hot or not. He gets paid to be the pitcher he is.
For the complete top, or in this case, bottom 100, click
here.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 7:18 AM
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
All Hail Giambino
Congratulations to Yankees first baseman slash designated hitter Jason Giambi for winning the Bank of America Player of the Week.
Giambi went 8-14 (.571) with five home runs and ten RBI in fifteen at bats. He also posted a stunning 1.671 slugging percentage along with his .700 on-base percentage.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 10:02 PM
Jays Double up on Yanks
It is lonly in last place, and again in consecutive years, the Yankees feel the depression.
The Yankees struck first with two home runs, one apiece by Alex Rodriguez and one by Jason Giambi. However, Randy Johnson's nice lead was too much as the Blue Jays responded back with three runs in the first and second with a total of five runs all on home runs.
Derek Jeter added on another run with Jeter's RBI double in the seventh and put the Yankees back in the game to prove everyone that they are a clutch team.
Nope.
Not this time.
Jays outfielder Troy Glaus ended the game with his second home run of the night.
Randy Johnson allowed six runs in 3 1/3 innings pitched.
Final score: 10-5 in favor of the Blue Jays.Up Next:
Mike Mussina (1-1, 3.20 ERA) vs. Ted Lilly (1-0, 3.86 ERA)
Player of the Game:
Derek Jeter went 2-3 with a run scored and one drivin in along with five total bases including a triple.
Power Rankings Update:
Yankees rank #5; no change from last week.
Red Sox Update:Three runs in the seventh and eighth gives them a 7-4 win over the Devil Rays.
Things Thrown at Barry Bonds Update:
April 1 - Turkey baster
April 16 - Tube of toothpaste
Posted by Steve Kenul at 9:22 PM
Monday, April 17, 2006
What If...
Here are a few questions to ponder on. You may make your own answers, but think about them.
What if...
...Babe Ruth was a good kid and never went to Baltimore's School for Boys and was never noticed by scouts...
...Lou Gehrig never went to Columbia University...
...Joe DiMaggio was arrested for being involved with the mafia...
...Mickey Mantle never recovered from his blown knee when he was 19...
...If Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio were in fact traded as the respective team owners talked about while drunk...
...If Bucky Dent refused Mickey Rivers' bat that helped him hit the home run in the one-game playoff in 1978...
...If Bill Buckner was paying attention to the baseball instead of the runner advancing to third in the 1986 World Series...
...If the Yankees traded Derek Jeter in his rookie year...
...If Aaron Boone was replaced with a pinch hitter in the 11th inning during the 2003 ALCS versus Boston...
...If Gary Liddle took out Pedro Martinez in the 7th, instead of the 8th inning...
...If Boston was in the National League...
...If baseball never took off as a sport...
What if...
Posted by Steve Kenul at 8:10 PM
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Yanks Avoid Sweep Behind Giambi
Sweep? Hell no!
Yankees scored six time in Brad Radke's six innings of ball. Giambi attacked first with a two-run shot to start the second followed by an RBI single by Robinson Cano.
Going into the fifth, Cano hit his first home run of the season followed by back-toback doubles by Derek Jeter and Gary Sheffield giving the Yankees a 5-0 lead.
The Twins scored a couple times in the fifth to cut the lead to three, but in the sixth, Giambi hit a solo shot that knocked Radke out of the game.
The Yankees still weren't done.
Alex Rodriguez capped a three-run seventh with a two-run shot to give the Yankees a surmountable lead.
Starter Chein-Ming Wang pitched a great game striking out eight without allowing a single walk.
Yankees improve to 6-6 and face the Blue Jays next in Toronto.
Player of the Game:
Jason Giambi went 3-4 with two home runs and eight RBIs.
Up Next:
Randy Johnson takes on Gustavo Chacin.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 6:41 PM
Rivera Blows Save, Loses First Game
Everything seemed to be going right for the Yankees on Saturday night.
They had overcome a four-run deficit against Johann Santana, their bullpen had thrown five scoreless innings after a rocky start by Jaret Wright and the offense came through with some clutch hits, giving New York a one-run lead heading into the ninth inning.
Then the Twins scored twice against Mariano Rivera.
The Yankees came back from a four run deficit against former Cy Young winner Johann Santana capping off with an Alex Rodriguez go-ahead RBI in the seventh.
Mariano Rivera came in for his second save situation and got out of the eighth with an inning-ending double play.
In the ninth, Mo ran into trouble. He gave up a "hit" to Luis Castillo and Joe Mauer. The reason why I out hits in quotations is because the third strike on both calls were blown calls by the umps. Castillo's check swing was ruled a ball that led to an infield hit, and Mauer's strike three was ruled a ball before turning it into a hit. Rivera had no trouble striking out Rondell White and Torii Hunter.
