"It's Umbaleebable"

Ladies and Gentleman your postseason MVP

Looking at the bigger picture helps

Today was a brutal loss... part of me thinks Girardi brought in Aceves just to get that game over with (kidding obviously). But if you look at the bigger picture, which is, the Yankees having a 2 games to 1 lead against the Angels with CC Sabathia going tomorrow.

...Let it sink in...

Makes you feel better right?

The one thing i did notice watching the game however, was that Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera are basically free outs at the bottom of the lineup right now, actually... so is everyone whose name isn't Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui.

The Yankees can't rely only on their pitchers to get it done if they want to win the world series... they'll have to step up their offense and Girardi will have to stop playing baseball by the book.

Notes from ALDS game 2

-Damaso Marte can't be relied on to get outs in the postseason... bring on Bruney.

-David Robertson getting out of that bases loaded no outs jam was not only a huge play in the game, but it must have done loads for his confidence.

-Alex Rodriguez is officially clutch.

-Mark Teixeiras single in the 9th was important for several reasons... had he made an out, that would be an 0-8 to start the postseason and the Yankees may not have tied the game. We all know that if the Yankees lost that game and Teix was 0-8 going into Minnesota, there would be alot of pressure on him to produce.

-A.J. Burnett pitching to Jose Molina was a success.

-Having the third catcher in Francisco Cervelli comes in very handy in games that Jose Molina will start.

-Johnny Damon needs to step up and show the Yankees why they should bring him back for 2010. He's been pretty bad so far this postseason and honestly, when the Yankees had runners on the corners and 1 out last night, i didn't think he could get Gardner in (which he didn't).

-Nick Swisher had a huge headsup up play early in the game yesterday to save a run... like i said before the series started, he was going to be a huge factor in beating the Twins.

-Derek Jeter.The Captain #2. Enough said.

-Is anyone else hoping the Red Sox somehow manage to beat the Angels this series? I really don't want to face the spirit of Nick Adenhart... and playing the Red Sox is just alot more interesting.

In-game update ALDS game 1

Update 7:08: ... ummm Posada? you don't do that in the playoffs.

Update 7:20: 2-2 as captain clutch comes through!

Update 7:43: What did i say? Swish would come up big for us in this series.... 3-2 Yankees and i am starting to lose my voice.

Update 8:04: 4-2 Yankees... A-Rod came through??? Kate Hudson was very pleased.

Update 8:10: it's 6-2 after Matsui Jacked one to center. I officially no longer have a voice... and i'm loving it.

Update 8:34: There have been an unusual amount of balls hit up the middle at Sabathia in this game...

Update 8:47: HUUUUUUUUUUGHES

Update 9:46: Game 1 goes to the Yankees! 7-2 as Mariano closes it out.

Molina will catch Burnett

Yes, it's true, Molina will be catching Burnett... and Posada doesn't seem too pleased.

I'm not one to bet on baseball... but if you're into sports betting... i would hold off on placing high bets on the Yankees to win this game.

Burnett's numbers with Posada are much worse, but he's such a streaky pitcher it's hard to tell if he was uncomfortable, or he was just being his inconsistent self.

One thing i will say about Burnett, you probably want to get him to start his games at home, take a look at these splits. AJ has a 3.5 ERA at home as opposed to 4.6 on the road... this means instead of having Andy go for game 2, you have Andy hold off and go on the road.Pettite actually pitches better on the road, here are his splits.

Personally, i think the Yankees best bet is to have Andy go for game 3 @ detroit/Minnesota, and have Burnett go at home in game 2.

*Update 4:50*

It seems like Joe Girardi made the right decision and is going with Burnett for game 2.

Who would you really want to play?

When i first realized the AL central was within the Twins' grasp, myself as well as most Yankee fans got excited. Why wouldn't we be? Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn or Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson? Morneau is on the DL, and you wouldn't have to worry about pesky Curtis Granderson or Miguel Cabrera.

Now, the Yankees did dominate against the Tigers this year, but still, who would want to take the risk of having to face Verlander twice?

Then I started to think more into the matchups recently, and i'm starting to have second thoughts:

-Joe Mauer > Gerard Laird- enough said.

-The Metrodome > Comerica Park- 60,000 drunk fans screaming at the top of their lungs in a dome during a playoff game? no thankyou.

-Joe Nathan > Fernando Rodney - enough said.

-The Twins have been on a hot streak, even without Morneau, i'd much rather face the slumping Tigers. Not to mention their star slugger Miguel Cabrera is having some troubles of his own.

-The Yankees are 7-0 against the Twins this year, remember when the Yankees were 6-0 against the Indians in 07? yea... i don't think i need to say anything else.

-Edwin Jackson has been terrible over the last month entering September with an ERA under 3, and finishing the season with a 3.62.

-Justin Verlander won't be pitching game 1 - facing him in games 2 and 5 is much more manageable than in 1 and 4.


It should be an interesting game tomorrow, i'm probably going to be rooting for the Tigers, you know you want revenge for the 2006 ALDS. Honestly, you just don't want to be messing with the Twins right now.

-

Also, if you have a few minutes, check out this link. Kevin runs a great site called Zells pinstripe blog, if you haven't checked it out, i reccomend you do.

In-game update 10/4/09

2 HRs and 7 RBIs in one inning = 30 HR and 100 RBI on the season.... Alex Rodriguez is a god.



The End.

My bold predictions...

So as some of you may remember... but probably not, i made some predictions back in early January as to how the season would unfold. Well... i'm not exactly proud of them, take a look for yourself.

Maybe it was the bold predictions i made for Dan Geise (Giese?), Edwar Ramirez, Damaso Marte, Brian Bruney or even Jose Veras. Most of those guys weren't even on the team for the majority of the season... definitely well predicted there...

Robinson Cano didn't hit 105 RBI, nor did Xavier Nady make it through April. Also, it seems I completely forgot to include Nick Swisher in my predictions, I'm not really sure what happened with that.

Oh well... I also made predictions with the standings, which you can checkout here.

...not too bad, who would've thought predicting the Yankees for 101 wins would be undershooting it? ...

Back up and running!

Hey everyone, so as you may know i've taken a few months off, along with Ace... and it's about time we get this blog up and running again. Just thought i would mention that Ace won't be returning to the blog, this is now a one man show.
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Just because i've been out of blogging for the last few months, doesn't mean i didn't watch the games, or hear about them... somehow. I've watched almost every game, and i know that this team is more ready for the postseason than they have been in years.

Now you may be a little worried with CC's last start at Tampa Bay, which i don't blame you, but you may as well get his bad start over with before the postseason. Honestly, i feel better knowing he's bombed a start before the playoffs going in than knowing he hasn't. The last thing anyone wants is to throw CC out there for game one against the Tigers or Twins and have him blow up... figuratively and literally. I mean, the guys been absolutely unhittable for almost two months, it was bound to happen. But i'm expecting alot of fist pumping from CC this postseason, and definitely looking forward to it.

A.J. Burnett is a different story, you don't want to throw him out there after a string of bad starts, he's too streaky. Though he may snap out of it--it was very important they had him feeling good and on a decent roll before sending him in for game 2.

Regarding the offensive concerns, of course A-Rod will be on the top of that list, but i think it's about time he snaps out of it. Having Teix hit in front of him, i think help takes off a load of pressure to have him produce. I know all of you remember the last few postseasons with him, he was pressing and trying too hard. Now, i'm not saying he won't be pressing this time, but having Teix there in front of him, must take off a load of the pressure.

Look for Nick Swisher to have a huge ALDS, i can feel he's ready for it. He's just one of those guys you know can come through for you in these types of games...

Naturally having success in the playoffs relies on dominant starting pitching... if the Yankees get decent starting pitching, these teams are in trouble.

We'll be back soon

Hey everyone, just like to say that the blog is going to be back up and running on October 3rd. see you then!

Taking a break...

Hey everyone... as you can obviously tell the blog has taken some time off the last few weeks... and we will continue to do so now that the summer has begun...

...we'll be back in a couple of weeks...

...meanwhile, Christian Bale has issues...



...Go Yankees!!

just dropping in

I was just watching my George Carlin DVD and heard his act on baseball vs football. Always worth watching.

When baseball stopped making sense

With the Yankee game delayed tonight, I figure now is a good time to talk about a few things that have been bothering me all week.

First off, the way the AJ and Padilla situation was handled. Yea it's clear that AJ was retaliating against the Rangers after Teixeira got hit for the second time. So he got fined and suspended, and I'm okay with that. What I don't understand though, Vincent Padilla, a pitcher who has a reputation for throwing at hitters, hit Teixeira not once but twice and still doesn’t get suspended. What the hell is the MLB thinking? I'll take any reasoning, seriously anything, the guys own team was even recorded as saying he was out of line. Now this was the most ridiculous thing to happen this until a bomb shell was dropped the other day...

