Adam Bender Is My Hero
Posted by Steve L. on May 5th, 2012 · Comments (1)
This clip is four years old, but, it is still inspiring:
This one special kid. He even has his own foundation. Awesome.
2000 Olympics: USA Baseball
Posted by Steve L. on May 5th, 2012 · Comments (0)
One of my dogs, who will be 105 years old in a few weeks, bless her heart, got me up early this morning. But, that was OK, I wanted to get up at 7 AM anyway since we had a Little League game today and I needed to be at the field early. (About an hour after I was up, the league called off the game because of wet grounds. Go figure.)
In any event, since I was up, I decided to watch a little Quick Pitch on the MLB Network – and then I starting clicking around.
And, when I landed on one of the Showtime channels, I saw that they were playing a Bud Greenspan documentary on the 2000 Olympics. Specifically, they were featuring the USA baseball team. It caught my eye because they were interviewing my old friend, Rico Bergman.
I was glued to the segment. What a story and what a team! It’s a shame that more is not said about what that cast of characters did Sydney. They were awesome.
Is 2012 The Season Of The Injured Closer?
Posted by Steve L. on May 4th, 2012 · Comments (3)
Mariano Rivera, Drew Storen, Brian Wilson, Ryan Madson, Sergio Santos, Joakim Soria, Kyle Farnsworth, Andrew Bailey,…
Did I miss anyone?
The Curse Of Sherman’s Tweet For Mo Rivera
Posted by Steve L. on May 4th, 2012 · Comments (0)
Joel Sherman had this tweet three days ago:
And, now, look what happened to Mo Rivera.
I guess Joel doesn’t know the power of the whammy?
Oh, Mo, Exit Sandman
Posted by Steve L. on May 4th, 2012 · Comments (21)
I just hate it when I go to bed on a twisted knee and wake-up to find a torn ACL. And, oh, how it happened…talk about really getting fuc…, er, I mean, shagged.
What a day for Jayson Nix, huh? The excitement of being called up to the Yankees, back in the big leagues, being in the starting line-up, and then hitting the BP fly ball that ended Mo Rivera’s season and most likely his career.
Of course, Nix is not to blame. But, now he has his name in Yankees history, for all-time, for a very sad reason. I feel bad for Nix. I hope he’s not taking this too hard.
I feel terrible for Rivera. This is not the way that his career is supposed to end. Granted, he’s an automatic first ballot Hall of Famer. That’s locked up. And, the odds are in his favor that he will be the all-time career saves leader for the rest of his life. But, it would have been nice to see him go out with a special moment during his last All-Star appearance and an even bigger moment during his last appearance, in uniform, as an active player, at Yankee Stadium.
I just hope this doesn’t become an excuse for the Yankees when they don’t make the post-season this year. It would not be right for the front office and/or players to get a buddy-pass on a bad job this season because Rivera blew out his knee.
The interesting question now is: Who will close for the Yankees in 2012? Do they use the guy with the best stuff (David Robertson) or the guy who is getting paid like a closer (Rafael Soriano)?
And, yes, I don’t think that Mo is coming back from this situation. Rehabilitation after ACL surgery may take several months to a year. So, you’re looking at a return in 2013. And, Rivera will be 43 at the end of this season. Plus, he was hinting that he wanted to retire after this season. When you add this all up, it sounds like the end of a career.
May 3rd, 2012 won’t ring in the minds of Yankees fans the way that August 2nd, 1979 does…and with good reason. Rivera had a great career, perhaps the one of the greatest of all-time, and he has the rest of his life in front of him. But, I think that Yankees fans will now always think of him whenever New York plays in Kansas City – especially when there’s a fly ball in the spot where Rivera was injured during BP. The whole thing is just terribly sad.
It seems like a bad dream.
Sleep with one eye open.
Gripping your pillow tight.
Exit light.
Enter night.
Take my hand.
We’re off to never-never land.
Hit’em Where They Ain’t-Rod (Unless There Are Runners On)
Posted by Steve L. on May 2nd, 2012 · Comments (16)
It’s not up there (in Yankees history) with the Lemon ordered Bobby Murcer bunt in Game 3 of the 1981 Word Series, or the July 1978 against Martin’s orders Reggie Jackson bunt, but, clearly, it’s now time to update the Alex Rodriguez Yankeesography with this great achievement.
