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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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New York Yankees: Can you not lose to Verlander please

Posted by on 27 April 2012, 4:19 pm

Coming home after losing the last two games of a road trip is never a good feeling.

Justin Verlander

Returning to face the 2011 MVP and CY Young award winner Justin Verlander makes that losing feeling never go away.

That is the New York Yankees reality today, as they finished their road trip 3-3 and now have to host the Detroit Tigers for a three game set.

You would think that facing Verlander was enough, but Yankee fans will now get to relive the 2011 ALDS Game 5 because Ivan Nova will take the hill for New York.

Any Yankees fan that watched the Tigers eliminate the Yankees last October remembers the game like it was yesterday.

I was there that night at Yankee Stadium, just like I will be there tonight; in the same seats, with the same hope but this time I expect a different ending.

The odds are certainly in Verlander’s favor; as he has held the active Yankee hitters to a .193 average, with 64 strikeouts in 223 at-bats.

The Captain is the only Yankee who has had some success against Verlander, as he has a .364 batting average against him, with 12 hits and four walks but no RBIs. That is because there was no Yankee on base to drive in; nor was any Yankee able to drive him in. So, the Captain became another LOB stat instead.

Personally, I cannot stomach, watching the Tigers closer Valverde do his celebration dance on the mound again, and I am sure the Yankees feel the same.

The Yankees did beat Verlander and his Tigers, 6-3 on Opening Day last season but having CC Sabathia on the hill that afternoon was certainly a huge help.

So, the Yankees will have to be as close to perfect as possible and I believe that they can.

PREDICTION: YANKEES BEAT TIGERS 5-3. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Can you not lose to Verlander please’ »

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New York Yankees: Detroit Tiger-ees Want To Win Now Too

Posted by on 25 January 2012, 9:02 am
Prince Fielder This image was moved from File:...

Image via Wikipedia

Guess another team, the Detroit Tigers, finally got the memo, since Prince Fielder will be waving goodbye to the Brew Crew as the slugger is heading to the Motor City.

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported agent Scott Boras got the Tigers to agree to a nine-year, $214 million contract for Prince’s talents.

Once the news broke that catcher/DH Victor Martinez would be out for all of 2012 after tearing his ACL in a pre-season workout, the Tigers had to go big to stay relevant in the AL.

And answering with Prince Fielder certainly does just that.

Actually, I was a tad stunned that Detroit made such a Yankee-esque move to fix things. The Tigers now join a handful of teams that have started recklessly spending money and handing out monster contracts, just like the Yankees have done for years.

YOU’RE WELCOME TIGERS:

In my opinion, it is about darn time that MLB owners started spending some dough because win or lose, it sends a clear message that they are invested in winning.

New York fans understand this concept because the Yankees wrote this memo and it went out a long time ago.

This remains very much today, as clear from Hal Steinbrenner’s press release after the Yankees early 2011 ALDS exit:

“I personally share in our fans’ disappointment that this season has ended without a championship. That is, and always will be, our singular goal every season. I assure you that this disappointment will strengthen our resolve to field a team in 2012 that can bring a 28th championship to the Bronx. That work starts now.”

This offseason, the Yankees were slow out of the gate but in the end the Boss’s son remained true to what his father always promised.

As what could comfort a fan-base more than to know the owners will go above and beyond to put the best possible team on the field everyday with only one goal, to win.

TIGERS IN 2012: Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Detroit Tiger-ees Want To Win Now Too’ »

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New York Yankees: Granderson, Cano, CC, Tex, Houdini All On MVP List

Posted by on 21 November 2011, 11:38 pm
Justin Verlander

2011 MVP Winner..Justin Verlander Image via Wikipedia

Much to my dismay (click HERE to read why) , I obviously still extend my sincerest of CONGRATULATIONS to Detroit Tiger ace, and

recent CY Young receipt Justin Verlander for being named the 2011 Most-Valuable-Player.

There was no question that Verlander was the best pitcher across baseball this past season. Verlander finished the regular season 24-5 in 34 starts. He also boosted a 2.40 ERA, had four complete games and two shutouts during the 251 innings he pitched. Verlander gave up 67 earned runs, 24 home-runs, and 57 walks but managed to strike out a whooping out 250 batters of the 969 he faced. That explains why Verlander held opposing hitters to a .192 average and 283 total bases.

Not since Oakland Athletics Dennis Eckersley was named 1992 MVP has baseball given its most coveted award to a pitcher. Eckersley was just the 23rd pitcher in baseball history to win the MVP; and now after a 19 year drought, Verlander becomes #24.

The New York Yankees were represented with five players making the MVP final voting list: Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Granderson, Cano, CC, Tex, Houdini All On MVP List’ »

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New York Yankees: MVP To Granderson, Honorable Mention To Verlander

Posted by on 21 November 2011, 4:57 am
Granderson Batting In 2011 ALDS Game 5 Vs. Tigers

2011 ALDS Game 5.

With the announcement of the 2011 AL MVP Award just hours away, the endless debate still continues about who is the rightful winner.

