Via the Evansville Courier & Press with a H/T to BBTF –

A former Central High School baseball standout and New York Yankees draft pick was arrested Tuesday for allegedly shoving his mother and then spitting in her face.

Taylor Mattingly, 24, was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail on preliminary charges of battery by bodily waste, battery and criminal mischief, all misdemeanors. Mattingly, the son of L.A. Dodgers batting coach Don Mattingly, was released on a $250 cash bond late Tuesday night.

According to a Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office probable cause affidavit, Mattingly admitted jumping the brick fence of his mother’s residence on Darmstadt Road and confronting her. Mattingly told investigators his mother, Kim Mattingly, had earlier sent him a text message insulting him, his girlfriend and his father, authorities said.

“Taylor advised he and Kim began to argue and that Kim was being confrontational,” Deputy Nathan Espenlaub wrote in the affidavit. “Taylor advised he snapped, pushed Kim down and spit on her.”

In 1986, we were advised that “You should not drink and bake!” These days, I guess the warning would be “You should not drink and text!“…

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Have you seen Bill James’ “Cooperstown and the ‘Roids” feature? It’s an interesting read.

What do you think about what James is saying here?

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Dayn Perry asks “What does each contender need?”

And, for the Yankees, he says:

In the Yankee rotation, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett have met expectations, but elsewhere problems abound. Andy Pettitte’s ERA is bound for the 5.00 mark, Joba Chamberlain is headed in the wrong direction, Chien-Ming Wang has alternated between terrible and injured, and Sergio Mitre is, well, Sergio Mitre. Obviously, an addition like Halladay would be the ideal solution for the Yankees, but even someone who can give them league-average innings at the back end would be a serious boon to their hopes.

What do you think?

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Where in the world is ol’ BB these days?

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On the whole, the last 70 days in Yankeeland have been pretty good…to say the least…

At the close of May 12th, the Yankees were in 3rd place, with a record of 15-17, and were 6.5 games out of first place.

At the close of July 21st, the Yankees are now in 1st place, with a record of 56-37, and are 1 game ahead of second place.

So, from May 13th through July 21st, the Yankees have gone 41-20 (which is a winning percentage of .672 over the last ten weeks).

How did the Yankees pull this off? Thanks to the bats of Mark Teixeira, Brett Gardner, Hideki Matsui, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. And, thanks to the arms of Mariano Rivera, Alfredo Aceves, Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and CC Sabathia.

As Yankees fans, let’s hope that these ten players keep up the great work – and let’s hope that guys like Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera can maybe turn it up a few notches as well..

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I missed the last two-thirds of this one. Decided to finally check out “Watchmen” this evening and that took me away from the game. (Man, “Kelly Leak” did a good job in this flick. On the whole, it was pretty interesting. Not the best movie that I’ve ever seen – but, it kept my attention for 160 minutes – and few films that long do…)

In any event, getting back to the Yankees, just two comments for today:

1. Who would have thought that, at the close of business on July 21st, Sergio Mitre would have as many wins as Chien-Ming Wang for the Yankees? And,

2. The Yankees magic number to clinch the A.L. East crown is now 69…for those keeping count.

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There’s been some reader opinions left in comments recently to this blog regarding the Yankees radio broadcast team: Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling.

And, this got me thinking about how I feel about the Waldman and Sterling duo. And, to be candid, overall, I guess I’m not a fan of their work.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m somewhat sure they are both extremely nice people – the kind that you would want to have as your next door neighbor, etc. And, they’re both baseball lifers – having worked in the game for so many years. Lastly, the two of them do seem to care, very much, about the Yankees and their fans. So, those are three big things in the favor.

And, I’ll admit, at times, I do laugh at Sterling’s over the top calls, etc.

