At the close of business today, the Yankees are now 5 games over .500. That’s quite the feat around these parts the last couple of years. Want an example? The 2009 World Champion New York Yankees didn’t get to 5 games over .500 until game 39 on May 19. The 2010 Yanks just played their 11th game. That’s a measure of success that you can’t dismiss with a “SSS”.

As Joe Torre once said in pinstripes, the goal now is to get to 10 games over.

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I’ve been a Yankees fan since I attended my first game, in person, back in 1973. And, while I remember following the team in 1974, I would say that it was in 1975 that I became a over-zealous follower and admirer of the team. It pretty much stayed that way for me sans a brief period of time from 1986 through 1988. (I still followed the team during those three seasons – but, it was more from a distance than the usual position of being plugged into the team, for life-support, on a daily basis. Blame that period on me being 23-24-25 years old and just having too much fun working full-time for the first time ever and running around wild on nights and weekends. Nonetheless, by 1989, I was back in full-swing of being a nutty Yankees fan.)

So, basically, since 1975, I’ve been a Yankees fanatic. As such, as I have shared before, I take Yankees losses pretty bad – especially in the post-season. And, until the last three seasons or so, I really enjoyed Yankees wins. (I wrote about this back in August of last year.)

Yet, something is different now. It goes back to a question that I threw out there last July…regarding the likeability of these current Yankees.

I thought that winning a World Series would erase that situation of Yankees wins having a dwindling pleasure impact for me. But, actually, what’s going on now – for me – is that I am still not deriving a ton of joy from Yankees wins. And, more shockingly, today, I’m not bothered by Yankees losses like I have been for the last 35 years.

Why is this? If pushed to give an answer, I would offer that I just don’t find this current Yankees team – from the front office of the Brothers Stein, Randy Levine, Lonn Trost and Brian Cashman to the team on the field – very appealing and warranting my emotional investment.

This is somewhat bizarre and vexing. When I drill down on this feeling, the only possible answer towards its root cause is that I’m allowing a few bad apples to spoil the barrell.

Now, I’m a raving fan of Andy Pettitte – always have and always will be…I suspect. (I feel the same way about Hideki Matsui – even with him off the team now.) And, I have a ton of respect for Mo Rivera – he’s class and greatness…both at its highest levels. I also like Jorge Posada – and am willing to look past his imperfections because of his grit and emotion. And, Derek Jeter…what can I say? He’s one of the best Yankees ever – a right-handed Tony Gwynn…in more ways than one. Jeter hits, he’s a great spokesperson for the team and a wonderful role model for kids.

How about other Yankees? Well, I have total trust in Mark Teixeira. There’s never a worry there – in my opinion. And, there are several youngsters on the current Yankees who are very easy to root for – such as Francisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena, Alfredo Aceves, David Robertson and Brett Gardner.

I would also be remiss not to share that I have great regard for Joe Girardi.

Yet, to be candid, I haven’t warmed up to the recent Yankees mercenaries CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. Although, I recognize that the former is an outstanding pitcher and a true “ace” – and a leader on the team. (And, by most reports, he’s a super guy.) I suspect, with more time, I will learn to really appreciate Sabathia the way I eventually did Johnny Damon when he was brought into the organization. The latter? The jury is still out on that one. Burnett is really overrated in my book. And, I just can’t connect with him…so far.

Moving along…Joba Chamberlain is just a ego-mess – and the Yankees allowed this to happen. At this time, I find it hard to feel great about him being a Yankee. Ditto Phil Hughes and Javy Vazquez – but because they seem too soft to me…and not because they have an ego problem…at least not like Joba.

Robinson Cano is an interesting case. There are things to love about him and there are things not to love about him. However, unlike Posada, it’s hard to look past the bad things because it really seems like he, at times, lacks fire and passion. (This one is really hard for me – because Cano is my daughter’s favorite player. So, I want him to do well, for the team, and her – but, I can’t shake this feeling that he’s one of these guys who is going to not continue to work hard and who will allow the game to spit him out.)

