The 2010 Lakewood BlueClaws are the first team since the Savannah Cardinals in 1993 and 1994 to win back-to-back South Atlantic League titles – and in 2011 they will try to become the first team since Greensboro in 1980-1982 to win three in a row.

The 1980-1982 Greensboro Hornets were a Yankees farm team. Don Mattingly played for the 1980 Hornets and Mike Pagliarulo played for the 1982 Hornets. I wonder if they realize that the BlueClaws are looking to join their three-peat record?

Seriously, congrats to Lakewood. Back-to-back rings is a major achievement.

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I’m about a year behind the times on this one. But, what the hey? For those who may have never seen it…here it is:

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Via the Daily News –

Not even the Yankees can deny the monument unveiled in honor of late owner George Steinbrenner on Monday dwarfs legends such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle in Monument Park.

However, they aren’t about to apologize for it, either.

“We think the monument is a tribute to the man The Boss was, larger than life. His spirit is encompassed by that monument, and there was no intention to make it bigger than the others just for the sake of doing it,” team president Randy Levine told the Daily News before Tuesday night’s game against the Rays. “We just felt that it was The Boss, the greatest owner in sports. He built (the new) Yankee Stadium. He did so much for so many people. And he made the Yankee brand a worldwide one and took it to heights that never have been reached.

“It was not made bigger in an attempt to have it be larger than the others. We just wanted to represent the spirit of George Steinbrenner.”

Steinbrenner’s bust measures seven feet wide by five feet high – not including the base – and weighs 760 pounds.

Chief operating officer Lonn Trost said he and Senior VP of marketing Debbie Tymon worked with U.S. Bronze to commission the piece and that everything about the monument ultimately was approved by the Steinbrenner family.

“Mr. Steinbrenner always was so proud of Monument Park and now it’s as if he’s overseeing the other monuments and plaques and the tradition that reside there,” Tymon said.

I’m all for “The Boss” having a monument – he deserves it. If he’s not the greatest owner in sports history, he’s in the team picture – for sure. And, the Yankees are what they are, today, and what they have been for the last 38 years because of George Steinbrenner. But, I do think the organization made a mistake with the size of this monument. No monument in “Monument Cave,” er, I mean “Park,” should be bigger or higher than any other one out there. And, if you have to go bigger or higher, then it should only be slightly more – and not like this “Death Star” of a monument that they have out there for Big Stein now.

Leave it to Levine, Trost & Company to turn what should be a tribute into an embarrassment.

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ESPN has the story.  Although he wasn’t with the Yankees for long enough to make a visible impact impact, I’m happy that Towers got himself another job as a GM,  a position he truly belongs in.

As for the Yanks, I encourage them to continue to hire smart ex-GM’s as advisers to Brian Cashman.  There’s no such thing as too much baseball intelligence and I’m all for the Yankees being a rest-stop of sorts for temporarily unemployed people with high baseball IQ’s.

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Via Jon Heyman -

Joe Girardi will probably stay with the Yankees rather than go to the home state Cubs (he’s from Peoria and went to Northwestern). But if he leaves, Bobby Valentine likely would be one candidate to replace him in the Bronx.

Well, we do know that Cashman hearts Valentine. So, I guess it’s possible…

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When A.J. Burnett showed up in Baltimore six days ago with a black eye, swelling above his cheekbone and scratches near his ear, Yankees G.M. Brian Cashman said:

“I don’t know what happened and I didn’t ask him. He should have gotten it earlier. He pitched real well. I figure I will find out if it comes my way. I saw it and chose not to ask. If there is another side to it, it will rear its ugly head. I’m not worried about it. I didn’t ask. I don’t want to know. I’m not worried about shiners. If it’s an issue, I will deal with it, but I was happy with the way he pitched.”

I find it amazing that, in today’s age of loose lips, twitter, cell phone cameras, and TMZ, that we have not heard the story behind this one by now. Makes me think that it’s an inside job – meaning that it was a family member or teammate who gave A.J. the shiner.

My money is on Jorge Posada.

How about you? Any theories?