Via ESPN -
With the Yankees trailing the Orioles 6-1 on Tuesday night, Alex Rodriguez strode to the plate to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning.
Baltimore starter Brian Matusz threw a first-pitch breaking ball, and Rodriguez — with 633 career home runs to his name — shocked everyone in the stadium by laying a bunt down the third-base line.
A-Rod easily made it first base safely — his first bunt for a hit since 2004 — but the next three hitters all made out, stranding him at first base, in what turned out to be a 7-1 Orioles victory.
“Whatever it takes to win, you’re gonna try to do,” Rodriguez said of the bunt after the game. “Obviously we’re down five, I’m leading off the inning. I saw [Wilson] Betemit [playing] back, I saw an opportunity to get on base, and I took it.”
“Smart play,” said manager Joe Girardi. “We need base runners, that’s the bottom line. We’re trying to put together a big inning, and you need a bunch of base runners, so I don’t have a problem with it.”
An inning later, with the bases juiced and two outs, Rodriguez again came up to the plate, with a chance to put a serious dent in the Orioles’ lead. A-Rod again offered at the first pitch, but this time he popped out to the catcher in foul territory.
Rodriguez responded by slamming his helmet to the ground as he ran down the first-base line, and heard plenty of boos afterward.
“Beautiful pitch to hit,” Rodriguez said. “I mean, that’s exactly the pitch you want, right down the middle, hanging slider, and I should have done a lot better than popping up to the catcher.”
Ward, To Your Mother
Posted by Steve L. on April 30th, 2012 · Comments (0)
Alex Belth asks Robert Ward everything you ever wanted to know with the exception of whether or not he is ever confused for Burt or Jay. Cool stuff.
What Cashman And I Have In Common
Posted by Steve L. on April 30th, 2012 · Comments (15)
Brian Cashman and his 8-year old son were sitting in the stands at yesterday’s Yankees game.
And, I was also at the game with my 8-year old son yesterday. (If you saw a father and son in Yankees game jerseys, dad in #21 and son in #2, that was us. But, we only left our seats for a little bit in the 6th inning. So, I doubt you saw us walking around.)
I wonder if Brian had the same reaction as me when the vendors came by selling hot chocolate for $10 a cup?
Now Filming At Yankee Stadium, The Jerry Springer Show
Posted by Steve L. on April 30th, 2012 · Comments (3)
All’s Wells For Boomer
Posted by Steve L. on April 30th, 2012 · Comments (1)
Cashman On Pineda Deal: “This Is A Massive Decision Gone Wrong”
Posted by Steve L. on April 27th, 2012 · Comments (20)
Great stuff from Wally Matthews on the Yankees/Cashman/Pineda situation:
Two days after the announcement that his prize offseason acquisition would not play this year, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted to fearing he made a mistake in trading away Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda.
“Right now, our hopes and dreams for this player are in jeopardy,” Cashman said of Pineda. “Hopefully, someday, our fans will get to see what we expected to see from him for many years to come.”
The Yankees announced on Wednesday that Pineda, acquired from the Seattle Mariners in January — on Friday the 13th — had suffered a torn labrum in a rehabilitation start on Saturday in Tampa and would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
“This is a massive decision gone wrong right now,” Cashman told ESPNNewYork.com on Friday. “So all scrutiny is fair.”
Cashman has asserted the Yankees had subjected Pineda to an MRI before the trade became official, but doubts linger whether the Mariners and their GM, Jack Zduriencik, knew the 23-year-old right-hander was damaged goods when the Yankees made the deal.
“How can you not ask a question like that?” Cashman said.
Cashman said he, too, had wondered about the condition of Pineda’s shoulder during spring training, when he struggled to get his fastball above 90 mph on a consistent basis.
“I asked him several times through an interpreter if he had ever been in an MRI tube at Seattle,” Cashman said. “Each time, the answer was the same.
“Nunca.”
Never.
Cashman broke the news about Pineda’s surgery to his boss, Hal Steinbrenner, on a conference call on Wednesday, but said he could not tell if Steinbrenner also wondered if the Yankees had traded for an injured pitcher.
“He just listened,” Cashman said. “He was obviously disappointed, but if he has the same kind of questions, I couldn’t tell.”