However, that all said, there’s just “something” there – regarding their work – that rubs me the wrong way. At first, I thought it was whole “Pinstriped Pollyanna” approach of theirs – where no Yankees player or member of the organization can do wrong. Anyone who knows me knows I think that’s that just living with Yankees blinders on…

More so, for me, I think the issue is that Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling “dumb it down” when they speak to you – assuming that you know less about the game (than them), and, in a sense, they “talk down” to the listener while covering the game. And, while maybe this works for some listeners…say… many of those under the age of ten or over the age of seventy…it really doesn’t work for me.

Further, I would think that most people do not enjoy being “talked down to” by anyone who knows less about a subject than they do…no matter what the subject…but, maybe it’s just me?

After all, many baseball fans today are pretty savvy. And, perhaps it’s time for broadcasters, in general, to stop playing to what they think is the lowest common denominator and start talking to listeners with the assumption that the audience has a clue as to which players are good or bad (overall or in certain situations) and that they understand what’s important or not in baseball games…ya think?

Again, this is no knock, personally, towards Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling. It’s just that I wish their broadcasts came from somewhere other than from an ivory tower – this make sense?

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As of this morning, the New York Yankees are tied for first place in the A.L. East, with an overall record of 55-37, and, with 70 games now remaining on their 2009 schedule.

To date, this season, when facing the Twins, Orioles and Mets, the Yankees are 19-4.

This means the Yankees, to date, are 36-34 this season when facing teams other than the Twins, Orioles and Mets.

What does this mean? Hey, if the Yankees hold on to win the A.L. East this year, maybe they should send a “Thank You” card to Minnesota, Baltimore and Queens?

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Wow.

I’m still working on some research for this one…

…but, when you consider Pettitte’s effort this evening, the two defensive plays in the 8th, and the Matsui walk-off in the 9th…well…had this been a World Series game in a series where the team that won this game won the series…hey…they’d probably talk about this game for the next 50 years. For a fan of the home team, can you really ask for more from a ballgame?

Since man first set foot on the moon forty years ago today, maybe we should send a tape of this one into outer space and use it as an example of “baseball” for the rest of the universe to watch and learn. Sound good John Henry?

Update 7/20/09 10:38 pm ET: This is the first time, ever, going back to 1954 that the Yankees have won three games in a row by the score of “2-1.” Also, it’s just the 11th time since 1954 that the Yankees have won 3+ games in a row in the same season where they have allowed exactly one run in each contest. The other times:

1984-07-13 to 1984-07-15
1978-09-26 to 1978-09-29
2006-04-22 to 2006-04-25
1998-06-03 to 1998-06-05
1986-04-22 to 1986-04-24
1978-05-21 to 1978-05-23
1975-06-23 to 1975-06-25
1970-06-04 to 1970-06-06
1962-08-31 to 1962-09-02
1961-06-11 to 1961-06-12

Update 7/20/09 10:56 pm ET: This is the first time since July 11, 1991 to July 13, 1991 that the Yankees have scored exactly 2 runs in a game, for three games in a row, and won all three games. In fact, this current streak and the one from July 1991 are the only two times, since 1954, where the Yankees have scored exactly 2 runs for three games in a row and won all three games.

Update 7/20/09 11:07 pm ET: Oh, and, by the way, the Yankees are now tied for first place in the A.L. East – thank you, Texas Rangers.

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Via the AP:

Hal Steinbrenner was direct and to the point, much as his famous father always was.

“I think we’ve got a championship-caliber team,” he said. “I absolutely believe that we have the team that can win the championship.”

Making his first extensive public comments about the New York Yankees since Opening Day, the new controlling owner praised his players, manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman. And, already, he’s looking ahead to Aug. 6-9, when the Boston Red Sox come to Yankee Stadium.

“That four-game series is going to be a big one,” he said. “But the guys believe they can beat anybody, and that has not changed, and that’s an important thing.”

Steinbrenner wouldn’t say what would happen if the Yankees don’t make it to the postseason yet again following their run of 13 consecutive playoff appearances. He also left little to the imagination.

“We expect to win every year. We’ve said that. We always say that,” he said. “Our job is to field a championship-caliber team every year, and that’s what we strive to do. So, Joe knows who he’s working for.”

