That was close. But, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. (I guess it counts in bocce, darts and water-balloon fights too. But, no one ever wants to talk about that, do they?)

After four innings, this one looked ugly. But, the Yankees did make it close after six and a half. And, New York had their chances in the 8th and 9th innings to get the score tied. In the 8th, they had a runner on second with one out and Jeter and Damon failed. In the 9th, they had a runner on second with one out and Cano and Posada failed. So, this is now another loss to the Red Sox this season – and, New York is still stuck on “0″ wins against Boston this year (in seven tries to take one).

Worm Killer Wang, who’s not killing many worms this season, had almost no command. He was followed by Phil Hughes who made a big mistake to Kevin Youkilis. And, there’s your Red Sox offense on the night. Between the two, Wang is the huge issue here for the Yankees – as they cannot keep running him out there like this. At this point, I almost want to say that New York needs to “Roy Halladay” Wang and send him down to the minors, have him work with someone to figure this out. (Too bad Neil Allen is gone – as it’s reported he taught Wang the sinker.)

Do you know what really bothered me about this game? It was Nitwit Swisher. Now, I know that the F.O.N.S. (Fans of Nick Swisher) will come at me with torches and pitchforks for saying this – shouting “Didn’t you see that great catch by Nick in the 7th and didn’t you see that clutch walk of his in the 8th?” But, to me, as bad as Wang was, and as big as the mistake which Hughes made to Youkilis was, and as bad as the Yankees were in clutch spots in this game, it was Nitwit Swisher who cost the Yankees this one. Here’s how:

It’s the top of the second inning. Wang somehow escapes the bottom of the first by only allowing one run. It’s a miracle, but, it’s true. Yanks are only down one-zip as they start their second. Posada leads off with a homer to tie the score. Matsui follows with a double. Swisher, via a double gift by the umpires, reaches on a push bunt. (It’s a double gift because the umps ruled Youkilis’ toe was off the bag – which was very questionable – and because Swisher was not called out for running outside of the runner’s lane on the play.) So, now, with the score tied, no outs, the Yankees have Wakefield on the ropes with runners on first and third. But, then, Nitwit Swisher allows himself to get doubled off first on a semi-hard liner (by Melky Cabrera) to short. It’s a play where even the guys in the YES booth question Swisher because the play was right in front of him. Now, with two outs, Jeter flies out and the frame is over – with the rally killed via Swisher’s bad baserunning. And, Wakefield lives to throw another four innings – instead of maybe getting knocked out of the game.

Next, it’s the bottom of the second inning. Wang is in trouble. After allowing a lead-off single and a double to the next batter, there’s one run in for Boston (who is now up 2-1 in the game) with no outs. Dustin Pedroia is the third batter to face Wang and he hits a fly ball to right field. Nitwit Swisher camps under it, raises his glove, and misses the ball. Michael Kay, in the YES booth, says (about the play) “I know that we’re supposed to explain things here, but, how do you explain that?” The ball bounces into the stands, Pedroia gets a ground-rule double and the runner on second (Kottaras) scores. It’s now three-one, Sox. Wang settles down after that getting Drew on a soft grounder and both Youkilis and Bay on strikes. If Swisher catches that ball, as he should have, the Red Sox do not score that second run in this inning – and that one run was the difference in the game.

Oh, that Nick Swisher, he’s the Caucasian Mel Hall.

Welcome to second place, New York.

Lastly, whomever it was who taught Michael Kay the word “efficacy” should be tarred and feathered. Oh, my stars and garters, he’s beating that one to death.

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For the fun of it, I just looked at the last 100 visitors to this site (in the last 55 minutes) by their location.

(more…)

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Most of the reports that I’ve seen say he’s a pitcher and not a thrower. (Translation: His fastball is in the 89-93 MPH range, most of the time.) And, that, at best, he profiles to be a middle of the rotation guy and not an ace (in the majors). Adam says that he has “modeled his game after Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett.” Let’s hope that means he’s not afraid of pitching in the spotlight and not that he’s a horse’s rear-end in the way that he conducts himself. (Yes, that’s a joke and a jab at Schilling and Beckett. I’m not saying that Warren has diarrhea of the mouth like Red Light and Trailer Park Josh.)

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Via Mark Feinsand –

Hours before they were to do battle with the Red Sox Tuesday night, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez were involved in different type of confrontation, this one inside the Yankees’ clubhouse.

Upset with an accusation made by ESPN’s Rick Sutcliffe two weeks ago, the two players approached the former Cy Young winner to discuss the situation.

