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Brian Cashman’s Off-Season Checklist

Well, the Yankees have definitely made some changes to their roaster. The team that less than two months ago won the World Series. For Yankee fans the emotions are running high in all directions. Do you change something that works? More importantly wins? What trades do you think were smart? Is Cashman a genius or lost his mind? The questions of what’s been done can and will demand the answers. The only place that will be is on the field when the 2010 season kicks off. As fans, we wear are hearts on our selves. For whatever reason each of us finds a special player who’s jerseys we wear, who we cheer extra hard for and whom we go through the ups and downs right by their side. This makes it so bitter-sweet when the next time you meet-up with them, no longer are they wearing the same teams jersey with you. It also makes it letting go of the blame and anger when there has been no real goodbye. Brain Cashman, like any General Manager of a sports team gets the weight of the fans on their shoulders, because it was a decision made without any impute from us. That’s what makes pro-sports so hard to swallow sometimes, forgetting it is a business.

From a fan’s view here are my thoughts thus far……

A Grand Man For The Yankee Fan

At first I was skeptical of this immediate move. All the talk the past few seasons has been about one home-grown kid, the pride of the Yankee farm system. It gets exciting, like a kid on Christmas trying with as much patient as possible not to open this gift to early. That young talent was Austin Jackson. What could possibly occur to have him traded before his debut in the Majors is beyond confusing. The immediate blame-game on Cashman was inevitable but boring. So the digging of Curtis Granderson began. Instead of the proof of how big a mistake Cashman made, the complete opposite happened. Curtis Granderson is a great player and even more-so a great person. Cashman did good here and liking Granderson is getting pretty east. The more I find, the more I like him. Every article, blog or YouTube video on our new CF is nothing short of excellent. Austin Jackson is the only person who can take this deals positives and make the Yankees regret it. Completely excited to have Granderson’s not only as a player but looking forward to getting to know Curtis the person.

Last Name: Johnson, Again?

Sounding familiar, yet? Remember the last player who had the last name Johnson that came to the Yankees? Randy Johnson‘s time in New York was disastrous and for some reason the new Johnson is giving me the same bad taste in my mouth again. Replacing Matsui is an impossible feat as both a player and a person. Yankees seem to think Matsui’s knees are to far gone to only decline from here on. Did Cashman get the wrong report on Johnson? Johnson is more injury prone than a porcelain doll. Other than his OBP, the rest of his stats are not that great. And if he can’t play, he is useless anyway. So how is this an upgrade? It’s not even a solid replacement at $5.5 million dollars. Just to think that Matsui is making just $1 million more makes no sense and Cashman can kick his own &s% for this one. When the thrilla hit by Godzilla is not in pinstripes next season, it will hurt trust that fact.

Melk Me Dry?

GOT MELK? was becoming a household term in New York. This picture made famous because of a play by Melky Cabrera. Melky is the young center fielder, on the left. The past three seasons Melky has been the Yankees center fielder. When Brett Garner took his job last season, Melky made sure that tenure was short by producing game winning hits and sensational catches in the outfield. Was Melky dynamic, sometimes but more importantly those sometimes were clutch times. His throwing arm was outstanding in comparison to the men on either side of him. Melky was young, worked hard and it felt like he had found a home in the Bronx. Now the Atlanta Braves got Melk and the Yankees acquire a familiar face, starting pitcher Javier Vazquez. Vazquez is 33 years old, can pitch lights out but he can pitch as if the lights were off as well. Didn’t Cashman emphasis the idea of the Yankees getting younger? Along with Melky, the Braves also got two good young, Yankee prospects in the deal. Hope are farm system is as deep as we think because Cashman is parting with the youngsters like he parts with money in seasons past. Deep pockets, deep farm system seems to good to be true but keep in mind these are the New York Yankees.

When Winning MVP In The Word Series Still Isn’t Enough?

It hurts. I cannot deny that my emotions have taken over any rational explanation for letting Hideki Matsui elsewhere. Matsui now joins former Yankee, Bobby Abreau in Los Angels as an Angel. The Yankees lost one of the utmost professional, talented, humble man, who just happens to have super-star athletic talent. Not only has Matsui’s life on the Yankees been an absolute honor, but Matsui is a role model for baseball, for sports, for players; but most importantly for our future. Kids worldwide gain by watching athletes like Matsui’s, not for how they win but for how they lose. I have now learned why his departure from home was so celebrated by his fans. Matsui is an icon in Japan, and now in the United States as well. In our hearts we owe the people of Japan an immense thank you because it was an absolute honor to have Hideki Matsui on the New York Yankees. The Angels did not just get a DH, they got a Godzilla.