Up came Justin Morneau.
On the very first pitch, he hit a broken bat bloop single that brought in the tying, and winning runs.
This goes to show that Rivera is in fact not God, but very close. May I remind you that Rivera had a bad April last year, and wound up finishing in the top five for the Cy Young voting. The season is still young.
Jaret Wright took the damage allowing four runs, three earned, and Rivera took the loss for the first decision of the season.
Player of the Game:
Derek Jeter went 3-3 with a walk, three RBIs and a run scored.
Up Next:
Chein-Ming Wang vs. Brad Radke
Posted by Steve Kenul at 1:29 PM
Friday, April 14, 2006
Yanks Lose at the Dome
Mike Mussina, who had a 20-4 record versus the Twins looked like a sure victory, but he does have four losses, now five.
Twins scored three runs in his 5 1/3 innings and the Yankees remained silent with the exception of Derek Jeter RBI ground out that brought in Robinson Cano. Jorge Posada did score on a close play at the plate if you look at the different angles of the highlights, but a bad ump position ruled him out.
Yanks drop back to even at 5-5.
Player of the Game:
Robinson Cano went 2-4 with a run scored.
Up Next:
Jaret Wright will pitch against Johan Santana. Big bats need to shine in this one.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 11:41 PM
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Home Sweep Home
Yankees are enfuego with a sweep of the Royals and riding on a four game winning streak.
Yankees opened up the third game with a solo blast from Gary Sheffield, his second of the series. Yankees scored three more in the second and lead 4-0 until things went out of hand. Going in to the eighth inning, Jason Giambi hit a two-run shot set up by an Alex Rodriguez double. A couple batters later, Johnny Damon hit a huge, huge three-run shot to the third deck to give him his first pinstripe home run. Take that Boston!
Randy Johnson pitched a great game allowing one run on four hits in five innings.
Player of the Game:
Johnny Damon: 1-4 (incl. a RBI sac fly), 4 RBI
Up Next:
Yankees travel to Minnesota to face the Twins
Posted by Steve Kenul at 7:41 PM
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Yankees Power to Win
Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield took a break from the field today filing in as the DH and Bernie Wiliams started in right.
Great move.
Sheffield hit a three-run shot in the first to tie the game at three and drove in four overall.
The game was marred by slap shot hits and every starter reached base on a hit. They scored in every inning except for the second, and ninth.
Shawn Chacon pitched a great game after a rough first inning start. He allowed three runs to cross the plate, but was not shaken. Chacon came back strong and posted zero's till the Royals put up a duece on the scoreboard.
Yankees won this one handing Kansas City their 13th straight loss at Yankee Stadium. Yankees averaged 10.3 runs per game during their current winning streak.
Up Next:
Randy Johnson will look for redemption against Danny Bautista
Red Sox Update:
Toronto Blue Jays doubled up on the Red Sox 8-4.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 4:07 PM
Crazy Prediction
Apparently, some one has the audacity to think the impossible, the very impossible. Experts have predicted the Athletic's to win the World Series this year, the Chicago White Sox have upped their line up this year and are looking to defend it, and the Yankees are World Series hungry with a five-year draught needing to be quenched.
However, this one individual is not looking at the A's, not the ChiSox, or even NY, he is looking at a team that hasn't won a title since I was born.
During this teams last title run, the Challenger exploded, two gulf wars have been waged, a president was nearly assassinated, and father-son president combo has happened, we saw the Red Sox fall victim to Babe Ruth's curse only to break it the following year, Computers went from these ugly things, to tiny hand held palm pilots, cell phones made a debut, a pope died, a princess died, 9/11, and almost another impeachment. Ladies and gentlemen, this brave soul, who shall be named Whatever, decided to go with the Detroit Tigers winning the 2006 World Series.
That's right.
Detroit.
Tigers.
Tigers.
Detroit.
Yes they had a good start, but all good things come to an end. Look at last year's Orioles. Nice little first place lead, then the all-star game, nice little fourth place finish.
Mr. Whatever, you are wrong to think that the Tigers are going to win the World Series, or even make the playoffs.
Don't get me wrong, the Tigers aren't that bad of a team, slowly building up, but not quite championship material just yet. Mr. Whatever, I think you are forgetting that the defending World Series champions and the 2005 wild card runner-up are both in the same league. Just chew on that for a bit, then when you change your mind, please enlighten me. Thanks for putting a smile on my face.
In the words of my favorite comedian, "Dee dee dee"!
Posted by Steve Kenul at 12:15 PM
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Yanks Rally for Five to Win
It all started with a Jason Giambi home run in the first to give the Yankees a three run lead only to see their lead cut short, tied, then overtaken by the hard fighting Royals. Going into the eighth inning down 7-4, it seemed as the Yankees will drop another one. Then...
