Poor Kay…if she’s “Mrs. 1″ she gets confused with Billy’s wife…and “Mrs. 2″ is, well, ask Jeter…

Via the Yankees -

The New York Yankees announced today that four Hall-of-Famers and at least six rookie Old-Timers will be on hand at the 63rd annual Old-Timers’ Day on Sunday, July 19 at Yankee Stadium. This season marks the inaugural Old-Timers’ Day at the current Stadium after 62 years at the original Stadium.

Joining the Hall-of-Famers and Old-Timers’ Day rookies on the baselines will be more than 30 additional former Yankees and the widows of four legendary Yankees-Arlene Howard, widow of Elston Howard; Helen Hunter, widow of Jim “Catfish” Hunter; Kay Murcer, widow of Bobby Murcer; and Diana Munson, widow of Thurman Munson.

It’s very nice of the Yankees to bring these widows out for the game – and wonderful of the ladies to attend. Reminds me of something great I once read on Marty Appel’s site:

I had the privilege of serving as Bob Fishel’s assistant in preparing the [Old Timer's Day] events from 1968-73, before taking over myself after he moved to the American League. An incredible amount of detail went into the planning, from doing a souvenir program, to writing the introductions, to arranging travel and hotel, to finding old time umpires, to enlisting a band and a color guard, to a national anthem singer, to inviting the Commissioner and League Presidents, to stocking the clubhouse with extra beer, to arranging for old New York Times’ writer John Drebinger to keep an official box score in the press box, to getting fill-in broadcasters to cover for Phil Rizzuto (who never made it back upstairs), or Jerry Coleman, to hiring limos for Mrs. Babe Ruth and Mrs. Lou Gehrig, to coordinating uniforms with Pete Sheehy, to preparing lineups for the game and assisting the “managers” (who barely paid attention), to arranging transportation and the post-game party at Toots Shors or the Friar’s Club, with a separate party for the wives. Claire Ruth and Eleanor Gehrig, always recipients of huge ovations from their box seats, would not only be the life of the party, but would usually be the first to crack the segregated code and lead all the women into the cigar-smoke filled “men’s party,” where the great baseball stories ran long into the night.

Somehow, I don’t see today’s ladies being the party starters…but, you never know…

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The new movie might be cool. But…ah, now, this brings back memories…dig the “lifelike” hair and beard…and, what, no mention of KFG….?

Funny, I can remember Christmas of 1974 and being pumped about getting G.I. Joe’s Headquarters. But, then, when I see things like this, well, it makes me feel better about throwing it out some time in the following year…

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Since I’ve shared some stats in the past with respect to this blog’s traffic when we had exciting news, I thought it was only fair to also share the news when it was not so exciting…

After starting the blog back in April 2005, right away, an increase in site traffic occured – thanks to many kind folks spreading the word, etc. Further, while I’m not 100% sure, I want to say it was around March of 2007 when traffic here peaked and was pretty steady from there out.

In fact, I can confirm that, from May 2008 through January 2009, the numbers were nice and very steady. And, for the point to made here, I’m going to use this 9-month period as a “baseline” with respect to traffic.

Now, from February 2009 through May 2009, traffic here started to slip, a bit, from the “baseline.” To put a number on it, I would say it averaged, during this 4-month period, to be “80% of the baseline.” And, while that was “down,” I wasn’t too concerned about it – since the overall numbers were fine (in my opinon) but just not as high as May 2008 through January 2009.

But, then came June 2009. Last month, traffic here was indeed “down.” To put a number on it, June 2009 was at 75% of the 4-month prior pace and at “60% of the baseline.” And, this is hard to ignore.

What does this all mean? Hey, it means this blog had a lot less traffic last month than it normally experiences. Why? While I have my theories, I thought I would ask you – the readers. Thanks in advance for anything that you care to share in the comments section below.

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The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are tied for first place in the A.L. East standings, at this moment, each with a record of 51-34.

This means that you can throw out everything that’s happened for the Yankees and Red Sox, so far this year, and that “their” season starts today with 77 games on the schedule.

Whoever wins the most of their 77 games will be the better of the “Boston vs. New York” match-up. (I suppose that some may want to include the Tampa Bay Rays here as well – and their remaining 76 games. However, I want them to tie the Yankees and/or Red Sox first before letting them into the party.)

So, which team will win this 77-game season, New York or Boston? Me? I think it’s going to be very close – with maybe one game making the difference. What do you think?

