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  • Ouch!

    Posted by on February 12th, 2012 · Comments (2)

    Yesterday, I wore my “Yankees” jacket for the first time in 2012.

    Actually, it was the first time that I have worn it in a while.  How long?  Read on.

    When I put on the jacket, I realized there was something in one of the pockets.  When I pulled it out, I realized that it was my ticket stubs from Game 5 of the 2011 ALDS between the Yankees and the Tigers.

    Yes, the game that everyone in Yankeeland thought was a gimmie win – and the game where New York had:

    • The bases loaded with one out in the 4th and could not score.
    • The bases loaded with one out in the 7th and A-Rod struck out.

    And, in the end, the Yankees lost, 3-2.

    That was four months ago – the last time that I wore my Yankees jacket.

    Like a lot of Yankees fans, I have put that game far away in my memory.  Now, I wonder, is that a mistake?

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    WHIP It Good

    Posted by on February 12th, 2012 · Comments (0)

    Pitchers since 1901 to qualify for the ERA title while posting a WHIP of 1.09 or less, at least four times in their career -

    Rk   Yrs From To Age  
    1 Walter Johnson 10 1908 1919 20-31 Ind. Seasons
    2 Greg Maddux 9 1992 2001 26-35 Ind. Seasons
    3 Cy Young 9 1901 1910 34-43 Ind. Seasons
    4 Tom Seaver 8 1968 1977 23-32 Ind. Seasons
    5 Mordecai Brown 8 1904 1915 27-38 Ind. Seasons
    6 Curt Schilling 7 1992 2004 25-37 Ind. Seasons
    7 Roger Clemens 7 1986 2005 23-42 Ind. Seasons
    8 Fergie Jenkins 7 1967 1978 24-35 Ind. Seasons
    9 Don Sutton 7 1966 1981 21-36 Ind. Seasons
    10 Juan Marichal 7 1963 1971 25-33 Ind. Seasons
    11 Babe Adams 7 1911 1921 29-39 Ind. Seasons
    12 Ed Walsh 7 1906 1912 25-31 Ind. Seasons
    13 Christy Mathewson 7 1904 1914 23-33 Ind. Seasons
    14 Addie Joss 7 1903 1909 23-29 Ind. Seasons
    15 Pedro Martinez 6 1997 2005 25-33 Ind. Seasons
    16 Randy Johnson 6 1995 2004 31-40 Ind. Seasons
    17 Eddie Plank 6 1905 1915 29-39 Ind. Seasons
    18 Gaylord Perry 5 1964 1974 25-35 Ind. Seasons
    19 Sandy Koufax 5 1962 1966 26-30 Ind. Seasons
    20 Jim Bunning 5 1957 1967 25-35 Ind. Seasons
    21 Doc White 5 1903 1909 24-30 Ind. Seasons
    22 Johan Santana 4 2004 2007 25-28 Ind. Seasons
    23 Roy Halladay 4 2003 2011 26-34 Ind. Seasons
    24 Kevin Brown 4 1996 2000 31-35 Ind. Seasons
    25 Mike Mussina 4 1992 2003 23-34 Ind. Seasons
    26 Bret Saberhagen 4 1985 1994 21-30 Ind. Seasons
    27 Jim Palmer 4 1969 1976 23-30 Ind. Seasons
    28 Phil Niekro 4 1967 1972 28-33 Ind. Seasons
    29 Ralph Terry 4 1961 1965 25-29 Ind. Seasons
    30 Don Drysdale 4 1960 1968 23-31 Ind. Seasons
    31 Robin Roberts 4 1952 1965 25-38 Ind. Seasons
    32 Carl Hubbell 4 1932 1936 29-33 Ind. Seasons
    33 Fred Toney 4 1915 1919 26-30 Ind. Seasons
    34 Pete Alexander 4 1915 1919 28-32 Ind. Seasons
    35 Smoky Joe Wood 4 1909 1915 19-25 Ind. Seasons
    36 Eddie Cicotte 4 1909 1919 25-35 Ind. Seasons
    37 Chief Bender 4 1906 1910 22-26 Ind. Seasons
    38 Frank Smith 4 1904 1910 24-30 Ind. Seasons
    39 Rube Waddell 4 1902 1907 25-30 Ind. Seasons
    40 Deacon Phillippe 4 1901 1905 29-33 Ind. Seasons
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 2/11/2012.