Steinbrenner sounded pleased with his team’s offseason moves, saying the newcomers were “a breath of fresh of air.” The Yankees signed free-agent pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and first baseman Mark Teixeira, and acquired right fielder Nick Swisher in a trade.

Swisher, especially, has changed the clubhouse demeanor with his propensity to play loud music.

“I’m seeing some looseness this year in the players, I’m seeing some, you know, some emotion, and that’s a great thing,” Steinbrenner said. “We’ve managed to limit the injuries — we’re doing a little bit better than last year in that area. And I just think there’s a lot of motivation. I think these guys are pumped, and I think they’re showing it. We’re firing on all cylinders at times and struggling a little bit at other times in certain areas. But overall, pretty happy.”

With the Blue Jays offering to trade Roy Halladay, the Yankees are interested. But they’re skeptical that Toronto would deal the 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner to a division rival.

“If we need something, there’s only certain ways sometimes you’re going to be able to get it,” Steinbrenner said, speaking generally. “And everybody trades away young talent at some point for a trade that they deem, you know, absolutely necessary, but I don’t like doing it. But, again, we look at all possibilities and we look at all alternatives.”

Some interesting quotes here from Hal. All worth duly noting and filing away for now…and for looking back at, come October.

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Mike Mussina and Yogi Berra give their impressions of the new Yankee Stadium. Here’s the video via SNY.tv:

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Via the Post with a hat tip to WasWatching.com reader clintfsu813:

The fact Alex Rodriguez’s home run — a solo blast in the fourth inning — tied the game was nothing new. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, 10 of Rodriguez’s 19 homers this season have either tied the game or given the Yankees a lead. Rodriguez now has 572 career homers, one short of Harmon Killebrew’s mark for ninth place all-time.

Of course, your opinion on the remaining 47% of his homeruns may differ…

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Sure smells like it…

From Boston Red Sox principal owner John Henry, via Twitter, with a hat tip to Pete Abe -

News from Yankees’ Universe. Big upsurge in membership. Apparently coming mostly from Pluto. Not doing nearly as well on Mars.
- John W. Henry

After posting this comment on his Twitter account, John Henry called the Yankees front office and sang this song into the Yankees Universe fan feedback voicemail box:

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What stands out the most in my mind, this past week, is that the Yankees played the Tigers for three games and won all three contests. Then again, with the All-Star break, and all, the Yankees only played those three games this week – so, what else should stand out the most in my mind from this week?

Actually, drilling down on the Tigers series for a moment, we can see that Burnett gave a professional six innings in one game, Sabathia didn’t allow a run over seven in another game, and Chamberlain was making celebratory faces like this one:

during the six-plus innings he worked in his game. Oh, and Mariano Rivera pitched in all three games. Oooops, wait a minute…Phil Hughes was also lights in two of these games as well.

And, that’s actually what stands out the most to me from this week…if the Yankees starter can go six-or-seven solid innings, and that’s followed by Hughes and Rivera, then I like the Yankees chances in that game…and that just may be New York’s formula for success the rest of this season.

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I was just playing around with the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia and I set the filters on the sort career pitching stats function to:

GAMES STARTED >= 400, and ERA >= 1 vs. the league average,
and BASERUNNERS/9 IP <= 1.9 vs. the league average
with NEUTRAL WINS displayed only and INNINGS PITCHED displayed only

and this is what I got:

Pitcher             RSAA      GS       ERA      N_W    BR/9 IP  IP
1    Whitey Ford     321      438     1.10      214     1.41    3171
2    Kevin Brown     304      476     1.03      218     1.50    3256.1

If you're not sure what any of these stats are, click here.

I never would have thought of Kevin Brown and Whitey Ford as being on the same page...would you have?

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Joba Chamberlain had a little something extra today – then again, he wasn’t being asked to pitch on normal (4 days) rest for this one.

Also, Mark Teixiera and Alex Rodriguez, and their $52 million worth of bats – which is what they’re being paid, between the two of them, this season (according to the Yankees payroll) – blasted Han Solos.