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If someone were to ask me “Why do you enjoy baseball so much?” I would probably offer these points as the four main reasons why, in the following order, with number one being the biggest reason:

1. Nothing in baseball happens on average.

There’s a line from the very first episode of Star Trek Deep Space Nine entitled “Emissary” where the character of Captain Benjamin Sisko uses the game of baseball to explain the concept of linear time and essentially how humans experience life:

“The rules aren’t important…what’s important is – it’s linear. Every time I throw this ball a hundred different things can happen in a game…He might swing and miss, he might hit it…The point is you never know…You try to anticipate, set a strategy for all the possibilities as best you can…but in the end it come down to throwing one pitch after another…and seeing what happens. With each new consequence, the game begins to take shape…”

This is so true. In baseball, you can be armed to the teeth with a thousand scouting reports on player tendencies and statistical play/run expectancy tables; but, they’re only worth the paper that they’re printed on – because each time the pitcher lets the pill loose, you never know what might happen.

2. Perfection does not always mean success in baseball.

Part of the uniqueness of baseball is the situation where a number of variables on the left side of an equation can be absolute and yet the result on the right side of the equal sign is incongruent. Perfect inputs, or some multiple of them, does not always result in perfect results.

For example: A batter recognizes and times a pitch perfectly. Related, he executes the placement of a perfect swing on said pitch and produces a perfectly solid line drive batted ball. Nonetheless, by chance, the line drive is hit directly at a player in the field who catches it chest-high with ease – and the batter is retired. At the end of the day in this snapshot study, the batter has a batting average, on base average, and slugging percentage of zero. Yet, in reality, he did everything perfect. Unfair? Sure. But, that’s baseball, no?

And, on the flipside, sometimes, in baseball, you do everything wrong and something good comes out of it.

3. Baseball is unique compared to other sports.

In baseball, the defense usually controls the pace of the action. Again, nothing happens in this game until the pitcher throws the ball. Further, it’s been said that baseball is the only sport where the ball is always in possession of the team on defense and the offensive team can score without touching the ball. In addition, there is no “clock” in baseball. As Dave Anderson wrote in 1996, “Without the clock that confines football, basketball and hockey games to so many minutes, a baseball game never expires until the final out. No matter what the score, baseball always provides hope…” And, who doesn’t like hope?

4. The contrary nature of baseball’s pace of game.

Many like to refer to the “leisurely pace of baseball” and how it lends towards the ability of spectators to converse, etc. And, this is true. To the outside observer, baseball does seem to move at a somewhat relaxed pace. However, in reality, the game of baseball is played at a violent speed. Pitches are throw around 90 MPH. As such, batters have about two-tenths of a second to react to a pitch. And, if the ball is well struck by a batter, a ball could be sent into play at a speed greater than 90 MPH. And, fielders have to quickly react to balls like these.

It’s amazing that baseball can be such a relaxing game to watch – and yet it is comprised of a chain of high speed, and explosive, actions and reactions.

In any event, these are my four reasons why baseball is so enjoyable. What are yours?

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Baseball America now lists the Yankees Jesus Montero as the third best overall prospect in all of minor league baseball.

Clearly, Jesus Montero, now, is the most heralded Yankees batting prospect since Nick Johnson. And,here’s what Baseball America is saying about him today:

If Montero could defend behind the plate—he threw out just eight of 64 basestealers in the high Class A Florida State (12.5 percent)—he could rank first. He has impressive barrel awareness and offensive upside for his age and experience level.

When I read about Montero now, I can’t help but to think about all the buzz around Carlos Delgado, circa 1992-1993.

Delgado, then also a catcher, like Jesus Montero today, was selected as USA Today’s Minor League Player of the Year in 1992. In fact, in March of 2003, Cubs superscout Hugh Alexander (about then 20-year-old about Carlos Delgado) said: “He’ll be the best ballplayer in baseball someday soon.”

And, like many, I feel that, by the time he’s ready for the big leagues, Jesus Montero will have to move away from catching – just like Delgado did when he became a full-time major leaguer.

Mark Teixeira is under contract with the Yankees until 2016. And, Alex Rodriguez is under contract with the Yankees until 2017. And, more than likely, Derek Jeter will sign a contract after 2010 that will keep him with the Yankees until, at least, 2015. So, the Yankees will have three somewhat older guys on their team that could block Montero at first base or designated hitter for years to come…

So, maybe Jesus Montero will end up getting traded by the Yankees for the next Dale Murray, Ken Phelps or Javier Vazquez? What do you think?

