Yankee Tampa Blog

February 12, 2012

2012-02-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

Sitting here watching the 2009 game 6 World Series (BillyL and niece were there) on a cold day in Tampa (52 degrees) and keeping an eye on the AJ Burnett activity. All of this after re-watching parts of the Giants game with Dad and Joyce yesterday. Too cold for anything else but I am glad to see the temps will be up to 75 Tuesday. This will more than likely be the last of the cold weather just in time for the start of baseball.

The Pirates are in discussions to take on AJ and some money for the often lost Burnett and I am crossing my fingers hoping the deal gets done. If he is still here I still think he should be the #5 (not my first real choice) but if he is gone then more power to us and I say throw Hughes directly in the 5th spot with Garcia as the safety net. I think Hughes will be more than ready for the task. He knows he has to be or else…

Hughes, Nova and Wade are in town early to do some early work with Joba who continues to get the arm back in form. So far so good! Cano should be back from LA after getting beat by Denzel Washington (Yankee fan) on Jay Leno’s Yankee trivia game and Jeter will be in early camp tomorrow morning. Jeter has been in camp a week already and yes he actually is in a good mood signing autographs. Good time now before the thousands of fans show up seeking those treasured signatures. Now there are only 40 or so people around the players’ parking lot, which will soon be blocked off.

Man do I have the volume up on this game or what!!! Jeez….the crowd was on fire…heck I think I actually hear BillyL through the other 55k screaming fans. HURRY UP SPORING TRAINING – I need live baseball. What a game Matsui had.

Speaking of, IF we can offload AJ that leaves just enough to sign that DH we need---Raul Ibanez seems to be leading the list ahead of names like Damon, Matsui, Chavez and Vladimir Guerrero.

Starting to see more and more NY Yankee plates in and around the Tampa area…almost more than the dumbrays…and so far good reception from people out n about, although I still get the occasional evil glare or comment from onlookers as I sport my Yankee “whatever” daily. I don’t care….I say bring it on!

Happy 47th Anniversary (yesterday) to the in-laws. Been married as long (or a few months longer) than I have been alive…

JoeP….keep in touch---Kona is calling us….for the large group coming in March 1 we will see you Saturday (3/1) evening as we have plans during the day near Orlando at dad’s.

Not the biggest fan of Whitney Houston, I mean she was ok and all….but sorry to hear of her passing.

Hope you have a fun Valentine’s Day Tuesday.

Then rest of the blog items will appear in the next one…I am too lazy to get my jump drive with all the stuff on it I need…..

Later!

February 10, 2012

2012-02-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

Counting today there are 9 days till Pitchers and Catcher report!

Don’t know about the rest of you but I have already collected the winnings of the Giants recent victory. In fact, I have to give it to the former VP of my company and now Pres of another, he actually came by the office Monday morning to settle up….class act actually, even though he loves the red*ux, patriotsux, brusux and celtsux.

Anyway, here are some NY Yankee reactions the Giants victory before we move on:
CC Sabathia wrote, "Huge congrats to the hometown Gmen, BIG time win. @ManninghamNYG82 and Manning brought it tonight."

Mark Teixeira wrote, "Giants win!!! Go crazy New York, you fans deserve it!"

Nick Swisher wrote, "Always proud of NYC!!! Giants!!!"

David Robertson wrote, "Another ring for NY!!!!

Phil Hughes wrote, "Congrats Gmen!"

Now that all of this is done it does nothing but draw us closer to spring training. I tried last email to provide pics but as far as I can tell that did not work….in any case I will have to relay the info without them. No biggie…

In 2009 the red*ux and tigers were talking about a Granderson trade. Could you imagine that one? So if it were not for the faltered deal we would not have had the guy on our team, and if he can produce almost as much as he did last season, and A-Rod gets back on track with the typical Cano season and the recalculated swing of Teixeira this could be a scary lineup.

The Yankees are still talking with Damon about joining the club as their fulltime backup DH. He badly wants to come back and is also trying to reach the 3k hit club so the motivation and short porch are there for the taking. IF and this is a pretty large IF even in capital letters I would not sign him for nothing above 1.8 million with a loaded for bear incentive laden contract pushing his deal to potentially 3 million should suffice. He wants 5 million. Part of his value is in the clubhouse-let’s not forget that.

As expected they signed Bill yaaaaaawn Hall. He is 32 and hit a whopping .211 last seasons with the Astros and Giants. I am sorry, I know it is a minor league deal and all but why bother with this one? He seems happy though. Hall posted this on his Twitter account- IT'S OFFICIAL IM A YANKEE!!!!!!!! I am sure he is a fine gentleman.

Good news about Joba is he is exactly right on target to where he belongs after Tommy John surgery. He will be tossing breaking balls which is a great sign.

The Yankees are a powerful club. This should be a fun upcoming season actually. The pitching should be improved with more solid players to rely on and a fight for the number 5 spot. We have good arms in the pen and then there is Mo. The hitting should, if anything be better than last year, and that was pretty darn good. We were the top team in many categories, like homers, runs, steals walk. And take a look at the rest of the AL East?

Speaking of Tex, he is into the idea of DHing here and there.

Raul Ibanez sounds interesting enough….and is on the Yankees hit list---the former Phillie is close, and is a great addition to the clubhouse as well like (Damon and Matsui). I also still like Eric Chavez. We will see soon.

Yanks sign Russell Branyan to minor league deal-that brings the total invitees to 27…

THIS JUST COMING IN: IS IT CHRISTMAS IN FEBRUARY? Is AJ really on his way to Pittsburgh? I still think IF it does not happen he would do ok as our #5 guy, but hey, we shall see!

Cashman:

No further comments from me on this topic. This is too much for me. There are maybe two of you I talk to this about and one is Joyce. All I am saying is in the end I won’t be surprised. Keep in mind we just signed the Cubs former GM Jim Hendry. For Brian’s sake I hope this all dies down and gets to the private stage.

Weather info:

Temps are set to drop down to normal levels this weekend with potentially one last “cold” day Sunday until October.
Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri
High 68 55 65 75 78 78 78
Low 59 39 37 50 59 60 60

Gas:
Last year I threw in some info about traffic patterns in and around the airport. Well all that is done. So now I move to the gas prices. Until the beginning of March I will throw in a little info on the prices…for instance, I noticed the range is averaging $3.44 to $3.55 a gallon… (Ouch-it hurt to type that). Wal-Mart (Murphy’s) gas stations offer the lowest prices

Recipe central:

Inaugural addition went over very well, as I expected. As promised here is another recipe from Joyce’s collection. Can’t promise every email will have an entry as these emails come and go as I please, but I will do my best. She told me she had enough to share for the year so….the irony is I am not adding one today…

Coming very soon – Roster update!
Joke of the Blog: (from Dad)

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.

They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.'

'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.'
Puff! She's gone.

'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.'
Puff! He's gone.

OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager.. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.'

February 3, 2012

2012-02-03T12:37:00.001-08:00

News and my notes:

Now don’t get me wrong, I am sure Bill Hall is a fine gentleman even though he was once a red*ux player, but I am not sure why we would even bother. Although this will be a minor league deal it seems like a waste. His role, if he makes the team would be to fill in as a utility infielder….like Eduardo Nunez.

Hall had a great 2010 season, but with 3 teams in 2011 he basically stunk. Both he and Nunez were pretty much even with the edge going to Eduardo. This not counting the age difference where Nunez is 24 and Hall is 32. I guess you can count a point for Bill Hall when you factor in the experience. I don’t know, he had better have a great spring if he indeed does sign to win me over on this particular move.

Another move that was just announced was Manny Delcarmen signed to a minor league deal and an invite to spring training. Again, another has been pitcher I assume Cashman is trying to catch lighting in the bottle like he did last year with colon and Garcia. I am not sure how much to trust this former red*ux player considering he was born in boston.

There are some suggestions that the Yankees should consider trading David Robertson to clear away bullpen room…yea, right, after you just signed Manny Delcarmen? I am sorry, I am 100% against any ideas of moving David Robertson no further than from one side of the Yankee bench to the other….If they move him anywhere off this team I will assume there is a lost shipment of glue missing from the local hardware store and it fell off either outside Yankee stadium in the Bronx or Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

So let’s see—we are suddenly getting intrigued by former red*ux wash-ups with the signings of lefty Cesar Cabral, lefty Hideki Okajima and now righty Delcarmen with super utility Bill Hall in on deck circle. Go figure.

Didja know that “don’tcha know Robbie Cano” has missed a total of 11….yes ELEVEN GAMES since
2007?

Wow…so Teixeira is going to bunt more to avoid the shift? Interesting plan…. Maybe this will work for Tex and forever change the way opposing pitchers pitch to him…and then he can switch back to the real Tex and smash the crap out of the ball.

Will there be a Cashman-Epstein trade in the near future? Count on it. With Theo in Chicago the two GM’s are eager to break the stalemate on trades….while Theo was with the red*ux that idea was a taboo. Not anymore! This is actually a good funny story…so here is the link for the whole article…I found it well worth the read.
Copy and paste to browser.
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bdKkF?utm_source=&utm_medium=newsletter

Ok, this is a bit flaky but what the heck…no matter…the GIANTS still are gonna beat the patriotsux Sunday but like Eli Manning, Tom Brady had to make sure to let everyone know he too is a Jeter fan…and apparently thanks to my mother’s input so does the Jets QB Sanchez.

“You see someone who plays the game the way you think it needs to be played, like Derek Jeter. I love the way he plays the game,” Brady said on Media Day, according to the Daily News.

“Those great-caliber athletes you look up to and admire for what it takes day in and day out to be a great player. You always watch other athletes and how they play the game, what makes them successful.”

A few emails ago I ducked under my desk hiding from the bullets as I thought the idea of AJ holding the 5th starter spot…and to my surprise I got no remarks back like I expected. I am all for Hughes in this spot but knowing we owe AJ a ton more of cash I want to burn every ounce of his arm out before he departs, plus he could be good trade bait in July…or better yet, he may even do better with less stress as the 5th guy…who knows…

Cashman:

A couple of months ago there was this rumor that had Cashman involved with an affair. I chose to not address it because the pictures that were being shown allegedly with him and this woman were a bit sketchy. I like Cashman and find it hard to believe the guy is a cheater. However, there is no excuse for this type of activity so it leaves me a bit torn.

Just recently there has been another allegation of extra marital affairs. Up to the point of wondering if he has separated from his wife, but knowing what I know I again find this hard to believe as he touts his family life so much and so often.

So here we are, the accuser is in jail this day for extortion and Cashman is dealing with something we all do not want. If true, this is not good news and the newly created team of execs could be a sign of major changes. The Steinbrenner family does not put up with much and if this is true will fall in the category of “uh oh-this ain’t gonna be good”

Today at work they are hosting a super bowl party day, and in honor of this celebration for this Sunday’s game we were allowed to wear our favorite football team jerseys. As usual on Friday I put on one of my many Yankee shirts, so their plans did not faze me at all. Joyce however has decided to change the name of the day’s celebration to be called “Welcome Baseball” and is in her own Yankee outfit. From the words of BillyL “VERY NICE”!

Spring season tickets should be going out soon via Fed Ex. If you are signed up with the Yankees you will be receiving an email with the tracking number shortly. There is a friend of ours who is coming down for a few games, but he has several tickets available for face value in the party deck row 3 (our old row). If you are interested or know of anyone please let me know so we can work out the details of getting you tix. The seats are great!

BobG-the cover is in the mail….thanks…

Autographs:

There was a time not too long ago when I would spend …well, not just “I” …we would spend HOURS waiting to get autographs of Yankee players young and old to add to a growing collection of baseballs we kept in our home. First they ended up in a Yankee basement proudly displayed to all our Braves fans friends in Atlanta to now here in Tampa.

Here goes the issue-now don’t get me wrong, if the obvious opportunity shows itself sure I will grab a ball and have someone sign it, but I no longer make it my main priority anymore. Take for instance last year when I let several opportunities pass where I could have loaded up on autographs but did however get Brett Gardner to sign a ball…(we all know he is my current favorite Yankee player). The last player I wanted to and did get an autograph from was Bernie in his last season with the team. Those make sense to me for my personal collection…getting tons of others no longer intrigues me.

Why so long to get to this point? Well, this year is the last year that the Yankees will allow outsiders to watch fantasy camp. Why is this, because of the autograph hounds. To put it mildly, they have made even this like a chore and as mentioned one I no longer really partake in. They ruined this for all of us who are casual (or were casual) autograph seekers. Look for tougher chances at this for those coming down for this ritual. I remember when George Steinbrenner had thick bushes planted along the area where the team parks their cars in Tampa to stop the rush of hounds. I wonder what it will be like now. All I know is I won’t be tucked in the crowd anymore. That fun is gone.

The Season ahead:

As we inch closer to the start of the regular season there remains not many hurdles to ponder for this Yankee roster. Aside from the 5th rotation spot and DH issue which to me is not an issue, actually none of them are issues, we are set to go. According to what I am reading there are 23 spots filled for the 25 man roster. The below list breaks out who are guaranteed to be on the team come April and barring any stupid injures. That is 12+2+5+4=23

The main in house options are Pena, Laird, Dickerson and Maxwell.

I like Pena but I do not see him as a potential DH candidate. Laird I do though. Those two are the infielder in house choices. The outfield you have to give a questionable nod to Dickerson. Maxwell is out of the Nationals organization and I again do not see him as the answer to the 5th outfielder spot…simply put he is an aging prospect. So my last two in house picks are Laird and Dickerson.

As for the DH spot external candidates that range anywhere from Vlad to Damon to Matsui and beyond.

Then there is the issue of the lone lefty in the pen. One could step in and take that role and in turn make the decision above much harder. If I were the Yankees and had to pick through this…and you can see the obvious dilemmas, the options of carrying another infielder or outfielder AND another arm in the pen (prefer a lefty) I would either sacrifice the infield open spot or pick from the 4 options above and take the one with the most power. So the way I see it if we go this route I would keep Dickerson and add Brad and Cesar Cabral the former boston lefty.

There is a lot of rule 5 stuff that would make your head turn on Cabral and Brad Meyers and if they do not keep them they lose them.

Summary: 5th rotation spot (AJ/Hughes), extra infielder (laird) or outfielder (Dickerson) or lefty in the pen (Cabral), DH—depends on the extra infield/outfield picks or if any free agent price falls to normal millions of dollar type contracts.

Pitchers (12)
Burnett
Garcia
Hughes
Kuroda
Logan
Nova
Pineda
Rivera
Robertson
Sabathia
Soriano
Wade
Catchers (2)
Martin
Cervelli
Infielders (5)
Cano
Jeter
Nunez
Rodriguez
Teixeira
Outfielders (4)
Gardner
Granderson
Jones
Swisher

Counting today there are 16 days till pitchers and catcher report.

George Steinbrenner hurdling in 1952

New feature - Joyce has compiled many recipes from various sources (families and friends). I figured, why should I be the only one to enjoy them…therefore every so often I will be asking her to contribute one of them to put in here, starting today.

Romantic Chicken with Artichokes and
Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 (14 ounce) can marinated quartered
artichoke hearts, drained, liquid reserved
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup white wine
1 tablespoon capers
DIRECTIONS:
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium
heat. Brown chicken in oil and butter for 5 to 7 minutes per side; remove from skillet, and
set aside.
2. Place artichoke hearts and mushrooms in the skillet, and saute until mushrooms are
brown and tender. Return chicken to skillet, and pour in reserved artichoke liquid and
wine. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, until chicken is no
longer pink and juices run clear.
3. Stir in capers, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat; serve immediately.

Weather watch:

As we climb closer and closer to reporting dates, arrivals from out of town, spring games and so on I will keep you in tune with the local weather. This was the view as of Feb 3rd.

80-79-79-78-78-77-78

64-65-64-63-62-63-64

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The following are some PSA’s before the Joke of the Blog:

YES Blogger (YANKEES INK, official YES Blog) and author Jerome Preisler recently did a nice recap story on Jorge Posada’s retirement. Follow Jerome Preisler on Twitter: @Jerome_Preisler

After you check out his blog take another 6.5 minutes to re hear or for the first time hear and see Posada’s retirement speech. For those of us long time fans it really hits home just at the right spot especially when the camera zooms in on two of the current five some –with Bernie, Pettitte and now Posada retired it is only a matter of time when Mo and Jeter will do the same…thus the end of one of the best Yankee era’s and certainly one of the best of my life time.

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Wards Seafood Market:

The continued drive toward baseball continued, and so with that came the typical banter I receive from the dumbrays fans. Nothing new there. What ended up happening was even more interesting once we settled away from the mass of people in the area. We decided to grab some fresh sea food from a local market we frequent. The last time we were there we noticed a Yankee pitcher on the wall. After not obtaining the info on who this player was I decided to take a picture and sent it off to two of the experts…BillyL and BobG. Although there was some speculation on who the person as BobG ended up getting it right. See, this visit we had the chance to meet the owner, Robert who was able to uncover the mystery. Clete Boyer.

Now apparently Mr. Boyer, who has since passed away, was a regular at the market and as Robert mentioned was a very nice fella. We kinda knew that of him.

After some other discussions we later found out that not only was Robert the owner form long Island, he also knows a lot of the foods that Joyce’s family in Louisiana are very familiar with making. Most I have enjoyed since learning of the foods her and her family grew up on.

It was quite an interesting visit. Years ago Joyce had the opportunity to meet Clete Boyer at one of our early spring training visits. Her conversation with him was over a book she was reading while I gallivanted around the grounds of then Legends Field to see what was going on. He saw her sitting by herself and asked what she was reading. After all was said and done she ended up with his autograph for me )see above section). This was early in the 2000-2001 seasons when he was one of the spring coaches and one of our first years of coming to spring training. We later would see him in camp for the next couple of years. To think he was a regular at the same place we now go in our neighborhood years later for a guy from Long Island (and a Yankee fan) who runs a seafood store that caters to the same type of atmosphere Joyce’s Louisianan roots come from is nothing but a “small world” situation.

So the next time her family comes to visit, my mom comes to visit (fresh shrimp) & dad (fresh Herring in wine juice or anyone else who comes to the area and has a love for fresh seafood you have to visit Wards Seafood Market in Clearwater, Fl. If you don’t like seafood have no fear as they offer other foods that all are spectacular.

wardsseafood.com

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Ron n Tina’s foundation---read below and if you can throw a buck or two at them I am sure they would not be upset.

802-893-7457

Mission Statement
Emma's Foundation will provide resources, referrals and funding for canine cancer care. EFFCC will work to heighten canine cancer awareness, provide resources and to provide financial funding to pet owners who do not have the financial ability to pay for the canine cancer treatment of their beloved pet. Our focus is on sparing or prolonging the life of our canine friends, by assisting with financial support.

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Another PSA for those of you in the North East and particularly in the New York/New Jersey area.

BENNY BARKSDALE, JR.'S FEBRUARY 2012 GIG SCHEDULE
THE MEG HANSON GROUP

Meg Hanson, Keyboardist, Vocalist
Bobby Bowden, Drummer
Benny Barksdale, Jr., Saxophonist
Billy Hill, Vocalist

Friday, February 3, 2012 - 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
THE CELLAR LOUNGE & MICROBREW IN THE HAMILTON MANOR
30 Route 156, Hamilton, NJ - Tel: 609-581-0560 www.thecellarlounge.com
Reservations Recommended

Saturday, February 11, 2012 - 8:30 PM - 12:30 AM
SPIGOLA RISTORANTE
3817 Crosswicks Hamilton Square Road, Hamilton, NJ (Behind Harry's Army Navy on Route 130)
Tel: 609-585-5255 www.spigola.net
Reservations Recommended

Friday, February 17, 2012
THE RUNWAY RESTAURANT AND BAR
1100 Terminal Circle Drive, West Trenton, NJ (Trenton Airport) - Tel: 609-883-1102
Reservations Recommended

Friday, February 24, 2012
AMARONE'S WINDSOR INN
29 Church Street (Off Route 130) Windsor, NJ - Phone: 609-448-7144 www.amaronesrestaurant.com
Reservations Recommended

Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 4:00 PM
Tickets $15.00
Christ Church, New Brunswick, NJ
5 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
tel: 732-545-6262 www.christchurchnewbrunswick.org
You may contact Fran Barksdale for tickets: 609-947-1411.

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And finally, the Joke of the blog: (yes, another from my mother)

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah".
The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"
The little girl replied, "Then you ask him".

LET’S GO GIANTS!

January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T13:54:00.001-08:00

Aside from the Montero/Noesi departure official as expected Monday evening there has been no new movement to add a DH to the roster, although there sure is a lot of Damon return talk in the backgrounds of late. I still think I like the in-house plan with Nunez to start off. We need that DH spot to be used for the rotating wheel spot.

Jorge has made it official announcing his retirement – let’s see, he is 40 and rather rich set to go into retirement. I am 46 and not really considering retiring for oh, I don’t know, 40 more years in this lovely economy????

Just a few words form Jorge---
“I knew in my heart and I knew in my head that I wasn’t going to play anymore,” he said.
With scores of reporters on hand from New York, Japan, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, Posada explained that although his agents fielded calls from other teams about his services, he could not envision himself wearing green, red or some lighter shade of blue.
“Playing for the New York Yankees has been an honor,” he said. “I could never wear another uniform.”

The big question is will Mo be next?

AJ---the other murmuring I have been reading al lot about is what to do with AJ.

If you think they will trade him good for you…I am about to duck under my desk to miss the bullets………ok ……I say keep AJ as the 5th starter IF Hughes does not beat him out. Now Hughes is my pick for the 5th spot, but his numbers are best as a bullpen guy….oh and there is no guarantee he will be here either as he very well may be used as trade bait for that elusive DH spot. Oh heck, I don’t know…I keep going back and forth on these tow sports…the DH and 5th spot…let’s say this…I prefer Hughes be the 5th spot, but am ok with AJ being the 5th with Hughes in the pen. I am also ok with using Nunez as the DH when the spot is not being occupied by the bodies of A-Rod, Jeter, and Teixeira etc…would I prefer a massive DH bat like one to match a David Ortiz in the lineup? Of course….

Keeping that all in mind AJ was the best pitcher on the Yankees staff during the playoffs this past season….what if he does better in the calm and quiet 5th rotation spot? We get the starter we signed up for years ago and reap the rewards of his contract.

Pineda: What I did like was Pineda’s comments after the sighing was official – it appeared to me that he made a statement that sounded as if he had planned to be a Yankee “someday”. “I never thought I would become a New York Yankee so early into my career”….

“It’s a tremendous team,” he said. “It’s very exciting for me … I’m not scared. I’m always focused, working very hard every day. I don’t think about anything else on game days. I’ve never pitched in New York or at Yankee Stadium, but I’m dying to. We’ll see what happens. I’m going to work very hard to do my job.” Pineda said he feels “good about [his] changeup,” and is well aware of the short porch in the right field at Yankee Stadium. “I’ll just keep it low. Keep it low and everything will be fine,”

Predictions: Even CC is on the prediction train---he has stated that he predicts the Yankees will be AL East Champs again. He was in Tampa for Jeter’s golf tournament and had this to say..and the Captain agreed with him.

CC--“We’re going to try to win a championship. That’s always our goal and it’s a realistic goal. We made some great moves. Our team was good [last year], but they made it even better.”

Derek Jeter agreed. “It’s good,” the shortstop said. “We always do something and sometimes things come out of the blue.”

Arbitration/Trades:

I was ever so close with my prediction on Brett’s salary for the upcoming year from Jan 20th. The Yankees agreed to terms with Brett Gardner on a one-year deal for $2.8 million to avoid arbitration. 100k off.

As far as Russell Martin’s arbitration deal he will be getting paid 7.5 million as they just came to an agreement. Again, I was close –at least in the ballpark on both of them…300k off

Last one to sign on the dotted line is Boone Logan. I was off on his contract amount since I predicted giving him a flat 2 million. He instead was signed for 1.87 million. Close, but no cigar. He can earn up to 1.895 with incentives…factor that in since he may reach them as the only lefty in the pen and I was off 105k (or 125k without incentives reached).

Here is what I wrote Jan 20th on this topic of discussion:
“One year deals were met this past week with Hughes, Joba and David Robertson. Russell Martin is going into arbitration with 8.2 million on the table while the Yankees are offering 7 million. I see them settling at 7.8 million. Brett Gardner is going to arbitration with 3.2 million on the table while the Yankees are countering with 2.4 million. I see a settled range at about 2.7 million. Finally there is Boone Logan, the lone lefty reliever at this point in time and he is bringing a 2.1 million offer to the table while the Yankees are countering with 1.7 million. I would give him a flat 2 million.”

So all the arbitration eligible players are in the fold.

Carlos Pena won’t be coming to the Bronx. He signed with the Rays yesterday.

Fat guy Prince Fielder is heading to Detroit.

Remember Edwin Jackson? Well the red*ux are trying to work out a deal for him. Good. I hope he falls flat on his back. Although quite honestly and Billyl and I just texted each other on this---we agree that we would rather have Edwin than Kuroda, but instead…..I tell you what…now that I am on the topic, if Jackson does sign with them for the same amount of money as Kuroda did with us I am gonna have a hissy fit. Out of all that took place over trading Montero etc…this part of that day’s trade/signing activity the signing of Kuroda (which is now official) made me the sickest. The red*ux are also looking at Oswalt…neither really worry me.

My pix thus far for 2012. Not sure if they expanded the playoff’s for this year or not.
AL East:
The always biased opinion of Kevin Newcombe is the Yankees of course
AL Central:
Detroit Tigers
AL West:
Texas Rangers
Wild Card(s):
Anaheim Angels
Tampa Bay, if expansion added this year.

And finally, Kim Jones, Jeter’s favorite Yankee reporter (yea right) will not be returning to YES in 2012. She is doing something else with her time apparently….as Michael Kay say’s SEEYA KIM!