Who does this leave? Nick Johnson, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, A-Rod…and some other scrubs…back-up outfielders and bullpen arms.

Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson…I dunno. At this junction, I don’t love them and I don’t hate them. The next six months may change this…or it may not.

Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher, like Cano, are interesting cases. Statisically speaking, they’re very productive players. And, they help the team. But, I hate their personalities and would not shed a tear if both were traded tomorrow for a fair exchange.

Casey Stengel once said that “The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided.” And, I wish I could do something like that here…meaning separate A-Rod, Swisher, Cano, Hughes, Vazquez, Chamberlain, Burnett, Levine, Trost and Cashman from Girardi, Pettitte, Rivera, Posada, Jeter, Teixeira and the kids on the team. And, just wait for Sabathia and Granderson (and maybe some others) to grow on me. But, it’s just not happening. And, as such, I’m really losing interest in this team…

Well, not entirely. That would be somewhat impossible. More so, I should just say that I’m not “living and dying” with this team the way I’ve always done with Yankees teams since 1975. I still care – and this is not a situation of a total absence of emotion or enthusiasm. But, it’s just not the same any more. And, I wonder, is this the beginning of the end for my Yankees fandom? Or, just a small rough patch that needs to driven through until there’s more for me to like in Yankeeland?

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With today’s 7-3 win over the Rangers, the Yanks locked up their fourth consecutive series win in as many tries.  In truth, that’s the biggest takeaway here because the game itself was mainly a series of misplays and inefficiency on Texas’s part.  Even my friend Ace (a Dallas resident and sometime-Rangers fan) said as much…actually his quote was “the Rangers suck.”

The Good:

• AJ Burnett followed up a good start last Sunday in Tampa with a very good start today:  7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K (111 pitches-68 strikes);
• The Yanks chased Rangers starter Scott Feldman after only 2.1 IP and 73 pitches.  There’s no better recipe for a win than forcing the opponent to piece together 17 outs from the bullpen;
• Another three hits (including a HR) for The Captain, extending his season-opening hit streak to 11 games;
• A-Rod got on the board with his first HR of the season, passing Mark McGwire for 8th on the all-time list in the process; and
• Joba Chamberlain — without his best fastball today — actually mixed pitches (including an 0-1 curveball to Julio Borbon!) in throwing a 1-2-3 9th inning.

The Bad:

• Once again, Jorge Posada was unable to block an easy ball in the dirt.  In this particular case, Posada was expecting a backdoor slider and didn’t shift his feet fast enough to block a pitch that sailed back over the plate.  It cost the team nothing…but it’s turning into a once-a-game event;
• Robbie Cano’s 10-game hit streak ended with a lousy day at the plate.  In going 0-for-4, Cano only saw 11 pitches (2.75/AB);
• Although Mark Teixeira broke an 0-for-17 slide with an infield single, he’s still only hitting 4-for-40…yeesh, that’s awful; and
• I truly can’t figure out Joe Girardi’s bullpen management this year.  With a 7-0 lead to start the 8th inning, he gave the ball to Alfredo Aceves who promptly gave up Nelson Cruz’s 7th HR of the season.  What happened to Sergio Mitre?  Sure I think he stinks but he did have a good spring training to make the ballclub.  Mitre hasn’t pitched since April 9th.  If you can’t trust Mitre to protect a seven-run lead with six outs to go, what’s he doing on this team?

All in all, the “bad” isn’t so bad.  The Yanks won the game, took the series and are now sitting pretty all alone in first place.

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Via Barry M. Bloom –

It may not exactly be unbiased coming from members of the Yankees organization, but the question of enshrining George Steinbrenner in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is, as captain Derek Jeter put it, “a no-brainer for me.”

“It’s important to all of us,” Steinbrenner’s son and Yankees managing general partner, Hal, told MLB.com earlier this week about the principal owner, who will be 80 on July 4, entering the hallowed Hall. “I don’t get into the intricacies of how this works, but there’s no doubt in my mind he belongs there, and most of the people I talk to agree. It would be an unbelievable honor for him and the entire family.”