...Giambi walked...
...Matsui singled...
...Posada walked...
...Cano hit into a fielders choice for the first run...
...Williams singled in a run...
...Damon struck out...
...Derek Jeter hit the first pitch he saw for a three-run home run and gave the Yankees a 9-7 lead that Mariano Rivera saved and earned his 40th save in 41 career chances against Kansas City.
Yankees won their second game in a row for the first time this season and their American League record-tying ninth straight home opening win.
Up Next:
Shawn Chacon will take the mound against the Royals Jeremy Affeldt.
Red Sox Update:
Sox win by two over the Blue Jays.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 5:05 PM
Sheppard to Miss Opener
Bob Sheppard, the "Voice of the Yankees" will miss his first home opener since 1951 due to a hip injury that he suffered while at his home in Long Island. His replacement will be long-time back up announcer Jim Hall.
Yankees Update:
Yankees win with rally, more later...
Posted by Steve Kenul at 3:36 PM
Monday, April 10, 2006
Makeover
You may have noticed that Yankeeography had a huge makeover. Why? Because for some odd reason, all the HTML and CSS coding disappeared and was never to be seen again. That's right, the site disappeared under the night lights. After hours of cursing and yelling, some one very grateful offered her services in creating a new template, and a better one at that. This makeover couldn't have come at a better time seeing as how today is a day off for the Yankees and I will have plenty of time tonight to add in all the extra codes in tonight and that is mostly a cut and paste job. I would have to say that recreating the standings table will be the toughest job to do and that took all of less than ten minutes. The site should be back up a running at full speed tomorrow morning and in time for the Yankees / Royals game.
Starting next week, I might add new features to the site so that it is not a boring news based stat site, but more of an informative site that can be useful for fantasy baseball, or even your own personal interest. For those of you who have been here for a while, you will notice that I do add my own commentary that way it's not just, oh, A-Rod ht a home run to tie the game, but more like A-Rod hit a home run to tie the game, good bye Schilling, hello lead! When ever the Yankees play on Wednesday night or Sunday afternoon, I will make every attempt to blog the play by play in my own words as if I was the announcer and not Joe Morgan. Many things to come, the site is still young, the season is too young, and I am too old. Take care fans.
Red Sox Update:
Off day, hope the rest gets to them and start a little slide.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 12:20 PM
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Finally!
The defending Cy Young winner had a very un-Cy Young performance. That's right, Bartolo Colon got rocked giving up eight runs.
Alex Rodriguez led off with a home run in the second giving the Yankees an early lead and the biginning of a huge rally. Player of the Game Jorge Posada went 3-4 with two home runs and fove RBIs. After the third inning, that Yankees had already taken a 8-0 lead.
Miguel Cairo replaced Jason Giambi at first today and went 0-4, Giambi Replaced Bernie Williams as DH going 1-2 with two runs scored. Williams made his first appearence in the field today taking over for Gary Sheffield late in the game.
Mike Mussina allowed only one run on six hits during his six innings and improved his ERA and earning his first win of the year.
Up Next:
Yankees travel home to host the Kansas City Royals and should provide some needed wins. Chein-Ming Wang will take the mound against Karl Mays.
Red Sox Update:
Another wins keeps Boston in first place.
Survivor Update:
Both the Brewers and the Tigers lost today and the Phillies and the Pirates won so the survivor game is over.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 8:26 PM
Make it Four
Last night the Yankees dropped their fourth straight loss in a 3-2 defeat to the Anaheim Angels and what a tough loss it was.
Randy Johnson took the mound and pitched a great game allowing three runs in eight innings and with Derek Jeter giving the Yanks an early lead with a home run of Angel starter Ervin Santana.
However, Santana pitched even better than Johnson retireing 15 of the 17 batters he faced.
Should we be alarmed? Maybe. In 1998, the Yankees started off 1-4 enroute to a 114 win season. The Yankees are on pace to repeat, but history does not always repeat itself.
Up Next:
Mike Mussina will face the defending Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon in the series finale.
Red Sox Update:
Sox squeaked by the Orioles 2-1.
Survivor Update:
Detriot and Milwaukee remain undefeated with identicle 5-0 records. Phillies (0-4) and Pirates (0-6) still remain without a win.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 12:05 PM
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Yanks Make it Three in a Row
It seems like the Yankees are on the same path as last year, having a great first day, only to lose much of the rest. The Yankees suffered yet another loss to a western team, moreoverly, the Angels, who knocked the Yankees out of the playoffs last year.
Shawn Chacon pitched a not-so-good game allowing four runs in just over four innings. The first blow was a two-run home run to Orlando Cabrera in the first inning.
The lose run for the Yankees was an RBI double by Johnny Damon which brought in Bernie Williams. The Yankees threatened in the eighth with the bases loaded, one out and Gary Sheffield was at bat. Unfortunatly, he grounded into a double play to end all Yankees hope.
