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New York Yankees vs. Cliff Lee

Posted by on 28 June 2010, 3:14 pm

Personally witnessing Cliff Lee manhandle the New York Yankees in two different uniforms, at both Yankee Stadiums was far from fun. All I can say is Cliff Lee is that good.

Our first time in 2008 was like a blind date, as Lee wore a Cleveland Indian uniform back than and I was just going to see a regular season game. The Yankees made contact with the ball three times.

The next time was Game One of the 2009 World Series. Lee was a Philadelphia Phillies, but he dictated the entire game and left Yankees in awe once again.

The impression Cliff Lee has made on me is that he is the best pitcher in baseball.

Not Halladay, Sabathia, Santana, The Freak, Johnson Greinke, or Jimenez, it’s Lee any-day of the week, no matter the uniform.

Why?

In 2010 Lee has faced 336 batters, struck-out 76 and given up just three home-runs. His strikeout to walk ratio is a remarkable 19:1. Understand that only one other pitcher in the history of baseball, Brett Saberhagen ended the season in double digits back in 1901. Lee is well on his way to being the second pitcher to hold that record.

Lee leads the AL in complete games with four, has a 2.39 ERA. Lee has not walked a single batter in his last four starts and has only walked four this entire season.

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Do You Remember 2007 When Joe Torre Was Our Hero

Posted by on 24 June 2010, 9:08 pm

It felt like a heat wave in New York City on that October 8th night, back in 2007.

Fans were funneling into Yankee Stadium extra early for Game 4 of the ALDS.

The prior evening, I had watched my Yankees pull out a win to avoid getting swept.

Which, was all thanks to a home run hit by Johnny Damon in the seventh inning. I remember how I jumped on my stadium seat as my Yankees dreams of the post-season were not over yet.

Now, the Cleveland Indians were up 2-1 over the New York Yankees. Losing meant the season would end, but there was a lot more on the line that year for the Yankees.

Fans were just as aware as the players, but no one wanted to believe it. It broke my heart to think of being in the Bronx without Joe Torre, as he had become such an figure and was a father to an entire city.

In my life, I have never been to a baseball game with such tense and ardent fans, which made it difficult to imagine how the players were handling it.

By the end of the seventh inning, the Yankees chances were bleak. The Yankees were playing as hard as they could, but the Indians were the better team and the fans knew it.

As the eighth inning began, low chants of “JOE TORRE, JOE TORRE, JOE TORRE, JOE….” were becoming louder every moment, as fans started to rise and join in like a slow, chaotic wave that took over Yankee Stadium.

It continued well after the last pitch because the team’s loss was incomparable to losing our skipper. For 12 years, Joe Torre leads the Yankees to four World Series titles, six AL Pennants, and a record of 1173-767 in games. More than all the baseball accomplishments, Torre was admired by Yankees fans for his everyday demeanor and were so proud to call him our leader.

As I dried my tears and exited the Stadium, it was hard to let go of never seeing Mr. Torre in pinstripes again. That is why I bought a photo from a stadium vendor of Torre with Mariano Rivera. Early the next morning I had my ticket and the image professionally framed, so I would never have to forget it.

No one knew this would be the last post-season ever played in the Old Yankees Stadium that night, as well. Crazy.The days right after October 8th were filled with Yankees fans fighting for Torre. To describe it as an uproar would be an understatement, as protests, newspaper ads and innumerable letters sent to the Boss all pleading to keep Torre here forever.

Now it is 2010, and numerous adverse events have come between my feelings about Joe Torre. Sadly, it eventually led me to taking down my Joe Torre collage from my wall. Continue reading ‘Do You Remember 2007 When Joe Torre Was Our Hero’ »

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Top Two Yankees Mistakes Matsui And Now Jackson

Posted by on 3 June 2010, 2:19 am

First off, I would like to make it clear that I love Curtis Granderson and am overjoyed he is a New York Yankee.

I just wish Austin Jackson was not the price paid for anyone. Understand I have been waiting to see this kid since the 2007 draft.

All the talk about Jackson made him out to be the Yankees gem in the center field. Most claimed he resembled a young Willie Mays, which made fans drool.

An all-around athlete, Jackson could have undoubtedly played professional basketball too. Once he heard the interest was the New York Yankees Jackson picked baseball without question. Who could have turned that down?

Yankee fans waited patiently for Jackson to go through the Minor League system, but could not wait to see this remarkable kid in the Bronx, in 2010.

Well that day never happened, and now probably never will because Jackson was traded to the Detroit Tiger’s in the off-season.

It was surprising because Jackson got plenty of offers from other teams, and the Yankees would not budge. Jackson seemed to be the Yankees home grown pride and that it was only a matter of time before he would be in pinstripes.