Pineda, who was shut down 15 pitches into his first minor league rehab start on Saturday after complaining of pain in his shoulder, will be operated on by Dr. David Altchek, the Mets’ team physician, at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.
Cashman said that while Pineda, who struggled with velocity issues throughout spring training, had previously complained of weakness in the back of his shoulder, Saturday was the first time he actually reported feeling pain.
According to Dr. Chris Ahmad, the Yankees’ team doctor who will assist in the surgery, and other sources who spoke to ESPNNewYork.com, the fact that Pineda’s tear is in the anterior, or front, of the labrum increases his chances for a full recovery. A posterior labral tear often involves the rotator cuff, which Dr. Ahmad said was not affected in Pineda’s case.
One source put Pineda’s chances for a full recovery at 85 percent after a long period of rehabilitation, expected to be 12 months from the date of the surgery.
“Our fans are right to be upset about this,” Cashman said.
Cashman excels at this routine. He makes a huge mistake. He offers the “buck stops here” mea culpa. And, somehow, people buy it. Then, some shill somewhere will yet out “It’s not your fault Cash! It seemed like the right idea at the time!” And, again, somehow, that triggers a wave of public sympathy for Cashman…that washes over the mistake and all those like it in the past also under his watch.
This is why Cashman is “The Teflon G.M.”
Even if something does seem like it’s going to finally stick to him, Cashman knows the drill on how to make it float away within the rise and fall of the game-playing waters.
You Like Inge?
Posted by Steve L. on April 27th, 2012 · Comments (0)
He can hit LHP – but not at all against RHP. But, he can play 3B, C, 2B and the OF. And, I assume that he could fill in at 1B and SS for the short-term too. Some team would want a guy like that on their bench, no?
A-Rod: Madonna Is My Queen
Posted by Steve L. on April 26th, 2012 · Comments (4)
So much for A-Rod’s “new” mantra of “I just want to talk about baseball.” He’s appearing on The Insider tonight. Here’s what they share on that:
New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez is a true believer when it comes to his hydration drink of choice, and while talking exclusively to The Insider’s Kevin Frazier about the virtues of Vita Coco coconut water, he also loosened up about his relationship with ex Cameron Diaz — and why George Clooney is his new hero!
Asked if he would ever get married again, the Vita Coco fitness ambassador told Kevin, “I’m not sure. I think my new hero is George Clooney. He’s my new role model [laughs]. I think he’s done it right.”
Kevin also asks A-Rod, “Cameron Diaz [recently talked] about your breakup a little bit [in a national magazine]. How tough is that when there’s so much scrutiny on your relationship?”
“Ah, you know, it’s New York — people are always going to have an opinion [with] pretty much anything you do, both on and off the field,” he replies. “I don’t like talking about my relationships, but I will tell you about C.D. — she’s probably one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met, and just an amazing light.”
Tune into The Insider Thursday night for more of our exclusive interview with A-Rod, including his take on Madonna, who he calls “The Queen”!
For those scoring at home, A-Rod is batting .221 this season. And, he batted .181 over his last 20 games of 2011. Maybe that’s why he now wants to talk about things other than baseball?
Donnie Baseball 2012
Posted by Steve L. on April 25th, 2012 · Comments (5)
How sweet would it be if his Dodgers won the N.L. West this year? It would be one amazing job – that’s for sure.
The Streaking Royals
Posted by Steve L. on April 25th, 2012 · Comments (7)
The story -
Simply leaving home wasn’t enough Tuesday for the Royals to halt their April nightmare as their skid hit 12 in a row with a 4-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.
The franchise record for consecutive losses is an appalling 19-game skid in 2005 that featured then-manager Buddy Bell’s memorable line: “Don’t ever say it can’t get worse.” There was a 13-game slide in 2006 and 12-game droughts in 1997 and 2008.
This streak already includes 10 straight losses at home, which ties the 1913 New York Yankees for the longest home skid at the start of a season. The Royals had hoped getting away from Kauffman Stadium might provide a path to firmer footing.
Nope.
