Nothing worse than waking up after the Yankees played a West Coast night game and finding out that they lost…except…

…nothing worse than waking up after the Yankees played a West Coast night game and finding out that they lost by one run…except…

…nothing worse than waking up after the Yankees played a West Coast night game and finding out that they lost by one run and they only allowed two runs…except…

…nothing worse than waking up after the Yankees played a West Coast night game and finding out that they lost by one run and they only allowed two runs and lost it in the bottom of the ninth inning…except…

…nothing worse than waking up after the Yankees played a West Coast night game and finding out that they lost by one run and they only allowed two runs and lost it in the bottom of the ninth inning and that was now their third loss in a row…except…

…nothing worse than waking up after the Yankees played a West Coast night game and finding out that they lost by one run and they only allowed two runs and lost it in the bottom of the ninth inning and that was now their third loss in a row and they were all games that they could have won.

Ugh.

Well, at least Boston lost too.

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I loved this book. 

Don’t let the title fool you.  There’s little in here that is scandalous. If anything, it’s more like someone from the inside paying homage to his heroes.

Granted, there’s some stories in there which are not new and have told before in other places. And, at times, I wondered how much of the book was written by Squeegee Castillo (the Yankees bat boy/clubhouse attendant) and how much was done by the co-author, William Cane.

Nonetheless, this book is one that I think any Yankees fan would enjoy.

It pretty much confirmed everything I ever thought about Pettitte, Jeter, A-Rod, Boomer Wells, Torre, Bernie Williams, Posada, O’Neill, El Duque, Matsui, Girardi, Mariano Rivera, Giambi and Big Stein. And, it told me some things that I didn’t know about Clemens, Cone, Ramiro Mendoza, Ruben Sierra and Alfonso Soriano.

It was well worth reading and I recommend this book.

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I’ve mentioned in the past that my 7-year old son likes to listen to the Yankees game (or any game if the Yankees aren’t playing) on the radio as he falls asleep each night.

And, he really struggles with nodding out when there’s no game. He just can’t unwind and relax without his baseball on the radio.

So, I was thinking “I’m going to have a problem after this post-season” and then it dawned on me to get him some old games on CD that he can play on his Clock/Radio/CD player. And, I’ve now picked him up the following from the Miley Collection -

• 10/02/49 – NEW YORK (AL) 5 Boston 3 – Yankees win battle for AL pennant (Curt Gowdy & Mel Allen)
• 10/02/60 – YANKEES 8 Red Sox 7 – Dale Long 2-run HR in B9 gives NY a record 15 wins in a row to end season (Phil Rizzuto & Red Barber)
• 05/24/70 – Yankees 8 INDIANS 7 (11 innings) – Game 2 is game of oddities that features 9 HRs (Bob Gamere, Frank Messer & Phil Rizzuto)
• 08/29/72 – YANKEES 7 Rangers 6 (11) – Bobby Murcer dramatically hits for the cycle (Bill White, Frank Messer & Phil Rizzuto)
• 09/06/73 – YANKEES 8 Brewers 6 – Mike Hegan’s 3-run homer gives Yankees a comeback win (Bill White, Frank Messer & Phil Rizzuto)
• 07/26/77 – YANKEES 5 Orioles 4 (10) – Dramatic homers by Johnson in 9th & Jackson in 10th spark Yanks to win (Messer, White & Rizzuto)
• 10/09/77 – Yankees 5 ROYALS 3 – Yanks score 3 in 9th to win ALCS in 5 games (Frank Messer, Bill White & Phil Rizzuto)
• 06/17/78 – YANKEES 4 Angels 0 – Ron Guidry strikes out Yankee record 18 (Fran Healy, Bill White, Frank Messer & Phil Rizzuto)

That’s a whole lot of Scooter to listen too. I just may have to borrow these from my son when he’s not listening to them!

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Happy B-Day Dude!

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It’s almost the middle of September.  The Yankees and Red Sox are games a part with only a few games let to play.  First place is on the line.  And, yet, everyday in Yankeeland now seems like a yawn.

Thanks, wildcard.

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That’s two in a row to the lowly O’s.

Last time the Yankees lost back-to-back extra innings games was May 13th and 15th in 2001.  Last time they lost them in consecutive days was May 22nd and 23rd back in 1992.

