Happy Holidays!
Barring any breaking and hot Yankees-related news, I do not expect to be posting many entries to WasWatching.com over the next few days. Therefore, I wanted to take this time now to wish all the readers of this blog a safe and happy holiday season. It’s been 56 months now that WasWatching.com has been up and running, and, I’ve truly enjoyed all the feedback to this site and its content that you have provided through the years. Thanks for that wonderful present! I hope you all have as much fun (as I’ve had here so far) during your holiday observance.
Look for more stuff after Christmas!
Also, I want to make a special “shout-out” to the following frequent “comment-makers” that we have at WasWatching.com:
MJ, Corey, clintfsu813, 77yankees, Evan3457, YankCrank, GDH, Raf, bfriley76, G.I. Joey, #15, Scout, Pat F, cr1, yanksofny, srivinodh, Brent, butchie22, ken, BOHAN, Jake1, Tresh Fan, Rich, mondoas, JeremyM, sean mcnally, Rob Abruzzese, lisaswan, K-V-C, Pete, jrk, antone, OldYanksFan, Joseph M and redbug
My sincere thanks to those mentioned above for all their comments, etc., this year. You’ve added a lot to this site and it’s appreciated!
Hey, Steve,
Many a Happy Holidays & New Year to you – our grand poobah for giving us Yankee fans a place to vent, debate and enjoy the best Yankee season ever…..well, at least since 2000.
To the regulars which Steve mentioned as well, enjoy your holidays with the family. We’ll put a moratorium on those daily “over the top rope battle royals” until 2010.
Happy Holidays to all. Throughout the holiday season (and beyond), whether you feel happy, unhappy, or somewhere in between about the Yankee’s offseason moves so far…do keep mind that we are World Series Champs. Continue to enjoy it!
Happy and healthy.
Thanks Steve!
Happy Holidays to you and everybody else too. Here’s hoping you all have some wonderful 2009 World Series Champions gear waiting under the tree!
Happy Holidays from sunny Florida everybody! I’m looking forward to another year of reading all your rants…and sliding my own comment in here and there
I agree with jrk… No matter what happens this offseason lets still enjoy #27.
Thanks Steve, thanks regulars!
I’m staying local, and I’m also recovering from the flu, so I’ll be staying close and popping in every so often.
Hope everyone enjoys their holiday and time spent with family.
My thanks to all for the lively and thought-provoking exchanges. Enjoy your holidays.
Merry Christmas, happy belated Hannukah, happy Kwanza (sp?) and all the other season’s greetings that I might’ve missed.
Thanks to the regulars for making this the best Yankee conversation out there and thanks to Steve for providing us with the forum to converse on a daily basis.
I bought myself the Yankees World Series DVD and I can guarantee you that’s what I’ll be doing with my downtime tomorrow morning!
May 2010 be as kind to us as 2009 was.
Saw this on SI:
We made the 5th best franchise of the decade, 1st best in baseball:
Credentials: The Yankees won their second title of the decade — and 27th overall — in 2009. No MLB team won more regular-season games (965; 45 more than the Red Sox) or division titles (eight). New York also led baseball with four World Series appearances and four 100-win seasons.
Drawbacks: With all the money New York spent on All-Stars over the past 10 years, two titles isn’t the return on the investment the Yankees would have liked. The frustrating nine-year gap between World Series titles also featured a four-season stretch in which New York did not win a single playoff round.
@ clintfsu813:
Who were franchises 1-4?
1. Lakers 2. Patriots 3. UCONN women hoops 4. Spurs
Just saw Aaron Small as #8 one hit wonder in 2000s. Man I loved Smally in 2005.
Aaron Small, 2005: proof that God wears Yankee pinstripes.
Yanks also brought home 3rd best new stadium of decade behind The Cowboys and Cardinals of the NFL
BEST SINGLE-SEASON TEAM: 2009 Yankees
This shocked me: The 2009 Yankees were the only team in the decade to win 100 regular-season games and the World Series. In fact, the last three teams to win 100 and the World Series are: 1. the 2009 Yankees; 2. the 1998 Yankees; and 3. the 1986 Mets. So you have to go back 25 years to find a team outside of New York that won 100 and a World Series — that would be the 1984 Tigers.
clintfsu813 wrote:
I can definitely see the Lakers as #1 and the Pats as #2. Not so sure about UConn’s women’s hoops team since they only compete against 1-2 good programs in the entire country. I sound like an asshole but women’s college hoops just doesn’t count in my book. It’s basically a barnstorming team of all-stars playing against weaker competition. Impressive, yes. 3rd most impressive, nah…I’d pick the Spurs ahead of them.