This past week has actually been almost too warm out, especially when you are dressing for the season by the calendar…the temps however are going to go back to normal in the low to mid 70’s….I tell ya, it is no fun being around confused bees in the yard…they are in panic mode due to the warm weather. Little bast%*(&#@%

Thanks to Ron n Tina for finding out that this year’s ring giveaway will be 3/27 for those that give a damn. What am I talking about? Well, last season the Yankees announced that for the next several years they would be giving away replica “George Steinbrenner era” World Series rings.

Here are the details for this spring’s giveaways for those of us attending spring training:
March 7 Pepsi Cola New York Yankees/Pepsi Cola Pin Giveaway

March 11 Oakley Glasses

March 13 Rooms To Go

March 17 Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines/New York Yankees Bag Giveaway

March 25 HESS Yankees/HESS Jersey Key Chain

March 27 Tampa Tribune George M. Steinbrenner 1999 World Series Commorative Ring Giveaway

March 29 Vigo/Alessi Imports New York Yankees/Vigo Imports Draw String Bag

March 30 Bright House Networks

April 4 Bright House Sports Networks

All giveaway items, dates times are subject to change without notice
One per ticket person

It is starting to happen already, the dumbRays fans are starting to come out of the woodworking and they are starting to make their remarks to me on the streets if Tampa Bay…little subtle remarks and all,…here we go again!!!!!
.
Happy early BD to Geri…

Joke of the Blog: (mom again!)

A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.
As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."
The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute when I finish."

January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T06:39:00.000-08:00

I’m just sayin’…………………………………

HOW BOUT DEM GIANTS…..BIG BLUE IN THE SUPERBOWL
For some reason I had a sneaky suspicion that the typical NY vs boston would show its’ ugly head again for the super bowl, and sure enough here we go again….as the patrisux barely held on to beat the Ravens….and I have to tell you, the Ravens gave the game away in the end TWICE!!!

The only Yankee news I am sharing today is that the latest trade is just about final as the physicals have been taken care of finally. Look for official announcement soon…maybe later today????

Finally, sad to hear Joe Paterno passed away this past weekend. I was just reading a story about him earlier in the week as he was asked questions about the Penn State scandal and after reading it I felt that the working of the article seemed to indicate he was frail - with a vivid image of him sitting in a wheel chair with a wrap over his legs…and I wondered how long he had. Rest in Peace!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Oh why not….was not gonna put a joke in but what the hey!!!

Joke of the Blog: (from mom)

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.

She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?"

Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."
The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, "Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"

January 20, 2012

2012-01-21T06:33:00.000-08:00

Gonna be a quick one today since the week has been a quiet one.

Counting today there are 30 days till pitchers and catcher report (Feb 19th)

First up:

Jeter had his annual golf outing here in Tampa and kicked off the event with a party at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino this past Wednesday. Not only was it an invite only affair up until 10:30PM (when the general public was allowed in). Problem is at 10:30 on a “school night” we are in bed, in fact we were in bed at 10:21 this past Wednesday. By 10:30 I was already into my first dream state. Along with the fund raiser for his Turn Two foundation he was also honored with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. For those that are not familiar with the disease it at one time touched our lives (my brother and I) as we knew a person who was stricken from this disease in Pennsylvania when we spent summers with our grandparents. His two sons became our best friends when we visited and their father, who was in the middle of rebuilding a 1920’s vehicle simply went downhill to the point of no longer having capabilities of feeding himself or talking. It was a sad moment in my young life to see a person go through what he did as well as our friends.

Say what you want about Jeter, he does and means well. I have nothing against him by any means.

Here is the article regarding the event from MLB.com

TAMPA, Fla. -- Wednesday night's "Launch Party" kicked off the 9th Annual Derek Jeter Celebrity Golf Classic, presented by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. But this year's fundraiser held a little extra meaning for Jeter.
Jeter was honored on Wednesday night with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, sponsored by the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity, in recognition of his charitable work. The award is presented annually to a Major League player who best exemplifies Gehrig's off-the-field character.
The award was first handed out in 1955 and is permanently maintained at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. N.Y. Jeter is the fourth Yankee to win the award, joining Bobby Richardson, Tommy John and Don Mattingly. Recent winners include Albert Pujols, Shane Victorino, Mike Timlin, Trevor Hoffman, John Smoltz, Jim Thome and Jamie Moyer.
"Any time you get honored for your philanthropic work, that makes you feel good. Any award named after Lou Gehrig, it probably means a lot more to me than some other players," Jeter said. "It feels good. Any time you get an award for the work that you do away from the field, in my opinion, means that much more."
Jeter was joined on Wednesday night by several celebrity guests, sponsors and supporters at a cocktail reception that featured a silent auction to benefit his Turn 2 Foundation.
The Hard Rock Cafe helped roll out the red carpet for Jeter and his guests -- a group that included longtime teammate Jorge Posada, MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds, Rays coach Don Zimmer, Pro Football Hall of Famer Richard Dent, former big league center fielder Kenny Lofton and R&B legend Charlie Wilson.
A tournament and draw party will be held on Thursday, and the fundraiser will conclude on Friday with the Celebrity Golf Classic and awards ceremony.
"It's very important," Jeter said. "It's a fun event that I think everyone enjoys, but it's an important event for the foundation because it's a fundraiser. Obviously, we couldn't help out people unless we had the funds to do it."
Posada was in attendance to support Jeter and his foundation, which has awarded more than $16 million in grants to create and support programs and activities that motivate young people to choose healthy lifestyles.
"Whatever Derek is going to lead, I'm going to be there," Posada said. "He's doing it for a great cause. I've been here for the last nine years, so I'm a big supporter of him and, obviously, his foundation."
As for the tournament, most of the guests downplayed their chances of winning. Posada seemed especially certain about his lack of game on the links.
"I'm a bad, bad golfer," he said, smiling. "I haven't played with [Jeter] in a while, but yeah, I will say I'm the worst. He plays better than me."

Now, onto Yankee matters:

Rather than make comments about every player in the universe linked to the Yankees possible DH opening I will just throw the names out here. Maybe one will stick. The first two are my picks for the spot in order:
Eduardo Nunez (current Yankee), Jorge Vazquez (current Yankee) . Peeps---we need the DH spot for our starters….one of these two will do just fine.

Here is the rest of the growing list of other possibilities:

Carlos Pena, Hideki Matsui, Nick Johnson, Johnny Damon, Prince Fielder, Dan Johnson, JD Drew, Casey Kotchman, Raul Ibanez, Russell Branyan, Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee and someone has even mentioned Manny Ramirez (no way), Carlos Lee, Carlos Guillen, Billy Butler via trade with the Royals. But wait, Carlos Pena just went back to the dumbrays…..

I purposely left Jorge Posada off the list. As I believe this is the time to seriously cut the chord with him.

Arbitration:

One year deals were met this past week with Hughes, Joba and David Robertson. Russell Martin is going into arbitration with 8.2 million on the table while the Yankees are offering 7 million. I see them settling at 7.8 million. Brett Gardner is going to arbitration with 3.2 million on the table while the Yankees are countering with 2.4 million. I see a settled range at about 2.7 million. Finally there is Boone Logan, the lone lefty reliever at this point in time and he is bringing a 2.1 million offer to the table while the Yankees are countering with 1.7 million. I would give him a flat 2 million.

Worried about our future catchers?

Although Montero still leads the pack as the number one catching prospect in baseball Gary Sanchez is #4. This kid is gonna be something good. He has power and a power arm behind the plate. The kid is only 19.

A-Rod:

"I feel pretty good right now and I hope that [the procedure] helps me stay healthy and have ... a great year on the field," Rodriguez said. "My workouts are going great and I'm looking forward to report day on Feb. 24 [to] get started and have a great year for the Yankees."

OK A-Rod. I am personally holding you to this – you keep saying the same thing over and over….now I want the results to show.

On Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers….

Crickets…crickets….crickets…(owl in the background)…more crickets…a toad sound in the far ground…more crickets……
Basically, who gives a crap other than MLB network and the Rangers? Give him one really good month before the hitters figure him out. I personally am not worried. Hey, he had a 93-38 record in Japan. That means that about 40% of the team beat him while 60% lost. Turn that into MLB play time and let’s see what happens..

Notes:

Yet another run in last night at the local place by the house with the “Sweet Caroline” issue. It was Karaoke night and someone had the nerve to attempt to sing that song….and as soon as it started I had to turn to the guy there who simply flat out loves the red*ux and Patriots – (what can I say- he is a two time loser). Anyways, we had a good laugh over the song and thanks to the ammunition BobG shared with me about Cano’s action at fenway I was able to throw that in his face right on cue with the song being played in the background…it went over well enough…he just walked away laughing and shaking his head…so it worked!

The email blog has gone international…with the help of my mom sharing it with her friend who spends time away from the NY area to go to Barbados. Hey, hope these emails don’t bore you too much, but I am continuing to have fun typing them…and I know I won’t be stopping any time soon because I ALWAYS have an opinion about our Yankees to share. Believe it or not I am toying with the idea of opening a face book page for this thing….just toying though…we don’t really do face book.

Woman’s fantasy camp ends here tomorrow…guess we will take a ride down, besides I need to make sure the 2 shirts I have my eye on are still there in the gift shop. Next weekend ends the men’s second fantasy camp. At least the weather will be nice…77-79 degrees and sunny.

A special Happy Birthday to my Mom on Monday and to my grandmother for having her!!!!

GO GIANTS!!!

Joke of the Blog:

(aside from me starting this blog by saying I was keeping it short???)

(From mom-I sure seem to have a lot of jokes from her)

A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, "Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face."

"Yes," the class said.

"Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?"

A little fellow shouted,

"Cause your feet ain't empty."

January 16, 2012

2012-01-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

A new day a new way.

After many others who admittingly were in the same boat as I was on the “feelings” department I am now slowly stepping onto the bandwagon of believers…believers that the recent flurry of Yankee swaps are indeed better than I thought. Again, thankfully I was not alone by the recent columns and comments made from around the globe of Yankee fans. Along with those disbelievers in my crew were those that were diligent enough to shed some light onto the situation that could not be ignored.

We were pitching starved and catcher heavy. Now we are a younger pitching team still with depth at the catchers position, where now Austin Romine, the better defending catcher to Montero resides as the real next heir apparent and to boot we still have our main pieces of the future starting rotation that now includes a younger and probably better ceilinged pitcher than Noesi in the form of Jose Campos. Also, possibly even better than both Montero and Romine as our future catcher is Gary Sanchez.

And then there is the DH issue or kind of lack of DH issue now. We have some basically baseball player old guys on the team. Starting with third base and then to Short and then over to first (skipping over second where Cano is still a young healthy fella). And then as I pleaded months ago when the Yankees and Braves were talking I totally forgot about Eduardo Nunez, who I do believe if allowed could easily be our shortstop of the future once Jeter moves on. He can also play some third giving him all kinds of chances to help the team out.

Then there is the outfield, where Swisher and Granderson could use a day at the DH table Jones steps in and Gardner moves from left to center. If you recall, Andruw Jones has made a personal promise to actually try and compete for a starting position this year, even as we all feel the outfield is secure he has other plans, which is a very healthy and good attitude to have.

I am starting to fall in love with the rotation even with the log jam in the 5th rotation spot, which will do one of these things…offer AJ a chance to move on to another team via trade, put Hughes in the bullpen to go along with an already strong pen (with Joba coming back in June), give us a descent enough long reliever/emergency starter in Garcia/Hughes or just Garcia if AJ is given walking papers to the National League. The threat of all this goes into play for Hughes who already had a heavy haul to carry this spring, it just got a ton heavier…because he too could be used as trade bait.

All I can say is counting today there are 35 days until pitchers and catcher report. The weather here despite a total of maybe 4 days/nights of colder weather is already speaking in spring language with temps hovering around the 60-80 degree range so far this winter. Currently we are in the low to mid 70’s with a peak down the road temp will be in the upper 70’s to low 80’s. If this keeps up the “real spring” may be one of those actual hot ones both on and off Steinbrenner field. But I won’t commit to the weather idea just yet.

OK I will l go ahead and say this- I am seeing a possible NY-boston showdown coming down the road if things keep going the way they are in the NFL Playoff’s. Congrats to the Giants who did a superb job at handling the Packers…and for once I actually was more involved in the game. Not 100%, not even 70% but enough…I seemed to turn to the game and saw all the Giants scoring plays ironically, plus I did record it assuring I would not miss it this week. Thanks to Mom for making sure I was in the know last night….

Joke of the Blog: (from mom)

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:
"Take only ONE . God is watching."
Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."

January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T09:58:00.001-08:00

So much to get to in so little time! Let me first start by saying that I am not backing this trade or signing of Hiroki Kuroda. Sorry, but I am just not feeling it.

Thanks BobG for last nights breaking news ----- got all your messages and text BillyL, RonF, BillM, Andy and JoeP. I was in a bit of shock and had a lot to digest.

To put it as simple as I can, yesterday I advocated not trading away our prospects and not by all means signing the Japanese guy from the Dodgers…and that is exactly what the Yankees did.

I had figured they were in on Edwin Jackson, and as I put it there were teeth to tat rumor, but as MarkW so perfectly put it “There is only dentures left to that rumor now. With the two new additions Edwin will go elsewhere”.

Instead of dismissing the notion of a “good cop-bad cop” mentality I am going to actually explore both sides of the equation here.

The good:

We are not just gaining two pitchers by trade with the Mariners, we are getting two young and fairly good pitchers. You will see some notes here from other articles as I for one thing do not know either pitcher we acquired, even though the main piece of the package was a rookie all star last season. The keys to the below are they are both young and hard throwers with upside.

Michael Pineda, who’ll turn 23 on Wednesday, is already regarded as an ace in the making. He posted a 9-10 mark with a 3.74 ERA. Though he faded in the second half — going 3-8 with a 4.74 ERA in his last 17 starts — Pineda tantalized scouts by pairing a nasty slider with an elite fastball. His fastball averaged 94.7 mph, according to Fangraphs.com, ranking him behind the Rangers’ Alexi Ogando, the Tigers’ Justin Verlander and the Rays’ David Price.
“He’s a power pitcher with enough command,” the executive said of Pineda, who stands 6-5 and weighs in at 245 pounds. “And he’s young.”
Which means he’s also cheap. The budget-conscious Yankees will have control of Pineda for five years before he’s eligible for free agency.
The Yankees acquired 19-year-old Jose Campos, a hard-throwing right-hander who is considered a mid-level pitching prospect.
His fastball operates at 92-95 mph and has been clocked as high as 98. For a youngster, he has advanced feel for pitching off his fastball and locating it. His heater has deception, angle and life. Just a thrower when he got to Everett last summer, he grew as a pitcher. His hard curveball and his changeup show flashes of becoming plus pitches. They lack consistency but improved as he cleaned up his delivery, as the Mariners helped him soften his landing and getting better extension out front. He shows poise on the mound and fills the strike zone.

Hiroki Kuroda is only signed for one season.

The pitching staff is no longer a weak point of concern for the Yankees.

Pineda has very similar stats to CC…and that can’t be a bad thing.

The bad:

Jose Campos is a throw in guy to me who won’t really be a part f anything spectacular in the future…sorry, but it is the truth.

We lose the bat and prospect of Jesus Montero. No need for me to go deep into this part as we know all about Jesus. He also was going to be our DH and backup catcher. Now this leaves Cervelli and who, Romine or Sanchez? I doubt it because the prior two need to be everyday players to continue to grow. Who is the DH now? Is that Jorge who is days away of making his retirement official? Did Jorge even get wind of this when he contacted the organization to inform them of his plans to leave baseball? Is he really going to retire or do we sign him for a one year deal?

Hector Noesi, who I have been following since Tampa Yankee time is gone. This hurts me because I personally believed that he would be even better than Nova was last season.

Hiroki Kuroda is an aged Japanese pitcher who pitched for the LA Dodgers (National League West) and who up till last season flat out did not want to pitch for any east coast team especially the Yankees. He only decided to sign because the market was slimming on him. With the money spent on him what happens to filling the DH role now? Is there any room for the likes of a Chavez type player for the bench?

With all the flurry of activity we did not land a lefty…something that would have been a lot better. We only have CC as the lone lefty.

Pineda was 0-7 in the second half of the season……what the heck happened there????

What now?

Well, it is pretty easy at this point.

The pitching staff is now CC, Nova, Pineda, Kuroda and a fight for the 5th spot between Hughes, Garcia and AJ. My vote is Hughes for the 5th spot personally.

Do we try to really get rid of AJ now? Do a trade of unsuccessful pitcher with a National League club (I agree MarkW). Does the loser for the 5th spot go to the pen as long relievers/spot starter?

My best guess:

Again in agreement with RonF and BillM…I look for a bad time with Kuroda-I am not an advocate at all for Japanese players on my team. Yes, I am biased but have seen us get burned way too much in the past. Jesus Montero WILL come back to bite us probably this season and so will Noesi, who will be put right in the Mariners rotation. In fact, I agree with some things I have read that Noesi will outpitch Pineda.

It appears that Pineda was well liked by the Mariners faithful, which is how we feel about Montero. With Montero gone however this puts Austin Romine in the driver’s seat to be the next great Yankee catcher with Sanchez right behind him.

All that talk about budget constraints was indeed a front…I guarantee that. We are the Yankees and we spend money and did again. Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner played the market perfectly when they announced how the Yankees were out of all major deals…the prices fell and despite the downfalls of the prior night’s activity we DID indeed clean up the rotation issues and have created an interesting 5th rotation spot fight…so plan on seeing the three pitchers a lot. Girardi will have some juggling to do this spring.

Could the Yankees sneak in and sign Fielder for a fat one season deal? Highly unlikely but with the Yankees you never know. Besides, he is heavy in the Rangers hearts right now.

As I type this all out I still am apprehensive to sign onto this flurry of activity, but you know what? The deal is not as bad as even I thought especially after reading up on our new parts (aside from the Kuroda guy). In fact, we may – just may have the best rotation in the American League and the red*ux and dumbrays are looking at themselves this morning shaking their heads in disbelief…which is ALWAYS a good thing.

Pineda, Nova, Banuelos, Betances, Warren, Phelps and Campos sounds like a future star rotation to pick 5 from.

Ranting:

And then there is that DH spot, no more log jam as of now….a true rotating position for the team. Sounds like Girardi will have a fun time making out his lineup cards provided we have a infielder to fill in where we need…Andruw Jones takes care of the outfield spots. And for some reason I keep coming back to Damon a lefty bat to platoon with Jones. Only thing with Damon is he needs 277 hits till his 3000th and being a partial player won’t cut it for him to achieve that. Another former Yankee who never wanted to leave is Alfonso Soriano…perhaps a return to the Bronx as the DH? Send AJ to the Cubs. What about Carlos Pena? Just rambling here…don’t take any stock in this from me…thinking out loud or more specifically on paper. Something tells me the Yankees STILL are not quite doen…AJ may need to be sent off and the DH/bench roles need to be better defined.

Enough out of me!

Joke of the Blog: compliments of BillyL

I pointed to two old drunks sitting across

the bar from us and told my friend,

"That's us in 10 years".

He said "That's a mirror, dip-shit!"

January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

There is some teeth to the rumor that the Yankees are talking with Borassss about free agent pitcher Edwin Jackson, and that they are still in talks with Hiroki Kuroda. Out of the two I would pick Edwin Jackson for the only reason of that he wants to come to New York. The other guy was at some point adamant about not waiving his no trade to the Yankees last year….and anyone who does not want to play for the Yankees is not welcome in my world.

Jackson is interesting to me because we do not have o part with any of our young players and if agreed to a one year deal which I prefer that gives the Yankees young arms another season to get even better for the 2013 season. Bottom line is I am 100% against any trade of any of our coveted players on our roster. The most recent idea of trading Gardner was met by me with total anger. I do not understand people’s thinking that trading away perfectly fine part of this organization is a good thing. Quite honestly Edwin Jackson is not even a person I am interested in. As mentioned, at least he is not costing us anything.

As of now the rotation is CC, Nova, AJ, Hughes and Garcia. Out of the 5 Hughes has the most to prove—as it is shake or bake time for him, put up or shut up time, now or never, starter or bullpen/trade bait. AJ is not going to change or be traded so live with it. We will get 50/50 from him like always. Nova has to have a similar season as last and I believe he will and Garcia just needs to show the heck up and pitch every 5th day and keep up in the game.

Waiting in the wings with potentially good arms are Noesi, who could be this year’s Nova, Dellin Betances, Adam Warren, Manny Banuelos, David Phelps and Manny Banuelos, the lone lefty on this short list.

And what about Chavez or the equivalent for the spot infielder? Perhaps Brandon Laird could fill the role internally but I have been a long time advocate of Chavez.

Keep an eye on:

Pat Venditte
Venditte is an ambidextrous pitcher with the Yankees affiliate Double-A Eastern League Trenton Thunder.
Currently, he is the only known pitcher at the professional level who has the ability to pitch effectively with both arms.

Venditte has successfully played in multiple minor league levels and was promoted to Double-A. Fans love to watch him pitch and switch his custom-made glove to his other hand to switch arms.

I think he is not quite a prospect for the starting rotation but perhaps the bullpen.

Cory Wade agreed to 2012 contract. A descent bullpen piece is back in the fold. Also being given a shot in the Yankee organization is Preston Mattingly…son of Donnie Baseball. Don’t worry, he is not nearly as good as his dad and I would not be looking for him to be patrolling the outfield any time soo……never.

Bernie and Mattingly are no go for the Hall this time:
Bernie will remain on the ballot for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He received 55 votes in his first crack at the Hall.

Mattingly received 17.8 percent (79 votes)

What?:
Just as I was about to put this blog to rest comes the stupid ass story about how the Yankees could land King Felix from the Mariners. And I quote directly from the article “If Hernandez were to be on the table, the Mariners could have their pick of the litter. Plausibly, the likes of Ivan Nova, Brett Gardner, Phil Hughes and Jesus Montero would be on the Mariners' wish list.” Didn’t I just type this above on how or why the hell would we give away all that talent for one guy?
Oh, it gets better…”Pitchers Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and David Phelps are just a few of the strong arms in Triple-A. If the Mariners were to part ways with Hernandez, they would have a need for young arms. A combination of these guys and possibly Major League veterans would have to be discussed.”

I dont know, maybe I am one of those rare people that believe in how Cashman is working these days. I am 100% for NOT giving up our perfectly fine home grown talent for some over priced and underperforming piece that won't fit in a year or two. We have all we need in our system...

Joke of the Blog: (from mom)

A man and his wife were awakened at 3:00 am by a loud pounding on the door.

The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain, is asking for a push.

"Not a chance," says the husband, "it is 3:00 in the morning!"

He slams the door and returns to bed.

"Who was that?" asked his wife..
"Just some drunk guy asking for a push," he answers.
"Did you help him?" she asks.
"No, I did not, it's 3am in the morning and it's bloody pouring rain out there!"

"Well, you have a short memory," says his wife. "Can't you remember about three months ago when we broke down, and those two guys helped us? I think you should help him, and you should be ashamed of yourself! God loves drunk people too you know."

The man does as he is told, gets dressed, and goes out into the pounding rain.

He calls out into the dark, "Hello, are you still there?"

"Yes," comes back the answer.

"Do you still need a push?" calls out the husband.
"Yes, please!" comes the reply from the dark.

"Where are you?" asks the husband.

"Over here on the swing," replied the drunk..

Blog 2b

2012-01-08T15:20:00.001-08:00

Reader’s facts about Neil Diamond based off the last email I sent out:

Yes JoeP, you are 100% correct, he is a Yankee fan but is tied to red*ux nations due to that song.

Fran n Benny-Yes again you are 100% correct, .......We (at least some of us here) all know how your Mom feels about "Sweet Caroline!!!!!!!

Great input by BobG-something I did not know….....and I take a direct quote and so worth including here “….just a sidebar to the playing of Sweet Caroline at Fenway........flash back to late 2010 season....Yanks at Fenway....YES comes back from commercial break talking about Robbie Cano so they cut to a shot of Robbie finishing up the infield throw around.....the song is at the part where it goes ..."so good, so good, so good...." A close-up of Robbie shows him clearly singing ..."f**k you, f**k you, f**k you..." as he tosses the ball to Jeter.....”

And YES I like a big dummy totally missed the Giants game, but hey, at least they won today so I can get to see them next weekend. Someone send me a freaking reminder for crying out loud. And to think the local establishment actually purchased a huge Giants banner for our spot prior to the season starting and who has not been watching????? Watching highlights….Thanks BobG for cluing me in moments ago…LOL

More on Jorge….the more I think about it the more I am really very pleased that he is going out the way he is. After all, his last shining moment was to help the Yanks clinch their last playoff berth. I think that is a shining moment for the end of his great Yankee career. So here’s to you Jorge!!!!!!!

Seeya!

No joke of the blog just yet…next blog. Just received this from my mother and thought what the heck most if not all of us with the exception of a few younger readers can relate in some way. This is nothing new but a good reminder to re-read.

Born 1930 - 1979

You definitely need to read the statement by Jay. Oh so true.

Those of You Born
1930 - 1979

At the end of this Email is a quote of the month by Jay Leno.. If you don't read anything else, Please Read what he Said.
Very well stated, Mr. Leno.
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!

First, we survived being born to mothers
Who smoked and/or drank while they were
Pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode
Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.

As infants & children,
We would ride in cars with no car seats,
No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day
Was always a special treat.

We drank water
From the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends,
From one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon..
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And, we weren't overweight.
WHY?

Because we were
Always outside playing...that's why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day,
As long as we were back when the
Streetlights came on.