The elder Steinbrenner, who purchased the team from CBS in 1973, is eligible as an executive 65 years or older, according to Brad Horn, a spokesman for the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y. Steinbrenner could be considered and voted upon by the 12-member Veterans Committee evaluating executives and pioneers, which meets every two years and will next convene at baseball’s Winter Meetings in 2011.

But first the committee must put Steinbrenner on the 10-person ballot, which it has not done thus far. The committee is made up of two Hall of Fame players, three members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and seven baseball executives.

“The Boss” belongs “because of what he’s meant to the game,” Jeter said. “He’s been the best owner in all of sports. Where he’s taken this team from and where it is now … He’s been a winner. When you think of the Yankees, the first name that comes to mind is George Steinbrenner. When do you want me to stop?”

“He definitely deserves it,” said Mariano Rivera, who joined Jeter on the Yankees’ roster for good in late 1995. “Not too many owners have done what he has for their team.”

Under Steinbrenner’s watch, the Yankees have been wildly successful, winning seven of their 27 World Series titles and 11 of their 40 American League pennants. He has invested huge capital in the team, and come under some criticism from his own contemporaries for doing so.

On the downside, he was suspended twice by two commissioners for acts deemed detrimental to baseball.

But the team has been in the hands of the Steinbrenner family for 37 years, the longest tenure by far of any current ownership group in Major League Baseball, coming at a time when franchises seem to be shifting like so much loose change. No current single owner can boast the Steinbrenners’ success. The four other franchises in the AL East, for example, have combined to win the World Series six times during the Steinbrenner era.

And as Hal Steinbrenner said, “We’re not planning on going anywhere. We’re here.”

“George was a game changer,” said Joe Girardi, who played for the Yankees from 1996-99 and is in his third season as manager. “He’s meant a lot to the game, and he’s meant a lot to the city. He still has the fire for winning, I can tell you that. I hope it happens. For whatever my voice counts, I would push for it.”

The Hall of Fame doesn’t have a long history of honoring executives. Only 30 have been enshrined, including four commissioners — Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Happy Chandler, Ford Frick and Bowie Kuhn. Two Yankees executives from bygone years have made the grade: general managers Ed Barrow and George Weiss. The short list of owners includes Charles Comiskey, Barney Dreyfus, Clark Griffith, Walter O’Malley, Bill Veeck and Tom Yawkey.

I’ve been saying, for at least the last four years, that Big Stein should be in the Hall of Fame. And, I think it will happen – someday. It’s just too bad that it had to wait until a time where he couldn’t really enjoy it the way that he should…

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This game was all about Sabathia as he flat out dominated the Rangers through 6 frames tonight. Stuff wise, I’d say he was somehow even better than his last start. I found it interesting that the team decided to give Posada the night off before a day game. I wonder if it was just a coincidence or if Sabathia prefers ‘Sisco behind the plate. It will be something to look for next week.

Offensively it’s been pretty much same old same old for the Yanks. Cano and Jeter both extended their hitting streaks to 10, making them the first 2 teammates in Yankee history to start the season off with a streak of that many games. It doesn’t really mean much other than describe how hot the Yankees double play combination has been.

Teixeira is lucky the Yankees are winning, as he’d be hearing the boo birds otherwise. Aside from his one hard hit line drive out to right, he looked pretty lost at the plate tonight. Last year, A-rod coming off the disabled list “sparked” him back to life. With A-Rod in the lineup for every game thus far, what will do it this year? Or was all of that Tex needed A-Rod’s protection stuff from last year just baseball cliche, and Tex just needs a change of calendar page?

Lastly, How about that slide by Nick Johnson during his steal attempt in the 3rd? It was so well done that it tricked the umpire into calling him out when he actually evaded the tag. Pretty cool try, if you ask me. While he continues to struggle to increment his hit column, Johnson continues to be on an base machine.

