Pinstriped Power

Tell The Truth – It’s Not Rocket Science

2010-10-22T20:11:00.002-04:00

Three years ago, Roger Clemens was considered an automatic first ballot hall of famer. Clemens was remembered as the 300-game winner, the ace who led the New York Yankees to back-to-back World Series’ wins in 1999 and 2000. Clemens’ was a clean-cut guy, the friendly Texan who seemingly got better with age. But fast-forward to December 13, 2007, the day “The Rocket’s” legacy was altered forever; the day the 409 page Mitchell Report was released, bearing the name Roger Clemens, alleged steroid user.

Throughout his career, Clemens was a bona fide powerhouse. Every time he stepped up to the mound, he had one intention only: to dominate. His statistical achievements match up with some of the greatest pitchers of all time, like Nolan Ryan, Warren Spahn, and Steve Carlton. Clemens was an eleven time all star, wining a record seven Cy young awards and amassing 4,672 strikeouts, the third most of all time. He was also named to the highly esteemed All-Century Team in 1999.

After winning two World Series championships with the New York Yankees, Clemens decided to move to his hometown Houston Astros’ for the twilight of his career. While with the Astros’ for three years, Clemens seemingly put the entire state of Houston on his back, electrifying Minute Maid Park night after night with incredible performances. His 2004 season turned to be one of his best. At age 42, he went 18-4, dominating the National League on his way to his record seventh Cy young award. Clemens also helped the Astros’ reach the World Series’ for the first time in the franchise’ history in 2005.

While Clemens’ success was applauded and greatly appreciated throughout Houston, there was something a little odd about it. Pitching into one’s forties is a feat rarely accomplished in baseball; Roger did that and pitched just as good, maybe even better than he had earlier in his career. Speculation first arose when former player Jason Grimsley named Clemens’ as a known steroid user. The Rocket was also accused of illegal drug use by known steroid abuser Jose Canseco. Finally, on December 13, 2007, Senator George Mitchell named Roger Clemens’ as one of several MLB players that had allegedly used illegal performance enhancing drugs. Trying to protect his celebrated legacy, Clemens immediately denied the allegations. But as more and more convincing evidence was amassed, it was clear that the great Clemens’ was nothing more than a cheat.

Clemens’ former trainer, Brian McNamee, had revealed in the Mitchell Report that he had injected Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch, and Clemens with performance enhancing drugs. While Pettitte and Knoblauch have both confirmed this, Clemens has not. On January 6, 2008, Clemens told 60 minute’s Mike Wallace that his great success was a result of hard work, rather than drug use. Obsessed with clearing his name, Clemens swore under oath to Congress that he had never used steroids or any performance enhancing drugs. The House committee in front of which Clemens’ appeared cited seven apparent inconsistencies in his testimony and on August 19, 2010, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance enhancing drugs.

Roger Clemens is a mess; his legacy is in shambles. The once proud baseball icon is now known as a pathetic, arrogant liar. He has disgraced the sport that made him famous, and has insulted the intelligence of every baseball fan that has ever followed him. To this day he still denies any use of steroids, although there is a staggering amount of evidence blatantly indicating otherwise. While his actions have robbed him of any dignity or respect he had left, he still has the opportunity to talk himself out of one more predicament: jail time. All he has to do is tell the truth. C’mon Roger, it’s not Rocket Science.

Understanding Alex Rodriguez

2010-10-22T20:06:00.000-04:00

Written in May 2010

Who is Alex Rodriguez? A genuine baseball lover, or a slimy, greedy, selfish jerk? One thing for is sure though. He is wealthy. The $252million man, well, now $275million man, is set for life financially, and probably for another two hundred lives. However, the chances of the legacy Rodriguez leaves behind being set as comfortably as his wallet are more questionable.

Fans from opposing teams disliking other players are common. Especially for good players, and in the case of Alex Rodriguez, the youngest player to hit 500 home runs in major league baseball history, and the wealthiest man in baseball, some sort of resentment from fans has always been prevalent. But when fans start to boo their own players, it is obvious there is a huge problem. So when Alex Rodriguez, the sure fire hall of famer, hit .133 and .071 in the 2005 and 2006 playoffs, respectively, Yankees fans began to become annoyed and frustrated. The Yankees represent baseball greatness, an elite, championship winning machine. So when the best player in baseball came to the Yankees, and suddenly, stopped playing like he had his whole career once the playoffs came around, they began to become annoyed and frustrated. A-Rod’s first five seasons in the Bronx were ugly, with constant struggle and urgency among the fan’s relationship with Rodriguez. Still, A-Rod continued to make his money, and was still an exceptional player in the regular season, winning the 2005 and 2007 MVP’s.

In December of 2007, while in the process of creeping up on Barry Bonds’ all time home run record, Rodriguez was interviewed on 60 minutes with Katie Couric, where they spoke on a broad variety of subjects, including Rodriguez’ career, future, and most of all, steroid use in baseball. When asked if he was among the many baseball players that had used PED’s, Rodriguez replied, "No. I've never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I've always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work as I've done since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn't have a problem competing at any level. So, no,"

So upon the announcement that Rodriguez had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, it’s safe to say that the foundation of the baseball world was shaken. On February 7, 2009, Selena Roberts broke the story that Rodriguez had tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003, the same year he won the MVP with the Texas Rangers and hit 47 home runs. This devastated even those jealous of Rodriguez’s accomplishments, as even they wanted to see Rodriguez, a clean, steroids free baseball players pass the ultimate baseball villain Barry Bonds on the all time home runs list. A-Rod was supposed to be MLB’s “clean savior,” to wipe the history’s book clean of Bonds’ contaminated record and the evil era of illegal drug use which he represents. The revelation of Rodriguez’ steroids abuse not only damaged the future potential clean slate for baseball, but also pierced a hole in Rodriguez’s personal legacy.

Many thought that the combination truth of his steroid use becoming common knowledge, his constant ineffectiveness in clutch, playoff situations, and the revelation that he had a torn labrum in his hip that required surgery, would be the end of Alex Rodriguez, or at least Rodriguez as a productive baseball player. But against all the critics’ condemnations, Rodriguez came back, and came back with a bang. In his first at-bat of the season, Rodriguez hit a home run on the first pitch he saw. And from then on, all Rodriguez did was hit. He led the Yankees into the playoffs, and once there, he finally, finally hit home runs. He hit home run, after home run, after home run, and the Yankees went onto to win the 2009 World Series. Rodriguez had finally proved the critics wrong, and won the World Series, attaining a sense of sweet redemption.

Yankees Coaching Staff Is Set

2007-11-23T11:40:00.000-05:00

Hitting coach Kevin Long and first-base coach Tony Pena will return, while Dave Eiland has been promoted to pitching coach. Rob Thomson becomes the new bench coach, and both third-base coach Bobby Meacham and bullpen coach Mike Harkey -- both members of Girardi's 2006 Marlins' coaching staff -- have joined New York.

"Now that the coaching staff is put together, we can all go to work," Girardi said. "We've already started working on Spring Training and how we'll approach it. It's obviously a lot better when you know everyone that you're going to be working with."
Click Here For Source
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Glad to see that the coaching staff is put together. Now they can start focusing on how to make things worth. Oh, and many calls to try to convince Andy Pettitte to come back.

It's also good to see Tony Pena back in the mix. I wouldn't want him as manager, but he's a great guy and mentor for the players.

Big Guy's Minor League Report #7

2007-11-23T09:29:00.000-05:00

MINOR LEAGUE NOTES: 11-18 BigGuy

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE: The Arizona Fall League just completed its season. 8 Yankee minor leaguers played for the Peoria Javenlinas who finished in 2nd place in their division. Peoria had a 12-4 home record and was 15-0 when leading after the 7th inning. They finished with a 17-15 record 2 games out of 1st. Juan Miranda led the team with 5 homers, rbi's (17), and slugging (.551). Miranda also had a .295 BA in 22 games. The power hitting lefty 1st baseman should be starting at AAA SWB in 08.... Brett Gardner had a terrific AFL with a .343 BA and led the league in runs scored (25). He averaged a run scored per game. He also led the AFL with 16 stolen bases in 26 games. Gardner had a .433 OBP.........Ross Ohlendorf has changed his pitches. He's gone from a 2 seam to 4 seam fastball, dropped the curve and changeup, and has added the slider and a splitter. He appeared in 6 games 7.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 hits, 3K's--4 BB, .267 BAA.......Steven White started off poorly but in final 14 IP only had 3 BB. He had 17.1 IP, 11 K---6 BB, BAA .275....Eric Wordekemper the 07 closer at Tampa A had a very good AFL. After giving up 3 runs in his first game, he piched 8.1 scoreless innings with just 3 hits. 8 games, .229 BAA, 8 K's---2BB.........Steven Jackson converted from starter to reliever in July. 9 games, 16 IP, 19 K's---7 BB, BAA .304......Kevin Whelan reliever, only appeared in 3 games before being shutdown with a shoulder problem.

