I’m telling ya, if Minka tells Kate that she walks with no arm movements , it’s going to be war!

Via the Post with a h/t to Dom Amore -

She made it past third base with Alex Rodriguez, but Kate Hudson isn’t getting a warm reception at the plate from Minka Kelly, longtime squeeze of Yankee captain Derek Jeter.

At home games in The Bronx, things between the two photogenic actresses are frostier than the new stadium’s $9 beer, according to spies.

“There’s been visible coldness between Minka and Kate,” an insider told The Post’s Lachlan Cartwright. “I don’t know if it’s a personal thing, or just an extension of the ongoing A-Rod-Jeter rivalry.”

Our source added, “People are choosing sides.”

“Friday Night Lights” hottie Kelly has been dating Jeter since last year. Since then, she’s usually cheered him on from his private seats, kept a low profile and has rarely been photographed with him.

Then, high-profile Hudson arrived on the scene. She’s been snapped smooching A-Rod in the stands, and recently switched from sitting in a private box to hanging in the family seats, cheering on the team with Yankee wives including Amber Sabathia and Karen Burnett.

Hudson, who also enthusiastically attended the Bombers’ family picnic, seems to have gotten an early thumbs-up from veteran Yankee wives Michelle Damon and Laura Posada, whose stamp of approval is crucial, a source said.

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Via MultiChannel News -

New York Yankees fans who subscribe to Verizon FIOS TV will be able to stream live Yankees games via their computer as part of a deal reached between the YES Network and the telco.

As part of a multiyear agreement between Verizon and the YES Network, Verizon Internet customers who subscribe to FiOS TV and also are receiving the YES Network as part of their TV package will be able to buy access to live, streaming coverage of Yankees games throughout the remainder of the 2009 regular season.

Verizon customers will have to pay a one-time price of $29.95 or a monthly fee of $19.95 from now until the end of the season in October. The package begins with the YES network’s Aug. 14 Yankees-Seattle Mariners game

The deal is the second in-market, broadband distribution agreement for YES, following a similar arrangement with Cablevision Systems Corp. announced in June. Neither YES network or the operator will reveal how many Cablevision subscribers have taken advantage of the broadband offer.

Hey, for another $1,500 on top of the $29.95, you can watch the games on your PC while sitting in a pair of seats from the old Stadium!

Call me up when you can something Yankees-related for free…

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Via Bill Madden -

[Mariano Rivera] was unavailable to pitch yesterday after waking up and feeling the effects of his shaky 18-pitch save the night before.

According to Joe Girardi, Rivera’s shoulder was “cranky,” but there was nothing concerning about it. Of course not. What else would we expect Girardi to say? At least Rivera did confirm his shoulder was sore, while echoing Girardi in saying it’s not unusual. He did not, however, volunteer any information as to why he was staying back in New York last night and not accompanying the team on its “Black and Blue Airlines” cross-country flight to Seattle after the game. This, too, the Yankees immediately downplayed as being a “personal” thing not “physical.”

I dunno…I have a bad feeling about this…

What about you? Are you worried about Rivera and what his absence would mean to the Yankees, this season, if he’s out for a while?

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First, an inventory of where we are in Yankeeland, and what’s coming up…

The Yankees are currently in first place in the A.L. East and have a 5.5 game lead over the second place Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees are on a West Coast trip where they will play 4 games against the Mariners and 3 against the A’s – and then will head to Fenway Park to play the Red Sox for 3 games (following an off-day for travel).

The Red Sox have a game at home this afternoon against the Tigers – and then hit the road for 3 games in Texas and 3 games in Toronto before that three-game set where Boston will host New York. (And, for the record, the Red Sox have another 7 games at home after that Yankees series.)

Next, today’s wild thought: How important is it for the Yankees to have at least a 3.5 lead over the Red Sox, at the end of their West Coast trip, before they head into Boston for those 3 games at Fenway?