@ MJ:
I concur
Unfortunately they had Game 7 of 2001 WS as best MLB game of the decade. Boone’s HR game was #2 though
clintfsu813 wrote:
One of only a handful of times when I’ve cursed at Rivera. I still can’t believe he botched that throw to 2B. I’ve never been in a worse mood on a Monday morning than I was on that Monday, 11/5/01.
Thanks back at you for creating this place and keeping it going! Appreciated daily, seldom expressed.
And to the regulars, the reason a whole comment section can be found without a bunch of moronic fluff, thanks as well.
Happy and safe one, all.
I think I’ve stated this here before, but I’d like to say again that discovering this blog at the beginning of the 2009 season and being able to participate in this ongoing conversation was one of the best things to happen to me as a Yankee fan hands down. Many thanks to all the regulars and to Steve for providing us with the classiest and most insightful Yankee blog out there.
I think I’ve stated this here before, but I’d like to say again that discovering this blog at the beginning of the 2009 season and being able to participate in this ongoing conversation was one of the best things to happen to me as a Yankee fan hands down
I’ll echo this. I check 3 blogs everyday. This one, RAB, and LOHUD. This one is of course different and I like the small community we have here. I dont even look at the comments on the other 2.
@ MJ:
I feel ya there. Seeing that one still burns me. I swear I would give back 1999 to win in 2001. That one was supposed to be ours (So was 2004 IMO) in so many ways. Games 4 and 5 especially should have been enough to push it our way.
From over at RAB:
If and when someone writes the book on the 2009 Yankees, the 27th World Series championship club in franchise history, that moment in Atlanta will make for a nice narrative turn. The beleaguered general manager, tired of watching his club underperform, stepped in to rally the troops. If ever a chewing out can inspire a ballclub, that would be the one.
I was at this game! It was the one where Cervilli hit his one and only Home Run. Everytime I hear this game being mentioned as the turning point of our season, I get a little warm inside.
@ clintfsu813:
I’d never trade in ’99 because it was the bridge to the three-peat and I love that we got to do something no other club had done since the ’72-’74 Oakland A’s.
The ’01 WS was a heartbreaker but the ’03 WS was absolutely ours and we never should’ve lost that one. David Wells, Jeff Weaver, Alfonso Soriano, Aaron Booe and Joe Torre can all rot in hell for sucking it in that World Series.
Awesome that you were at that game in Atlanta. I know it’s a challenge for you to be a full-time fan living so far away from the Bronx but it’s kinda cool that you get to see the Yanks in places most of us have never been to.
One of these years, I’d like to follow the Yanks on a 6-game road trip to ballparks I’ve never been to, such as the Trop or Turner Field. I’ve never been to Fenway either but I’m not sure I really want to go. Those people skeeve me out.
I’ve never been to Fenway either but I’m not sure I really want to go. Those people skeeve me out.
Lol..I’ve actually been there too. The people weren’t too bad. Of course I had kinda expensive seats in the second deck so there weren’t too many idiots around. That game also gets mentioned when people speak (positively) about Joba. He struck out 10 and gave Youk a nice buzz in that one. Yanks won 1-0. I’ve been pretty fortunate in my limited # of Yankee games…especially when I saw Arod hit #500 in my one and only YS visit. I have a video on my FB page that I took of that moment, lol.
’03 bums me out too. Although Soriano sucking in that one probably caused the trade for Arod, lol.
Happy hollidays to everyone!
@MJ, clintfsu813
I’ve actually opened up a seperate bank account for which i deposit some money each paycheck. My goal is to eventually have enough money saved to see all 162 Yankee games in a season, in person. It’ll be great, because I havn’t been to many different ball parks…
Baseball Stadiums I’ve currently visited:
Yankee Stadium II
Yankee Stadium III*
Shea Stadium
Citi Field*
Camden Yards*
* denotes I’ve visited them for the first time last season.