The Braves released Tom Glavine... WHAT. This move makes no sense on so many levels. The reason Frank Wren gave for the move was that they had better options and they didn't think Glavine could get hitters out at the major league level anymore. Ya, I agree they do have better options, with there top prospect Tommy Hanson coming up to take the last spot in the rotation. But who exactly is there 6th starter if say someone gets injured? Jo-Jo Reyes? Hah, the real answer is no one worth talking about. Even more baffling though is why did they make him go through the trouble of rehabbing if they were just going to release him? Whatever the answer is one thing is clear; the Braves treat their veterans like complete crap. It's no wonder why Smoltz left for the Red Sox this past offseason.

In-game update: Yankees vs. Rangers

Hey everyone, couldn't cover the game today, but i thought i'd pop in and talk about some things i've noticed from the game so far.

-Chien Ming Wang really has to fix his sinker, it's too incosistent. He threw two solid innings with good bite on his sinker, similar to his two previous relief appearances. Unfortunately the next 2+ innings, his sinker had very little bite, it was flat... if he can't keep the action on his sinker for more than 2 innings, it's clear he needs to be in the bullpen.

-Robinson Cano seems to be in a little bit of a slump, he's rolling over on alot of pitches on the outside corner and grounding out.

-Melky Cabrera looks like the old...shitty Melky Cabrera we all know...and are not too fond of. Maybe the shoulder injury that he sustained in Texas actually is still bothering him.

-Nick Swisher seems to be out of whatever funk he was in for most of May, he has another double along with a very good atbat in the 5th inning taking a walk with the bases loaded.

...the score is 6-5 in the top of the 6th right now, Aceves is in right now... hopefully he can lock it down for....nevermind, Ian Kinsler just homered, it's 6-6...

Yankees vs. Rangers 6/2

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Matsui DH
Cabrera RF
Gardner CF

Pitching: A.J. Burnett RHP vs. Vincente Padilla RHP

...back with updates from the game...

Update 7:15: Damn... the homeplate umpire tonight has a rocket arm.

Update 7:26: A-Rod is sooo clutch popping up to the first baseman with runners on the corners and one out there... sooo clutch.

Update 7:39: Burnett has an explosive fastball tonight... and so does the homeplate umpire...

Update 7:45: Posada is a bum... should be 2nd and 3rd with no outs... instead.... runner on 2nd... 1 out... stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid.

Update 7:50: 1-0 Yankees on a RBI single to right by Brett Gardner.

Update 7:54: Vincente Padilla is a freaky looking dude.

Update 7:56: 2-0 Yankees after Padilla balked... you can thank Gardner for that one.

Update 8:44: A-Rod almost set some kind of record... if it wasn't for Mark Teixeira going in hard... that would've been a double play: EIGHT MEN LEFT ON BASE IN THE FIRST 4 INNINGS.... that would have been some kind of fucking record alright.

...instead he has left 7 men on base through the first 4 innings...

Update 8:47: oh... and it's 5-3 Yankees.

Update 8:50: here's a picture from Vinny Milano (bald vinny)...


cleverr...

Update 8:52: for those of you who don't know who bald vinny is... he's the leader of the bleacher creatures at Yankee Stadium... and if you're really out of it... they're the people who do the roll call before the game... and if you're a fucking idiot... that's when you chant every player's name....

...meanwhile, it's 9-3 Yankees as Hideki Matsui just hit a 3 run homerun.

Update 9:00: ahhhh fastball right at Cruz's head by Burnett... that's how you do it. Both benches warned.... i love this game.

...then you come back and strike him out...well played A.J., well played.

Update 9:17: hey A-Rod is up... and the bases are not full of Yankees... THANK GOD.

Update 9:21: Warner Madrigal looks eerily like a frog...

...it's 12-3 Yankees now after Jorge Posada tagged his ass for a 3 run homer.

Update 9:42: Maybe the Rangers should sign Doug Eddings to pitch the rest of this game... he's got a pretty good arm.

Update 9:54: Ok... that's enough from me for tonight... Yankees leading 12-3 in the top of the 8th.

Yankees defense a closer look

Last year the Yankees had the second worst defense in the league. The main culprits were Jeter, Cano, Giambi, and Abreu. So half the team basically. So far this year, the Yankees actually have one of the better defenses in the league. What exactly has changed though?

Well first off, replacing Giambi with a gold glove caliber first baseman has helped tremendously. While obviously it's helped the first base position it also appears to have had some kind of ripple affect on Cano. Cano no longer has to worry about a complete lack of range from the first baseman. This has allowed Cano to play further away from first base, like he did pre Giambi. Also, Tex has made Cano look even better by getting some balls that Cano clearly would have missed. Second, Derek Jeter seems to have rediscovered some of his range. He is definitely making plays this year which he would have had no shot at making last year. Who knows maybe he'll actually be able to stay at Shortstop until he retire. Lastly, the center field defense of Gardner/Melky has been way above average so far this year.

That's not to say the Yankees defense is fool proof though. The worst defender on the Yankees so far has been Nick Swisher. The real problem is that Nick Swisher is not a natural outfielder; he's actually a natural first baseman. Due to his unfamiliarity with the outfield he's often seen taking bad routes towards fly balls, which will often fall before he gets to them. The other issue defensively is A-rod. It looks as if his age combined with his hip surgery has slowed him down significantly. He's just not getting to line drives he used to, and with his hip really can't field bunts anymore. Oh, and pop ups still seem to be a big issue.

It's nice to see a good defensive Yankee team for once. The best part about it all is that this core is here to stay for the next 3+ years.

Yankees vs. Indians 6/1

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Cabrera LF
Berroa 3B
Gardner CF

Pitching: Joba Chamberlain RHP vs Jeremy Sowers LHP

Notes:

Angel Berroa? Starting at 3B? wow... well, i'm assuming there's potentially something wrong with Matsui, considering he looked miserable running the bases the last few games... then again, i could be wrong and Matsui could just be getting a day off. Or, Berroa could just be getting a start... he has been on the team since early May and has only 4 at bats.

Normally i don't say this, but yesterday's game was decided on one pitch... well... one miserable call by the homeplate umpire in the 9th.... the count was 2-1 to Jorge Posada with one out and runners on the corners.... Kerry Wood threw a curve ball that was above the belt, clearly high out of the strike zone. Wood followed with another curve which Posada grounded sharply to second for an inning ending double play.

I'm not psychic, but if the count is 3-1 with runners on the corners... i say Wood doesn't take the risk of throwing that breaking ball... so yea... i said it, the ump blew the game for the Yanks yesterday... as they have done many times this whole year.

...May not have updates from the beginning of the game, but i'll try to catch the end...

The Curious Case of Chien-Ming Wang

In the past few days quite a few things have come to light concerning Wang's struggles. Now I've been very critical of Wang so far for his lack of performance this year, and for this I have to say I'm sorry. I was under the impression it was Wang's fault for his poor performance, maybe he didn't prepare properly over the offseason, or maybe he was trying to do something new and it just threw him out of whack. But no, instead it turns out that the entire Yankees front office is incompetent.

Before the offseason began the Yankees instructed Wang not to work out his legs due to his injury from last year. I'm simply baffled by this decision. What exactly were they thinking? The majority of a pitchers power comes from his lower body and core. So by not strengthening this area Wang was supposed to be successful how? In an interview with Andrew Marchand, Cashman admitted that it was a mistake to tell Wang not to work out his lower body, citing their lack of experience with the injury. Lack of experience? Really? Couldn't they have uhh, I don't know called one or two or even twenty five doctors in order to find out what the best course of action was? It's ironic that the Yankees insist on running their stadium like a mega corporation, but when it comes to their players they would rather play guessing games.


In other news if you have some free time be sure to check out www.1978Yankees.com. It's about a new book, The Greatest Comeback Ever: A fan's daily diary of the 1978 New York Yankees Championship Season. It's the only book ever written by a fan, live-time on a great sports season.

Tim Dierkes Q&A

We did a Q&A with Tim Dierkes back in December of last year. With the trade deadline in the not to distant I figured now would be a good time for another, so enjoy..

C2C-There have been some early reports saying the Yankee's have no room to add more payroll. You buying it?

Tim D-I'm not. I'd have to see what reports you're referring to, but I cannot see them spending all that money in the offseason and then drawing the line at a few million bucks to add a reliever in June.

C2C-This trade deadline might be the biggest buyers market we've ever seen come the trade deadline. Do you see the sellers being disappointed in their returns, due to the surplus of elite talent that will be available? Peavy, Berdard, Halladay, Holliday, and Hawpe just to name a few.

Tim D-I don't think the sellers will be disappointed. I don't see it as a surplus of elite talent. Take the starting pitching market: Peavy's suitors are greatly restricted, and Halladay probably will not be available. So if you want to bring in a #1-2 starter you have to roll the dice on a few months of Bedard. As for available high quality bats, I don't see too many impact guys either. It looks like a typical trade deadline in terms of talent available.

C2C-There have been a lot of reports that Stratsburg will be seeking a 50 million dollar signing bonus. It’s pretty clear he'll break the record, but do you see him actually getting the 50 million?