Think about it: Yes, the Yankees took all four games against the Sox recently at Yankee Stadium. But, two of the games were very close. And, Boston plays extremely well at home. Those 3 games at Fenway are going to be tough for the Yankees. What happens if the Red Sox go 6-1 in their next 7 games and the Yankees go 3-4 in their next 7 games…and then the Yankees lead is only 2.5 games over the Red Sox before they play those 3 games in Fenway? If Boston then sweeps those 3 games…New York will come out of that series a half-game behind the Sox. And, that’s not good…

Bottom line, it seems like the Yankees really need to come out of this West Coast swing with at least 4 wins – just to ensure, no matter what Boston does now, and during that Fenway series, that New York will be in first place when they leave Fenway Park. Or, is that too wild a thought?

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Via Jeff Blair-

The Yankees? Well, maybe it’s the new ballpark, but there is a different feel to them this year.

Yankees captain Derek Jeter suggested the clubhouse is similar to the clubhouses of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the team was winning World Series. Free agents Burnett, CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira have not only re-established the Yankees as the majors’ best team, they’ve also integrated seamlessly with the Yankees’ holy trinity – Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. No drama. No unfortunate surprises.

“Those three guys had already moved around to a couple of teams before coming here,” Jeter said.

“They’ve really fit in,” Jeter said of the newcomers. “They’ve each had big games or big hits. I know you guys get tired of me talking about taking it day to day, but that’s how we do it here. We worry about what’s in front of us. They’ve been doing that, too.”

And, what, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano didn’t move around a bit too before coming to New York?

Seriously though…Teixeira, Burnett and Sabathia have been very Tino Martinez, David Cone and Roger Clemens like, haven’t they?

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Via Anthony DiComo:

When the Yankees boarded their flight to Seattle late Wednesday afternoon, they took with them a slew of injured players and no easy answers.

Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, both hit by pitches, are questionable for Thursday’s series opener against the Mariners — Rodriguez more uncertain than Jeter. Catcher Jorge Posada, who took a foul ball off his right hand and a series of other pitches off his body during Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Blue Jays, is also unsure whether he will play. And closer Mariano Rivera, who woke up Wednesday with a sore right shoulder, is similarly in question.

Just like that, the Yankees went from being remarkably healthy to quite incomplete, and they cannot be sure of the status of their wounded players until they wake up Thursday.

Jose Molina, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Ramiro Pena, com’on down….!

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Robbie Cano…don’t cha know…this cream pie is for you! Another thrilling walk-off victory. What is that, like, a hundred of those now this season?

Man, if the Yankees end up winning a ring this season, when MLB does the World Series video, I want to see all these in-season late comebacks and/or walk-off wins featured in that DVD – even if it’s just on the bonus features. It’s been an amazing season, so far, with all these crazy wins…

…of course, if the Yanks don’t make it past the ALDS again, this is all moot, right? Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Nothing worse than a magic carpet ride that ends before the final destination.

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I just noticed the Fielding Performance entry that Mike Emeigh posted over at BaseballThinkFactory.org on Monday morning. As Mike wrote:

Via Inside the Book, this presentation was given by Mets’ statistical analyst Ben Baumer and two co-workers at the Joint Statistical Meetings held in Washington DC the week after SABR was there. It’s an excellent overview of the state of defensive metrics today, with some suggestions for how HIT f/x will fit in.

I would agree that this is an excellent overview – click here to read it.

Who is Ben Baumer? Via Wiki:

Ben Baumer (born May 14, 1978) is the Statistical Analyst for the New York Mets, an Adjunct Lecturer in the Mathematics and Statistics department at Hunter College, and a PhD student in Mathematics at the The City University of New York Graduate Center. He expects to graduate in 2010.

And, there’s more on him here.

Michael Fishman is the Yankees’ “Director of Quantitative Analysis.” I wonder what studies he’s working on?