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I don’t know what this game was like to watch on television but, from my usual seats at the ballpark, the Yankees 8-3 victory over Tampa seemed quite tense and felt closer than it should’ve been (at least for the middle innings).

Phil Hughes (6.1 4 3 3 5 6), in my opinion, pitched poorly last night, even if he did only give up three earned runs before exiting with one out in the seventh inning.  I was following some of the game on Twitter and saw a lot of comments about a tight strike zone from home plate umpire Mike Everitt but, really, a pitcher can’t expect to get calls when he’s walking the ballpark.

In any case, a win is a win and, when paired with Baltimore’s massacre of the Red Sox last night, the Yanks now have an AL Wild Card magic number of three.  It’s conceivable that the Red Sox may come into the Bronx on Friday night with nothing to play for.  I certainly never would’ve guessed that.

AJ Burnett: please do your job tonight.  I’d like to come out of this four-game series with Tampa knowing that we’ll be no worse than two games ahead in the loss column.

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This is the next installment of the photograph collection from my recent trip to Cooperstown, New York.

For “Part 1″ of this series, click here.

On the first day of our Cooperstown visit, we ran into a gentlemen outside the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum who was dressed as a nineteenth century baseball ballplayer. We had a nice chat with him – in which he shared that he had played a “nineteenth century” style game at Doubleday Field that day, and, that another such game was scheduled for the next day at 12:30 pm.

We thought that it would be interesting to see a game like that played at Doubleday Field. So, we made it part of our plan for Sunday to be there. (We once saw a few innings of such a game at a local county fair. But, that was being played in an open grass field and not on a baseball diamond.)

However, when we got to Doubleday Field at 12:30 pm on Sunday, there was no sign of any nineteenth century ball players. Perhaps the good fellow had his schedule mixed up?

Nonetheless, once inside the park, we noticed that there was a game in progress – and it was the 8th inning of a 10-8 contest. So, we decided to watch it for a bit before grabbing some lunch.

Both of the teams in the game were eclectic groups – with the players wearing several different uniforms. And, the players seemed to range in age – from young adults to guys well into their forties. The players also ranged in terms of their conditioning – with a few of them playing somewhat overweight. Oh, and, one team had a young woman playing left field. (I didn’t see her make any plays or come to bat, while we were there. But, she looked like a ballplayer in terms of how she wore her uniform and trotted to the dugout at the end of the inning.)

There were two umpires working the game and the contest seemed somewhat competitive. Although, I would estimate that the speed of the pitches was around 65 MPH and the teams (at times) allowed pinch runners for some guys who had obvious issues running. There were probably at least 30 people in the stands watching the game being played.

It was fun to watch these teams play – even if it was just for a couple of innings – in the intimate and vintage setting of Doubleday Field.

Listening to their chatter. Hearing the umpires make calls their calls. And, above all, it was wonderful to experience the serenade of their popping mitts in the field and the cracks of their bats when they made contact at the plate. (Yeah, wooden bats.)

Albeit a brief stay, it was as close to a “Field of Dreams” experience that you could have sans the corn field and the ghosts of past baseball greats.

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I was listening to a bit of Mike Francesa this afternoon the topic at the time, Jerry Manuel, Joe Girardi, and last but not least Joe Torre.

As we know Joe will no longer be the Dodger manager and at the age of 70 wants to continue to manage!   We can reasonably assume Jerry Manuel will be fired at the end of next week (if not sooner) by the Mets.  Joe Girardi (according to the Francesa speculation) might want to go home and manage the Cubs, leaving two New York teams potentially looking for a manager.  Starting to get the picture.

Question One,  If  Girardi were to leave should the Yankees consider Torre?

I don’t know about anyone else but I wouldn’t hire a 70 year old Torre to manage the Yankees.  I don’t think Cashman wants any part of  Torre,  so I see no real chance of Torre returning.

Question Two,  Should the Mets consider Torre and should Torre consider the Mets?

