Nicole's Yankees Blog

Recent Yankee News

2005-11-21T18:21:00.000-05:00

As this is one of my final posts (at least in terms of this class), I would like to thank everyone for commenting and reading my blog! Maybe I will keep this up as the semester comes to an end, and over Winter. Check back to see!

To respond to some comments, I agree with Adam Meyer that Bubba Crosby should get the start in center field for next season. As they have taken a chance on Robinson Cano, Crosby could prove to be vital to them as Cano did. Also, they resigned Matsui, so that is good news, as everyone wanted that to happen! To Matt Fox, I really do not know if their outfield is in trouble or not. With Matsui and Sheffield in left and right and the center field spot still open, who knows where the Yankees will run with that. That brings me to my first topic, Bernie Williams. Everyone knows that he is getting older and he has not been producing for the Yankees as he usually did. Derek Jeter and Joe Torre have backed Bernie, saying they would like to see him stay. Joe Torre is quoted as saying, "I certainly have a closeness with him and I've talked to him a couple of times, but he understands that it's probably going to be a decision that's made later on."(www.yankees.com) So as of now, it is unsure of Bernie's status. He may be downgraded to a back up outfielder, which will be good that he is still a Yankee, but almost disrespectful after all the years and good things he has done for that team.
In terms of some of you agreeing/disagreeing with A-Rod being MVP, I would like to think that although his performance in the post-season was below average, throughout the whole season (which the award covers), he was a dominant force for the Yankees, and that is why he won the award. Also, the team as a whole did not play well in the post-season, and its hard to place the blame on one player. All us fans can do is have faith that next season will be just as successful, if not hopefully more successful, than this past one.
Did anyone else know that Tino Martinez's $3 million option for 2006 was declined by the Yankees? That is disappointing, he is getting old and was not too valuable to the organization this past year, but I have always been a fan of him, even when he was playing with other teams. He has said on the Yankees website that a few teams have contacted him about playing, but he is very interested in working in the front office of the Yankees ( aren't we all!!!) or coaching.
In terms of new players for the Yanks, many minor leaguers have been added to the 40 man roster, including Trenton Thunder alums ( I know you are tired of me talking about the Trenton Thunder by now) Matt DeSalvo, 25, was 9-5 with a 3.02 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) for Double-A Trenton in 2005, earning a spot in the Eastern League All-Star Game, Jeff Karstens 23, ranked second in the Eastern League with 12 wins in 2005, posting a 12-11 record and a 4.15 ERA in 28 games (27 starts) for Double-A Trenton, and Kevin Thompson, 25, led all Yankees Minor Leaguers with 43 combined stolen bases at Double-A and Triple-A in 2005. He began the season with Trenton and was selected to participate in the Eastern League All-Star Game after batting .329 with 12 homers and 43 RBIs in 81 games. In terms of center fielders, Brian Giles has been contacted by the Yankees, with no big news as of yet, but it seems to be the Yanks are pretty interested in him. Pitcher Scott Eyre has also been contacted, but recently signed with the Chicago Cubs. Let us hope that the Yankees pitching problems will finally be behind them next season and they will contend for the World Series in 2006.
To end this post, I wanted to leave you guys with this, I thought it was cool. How many things can you do with your cell phone nowadays? You can text the word "YANKEES" to 65246 and receive automatic Yankee updates and some breaking news. ...only for $3.99 a month. I guess big enough fans would definetly go for that! And even if you are not a Yankees fan, I am sure the same can be done with your favorite team!

Thanks for reading my blog...and on a closing note...GO NEW YORK YANKEES!

New York Yankees update

2005-11-14T14:20:00.000-05:00

For the biggest Yankee news, Alex Rodriguez has been named MVP for the American League. This is great news for A-Rod and for Yankee fans, as he beat out his rival David Ortiz, of the hated Red Sox, for the award. There he is on the left! Ortiz finished second in the voting. Complete awards coverage, including each League's MVP, Cy Young winners, and managers of the year for all of you Baseball fans out there can be found by clicking on that link! This is Rodriguez's second AL MVP of his career. This year, he had a .321 batting average, 130 Runs Batted In, and 48 home runs. His stellar play at third base is what most likely put him over Ortiz to win the award, as he is a Designated Hitter, and does not play the field much, if at all. Votes were cast before the postseason, which was good news for both A-Rod and Big Papi. Rodriguez went 2-for-15 in the Yankees' ALDS loss to the Angels, while Ortiz had just one RBI as the Red Sox were swept out of the playoffs by the White Sox in the opening round. Also, the Yankees beating the Sox in the divisional series helped Rodriguez tremendously, as he went 4-5 that day in Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox's home field. It is time to boast some more Yankees greatness: this is the 19th time a member of the team won the MVP award, more than any other team in history. The last Yankee to win the award came in 1985 with Don Mattingly taking it home. In other related news, Torre finished third in voting for Manager of the Year (really though, how could he have won when the White Sox won the World Series for the first time in 85 some odd years?)
In terms of the Yankee's future, talks with Hidecki Matsui are still continuing. His contract with the Yanks is expired. Last week, Brian Cashman met with his agent Arn Tellem, but no proposals were exchanged. The Bronx Bombers have until tomorrow to make an offer. As of right now, I have not heard anything of an offer made to him. If they do not resign him, this will not fare well with fans or teammates. Matsui is a solid player and would like to stay with the Yankees, but as many other big name players, would like more money.
Also in terms of the future, members of the Yankees farm team have been doing very well in the Arizona fall league. Eric Duncan, although he was not very solid when I watched him play this past summer, and their first choice in the 2003 draft (by the way he is from New Jersey.!!) is hitting close to .400 out in the west coast, definetly up from this past summer. Eric Duncan can be seen next to A-Rod up top!Chien Ming Wang has also fared well this past season with 17 stars and went 8-5. Trenton Thunder pitchers Matt DeSalvo and Jeff Karstens pitched well this past season, 3.02 and 4.15 ERA, respectively, and will most likely make the move to Colombus (the Yankees AAA team) soon....and scouts say, New York closely to follow, pending on their success in Ohio. This is important for New York because they usually get rid of young players for more experienced, high price/high profile players. This is telling them that if they keep Wang and allow him to develop, they may not need to go out and spend twenty million dollars on a pitcher.