Sutcliffe said on the air that A-Rod had been feeding Teixeira verbal signs from the on-deck circle, giving his teammate a heads-up on the catcher’s location before the pitch was delivered. Teixeira and A-Rod pulled Sutcliffe aside when they saw him in the clubhouse last night, expressing their displeasure with his charges.

“Me, Alex and him talked about it,” Teixeira told the Daily News, confirming that the conversation took place. “No doubt it’s disappointing when someone makes an accusation like that. Whatever. I can’t control what they say.”

Teixeira said he has known Sutcliffe “for years,” adding that he’s always considered him to be “a great guy and a great pitcher.” Teixeira wouldn’t comment any further on the tone of the conversation, although he and Rodriguez were clearly upset with Sutcliffe’s words and let the former All-Star know it. Sutcliffe will be part of ESPN’s broadcast team for tonight’s game.

“You can ask him about it,” Teixeira said.

Hey, am I missing something here? At any time did Teixeira and/or A-Rod say that this did not happen in Texas? Or, are they just mad that Sutcliffe told the story?

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Tomorrow, June 11, 2009, will be the 3,150th day since the Yankees beat the Mets to win the 2000 World Series.

Boy, eight years and seven and a half months flies when you’re having fun, huh?

So, here’s a fun exercise for today, a day advance of this 3,150 day anniversary, to try and take our Yankees minds off of the game with the Red Sox last night.

For you, what’s been your happiest moment as a Yankees fan in the last 3,149 days? Was it the Martinez or Brosius homers in the 2001 World Series? Was it the Boone homer in the 2003 ALCS? Was it the trade to get A-Rod? Was it A-Rod winning a MVP? (Heck, was it A-Rod getting busted for PEDs?) Was it Mussina finally winning 20? Was it Jeter diving into the stands after catching a pop-up? Was it the return of Roger Clemens? Was it the exit of Torre? Was it the final game at the old Yankee Stadium? Was it the opening of the new Stadium?

Me? It was probably the Boone homer. That was pure joy – especially since I saw it in person. But, sadly, that was over 2,000 days ago…which is a long time. How about you? If you had to pick your “happiest” moment since the 2000 World Series, what would it be?

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Thanks to David Pinto for pointing this out.

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Welcome to first place, Boston.

And, now, the Yankees have played the Red Sox six times this season – and have yet to beat Boston.

Think about that for a second, New York is 34-24 at this moment. They’re playing .654 against everyone not named the Boston Red Sox and they’re 0-6 against Boston. At some point, they have to beat these guys, right? But, not tonight.

This game? In a word: Ouch.

First, A.J. Burnett centers a fat fastball to David “I’m batting .197 and only have two homers on June 9th” Ortiz and it ends up half-way to the moon for a homerun. And, then, thanks to an A-Rod error, the floodgates open and “the big inning” is reality for the Red Sox. And, that’s all that Josh Beckett needed – as he was stuffing the Yankees bats down their own throats. Really, by the 7th inning, I was just rooting for the Yankees to score a run by that point – just one run – to avoid their first shutout of the season. But, it was not to be…

Well, if anything, this game makes me now feel better about CC Sabathia being a Yankee. Watching Beckett in this game, all could think about was the string of mercenary pitchers that the Red Sox have “bought” through the years…Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling and now Josh Beckett.

Yes, I know that Boston “traded” for Mango Tree, Red Light, and Trailer Park Josh. But, be honest…they were only able to trade for them because their former teams could not afford to keep them. Each time, it was all about Boston being able to pay these guys what they wanted, etc.

So, if it’s O.K. for Boston to buy pitching, then it should be O.K. for the Yankees to buy pitching. I just wish the Yankees “bought” better pitching than guys like Jeff Weaver, José Contreras, a broken down Kevin Brown, Javier Vázquez, Carl Pavano, an old Randy Johnson, Kei Igawa and, at this point, we have to say A.J. Burnett too, no?

Sure, the pies in the face and all that team building stuff is nice. But, including this game, Burnett has made a dozen starts for the Yankees this season and four of them have been terrible – two against Boston, one against Toronto, and one against the Phillies. For what he’s getting paid, you want him to show up against those types of teams, right?

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More on J.R. Murphy via the Bradenton Herald -

This time last year, J.R. Murphy figured his future was set.

He had verbally committed to the University of Miami, which meant everything to a kid who had long dreamed of playing baseball for the Hurricanes.