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Here’s how the Yankees bullpen has done since June 23rd:

Pitcher		G   W	L  Sv	IP	ERA	K9	BB9	HR9
Brian Bruney	14  1	0  0	13.3	7.42	9.45	6.75	2.70
Phil Coke	22  3	0  0	18.0	7.00	7.50	3.00	1.50
David Robertson	17  1	1  1	17.3	4.67	11.94	4.15	1.56
Alfredo Aceves	13  3	0  1	26.3	4.10	6.15	2.05	1.37
Mark Melancon	5   0	1  0	8.0	2.25	5.62	1.12	0.00
Phil Hughes	19  1	1  1	22.3	1.21	11.28	2.01	0.00
Mariano Rivera	21  0	0 18	21.3	0.42	9.28	1.69	0.42

Some notes: Melancon has not pitched all that much since the Yankees took off back in Atlanta on June 23rd. So, basically, the pen has been Rivera, Hughes, Aceves, Robertson, Coke and Bruney.

But, of those latter six, only Rivera and Hughes have been outstanding during this time. Aceves and Robertson have been so-so. And, Coke and Bruney have been very bad. So, should the Yankees be concerned about their bullpen? What happens if their big starters – Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte can’t go seven innings every time and then turn the game over to Hughes and Rivera?

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Via My FOX in Tampa -

Yankees Superstar Derek Jeter wants some privacy. He’s building a multi-million dollar mansion on Davis Islands but he needs special permission for his fence. Tuesday night the Variance Review Board gave him the thumbs up to build it.

Jeter’s new mega mansion takes up three waterfront lots and, when it’s finished, may be the largest home in the county. It’s 31-thousand square feet, with seven bedrooms, and nine bathrooms — Exactly what you might expect from a baseball superstar making more than $21-million a year.

Jeter’s attorneys argue that a celebrity of his caliber needs extra security and protection. That’s why he wants to build a six foot privacy fence made of wrought iron and concrete around his home.

There’s no truth to the rumor that Lonn Trost intends to have Jeter’s new fence moved in nine feet from where the original fence was…

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Via Chris Hine -

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said he had Joba Chamberlain’s future starts mapped out, but there was one person he did not bother to share this information with — Chamberlain.

Girardi said before Tuesday’s game against Toronto that he only notified Chamberlain when his next start would be. Beyond that, Chamberlain would have to wait to hear.

“He is not completely aware of exactly how we’re going to do it because the one thing that I don’t want him worrying about is his next start,” Girardi said. “I want him just to worry about this start.”

Only after Chamberlain completes a start will Girardi tell him when his next one will be.

The Yankees have said they would limit the number of innings Chamberlain pitched, occasionally giving him an extra day or two off between starts. All this is to prevent Chamberlain, who has not been part of the rotation for an entire major league season, from wearing down in September and October.

Including his start Tuesday against the Blue Jays, Chamberlain has thrown 121 2/3 innings, eclipsing the 100 1/3 innings he threw last season.

Girardi said he was not concerned that an extra day off between starts would disrupt Chamberlain’s performance.

“There are going to be times where he is going to be on five days and there’s other times that he might get a little extra rest,” Girardi said. “But that’s all part of it, and it’s making adjustments and learning how to make adjustments. Let’s not forget after the break he had about 10 days and came back extremely sharp.”

I don’t think I’ve seen an attempt to keep a secret like this since Dr. Madre made Maxwell Smart drink the map to the Melnick uranium mines…

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Damon and Teixeira were the back-to-back big fly heroes on Sunday…and tonight it was Matsui and Posada. (Nice catch, by the way, out there on the ‘Sado homer by the mirror image of Billy Connors.)

What a sweet comeback. I hope those Yankees fans who have tickets for the last home game of this season do something special for Hideki Matsui – in what will probably be his last regular season game as Yankee. He deserves it. In many ways, he’s the Japanese Roy White…if you ask me.

This would have been a bad game to lose…having lost the day before…and losing a game in the standings…and potentially losing more ground as the Red Sox try and spark up their season in Boston.

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Via the Daily News -

A-Rod may have a new lucky charm.

The Yankee slugger’s latest girlfriend, movie star cutie Kate Hudson, loves to cheer him on from the stands – and he’s been on top of his game ever since they went public.

His batting average since their first public smooch on July 25 is running almost 25 points higher than his season average. And he’s socked two homers in the last three games – including a two-run blast that ended the marathon Friday night/Saturday morning game against the Red Sox.