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    Don Sutton? Something for those who don’t like his HOF selection to chew on…

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    Slip Another Hotdog On The Barbie Mate!

    Posted by on February 11th, 2012 · Comments (0)

    I’m watching Game 2 of the Australian Baseball League Championship Series on the MLB Network – the Melbourne Aces versus the Perth Heat – and I am loving it!

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    Best Starting Pitcher Trios (Or More) Ever

    Posted by on February 11th, 2012 · Comments (2)

    Here’s one way to slice it -

    Rk Year Lg Tm #Matching  
    1 1942 AL Detroit Tigers 5 Al Benton / Tommy Bridges / Hal Newhouser / Virgil Trucks / Hal White
    2 1907 NL Chicago Cubs 5 Mordecai Brown / Carl Lundgren / Orval Overall / Jack Pfiester / Ed Reulbach
    3 1997 NL Atlanta Braves 4 Tom Glavine / Greg Maddux / Denny Neagle / John Smoltz
    4 1909 AL Philadelphia Athletics 4 Chief Bender / Harry Krause / Cy Morgan / Eddie Plank
    5 1905 NL Chicago Cubs 4 Buttons Briggs / Mordecai Brown / Ed Reulbach / Bob Wicker
    6 2011 NL Philadelphia Phillies 3 Roy Halladay / Cole Hamels / Cliff Lee
    7 2005 NL Houston Astros 3 Roger Clemens / Roy Oswalt / Andy Pettitte
    8 2003 NL Chicago Cubs 3 Mark Prior / Kerry Wood / Carlos Zambrano
    9 2002 AL Boston Red Sox 3 Derek Lowe / Pedro Martinez / Tim Wakefield
    10 1998 NL Atlanta Braves 3 Tom Glavine / Greg Maddux / John Smoltz
    11 1996 NL Atlanta Braves 3 Tom Glavine / Greg Maddux / John Smoltz
    12 1985 NL Los Angeles Dodgers 3 Orel Hershiser / Fernando Valenzuela / Bob Welch
    13 1981 NL Los Angeles Dodgers 3 Burt Hooton / Jerry Reuss / Fernando Valenzuela
    14 1956 AL Cleveland Indians 3 Bob Lemon / Herb Score / Early Wynn
    15 1945 NL Chicago Cubs 3 Claude Passeau / Ray Prim / Hank Wyse
    16 1944 NL St. Louis Cardinals 3 Mort Cooper / Max Lanier / Ted Wilks
    17 1942 AL New York Yankees 3 Tiny Bonham / Hank Borowy / Spud Chandler
    18 1940 AL Chicago White Sox 3 Ted Lyons / Johnny Rigney / Eddie Smith
    19 1940 AL Detroit Tigers 3 Tommy Bridges / Bobo Newsom / Schoolboy Rowe
    20 1939 AL Detroit Tigers 3 Tommy Bridges / Bobo Newsom / Dizzy Trout
    21 1928 NL Chicago Cubs 3 Sheriff Blake / Pat Malone / Art Nehf
    22 1927 AL New York Yankees 3 Waite Hoyt / Wilcy Moore / Urban Shocker
    23 1919 NL Chicago Cubs 3 Pete Alexander / Phil Douglas / Hippo Vaughn
    24 1917 AL Chicago White Sox 3 Eddie Cicotte / Red Faber / Reb Russell
    25 1916 NL Brooklyn Robins 3 Larry Cheney / Rube Marquard / Jeff Pfeffer
    26 1913 AL Chicago White Sox 3 Eddie Cicotte / Reb Russell / Jim Scott
    27 1913 AL Cleveland Naps 3 Cy Falkenberg / Vean Gregg / Willie Mitchell
    28 1913 NL New York Giants 3 Al Demaree / Christy Mathewson / Jeff Tesreau
    29 1912 NL New York Giants 3 Red Ames / Christy Mathewson / Jeff Tesreau
    30 1910 AL Philadelphia Athletics 3 Chief Bender / Jack Coombs / Cy Morgan
    31 1909 NL Chicago Cubs 3 Mordecai Brown / Orval Overall / Ed Reulbach
    32 1908 AL Cleveland Naps 3 Charlie Chech / Addie Joss / Bob Rhoads
    33 1906 NL Chicago Cubs 3 Mordecai Brown / Jack Pfiester / Ed Reulbach
    34 1906 AL Cleveland Naps 3 Otto Hess / Addie Joss / Bob Rhoads
    35 1901 NL Pittsburgh Pirates 3 Jack Chesbro / Deacon Phillippe / Jesse Tannehill
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 2/11/2012.