Tim D-No...I think most people see him landing in the $20-25 million range. I do think the Nationals will get him signed on August 15th, but over the years we've seen Scott Boras pull every trick in the book.

C2C-The Yankees rotation has been shaky at best so far. With Wang, Joba, and Hughes being somewhat of question marks right now. I know there was a lot of talk about Washburn last trade deadline could you see those talks being revived again?

Tim D-The Yankees don't have a strong need for starting pitching unless they decide to move Joba to the bullpen or someone gets hurt. If one of those things happens then I could see talks for Washburn revived.

C2C-Favorite Weezer song?

Tim D-I will go with My Name Is Jonas...but there are a lot of contenders from their first two albums.

C2C-Any crazy predictions you want to throw out there for the trade deadline?

Tim D-There will be many more rumors than actual trades. Wait, that's not too crazy. OK here's a prediction: Jake Peavy stays put. It wouldn't shock me if the Padres couldn't find a match and wait until the offseason.

C2C- Thanks Tim

Should the Yankees Trade for Mark Derosa?

I saw on MLB trade rumors this morning that the Yankees might be considering making a run at Mark DeRosa. Is it just me though, or does this idea make no sense? I mean, don't get me wrong I like Mark DeRosa, he's a very good player and managed to post a wOBA of 376 last year. So far this year he has posted a wOBA of .338, which considering his painfully slow start at the beginning of the year is not to shabby.

But what hole does Mark DeRosa really fill for the Yankees? Ya the three headed monster of Angel Berroa, Cody Ransom, and Ramiro Pena has been underwhelming to say the least, but to the point of adding 7 million dollars to the payroll as well as giving up prospects? I just don't think it's that bad yet. Also, while Mark can play the corners in the outfield just fine, he's unable to play center field, a position the Yankees are lacking at right now.

Speaking of prospects, the Indians are seeking major league ready pitching. Uhh... if by major league ready pitching they mean Kei Igawa, Alfredo Aveces, Phil Coke, and Jose Veras, then I'm sure we can work something out! In reality the Indians are probably looking for a prospect more to the tune of Ian Kennedy. Well, if Ian Kennedy were healthy I'd be more than happy to deal him (I'm probably in the minority here, I really don't see the ceiling everyone sees for him), but unfortunately he's not. With Wang and Joba's ineffectiveness so far, as well as Phil Hughes streakiness starting pitching depth is really not something the Yankees should be trading away regardless...

In other news Posada could potentially be back in the lineup as early as tomorrow. It should be exciting to see just how many runs the Yankees will be able to put up with both Posada and Arod in the lineup.

*Edit- I saw that Joe Pawlikowski over at River Ave Blues ,also just put something up concerning the Mark DeRosa rumors. I definetly suggest checking it out if your intrested in this.

Its a hard knock life

For Melky Cabrera. Seriously, you just got to feel bad for the guy at this point. After last years terrible, terrible, TERRBILE performance, it looked as if he had finally turned the corner, posting a wOBA of 371 so far this year (league average is around 336). Now it looks like he's going to be on the dl for at least 15 days.

Now what does this mean for the Yankees? Two things. First off, Brett Gardner will most likely become the every day center fielder. So far in limited playing time this year he has put up a wOBA of .343. In addition he has played some amazing defense, with a UZR of 6.5 through 232 innings. That would make him the third best defensive center fielder so far this year, if he had enough innings to qualify. So yea, while losing Melky might suck, it’s not the end of the world for Brett Gardner to fill in for him for a while.

The second thing though, is a much bigger problem. Who the hell is the Yankees fourth outfielder now? I'd throw out some ideas, but honestly I've got nothing. I guess they could bring up Austin Jackson (who's having a great year so far), but I doubt there going to risk stunting his development. Anyway, it should be interesting to see who in the Yankees minor league system gets the nod (I would be shocked if the Yankees made a trade).

In other news AJ finally had a good game going 6 strong innings with 7 strike outs against the Rangers red hot offense. I'm still not like the high amount of walks he's issuing (4 today), but eh, a wins a win.

Before I go here's a video Alex showed me the other day, you might even find this funnier than the video from Monday (*note not exactly G rated).

Remember this?

...hardest i've laughed watching a baseball game EVER.

Yankees Bullpen

Is anyone else worried about the bullpen in its current state, with Brain Bruney going back on the DL? Let's take a look...

Mariano Rivera- No complaints here it’s freaking Mariano

Alfredo Aceves- A good long reliever/spot starter, but not exactly who I think of when I'm trying to name shut down relievers

Phil Coke- *See Alfredo Aceves

Chien-Ming Wang- I don't know what Joe Girardi is talking about when he says he sees marked improvement in Wang. He still looks pretty awful to me, maybe I'm wrong and I'll come to eat my words this coming series but I doubt it.

Jose Veras- He's basically the definition of a loose cannon. He'll either come out of looking dominate with the ability to locate his fastball, or be unable to locate his fastball and walk nearly every batter he faces

Brett Tomko- How Brett Tomko is still in the majors’ amazes me. He has been terrible EVERY SINGLE YEAR for a grand total of ELEVEN YEARS. Here's an interesting stat for you aside from his rookie year Brett Tomko has never posted an ERA below or even approaching 4.

If Marte and Bruney can't finally get healthy, it appears that yet again the Yankees will be in the market for a good arm come the trade deadline.

Yankees vs. Rangers 5/25

Lineup:

Jeter DH
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Swisher RF
Pena SS
Cash C

Pitching: Phil Hughes RHP vs. Matt Harrison LHP

Notes:

This is Phil Hughes' first start in Texas since he pitched 6.1 no hit innings here in 2007.

Brian Bruney is officially on the DL again... maybe next time he comes back at 100% so we don't have to deal with this again...

Yanks are coming off a great homestand, despite yesterday's dissapointing loss, they also have won 9 of their last 11.

...back later with updates from the game...

Update 2:19: It's 2-0 Yankees after 1 inning, Hughes on the mound now.

Update 2:22: I've noticed Hughes has been turning to his fastball more often in 2 strike counts. It is possible that the Orioles last time around struck out so much because they were looking for breaking pitches and instead hughes was throwing fastballs.

Update 2:42: very impressive inning for Hughes there... gave up a leadoff double to nelson cruz, then hit blalock... and got behind 3-0 on marlon byrd... then followed by 3 straight pitches to strike him out, then striking out chris davis on a nasty curve, and an equally nasty pitch to strike out teagarden.

Update 2:53: it's 6-0 Yankees now after a bunch of succesive hits by Damon, Teixeira, A-Rod and Cano.

Update 2:59: Hughes doesn't seem to have the same velocity on his fastball that he had in his previous start... he's averaging around 91-92... as opposed to his last start where he was hitting 95...

...as long as he has the command of his fastball today he'll be fine, if not, he'll get hit around a bit... still, his line through the first 3 innings have been good.

3 IP 1 hit 0 R 0 BB 3 Ks 38 pitches.

Update 4:01: it's 10-0 yankees now in the top of the 7th... hughes has been incredible through the first 6 innings.

Maybe he's not so bad

It's hard to embrace a player as good after a year of total suck, but maybe it's time we say the New York Yankees actually have a quality centerfielder in Melky Cabrera.

Players don't go from hitting 249. to hitting 317. without making some major adjustments, and it's clear that Melky has a new approach to the game. Last year he started out hot, showing a suprising amount of power and hitting close to 300... it got to his head and he became the popup machine we all know...and hate.

Melky now understands that he isn't the homerun hitting monster he may wish he was, but instead a solid hitter with mediocre power. Last year you would never see Melky drive the ball to the opposite field, this year...it's a completely different story.

Melky may have been helped by the contention for centerfield he was getting by Brett Gardner. It's hard to win a starting job back after losing it in spring training because you only get a couple of chances to prove yourself when given the oppurtunity.

Another big problem with Melky was his inability to hit in the clutch...he's certainly proved that he can do that, he has THREE walkoff hits so far this year... and we're still in May.

...i know it may be hard to forget what Melky did last year, but it's time to look forward and embrace that maybe Melky is actually...good?

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By the way... the Yankees have been umbaleebable over the past week and a half.

Yankees vs. Phillies 5/22

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Cash C

Pitching: A.J. Burnett RHP vs. Brett Myers RHP

*Ace's edit

Brett Myers Profile:

Brett Meyers was an integral part to the Phillies’s World Series run last year posting an era of 4.55 and an FIP of 4.52. This year has not been nearly as kind to him posting an FIP of 6.16. The velocity of his fastball as well as its movement is down significantly this year. This has led to an increase in his walk rate and a decline in his strike outs through nine innings (K/9). He has also a huge problem with the long ball this year giving up on average, just over 2 home runs per 9 innings. I'm going to make prediction for tonight, Brett Meyers is going to get absolutely shelled tonight, this will be AJ's game to lose.

Notes:

Gotta like how Melky looks in centerfield so far this year.... 320 BA? who'da thunk it....

Damon is back in the lineup after missing yesterday's game... Girardi also said Brian Bruney was unavailable to pitch today, i'm not sure why considering he did not pitch in yesterday's game.