CARRIBEAN LEAGUES: So far in the Venezulean league Marcos Vechionacci--3rd base in 23 games. .296 BA, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .329 OBP........Scott Patterson---AA reliever who had a great year at Trenton in 07 was just resigned and added to the Yankees 40-man roster. He was a minor league FA. He threw 14 shutout innings, 9 hits, 9 K's---0 BB, .184 BAA. He'll be at AAA SWB in 08.....Justin Pope- reliever, appeared in 16 games, 17 IP, 2 ER, 11 hits, 6 K's---3 BB. BAA .167.

HAWAII LEAGUE....4 Yankees play for Honolulu. Austin Jackson, Brad Suttle, George Kontos, and Anthony Claggett. They have 1 game remaining today. If they win that game they'll will win the Eastern Division and play in the championship game Monday. I'll have a full Hawaii League rundown with final stats next report.

CATCHING PROSPECTS: A look at some of the possible young replacements for Jorge Posada in the future. Yankee minor league catching guru Julio Mosquero recently did a good interview with PinstripePlus. Just a few notes. Jesus Montero came to instructional league in better shape and is working on flexibility, footwork and quicker release. He has a very powerful bat. He's a future run producer for sure......Kyle Anson--converted from outfield to catcher has a great arm and natural throwing slot to 2nd base. Throwing runners out comes natually. Working on getting his hands more relaxed behind the plate. He hit .272 at low A Charlotte.......Francisco Cervelli.....played at Tampa A in 07 hitting .279. He's very good defensively right now and needs work on his offense. He'll be at AA Trenton in 08. He has the most experience right now of the prospects.....Austin Romine---2nd round pick this year. Good power to all fields. Working on receiving and footwork. Lots of tools, great arm and quick release.......Chase Weems-- 6h pick in draft, Hard worker, willing to learn. Good batting eye. Working on footwork and receiveing, blocking......Francisco Arcia--similiar to Cervelli. Good game manager, working on receiving, blocking, footwork.

NOTES: Jeff Karstens won his 2nd game for Team USA in the World Cup games in China. He defeated Mexico in the 1st game 3-0, and Korea the other day 3-1. Going 7 innings, 7 K's, 5 hits.

A-Rod Wins Third MVP

2007-11-19T16:44:00.000-05:00

You hate him for this whole free agent mess debacle. For the need to be in the spotlight. But bottom line, the Yankees need him in order to be a contender. How does a career .578 slugging percentage sound? How about 518 home runs at age 32. Still not enough? What about A-Rod winning his third MVP award almost unanimously?

Alex Rodriguez is a bonafide superstar. His accomplishments speak for themselves. However, he's still an ass. Some might ask why the Yankee's should even want him back. Its simple. The Yankees NEED him and his trusty old Louisville Slugger. Yes, admit it Yankees fans, we NEED him. And guess what? We got him... and as many more Yankee fans jump back on the A-Rod bandwagon, Alex should remember that he had almost righted the ship in New York with his miraculous season. But the whole Scott Boras angle has screwed that up. Alex is on a very thin leash now, and must remember to not screw up this time.

By the way, the other two votes went to Maggilo Ordonez. No surprise there.

Click here for MVP announcement source

Minor League Notes From Big Guy #6

2007-11-13T19:21:00.000-05:00

MINOR LEAGUE NOTES: 11-11 BigGuy

FALL LEAGUE NOTES: Arizona Fall League: Juan Miranda--Hit his 5th home run of the season, tying him for the league lead. He's batting .295, .423 OBP. It was his first homer against a lefty pitcher. He's struggled against lefties, going just 5-23 with 1 HR and 2 doubles. Against righties he's 18-45, 4 homers, 3 doubles, 12 BB, 12 K's........Brett Gardner--in 22 games, batting .333, .406 OBP, 14 stolen bases. He's working on using his lower body to drive the ball more.......Ross Ohlendorf----in 4 games so far, 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 hits, 2 K's, 2 BB, .227 BAA. He's on the taxi roster and only available to pitch on Wed. and Sundays........Eric Wordekemper---pitching very well in the AFL so far. Not overpowering, but gets outs. 90-91 FB and slider. Working on splitter. 8.1 IP, 4 runs, 8 hits, 5 K's, 1 BB. BAA. .250.....Steven White---had 1st good game after 5 bad games. Threw 4 scoreless innings in relief with 3 K's. 14.1 IP, 11ER, 16 Hits, 10 K's. BAA .276.

Hawaii League: Austin Jackson-- in 31 gams so far, batting .290, .384 OBP, 3 HR, 10 doubles, 3 triples. Working on balance & stride to cut down on K's. 31 K's in 107 ABs......Brad Suttle-----2007 draft pick still struggling at the plate batting just .091. Hit his first homer in 22 games...... George Kontos-----After 6 good starts he made a relief appearance and gave up a HR. 29 IP, 39K's, 3.41 ERA. He's in the top 5 in the league in ERA........Anthony Claggett---Relieved in 11 games. 16.1 IP, 13 ER, 12 K's, BAA .319.

Carribean Leagues: Marcos Vechionacci---Had a walk off hit the other day. The 3rd baseman should start at AA Trenton next year. In 20 games. hitting .309, .380 OBP, 2 HR, 10 rbi......Scott Patterson-----FA reliever coming off his best year at AA has 12 scoreless innings. 9 hits, 0 BB, BAA .209....... Justin Pope----Finished at AAA SWB in 07. Pitched very well in relief so far. 13 games, 15.1 IP, BAA .160

Dominican Instructional League Notes: Jesus Montero--17 year old catcher. According to Yankees Latin Scout Victor Mata, he's noticed a much better work approach from Montero so far and he's in better shape. Montero is making more contact and is working on his swing. Still has a hitch in his swing to get rid of. .......Dellin Betances----Nardi Contreras working with him on throwing his secondary pitches from same arm slot as his fastball. Pitched the other day and loaded the bases twice in 2 innings......Austin Romine----2007 draft--catcher---Singled in his first AB. Showing lots of power in batting practice......Carmen Angelini---2007 draft pick--infielder--suffering from minor wrist tendinitis. Not swinging a bat, but taking ground balls.....Chase Weems-2007 draft---catcher--got on base 6 times in first 2 games, mostly on walks.....Jairo Heredia---pitcher----Most impressive pitcher in the first game. Fastball was only 89 so far, but showed a very good curve.

Highlights--Gary Denbo Interview....w/PinstripePlus: Gary Denbo was the 2007 minor league hitting guru for the Yankees. He was just hired by the Toronto Blue Jays to be their hitting coach in 08. Jose Tabata----Denbo feels he'll always hit for a good average, and his power will be the last thing to come to his game. As it is, for most young players.....Jesus Montero---Working on more consistent stride & action. Very good power. Denbo feels he can be a big rbi guy......Eric Duncan---showed better at bats as the season went along. He has to trust his swing with inside pitches.......Kyle Anson---recently converted to catcher. Expects his offense to come after a year or two of learning the new position.......Mitch Hilligoss----3rd base. Has strength & power. Swings at too many balls out of the zone right now. Needs more plate discipline.

NOTES: Shelly Duncan was named to the Topps 2007 AAA All-Star Team. Not bad considering Duncan was in NY the last 6 weeks of the season.

Posada Re-Signs To Hefty Contract

2007-11-13T18:25:00.000-05:00

From Peter Abraham:

The Daily News is reporting that Jorge Posada has agreed to a four-year deal worth $52 million. Working on getting confirmation of that.
This makes sense in that $13 million is what they gave Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon when they signed.
UPDATE, 11:19 p.m.: It has been confirmed. It’s actually $52.4 million. Funny how that’s what the Levinsons want for Lowell, too. You can connect the dots with these things quite often.
So Posada gets what he wants, an average annual value of $13.1 million. That nudges him north of Damon and Matsui and makes him one of the highest paid players on the team, as well he should be.
Rivera was in the Dominican Republic today but is supposedly on his way home. I would expect his deal to get done in the next 24-36 hours. (Source Is Here)
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Finally, somebody is coming back. Although I think that the contract is a little outrageous(we'll get to that later) I'm glad that Jorge is back. Without Alex "Sellout" Rodriguez(clever, I know) in the line up, the Yankees offense will need to come through big this year to make up for the missing 156 rbi. Don't let Posada's 36 years of age fool you, Jorge can still swing the bat.

Traditionally older players tend to do a little bit extra to put up big numbers in contract years, assuring a one-year career year to cash in during FA. But during the off season, Posada teamed up with Nike to create specially designed catchers gear for Po, something they are looking to expand with to the general public. It was said to also weigh a lot less than Jorge's catching gear of past, so I guess you can take that for what its worth. Maybe it'll keep him putting up +.300 BA's throughout this new four-year contract, aside from just his 2007 campaign.

