WasWatching.com Water Cooler Talk 9/17/09
Posted by Steve L. on September 17th, 2009 · Comments (17)
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September 2009 Survey Question #2
Posted by Steve L. on September 17th, 2009 · Comments (8)
Please consider taking the following poll:
In Your Opinion, How Many Games Will The Yankees Win This Post-Season, Overall?
Thanks in advance. And, please feel free to add comments on your opinion in the comments section below.
Big Step For Kennedy
Posted by Corey Italiano on September 17th, 2009 · Comments (1)
Last night, Ian Kennedy made another nice stride toward his recovery from an annyurism, as he tossed 3 pefect innings against AAA Durham, striking out 6 in the process. The reason he was pulled after 3 innings was that he was on a 50 pitch limit. Kennedy will now head to the Arizona Fall League to continue his rehab. He will definitely get a look next year, so hopefully all goes well with his rehab.
As for the rest of the game, unfortunately for Scranton, Kei Igawa came in relief of Kennedy and took the loss as he gave up 3 runs in 4 innings, leading to their second loss of the International League Championship Series. It’s a best-of-five series, so we may be looking at some more call-ups in the very near future.
- Posted By Corey
Fight Fallout
Posted by Steve L. on September 17th, 2009 · Comments (0)
Via the Daily News -
Major League Baseball handed [Jorge Posada] a three-game suspension and fined him $3,000 for igniting a bench-clearing brawl with the Blue Jays.
Toronto reliever Jesse Carlson and Yankees reserve Shelley Duncan also received three-game bans while Toronto catcher Rod Barajas was fined $1,000. Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long and reliever Edwar Ramirez were fined undisclosed sums.
Both Posada and Carlson were originally suspended for four games apiece but basically plea-bargained their penalties to three games after agreeing not to appeal their punishment. Duncan is appealing and was available to play Wednesday night.
Shelley Duncan and Edwar Ramirez…They get the job done.
September 16th vs. The Blue Jays
Posted by Steve L. on September 16th, 2009 · Comments (13)
Huge win. Pretty much ices the division crown. Frankie Cervelli, though, was lucky – only having one out registered when he got the walk-off hit in the 9th…when he ran towards right field, after rounding first, running away from his teammates. Why?
Can’t say enough about Matsui’s homerun to tie this one in the eighth inning.
So, how many games will the Yankees now win this season, overall? 102? It should be more. Is 104 too many?
Know how many times the Yankees have won 104+ games in a season? The answer is: Six. (1998, 1963, 1961, 1939, 1932, and 1927.) And, that’s not a lot. I hope they make it seven this year.
WasWatching.com Water Cooler Talk 9/16/09
Posted by Steve L. on September 16th, 2009 · Comments (11)
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Kids Stuff On The Brain
Posted by Steve L. on September 16th, 2009 · Comments (0)
Ever hear the song Paparazzi by Lady Gaga?
Well, I’ve got the hook stuck in my head…
But, instead of hearing:
Baby you’ll be famous, chase you down until you love me, pa-pa, pa-pa-razzi…
I hear:
Baby you’ll be famous, chase you down until you love me, wow-wow, wow-wow, Wubbzy…
Gotta stop watching T.V. with the kids!
Let Them Sing It For You
Posted by Steve L. on September 16th, 2009 · Comments (0)
Oh, this is too much fun: Click here for my question for you. (Via Let Them Sing It For You)
Yanks Set 2010 Tkt Prices
Posted by Steve L. on September 16th, 2009 · Comments (6)
Via the Yankees today -
The Yankees today announced 2010 full-season ticket license pricing for regular season games at Yankee Stadium. Prices for 97 percent of tickets will either remain the same or decrease.
Of the 50,086 seats in the Stadium, prices for 41,928 tickets (84 percent) will remain the same from 2009, while 6,454 tickets (13 percent) will see a decrease in price. There are 1,704 tickets (three percent) that will have an increase in price.
A total of 3,400 Field Level seats currently priced at $325 as part of full-season licenses will drop to $250 or $235 each next season, depending on their specific location. Additionally, all 1,208 Suite seats in the Delta Sky360° Suite will see a decrease in price, as will 1,846 of 1,894 Suite seats (97 percent) in the Legends Suite. The balance of the Legends Suite seats will have no price change.
All Field Level seats not in the aforementioned locations will remain at their current prices. Additionally, non-Suite tickets in the Bleachers, Grandstand and Terrace levels will see no change in price in the 2010 season.
