The question and the answer.

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One is in Cooperstown and the other is not.

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I guess Sidney Ponson was not interested.

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On your mark, get set, go!

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Discuss.

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If the Mets win 85+ games this season, and Wright continues the pace he’s on this year – which, granted, would be very tough – he has to become the first Mets player ever to win a MVP award, right?  (No pun intended.)

Who else would get it? Michael Bourn? There’s no way that Ryan Braun would ever win it again – no matter what kind of numbers he puts up. Maybe someone on the Dodgers?

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Rob Neyer offers his take on the new Yankee Stadium.

I actually did “LOL” when I read this one comment left by one of his readers regarding the difference between the new Yankee Stadium and the last one:

The real difference: The old stadium was “The Warriors.” The new stadium is “Walt Disney presents The Warriors…on Ice!!!”

Funny stuff.

I went to the first regular-season game ever at the new Yankee Stadium. And, I went to a number of games there in 2010 and 2011. This year, to date, I have gone once and plan on going at least another three times.

I went to games at the last Yankee Stadium so many times that I’ve lost count. For sure it was probably at least a hundred times. Maybe closer to 150?

In any event, I have grown to really like the larger and open concourses and better restrooms at the new Stadium. And, the staff there is much more friendly than at the old Stadium. But, the new place is way too expensive and it just does not have the feel of the old Stadium. Neyer hits on this when he writes:

I’ve had a bit stronger reaction, perhaps because I’m not predisposed toward the franchise. Yankee Stadium is perfectly serviceable, but upon my first visit this week I was actually disappointed. Disappointed with its lack of character. Disappointed with its lack of charisma. Disappointed with its lack of gravitas.

The only major league ballparks that I’ve attended are the first Yankee Stadium (back in 1973), Shea Stadium, the last Yankee Stadium, and the new Yankee Stadium. So, I cannot compare the new Yankee Stadium to anything else but the last Yankee Stadium.

Soon, I would like to visit Citi Field, Camden Yards and Citizens Bank Park to get some perspective. And, if possible, I would love to see games at Comerica Park, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Safeco Field, PNC Park, Wrigley Field and AT&T Park. (I’m on the fence with Fenway Park. The baseball history nut in me wants to see it. But, I’ve heard that it’s not a comfortable place to watch a game. And, the Yankees fan in me would have a hard time sitting there with all those Red Sox fans, I suspect.)

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I did not see the Yankees game last night.  How the heck did Will Smith’s family get such great seats?

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I was just looking at Alex Rodriguez’s career homerun splits. And, this caught my eye – how many outs there were when he homered:

1 Out -   213
2 Outs – 212
0 Outs – 211

The symmetry here is eye-catching. What does it mean? I don’t know – if it means anything other than it being a cool split.

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Via the Daily News -

Rumors are flying in Major League Baseball and New York banking circles that the family that has owned Major League Baseball’s premiere franchise since Cleveland shipbuilder George Steinbrenner purchased the club for $8.8 million in 1973 is exploring the possibility of selling the Yankees.

Multiple baseball and finance sources told the Daily News they are hearing that the team the Steinbrenner family has led to seven World Series titles could be put on the block in the wake of the record sale price of $2.175 billion the Los Angeles Dodgers went for in April.

“There has been chatter all around the banking and financial industries in the city for a couple of weeks now,” one high-level baseball source told The News.

Yankee president Randy Levine adamantly denied the rumors: “I can say to you there is absolutely, positively nothing to this. The Steinbrenners are not selling the team.”

Sure, and, back in the ’50′s, the Dodgers and Giants said they were not moving to the West Coast…

Seriously, now is the time to sell for the Steinbrenners. The Dodgers sale set the market price. And, the Yankees know that their team is getting old and average…and the pipeline is not full of legit prospects. Factor in the changes in the draft and payroll taxes – and the Yankees product on the field is going to get worse in the future. Then attendance and TV ratings go down. That’s not going to help the value of the team. Better to sell now, and cash out, while the value is still high.

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When you wake up on the morning of June 25th and look at the Yankees won-loss record, New York will be 36-35 (at best, and maybe worse).

Yes, I am saying that, 71 games into this season, the Yankees will be just about a .500 team. 

Don’t think so?  Look at the Yankees next 28 games.  And, tell me where they are going to get more than 14 wins on that schedule given the way the team has played so far this year.

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Here’s the leaderboard in this stat:

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Thoughts on this list?

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I wonder who will get more money and years as a Free Agent after the season?

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An instant classic.

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Close to ten thousand more a game – so far this season.  That Prince Fielder move is paying for itself this year…

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Some story.

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Great stuff on the Yankees today via Bob Klap -

That tense, surreal final out still was vivid in the Yankees’ memory, which went a long way toward explaining the expression on Brian Cashman’s face. It wasn’t a celebratory look as much as relief, or, closer to the truth, pure exhaustion.

The general manager is the first to admit the Bombers aren’t a very good team these days. The Yankees squeaked by the anemic Royals, 3-2, on a night that could’ve dropped them into dead last in the East. Only the Red Sox’ loss to the Orioles spared the Yankees, along with Alex Rodriguez’s ability to quickly negotiate Alcides Escobar’s grounder with two outs in the ninth and the tying run on third base.