Po's contract isn't your normal contract for a 36 year old catcher. It stretches four years wide, guaranteeing $13.1M a year. That is a lot of money and commitment, considering his age and position. I think a three year deal would have been safer, but seeing how desperate the Yankees were, Posada's agents were able to stretch out Brian Cashman for another year. Posada probably only has about two more solid years left in him, and getting one extra looked good. But two more years? Very good contract for Posada, in my opinion. Expect Jorge to shift over to first base or catcher for the final two years, as he will be 39 and 40 years of age respectively.

Minor League Notes From Big Guy #5

2007-11-07T22:41:00.000-05:00

MINOR LEAGUE NOTES: Nov 4. BigGuy

Fall League Notes:

Brett Gardner: Having a very solid Arizona Fall League hitting .354 in 18 games, with 13 stolen bases, OBP .416

Juan Miranda: Thru 17 games batting .274, .416 OBP, 4 HR

Ross Ohlendorf: 3 games, 4.2 IP, 0 Runs, ERA .000, BA. .222

Kevin Whelan: Shut down after 3 relief appearance with strained forearm muscle.

Steven White: 3 games, 7 IP, 8 K's, 8 ER, 9 H, BA 3.00 Nardi Contreras thinks White could
see some action later in year at NY.

Austin Jackson: Hawaii League: Off to a solid start hitting .305 in 28 games. OBP .402, 19rbi, 3 HR, Down part: 28 K's in 95 AB's.

Brad Suttle: 2007 draft pick off to very slow start at the plate. Hitting just .097 thru 21 games. They're working in his mechanics and stance.

George Kontos: 6 games, 3-3, 25 IP, 33K's, 3.60 ERA, BA 2.50 Plus fastball, plus slider, averaging 12 K's per 9 Innings so far.

Marcos Vechionacci: Venezulean League: Great start thru 16 games, .327 BA, 2 HR, .373 OBP

Bobby Abreu will play in the Venezuleean League as a DH later in the year.

NOTES:

Ferdin Tejada: bounced back from TJ surgery at Charleston hit 95 with fastball. They expect him to get back to 97 with more strength. He's a FA, but he hopes to resign with Yanks.

Zach McAllister: Nardi Contreras says solid delivery. Not using curve anymore. Concentrating on slider & changeup. Good fastball command.

Ivan Nova: 20 yr old. 3 plus pitches, 93 fastball. Nardi expects him to move quickly thru system.

Jairo Heredia: 17 yr old. Nardi says he has a big league curve and changeup.

Adam Olbrychowski: 2007 pick. Plus arm. Working on mechanics and delivery.

Mike Gardner: Nardi thinks he has a real good shot at the ML in future. Sinking fastball but not much velocity. Quality slider & changeup.

Ryan Pope: 3rd round pick in 07, working on change and curve

Mitch Hilligoss: 3rd base prospect, had 38 game hit streak in 07, worked on footwork and flexibility had a minor hamstring injury.

Garrett Patterson: Lefty, fastball 93-94 tops at 97. Plus change, plus curve, plus slider. Working on inconsistent mechanics and command.

Dave Robertson: In 07 went 8-3 at 3 levels. 113 K's in 84 IP. 4 seam, change, curve, slider. Focused on curve this year. Great FB command.

Jeff Karstens: Was named to Team USA starting rotation. They left for China on Thursday to compete in World Cup. USA starts out against Mexico.

Gary Denbo: Minor league hitting coordinator took job with Toronto Blue Jays as hitting coach.

Rafael Chavez: Replaces David Eiland as AAA SWB pitching coach.

Minor League Free Agents: The Yanks have 22 minor league free agents this off season. Just to name a few. Ferdin Tejada, Angel Chavez, Raul Chavez, Omir Santos, Andy Cannizzaro, Ben Kozlowski, Charlie Manning, Scott Patterson, Kevin Reese, Sean Henn.

Yankees Pick Up Bobby Abreu's 2008 Option

2007-11-02T17:07:00.000-04:00

Click Here For Source

The Yankees have officialy exercised Bobby Abreu's 2008 team option. No surprise here, but none the less still a good move for the Yankees and Cashman. Although not the player he once was, Bobby Abreu is still a very good hitter and can still play a fairly decent right field. I'm glad it is only for one year, as I think that this will be the final worthwhile season for the thirty three year old Abreu.

2007 Stats: .283 BA, 16 home runs, 101 rbi, .369 obp

Predicted 2008 Stats: .278 BA, 15 home runs, 93 rbi, .369 OBP

Upcoming Milestones:

1000 rbi- Currently has 984

300 stole bases- Currently has 296

One Joe Out, Another Joe in

2007-10-31T20:12:00.000-04:00

The Yankees announced today that they have named Joe Girardi the 32nd manager in franchise history, signing him to a three-year contract which extends through the 2010 season. He becomes the 17th Yankees manager to have played for the club and the fourth former Yankees catcher to skipper the team, joining Bill Dickey, Ralph Houk and Yogi Berra. At 43 years old, Girardi becomes the third-youngest manager in the Major Leagues, behind the Washington Nationals' Manny Acta (38) and the Cleveland Indians' Eric Wedge (39).
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Another surprising bombshell in Yankeeland. First A-Rod, and now Girardi over Mattingly. I was 100% convinced that Donnie Baseball would be Torre's successor. After all, why would Donnie leave a happy retirement to coach for four season without knowing of some sort of deal to follow?

Although I am shocked, I am quite happy to say the least. Girardi has the better baseball mind. Not only did he make the Florida Marlins look like a playoff team at times during the '06 campaign, being a catcher gives him a good feeling of what's going on on between the pitcher and the catcher on the field, something that wasn't the old Joe's biggest strength, although being a catcher himself too.

Not only is he smart, but he is a no nonsense kind of guy, something that I feel is very important to have as a manager. Although he has played with a good number of Yankees still on the team in the past, he will command respect for his mentality and mind, no matter how old or young he is.

Joe will do things his way, not how anybody else wants them done.

Minor League Notes From Big Guy #4

2007-10-31T20:09:00.000-04:00

MINOR LEAGUE NOTES: 10-28 BigGuy

Florida Instructional League Notes:

The Florida Instructs ended a week or so ago and here are notes on some of the younger players in the Yanks farm system. Most have been sent to the 2 week Dominican Instructs where they will then play games starting early Nov.

Austin Romine: 2nd round pick 2007 was working with catching guru Julio Mosquera.

Francisco Cervelli: Played at Tampa A this year. He stopped switch hitting to give him more time to concentrate on hitting right. Focusing on his offense. Will start at AA Trenton in 08.

Chase Weems: 6th round 2007. Lefty-hitting catcher. Good at throwing & blocking balls. Working on hitting.

Seth Fortenberry: 11th round 2006 outfielder. Lefty hitter worked on going the opposite field and to cut down on K's.

Braedyn Pruitt: 14th pick 2007. Worked on defense at both 3rd and 1st. He hit .347 this year at Staten Island with at .458 OBP.

WINTER LEAGUE NOTES

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE:

Ross Ohlendorf: Has reported afte taking a week off. He's only appeared in 1 game with 1
perfect inning so far. Ross is on the "taxi" roster. That allows him to pitch on Wednesday's and Sunday's.

Brett Gardner: Working on being more aggressive at the plate and it's paid off so far. Gardner is off to a hot start hitting .368 with 9 stolen bases in 13 games.

Juan Miranda: According to his manager Tony Franklin, Miranda has enough power to hit the ball out of any part of the park no matter where it's pitched. Miranda is hitting .267 with a .382 OBP and 2 HR so far.

Eric Wordekemper: Won Single A Fla. St. Pitcher of the Year Award. Right-reliever is 2-0 with 0.57 ERA. Working on splitter and command. His stats so far in 4 games 6.75 ERA with .353 BA.

Steven Jackson: 0-1 in 4 relief appearances 7 IP he has 8K's

Steven White: 3 games. 5 IP, 6 Ks, .302 BA.

Reegie Corona: SS off to very slow start at the plate hitting just .111

HAWAII LEAGUE:

Austin Jackson: This highly rated CF is working on his stance to put him in a better posiiton to
handle breaking pitches. Had a 3-hit game to raise his average to .267. OBP .378. 3 HR. But 24K's in 75 AB.

Mark Melancon: The young gifted reliever recovering from TJ surgery was scheduled to pitch in Hawaii but a back issue popped up. Yanks aren't taking any chances with him. Nardi Contreras recently said he thinks Melancon could be next seasons version of Joba. Coming up late and dominating.

George Kontos: 5 games Has a 3-2 record with 25 K's in 19 innings. BA .253 and ERA 3.72

Anthony Claggett: From Sheffield trade. 9 games, 12 K's in 13.2 IP.

VENEZULEAN LEAGUE:

Marcos Vecchionacci: Hit a grand slam recently. Batting .361 in 12 games. OBP .425 with 2 homers.