New Coaches

2005-11-07T15:18:00.000-05:00

To answer your comments, it seems like everyone assures me that Larry Bowa will be a good addition to the Yankees staff. Alright, I believe you guys. I do not know for how long he signed for. I am glad Kyle agrees with me that Derek Jeter is the best shortstop the Yankees had, and they did not replace A-Rod with him, although he is a quality player, and shortstop. I think you have to give Jeter credit for being the team captain for however many years and excelling at that position, there was no need to rid him of it. I am glad everyone enjoys my new blog! I must send a HUGE thank you to one Jackie Dapolito for helping me make my blog as amazing as it is! Thanks! Eric, I would not be surprised if Griffey joined the team, as you are correct in the fact that the orgainization usually goes after big name guys like him. It would not hurt to get another power hitter on the team as well, since during the playoffs the Yankees shot themselves in the foot with regards to hitting and offense. I think there are a lot of years left in Jeter though, and he will most likely make it to the Hall of Fame one day. It would be hard for him to break Don Mattingly's record though, as a record like that probably stands the test of time. Matt, you are correct in saying that Ron Guirdy, who did indeed pitch for the Yankees, is the new pitching coach. They do like to bring back former players to help coach. This is probably because the Yankees culture is one that is unlike any other team in baseball, and only people who have lived through it can really understand and appreciate it. The "Gator" is still in the Yanks' top 10 pitchers for winning percentage, wins, games pitched, innings pitched, strikeouts and shut outs. This announcement was made Friday , along with the new bullpen coach Joe Kerrigan. He joined the Yanks last season as a special advisor to Brian Cashman, doing in-house advance scouting for them. Also, (whew), Tony Pena was named first base coach. He was a manager for the Kansas City Royals from May 2002-May 2005. He won the AL manager of the year award in 2003. Lastly, Lee Mazzilli, who managed the O's for a year and a half, will be the bench coach. He will also be the catching coach, a position held by Girardi last season, and help Cano in his sophomore season. By the way, in case anyone was worried that Cano was leaving the Yanks, this is definetly FALSE. The Yanks have said they are holding onto Cano and Chien-Ming Wang for next year. This is something different for the Yanks, as they usually let go of young players, ie Alfonso Soriano. My last piece of news for the week is that Robinson Cano definetly got shafted for the Rookie of the Year Award, to answer your question Matt. He finished second behind Oakland close Huston Street. He earned 57 points to Street's 97 points. I totally agree wtih Dom Amore, a writer from the Hartford Courant, who explalins why he voted for Cano, "Although Street's numbers were incredibly impressive," Amore said. "I felt that everyday players have to weigh a little heavier." Tampa Bays' Jonny Gomes finished behind Cano. Maybe I am biased because I am a Yankee fan, but Oakland did not do any better than the Yanks in the playoffs, and did you know that Cano lead ALL AL hitters on the road with a .335 batting average on the road? What do you guys think about Cano being second?The only recent Yankee to win the ROY award is my favorite Derek Jeter, who won in 1996. Matsui was second in 2003 behind Angel Berroa (who is he anyway).

Check out my new and improved blog

2005-11-01T20:23:00.000-05:00

Since the World Series is over, I decided it was time for a new poll to be introduced. Sorry to say, but no one got the poll correct! It is ok, because I did not even put up that the White Sox would win the series as an option! But now this should be an interesting poll, so definetly check it out and vote! I also put in links to www.majorjleaguebaseball.com and foxsports.com on my links side, so go look at it and check out whats going on in baseball around the country and what is happening in other sports!
Two major things happened in the Yankees orgainization since I just posted yesterday! It is confirmed that Larry Bowa will be the third base coach of the Yankees, and my favorite player Derek Jeter won his second straight Gold Glove! Last year, he was the first Yankee to win it at short stop, giving the Bombers a gold glove at every position in their history. Impressive, huh?! The Gold Glove award is given to the best fielders at each position. Here, you can read the full article. Just one more comment about the Gold Glove is that my other favorite Yankee, Don Mattingly, is the leader for the Yanks with Gold Gloves with an impressive 10 at first base!