No one was able
To reach us all day. And, we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
And then ride them down the hill, only to find out
We forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes
a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes.
There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable,
No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
No cell phones, No personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. WE HAD FRIENDS
And we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth
And there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
And the worms did not live in us
Forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
Although we were told it would happen,
We did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
Knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
Walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal
With disappointment.
Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
Was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best
Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.

The past 50 years
Have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility,
and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are one of them?
CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others
who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the
lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives
for our own good .

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know
how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house
with scissors, doesn't it ?

The quote of the
month is by Jay Leno:
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,
mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms
tearing up the country from one end to another,
and with the threat of swine flu
and terrorist attacks.
Are we sure this is a good time
to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

For those that prefer to think that God is not watching over us.. ..go ahead and delete this.

For the rest of
us...pass this on.
A Small Prayer!

God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.

I need this back. If you'll do this for me, I'll do it for you.

When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need. Take 60 seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person who sent you this.

Father,
God bless my friend in whatever it is that You know they may need this day!
And may their life be full of your peace, prosperity, and power
as he/she seeks to have a closer relationship with you.
Amen.

Then send it on to five other people, including the one who sent it to you Within hours you will have caused a multitude of people to pray for other people. Then sit back and watch the power of God work in your life.

P. S... Five is good, but more is better.

IN GOD WE TRUST

Blog #2 for 2012

2012-01-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

Not as much Breaking News at this hour: Courtesy of Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

“Jorge Posada, who won five World Series rings with the Yankees and promises to be an interesting case for baseball's Hall of Fame, intends to announce his retirement.

WFAN radio in New York was the first to report that the 40-year-old Posada had reached a decision, citing an anonymous source who said that an announcement will be made within the next two weeks.

A fiery presence in the Yankees' clubhouse during a 17-year career, the switch-hitting Posada caught 1,574 games for New York. Only Bill Dickey (1,708) and Yogi Berra (1,695) spent more time behind the plate wearing pinstripes. “

I for one am glad he is going out as a Yankee, like Bernie..seeing him or anyone else from that era in another uniform is just………..wrong and the dumbrays were seriously looking at him.

So this leaves Jeter and Mo as the remaining 5 with Bernie, Andy and Jorge now in retirement. I believe when all is said and done Jeter will be the last man standing.

Nest on the List:

Don’t worry, all these emails won’t start out with the subject like this one.

This is a bit of a switch to the norm for me here. There is a reason why, but be that as it may there is a reason..Don’t shoot the messenger.

The red*ux have an 8th inning (kinda new) tradition. They play the New York native but red*ux fan 1969 song “Sweet Caroline” We all know it…Sweet Caroliiiine…dah da da …etc… This song was originally born to be for the John F Kennedy child Caroline Kennedy for a very brief music history lesson. No I did not know this because of the love of the song. It is not one of my faves and not just because it is tied to that team up north in New England. One of the recipients of this email knows more about it and he would probably kill me if I referred you all to him for his version of this history lesson as he is engulfed in this activity every red*ux bottom of the 8th home game ( and is a Yankee fan). Yes, I went online and read up on this info I am sharing, but there is a reason I will get to shortly.

Flash forward to our screen room Friday night. For some odd reason Joyce unknowingly started to sing the all too well known catchy line to this song and I like a robot chimed in until I realized what I was doing. We immediately stopped and wondered what the heck was wrong with us and moved on. We moved on until I decided to get in touch with three red*ux fans we know. One was the now former VP but now President of another company who I used to battle with daily at the job. Basically I decided to inform them of what took place in our home with “that song”. Of course I played it down and covered it up to make it less of a pleasing event in his mind…only to come back with how he stated how he always liked my wife better than me referring to her starting up with the song earlier in the evening. Second up was the current red*ux co-worker who received the same text message. He too came back with a comment that started out as him typing In pieces of the song and then a follow-up text stating at least “someone in our home was smart”. And again I had to defend my turf and not discount what he said but somehow include me…and it seem to work as he shut up after that. This leaves person number 3, who has in fact witnessed this 8th inning routine in person and said it actually is something to behold (in his eyes of course). He said he has even seen visiting teams joining in from their dugout. He was easy to deal with because he was in person….and the banter was quick and to the point since there was no texting time elapsing.

Football???:

Yep, I am going here. I have been sort of removed from all non baseball related sports especially since moving to the Tampa area because the Yankees seem to be a year round situation for me. For some reason however this year we are attempting to get a bit more involved in the playoffs. With the Giants in the playoff’s it helps. They face the Falcons today, and after moving from NY to Atlanta to Tampa I already do not like the Falcons. Be that as it may we will see what happens, and by the time you read this that game may already be over and I will either be more interested (Giants win) or less interested (Giants loss). In any case we plan to pay a bit more attention to this playoff season regardless. Hey, I am not expecting much. One thing we are already finding very funny are the ESPN commercials, especially the one where the losing person is left with bad haircuts, left standing in a deserted area wearing diapers, left to walk around with a ad sign in the city and so on. It reminds me of my battles with baseball friendly fans. This particular commercial states “It’s not crazy, it’s sprots”.

Joke of the Blog: from mom

THIS IS INCREDIBLE.... Read all the Numbers....
Slowly and in Order!!

Be Careful not to MISS ANY
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30

Scroll down ...........................

NEXT TIME I'LL SEND YOU THE ABC's

First Blog of 2012

2012-01-06T07:54:00.001-08:00

Two frequently asked question and the answers.
Just talked to the Yankee ticket office down here....

1. Spring Season tickets will be mailed out via Fed Ex the beginning of February form the printing company. If you have a email address on file you will be emailed the tracking number at that time. You should receive them by the middle of February.

2. The ring giveaway is going to take place again this season. The date for it however has yet to be determined. But judging from the last two seasons the replica World Series ring giveaways took place on the last spring game…which this year will be April 4th against the mutts.

Hope this helps!

First Blog of 2012

2012-01-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

As the calendar turned to 2012 the Convection Oven was unplugged and put away for another day. Now we turn our attention to the Yankees state of affairs and the upcoming spring and regular season.

Quick Hits and comments:

The Yankees are linked to the cubs Matt Garza and the Cardinals Edwin Jackson. In both cases their respective teams want the king’s ransom, a ransom the Yankees has passed on for more equipped pitchers that were on the market or through trades.

Again, I say hell no, to both of them. Why for once should we give up on our young guys for some older ones, that to me quite honestly stink!

Yankee Obit:

Andy Carey, a former Yankees third baseman who helped preserve Don Larsen's 1956 perfect game, passed away on Dec. 15 in Costa Mesa, Calif., his family announced. He was 80.

Other stuff:
Andruw Jones is back and I am good with that, he was a well liked clubhouse guy and was a good fill in for the outfielders. Plus, he has this thing that he plans to steal a spot on the starting roster, which means he is still hungry. He has an incentive laden, one year deal with the Yanks.

The Yankees and Japanese infielder, Hiroyuki Nakajima have not come to an agreement on a contract and I for one had not or did not lose any sleep over this one.

Jan 3 Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees in 1973…same day as Rich’s BD. Happy Belated birthday Rich T.

Welcome new recipient, from the frozen place up North, in Vermont….you know what? Speaking of frozen…and do not laugh…it WAS downright cold in Tampa. I was sick of it!!!!! Yes, we are talking about temps at night in the upper 30’s to low 40’s…NOT HAPPY! Thankfully we are back to normal and are in the low to mid 70’s.

So, on to the story of the day. We were watching “Chopped” on the food network the other day and it was the championship show. On this show was a contestant from ----you guessed it ---Boston. I immediately did not care for him. And of course in true Bostonian spirit, he took every opportunity to knock New York….and then had the nerve to say to another person from Boston that “they” were gonna beat out the New Yorkers…thankfully he lost, as did the other person from Boston (Sorry ,Billy L. and Chris). As I sat there watching the show I found myself fuming over this guy…I hope the red*ucks live in last place in 2012.

What else?

Well, I am about to call the Tampa Yankee office to find out what the deal is on the past World Series “ring giveaway” promo they announced last year. For those who will be here and want to continue the collection of these rings I will pass along what I find out….for the rest of you guys ignore this part.

My mother sent me an issue of the MLB Insider magazine and let me tell you, it is seriously making me think about subscribing to that magazine/membership.

Coming soon, is another trip to the park to watch the fantasy campers play.

We have signed a number of players to minor league deals, So far we have on minor league deals to Dewayne Wise, Hideki Okajima, Matt Daley, Jayson Nix and Adam Miller. Just maybe there is lightning in the bottle per say. Next up, Chavez again??? I hope so as I liked him last season.

Did you watch the David Robertson YES Network show? He was talking about his fishing down here in Tampa and how he enjoys hanging with Goose and Guidry and hearing all their stories. Yep, for me, it transported me right back into the days during past springs and our conversations with all of you and those same guys. ……64 days till pitcher and catchers!

Note to self:

Jeter’s Christmas gift should be a Starbucks franchise. Buck, a reader of this email and Tampa resident just so happened to run into Jeter the other day at Starbucks. If you EVER want to find Jeter always include a Starbucks on your list of places to look. He loves the place and is a regular. Like Buck ya never know when you will run into him, but the chances at one of their location in Tampa are usually pretty good chances. I am sure he is a regular elsewhere.

Joke of the Blog: (from dad)

1.
The mother of a 17-year-old girl was
concerned that her daughter was having sex.

Worried the girl might become pregnant and adversely impact the
family's status, she consulted the family doctor.

The doctor told her that teenagers today were very willful and any
attempt to stop the girl would probably result in rebellion. He then
told her to arrange for her daughter to be put on birth control and
until then, talk to her and give her a box of condoms.

Later that evening, as her daughter was preparing for a date, the mother
told her about the situation and handed her a box of condoms.
The girl burst out laughing and reached over to
hug her mother, saying,

'Oh Mom! You don't have to worry about that! I'm dating Susan!'

2.
A man went to church one day and afterward
he stopped to shake the preacher's hand.
He said, 'Preacher, I'll tell you, that was a
damned fine sermon. Damned good!'

The preacher said,
'Thank you sir, but I'd rather you didn't use profanity.'

The man said, 'I was so damned impressed with that sermon I put five
thousand dollars in the offering plate!'

The preacher said, 'No shit?'

3.
Groups of Americans were traveling by tour bus through Holland.
As they stopped at a cheese farm, a young guide led them through
the process of cheese making, explaining that goat's milk was used.
She showed the group a lovely hillside where many goats were grazing.
'These' she explained, 'Are the older goats put out to pasture when they no longer produce.'
She then asked, 'What do you do in America with your old goats?'

A spry old gentleman answered, 'They send us on bus tours!

Friendly PSA:

You want to hear some good music? if you are in the New Jersey area and have the chance check out fellow Yankee fan Benny Barksdale, Jr., Saxophonist. Wish we could be there!
THE MEG HANSON GROUP
Friday, January 6, 2012 - 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM

THE CELLAR LOUNGE & MICROBREW IN THE HAMILTON MANOR
30 Route 156, Hamilton, NJ - Phone: 609-581-0560 www.thecellarlounge.com
Reservations Recommended

Friday, January 27, 2012 - 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM

AMARONE'S WINDSOR INN
29 Church Street (Off Route 130) Windsor, JN - Phone 609-448-7144 www.armaronesrestaurant.com
Reservations Recommended

The Convection Oven-December 30, 2011

2011-12-30T11:26:00.001-08:00

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and we have a Happy Yankee New Years (and beyond).
2011:
It is time to get ready for the New Year. By doing that I am going to recap ten of the memorable moments mentioned on the YES Network a few days ago.

10. 5/10/11 Teixeira had a walk off single scoring Granderson against the blowjays
9. 7/30/11 The Yankees scored 12 runs in the first inning against the morons of Baltimore.
8. 5/30/11 Colon pitched done of his recent best games by giving up 4 hits to the A’s while pitching a complete game.

7 8/28/11 back to back to back homers by Cano, Swisher and Jones against those morons again.

6. 7/26/11 CC almost had a no hitter while throwing for 14 strikeouts. Ended up a 1 hitter against the Mariners.

5. 9/5/11 Boy wonder Jesus Montero smacked his first and second career homers in NY in one game again against the morons.

4. 8/25/11 History was made as Cano, Martin and Granderson each hit grand slams..a major league record against the A’s.

3. 9/21/11 Two days after Mo’s surpassed Trevor for the most saves Jorge helped secure the Yanks AL East title last season with a 2 run single. One of his last helpful at bats in a Yankee uniform…and fitting.

2. 9/19/11 Mo secured the 602nd save of his hall of Fame bound career by securing the win against the Twins.

1. 7/19/11 Jeter (sounded out like this – Jeetuh!!) secured his Hall of Fame bound career by smacking a homerun for his 3000th hit against the dumbrays, oh and he also went 5-5 in the game….

There you have it…to add to the above is the debate of the best two days in last season’s MLB season.

The last day of the year was the first time in the 17-year history of the wild card that teams in both leagues were tied for the final playoff spot entering Game 162. Her eis what happened.

There were two extra inning games, one come-from-behind victory in the bottom of the ninth. Two teams down to their last strike.
There were four more games to decide home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs – Texas winning its game and No. 2 seed on a home-run in the top of the ninth.

Entering game No. 162 of the 2011 season, all six divisions had already crowned a champion. However, four games were being played to determine two wild-card spots.
In the National League, the Braves were three outs away from a win-to-stay-alive victory. The Cardinals had already won their game and would face Atlanta in a one-game playoff if it did the same.

NL Rookie of the Year favorite Craig Kimbrel was looking for his 47th save of the season, far surpassing the previous NL saves record for a rookie (Todd Worrell, Cardinals: 36). Kimbrel had averaged fewer than three walks per nine innings pitched the entire season.
Craig Kimbrel walked three in one inning blowing the save and allowing (he had averaged fewer than three walks per nine innings pitched the entire season).the Philadelphia Phillies to tie the score. Philadelphia made St. Louis the NL Wild Card when it completed a 4-3 victory over the Braves in the 13th inning.

Jonathan Papelbon of the Red*ucks followed by blowing his third save of the season in the ninth inning in Baltimore. The Orioles scored the tying and winning runs of the game with two outs. The irony of the red*ucks Carl Crawford coming up short on the game-winning liner in Baltimore, setting the stage for his former team to complete the greatest September comeback in history

Minutes later, the dumb Rays, who had trailed by seven runs going into the bottom of the eighth inning, miraculously completed a comeback victory. They had tied our Yankees in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, and sealed the deal in walk-off fashion in the 12th. The Red Sox had blown a nine-game wild-card lead in less than one month, and the Tampa Bay Rays seized the AL Wild Card.

All this being said my pick for the best non Yankee event of the season was in the World Series. This is where all the marbles are in the jar and count for the main prize.

This game had everything you could have possibly asked for.

Two comebacks. Two times the Rangers were one strike away from winning their first title.

Three times the Cardinals came through in the clutch; two of those from hometown hero David Freese, including the walk-off that sealed the deal.

Freese had hit a two-run triple with two outs in the ninth to tie the game, and after the Rangers went ahead again by two on a home run by a hobbling Josh Hamilton in the 10th, St. Louis rallied to tie it again with two outs, this time on a Lance Berkman single. After holding Texas scoreless in the top of the 11th, Freese homered to dead center in the bottom half to force a Game 7 that the Cardinals would win to capture their 11th championship.

I re-watched that game, specifically the end, three times. I could not believe it and quite frankly was happy with the outcome.

2012

So the Yankees have not added anyone new to the roster at this point, and I am at the mercy of the Yankee front office and concede to the fact that I am no longer looking to add anyone, nor do I expect to,. So no more predicting of this unless something changes where there are real rumblings. Cashman always plays his hand close to his vest and anything can happen, but the past two plus years indicate he is not going to be a part of anything, thus neither will the Yankees. Perhaps there is a prize we are not aware of, but the pieces of the pie are getting smaller in the pitchers market. Perhaps Matt Garza?

Talks with Chavez and other utility type payers are on hold until the Hiroyuki Nakajima deal is either completed or lost by Jan 6th, the deadline for the rights to negotiate.

Now to all the people out there that continue to think the Yankees will stink in 2012, I agree that it is wrong to think they will have the individual achievements matched by some of the players who came through in 2011 to secure the 97 game AL East team, but you have to also look on the other side of the table and realize that for all the bad talk about AJ stinking and Hughes not performing to his ability or Nova and Noesi becoming busts and so on, the same thing can happen where all the above do the complete opposite and do great. Only time will tell. And even with that as time goes by the actions and reactions of the players, coaches and manager will dictate how it all plays out. All we can do is scream at the TV in anger or scream at the TV in happy glee. To give up now and toss in the towel on 2012 you may as well not even attempt to act like you love this team. True, this team may fall flat and be out of it early…but maybe not—let’s let some games take place before we “start” ending the start of the season. I can’t wait and look forward to seeing the young guys personally.

Did anyone else look at the David Robertson 30 minute show on YES? I like this guy and always have. I did not however realize how good he had been for us last season. I am also closing in on where he and his wife live. Last season he had a 4-0 record with a 1.08 ERA. He gave up 1 home run in 66.2 innings while surrendering 40 hits. He had 35 walks versus 100 strikeouts. I learned more about his work ethic and have to say he is not taking this as a joke and someday may be a serious candidate for Mo’s successor.

Beltran once again tried to become a member of the Yankees before signing with the Cardinals. I almost feel bad for him. For instance, could you imagine being a person who was trying badly to become a Yankee and they kept telling you no? That would be me. My luck I would have the red*ucks calling me to play for them and that would not be an easy take. No room at the inn with Swisher in fold.

Yankees are gonna wear 1912 uniform at Fenway this April celebrating that places 100 year anniversary. Just something cool to watch out for. They were known as the Highlanders back then.

A-Rod is undergoing some new form of treatment for his knee. What I am worried about is I thought he was already healthy and ready to take over the team?!? What gives Alex? The good thing is this excerpt from the article… “The Yankees approved the treatment, which was performed within the last month, and cleared Rodriguez's procedure with the Commissioner's Office to avoid the appearance that Rodriguez might be receiving impermissible treatment”.

Joba is ahead of schedule from his Tommy John surgery.

Don’t ask, but we signed Hideki Okajima. Okajima was 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA in 8 1/3 innings with the red*ucks before going to their triple A team last season. I have no idea what the heck he will do other than compete for a bullpen job. He compiled a big league record of 17-8 with six saves and a 3.11 ERA in 261 appearances with Boston. He is a lefty so he may be paired up with Logan as left handed relief. Me? Deep down I think this is a stupid a$$ signing.
Another Yankee fan sighting…this time at Kim Jong’s funeral…this goes along with the other one at Gadhafi’s capture. Yes, we are everywhere.

Joke of the Blog:

(From dad-in-law)

Little Johnny's new baby brother was screaming up a storm.

Johnny asked his mom, “Where’d he come from?”

“He came from heaven, Johnny.”

“Wow! I can see why they threw him out!”

(from BillyL)

If you ever testify in court, you might wish you could have been as sharp as this policeman. He was being cross-examined by a defense attorney during a felony trial. The lawyer was trying to undermine the police officer's credibility.....

Q: 'Officer --- did you see my client fleeing the scene?'

A: 'No sir. But I subsequently observed a person matching the description of the offender, running several blocks away.'

Q: 'Officer -- who provided this description?'

A: 'The officer who responded to the scene.'

Q: 'A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called offender. Do you trust your fellow officers?'

A: 'Yes, sir. With my life.'

Q: 'With your life? Let me ask you this then officer. Do you have a room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily duties?'

A: 'Yes sir, we do!'

Q: 'And do you have a locker in the room?'

A: 'Yes, sir, I do.'

Q: 'And do you have a lock on your locker?'

A: 'Yes, sir.'

Q: ‘Now, Why is it, officer, if you trust your fellow officers with your life, you find it necessary to lock your locker in a room you share with these same officers?'

A: 'You see, sir -- we share the building with the court complex, and sometimes lawyers have been known to walk through that room.'

The courtroom EXPLODED with laughter, and a prompt recess was called. The officer on the stand has been nominated for this year's 'Best Comeback' line -- and we think he'll win.

2. In an recent interview, General Norman Schwarzkopf was asked if he thought there was room for forgiveness toward the people who have harbored and abetted the terrorists who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks on America.

His answer was classic Schwarzkopf.

The General said, "I believe that forgiving them is God's function .... OUR job is to arrange the meeting."

You have got to love them both!

R.I.P.
M.T.I, yet another senseless loss of a young life for no apparent reason other than thug/hoodlum ignorance!

The Convection Oven - 12.21.11

2011-12-21T13:04:00.001-08:00

Today is our 13.5 year wedding anniversary!!!

I think I am gonna take a few weeks off to let the new year arrive, so this will be the last email from me for the year related to my Yankee ranting.

Not much is happening…Yu has 30 days to sign with the Rangers, who won the bidding for the guy. To me I just figure it is one less thing to type about since I was torn on the idea of having him anyway. What I will find interesting is how he transforms into the Nolan Ryan way of pitching and pitching use. He likes to have his guys out there for as long as possible. Something I am not familiar if Yu has done in Japan, and something I wonder if he could even maintain against American hitters.

Andruw Jones is being wooed by the red*ucks. Ehh, whatever. For some other reason I just do not care about that either. I am getting used to the idea of keeping this as in house as we can…but yes, I would love to see that second pitcher on the staff that just bowls me over. I sometimes wonder if Cashman and gang are ok with this lineup also because of the added playoff team. It pretty much solidifies a Yankee visit to post season more probable.

Top ten Yankee prospects (thanks to River Ave Blues)
Jesus Montero
Manny Banuelos
Dellin Betances
Gary Sanchez
Mason Williams
Dante Bichette Jr.
Ravel Santana
Austin Romine
J.R. Murphy
Slade Heathcott

David Robertson special on YES tonight at 8:00. Just as expected, he does live nearby. He frequents the hair joint Joyce goes to, which is right around the corner from our jobs in St Pete. Also, very easy access to the highway en route to the Yankees camp. He is already working out. This time of year you get the local players at the park doing their winter workouts.

That about wraps this one up. We both home everyone has a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

Any breaking news and I may interrupt the typing time off…but I do not expect anything.

Joke of the Blog: (from BillyL)
STUD ROOSTER
A farmer went out one day and bought a brand new stud rooster for his chicken coop. The new rooster struts over to the old rooster and says,

'OK old fart, Time for you to retire.'
The old rooster replies, 'Come on, surely you cannot handle
ALL of these chickens.
Look what it has done to me
Can't you just let me have the two old hens over in the corner?'

The young rooster says,
'Beat it: You are washed up
And I am taking over.'

The old rooster says,
'I tell you what, young stud.
I will race you around the farmhouse. Whoever wins gets the exclusive domain over the entire chicken coop.'

The young rooster laughs.
'You know you don't stand a chance, old man.
So, just to be fair,
I will give you a head start.'

The old rooster takes off running. About 15 seconds later the young rooster takes off running after him.
They round the front porch of the farmhouse and the young rooster has closed the gap.

He is only about 5 feet behind the old rooster and gaining fast!
The farmer, meanwhile, is sitting in his usual spot on the front porch
When he sees the roosters running by.

The Old Rooster is squawking
And running as hard as he can.
The Farmer grabs his shotgun and
- BOOM -
He blows the young rooster to bits. The farmer sadly shakes his head and says,

'Dammit......
Third gay rooster I bought this month.'

Moral of this
Story? ..
Don't mess with the OLD FARTS -
Age, skill, wisdom, and a little treachery
Always overcome youth and arrogance!
OLD DUDES RULE

The Convection Oven - 12.16.11

2011-12-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

Kevin’s quick hits:
So here we are a couple of weeks away from the Christmas holiday and the Yankees have done nothing recently but hold onto all their players, which is a good thing.
We have retained CC and Freddy. We have released Greg Golsen who found a new home with the Royals. We held off a bid to trade away Gardner to the Nationals and signed outfielder Dewayne Wise to a minor league contract.
We won the bidding for shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima, who will more than likely sign to get out of Japan. Yu Darvish has been posted with no real indication the Yankees will win the bid. I have mixed feelings about this for obvious reasons…the luck of the Japanese players is 50/50 at best and I am still fighting off the bells in my head over Kei Igawa.
A.J. Burnett is somewhat on the trading block.

The pitching shopping list in no order:
John Danks (White Sox)-they want too much for him…
Wandy Rodriguez (Astros)-possible since they are rebuilding
Francisco Loriano (Twins)- I like him but every blue moon he turns into AJ…unknown outcome.
Scott Baker (Twins)-ehh…he would not cost nearly as much to lose as others…but why?
Chad Billingsley (Dodgers)-ehh II
Brandon McCarthy (A’s)-Hmm—why bother if you end up giving them the same thing from our roster?
Ervin Santana (Angels)-Never will happen, but they have enough starters out west with Wilson.
Jair Jurrjens (Braves)-Almost happened already
James Shields (Rays)-I wish, but they won’t trade with us. We have what they need and they have what we need.
Matt Garza (Cubs) I always liked Garza…and Theo might want to trade with Brian and the Yanks to get back at the red*ucks…but I don’t know if Garza is worth the asking price.
Hiroki Kuroda (Dodgers)- probably who we will end up with as he won’t cost us nothing but money and a short deal (1 to 2 years at best).