Besides, he had family in Miami. He liked the players. He liked the coaches.

Now, everything has gone haywire — albeit in a good way.

Born and raised in Bradenton, Murphy has become one of the most highly touted high school baseball players in the country. He just capped his senior season at The Pendleton School at IMG Academies by putting up numbers fit for a PlayStation game: a .627 batting average, 11 home runs, 66 RBIs and 34 extra-base hits in 102 at-bats.

Consequently, Murphy spent the fall and spring playing in front of roughly 20 major-league scouts per game. On Tuesday, he’ll be sitting at home, watching the Major League Baseball 2009 First-Year Player Draft and waiting to hear his name.

Chances are, it’ll be called pretty quickly. Baseball America ranks Murphy as the fifth-best catching prospect in the country, estimating he could go in the supplemental round sandwiched between the draft’s first two rounds. The publication also ranked Murphy’s strike-zone judgment second overall among high school baseball players.

“I never knew there’d be this much hype,” he said. “It’s been pretty exciting.”

The same thing can be said for this past week. Murphy flew to Kansas City to workout with the Royals on Tuesday, worked out for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday at Pirate City and did the same for the New York Yankees on Saturday in Tampa.

Oh, and he graduated from high school Friday.

“It’s been crazy,” said Murphy, who has also worked out for the Texas Rangers, “but I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Baseball America praises Murphy’s compact swing, bat speed and plate coverage, while Sharp estimated the lefty took about five bad swings all year.

“We had the same scouts coming out over and over,” Sharp said, “just to be here to see if he ever took a bad swing.”

Now comes the time for Murphy to make a decision, and he did say money will play a role in deciding if he will head to the pro ranks or to college.

But he doesn’t feel any pressure.

“It’s a win-win situation for me,” he said. “I still have the University of Miami. I love the players and I love the coaches.

“I’m kind of anxious. But either way, I’m pretty excited.”

It’s interesting to see Murphy go before the other hyped H.S. catching prospects Max Stassi and Will Myers. (Stassi wasn’t taken by anyone in the first three rounds of the draft and Myers went at #91 to the Royals.)

This is not a terrible pick. It will cost the Yankees to buy out the option to go to the University of Miami. And, the Yankees have three decent catching prospects in their system already. The trick will be to sign the kid – because the Yankees cannot afford to whiff at this pick, given that they only had two semi-decent picks in this weak draft.

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Tim Bontemps nailed it this afternoon:

Speaking of both Baseball America and ESPN.com, both are saying the Yankees will select Texas H.S. outfielder Slade Heathcott with the No. 29 pick. BA has Heathcott ranked as the No. 72 overall prospect, while ESPN.com ranks him at No. 51.

Baseball America rings in on it, right away:

That’s one Jim Callis had pegged this morning, and it happened.

Slade Heathcott gets a Josh Hamilton comp from Frank Marcos of the ML Scouting Bureau, which frankly is not too accurate. But he does have major tools, with power from the left side, a big-time arm, and some real makeup issues.

“Makeup issues”? What does that mean, he wears guy-liner?

Nope. Many reports say that the kid’s father is in prison on drug charges and others suggest that his mother is also involved with drugs.

That could mean Slade may be potentially predisposed to being a drug user. Then again, it could mean that he’s seen what it can do to a person and will ensure that he never falls prey to drug use. No one knows, for sure, how that will shake out…at least now.

Me? I would have taken Tim Wheeler over Slade Heathcott with this pick. In time, we’ll see if that was a smarter move than the Yankees choice…the Rockies ended up taking Wheeler with the 32nd overall pick.

Oh, well, at least the Yankees didn’t select Tanner Scheppers. When I saw he was still out there, while the Yankees were picking, I thought “That one sounds like a Brian Cashman Special.” So, it could be worse…

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Today’s wild thought is on Phil Hughes – who looked impressive pitching the seventh inning out of the Yankees bullpen last night.

Part of the lament about Hughes as a starting pitcher has been around the fact that he’s basically a two-pitch pitcher (fastball and a curve) and that his fastball is in the lower-90′s. And, while this is enough to fool minor league batters, this requires him to have pinpoint control/command, or face an impatient and aggressive swinging team, to excel as a starter in the majors. If Hughes had a quality third pitch – that he could throw for strikes – then that would make up for his shorter fastball and enable him to have more success in the majors as a starter. However, his cutter/slider and change-up are works in progress at this moment.