Kevin Cash is behind the plate again... still don't like how he calls a game but hopefully he shows us something tonight... a couple of hits would be nice.

Cano went 3-4 with a homerun from the 2 spot yesterday, unfortunately for him, Damon only fits well into the 1 or 2 spot in this very powerful yankee lineup.

Nady could play in a rehab game as early as next week; however, he has yet to throw a baseball and would only be able to DH when he is eligible to return. Might want to give Matsui some work in left soon... Swisher is going to need a few days off.

Of A-Rod's 7 hits this year, 5 of them have been homeruns...

...won't be covering the whole game tonight, but back later with updates...

Update 7:32: it's 3-0 now...2 run homerun by carlos ruiz the number 9 hitter... comeon A.J...

post game wrap up

The Yankees dominate the Orioles tonight winning the first game of the series 9 to 1.

Notes:

-CC was filthy tonight 7 innings 7 strike outs 1 walk and 3 hits, ya i'll take that especially against the Oriole's offense.

-Nick Swisher 0 for 3 with 1 walk.. give this man a day off or 5, something is clearly wrong.

-Arod and Tex both continue there home run streaks, speaking of Tex looks like he's finally coming out of his slump, this is the Yankees lineup I imagined at the beginning of the year.

-Brian Bruney looked good in his first game back with one scoreless inning as well as a strikeout. Hopefully we can see the bullpen back to its earlier year form.

Anyway Alex and I will be back on Thursday (perferably alive) as we'll be going to Boston to see the Red Sox game tommorow. Wish us luck and hopefully the Red Sox get their ass kicked.

Yankees vs. Orioles 5/19

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Cervelli C

Pitching: CC Sabathia LHP vs. Brad Bergesen RHP

Notes: The yankees have won 6 games in a row and are now 1 game behind the division leading Red Sox....comeon... the Blue Jays arent for real...and if the Rays don't get their pitching in order.... they may be back to pre 08 form.

...back later with updates from the game...

Update 7:17: i genuinely hate brian roberts.

Update 7:29: Monster homerun by A-Rod... 2-1 Yankees.

Update 8:08: looks like another strong start by Sabathia so far tonight, 4 innings 2 hits 1 run 0 walks and 3 strikeouts.

Update 8:10: how bout this chin music. ... it's off the page!

Update 8:20: Michael Kay just compared a flock of birds flying... to parallel parking... i still don't know how he did it.

Update 8:22: you can NOT walk guys like greg zaun when guys like brian roberts and adam jones soon follow... take the easy out.

Update 8:24: Dontrelle Willis is mowing down the Rangers right now... really? Dontrelle Willis?

Update 8:44: why did francisco cervelli try stealing there? i'm pretty sure derek jeter is up with no outs.

Update 8:46: ohhh Michael Kay... you tease...

Update 9:09: CC through 7 innings...1 run 3 hits 1 walk 7 strikeouts.... now that bruney is back from the DL, gotta wonder if girardi uses him in the 8th with CC's pitch count over 100 pitches.

Update 9:29: by the way.... it's 9-1 Yankees.

Yankees vs. Twins 5/18

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez DH
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Pena 3B
Cervelli C

Pitching: Andy Pettitte LHP vs. Glen Perkins LHP

Notes:

This is the final game between the two teams in this series, the yankees have won all 3 in walkoff fashion.

...back with updates later...

Update 7:13: it's already 1-0 twins in the top of the first, joe mauer singled to center scoring brendan harris.

Update 7:15: 2-0 twins, pettitte's got nothin.

Update 7:26: Mark Teixeira has arrived, 3 run homerun... 3-2 yankees.

Update 7:28: 4-2 Yankees, back to back homeruns by mark teixeira and A-Rod

Update 7:41: Yankees hammered Glen Perkins, it's now 6-2 and he is being taken out of the game. It's still the bottom of the first by the way.

Update 7:53: Ken Singleton said Delmon Harris about 5 times... it's Delmon Young you fool!

Update 8:03: is anyone else sick of the yankees calling mauer and morneau the M&M boys? i'm pretty sure that title belonged to Mantle and Maris... but... i guess it's being used freely now.

Update 8:21: i wonder if David Cone uses the 'jerking off' term today to describe a pitcher.

Update 8:29: the yankees have been playing some insanely good defense today.

Update 9:15: i'm a little curious as to what happened to this umps strike zone over the last half inning... the pitch that jeter struck out on was a foot off the plate, and the one that damon struck out on clearly broke around the plate.

Update 9:27: Girardi is going to bring in Jose Veras with runners on base and a 2 run lead... this is a recipe for disaster.

Update 9:32: such a dumb move by Girardi.

Update 9:33: Andy Pettitte looked terrible today... but it's the middle of the 7th now and the yankees have the lead 6-4.

Yankees vs. Twins 5/17

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF
Pena 2B
Cash C

Pitching: A.J. Burnett RHP vs. Kevin Slowey RHP

Notes:

I missed yesterdays game unfortunately, but i can tell it was a good one, back to back walkoff wins... nicee...

Cano is probably just getting a day off, he's played every game this year and he could use a break.

Swisher really needs to start hitting, his strikeout average is significantly higher than his batting average.

...back later with updates from the game...

Update 1:17: This ump is not giving A.J. any close calls... and kevin cash... again... can't frame for shit.

Update 1:37: give Nick Swisher a day off... i could produce more than him at the plate right now.

Update 2:00: huge double play there, the way slowey looks so far, we have to keep the twins from scoring as much as possible.

Update 2:09: it's the story of Mark Teixeira's yankee career.... guy has a huge day... and the next day he can't get a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs... pathetic.

Update 2:15: i like how michael kay and paul oneill just gave halladay his 8th win today even though the game is still relatively close and it's only the 5th inning.

Update 2:19: Burnett is using his 2 seamer to lefies more than i've seen him use it all year... it's pretty nasty.

Update 2:33: Slowey just made Melky look like a bum.

Update 2:52: Kevin Cash is terrible. the score is still tied at 0 by the way, going to the top of the 7th now.

Update 3:01: Ok, i think YES's radar gun is off a tad... that curveball was just clocked at 93 MPH.

Update 3:04: again... melky cabrera... throwing so hard and being off by 30 feet does not work.

Update 3:08: COMEON KEVIN CASHH

Update 3:25: it's 2-1 twins over the yankees... but there is a runner on 3rd with one out for melky right here.

Update 3:26: tie game, sac fly by melky.

Update 3:31: i don't trust Albaladejo at all.

Update 3:33: can we please... uhh... dump kevin cash already?

Update 3:49: huge play by teixeira saved the yankees right there, still 2-2 in the bottom of the 8th.

Update 3:52: if mo comes in with the game tied in the 9th, i see someone hitting a homerun off him.

Update 4:15: hey... he didn't give up a homerun!

Update 4:40: Johnny Damon!!!! walkoff homerun!!! yankees winnnn

Yankees vs. Twins 5/15

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Cash C

Pitching: Phil Hughes RHP vs. Francisco Liriano LHP

Notes:

Yankees are coming off of a succesfull roadtrip going 4-2, including taking 2 of 3 against the division leading Blue Jays.

Kevin Cash gets the start tonight, probably just giving Cervelli a rest, but i don't like his style, and i don't know how succesfull he'll be with Hughes tonight. Phil's style relies on getting the calls on the corners, Cash doesn't frame the ball well, so we'll see how that goes.

Melky Cabrera is back starting in centerfield, Brett Gardner will return to the bench... i liked what i saw from Brett though and when Melky comes back to earth... which he will... i hope Girardi sticks him back into CF.

Teixeira is back hitting 3rd, i wonder what Girardi's reason for this is... probably something along the lines of... "He's the guy i want hitting 3rd every day, period." ...yeaa... sounds like Joe.

...back with updates from the game...

Update 7:12: Hughes has a blistering fastball tonight (94 MPH), let's see if he can locate it.

Update 7:18: Johnny Damon may have some of the most entertaining interviews i've ever seen.

Update 7:19: Teix looks different at the plate today... i don't know what it is, but he looks more relaxed... then again he is batting from the right side of the plate so we'll see ... maybe not, he just struck out swinging on a ball in the dirt.

Update 7:25: 1-0 on a homerun by Justin Morneau... honestly, he struck out on the 3rd pitch of the atbat, but kevin cash didn't frame the ball at all and it was called a ball...

Update 7:31: Mark Teixeira needs to start making those picks at firstbase... that would've been a big double play there... now runners on the corners with one out.

Update 7:36: with all things considered, that inning went pretty well for Hughes... leadoff homerun, then two walks... botched double play ball... only one run allowed.

Update 8:08: Johnny Damon just got thrown out of the game arguing balls and strikes... a-rod is up now with the bases loaded and one out.

Update 8:16: A-rod struck out by the way...

Update 8:25: Melky Cabrera... what is the point of throwing so hard if you are off target by 30 feet?

Update 8:33: Melky Cabrera is terrible.