NOTES:
Yankees signed 1st Israeli League player, Eladio Rodriquez--catcher, 28 years old. Hit .461 in Israel. SWB and Yanks have signed a Player Development extension thru the 2010 season. Damon Sublett was named to Baseball America's all-star team for 2007 draft picks at 2nd base. Baseball America rated the Yanks 2007 draft as 5th best in baseball.

Check This Out

2007-10-31T20:05:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, I got an e-mail the other day that I think you guys would all like to check out..

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Hi blogger people.....pardon the intrusion.

If you can help in any way.....perhaps a link on your blog to my charity auction.

I work as a minor league equipment manager in the Yankees system. This season I collected whatever goodies I could to hold an auction to benefit The Domestic Violence Project. It's all legit...100% of the profit goes to the DVP.

http://www.domesticviolenceproj.org/

My hope is that I can encourage bloggers to pass along a little info about the auction to their readers so that we can raise as much money as possible for the women and kids affected by domestic violence.

Everything is on Ebay here: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZclubsoulcity

or you can link through the Trenton Thunder website here: http://www.trentonthunder.com/

We have a nice collection of autographed balls, game used equipment from some high profile prospects, and some Yankee clothing that isn't available elsewhere.

I've been working in baseball 20 years, all at the minor league levels. Ten years ago, about a week before opening day, my wife's sister was murdered by her husband. I was angry for some time over the fact that I didn't get the chance to do something to save her. So, since then what I do is raise her son, and now this auction.

Hope you can help. Thanks.

Tom
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Cool baseball stuff for a cool cause! You should most definitely check this out!

-Josh

Alex Rodriguez Opts Out

2007-10-29T14:54:00.000-04:00

In shocking news, Alex Rodriguez has opted out of his New York Yankees contract and choosing not to see the Yankees grand offer of $30 million a year for five years to go along with the three years and $81 million A-Rod had left on his previous deal.

I don't know about you, but I feel cheated. This is the same man who said that he wanted to stay with the Yankees and that he couldn't imagine playing anywhere else. Us fans stuck with him through countless shitty October after shitty October, all so Mr. April-September could walk because $30 million a year isn't enough money. Alex proved why the rest of major league baseball fans hate him. It isn't really about winning for him and his agent, as he has said many times before. He wants to go down with the legacy of the highest paid player of all time.

Why Alex couldn't wait just a few more days to make headlines once again so the World Series Champion Red Sox could have the spotlight, is just another brush of his ego. The guy just has a thing for the spotlight. The record-breaking deal with Texas. The incident at the strip club in Toronto. Now, rumors say that the Cubs will be offering him partial ownership of their organization. I may sound like a hypocrite, but I can't wait to boo his guts out once he comes back to Yankee Stadium.

Good Riddance, Mr. Rodriguez.

MINOR LEAGUE NOTES: Oct. 21, BigGuy

2007-10-22T15:19:00.000-04:00

MINOR LEAGUE NOTES: Oct. 21, BigGuy

NARDI CONTRERAS INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS W/PinstripePlus

Mark Melancon: Two good fastballs, awesome curve, changeup coming quick before TJ Surgery. Could be next years version of Joba. Expected to move quickly.

Scott Patterson: Attacks strikezone. Doesn't walk people. Should be at AAA for start of year. Working on quickening curver.

Kevin Whelan: Hapy with the new slider and location the 2nd half of last season.

Anthony Claggett: From Sheffield deal working on change & delivery.

Jonathan Ortiz: Great changeup like Edwar Ramirez. Not much velocity and needs better curve.

WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES:

ARIZIONA FALL LEAGUE:

Juan Miranda: In 8 games so far .333, 2 HR, .417 OBP, 9 K's in 31 AB.

Brett Gardner: .385, .442 OBP. 4 stolen bases.

Reegie Corona: .190, 7 K's in 21 ABs.

Ross Ohlendorf: Just added to roster. No stats yet.

Steven White: 2 games. 3.0 IP, 8 runs, 4 K, 18.00 ERA, BA. .333

Kevin Whelan: 3 games, 3.0 IP, 4 runs, 4 K, 12.00 ERA. Ba. .357

HAWAII LEAGUE:

George Kontos: Struck out 11 in 5.1 IP in 2-0 shutout this week. In 4 games 2-2, 3.00 ERA, BA. 204

Austin Jackson: .259, .388 OBP, 17 K's in 54 AB's

Anthony Claggett: 7 games. 11 IP, 9 K, 4.09 ERA, BA .283

Brad Suttle: .103, .239 OBP, 13 K in 39 AB's.

VENEZULEAN LEAGUE:

Marcos Vechionacci: .368, .478 OBP

Justin Pope: 4 games, 5.1 IP, 4 K, .000 ERA, BA .059.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE: Just started this week. No big names are playing for the Yankees. The Dominican Instructs just started. Many of the Yankee players that were at the just ended Florida Instructs are now here.

NOTES: Wil Nieves was granted free agent status.

Joe Torre Era Ends

2007-10-19T07:38:00.000-04:00

After flying down to Tampa to meet with team officials yesterday, Joe Torrie declined a one year $5 million offer with up to $8million in incentives, thus marking the end of the Joe Torre era in the Bronx.

Honestly, I was shocked when the news broke. After waiting so long to finally address the matter, one would think that he would be staying on for one more year. Anything else would make the Yankees Organization look bad. New owners Hal and Hank Steinbrenner certainly know how to make news, just as their daddy George. They decided to kick things off by offering Joe a contract they knew he couldn't accept.

It was their way of kicking Joe out the door. They wanted to make Joe look good on his way out, by not actually saying that he was released. Although I applaud the respect for Joe, waiting that long was BS. All of sports nation was shocked. I too, was shocked. I thought they were holding off so long because they were busy negotiating a contract extension. It turned they were negotiating a load of horse crap.

Joe will make his official goodbye speech today 2 p.m. at the Hilton Rye Town in Rye Brook. Don't be surprised to see the skipper very emotional. Joe Torre has bled Yankee pinstripes since 1996.

Don't forget the impact this will have on Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, hell even Alex Rodriguez.

As for now, I think Don Mattingly will be at the helm next year.

Minor League Notes From Big Guy #2

2007-10-15T16:34:00.000-04:00

NARDI CONTRERAS interview highlights with PinstripedPlus.

Joba Chamberlain: Plans are to have Joba take the 5th spot in the rotation next season along with Wang, Hughes, and Kennedy. The 5th spot will allow Joba to keep the innings increase down because of skipped starts early in the season. If Mariano Rivera does not resign he will
take over as closer.

Phil Hughes: Nardi expects Hughes velocity to return next year. He thought the injuries played a role. He'll continue working on his slider and change up and will use them more next season.

Ian Kennedy: Nardi loves his poise and stuff. Very good command and mound presence. He's ready for the rotation next year.

Ross Ohlendorf: To work on curve and splitter this off season. Was to report to Fall League but was put on playoff roster instead.

Tyler Clippard: Needs work to get his delivery consistent. Will report to Tampa late Nov,
early Dec to begin working on delivery without throwing a ball. Will start throwing in January.

Chase Wright: Wright will be working on breaking ball and command before next spring.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE: Yankee players are on the 4-1 Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona
Fall Leauge that just started a few days ago.

Juan Miranda: In 4 games so far hitting .333 with 1 homer. In first game went 4-5 with 4 RBI and 4 runs scored.

Brett Gardener: In 4 games batting .471 with 2 stolen bases.

Reegie Corona: 3 games, hitting .364, with 5 K's.

Steven White: Started 1 game lasted only 1.2 innings .

Kevin Whelan: Relieved in 1 game, 0 runs, 1 hit.

HAWAII LEAGUE: Yankee players are playing for Honolulu.

Austin Jackson: 12 games, .273 ave, 5 stolen bases, 15 K's in 44 at bats.

Brad Suttle: 9 games .040 ave. 9 K's in 25 at bats.

Anthony Claggett: Relieved in 5 games . 1-1 with .338 ERA 8 IP, 6 K, 4 BB, 8 hits.

WINTER BALL: Scheduled to play winter ball this off season. Melky Cabrerra, Robbie Cano, Edwar Ramirez, Dellin Betances, Josue Calzado, Wilkins Arias, Ivan Nova, Hector Noesi.

NOTES; Colter Bean was granted free agent status. Yankee players are on the 4-1 Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League that just started a few days ago.

10/11/07 News And Notes - Kennedy, Rocket, Joe and More

2007-10-11T20:56:00.000-04:00

It's been a very interesting day in Yankee land. One man who has had plenty of talk and rumors surrounding him this past week is.....