Additional Information

2005-10-31T20:19:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of the past/present/future Yankees GM Brian Cashman at his press conference on Thursday announcing his three year extension.

Also, in terms of my web poll, no one was correct! I supposse that is my fault though, because I did not even put the White Sox as an option. I guess that is how unpredictable the World Series, and sports for that matter, cand be! Look for a new poll soon to vote on!

Some new changes

2005-10-31T18:59:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! My first piece of news is about the future of the Yankees' center fielder, Bernie Williams. He has been in their outfield for the past 15 years, but in the upcoming 2006 season, he will be a free agent, and New York has made it no secret that they are looking for a replacement. Some big names that have been thrown around are Johnny Damon of the Red Sox and Ken Griffey Jr of the Reds, two quality outfielders. However, I do not feel Damon will join the "dark" New York side, (although Roger Clemens and Wade Boggs did), but Griffey could definetly spark some interest of the Yanks, especially because they could afford his eight figure salary. I think they should keep it in house and give Hideki Matsui or Bubba Crosby a chance. What do you guys think?
As Theo Epstein stepped down from the Red Sox as their GM today, last Thursday Yankees GM Brian Cashman announced he will return for his ninth season at the helm in the Bronx. He agreed to a three-year contract extension. I am excited to learn that he was once a Minor League intern and worked his way up to be the GM. Hmm, maybe all of those days of me being a Minor League intern could pay off after all! This contract extension will take the team until they move into their new staidum in 2009. Interestingly enough, the forever talked about item of the New York Yankees, their $200+ million dollar payroll, is something Cashman wants to reduce. I think this is a good idea, because although I am a fan, I think their payroll is a bit ridiculous and maybe not having high end players at each position will help them. Obviously, the best players will be paid the most, but to find a mix of players who will play like a team and not individuals is a huge task that not many teams/managers can do.
To wrap up the week's activities, the Yanks will probably look to keep Matsui on so they can concentrate on a center fielder, and will look at other pitching prospects to offset injuries like Carl Pavano, although he is assuming to be healthy to play by next April when the season starts.
To answer my fan mail, (or just my blog comments) as pinstripes mentioned, I am also a little wary of Larry Bowa joining the coaching staff. He is only the third base coach, but I know Phillies fans did not like him and he was ousted quickly. I am glad Matt posted about the All-Latino team that Alex Rodriguez made, although I thought he was born in New York? Can anyone clarify that for me?
On a last side note, Gary Sheffield and A-Rod were awarded Silver Slugger awards, which are awarded by managers and coaches who voted on the best offensive players for each position. A-Rod, who had won it before in 1996 and 1998-2003, won it for third base, and Sheff won the award for having the best offensive production in right field. A-Rod is also up for the AL MVP and a gold glove. Other Silver Slugger winners in the AL were Texas' Mark Teixeira and Alfonso Soriano, Baltimore's Miguel Tejada, Los Angeles' Vladimir Guerrero, and Boston's Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Jason Varitek.

Yankees Update

2005-10-24T14:54:00.000-04:00

I will admit that in the beginning of the semester, I thought the Yanks would still be playing now and I would be able to write about the World Series. Or even the American League Divisional Series. Now for the next 5 or 6 weeks or so, I pray that enough interesting things happen within the Yankees orgainization that I can continue posting! Well, it turns out that the Yanks did not hire Leo Mazzone as their new pitching coach. Instead, he will be working with the Baltimore O's right down 95 from us. Turns out that he and Baltimore's manager, Sam Perlozzo, are best friends. Coincidence? I think not! Here to the right is Leo Mazzone himself. According to www.yankees.com, The club has some in-house candidates, including bullpen coach Neil Allen, former Yankees left-hander and current spring instructor Ron Guidry and Triple-A Columbus pitching coach Gil Patterson. They are also looking outside of the team with Dave Righetti, who pitched for them from 1979-90, or White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper. Cooper may be a good choice for them, as the White Sox are in the race to win the World Series as of now! The other in-house news is that the Yanks are also looking for a new bench coach (why are they even important anyway, can someone explain that to me, other than if the manager gets thrown out) , as Joe Girardi accepted the Marlins job. Rumor was Don Mattingly would be up for the position, one of the greatest (in my opinion) Yankee players, especially at first base, but Torre seems to feel he is more valuable as the hitting coach, which he is!
This will be interesting news to all the Phillies fans out there, that former manager Larry Bowa was offered the Yankees' third base coaching job. There is no word yet on if he would take it or not. Presently he is a baseball commentator for ESPN and XM radio. His picture is up on the left. You can read more about Larry Bowa and the pending decsion here.
Some other good news is that Joe Torre, Yankees manager, would return for his 11th season. He is one of the best managers in baseball, and the Yankees need someone like him around to hopefully bring them closer to the World Series next season. Also, Brian Cashman's contract runs out next week, and there is no word yet if he will stay with the Yanks or not. I will definetly update when that decision is made.
In response to Jackie's comment, I never acutally listened to the Bernie Williams CD. It is funny that you acutally have it, is there any reason that you bought it? I am surprised it is even decent, as most athletes who try to make it in the music business do not do well. Can anyone remember when Shaq came out with his song?! But I do agree with Kyle that he should bow out gracefully, while he is on top.