The A’s want to make their team into the Yankees out west if they trade away Gio Gonzalez to the Yankees, as it would take the entire Scranton top players to land him apparently. John Danks may be a trade possibility but I am not sure how well that would work out. Colin Curtis was out righted to AAA Scranton to make room on the 40 man roster. Adam Miller, Manny Corpas, and Joel Zumaya may be tendered minor league offers in the very near future. For some reason the Yankees are being called the front runners for that Yoenis Cespedes guy (the one with the long video of his workouts). Andrew Brackman was picked up by the Reds. Brackman was a member of the ‘Killer B’s” club on the Yankees-Banuelos, Betances and …
The entire staff has been retained for 2012..I have no problems with that.
Joba, Gardner, Hughes, Martin, Logan and Robertson all were offered contracts ahead of arbitration. I agree with all the above. I am also glad to hear others in the media admit Gardner was robbed this past award season.
Other news:
I read recently some offseason stuff between the Yankees and red*ucks. Quite honestly I think that Bobby Valentine is trying to fit in and start some mess that he does not need to be starting…he is trying too hard if you ask me. I am choosing to ignore him for the most part. He has thus far claimed he “hates the Yankees” in some interview and has been a spark between Kevin Long and that jerk Josh Jerkett (Beckett) recently. The beef is about how Josh pitches slow and slows the game down, a comment made by Long…and for some reason Valentine decided to chime in and add his 1 cent. Again, he is trying to start trouble by running his mouth when he does not need to be.
Lou Pinella is joining YES and the Yankees in spring training. He wanted to get back into baseball while not going too far from his home here in Florida. I know of at least two places he “hangs around” but yet to have seen him.

More rule changes:

Teams from the same division can now meet in the Division Series.

Instant Replay will be expanded to include “trapped” catches and some more fair/foul calls.

The All Star Break will now be four days, and the game may move to Wednesday beginning in 2013 as well.

MLB has banned tattoos with corporate logos and obscene nicknames written on equipment that may be visible to fans at the stadium or at home.

Only MLB may hear an appeal on requesting scoring changes, not players.

Players must tell the commissioner’s office by July 31 of the preceding year if they want a new jersey unless “the player (or someone on his behalf) purchases the existing finished goods inventory of apparel containing the player’s jersey number.” What this means is every replica jersey, jacket, T-shirt, mug and anything else with a number that’s anywhere in stock cwould need to be purchased by the requester or someone he knows before switching a number.

Clubs may no longer summon Minor Leaguers to the Majors without activating them. Prospects will no longer be allowed to watch the rest of the regular season in late September from the bench. The fix for this is pretty darn easy; the teams will just buy up the first row behind the dugout and put the players right there….

Slowly but surely I am putting together the spring training calendar for the yearly visitors, and as usual it is full and we looking forward to it.

Winter arrives next week. Where did 2011? Winter in this part of the country is a bit different. We are still hitting highs of 78-80 degrees with the occasional freeze when the high gets down to 60 to 70 degrees. Knock off around 20 degrees for the lows.

Congrats to BillyL’s nephew with his commitment to Tufts University.

Joke of the Blog: (from BillyL & this is from early October)

A man returns home a day early from a business trip. It's after Midnight. While en route home he asks the cab driver if he would be a witness. The man suspects his wife is having an affair & he wants to catch her in the
act.

For $100 the cab driver agrees.

Quietly arriving home the husband and cab driver tip toe into the Bedroom. The husband switches on the lights yanks the blanket back and there is his wife in bed with another man.

The husband puts a gun to the naked man's head.

The wife shouts 'Don't do it" I lied when I told you I inherited money.

HE paid for the Corvette I gave you

HE paid for our new cabin cruiser

HE paid for your season Dallas Cowboy's tickets (boooooo)

HE paid for our house at the lake

HE paid for our country club membership and he even pays the monthly dues

Shaking his head from side-to-side, the husband lowers the gun. He looks over at the cab driver and says 'What would you do?

The cab driver says, I'd cover his ass with that blanket before He catches cold.

The Convection Oven - 12.09.11

2011-12-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

The below list are the players currently on the Yankee roster that are homegrown. The remaining guys (not shown here) are from various other teams. The total on the “40 man roster” is 43. A good portion of the remaining players (20) were retained at very early stages of their major league careers minor leaguers. Obtained by Rule 5 drafts or trades as players to be named later….they still do not count as home grown talent, but are very close…basically the meaning of this exercise is to start getting everyone used to the new Yankee way…promoting from within rather than from the other teams. You will note that most of the infield, pitchers and catchers are ours….in fact there are only 2 infielders who are not “ours” , A-Rod and Tex, 1 catcher (Martin), half the pitchers are home grown and a sign of weakness the outfield has 7 players, 4 of which are from outside the organization. It will be interesting in the coming years to see how this list changes.

Dellin Betances

Joba Chamberlain

Phil Hughes

George Kontos

D.J. Mitchell

Hector Noesi

Ivan Nova

David Phelps

Mariano Rivera

David Robertson

Francisco Cervelli

Jesus Montero

Austin Romine

David Adams

Robinson Cano

Derek Jeter

Corban Joseph

Brandon Laird

Eduardo Nunez

Ramiro Pena

Zoilo Almonte

Brett Gardner

Melky Mesa

You often hear or are reminded how Greg Maddux decided to stiff the Yankees and go to the Braves years ago for less cash, and more recently of course was Cliff Lee. You don’t hear so much how the likes of Carlos Beltran and Delgado were pleading with the Yankees to sign them…well have you watched the interview with C.J. Wilson, who signed a 5 year 77.5 million dollar contract (15.5 million a year) with the Angels yesterday? He settled off the demands of the extra year and is ending up with 22.5 less off the pace he wanted of 20 million a year. He CLEARLY was talking as if he was not a happy camper about the Yankees not wanting him. In fact I almost felt bad for him, because he should want to be on the best team in baseball, but they did not want him. He was shocked and almost …no …he was not almost he was definitely portraying as if he flat out settled for the Angels.

I am done for now speculating what the Yankees will or will not be doing. As it stands now I would not plan on anything new happening until the season starts other than subtractions and additions to the roster from within the organization. What I do not like about the comments about how we won 97 games last season and held the best record in the American League…and we captured the AL East title….all that means nothing because we still did not win the World Series and that was because of no hitting…so there is still a problem, and it starts with the letter “A” (A-Rod). He has to remain healthy next season. The pitching was ok through the playoffs, but I still would prefer a better number two pitcher in the rotation. We will see!

Joke of the Blog: from my mother

Su Wong marries Lee Wong

Su Wong marries Lee Wong. The next year,
the Wongs have a new baby.
The nurse brings out a lovely, healthy, bouncy,
but definitely a Caucasian, WHITE baby boy.

'Congratulations,' says the nurse to the new parents,
'Well, Mr. Wong, what will you and Mrs. Wong name the baby?'

The puzzled father looks at his new baby boy and says,
'Well, two Wong's don't make a white,
so I think we will name him....

Are you ready for this?

Sum Ting Wong

The Convection Oven - 12.07.11

2011-12-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

So I decided to look around at some of the ideas being floated around by everyone in the baseball internet land…

The Giants do not want any of our prospects for Matt Cain. So screw them for now.

Then there are the Cuban connections in Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler. Both are centerfielders I belioeve sop why we would need both is beyond me, but at this point I say try for one and if you fail their go with the other in the order above…which is in age order as well (26 and 19)

The Bullpen:

Let’s not forget there is a need to upgrade some parts of the bullpen. Luis Ayala is out there and I consider a good investment to bring back. Another lefty arm to go with Boone Logan would not hurt as we can’t rely on the likes of Marte or Feliciano. Maybe Joba will come back and help fill that role as well, but again after his Tommy John surgery we can’t rely on this arm to be 100% right away, but it would be nice. Mike Gonzalez of Baltimore is being considered to fill this role. He pretty much shits down lefties so this pickup sounds like it would be a good addition. Boone Logan to me can be very iffy and shaky all at once.

DH/Utility:
Former Yankees-Eric Chavez and Andruw Jones are both being looked at to come back. I like the often injured Eric Chavez and at first look I previously was not much of a Andruw Jones fan, at least the latter year version. Both however have done well in their stints with the Yankees and again, both are being looked at to come back.

One other player being mentioned recently to fill this DH/Utility role is David Ortiz who recently had the endorsements of Cano and Damon in joining the Yankees. I don’t know, last I checked Damon was not a member of the Yankees so I think he should keep his opinions on Yankee issues to himself. George Steinbrenner wanted Ortiz years ago when he was with the twins and was shot down. I suggest we do not bother at this time..no need. As for Cano, he would I am sure be happy to have David on the team, but I would not hang my career on it. Someone mentioned Carlos Pena recently and to this I say “can you say Jorge Posada???”

Starting pitching, the biggest need if there really is one:

…I will just mention the names being thrown around. I am not really anticipating ANY of them to be in pinstripes next season, but here goes: This list includes free agents and trade mentionables.

Matt Garza-Cubs, Jair Jurrjens-Braves, John Danks-White Sox, Hiroki Kuroda-Dodgers, Kyle Drabek-Blue Jays, C.J. Wilson-Rangers, King Felix-Mariners,

For some reason there is this big talk recently of Jeter’s replacement coming in the form of Hiroyuki Nakajima in Japan…what the heck? What happened to Eduardo Nunez???? See below for more on this topic…it just changed.

Now, here goes…..I know that 99% of the world absolutely hates Burnett..and at times I wondered what I ws thinking and what I was drinking through the season…but I still find it hard to give up on the pitcher I was all behind getting years ago. If he would just for one keep his brain focused he could be a very good #2/3 pitcher for the Yankees. That being said and being extremely outnumbered I would have to entertain the idea of getting someone to replace him with less brain work needed to survive a season. So yes, I am currently into the idea of keeping AJ. Yes, I have had some eggnog and yes it was spiked a bit…but that was a few days ago. I am no longer under the influence (yet) of the “nog” as I type this.

Speaking of eggnog, my deceased Phillies fan grandfather had the best eggnog I have ever tasted…let’s just say it really warmed you up. I still have his recipe and plan on making it in the coming weeks….it is a secret so I won’t divulge the details…but it has a tad bit of alcohol in it (see upper line----it will warm you up)…. I can still remember the last batch he made in Malvern PA before he passed. I watched intensely as I kind of had the sneaky suspicion it would be the last time I tasted his personal version, and I needed to hold onto the recipe. My guess is he is in heaven prepping a batch with a host of past relatives, and first in line is my brother.

THIS JUST IN

It appears the Yankees have won the bidding rights for Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima. What this means to me is what it means to many others, Jeter’s replacement may no longer be considered to be Eduardo Nunez, which somewhat saddens me…Hiroyuki is 29 years old whereas Nunez is just 24 with.

More on Nakajima: The Yankees now have a 30-day exclusive negotiating window to work out a contract. Nakajima, a 29-year-old shortstop, is a .302 career hitter in Japan and has surpassed at least 16 home runs and 15 stolen bases in each of the last four seasons. If a contract is agreed upon, he would fit as a utility player for now.

Nunez vs Nakajima

Based on Nakajima’s career (10 years) he averages 13 homers a year to Nunez’s 6 last season. He averages 56 RBI to Nunez’s 37 last season and 11 stolen bases to Nunez’s 27 last season. Figuring to be a top of the order guy I would prefer the stolen bases to be a bit higher, but he is not far off the mark and surpasses in other areas, but Nunez is young. Look for Nunez to be in a Braves uniform before long unless they trade AJ after eating a lot of his salary. This seems to be the new starting point for shortstop once Jeter retires.

Joke of the Blog: (both from dad)

'Life isn't like a bowl
of cherries or peaches,
It’s more like a jar of Jalapenos--
what you do today,
might burn your ass tomorrow......'

Story from a Kansas State Highway Patrol officer:
I made a traffic stop on an elderly lady the other day for speeding
on US 166 Eastbound at Mile Marker 73 just East of Sedan , KS .
I asked for her driver's license, registration, and proof of insurance.
The lady took out the required information and handed it to me.
In with the cards I was somewhat surprised (due to her advanced age)
to see she had a conceal carry permit. I looked at her and ask if
she had a weapon in her possession at this time.

She responded that she indeed had a .45 automatic in her glove box.
Something---body language, or the way she said it---made me want
to ask if she had any other firearms. She did admit to also having
a 9mm Glock in her center console. Now I had to ask one more
time if that was all. She responded once again that she did have
just one more, a .38 special in her purse. I then asked her what
was she so afraid of.
She looked me right in the eye and said, "Not a damn thing!"

Seniors - Don't mess with them. They didn't get old by being stupid.

The Convection Oven-12.05.11

2011-12-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

The good news is that the Yankees had denied the C.J. Wilson’s teams request for a meeting in NY. Turns out the Yankees don’t really give a damn about him and his supposedly 6 year 120 million dollar starting bid salary demands.

With the Winter meetings set-to start tomorrow in Dallas the Yankees will continue to kick the tires on possible trades for pitchers Gio Gonzalez, John Danks, Matt Garza, Dan Haren and Matt Cain. No matter who they do the tire kicks on you can bet that Jesus Montero and Manny Banuelos will be a part of the talked about packages. I have no desire to get rid of either guy…Maybe Cashman is looking to offer AJ Burnett in hopes of eating some salary and preserving the “kids” on the roster. Bottom line is if something makes sense Cashman we will have news for us this week, if not then we will all have to wait and see…my gut feeling is I don't have a gut feeling, and I can say it is not because of the Pizza I ate the other night. The Yankees are not pressed as much as I want to believe...I still want a number two pitcher with experience, but I also would like a few million bucks in my pocket.

Mariano Rivera came through the vocal cord surgery in good shape. As I expected he will be ready as usual for spring training, perhaps his last a s a player. The fun part is watching Rivera who will have to avoid talking for a week. Mo likes to talk!

Posada was supposedly trying to land jobs with the mutts and Marlins, where he lives. I can almost see him trying to get jobs in both places, but on the other hand I do not see him being the type to do that. He is not the type. So the Posada landing spot is still up in the air, you see, neither team wants or needs him.

Sweeny Murti reported to keep an eye out for Mason Williams. From his article here is the info he shared…thanks Sweeny…cool thing is he is a center fielder; kind of reminds me of the other NY Yankee Williams in center field…Bernie.

“Coming out of high school in 2010 with raw first-round talent, Williams was holding a full ride to the University of South Carolina. The Yankees grabbed him in the fourth round and signed him for $1.45 million, a bonus equivalent to the middle of the first round. This past season Williams, a centerfielder who is now 20 years old, played in 68 games for the A-Staten Island Yankees where he compiled a .349/.395/.468 line (.863 OPS). Drafted at a rail thin 6’0” and 150 pounds, he has added about 25 pounds already, starting to look more like his pop Derwin Williams, a 6’1”, 185 pound wide receiver who played three years with the Patriots in the mid-1980’s.
Last week when an American League executive told me that Mason Williams is the second-best prospect in the Yankees organization behind Montero, I forwarded that evaluation to some of the Yankee higher-ups. One of them told me it was a fair statement, while another told me Williams could actually be better than Montero because of his potential as a Gold Glove centerfielder.
When I asked another executive from the National League about Williams, he began throwing out names like Mickey Rivers, Kenny Lofton, and Jacoby Ellsbury (minus this year’s power stroke). Plate discipline is still an issue (he walked only 20 times in 298 plate appearances), but that’s not unusual for a kid this young.”

Final comments:

By the way, don’t look for the George M. Steinbrenner spending freely Yankees anymore…they say 2014, but I see it and have seen it for the past two years……most of those large contracts are not going to happen anymore with the new collective bargaining agreement. The Yankees will no longer be in the position to fund every small market team anymore and I say in no uncertain terms and tone GOOD! I like the good spending on good free agents, but I am also a “in house “ type guy and believe we have one of the best farm systems around. Those guys are just as valuable as the big ticket guys and I believe we can field a championship team from within more now than ever before. For year after year we have supported many teams with the payment toward the luxury tax only to now be looked on as this evil empire entity, well, no more!

The past offseason, 2011 trade deadline and now into this offseason other teams have tried to pry away the Yankees best chips, but Cashman, Hal Steinbrenner along with others in the organization have held true to their word. Other teams now do not or are starting to find out that it is not as easy to walk through the Yankee farm system with a shopping cart spree mentality.

Agents are no longer able to use the Yankee name to inflate their clients wishes and desires for a Yankee payload….and I love it! Take for instance the claim that CJ Wilson’s request for a visit to the Yankees armed with a ridiculous starting point for negotiations….I say screw him and Cliff Lee. CC got one of the last large contracts and quite honestly he deserved it as his tenure in NY has been just what it was supposed to be…he is the ace on the staff and pitches like it.

To point out yet another small market team trying to wipe out the Yankees coffers….thanks to BillyL moments ago offering this bit of news…the White Sox who may be in a large enough city are not playing “hardball” like they are, want the package of Jesus Montero and Manny Banuelos…also, Danks was 4-8 klast season, not exactly great numbers for a guy pitching in the same league as the Yankees…now is it really worth the loss????? Here are his more complete stats for last season.

8-12 season with a 4.33 ERA, 1701.1 innings pitched, 1.339 WHIP and a 97 ERA+ that was his worst season since his 2007 rookie year. In the three previous season he had gone 40-31 and pitched from 195 to 213 innings.

Yes, BillyL-we agree—as I mentioned above teams are defiantly trying to screw around with the Yankees in these insidious and ridiculous trade demands. I say screw them all----until; they come down to earth and realize we will not be that stomping ground for bad deals anymore. I have to say I think even George Steinbrenner himself would have to agree with his son and general manager this time around.

Joke of the Blog: this one from my mom….

AND THEN GOD CREATED VIRGINIA

God was missing for six days.

Eventually, Michael, the Archangel , found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired, "Where have you been?"

God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."

Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?"

"It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance."

"Balance?" inquired Michael, "I'm still confused."

God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things."

God continued pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."

The Archangel , impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?"

"That's Virginia , the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and plains. The people from Virginia are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of good things."

Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance."

God smiled, "Right next to Virginia is Washington , D.C. Wait till you see the idiots I put there."

The Convection Oven-12.01.2011

2011-12-01T09:48:00.001-08:00

Can you believe it is already December?

On the “weekendish” eve of the winter meetings next week have very little faith that anything will take place in NY Yankee land, as much as I believe it needs to. Now I know I have been reading and hearing all this talk about how the Yankees do not really need any new pieces…and aside from re-signing CC that has been the only real deal made for the Yankees in several years.

The biggest argument or comment I hear is that the Yankees ended up with the best record in the American League and captured the AL East crown….HELLOOOOOOOOO---that is like saying we “almost” won the World Series. In fact, it is like saying that. Who gives a damn if we reached the playoffs with the team we had? Not me. Not hardly. We are a franchise that must win the World Series, not come in second place…because second place is like the best losing team.

Therefore, I am still sticking to the idea that we need to fix the starting pitching. If that includes finding a sucker to trade AJ with, or just plan to munch on a good part of his salary then so be it. If it means Hughes ends up in the bullpen..(I pick Hughes over Nova because I really want to see how Nova comes back in his second season.-will he be better or worse?) Or will Hughes really rebound to the pitcher he should be and make it interesting? Are we really that comfortable with the newly signed Garcia at the back end of the rotation? Maybe… but deep down I am not as impressed…I think sadly it goes onto the AJ slot of the rotation..and the only real name I like out of the current group everyone talks about is Mark Buhrle…but can he handle NY or does he even want to go to NY? Of course the list of other names would be a gift, but as Brian Cashman has stated and I do believe the GM’s are a newer breed and they seem to think we are willing to pay or give away everything we have for their piece. For instance, when you ask for 4 bright rookies in a trade for one player, that is not a good idea to follow up on the trade plan. Basically, other younger or newer GM’s are greedy and think they can clean out the Yankees farm team.

I am a bit lost at what happened to the Hot Stove show on YES. I do believe it has turned into the Yankee baseball daily show…in any case the show is sort of like the Hot Stove, but with a lot more “other team” news.

Not much else to really report…thanks to Billy L for continuing to provide the daily Yankee email news…it has saved me tons of time that I no longer really have much of to look up each site…now I seem to rely on his emails. Cross the fingers for any news next week…

Other notes:
Bernie Williams is a candidate on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the first year. The Class of 2012 will be announced on Jan. 9. Mattingly also gets another shot…ironic how these are two of my favorite players from their times. Not sure if either will make it into the Hall but hey, nice to be mentioned….

Joke of the Blog:

From BillyL

A Chinese guy goes to a Jewish guy to buy black bras, size 38.

The Jew, known for his skills as a businessman, says that black bras are rare and that he is finding it very difficult to buy them from his suppliers. Therefore he has to charge $50.00 for them.

The Chinese guy buys 25 pairs.

He returns a few days later and this time orders fifty.

The Jewish guy tells him that they have become even harder to get and charges him $60.00 each.

The Chinese guy returns a month later and buys the Jew's remaining stock of 50, and this time for $75.00 each.

The Jewish guy is somewhat puzzled by the large demand for black size 38 bras and asks the Chinese guy, "...please tell me - What do you do with all these black bras?"

The Chinese guy answers: "I cut them in half and sell them as skull caps to you Jewish guys for $200.00 each."

Like I said... "Business is Business".

Thanksgiving day Convection oven-11.23.11

2011-11-23T08:12:00.001-08:00

Reading through some of the things online it appears that one thing is for sure. The Yankees are in on just about every pitcher in baseball that is somewhat available.

The Yankees have Hughes on a diet and conditioning program, because he was starting to blow up last season. Hope it works becasue as of now we, the rotation need the 2010 Hughes.

Montero is going t o Miami to hang with A-Rod…..let’s hope the right A-Rod appears and does a good job mentoring the young kid. More mentioend below on this.

GM (now over)and winter meetings are coming up real quick…in that order.

Gotta love that Paplebum is now a Phillie. In fact, not only does this make the red*ucks a bit weaker but it also brings his idiotic face to the Nation League…and maybe the Phillies fans will get him in shape, cause they can be brutal.

November 13, 2011---mark this date down…and I mean it. A-Rod has made a promise…and I am going to mark this date down to remind all of us. He has promised that the old A-Rod will be back in 2012. The old –GOOD older A-Rod will be back….

Nova, yet again another Yankee was shunned form an award. He did not win the AL Rookie of the year award and I guess being impartial I do not agree with the loss…but being honest it is typically not the “Yankee way” to enjoy celebrity on a non team like setting as we go for “team first”…but……

Joining Nova on the no post season award bandwagon were Granderson, Cano, Girardi and CC…all finishing 4-6th in MVP, Manager of the year or Cy Young awards. Anyways, see last sentence comment under Nova above and insert here…

Hector Noesi is doing very-very well in winter ball. Stats to come when the season progresses.

This just in…maybe….Chavez wants to keep playing….If this is true I say lock him up for a one year deal.

Hahahahahahahaahahah--------CJ Wilson wants 20 million a year………hahahahaa for 6 years!

The Yankees may begin to look across the bay to Oakland, a team always rich with pitching talent, underpaid and looking to make big money. Topping their pitching pile is lefty Gio Gonzalez, a 26-year-old star waiting to show the world exactly how good he is.

It is about to get easier for the Yankees to make the playoffs. There will be an additional Wildcard team added to the playoffs and with that a one game sudden death playoff game will be played against the now 4 wildcard teams. The Yankees have made the playoff’s 16 out of the past 17 seasons and in that time period they won the division 12 times, so yea, it is a good bet the Yankees will be in the playoffs. Winning the division is now an even better bet.

Also, the Houston Astros are joining the AL West in 2013 moving from the NL Central.

David Adams, Corban Joseph Zoilo Almonte, David Phelps and D.J. Mitchell were all added to the 40 man roster. They are now protected from being snatched up in the Rule 5 draft.

You know what else is funny? The Yoenis Cespedes video made to show off the Cuban wanna be MLB centerfielder. Nearly 20 minutes of a music infested video of homer run shots, the young man wearing #51 on his back pretty much touts himself (or someone does) as the next Roberto Clemente. The training part of the video is pretty damn pathetic…. going through various drills. Oh just watch it yourselves….I thought although he obviously is in fantastic shape (like myself in every aspect of the video of course-NOT) I think it went a tad bit into the “beyond needed realm”.

Have not seen anything on YES for the Hot Stove, but I did find what may be the new show in its place called the “Yankees Baseball Daily”.

Spring Training:

Minicamp in Miami this January. Kevin Long will be holding court with A-Rod, Gardner and others including at least Montero. I love it….no time to step off the pedal when you are driving toward #28. Question is, did the Yankees sign their coaches yet????

Of noted observance is the presence of Willie Randolph on the Yankees baseball daily. Could he one day be back on the field in pinstripes as a coach?

Mo needs surgery---OH NO!!!!! On his vocal cords…he should be ok for spring training, but is being cautious. Anyways, Mo is on his own regiment during spring training so I am not too alarmed…and he only needs his body to pitch-not his voice…by then he should not be in any throat pain I would think.

Collective Bargaining Agreement:

To simply be accurate I have borrowed the next set of texts…this is just some stuff to know about the state of MLB, unlike the NBA where they can’t find their way out of a paper bag baseball got it done quickly, even faster than this crappy government and economy. Aside from the fact that baseball can easily pay off the national debt….no wait…it can’t, it is even too high for baseball…

Here goes…I highlighted the big points…and bolded my comments. Thanks A. DiComo for the summary.

By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

• The five-year deal is equal to the longest in history, allowing play to continue uninterrupted through the 2016 season. Whatever…as long as they got it done quickly…I need my Yankee baseball!

• Postseason play will expand to include a second Wild Card club in each league beginning no later than the 2013 season. The two Wild Card teams in each league will play a one-game playoff for the right to advance to the Division Series. (This will be an interesting change)

• The Astros will move to the American League West in 2013, giving both leagues 15 teams and resulting in expanded Interleague Play. Interleague games will be scheduled all season long, as opposed to during specific periods. (And now they will join the real league and figure out how easy the National League was and cry to go back) (Also, what happens when the Rays move to Vegas and join the National League, we gonna have to expand to another AL team in perhaps Alabama???)

• Teams will be allowed to expand their rosters to 26 players for designated regular or split doubleheaders. (So much for being able to manage your team. The past years this has not ever been a problem, why change it?)