Joe Torre. Ever since the third consecutive first round knockout of the bombers, Joe Torre has all but been removed from the Yankees payroll. Before game 3 of the ALDS, (which the yanks went on to win) George Steinbrenner sat down with Joe and basically called code red. "His job is on the line," the Yankees' owner said in a phone interview. "I think we're paying him a lot of money. He's the highest-paid manager in baseball, so I don't think we'd take him back if we don't win this series." With the Yankees eliminated from the postseason already, I think it is safe to say that Joe Torre has sat in the home dugout of Yankee Stadium for the very last time. This has put the future of all time great.............

Mariano Rivera in question. Joe Tore has been with Mariano Rivera for most of Mo's career. Without Mariano Rivera in pinstripes, we may not be even be debating this right now. Mariano Rivera is hands down the best postseason closer of all time, and the Yankees may not have had put on this glorious run of championships and gold without him. This may a big reason for Mariano's recent comments: "I don't feel good about it," Rivera said of the possibility that Torre will not return to the Yankees next season. "I don't see why they're even thinking it. But I wish he's back, definitely. If you asked me what I want, I want him back." Rivera and Torre have built a unique bond all of these years. Quite honestly, it would feel awkward to have one without the other. Mariano seems to agree..."It's going to be a good number," Rivera said when asked to what extent Torre's future will affect his own. "I won't tell you the number, but it will be a good number." Another certain Yankees great seems to agree.....

Roger Clemens is a future hall of famer. He must know a thing or too about the game, don't ya think? Although Roger's own future is in question, he personally would love to see the old skipper back in pinstripes for one more season, whether he is playing or not. "I love playing for Joe," Clemens told KRIV-TV. "My wish would be that he finish and close Yankee Stadium with a championship and open up the new [stadium]."

Still, in the middle of all of this controversy, Joe Torre is one of ten finalists for manager of the year. I think it would be hilarious to see Joe win the award, while being given the pink slip after the same season.

In the midst of all if this controversy over stars of the past returning, we must remember that you can not live in the future, and eventually need to count on younger guys to get the job done. 22 year old Ian Kennedy is sure making a case to join the newest group of Yankees. As if coming up down the stretch to pitch 19 innings of four run-ball wasn't enough, Kennedy went out and won the 2007 MiLB starter of the year. Speaking of young stud pitchers....

Joba Chamberlain is looking forward to 2008. And why wouldn't any involved with the Yankees not be amped? This guy was as close to superhuman as possible during the regular season, in his rookie season. I can only laugh at the competition when this guy starts to gets older and better, especially as he begins his re-transition to a starting pitcher. Yet Joba, still being his laid back self, still does not care what role the future works out for him. "There's not one that's better than the other, and there's not one that's more important than the other. It's just going to come down to what's best for this team and what's best for me." This Team. Joba is a team player. Even with this little tast of Joba we saw this season, I can only believe that this guy is for real, and will sacrifice himself for his team.

The New York Yankees

What Happened?

2007-10-10T16:36:00.000-04:00

What happened? Why couldn't we get through the ALDS? It's simple. The #1 offense in the regular season was once again shut down in the post-season. Bottom line, they did not hit with runners in scoring position. Not only A-Rod, but basically the entire lineup besides Johnny Damon and Robinson Cano SUCKED with runners on base. That includes regular clutch performers Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter. Two men that have been with the Yankees since the beginning of the Joe Torre era in 1996, absoultely stunk up the place.

I just don't understand how every single year the offense dies out come October, and I'm damn sick of it. You can blame Wang choking in the clutch big time twice. As much as I'd like to, you really can't contribute Wang to the 'DS loss. The Yankees proved they could overcome those deficits all season long. If your going to suck with RISP, please don't wait until the postseason, because I was amped going into this series with the Yankees overpowering and CLUTCH offense.

Oh, and don't give me that BS about the bugs costing them the game in game 2. You can't win a game scoring one run in the playoffs, I don't care if you have Joba The Great and a future hall of famer in your bullpen. It's not happening.

Every single year fans wine and moan about the post-season pitching, yet everyone seems just seems to forget the offense' abysmal showing at the plate. Although it looked like they might have been able to come back early on in game 1, the terrible pitching took the spirit out of the game for the Yankees offense, scoring only three times. The Yankees easily got enough pitching to win game 2 and couldn't. Game three was won on the back of Phil Hughes(I still love his pitching) and FINALLY some offense. In game 4 they had many chances to overcome Wang's nerve-wracking performance, and just could not threw, falling victim to...Paul Byrd.

Please don't blame Chien-Ming Wang for this lost season. Blame the line-up. The whole goddamn line-up. This team needs and is ready for a complete overhaul. At this point I really don't care if Joe Torre stays or not. He did the best he could, and the players simply didn't play. However a new face of the ball club may feel nice and fresh for the organization, and I wouldn't be against it if the right man was brought in.

Minor League Notes From Big Guy

2007-10-04T21:20:00.000-04:00

2007 Stock Up: These are just a couple of the minor league players that have had very good years. There are many others: Daniel McCutcheon: AA Trenton. 16-4, 2.41 ERA. Fastball 90-96, plus changeup, plus curve. Kyle Anson: switched from 3rd base to catcher. Great at blocking balls, quick release, strong accurate arm. Mike Dunn: Single A Charleston, lefty pitcher switched from outfield. 12-5 , 3.42 ERA, 138 K's in 145 innings. Great slider, good change, good command. Austin Jackson: Single A Tampa, outfielder, .345, 10 homers, 15 doubles, 6 triples. Ended at AA Trenton made a tremendous throw in AA playoffs. Will start at AA Trenton next year. Jaird Herrdia: plus fastball & curve. Yanks love mound presence. Abraham Almonte:-GCL changed to centerfield from 2nd base. Brandon Laird-2007 draft pick-GCL, 3rd baseman .339 , 8 homers, 14 doubles.

2007 Stock Down: Eric Duncan: SWB AAA, 2003 1st round pick: .241, 11 homers. 3rd straight year his average has been below .250. But still only 22. Andres Dionico: 2003 international pick, played in GCL, had trouble hitting. Gerardo Rodriquez--GCL, hit only .233, 2 homers. Tim Battle: AA Trenton, hit only .218 in 5th minor league season.

FLORIDA LEAGUE: Dellin Betances: working on delivery and arm angle in Fla. league that Yanks feel caused his elbow pain. Also working on his defense. Pitched 1 perfect inning in opener. Jesus Montero : working on hitting stroke, and getting his hands in at the plate. Also working on keeping his weight down. Austin Romine: 2007 draft pick. Threw out a runner at 2nd base in opener. Carmen Angelini: 2007 draft pick, went hitless in opener, but showed a strong arm and speed running out balls. Garrett Patterson: struck out 2 and HBP in 1 inning.

CHINESE PLAYERS: Pitcher Kai Liu, and catcher Zhengwany Zhang are at the Tampa complex . Zhang states the pitchers in China only throw about 90 mph fastballs. Liu wants to
increase his velocity from 85 mph.

ARIZON FALL LEAGUE: Going to the fall league are Pitchers Ross Ohlendorf, Steven White, Kevin Whelan and Steven Jackson. Position players Brett Gardner, Juan Miranda and Reegie Corona. The fall league begins play on Oct. 9th.

HAWAII LEAGUE: Going to the Hawaiian league this year. Mark Melancon: 9th round draft pick 2006. Had TJ surgery. Austin Jackson: 20 year old outfielder. Had a slow start, but turned it up at Tampa and had a big 2nd half. He'll start next year at AA Trenton. George Kontos: starting pitcher, 5th round 2006 draft, Had 3.12 ERA in April, but had a shoulder problem and tailed off the 2nd half with a 4.45 ERA. Brad Suttle: 4th round 2007, He only played 3 games in the GCL. getting more work.

ALDS Preview Yankees v.s. Indians

2007-10-04T17:31:00.001-04:00

This is where the fun ends. No more playing inexperienced rookies. No more giving your scrubs a batting order spot just to make them feel good. We are no longer in September, folks. This is October.

There are no more easy games. No more "Tampa Bay Devil Rays" on the schedules. We have reached the big time. And the first stop is Cleveland. The Yankees swept the season series with Cleveland, finishing 6-0 against the Tribe. But don't fool yourselves, the Indians are a force to be reckon with. They boast a strong pitching rotation, led by one of my favorite pitchers, big C.C. Sabathia, followed up by 24 year old stud Fausto Carmona. With 19 wins and a 3.06 ERA in just his second full season, don't be surprised if this guy racks up few CY Young's before hanging up the boots. Oh, and you musn't forget veteran Jake Westbrook. When Jake is on, he is on.

Cleveland also has a few decent position players themselves. Wait a minute, decent? Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez, and Travis Hafner are superstars. All three can deliver a big blow with one swing of the bat at any time in the game. Grady is also a gold-glove caliber defender in CF. Johnny Peralta, Franklin Gutierrez and Johnny Peralta are also solid role players.