In the Main Level, 10,111 seat locations will see no increase. The remaining 1,704 seats in Sections 216-217 and 223-224 currently priced at $100 will be $125 next season. These mark the only increases for 2010.
Did they really need to increase the prices on those 1,704 seats in Sections 216-217 and 223-224? That’s an extra $3.5 million for the Yankees. Do they really need $3.5 million that badly? Man, if I had one of those seats, I’d be seeing red on this news…
Andy’s Achy-Breaky Shoulder
Posted by MJ Recanati on September 16th, 2009 · Comments (9)
Uh oh. When Andy’s arm was hurting last year, he stank up the joint pretty badly. Given the run of good pitching he gave the Yanks in the second half this year, this news comes at the worst possible time, especially when it looks like AJ Burnett has gone into the tank as well. The state of the Yankees pitching staff is in distress at the moment, and right on the precipice of October baseball.
Am I suddenly worried about the prospect of even getting out of the ALDS? Yes, very much so. Just a week ago, I would’ve said the Yanks could punch their ticket to the World Series. Now I’m not even sure they won’t pull a “Mets” and cough up the division lead.
-Posted by MJ
It’s In The Hands Of The Scrub Starters
Posted by Steve L. on September 16th, 2009 · Comments (0)
Chad Gaudin pitches for the Yankees, today, against the Blue Jays.
Paul Byrd pitches for the Red Sox, today, against the Los Angeles Angels.
If the Yankees lose and the Red Sox win, then Boston will be just 4 games behind New York, in the loss column, with the Yankees having 15 games left to play and the Red Sox having 18 games left to play.
Pretty big Wednesday night for both teams. Betcha their both wishing they had someone else starting for them in these games…
September 15th vs. The Blue Jays
Posted by Steve L. on September 15th, 2009 · Comments (24)
O.K., the game. Doc Halladay did the ‘bend but don’t break’ thing. Sergio Mitre was…well…Sergio Mitre. And, the Blue Jays marched all over the Yankees in this one.
Now, the fight. Funny, just about this time, last year, the Yankees had a fight in a blow-out loss. Must be the September thing to do?
Here’s the deal. I’m all for unifying team building exercises – including bench clearing brawls. But, with respect to the fights, it’s only a good thing when you’re defending yourself…and it’s a bad thing when you started it.
Mark Melancon has to learn to stop hitting batters right square in the back. That’s what triggered this whole thing. And, now, Jorge Posada is probably going to get suspended because of it…and who knows who got hurt in the scrum this evening.
I know who didn’t get hurt…Alex Rodriguez. If you notice, on the replays, A-Rod was one of the last Yankees to brawl and he sort of just bounced around the perimeter of it. I seem to recall, some time in the last five years, him doing this before during a fight. I want to say it was against a West Coast team. I somewhat remember being ticked over A-Rod and Giambi, two of the strongest guys on the team, at the time, not being more active enforcers when the benches cleared. I’ll have to look some and see if I can locate that game…
Oh, by the way, don’t look now, but, the Red Sox are currently just 5 games back, in the loss column, behind the Yankees – and Boston has 19 games left to play…
The Wanting Is The Hardest Part
Posted by Steve L. on September 15th, 2009 · Comments (0)
No Wait To See Next Year
Posted by Steve L. on September 15th, 2009 · Comments (2)
MLB has released a master 2010 schedule…
Funny, I could remember some recent seasons past where the Yankees would wait forever, for unknown reason, to release their schedule…leaving fans to try and piece it together…using schedules for other teams and picking out the Yankees games. Mark Newman offers some Yankees items for next year:
…The 2010 rotation for Interleague Play is NL East vs. AL Central, NL Central vs. AL West, and NL West vs. AL East. If that Dodgers-Yankees ’09 World Series doesn’t materialize as so many of those teams’ fans have hoped aloud this season, then hold that thought, because the Bronx Bombers are at Dodger Stadium next June 25-27…
…June 11 marks the seventh anniversary of the night when six Astros pitchers combined to no-hit the Yankees in The Bronx. Houston opens a series at new Yankee Stadium on this same day…
…For the first time since 1950, the rival Yankees and Red Sox will start and finish the regular season playing each other at Fenway Park. The closeout is on Oct. 1-3 — the weekend after they face each other at Yankee Stadium — and one only can wonder if they both will play on after that, as they have been wont to do so often lately…
Check out the Yankees first 12 games of the season next year: Boston and Tampa Bay, three games each, all on the road. Then they come home for three against the Angels and three against the Rangers. Man, that’s a rough first two weeks…
WasWatching.com Water Cooler Talk 9/15/09
Posted by Steve L. on September 15th, 2009 · Comments (24)
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The House That The NCAA Built?