New Pitching Coach?

2005-10-18T00:05:00.000-04:00

Since Jackie enjoys my colors so much, I think I will keep changing them! Or at least until I get sick from them. Not much to report now. To answer Joann Pavone, I will mostly be updating my fellow Yankee fans on what is taking place during the off-season. I planned on talking about the Yankees American League Divisional win and the eventual World Series win, but I guess I'll have to wait until next year.
Ok I have a question for you, is anyone actually watching the playoffs now? I feel if the Yankees or Red Sox are not in the playoffs, it's not worth watching. But I did notice that the Chicago White Sox won the American League, almost sweeping Los Angeles. Do you think the Yankees could have beaten the White Sox? As for the National League, I know that Houston was leading the series 3 games to 1, but I believe St. Louis may win tonight, making the series tighter. I am still rooting for Houston. Who is everyone else rooting for?
The most interesting Yankee news to date is that Mel Stottlemyre, 11 year pitching coach for the Yanks, will be stepping down and the Yankees would like to hire Atlanta Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone to replace him. I agree with pinstripes that George Steinbrenner had something to do with his leaving. I think there will be plenty more changes to come as well in the near future. Brian Cashman, GM of the Yanks, has his contract up on Halloween of this year, and is rumored that he will leave as well. Along with Cashman, Joanne is correct in saying that Bernie Williams, long time center fielder for the Yanks, may be out of the door. I personally think he should retire, as he would end his career on a high note, and he is getting older and inevitably weaker and slower. That does not take away from his career of a great player though!
As pinstripes stated, many ex Yankee pitchers are still in the playoff hunt. I think many players cannot handle the pressure that playing in New York has on a person. The Yankees are known as one of the greatest teams in the world, and they are expected to win every season (especially with the payroll that they have) I still think Contreras was not that impressive, but El Duque could have probably stuck around and performed for a while. Clemens was not supposed to be playing again, but he wanted to be back home in Houston.
I will leave with a cheer for Houston!

Some Good News

2005-10-14T20:35:00.000-04:00

This color changing effect is cool. Maybe I will post every blog in a different color and font! Well in the aftermath of the Yankees elimination from the post season, at least we can celebrate Mariano Rivera's DHL Delivery Man of the Award. This award is given out to the best reliever in baseball. Check out his credentials . It states he had 43 saves and a 1.78 ERA over the season. I would agree that this season he was the Delivery Man of the Year, and he did not blow an important game as he did in last year's ALDS. (Yes I am still bitter about that). No, I believe it was partly defense, but mostly an offensive problem this year that kept the Yankees out of post-season play. While I am on the topic of offense, I have to mention Alex Rodriguez's numbers in the regular season. He lead the team in almost every category: RBI (130), Home runs (48) and average with . 321. Now with team leading offensive numbers, wouldn't you think that he would be stellar in the post-season? Nope, he played average at best, and had nowhere near those numbers.
The season in general was up and down. For the Carl Pavano and Kevin Brown (who were disappointments to the Yanks), Aaron Small and Sean Chacon stepped up their play. Tony Womack was another disappointment, but Robinson Cano played very well throughout the season, especially for being a rookie. The Yanks were acutally second in the American League for runs scored with 885. But throughout the year, they were up and down, playing in between first place of the division and third place. There are many changes that will probably be made in the off season, which will be the focus of my future posts.
I will end this post with a quote from Mike Mussina, one of the Yankees pitchers who received the lost in their last game of the season. It sums up their season pretty well, "We found contributions from people we didn't expect to get contributions from, and guys came through for us," the pitcher added. "It's hard to get to the postseason, but we've been doing it every year. When we get to October, we like our chances. We just didn't play well enough." ( According to www.yankees.com) I agree with you Moose.

In Denial

2005-10-12T17:31:00.000-04:00

I am trying out this new blue font for my post today. What do you guys think? I figure it would perfectly match my mood-blue tha the Yankees' season is over. (Yes that was a terrible attempt at a joke by me.) I think the picture below of Bernie Williams hanging his head in frustration describes every feeling of Yankees players and fans around the world.
So yes, I am in denial that the Yankees season is now over. I feel that it is just one of the summer months and I did not watch a game because there are still 70 or so left in the season, or they had the night off. But alas, the Yankees fell in game 5 of the American League playoffs to Los Angeles, 5-3, on Monday night.

The game saw Bartolo Colon, who the Yankees had beaten the week before, pitching against Mike Mussina again. Colon, in only the second inning, became injured and the Angeles were forced to put in a 22 year old rookie, Ervin Santana, on the mound in place of him. As sad as it sounds to say, Yankees fans were happy to have one of the best pitchers in the league off of the mound and a rookie that the powerful Bronx Bombers should hit off of easily. However, after allowing two runs early on, pitched an excellent 5 1/3 innings to shut out the Yanks and help the Angels to the American League Division Championship. Mike Mussina, who had pitched well in the first game, allowed five runs on six hits. Alex Rodriguez left a runner in scoring position in the second inning, when the Yankees could have taken control in the game. In fact, the whole series A-Rod looked terrible.Many fans are blaming the Yankees' loss in the series on Rodriguez, who, after a stellar MVP candidate regular season, did not hit well in the playoffs, when they needed him the most.To be exact, he hit .133 in the series with no RBI's (runs batted in for you non baseball fans) and was 2-15. What also majorly hurt the Yankees was when Bubba Crosby, who usually does not play center field, and Gary Sheffield collided in center field in which should have been a routine catch and ended the inning. I have a picture of this collision at the top of the post. If either Crosby or Sheffield caught that ball, the inning would have been over and the game most likely would have been a different outcome.