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    Now, of course, the question is, how many of these teams have won World Series rings?

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    Bye, Bye, Binghamton?

    Posted by on February 10th, 2012 · Comments (2)

    Bummer.

    These guys kicked butt back in ’53!

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    Johnny Wadd Cashman?

    Posted by on February 10th, 2012 · Comments (5)

    O.K., now, the whole Cashman thing is going from TMZ material to TMI material. Via the Post -

    Brian Cashman is a slugger in the sack.

    Alleged stalker Louise Meanwell told The Post in a jailhouse interview that the Yankees general manager may look like a nerd, but he’s a skilled swordsman who bedded her on their very first date last April.

    “Surprisingly, yes, he was a good lover,” she said. “A lot of things about him surprised me.”

    In a wide-ranging Rikers Island sit-down, the woman accused of pulling off a $6,000 squeeze play on Cashman also claimed:

    * He first started flirting with her in 2006 — as his wife, Mary, stood nearby — then kept in touch for years by sending her text messages.

    * The money Cashman dropped into her Chase accounts was a “birthday gift,” rather than cash she asked him for to finance a “medical procedure.’’

    * Since April, he had given her $18,000 to $20,000 to pay the rent on her TriBeCa pad as well as legal fees for a custody fight over her 14-year-old daughter with her ex-husband, Jason Bump.

    * He bought her a $1,300 Mulberry handbag and gave her four baseballs autographed by the Red Sox as a gift for her daughter.

    The busty blonde said Cashman made his move almost immediately after meeting her in 2006 at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston.

    “I wish my wife wasn’t here,” she said he whispered, with Mary Cashman in the same room. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

    He handed Meanwell his business card and marveled at her British accent.

    “I was 29 at the time, and I thought, ‘What a perv,’ ” she said.

    The relationship that last week finally broke Cashman’s long-troubled marriage then simmered for years via texts, Meanwell said.

    But she said she never saw Cashman again in person until he spotted her last April 6 during a rained-out Yankees-Twins game at the Stadium.

    “He asked me when I was going to be at a game again, and I said it wasn’t going to be for a while,” she recalled. “So he said, ‘I really want to see you. I can come into the city.’ ”

    The next night, Meanwell said, they went bar hopping at Cercle Rouge, the Bubble Lounge and South’s in TriBeCa before ending up between the sheets at her Leonard Street apartment.

    She laughed at the memory of a bartender asking, “What are you doing with this old man?” when he spotted her out on the town with the balding baseball bigwig.

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    Denzel, Don’tcha Know!

    Posted by on February 10th, 2012 · Comments (13)

    Funny stuff.

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    Today’s Cashman & Meanwell News

    Posted by on February 10th, 2012 · Comments (3)

    Some more on the mess Brian Cashman has created, from the Post today -

    Manhattan prosecutors have subpoenaed Yankee general manger Brian Cashman’s bank records—which sources say include evidence that he coughed up as much as $20,000 to accused extortionist and purported mistress Louise Meanwell as far back as April, The Post has learned.

    Those alleged payments raise the question of whether Meanwell was shaking Cashman down for nearly 10 months — or whether the big bucks were legitimate gifts as part of an affair, as she claims.

    Cashman made “several” cash deposits in the range of $4,000 each into the British-born woman’s bank accounts over the last 10 months, a source close to the case told The Post.

    Meanwell herself claims she received between $18,000 and $20,000 in the same time frame.

    The records sought include handwritten deposit slips Cashman used to personally funnel money into Meanwell’s account.

    “His handwriting is on those deposit slips, so there’s no way he can claim he wasn’t giving her this money,” said the source.

    Meanwell’s bank records have also been subpoenaed.

    And, then there is this also from the Post on the woman Brian Cashman choose to bring into his life -

    Former targets of alleged serial stalker Louise Meanwell, men who all lived in the Albany area, said she won’t move on from her obsession with Yankee general manager Brian Cashman anytime soon.

    “She’s not done with Cashman. She’s never done,” Meanwell’s former live-in boyfriend, David Sano, told The Post.

    “You learn that about Louise. She’s ruthless.’’

    The ominous prediction came as Sano recounted a wild, two-year ride with Meanwell that began as a 2001 one-night stand and spiraled into a nightmare that included claims of a pregnancy and abortion, a leaked sex tape, shredded clothing, slashed tires — and a prison stint for Sano after he pulled a knife on her in exasperation.