This all said, it’s been proven that someone can pitch out of the bullpen, at the major league level, with just two-pitches – providing that one is exceptional and the other is enough to keep batters honest. And, as a relief pitcher, because you’re only facing a line-up once, at the max, in a game, you can get away with just having those two pitches.

And, last night, being able to gas it out – as he was only going one inning, Phil Hughes’ fastball, which is usually in the 89-93 MPH range, was in the 94-96 MPH neighborhood – which is a near exceptional fastball. If Hughes is able to throw a heater in the mid-90′s and mix in his curve, he can be a very effective relief pitcher – like a John Wetteland type (who was also a fastball/curve failed starter who was converted to closer).

In closing – that’s today’s wild thought: Should the Yankees, and Phil Hughes, now start thinking about his future in the majors…as a relief pitcher?

Granted, starters get paid a lot more than relief pitchers. Hughes knows this, I’m sure. And, it’s somewhat easier on the mind, for some, to throw as a starter and then have four days off to play around with your Wii, etc., as opposed to having to deal with the stress of being in the game, in a big spot, two or three times a week (or more). But, then again, if you’re a closer, and you’re great, in a town like New York, you can be a legend. Just go ask Sparky Lyle, Goose Gossage or Mo Rivera.

What do you think? Based on what we saw last night – albeit just one game – should Phil of the Future be a member of the Yankees bullpen?

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Neil Keefe, of NESN.com, asked me a few Yankees-related questions yesterday. Click here to see what Neil and I discussed. (And, of course, my thanks to Keefe and NESN for asking!)

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I hope they keep a spare pair of dry pants in the YES booth at Yankee Stadium for Michael Kay…because Phil Hughes pitched a scoreless 7th inning out of the Yankees bullpen tonight!

O.K., kidding aside…and while Michael dreams about running with “Two Phils & A Mo” as his new catch phrase…Hughes did look really good this evening – pumping it in there at 94 and touching 95 once (by my count). And, even Andy Petitte, in the YES post-game coverage, said that Hughes’ ball was darting like Rivera’s fastball. So, maybe, if the Yankees are willing to give this a try, Hughes can be an important part of the bridge to Mariano?

Related, it was somewhat interesting to see Jason Isringhausen pitch in this game for the Rays…considering he was part of “Generation K” – the three big starter prospects for the Mets years ago…and now Hughes (part of the Yankees “Generation Trey”) is pitching out of the pen, in the same game, for the Yankees.

All told, a solid outing from Pettitte tonight. Hughes, Coke and Mo handled the back-end…although who will close tomorrow, now, in Boston, if needed, is anyone’s guess…considering how many days Rivera has pitched in a row. And, of course, the Yankees homerun bats were clicking – including a blast from Nick “Don’t Call Me Mr. May!” Swisher…who has been as hot this month, so far, as he was cold last month.

Nice to win this one before the big series up at the Fens. Game One of that series, for me, is key. A.J. Burnett, for the Yanks, against Josh Beckett, for the Red Sox. Beckett almost had a no-hitter in his last start and has a 0.40 ERA in his last three outings. But, the Yankees usually don’t roll over for him. Burnett? Who knows…

With Wang primed to pitch poorly on Wednesday, the Yankees need to win on Tuesday to set up Sabathia to win the series for them on Thursday. And, right now, the Yankees need to take at least two of these three games – to show Boston that they are not the same team who has lost to them all five times that they have faced each other to date.

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If the Yankees have the chance in the draft tomorrow to go “Eric Duncan” again…and grab a local High School kid…will they choose Mike Trout?

Here’s some skinny on this Trout via NewJerseyNewsroom.com:

The Garden State has proven to be a consistent producer of major-league talent. “The state has become the best baseball-producing state in the northeast,” says Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt. “Most years they’ve got some high end guys there and decent depth. This year is kind of the same. You’ve got a first-round pick in Mike Trout.

Trout, a center fielder from Millville High School, is the definitive top player in the class. Scouts have described him as a solid all-around player and some mock drafts have projected him as high as 10th overall to the Washington Nationals.

“The comparison I’ve heard a couple times with him is that he’s an Aaron Rowand-kind of player but with more speed,” says Fitt, comparing him to the San Francisco Giants’ center fielder. “He’s a potential five-tool outfielder and he’s that kind of a hard nosed player like Rowand. He’s got power potential and that is the one thing that needs to come with him.”

Trout’s coach Roy Hallenbeck says it’s not difficult to see why his star player is so attractive to teams.