This was the second time in four years that Los Angeles has stopped the Yanks postseason, as they beat them in the 2002 ALDS and went on to win the World Series, I believe (someone check me on that if I am not correct!)

So now the Yankees return home for a long winter, watching the ALDS between Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Angels, or the other divisional playoff of the National League between the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardnials. Personally, I will be rooting for the Astros because I still am a fan of Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite, who used to pitch for the Yankees. But it could also be consoling to say that if LA wins, the Yankees lost to the World Series champions. I suppose we will see!

One More Game

2005-10-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

Baseball in October, does it get any more exciting than this? As of right now, from a Yankees fan perspective, there are positive and negative points that can be said as of now, October 8.
First, the positives begin with a good first game on Tuesday by the Yanks in Los Angeles, winning 4-2. The Yankees collected six two-out hits over the first two innings to jump out to an early 3-0 lead, and Mike "the Moose" Mussina pitched a strong five innings to collect the win. This was very important for the Yankees, as the Moose was starting to pitch after injuries, and has been inconsistent throughout the year. This looked like the old Mussina that won big games for the Yanks, as he did Tuesday night. Robinson Cano, who is in the picture to the left up top,(Rookie of the Year for the AL? Does anyone agree with me, or can you think of a better candidate than him?) hit a three run double to set the pace for the rest of the game. Mariano Rivera unfortunately let up a run in the ninth to give Yankees fans a scare, but pulled out his 33rd postseason save to preserve the win.
Also, a few short days later, the Yankees arch nemisis, the Boston Red Sox, were SWEPT by the Chicago White Sox. Their hopes as repeat World Series champions were finished! It was humorous to see the video footage at Yankee Stadium the response by Yankee fans to the final out in Boston to end their season. Everyone was cheering! It was also announced that Jason Giambi was named the AL Comeback player of the year. You can read more about this story here.

However, the next two divisional playoff games did not fare so well with the Yanks. Errors and poor hitting with runners in scoring position keyed the Yanks loss. This was also a game that the Yankees were winning and let the Angels come back to win 5-3. This game could have been the turning point in the series, as the Yanks would have taken the two game lead back home into the Bronx and used that momentum to hopefully win game 3 and end the series. However, the loss meant they would have to work harder to win a spot in the Divisional championship.
Then in the rain on Friday night, the Big Unit, Randy Johnson, who is pictured up at top to the right, was supposed to give the Yankees the edge in the post-season. However, his usual style of hard throwing strikeout pitching was way off, and the Yanks were losing 5-0 early on in the game. According to www.yankees.com, "Johnson's subpar outing came as a surprise to the Yankees, who had watched their ace dominate over his last eight starts, going 6-0 with a 1.92 ERA. "Afterwords, usual reliable, strong pitchers Aaron Small and Tom Gordon also could not hold of the LAA offensive. The Yanks scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to get a rally going, and were winning 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth after Bernie Williams sac flied to score Robinson Cano. However, the Angels answered back with a pair of runs in the sixth against Small to regain the lead 7-6, and never looked back. By the time the rain soaked game was over, it was LAA 11, NYY 7.
This causes the Yankees to be in a one game elimination from the divisional series playoff, and an end to their season. The Angels are up 2 games to 1, and the first team to win three games will move on to play the Chicago White Sox for the American League Championship. Tonight's game 4 at New York was post poned due to the heavy rain, and will be played on Sunday at about 8 p.m. This is good for the Yankees because they get to rest their players and bull pen, which they need, and hopefully regroup and put together a game plan to even the series and keep their hopes of a World Championship alive. If they lose on Sunday, their season is over. However, this is also good news for Chicago, as they also gain another day of rest before they being their own quest for the championship.
On Sunday, Shawn Chacon will pitch against Jarrod Washburn. This will definetly be the biggest game of the Yankees season. I hope everyone is rooting for the Yanks!

On some side notes, to respond to Eric and Patrick, unfortunately, Philadelphia sports teams do not live up to their hype and disappoint their fans again :) , and on my survey, 70% of you thought the Yankees are going to win the World Series this year. Good work guys!

Response Blog

2005-10-03T16:51:00.000-04:00

I was so excited in my last post about the Yankees winning the Division Series that I did not respond to any of my comments! So here it is....