    “She is the most conniving person I have ever met,” Sano said.

    Two others — a successful Albany businessman who says Meanwell stalked him “for months” in 1999 and Jason Walker, once an aide to former Gov. George Pataki — echoed Sano.

    “She is relentless,’’ said the businessman, whose name is being withheld.

    “She was really intimidating and ingrained herself into my life.”

    Meanwell, he said, cozied up to his pals at an Albany country club, staked out his home, bombarded him with e-mails and filled his answering-machine tape with messages before he hired a lawyer to stop her.

    He described Meanwell as “a multiple personality, where one minute she was a nice, relatively normal person who [could] turn vindictive and evil at any point in time.”

    “She was very, very persistent,” said Walker, who was working for Pataki when he dated Meanwell for two months in 2002. He said he bailed out because he couldn’t deal with her constant calls and demands for attention.

    How many days until Pitchers & Catchers report?

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    Now Batting For The Yankees, Chris Giglio, Number 911, Crisis & Issues Management Hired Gun, Number 911

    Posted by on February 9th, 2012 · Comments (4)

    Chris Giglio runs the crisis management practice at the HL Group which is a New York public relations and communications firm. He is also a former producer for NBC’s Dateline.

    And, now, he’s quoted in every news article that mentions the Yankees G.M. Brian Cashman.

    He should be on the Yankees 40-man roster any day now…

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    Today’s Yankeeland News: Booze & Steroids

    Posted by on February 9th, 2012 · Comments (3)

    First, this via the AP -

    YES Network television host Bob Lorenz has been charged with drunken driving in Connecticut where police say he was found passed out in his car in his hometown of Westport.

    The 48-year-old Lorenz was arrested early Wednesday morning. Police say they found him slumped over the wheel of his car and when they woke him up he drove away slowly and nearly hit a utility pole. Officers say his speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol.

    Lorenz hosts pregame and postgame shows for the New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets. He was arraigned Wednesday at Norwalk Superior Court and his case was continued to Feb. 29.

    There’s no phone listing for Lorenz and it’s not clear if he has a lawyer. A Yes Network spokesman declined to comment.

    And, then there’s this from the Daily News -

    The woman accused of stalking and blackmailing Yankees GM Brian Cashman has injected steroids into the sordid mix.

    From Rikers Island, Louise Meanwell claimed Wednesday that Cashman told her he misled federal investigators over what the Bombers’ brass knew of steroid use by players.

    Meanwell, who claims she had an affair with Cashman, told the Daily News that Cashman confided to her that he was grilled in June or July by “the feds.”

    She said Cashman told her he made it seem like the Yankees had no knowledge of players’ steroid use when, in fact, they did.

    Cashman’s spokesman Chris Giglio vehemently denied the accusations.

    “These claims are complete and utter fiction, the latest installment of a carefully concocted campaign of harassment now spewing from a jail cell by a person who is being held on serious criminal felony charges of harassment and extortion,” Giglio said.

    A friend of Meanwell’s told The News he sent an email to federal investigators advising them of her claims.

    The friend said he sent the email to Ron Gardella, chief investigator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and FBI agent Brian Jacob.

    The email, obtained by The News, went on to say that Meanwell had “specific details” on dates and times that Cashman was aware of steroid use by players.

    Both the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office refused to confirm or deny that Meanwell had informed them of her claims.

    Cashman was on prosecutors’ witness list for Roger Clemens’ trial on perjury charges last July before Judge Reggie Walton declared a mistrial on the first day of the proceedings in Washington. Walton has scheduled a new trial for April.

    I’m sure the Mets don’t mind the Yankees making the headlines with all this “stuff” and taking the spot-light off them and all their problems…

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    Lew Burdette & Nolan Fontana

    Posted by on February 9th, 2012 · Comments (0)

    Cool story.

