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New York Yankees: You Are Not Alone

Posted by on 1 May 2012, 3:44 pm
Ryan Howard (left) and Albert Pujols

Ryan Howard (left) and Albert Pujols (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The New York Yankees are not the only team happy that April is finally over, as a few other MLB teams are hoping to turn things around in May.

So, here is a quick list of the Yankees and three other troubled teams who should be much better than they were in April:

1 -  Back in Spring Training, the New York Yankees were inundated with good pitching. Well, I don’t think skipper Joe Girardi anticipated that over the first month he would lose his newest star, Michael Pineda for the season; Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia to be completely ineffective; and now banking-on Andy Pettitte’s return to his All-Star self after a year off. Fans can pray that either DJ Mitchell or David Phelps will be the Yankees version of the Knicks Jeremy Lin. Hey you never know until you try.

2 -  The Los Angeles Angels are yearning for Albert Pujols to hit his first homer as a Halo; and you can expect the rest of the anemic offense to follow when the best player in baseball finally does. This is not the start anyone was expecting. Take a look at Pujols’ career April/March numbers below: Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: You Are Not Alone’ »

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2012 MLB Team Preview: Philadelphia Phillies

Posted by on 29 March 2012, 2:01 am

Philadelphia Phillies logo.

The Philadelphia Phillies have been a force in Major League Baseball, winning 102 games in 2011.

Over the past five years the Phillies have built a résumé that includes NL East champs five times; 2008 World Series Champs, almost repeating again in 2009; and played in the NLDS the last two seasons.

This ball-club is a perennial favorite and has been the gold standard in the National League; and no doubt the pressure is on for this team once again. The Phillies fans have officially adopted the Yankees mantra, which is World Series or bust.

So the only question remaining is whether the Phillies can live up to expectations again in 2012?

Let’s take a look at the Phillies heading into the season….

THE POSITIVES:

Phillies starting pitching is terrifying for any hitter to think about. The front three of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels could all easily be the ace of any other team, posting a combined 50-23 record and an ERA under 2.80 in 2011. Then there is 24-year old sensation Vance Worley, who made 21 starts in his first season, finishing with an 11-3 record and held opposing batters to a .237 average. I presume that the Phillies are planning to use Joe Blanton in the fifth spot, but does it really matter with a front four like that?

Signing now ex-Boston Red Sox, closer Jonathan Papelbon during the off-season was a good move. Papelbon is legit and knows how to win, as he played a vital role in the Red Sox winning the 2007 World Series. Papelbon signed a 4-year, $50 million deal and should thrive in the NL East, as he averages 37 saves a season.

THE NEGATIVES: Continue reading ‘2012 MLB Team Preview: Philadelphia Phillies’ »

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New York Yankees Hot Stove: Why Not Ryan Madson

Posted by on 17 November 2011, 10:16 pm
Ryan Madson signing autographs before the Marc...

Ryan Madson got hung out to dry. Image via Wikipedia

In case you missed reading the NY Post earlier this week, ex-Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon inked a 4-year, $50 million dollar deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Papelbon didn’t waste any time getting the heck out of Beantown, but who can blame him?

A good bet would be the newly ex-Phillies free agent closer Ryan Madson, as it certainly sent his agent Scott Boras into a tailspin.

Boras had declared to be a day away from finalizing the 31-year old Madson, a four-year, $44 million dollar deal to stay in Philadelphia. The Phillies claim that Boras was told that the team’s president vetoed the deal due to length and money; but in typical Boras-form he went to far and got his client screwed in the process.

Madson has been a Philly for his entire 9-year career, and was arguably the team’s best set-up man before converting successfully to a closer last season. In his new role, Madson posted 32 saves in 34 attempts and pitched 60+ innings in total. He gave-up just 16 earned runs, two homers and struck out 62.

So where would Madson fit with the Yankees?

It is no secret that the Yankees are looking to add another starter this off-season, but the realities of a bleak market might not allow for that to happen. So, why not bolster up the bullpen.

I am well aware that Madson is a righty, but in 2011 lefties bats averaged .198 against him, and 28 of his 62 strikeouts came against them too. This makes Madson lethal no matter if a batter hits from between his legs.

Yes, the Yankees do have Robertson and Soriano to set-up for Mo. Then there is Joba, who at the earliest, will return in June; Soriano spent a third of last season on the DL; and Rivera will be 42-years old and morality could set-in at any moment and the possibility that he retires at the end of the season.

Look, if you learned one thing from this past postseason is the importance of a dominant bullpen. This is no new news but after starting pitching hogged the October spotlight for years, the 2011 postseason just reaffirmed that there are other ways to meet success.

As for Madson, too bad he is a Boras client because he put him in this place as he makes players believe they are worth more and in turn teams back out. ESPN New York‘s David Schoenfield said it best, that Madson a bad risk at $40-plus million. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Hot Stove: Why Not Ryan Madson’ »

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New York Yankees: Postseason Deja Vu

Posted by on 24 September 2011, 11:29 pm

Assuming that most people reading this are baseball fans, but just in case the New York Yankees clinched a postseason and winning the AL East Division this past Wednesday.

As fantastic as the news was, it also let New York fans relax because the Yankees are expected to be playing in October and at the start of this season things were not as secure as usual.