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This was the first time ever that the Yankees won a game, in Minnesota, where they used six pitchers (or more) in a nine inning game. How’s that for history?

Thank goodness for the Twins. The Yankees record against them offsets how the Yankees have played the Red Sox, so far, this season.

Really, the Yankees are 51-34 now on the season – which is a .600 winning percentage. But, the Yanks are also 0-8 against the Red Sox and now 7-0 against the Twins.

Take out those games against the Twins and Red Sox and the Yankees record is 44-26 – which is a .629 winning percentage.

Man, if the Yankees had only split those eight games with the Red Sox…then they would have the best record in baseball…one game better than the Dodgers…managed by some guy named Torre…

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Via George King this morning:

The buzz around MLB scouts is that if a team is interested in acquiring Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays it better be ready to accept center fielder Vernon Wells, too. Since Wells has $107 million remaining starting next year, that’s going to be hard to swallow.

Funny, yesterday, I wrote:

Here’s today’s wild thought – and it’s tied to all the talk about Doc Halladay being available via trade.

What if the Blue Jays decide to handle this like the Marlins did when they made Josh Beckett available? By this, I mean, what if Toronto decides to use this as an opportunity to dump Vernon Wells contract – insisting that the team who trades for Halladay also takes Wells – like when Florida insisted that the team who acquired Beckett also took Mike Lowell.

Maybe I should have been a MLB scout instead of a blogger? [wink]

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In his last 108 Plate Appearances, from June 13th through July 8th, Mark Teixeira has eight RBI.

During this same time period, June 13th through July 8th, Alex Rodriguez has come to the plate 90 times and has posted an OBA of .444 and a SLG% of .537 – yes, that’s an OPS of .982 (which, if you don’t know, is outstanding).

So much for that theory where many wanted to credit the return of A-Rod as the reason why Teixeira had 29 RBI in 21 games from May 9th through May 31st.

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Joel Sherman tweets that “Yankee officials tell me zero chance on Halladay for same reason no Santana 2 yrs back: Combo of too many prospects/dollars.”

Now, does that mean the Blue Jays want too many prospects and Halladay makes too many dollars? Or, does it mean that the Yankees don’t have enough prospects to offer Toronto and not enough money to pay Halladay? I guess it depends on your view, no?

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Please consider taking the following poll:

Thanks in advance. And, please feel free to add comments on your opinion in the comments section below.

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This Yankees victory was brought to you by Lursa and B’Etor Duras…as New York managed to cling on to this win. (“Klingon,” get it?)

Funny, in the first couple of innings, it looked like A.J. Burnett was going to cut through this one like a hot knife through butter. And, it looked like the Yankees bats – sweet two-out, two-RBI, single by Brett Gardner in the second – were going to cruise as well. However, innings three through seven were somewhat hazardous for our Yankees nerves. (At least they were for mine.) Good thing that Burnett was able to get those big two-out strikeouts to end the fifth and sixth innings. And, it was good that Mo Rivera had the at’em ball working for him tonight – or else this one-run win could have been a blown game (all things considered).

In any event, a win is a win, right? And, that’s now 12 wins in their last 14 games for the Yankees. You really can’t ask for anything more than that.

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I’ve got a Flo Rida “Right Round” earworm stuck in my head and if it doesn’t leave soon I might go insane.

From the top of the pole I watch her go down,
She got me throwin my money around,
Ain’t nothin more beautiful to be found,
It’s goin’ down down…

Make it stop!

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Here’s today’s wild thought – and it’s tied to all the talk about Doc Halladay being available via trade.

What if the Blue Jays decide to handle this like the Marlins did when they made Josh Beckett available? By this, I mean, what if Toronto decides to use this as an opportunity to dump Vernon Wells contract – insisting that the team who trades for Halladay also takes Wells – like when Florida insisted that the team who acquired Beckett also took Mike Lowell.

After all, if the Jays can’t afford to pay Halladay, wouldn’t they want to also shed all that money due Vernon Wells – especially given the way Wells has performed since signing that deal?

This would narrow the field for trading Halladay – since few teams could afford to take on Wells’ contract. In fact, it could make it a two team race between the Red Sox and the Yankees. Further, maybe the Blue Jays would then want Brett Gardner (from New York) or Jacoby Ellsbury (from Boston) as part of the return for Halladay and Wells? For certain, with Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady and Hideki Matsui being free agents in New York, the Yankees could consider taking on Vernon Wells for this season and those remaining on his deal – even if the cost, around $20 million a year, is crazy. And, perhaps the Red Sox might see Wells as a replacement for Jason Bay if he leaves as a free agent?