Matt, if you go to freepolls.com or something like that( I actually think the link is underneath the poll), you can create a poll and put it in your blog. I did hear about your trip to Camden yards, and was actually invited by your twin to attend, and too bad for me, I could not make the trip. I am glad you had an awesome time! As a Yankees fan, I am going to say A-rod should take MVP for carrying the Yanks throughout the season, and homered on Saturday to seal the Yankee's divisional championship. He also contributes more defensively than "Big Papi". There is no doubt that David Ortiz is an excellent player and makes big offensive plays when the Red Sox need him to, but I just feel that the MVP is a player who does all things for his team, as A-rod does, not just makes big hits.

Jo, that is so awesome that you were that close to #42. He is one of the best closers in the Majors, and is probably a future Hall of Famer. Too bad for that punk kid, right? I will remember to try to check out Camden Yards when I get the chance. How far away is it?

Pinstripes, yes I was so happy to know of a Yankees win. Randy Johnson showed why he is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and how badly he wants to win a championship with these Yanks. A-rod came through again (can we all say MVP) I hope the Yanks can keep up with Colon on Tuesday, because he is a quality pitcher! I have faith though, most recently they took 2 out of 3 games against the Angels. Also, lets hope that the White Sox can trample Boston so at least they cannot win another World Series again!

Also, thank you to all those who have voted in my interactive poll. Thus far, the Yankees are the sure favorite to win this year's World Series, with presently 80% of the vote. Nice voting!!

THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YANKEESSSSSSSS WINNNNNNNNNNN

2005-10-03T15:43:00.000-04:00

Here are some Yankees pictures to celebrate their AL East Division title! Above is the starting pitcher for Tuesday night's game against Los Angeles, and to the right is Yankees star closer Mariano Rivera!

This past weekend was the biggest series on New York's and Boston's schedule for the 2005 season. It came down to who was going to win the American League Eastern Division, and who would squeak into the playoffs on a wildcard spot. In fact, that wildcard spot was only available because of an Indians' loss to the Chicago White Sox, allowing the loser of the New York/Boston game to continue their season in hopes of a World Series championship.
On Friday 9/30, the Yankees lost to Boston, 5-3, as Wang allowed 5 runs while walking six batters. This caused a tie in for first place in the AL East, making Saturday's game HUGE. Oh, and for all you Derek Jeter fans out there like myself, he did hit a two-run home run on Friday night!
Saturday's game could not have turned out better for the Yanks. They scored three runs in the first, two in the second, and one in the third as they hung on to beat Boston for their, yes this is true, eighth straight AL East title. The Yanks won this title over the Sox because although they have identical records, the Yankees have the advantage in the season long series, winning 10 games to Boston's 9. This is dedicated to everyone who thought that when the Yankees were in a slump a few months ago and were not thought of as playoff contenders. That is one thing that is consistent in baseball; one can never count the Yankees out. Yes they may have not won a world series in a few years, but they have been there and have come close. On Sunday, the Yankees lost 10-1, with only "Godzilla" Hideki Matsui scoring for the Yankees. However, because of this loss, they lost their home-field advantage during the playoffs.
To look forward to the playoffs, the Yanks take on the Los Angeles Angels in California beginning Tuesday night at 8 p.m. eastern time, and then again on Wednesday at 10 p.m. eastern time. Tuesday matches up The "Moose" Mike Mussina against quite possibly one of the best pitchers, Bartolo Colon. For the Red Sox, they are slated against the Chicago White Sox, beginning Tuesday as well.
Let us hope they make it past the Angels, who the most recently played July 31 and took two of three from them at the Stadium in the Bronx. This should be a quality match up with hopefully a Yankees Victory!

Down to the wire

2005-09-28T19:40:00.000-04:00

Hello,
Take some time and vote in my poll to the right hand side. Who does everyone think will win the World Series? I know it seems a little early now, especially when the final playoff spots are still up for grabs, but it is always fun to claim your team early! Obviously, I will always think the Yankees will make it every year and win the championship, but even an owner who "buys a team", as Eric so nicely puts it, does not win every year. Speaking of buying championships, did the Boston Red Sox not buy their championship team last year?
In response to Eric's post, David Ortiz is a definite contender for the MVP. He is a power hitter, and can come through in the clutch. I would haved loved to have seen a game.I did get invited to Baltimore with our friend Jake Fox, but school work got in the way :( Jackie, I would love to go to NY if the team wins! When did you go to the parade?

As I do not have the luxury of the YES Network ( a Yankees owned television network available in certain New Jersey and New York areas) to watch the Yankees game tonight, I am watching on the Yankees Website , and as of the bottom of the 4th , they are losing 1-0. Sean Chacon is pitching against Daniel Cabrera. This is not good, as there are only 5 games left and three teams, the Yankees, Rex Sox, and Indians, are all vying for a playoff spot. The Yankees and Boston are tied as of today for the first place in the AL East, and the winner will go to the playoffs, and for the AL Wildcard, all three teams have the exact same record. Whoever begins to lose games will most likely be out of the playoffs. Every game is a must win situation at this point. Tonight's game is especially important for the Yankees as they were delieverd a huge loss yesterday, and the Red Sox won. Hopefully the second half of the game the Yankees can come back and win the game. A-rod should show why he should be the MVP winner!