This is only the 5th time since 1976 that the Yankees have lost back-to-back extra inning games.

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The dude is a wall, ain’t he?

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As much as I enjoy seeing the Red Sox have bad fortune, I’m finding myself starting to feel sorry for Wakefield.  How many cracks is it going to take for him to get #200?

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Betcha he makes someone’s heart sing.

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Between today’s starting line-up and having A.J. Burnett on the bump, the Yankees are really punting today’s game, no?

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Is there a difference between starting a game at 11 PM…and having it end at 2 AM…and then playing another game 11 hours later, and, playing a traditional double-header on one day? I would have to think the former is just as taxing as the latter.

Why MLB made the Yankees play last night – and screw their fans – makes little sense, no?

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I’ve been selected to manage my son’s Fall Ball Little League team. (He’s 7-years old and just starting the 2nd grade.)

The name of our team is the Dodgers.

Now, I know just how Donnie felt when he got the nod!

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Athletics Nation shares the following Brian Cashman Principles:

Brian Cashman Principle #1: Sign starter who cannot handle pressure of playing in the home city.
Brian Cashman Principle #2: Don’t have a Plan B.
Brian Cashman Principle #3: Sign really old guys, or young guys who become really old.
Brian Cashman Principle #4: You can never have enough closers.
Brian Cashman Principle #5: Take anyone off the scrap heap.

What do you think of their take here, on the money?

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Road Trips, Rain Outs, and Natural Disasters

It’s the start of the school year, and Ms. Jeteupthemiddle had to get back into the classroom.  Sorry the August review is so late…assuming you were waiting for it, anyway.

August Record: 17-10 (@ CHW, 4-0; @ BOS, 1-2; vs LAA, 2-1; vs TB, 1-1; @ KC, 2-1; @ MIN, 3-1; vs OAK, 1-2; @ BAL, 2-1; @ BOS, 1-1)

Season Standings (As of 9/1): Boston, New York (-.5), Tampa Bay (-9), Toronto (-14.5), Baltimore (-28.5 E)

Quite frankly, Boston has to be really irritated about the Yankees at this point in the season.  The Yankees wound up winning the series that spilled into September, but it was the first time all year, but overall they have been pummelled by the Red Sox.  And despite that, the Yankees left Boston only a half game out (and currently have a 2.5 game lead).

Team Offense: .867 OPS

The Good

• Robinson Cano–I gave Cano the nod as a “good” player for the month of July because he had a fairly decent month even if it wasn’t up to ordinary Cano standards.  For the month of August, Cano really deserves the award.  He had a .345 average, and he got on base at a .377 clip.  In addition, Cano hit 18 extra base hits, 7 of which cleared the fence.
• Derek Jeter–.387/.435/.472. Yeah, Jeter has been very, very good for the month of August, and since he came off the DL in general.  During the time frame of July 4-September 5, Jeter has hit .343/.392/.469.  Excellent.
• Curtis Granderson–During the month of August, Granderson slugged out 10 home runs, 5 doubles, and 2 triples.  His OPS over the 28 games was 1.028.  In my opinion, he is the Yankees’ MVP for the season.  Hopefully, in the opinion of the writers, he is the MVP for the American League.

The Bad

• Brett Gardner–Gardner was in some kind of slump for the month of August.  He batted .226, and only had an on base percentage of .303.  Gardner doesn’t slug enough to only get on base 30% of the time.  For the overall season, Gardner’s OPS+ has dropped down to 95.

Team Pitching (4.57 ERA) (Can I just exclaim this? EXCLAIM!)

The Good

• Ivan Nova–Well, he had a 3.82 ERA, which I wouldn’t normally consider a “good” month, but the pickings are mighty slim this month.  With this pitching, it is amazing that the Yankees managed to 17-10 over the month.  Really though, Nova only had one bad start.  On August 16, he went 5.1 innings and gave up 7 earned runs.  During the rest of the month his starts were at least of the quality variety.
• David Robertson–I think a .82 ERA and a BAA of .184 is considered a good month on anyone’s standards.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, David Robertson is my favorite surprise of the 2011 season.  I expected him to be good, but this good?  Awesome.
• Boone Logan–He had a 1.29 ERA for the month, but he only allowed a run in one appearance.  He was also the pitcher of record in the only two wins against Boston in August.