Dammit Yanks, you need to play like the Yankees! You have the best line up in baseball, but play like a small market team, wake the hell up!!! I know it's early, but it was early last year too, and look what happened, you played like crap the entire season. If you can't make it at least to the World Series this year, New York fans will never let you down. Play like champions, not a damn expansion team.
Red Sox Update:
Guess who is in first place? Yankees fans don't like that one bit.
Survivor Update:
Two teams left, and both unexpected surprises, both the Detriot Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers have 4-0 records.
And on the other end, the Philadelphia Phillies (0-4) and the Pittsburgh Pirates(0-5) are in dead last.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 11:35 AM
Friday, April 07, 2006
Yankees Off Day
The Yankees took a break from the baseball action last night with a travel day to Anaheim. Tonight Shawn Chacon will take the mound against Kelvim Escobar is an ALDS rematch.
Transactions:
Yankees aqcuired catcher Koyie Hill of waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks, he will join former D-Back Kelly Stinnett as back-up catchers.
Red Sox Update:
The Red Sox also had a day off taking time to travel to Baltimore.
Jimmy Rollins Update:
It is over, Rollins hitting streak came to a halt as he went 0-4 for the night. Looks like Joe DiMaggio's streak is still safe by a long shot.
Survivor Update:
Three teams remain undefeated going into tonights action: Detriot Tigers (3-0), Milwaukee Brewers (3-0), and the St. Louis Cardinals (3-0). As well as there are three teams left to win a game: Kansas City Royals (0-2), Philadelphia Phillies (0-3), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (0-3).
Posted by Steve Kenul at 7:08 AM
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Yankees @ Athletic's 3
It appeared that the Yankees had the game won by the fourth inning, but the A's weren't to be counted out just yet.
Chein-Ming Wang started the game brilliantly and then ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing four runs, two earned and left the game tied. However, it was not entirely Wang's fault. Derek Jeter, who won his second gold glove, commited an error that led to the A's rally.
Wang was replaced by Jaret Wright and temporarily was a good move. Wright was throwing up goose eggs. However, baseball games do not end in a tie.
Wright fell hard, giving up a triple and a hit in his first two batters. A costly fielding error by Cano led to the winning run. However, the A's wanted more and Frank Thomas responded by hitting a huge double with ducks on the pond to add to the lead and made it a 9-4 game. And that was the final result. Yankees fall to 1-2.
In my opinion, Wang is slowly becoming the pitcher that may be more useful in the pen rather than as a starter, but this is only the beginning and he has many more starts to prove himself.
Up Next:
Shawn Chacon will face Kelvim Escobar and the Angels, an ALDS rematch that the Yankees should win.
Carl Pavano Update:
Pavano's back injury that he suffered towards the end of spring training is not as bad as it looks. Manager Joe Torre has said that he can take as much time as he needs to recover. Pavano may join the Yankees whenever he feels ready. Hmmm, how much are we paying him?
Red Sox Update:
The Sox defeated the Texas Rangers 2-1 and took a one game lead over the Yankees.
MLB news:
Jimmy Rollins hit a double to extend his streak to 38 games.
Survivor Update:
Only four teams remain undefeated, the Baltimore Orioles (2-0), Detriot Tigers (2-0 [wow!]), the Milwaukee Brewers (3-0 [again, wow!]), and the St. Louis Cardinals (2-0).
There are also four teams that have yet to win a game, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (0-2 [no surprise]), Kansas City Royals (0-2 [again, no surprise]), Philadelphia Phillies (0-2), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (0-3).
Posted by Steve Kenul at 2:03 AM
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Yankees vs Athletic's 2
The Yankees were seeking more runs last night against the A's. As we all know, the Yankees pounded the A's with 15 runs including a seven run second inning capped off with an A-Rod grand slam for the season opener.
Last night was different however. The Yankees held on to a slim 3-2 lead until Eric Chavez hit a solo shot down the right field line to tie the game. The Yankees had a chance to score after Damon hit a towering double off the outfield fence only to see Jeter, Sheffield, and Rodriguez go down on outs. The game winning hit was a fly ball that flew over the leaping Matsui in right and the runner on second made it home easily. The Yankees suffered their first loss and fall to 1-1. Mike Mussina pitched a pretty good game only allowing three runs, two of them solo home runs, and left the game tied at three. Proctor came in, pitched awesome until theninth when all fell apart.
2005 Rookie of the Year Houston Street picked up the win for the A's, th eloss was charged to Scott Proctor.
Good news however, our rival Red Sox fell to the Rangers 10-4 and starter Tim Wakefield was taken out in the second after allowing seven runs on as many hits.