Contending for the World Series is no easy task, but considering the Yankees were not playoff heavy favorites, safeguarding a spot with seven regular season games left is dumbfounded. There are many responsible for the team’s success from GM Brian Cashman to skipper Joe Girardi, to obviously the heart and determination of the players themselves.

Still, there are concerns but I am not referring to who the starting rotation will be for the cutthroat five-game ALDS series; or whether catcher Russell Martin will start all postseason games. What worries me is the timing.

Looking back at last season, the Yankees secured the Wild Card on September 27th, with five games left to play; and it took all of those games to decide the AL East division winner.

In the end the Tampa Bay Rays finished a game up on the Yankees. The fight for the AL East went to the last out of the regular season, which didn’t allow either team time to breathe before being thrown into the playoffs on October 6th.

The Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS without even a hitch and the idea of repeating as champs, or at least another meeting with the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series started to seem inevitable.

The ALDS wrapped up on October 9th with a sweep of the Minnesota Twins and the Yankees were rolling right along. That perfect momentum that any athlete will tell you plays a huge reason was brought to a screeching halt. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Postseason Deja Vu’ »

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New York Yankees Rumors: Go To Starbucks And CC Sabathia To The Phillies

Posted by on 28 June 2011, 9:38 pm

Every afternoon, I hit up Starbucks for my midday coffee fix and today was no different.

As I waited for my triple-skim-grande-wet cappuccino with an extra shot, the part time manager was behind the machines and he happens to be a huge Seattle Mariners fan, as well as a stats guru.

Having our normal banter, I told him how good young ace Michael Pineda looked and was surprised that he had no innings limit for the rest of 2011.

Also, I said that in if Seattle could trade for a legit, big bat they could win the AL West. He agreed completely, but was happy that I took notice.

As he handed me my drink, we are going back and forth about pitching, he remark about how stellar CC Sabathia has been. I concurred, and went on to ramble about how lucky the Yankees were to have Sabathia.

That is until I heard this angry voice behind me say, “Sabathia is not a good pitcher, not even close.”

In complete shock I spun around to see a larger woman glaring at me with a Philadelphia Phillies lanyard around her neck.

Rarely am I ever at a loss for words, but in this instance I froze. The woman didn’t stop, as she continued on her crusade.

“Sabathia stinks in the Post Season, like he did in 2009. He is not good at all.”

My shock quickly turned to anger, “Do you not remember 2009??? FYI.. Your Phillies are not the ones with the World Series rings.”

Not responding to my question, this Philly fan went on a tangent, “Sabathia is gone after this year anyway because he is going to become a free agent and go elsewhere. He wants to leave too for more money.” Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Rumors: Go To Starbucks And CC Sabathia To The Phillies’ »

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The New York Yankees Are Not That Old

Posted by on 16 May 2011, 3:44 pm

It has not been a fun home stand in the Bronx for the New York Yankees, as the Boston Red Sox swept them and makes that a five ‘L’s’ in a row for the stumbling Bombers.

This happens every season, but the sting stays consistent as fans wonder if this might never end, but it will.

Add the Jorge Posada drama that was just sad, selfish but certainly very human as we can all relate to his situation in some sense.

Everyone from ESPN to the NY Post to the Boston Globe has turned on the Yankees already, capitalizing off a team and stirring up chaos for their own benefit.

The reference that is becoming a broken record is the age of the Yankee players and the toll it is taking on the team. I get that age as a professional athlete does take its toll but the media is acting like the Stadium is a nursing home and the player are in depends getting rolled onto the field.

So, I made a short list of the in-field players of the Yankees, Red Sox and the Phillies because they also make up each team’s daily batting line-ups.

I didn’t include pitching because Mariano Rivera defies all odds and older pitchers can still be effective. All around the majors pitching is dominating hitting so it just makes sense.

Shockingly the Yankees have lowest average age of the three power line-ups, not by much but you would never know it from the way they are portrayed.

Recall when Cliff Lee said he signed with the Phillies because the Yankees were getting too old, but obviously he must have failed math class.

What really got my blood boiling was one particular article, written by Michael Silverman of the Boston Globe, called Yankees: Start to finished.  Mr. Silverman is making big proclamations and he portrayed the Yankees in such a demeaning way that I can’t tell if he is delusional or scared.

Mr. Silverman pitching stats are outdated as the Rays took a beating from the Orioles 9-3, so how relevant can his opinion really be.

Opinions please???

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Start-To-May Giveaway: A Philadelphia Phillies Fan Wins $50

Posted by on 4 May 2011, 12:23 am

Lady Loves Pinstripes hosted a Start-To-May Giveaway, where the two winners (picked at random) each receive a $50.00 gift card (2x$25) to MLB.com Shop, the Official Shop Of Major League Baseball.

Our first winner is a Philadelphia Phillies fan named Ted, who is a reader of Lady Loves Pinstripes.

I hope to hear from the second winner, who has until Wednesday May 4th to reply or someone else will be picked. Thank you and look for the next Lady Loves Pinstripes Giveaway…. Summer Is Here to be announced in about two weeks. Prizes TBA, but it will be BIGGEST yet (especially for Yankees or Mets fans).

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