And, that all was good enough for another “2-1″ Yankees win. Put this one in the books as a sweep over the boys from Motown for New York. The Yankees scored 9 runs in their last 3 games and came away with 3 wins. Can you say “pitching“?

It’s somewhat impressive to see the Yanks eek out three wins against the first place Tigers. Then again, while the Bengals are good, they’re more like Blue Jays, Rangers, Twins “good” than they are Angels or Red Sox “good.” And, Detroit is not an overly grand road team this season.

In any event, the Yankees are now just one game out of first place as of C.O.B. today – thank you Doc Halladay – and the bottom line is all that matters, right? Or, does it…I dunno…you tell me.

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Some of the notable and should-have-been-available guys missing the action at today’s Old Timer’s Day at the new Yankee Stadium:

Bernie Williams, Tommy John, Paul O’Neill, Ed Figueroa, Dave Winfield, David Wells, Tino Martinez, Jim Abbott, Mike Pagliarulo, Jim Kaat, Wade Boggs, Kei Igawa, Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblauch, and David Justice…

O.K., I’m kidding about the Kei Igawa part…

But, no Bernie, Tino, Boomer or the Warrior? What’s up with that?

(And, I’m not forgetting guys like Don Mattingly, Willie Randolph, Chris Chambliss, Lou Piniella, Roberto Kelly, Dave Righetti, Sparky Lyle, Tim Raines and Mike Torrez. I left them off because they have jobs that would not allow them to be there. Roger Clemens? Well, if you gotta ask…)

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Via Bryan Hoch -

The last time Yankees pinstripes draped Don Zimmer’s body, it was October 2003 and the bench coach was angrily shedding them, swearing never to return over his tiff with George Steinbrenner.

The Yankees had just been upset by the Marlins in the World Series and Zimmer was walking away. Joe Torre’s trusted lieutenant was making a statement over what he thought to be shabby treatment from the Boss, soon finding work instead as an advisor with the division-rival Rays.

Enough time has passed now, and cooler heads have prevailed. The elder Steinbrenner has stepped into the background on day-to-day operations, and the Yankees have a new home Zimmer wants to see. The fan favorite will receive loud cheers on Sunday as a first-time attendee to Old-Timers’ Day, the 63rd annual edition and the first one at this Yankee Stadium.

“I think it’s great,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “I was with Zim 10 out of 11 of my first years in the big leagues. He’s always been special to me. He was my first manager and I learned a ton of baseball from him. I think it’s great that he’s coming back. He was a part of all those championships here and I’m excited to see him. I’d like to see him take a swing at one.”

Well, we know what happened for the Yankees while Zim was here – and what it’s been like since he’s left. So, at the least, getting the ol’ Attack Gerbil to come back today, for Ol’ Timers, couldn’t hurt, right?

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Today, for the 29th time in his major league career, CC Sabathia threw 7 (or more) innings while not allowing a run. (Well, today, it was seven innings on the nose. But, it’s still all good.)

And, also for the Yankees today, Alex Rodriguez hit a Lonn Trost aided solo-homerun.

Lastly, thanks to Robinson Cano having a Wee Willie Keeler moment, and hitting one where they weren’t, followed by a sliced Texas Leaguer hit off the bat of Nick Swisher that went for a double, followed by a bang-bang, Swisher base-running screen assisted, infield hit for Melky Cabrera, the Yankees were able to plate another run (to add to that one run from the A-Rod homer).

And, that all was good enough for a 2-1 win in this contest.

Close one, eh? But, much better to come out on the winning end of one like this – much, much, better – than to come out on the short end with a loss.

With this one, the Yankees are now 13-11 in one-run games, to date, this season. Sure, it would be nice to see them have a record like the Angels in one-run games (where they are 16-9). But, hey, it could be worse, right?

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May 26, 2007 went to Sabathia.
May 31, 2007 went to Sabathia.
July 5, 2007 went to Verlander.
July 26, 2006 went to Verlander.
April 27, 2009 went to Verlander.