Posted by Steve Kenul at 10:14 AM
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Last Night for the Season
After the 15-2 grubbing the Athletic's suffered through last night, one can only hope that this will be the first in a long season of excitement.
Will Randy Johnson, who allowed one run, continue this and become a Cy Young candidate, can Alex Rodriguez, who hit his 14th grand slam of his career last night, defend his MVP title?
Will the all-star line up of managers in the dugout, the Yankees should have no problem reverting back to the championship form they once were.
The Yankees both played small ball and long ball to win. Timely hits, and the blasts in the seats, not an uncommon site for the Yankees. They will continue to battle this way and find a way to win every game. It's understandable that they won't be 162-0, but they sure can try.
Up Next:
Yankees will throw Mike Mussina up against Rich Harden and the A's
Posted by Steve Kenul at 12:07 PM
Monday, April 03, 2006
Opening Day: Yankees @ Athletics
Today is OPENING DAY 2006!!!!
The Oakland Athletics will host the New York Yankees at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California. Barry Zito will take the mound for Oakland and Randy Johnson will pitch for New York and his 14th Opening Day start. This will be the second time in MLB history that two former Cy Young winners will face each other, the first - Pedro Martinez (Red Sox) vs Pat Hengten (Blue Jays) in 2001.
In the commentator booth is former Dodger pitcher Orel Hershiser and Dan Shulman. And now, without further ado, let's PLAY BALL!!!
INNING 1Barry Zito pitchingJohnny Damon batting: ball, ball, strike looking, strike swinging, strike out looking
Derek Jeter batting: ball, pop foul to 1B
Gary Sheffield batting: strike swinging, ball, ball, ball, strike looking, ball 4
Alex Rodriguez batting: ball, ball, ball, ball 4 (Sheffield to second)
Jason Giambi batting: (crowd boo's), ball, ball, check swing strike, ball, strike swinging, strike swinging
Yankees 0, Athletic's 0
Randy Johnson pitchingMark Ellis batting: strike, ball, foul, ball, fly out to center
Mark Kotsay batting: hit to 3B, catching error on 1B, Kotsay to second
Bobby Crosby batting: strike swinging, ball, foul, strike looking
Erik Chavez batting: strike looking, ball, ball, ball, fly out to center
Yankees 0, Athletic's 0INNING 2Zito pitchingHidecki Matsui batting: strike looking, ball, strike looking, ball, ball, foul,
ball 4Jorge Posada batting: foul, ball, pick off attempt to first (safe), foul, ball, ball, pick off attempt to first (safe),
ball 4 (Matsui to second)(Mound visit - pitching coach)
Bernie Williams batting: ball,
base hit to left-center,
Matsui scores, Posada to second
Robinson Cano: sac bunt hit, Posada to third, Williams to second, Cano to first on fielder's choice
Damon batting: strike looking, strike swinging, foul,
base hit to right-center,
Posada scores, Williams to third, Cano to second
Jeter batting: ball, ball, foul, ball, strike swinging, foul,
base hit to left (pitch #50),
Williams scores, Cano to third, Damon to second
Sheffield batting: ball, foul (Sheffield falls due to violent swing), ball, foul, ball, check swing strike out
Rodriguez batting: ball, strike looking,
GRAND SLAM HOME RUN!!! Cano scores, Damons scores, Jeter scores, Rodriguez scoresKirk Saarloos pitchingGiambi batting: ball, ball, ball, strike looking, foul, strike out looking
Matsui batting: strike looking, ball,
ground ball base hit to centerPosada batting: ball, deep foul to right,
hit-by-pitch (upper thigh), Matsui to second
Williams batting: fly out to center
Yankees 7, Athletic's 0Johnson pitchingFrank Thomas batting: strike, foul, deep foul to left, check swing foul, ball, ball,
HOME RUNMilton Bradley batting: foul, strike looking, strike out swinging
Jay Payton batting: ball, fly out to right
Jason Kendall batting: strike looking, ball, strike swinging, strike out swinging
Yankees 7, Athletic's 1
INNING 3Saarloos pitchingCano batting: base hit fly ball to leftDamon batting: foul, strike looking, fly out to right
Jeter batting: ball, strike looking, ball, ball, strike looking, Cano caught stealing second, (field visit for Crosby on CS play [hand injury]), strike out looking
Yankees 7, Athletic's 1Johnson pitchingNick Swisher batting: strike looking, strike looking,
base hit 3B to 1B (safe)Ellis batting: strike looking, fly out to center
Kotsay batting: strike looking, strike looking, ball,