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    Most Career HR – Players Who Played With 10+ Teams In Their Career

    Posted by on February 8th, 2012 · Comments (1)

    It’s a fun list -

    Rk Player HR   From To Age G PA Tm
    1 Matt Stairs 265 12 1992 2011 24-43 1895 6023 MON-BOS-OAK-CHC-MIL-PIT-KCR-TEX-DET-TOR-PHI-SDP-WSN
    2 Todd Zeile 253 11 1989 2004 23-38 2158 8649 STL-CHC-PHI-BAL-LAD-FLA-TEX-NYM-COL-MON-NYY
    3 Jose Guillen 214 10 1997 2010 21-34 1650 6414 PIT-TBD-CIN-ARI-OAK-ANA-WSN-SEA-KCR-SFG
    4 Russell Branyan 194 10 1998 2011 22-35 1059 3398 CLE-CIN-MIL-SDP-TBD-STL-PHI-SEA-ARI-LAA
    5 Tommy Davis 153 10 1959 1976 20-37 1999 7739 LAD-NYM-CHW-HOU-SEP-CHC-OAK-BAL-KCR-CAL
    6 Kenny Lofton 130 11 1991 2007 24-40 2103 9234 HOU-CLE-ATL-SFG-CHW-PIT-CHC-NYY-PHI-LAD-TEX
    7 Royce Clayton 110 11 1991 2007 21-37 2108 8164 SFG-STL-TEX-CHW-MIL-COL-ARI-WSN-CIN-TOR-BOS
    8 Paul Bako 24 11 1998 2009 26-37 789 2471 DET-HOU-FLA-ATL-MIL-CHC-LAD-KCR-BAL-CIN-PHI
    9 Ken Brett 10 10 1967 1981 18-32 386 373 BOS-MIL-PHI-PIT-NYY-CHW-CAL-LAD-MIN-KCR
    10 Miguel Batista 2 10 1992 2011 21-40 623 344 PIT-FLA-CHC-MON-KCR-ARI-TOR-SEA-WSN-STL-NYM
    11 Terry Mulholland 2 11 1986 2006 23-43 687 687 SFG-PHI-NYY-SEA-CHC-ATL-PIT-LAD-CLE-MIN-ARI
    12 Ron Villone 1 12 1995 2009 25-39 717 184 SDP-SEA-MIL-CLE-CIN-HOU-COL-PIT-FLA-NYY-STL-WSN
    13 Kevin Jarvis 1 10 1994 2006 24-36 191 229 CIN-MIN-DET-OAK-COL-SDP-SEA-STL-ARI-BOS
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 2/8/2012.

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    Power, Speed & Walks

    Posted by on February 8th, 2012 · Comments (1)

    The 250/750/250 Club -

    Rk Player WAR/pos BB HR SB From To Age G PA R RBI SO OPS
    1 Barry Bonds 171.8 2558 762 514 1986 2007 21-42 2986 12606 2227 1996 1539 1.051
    2 Willie Mays 154.7 1464 660 338 1951 1973 20-42 2992 12493 2062 1903 1526 .941
    3 Rickey Henderson 113.1 2190 297 1406 1979 2003 20-44 3081 13346 2295 1115 1694 .820
    4 Alex Rodriguez 104.9 1166 629 305 1994 2011 18-35 2402 10634 1824 1893 1916 .953
    5 Joe Morgan 103.5 1865 268 689 1963 1984 19-40 2649 11329 1650 1133 1015 .819
    6 Robin Yount 76.9 966 251 271 1974 1993 18-37 2856 12249 1632 1406 1350 .772
    7 Craig Biggio 66.2 1160 291 414 1988 2007 22-41 2850 12503 1844 1175 1753 .796
    8 Gary Sheffield 63.3 1475 509 253 1988 2009 19-40 2576 10947 1636 1676 1171 .907
    9 Ryne Sandberg 62.0 761 282 344 1981 1997 21-37 2164 9282 1318 1061 1260 .795
    10 Carlos Beltran 61.0 831 302 293 1998 2011 21-34 1768 7730 1184 1146 1213 .857
    11 Bobby Abreu 58.9 1419 284 393 1996 2011 22-37 2247 9669 1412 1325 1763 .878
    12 Bobby Bonds 57.0 914 332 461 1968 1981 22-35 1849 8090 1258 1024 1757 .824
    13 Mike Cameron 46.8 867 278 297 1995 2011 22-38 1955 7884 1064 968 1901 .782
    14 Steve Finley 40.5 844 304 320 1989 2007 24-42 2583 10460 1443 1167 1299 .775
    15 Don Baylor 29.3 805 338 285 1970 1988 21-39 2292 9401 1236 1276 1069 .777
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 2/8/2012.