Who’s going to win today?

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P.S. – Happy 10th Annie Conie! What time does the party start?

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Via the Times, yesterday -

Sergio Mitre, coming back from Tommy John surgery and a drug suspension, is scheduled to make his first appearance for the Yankees on Tuesday as their starting pitcher against the Baltimore Orioles.

Manager Joe Girardi said that Mitre would fill the vacant fifth-starter slot in the rotation. Chien-Ming Wang, another starter, is on the disabled list with a shoulder injury, and Girardi said he wanted to keep Alfredo Aceves and Phil Hughes in the bullpen.

Girardi made the announcement Friday before the Yankees opened a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers.

“He’s a sinker-curveball- changeup guy,” Girardi said of Mitre, a right-hander who pitched for Girardi with the Florida Marlins in 2006. “He’s going to throw a lot of strikes, and he’s going to get a lot of ground balls. I always thought he had kind of a bulldog attitude. He’s a pretty thick guy. I never thought he shied away from contact.”

Mitre, 28, is listed as 6 feet 3 inches and 225 pounds. He did not pitch in 2008 and had surgery last July. After being released by the Marlins, he was signed on Nov. 3 by the Yankees.

O.K., next Tuesday is July 21, 2009.

Now, dig this about Mitre, from July 21, 2003:

The Chicago Cubs today placed pitcher Mark Prior on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 12, with a right shoulder contusion. The club has purchased the contract of right-handed pitcher Sergio Mitre (MEE-tray) from West Tenn (AA).

To make room on the major league roster for Mitre, the Cubs transferred outfielder Corey Patterson to the 60-day disabled list.

Mitre, 22, is scheduled to make his major league debut Tuesday night in a starting assignment against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. The right-hander was the Cubs’ 7th-round selection in the 2001 draft out of San Diego (CA) City College.

Mitre has started 18 times for West Tenn (AA) this season — and has gone 6-7 with a 3.79 ERA. Over his last 5 Double-A starts, though, he has recorded a 1.26 ERA (5 ER/35.2 IP) — allowing 23 hits and 9 walks while striking out 40 batters.

He will be seeing his first big league action after making just 60 minor league starts. During his professional career, he has gone 20-21 with a 3.17 ERA.

Wow. July 21st and July 21st. Freaky, huh?

In any event, over his big league career, Mitre has allowed left-handed batters to fashion a .312/.384/.459 BA/OBA/SLG line against him. And, it seems like most of his success, in terms of not allowing homers, has happened when he’s pitching in really big ballparks. He’s been hit pretty good in places like Great American Ballpark and Comiskey Park – homer havens like the new Yankee Stadium.

Then again, what other choices do the Yankees have right now? All they can do is hope that “Sergio Mitre 2009″ is Spanish for “Aaron Small 2005.”

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Just a few notes about this game, so far, while we’re in a rain delay in the bottom of the 8th…

A.J. Burnett had no command in this game – yet he gave the Yankees another quality start. Nice job. And, speaking of Yankees pitchers, it’s great to see Phil Hughes used properly – and excel at it.

Switching to Tiger pitchers…”Fu-Te Ni” has now made my list of all-time favorite baseball names. It’s crazy fun to see “Ni” on the back of a uniform jersey. Just two letters. Wow. And, hey, Joel Zumaya, dude, you had it coming to you in this one.

Unrelated to anything, at one point in the game, I was clicking around during commericals and I landed on one of our HBO channels which was airing a feature on Ted Williams. And, I ended up staying with it for ten minutes or so. Man, it’s very good. Gotta check that one out, from start to finish, real soon.

Back to the Yankees, when did all that “G” Gatorade stuff pop up around the Stadium – like the Adidas stuff at the old Stadium? Did I miss that, or, did they get that in during the All-Star break?

Lastly, will someone tell the YES guys that Mark Teixeira’s last homer was on July 9th and not on June 12th? (I can’t blame Singleton for that one – he just reads the stat sheet that they hand him…)

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