base hit to left, Swisher to second(Mound visit - catcher)
Crosby batting: ball, strike swinging, ball, ball, strike looking, fly out to center, Swisher tags and reaches third
Chavez batting: fly out to left
Yankees 7, Athletic's 1INNING 4Saarloos pitchingSheffield batting: foul,
ground ball fielding error to SS, safe at first
Rodriguez batting: ball,
base hit misplay at first, Rodriguez is safe, Sheffield to third
Giambi batting: foul, ball,
ground ball base hit to center,
Sheffield scores, Rodriguez to second
Matsui batting: strike looking, ball,
HOME RUN!!!, Rodriguez scores, Giambi scores, Matsui scores(Mound visit - pitching coach)
Posada batting: foul, ball, fly out to right (Bradley makes gold glove play)
Williams batting: fly out to center (Kotsay makes gold glove play)
Ca
no batting: base hit double to left (Payton makes gold glove play...wait, he dropped it)
Damon batting: fly out to shallow left
Yankees 11, Athletic's 1(Florida wins 2006 NCAA Men's basketball championship over UCLA 73-57 and I win first ever ESBN Soup Bowl)
Johnson pitchingThomas batting: ball, ball, pop out to SS
Bradley batting: strike looking, ball, ball,
base hit to leftPayton batting: ball, fly out to SS
Kendall batting: ball, ball, ground out 3B to 1B
Yankees 11, Athletic's 1INNING 5Saarloos pitchingAn
tonio Perez replaces Crosby (injured on earlier play {bruised left index finger])
Jeter batting: check strike looking, ball, ground out 3B to 1B
Sheffield batting: (time), strike looking, foul, ball,
double down left field lineRodriguez batting: line out at 2B
Giambi batting: (crowd boo's),
pitching change - Brad Halsey replaces Saarloos, ball, strike looking, foul, foul,
hit by pitch (hand)Matsui batting: strike looking, ball, foul, foul, foul,
base hit to center,
Sheffield scoresPosada batting: (fan shout's "New York is gay", sorry, but you are with a stupid heckle like that), strike looking, check swing strike,
hit by pitch (head), (doc visits Posada), (stupid fan is happy)
Williams batting: foul, strike looking, foul, ball, ball, check swing foul (foul hits ump in mask, ump is ok), ball, (time),
ball 4, Giambi scores, Matsui to third, Posada to second
Cano batting: strike looking, foul, ground out 1B to P
Yankees 13, Athletic's 1(Funny commercial - guy eats cottage cheese from a milk carton, it's not cottage cheese...think about it...!)
Johnson pitching(April 15th desiganted as Jackie Robinson Day)
Swisher batting: foul, ball, foul, ball, check swing pop out to 1B
Ellis batting: strike swinging, pop foul out to Posada, Giambi runs in and almost interferes) (Posada is getting beat up, flu, broken nose, hit in head, hit by Giambi in back during play)
Kotsay batting: ball, ball, strike looking,
base hit to leftPerez batting: strike swinging, strike swinging, ball, ball, foul, ground ball to SS, Kotsay out at second on fielder's choice
Yankees 13, Athletic's 1INNING 6Halsey pitchingDamon batting: ground out SS to 1B (starting to rain)
Jeter batting: ball, strike looking, ball, strike looking, ground out to 1B
Sheffield batting: strike looking, strike swinging, pop up to deep SS
Yankees 13, Athletic's 1Johnson pitchingChavez batting: ball, ball, ball, strike looking, ground out 2B to 1B
Thomas batting: ball high and tight (head for you non-fans), ball, strike looking, strike looking, ball, ground out 3B to 1B (gold glove dive)
Bradley batting: ball, ball, ball, strike looking, fly out to shallow right
Yankees 13, Athletic's 1INNING 7Jay Wistasik pitchingRodriguez batting: ball, strike swinging, ball, strike looking, ground out SS to 1B
Giambi batting: ball, ball, ball, strike looking, strike looking, foul, (fan shouts "you suck Giambi", what happened to the good old heckles?)
ball 4Andy Phillips runs for Giambi (fans boo as Giambi walks off field)
Matsui batting: ball, strike swinging,
base hit to left center, Phillips to second (4th 4-hit game of career)
Posada batting: ball, ball, fly out at deep left down the line
Williams batting: ball, ball, ball, strike looking, (time), strike swinging, check swing strike out
Yankees 13, Athletic's 1
Johnson pitchingBubba Crosby replaces Sheffield in right, Phillips replaces Giambi at firstPayton batting: fly out to right
Kendall batting: strike looking, strike looking, ball, ball, ground out 2B to 1B
Swisher batting: (pitch #100), ball, foul, foul, foul, ball, foul, fly out to right center
Yankees 13, Athletic's 1(Funny steroid commercial talks about health hazards and shows sports balls shrinking...think about it...!)