Joe Girardi’s Secrets: How The Yanks Took A Halladay

The Rogers Centre was at full capacity tonight up in Toronto. The fans looking relieved, confirming it was just a nightmare, as Roy Halladay, the best pitcher in baseball, walked onto the Blue Jays mound once again. Toronto’s ace looked like a goner before the trade deadline but the cost for Roy’s arm was just to high a price, even for the Yankees.

Halladay is so dynamite that if any opposing team’s starter has got to be basically perfect. It is inevitable that hitters will not be able to produce against Halladay, so in preparing for a game like tonight’s the idea of how to win has got to be under this assumption.

And that is exactly why Joe Girardi is such levelheaded manager. Not afraid to humbly admitted that the Yanks had to give it everything and anything to beat this individual ace.

It is refreshing that Girardi tells it like it is no. No matter who the player, the treatment has now consistently been shown to be equal. Not one guy gets treated any differently, which is a huge part of the comradeship that has formed.

The definition of “team” is what Girardi has accomplished in his last season and a half. That is no small feet with the amount of all-stars with huge paychecks the Yanks have. Then having to fill a hero’s shoes in Torre, only to have that same man he once called his skipper sell the team out for all to read about didn’t make the new Joe’s job any easier.

Girardi is now in sync with the players and it has shown in the determination to win over and over again. Beating Halladay was just another full blown example of what is happening and Girardi is responsible for the team’s success.

Along with our skipper, the players are so proud of their team to let that go.

This was seen tonight but the outstanding job done by Andy Petite who pitched seven plus solid innings. Commanding the plate with his cutter, Petite struck out Alex Rios for his sixth strike out and that was in the bottom of the seventh. Continue reading ‘Joe Girardi’s Secrets: How The Yanks Took A Halladay’ »

Got Melk? The Yankees Finally Got The Message

Got Melk?

The Yankees sure can’t get enough of it! ‘It’ being the young, out-fielder in Melky Cabrera this season.

Today in a much-needed win by the Yanks, 24-year-old Melky hit for a cycle which has not been done in the organization since Tony Fernandez in 1995 and the 15th time in the history entirely. In a sense a cycle is the hitter’s equivalent to a pitcher having a no-hitter. For all who don’t know, a cycle is when a player hits a single, a double, a triple and a home-run all in the same game. It is a great accomplishment for any hitters resume.

That is just the icing on the cake for the switch hitting Cabrera. He has been a clutch hitter in-game deciding situations all season for the Yankees. This was a kid that almost was traded and lucky this guy stayed in pinstripes as here are what he has done for the team thus far:

  • Game deciding hits on April 22, May 15, May 23, and on June 4 caused Chris Berman referring to him as “Melky Way” Cabrera. John Sterling now has cemented the phrase “The Melk Man delivers” as a regular phrase as he has been so clutch for the Yanks enough times.
  • Melky is a switch hitter that has 10 homers, 40 RBI’s and his OBP is .355. His batting average is .292…hitting .303 from the left and .286 on the right.
  • Cabrera’s consistent, hero-like play earned him The Pepsi Clutch Player of the Month for May; fans voted all across the nation for the winner. The Melk-man had to beat out some strong competition: Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Rays, Roy Holliday of the Toronto Blue Jays, Torii Hunter of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins and Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.
  • Hitting a cycle today is a great accomplishment that will cement Cabrera in the history books forever. WOW is all that can be said. Other Yanks Bobby Murcer, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig are a few names of other Yankees to have made this same success.

Melky success has been an asset to the Yankees this season and it seems that it sparks things for the team when their down.

Cabrera is not alone as the rest of the team plays as well and that was clearly seen today in the fight. Other than the for a needed win to avoid being swept, with Boston winning in a blow-out game of hits a loss would have cost the Yanks their first place lead.