• The current compensation system for losing "Type A" and "Type B" free agents will be eliminated. Under the new system, teams will receive compensation for losing a free agent only if they offer -- and the player rejects -- a guaranteed one-year contract equal to the average salary of the league's 125 highest-paid players. Compensation for losing such players will consist of one Draft pick at the end of the first round. (This would mean something to me and may one day when I care, but this is currently a Brian Cashman concern. When I need to know I will figure it out then).

• When clubs sign a compensation-eligible player, they will forfeit their own first-round selection or their second-round selection if they pick in the top 10. (DITTO).

• More "Super Two" players than ever (22 percent) will be eligible for salary arbitration, allowing them to reach free agency quicker. (whatevs')

• The minimum Major League salary will increase steadily from $414,000 in 2011 to $500,000 in 2014. The minimum Minor League salary will increase from $67,300 in 2011 to $81,500 in 2014. UGHHHHHH—Why did I not play more baseball in my older youth years??????..oh yea, bad left knee---

• Teams may only sign Draft picks to Minor League contracts and will be taxed and/or penalized for exceeding the designated signing bonuses (previously called slot recommendations) for the sum of their picks in the first 10 rounds. OHHHHHKAYYYY???

• Teams will also be taxed for exceeding signing-bonus pools for international free agents. The pools will be based upon winning percentages from the previous season, allowing the league's worst teams to spend the most money in the international arena. (YAWN)

• Small-market and low-revenue teams will have the ability to obtain additional supplemental-round Draft picks through an annual competitive balance lottery. WHAT!!!!!!????

• The current $178 million thresholds for the "luxury tax" on payrolls will remain unchanged in 2012 and 2013 but will increase to $189 million for 2014, 2015, and 2016. The tax rate will decrease to 17.5 percent for teams that exceed the threshold for the first time, and increase to 50 percent for clubs that exceed it for the fourth time or more. Rates will remain the same for clubs that exceed the threshold for the second time (30 percent) and third time (40 percent). (see next comment)

• The 15 teams in the largest markets will be disqualified from receiving revenue sharing by 2016. (but of course this includes the Yankees on the top of the list….let’s see--we were toyed with over the Cliff Lee thing, shut out of many other trades, totally ignored on the post season awards and now slapped in the face for making too much money…

• Beginning next spring, all players will be subject to HGH blood testing "for reasonable cause" at any time during the year. All players will be tested during Spring Training and will be subject to random, unannounced testing beginning next offseason. Uh oh—here we gooooooooo!!!

• Barring injury, players selected to the All-Star Game will be required to participate. Gee-ya think that was a shot at Jeter????????

• New players will not be permitted to use low-density maple bats, and by 2013, all Major Leaguers will wear a new batting helmet developed by Rawlings that protects against pitches thrown at 100 mph.

Happy birthday to my brother in law Wade, who we will be seeing in a few hours after we get off work and drive to Georgia to meet the in laws!

Happy belated Anniversary to my mom and Rich-6 years this past Sunday!! Whoo hoo!!

To clarify, the new email address is technically tied to my old one, so if you too are lazy you really don't have to do anything. Yahoo offers users to create a second email account that actually ties them all together. So you get your email no matter which email address is used. My reason for changing is out is pure laziness, I now don't have to type numbers and underscores when emailing....instead of creating a whole new email and then having to change everything tied to my old email...and I mean a lot is, this was the easy way out for me, and I save time in typing when using my phone or tablet.

Happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Joke of the Blog:

(from dad)

Why Parents Drink

The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had not phoned in sick. So he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper. 'Hello?' 'Is your daddy home?' 'Yes, he's out in the garden, ' whispered the small voice. 'May I talk with him?' The child whispered, 'No.'; So the boss asked, 'Well, is your Mommy there?' 'Yes, she's out in the garden too '& The boss asked; 'May I talk with her?' Again the small voice whispered, 'No.' Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, 'Is anybody else there?' 'Yes,' whispered the child, 'a policeman. ‘Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, 'May I speak with the policeman?' 'No, he's busy, ‘whispered the child. 'Busy doing what?' 'Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the police dog men.' Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background, the boss asked, 'What is that noise?' 'It's a helicopter ' answered the whispering voice. 'What is going on there?' demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive. 'The search team just landed a helicopter ' 'A search team?' said the boss. 'What are they searching for?' Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle.... 'ME

The Convection Oven – 11/12/11

2011-11-12T17:48:00.001-08:00

The Convection Oven – 11/12/11

The current NY Yankees

Starters
C – Russell Martin-arbitration
1B – Mark Teixeira
2B – Robinson Cano
3B – Alex Rodriguez
SS – Derek Jeter
LF – Brett Gardner-arbitration
CF – Curtis Granderson
RF – Nick Swisher
DH – Jesus Montero

Bench
C – Francisco Cervelli
INF – Eduardo Nunez
OF – Chris Dickerson
OF – in house candidate or …

We can bring back Andruw Jones. Eric Chavez is not too much in the plans anymore as much as I would have liked as he ponders retirement. Maybe someone can step in, or we look internally again.

Rotation
LHP – CC Sabathia-Lefty
RHP – Ivan Nova-Righty
RHP – Phil Hughes-Righty
RHP – A.J. Burnett-Righty
RHP – Hector Noesi-Righty-(as of now)

(On the list of possible additions, current team, lefty or righty and age)

Yu Darvish-Nippon Ham Fighters, Japan, Righty 8/16/86, 25yrs-he is starting to become the Yankees main choice and slowly becoming an option I am good with.

CJ Wilson-Texas Rangers, Lefty, 11/18/80, 31yrs

Felix Hernandez-Seattle, Righty, 4/8/86, 25yrs

Francisco Liriano-Minnesota Twins, Lefty, 10/26/83, 28yrs-Not happening unless the Twins were willing to steal every prospect we have. Beside, isn’t he a free agent in 2013?

Edwin Jackson-Detroit Tigers, Righty, 9/9/83, 28yrs

Roy Oswalt-Philadelphia Phillies, Righty, 8/29/77, 34yrs-NL pitcher, nah.

Mark Buehrle-Chicago WhiteSox, Lefty, 3/23/79, 32yrs---this is becoming my choice.

Gio Gonzalez-Oakland A’s, Lefty, 9/19 85, 26yrs-Not happening but heck yea, I would want him. We need another lefty.

John Danks-Chicago White Sox, Lefty, 4/15/85, 26yrs-Right behind his teammate Buehrle.

BillyL’s sleepers:

Brett Anderson-Oakland A’s, Lefty, 2/1/88, 23

Josh Johnson-Miami Marlins, Righty, 1/31/84, 27yrs

(also, he suggests two starters were needed instead of one with extra taking AJ Burnett’s spot)

Bullpen
Closer – Mariano Rivera
Setup – Dave Robertson
Setup – Rafael Soriano
Lefty – Boone Logan
Middle – Cory Wade
Middle – Joba Chamberlain
Long – Somewhat open spot but in house candidates such as Kevin Whelan or George Kontos or even Hector Noesi if he is not a starter could fill this role.

Other chattering:

There is a Cuban defector named Yoenis Cespedes out there causing some sort of stir. Not much that I know about him other than what I have read, which is that he looks like “Gary Sheffield at the plate, Vernon Davis working out and Magic Johnson in the field.”

And what about Jorge? Have we really seen the last of Posada in pinstripes? He actually did well for his new role, but where does he fit on the 2012 Yankees? Will he actually be in another uniform? Perhaps, but for now I have to wonder and ask…is Jorge done with playing baseball? He recently spoke with Bernie as they are in similar situations. A shame to see our home grown guys go out so undeserving without any fan fare, but that is how baseball goes I guess.

Blog note:

One thing I can say as the logs get thrown onto this year’s Hot Stove, I feel less stressed like I did last year with Cliff Lee. There really is no real “big fish” and my attitude has changed. I feel like we are going to do this and do this right. We need pitching and we know that (again)…but with so many somewhat equal skills options via trade, international route, in-house and free agency I get the feeling Cashman is going to come up golden this offseason, thus so will the Yankees and so will the fans of the NY Yankees. When the best option on the market is CJ Wilson you can take your time and really try and find the right person for the team as a player and as a person and teammate.

Awards, Awards, Awards:

1. Curtis Granderson was awarded the AL’s Outstanding Player in the 2011 Players Choice award…you guessed it-selected by his peers.

He was second in voting for the Player of the Year award but was beat out by Justin Verlander of the tigers. This award was for both leagues, so second, although is counted as the first loser, is not too bad considering there are hundreds of players in both leagues.

2. Cano and Granderson were also awarded “Silver Slugger awards by Louisville Slugger.

3. Granderson was also awarded the MLB.com NY Yankee Player of the Year.

4. Mo won the MLB.com NY Yankee Pitcher of the Year.

5. Ivan nova took the MLB.com NY Yankee Breakout Player of the Year

6. Travesty however was not left off the award mantles for the Yankees. As I mentioned last blog Gardner lost out to Alex Gordan for the left field Gold Glove honor and Cano was beat out by the red*ucks Pedroia. Gardner clearly was robbed. And you can same the same for Cano if you ask me…but Gardner? ROBBED!

7. Getting back to the awards we did win (we---as if WE are all on the field playing…)..Gardner did get the Fielding Bible Award for the best fielder at a position in 2011.

8. Bartolo Colon was a candidate for the MLBPA (major league baseball players association Comeback Player of the Year award, but lost out to that Elsbury guy from the red*ucks.

Awards up next are the baseball writers Association (BBWAA) and the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the year award Nov 14th.

The AL Cy Young award will be Nov 15th

The Manager of the Year award on Nov 16th & the

The AL MVP on Nov 21st

Spring Training:

The Yankees have released the spring training schedule. Check Yankees.com for more details (or look below). The schedule I had running was pretty close only with some missing dates and times. One of the later dates, I assume the April 4th game, there will be another replica ring giveaway for the series of World Series championships. No other promotions have been announced yet.

Schedule
Date
Time
Opponent
Location

March 2
1:05 p.m.
USF
Tampa

March 3
1:05 p.m.
Philadelphia
Clearwater

March 4
1:05 p.m.
Philadelphia
Tampa

March 5
1:05 p.m.
Philadelphia
Clearwater

March 6
1:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh
Bradenton

March 7
1:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay
Tampa

March 8
1:05 p.m.
Toronto
Dunedin

March 9
1:05 p.m.
Atlanta
Tampa

March 10
1:05 p.m.
Atlanta
Disney

March 11
1:05 p.m.
Philadelphia (ss)
Tampa

March 11
1:05 p.m.
Minnesota (ss)
Ft. Myers

March 12
7:05 p.m.
Houston
Tampa

March 13
7:05 p.m.
Boston
Tampa

March 14
1:05 p.m.
Toronto
Dunedin

March 15
1:05 p.m.
Washington
Viera

March 16
1:05 p.m.
Washington
Tampa

March 17
1:05 p.m.
Houston
Tampa

March 18
1:05 p.m.
Baltimore
Sarasota

March 19

OFF DAY

March 20
7:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh
Tampa

March 21
1:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay
Pt. Charlotte

March 22
7:05 p.m.
Boston
Ft. Myers

March 23
1:05 p.m.
Minnesota (ss)
Tampa

March 23
1:05 p.m.
Philadelphia (ss)
Clearwater

March 24
1:05 p.m.
Detroit
Lakeland

March 25
1:05 p.m.
Detroit
Tampa

March 26

OFF DAY

March 27
7:05 p.m.
Toronto
Tampa

March 28
1:05 p.m.
Atlanta
Disney

March 29
7:05 p.m.
Baltimore
Tampa

March 30
7:05 p.m.
Philadelphia
Tampa

March 31
1:05 p.m.
Houston
Kissimmee

April 1
1:10 p.m.
Miami
Miami

April 2
7:10 p..m
Miami
Miami

April 3
2:10 p.m.
Mets
St. Lucie

April 4
1:05 p.m.
Mets
Tampa

November Fantasy Camp:

We attended and it was fun as usual to watch. One of these days I tell ya, I am gonna really participate. It was a cold 74 degrees today...back to 80 tomorrow...Yay!

Found on Yankees.com from reporter Bryan Hoch who is participating in the events where he is typing about his experiences this past week.

The typical crew of past players are on hand such as Mickey Rivers, Oscar Gamble, Homer Bush, Cecil Fielder, Tanyon Sturtze, Tommy John, Hector Lopez, Al Downing, Fritz Peterson, etc – oh and Goose showed up earlier in the week which we missed for obvious work reasons.

YES Hot Stove recap:

Not on TV yet

Joke of the Blog:

(from dad again)

A cannibal was walking through the jungle
and came upon a restaurant operated by a
fellow cannibal.

Feeling somewhat hungry, he sat down and
looked over the menu....

+Tourist: $5.00

+Broiled Missionary: $10..00

+Fried Explorer: $15..00

+Baked Democrat or Grilled Republican: $100.00

The cannibal called the waiter over and asked,
"Why such a high price for the Politicians?"

The cook replied, "Have you ever tried to clean one?
They're so full of crap, it takes all morning."

November 4, 2011

2011-11-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

The two and a half C’s are back…CC and Cashman.

“If he is with us he is in the rotation”, Cashman on AJ Burnett…really???? Could we really move AJ?

What I loved about CC’s “Halloween” signing was that he showed he is not greedy. His contract (122 million over 5 yrs) was pretty close to what I was pushing …I was expecting 5 yrs at 25 mil or 125 million). Yes, CC will lay off the Captain Crunch again this off season and come to camp slim I expect him to at least. The key is that the yanks did not go over 5 years. He is locked in through 2016 and the Yanks hold option on 2017.

Granderson hits grand slam in Taiwan…yep, there still is some baseball going on as the MLB all stars headed to Taiwan to play their all stars..and just as he left off the 2011 season Grandy came through with a slam…I believe there are two or so more games and can be watched on MLB Network…”check your local listings and times”.

Killer B’s just shrunk. The word is the world is actually losing its Bee population and this is also now apparent on the Yankees as they have cut ties with Andrew Brackman…which to me is no real surprise as he has slipped a bit of late…

Uh…did we not go through this already? The talk of the Yankees and dumbrays trading is not going to happen UNLESS there is a third team involved and maybe ONLY IF the dumbrays do not know about the third teams plan. I would love it but I do not see this taking place any time soon, and I also do not want to see our prized possessions in a dumbrays uniform too…something I am sure they would be asking for from the Yankees.

Now…imagine this one? LIncecum of the Giants and his short hairdo in a Yankee uniform….
Here is one proposal….by Mike Silva—I hate both of them….do a search for his name and Lincecum to read the rest. I don’t care for it.

1. Montero, Nunez, one Killer B, one of Hughes or Nova
2. Romine, Gardner, Nunez, one Killer B
You think Theo Epstein would hold back the Yankees from taking Matt Garza? Do we even want him? He does has AL East pedigree…

All of the sudden the world of pitching is shining on NY. With CC se-upping the agent for CJ Wilson and Roy Oswalt decide to throw his two players in the “I love NY” mix. Of course they may be jockeying for money elsewhere but after last season’s Cliff Lee crap it is a nice thing to hear. If they do or don’t become New Yorkers in the Bronx remains to be seen though.
Like em’ or not John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman are back on Yankees CBS radio for one more year.

Onto pitching (as usual) Cashman….and I am slowly coming to the idea of going after the White Sox Mark Buehrle. No to Roy Oswalt because he is getting up there. I vote a “maybe” to Edwin Jackson as he is young enough to slip into the rotation for a while. Don’t feel as high on CJ Wilson as I am reading and learning more about him…and there just may be better options out there up to and including this Darvish guy from Japan. Besides, Darvish would cost the Yankees just about as much as CJ Wilson would with one huge exception….with Darvish the posting fee is not subject to the luxury tax they will have to pay with CJ Wilson on the squad..plus CJ Wilson would cost us a draft pick to the Wrongjers….just typing it makes my mind think Darvish may be a viable target. But let me tell you something….if he indeed becomes a Yankee and falters this would be the final blow on obtaining pitchers form overseas.

The 2011 GIBBY’S:
Despite the down year for not obtaining number 28 the Yankees had their season moments. Form Jeter to Mo to Cano to Robertson to even my guy Gardner and Granderson, there were some good times. This is the chance to enjoy some good replays while trying to vote for the players that deserve this award. There are some good ones that were even non Yankee relate, but of course I voted for all Yankees. You have until December 16th and in each category you can vote up to 25 times.

“MLB's A-listers will take home 2011 Greatness in Baseball Yearly trophies -- the ultimate honors of baseball's awards season -- based on votes by you the fans at MLB.com, media, front-office personnel and MLB alumni.
Choose a category below, and cast your ballots now to help decide which stars and Must C highlights were the best of 2011.”

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/awards/y2011/gibbys/

Golden glove who????
Not Gardner??? Are you freaking kidding me????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Just reading up on this here are some facts why Gardner was snubbed
1. New rule only allows one player per outfield position…so if there are two great left fielders one gets robbed, as did Gardner.
2. Those voting now only see these players maybe 18 times a year…not a great sample size to consider for a golden glove, ya think?
3. Gardner was way above average for all positions in left field, not just the outfield.
4. Gardner tied MLB lead in Defensive runs saved
5. He led MLB in what they call this Ultimate Zone Rating
6. Amongst AL left fielders Gardner saved 22 runs with his defense. Second place was to Sam Fuld of the dumbrays with 9…yes…over double the amount….the winner of the left field AL gold glove had 4..
Oh heck, there are so many more reasons if you look it up online you will see them…I am looking at 6 more I did not even bother typing about because it pissed me off. He deserved the gold glove…period!

Aside from the above snub to Gardner here is the joke of the Blog…compliments of dad again….

Dont forget to set clocks back adn sleep in an extra hour Satrurday night and Sunday morning.
Joke of the Blog:
This is why we love children!1) NUDITY
I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, 'Mom, that lady isn't wearing a seat belt!'

2) OPINIONS
On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, 'The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents.'

3) KETCHUP
A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her 4-year-old daughter to answer the phone. 'Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle.'

4) MORE NUDITY

A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, 'What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a little boy before?'

5) POLICE # 1
While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, 'Are you a cop? Yes,' I answered and continued writing the report My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?' 'Yes, that's right,' I told her. 'Well, then,' she said as she extended her foot toward me, 'would you please tie my shoe?'

6) POLICE # 2
It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog you got back there?' he asked.
'It sure is,' I replied.
Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, 'What'd he do?'

7) ELDERLY
While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs... One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, 'The tooth fairy will never believe this!'

8) DRESS-UP
A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, 'Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit.'
'And why not, darling?'
'You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning.'

9) DEATH
While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased.
The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: 'Glory be unto the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the hole he goooes.' (I want this line used at my funeral!)

10) SCHOOL
A little girl had just finished her first week of school. 'I'm just wasting my time,' she said to her mother. 'I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk!'

11) BIBLE
A little boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it.. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages.
'Mama, look what I found,' the boy called out...
'What have you got there, dear?'
With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, 'I think it's Adam's underwear!'

October 29, 2011

2011-10-29T07:05:00.001-07:00

World Series OVAH!!!

And here we go 2012….

Soriano will not be opting out so we have him through next season. He likes NY and the set up role so-say! Maybe he will have a more comfortable year and possibly do well enough to be considered as the next closer for this team. Soriano is set to earn $11 million next year and $14 million in 2013, with $1.5 million buyouts for each year

Cashman is in the fold for the next three years…No comment on the other reports out there on Cashman. For those who know what I am talking about look at the picture on wikepedia from 2009 and the picture you may have see form 2009…No comment!

CC has an offer from the Yankees to prevent him from opting out. I said what? 5 year at 26 million a year?

Borasswipe is trying to mess with Cano’s contract…I say shut the hell up and sit down. Cano has 2 years left each with club options…we have other issues to deal with now.

Watch MLB.com Monday night where that guy Reggie “Grouchy-ass” Jackson holds an interview and talk negatively about Billy Martin. I loved Billy and wish Reggie Jackson nothing but cold rainy weather. He is the most ungrateful jackass I have ever met and watched in disbelief the way he treats little kids at spring training. I thought he was on drugs. If he came up to me to shale my hands it would take all I had to keep from turning and walking away from him.

No to Beltran-Yes to Swisher in 2012..My vote is in!

Yankees 2012 Spring Training Schedule as of today:
March 3
NYY at PHI
March 4
PHI at NYY
March 5
NYY at PHI
March 6
NYY at PIT
March 9
ATL at NYY
March 10
NYY at ATL
March 11
PHI at NYY
March 12
HOU at NYY
March 13
BOS at NYY
March 17
HOU at NYY
March 20
PIT at NYY
March 23
NYY at PHI
March 25
DET at NYY
March 28
NYY at ATL
March 30
PHI at NYY
March 31
NYY at HOU
April 1
NYY at MIA (in Miami)
April 2
NYY at MIA* (in Miami)
April 4
NYM at NYY (not sure if this is in NY or in Tampa)

Joke of the Blog:

(from retired NYC Police Officer Newcombe…..I mean dad)

A police motorcycle cop stops a driver for running a red light. The driver is a real jerk, steps out of his car and comes striding toward the officer, demanding to know why he is being harassed by the Gestapo!

So the officer calmly tells him of the red light violation. The motorist instantly goes on a tirade, questioning the officer's ancestry, sexual orientation, etc., in rather explicit offensive terms.

The tirade goes on without the officer saying anything.

When the officer finishes writing the ticket he puts an "AH" in the lower right corner of the narrative portion of the ticket. He then hands it to the 'violator' for his signature. The guy signs the ticket angrily, and when presented with his copy points to the "AH" and demands to know what it stands for.

The officer says, "That's so when we go to court, I'll remember that you're an asshole!"

Two months later they're in court. The 'violator' has a bad driving record and he is in danger of losing his license, so he hired a lawyer to represent him.

On the stand the officer testifies to seeing the man run the red light.

Under cross examination the defense attorney asks: "Officer, is this a reasonable facsimile of the ticket that you issued to my client?"

Officer responds, "Yes, sir, that is the defendant's copy, his signature and mine, same number at the top."

Lawyer: "Officer, is there any particular marking or notation on this ticket you don't normally make?"

"Yes, sir, in the lower right corner of the narrative there is an 'AH,' underlined."

"What does the 'AH' stand for, officer?"

"Aggressive and hostile, Sir."

"Aggressive and hostile?"

"Yes, Sir

"Officer, are you sure it doesn't stand for asshole?"