The  reason for all the hoopla is that Detroit Tiger, and recent crowned CY Young winner Justin Verlander has a good chance of taking the coveted annual award home later today.

So, everyone from baseball experts, MLB Players, and fans are weighing in with their own answer/opinion about pitchers winning the MVP Award over positon players…is it fair or not to give it to Verlander?

At this point, I have read a million answers from both sides of this argument, which at times have made me indecisive about my opinion in the matter.

Than after milling over pages and pages of stats and articles, here is why Justin Verlander is not the 2011 AL MVP and how New York Yankees Curtis Granderson is:

1999 Pedro Martinez vs. 2011 Justin Verlander

In 1999, Boston Red Sox’s ace Pedro Martinez was named the CY Young Award winner, just like Verlander was for this past season.

Both finished the regular season with impressive records, with Martinez going 23-4 in 29 starts; and Verlander going 24-5 in 34 starts.

The fact is the aces did not have comparable wins-losses; Martinez had an edge over Verlander due to making five less starts in 1999.

That is just one example of how Martinez edged out Verlander.

Now look at the two tables below to see that Martinez had a better 1999 season almost across the board in comparison to Verlander’s 2011:

All stats are courtesy of baseballreference.com

Martinez did not win the AL MVP in 1999; he came in second place behind Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: MVP To Granderson, Honorable Mention To Verlander’ »

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New York Yankees: In Defense Of A-rod Part Deux

Posted by on 22 October 2011, 3:33 am
Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees at Amer...

Image via Wikipedia

October 6, 2011 – It was the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Yankee stadium scoreboard read 3-2. With two out already posted, the fate of the season lied in the bat of baseball’s richest, three-time MVP New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez.

That was the calm before the storm in Game 5 of the ALDS, as Detroit Tigers Jose Valverde went on to strikeout A-rod, as Yankee fans couldn’t even muster the strength to boo.

That was the second time A-rod struck out in key spots that Thursday night, as well as the second season he would shoulder the majority of the blame for the Yankees early October exit.

If I were A-rod, I would have tried to run out the side door and avoid the counterattack that was about to in the Yankees clubhouse. Instead A-rod faced the media head-on and made no excuses:

“When you have opportunities like that, we talk about keeping momentum going, even if it’s a sac fly to at least get one run in there,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t get the job done.”

He went on to say:

“It’s devastating. This is going to hurt for a long time. This one stings, especially at home.”

Now, fast-forward to the top of the ninth in Game 2 of the 2011 World Series.

With no outs, the Cardinals were trying to hold a one-run lead, until Texas Rangers Elvis Andrus hit a line drive into center-field.

The single moved teammate Ian Kinsler from second to third-base, and just as Andrus was about to comfortable on first base, the unthinkable happened.

Cardinals fist baseman, Albert Pujols missed a textbook cut-off throw from the centerfield, and Andrus took off to second base, now leaving the Rangers with two runners in scoring position. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: In Defense Of A-rod Part Deux’ »

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New York Yankees: Alex Rodriguez, Josh Hamilton, Excuses And Excuses

Posted by on 21 October 2011, 2:14 am

Sure you are well aware that the New York Yankees are not playing in the 2011 World Series, as the team lost to the Detroit Tigers

Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers Cropped

Image via Wikipedia

in the ALDS.

The Texas Rangers are playing for the franchise’s first WS Championship, for the second season in a row.

It is no secret that the Yankees don’t get any favors from anybody; even the most loyal of New York fans are pissed if the Bombers are anything but perfect. It is kind of ironic when the Yankees are baseball’s saving grace in terms of popularity, because even the haters can’t get enough.

So it came as no surprise when the Yankees lost that tragic ALDS Game 5 in the Bronx that everyone blamed Alex Rodriguez. A-rod did miss opportunities at the plate, but so did his teammates and why is it not about the Tigers winning?

So, why did no one care that the guy was playing hurt?

Oh right…. because no one can get over A-rod’s paycheck. Unlike other players, A-rod can wrap his wounds in $100 bills so how they cannot hurt that much.

Ok, I get it…. A-rod is public enemy #1, and he plays for sport’s most evil empire, but what really bugs me is that other players don’t get the same treatment.

One example is Rangers Josh Hamilton.

Hamilton has made immense mistakes throughout his career, and to say he was a drug addict is putting it politely.

Hamilton’s compulsions were so bad that the Rangers have a ‘special assignment coach’ on staff whose only job is to watch Hamilton. This job includes sharing adjoining hotel rooms on the road, eating every meal together, has to hold Hamilton’s wallet and never allowing Hamilton to be alone for more than a few minutes.

Without a doubt Hamilton has made an admirable recovery, but it is a tad scary that Texas has a babysitter on their payroll. Guess the Rangers know they need Hamilton to win and they cannot afford to take any chances with their best player.

Hamilton was probably the second most scouted prospect coming out of high school, the first being A-rod. Both men have baseball running in their veins, because they ooze exceptional talent. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Alex Rodriguez, Josh Hamilton, Excuses And Excuses’ »

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