Posted by MJ Recanati on September 15th, 2009 · Comments (26)
First we found out that Yankee Stadium would reprise its role as the venue for the historic Notre Dame-Army football games. Then, today we hear that there may be something called the “Yankee Bowl” where a Big East team and a Big 12 team will do battle in a post-season football game.
I guess I’m a little surprised that there would be a clamor to play a bowl game in the inclement New York weather in mid- to late-December. Given that bowl games are now big business for corporate sponsors and the universities that play in them, making fans sit in crappy weather seems a bit odd when you can send your fans and corporate sponsors to Honolulu, New Orleans, Orlando, San Diego or Tempe. Then again, there are few places more enjoyable than New York around the holidays…
As an aside, there is now talk to bring boxing back to the Bronx. What’s next, the circus?
-Posted by MJ
Since The Last Time They Met
Posted by Steve L. on September 14th, 2009 · Comments (12)
As we know, when the Yankees last visited Fenway Park, New York took two of three games from Boston. How have the two teams done since that series…which ended on August 23rd?
Since that time, the Boston Red Sox have gone 14-5.
And, since then, the New York Yankees have gone 15-6.
Pretty close, huh?
At the close of business on August 23rd, the Yankees were up 7.5 games on the Red Sox. And, today, at the close of business on September 14th, New York is 7.5 games up on Boston. In three weeks, overall, there’s been no change in that gap between the teams. The only thing that’s changed has been the number of games left on the schedule.
Now, that last fact is great for the Yankees. But, should New York be concerned that Boston is still playing well…despite their issues…and it appears the Red Sox will be at the dance in October? Can we handle a 4th ALCS between the Yanks and Sox in a span of 11 years? And, if they do meet, and Boston wins, that would give each team two “wins” each – with the Red Sox winning the last two match-ups…and giving Boston two ALCS “wins” over the Yankees in the last 6 years. As Yankees fans, how would you feel about that?
Me? The whole thing bugs me. Part of the issue, I believe, with the 2003 post-season was that, after the Yankees beat Boston in the ALCS, New York was running on empty at the end. It’s too much stress facing the Red Sox in the ALCS. And, now, the Yankees have to try and make up (as if that’s possible) for 2004 if they face Boston in the ALCS again. Which, if New York wins, could lead to another World Series let down.
As much as the Angels are a pain in the Yankees tokhes, I think I’d rather see them in the ALCS than the Red Sox…especially if Boston is still winning seven out of ten games, like they have been the last three weeks. How about you?
September 14th vs. The Angels
Posted by Steve L. on September 14th, 2009 · Comments (3)
Hey, hey, hey…sure…it’s only one game…but…the Yankees beat the Angels and they did it with a page from the Halo’s playbook. Sweet.
El número mágico es ahora doce.
Many will want to talk about Brett Gardner/Joe Girardi and Mike Napoli for this one. And, yup, there will be conversation around Joba Chamberlain and Alfredo Aceves – and maybe even Phil Coke and Phil Hughes. But, for me, this one was all about Mark Teixeira – and his extra base hits in the fifth and eighth innings. Those two hits were the game…for me.
I’ve said in the past that CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are the keys to the Yankees winning in October – especially in the ALDS. But, even if they do their job, Mark Teixeria is going to have to be “the man” with the bat for New York in the post-season. We know that you cannot count on Alex Rodriguez. Yes…maybe…A-Rod will come through this October. But, he did not in 2005, 2006 or 2007. So, it would be foolish to count on him doing it this year. But…Teixeira…now…that might be “the guy” to count on…as he just seems to be not worried about how it looks…and is more focused on getting it done. Let’s hope I’m correct…as the ALDS will be here before you know it.