Burnett and Sabathia have struggled their last starts but the bats finally lifted CC today. These are the Yankees that are in first place, not the ones from the three losses before.

Joba is looking like a different pitcher so maybe his dad brought him back down to reality. Someone let him into the fact of where his career was heading cause Joba has the ability to be extraordinary.

Hopefully the team will get back on track with the win today. The first two games lost to Chicago were lost on errors which is frustrating to watch as a fan, so I am sire the players were kicking themselves after the game.

With Boston on the recharged this will be a fight to the end and the better team will win. I will stick to what I have said all season, that Tampa Bay will be in this race again.

The Yankees were sent a pretty clear message. That is……don’t get too comfortable in first place in the AL East because Boston and a creeping bunch of Rays are watching. This seems to be more like the theme of the toughest division in baseball.

Yanks got a reminder and it was a comforting to see them respond right away.

Star Light, Star Bright, Here Is My Wish For The Yankees Tonight

Can you believe the mid-point of the baseball season almost upon us made known by the upcoming All-Star break serving as the intermediate point? Well believe it because it’s here….

It is only fair that I can conclude the past of my Yankees first 82 games with the passion of a true fan but being honest where needed. Furthermore I will attempt to reason with any doubters of the future scenarios that could play out ahead in determining if the Bronx Bombers will make the post-season.

I just want to clarify that the future is not a fact yet and there are so many obstacles that are out of the Yankees range regarding other teams performances that could play major impacts all around baseball. With the many injuries that will definitely occur and some break out performances that nobody had even cared to have thought of it is impracticable to anticipate for this reason. I am talking with the Yankees team and what needs to be tried or done to make New York have the best odds of getting back in the place where the Yanks used to be a regular in.

I have written this positive aspect many times already on my blog. The team’s foremost and most crucial improvement displayed by the Yanks is they are finally working as a team. I have witnesses this in every sport that it does not matter how many Lebron James or Tom Brady’s are on a team if there is no “team” and only individuals with big egos their will be no championships. A bunch of scrappers who stand behind any guy they call a teammate no matter what or why but just for that fact alone is crucial and especially in baseball.

The days of the Yankees decade of the 90’s are years back. And regardless of the money spent on star players, this year’s NY Yankee team works together and plays together which is something money cannot buy.

Now the Yankees are cemented as being considered the second biggest threat in the American League to the Boston Red Sox. This might have something to do with it by having to be the comparison of what a championship team looks like being their biggest rivals. Hey it’s sports and regardless of pay checks or past steroid reports as huge distractions these men are athletes. Athletes who are competitive and when everyone has the same desire it becomes a goal, which entails when one guy is struggling, another mate is there to pick him up. This must continue for the Yankees, which can get so tough on any team with the season’s ups and downs. Continue reading ‘Star Light, Star Bright, Here Is My Wish For The Yankees Tonight’ »

Here Come The Yanks!!!

Wow!!! 

Johnny Damon

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

 

I am talking about the first 2 games against the Twins…..just in case you missed out on watching, here are brief updates:

Friday -

  • I was not happy when Damon, who is out best hitter thus far, got ejected in the 3rd inning. The umpire was making crapy calls for the entire at-bat. So,  I was glad Damon got pissed, which is a rare occurrence for him. It was in frustrating to watch and you can’t blame Damon it was 0 outs with 2 men on base and down a run!!
  • Brett Garner (whom I love, love!!) had a walk off homerun in the bottom of the 7th inning which gets everyone pumped up!! That boy is fast!!!
  • A-rod walked for his first at bat in new home; didn’t stop he walked his 3 next at bats…..better then not getting on base so again frustrated!! 4th walk came in the bottom of the 9th with 0 outs and Tex on 1st. I was wishing for an A-bomb!!
  • Bottom of the 9th inning, Twins leading with the game at 4-3…..the Twins decide to walk Robbie Cano cause he has been lethal so far and so up comes Melky Cabrera to the plate. Melky is not n easy out and has been great in pivotal situations but I was a tad nervous watching. I would think that as a player it must piss them off to have the teammate in front of you purposely walked….I would love to shove it in the other teams face!!! And that’s just what Melk-man did when he lined a two-out, bases-loaded single to score a pair of runs!! Amazing…….win No. 18!! Continue reading ‘Here Come The Yanks!!!’ »