The Mets need to make something happen but I doubt the Met fans will buy into the Torre  routine for very long if the team doesn’t make the playoffs, and to do that they need talent.  The Mets would be better off spending on free agents (Lee for example).  I think Torre would take the job if offered  but I have a feeling the Mets won’t  offer (just a hunch).  I see Wally Backman getting the job.

Question Three,  Will Girardi leave the Yankees?

I think he might especially if he wins the World Series again, Girardi might be able to  get a five year deal out of the Cubs and I don’t think the Yankees will match the offer.  I think there is certainly a chance of Girardi winding up with the Cubs, and Girardi might see a day in the not to distant future where the Yanks  have to do some rebuilding lasting over several seasons.  I hope Girardi returns, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t.  I wouldn’t have said that a month ago.

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Via Stephen Borelli:

Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal is reporting the Yankees and their affiliates carry close to $2 billion in debt. The report cites sources who have reviewed loan documents in the market for Yankee Global Enterprises, the team’s parent company, and Legends Hospitality Management, the concessionaire the Yankees formed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2008.

Coupled with the $1.2 billion cost of tax-exempt stadium bonds that are sold through a public entity, the report says, about $3.2 billion of debt obligations flow through YGE, though about one-third of that falls on the equity partners in YES Network and Legends.

This might not be as alarming as it seems. Neil Begley, a media and entertainment analyst at Moody’s Investors Service, which rates the stadium bonds, told the magazine the ratio of debt to value for YGE was in line with other companies of its kind.

So, take that, Pirates and Marlins…

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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.

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Via a Cincy HS Sports Blog –

Former Moeller standout Andrew Brackman was called up by the Yankees today. He reports to New York on Tuesday.

Brackman was selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft after playing baseball at N.C. State.

He’s come a long way considering Brackman underwent reconstructive elbow surgery on Aug. 24, 2007.

Brackman was 10-11 with a 3.90 ERA this season at Tampa (A+ ball) and Trenton (AA ball), but he has continued to progress during the season.

According to the Trentonian, over his last six regular-season starts, Brackman appears to be on the verge of putting it all together. He allowed just three earned runs over his final six starts, and spun a brilliant five innings in relief of Andy Pettitte in the first game of the Eastern League Championship Series.

As a senior at Moeller, Brackman went 7-0 with a 0.58 ERA. In 48 innings, he allowed 21 hits and struck out 83. Was named Ohio Division I player of the year, leading Moeller to a 28-3 record and a state title.

Brackman was the 31st Moeller player coached by Mike Cameron to be drafted or signed to a pro contract.

So, who’s going to pitch more often for the Yankees between now and season end – Andrew “Big Country” Brackman or Javy “Mr. Doghouse” Vazquez?

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On Big Stein’s night, watching Ivan Nova, I couldn’t help myself and have flashbacks to what The Boss once said about Ken Clay: ”He spit the bit.” The kid may turn out to be a big league pitcher – but, he has to learn to get past the sixth inning.

But, hey, how about Curtis “Mr. September” Granderson!

Lastly, raise your hand if you’re starting to get concerned about the Yankees bullpen as they head into October – and this includes Mo Rivera.

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My family (meaning my wife, 8-year old daughter, 6-year old son and I) decided to visit Cooperstown, New York, this past Saturday and Sunday. It’s becoming a somewhat ritual thing for us – as this was our fourth visit there in the last seven years. And, this is almost to the day – since our first visit there, as a family, was on September 14, 2003.  (While my son was not born then, yet, we like to joke and say that he made that trip – as my wife was expecting with him at that time.)

Besides being the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown – the place – is beautiful. It’s small town, quaint and tranquil. Many of the homes and buildings there date back to the 1800′s. To say it’s easy on the eyes is an understatement. In fact, it’s easy on the soul, period.

I’ve decided to share some pictures of our trip – and I am going to break them down in installments. We’ll start with pictures of the town, move on to some scenes from Doubleday Field, then things to be seen in the museum, followed by some shots of Otsego Lake, and, will close with some plaque snapshots from the Hall.