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    Yankees Clean-Up Batters In 2011

    Posted by on February 7th, 2012 · Comments (11)

    Fun stuff -

    BOP   G PA 2B HR RBI SO GDP BA OBP SLG
    4 Alex Rodriguez 94 412 21 15 58 79 15 .269 .354 .453
    4 Robinson Cano 43 184 13 7 36 31 5 .315 .364 .521
    4 Mark Teixeira 23 104 4 5 20 18 2 .211 .288 .444
    4 Ramiro Pena 3 6 0 0 2 0 0 .400 .500 .400
    4 Jorge Posada 2 6 0 1 2 1 0 .400 .500 1.000
    4 Eric Chavez 4 4 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .000 .000
    4 Greg Golson 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .500 .000
    4 Andruw Jones 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .500 .000
    4 Francisco Cervelli 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .000 .000
    4 Eduardo Nunez 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .000 .000
    4 Nick Swisher 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 1.000 1.000
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 2/7/2012.

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    So, who should bat 4th for the Yankees in 2012?

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    Brewery Jack Taylor

    Posted by on February 7th, 2012 · Comments (0)

    Jack Taylor died today, back in 1900, at the age of 26.

    Twenty-six years is not a very long time.  But, Taylor had a very interesting life.  You can read about at the SABR Bio Project.

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    Eli Manning Steps Up To The Plate!

    Posted by on February 6th, 2012 · Comments (6)

    And, he’s been doing it for a while now.

    Craig Carton had a good point this morning – Has there ever been a QB to win two Superbowl MVPs where his team was the underdog in both games? And, Mike Francesa had a good point this afternoon – There’s only one QB in the history of New York football to win two Superbowls and his name is not Namath or Simms.  It’s Manning.

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    Mets Ban Author Over Book

    Posted by on February 6th, 2012 · Comments (4)

    Howard Megdal shares the following today –

    Since taking over the LoHud Mets Blog in March 2011, I have been credentialed numerous times by the New York Mets-100 percent of the time my editor here, Sean Mayer, has requested credentials. This is nothing new. In my years covering sports, I have been credentialed by every major sports team in the New York area, writing for ESPN.com, The New York Times, New York Magazine, The New York Observer, and many other outlets.

    So it was odd that last week, Sean received a call from Jay Horwitz, the Director of Media Relations for the New York Mets, telling him that while the Journal News can continue to receive credentials, the Mets would not be credentialing me.

    Sean asked why that was, and Jay responded that the Mets “don’t like my reporting”. The team declined to respond to my multiple attempts to reach them for a fuller explanation.

    But I don’t think much investigation is required. As of the final game of last season, I was credentialed. I participated in a conference call with Sandy Alderson in December.

    Later in December, Wilpon’s Folly published. The book details the financial and legal problems facing Met ownership due to their investments with Bernie Madoff. The book was no surprise to the Mets- I reached out to them once I was asked to write the book by Bloomsbury, and spoke many times on background to multiple people within the organization about all specific reporting within the book.

    The book’s reporting, incidentally, has not been challenged. It has been reinforced by subsequent articles in The New York Times, Adam Rubin at ESPN.com, and numerous other places. The only response the Mets have provided is to attack me personally.

    The Mets can’t very well keep out Adam Rubin, whose right to be in the clubhouse is guaranteed by his membership in the Baseball Writers Association of America. Though I am a full-time sportswriter as my profession, I am ineligible for the BBWAA because I make my living through regular, part-time gigs, not a single, full-time one. So the team is lashing out where it can.

    Say what you want about George Steinbrenner, but, I don’t think he ever pulled a stunt like this…

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    The Pats Have A Giant Daddy

    Posted by on February 5th, 2012 · Comments (8)

    And, Eli is his name.

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    Cashman Affair Details Getting More Sordid

    Posted by on February 5th, 2012 · Comments (60)

    The Daily News has the story.

    At some point, does Brian Cashman’s affiliation with the Yankees need to be terminated, albeit voluntary or not, because of all this negative attention his actions have brought on to the Yankees franchise?

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    Enjoy The Game On Sunday!

    Posted by on February 4th, 2012 · Comments (0)

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    Harry Loran “Nemo” Leibold

    Posted by on February 4th, 2012 · Comments (1)

    Nemo Leibold died today – back in 1977 (at the age of 84.)

    He really tanked it in the 1919 World Series:

    Rk Date Series Gm# Tm Rslt PA R H HR RBI BB SO SB WPA RE24
    1 1919-10-09 WS 8 CHW L 5-10 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 -0.011 -0.752
    2 1919-10-07 WS 6 CHW W 5-4 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.031 0.008
    3 1919-10-06 WS 5 CHW L 0-5 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 -0.003 -0.212
    4 1919-10-04 WS 4 CHW L 0-2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -0.079 -0.522
    5 1919-10-03 WS 3 CHW W 3-0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 -0.061 -1.070
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 2/4/2012.