Update 8:39: 3-0 Twins in the top of the 5th, Justin Morneau just hit his second homerun of the game.

Update 8:40: i don't know if anything in baseball is funnier than watching A-Rod try to catch a simple popup.

Update 9:28: 4-1 twins in the bottom of the 7th,i don't know how the twins got their 4th run, but the yankees got one on a derek jeter solo shot... had to step out for a bit.

Update 9:37: Brett Gardner just hit an inside the park homerun.... HOLY SHIT that was intense.

Update 10:04: Edwar Ramirez reminds me of a dinosaur... like he looks like a dinosaur...

Update 10:32: i think brett gardner earned himself another start.

UPDATE 10:45: MELKY!!!!!! YANKEES WIN 5-4!!!!!!

Closer Look: The Yankee Rotation

This past offseason the Yankees made headlines signing two of the premier pitchers on the market, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett to huge contracts. So far the Yankees rotation similar to the lineup has not performed anywhere near as it was expected to. Let’s take a closer look

FIP is an ERA equivalency calculation which takes into account just things the pitcher controls and defense is removed from the equation, just FYI if you didn't know.

FIP's of Yankees starters from last year (that have pitched this year):

CC Sabathia- 2.91
AJ Burnett- 3.45
Chien-Ming Wang- 3.74
Andy Pettite- 3.71
Joba Chamberlain-2.65 (skewed by his time as a reliever last year)
Phil Hughes- 4.34


FIP's of Yankee Starters this year:

CC Sabathia- 3.89
AJ Burnett- 5.09
Chien-Ming Wang- 24.12 (SIGH)
Andy Pettite- 4.54
Joba Chamberlain-4.74
Phil Hughes- 6.64

Alright, Phil Hughes and Joba I'll give passes to, there young, need more experience, growing pains, yaddi yaddi ya etc etc...

Chien-Ming Wang? Who’s that?

Andy Pettite- so far this year he has looked shaky at best. His FIP puts him at league average 4.54 way up from his FIP of 3.71 from last year. What’s different about him though? Mainly, he's striking out less hitters and walking more, but why? To find out lets examine the pitch f/x data courtesy of fangraphs. The velocities on his pitches are roughly the same, with his fastball velocity sitting at about 90 MPH. The vertical and horizontal movements are about the same on all of his pitches except one, arguably his most important, the cutter. The Vertical movement is a little different, but I am willing to chalk that up to sample size for now as its still moving a decent amount. The horizontal movement is the scary part, normally his cutter has a horizontal movement value of roughly -4 this year it has a value of -.4. What exactly does this mean? Basically his cutter isn't... well... uhh... cutting. I don't think I have to tell you why throwing a cutter which dosen't cut will not work in the big leagues. To make up for this he's throwing his slider 15% more of the time than last year, and his cutter 20% less of the time. If Pettite has any hope of success this year, he will either have to find his cutter again or learn to throw his slider for strikes more often.


CC Sabathia- Even after yesterdays performance his numbers are still less than stellar for his standards. He's striking out rougly one less batter per 9 innings and walking roughly 1 more batter per 9 innings. His line drive, ground ball, and fly ball rates have reamined steady, as well as his velocity and pitch selection. I'm sure he will improve from where he is right now, but by how much is the real question. Just how much of his numbers were a product of playing in the national league last year? Now I'm not hating on the NL, but lets face it the Pirates batting line up, from last year especially, was not the scariest thing in the world.

AJ Burnett- The biggest disappointment of the year so far (Chien-Ming who?) with his current FIP differing from his projected FIP by over 1.5. You don't have to look very far to find out what’s wrong with him. He's striking out 2 less batters per 9 innings than last year, as well as letting up over 10% more fly balls this year. This increase in fly balls has led to an increase to his homerun rate per 9 innings. Unfortunately the short porch in right field has not helped this issue at all. Stuff wise and pitch selection wise everything seems to be the same. Hopefully, his homerun rate regresses somewhat, and his strike out rate goes back to what it was last year, otherwise it looks as if we may have another Carl Pavano esque contract in the books for the next 5 years.

Yankees vs. Blue Jays 5/14

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Gardner CF
Cervelli C

Pitching: CC Sabathia LHP vs. Brian Tallet LHP

Notes:

Melky Cabrera isn't in the starting lineup, probably getting a days rest and Brett Gardner definitely earned himself another start after his performance yesterday.

Jeter is back in the lineup after missing the first two games with an oblique pull, Matsui is back in the lineup aswell.

Maybe Joe Girardi should pull Mark Teixeira out of the spot light a bit and bat him 5th or 6th until he gets his act together, yesterday was a start, but he's still hitting 202. Meanwhile you could bat A-Rod 3rd with Matsui cleanup, or the other way around, but maybe Teix's struggles have come from the pressure being put on him in the 3 hole.

...back with updates from the game...

Update 7:37: it's 1-0 Yankees on a Nick Swisher bases loaded walk to force in a run, we're in the bottom of the 2nd and CC is on the hill.

Update 8:10: 1-1 after Alex Rios just hit a solo shot to center.

Update 8:25: i thought Al Leiter was the MLB networks problem now?

...meanwhile, it's 2-1 Blue Jays now... Rod Barajas doubled off the wall in right and it was bobbled by Swisher which allowed Rolen to score...how unfortunate.

Update 9:24: I had to step out, but it's 2-2 now in the bottom of the 7th, not sure how the yanks tied it up, but they did.

Update 9:34: Matsui led off the top of the 8th with a homerun to right center, it's now 3-2 yankees.

What is wrong with Mark Teixeira?

To say that Mark Teixeira has been somewhat of a let down so far would be a huge understatement. But what exactly is wrong with him? To find out lets take a look at his current stats and compare them to his career norms.

The first thing to look at his walk and strikeout (K) rates. His walk rate is actually way up at 16.5% from his career average of roughly 12%. His K rate has remained steady with his career average at about 22%. Even though it appears he has improved his patience at the plate, both his OBP and SLG percentages are about 100 points below his career average at .338 and .434 respectively. The biggest culprit is pretty clear though, his batting average on balls in play (BABIP), currently at a whopping .184. A large portion of that is bad luck, as a BABIP that low is not sustainable, but there also appears to be another culprit, his line drive percentage(LD%). His LD% is down over 10% while his fly ball percentage (FB %) and his ground ball percentage (GB %) are up about 10% each. To give you an idea of how big a difference this can make, the league average BABIP on line drives is about .700 while the BABIP for ground balls and fly balls between .230 and .250... Ya that can make quite the difference.

Okay so it’s pretty clear he is just making worse contact, which means he must be swinging at more pitches outside the strike zone right? Wrong, he has actually swung at 2% less of pitches outside the strike zone this year. So he must be making less contact with balls in the strike zone? Again, wrong he is only a percentage point lower than when he had his monster year last year. The only place where there appears to be a huge discrepancy is his contact rate with balls outside the zone, which is 20% higher at 70% than his career average of 50%.

So what exactly does all this mean? One of two things in my eyes. One, he has just been extremely unlucky so far and it’s just a matter of time before things start to go his way. Or two the pressure of playing in New York is affecting him, and he is starting to press. Whatever it may be if he does not start to produce better the Yankees are not going to go very far this year.

*Note- he is a solid buy low candidate for anyone who plays fantasy baseball

Yankees vs. Blue Jays 5/12

Lineup:

Gardner CF
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
Cabrera RF
Cash C
Pena SS

Pitching: A.J. Burnett RHP vs. Roy Halladay RHP

Back to business: Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of posts lately, schools finally out and myself aswell as Mike (Ace) will be posting alot more frequently.

Notes: Derek Jeter is out of the lineup with an oblique pull and Swisher is probably getting a days rest, he's been terrible since getting hit on the elbow in the Angel's series.

...back later with updates durring the game...

Update 7:11: Johnny Damon slashed one down the left field line and got thrown out at second... i don't blame him for making the attempt considering we are facing the Yankee killer Roy Halladay tonight...

Mark Teixeira then followed with his signature popup... middle of the 1st.

Update 7:15: Kinda got the feeling that A.J. is overthrowing a little bit to start tonight, he's hitting 96 on average with his fastball.

Update 7:19: that new white castle commercial is disturbing.

Update 7:31: A-Rod just can't make errors like that in important games like these when your teams struggling, that was an inning ending double play, now there are runners on first and second with 1 out.

Update 7:36: Melky Cabrera may be hitting 329. but he still sucks.

Update 7:59: I don't know what it is... but i'm really frustrated with how kevin cash is calling this game.

Update 8:04: well, game over... 2-0 Blue jays, and i'm sure they're not finished scoring this inning, 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs... kevin cash suckssss.

Update 8:10: I am done with kevin Cash right now, send him back to where he came from... 3-0 right now... should be 2-0....

Update 8:26: is anyone else sick of seeing that fingerless lady in the anti smoking commercial 100 times per yankee game?

Update 9:01: Kevin Cash really needs to be punished for the way he's performed this game.