“He’s a total package because he is a big kid,” says Hallenbeck. “He’s 6-1, 205 with power and a strong arm but he’s very fast, he runs very well. So I think that’s what is most attractive about him is a combination of speed and power.”

Trout has earned all of this praise after a year in which he spent setting records and raising his profile. He batted .531, hit 18 home runs, drove in 45 runs and scored 49 times. After a season like that, it was hard for teams not to take notice.

“Scouts just love this kid,” says Fitt. “He’s just such a good kid. Good family, good coaches that have done everything the right way. He’s going to be certainly a first round pick, maybe a top-20 pick. He’s helped his stock more this year than possibly any other player out there.”

Granted, New York may not even get a chance to take Trout. Some of the experts at Baseball America think that the Angels might choose the kid with the 25th overall pick in the draft. But, should Mike Trout last until the Yankees pick at 29th…well, it will be interesting to see if New York picks him.

If they did select Trout, I would not have any objections to that one.

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What stands out the most in my mind, this past week, is that the Yankees went 4-2, overall, but, in their last four games of the week they went 2-2 – with the two wins being exciting comeback wins. And, I’m not quite sure what to make of that?

If those comebacks had not occurred, the Yankees would be sitting on a four-game losing streak now…and would be 2-4 on the week and not 4-2. But, the comebacks did happen, so, you cannot discount them.

Can they be qualified? Were the comebacks more a matter of Yankees greatness, or, were they the result of some bad Texas pitching and some inferior Rays fielding? Or, was it a combination of Yankees talent and opponent’s shortcomings?

To date, there have been 29 times where the Yankees started the 7th inning and they were behind in the game. And, in 5 of those 29 times, they have comeback to tie the score or take the lead. Further, there have been 26 times where the Yankees started the 8th inning and they were behind in the game. In 6 of those 26 times they have comeback to tie the score or take the lead. Lastly, there have been 21 times where the Yankees started the 9th inning and they were behind in the game. In 4 of those 21 times they have comeback to tie the score or take the lead.

That may not seem like a lot comebacks – but it is. Generally, teams don’t come back late in ballgames. Are the Yankees the “Comeback Kids” of baseball this year – as it does seem that, every season, there’s one team who has a lot of comeback wins. (I’m saying this in the conventional wisdom way…because I don’t know if it’s true.)

Yeah, comebacks…that’s what I’m thinking about the most…when I look at this past week in Yankeeland…and wondering if they’ll keep happening in the weeks to follow.

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The stats below are how the Yankees pitching has done, to date this season, in terms of command (SO/BB) and what batters have done against them (Opponents BA/OBP/SLG and BAbip) – month by month. Here, it’s broken down by the Yankees starting pitchers, relief pitchers, and then the whole team combined.

Start.	PA	SO/BB	BA	OBP	SLG	BAbip	PA/OPA
April	549	1.57	.276	.359	.439	.308	.630
May	725	2.04	.266	.346	.428	.305	.651
June	164	2.36	.248	.325	.386	.287	.739

Bullpen	PA	SO/BB	BA	OBP	SLG	BAbip	PA/OPA
April	322	2.22	.267	.350	.498	.305	.370
May	388	1.63	.246	.334	.459	.254	.349
June	58	4.00	.204	.259	.315	.270	.261

Overall	PA	SO/BB	BA	OBP	SLG	BAbip
April	871	1.81	.273	.356	.461	.307
May	1113	1.88	.259	.342	.439	.288
June	222	2.72	.236	.308	.367	.283

Note that I’ve included Plate Appearances (PA) to show you how many batters the pitchers have faced in each split. And, I’ve included PA/OPA which is the percentage of that PA (in the monthly split) compared to the overall PA in that month for the team.

What does this do? It tells you who – among the Yankees starters and bullpen – is doing most of the heavy lifting for the team in the pitching department.

As you can see, for April and May, the Yankees bullpen was facing about 35%-37% of the batters to play against the Yankees. However, in June, that’s dropped down to 26%. So, while the Yankees bullpen appears to be pitching better in June (based on SO/BB, BA/OBP/SLG, etc.), it’s more a matter of the fact that the Yankees starters are facing more batters (74% in June compared to 63%-65% in April and May) and this means the Yankees weak pitchers in their pen are not being asked to throw as often.