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    If that happened today, everyone who just assume he was in on the fix, no?

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    Good Thing Brian Cashman Is Used To Writing Big Checks

    Posted by on February 4th, 2012 · Comments (0)

    Of course, this time, the money will be his and not that of the Steinbrenner Family.  The story via the Post -

    The wife of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman filed for divorce yesterday — a day after her husband was publicly accused of a second affair, this time with a woman who has been charged with shaking him down, The Post has learned.

    Mary Cashman, 42, submitted divorce papers in Stamford, Conn., Superior Court, listing her husband as “B.M. Cashman” and writing that the marriage “has broken down irretrievably.”

    She is seeking permanent alimony, a split of their property, and joint custody of their 13-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son.

    Mary Cashman, who has now endured two publicly humiliating allegations of her husband’s philandering, has been living apart from Brian Cashman in the family’s $3.7 million Darien mansion with the kids, sources said.

    She hired top divorce counsel Gaetano Ferro, who repped Jane Welch during her half-billion-dollar split from former GE boss Jack Welch.

    Mary Cashman’s divorce filing came less than 24 hours after a TriBeCa woman, Louise Meanwell, appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges she stalked Brian Cashman and extorted more than $6,000 from him.

    Prosecutors said Meanwell bombarded Cashman with hundreds of text messages, and demanded he cough up $15,000 to pay for an unspecified medical procedure. Cashman made two payments, one for $4,000 and another for $2,000.

    Meanwell, who could not post $200,000 bail, has been shipped to Rikers Island.

    Meanwell has claimed to several friends that she and Cashman, 44, had a nearly yearlong affair and that she ended it after he reneged on a promise to leave his wife.

    Last spring, she began telling friends that she was dating Cashman, boasting of visiting him at his Yankee Stadium office, scoring game tickets and hooking up with him in Manhattan.

    “She said he’d come and stay with her,” said one pal who recalls Meanwell gushing about the GM during a game at Yankee Stadium.

    “It was more than an affair. It was like she was his girlfriend,” said another Meanwell friend who attended that game.

    “She said Cashman gave her the seats — we were sitting with all the players’ families.”

    “She said, ‘Me and Brian are dating. Him and his wife are going through a divorce. They’re not living together.’ ”

    The British-born Meanwell — who has also used the last name Neathway — has a criminal history of harassment and trespassing going back to 1988 and spanning three states.

    Mary Cashman served her husband with divorce papers on Jan. 31, the day before Meanwell was arrested.

    The documents were filed in court yesterday.

    In the past, Mary Cashman has stood by her man amid reports that he was stepping out on her.

    In 2009, he was romantically linked to a Westchester soccer mom of two, Kim Brennan.

    Brennan’s husband, Brian, grew suspicious of his wife’s relationship with the Yankees honcho and eventually divorced her after she was photographed snuggling with Cashman.

    Cash should have taken Eddie’s advice…

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    Dread Pirate Reyes Gets A Trim

    Posted by on February 3rd, 2012 · Comments (1)

    Via the AP -

    Along with a new uniform, Jose Reyes is getting a new look.

    The All-Star shortstop, who has let his dreadlocks grow since 2007, planned a nationally televised haircut Friday on the MLB Network.

    Reyes left the New York Mets in December for a $106 million, six-year contract with the Miami Marlins. His new team has a rule prohibiting hair below the helmet line.

    Reyes planned to have a barber from the Bronx perform the haircut at the MLB Network studios. Network spokeswoman Lorraine Fisher said the trim will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, which planned to auction the hair on eBay.

    Other players who have had to cut their hair to comply with team rules include Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon when they joined the New York Yankees.

    I cannot imagine who would want to own any of these locks.

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    Not So Bold Superbowl Prediction

    Posted by on February 3rd, 2012 · Comments (4)

    I know it seems like a cliché. But, it will be a close game determined by turnovers and the ability to protect the quarterback.

    The team that does the best job in those two area will win the game.

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    Brian Cashman Finds A Howie Spira In Drag

    Posted by on February 2nd, 2012 · Comments (9)

    $6,000? That’s nothing compared to what Kei Igawa got from Cashman. The story via the AP -

    A woman stalked and shook down New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, getting him to pay her $6,000 and demanding more by threatening to harm his reputation, prosecutors said Thursday.