INNING 8Wistasik pitchingCano batting: strike looking, ball, foul, ground out 2B to 1B
Damon batting: ball,
doubles down right field lineJeter batting: ground ball base hit to center,
Damon scoresCrosby batting: ball, ball, strike looking, ball,
ball 4, Jeter to second
Rodriguez batting: base hit to right, Crosby to second,
Jeter scoresPhillips batting: strike swinging, strike looking, fly out to right
Matsui batting: ball, ball, strike looking, strike looking, ball,
ball 4, Crosby to third, Rodriguez to second
Posada batting: ball, ball, ball, strike looking, ground out to 1B
Yankees 15, Athletic's 1
Tanyon Sturtz pitchingKelly Stinnett replaces Posada at catcherEllis batting: strike looking, ball,
ground ball base hitKotsay batting: strike looking, fly out to center
Perez batting: ball, strike swinging, check swing strike, ball, strike out swinging
Chavez batting: fly out to center
Yankees 15, Athletic's 1INNING 9Kiko Calero pitchingWilliams batting: strike looking, strike looking, ball, strike out looking
Cano batting: foul, foul, ball, ball, pop foul, strike out looking
Damon batting: ball,
base hit off the third base bagJeter batting: ball, ball, strike looking, strike swinging, ball,
ball 4, Damon to second
Crosby batting: ball, foul, ball, ground ball to 2B, fielder's choice to SS
Yankees 15, Athletic's 1
Ron Villone pitchingDan Johnson batting for Thomas: strike looking, foul, foul, ball, ground out P to 1B
Bradley batting: strike looking, strike swinging, ball,
base hit to leftPayton batting: ball, foul,
base hit to right, Bradley to third
Kendall batting: sac fly to center,
Bradley scoresSwisher batting: foul, strike looking, strike out looking,
GAME OVER
FINAL SCORE: Yankees 15, Athletic's 2
W-Johnson, L-Zito
This was the most runs scored on a Yankees opening day game since 1955 when they scored 19 vesus the Senators and the most hits since 1921.
Other News:
Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollis goes 1-4 with a double to extend his hitting streak to 37 games
A fan throws an empty syringe at Barry Bonds during Giants/Padres game (no needle attached, must have been used already)
Posted by Steve Kenul at 9:05 PM
Tonight's Game
At 10:05 EST, the New York Yankees will take on the Oakland Athletic's in Oakland. Randy Johnson will take the mound for New York and Barry Zito will pitch for the A's. Instead of providing a post-game summary, I will instead, post a complete pitch-by-pitch account of the game. I have done this in the past when the Yankees took on the Red Sox for the AL East crown.
Hopefully the weather will stay clear of any rain and delays. Last night I watched the White Sox host the Indians and I had to wait through a two-hour rain delay. Needless to say, I passed out in the 6th when the Sox were leading 7-3. Nice home run by Thome, wow!
Stay tuned...
Posted by Steve Kenul at 10:24 AM
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Yankee Notes
Transactions:- P Luis Garcia was waived
- P Matt Smith was cut (told you)
- P Matt Childers was cut
- P Jose Veras was cut
- P Ramiro Mendoza was cut
- 1B Russ Johnson was cut
- C Omir Santos
- IF Damian Rolls
- IF Felix Escalona
- P Scott Procter - awaiting conformation of final 25-man roster slot (finalized midnight tonight)
DL Report- P Aaron Small - 15-Day
- P Octavio Dotel - 15-Day
- P Carl Pavano - Unknown
Posted by Steve Kenul at 11:38 PM
What to Look Forward To...
Spring training is now over for our beloved Yankees and will begin a series against the Athletic's starting Monday. I'm not going to talk about the past because, honestly, it wasn't all that great with a losing April and an early ejection from the playoffs. This year is different.
During the off-season, the Yankees picked up perennial free agent Johnny Damon from the Red Sox and closer Kyle Farnsworth from the Braves who will be replacing Tom Gordon as a set-up reliever. The starting rotation has not changed much, or even at all.
Yankees wil throw out a line up that rivals the line up of 1927, 1932, and even 1952 that freatured Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. The 2006 line up features Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, who by the way has been in the playoffs every year of his career, 2005 MVP Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Hidecki Matsui, Jorge Posada, rookie sensation Robinson Cano, 2005 Comeback Player of the Year Jason Giambi, and Bernie Williams.
If the Yankees can stay clear from injuries, this season should be much better than last year's. Yankees are predicted (again) to win the division for a ninth straight year and, if they don't face the Angels, make it to and win the World Series.
The starting rotaion is not as deep as it used to be, but health comes into play again, especially for Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright.
The bullpen has never really been an issue. Tanyon Sturtz has been getting better throughout his career, Farnsworth should be more effective than Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera should be just as dominate as he was before.
Damon, who will be batting leadoff, may be not as hopeful as thought for his Yankee Stadium batting average is not one to be admired at, but as time goes by, should develope a swing that fits well.