The bubbly blond Hudson, 30, has been rooting for Alex Rodriguez all summer, laughing and waving from a front row seat at Yankee Stadium.

The News caught up with Hudson last night at Los Dados restaurant in the Meatpacking District and she declined comment – but smiled – when asked if she’s helped A-Rod’s game.

The two made their relationship official at the team’s family picnic day, cuddling and smooching for the cameras. Ever since, he’s been batting .283 – hitting two homers over the weekend and striking out less. He was 1 for 3 in last night’s game and his season average is .259.

Over the weekend, Hudson brought mom Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell to root for her new boyfriend. Meeting the parents is a nice-guy turn for A-Rod, who was linked to Madonna and a Vegas stripper before divorcing his wife Cynthia last year.

Hudson also went with the Yankees on their last two road trips, cheering on her man in Tampa Bay and Toronto.

She’s gotten none of the bad vibes Jessica Simpson faced from Dallas Cowboys fans, who blamed her for then-boyfriend Tony Romo’s poor performance.

The romantic comedy star apparently has made nice with the Yanks’ general manager, too – she and Brian Cashman have been spotted walking together through the tunnel under Yankee Stadium after a game.

Does that make Cashman Dupree?

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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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Some A-Rod Homerun stats via Lee Sinins:

Top Ten Lifetime A.L. Homeruns

1  Babe Ruth	         708
2  Alex Rodriguez	 574
3  Harmon Killebrew      573
4  Reggie Jackson	 563
5  Rafael Palmeiro	 544
6  Mickey Mantle	 536
7  Jimmie Foxx	         524
T8 Ted Williams	         521
T8 Frank Thomas	         521
10 Manny Ramirez	 510

Top Ten Lifetime A.L. Homeruns
By A Right-Handed Batter

1  Alex Rodriguez       574
2  Harmon Killebrew	573
3  Jimmie Foxx		524
4  Frank Thomas		521
5  Manny Ramirez	510
6  Jose Canseco		462
7  Juan Gonzalez	434
8  Cal Ripken		431
9  Al Kaline		399
10 Dwight Evans		385

What…no Bye-Bye Balboni or Bam-Bam Meulens on these lists?

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I couldn’t watch this one. After the intensity of the last four games against the Red Sox, I needed a night off. Plus, I figured the Yanks would not be on top of their game – and who could blame them after those games against Boston? Lastly, I knew that Sergio Mitre was pitching. ‘Nuff said? So, instead, I watched a movie tonight. It just seemed like the right time to take a break…

I did peek in during the third and fifth innings. And, I caught Mitre being interviewed by Kim Jones on the YES post-game as well…talking about the play at second. So, I saw the Overbay homer and heard about the error. Did I miss anything else?

Afterwards, I saw that Boston won today. Hey, it was all bound to happen. Tomorrow’s another day, right?

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Last night, we decided to drive down to Belmar, N.J., to grab some slices at Santoro’s Pizza on Ocean Avenue – and then take a walk on the boardwalk and get the kids some ice cream. Because of the not-so-great weather earlier in the day, it was not crowded at all down there in the early evening. It was funny, walking around down there…seeing some familiar sights brought me back to 1987-1990 when I used to go down to Belmar very often and spend the weekend, etc.

Back in those days, I was a bit of a gym rat. And, I could be found in the World Gym by my home at least four days a week. Of course, also back in that day, I used to read Muscle and Fitness magazine each month – looking for new training tips, etc. And, many times, during the summer, I would grab the latest edition of “M&F” at the 7-Eleven down on Ocean Avenue in Belmar, on a Friday, and read it over the weekend in between hitting the beach and the bars, etc. Of course, back in those days, every so often…actually more times than not…there would be something in the magazine about Arnold Schwarzenegger – especially if he had a new movie coming out. (And, between 1987 and 1990, he had at least a half-dozen movies in theaters during that time.)

It’s funny, about a week and a half ago, I heard somebody…I think it was the weather guy on Channel 2 in the morning…doing birthdays and they mentioned that it was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 62nd birthday. Sixty-second birthday?