Well, sir, you know your client better than I do

~~~~ How often can one get an attorney to convict his own client~

October 28, 2011

2011-10-29T07:03:00.001-07:00

Hello,

I am currently employed at a local Property Management company that has recentlyseen my position moved from one side of their line of business back to another. The line of business I am being transferred back to will have a short life span as the division will either be relocated to South Florida, sold or dissolved altogether.
Although I love what I am doing as well as have enjoyed working at the company I no longer see the long term future I had envisioned three years ago when I joined their team. Therefore it leaves me with the opportunity to seek the long term stability I desire as well as a great chance to broaden my horizons.
Once you review the attached resume I would like to expand on my past accomplishments as well as see where my background and drive would fit into the vision for future success with your company.

Best regards,

Kevin Newcombe
(727) 543-6819

October 26, 2011

2011-10-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

It has been long enough to type a bit...as the month closes from October to November next week, the time his approaching for all heck to break lose. The World Series will be over finally after Thursday no matter what. I have not watched a combined one full inning to this point. I just have nothing going for it. Thankfully YES is replaying Yankee games...and the good thing about that is they are all Yankee wins so the worry is gone...but Yankee baseball plays on.

The Yankee brass is here in Tampa going over “things” and two of those “things” are to resign Cashman and CC. Cashman, maybe tomorrow. I have the Yankees offering CC 26 million a year for 5 years. That will put CC’s remaining contract to 130 million up from the current pre-opt out price of 92 million for 4 years. So you give him one more year and 38 million more bucks.

What new banter has been picked up since last typing? Well, let’s see...

Astros Wandy Rodriguez---I say Nope!

Dodgers Hideki Kuroda---I say Nope!

Used to be Dodgers Casey Blake---I say maybe—to cover the 3rd base backup spot being left open by Chavez and his retirement bug...or in house Brandon Laird....

Whitesox John Danks or Mark Buehrle---I say Yes and/or Yes

Rangers CJ Wilson---I say Yes.

red*ucks David Ortiz---I say Nope!

Rockies Ty Wigginton—I say Yes. He plays both corner infield positions and could be a nice option to backup Tex and A-Rod. He has been in the AL East, in NY and

Marlins Ricky Nolasco---I say Maybe! He is heading into his 29th birthday and is a bit wild at times, but he may be worth a look for the right price.

Phillies Roy Oswalt---I say possibly...

I also think that the Yankees would do good bny looking back at Garcia for one more turn.

Then there is this Darvish guy from the Japanese league the Yankees are high on, even way over CJ Wilson. I know....don’s judge based off of past history with these type of pitchers but it is really hard. He is 24 right now and by the end of November he will officially be able to post for the MLB opportunity. Found some numbers thanks to BillyL who still is keeping the emails going despite the end of the Yankee season coming on earlier than we all wanted.

Here are their respective numbers during the season that they turned 24. They do look impressive enough to maybe turn my head a little bit to ponder the thought.
Irabu: 8-7, 3.10 ERA, 142.1 IP, 160 K.
Igawa: 14-11, 3.73 ERA, 201 IP, 203 K.
Dice-K: 14-13, 2.30 ERA, 215 IP, 226 K
Darvish: 17-6, 1.49 ERA, 261 K (I have not been able to confirm his IP, but we can safely assume it was over 200)

Other stuff:

Had to comment on this…so Kadaffy Duck has been captured and knocked off the face of the earth….and of course who helped catch him? A guy with a Yankee hat!

Happy 94th birthday to my grandmother in PA tomorrow.

Benny, sorry man…got your text but as you read I have no horses in the World Series race and my willingness to watch it (not) is not swaying my opinion on which team I prefer to win. I prefer the Yankees of course but that ain’t happnin’!

Joke of the Blog:

Still working off the old jokes I have compiled, but seem to be rebuilding the list from some of you….Since halloween is coming up I thought this next one I just now received from BillyL would be one to share...why the guys name at the end is familair I don't know...I need to ask BillyL that one ....

I also added two more to boot since it has been a while.

Number one:

The Cabbie picks up a Nun.
She gets into the cab, and notices that the VERY handsome
Cab driver won't stop staring at her.

She asks him why he is staring.

He replies:
"I have a question to ask you but I don't want to offend you."

She answers,
"My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am
And have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and
Hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could
Say or ask that I would find offensive."

"Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me."

She responds,
"Well, let's see what we can do about that: #1, you have
To be single and #2, you must be Catholic."

The cab driver is very excited and says,
"Yes, I'm single and Catholic!"

"OK" the nun says. "Pull into the next alley."

The nun fulfills his fantasy, with a kiss that would
Make a hooker blush.

But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.

"My dear child," says the nun, "why are you crying?"

"Forgive me but I've sinned. I lied and I must confess,
I'm married and I'm Jewish."

The nun says, "That's OK.
My name is Kevin and I'm going to a Halloween party."

Number two:Mother Superior called all the nuns together and said to them, 'I must tell you all something. We have a case of gonorrhea in the convent.' 'Thank God,' said an elderly nun at the back. 'I'm so tired of chardonnay.

********************************************
Number three:

A woman came home, screeching her car into the driveway, and ran into the house. She slammed the door and shouted at the top of her lungs, 'Honey, pack your bags. I won the lottery!'
The husband said, 'Oh my God! What should I pack, beach stuff or mountain stuff?' 'Doesn't matter,' she said. 'Just get out.'

October 17, 2011

2011-10-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

News and Notes:
In response to some articles that have passed by my eye balls this early off season I thought it would be nice to dissect them to the Kev-umth degree.

With CC about to opt out, and with the uncertain AJ Burnett that has no promise of subsiding given the history, there lies ahead a gaping fat hole in the pitching staff. We don’t have a chance at resigning Colon or Garcia, and I do not want to. So that leaves Nova as the current person on the staff. Hughes and Joba, who are both considered starters, are not considered in the plans for me (yet).

That leaves two spots for sure open, counting on CC to come back to the Yankees of course with a new mountain of money going to him (something I am not too happy with given his lowered productivity the latter part of the year. You do realize he gave up the winning run to the Tigers…even with the missed chances at the plate the irony of it all is that it came down to that run lost by CC.

Not all is lost yet on the 2012 staff…because we still have the Killer B’s in Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos. Also in the wings are Adam Warren, David Phelps and the third member of the Killer B’s Andrew Brackman. None to me are exactly ready to come up to the roster in April, but given time they could be the next in line like Nova was…and then there is Hector Noesi…all home grown talent to be considered in the next two years for a starting rotation chance. Some still need soe grooming and you never know who will be used as trade bait.

Kind of like the catching situation. We have Austin Romine, Jesus Montero and let’s not forget Gustovo Molina, Kyle Higashioka, Jose Gil and Gary Sanchez, who I envision as the next real starter behind the plate for us, the true Jorge replacement.

The next list is of players that are supposed to be good fits for the Yankees:

CC Sabathia-He will be opting out like the sun will rise tomorrow morning. If he did not I would have to think he was not a very good business man…that is why he had the “opt out” clause in there to begin with, and that day has come. I would expect to drive the price up and make it interesting the typical group of teams will try to pull him away from the Yankees. The Angels and red*ucks for starters will do their best….maybe the Rangers or Tigers. Like the sun will rise tomorrow so it set and when the time comes to sign on with a team the Yankees will retain him.

There is talk in Phillie about Roy Oswalt being shown the door with his $16 million contract. He is as old as a starter should be but he is serviceable. I say stay away however, because he is too old and has been in the National League enjoying their talent.

Prince Fielder…people seem to think that just because he will be seeking the big bucks the Yankees will be in on him this off season. What the F&^%$^ for? Where the heck will he fit in and how? Sorry Cecil Fielder but just because you were a Yankee does not mean your son will be or even should be. Besides, this father and son duo don’t exactly get along, anyone who can’t get along with Cecil can’t be any good. Apparently, the apple can fall far from the tree.

The Swisher for Beltran talk sounds interesting. We all know Beltran offered to take a pay cut to join the Yankees a few years ago and we balked. He ended up hurt and with the mutts before heading out west. Now he is available and for the right price he may actually be a descent upgrade to Swisher in right feild, who I flat out like as a person. But Swisher’s post season play stinks as much as Beltrans’ numbers don’t in the post season. We are built for October baseball and those type of stats do matter in Yankee land. Swisher is closer to the “bye bye” door the more I think about it unless he agrees to stay and take on a lesser role…I doubt it. I see him back in a WhiteSox uniform with new manager batman Ventura if he does leave or out west. Not that I am totally looking for that to happen. We probably will exercise the team option on him. He would be a lot cheaper than Beltran and is younger…so that much is on Swisher’s side. I was looking forward to chatting with him during spring training. We will see.

If you look over the list of free agent right fielders there is not much of a clear cut choice to go with other than Swisher….or converting someone to the position…read on below how that could work.

Tell me, why should the Yankees walk away from a one year deal for 10.5 million instead of taking on a 3 or 4 year contract for 42 million for Beltran and his bad knees?

Finally a move I am all in with. Michael Cuddyer in Yankee uniform looks good to me all the way. Word is that Chavez may retire. I liked what Chavez gave us while A-Rod was on the DL this year. Cuddyer on the other hand can play many positions and has a good enough bat to fill the utility role above Ramiro Pena. I am not quite ruling out Edwardo Nunez..so don’t even go there. Jeter had a horrific first year in pinstripes as did Bernie and Mo to name a couple, so I want to give this kid a chance to earn Jeter’s short stop spot. Cuddyer could very well end up in right field and can play some third base, second base and first base as he has played all of those spots in his career.

Hold onto your seats…the talk of free agent David Ortiz in pinstripes would make George jump with glee out of his tomb down here. He wanted Ortiz 9 years ago and was talked out of it. I won’t even comment here as I bet it would never happen, but can you imagine Ortiz in the lineup with A-Rod Cano and Tex?

How about the Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish? NO! He has had a horrible record this season over there (his numbers however are very good 1.34 ERA, 11runs, 12walks and 88 strikeouts in 74 innings)…but he is 25 and used to that Japanese baseball that does not seem to transfer well for pitchers over here in the states. Therefore, I repeat…NO!

I do however like the idea of signing CJ Wilson. He is a young lefty pitching in the post season right now for the AL team Rangers. What more can you ask for to get someone with quality in the rotation to better help the youngsters mentioned above to mature a bit longer. CJ is a young 31 year old as he only has been a starter for two seasons.

Other mentionable players not worth mentioning are Jose Reyes of the mutts, Felix Hernandez in Seattle, Oakland’s Gio Gonzalez.

Oh and by the time I release this Cashman may already be back in the fold….it is expected and wanted by both parties so get used to it as will Girardi. So put aside the talk of Girardi being replaced by Francona, who I am sure is a fine individual –even more so now that he no longer manages the red*ucks. Boy, isn’t it just nice how the red*ucks are falling apart? GM Theo Epstein heading to the Cubs, Francona gone…all they need to do now is lose a few key players….
2012:
The Yankees have the following players who are free agents:
Eric Chavez 1B/3B, Bartolo Colon RHP, Freddy Garcia RHP, Andruw Jones OF, Sergio Mitre RHP, Jorge Posada DH/1B, CC Sabathia LHP (opt-out clause), Rafael Soriano RHP (opt-out clause).

Of this group I really do not care about Soriano at this point if he opted out. Chavez may retire although I like him and Sabathia I expect to be back. The rest are goners.

Brett Gardner OF, Boone Logan LHP, Russell Martin C, David Robertson RHP are all eligible for arbitration and all but Boon Logan will be back with pay raises.

The Yankees have club options with Robinson Cano 2B, $14 million; Damaso Marte LHP, $4 million; Nick Swisher RF, $10.25 million. Obviously they will pick up Cano, they should part with Marte unless he will be a contributor next season and we already discussed Swisher above.

Positions:

Catcher
Martin is under club control for another year, and should return in '12 with a raise over his old $4 million contract. Montero will also be considered strongly for a role as the DH, with Posada out of the picture. They'll also give a good look to Austin Romine, who offers a much more polished defensive game than Montero. Small chance for others mentioned above to be a part of the team.

First Base
Mark Teixeira sucked as usual in the postseason, but he won’t be going anywhere…and he is due for a better season average to go along with the 30 homers. His defense is above –no—way above average.

Second Base

Cano will be back here obviously and maybe Eduardo Nunez can take some stabs there unless we pick up another utility player.

Shortstop

Jeter. Nunez to back up?

Third Base

ARod and his promises for a better year will be back at third. Brandon Laird could pick up some plays depending on who we catch from other teams.

Outfield

The Yankees could have the same starting outfield returning in 2012 for what would be their third straight year together. Curtis Granderson was a MVP candidate in center field, becoming the only player in Major League history to record at least 40 homers, 10 triples and 25 steals in a season. Gardner doesn't have a ton of power, but he played a Gold Glove left field and Girardi may have hi hot leadoff in 2012. Nick Swisher's $10.25 million option looks like a descent choice, despite his playoff struggles, as they like his plate approach and believe he offers better defense than many give him credit for. Only issue is who will be the backup outfielder or right fielder if Swisher is shown the door?

Designated Hitter

This could be Montero’s spot to hold in place for the other players who will occupy the DH role on certain days.

Rotation
1. CC
2. Nova
3. (new pitcher –CJ Wilson is my first choice…young enough lefty from the Rangers (AL team) who actually may want to pitch in NY – only 2 years of starting pitching as he was converted from a relief pitcher)
4. AJ
5. Phil Hughes, Hector Noesi, Dellin Betances, Adam Warren, David Phelps and Manny Banuelos

Bullpen

Mo in his final year possibly will be the closer…duhhhhhh
Robertson, Soriano (if he does not opt out), maybe Logan and another lefty, Joba will be back and hopefully a force, maybe Cory Wade and Luis Ayala. Marte won’t be reliable enough to count on and don’t even think about what’s his face from the mutts

Speaking of the farm system:

Did you know the mutts blocked the Yankees from playing one lousy season for the AAA Scranton team in Newark while their stadium gets all dolled up? The Yankees even offered the stupid cash strapped mutts 250k to play there and offered them to move one of their lousy farm teams into Yankee territory…those cash strapped idiots in Queens still knocked us down.

So now the SWB Yankees will play all their home games as a road team, splitting their time between six ballparks: five IL ballparks and Dwyer Stadium, home of the Batavia MuckDogs (short season A; NY-Penn League).

The five International League ballparks: Frontier Field, home of the Rochester Red Wings; Alliance Bank Stadium, home of the Syracuse Chiefs; Coca-Cola Field, home of the Buffalo Bisons; Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs; and McCoy Stadium, home of the Pawtucket Red Sox.
.
Expect Jorge to hang up the glove, catcher mask, bat and cleats. We have seen the Jive 5 (Bernie, Jeter, Mo, Jorge, Andy) go to the core 4 (Jeter, Mo, Jorge, Andy), briefly to the keen three (Jeter, Mo, Jorge), then back to the core 4 and now soon to be dynamic duo of Jeter and Mo, who both captured milestones last season in what ended up making the season bearable but no less of a disappointment by not winning the series.

Leading quotes:

>>>>>Abiding by George Steinbrenner's credo of "championship or failure," Yankees team president Randy Levine labeled the 2011 season as unsuccessful.
"We are the Yankees," Levine told ESPNNewYork.com Friday as he and the franchise coped with being eliminated at home in Game 5 of the ALDS by the Detroit Tigers. "That is the way The Boss set it up. When you don't win the World Series, it is a bitter disappointment and not a successful year."
>>>>>George Steinbrenner's son, Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner
"I personally share in our fans' disappointment that this season has ended without a championship," Hal Steinbrenner said in a news release. "That is, and always will be, our singular goal every season. I assure you that this disappointment will strengthen our resolve to field a team in 2012 that can bring a twenty-eighth championship to the Bronx. That work starts now."

Happy belated birthday RF!
Happy early Birthday to my Grandmother (later this month) in Pennsylvania…94 YEARS YOUNG.
BobG-there is a really nice Yankee shirt in the gift shop that has our names all over it…..button front, not a pull over…and it costs a cool $114.00. save the bucks.

Yankees 2012 Spring Training Schedule as of today:
March 3
NYY at PHI
March 4
PHI at NYY
March 5
NYY at PHI
March 9
ATL at NYY
March 10
NYY at ATL
March 11
PHI at NYY
March 12
HOU at NYY
March 13
BOS at NYY
March 17
HOU at NYY
March 23
NYY at PHI
March 25
DET at NYY
March 28
NYY at ATL
March 30
PHI at NYY
March 31
NYY at HOU
April 1
NYY at MIA (in Miami)April 2
NYY at MIA* (in Miami)
April 4
NYM at NYY (not sure if this is in NY or in Tampa)
April 7
NYY in Tampa to start the season.. Joke of the Blog:
From BillyL

Fred's Funeral
Fred works hard at the office but spends two nights each week bowling, And plays golf every Saturday.
His wife thinks he's pushing himself too hard, so for his birthday she Takes him to a local strip club.
The doorman at the club greets them and says, ""Hey, Fred! How ya doin?"
His wife is puzzled and asks if he's been to this club before.
"Oh no," says Fred. "He's in my bowling league."
When they are seated, a waitress asks Fred if he'd like his usual and Brings over a Budweiser.
His wife is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and says, "How did she know that you drink Budweiser?"
"I recognize her, she's the waitress from the golf club. I always have A Bud at the end of the 1st nine, honey."
A stripper then comes over to their table, throws her arms around Fred, Starts to rub herself all over him and says, "Hi Freddie. Want your usual table dance, big boy?"
Fred's wife, now furious, grabs her purse and storms out of the club. Fred follows and spots her getting into a taxi. Before she can slam the door, he jumps in beside her.
Fred tries desperately to explain how the stripper must have mistaken Him for someone else, but his wife is having none of it.
She is screaming at him at the top of her lungs, calling him every four letter word in the book.
The cabby turns around and says, "Geez Fred, you picked up a real bitch This time."
Fred's funeral will be on Saturday.

October 7, 2011 Part Two

2011-10-08T09:16:00.001-07:00

bodyThis did not take long to send another email out, now did it?

What I sent out earlier brought on so many great comments I just had to throw one out there one more time.

The frustration is in the writing and I get it…

Yes, CC is not worth every dime he is getting. If he was to actually opt out and walk I am not too sure how upset I would be…despite having a thin as ever starting pitching staff CC is eligible to opt out of the remaining 92 million owed on his contract through 2015. Is he worth more than 23 million a year? NOPE!

I am surprised I have not heard anyone ask for AJ’s head yet

I do not expect Colon or Garcia to be around either.

Teixeira has been for the most part a letdown to me. He has not contributed crap especially in the post season. His contract runs out in 2016 and is due a modest 22.5 million a year…yes.. 22.5 million. He is owed under contract a whopping 112.5 million and I am not sure any team other than a rival could pay that…maybe the Angles?

In time I will be offering up my thoughts on the 2011 roster, with their chances of returning to the team in 2012. I actually look forward to that task and now that I am on the roll here it may be sooner rather than the later I thought earlier today.

Swisher-I like the guy and do believe he will be back for 2012 on a 1 year deal. I also expect that we will begin to look within to fill right field. If not then he could be let go or used as trade bait (re-signed and traded). No, I do not believe he would agree to be a platoon player, but it would suit me fine if he did.

Flashback:

1998 Yankee team…now that was a set of winners—good call JoeV.

If there was someone bold enough or perhaps stupid enough to ask for ARod I would not hesitate to show ARod the door. That is not gonna happen though so we need to stick behind this guy…known as AFraud, Payrod, Aroid and so on…. ARod is due 143 million in a deflating yearly salary…next season he gets 29 million, 28 the next, 25 the next 21 the next and then two years at 20 million.

Correct me if I am wrong, but just because the Yankees lost am I not to wear the Yankee shirt on my back today? I responded to the two people who had something to say to me about it by saying “What are you talking about; I am not a Rays fan. I still support my team win or lose”…Idiots!

I promise…I won’t type another one of these ------------today.

Enjoy the below, I did …thanks again to BillyL for sharing…

MLB Playoffs 2011: Why the Detroit Tigers Winning Was Pure Dumb Luck
By Josh Benjamin
(Featured Columnist) on October 7, 2011

Not too long ago, the Detroit Tigers completed an upset over the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. Despite some threats and rallies by the Bronx Bombers, Jim Leyland's boys were able to advance to the ALCS with a 3-2 victory.Yet, as great as the series was, I'm going to take a controversial stand and say that the Tigers did not earn that victory. To put it bluntly, tonight's victory and the series win as a whole was pure luck on Detroit's part. Let's analyze the series from the start.
Game 1 was supposed to be played last Friday night as CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander were set to face off in a battle of the aces. The game was tied 1-1 in the second inning before being suspended and Sabathia was absolutely cruising. Verlander, on the other hand, had struggled just to get through the first inning.
Call me crazy, but I think the Yankees would have won that game. Sabathia was at his absolute best and Verlander really didn't look all that sharp. Still, the Yankees finished the game the next night to the tune of a 9-3 victory.
Now, let's talk about Game 2. I won't make any excuses here, as the Yankees were simply outmatched by Max Scherzer. The man is well on his way to becoming one of the game's top strikeout pitchers and if he can improve his control, there may be a Cy Young award in his future.
Game 3 is the one that royally burned me up. Us fans finally got our dream matchup of CC vs. Verlander and instead of the epic duel we hoped for, we got an umpire who was clearly giving the Tigers ace hometown calls. I understand that CC Sabathia sometimes has games where he isn't at his best, but he's never so bad to the point where he walks six batters. The Yankees put up a respectable fight, but Detroit once again came out on top.
Now, let's fast forward to tonight's game, Game 5. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Yankees fan bummed out about the team losing, but I am not at all impressed by what the Tigers did tonight. The Yankees loaded the bases twice with one out and could only muster one run, on a bases loaded walk, no less.
That being said, the Yankees just flat out didn't deserve to win the game tonight. Yet, at the same time, I won't be giving the Tigers any props either. Under normal circumstances, the Yankees would have blown them out of the water and to be totally honest, the team from the Motor City got lucky.
Fans can only hope that this luck follows them to the ALCS, where they will face the dangerous Texas Rangers.

October 7, 2011 Season Ending Blog

2011-10-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

Message bodyLet’s make this perfectly clear. We were beat by a team that I do not really consider better than the Yanks. I really do not. They only scored 3 runs which was enough to trump our two…which to say was the reason we lost…we just did not score when we should and could have. The chances were there…Bases loaded chances. With ARod striking out three key times, Jeter hitting the first pitch on what was probably going to be a quick stolen base by Gardner in the 8th putting him in scoring position (why Jeter swung at the first pitch is a mystery to me). Martin and Gardner leaving the bases loaded with one out; Too many chances. I also think that Nova was what I call too confident in his start for a rookie….

ARod admitted that this was his fault. Give him that credit, but I have heard that before from him.

(Taken from Bryan Hoch’s / MLB.com article)

"Whatever happened this postseason is on me," Rodriguez said. "Let's make that crystal clear. There's no excuses, what happened in these five games. I was healthy enough to do whatever I had to do."

"No question -- I have a lot to prove," Rodriguez said. "I'm going to come back with a vengeance, and this team will, too."

We will see, as we have to pay Arod for the next 5 years.

The next issue to come up for the team this offseason, one that has started too early, is CC and his opt out clause. He will opt out…I promise…but he will be back at a higher rate of pay. He is our only proven ace, Nova, bless his little heart is not there yet and neither are the rest of the pack behind him. If only AJ would pitch they way he proved he can and we would be in a lot better shape, but he is way to unreliable. At least we get back Joba next season.

Brian Cashman is also about to have his contract expire at the end of October. He too will be back to reconstruct this team for the 2012 campaign. His priority will be to resign CC and for crying out loud get a top rate pitcher, please?

Next season may be Mo’s last. We need to really start considering his replacement and that needs to start now…so when next season comes around this person will need to start taking some of those games next season to get comfortable in the closer role. Also, is this it for Jorge? I would expect so, but we will see. He did fairly well in the role this season taking shots at first, DH and a catching this past season. I would like to have seen Chavez in the games this past week over ARod. I suspect that this should have crossed someone’s mind when the Tigers at one point chose to pitch to ARod with the bases loaded after an intentional walk to Cano. They obviously knew something was wrong with him to elect to pitch to him.

On Jorge: (Taken from Thomas Boorstein’s / MLB.com article)

-- Including the postseason, Jorge Posada has played for the Yankees in 1,954 games across 17 seasons. He has 1,767 hits and 286 home runs. But with his contract up and his future uncertain after Thursday's 3-2 Yankees loss to the Tigers in Game 5 of the American League Division Series, Posada lasted only 3 1/2 minutes through reporters' questions before leaving the clubhouse in tears.
Derek Jeter, Posada's best friend since their days in the Minor Leagues in the early 1990s, may have shared a field with him for the last time.
"He's like a brother to me," Jeter said. "I don't know what the future holds. It's not something that we talked about. Our job is to try to win this year. But yeah, we've grown up together."
Besides Jeter, closer Mariano Rivera has known Posada the longest, and he sounded resigned that his days of playing with Posada were over.
"Everything that we went through," Rivera said. "The good times, the bad times. Winning those World Series -- all those World Series. I definitely will miss him.
"If he comes back, we will welcome him. If he doesn't, I will wish him the best. My love for him is unconditional."
"They've been awesome," Posada said, with his voice breaking. "The fans have been unbelievable to this team and to me. I really give a lot of credit. They kept me here."
That would be Posada's last answer. Asked if a one-run loss in a decisive Game 5 was any tougher in his situation, Posada paused, wiped his eyes and apologized before leaving the clubhouse in tears.

Sad for me even to read the above…as these guys have been a part of my life for many years, even though I rag on them I expect them to be there..But that just can’t always be the case.

OK, moving on….

Also up for debate is Swisher and Russell Martin. I want both back-no questions asked. Martin is under team control and Swisher a club option.

Final note on the season:

No matter what, if you sit back and think about the failure to move on, we were not expected to be in the position we were in. Best record in the AL, beating out the red*ucks who were favored all along. Of course, this means nothing in Yankee land as we expect to win the World Series. Sometimes though there are other plans we have no control over.

Well, on that note I am going to close out.

We will be heading to the Fantasy Camp final day of activities in November and again in January. The Hot Stove logs will soon be lit up and at the same time the Convection Oven will be plugged in as the 2012 team begins to takes shape. With all that there will be periodic notes passed along, but in case the layover is a bit long hope you all stay safe.

On that note this concludes the season’s “almost daily” rants from me and I want to thank you all for putting up with them…I got on my own nerves…so don’t feel bad telling me so…it would not stop me from continuing to type these sometimes long winded opinions anyway….LOL---

On the LOL thing…Michael Kay hates the use of the LOL thing, he states that it is as if the person who types LOL is prompting you to laugh at their joke…he is right……LOL!

Who am I now going for? I think the best series would now be the Phillies and Tigers. I pick the Phillies out of respect to my grandfathers’ memory and that half of my family, and the Tigers because they beat us. There is something about the Texas Rangers I do not like. I also like Jim Leyland the Tigers manager.

Joke of the Blog:

This joke was at the bottom of the many pages of saved jokes. I have no idea where I got it and I assume most may have seen it already. Since this ties to an airline’s comments I thought this would be a good time to share it, since the Yankees are now going on their long vacations round the world just maybe they will have some of these funny comments on their journey’s. This is fairly long so get your lunch or dinner and enjoy.

After the Joke of the blog is a final word on Gene Monahan thanks to billyL for finding it.

DID YOU KNOW??

Kulula is a
Low-cost South-African airline that doesn't take
itself too seriously.
Check out their new
livery!

WHAT A PITY KULULA
DOESN'T FLY INTERNATIONALLY - WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY
FOR THEIR HUMOUR -

Kulula is an Airline
with head office situated in Johannesburg .

On a Kulula flight,
(there is no assigned seating, you sit where you
want) passengers were
apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight
attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out
furniture here, find a seat and get in
it!"

---o0o---

On another flight with a very "senior"
flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and
gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be
turning down the cabin lights. This is for your
comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight