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A hamstring injury sustained during yesterday’s bullpen session will send veteran reliever Chan Ho Park to the disabled list, the Newark Star Ledger reports.  Park,the owner of a 4.76 ERA in 5.2 innings, will be replaced by left-hander Boone Logan. The 25 year-old southpaw will add extra situational support in the Yankee pen and should help convince fans that the Javier Vazquez trade was not a one-sided deal (sarcasm intended). Logan has pitched very well for Scranton, notching a 1.35 ERA and 9:1 K/BB ratio in six innings. Let’s hope Park’s hamstring – and digestive track – feel better soon.

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Here are the winners – in bold:

Babe Ruth 82.6%
Mariano Rivera 17.4%

Lou Gehrig 69.6%
Derek Jeter 30.4%

Mickey Mantle 60.9%
Yogi Berra 39.1%

Joe DiMaggio 92.8%
Whitey Ford 7.2%

This means all the #1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four. Here are the match-ups for the next round:

Ruth vs. Gehrig
Mantle vs. DiMaggio

Should be fun! Look for the Final Four survey to be posted soon.

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How hot has Robinson Cano been to start this season? Well, here’s a list of players to have 5+ games of 2+ hits in their first 9 games of a season with the Yankees since 1973.

Dig that trio of Winnie, Rickey and Tolleson back in 1987!

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In the famed “Moneyball” draft of 2002, the Oakland A’s selected Joe Blanton with the 24th overall pick (in the first round). They got this pick from the Yankees as compensation for New York signing free agent Jason Giambi. With the next pick in the draft, the San Francisco Giants selected Matt Cain – who had been pitching at a High School in Germantown, Tennessee.

What happened next? Simply put: Matt Cain has gone on to become one of the best young starting pitchers baseball has seen in recent years.

Clearly, the A’s screwed the pooch here taking Blanton over Cain. But, did the Yankees also screw this up – signing Giambi and losing the pick that could have grabbed Cain? Well, the Yankees did need a first baseman after 2001…or so they thought. And, at the time, Giambi was an offensive force.

However, the Yankees also had Nick Johnson – also a first baseman – ready to play in the big leagues in 2002. So, did they really need Giambi that badly? Didn’t they know what they had in Johnson? It’s an interesting question to consider…looking back at it all now.

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This round is about to close soon…so, if you don’t have your votes in yet, here’s your chance:

Greatest/Favorite Yankees Tournament – Elite Eight

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Wow…I totally get this. Sad to hear for his followers. But, nice for me to see…letting me know that I’m not the only one who feels this way…and great to see that he’s decided to do what’s best for him.

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Phil Hughes, over the course of 3+ major league seasons, has now made 29 starts. In 55% of those starts he’s pitched just 5 innings or less. In only 5 of those 29 starts has he recorded an out beyond the 6th inning. In 52% of his starts, Hughes has posted a Game Score under 50 – and 50 is considered an “average” start for big league pitchers. Lastly, for the record, the Yankees have played .552 baseball in games started by Phil Hughes since 2007.

At some point, will Phil Hughes become a starting pitcher who can consistently go more than just 5 innings and pitch an above average game?  And, how long will the Yankees have to wait for that to happen?  Below are the stats from every start Hughes has made in the majors to date:

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Via Chad Jennings :

Chan Ho Park was getting loose in the bullpen tonight when he felt something in his right hamstring. He stopped throwing and saw the team doctor, who will reevaluate Park tomorrow before determining whether an MRI is necessary.

You know players are going to get hurt during the course of the season and, no offense to Chan Ho Park, I’d rather it be him than let’s say A-Rod. Park has been effective when he hasn’t been ill, so hopefully this is nothing and he returns to the mound soon.

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Robinson Cano is on fire. Cano added a pair of homers to his early season hot streak tonight, while Hughes and the Yankees bullpen limited the Angels to a pair of runs. Overall, thus far into the season, I gotta say the Yankees are looking pretty good. Here are some other notes from tonights game:

- The 1st and 2nd pitch of the game, Scott Kazmir threw nasty change-ups down and away to Derek Jeter and he swung right threw them. The league is catching up with the fact that Jeter swings early and often when he leads off.

- Hughes seemed to have maintained his bullpen mentality on the mound with regard to pitch selection and location. His fastball had a lot of movement up in the zone and it really worked for him. He also got screwed out of 2 punch outs by the UMPs in my count, so eat it Scioscia.