Can the Yankees keep this up for a long time? Can the Yankees starters throw 6 or 7 innings everyday? Time will tell…

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Via Tim Brown -

For several hours before Rivera took the ball Saturday afternoon in that tie game, he’d suffered with a stomach ailment that brought aches and repeated vomiting, according to one Yankee. Rivera had rolled off the trainer’s table, where he’d hoped to sleep it off, and into the bullpen in the eighth inning, when he began to warm up.

So, no, he didn’t have his best command. And, no, he didn’t have his best fastball.

But, he didn’t sprinkle the Yankee Stadium mound with breakfast, which, in itself, was a small victory, even in defeat.

“He was so upset afterward,” the teammate said.

And yet, Rivera did not mention it after the game, and he did not reveal it late Sunday afternoon, when it would have played less like an excuse than, in victory, the simple retelling of a trying 30 hours. He did not hang those hittable fastballs or that loss on his illness. He did not blame manager Joe Girardi for asking him to pitch in a tie game when a healthier body might have – and probably should have – done.

He accepted the baseball.

That was that.

A day later, when clearly his vigor had returned and the Rays had been helpless, Rivera said only that these are the public and emotional wanderings he accepts as a closer, indeed, as the Yankees’ closer. He said he slept fine Saturday night, and that he would again Sunday night.

“Yesterday was yesterday,” he said.

Well, Mo may not want to blame Joe – but I will do it. When someone has a stomach bug – bad enough to cause repeated vomiting – it’s insane to ask them to play in a major league baseball game at the same time. You need at least one day, of eating real food and being able to keep it down, before you start to tax your body again.

Granted, if this were Game Seven of the World Series, sure, that would change my stance on this one. But, the Yankees should be able to find someone else to pitch the 9th inning of a tie-game in June, right? Or, is the bullpen that Brian Cashman built so bad that there’s no one else to trust in a spot like this other than Mariano Rivera on fumes? If so, maybe Cashman, and not Girardi is to blame here? What do you think?

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Hey, Joey Eye Glasses, what do you think of the smell of the place now?

Betcha your boy Willy thinks the place stanks purdy good…

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Via Anthony Rieber:

Alex Rodriguez narrowly escaped harm on Saturday when a foul ball hit by a Little Leaguer whizzed by him and struck another man during an appearance in the Bronx.

A-Rod, a little more than an hour after the Yankees’ 9-7 loss to the Rays at Yankee Stadium, was coaching third base for the Alex Rodriguez All-Stars in an exhibition game against a Manhattan team coached by actor Richard Gere.

Wearing a pink polo shirt, gray V-neck sweater and jeans, A-Rod had to dodge a line drive from a youngster. A man standing behind him was struck in the face but required no medical attention.

A-Rod watched the rest of the inning from behind the fenced-in first-base dugout. He later returned to the baselines.

Here’s a somewhat reenactment of what it would have looked like had A-Rod been struck in the face with an errant ball while watching some youngsters play ball:

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One of the hot topics today in Yankeeland is General Joe’s call, yesterday, to have Mo Rivera give Evan Longoria an intentional pass – and whether or not Girardi was dissing Rivera with that call. Via Larry Brooks of the Post -

The shocker yesterday in The Bronx wasn’t so much watching Mariano Rivera walk off the mound with two outs in the ninth after surrendering two of the four runs eventually charged against him in a 9-7 defeat to the Rays.

Rather, it was seeing Joe Girardi walk out to the mound earlier in the inning to instruct his closer to intentionally walk hobbling pinch-hitter Evan Longoria in order to get to B.J. Upton with two outs, a man on third and a run in to give Tampa Bay the lead in what had been a 5-5 game after eight.

“He’s pitched Upton tougher than he’s pitched Longoria during the course of his career,” Girardi said. “That’s why I made the move.”

That walk to the mound and the instruction to intentionally walk Longoria sure seemed like a vote of no confidence from the manager, even to Rivera, who came as close to saying that as possible without actually using the words.

“If it were me, I would have pitched to [Longoria], but I’m not the manager,” said Rivera, who yielded an RBI single to Upton that prompted Girardi to pull him. “[Why?] Because that’s what I do; I don’t go out there to intentionally walk guys.

“I think I have good stuff to get people out, but it’s not my decision.”