2005-09-26T16:23:00.000-04:00

These pictures are for my dear friend Jo (and to spruce up my blog!) My pictures finally uploaded so now you get all the pictures of Alex Rodriguez (my vote for the team's MVP) that you can handle! Hope everyone enjoys them. If anyone has any other requests for picutures, let me know!
As I said in my previous post, the Yanks start a four game road series against Baltimore, and then this weekend finishes their regular season against Boston. Go New York!

2005-09-25T19:33:00.000-04:00

Success! The image-uploading device finally works again for me! To the left is a picture of Yankees Stadium in the Bronx, NY. I just tried putting some A-Rod pictures in as well, and now the pictures are not uploading again. Does anyone know why this is happening? To answer my posts, yes Jo I do hope the Yankees make the playoffs this year! It is going to be a tight race right up until the finish. I have a strange feeling that whoever comes in second place in the A.L. East will not make the playoffs, because of the Indians record. I will put up more pictures when it works again. It worked for a second to get the stadium one up. But the Yanks not making the playoffs would be like not having a Christmas, ha. It is unfortunate that they have to end their season in Boston when the series will be so important.
For pinstripes, I do not think Mariano should be the MVP! He has blown too many games this year for him to have that honor. Will he make it to the Hall of Fame, and is he a high quailty picther, yes of course, but starting with the ALCS of last season and some big games (especially with Boston), he has blown important games. I guess I sort of blame him for blowing the series last year, when he blew the save that allowed Boston to win their first game of the series, which gave the momentum to continue winning. I believe Alex Rodriguez should be the MVP, as his hitting has been superb lately and he has really helped the Yankees. This week will be a big test for the Yanks, and the more W's they can get before going into Boston, the better. We will both be cheerign loudly for our Yanks! Is it not weird that the Yanks are going to play Bmore again this week, when they just played them the previous week? I am also glad that Johnson is still playing and doing well. We need him going into the stretch!Who knows what will happen to their entire pitching staff after this season, I think they still need to make a few changes to return to their once domination over teams. This week will be exciting either way!

2005-09-22T23:47:00.000-04:00

Vote for Mariano!
Here is where you can vote for Mariano Rivera for the MLB Delivery Man of the year award, for the best relief pitcher of the season. I know I did!

Get your brooms out!

2005-09-22T23:18:00.000-04:00

Today ( September 22), the Yankees capped off their sweep of Baltimore with a 7-6 victory. Also big news from the Stadium is that the Yanks are in FIRST PLACE! That is right! Yesterday (September 21), the Yankees had beaten the O's, and Boston had lost in Tampa Bay to the Devil Rays. This put the Yanks one half game up in the division. Tonight, the Yankees finished their sweep of Baltimore and Boston had off, making the Yanks one full game above the Red Sox for the division lead. This is great news for the Yankees, as I have mentioned before that every game counts for them. Mike Mussina (a pitcher nicknamed the Moose) also returned to the starting lineup for the Yanks after an injury.

I would post some more pictures, but the feature is not working as I had hoped as of yet. I will keep you updated on the Yankees status in the playoffs! Go NY!

Race to the Playoffs

2005-09-19T15:41:00.000-04:00

During the late days of September and early October is when the majority of televisoin viewers tune into Major League Baseball. This is when each game counts, and wildcard teams are fighting for their place in the post-season.
The Yankees are right in the thick of things, in an unusual spot in second place in the American League East behind the Boston Red Sox by one and one half game, and are one and half game behind the Indians for the AL Wildcard spot. This means that every game is almost a must-win situation for the Yankees, as if they conclude their regular season one half game behind Boston or Cleveland, their season will be over.
The next upcomming game is tonight against the Baltimore Orioles at the Stadium, at 7:05 p.m. Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees is pitching against Erik Bedard of Baltimore. This is personally exciting for me, as I have seen Wang pitch at the Trenton Thunder, where I previoulsy interned and worked the past two summers (I discuss this in my first blog). I have always enjoyed seeing the minor league players I watched make it to the big leagues!
One interesting Yankees' story to update my readers on is the Randy Johnson ejection from this past Friday's game. Johnson is the Yanks' star pitcher, and a future Hall of Famer. He was tossed due to arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth in the top of the second inning. This was a disadvantage for New York, as they need their best pitcher at this crucial time to throw strikes and get a win. Johnson later admitted he was wrong in arguing with the umpire.
To address my comments from the previous post, I am glad that Jackie enjoyed her first major league baseball game! However, you wrote in your post that you were at Shea Stadium, is that because the Yankees were playing the Mets? The Yankees play at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, where you said you took the subway to, and their cross-town rivals, the New York Mets, play at Shea Stadium in Queens. Which on were you at? Bernie Williams is a good player; he is getting old however and his future is uncertain at this point. To pinstripes2, I enjoy having a fellow Yankee fan in the area! We are in Philadelphia country, meaning most people do not like New York sports teams, especially the Yankees. I do have faith like you that they will make the playoffs, and I become angry when people say they are out of it. There are a few good days of baseball left to play, and the race is so tight that it is up for anyone to take right now.
Thank you to everyone for their comments, and I look forward to the game tonight!