    The case represents “a long-term effort to control and manipulate the victim,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eric Iverson told a judge as Louise Neathway, 36, was arraigned on grand larceny, stalking and harassment charges.

    Her lawyers said Cashman had had “an inappropriate relationship” with Neathway, a medical sales worker and single mother of a 14-year-old daughter, and he turned on her when it ended badly.

    “The Manhattan district attorney’s office bought his account of how this happened, hook, line and sinker,” lawyer Stephen G. McCarthy said. He and fellow Neathway lawyer Alan M. Abramson said Neathway denied the allegations.

    Cashman said through spokesman Chris Giglio that he is “very grateful that this matter is in the hands of law enforcement.”

    The Yankees declined to comment.

    Neathway — who has a history of arrests on similar charges, prosecutors said — sometimes called and texted Cashman more than 10 times a night and threatened to harm someone he knew, prosecutors said.

    After he told her last April that he didn’t want to talk to her anymore and even changed his contact information to avoid her, she asked him to pay for a $15,000-plus medical procedure and threatened to contact the press and his family with claims that would hurt his personal relationships and professional standing, according to a court complaint.

    In response, he put $6,000 into two of her bank accounts Jan. 18 and tried again to extricate himself, but she instead demanded more money for operations, the complaint said.

    A British native who also goes by Louise Meanwell, Neathway has a record that goes back to a 1998 trespassing arrest in North Carolina, Iverson told a judge. She’s still on probation stemming from a 2008 trespassing conviction in a New Jersey case that involved allegations of stalking and sending someone as many as 200 text messages in a weekend, and she has an open 2010 Manhattan harassment case, Iverson said.

    McCarthy noted in court that the Manhattan case had been put on track to be dismissed, and he suggested prosecutors were making too much of the New Jersey case.

    As for the current case, “it would be unfair to all of the parties involved to speculate about what occurred,” he and Abramson said in a written statement.

    Neathway was being held on $300,000 bond. Her next court date is Tuesday.

    And, Deadspin offers another angle here.

    Does all this make Brian Cashman “Steve Phillips minus the hair”?

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    A Horse Is A Horse

    Posted by on February 2nd, 2012 · Comments (0)

    Of course.

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    Teams With 16+ Non-Extra Inning Games In Season With 12+ Pitching K’s

    Posted by on February 2nd, 2012 · Comments (0)

    Since 1919, here is the list -

    Rk Tm Year #Matching W L  
    1 CHC 2003 32 20 12 Ind. Games
    2 ARI 2001 29 23 6 Ind. Games
    3 ARI 2002 26 22 4 Ind. Games
    4 CHC 2002 24 13 11 Ind. Games
    5 SEA 1995 23 21 2 Ind. Games
    6 CHC 2001 22 10 12 Ind. Games
    7 PHI 1997 20 12 8 Ind. Games
    8 SFG 2010 19 17 2 Ind. Games
    9 SEA 1997 18 12 6 Ind. Games
    10 SDP 2010 18 10 8 Ind. Games
    11 LAD 2010 18 12 6 Ind. Games
    12 ATL 2011 18 12 6 Ind. Games
    13 ARI 2003 18 10 8 Ind. Games
    14 ARI 2000 17 11 6 Ind. Games
    15 LAD 1965 16 14 2 Ind. Games
    16 CHC 2005 16 8 8 Ind. Games
    17 CHC 2010 16 12 4 Ind. Games
    18 CHC 2009 16 10 6 Ind. Games
    19 BOS 1999 16 13 3 Ind. Games
    20 ARI 1999 16 7 9 Ind. Games
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 2/2/2012.

    .
    Can you say “Randy Johnson”?

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    Cashman’s Pajama Pants

    Posted by on February 2nd, 2012 · Comments (7)

    No, it’s not the name of my rotisserie baseball team for 2012…

    It’s just a story that the New York Yankees will have to deal with…or ignore…

    At the least, it suggests that the buzz last summer was not someone blowing smoke.

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    Don Cornelius Dead In Apparent Suicide

    Posted by on February 1st, 2012 · Comments (0)

    Here is the story.

    Always very sad when someone thinks things are so bad that it’s not worth living.

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    Peaches & Herb Wrote A Song About This, No?

    Posted by on February 1st, 2012 · Comments (1)

    Watching it almost makes you feel dirty…

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