Wow…time flies.

Anywho, between hearing about his birthday the other day and making that Belmar/Muscle and Fitness/Arnold connection last night, I was in the mood to watch an “Arnold” movie this evening and I popped in “Total Recall.” It was interesting to watch it again – after not seeing it in many years…the then-award-winning effects are now dated, and, the acting perhaps somewhat more cheesy in retrospect, but, the story, score and action still kept me very entertained. A young, high-haired, Sharon Stone in aerobics gear didn’t hurt it none either…

And, for the record, I laughed out loud towards the end when Arnold said “See ya at the party Richter!” If you haven’t seen “Total Recall” in a while, and you were into the whole Commando, Raw Deal, Predator, The Running Man, Red Heat, Total Recall run that Arnold had going in the mid-80′s to 1990, I suggest checking it out again…for some nice “recall” in the viewing.

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What a difference 6 weeks and 5 days makes…

• From June 24th through August 9th, the Yankees went 31-10.
• From June 24th through August 9th, the Red Sox went 19-21.

That’s how you get an 11.5 game swing in the standings…which is what the Yankees did…going from being 5 games back of the Red Sox on June 24th to being 6.5 games up on them by the close of business August 9th.   Of course, the big push here has been since July 18th.

• From July 18th through August 9th, the Yankees went 17-5.
• From July 18th through August 9th, the Red Sox went 7-14.

Needless to say, the last 4 weeks in Yankeeland have been all good…whereas…in Red Sox Nation…it’s not been so nice.

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Last season, Melky Cabrera had an OPS+ of 68. And, that’s beyond bad – it’s terrible. However, this season, to date, Melky Cabrera has an OPS+ of 105. And, while that’s an OPS just a few ticks above average, it’s a huge improvement over last season for “Leche.”

Driving into the game on Friday night, I heard Brian Cashman interviewed by Michael Kay (on ESPN Radio) and he was asked about the Melk-man.

Now, when Cashman talks, he usually goes on and on without really saying anything. It’s like an endless loop of clichés. And, while Cashman did prattle on a bit when asked about Melky – going down paths muttering about having your name on T-Shirts and such – he did offer more meat than usual. Boiling it down, what the Yankees G.M. said, about Cabrera, was that he got full of himself last year, started taking things for granted, stopped working hard, and needed to get some sense slapped into him.

It was pretty surprising to hear this – considering Cashman’s usual tap dance when asked to comment on one of his own players.

Back to point, meaning Melky Cabrera, it leaves me torn. Half of me wants to credit Leche for getting with it and becoming a decent player again and the other half of me is somewhat pissed for him mailing it in last year – because his lack of offense (combined with Cano’s terrible start and Jose Molina getting so many plate appearances) really hurt the Yankees last season.

How about you? We’re do you sit on the Melky Cabrera fence? Are you happy for this year’s Leche? Still ticked over last year’s sour Melk? Or, sitting on the fence, between both, like me?

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What stands out the most in my mind, this past week, is that the Yankees, with their four game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, have now convinced me that they are a legitimate post-season contender.

Yes…sure…the win on Friday for New York was a close one. And, granted, the Red Sox were in the games, late, on Saturday and Sunday.

Also, I understand that Boston had to start John Smoltz and Clay Buchholz in two of the games (because Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka are out). And, Jason Bay missed the first three games with a sore leg. Further, Nancy Drew is reportedly somewhat banged up. Lastly…of course…Big Papi is besieged with his regret over not choosing Flintstones chewable vitamins back in the day…

But, Boston was still able to start their two best pitchers in two of these games: Josh Beckett and Jon Lester (and they both pitched like aces). And, the Red Sox still had Victor Martinez and Jacoby Ellsbury in the line-up. Lastly, Boston also had the two prides of Red Sox Nation playing, without issues, in these contests…you know…Yooooooouk and the reigning league MVP Dustin Gaedel…

So, let’s not make this out as if the Yankees just took four straight games from 1899 Cleveland Spiders. The 2009 Boston Red Sox, even with their current issues, are a very dangerous baseball team…or…they should be…

Brass tacks, the Yankees pitchers just took it to the Sox in these four games. Only Joba Chamberlain, Anthony Claggett and Phil Coke had some issues in this series. Otherwise, everyone else who threw the pill for New York was exceptional. And, if the Yankees pitchers throw like this, more times than not, over the remaining third of the 2009 season, it should be a cakewalk into the post-season.