WasWatching.com Water Cooler Talk 9/14/09
Posted by Steve L. on September 14th, 2009 · Comments (21)
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In Case Red Light’s Blog Was Not Enough…
Posted by Steve L. on September 14th, 2009 · Comments (1)
Red Sox head cheese John Henry is now blogging. (H/T to BBTF.) I wonder if this will last longer than Hank Stein’s gig writing for TSN? And, how happy can Bud be over this? It’s funny, baseball doesn’t want to let in a guy like Mark Cuban, but, it seems like they already have someone Cuban-like, in terms of using e-mails, blogs, etc., in Henry. But, then again, Bud loves John Henry…so, whatever Henry wants, he gets…
On the bright side, it’s always nice, for me, to see someone over the age of forty doing a baseball blog. Sometimes I feel like the old guy who walked into a frat party by accident because his car broke down in front of the party house…standing out like a sore thumb. Well…now…there’s at least two of us old-timer’s doing this…
Wild Thought – Pedro
Posted by Steve L. on September 14th, 2009 · Comments (6)
Seeing how well Pedro Martinez has thrown for the Phillies, this season, in his 7 starts with them since joining the team, and how badly Joba Chamberlain and A.J. Burnett have been pitching lately, should the Yankees have gone out and picked up Martinez, when they had the chance, as a free agent this summer?
Me? I was happy with the Yanks passed on ol’ Petey. And, to be candid, the thought of seeing him in a Yankees uniform somewhat turns my stomach. But, when your options after Joba and A.J. are Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin…well…pour me a Pepto for Pedro…and maybe I’ll learn to survive…
That’s today’s wild thought. What are your thoughts on this?
Tex: Doesn’t Matter Who Yanks Face In October, “We’re Going To Win”
Posted by Steve L. on September 14th, 2009 · Comments (0)
Ah, the power of positive thinking…via Danny Knobler:
Besides the Yankees (Mark Teixeira’s current team), the best three records in the American League this year belong to the Angels (Teixeira’s last team), the Red Sox (who wanted to be Teixeira’s next team) and the Rangers (Teixeira’s first team).
So with the Yankees far ahead in the American League East and just counting down the days until they clinch, you’d think Teixeira would have as much interest as anyone in who wins the AL West and the AL wild card — especially because it affects who his Yankees will face in October.
If so, he’s keeping it to himself.
Heading into a week where the Angels face a tough stretch of games (a Monday makeup game with the Yankees, followed by three games in Boston and three in Texas), Teixeira said he hasn’t followed his former team that closely.
“It’s tough, with their games on the West Coast,” he said.
And what about the wild-card race? It would seem that the Yankees would benefit from seeing the Rangers pass the Red Sox. The Yankees would then face Texas in the first round, rather than getting the Tigers and tough starters Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson.
“We feel confident that no matter who we play, we’re going to win,” Teixeira said. “That’s how we have to feel.”
For the record, Mark Teixeira’s ALDS last season was a lot like Thurman Munson’s 1976 World Series. He did everything that he could…but his team still lost. Let’s hope his October experience for the Yankees is a win-win…meaning for him and the team.
Week 23 – 2009
Posted by Steve L. on September 13th, 2009 · Comments (2)
What stands out the most in my mind, this past week, besides Derek Jeter breaking the record for most hits in a Yankees career – which is the story of the week, by the way – was that the defending league champion Tampa Bay Rays came into Yankeeland and lost four games in a row to New York.
In fact, when you take the four games that the Rays played before that set with the Yankees, and the three games that they have played since, you’ll see that Tampa Bay currently has an 11-game losing streak going for themselves.
And, overall the Rays have lost 16 of their last 21 games – going from being just 3 games back of the Red Sox, in the Wildcard chase, to being 12 1/2 games behind Boston. Imagine losing about 10 games in the standings in a span of three weeks? Talk about a free fall…
The Yankees last three games of the season are at Tampa Bay. Hopefully, the Yankees will have clinched the A.L. East about four days before that series…making it a “Spring Training” like match for New York…because it will be for the Rays…for sure.
But, Tampa should be back next year…and the Yankees should not lose sight of that.
Before The King & Mickey Dee Owned New York…
Posted by Steve L. on September 13th, 2009 · Comments (3)
…there was “The Big W.”
Legend has it, for the one by me, that it was a rat found in the root beer barrel that did them in…
Where did you once eat that’s now looooong since gone?
September 13th vs. The Orioles
Posted by Steve L. on September 13th, 2009 · Comments (9)
Final scores can be so misleading, sometimes. If you spent the day visiting with family, and then taking a nice stroll on the boardwalk, before grabbing some dinner out, and were basically “unplugged” from 1 pm until 7 pm (ET) and had no idea what happened in the Yankees game…until you saw the final score, 13-3, on the scroll at the bottom of your T.V. screen when you first flicked on the MLB Network upon arriving home…you’d think “Wow. A laugher. Sweet.”