So far in the A.L. this season, it seems like your either 10-7 (at the least) or you stink:
| Rk | Tm | W | L | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEX | 14 | 4 | .778 | — |
| 2 | NYY | 10 | 7 | .588 | — |
| 3 | CHW | 10 | 7 | .588 | — |
| 4 | CLE | 9 | 6 | .600 | — |
| 5 | DET | 10 | 7 | .588 | — |
| 6 | TBR | 10 | 7 | .588 | — |
| 7 | BAL | 10 | 7 | .588 | — |
| 8 | TOR | 10 | 7 | .588 | — |
| 9 | OAK | 9 | 10 | .474 | 2.0 |
| 10 | SEA | 8 | 10 | .444 | 2.5 |
| 11 | BOS | 6 | 10 | .375 | 3.5 |
| 12 | LAA | 6 | 11 | .353 | 4.0 |
| 13 | MIN | 5 | 13 | .278 | 5.5 |
| 14 | KCR | 3 | 14 | .176 | 7.0 |
.
Of course, it’s still early.
Josh Lewin & Howie Rose
Posted by Steve L. on April 24th, 2012 · Comments (19)
You can probably count the number of times that I have sampled a Mets radio broadcast, over the last forty years, on one hand. There’s just no reason for me to listen to a Mets game on the radio – even for a few minutes.
But, yesterday, when I left work, the Mets game was on WFAN. And, before I had a chance to change it, the Mets radio duo of Josh Lewin and Howie Rose sucked me in…
I joined them during the bottom of the 4th inning and probably stayed with them for the next 45 minutes or so. They really did a great job and it was interesting as they talked about baseball and other things. Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, I was entertained. Go figure.
Godzilla Lands In Tampa
Posted by Steve L. on April 24th, 2012 · Comments (3)
Via TBO.com -
The Tampa Bay Rays are expected to sign free-agent DH/OF Hideki Matsui this week to a minor-league deal, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network.
Matsui, 37, who has not played since last season, likely will report to expended spring in Port Charlotte before joining the Triple-A Durham Bulls.
A left-handed hitter who has hit .285 with 173 home runs in his nine-year career — the first seven with the Yankees — Matsui could add depth to the Rays’ bench, giving them a power bat for late-inning pinch-hitting duties. He also could work his way into the DH spot, though the Rays already have a lefty DH in Luke Scott.
Matsui spent last season in Oakland, where he also played 27 games in left field. In 141 games with the A’s, he batted .251 with 12 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .321 on-base percentage.
Matsui is one of my favorite Yankees. So, I wish him well in everything that he does, etc. But, this move did surpirse me. Why not go back to Japan and DH there, at this stage of his career? Is it better to be a bench player for the Rays?
New Bosox Issue: The Curse Of The Fan Gino
Posted by Steve L. on April 24th, 2012 · Comments (2)
Remember when Red Sox fan and construction worker Gino Castignoli buried a David Ortiz jersey at the construction site of the new Yankee Stadium?
Well, since the Yankees dug it up, the Red Sox have:
- Never finished in 1st place again.
- Lost Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS.
- Finished 3rd in 2010.
- Had one of the all-time great choke jobs in 2011.
- And, have gotten off to a terrible start in 2012.
Do we have a new curse in Beantown for Red Sox Nation to lament about? Could it be “The Curse of the Fan Gino”?
Get Those “Twent-tee Oh-Seven” Chants Ready…
Posted by Steve L. on April 21st, 2012 · Comments (7)
When you consider how the Boston Red Sox ended 2011 and then started 2012, and then throw today’s game in there…
…well…
…you have to start wondering if there’s a new curse in Beantown, or something?
Busted Pineda
Posted by Steve L. on April 21st, 2012 · Comments (33)
Phil Hughes – What Happened?
Posted by Steve L. on April 19th, 2012 · Comments (21)
Remember when Phil Hughes came into camp this year “in the best shape of his life” and then posted stellar stats this Spring Training?
Well, now that they are playing games for real, Hughes has sucked so far this season.
So, what happened?
Maybe nothing. Maybe this is all that Phil Hughes is…and all that he ever will be…
The Battling Marquis
Posted by Steve L. on April 19th, 2012 · Comments (1)
Via Bill Madden -
All his life, Jason Marquis, Staten Island product via Brooklyn, had waited for this experience — waited and wondered what it would be like for a kid from the boroughs, who grew up a Yankee fan, to start a game at Yankee Stadium.
Never did he dream what a maelstrom of emotions he would be feeling when the opportunity finally availed itself Wednesday night — a night in which he left nearly 50 tickets for his friends and family, including his wife, Debbie, herself a Staten Island product, and their 7-year-old daughter, Reese, who, a month earlier, had been given a “50-50” chance to live by doctors at the Staten Island University trauma center after suffering a serious injury in a bicycle accident.