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Watching the Red Sox celebrate in their dugout during the top of the 8th inning, after Victor Martinez homered against Phil Coke, to give them a 2-1 lead, I thought to myself “Hmmm…they’re acting like they just won the game. Maybe they’ve forgotten that the Yanks have two more shots at this one?” Well, if they forgot, Damon, Teixeira, and the gang sure did remind them in the bottom of the inning!

A-Rod’s homerun earlier in the game, against Lester – who was dealing – was huge, and, clutch. And, of course, Teixeira’s blast in the 8th inning was clutch too. But, the king of clutch tonight was Johnny Damon – with his homerun, after Matsui and Jeter were retired leading off the eighth, to tie the score at two. That’s the kind of hit that makes a Yankees fan jump out of his comfy couch, do a little jig, and let out a few fist pumps. Well, at the least, that’s what it made this Yankees fan do…

Damon and Teixeira have been amazing with these back-to-back big flies this season – with this being the 6th time they’ve done it…which is a Yankees record. Think about that…Ruth and Gehrig…Maris and Mantle…and all the others…have not done it six times in a season. Amazing.

Lastly, on the topic of amazing…how about Andy Pettitte, match zeros with Lester in this one? Really, like I said, Lester was shoving it down the Yankees throats tonight…and, I was starting to get that feeling…you know…that if he got some runs behind him, it was going to be bad news for New York. But, Pettitte kept the Red Sox off the board while he was in there…and that should not be lost in the story of this game.

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P.S. – anyone else having 1985 flashbacks today?

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Via Kevin Baxter:

Ten days after the New York Times reported Ortiz’s name was on the list of players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, 10 days after pledging not to “hide” or “make excuses,” Ortiz essentially did both.

Rather than coming clean, [David] Ortiz took the easy way out, blaming the test results on nutritional supplements and vitamins he bought over the counter.

Rather than keeping his promise to reveal what he tested positive for, Ortiz took cover behind Michael Weiner, the top lawyer for the players’ association, who said the union cannot give out that information.

How convenient.

“I definitely was a little bit careless back in those days when I was buying supplements, vitamins over the counter. Legal supplements, legal vitamins over the counter,” Ortiz said. “But I never buy steroids or use steroids.”

And what were the supplements he bought, legally and over the counter?

“No idea,” he said.

Well, whatever they were, they sure worked. Because the year before Ortiz failed his drug test, he was released by the Minnesota Twins after two seasons in which he combined to hit 38 homers and drive in 123 runs. In each of the three seasons after testing positive, Ortiz hit no fewer than 41 homers and drove in at least 137 runs.

That proves nothing, of course. But then neither did Ortiz’s news conference, during which he repeatedly admitted to being “clueless,” “careless” and “confused.”

Which still left him more forthcoming than Weiner, whose lawyerly explanations and accompanying two-page news release made it clear the union will never agree to release the names of players who failed baseball drug tests in 2003, as several prominent players and managers have requested.

So, Big Papi is playing the J.C. Romero card on this one, as opposed to the Mark “Not Going To Talk About The Past” McGwire card, or the Sammy “No Habla Ingles” Sosa card, or the Roger “Deny, Deny, Deny” Clemens card, or the Alex “Young, Dumb, And Naive” Rodriguez card, or the Andy “Yup, I Did It” Pettitte card…

…that’s fine. But, Ortiz better be careful…because if he has a Brian-McNamee-type in his past who suddenly crawls out of a hole, or, if something comes out with Angel Presinal that paints a different picture of what when down with him, then Big Papi will have to call up Rafael Palmeiro and ask him if there’s room for two over at his mountain cave in the Tora Bora area of Afghanistan…because, then, the spit will really hit the hands…um…I mean…the poop will really hit the Crocker & Curtis…

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Perhaps Kate Hudson has pulled a page out of her mother’s playbook and showed Don Baker…er…I mean…Alex Rodriguez how to be free?