I shouldn’t visit new parks. I went to the ’06 Yanks-Tigers playoff game where Kenny Rogers beat Randy Johnson (and sat way up among the trashiest Detroit can offer). And even worse, I drove to Cleveland (from Ann Arbor, MI) the next year for the “bug” game. People were nicer there, but I’ve never been so depressed driving back to Michigan after Joba’s meltdown.
Now that I’m in Boston, I’m pretty sure I’ll stay home to watch if we play at Fenway in the playoffs.
@ Corey:
I’ve been to:
Yankee Stadium II with YS3 coming in the next season
Turner Field
AT&T Park (Cards vs Giants)
Fenway Park
Tropicana Field
Camden Yards (O’s vs Rangers)
I really wanna go to Citi, Wrigley, and Dodger Stadiums.
Now that I’m in Boston, I’m pretty sure I’ll stay home to watch if we play at Fenway in the playoffs.
We and the team would appreciate that
Just kidding, you should def. take in a Sox/Yanks game at the Fens. Maybe you could time it where its a crappy matchup for them, like CC vs their #5.
@ clintfsu813:
I’m a big fan of the stadium in Flushing. It’s really quite nice.
I think I’m going to make an attempt to go to Wrigley next season. I’ve always wanted to go there.
I can’t wait for next year, I’m going to be visiting Scranton for sure to see Montero up close.
@ Corey:
My father in law is a Braves fan..and was born in Brooklyn, so I’m trying to talk him into going up and showing me where he grew up in Bedstuy and taking in a Braves/Mets game. Then I can scratch Citi off the list. I wanna do every MLB park before I die. Whenever I travel to a baseball city between the months of April and October I check ahead and see if I can catch a game.
Alright guys I’m outta here..leavin work early today. Catch yall on the flip side!
I’ve been to:
Yankee Stadium (both recent versions) 10x a year
Shea / Citi once a year
Busch Stadium 1 and 2 (both recent versions) in St. Louis, MO 1993-1999
Wrigley in Chicago in 2003
New Comiskey (US Cellular) in Chicago in 2002
Camden in Baltimore once a year
Citizen’s Bank in Philly in 2006
SkyDome in Toronto in 2005
Coors in Denver in 2005
RFK in Washington in 2005
I haven’t added a new park in a new city since ’05 so I’m due.
@ clintfsu813:
I’m going to the last ST game at Steinbrenner field. They’re giving out replicas of the 2009 Champ ring!
Corey wrote:
Don’t go without me. I wanna go too.
Back in ’05 when the hype around Hughes was huge, I bought SWB season tickets to see him.
@ MJ:
Impressive list, MJ. I came close to a Nats game last year.
BTW, have you guys seen my current FB pic? I will cherish it for-ever!
@ clintfsu813:
Not as impressive as Raf’s. I think he went to the Metrodome in Minnesota this year and a couple of other spots towards the end of the year.
clintfsu813 wrote:
That’s sick, was it from this season?
@ MJ:
I’m definitely going to try to get me a Montero autograph, though.
That’s cool, we’ll see how his footwork is then.
MJ wrote:
Ya, that’s really awesome. I would have loved to have gone to the HHH metrodome.
@ Corey:
The ideal scenario is Joba pitching to Montero down in AAA. I’d love to be at that game.
MJ wrote:
That would be cool, no doubt.
@ Corey:
It was done just after the WS. A co-worker is friends with Kim Girardi. I put it right next to my Torre signed ball.
I’m hoping to see Jesus at that last ST game.
Speaking of Joba being in the minors, I think it’s a great possibility of one of Hughes/Joba will start the year in the minors. I, fortunately, think it will be Hughes. I just don’t see Hughes outpitching Joba to earn the spot over him. I think the common consensus is if Hughes doesn’t make the rotation he’d be the set up man. But I highly doubt they’d do that, because in the majority of the season a good 6th starter can end up more valuable then a set up man due to injuries. Therefore, I think we’ll be seeing Hughes to Montero.
Thank you Steve for maintaining this blog – like many others I check it all the time and find the commentary at a different level (not to be a snob, but it’s more critical and most of the frequent posters actually take pains to make their posts legible and use the English Language as opposed to textese) than at most blog sites. I really value the fact that this forum is here. Happy Holidays to all and Happy New Year too.