attendants."

----o0o---

On landing, the stewardess said,
"Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If
you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's
something we'd like to
have."

----o0o---

"There may be 50 ways to leave your
lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this
airplane."

---o0o---

"Thank you for flying
Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as
much as we enjoyed taking you for a
ride."

---o0o---

As the plane land ed and
was coming to a stop at Durban Airport, a lone voice came
over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella.
WHOA!"

---o0o---

After a particularly
rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo , a flight
attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when
opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing
like that, sure as hell everything has
shifted."

---o0o---

From a Kulula
employee: " Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port
Elizabeth.To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab
into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like
every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate
one, you probably shouldn't be out in public
unsupervised."

---o0o---

"In the event of a
sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the
ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it
over your face. If you have a small child travelling
with you, secure your mask before assisting with
theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small
child, pick your
favorite."

---o0o---

Weather at our
destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll
try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you,
and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than
Kulula Airlines."

----o0o---

"Your seats
cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an
emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take
them with our
compliments."

---o0o---

"As you exit
the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings.
Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the
flight attendants. Please do not leave children or
spouses.."

---o0o---

And
from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines
is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight
attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of
them are on this
flight!"

---o0o---

On
Kulula flight 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape
Town, the flight attendant came on the intercom and
said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are
thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's
fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight
attendant's fault. It was the
asphalt."

---o0o---

On a Kulula flight into Cape Town on a particularly windy
and bumpy day, during the final approach the Captain really
had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the
Flight Attend ant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to
The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your
seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of
our airplane to the
gate!"

---o0o---

Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect
landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain
Kangaroo bounces us to the
terminal."

---o0o---

An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had
hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The
airline had a policy which required the first officer to
stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and
give them a "Thanks for flying our airline." He s aid
that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time
looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone
would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off
except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said,
"Sir, do you mind if I ask you a
question?"

"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little
old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot
down?"

---o0o---

After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg , the
attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain
in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought
the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate.
And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells
are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your
way through the wreckage to the
terminal.."

---o0o---

Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement:
"We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us
today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to
go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube,
we hope you'll think of Kulula
Airways."

---o0o---

Heard on a Kulula flight: "Ladies and gentlemen, if
you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is
on the wing.. If you can light 'em, you can smoke
'em." <

Thank You, Gene Monahan
by Brandon C. on Oct 7, 2011 12:35 AM EDT in Miscellaneous
Folks, I wrote this back in May. Now it's October and the Yankees season has ended, thus ending Gene Monahan's Yankees career as well. I am very disappointed to see that we couldn't send Monahan out on top, as I'm sure many of you are.

I would like to once again thank Gene Monahan for his amazing work for the Yankees. Hope to see him around next season for a few games, and more so I hope he enjoys retirement.

Thanks again, Gene. Original post after the jump.

Gene Monahan is retiring at the end of this season, according to various reports. Monahan has been a part of the Yankees organization for 49 seasons, 39 of which he has been the Major League Head Athletic Trainer. Within the 49 seasons Monahan was fired and subsequently re-hired by George Steinbrenner many times, and never chose to leave the Yankees organization.
I can't say I know more than the average person about Monahan, but I love learning about the non players/coaches within the organization, so I did some research on Monahan.

From the research, I discovered nothing but glowing reports about Monahan, many touching anecdotes, and various stories about how Monahan treated the person better than the average trainer would.

Monahan won the 2009 National Athletic Trainers Association "Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award" and was inducted into the New York State Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2007. Geno received the "Distinguished Service Award" from the American College of Sports Medicine in 1994.

Gene Monahan and Steve Donohue, the Yankees Assistant Athletic Trainer, have been working together since 1986. The two were named the "Best Athletic Trainers" in the MLB in 2010, and were declared the "Athletic Training Staff of the Year" in 1990.

Monahan, 66, was diagnosed with cancer last season. The trainer was forced to miss his first Spring Training with the team, as well as a portion of Major League games during the treatment. For anyone this would be the least of worries, but for Monahan, it was always on his mind.

October 5, 2011

2011-10-05T15:16:00.001-07:00

This is all I am going to say.

THANK YOU CURTIS GRANDERSON,

If you somehow missed the two game saving spectacular catches he made in the first and sixth innings you just flat out have to find them online, on TV on somewhere-because without them we would be looking at 2012 at this very moment. There are some routine plays that are called spectacular, and I am the first to point them out, but trust me------these were not typical by any means.

The first catch quite honestly saved what would have been a inside the park grand slam home run, the second catch saved a double and RBI later in the game before we blew it open. Both would have supported the outcome of the N.Y. Yankees and A.J. Burnett not fairing very well as the tide would have changed and been changed going forward.

So, thank you Curtis Granderson!

MVP who????

Onto tomorrow night in the Bronx!
October

Sink or Swim-October 4, 2011

2011-10-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

Sink or Swim Time

It is the possible final game for the Yankees tonight as we all know and I for one am not at all ready for this to end. Unfortunately we are relying on the main weakness to help guide us through on AJ’s arm. He said he is ready and up for the challenge, but really, haven’t we heard that one too many times from him?

You know who lse should show the F-up for once? ARod. I mean I am almost ready to see Chavez at third and in the lineup. What a waist to this point. He is either really hurt or missing the heck out of some steroid help…whatever it is he has been nothing but a liability in the line up where he should be an asset. I say sit him down for a game and put in Chavez. What have you got to lose?

MikeM? I feel your frustration with Girardi, I really do…
JoeP---Yes, CC got the benefit of the shrunken strike zone last night….

I am purposely staying quiet, partly because I am concerned about our chances given the De’Toilet tigers are just that much as good if not better than most teams out there, especially with Verlander…thankfully we won’t see him again…because he was like a fine wine last night and got better as the night went on. Of course through all the dumbrays and red*uck fans at the office there just had to be one Detroit fan and of course I had to make a beer wager with him….me and my dumb ideas….

I am hoping the dumbrays make it through for selfish reasons of course…I want the Yankees to beat the crap out of them and can give two craps about the texas wrongjers as an opponent.

Good luck to the Yankees tonight….I am not ready to start thinking about the 2012 season just yet.

Joke of the Blog:
From dad again…and one from my mom…
Fifty-one years ago, Herman James, a North Carolina mountain man, was drafted by the Army. On his first day in basic training, the Army issued him a comb. That afternoon the Army barber sheared off all his hair. On his second day, the Army issued Herman a toothbrush. That afternoon the Army dentist yanked seven of his teeth. On the third day, the Army issued him a jock strap. The Army has been looking for Herman for 51 years.

From mom:

An elderly Italian man who lived on the outskirts of Rimini , Italy , went to the local church for confession. When the priest slid open the panel in the confessional, the man said: "Father.. During World War II, a beautiful Jewish woman from our neighborhood knocked urgently on my door and asked me to hide her from the Nazis. So I hid her in my attic."The priest replied: "That was a wonderful thing you did, and you have no need to confess that.""There is more to tell, Father.. She started to repay me with sexual favors. This happened several times a week, and sometimes twice on Sundays."The priest said, "That was a long time ago and by doing what you did, you placed the two of you in great danger, but two people under those circumstances can easily succumb to the weakness of the flesh. However, if you are truly sorry for your actions, you are indeed forgiven." "Thank you, Father. That's a great load off my mind. I do have one more question.""And what is that?" asked the priest."Should I tell her the war is over?"

September 29, 2011

2011-09-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

bodyI could not resist..

IT COULD BE WORSE...YOU COULD BE CARL CRAWFOD OF THE RED*UCKS WHO LEFT THE RAYS TO JOIN THEM THIS SEASON, AND COULD NOT CATCH A BALLTHAT HELPED PUT THE ORIOLES WINNING RUN ON BASE.

HOW'S THAT FOR IRONY?
Kevin
Have a VERY YANKEE DAY!

Living the dream!
click on link below to see the latest “Yankee Tampa blog”!
www.yankeetampablog.blogspot.com

From: Kevin Newcombe
To: KN2011
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 12:14 PM
Subject: September 29, 2011

Back away from all ledges and elevated surfaces where you can fall over and get hurt.

It is not that bad, in fact, it is not bad at all…remain calm people this is just the first step in many to be taken in the coming weeks in major league baseball.

Consider this first and foremost…the red*ucks are NOT in the playoffs. Yes, it was painful enough of an ordeal, especially living in Tampa to watch what was taking place this week. But today is Thursday and guess who woke up this morning still with his team in the playoffs. We had nothing, no gains or losses would change our outcome, we clinched, we secured the AL East crown (which is by far the best in most sports), we even secured home field advantage with no dogs in the race this past week…we were to simply put…rest up for the next step.

Even our beloved Yankee players who were a part of last night’s spectacular game, which it really was and as a fan of baseball 100% recognize, realized they too were witnessing one of the best days in baseballs recent history where almost every game played mattered. There were moments where the clubhouse was more crowded than the buffet line at a restaurant.

So what began as a Yankee rout started to look like the outcome was being dictated by what was going on in Baltimore. The red*ucks were teetering on the brink of a horrific season ending capping to a wonderfully horrible month for them. That, my friends was the best thing that took place last night in baseball to me.

To put it the best way I can possibly muster up….The Yankees lost the game because they did not “try” to win it. If we had put in Robertson and Mo this all would not be typed about right now. If we really needed to win and hold that lead you would not have seen Girardi put the AA and AAA bullpen out there to close it out. Embarrassed? What for? It was a great game, a great comeback against a spring training Yankee type roster that underwent spring training like moves on the field. At the time of the Rays comeback the field looked like something straight out of a March 12th game at GM Steinbrenner field…not one that will be playing tomorrow night and forward in the playoffs…so really, it is ok, calm down and take a deep breath. We will move on! In the end the entire Yankee team was happy to be a part of. Girardi admitted he was using the game as a rolling bullpen exercise to keep arms fresh while resting the big guns in Mo, Robinson and Soriano who I could personally give two craps about. Even the starter was not a “regular starter”.

Some quotes:

"I really can't believe it," said the Yankees' Mark Teixeira. "I think fans should be excited. That was probably one of the best days in baseball's history. Every game tonight, all across baseball, seemed like it mattered. And there were some great finishes."
"It seems like just when you've seen it all," Derek Jeter said. "You've got a team that was down seven runs in the eighth inning, Boston was winning, and then everything changed. It was very bizarre."
"It's crazy just to see this going on," Betances said. "Obviously I love New York, I'm a fan and now being here, I'm kind of happy to see Boston go out."
"Give them a lot of credit," Teixeira said. "Down seven runs, going into the eighth inning, with their season on the line? You give them a lot of credit for the way they fought back."
"That's why baseball is the greatest game," Alex Rodriguez said. "We're all baseball fans. The emotion of today was something you can't dream up when you make up the schedule."

Rest up…the train is bout to pull out of the station and the games will again matter.

Joke of the Blog:

The Goldberg Brothers - The Inventors of the Automobile Air Conditioner

Here's a little factoid for automotive buffs or just to dazzle your friends.

The four Goldberg brothers, Lowell, Norman, Hiram,
and Max, invented and developed the first automobile
air-conditioner. On July 17, 1946, the temperature in
Detroit was 97 degrees.

The four brothers walked into old man Henry Ford's office and sweet-talked his secretary into telling him that four gentlemen were there with the most exciting innovation in the auto industry since the electric starter.

Henry was curious and invited them into his office.
They refused and instead asked that he come out to
the parking lot to their car.

They persuaded him to get into the car, which was
about 130 degrees, turned on the air conditioner, and
cooled the car off immediately.

The old man got very excited and invited them back
to the office, where he offered them $3 million for the
patent.

The brothers refused, saying they would settle for $2
million, but they wanted the recognition by having a
label, 'The Goldberg Air-Conditioner,' on the dashboard
of each car in which it was installed.

Now old man Ford was more than just a little anti-
Semitic, and there was no way he was going to put the
Goldberg's name on two million Fords.

They haggled back and forth for about two hours and
finally agreed on $4 million and that just their first
names would be shown.

And so to this day, all Ford air conditioners show --
Lo, Norm, Hi, and Max -- on the controls.

I can hear your groans from here. Control yourself.

September 26, 2011

2011-09-26T08:04:00.001-07:00

Last night’s 14 inning affair seemed like it would never end. With nothing to really gain from the game the Ynakees gave it away, along with the time to get to tampa for tonights game. I suspected that with the earlier start the Yankees expected to be here by midnight or 1AM and the redu*cks in Baltimore for their last series by the same time…instead they probably both settled in their hotels and in bed by 3:30AM.

Here is the yearlong series wrap up between the two clubs. Usually it is one of those even, 1 or 2 game splits but with the 1-8 Yankee start with the red*ucks it was not an easy task to have them be more even. The second half record was more typical…but here goes…

Redfucks/Yankees
1-8 first half of the season.
5-4 second half of the season.
Total 12 red*ucks to the Yankees 6
Amazing the head to head record at one point this season did matter, but not at all now.

The time away from the computer was restful, but not totally 100% away. Instead I took notes, many of them as there seemed to be enough going on still.

First off, the final game against Tampa last week where Colon fell apart I was not really caring about too much. You see, we won and all was well… we essentially put the AAA Yankees on the field. HOWEVER, even at that though we actually made the game somewhat more entertaining later in the contest when we came back to score 8 runs. Aside from that it was a rest day.

Now comes the part I hate, reading the Tampa papers the next day….you would have thought the dumbrays just beat the Yankees for the AL East title….it was the most one sided piece of writing I think I may have read this season. There was no mention of the fact the dumbrays beat the AAA Yankees, none of that. If memory serves me right and I am pretty sure it is this time…the Yankees only started Jeter, Tex and Swisher with 2 at bats each (1 for Swisher)…with part time starters Andruw Jones and Posada being the only other vets on the field.

Some other notes n’ news I picked up by way of BillyL and other media outlets. This did not surprise me as I read it that the Yanks drove up price on Carl Crawford. I did not even think we ever needed him so basically all I can say is Good job on that one Cashman. So in that he forced the price up for them and has now tied up 20 million of their bucks a year for 7 years.

Read on below for more in case you missed it.

“They really will do whatever it takes to win in this epic rivalry.”

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted Thursday that he feigned interest in Carl Crawford last offseason to drive up the price for the Boston Red Sox to sign the free agent.

"I actually had dinner with the agent to pretend that we were actually involved and drive the price up," Cashman said. "The outfield wasn't an area of need, but everybody kept writing Crawford, Crawford, Crawford, Crawford. And I was like, 'I feel like we've got Carl Crawford in Brett Gardner, except he costs more than $100 million less, with less experience.' "

Going into the season, Cashman said Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, who also landed Adrian Gonzalez, "kicked my a-- in the offseason."

How does he feel now after winning the division?

"What I said was accurate: The Red Sox had a great winter, and I had a bad winter," Cashman said. "But as it turned out, I had a better winter than anybody would've expected, including myself."

And it cost the Red Sox
From ESPNNewYork.com

Now onto something I touched on the other day….and maybe I was wrong judging from what I am about to share below….

So could it be that then Yankees are actually driving the way this all goes? It is not too often when a team can actually do this…we have clinched the playoff berth, we clinched the AL East and we are playing the dumbrays and red*ucks for the final series this season, both fighting it out for the final AL playoff spot…talk about plotting the way this could all go…maybe they do have an agenda…you don’t see them resting the starters in the red*ux games, do you?

It is also not often in a short period of time the Yankees are being rooted for by the red*ucks and dumbrays so heavily the past two weeks. In fact, it is almost funny…after today the red*ucks again become fans of the Yankees as we travel to Tampa and today the dumbrays are rooting for the Yankees but tomorrow won’t be.

Oh and can I just say this? How ‘bout Jesus Montero. Not trying to funny but Jesus is here….. (yes, that is really his name, Jesus).

Was today the last time we will ever see the red*ux Tim Wakefield pitch? Maybe!

Oh and by the way, we have home field advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs, with us winning game one againts the red*ucks and the morons of Baltimore beating de’Toilet tigers secured that

The Yankees' mission this weekend? Put the hated Red Sox out of their misery and out of the playoffs, writes Wallace Matthews.
Yankees' Russell Martin hates Red Sox, looks forward to eliminating them

And then this one:
When the Yankees clinched the AL East on Wednesday, it seemed to sap any juice out of this weekend's Yankees-Red Sox .series at the Stadium.

Russell Martin made sure that wouldn't be the case.
The Yankees catcher provided some bulletin-board material for the free-falling Red Sox, saying Thursday that knocking Boston out of the postseason would serve as extra motivation this weekend.

"Anything to get the Red Sox out would be awesome for me," Martin said. Asked why he felt that way, Martin responded, "Because I hate the Red Sox."

Martin, in his first year with the Yankees, may not be the only one inside the clubhouse with a distaste for the rival Red Sox, but he was the only one to verbalize those feelings Thursday.

Informed of Martin's comments before the game, Girardi couldn't help but smile, although the manager tried to brush past the topic.

"I don't ever like to fuel anything; that's the bottom line," Girardi said. "But boys will be boys."

The Red Sox still control their own destiny, but with three games against Boston this weekend and three games against the Rays beginning Monday at Tampa Bay, the Yankees will have plenty to say about the AL wild-card race.

"These teams are going to be fighting for it," Martin said. "It would be fun to be the spoiler and get 100 wins."

BY Mark Feinsand
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Other news:
Turns out the Tampa Tribune Party deck first row has grown …as joining Rich n Maureen, BobG n Mark and us will be Ron n Tina….all I have to say is I am very much looking forward to the 2012 spring games even more.
We were in the area and stopped in at the park. After seeing a couple of familiar faces and catching up we learned that there is a new pitching area being built by the field next to the players parking lot…and from what I was told it is supposed to take the place of the bullpen by the right field seats….which to me makes no sense. With the new location of you want to call in a new pitcher they will have to run in form the field, through the visitors’ dugout onto the field…yea……uhhh….no!
Also, there is a new structure being built to take the place of the banquet area (or where they hold press conferences during spring training). Supposed to hold 250 people and will be used for parties and weddings/receptions.
Aside from that the place still looks the same.

Joke of the Blog:

An old nun
who was living in a convent next to a construction site
noticed the coarse language of the workers
and decided to spend some time with them to correct their ways.

She decided she would take her lunch;
sit with the workers; and talk with them.

She put her sandwich in a brown bag and
walked over to the spot where the men were eating.

Sporting a big smile, she walked up to the group and asked:
"And do you men know Jesus Christ?"

They shook their heads and looked at each other.. very confused.

One of the workers looked up into the steelworks and yelled out,
"Anybody up there know Jesus Christ?"

One of the steelworkers yelled down, "Why?"

The worker yelled back,

"'Cause his wife's here with his lunch."

September 22, 2011- AL East CHAMPS!!

2011-09-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day I will type for the week as I am beat tired and am looking forward to the break…the break created by the Doctors order that was put in place yesterday morning. That order was that the Yankees would need to sweep the dumbrays and the red*ucks would need to lose their night game…well, Doctors orders were met and everything took place. So for the 16th time in 17 seasons the Yankees are going to the playoff’s and in this version they are going in as the AL East Champs, no thanks to two 4-2 wins that essentially took place in the 8th innings of both games.

I pondered the debate all over the radio this morning of will the Yankees now try to set order to the rest of the playoff picture? They have 4 games left with the dumbrays and 3 with the red*ucks. I really do not care at this point. The opponent is going tobe tough enough either way and any team that plays the Yankees will be bringing their “A” game no matter what The left over teams are the 4 best in the American League…so who cares who we face? In real talk, Detroit has Verlander, Texas has a potent lineup, the Rays have a good young pitching staff and the red*ucks and Yankees play every game weather spring training or the actual playoff’s like it is the playoffs. So really, who cares who we play? We get to play on! My opinion you ask? The Yankees do not lie down…so we will play as if we have not finished anything yet.

To answer a text message question:

No, the spring schedule is not out yet
Glad to hear our seat mates in spring training have also achieved the goal to relocate to row one in the right field party deck with our other mates Rich n Maureen….should be a fun spring 2012! I hope Swisher is going to be ready for us.

Thanks for the texts fran n benny…been fighting this cold so I was too subdued to text back, btu the enjoyment you wwere feeling was in California (Joe P) as well as Vermont (Ron n Tina), Rochchester NY (Chris n Gary), Boston (Billy L and Chris), Atlanta (the Nephew Darryl), NY (the entire state unless they are mutt fans), Connecticut (Bob G n Mark-o), NJ (mom) and of course Florida both east coast, middle and west coast where we reside. 3 more times to celebrate ahead…ALDS, ALCS and World Series!!!

Didja Know?

That Derek Jeter saved Mo form being traded in 1996?
After the spring training the Yankees for the second time were contemplating trading Mo to this time Seattle for a replacement shortstop after Tony Fernandez got hurt. Jeter was given the green light to take over the position and because of the front office’s commitment to that plan the Yankees did not trade Mo to the Mariners Felix Fermin who ended up having only 16 more at bats before he retired. The other team that was interested in Rivera the year before were the Tigers.

Very interesting that only one person in the entire office of enemies came to talk to me about baseball this morning. He happens to be a red*ucks fan and he was voicing his disappointment of his team’s inability to win games these days. I just listened and as usual and being a good Yankee fan did not gloat or rub anything in, as we know we are the champions. Not one dumbrays fan has shown their face or even tried to walk by me this morning…

I’m out! Till next week when the Yanks come to Tampa…I think we are still going to a game next week – will be a last minute decision…we all know there will be tickets available.

Joke of the Blog:

These 3 came from my dad a long while ago…

Number one
UNANSWERED PRAYER
The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always
paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his
sermon. One day, she asked him why. "Well,
Honey," he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his
messages. "I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good
sermon." How come He doesn't answer it?" she asked.

Number two
DID NOAH FISH?
A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a
lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ?" "No," replied Johnny.
"How could he, with just two worms."
Number three
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
GOOD SAMARITAN
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good
Samaritan. She asked the class, "If you saw a person lying
on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you
do?" A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence,
"I think I'd throw up.”

September 21, 2011-post game

2011-09-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Yankees win!

After a grueling pitcher’s duel with BobG in attendance to bring his good luck and charm to the stadium this afternoon, the Yanks ended up pulling out the victory in the bottom of the 8th thanks to Robbie Cano knocking in Gardner and Jeter...this after Nunez tied it in the 8th as well. So 8 pitchers took care of things…and we are in the second season for the 16th time in 17 years.

I am typing this to remind you all that we are now officially IN THE PLAYOFFS! (as IF you forgot in the past two or so hours).

A tad bit of the bubbly and onto game two where if we win and the red*ucks lose we will be the AL EAST CHAMPS all in one day.

September 21, 2011

2011-09-21T10:28:00.001-07:00

It all boils down to this for today. We sweep the dumbrays and the red*ucks lose we are the division champs. More realistic is if we win one more game, either today or tonight or by some bad streak of luck the win waits and goes into tomorrow we are in the playoffs no matter what…so yes, a sweep would be lovely coupled with a red*ucks loss today, but one win against the dumbrays would work perfectly fine for me. All of this behind the first game starter of Hector Noesi, who just last season started out with the Tampa Yankees and worked his way right to Scranton…I had my eye on this kid (like Nova in Tampa 2 yrs ago) and expected him to be a star, today he has the chance to pitch us into the playoffs…he may not do it, but I am happy for him and the opportunity and no matter what expect him to be just as good as Nova very soon.

Speaking of::::Nova last night was excellent in my book…He is by far showing why we held onto him through all these trade deadline rumors. In fact, he has been better than our ace pitcher recently.

It may be a bit confusing since Noesi and Nova almost resemble each other in a lot of ways, but did you know they damn near share a birthday in January? Both born in 1987 (wow---1987) Hector was born Jan 26th, Nova on the 12th of Jan. They both were born in the Dominican Republic (different cities).

My gripe of the day:

Why is it that I am stuck with listening to the away teams TV and radio broadcast? On YES and the radio broadcasts all Yankee – dumbrays games are blacked out…now I totally understand this when the Yankees are here, but it is not as if I can magically appear in NY to see the game when the Yankees host the dumbrays…so what’s with the blackout MLB????? I despise the announcers here…I can only describe them as unknowledgeable baseball announcer that sound like they are stuck in a aluminum trash can with the lid on…basically the Charlie Brown mother wounds almost more enjoyable than they do. I have found the cure for this…watch the game with the mute button on. No thanks to them blacking out the radio feed as well this is the only option I am left with. So today I bet the game won’t be on the damn radio so I can hear it while working!!!

Spring training 2012:

The Yankees will close out spring training in Miami at the new Miami Marlins stadium April 1st (afternoon) and 2nd (night). After that they will charter a flight back to Tampa to get ready for the 2012 season opener at the horrible Tropicana Field, which I just now came up with a new name for; now to be referred to as “Crapicana Field home of the dumbrays. This is the first and only set date for any teams. Depending on a lot of things we “may” see about going down there….but the games are Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd , not the most ideal dates for Accounting people at the start of the month.

Note to Nephew Darryl—laptop is all packed up…

Joke of the Blog:
From Dad.

SAY A PRAYER
Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his
Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the
food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he
started eating right away. "Johnny! Please wait
until we say our prayer." said his mother. "I
don't need to," the boy replied. "Of course, you do
"his mother insisted. "We always say a prayer before