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• A Steve Swindal sighting! Go figure, huh? Where was Joe Malloy?
• Somebody needs to buy Hank Steinbrenner a dress shirt.
• When did Hal Steinbrenner marry Ashley Judd, and, why did Bud Selig marry Gwildor from the Courteney Cox Masters of the Universe movie?
• Nice to see Roy White there – along with Stick, Tino, Boomer and some other (non-Torre, Donnie, Yogi, Reggie) Yankees. But, Lee Mazzilli? How does Lee Maz get to go to Monument Cave while The Toady Trio (of Levine, Trost and Cashman) had to hang back at the dugout?
• Lastly, yes, without question, Big Stein deserves the monument. But, did they have to make it the size of the Hoover Dam? Holy cow, that thing is huge!

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Here’s the story.

Have to say – this is impressive on all ends…the Yankees for asking and Torre/Mattingly for making the effort to be there. It’s going to be a special night, for sure, at the Stadium today.

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Sure sound like it. Mark Simon has the details.

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Just catching up on this good read from last Friday – while I was away and off-line.

So, Cano, Gardner, Teixeira and Swisher are carrying the load? Funny when you consider how many times Cashman tried to trade Cano – we know of at least twice, with the D-backs and Rangers – and how Swisher was supposed to be a bench player at the start of last season. Also, how many Yankees fans during 2009 – or before – said that Brett Gardner would have the bat knocked out of his hands at the major league level?

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I was up in Binghamton on Friday (visiting family) and spent Saturday and Sunday up in Cooperstown (pictures to follow). But, now, I’m back – after a lot of driving over the last three days.

So, if not for some A-Rod heroics, the Yanks would have dropped two of three to the O’s, huh? (Yeah, I’m just kidding – sorta/kinda.) And, Donnie Baseball is the new Walter Alston? (Man, that’s crazy – like Willie Stargell closing out his days as a coach for the Braves.) And, tonight’s Big Stein’s day at Monument Park!

I have some catching up to do today…so, you tell me, what’s been (to you) the biggest stories in Yankeeland (and baseball) over the last three days?

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I’ll keep this one short and sweet. Nothing about this game mattered except for the fact that Pettitte got into a major league game and tossed 6 solid innings. Andy has somehow not missed a beat, which is great news for the Yankees. If he gets the ball 1 or 2 more times and throws just like he did today, I’m pretty confident about our post season rotation. I’ll take CC-Andy-Hughes and go to war.

With that, I leave you with the possible death of the maple bat (I’m shocked something like this has not happened sooner, to be honest). I hope that Tyler Colvin makes a full recovery. Thank the lord Kevin Youkilis was in town to help him out.

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CC Sabathia did something yesterday that no Yankee pitcher has done in 30 years. After completing the third inning, he became the first Yankee pitcher since Tommy John in 1979 and 1980 to have back-to-back seasons with 19+ wins and 220+ innings pitched.

But you’d have to go even farther back to find the last Yankee to win 19+ games, pitch 220+ innings, and have an ERA below 3.40 in two consecutive seasons. That hasn’t been done since Mel Stottlemyre in 1968 and 1969.

The last Yankee pitcher to do that in three straight years? Red Ruffing from 1937-1939.

It’s safe to say that Sabathia has been the most durable, most consistent, and most dominant Yankee starting pitcher in quite some time.

One guy who isn’t having his finest season is Alex Rodriguez. In fact, by most accounts, A-Rod is having his worst season ever. His batting average, runs scored, stolen bases, OBP, OPS, and WAR are all career lows for a full season.

However, one thing A-Rod has been prolific at this season is driving in runs. I’ll admit, runs batted in is not the most revealing stat; it relies more on the batters ahead of you and their ability to get on base. A guy like A-Rod will naturally have more RBI opportunities than a guy like Pedro Alvarez, the cleanup hitter for the Pirates.

But still, it isn’t a mute stat. And driving in runs has been a strength for A-Rod this year. If you take out his otherworldly 2007 season (and I know you can’t, but just play along here), A-Rod is having his best RBI season. Not in terms of quantity, but in terms of RBI per plate appearance.