- Girardi screwed up by sending Hughes back out in the 6th, but luckily it didn’t come back to hurt them

- Is Girardi stat padding Mo with saves? He really didn’t need to come into that game for one out. That last hit Chamberlain gave up should have been caught by Jeter and ended the game.

- Things I don’t miss: Matsui’s speed and Abreu’s defense. Both of these cost the Angels runs in this game.

- I wish Cano wouldn’t pose after every home run.

- Posada better get ready to pay the piper in Kangaroo Court later in the year, because his complete lack of running to first base on a ground ball to first in the 5th is a disgrace. He hit it, then walked back to the dugout.

- I thought it was kind of funny that Girardi put May 1st as the date on the lineup card. What’s not funny is Teixeira is hitting .091.

- Weird moment when Matsui hit the home run. It was as if the fans didn’t know what to do. I’m glad it was mostly cheers. I’m even happier that the Yankees won, though.

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Jerry Hairston Jr. is getting more love around these parts  . . . and all of it well deserved.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Padres utility man Jerry Hairston Jr., another member of the ‘09 Yankees, retrieved the rings for [Eric] Hinske and [Melky] Cabrera when Hairston traveled to New York on Tuesday for the Yankees’ home opener, where the rings were distributed.

So, not only did Hairston fly across the country and back for the afternoon ring ceremony, he reached out and did his former teammates a solid – good on him all the way around.

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I was listening to Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio this morning and they brought up an interesting point about the New York Knicks.

Looking at the time period from 2002 through 2010, and considering team payroll as compared to the rest of the league, the number of winning seasons, and the number of post-season births compared to the number of teams that reach the playoffs in the league, a strong case can be made that the Knicks are the worst franchise in all sports right now.

To be candid, I do not following the NBA – at all. So, I need some help here. How does this happen? How does a team spend as much as the Knicks do – meaning rank as high as they do in team payroll each season for the last nine years – and play in a league where something like half the teams each season make the playoffs and then have nine losing seasons, make the post-season only once (and get beat badly)?

Is it just poor management? Bad player personnel moves? Bad coaching? Bad contracts? Something else?

And, if it can happen in Knicksville, can it ever happen in Yankeeland?

I cannot answer the latter question – because I don’t know what went wrong with the Knicks. But, if you can tell me what happened there, I’d be happy to ponder if it could happen to the Bombers as well.

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Via Bob Klapisch –

The Yankees will tell you their 5-3 loss to the Angels was uneventful, forgettable, even, but senior officials have to be concerned by Vazquez’s velocity readings. Forget about the booing: the real story was Vazquez’s inability to crank up his fastball much beyond 88-89 mph, and the subsequent failure to put hitters away at two strikes.

Vazquez came to the Yankees this winter as a bona fide strikeout pitcher – only Randy Johnson fanned more batters in the last decade – yet the right-hander only got two swings and misses with his fastball all day.

Vazquez said, “I’m 33, not 23” which is exactly the sort of explanation the Yankees don’t want to hear. But the numbers don’t lie: Vazquez is riding a streak of 200-plus innings in nine of the last 10 seasons and started the 2010 campaign with 2,490 innings — third among active American League pitchers behind Tim Wakefield and Andy Pettitte.

It’s obviously too soon to say Vazquez has worn down, but his failure to finish off Torii Hunter in the sixth inning, with an 0-2 count, no less, revealed what might be in store this summer.

But Vazquez wasn’t fooling anyone. He topped out at 91-mph twice, hit 90-mph four other times and otherwise struggled in the 88-89 range. For all the power and fury he once commanded, Vazquez was forced to rely on change-ups and sliders that, on this day, were no match for Joel Pineiro’s.

Pineiro led the majors last year with a 1.60 ground ball to fly ball ratio – and yet the Mets couldn’t find a way to sign him. Vazquez, on the other hand, has always been about power, which is what Cashman thought he was getting from the Braves. Vazquez is supposed to be the perfect back-end pitcher who’ll spare the Yankees the burden of a three-man rotation in October.