So, that’s today’s wild thought. Should the Jays try this package play? If they did, if you were the Yankees and/or Red Sox, would it scare you away?

Me? I’d have to think about it . And, if I were the Yankees, I would really have to get some good intell on Vernon Wells to see if he could rebound in New York the way that Mike Lowell did when he went to Boston – before I pulled the trigger on that one.

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Via the Daily News -

Fresh from A radio interview in Spanish with 97.9 FM Tuesday morning, Laura Posada breezes along 56th St., into the lobby of the midtown Chambers Hotel, causing plenty of whiplash among the sidewalk traffic. Sporting heels, a short summer dress and a new Anna Wintour-style coif, the wife of the veteran Yankees catcher and the mother of two is making the publicity rounds for her reality TV debut, set to air tonight on the E! network.

“In the beginning, I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t sure if it’s something I should do or not,” says Posada. “But then (the E! producers) explained what they were trying to do, which is really show what it is, for real, to be a baseball wife.”

Baseball fans and curiosity seekers who tune into “True Hollywood Story: Baseball Wives” tonight at 10 p.m. and expect to find scandals galore in the lives of the Posadas or the Hamelses (pitcher Cole Hamels of the Phillies and wife, Heidi) or other baseball families, might be surprised.

“People think that just because you’re married to a baseball player, that you’re dumb, that you’re a gold digger, that you’re an ex-stripper,” says Laura. “That’s not the way it is. I still haven’t met that one girl. Most of the girls that I know, that are baseball wives, are super sweet girls. They’re successful in their own right. I really hope that after people see this show, they realize that there’s a lot more than just what people think baseball wives are.”

Question: Would we even care about Laura if she wasn’t married to Jorge Posada and/or if she didn’t have huge implants and goods look in body paint?

Then again, they didn’t have fake fun bags and Sports Illustrated eye-candy editions back in the day of Eleanor Grace Twitchell Gehrig…so, who knows if this is just some form of era-adjusted baseball wife performance?

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I’ve been writing this blog for a little over four years…

(more…)

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Well, this one was a…

That sixth inning was interesting. I wonder how many times, since 2006, have the Yankees batted around in an inning, scoring five runs, where both Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter went down on called strikes? Probably not many…

Sabathia was awesome in this one. Wonder if he had any flashbacks to six years ago while zipping through this one?

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Today on the MLB Home Plate channel on SIRIUS XM Radio, hosts Seth Everett and Jim Duquette spoke with Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Kevin Millar, who offered his thoughts on the new Yankee Stadium. [Thanks to Andrew FitzPatrick for this information.]

Jim Duquette: “What’s your impression of the new Yankee Stadium?”

Kevin Millar: “I’m going to be honest with you. You know I’m going to shoot from the hip. I’m not a big fan of it. Nothing pops there, nothing pops. The old stadium, you walked in, you knew this was where [Mickey] Mantle played and [Joe] DiMaggio. It was just that old school. I got booed a lot louder. They didn’t boo me as loud here. I like to get booed. They were too nice to me here. They’re too nice to me. I don’t know if it’s all corporate, but they’re too nice. But it’s just like a big, huge – it’s a beautiful facility, don’t get me wrong – but the navy blue seats, a lot of concrete and nothing pops. I mean, nothing pops there, personally. Now, it was our first trip in and I don’t know if I was expecting more, but that’s the truth and it’s just I loved the old stadium.”

Seth Everett: “Is it impossible to ever live up to that old stadium?”

Millar: “It’s not impossible, but yes, all the comeback wins and all the memories there, of course, it’s going to take time. And this is year no. 1 and there’s some tinkers. Like for one, you know, it’s a beautiful scoreboard but they have the radar gun readings at the very top of the scoreboard with the pitch count. Fans want to know how hard the pitcher’s throwing, for instance. You come to the game, you want to see, ‘Yeah, Brandon League’s on the mound, he’s throwing 90-what?’ You don’t want to have to look around the stadium to find it, and this is at the very top, a very little scene up there with your miles per hour where most stadiums have them above the dugouts on the second tier of the second deck so you can kind of see it easier. You know, it was hard to read what the guy’s hitting for the batting average. It was tough to find certain things. And for a stadium that’s got $1.5 billion in it, you would think it had been just some easier scenes, and I’m just using those as examples and those might be nit-picking. But for the monuments: I wish they would’ve pulled the monuments up so you could see the monuments. I mean, they’re behind center field and it’s kind of blocked off with the hitter’s eye so you don’t even see them. At least in the old stadium, left center, you kind of saw them a little bit, glimpsed through over there from the bullpen area, and when you’d hit a home run to left center they’d bounce in the monuments. So there’s some things that, in my opinion, nothing’s really popping out. But it’s a gorgeous scene, I guess, for the fans inside – the food, the televisions, all the marble and stuff. But from what we see as a player, you walk in the lobby and it was straight concrete. We walk in the locker room, beautiful locker rooms, but it was just, it was OK, personally.”