Game 1 Yankees vs The Devil err Red Sox

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Posada DH
Cabrera CF
Molina C
Berroa 3B

Notes:

-the bottom third of our order just looks bad

-Teixeira is terrible lately I don't see him turning it around this series

-Can our bullpen stop being a blowpen?

-The Yankees are actually favored to win this game in vegas

-Arod should be back within a week, happy days are here again!!!

Back later with updates...


and a rain delay =/ at least seinfelds on?

and we're back!

-passed ball by molina runner scores not a good way to start the game at least hughes looks pretty good tonight 9:32

-Steve Phillips is actually praising Phil Hughes I'm shocked

-Lester strikes out the side and Lowell homers great.. 2-0 red sox

-End of the second 3 walks 1 K for hughes so far, a little worrisome 9:57

-Melky ultimate rally killer, never fails 10:07

-Melky followed by Molina is just painful 10:09

-Terrible jump by Nick Swisher 3-0 Red Sox Hughes is at 75 pitches still in the third 10:24

-Yankees up in the bottom of third Red Sox still up by 3 I gotta run though hopefully the game dosen't get delayed next time, anyway laterz 10:30

Sit tight

Sorry for the lack of posting lately... we'll be back in full gear come monday May 4th!

Go Yankees!

Yankees swept, don't panic

Yes, the Yankees got swept by the Red Sox at Fenway, but do i think we should panic? No, not yet.

The Yankees have started the season at 9-9, not great, but we haven't seen anything close to the greatness that this team can produce. Mark Melancon made his major league debut yesterday and pitched very well, the Yankees need a setup man, he could be our answer.

Luckily for the Yankees, Brian Bruney's injury isn't that serious and he could be back when he is elligible to come off the DL. Bullpen wise, the Yanks haven't looked so good, Marte, Coke, Veras, Ramirez...all have been terrible, but i believe both Marte and Coke will turn things around. Veras and Ramirez...yea...not so much...

The Yankees starting rotation hasn't been great so far this year, but it still is one of the best, if not the best, in the majors. I feel Chien Ming Wang will get his arm strength back and return to form, his ERA won't show it, but he'll help the Yankees alot down the stretch. CC Sabathia, generally a slow starter, hasn't even shown a glimpse of what he's capable of, though his start in Kansas City was great, i feel he is capable of more.

Joba Chamberlain hasn't been great to start the season and alot of you think he should move into the ailing bullpen. I won't condone that move unless i see Melancon and Robertson fail miserably, until then, keep him as a starter.

The Yankees offense has been suffering without A-Rod, but considering they are 9-9 right now, i'm not that worried, it could and should be alot worse. Robinson Cano is a beast right now, Jorge Posada has been consistent all year, Hideki Matsui is really starting to come around as is Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon. Several Yankees are slumping, Teixeira, Gardner and Swisher... but they'll all come around sooner or later, and when A-Rod comes back, i think it will take alot of the pressure off of some Yankees trying to do too much.

Yes, the last couple of games against the Red Sox have been bad, but honestly, the Yankees will recover and we all know it... even though some Yankee fans are contemplating jumping off a bridge at this point...

He's still the same old Melk...

Before you all jump on the Melky Cabrera bandwagon, realize, he's still the same guy he was last year who started off the season with 4 homers by April 24th. Remember? He had a very solid April hitting 299... after that...it went downhill, 234. in May and 207. in June.

Just remember who brings more to the teams overall winning mentality, clearly Gardner. There will be games where the Yankees will go up against team's aces and be dominated throughout the game, days like these the Yankees will rely on scrappy infield singles by Gardner to get on base. Gardner can put himself into scoring position with his speed and ofcourse we all know who follows him in the order, Jeter, Damon and Teixeira. Melky... can't really do those things, he got thrown out at second right before Ransom ripped a double which would have scored him. He also can be to blame for the 14 inning affair that we all sat through yesterday striking out with the bases loaded and 0 outs.

Ofcourse Gardner followed him with 1 out and the bases loaded and popped up, but still, put the bat on the ball. Girardi will still start Gardner, which is good, but i've talked to several Yankees fans who have told me they would prefer Melky after watching his recent success.

I'm happy for Melky Cabrera, it's exciting to hit a walk-off homerun, and he probably earned himself another start, but we need to remember that Gardner is the dynamic player the Yankees need, not Melky.

First visit to Yankee Stadium/observations

So tonight, myself and Mike (Ace) will be going to the new Yankee Stadium for the first time, hoopefully it doesn't get rained out and hopefully the Yankees win...

i'll get back to updating the games and having the lineups everyday starting tomorrow. I've been really busy the past week so i haven't been able to keep up to date with that.

Here are some observations from the past week:

-Chien Ming Wang is a bum and apparently can only pitch well when he is considered the Yankee's Ace. They also plan to skip over his start in Boston, thankfully, i don't know i can handle another 20 run outburst.

-The New Yankee Stadium is a homerun haven, despite what Peter Abraham says.

-A.J. Burnett is clutch as hell.

-Andy Pettitte is back to normal, i hope.

-Nick Swisher is hilarious and i think he should have come in relief at some point in the 22-4 loss to Cleveland.

-Robinson Cano is a beast right now, i suspected he may have been entering a minny slump going into the Cleveland series, but i take that back.

-Cody Ransom is not great with interviews... and neither is Johnny Damon (old video, but needs to be seen if you haven't already).

...ohhhh johnny....

Thoughts about yesterday

I was pretty frusturated with the Yankees yesterday after shutting off the worst second inning I've ever seen. I think Jonny Damon summed up the situation pretty well with this quote

"He's making it real tough on our bullpen right now," designated hitter Johnny Damon said. "We have to count on guys in our 'pen to go seven or eight innings. We have six losses on the year right now, and he's got three of them. In all three of those games, we've been blown out and we've had to go to our bullpen, so maybe our bullpen's not sharp the following days. I don't know what more to say, but hopefully he can figure it out, because it'd be tough to keep on going like this."

Now I thought to myself theres no way they let him pitch again until there reasonably sure hes fixed his problem, but I was wrong the pitching coach had this to say

"He's going to pitch, he's going to get confidence and he's going to get better,"

OK great, so we're going to have a starter who pitched worse than Sideny Ponson last year this seems like a real recipe for sucess. I don't really understand why the pitching coach after failing to fix Wang's problem for the past three weeks thinks he will be able to all of a sudden. My suggestion, put Wang in the bullpen and bring up phil hughes to make a few starts for him. This would be killing two birds with one stone, allowing Wang to fix his problems in lower pressue situations and get Phil Hughes some more major league experience.

Anyway lets hope that AJ can give us something worth watching today... go Yankees!

Game 7: Yankees vs Rays

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Swisher 1B
Posada C
Nady RF
Cano 2B
Matsui DH
Ransom 3B
Cabrera CF

Pitching: Chien Ming Wang RHP vs. Scott Kazmir LHP

Notes:

I'm glad to see Matsui got pushed down in the lineup, atleast until he proves he should go back to being the Yankees temporary cleanup hitter.

Melky Cabrera is starting again, despite being 0-3 with 2 double plays and a popout, but he's only in there because kazmir is a lefty.

Mark Teixeira had an MRI today, and checked out fine, he should be in the lineup tomorrow.

...back later with updates from the game...

Update 9:09: No updates needed for this game... 10-2 Rays over the Yankees.

The day after...

The way i feel... and i'm sure every Yankee fan feels about yesterday's game is...not so good. Damaso Marte retired the first two batters of the inning and Joe Girardi decided to bring in Jose Veras to record the last out.

I actually said recently to Mike (Ace) that i felt comfortable with everyone in the bullpen, excluding Albaladejo, but i'm going to have to reconsider. I am confident with their "stuff", however, their control seems like it could be a problem.

Veras closed the game out for CC Sabathia the other day, and watching him pitch, i noticed he didn't have the greatest control. This made me worry when i heard Girardi brought him in to retire Billy Butler in the 8th.

I was listening to the game on the radio, and when John sterling said Girardi was bringing in a righty, i assumed...Mariano Rivera. Had Girardi brought in Rivera, would the Yankees have won? probably...considering how dominant he was in the spring and in his first few outings this season. I can't really fault him for wanting to play the game by the book, but it was 4-3, the Yankees have a chance of going 4-2 on the season, you have to bring in Mariano.

Ofcourse this loss doesn't feel good, it's the worst kind of loss there is, when your bullpen gives it up late. But we have to look forward and know, this team(if healthy) can and should win 100 games.

It's still early, you have to realize that the blue jays and the orioles are not going to stay 1-2 atop the AL east, and unfortunately... the red sox are not going to remain last either.

Here's a pretty hilarious comment from reader V on Peter Abraham's Yankee blog...

"Things I’ve learned this week:

1) Emilio Bonifacio is one of the best players in the history of the game.

2) Brandon Inge is going to DESTROY the home run record.

3) Jack Cust will hit over .400.

4) Toronto is going to win the AL East.

5) Seattle is going to win the AL West.

6) St. Louis is going to win the NL Central.

7) San Diego is going to win the NL West.