But what, exactly, can the Bombers expect if Vazquez can’t see the better side of 90 mph? He’s pitching in a division where velocity is king, and where swings and misses are essential for survival. Those who live on finesse do so at their own risk: you better be perfect.

Vazquez, however, admits, “my location has been off.”

In two starts this season, Vazquez has allowed the American League to bat .304 against him. His ERA stands at 9.82. It’s not a crisis, not yet, but club officials have already placed an asterisk next to Vazquez’s name.

Kevin Brown, Kei Igawa, Jeff Weaver, Jose Contreras, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano…

Nah…the Yankees have never acquired a starting pitcher who was past his peak before, under Cashman, have they?

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Via the O.C. Register –

Last September, the Angels got into some trouble with MLB when Brian Fuentes accused umpires of favoring the home team at Fenway Park (after a close call had gone against him on a crucial full-count pitch).

This week, Ervin Santana was quoted as saying the Yankees get a different strike zone when they play (after Santana had walked five in 5 2/3 innings).

But Angels catcher Jeff Mathis wasn’t about to bite when asked about a close call in a crucial situation that went the Yankees’ way in Wednesday’s game.

“No comment,” Mathis said when asked if the strike zone changes size for certain Yankee hitters. “No comment. Zero. Ze-ro.”

Alex Rodriguez was the tying run when he faced Kevin Jepsen in the eighth inning Wednesday. With the count full, Jepsen appeared to hit the outside corner at the knees with a 97-mph fastball. Replays (including an overhead view) seemed to support a strike call. But home-plate umpire Dan Bellino called it a ball, sending Rodriguez to first and bringing Robinson Cano to the plate as the go-ahead run.

“Let’s put it this way — it was right where I wanted to throw it,” Jepsen said. “I felt like it was a good pitch.”

Jepsen said he didn’t ask Bellino for an explanation — “No, absolutely not. Even if I get the call, I still had a lot of work to do.” But Mathis did (and pitching coach Mike Butcher likely did so surreptitiously when he went out to talk to Jepsen) and was told the pitch was “just off” the plate.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia’s reaction to that explanation was caught on camera — and it was not fit for print.

Mathis was asked if he watched the replay on video after the game.

“I did,” he said. “No comment.”

A simple check of Zone Evaluation System data would solve this question, no?

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Via the Daily News –

There’s been quite a buzz about Nick Johnson’s decision to make the Miley Cyrus teenybopper hit “Party in the USA,” his walk-up song for at-bats, at the request of his 4-year-old daughter.

It’s probably the most talked about Yankee at-bat song since 1999, when outfielder Tony Tarasco made news by striding to the plate as the Stadium sound system blasted a profanity-laced version of “Tommy’s Theme” by The Lox. Tarasco later claimed he had requested an edited version of the tune, but the part-time scoreboard operator deemed responsible was fired almost immediately.

As a dad, I fully understand what Johnson is doing here – and it’s pretty cool that he’s placing family ahead of macho with this call. And, actually, he’s a pretty lucky dude – it’s suprising that a 4-year old didn’t ask for something like a “Barney” song.

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I had the “privilege” of attending yesterday afternoon’s game vs. the Angels, one which the Yankees lost 5-3.  Cynicism aside, it WAS great being in the ballpark again (especially in the middle of a workday).  Although the Yanks lost, and although the manner in which they lost left plenty to be desired, a day at the ballpark in early April — when the weather was perfect, no less – won’t illicit much complaining from me.

The Good:

• Robinson Cano.  Three hard-hit balls, two hits and a run scored.