Jackson has been phenomenal as the leadoff hitter for the Tigers, and his performance in center field has been superb. Jackson was the natural choice to win April Rookie AL Player of the Month, a huge honor for him. Continue reading ‘Top Two Yankees Mistakes Matsui And Now Jackson’ »

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Can Joba Rule Without Having Any?

Posted by on 4 February 2010, 12:22 pm

Days before the Superbowl, always a slow time for the baseball world, as players enjoy their last days before Spring Training.

With an opening in the fifth starter role, debates about this decision are in full swing.

Surprisingly, one Yankee will arrive in Tampa in just a week. His goal is to bind all the work he put in since winning the World Series, determined to prove himself once and for all.

Joba Chamberlain traded in DWI and strip bar brawls, for a daily exercise regimen in preparation for the battle. Joba name has not been a headline since World Series; his virtual silence giving goose bumps to Yankee Universe theory of the choice of what could happen.

The only certainty is Joba went to New Jersey to throw and talk baseball with teammate CC Sabathia.

Joba knows that Phil Hughes worked out all previous off-season, and it showed. Hughes switch to the bullpen was a pivotal role in changing the 2009 season’s attitude to winning.

Hughes confidence and grace had matured; along with his body noticeably fuller. Hughes has a usual demeanor seemingly more right to work seven plus innings.

My mind has never wavered from Joba to Mo and Hughes as a starter, until now.

Listening and reading Joba’s campaign is opening me up to see what he is capable of doing. Joba loves trouble, as clear since the infamous ‘Bug Game‘ against the Indians in Game 2 of the 2007 playoffs.

What a relief not to have to hear about the ‘Joba Rules’ that no one was perfectly clear on, including Joba which obviously affected him. No rules, no innings or frequency counts, no-fault excuses anymore for Chamberlain opening the door for a decision to be made.

The truth is both these young guys could be starters, but reality has to be faced. Mariano Rivera is almost 41 and the Yankees coming closer needs to have a period setting up for Mo. The two top candidates are these two players. It is only reasonable not jeopardizing the futures of two promising players.

Thoughts of a Yankee team without Mariano makes Yankees Universe shake too much that avoidance or denial makes sense. Mo’s time left remains unknown, but it is not much.

Playing musical chairs with Joba and Hughes for another term would be wasting it, instead of embracing it.

“The first rule is not to lose. The second rule is not to forget the first rule.” – Warren Buffet

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Everyone Knows That Joba Should Close

Posted by on 2 October 2009, 3:40 am

The Yankees are almost finished wrapping up a tremendously successful regular season.

Cashman and Girardi were baseball Einstein’s. Problems that arouse got fixed. And any looming questions from last season were obviously thought out by acquiring the players to fill holes in the roaster.

Girardi’s ‘outside the box’ thinking was just the refreshing change needed as evident by the downward spiral unraveling over the past few seasons. Must be very inspirational for the players to see the manager have such work ethic; it is a characteristic that legendary leader (coaches, managers etc) are made of.

The players look up to him and trust that what he asks of them is for the best of the team. Even failures individually are taken as a team. Girardi is clearly someone who the team respects as an equal and also as a friend.

The Skipper’s most successful change was flip-flopping Derek Jeter to leadoff and Johnny Damon in the #2 spot. Smart thinking for three reasons:

1. Brett Garner hitting at the bottom that splits two lefty bats.
2. Damon’s power in the two slot sets up for Texieria.
3. Captain Clutch is not his nickname for nothing besides his OBP being just higher than Damon’s.

Girardi decision worked out great.

As Jeter is having a season, which could be his most valuable, and Damon is maintaining his power bat by pounding homers make it official.

Now the question that has been a huge focus of baseball this season is still unanswered.

How to use Joba Chamberlain to be productive?

Unfortunately, for Joba it could not get worse. The blame in the end falls on his shoulders, which for a 23 year old that is a heavy weight.

Who gets the blame?

Not Joba, he was just doing as he was told. The gleams of hope due to one out-of-this-world performance made relentless efforts just become confusing.

All Yankee players know when their performance has hit a low point because the fans chime in. And at the stadium the fans were booing Joba as if he were the new Kyle Farnsworth of the team.

Safe to say that the infamous ‘Joba Rules’ caused a media guessing game and the debated still dominate the sports world.

Clearly Joba’s natural talents balance rarified air. The Yanks did not want to cave and put Joba in the bullpen. Hughes got tossed in the middle and he was nothing short of perfect.

Thus far, Hughes’s all around development is much more lucrative of a starter than Joba. Mentally and physically Hughes has matured and looks like a different player.

Surely the Yankees have to absorb some of the blame, if not all. Hughes was never treated with kid gloves but tossing him in the bullpen was because there was no other choice to keep him up on the major league level.

Hughes new position was the main reason for the team’s success but imagine if Joba had that success as a starter?

No point in daydreaming because the nightmare is making me not want to fall back to sleep.