Including yesterday’s game, to date, in his career, Mariano Rivera has issued 31 intentional walks. Here’s the list:

Date	  Opp	Batter		  Score	Inn
04/13/96  TEX	Mickey Tettleton  down	T 6
05/25/96  @SEA	Paul Sorrento	  ahead	B 8
06/04/96  TOR	John Olerud	  ahead	T 7
06/01/97  @BOS	Darren Bragg	  tied	B 9
06/01/97  @BOS	Mo Vaughn	  tied	B 9
06/15/97  @FLA	Gary Sheffield	  ahead	B 9
08/23/97  @SEA	Edgar Martinez	  tied	B 9
08/23/97  @SEA	Paul Sorrento	  tied	B 9
08/23/97  @SEA	Ken Griffey	  tied	B10
08/18/98  @KCR	Larry Sutton	  ahead	B 9
04/15/99  BAL	Albert Belle	  down	T 9
04/15/99  BAL	B.J. Surhoff	  down	T 9
07/10/99  @NYM	Mike Piazza	  ahead	B 9
08/23/00  TEX	Rafael Palmeiro	  tied	T 9
08/23/00  TEX	Ricky Ledee	  tied	T 9
09/03/00  MIN	Jacque Jones	  tied	T10
07/14/01  @FLA	Andy Fox	  tied	B 8
08/30/01  TOR	Carlos Delgado	  tied	T 9
05/04/02  SEA	Ichiro Suzuki	  tied	T 9
07/14/02  @CLE	Jim Thome	  ahead	B 9
08/06/03  TEX	Alex Rodriguez	  down	T 9
04/07/04  @TB	Geoff Blum	  ahead	B 9
05/15/04  SEA	Edgar Martinez	  tied	T11
07/01/04  BOS	Jason Varitek	  tied	T11
04/26/06  TB	Jonny Gomes	  down	T10
05/19/06  @NYM	Carlos Delgado	  tied	B 9
08/20/06  @BOS	Manny Ramirez	  tied	B 9
08/20/06  @BOS	Mike Lowell	  tied	B 9
08/24/07  @DET	Ivan Rodriguez	  tied	B10
08/24/07  @DET	Ryan Raburn	  tied	B10
06/06/09  TB	Evan Longoria	  down	B 9

Looking at this list, the games of August 18, 1998 and April 7, 2004 jump out at me.

On August 18, 1998, the Yankees had a 91-30 record and were in first place by 20 games. Yet, that day, in a game where they were ahead, in the 9th inning, Joe Torre had Mariano Rivera walk the “immortal” Larry Sutton intentionally. Was that a diss to Rivera? I mean…really…should the Yankees have been afraid of Sutton wrecking a game in that spot by swinging the bat?

On April 7, 2004, the Yankees season was just four games old – including that game. Yet, that day, in a game where they were ahead, in the 9th inning, Joe Torre had Mariano Rivera walk the “always dangerous” Geoff Blum intentionally. Was that a diss to Rivera? I mean…really…should the Yankees have played the Rays, who were coming off a 63-99 season and who would finish with 91 losses in 2004, like it was the World Series – just four games into the season – fearful that Blum would cost them the contest by swinging the bat?

If we’re not going to get our panties in a bunch over Joe Torre making Mo Rivera issue intentional walks to batters like Larry Sutton and Geoff Blum when there was little on the line and Rivera was in his prime, then why should we be fussing over Joe Girardi asking Mariano to issue a pass to an All-Star like Evan Longoria, in a game that the Yankees were already losing, given the way the Yankees play the Rays now, and that Mo is towards the end of his career? Seems like an excuse to try and create some heat between Girardi and Rivera…when there’s really no need.

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In the YES pre-game today, they had a segment with Bob Lorenz and Forbes Magazine where they talked about the Most Valuable Fans in baseball. I just checked Forbes on-line and here’s a link to the story they did on this last month. As per the feature, this is what Forbes did:

In our first ranking of the most valuable fans of MLB, we flipped tradition on its head and took a look at what audiences around America are worth to the business of baseball. We divided local revenue of each team (including such sources as local television and radio revenue, gate receipts and sponsorships) for the 2008 season by the population of its metropolitan area, according to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate. The resulting revenue-per-fan figure is a rough yardstick of a team’s ability to capitalize on its fan base, regardless of market size.

Revenue figures are before revenue sharing and exclude national media and licensing revenue, which is divvied up equally to all 30 MLB team. For cities with two teams, we divided the population in half for each team, figuring the city’s fan base was split more or less evenly between the two.

Interestingly, the Yankees were in the middle of the pack in terms of the Most Valuable Fans rankings. But, the Red Sox were in the top five. (Ouch!) Here’s the skinny, per Forbes, on the top five fanbases:

(more…)

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We had a lot of family activites on the schedule today – and I was out of the house from 1 pm ET until about 7:30 pm ET. As such, I only had four quick peeks into this game.