8) The Red Sox will finish last in the AL East, with a 54-108 record."


Oh... and Melky Cabrera still sucks...

Game 6: Yankees vs Royals 4/12

Lineup:

Gardner CF
Jeter SS
Swisher 1B
Matsui DH
Nady RF
Cano 2B
Cabrera LF
Ransom 3B
Molina C

Pitching: Joba Chamberlain RHP vs. Gil Meche RHP

Notes:

-Mark Teixeira is clearly not in the starting lineup, i think this is just a precautionary move, you don't want to aggrivate whatever injury he may have.

-Let's just hope Joba nails them down, because i can't imagine this is going to be a high scoring game with Molina and Melky in over Damon and Posada. Well...we'll see, back later with updates.

Update 2:18: Brett Gardner lead off the game with a single, and then a stolen base... Nick Swisher now up with one out.

Update 2:21: Gardner just scored on a pass ball... thank god, matsui would not have gotten that run in.

Update 2:31: Joba retired the side 1-2-3, keep in mind the command of his fastball was not great that inning, he was missing his spots.

Update 2:36: Just can't live without those Melky Cabrera popups...and Cody Ransom still sucks.

Update 2:54: John Buck = free out... comeon Joba...

Update 3:21: Stupid stupid stupid stupid....

Update 3:32: Melky Cabrera deserves some kind of award...because you can not suck as much as he does... you really can't. It's quite something special... and i have to go, so enjoy the game if you're watching it.

Postgame observations

The Yankees have won their 3rd game in a row and are officially....on a roll, here are some notes from today's game against the Royals.

-CC Sabathia is a beast. 7.2 innings pitched, 0 runs 0 walks 6 strikeouts and gave up only 6 hits.

-Nick Swisher needs to be in the lineup every day, not only because he is hitting the ball well(which he is, 2-3 with a 2 run HR and 3 RBI today), but when he is on the field, i feel like it loosens everyone else up.

-Jorge Posada is swinging the bat really well to start the season... Hideki Matsui is not... so why is Matsui hitting cleanup over Posada? beats me... move Matsui down in the lineup until he breaks out of whatever slump he's in, move Jorge into the cleanup role and see what you get.

-Mark Teixeira was scratched from the starting lineup because he has a sore left wrist. I'm not worried about this at all...he'll be in the lineup tomorrow against the righty Gil Meche.

-Jose Veras pitched 1.1 innings today in relief of Sabathia, and he is the reason they didn't get the shutout...but it's still early, there will be plenty of shutouts to come...i assure you.

-I'm really excited to watch Joba Chamberlain tomorrow, it's his first start of the season so we'll see how he does.

-In honor of the Yankee victory... here's a funny video....

Game 5: Yankees vs. Royals 4/11

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Swisher LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Nady RF
Ransom 3B
Gardner CF

Pitching: CC Sabathia LHP vs. Horacia Ramirez LHP

Notes: One thing i don't like with today's starting lineup is Matsui is getting the start as DH against the lefty. I know Girardi wants to get him atbats so maybe he could snap out of whatever funk he is in, but the guy has one hit all season. Why not put Swisher in as the DH against the lefty and have Matsui's bat come in later in a pinch hitting situation.

But ofcourse... that's just me... won't be able to cover the beginning of the game today, but i'll join in later.

Update 6:00: 100% overlooked Swisher starting in left, my bad....

Update 9:23: Hey everyone, just joining in... looks like the Yankees and CC are dominating.

Update 9:31: CC looks like he is wearing down a bit, still looks good, but the velocity on his fastball is way down from the 96 it was to start the game.

Update 9:33: O.K. i am officially going to hold my breath on every throw CC is going to make to firstbase.

Update 9:52: well that's it for CC, 7.2 IP 6 hits 0 BB 0 R 6 Ks. Great start from him.

Game 4: Yankees vs Royals 4/10

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Ransom 3B
Gardner CF

Pitching: Andy Pettitte LHP vs. Sidney Ponson (yey) RHP

Notes:

The Yankees won their first game of the season yesterday...no they will not lose 162 games this year... anyway, i won't be around to update the game for today so... enjoy sidney ponson get wrecked! (i really hope i didn't just jynx it)

Ace's edit: I'll be doing the updates today

update 4:46- Breaking news Sidney Ponson still sucks walk total 2 and counting

update 4:49- Posada is back in pre surgery form nice to see

upadte 4:58- WOW nice play cano and Pettite looks sharp good to see

update 5:17- Bleh bad luck Pettitte and Swisher Royals get a run

update 5:33- A 1-2-3 inning for pettitte things are looking good

update 5:37- Another hit for Cano, he looks like his 2007 self

update 5:41- The Royals defense is just giving away hits today

upadte 5:54- I would not classify Tex as being fleet of foot

upadte 6:04- Shadows are playing games with the hitters. I gotta go now so thats all for updates. 4-1 Yankees.

No one is going to F#$K with this guy...

Fan interferance? maybe... but honestly, nick markakis took one look into the stands and thought to himself... helllll no, that man will eat mee.

(found the pic on she-fan's blog, had to post it)

Postgame observations

The yankees wouldn't say it, but they really needed this win, A.J. Burnett needed to step up, and he did. Here are some notes from the game...

-A.J. Burnett wasn't lights out, but he was solid and gave the Yankees just what they needed, 5.1 innings, 2 runs, 6 Ks... looks good to me.

-That double in the 9th last night may have sparked something in Mark Teixeira, he had 2 hits today including a homerun.

-Robbie Cano 2.0(2-point-oh) went 3-4 with a 2 run homerun AND a walk... how about that?

-Nick Swisher should start in right field until he proves he doesn't deserve the spot, seriously... the guy had an outstanding day, 3-5... a clutch 2 run homerun and ended the day with 5 RBIs.

-The Yankees bullpen was lights out today, 3.2 IP 0 hits 0 walks, 6 strikeouts.

-Overall, great day for the Yankees... now we get to look forward to Sidney Ponson tomorrow for the Royals...that should be funn.

Game 3: Yankees vs. Orioles 4/9

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Nady DH
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Ransom 3B
Gardner CF
Molina C

Pitching: A.J. Burnett RHP vs. Alfredo Simon (See-moan) RHP

Notes:

The Yankees lost their second consecutive game to start the season, but their hitting wasn't really to blame, though Teix was miserable. 5 runs should be enough for the Yankees to win every single game this year, that is how good their rotation is. Every Yankee fan who watched the last two games will agree, the offense was not impressive...and if they pulled 5 runs out of their asses like they did the first two games, imagine what it will be when everyone's clicking.

The Yankees will be fine, it's only 2 games, Wang will bounce back, CC will bounce back, Teixeira will be a beast. A.J. Burnett does however need to stop the bleeding before ESPN and sportscenter jump all over it saying the 2009 New York Yankees are a big bust, those Red Sox nation bastards...

...back later with updates from the game...

Update 11:29: Peter Abraham over on his blog did a little research on Eiji Sawamura, if you don't know who that is... i reccomend reading this.

Update 1:38: the first pitch to Jeter is a ball...

Update 1:48: Johnny Damon just made an amazing play reaching into the stands battling fans for the ball.

Update 1:50: first strike out by a Yankee starter this year.... and it's the 3rd game of the season.... sad.... A.J. Burnett... our savior!!

Update 2:06: Sidney Ponson is pitching for the Royals tomorrow... atleast i know there is no way we go 0-4...

Update 2:28: Brian Roberts.... singled to center scoring pie. 1-0 orioles.

Update 2:37: A.J. Burnett just struck out Aubrey huff with the bases loaded... love to see that kind of emotion from a starter.

Update 2:39: Mark Teixeira just crushed a ball over the left center field fence for a homerun... 1-1 now.. YEEEEAA BABYYY!!

Update 2:42: "Cano becomes the walking man" ... yes.

Update 2:47: Nick Swisher just flyed one out to right for a homerun. 3-1 Yankees.

Update 3:00: Luke Scott just homered to center. 3-2 Yankees.

Update 3:31: Swisher just smashed one past Ty Wiggington, 4-2 Yankees are in bussiness.

Update 3:36: Huuuuge error by Bass there, 2 runs score and the Yankees are still threatening. 6-2 Yankees.

Update 3:46: Derek Jeter hit into a double play with runners on the corners and 1 out. 7-2 Yankees. going to the bottom of the 6th now.

Update 4:14: i wasn't around to watch it, but apparently Robinson Cano hit a 2 run homerun, it's now 9-2 Yankees bottom seven.

Update 4:40: Ok, Nick Swisher should start for the yankees... somehow... 5 RBIs today. 11-2 Yankees.

Postgame observations

The Yankees lost their second straight game to start the season, here are some notes from the game:

-Mark Teixeira had 3 straight popups to start todays game.

-Mark Teixeira got boo'd

-Mark Teixeira got his first hit in the 9th inning.

-Mark Teixeira, Mark Teixeira, Mark Teixeira....

-Chien Ming Wang sucked, 7 runs in 3.2 innings pitched, actually worse than CC was on monday, which i didn't think was possible.

