Archive for July, 2009

We all knew. Now we know. For those of you not on planet Earth yesterday, David Ortiz was named as one of the 104 major leaguers who tested positive in Major League Baseball’s 2003 “anonymous” steroid investigation.  Yipee ki yay, motherf*&%er. As a Yankees fan, I’m ecstatic.  As a baseball fan, I’m ecstatic.  That’s right, I said it.  I know I’m supposed to say Thursday was another sad day for baseball, but I’m not gonna do it.  Nah gah dah, as Bush Sr. used to say.  I say, the more light we can shed on the steroid scandal, the better.  [...]

Brett Gardner broke his thumb sliding into second base yesterday.  The badass stayed in the game, but he had x-rays afterwards that revealed the fracture.  He’ll be in a cast for two weeks and then probably go through some rehab before returning.  The Yankees called up Albaladejo to replace Gardner on the 25 man roster. It’s a tough time to lose Gardner.  I’ve said for a while I want to see him starting in center instead of Melky, but now it looks like the Melk Man has the job full time.  I’ll miss your speed, Brett, I’ll miss your speed [...]

I just came from a community theater production of Damn Yankees, and during the third bland dance number (or fourth, or fifth, they blended together), I couldn’t help but smile.  The Yankees were so dominant for so long that some poor schmuck felt the need to write a musical about how badly he wanted the Yankees to lose. For those of you who don’t know, Damn Yankees stars Joe Boyd, a 50-something Washington Senators fan who hates those damn Yankees for pounding on his beloved team.  Joe is so desperate for a pennant that he makes a deal with the [...]

The Yankees lost their last three games prior to the All-Star break and dropped three games behind the Al East leading Red Sox.  Those games seem like a season ago.   Since then Prince Fielder won the Home Run Derby, Walter Cronkite became the 37th celebrity to pass away this month, and the Yankees completed two impressive three-game sweeps of the Tigers and Orioles. They’ve done it with starting and relief pitching, which gives me a warm and gooey feeling on the inside.  We all know this offense is going to hit, but I’m never quite sure what to expect from [...]

Big thanks to the folks over at Wondershot Promotions who are letting us post this video here for our readers. They do amazing stuff and are just getting started. Check them out, bookmark them, visit them often. Now, check out this hilarious American Psycho spoof starring Alex Rodriguez and your New York Yankees (or their look-a-likes, at least). Here is American League Psycho…

The game of baseball is reactionary.  Baseball analysis is not. Most baseball plays last less than a second.  The pitcher throws the ball towards home plate and the batter decides whether or not to swing.  It’s quick, simple, instinctual, and doesn’t require much thought or reflection. Baseball analysis is the opposite.  In every game both teams combine for somewhere between 200-300 pitches thrown (in a Yankees-Red Sox game the total can approach 9,000), and this happens 162 times a year, every year.  That’s a loooong season, my friend.  That’s why I try to keep this blog even keeled and not [...]

1. George W. Bush has a better fastball than Barack Obama.  Hopefully a president’s ability to throw a ceremonial first pitch is inversely proportional to his ability to run a country.  (Still, watch Bush’s pitch after 9/11 and try not to get chills.  The president had something like a 90% approval rating then.  Based on his speech from the rubble of the World Trade Center and this pitch, Bush was poised for a historic presidency.  Oh what could have been.)  Also, what was with the original camera angle for Obama’s pitch?  It was like FOX didn’t want to show the [...]

Here’s a running diary of the Yankees first 2nd half game: Top of the 1st Scott Baker on the hill.  Derek Jeter is still coughing but bloops a single over Punto.  Gotta stop showering with naked men. Classic swing by Jeter, fighting off a high fastball into right center. Damon is fooled by a high and inside changeup and called out on strikes.  Nice frame job by Mauer, I’m not sure if that was a strike. Teix is a .364 career hitter against the Twins and hits a broken bat single to center on the first pitch.  He pulled a [...]

Well I jinxed it.  I stopped writing about the Yankees and they win 10 of 11.  I come back and they lose a heartbreaker, 7-6.  I’m a jinx. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate.  The game was a heartbreaker only because the Toronto pitchers lost the strike zone and allowed the Yankees to come within one run.  New York shouldn’t have been in the game at all, but as John Sterling said after the game, “Hey, it’s baseball, you lose a couple games.” It’s hard to complain about a 10-1 stretch, but I do have one grievance: Joba.   He continues to [...]

Top 5 Things That Happened Over the Past 10 Days 1. Mariano recorded save #500 and is up to 503 now.  How good is Mo?  He may not be the lockdown turn-off-the-tv closer he was in his prime, but he’s still as good as it gets. 2. The Yankees traded for Eric Hinske.  For those of you who are unaware of Hinske, he has a good glove and can play multiple positions, and while he won’t wow you at the plate, he does have some pop in the bat.  In today’s game he made a nice diving play in the [...]