The Bad

• A.J. Burnett–Did anyone expect someone else in this top spot?  I mean really.  If you ask me, he is the pitcher to lose his rotation spot (not that Hughes, Colon, or Garcia are in anyway consistent).  Burnett posted an 11.91 ERA for the month of August.  Not one of this starts would be considered a quality start, although 2 of them came close.  Even so, in 3 of his starts, he allowed 7, 7, and 9 runs.  Oh my.
• CC Sabathia–It’s almost not fair to include Sabathia in any list that also has AJ Burnett on it, but Sabathia’s August left a lot to be desired.  He had a 4.68 ERA during those 6 starts.  To be fair to Sabathia, he did go at least 6 innings in each of his 6 starts, and 4 of those games resulted in quality starts, but two consecutive appearances of giving up 7 and 5 runs respectively will always bring down one’s ERA.
• Freddy Garcia–A 5.53 ERA.  He had an .866 OPS against.  Neither are good stats.

The I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Him

• Phil Hughes–He does well.  He does poorly.  He does well for 2 starts in a row.  He does poorly for 2 starts in a row.  I never know what Phil Hughes will appear on a mound in any given day.  In the What-Have-You-Done-For-Me-Lately Department, Hughes would be in the bad section of this review, but I’m still holding out hope for him.  I am also more confident in him than in Burnett.

September Call Ups

• Jesus Montero–The most anticipated and the most exciting
• Scott Proctor–I know, right.  I was just as shocked as you were to find out his arm was still attached to his shoulder.
• Lance Pandleton
• Brandon Laird
• Raul Valdes
• Chris Dickerson

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Of the three teams the Yankees may face in the ALDS – assuming they win the East – which is the best match-up for them?

Facing Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer in a short series could be a concern – although the latter was struggling in the month of August. And, for what it’s worth, Doug Fister is pitching well this year.

Then again, the Rangers have surprising good pitching – and a stocked up bullpen. Plus, they know they can beat the Yankees – they did it last year.

So, root for the Angels? When was the last time the Yankees wanted to face the Angels in the post-season?

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Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

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Wow, even Mo made in interesting.

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To date, this season, the Yankees are 39-14 in games startes by CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova.  That’s a winning percentage of .736.

And, this also means that the Yankees are 46-39 in games not started by Sabathia and Nova.

If you’re planning on attending a Yankees game in September or October, try and get one when CC or Ivan is starting.

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Check out these numbers.

• A.J. Burnett’s last 20 starts: 6.07 ERA in 115.6 IP
• Phil Hughes’ last 8 games (7 starts): 5.82 ERA in 38.6 IP
• Bartolo Colon’s last 11 starts: 4.90 ERA in 60.6 IP
• Freddy Garcia’s last 12 starts: 2.89 ERA in 71.6 ERA
• Ivan Nova’s last 7 starts:  3.45 ERA in 47 IP
• CC Sabathia’s last 6 starts: 4.75 ERA in 41.6 IP

Seeing these, what do you think of the Yankees chances this October?

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I’m just saying…

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In Bartolo Colon’s last 10 starts, his ERA is 4.80 (in 54.3 IP).  During this time, he’s allowed a BA/OBA/SLG line of .303/.351/.507 (facing 239 batters). How bad is that? It’s “A.J. Burnett” material.

When you combine that with how bad Phil Hughes has been…Ivan Nova has to be the Yankees #2 starter in the post-season, doesn’t he?

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Here  are the prices.  I doubt that many of these will go on “public sale,” will they?

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What club?   This one.

In case you’re interested, here are the Yankees, all-time, to win 15+ games in a season during their 1st or 2nd year in the big leagues:

.

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When I was a kid, I thought that there were some pitchers who would, more times than not, win a lot more in a season than they would lose – guys like Ron Guidry, Jimmy Key, Don Gullett, etc. You know, guys who always seemed to go something like 18-7 or 14-6 in a season. And, then there were guys who would win, but, who would also have a ton of decisions, overall, in total – guys like Fergie Jenkins, Phil Niekro, etc. Dudes who would go 20-17 or 15-13 in a season, most years.