And, you’d have no idea that the Yankees were losing, 3-1, until Melky Cabrera got a big hit in the fourth, to tie the score at three. And, you’d have no idea that Hideki Matsui got a clutch hit, in the sixth inning, to make to a 3-3 tie into a two run Yankees lead. And, you’d have no idea that it was a very close game, as late as the eighth inning, with New York up, 5-3, until Matsui blasted one to put the Yanks up by five. And, you’d have no idea that Cabrera would drive in two more runs, in that same eighth inning, to make it a runaway…
Basically, you’d have no idea that it was the Melky and Matsui show in the Bronx today…getting the Yankees back into the game, and then getting them the lead, and making it a laugher…but not until it was the next to last inning of the contest.
Oh, and you’d have no idea that Johnny Damon pulled a rock, that cost the Yankees a run, in the fourth inning. Or, that Alex Rodriguez chirped his way into getting ejected from this game in the fifth inning. Two things, by the way, that are pretty stupid for players to do…as their team is trying to win games and lock up a title.
This all reminds me of the ol’ deer-jokes…
Q: What do you call a deer with no eyes?
A: No idea.
Q: What do you call a deer with no eyes and no legs?
A: Still no idea.
Thank you. Thank you…I’ll be here all week. Try the veal and be sure to tip your waitress.
WasWatching.com Water Cooler Talk 9/13/09
Posted by Steve L. on September 13th, 2009 · Comments (7)
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2009 Yankees Just Like 2002 Yankees?
Posted by Steve L. on September 13th, 2009 · Comments (10)
I promised this the other day, so here goes…
The 2009 Yankees compared to the 2002 Yankees:
The 2002 Yankees won 103 games that season. According to CoolStandings.com, the 2009 Yankees are on pace to win 102 games this season.
At the close of business on September 12, 2002, the 2002 Yankees had a record of 93-53 and a 9.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox.
At the close of business on September 12, 2009, the 2009 Yankees had a record of 91-52 and a 7.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox.
Per the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia, the 2002 Yankees had .888 RCAA/G – and, to date, the 2009 Yankees have 1.224 RCAA/G (after 143 games).
Per the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia, the 2002 Yankees had .472 RSAA/G – and, to date, the 2009 Yankees have .042 RSAA/G (after 143 games).
Therefore, the 2002 Yankees RSAA/G plus RCAA/G mark was: 1.360 (in 161 games). And, the 2009 Yankees RSAA/G plus RCAA/G mark, to date, is 1.266 (in 143 games).
Needless to say, in terms of current record, position in the standings, projected win total, and the spread between runs created and saved above average, the 2009 Yankees look a lot like the 2002 Yankees, don’t they?
And, what happened to the 2002 Yankees? They got their fannies beat in the ALDS that season when Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte and David Wells pitched terribly in their post-season starting assignments (against the Angels).
Here are their stats, via Baseball-Reference.com, from that 2002 ALDS:
STARTER GS ERA IP H ER BB SO Roger Clemens 1 6.35 5.2 8 4 3 5 Mike Mussina 1 9.00 4.0 6 4 0 2 Andy Pettitte 1 12.00 3.0 8 4 0 1 David Wells 1 15.43 4.2 10 8 0 0
Know what? If CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, and (if he gets a start) Joba Chamberlain pitch as poorly during the 2009 ALDS as Rocket, Moose, Andy and Boomer did in the 2002 ALDS, then we will remember the 2009 Yankees in the same exact light as the 2002 Yankees.
Wild Thought: Is Jeter’s Agent Paying Attention?
Posted by Steve L. on September 13th, 2009 · Comments (4)
Back in December of 2007, when A-Rod signed his new deal with the Yankees, he got a clause in his contract that pays him $6 million (each time) for making appearances, signing memorabilia, etc., when he matches the career homerun totals of Willie Mays (660), Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Bonds (762). And, he gets another six-mill when he sets the new career homer mark. Should Derek Jeter’s agent be looking for a clause like this in the next deal for his client?
After all, Jeter has these marks to shoot for after his current contract is up:
Career hit #3,000 – first Yankee to ever reach this level
Career hit #3,320 – most ever for a right-handed batter in the American League
Career hit #3,772 – most ever for a right-handed batter, period
Career hit #4,000 – becoming only the 3rd batter, ever, to reach this level
Career hit #4,190 – most ever in the American League
Career hit #4,257 – most ever in baseball history
Hey, it wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?