Peter Abraham and Marc Carig have stories on this…some quotes from those:

“This hip injury for me was kind of a blessing in disguise,” [Alex] Rodriguez said yesterday. “It really kind of gave me a chance to refocus and rethink things, to take basically a timeout from all the white noise I created for myself over the last year and a half. I feel like now I have the opportunity to play baseball.

“The gift that God gave me is to play baseball, not to talk or explain myself.”

“I’m enjoying the game at a level that I really haven’t enjoyed before. It’s simply 100 percent about my team and winning games,” he said. “In the past I was so consumed about trying to do special things and now I’m only worried about one thing and that’s winning.

“This is the best I’ve ever gotten along with my teammates and it’s the most I’ve been at peace since I’ve been in New York, too. I think the humiliation of spring training and how embarrassing and hard that was for me allows me to sit here now and move forward and play baseball. That’s what I’m good at. When I have to talk, I’m not good at that.”

That’s all great to hear…but, if the Yankees make the post-season this year, and lose in the ALDS, and A-Rod goes 2 for 18 in the process, with 6 strikeouts, I don’t think he’ll be feeling at “peace” then…because, actually, when you’re in his position (in terms of salary and expectations) with a team like the Yankees, it’s really all about doing “special things”…and, if you don’t do them, you can “Serenity Now” yourself until your lips turn blue and it won’t mean squat…

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Yankees now have back-to-back shutouts of the Red Sox, in Yankee Stadium, for the first time since their double-header sweep of Boston on August 27, 1963.

Jim Bouton and Ralph Terry were the stars of those games for the Yanks…like CC Sabathia was today (and A.J. Burnett was last night).

Is it just me, or, does Clay Buchholz look like a skeevy character that Steve Buscemi would play in a movie?

Think the Yankees have “Sweep Dreams” about tomorrow? I know I do…

…still, New York has not exactly been blasting the cover off the ball for the last two games…and they have to face Jon Lester…

…in any event, this series is already a success for the Yankees…regardless if they win or lose tomorrow…and the only damper that could come out of it would be if something really bad, like an injury, happened in tomorrow’s game.

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I’ll prime the pump for this one…

Game One, on Thursday, of this Red Sox/Yankees series was the first time in 52 years that the Yankees won a game where they allowed 12+ BB in 9 innings or less.

Game Two, on Friday, of this series was the first time in over 55 years that the Yankees had a home game where their pitchers allowed zero runs in a game of 15 innings or more.

What will happen today, in Game Three? Any guesses?

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Via Mike Vaccaro -

So much of Yankee Stadium II’s first four months had been devoted to all that was missing: the charm, the history, the intimacy of a loud crowd on a summer night.

And the Yankees won 2-0, won what obviously was the greatest game in the brief history of the new ballpark, won a second straight game over the Red Sox, extended their lead to 4½ games, and gave everyone a stern reminder that they are the alpha dogs of the AL East now.

All the talk of baseball’s best team has bounced around baseball the past few months, from Los Angeles to Philadelphia to Boston.

Look homeward now. Look to The Bronx. Look to the familiar old neighborhood. And cross the street. Yankee Stadium II made its bones last night, proved it can be a fair acoustic heir, and maybe approach the experience the old joint used to specialize in: feeling like you had a stake in things. Feeling like everyone on the field could hear you. Feeling like a 10th man.

And being one. The games that came before didn’t have any of that. This one did. This one lasted until close to 1 in the morning, but when it ended everyone was ready. Everyone was prepared. The best game in the new ballpark, and they screamed as the ball soared, and it sounded sweeter even than Sinatra.

It’s an interesting question: Was New York’s game against Boston on August 7th the cherry-popper for the new Yankee Stadium? What do you think?

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