If I had a dime for every time I saw/heard the word “concrete” used when someone was referencing the new Yankee Stadium, I’d have enough money to build another new Stadium – out of concrete, of course…

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Also, don’t forget: Marty Appel’s “Munson: The Life And Death Of A Yankee Captain” goes on sale today.

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Here are the career stats for Robinson Cano, through yesterday, compared to the stats for Juan Samuel when he was the same age as Cano – via Baseball-Reference.com:

Batter	        OPS+	PA	From	To	Ages	G	AB
Juan Samuel	107	2876	1983	1987	22-26	644	2675
Robinson Cano	110	2714	2005	2009	22-26	654	2551

Batter	        OPS+	PA	From	To	Ages	 BA	 OBP	 SLG
Juan Samuel	107	2876	1983	1987	22-26	.269	.312	.457
Robinson Cano	110	2714	2005	2009	22-26	.303	.335	.471

Batter		OPS+	PA	From	To	Ages	H    HR  RBI
Juan Samuel	107	2876	1983	1987	22-26	719  80  326
Robinson Cano	110	2714	2005	2009	22-26	772  75  352	 

Batter		OPS+	PA	From	To	Ages	BB   SO  GDP	SB
Juan Samuel	107	2876	1983	1987	22-26	151  629  35	205
Robinson Cano	110	2714	2005	2009	22-26	115  299  84	 16

It terms of games played, plate appearances, OPS+, hits, homeruns, RBI and walks, these two are very close. Samuel struck out a more – and that’s probably a key difference here. It suggests that he had more holes in his swing than Cano – as the walk totals for both these players offer that they were hackers. (Samuel was also a lot faster than Cano – see the stolen base totals.)

In any event, it’s an interesting comp-find here. And, it’s today’s wild thought: Is Robinson Cano the next Juan Samuel? What do you think?

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Here are the Yankees pitchers, to date, in terms of innings pitched, batteres faced (PA), pitches thrown, pitches thrown per inning pitched, pitches thrown per batter faced and pitches thrown per seven innings pitched:

PITCHER	        IP	PA	Pit	P/IP	P/PA	P/7IP
A. Claggett	1.6	16	60	37.5	3.75	263
Damaso Marte	5.3	30	117	22.1	3.90	155
Edwar Ramirez	17.3	86	355	20.5	4.13	144
Mark Melancon	3.3	18	64	19.4	3.56	136
David Robertson	20.3	85	386	19.0	4.54	133
Jose Veras	25.6	118	482	18.8	4.08	132
Chien-Ming Wang	42.0	206	742	17.7	3.60	124
Brett Tomko	17.3	71	301	17.4	4.24	122
J. Chamberlain	84.6	378	1462	17.3	3.87	121
J. Albaladejo	23.3	105	401	17.2	3.82	120
Andy Pettitte	103.3	456	1752	17.0	3.84	119
Philip Hughes	49.3	211	829	16.8	3.93	118
Brian Bruney	15.3	66	257	16.8	3.89	118
A.J. Burnett	101.0	432	1687	16.7	3.91	117
Mariano Rivera	34.6	135	565	16.3	4.19	114
Phil Coke	36.3	139	565	15.6	4.06	109
CC Sabathia	114.6	470	1774	15.5	3.77	108
Alfredo Aceves	40.0	156	577	14.4	3.70	101

Ideally, you want you pitcher to only throw about 15 or 16 pitches per inning pitched. For a starting pitcher, this would mean that he would throw 105-112 pitches over seven innings. And, as you can see from the chart above, only Mariano Rivera, Phil Coke, CC Sabathia, and Alfredo Aceves come close to that targeted rate. (A.J. Burnett is just outside this mark, for what it’s worth.)

But, clearly, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettitte seem to be laboring more than you would want to see from your starting pitchers – in terms of P/IP – and this is why they’re only going five or six innings per start.

It’s O.K. to have one guy in your rotation be a five-and-fly kinda-guy. But, when you have three pitchers like that in your rotation, eventually, you’re going to cook your bullpen.