Jeter Before 21
Posted by Steve L. on September 13th, 2009 · Comments (5)
Via John Shea in the San Fran Gate –
Giants general manager Brian Sabean was the Yankees’ vice president of player development and scouting in ’92 and had a hand in drafting Jeter. He saw Jeter play in high school and was on the same page with scouting director Bill Livesey and other inner-circle executives who were urged by area scout Dick Groch.
“It was a unanimous thing, much like here when we took (Buster) Posey and (Tim) Lincecum,” Sabean said. “You have a lot of hands up in the room.”
Jeter hit .210 his first minor-league season and made 56 errors his second. But the next year, he cut his E’s in half and topped .300 at three minor-league stops. He started the Yankees’ ’96 opener, replacing Tony Fernandez, and never lost his job. He’s a 10-time All-Star.
Recalling Jeter in high school, Sabean said, “He didn’t run particularly well because he had an ankle issue, but you could see the athleticism and comfort in which he played the game and how easy the game came. Normally, a shortstop taken that high comes from a baseball state such as California, Florida or Texas. That’ll tell you how much his tools impressed us.
“It’s a testament to him that once he got there, he never looked back, never stopped working, never took anything for granted – one of the reasons for his staying power. He’ll go down as one of the best in history at his position, and to think it all was in a Yankee uniform is pretty amazing in this day and age.
“While it’s somewhat bold to pick a high school player because you can’t predict, we all knew he had a chance to be special. I don’t think any of us envisioned the type of career and longevity he’s had.”
You know, Jeter’s 1994 minor league season was amazing. As a 20-year old playing at A-AA-AAA combined he batted .344 with only 46 K’s in 592 PA. Can you imagine the hype, today, if a 20-year old Yankees prospect did something like that?
The Continental League
Posted by Steve L. on September 12th, 2009 · Comments (1)
Paul Dickson, who knows a thing or two about baseball books, reviews Michael Shapiro’s “Bottom of the Ninth” for the Washington Times. Click here to read his review. Here’s a snip:
The shadowy Continental League is the subject of a new book by Michael Shapiro and it is the fascinating story of a “third major league” that was proposed by New York lawyer William Shea on paper in November 1958 in response to the New York Giants’ and Brooklyn Dodgers’ announced plans to move to California and leave New York without a National League team.
The new league was formally announced in July 1959 with septuagenarian baseball visionary and former Dodgers president Branch Rickey at the helm. It was composed of a motley collection of investors interested in cracking the 16-team National and American League structure and gaining profitable franchises. Teams were to be placed in commercially viable cities that did not have a major league team, with the notable exception of New York, which was at the head of the list.
The CL dissolved without playing a single game in August of 1960 after both the National and American Leagues announced plans to expand into new cities. Shea got his team — and, ultimately, his name on the New York Mets’ new stadium — when the NL added the Mets to its list of franchises along with the Houston Astros. The AL reneged on its part of the agreement, adding one team in an existing NL city in Los Angeles (the Angels) and another in an existing AL city — Washington, D.C.
But there is more to this book — another story that amounts to a second narrative under one cover. It is the story of Casey Stengel’s final two seasons as manager of the New York Yankees and his struggle to maintain traditional dominance of the game itself.
After winning the 1958 World Series, the Yanks slipped to third in ’59, even spending time in the cellar at one point. Rebounding to win the 1960 AL pennant, the Yanks were upset by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series, and Stengel, then 70, was not-so-gently shoved out the door. The book actually begins and ends with the 1960 World Series, which is won when Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers the first walk-off home run in the history of the World Series. The Yankees are beaten by a team they had outscored, outhit and outplayed.
Mr. Shapiro’s book argues that the failure of the Continental League to take shape — and the parallel success of the American Football League — was the turning point that led to baseball’s loss of status as America’s favorite sport. It is the decline of baseball that is the arc of Mr. Shapiros story, and he contends the eclipse began in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series with the Mazeroski home run.
The cities that were to be part of the Continental League were Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York City and Toronto. And, now, all those locations have big league teams – sans Buffalo.
I wonder…could it be possible to start another “major” league today…say…with teams in San Jose, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Columbus, Memphis, Charlotte, Nashville, and New Jersey and see where it goes? And, if such a team would be in New Jersey, would it take any money out of the Yankees’ pocket? That would be an interesting thing to see…