At one point, we were talking to one of my wife’s friends – whose husband, like me, is a big Yankees fan. He was monitoring the game at that time and shared that it was 1-0, Yanks, in the second via an A-Rod homer. And, then, I thought to myself “That’s a good start.”

From that point I was unplugged for about two hours – give or take. But, after that span, I was able to quickly turn on a TV and look into the game for 5 minutes. By this time, it was the bottom of the 8th inning, the YES boys were talking about Teixeira’s long homer, and Posada just walked. It was 5-4, Rays, and I saw on the scoreboard that the Yankees had four runs on three hits. And, then, I thought to myself “Four runs on three hits? That’s strange. Sounds like the Yankees are lucky to even be in this one.”

I had to run again after that chance to see the game. But, I had a feeling that this might be one of those games where the Yankees pulled it out in the end. When I saw Posada walk, I also saw that Rivera was warming up in the pen – in case the Yankees tied the game or took the lead. Maybe seeing that just put the positive thought in my head? (Big mistake there, I learned in the end…)

Later, the opportunity came up to tune in the game on the radio. At this time, Coke just allowed a single to Crawford and Sterling said that made the score 8-5 in favor of the Rays. And, then, I thought to myself “Eight to five, Rays? What the…..?” With that, I allowed the channel to be changed on the radio.

Shortly before five o’clock, I had to check the game again on eight-eighty. Now, Sterling was doing the post-game (or should I say post-mortem?) where I learned how Cabrera tied the game at five – just beating out a DP attempt and Rivera spit the bit in the ninth. I also heard how Crawford’s hit against Coke and an A-Rod error that followed hurt because the Yanks rallied for two in the ninth…but that was not enough. And, then, I thought to myself “Wow. All those poor Yankees fans who watched this whole game on TV – or, worse, in person at the Stadium – what a turd of a performance by New York today.”

I mean…really…I only had four peeks at this game, with an aggregate elapsed time of less than 20 minutes, and I’m feeling like someone delivered a knee to the ‘nads. I think any Yankees fan who watched this whole mess has a right to throw something out of the window in disgust.

So, now, the Yankees are 2-9 against the Red Sox and Rays, combined, this season (to date). You know…the Yankees can rip off as many streaks as they can this year where they go 19-7…but, if they can’t beat the Sox and Rays…that means New York’s October this year is going to be no different than the last three seasons where they played games in October.

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P.S. – Channeling Scooter Rizzuto, I want to wish a happy birthday to a special lady who is 84-years young today…in dog years. Happy Birthday to my shelter pup, Lita, who’s been with me since the days when Derek Jeter was actually dropped to batting 7th in the Yankees line-up…and that’s a loooong time. (One-quarter of my life, so far.)

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In the last 5 years and 9 months, I have visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (in Cooperstown, New York) three times. And, I have enjoyed my visit each time. In fact, if it were up to me, I would make this trip on an annual basis – since it is so much fun to visit that town and the museum. Related, I was looking forward to checking out Bert Sugar’s Baseball Hall of Fame: A Living History of America’s Greatest Game (which was published on May 4, 2009). And, now that I’ve had a chance to go through Sugar’s book, I can share that reading it is the next best thing to being able to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (in person).

With Baseball Hall of Fame: A Living History of America’s Greatest Game, Sugar takes you through the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, decade by decade and exhibit by exhibit. For me, this was a great reading experience. Personally, each time I’ve been to the museum, I found myself jumping around the exhibits like a moth dancing around a porch light. So, this was a real treat to see how the museum should be toured – following the chroncile of the game in its actual timeline.

Further, this book is abound with glorious photographs – done by Bruce Curtis – of the museum’s artifacts and exhibits. There’s over 500 photos in the book. As a result, if you have visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, reading Bert Sugar’s Baseball Hall of Fame: A Living History of America’s Greatest Game will put you right back there, in your mind. And, if you’ve never been to Cooperstown, this book will give you a great idea of what it’s like to tour the town and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

If you’re looking for a unique Father’s Day gift – this being early June – for the dad in your life who’s a baseball fan, you should consider picking up this book. Or, if you just want to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the opening of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (which will happen this July), you should consider picking up this book. Heck, if you’re a baseball fan, you don’t need any other reason than that to check out Bert Sugar’s Baseball Hall of Fame: A Living History of America’s Greatest Game. It’s a great collectible/keepsake to have in your baseball library – and I highly recommend it.

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