The Bad:

• Derek Jeter, Nick Johnson and Brett Gardner making outs all afternoon without seeing more than two pitches per AB.  Johnson and Gardner, fortunately, salvaged their afternoons by finally showing a little more patience at the plate, and helped ignite the late-game rally that came up just short.  Overall, however, #2, #11 and #26 went up there hacking at Pineiro’s two seamer early in the count and never put any pressure on him;
• A-Rod’s three strikeouts.  Ugh, he took some awful swings against Pineiro;
• Teixeira looked as bad yesterday as he did during the post-season.  Taking fat pitches for called strikes and then hacking at pitches that no one could make contact with.  He seems a bit lost at the plate right now.  It’s odd to see someone so talented suffer so much sometimes;
• Jorge Posada’s receiving skills.  On two separate occasions, Posada’s inability to see the ball into his glove cost the Yanks an extra base on defense.  In neither case was the ball uncatchable.  I’m having a very hard time understanding where this issue comes from but it looks like Posada lacks full concentration behind the plate at all times.  Perhaps the Angels’ aggressiveness on the basepaths (or their reputation for aggressive baserunning) distracted Posada yesterday?  Fortunately it had no real impact on the outcome of yesterday’s game but, in any case, this problem persists and it requires close monitoring; and
• Javier Vazquez.  Diminished velocity, poor command and, according to the folks on ESPN (I know, I know…but I think they have a point here), a mechanical flaw which is causing his off-speed stuff to sail outside the zone.

It’s hard to pick up the nuances of the game when you’re sitting in the Loge, a few hundred feet from the action but that’s how I saw the game.

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Via mlb.com -

The Padres’ Jerry Hairston Jr. originally considered not flying across the country on Tuesday to claim his World Series ring during a ceremony at Yankee Stadium.

But only for a minute, though.

“I kind of questioned whether should I go or not go. But I just imagined myself being 65 years old, 70 years old wishing I would have went,” the former Yankee said. “I’m not going to be that guy.”

Hairston flew overnight to New York on Monday, arriving early Tuesday morning. After a shower and short nap, he headed to the stadium where the Yankees received the World Series rings before a game against the Angels.

“It was originally going to be the 18th, but I couldn’t go because we had a game,” Hairston said. “I looked at our schedule and we had the day off and a day game the day before, so I said, ‘I’ve got to go.’”

Hairston was back on an evening flight for San Diego and landed around 9 p.m. PT, and was very glad he didn’t just have the Yankees ship his ring to him.

Before Wednesday’s game against the Braves, Hairston showed the ring off to his teammate. The ring is white gold with 119 diamonds totaling 3.55 carats.

“Someone asked me, ‘Why did you fly six hours for it?’ Hairston said. I said, ‘You don’t understand. It’s not just being 10 years in the big leagues, but since I was 4 or 5 years old, playing in the backyard, dreaming about the World Series. It’s been a long, long process for me. Sometimes, you only get one shot. I had to take advantage of that.

“A quick turnaround, but well worth it.”

Great story.

And, it will make up for the one that’s probably coming on how Angel Berroa and Josh Towers are selling their 2009 World Series rings on eBay.

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It’s a gang of 26!

Terry Mulholland and Bob Ojeda in ’94? Was the Yankees 1994 season opening starting rotation really Jimmy Key, Terry Mulholland, Jim Abbott, Melido Perez and Bob Ojeda? Yes, it seems to be true.

Back to Vazquez…what if his 2010 turns out like Mike Mussina’s 2004? If it does, that’s going to be somewhat uncomfortable, no?

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No, the next line is not “Do you know where your children are?”…

It’s “Yes, that’s Javy Vazquez ERA after his first two starts for the Yankees this season…”

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Now, it’s just up to Yuri Sucart to say “Form of a…Bidet!”

What, it’s not O.K. to have some fun with the “Say Neigh!” Kid?

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…there sure is an “I” in “Unity.” Ain’t that a kick in the pants? Then again, it would have been a bitch to fit “Amalgamated” on the side of a ring…

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As visitors to the site have no doubt noticed, game commentary has been absent through the first seven games of the 2010 season.  Starting tomorrow morning, Corey and I will be providing next-day recaps (as well as opinions and observations) for the remainder of the 2010 season.  Since we’ll be splitting these duties in some roughly-constructed fashion, each game commentary post will reflect the views and opinions of that day’s author.  It will be interesting to see how this all works out.

One thing is certain, however: this site (and its readers) needs the game commentary and we are looking forward to bringing this feature back.