Now, granted, some of this may be the fallout of the new Yankee Stadium – where pitchers without the “stuff” of Rivera, Sabathia, and Burnett, or, without the command of Aceves, have to work harder and throw more pitches.

Nonethless, it seems like too many key pitchers on the Yankees are having to work too hard – in terms of the number of pitches that they have to throw, etc. And, if New York is smart, they’ll figure out what the issue is here – and address it, with a correction, soon.

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In case you missed it today, here’s what many are buzzing about from today’s game, via The Star-Ledger:

When Derek Jeter was called out attempting to steal third base with no one out, he asked third base umpire Marty Foster for a reason.

Jeter thought he was safe. The ball had beaten him there, but he moved his left hand around Scott Rolen’s glove and replays showed he touched the bag before Rolen’s tag.

“He didn’t tag me,” Jeter told Foster.

“He didn’t have to,” Foster said, according to Jeter. “The ball beat you.”

Jeter was incensed. He followed Foster as he walked away to argue. Third base coach Rob Thomson restrained Jeter as Yankees manager Joe Girardi ran toward third looking for an explanation. (“Jete’s not going to argue unless he’s safe,” Girardi said. “That’s the type of player that Derek Jeter is.”)

So less than a minute later, when Girardi received the same reasoning Jeter did, the manager was ejected.

“I didn’t care for the explanation,” Girardi said. “Just leave it at that. There has to be more to it.”

Jeter, who rarely argues any call, couldn’t believe what he was told.

“I was baffled by the explanation,” Jeter said. “I was told I was out because the ball beat me and he didn’t have to tag me. I was unaware of that change in the rules.”

Foster was not made available to reporters after the game. Crew chief John Hirschbeck said Jeter may have been in the right, but couldn’t say for sure. He had not spoken to Foster about his exchange with Jeter.

“It would make (Jeter’s) actions seem appropriate if that’s what he was told,” Hirschbeck told reporters. “It used to be if the ball beat you, you were out, but it isn’t that way anymore. It’s not a reason to call someone out. You have to make a good tag.”

Jeter, who said he has never been tossed from any game he’s played on any level, said he wasn’t close to being ejected. That’s because he said he couldn’t argue with Foster’s bizarre reasoning.

Even Hirschbeck was surprised at Jeter’s reaction.

“In my 27 years in the big leagues, he is probably the classiest person I’ve been around,” Hirschbeck said.

For the record, MLB Rule 7.01 says: “A runner acquires the right to an unoccupied base when he touches it before he is out. He is then entitled to it until he is put out, or forced to vacate it for another runner legally entitled to that base.” And, within the rules it defines that:

“An OUT is one of the three required retirements of an offensive team during its time at bat.” And,

“A TAG is the action of a fielder in touching a base with his body while holding the ball securely and firmly in his hand or glove; or touching a runner with the ball, or with his hand or glove holding the ball, while holding the ball securely and firmly in his hand or glove.”

But, where, in the official baseball rules, is the matter of retiring a runner on an attempted steal covered? I’ve looked at it, quickly, a few times and see nothing about whether the ball has to beat the runner or if the runner needs to be tagged (to be retired). Crazy, huh? Unless I’m missing something…

That said, conventional wisdom and past practice would suggest that, in the absence of a force play, the runner would have to be tagged out. Otherwise, why would fielders even have to attempt a tag? If a tag is not needed, fielders would just reach out for the throw – like a first baseman does when taking a throw to his bag in an attempt to retire a batter-runner.

Update: Rule 7.08(c) covers retiring a runner on an attempted steal. (How did I miss that?) Thanks to Lee Sinins for pointing that out.

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Oh, sooooooo close…but, no.

Tracking this one electronically, it appears as if this contest, from the Yankees perspective, was a hodgepodge of costly two-out pitches, stupid base-running, somewhat questionable fielding, terrible relief pitching, and a heart of the order no-show (until the 9th inning) – with some bad umpiring sprinkled on top.

As much as a 5-2 homestand is always nice, it’s a shame to have a get-away game like this – one that looks like an orangutan’s butt after he just guzzled a gallon of caster oil.

New York hits the road now for three in Minny and three in L.A. before the All-Star break. On the season, to date, the Yankees have been so-so on the road.

Do they allow this game to set the tone and then mail in the next six games before the All-Star break? Or, will the Yankees shake this one off and take four (or more) of the next six and show us something really impressive – finishing out the first half, away from home, with a strong kick? Time will tell.

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