In 2010, A-Rod drives in a run for every 4.81 plate appearances. It is the best rate in baseball. Clearly A-Rod is making the most of RBI situations.

Sabermetrically speaking, you could argue A-Rod is having one of his best seasons in a Yankee uniform. Fangraphs developed a statistic called Clutch or “how much better or worse a player does in high leverage situations than he would have done in a context neutral environment.” A-Rod’s ‘Clutch’ number is not only his highest in a Yankee uniform, but his highest ever.

No, his .273 average and 25 home runs won’t impress the ladies. And they’re both far from his career norms. But a closer look at his stats reveals that he isn’t having a terrible season.

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I think we can put the talk about not making the playoffs to rest now. The Yanks are the majors first 90 win ball club after the bludgeoning of the Baltimore Orioles last night.  Their magic number to make the playoffs is now at 7. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, let me put it another way.  If the Red Sox win every game from now until the end of the year (thus going 14-0), the Yankees would have to go 5-9 or worse to miss the playoffs. While not mathematically impossible, I’d call that a lock if I’ve ever seen one.

As far as this game goes, I’d like to congratulate Carsten Sabathia on his first 20 game season. If not for Robert Andino, (this guy has gone Alex Rios on the Yankees the past few days), Sabathia’s line would look much better. But the ends justify the means, as Sabathia will take a 7 inning 3 run effort any day to secure the win.

Offensively, everyone except Berkman in the Yanks top 5 turned in 2 hits (And Berkman hit the ball hard a few times). While you can’t get too excited about the beating the Yanks gave to Guthrie (it happens pretty often), it’s still nice to see the Yanks continue the momentum from Friday night.

Gotta say, I’m glad Gardner’s wrist is coming around. He had a fantastic night last night, with a single, double, triple and a stolen base. The home run isn’t always going to be there in the playoffs, and it’s going to take this kind of play to win. I really hope the Yankees brass is paying attention, and do not bother with Carl Crawford next year. I like our outfield quite a bit as is.

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Is it just me, or does it look like Burnett got his ass kicked at some point in the last few days? What’s up with the shiner? Whatever it was, perhaps they beat the walks out of him cause he let up only 1 in 7 innings last night (which is the fewest he’s let up in a start since July 23rd). He wasn’t great, but he got the job done (although the home run to Andino frustrated me). I’ll take my chances with 7 innings and 3 runs from Burnett in the post season if it comes to that.

The story of this game was Alex Rodriguez, however. He hit 2 absolute bombs in this game, giving him 25 on the season. That gives him 15 consecutive seasons of 25 homers and 100 RBI. While I know it’s not 30/100, (And I think he has a chance to hit 5 more in the last 15 games) that’s still quite impressive in my book. Gotta give Alex credit, a couple of years ago I would have thought he’d have no shot at hitting a home run there. He’s really become quite clutch at the chagrin of the main stream media.

If not for A-Rod, the Yankees didn’t deserve to win this game. They went 1 for 9 with RISP (including Alex’s homer in the 9th) and only managed 1 run and 5 hits against Milwood over 7 innings. That’s pathetic.

It really, really bothers me to see Swisher pinch hit. The dude still can’t run properly, as evidenced by his hobbled trot to first. Sit the guy till the last week of the season, then let him try to turn it on. If you’re that concerned about the Red Sox creeping in, which I’m not, then let them gain a game or two first. Having a healthy, or healthier, Swisher would be a great boost to the offense, no need to push it in trash games against the Orioles.

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As most have no doubt heard by now, Joe Torre has decided to leave his post as manager of the LA Dodgers at the end of the 2010 season and will be replaced by hitting coach — and beloved ex-Yankee — Don Mattingly for the 2011 season.

It’s safe to assume that nearly all Yankee fans my age (born in 1975) are unabashed “Donnie Baseball” fans so I take a great deal of personal joy in seeing Mattingly ascend to the manager’s role.  Although I did not support his candidacy for the job here in New York after the 2007 season, I am very glad that Mattingly will get his chance to pilot a team as prestigious and historically significant as the LA Dodgers and I wish him nothing but success in the National League.