Jeter should be as effective as in the past and has batted second before behind Alfonso Soriano. His glove will never change and his highlight reel is yet to be cut.
Alex Rodriguez finished the season with an MVP title and will chase down his right of passage to the Hall of Fame when he inches closer to 500 home runs.
Gary Sheffield may be under a lot of pressure as the steroid allegation hearings take place, but should still be as violent at the plate and scare off all third base coaches this year.
Jason Giambi will be in the same situation with Sheff, but will still prevail as a power hitter.
Jorge Posada is behind the plate again for all five pitchers, but will also step away to allow younger catchers to gain some valuable experience.
Hidecki Matsui, the Boston Killer, is only getting better. His reputation has declined against the Sox, but his career is not over for quite some time.
Robinson Cano, a huge Rookie of the Year favorite last year, but did not win it, will try to overcome the so-called "sophomore slump" and become a great hitting second baseman and improve his defense.
Bernie Williams is aging and this may be his last year in pinstripes. He will be sharing the role of DH and provide some relief for Matsui and Sheffield in the outfield.
Randy Johnson still has one more Cy Young season in him and hopefully this is his year.
Mike Mussina is slowing becoming the pitcher that we don't need. His ERA is rising and his former self is disappearing. He lost two perfect games against the Red Sox, and maybe, just MAYBE, will throw one before he retires.
Shawn Chacon pretty much saved the Yankees last year as his late arrival gave them the spark that lit the race. He will be there again, this time helping the Yankees win, not saving wins.
Chein-Ming Wang will be the fourth starter this year and his rookie season last year was a huge success. I saw him go from a great pitcher, and slowly become your average pitcher. His ERA started to rise at season's end. Watch out for more losses than expected.
Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano need to stay healthy this season and be the pitchers the Yankees signed them as. We don't waste money on failures. Although, the times that these pitchers were healthy, they provided enough umph the give the Yankees some important wins.
Pitching coach Ron Guidry and batting coach Don Mattingly should be important instructors for the Yankees. Mattingly played with Jeter and Williams before he retired.
Overall, the Yankees should win the East and the pennant and even win the World Series. I predict a 101-61 record with A-Rod in the race for the MVP.
Go Yankees!!!
Stay tuned...
Posted by Steve Kenul at 6:18 PM
Yankees vs Diamondbacks Part Deux
The Yankees took on the Diamondbacks for the final day of spring training and to reach .500 for the spring, onyl to end in the first tie for the Yankees.
Miguel Cairo hit a solo shot in the eighth and Bubba Crosby successfully completed a suicide squeez to give the Yankees a brief 3-2 lead.
The D-Backs took an early lead when Craig Counsel scored on a sac hit and lead 2-1 with a home run by Jerry Gil and Brian Bardon hit a home run to tie the game at 3.
The game went into extra innings and was called in bottom of the tenth.
The Yankees finish the season at 15-16-1. Our counterpart Red Sox finished with a dismal 9-19. Keep in mind, these standings do not reflect games against colleges and split squads.
Up Next:
Opening Day 2006! Randy Johnson will take on Barry Zito at Oakland fo rthe first game of the year.
Stay tuned...
Posted by Steve Kenul at 5:59 PM
Torre's Thought's
Pavano...stop...getting...injured!!!
Posted by Steve Kenul at 11:49 AM
Yankees vs Diamondbacks I
Sorry about delaying the last post. Yesterday was payday and I needed to get some stuff and go shopping with my wife.
Good news however, Yankees defeated the Diamondbacks 6-5 on a ninth-inning home run by former D-Back catcher Kelly Stinnett.
Chein-Ming Wang returned from his leg injury and scared the Yankees by allowing eight base runners and three runs in the first eight innings. Kyle Farnsworth allowed the first four hitters he faced to reach base.
The Yankees chipped away at the D-Back's lead when Bernie Williams scored from third on a wild pick-off attempt at first and Jeter hit in Sheffield.
Up Next:
The final spring training game is held today when the Yankees take on the Diamondbacks one last time. Chacon will take the mound to give the Yankees one last chance for .500
Other News:
The Yankees starting rotation has been set, but only four have set seats. Randy Johnson will be the number one starter and the opening day starter, followed by Mike Mussina, Chein-Ming Wang and Shawn Chacon. Manager Joe Torre and pitching coach Ron Guidry met together and explained the possiblity of Jaret Wright to be the fifth starter and by the looks of it, it just might be.
Stay tuned...
Posted by Steve Kenul at 11:07 AM
As Barry Roids nears closer and closer to Babe Ruth home run mark, we must take a look back at what Babe Ruth did for baseball.
Congratulations to Yankees first baseman slash designated hitter Jason Giambi for winning the Bank of America Player of the Week.
Kokoyaku