Had A-Rod not fired a perfect, across-the-infield missile, and had Mark Teixeira not made the perfect stretch, the Yankees’ slump might’ve mushroomed into a full-blown crisis. The sense of unease about the Bombers’ decline is that great. Even Cashman said, “We’re bad right now.”

The core of the problem is A-Rod, who simply can’t hit home runs any more; he’s gone 52 at-bats without clearing the wall. And without his power threat, the Yankees don’t have the resources to dominate as they once did. Not when their rotation, ranked 11th in the AL, continues its journey toward mediocrity.

Think of it: CC Sabathia no longer is the blow-away ace of his first three years in pinstripes. Hiroki Kuroda may never make a full transition to American League excellence. Ivan Nova’s WHIP has ballooned from 1.33 in 2011 to 1.65 this year; he’s always in trouble. And Phil Hughes, who pitched relatively well over six innings Tuesday, can’t finish off hitters. Of his 104 pitches to the Royals, 26 were fouled off, including 14 with two strikes.

Point is, the Yankees need more runs if their pitching isn’t going to match, say, the Rays or the O’s. But how can any of that happen if A-Rod continues to deteriorate into a $29 million singles hitter? He’s lifting 10 percent fewer fly balls this year than in 2011. His ground-ball ratio is at 51.3 percent, the highest of his career.

Girardi continues to say all the right things about A-Rod, how he believes in the slugger’s track record. “He’s done it before,” is the manager’s favorite line of defense, which technically is true. But Rodriguez never has been an almost 37-year-old, either.

The age issue is a sensitive one for Girardi and Cashman, because they know the Yankees have no other options available.

The GM dismisses the warning signs that others see, saying instead, “I hear the same thing every year. It’s like déjà vu. We’re going to get through this.”

Yet Cashman knows there are no can’t-miss prospects waiting in the farm system.

There are no trades likely to happen, not if it’s going to cost the team younger players and increase payroll.

This is the roster Cashman and his bosses have hand-picked, or as the GM said, “We’re like a ship that’s set sail across the ocean. We’re out to sea.”

O.K., I’ll just hang up now and listen to your reaction…

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Gosh, these are ugly.

Hat tip, no pun intended, to Chris Creamer.

More on this here.

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I never would have guessed Nick…

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Best ever “Alt rock” player?

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This is just awesome.

The site is a unique reading experience. The entire issue loads into one page, so give it a few moments to load in. The up and down arrow keys will allow you to cycle through “pages”, there is a table of contents at the beginning of the issue that will zip you to the main stories.

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Alex Rodriguez is off to a rough start this season. He appears to be a shell of what he once was – in terms of his offensive production. And, this downturn has been a trend for him over the last five years or so.

At this point, assuming that his days as a star player are indeed over, A-Rod could create a new and special legacy for himself (in the history of the game) if he would just pull a “Gil Meche” and say “You know, I’ve made over a quarter-billion dollars in my baseball career, to date. Money is not an issue for me. Rather than perform at a level below my expectations, I am going to retire from the game now and give up the last five years of my contract with the Yankees.”

If Alex Rodriguez made a move like this, then people would forget all the stupid stuff that’s he done and said in the past. He would not be remembered for being a self-absorbed prima donna. Even his PED history would take back seat to this news. A-Rod would be known as “The Guy Who Walked Away From $114 Million Rather Than Milk The Yankees.”

I know, I know…”Walk away from $114 million?” Yes, it seems insane. But, what could that money possible buy you, in your lifetime, that you could not already buy with the quarter-billion dollars that you already made? Seriously, a quarter-billion. I mean, come on…

But, you know this will never happen. And, it’s too bad. It could be the best $114 million that A-Rod ever spent….if he cares about his place in baseball history.

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Check it out –

Scott Proctor picked up his league leading 12th save tonight by pitching 2 scoreless innings. He has a 0.61 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and BAA of .160

Everyday Scottie Proctor is just killing it in the Korean baseball league. Good for him.

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Here’s what their record was after their first 42 games in the twenty five years prior to this season:

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There’s a good chance that the Yankees will win less than 90 games this season…if you go by the feel of their season so far.  Just like they did in 2008.

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It’s on, baby!

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I’m a little late on this one. But, man, as a dad, it’s hard to watch this and keep a dry eye.

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A saw a comment left by Sean Forman over at BBTF that said, according to B-R.com’s SRS ratings – which consider strength of schedule and margin of victory – the AL top six are: Texas, Toronto, Baltimore, Tampa, Red Sox, and the Yankees (in that order).

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And,  the White Sox are right behing the Yankees.

I wonder if Brian Cashman is smoking this in his objective pipe today?

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Here is the list:

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Of course, A-Rod’s numbers are through yesterday’s game.

A-Rod, Mantle, Sosa and Reggie make an interesting study…

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Harty Seely is a very, very, funny dude. An awesome video clip.

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It’s the Curse of Elliot’s Bovine Loudmouth Bimbo Ex-Wife.

Seriously, ever since this woman was on TV, the Yankees went into the tank. Go west and get glammed up, Janice Soprano? (Then again, you can put a pig in a party dress, but, it’s still just a pig.)

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Any guess as to who this is – with a SLG% decrease five years in a row now?

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Hint: He’s under contract for the next five years with the New York Yankees at a salary around $23 million per year.

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Better late than never.  I just found this great post from a year ago.  Wonderful photos!

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