Of course, that was just my belief as a kid – and I have no proof that either type of pitcher exists in reality…the guy who always seems to have a high winning percentage and the other guy who seems to get almost as many losses as wins each year.

But, if there is such a pitcher who is more likely to post records where he’s winning ten or more games than he loses in a season, maybe Ivan Nova is one of those guys? If you look at his professional record over the last two seasons, the numbers are there for him.

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Mark Simon has some great stuff up on the defensive ability of Curtis Granderson.  My fav part was the ending:

We asked a longtime major league scout for his assessment of Granderson. He rated Granderson as being a shade below average, and was uncomfortable putting him in the worst in baseball category just yet.

Here’s his assessment:

“The best asset he possesses is his well above-average speed, which enables him to correct initial mistakes with reads and routes, and his ability to go all out to make a play.

He does not react well off the bat, almost as if he has a depth perception problem, which really shows up on hard line drives at him, which is a difficult play for most, and hard to practice. Having Gardner in left, he will cheat his positioning, yet he still gets burned, as he will play too shallow or too deep. There seems to be no happy medium.

Bottom line: He better hit a lot to make up for his defense.”

Why the Yankees don’t play Granderson in left and have Gardner play center is beyond me?  I just hope that Granderson doesn’t need a Curt Flood or Fred Snodgrass moment to make that happen.

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It’s been 10 years now? Yes, it’s true.

Poor Mussina. No perfect game and no rings.  Always close…

It is very interesting that his Yankees career was book-ended by Yankees ring seasons.

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Mariano Rivera spoke yesterday with MLB Network’s Bob Costas in an exclusive interview on “MLB Tonight,” prior to the Yankees at Red Sox game. Topics ranged from the possibility of Rivera retiring, how to throw his famous cutter, his history against the Boston Red Sox, and his dream of playing centerfield one day. Here’s the video:

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Via ESPN -

“In terms of hitting ability, [Jesus] Montero can be a Manny Ramirez or a Miguel Cabrera,” [Brian] Cashman told ESPN New York’s Ian O’Connor. “As a catcher, he’s got a cannon for an arm. As far as everything and what I want him to be, I want him to be Jorge Posada.” Cashman added, “He has a chance to bat third or fourth. He has the potential to be a beast in the middle of our lineup.”

I hate this stuff. Why can’t we allow kids to come up and break in at their own speed without any hype? The game is littered with guys who were set up to fail because they were hyped too much – Clint Hurdle, Brad Komminsk, Gregg Jefferies, et al.

Everyone on the Yankees should just shut up and let Montero prove himself at the big league level. If he’s a star, then, great. If not, that’s that…

But, setting expectations that he’s going to hit like one of the best right-handed batters the game has ever saw is just stupid.

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Via MLB Trade Rumors -

Major League Baseball has voided the $1.1MM contract of Yankees pitching prospect Juan Carlos Paniagua and suspended the right-hander for one year, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. MLB hasn’t specified — even to the Yankees — why Paniagua has been suspended, but “one-year suspensions are usually reserved for a player who presents false information to teams about his age or identity,” writes Badler.

Paniagua is no stranger to these circumstances. The Diamondbacks signed him — then going by the name Juan Collado — for a mere $17K in May 2009. While that contract was under review, Paniagua was allowed to play in the Dominican Summer League under a rule that’s since been changed, and he impressed scouts with a big fastball. The contract with Arizona was voided and Paniagua was suspended in June 2010. When that suspension was lifted in March, teams were lining up for his services, with the Yankees placing the winning bid.

His contract once again was pending MLB’s review since signing with the Yankees, and he has not played in any games during that time.

When asked for a comment on the matter, Yankees G.M. Brian Cashman said that this is just another case of MLB…

Seriously, is it too late to retroactively void Kei Igawa’s contract for presenting false information about his ability to get major league hitters out?

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For me, the keys in this one were that long first inning against Lester and Aceves caving in during the 7th inning.

Burnett?  I dunno.  He had Ortiz K’ed in the sixth.  But, when the ump missed that one, I was sure that he would melt-down.  Girardi was smart to get him out of there after that.

Two of three from the Sox in Fenway?  I think the Yankees would sign up for that, every time, no?

In any event, damn, these games are too long.  Granted, there were a lot of foul balls last night.  But, still…

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