The 33-year-old Marquis — who was last seen on a major league diamond last August in Arizona, limping off the field an inning after a line drive off the bat of the Mets’ Angel Pagan had broken his leg — was finishing up spring training with the Twins in Fort Myers when he got a call from home informing him that Reese had had an accident on her bike and that doctors were furiously trying to save her life from internal bleeding.
It turned out she had fallen on the handlebars and suffered a laceration of her liver. She eventually lost 3½ pints of blood.
For the next nine days, she was under sedation as the doctors required four surgeries to close her wound — at one point she suffered a collapsed lung — before she finally was able to breathe on her own.
Ever so slowly, Reese began to heal, but by now the Twins had broken camp and the season was underway. Instead of going with them, Marquis, who signed a one-year, $3 million contract to be their fifth starter, was sent to their Double-A farm team in New Britain, allowing him a close commute to Staten Island to be with Reese in her recovery.
“Never mind the pitching,: Twins GM Terry Ryan told him. “You’re a father first. Take care of your daughter.”
This is some story. Always good to remember that ball players are people too. And, their life is not always one big rock concert.
A-Rod’s Last 30 Regular Season Games
Posted by Steve L. on April 18th, 2012 · Comments (17)
Over his last 30 regular season games, Alex Rodriguez’ BA/OBP/SLG line is .205/.341/.348 (in 112 AB).
If his numbers are in the same range a month from now, how will that play in Yankeeland?
Baseball In The Time Of Cholera
Posted by Steve L. on April 18th, 2012 · Comments (0)
Mark Melancon, You’re Not In Houston Anymore
Posted by Steve L. on April 18th, 2012 · Comments (1)
Via WEEI.com -
Mark Melancon achieved a dubious sort of Red Sox and major league history. He was shelled for six runs without retiring a batter, giving up three home runs, including back-to-back home runs (one an absolute moonshot by Josh Hamilton to right, another a blast to dead center by Adrian Beltre). He tied a major league record (at least dating to 1918) by allowing three homers without recording an out. In just two innings this year spanning four appearances, Melancon has allowed five home runs, matching his total yield in 74 1/3 innings in the entire 2011 season with the Astros.
Melancon has been scored upon in all four of his outings, making him the first Red Sox pitcher ever to give up runs in four consecutive appearances of one inning or less to start his Red Sox career. The six runs he allowed without recording an out are also tied for the most by a Red Sox pitcher since at least 1918.
Melancon’s struggles have been sufficiently extraordinary (of the 18 batters he’s faced this year, he’s retired six) that despite the incredibly early stage of the season, the Red Sox may be in a position where — assuming that he is not injured and in need of a trip to the disabled list — they have to consider extraordinary measures, chiefly, whether to option Melancon to the minors.
Jamie Moyer!
Posted by Steve L. on April 18th, 2012 · Comments (3)
The Start To The 2012 A.L. Season
Posted by Steve L. on April 17th, 2012 · Comments (7)
Are the Rangers and Tigers the cream of the crop in the A.L. this season?
| Rk | Tm | W | L | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEX | 8 | 2 | .800 | — |
| 2 | DET | 7 | 3 | .700 | — |
| 3 | BAL | 6 | 4 | .600 | — |
| 4 | SEA | 6 | 5 | .545 | — |
| 5 | TOR | 5 | 4 | .556 | — |
| 6 | CHW | 5 | 4 | .556 | — |
| 7 | CLE | 4 | 4 | .500 | 0.5 |
| 8 | TBR | 5 | 5 | .500 | 0.5 |
| 9 | NYY | 5 | 5 | .500 | 0.5 |
| 10 | LAA | 4 | 6 | .400 | 1.5 |
| 11 | BOS | 4 | 6 | .400 | 1.5 |
| 12 | OAK | 4 | 7 | .364 | 2.0 |
| 13 | KCR | 3 | 7 | .300 | 2.5 |
| 14 | MIN | 3 | 7 | .300 | 2.5 |
.
Holy Thole
Posted by Steve L. on April 16th, 2012 · Comments (0)
April 13th In The Bronx
Posted by Steve L. on April 13th, 2012 · Comments (0)