Now everyone is asking is Joba can handle going to the bullpen?

Yes he can. More Crucially this might be the boost this special kid as a reminder of what he is capable of.

Joba thrives off the pressure of the environment, which has been on display since the last Yankee playoffs against the Indians.

The kid has the fierceness of closer. Hughes has the grace and poise of a starter. Hughes is confident which stems from not being paid attention too like his buddy. Figuring out how to get out of messy situations are so valuable, as you learn by experience. Hughes got left out there to hang what his arm dealt out and he is better for it.

Joba should go to the pen and not ever come back out. The knowledge that Mariano can give him next season is invaluable. Rivera as a mentor to Joba is crucial. Mo knows that he is human who makes mistakes and is calm around the hype. Joba is the hype and needs to learn otherwise or it could be detrimental to his future.

Surprising hard to find a fault the team with the best record in baseball and I hope the MVP too.

The reality of the situation is that Joba should go in the bullpen, permanently.

Imagine, could Joba be the crucial key on the road to a championship? Hughes was to the regular season so don’t count Joba out just yet.

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Hey Yankees…You Can Blame It On The Rain!

Posted by on 22 June 2009, 3:50 am

 

I thought the motto of ‘win series’ was going pretty well but have the tides turned on the second place NY Yankees. My Yanks lost a second series in a row to the Florida Marlins, who took two of the three games over the weekend.
I live in Manhattan, where it has been raining so much I think the sun might blind me when it does come out again, I am in a down state. Everyone else here is sick of this weather as well.

So when the Yankees were in first (no I swear for about two weeks the team was ahead of Boston…LOL!) it made the rain sort of tolerable. Since the return of the last Boston massacre in B-town the rain has been non-stop.

I am not counting the fact that the Yankees have been away from the Bronx and still lost. How can I declare this rule? Only because all of us, your fans, were still soaking wet still and so doesn’t count (got that motto from friend). In my head I will take the song line from one of my favorites and “Blame It On The Rain”!!

Now I give you my personal observations of this downward coil created by my Yankees. I want the sun to shine on our marvelous city again.

What did I learn watching the Bombers against the Florida Marlins in another inter-league series?

Arod was given a TO (aka. a time-out) to rest as something is just not clicking for him right now. He has played in every game since returning from his hit surgery. I will not excuse any player (except of your last name is Jeter) for poor performance but in this situation with Arod’s case is legitimate. Alex came back from a serious hip surgery and he came back from it rather quickly. Continue reading ‘Hey Yankees…You Can Blame It On The Rain!’ »

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Is Kim Jones a Yankees Fan???

Posted by on 31 May 2009, 2:53 am

As I was watching the tonight’s game (another nice win!!) I had a flashback from the playoffs in the 2007 season.

Envision this…the Yankees against the Indians in Cleveland, as they were the wild card team. It was right before the start of game one or two. My Yanks lost both games so what’s the real difference except game two was the infamous bug game where Joba looked like he had just come out of a swamp as a zombie. (Now that I think of it that is the one time Joba needed to be pulled out of the game as he was to young to know to do….sorry I am a retarded scatter brain) Point being it was during the pre-game warm ups, minutes before the first pitch; YES Network‘s pre and post game interviewer Kim Jones was getting ready for her little face to face pre-game with out captain. I am sure it is a highlight for all the lucky players who get to chit-chat with Ms. Jones.

Now I am on record that my recollection of this particular interview is not exactly how it played out with the actually statements made in the quick interview so I will just cut to the chase. Kim basically rattled off to Jeter his post season stats and how he has the best of this stat ever in baseball….blah, blah, blah. After she was done informing Jeter of his own stats that he definitely had not clue about she asked if he could live up to that and is that pressuring. Jeter looked at her like she was high and said well thanks for just jinxing me before a playoff game.
This is not the first time in which YES’s own employee, aka. Kim Jones has had Yankees players give her that look of “Did she seriously just ask me that?” And the word ‘jinx’ would be almost always be included in the player response. You would think that a person would have gotten the hint by now and I would presume with Ms. Jones job you would have to know sports and know them well.
My question and concern is that she doesn’t at all. Athletes are very superstitious as anyone would be if winning was at stake. I am not insinuating that voodoo and cult like craziness to the point of ridiculous is happening in the locker room at all.
But come on…nobody wants to be jinxed!!! And isn’t Ms. Jones getting her paycheck from the same bankroll the players are?? One would think as they all work for the some company!!
Tonight after another Yankee win and being in first place, barely. I think the world knows, as do the Yankees that have not even began to be in any place to think they got it in the bag, not at all, not even close. So why does Ms. Jones continually jinx not only Jeter with the error free streak comment but immediately after him Arod was her next victim!! Continue reading ‘Is Kim Jones a Yankees Fan???’ »

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