However, the Yankees will still win this series. Why? Not only is the offense by far the best in the league, the starting pitching has the potential to dominate, they just haven't all clicked at the same time. Chien-Ming Wang can hang in neck and neck with Sabathia, plus has the monstrous Yankees offense as a cushion. Andy Pettitte is a veteran that has been there before and has pitched his ass off this season. Mike Mussina is a grizzled veteran who like Pettitte has been in the post-season before. And the Rocket, well, he's just the Rocket. I do not see the Yankees sweeping, but I see them going the distance to 5 games with a very good Cleveland Indian ball club.

Let's get ready. This will be one interesting post-season.

A Golden Season

2007-09-27T16:53:00.000-04:00

First off, I'd like to say that besides the fact that Joe Torre is the worst situational manager in baseball today, I would without a doubt want Joe back again next year. 13 straight years with a playoff berth is 1 year away from the record setting Atlanta Braves. Joe has been there for every single season. Joe Torre has bleed Yankee pinstripes for the last 13 years. And although it seems like every season Torre is viewed as New York's most wanted by mid-season due to to his questionable decisions and mellowness, he always finds a way to rally the troops and bring his team back to October.

This year has definitely been the most challenging and mentally-burnt out season from a Yankees ball cub I have ever seen. This was a team that three months ago had a record of 36-39 while trailing the Sox by 11 games and was 8 games behind the wild card leading Cleveland Indians. The turn around that this team has perfected is truly an unbelievable story. Me having the honor to watch this season through the good times and bad, only to come back and make this miraculous comeback, compares to receiving a gold medal in the Olympics. Oh, and who was the man behind this? Mr. Joe Torre

Some of the Yankee-haters around the baseball universe may say that the Yankees didn't completely turn around because they couldn't beat the Sox. All I can say is good for the Sox, they finally are actually making this a two-sided rivalry, as opposed to the Yankees kicking their ass every year. First breaking the curse, now the division. But hey, there are still a few games left to play, who says we can't still overtake Boston?

Another thing I'd like to mention are the great turn around's of Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano, and Melky Cabrera.

Most bomber faithful including yours truly were pleading for an Abreu trade. I felt that he came last year as a savior to propel us over Boston, but his time had run out and that now was the time to move on. Boy did he prove me wrong. To go along with sparking defense in right field, Abreu has had, well, and Abreu-type year. With four games remaining in the 2007 season, the Venezuela native Bobby Abreu is hitting .282 with 16 home runs and 99 RBIs. Not to mention a rock solid .408 OBP.

Due to the fact that Cano was still very young and had had a year that most major leaguer's would die for in '06, I believed he would come out of his early-season funk. By the all-star break he was showing signs of breaking clean, and finally by early August the good ol' Robby Cano came out to shine, and show us all that he still has it, and to expect more great things to happen in the future. With 4 games left to play in the regular season, Cano is hitting .305 with 19 home runs and 94 RBI. Sure, the batting average is nowhere near last seasons .342 BA, but I'd take a .300/19/100 guy any day of the week. Especially from the offensively challenged second base position in today's game. Oh, and he's still only 25.

Last is a guy who I honestly thought was lighting in a bottle last season after his early-season misfortunes in '07. He came in and started most games, yet by the end of July was only hitting .254. Sure, this guy was never a highly touted prospect while in the farm, but I had at least hoped for him to develop into a solid starter after the '06 showing. Yet of course, the Melkman found a way to break out and by the end of August he was hitting .294. Yes he has slumped in August bringing his BA down to .275, but when I look back at Melky Cabrera's 2007 season, I will remember one thing. Heart. When it looked like Melky would become just another utility outfielder at best, he came back and showed us all his true talent. Again, expect great things from this guy in the future.

Along with these three players, the Yankees fought back in the hardest of times, and scored a victory, that of yet another playoff appearance. With these three men, the Yankees as a franchise fought back little by little. We had Doug Mientkiewicz' startling gold glove defense. We had Wilson Betemit deliver some big hits in some big games. We saw 17 year veteran Mike Mussina lose his spot in the rotation only to win it back later. And then we had the trio of the future in Hughes-Chamberlain-Kennedy come up and earn their pinstripes. And then we brought back the Rocket who helped mentor the future big 3 while pitching and winning some huge games for us in Boston. And then we saw A-rod and Posada come up with career years while staying hot all year, which will end in an MVP for Rodriguez and maybe even a silver slugger for Jorgie.

This team played together as a whole throughout the 2007 campaign. When a few players got hot, it rubbed off on the whole team, which showed how good the team chemistry is on this bombers team. No matter how many people doubted this team, they fought back and worked towards a goal, and have achieved it.

Oh, and how could I forget, the shortstop. The man who has been with Joe Torre for every single one of these 13 years. Captain Clutch, Captain Consistency, Mr. November. Call him whatever you may, but Derek Jeter is the heart and soul of this Yankee franchise and he showed it more than ever this season, coming over humongous odds while leading the Yankees to a thirteenth consecutive post-season appearance. I guess that's why they call him, captain. Captain Jeter.

Game Recap 9/16/07

2007-09-17T11:04:00.000-04:00

Game's like these are why I love being a Yankees fan. Without the Red Sox, who else could we have games like these with? I was on the edge of my seat every single pitch of the last three innings.

First off, we got treated to a great pitching duel between two of the greatest of all time, love 'em or hate 'em, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling. Even more exciting was seeing Joba throw the hook for the first time. Those sox looked baffled. After blowing by hitters with 100mph fastballs and hard sliders for the whole of his short major league career, Joba brought out his latest weapon at the best time. Kudos to Mike Lowell for finally getting some offense off of Joba the great.

Also, Jeter woke up at the perfect time. With Schilling dominating the entire night prior to the eighth, Derek showed us why we call him "captain," with a go-ahead 3-run dinger that ultimately decide the fate of the ballgame. With one swing of the bat, he turned a gem tossed by Curt Schilling to a loss.

The only real down-side of this game was another shaky performance for Mariano. I grew up watching Mo nail down the coffin night in and night out. But honestly, I can't take this anymore. He just seemed very nervous on the mound, up until that last at-bat to Ortiz. It looked like he really locked down at that point.

Well that's it for another chapter of Yankees-Red Sox. The Bombers will finish off the last two weeks of the season with games against Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and Toronto. Hopefully we continue winning all of the games that we should, which with this upcoming schedule, should be all of them.

AL EAST Standings
Boston 90-60 --
New York 85-64 4.5 GB
Toronto 75-75 15.0 GB
Baltimore 64-84 25.0 GB
Tampa Bay 63-87 27.0 GB

AL Wild Card
New York 85-64 --
Detroit 83-67 2.5 GB
Seattle 78-70 6.5 GB

Game Recap 9/15/07

2007-09-15T20:13:00.000-04:00

You can't win 'em all. And you surely can't win at all if come-fr0m behind wins are necessary every night. Don't get me wrong, comeback victories are exciting and fun to watch, especially against the sox. But if you're big two can't pitch past the sixth in the post season, you can kiss any hopes of getting a ring goodbye. I don't care how deadly your offense is. It ain't happening.

However, Wang and Pettitte have been "on" more games than not, and I'd be wiling to bet money on consistency from those two in October. What really annoys me a lot is how streaky this offense is. After scoring 8 runs, coming back with a mere solo home run the next day does not cut it.

You can blame fatigue from a day game following a night game, but that excuse is eliminated when the sox score 8 and 10 back-to-back. You can blame Josh Beckett for pitching like Josh Beckett, but on a night where your ace is not on, you better make sure your hitting to keep up with the opposing offense.

Another thing I want to address is Sean Henn. This guy should be nothing more than the mop up man from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. What really pisses me off is Joe bringing him in in a clutch situation to pitch against Ortiz. At this point in the game, the Yankees still had a small chance to come back, but Henn pretty much killed any hope anyone had in that team. Henn has a 7.49 era, and has been called up and down at least 3 times. What the hell does Joe see in him?

That's it for now. Roger vs Schilling tomorrow. Better get ready for that one!

The Phenomenon Of Joba Chamberlain

2007-08-23T16:25:00.000-04:00

Unless you've been living under a rock this summer, you know about Yankees hurler Joba Chamberlain. In case you have been under a rock, why not get to know about the next big thing, we like to call, Joba.

Before the 21 year old righty was firing in 100 mph fastballs to major league hitters, Joba Chamberlain grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. His mother and father divorced at the age of three, and Joba went on to live with his father and sister, Tasha. The family lived in poverty throughout Joba's childhood.

After Chamberlain graduated High School, he took off for college. He played Division II for the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers, before transferring over to the Division I University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cornhuskers. The Cornhuskers reached the 2005 college baseball world series. He finished the 2005 season with a 10-2 record to go along with a 2.81 ERA, including 5 double-digit strikeout games. His 2006 season was limited due to triceps tendinitis, although he still managed 102 K's in 89.1 innings pitched.

The 2005 third team All American was drafted to the New York Yankees with the 41st overall pick. Although he did not pitch in the Yankees system during '06, he dominated the Hawaii winter league, posting a 2.63 ERA.