-The Yankees bullpen was actually very good tonight, i'm not sure of the exact numbers, but 4.1 scoreless innings sounds pretty damn good to me.

-Robinson Cano 2.0 (2-point-oh) had another solid game with a single and a RBI double.

-The Yankees scored 3 runs in the 9th, one good thing to look forward to for tomorrow.

-The 1998 Yankees lost their first 2 games of the season, then went on to wreck winning 114 games and the world series.

Game 2: Yankees vs. Orioles 4/8

Lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Nady RF
Ransom 3B
Gardner CF

Pitching: Chien Ming Wang RHP vs. Koji Uehara RHP

Notes:

Just thought everyone should know that even though the Yankees lost their first game on monday, and both CC and Teix looked miserable, that it's not the end of the world. You're welcome if you were contemplating suicide...

...back later with updates from the game...

Update 7:06: first pitch to jeter is a strike.

Update 7:24: Markakis just doubled to right center scoring Adam Jones from 2nd. 1-0 Orioles.

Update 7:25: Aubrey Huff looped one to right for another double, Markakis scores. 2-0 Orioles...

Update 7:38: Michael Kay appeared to have mistaken Melvin Mora for Alex Rodriguez, because that pop up was not a difficult play.

Update 8:04: i wonder if Jorge pissing on his hands gives him a better grip on the ball...

Update 8:19: Michael Kay teased me, i thought that was a homerun, isntead it was a double off the wall that scored Nady. 2-1 Orioles.

Update 8:30: fuck the orioles...

Update 8:32: fuck brian roberts...

Update 8:39: fuck the orioles.............7-1 Orioles.

Update 8:42: Where's Sidney Ponson and Darrel Rasner when you need them?

Update 8:48: how'd you like that ball to the face brian roberts? i know i liked it.

Update 8:49: Mark Teixeira is the new Melky Cabrera.

Update 9:08: Robinson Cano crushed a double to right center scoring Jorge Posada.

Update 9:16: Michael Kay just got faked out by the hot dog vendor... "let's see, what will he have on the hotdog, i say rellish... nope,ketchup... OHHH NOO MUSTARD!"

Update 9:41: As far as i'm concerned... this game is over... Orioles win it.

Update 9:46: Hey, Jason Kubel! let's see your best twoface impression!

niceeee, how does he do it???

Joba Chamberlain DUI video...

Here it is...


Can that cop be any more of a suck up? i would love to see how he handled arresting joba...

In case you couldn't tell...

CC tends to be a slow starter. But just how slow? Well let’s take at his first 5 games from last year...

In 2008 he gave up 27 runs over the course of 24 innings coming out to an era of 10.125, in case you didn't know that is TERRIBLE. Do I think he's going to start off that badly again this year? Nope, or at least I hope not, New York tends to be an unforgiving city. Anyway, my point is if the next time CC goes out, he gets shelled you shouldn't be that surprised. Just know sooner rather than later he will be back to the CY Young form we're all used to. Or he could turn into Randy Johnson, give up a ridiculous amount of homeruns and put up an era over 5. For the sake of the Yankees playoff hopes, I'm hoping for the latter.

Anyway be sure to tune in tomorrow for pre game coverage.. Go Yankees.

Postgame observations

Well, as all of you know, today was opening day for the Yankees, not a very good one at that, here are a few notes from the game:

-Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada both homered, this is a great sign, considering they were very big question marks coming into today...not to us yankee fans ofcourse... but i think they sure showed the guys over at sportscenter...

-CC Sabathia sucked. There really is no other way to put it, he had no command of any of his pitches, he didn't strike out one batter while he was out there.

-I'm sorry, but the ump was terrible, i was yelling at him for bad calls on CC, and was gasping at every call he got wrong for Guthrie... overall, terrible job by that ump today.

-The Yankees bullpen wasn't impressive today... enough said.

-Robinson Cano drew 2 walks and had a single, not a bad day for him.

-Mark Teixeira got boo'd like i've never heard before, similar, if not equal to the boo's you would normally hear for A-Rod.

-I wish this game was rained out...

Now, maybe the yankees have some explaining to do after todays loss... but, this guy probably has a bit more explaining to do...



He totally sold it...

Opening day: Yankees vs. Orioles 4/6

Yes, it's finally here... opening day for the Yankees... here's the lineup:

Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Xavier Nady RF
Cody Ransom 3B
Brett Gardner CF

Pitching: CC Sabathia LHP

The rain has apparently stopped at Camden yards... which is good news, back later with updates from the game.

Update 3:59: the lineups are being announced right now... and.. did anyone else get chills when Mark Teixeira got announced? i did.

Update 4:25: aaand we're underway with the first pitch to jeter being a strike!

Update 4:27: Derek Jeter just rocketed one up the middle for a single.

Update 4:34: CC Sabathia's first pitch was up and away... the velocity was down, hopefully that will get up.... and he just gave up a single to brian roberts.

Update 4:45: nice play by Ransom getting the roberts at home... as of right now, it's still 0-0, but CC is still in a jam.

Update 4:46: and the threat is over, Huff hit a rocket but right at Jeter, end of the inning.

Update 5:08: 1-0 Yankees after a sac fly by Johnny Damon, Gardner produced that run on his own.

Update 5:21: CC gave up a triple that was rocketed to right center by Adam Jones, that scored 2 runs, then Nick Markakis hit him in. 3-1 Orioles.

Update 5:35: CC really doesn't look good today, if you can't locate your fastball, you're going to have problems...and CC just hasn't located well today.

Update 5:45: Maybe that double play to end the 4th will pump CC up, top 5 now, Orioles up 3-1.

Update 6:07: apparently the double play did not pump CC up, he's still pitching miserably... 5-1 Yankees, he needs to hold them right here, or this could be a bad start to a very hyped season.

Update 6:47: i had to step out for a bit, but apparently the Yankees struck back for a few runs, it's 6-3 Orioles now.

Update 6:50: Hideki Matsui just crushed one to right center for a 2-run homerun, 6-5 Orioles.

Update 7:22: Jeter couldn't get the run in from 3rd with less than 2 outs...Damon walked, and Teixeira grounded out... it will be up to the Yanks to come back in the 9th now...

Update 7:30: well... 8-5 after Phil Coke gave up a 2 run homerun.... to Cesar Izturis?... really? wow...

Update 7:45: 10-5 ... turning off the game...

CC domination?

So, in honor of todays game... or... i was just really bored waiting until 4 PM, i simulated the game between the Yankees and Orioles...via MLB 2k9...

The Yankees won 2-1, CC went 9 innings, struck out 15, gave up 3 hits, and 1 earned, no walks.

The Yankee offense was pretty pathetic, their only runs came in the first inning after a johnny damon single scoring jeter from second, damon stole second and Teix also singled, scoring him.

The Yankees continued to hit, but not score... they finished with 9 hits, and 2 runs...

I don't know about you guys, but 15 Ks from CC? daaamnn, i'll take it... back later with the lineup and updates from the game...

Go Yankees!!

Busy

Hey guys, sorry we haven't been able to post lately, Alex and I have been very busy with school and life in general. Anyway we will definitely be back to posting on a daily schedule come opening day so be sure to check in then.


By the way for those of you who are interested Bernie Williams will be signing copies of his new CD on...

Tuesday, April 14th 6:00pm

Bernie will be signing cd's (and only cd's) at the Borders at Penn Station in New York, NY.

And

Wednesday, April 15th 6:00pm

Bernie will be signing cd's (and only cd's) at the FYE in Milford, CT.

Yankee stadium tribute

Hey everyone, i found a really cool Yankee stadium tribute video and i thought i'd share it with all of you...

Bernie William's CD review

Hey guys sorry I haven't posted in a while, like Alex I've been swamped with work. I will definitely be posting more once the season starts.

Anyway, today I finally got the chance to listen to the new Bernie Williams CD I had sent to me, and have to say I really enjoyed it. The CD is a combination of rock, jazz, and country all with a bit of Latin mix thrown into them. The songs range from happy and upbeat to slow and not necessarily sad, but more nostalgic. Sort of like remembering back to the first time you ever saw the ocean glistening in the sun or the view from atop a mountain. Oh it also includes Bernie playing an old favorite, "Glory Days" with Bruce Springsteen, my second favorite song on the track. Bernie can really play the guitar solos well.

By far my favorite song on the track though is Bernie Williams’s rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (I'm listening to this right now"). Bernie Williams had this to say about the song...

"This song has a special place in my heart. There are a lot of versions of it so I wanted to make one that reflected the way I felt about the game that I have played since I was 8 years old and for most of my life"

And I have to say he did a great job capturing his feelings for the game. His rendition of the song is slow, soft, somber, as well as nostalgic. Listening to it I remember back to when I was 7 or 8 playing catch with my older brother on a bright and sunny summer day.

I definitely suggest you go out and pick yourself up a copy on April 14th. If someone like me who mainly listens to hard rock was able to enjoy this CD almost anyone will.