A word of caution, however, for those that believe Mattingly will experience nothing but success in Los Angeles: that team has been a terrible disappointment in 2010 and there is plenty of blame to go around.  It remains to be seen if the Dodgers can bounce back next year.  The talent is certainly there but, then again, it was there this year too.

Here’s my ending thought: I wish the best of  luck to the ballplayer I affectionately call “Donald Arthur Baseball” in his new job.  May he win all the pennants (and one World Series, against the Red Sox) that he never won as a member of the New York Yankees.

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Nope. I’m going…just for a tad.

Programming note: I’ve decided to take a tiny respite from blogging about the Yankees over the next three days or so – but “I’ll be back!” – for sure – when they return to New York for their next, and big, homestand. In the meantime, you’ll be in the capable hands of the other contributors here. Syotos for now.

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Via Erik Boland:

Brian Cashman said there is definitely some disappointment in how this road trip has started, with the Yankees losing five of six to the Rangers and Rays.

But the general manager also takes the long view.

“We don’t have to win these series at all costs,” Cashman said by phone Thursday. “We’re in this thing to win a World Series. Our focus is a World Series, not 10 years from now being known as division champions. If you’re not World Series champions, nothing else matters. Nobody really remembers.”

“For this series in Baltimore we’re better equipped than we were going into (last weekend in Texas) because the manager made decisions with the big picture in mind,” Cashman said. “That doesn’t mean we’re conceding anything. We could have swept the whole series but we didn’t. Tampa won those games and you have to give them credit. We’ll live to fight another day.”

Cashman isn’t drawing any conclusions or panicking because the Yankees lost five of six to teams they could see in the postseason.

“I’m not going to take last week’s results and treat that small sample size as if it’s 150 games, a reflection of our season,” he said. “That’s stupid.”

“We’re going through a combination of injuries and underperformance right now and that brings out the naysayers,” Cashman said.

“We just need to deal with what we have to deal with. We do care about winning (the division). But do you want to run your bullpen into the ground for games this week or do you want to make sure guys are healthy for the entire run? I’d rather be where we’re currently sitting and be healthy for the entire run.”

“We have a six-game lead on Boston for the wild card, we’re a half-game out of first place, but we’re a lot healthier on Sept. 16 than we were on Sept. 13,” Cashman said. “That’s important, that matters, that’s vital.”

I can’t wait to hear what Brian has to say seven games from now – and then again three games after that.

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Earlier this morning, I saw Sean Forman mention this one.   And, just now, I noticed the Press Release for it in my e-mail in-box.  (It follows below.)  This one looks very interesting and worth checking out.

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Two stories for you in this edition of “YMLN&N”.  After the jump and without further ado:
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You know, when I look at the Yankees not hitting well situationally, as A-Rod stated in the YES post-game coverage last night; and, when I look at the total number of PAs that these guys (below) have taken this year, I have to wonder – would the Yankees be in a different position this season if they had either Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui in their line-up this year?

.

It’s a total of 463 PA, by the way, in case you were wondering – just about the number that a full-time Damon or Matsui could have filled.

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Figured I would offer some opinion on this event since it’s being talked about so much today.

First, what Jeter did was no different from an outfielder trying to sell a trap as a catch to an umpire – it happens all the time in the game. And, sometimes, they get away with it.

Hey, that’s just sports. Look at all the holding in the NFL that doesn’t get called because linemen are trying to get over on the refs.

However, that all said, in situations like this – where a Yankees player “gets away with something” – I always like to ask myself “How would you feel if it happened against the Yankees in a game? What if it was David Wright in a game against the Mets? Or, what if it was Kevin Youkilis in a game against the Red Sox?”

Truth be told, if Wright or Youkilis had pulled what Jeter did in a game against the Yankees, I would be pretty steamed. So, if a Rays fan ( or any non-Yankees fan) wants to complain about what Jeter did last night, I would totally understand their position on this one too.

How about you? What are your thoughts on what happened here last night?

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