Pictures

2005-09-14T13:51:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures to put some names to faces! Alex Rodriguez is on the left, who plays third base for the Yankees and is presently one of their leading hitters. Derek Jeter ( my favorite player) is in the center, who plays shortstop. Joe Torre, the yankees coach, is on the right hand side. These men are some of the greatest assests the team has !

YANKEES WIN WEEKEND SERIES

2005-09-12T18:41:00.000-04:00

As much as I enjoy the New York Yankees, this blog is for educational purposes for my Business Administration class at the University of Delaware. This class is BUAD 477, Information Technology Applications in Marketing. We were instructed to pick a theme that we are passionate about, and create an account on blogger to post our weekly thoughts. Each member of my class has a different theme and corresponding blog. To see their blogs and to view my class blog, please click here. I chose my theme to be the New York Yankees, as they are one of my favorite spots teams!
The New York Yankees won an important series this past weekend, beating their ultimate rival Boston Red Sox two games to three.
As a short recap of the series, on Friday 9/9, Aaron Small defeated David Wells (who used to pitch for New York) in the pitching duel and Alex Rodriguez forty first home run helped the Yanks to an 8-4 victory. However, on Saturday 9/10, Sean Chacon gave up several home runs to allow Boston an early 8-0 lead, which the Yankees never recovered from. Curt Schilling also had his best pitching outing in recent times, which aided the Sox.
Sunday's game, on the fourth anniversary of 9/11, was the rubber match game in the Bronx. How could the Yankees not have felt the emotion and strength to win this won for the people of New York City on this day? Randy Johnson proved why he is one of the best pitchers in baseball today with eight strike outs and only two walks. It was all the support Jason Giambi, who has been playing 110% better in late August and thus far , to hit a home run and give the Yankees a 1-0 win. However, Mariano Rivera, New York's future Hall of Famer closer, still looked shaky to me. He put Manny Ramirez on base with a walk and Kevin Millar on first with a single, and a hit by pinch-hitter John Olerud could have meant another loss for the Yanks. Thankfully, Rivera came into his old form and struck him out, leaving the two base runners stranded, and preserved the Yanks' win.
Every win for the remainder of the season (twenty games as of September 12th) is an important, and almost crucial one for New York. They are in the playoff hunt (yes, they are NOT out of it yet) with the Cleveland Indians and the Oakland Athletics, presently being one game and a half behind the Indians for the American League wild card spot. Now, they only remain three games behind Boston for the Eastern Division of the American League title.
The Bronx Bombers (a common Yankee nickname) are off tonight, the 12th, and return to action in Tampa Bay tomorrow, Tuesday, at 7:15. This is another crucial series for New York, as they always seem to lose series' to the worst team in their division. If they could come away with a sweep, or at least win the series, this will dramatically help their wildcard chances ( and we are hoping that Oakland and Cleveland can lose a few here and there as well! )
In other notable New York news, several Yankee players have been nominated for honors recently. Jorge Posada, catcher, has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente award, given to the player who"best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", according to www.yankees.com This is an excellent example of how some players' use their fame and fortune for the good of the community. Derek Jeter is a finalist for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award, given to the player in each division whose on-field performance and community contributions inspire others. Jason Giambi, the first baseman, is nominated for the Comeback Player of the year, after starting the season off at less than average, and slowly has been regaining his bat power and confidence to give the Yanks a major lift when they need it. I will keep you guys posted as to whether or not any of these men win their respective awards!

Go New York!

2005-09-08T15:40:00.000-04:00

The Yankees Website-check it out!

Why the Yankees?

2005-09-06T19:08:00.000-04:00

For my Blog this semester, I will be focusing on the New York Yankees Baseball team. As a forewarning, if you are from the Boston area or hate the Yankees, you will probably disagree with and dislike my blog. With that said, I wanted to go into my Yankees' experience and background information about the team.

The yankees are one of the most storied and oldest baseball orgainizations to date. They have won more championships than any other Major League team (with twenty six World Series championships to date), and have one of the most loyal and largest fan bases in the world. They play their home games at Yankee Stadium, located in the Bronx, New York. They play in the Eastern Division of the American League.

My grandfather was a Yankees fan, who passed it onto my father and his brothers, who in turn passed their views to my younger brother and I. I believe that sometimes, you're born into what team you will learn to love and root for. I love going into the city and taking in a game at the Stadium ( a nickname for Yankee Stadium). There is so much history invovled in the stadium; especially with Monument Park, where the Yankees' greatest players are honored.

Also, last summer, I interned with the Yankees' farm team ( the AA affiliate) the Trenton Thunder, and this past summer (and now into their playoffs) I continue to work in Merchandising for them. I get to watch the future Yankee stars in their minor league careers. I have seen players such as Kevin Thompson, Sean Henn, and Melky Cabrera play at Trenton, and all have played with the Yankees this season. Last summer, I met Kevin Brown, Kenny Lofton, and Brian Cashman (the General Manager) who all made a stop in Trenton. The players had to rehab their injuries, and were sent down to do just that. Mr. Cashman arrived to check on Kevin Brown.

I hope you enjoy my blog, whether you are a Yankees fan or not. I'll try to make it interesting, informative, and not too biased!

Practice Blog

2005-09-06T18:40:00.000-04:00

This is my practice blog! Welcome to my blog!