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I’ve mentioned a few times in the past that I’ve been reading “Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend” by James S. Hirsch. (For more on that see here, here and here.)

I’ve now finished the book and can share that “Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend” is one of the greatest baseball biographies that I’ve ever read – and I’ve read more than my fair share of these types of books.

Mays played his last game a couple of months after I saw my first big league game. So, I never saw him play – at least that I recall. And, for sure, I missed seeing him in his prime. However, I was always aware of his statistical greatness. In fact, in my book, I make the case that – per the numbers – Mays and Honus Wagner were the greatest all-around players in National League history.

In any event, before I read “Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend” I never knew much about Mays as a person. Sure, I may have thought that I knew some things – based on what I’ve read and heard here and there. But, now, having read Hirsch’s book, I have a much better and full understanding of the Willie Mays story – and it’s a great one. Thanks to this book, I now consider myself a raving fan of Willie Mays and truly lament not being able to see him in his prime.

I’m very grateful for the chance to read a book like this one – it’s extremely well done and engrossing. And, I highly recommend “Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend.” The only bad thing I can say about this book is that it ended. Really, it’s so good that I found myself, once done, wishing that I could keep reading it – since it was so enjoyable. (Don’t take this to mean that the story is not completely told. That’s not the case. Hirsch covers it all in this one. More so, it’s just that I’m going to miss reading this book since it was such a pleasure to open it up each time and learn so much.)

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Click here for more on what this is about.

And, click here to make your picks.

Have fun – pick your favorites or pick who you thought was a better Yankee. It’s your choice. And, feel free to use the comments section here to discuss and debate the match-ups and your picks.

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Some Opening Day behind the scenes stuff on two Yankees non-player legends via Bill Madden –

“A very special day,” [Mo] Rivera said. “Two very different emotions. Matsui’s just great, and I knew he’d get the ovation he got. But it meant the world to us, Monahan, battling cancer, being here for this. Hopefully, God will protect him and he’ll be back with us soon.”

It was five months ago, in the midst of the Yankees’ postseason run to their 27th world championship, that Monahan, one of only three Yankee employees to have served throughout George Steinbrenner’s reign as owner since 1973, felt a lump on his neck while he was shaving one morning. It wasn’t until after the World Series, however, that he finally had it checked out, only to learn it was a cancerous lymph node that doctors now believe originated in his tonsils. For the last few months they’ve been aggressively treating it with daily radiation on his neck and throat, yesterday’s being administered in Monahan’s own training room at Yankee Stadium.

“I wasn’t sure if I was gonna come out here today,” Monahan said, “but now I’m glad I did. After going through something like this you come to appreciate just getting on the team bus.”

This was a few hours before the game, in the Yankee clubhouse, and as we were talking, Gene Michael suddenly joined us and gave Monahan a warm embrace.

“First guy I treated,” Monahan said, smiling. “Opening Day, 1973, and Stick hit a ball off his ankle. I come running out and start to spray it and (then-Yankee manager) Ralph (Houk) says: ‘Never mind, kid, I got somebody else.”

“He said that?” Michael said with a yelp. “That he had somebody better?”

“No,” said Monahan, straight-faced, “he just said he had somebody else.”

After 37 years, so many shared memories and shared ring ceremonies – seven of them in all, beginning in 1977 – the man who both hailed them and fired them countless times (Monahan often joked he was probably “fired” by The Boss on more occasions than all the Yankee managers combined), was still here too, although, sadly, George Steinbrenner seemed to be there yesterday more in body than in mind. They say when Girardi and Jeter went up to his suite before the game to present him with his ring, The Boss, at first, did not seem to recognize them. And when the Yankees paid a poignant tribute to Steinbrenner before the bottom of the third inning, showing him on the big screen in center field, sitting in his suite box, to the musical backdrop of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” he seemed oblivious to his wife Joan’s urgings to wave to the cheering crowd.

Sad to hear the news on both these men. Time, in some ways, can be a real bitch. I hope they both, somehow, found some enjoyment from yesterday’s special day.

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