After a successful off season, Joba traveled through the Yankees farm system rather quickly. After dominating A-Ball, Chamberlain would be promoted to double aa, where he would go on to pitch for the U.S. team in the 2007 All Star Futures Game. On July 24, 2007, Joba the Hut was sent packing once more, this time to AAA Scranton-Wiles Barre. The very next day, he would make his debut start, striking out 10 in 5 IP. After dominating in the bullpen for the rest of July, the phenom was called up for his final stop, on August 7th, 2007. In just one season in the Yankees organization, he had already reached the big time.

Up till August 23rd, Joba has not yet allowed a run. His K/BB ratio is 14/2, and he has only surrendered 3 hits. Chamberlain has hit 100 mph, most recently on August 22nd, against Vladamir Guerrero.

Although this young stud has been making major league hitters look foolish coming out of the pen, the Yankees still plan to make him a starter, to one day pair up with Phil Hughes to anchor the staff. Because of this, the Yankees have implemented the "Joba Rules." They say that Chamberlain will only come into a game to start an inning, and that he must get a day of rest for each inning pitched, both prior to and following the game in which he pitches. This is used to protect his arm because he has never relieved before in his career.

Awards

2005 3rd Team All-American
2005 1st Team All Big 12
2005 Big 12 Newcomer Pitcher of the Year
2005 2nd Team All Midwest Region
2005 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (3/1/05)
2005 National Pitcher of the Week (3/1/05)
2005 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (4/25/05)
2006 1st Team Preseason All-American
2006 Hawaiian Winter Post-Season All-Star
2007 FSL Pitcher of the Week (5/14/07)
2007 FSL Pitcher of the Week (5/28/07)
2007 EL Pitcher of the Week (6/18/07)

Yankees Acquire Wilson Betemit From LAD

2007-08-01T18:42:00.000-04:00

This deadline, the Yankees finally got the man they've been trying to get since last year's trade deadline, utility infielder Wilson Betemit. Last year, they tried to acquire Betemit from Atlanta, but lost out to LAD. This year, they finally got their man.

However, Betemit did not come at a low price, as the Bombers were forced to part ways with hard throwing righty Scott Proctor. "I hate leaving here," said Proctor, who cleaned out his Yankee Stadium locker before the team's game against the Chicago White Sox. "It's a great organization and you hate that it's come to this, but Betemit's a good player and hopefully he can help the team here. On the flip side, I hope I can go there [to Los Angeles] and fill a major role."
Proctor was 2-5 with a 3.81 ERA in 52 appearances for New York this season, in 54 1/3 innings. His K/BB ratio was 37/29.

The switch-hitting Betemit, 25, was batting .231 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs in 84 games for the Dodgers, and adds versatility to the Yankees' bench. He is also a career .263 hitter. Although he has not played first base in the big leagues, Joe Torre is going to try and expand Betemit's value, by teaching him 1B.

This looks like a good deal for both sides, and hopefully it'll work out well.

Yankees Trade Deadline Rumors

2007-07-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

The July 31st non-waiver trade deadline is approaching quickly, and as usual Yankees GM Brian Cashman is working hard to nail down a deal which would improve the big ball cub.

New York Yankees Discussed in Trade Rumors

SP Kei Igawa- The Japanese left hander is garnering interest from clubs such as Baltimore and Seattle. Reportedly, when the Orioles asked New York if Igawa was available, they were turned down. Why the Yankees are stubborn on keep the twice demoted multi-million dollar man, is beyond me.

CF Brett Gardner- When the Bombers were told that it would require Gardner to land 1B Dan Johnson from Oakland, they backed off. Another move by Cash I don't understand. Sure, I like Gardner as well, but its not like he's the second coming of Bernie Williams. Besides, Johnson is only 28, the age many consider the time when players start to enter their primes. He also is a smooth fielder at 1B, with a career .994 fielding percentage. Looks like a missed opportunity to me.

CF Johnny Damon- Although moving Damon's hefty contract($13mm annually through 2009) won't be easy, Dan Graziano reports that the Yankees have been shopping around Johnny D. The only team remotely interested is Atlanta, although it looks like a deal is very far away from happening.

MR Kyle Farnsworth- The Detroit Tigers have reportedly shown interest in righthander Kyle Farnsworth. This would be a good move for both teams. The Yanks free up salary space and rid themselves of an ineffective pitcher. The Tigers, while not desperate for 'pen arms, would be interested in rolling the dice on Farnsy, hoping that all he needs is a change of scenery.

Players of Interest to the Yankees

1B Mark Teixeira- The Bombers have been interested in Teixeira for a long time, but with Brian Cashman reluctant to deal Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, you probably will not be seeing Teixera in Yankees pinstripes anytime soon.

1B Wilson Betemit- The Dodgers are said to be looking for late inning relief help. The Bombers continue to offer Scott Proctor, while the Dodgers keep rejecting. Unless New York upps the offer, don't expect Betemit to be wearing pinstripes this season.

2B Mark Loretta- Would be used as a backup infielder by NY. Very cheap.

CL Eric Gagne- Although Gagne has said he only wants to close, he can be traded to NY without his consent, where he would likely set up to Mariano Rivera. The rangers have shown interest in Melky Cabrera, and minor league pitchers Jeffrey Marquez and Ian Kennedy. The Yankees are refusing to send away Melky, so don't be surprised if Gagne is sent packing in a one-for-one deal in return for Marquez or Kennedy.

MR Chad Qualls & Dan Wheeler- The Astros control Wheeler through 2009 and Qualls through 2010, so the asking price will be significant. Jayson Stark says Houston is looking for a young MLB-ready position player; Cabrera seems to fit the bill.

MR Octavio Dotel- It seems like the whole league is in on the Dotel sweepstakes these days. Expect trade talk to become more heated next week.

Well, that is it for now. The trade deadline is one of everyone's favorite times of the year, yet it is very hard to keep up with what your team is doing. Now, all of you lucky Yankee fans have a little outline to keep you up to date with all of the Bombers happenings. Have fun, and keep your ears open!

Josh Hancock....R.I.P.

2007-04-30T17:07:00.001-04:00

This isn't a Cardinals blog. It is a blog for me to talk about my beloved New York Yankees. Sometimes in life, as baseball fans, while we are blowing our heads off screaming at an umps call that we truly think was wrong, we as human beings forget the greatest privilege of life. That privilege is life itself. Recently, a young man from Cleveland, Mississippi lost this great privilege that you and I still own. That man, was Josh Hancock.

Hancock, 29, was born and raised in Cleveland, Mississippi. He grew up dreaming to be a Major League Baseball player one day. Do those dreams sound familiar to you? Josh was lucky enough to have a god-given ability that very few in this world have. He saw his opportunity, and ran with it, perfecting his ability as a ballplayer and a good person.

In 2002, Hancock got an opportunity to realize his dreams. In a short stint with the Boston Red Sox, Josh pitched in 7.3 innings while allowing 5 hits and 3 earned runs. This was only a small tatse of many great things to come in the baseball career and life of Josh Hancock.

In 2006, Hancock pitched 77 innings while posting a 4.09 era. He was a large part in the St.Louis Cardinals run to glory, as they were crowned the 2006 World Series champions.

These great moments and happiness all came to an abrupt end on Sunday. Josh Hancock did not show up to Wrigley field on time for the Cardinals game against the Cubs. The Cardinals were extremely worried. They did not want Darryl Kile all over again. Fourtanatly, they did not have to experience Darryl Kile v2. However, they did experience the death of Josh Hancock.

RIP Josh Hancock. I only saw you pitch a few times, and I never really followed your career. But you will always have a lasting spot in my heart. While you are in heaven, say hi to Cory Lidle for me.

-Josh

(This is not my video, I got it from YouTube.)

Yankees Opening Day Preview

2007-04-02T12:54:00.000-04:00

4/2/07-- It's Opening Day in the Bronx, with the New York Yankees facing off against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. I've been waiting for this since the minute the Bombers were eliminated in the ALDS to Detroit. Five months, a japanese import, and an old pinstriped hero back later, this Yankees team looks destined for glory.

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Opening Day Pitching Matchup

RHP Carl Pavano
2006 Stats
DNP

Carl Pavano, an injury magnet since signing a multi-year contract with the Yanks two offseasons ago, gets the opening day start, due to injuries of his peers. Joe Torre opted not to throw out Mike Musina on short days rest, saying that opening day counts as much as the other 161 games in the season. Hopefully, Pavano can rebound from his dissapointing first two years in the Bronx

v.s

On a team rich in young athletic hitting, SP Scott Kazmir is a gem. He is by far the best pitcher in the Devil Rays organization. Kazmir has four pitches in his arsenal. Arguably his best pitch is a mid 90's fastball that he throws with relative ease. Kazmir also throws a hard breaking 10-4 slider that comes in the low 80s. Scott also throws a changeup and a 11-5 curveball. Tampa is counting on Scott Kazmir to deliver in 2007.