That said, on the road all day yesterday listening to Home Plate on satellite radio, I found it hopeful that at least 6 teams are interested in DeRosa, so maybe we’ll be lucky and someone else will snap him up.
Hey Steve, happy holidays and new year wishes to you and your family.
Happy Holidays and New Year wishes to all members of the WW community.
I have a great time here and the civil, intelligent back and forths here is unmatched..
Steve, good luck and best wishes for another strong year ahead..
Joel Sherman says Derosa likely for SF and that the Yanks are lookin at Reed Johnson. Thoughts?
An NL executive and an agent told me the Yankees were talking regularly to the representatives for Reed Johnson. I can see the Yankee reasoning. As currently constituted, the Yanks have lefty-swingers Brett Gardner in left field and Curtis Granderson in center. Johnson can play all three outfield positions, and has long been a strong hitter against lefties. In 2009 against lefties, Johnson hit .324 with a .403 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage; and for his career the numbers are .313/.378/.463.
Thats Sherman talkin BTW, lol
clintfsu813 wrote:
I don’t know much about Reed Johnson, but at first blush this makes more sense than Mark DeRosa, because he’s cheaper, but he’s still more of a fill in player than a starter. I heard the rumor about SF also, which is encouraging. I’m in the Bay Area and follow the Giants a good bit, and this would be a typical stupid Sabean move that is as likely as not to happen. I still hope that we end up with Damon, as unlikely as that might be at this point.
I’ve been to:
Yankee Stadium (both recent versions)
Shea Stadium
Wrigley Field
Camden Yards
Citizen’s Bank Park
Veterans Stadium
SkyDome
KingDome
Safeco Field
Tiger Stadium
Comerica Park
Three Rivers Stadium
PNC Park
Fenway Park
Petco Park
Jack Murphy Stadium
Anaheim Stadium
Jacobs Field
Turner Field
Olympic Stadium
Metrodome
Riverfront Stadium
I did manage to catch an exhibition game @ the LA Coliseum
AAA
Rochester Red Wings
Scranton Yankees
Buffalo Bisons
AA
Norwich Navigators
A-C Yankees
New Haven Ravens
Trenton Thunder
A
Staten Island Yankees
Brooklyn Cyclones
Tri-City Valleycats
Hudson Valley Renegades
Ind.
Bridgeport Bluefish
I’m sure there are one or two that I’ve forgotten.
Plus, if this is a platoon with Gardner, then it makes sense to note that Gardner actually hit better last year against lefties, not that it makes any difference. And not that any opposing manager would switch pitchers for him – he’s not all that – imposing – shall we say?
If we’re talking independent leagues, I’ve been to see a few Long Island Ducks games.
Impressive list, but I recommend Skylands in North Jersey. The Cards used to have their NY-Penn affiliate there, and it was great. Now it is an indy league team. @ Raf:
Season’s Greetings to all.
Enjoy the holidays with those you love, and those who love you.
happy holidays to all! steve, thank you for another year of this fantastic site, and the time and effort you put into making it such!
Merry XMAS and Happy New Year to everyone who posts. Except for that one odious poster who is my eternal nemesis….all of you had to know it’s not a “Butch” post without a patina of cynical negativity,mates!
@ butchie22:
Are you referring to me?
MJ wrote:
No, he’s not. I forget who it was exactly, but it wasn’t you.
@ Raf:
If we’re adding minor league stadiums, I’ve been to:
Richmond Braves (AAA)
Norfolk Tides (AAA)
Scranton Yankees (AAA)
Trenton Thunder (AA)
Binghamton Mets (AA)
Brooklyn Cyclones (SS-A)
Staten Island Yanks (SS-A)
The Richmond Braves no longer exist, in large part because the city of Richmond refused to build the Braves a fancy new park. Amazing to think that even minor league teams play major league games of civic extortion for new stadiums…
Also, when I went to the Binghamton Mets game (vs. Portland Sea Dogs), I witnessed my only no-hitter. August 2, 2003. Pretty neat.
@ Corey:
OK then. I know Butch and I don’t always agree but I only have one “enemy” on this site and she only shows up when I talk about beanballs.
YankCrank knows who I’m talking about but I forgot her name.
MJ wrote:
Yea, I remember that as well. I’ve been to one no hitter, and that was Doc Gooden’s in 96
Hey, thanks to all for the kind words!
See, you guys…that’s what I meant the other day:
http://waswatching.com/2009/12/22/hi-my-name-is-steve-and-im-a-yankees-fan/
Hanging with ya’ll is the best! Thanks for that!
MJ – FYI, Richmond will have a team soon -
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090922&content_id=7096410&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp
MJ wrote:
MJ, you are not my sworn nemesis and anti-Butch on this site! I knew that someone would respond to that post who I didn’t despise!
Even though I disagree very passionately with many people on this site in the end, I love the give and take/thrust and parry of it all. The entity I am referring to is a loathsome and misbegotten flea who was immature and unrepentant in their attack of me. That worm is a Red Pox fan….. go figure! I rip the Yanks and Red Sox on an almost equal basis and the dolt tries to misquote me and was hoisted upon his own petard for his idiotic efforts. Funny how I haven’t seen that moron since the so-called gluttonous Yankees have won it all……he must be somewhere near the pathetic Green Montrosity Park AKA the Fens drowning his sorrows in some wretched ” Chowdahhead” watering hole.
MJ wrote:
Yep, that’s part of the reason there were so many minor league teams that have moved. Cities had to bring their ballparks up to a certain standard, and for whatever reason, they refused to. That’s how Utica, Albany-Colonie, among other cities lost their teams.
@ Corey:
I made it to Doc’s no-hitter and Cone’s perfect game.
Corey wrote:
OnceIwasAYankeesFan, I think it was.
@ Steve Lombardi:
Interesting…Richmond goes from a AAA city to a AA city. I guess some revenue in that ballpark is better than no revenue from an empty ballpark. I do have to say, however, that it would behoove Richmond to spruce the place up a little bit. It’s not horrible but it’s definitely a little on the old side.
Also, I’ve always wondered why teams would have their farm systems so far away from home. The Blue Jays in Las Vegas (AAA) and the Giants in Richmond (AA) just makes no sense to me.
@ butchie22:
Butch, good to hear that it ain’t me!
@ Raf:
You lucky dog, to have seen not one no-hitter but two…and a perfect-o, no less!
@ MJ:
It should’ve been 4. Had it not been beanie baby day (at the height of the beanie baby insanity) I would’ve gone to Wells’ perfecto. I was planning to go to Indians-Yanks in 93 (I had made just about every weekend game up to that point), but my boss was bitching that I kept coming in late (even though I had coverage), so to placate him, I took that weekend “off” and came to work.
As for farm systems, teams recently tried to realign operations so that they’d have their teams closer to the parent club; that’s one of the reasons that SWB is affiliated with the Yanks now, the Mets in Buffalo, Cleveland in Columbus, Baltimore in Norfolk, etc, etc, etc.
Not sure as to why the Giants signed on with Norwich, but the Richmond club at one time were the A-C Yankees. They moved to Norwich because Albany didn’t or couldn’t upgrade their stadium to league standards. Norwich gave the Yanks a shiny new ballpark. After a while, the Yanks contract with Norwich ran out, and they moved operations to Trenton, who were affiliated with the Red Sox, who took over the Portland Sea Dogs when the Marlins signed a developmental contract with a team in the Southern League (Carolina Mudcats). The Giants took over the Norwich franchise, and citing attendance problems, moved the team to Richmond.
The Jays leaving Syracuse for Las Vegas has puzzled me as well. The Chiefs are now affilated with the Nationals.
Raf wrote:
Yes, Once I was a YankCranker, Now I’m a Pox fan!
Raf wrote:
Raf, with the Jays it was a case of musical chairs. The Las Vegas 51s were the only minor league team that was left without an affiliation and the Jays were a team that lost its AAA affiliate. Toronto didn’t leave Syracuse of their own accord…..
@ butchie22:
Thanks Butchie. That makes a lot of sense, I knew that a lot of teams were switching affiliates back then. The Jays can’t be happy with that arrangement, and I’m sure they’ll look for a AAA team closer to home. Even the Yanks had a season where they had a AAA team in Tacoma.
If they don’t get their act together, don’t be surprised if the Yanks leave SWB