LHP Scott Kazmir
2006 Stats
3.24 ERA, 10-8, 163 K's

Starting Lineups

New York Yankees
1.Damon CF
2.Jeter SS
3.Abreu RF
4.Rodriguez 3B
5.Giambi DH
6.Matsui LF
7.Posada C
8.Cano 2B
9.Phelps 1B

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
1.Crawford LF
2.Zobrist SS
3.Baldelli DH
4.Wigginton 1B
5.Young RF
6.Iwamura 3B
7.Navarro C
8.Dukes CF
9.Upton 2B

My Prediction: Yankees win 4-2, Rodriguez 2-5 HR, 3 rbi, Pavano 6 innings 5 hits 2 earned runs

Got Melky?

2007-03-29T20:26:00.000-04:00

Melky Cabrera grew up in in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic as a child dreaming to be a major league baseball player one day. Melky grew up as a poor child, and knew his family would benefit tremendously by coming to the United States to play baseball. Finally, at the age of 17, Melky Cabrera signed with the New York Yankees, on November 13, 2001.In Melkys first year of American baseball, he posted a .335 batting average with the Yankees Rookie League affiliate. Cabrera continued to post great numbers in the minors, hitting over .300 every season. In 2005 he played with the Class AA Trenton Thunder and AAA Columbus, and eventually made it to the New York Yankees on July 7, 2005, but he only played in six games before he was sent back down to Columbus. The youngsters brief stint with the Yankees was memorable, but not in a positive way. Playing CF against the Red Sox, Melky dove for a ball hit by Trot Nixon, and let it get past him, giving up an inside the park homerun. His performance at the plate wasn't much better. In six games, Cabrera went 4 for 19, with a .211 ba.

Melky, sent back down to AAA to finish off the season, dissapointed, just continued working, hoping that one day he would get a second shot. He got a second shot, and oh, he made the most of it. After hitting .349 in spring training due to several Yankees playing in the WBC, Cabrera left a lasting impression on Yankees staff, this time, in a positive way. After returning to AAA, he played with a determination and fire like never before. He played sterling defense and hit .385 with 4 HR and 24 RBI in just 31 games. After injuries to Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield, Melky Cabrera's name was called, for a second time. This time, he made the most of his stay in the Bronx. Cabrera was a main-stay in the Yankees lineup until September. The, "Melk Man" played solid defense and offense, featuring Melky's first career 4-hit game, going 4 for 6, on May 30th. Melky didn't leave out the other side of the ball. On June 6, in the 8th inning of a 2-1 game against the Red Sox, Melky made an outstanding catch in left-center, leaping over the wall to steal a home run from Boston's Manny Ramírez. After the catch, Johnny Damon cheered and danced in the outfield. This play earned Melky a "This Year In Baseball" Award (voted on by the fans) for the most outstanding play of the 2006 season.

Melky impressed fans last season, but what can he for us in 2007?

The plan is for Cabrera to be the primary backup outfielder going into the season. He will probably receive a lot of time in the starting lineup, giving the aging Yankees outfield a rest. The Bombers outfield consits of a 32-year old Hideki Matsui, a 33-year old Bobby Abreu, and a 32-year old Johnny Damon.

My 2007 Prediction: 500 AB's, 13 HR's, 65 rbi's, and a .277 average.

Melky Cabrera has a bright future ahead of himself. Yankees fans tend to be tough on their players, but I don't think it'll affect the Melk-Man, who I could see possibly being an everyday starting Yankees outfielder one day.

Abreu to miss 2-3 weeks of Spring Training with a strained right oblique muscle

2007-02-27T17:05:00.000-05:00

Yankees outfielder Bobby Abreu could miss two to three weeks with a strained right oblique muscle, freeing Spring Training at-bats for Melky Cabrera, but not free agent Bernie Williams.
The 32-year-old Abreu suffered the injury while taking batting practice at Legends Field, manager Joe Torre said. Abreu felt a twinge after one swing and then continued to bat, which aggravated the injury.
"It's just one of those things," Torre said. "I guess the good news is that it's early and you can afford a couple of weeks right now." -- Yankees.com

The Good? Thank god it is only minor, and that the time missed will be in effect only during ST. The bright side of this is that youngsters such as Melky Cabrera will be getting more playing time and more time to develop than expected.
The Bad? Hopefully this will not lead to more injuries for the aging Abreu, who was a big part of the Yankees down the stretch last season. Without him, they may not have held onto the AL East.

The Big Picture!
This will not turn out to affect the Yankees at all down the stretch. Yankees manager Joe Torre has said that Bobby will be ready by opening day. This is also a blessing in disguise, with more time available for players that need it more than Bobby, who I doubt really needs much tuning up anyway. Not that I would wish hurt on anyone, but this turns out to a win-win for every party involved. The yankees coaching staff gets a more in-depth look at the youngsters, while Abreu will still be ready by the start of the regular season.

Yankees Backup Catcher Spot

2007-02-22T16:43:00.000-05:00

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is one of the top backstops in the league. But, like you and me, once in awhile he needs a day off. Who will his backup be in '07?

Long time Yankees skipper Joe Torre says that the race is down to veteran Todd Pratt and 29-year old Will Nieves. Nieves has been on the Yankees 40-man roster for two years, although he has not recorded a hit in 10 at-bats. Nieves has had nothing but good remarks from his minor league coaches, who say he has good work ethic. He also has had positive reviews from pitchers that have worked with him.

The other contendor in the race is 40-year old Todd Pratt. He is a veteran presence in any big league clubhouse, having played in 662 Major League games with the Phillies, Cubs, Mets and Braves since 1992. He also has the ability to hit an occasional home run.

Either will be a good backup for Jorge, best of luck to them.

Listen to Pavano's Latest Complaint!

2007-02-20T00:03:00.000-05:00

"Feeling lighter: Carl Pavano threw his bullpen session Monday without incident, one day after experiencing a sensation of "heavy legs" caused by days of running on grass.
Pavano said he incorporated breaking balls into his repertoire for the first time this spring and that his legs felt better today. "---Yankees.com
Who suffers an injury from running on grass? Give me a break!
Glad to hear that he's atleast working, trying to get his breaking balls back after all of the injuries.

What Will Bernie Do?

2007-02-19T14:38:00.000-05:00

Many children grow up dreaming to be a profesional baseball player when they get older. That dream has come true for Bernie Williams. But now, there is a question: 'How much longer will Bernie play?' Bernie still wants to play,and where he wants to play is clear. The only question is, do the Yankees want him back?

Yankees GM Brian Cashman has offered Williams a non-roster invite to spring training. Position players check-in day has come and gone, with no sign of Williams. Bernie wants and still belives he is worthy of a major league roster spot. "I think if they wanted to have me on the team, they would have signed me already," said Williams, 38. "Having the option to go to spring training to see what would happen is something that ... I don't think at this moment it's something I want to consider." -Bernie Williams to Newsday.

Yankees skipper Joe Torre is trying to reach out to Williams. Recently, he left some messages on Bernie's phone. He told Bernie,"If you want to continue to play, you can't do it if you stay up there. We have to see you."

Bernie has had a long 16-year career with the Yanks. If it ends here, Bernie should be happy. Williams has 287 career homeruns and 2,336 hits, 3 WS rings and a member of the latest Yankees dynasty. Is he a Hall of Famer? Probably not, but he will without a doubt,go down as one of the greatest players in Yankees history.

Philip Hughes:The Next Big Thing?

2007-02-09T11:11:00.000-05:00

The Yankees have not won a World Championsip since the very beginning of the twenty-first century. Back then, the Yankees were built around good young talent, such as Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera.

Recently, youngsters Chien-Ming Wang, Robinson Cano, and Melky Cabrera have been brought up to show what they can do in the Big Leagues, and all three have made an impact. But the Yankees still lack consistent starting pitching.Many think that their missing piece has arrived. His name?

Philip Hughes

Hughes attended Foothill High School in Santa Ana,California, where he was a first-team High School All-American. He also pitched a perfect game during high school. In his senior year, he was 9-1, with an 0.69 ERA.In 61 innings he gave up 40 hits and 3 walks.Not to mention the 83 batters he struck out.

The 20-year old Hughes has compiled a career era of 2.13 and 269 K's in 3 minor league seasons. The Yankees have been cautious with Hughes, hence his 5 inning limit last season with the Double-AA Trenton Thunder. Phil is expected to start the year with the Yankees AAA affiliate.

If any of the Yankees starting pitchers go down in '07, don't be surpsied if Mr. Hughes makes his debut in the bronx.

Hey everybody!

2007-02-03T21:58:00.000-05:00

Just saying hello.

I'm Josh and I'm going to be blogging about the Yankees in the future.

Have fun reading my posts and make sure to comment!

-Josh