eating at our house." "That's at our house." Johnny
explained. "But this is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook.

September 20, 2011 - 5 and counting

2011-09-20T12:58:00.001-07:00

MAGIC NUMBER IS 5

Tonight starts the begging of the end for someone in the AL East….in NY of course. My calculations were off by one game as tomorrow is a day/night double header with the dumbrays, so counting today there are 10 games left.

With Mo finally solidifying his standings as the best closer ever we can now all move on, just as he wanted to do all along. Although it is worth noting the 9th inning went so perfect it was ironic. A broken bat cutter and a strike out to end the game…classic….

Girardi said it best; all of the starters need to pitch as if it is their last chance ever in life to do so. All of them!

All this talk about the Yankees trying to manipulate who they face in the playoffs is ridiculous. We are the NY Yankees and our goal is the world series, not by plotting our opponents…but by winning..so go somewhere else with all that talk and leave it alone.

Am I worried, nah…not yet…Do I have concerns about this team in the playoffs? Of course, as usual our pitching stinks.

Is it possible the red*cks faithful are actually rooting for the NY Yankees? Heck yes! Gotta love it!

Joke(s) of the blog:

Again, compliments of BillyL

TELL ME THIS WON'T HAPPEN TO US!!!

Three sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96, live in a house together. One night the 96-year-old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses. She yells to the other sisters, 'Was I getting in or out of the bath?'

The 94-year-old yells back, 'I don't know. I'll come up and see.' She starts up the stairs and pauses, 'Was I going up the stairs or down?

The 92-year-old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters, she shakes her head and says, 'I sure hope I never get that forgetful, knock on wood.' She then yells, 'I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door'
(billyl)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TELL ME THIS WON'T HAPPEN TO US!!!

Three retirees, each with a hearing loss, were playing golf one fine March day. One remarked to the other, “Windy, isn't it?”

“No,” the second man replied, “it's Thursday.”

And the third man chimed in, “So am I. Let's have a beer..”

Septembern 19, 2011

2011-09-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS MO!!! NUFF SAID!!!

September 16, 2011

2011-09-16T12:46:00.001-07:00

TODAY’S NY YANKEE MAGIC NUMBER IS
10
Tonight begins the rest of the season. The Yankees have zero…zilch…nada…no mas…none…0 …you get the hint…they have 0 days off till the end of the season. Despite the lack of info in the internet on this number I do believe the Yanks magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 6….although there was one site that claimed they already clinched a playoff spot…and I checked to make sure it was not a site from last year –nope ---it was dated 9/16/11….As far as the division goes that big number at top is correct. That means a loss by the red*ucks wipes a game off and a win by the Yankees will wipe another game off that number…so tonight after we win and the dumbrays beat the red*ucks again the number will be??????? Right- 8!

Mo is moments away from a tie breaking historic moment…I will be glad to see him break that record so as it has been all along I am eye balling the go ahead number. Do not be surprised to see Mo in center for a inning or three…a position he wants to try for the heck of it… I say why not in one of those games that really does not matter. Kind of like Jorge playing second the other day…Maybe we will see Jeter pitch like Swisher did in Tampa a few years back.

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -600
needed to tie 1
1
needed to overtake 2

Injury update:
A-Rod is due back I the lineup tonight. Which is good given he has been MIA for a good part of the season. If he is do9ing better this next two weeks will give him time to get his bat back in order in time for the playoffs.

Other Notes:
Tina,
Joyce said to say thanks for the stuff you sent…..Now I need sunglasses like Ron.

Hey Benny,
We have been doing great here. Not sure if you got my text the other night when the Yankees were in Seattle during AJ’s outing. I dozed off until it was time for work the next day…

Onto “Hairgate”:
Remember I mentioned that I had not shaved during the winning streak of 6 games until the one day I decided to shave everything but the stache? Well I kept that up for the next 4 games in which they politely lost…so at that point I decided to shave the entire face except for the eyebrows and eyelashes…and behold the losing streak ended and we rattled off three wins in a row…till they lost on the 14th….well, guess who is back to scruffy again?

Upcoming stuff:
Quite honestly I do this all season long and if it is not the hair it is something else
In Toronto
Blowjays
Blowjays
Blowjays
In NY
Minnesota Twits
Dumbrays
Dumbrays
Dumbrays
Red*ucks
Red*ucks
Red*ucks
In Tampa (I think we are supposed to be going to one of these games)
Dumbrays
Dumbrays
Dumbrays

I put this in here because I am almost certain a while back I said the Yankees would win 102 games this season…and I like to check myself to make fun of how off I am ….so now it is your jobs…. The Yankees are 90-58, they have 13 games left and by my count they will need to go 12-1 to match my guess from whenever that was; sometime in July I think. I had to look..it was July 13th.

2012 Schedule is out and the Yankees leave their Spring Training facility and go 18 miles south to the Trop to play the first series here in Tampa….so as a joke I have suggested that all who are coming down for Spring training need to stay through the weekend to see them at the start of the season….but of course I am only kidding…..

Pitching staff for the playoffs---yep, gotta agree with ole BillyL…and as much as it is a shock to me it will be to you…I see Colon as the #2 starter behind CC…then Hughes and Nova…. And to think I was allllll over that barftolo Colon fella….

Joke of the Blog:
Compliments of BillyL

TELL ME THIS WON'T HAPPEN TO US!!!
As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang.

Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, “Herman, I just heard on the news that there's a car going the wrong way on Interstate 77.

Please be careful!”
“Heck,” said Herman, “It's not just one car. It's hundreds of them!”

And another from Dad-in-law!

I love this Doctor!

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart only good for so many beats, and that it... Don't waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speeding up heart not make you live longer; it like saying you extend life of car by driving faster. Want to live longer? Take nap.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that mean they take water out of fruity bit so you get even more of goodness that way. Beer also made of grain. Bottom up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have body and you have fat, your ratio one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No pain...good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU NOT LISTENING! Food are fried these day in vegetable oil. In fact, they permeated by it. How could getting more vegetable be bad for you?!?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise muscle, it get bigger. You should only be doing sit-up if you want bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy?!? HEL-LO-O!! Cocoa bean! Another vegetable! It best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming good for your figure, explain whale to me..

Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is shape!
Well... I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And remember:
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Bible in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a ride!!"

AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans..

5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

September 11, 2011

2011-09-11T08:37:00.001-07:00

bodyRemembering the Septmebr 11 attacks....a momnet of silence please.......................................................................................................................................................................

Here goes-----
This is going to be as quick and easy as I can put it. This morning it dawned on me that ever since I shaved my sruffy bearded face last week…(and I mean to the day) when the orioles were in town for the final game in NY the Yankees have lost (4 in a row). I just left the mustach to grow as the normal. Today I shaved all of the hair except the eyebrows and eyelashes off my face in hopes of cracking the streak of losses….at least my part in the break in armor.

4 in a row, which coincides with the red*ucks losing streak…thankfully!!!! If we had at least one two of the 4 they would be 4.5 games back and the magic number would be down to something like 14 games instead of the 16 it currently is….

Bottom line is we are a tad bit banged up, Girardi has lost some of his mind with questionable moves and planning and we have had the worst scheduling luck in many months, if not years. Below the bottom line of it is we have to win today…and I am willing to bet if we win so will the red*ucks….and no I am still not concerned with the dumbrays…..

What does concern me is our chances once we make the playoffs. We are not as good as we should or could be. A-Rod is hurt, Swisher is hurt, Cervelli is hurt, Martin is hurt…with nagging injuries. Even Jorge was slated behind the plate for the first time in what seems forever last night….that is a showing of depth loss….even with the “kids” being brought up. Mo has not had an outing in a week which means his record breaking event is in some sort of time jeopardy as his chances are just not there, and when they are for some the team either blows it or Girardi does something stupid. Hey Joe---I am all for resting players, but how’s about we get to the f-ing playoffs first you-you-you….^%$##@@*^%%^!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That’s all I got!!!

Except this…
Sitting in a local spot yesterday afternoon enjoying a refreshing cold beverage with the wife I overhear a fairly large loud speaking fellow talking to other patrons in the establishment about baseball…and how he is a red*ucks fan first but roots for the rays….yea, two time loser I thought. But being a smart individual with this type of situation I decided to not say anything and just listen in….seeing as that he was 3.2 times my size n all… Well he proceeds to tell a joke…and of course it was at the expense of the Yankees..or more so toward Jeter and A-Rod…ok, here goes…ready????

Why did Jeter and his girlfriend break up?

Because she caught him with A-Rod………………..

crickets…………………………..crickets…………………………….crickets………………………………tweet…………………………………more crickets………………………..and then finally “badumdum”
Remember what I said, he is a red*ucks fan first, then roots for the dumbrays…..makes sense now this coming from him doesn’t it?

Ok . no comments needed..Here are two real joke of the blog:

Lost
A retired woman calls 911 on her cell phone to report that her car has been broken into. She is hysterical as she explains her situation to the dispatcher: "They've stolen the stereo, the steering wheel, the brake pedal and even the accelerator!" she cries.
The dispatcher replies reassuringly, "Don't worry, ma'am. An officer is on his way."
A few minutes later, the dispatched officer calls in. "Disregard." He says. "She got into the back seat by mistake."
The Church Organist
Eighty-three year old Clara Miller was a church organist, and had never been married. She was adored by her congregation for her sweet, if innocent, demeanor.
The church deacon came to visit her one afternoon, and she brought him into her living room to enjoy some tea and cookies.
He looked around the room and his eyes fell on her old pump organ. The deacon noticed a glass bowl filled with water sitting on it. Getting up from his seat to have a closer look, he was shocked to see a condom floating in it.
Stunned, he stumbled back to his seat as Clara returned with the tea and cookies.
For a few minutes, they chit-chatted, but the deacon had trouble getting his mind off the condom floating in the glass bowl. Finally, his curiosity got the best of him and he asked.
"Miss Miller, I was wondering if you could tell me a little about this...", said the deacon, and he pointed to the bowl.
Clara beamed. "Isn't it wonderful? I was strolling through the park a couple of months ago, and I found a little foil packet on a bench. It instructed to put it on the organ, keep it wet, and that it would prevent disease. And wouldn't you know, I haven't had a cold or flu since."

September 9, 2011

2011-09-09T11:25:00.001-07:00

Here is the score card…or travel card thus far. After the second extra inning game in a row against the orioles (no thanks to their great hurricane scheduling) the Yankees made it to California late last night tired and beaten down. Some questionable moves by the Yankees stalled what had been a pretty well moving machine…..until two 5-4 extra inning defeats in a row.

After the series in Anaheim the Yankees fly to Seattle for three games….after the night game on Wednesday to accommodate the revenue of the mariners team (hosting the Yankees will net more during a night game so the Yankees get screwed yet again) the Yankees will head to Toronto and probably not arrive there until 6AM. Thankfully they have the day off the 15th, the last one of the year. After that series we head home to face the Minnesota twits for a makeup game, then the dumbrays for 3 (the final game is also another makeup game, who by then may be out of it officially (they face the red*ucks here in Tampa this weekend and they still have hope on the radio shows………………………………………………….idiots). As we all know the final two series after the dumbrays will be the red*ucks at home then here in Tampa to close out the regular season…boy, it is almost October already!!!???

I do know the Yankees magic number to clinch first place is 18. I think the number to clinch a playoff spot is still at 12…but this is not verified.

The Mo Meter has not changed: Technically upon his return to the Bronx he very well could be the all time saves leader in baseball, a record I am feeling safe to say won’t be touched in my lifetime-and I am hoping for a long one.

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -598
needed to tie 3
1
needed to overtake 4

I am tired just typing this…and to boot the company provided food for some football party (Yes, I wore a Yankee shirt-we both did). It is still baseball season and even after that is over I need a break from sports. This weekend will be one of those late night deals, except for JoeP who is on the left coast.

In response from the last blog:

Montero-------and the remark of keeping your eyes on this kid……yes Tina, you certainly do know the wrath of Montero’s bat….hate to relive it but last spring Tina of the Ron n Tina gang was sitting along the 3rd base side of the stadium one spring day for batting practice and was personally introduced to a Montero foul ball that sent her straight to the hospital with major ear damage….and to date I assume they still have not heard back from the Yankee brass to see if she was ok…..

Fly your flags this weekend!

Prank of the day:

A co-workers birthday was this week and Joyce’s idea was to decorate for it. He is one of the few Yankee fans in the office……and a cohort with being somewhat of an office pest…it took some medication, but I joined in by printing off a few red*uck logo’s and helped in decorating his area in red and white streamers…mind you this was not my idea…but it was too good to pass up. Needless to say he loved it…..and hated it all in the same thought.

Joke of the Blog:

Keeping regular
Morty, Simon and Jack were discussing their daily health woes.
Morty sighs and says, "I hate having to try to pee in the morning. I'll sit on the toilet for hours and all I can manage is a slow dribble. It's torture."
Simon shakes his head, and says, "I have it worse. I sit on the pot for hours hoping for a BM. It's agonizing."
Jack turns up his lips, and says, "You two think you have it bad? I never have those kinds of trouble. I've relieved myself completely by 8 o'clock every morning."
Morty and Simon look at each incredulously and turn to Jack. "What on earth are you complaining about, then?!" they ask.
"I don't wake up until 9!"

September 7, 2011

2011-09-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

Some numbers to ponder and some notes to understand.

Magic number prior to the 9/7/11 game to make the playoffs
12
Meter Maid:
Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -598
needed to tie 3
1
needed to overtake 4

Today’s game which is almost to the minute 11 hours after the last out of the game …this morning at 2:15 is going to be the Triple A team against the morons of baltimore again.

Speaking of, for those of you who are bypassing the viewing of certain players, more specifically Jesus Montero you are missing out. Take this for instance; remember in 1995 when this skinny little kid was brought up to play for the big club? Yea, that kid back then was Jeter. You are now flashed forward to 2011 and in 10 years you will be wondering about these days and when he came to the big leagues and why you do not recall his first few games. Pay attention because he is the real deal and for now appears shy and reserved, but soon with his abilities this too shall pass.

Let’s see what AJ has today. Don’t expect much myself but…………

Joke of the Blog:
From dad

A man walks into his bedroom and sees his wife packing a suitcase.
He asks, "What are you doing?"
She answers, "I'm moving to New York. I heard prostitutes there get paid $400 a night for doing what I do for you for free."

A little later, on her way out, the wife walks past the bedroom and sees her husband packing his suitcase.
When she asks him where he is going, he replies,
"I'm coming too. I want to see how you live on $800 a year."

September 2, 2011

2011-09-02T10:50:00.001-07:00

Flash forward to October 1st…yea, that was what last night’s game was like to me….and as I sent text to a group of avid “texters” during the game it was apparent I was not alone in my thoughts on the game. Where for some reason AJ pitched…….well…pretty good. Good enough to keep the Yankees in the game before the Russell martin triple gave us the lead in the 7th.

So there we were in the midst of the rubber game of the three games set and for once (after 9 other series dating back to last May) we finally took a series. All along I had been preaching to others to be prepared for us to be 2.5 games out and possibly 6.5 games ahead of the dumbrays for the wildcard….and in the end the night went the complete opposite. The dumbrays lost and we won…and are a half game out of first and 8.5 ahead of the dumbrays. We want the division though so ----

Notes on the game-we faced the red*ucks best pitcher John Lester the molester. During the series I moved Josh Jerkette (beckett) to my #1 disliked red*ucks player ahead of Paplebumb. We also beat John Lacking (lackey).

Granderson saved the game last nigh with a sure two run dive saving catch. If he had not caught the ball the red*ucks would have been up 4-1 and the whole rest of the game would have gone a different direction. Russell martin and Chavez continue to impress…

Not sure if you saw the big guy behind the screen on tv wearing a yellow shirt and a Yankee hat….right in the middle of all the red*uck fans …..loved it…the camera caught him clapping amongst a ton of very unhappy faces.

Thanks Aceves …hope Tex is ok. He took a very loud pitch to behind his right knee from Aceves…and you could tell Aceves was upset but thankfully it was “just” a 83 mile per hour sinker or curveball…whatever pitch it was. Any faster into the 90 MPH range and Tex would be done for the year

Yes, Mo got squeezed in the 9th…and yes the game should have been over much earlier than the bases loaded jam ..but Mo came through and is closing in on that saves record with 2 against the red*ucks. Also of note, CC finally won against them.

Thanks to RonF, JoeP, BobG, Fran n Benny, BillM, BillyL and new to the blog as of this blog BrianJ for putting up with the 5000 text messages last night.
Here come the call-ups:
As expected here are the recent call-up.
Jesus Montereo-catcher/dh
Chris Dickerson-OF
Brandon Laird-IF
Scott Proctor-RHP
Lance Pendleton-RHP
Raul Valdes-LHP

Meter Maid:
Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -593
needed to tie 8
1
needed to overtake 7

Joke of the Blog:

Signs That You're Broke
At communion you go back for seconds.

You think of a lottery ticket as an investment.

You're formulating a plan to rob the food bank.

Long distance companies don't call you to switch.

You give blood everyday.. just for the orange juice.

McDonald's is the supplier of all your kitchen condiments.

American Express calls and says: "Leave home without it!"

Your idea of a 7-course meal is taking a deep breath outside a restaurant.

You've rolled so many pennies, you've formed a psychic bond with Abe Lincoln.

One more thing.................about Ajerk Burnett

2011-08-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

I was just in touch with joe p and he got me thinking…and angry all at once. About this AJ pitching on Friday mess. It can’t possibly be the case, right? Nah…I mean I know I read that his last chance was the baltimore game…right? So there is no way they would pitch what is arguably the worst pitcher on the team including the injured ones against the red*ucks in the heat of a pennant race, right? I know this can’t be the case…yet I just checked again and the official line is that AJerk is pitching Wednesday.

So, if and that is a big IF that is the case and my name was Joseph Girardi I would stare that guy in the eyes and tell him he is on what would be considered a short leash for even a GI Joe doll, or better yet a tiny leash for those little green army men I used to set up as players on a baseball field at a young age (and alter grew up to burn them in the back yard or neighborhood somewhere with RonF). He would be on almost a “at pitch” decision…maybe in a “at batter” decision if he throws well enough to get a strike or quick out. As soon as two guys got on base the bullpen would be going…in fact, the bullpen would be warming up alongside him before the game.

OK, enough out of me…

Good luck ob with the possible move for spring.

Yea JoeP…this is your fault as if the last one was not long enough. LOL

August 29, 2011

2011-08-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Message bodyI have a few things to get off my mind related to……………………………………………………

First things first: I think the morons form Baltimore handled the hurricane postponements in the worse way possible, and I have to believe part of it was done because this all involved the Yankees. If it had to do with the money aspect of it (or lost revenue), the scheduling of the memorial for Mike Flannegan who took his own life last week over money concerns (sorry but really? If we all did that to ourselves over money concerns, I think none of us would be reading this right now) or just the mere fact that it is the Yankees and pretty much anyone in baseball hates the Yankees. I have been noticing a trend of late when other teams deal with our team. Like take for instance the trades (or lack of)…the whole Cliff Lee thing last season and the past offseason was one thing, but other teams are not wanting to deal with the Yankees like they used to. If they do they ask for far much more than they do of other teams in trade chips. Any type of baseball decision such as this hurricane crap the morons pulled this weekend typically will not make any sense and will go against the Yankees.
Here is the issue in the nutshell.

Both games Saturday were cancelled leaving the Yankees to now have to fill up one of their remaining two off days to play one of the makeup games on Sept 8th. Despite the following ideas presented to the orioles prior to the series in Baltimore they Orioles decided to wait until the last minute to come up with a game plan to accommodate the storm visit. Why they took so long you can either see the above comments I made or come up with your own, but it seemed that every other east coast team in line to have the storm interfere with their games took the necessary precautions way ahead of time ---except the orioles.

As reported by Bryan Hoch / MLB.com | 08/27“The Yankees were hoping to play a doubleheader on Friday in anticipation of this weekend's weather looking to avoid coming back to Baltimore on one of their last off-days.
But it appears they will return, as the Orioles announced plans to play a split-admission doubleheader on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. and 7:35 p.m. ET, and a single game on Monday at 7:05 p.m.
The Yankees must prepare to be back on Sept. 8, making up an April 22 rainout -- a development that player representative Curtis Granderson said he was "perplexed" with.
"The fact that stuff can be moved around meant that today could have been moved around, and it wasn't," Granderson said. "That's the first and foremost. I just look at, when given the opportunity and everybody else made moves, why wasn't the move made today?"
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he had lobbied to play a doubleheader on Friday, even if the teams had to go into the early morning hours, but the Orioles had not been interested in that idea.
Girardi said that the Yankees never agreed to play Sept. 8, even though the game has been scheduled as 'TBA.'
"It's silly to me. I don't understand why we didn't play a split doubleheader today," Girardi said Friday. "Someone's got to step up. They did it all over the country. ... We didn't agree to play Sept. 8th. They scheduled it, we didn't agree with it, and I really don't understand it. We're going to fight it. It just doesn't make sense."
Granderson said that the Yankees had been reaching out to the Orioles since Wednesday in an effort to find a better solution, with no success.
The rescheduling figures to be more difficult for the Yanks on Sept. 8. They wrap up a series at Yankee Stadium with the Orioles on Sept. 7, and then would come to Baltimore before flying to Los Angeles to play the Angels.
"We've got to fight through it. That's all," Girardi said. "There's nothing else we can do. We can't control Mother Nature, but it has been kind of a pain for us."

Onto next topic:

I know I said I would not harp on any other records other than Mo’s…but I had to share…

In case you missed it. Jeter has done it again…He now holds the record for most games played by a Yankee with as of today after playing in his 2,402nd game Sunday afternoon. He already holds the record for NY Yankee hits, at bats, and stolen bases. He is on track to possibly capture the most doubles with Gehrig (534) if he gets 46 more of them before he retires (he has 488) and he needs 205 more runs to catch Ruth for that record.

And then there is Granderson, who is leading majors in homers (380, runs scored 121 AND RBI 107). MVP who???? These numbers certainly help his case.

As for Mo, he has not had much of a chance lately, but I did find these stats below regarding Mo.

300th save 5/28/04
400th save 7/16/06
500th save 6/28/09-he also recorded his first RBI as a hitter during this game.
Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -592
needed to tie 9
1
needed to overtake 10

This n that:
A-Rod met with the MLB folks about his gambling addiction…I mean habit…I mean whatever it is…and I assume that is done…he said they asked all the questions and he answered them all…Speaking of A-Rod, it seems that he and girlfriend Cameron Diaz are home shopping in Davis Island which is what I call St Jetersburg. Joyce had the best line of the day on this one. She said he should buy Jeters old place since it is on the market…

And Jeter is no longer dating Minka, who I have heard was not the most enjoyable person to be around here. She had reportedly changed Jeter to be a more of a jerk, especially at his favorite Starbucks where he used to be a good customer who would come in and talk to everyone, joke around and be himself, until she came into his life and he became more reserved and sometimes even grumpy….sort of like A-Rod in public….. Maybe he can go back to being himself and find a descent woman to settle down with. The funniest thing is A-Rod and Jeter could very well be a mere 2 minutes apart if he does buy the mansion he is looking at. Of course I have the address…and yes I sure as heck wish we had a home there…because the neighborhood is really not as ritzy as you would expect…mixed in with these big beautiful homes are homes that actually look affordable for the regular folks. So on any given day I could be out there mowing my lawn or washing my car when suddenly Jeter and A-Rod could come jogging by together during a cool January Saturday afternoon…THAT’S IT-WE ARE MOVING….

NO- Andy Pettitte is not coming out of retirement…but by golly I sure wish he could and would. Anything to get AJ out of my life.

And speaking of AJ…..he stinks! He had to redeem himself and ended up giving up nine hits and nine runs in five innings. He has to be headed to the bullpen even though he is still listed as the starter this coming Thursday with the red*ucks… His last 8 starts he is 1-4 with a 8.64 ERA. Thankfully Garcia, Colon have been better than expected. Thankfully Nova is proving to be a damn good rookie pitcher…and thankfully Hughes is not as bad as AJ or we would be hanging tight with the blowjays in the standings and the dumbrays would be in second. I say after this season dump him…and eat the cash you promised the jerk. He is a liability, one we can’t afford if we want to continue to compete.

Other:

For a while now we have been riding by this place near where we live on the way to the beach wondering how the place was. We have yet to go in as the one time we actually did stop by there to take a peak it was closed.
We grabbed the web site info outside the front door and finally looked it up. This is what we found….and I am willing to bet that during spring training there are frequent visits form player looking for a nice out of the spot place to dine and hear some Piano music.
The place is called Max and Sam’s in St Petersburg. Once you read the below it will make some more sense, because back in the day the Yankees used to spring train in St Pete as we call it and often to this day there are frequent visits to the historic site where the old Yankee greats used to play. The field is not used anymore as it sits in a quiet neighborhood. It is also said to be haunted. The field name? Huggin-Stengle Field. This was the Yankees spring training home from 1925-1961. Another haunted spot down here is the hotel where the visiting clubs to the dumbrays stay also in St. Pete…but that is another story for another day….or you can look it up..it is easy to find all this online. Check out “Haunted Baseball” by Dan Gordon.
Back to the restaurant….here is the write-up on the history.
HISTORY
The Spanish Caribbean building which now Max & Sam’s calls home was built by developer Walter Fuller in 1924.
St Petersburg’s first night club called the “Gangplank” was here and was partly owned by Al Capone.
During prohibition, bootleg liquor was delivered by boat at night on the intercoastal waterway.
Babe Ruth, who was a friend of Mr. Capone, married his first wife in the club.
Duke Ellington and Count Basie both played there and it was a frequent stop of the 1950 New York Yankees including Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle and of course wife at the time Marilyn Monroe.

After tonight’s game in Baltimore we head to fartway park for a three game set against the red*ucks. This would be a really good time to start beating them, dontcha think? If it were not for Nova and CC I am not quite sure where my trust in the pitching would be. I sure hope that the Thursday game is not going to go as it is slated with that jerk AJ or better known as A-Jerk on the mound…or you can count that right up to an ugly loss…as usual. I wold rather see Colon, Garcia who pitches today or Nova go against the red*ucks personally. We are currently 2 games out of first and don’t look now but the dumbrays are tryin to have some life after beating up a seriously sucky team like them the blowjays. They head to texas however and like the tigers let’s see how well they do against a better team before worrying about the wildcard race.
Both Jeter and A-Rrod are injured and may or may not be in the lineup in boston…which sucks.

Looking way ahead:
Ole reliable BillyL just sent a story that I have an opinion on.
Upcoming arbitration eligible Yankees:
Brett Gardner and David Robertson-1st time and yes they both deserve a raise. If Gardner gets the stolen base title this season he gets a better raise.
Phil Hughes and Joba-second time and they are on the bubble for me….I am leaning toward an ever so lenient increase for both of them.
Boon Logan-third time and he can kiss my…..despite how well he performed recently, I don’t like him.
Russell Martin-fourth time and yes he deserves an increase.

Joke of the Blog: first one is from dad-in-law and the second from BillyL

Two men are waiting at the gates of heaven and strike up a conversation.

"How'd you die?" the first man asks the second.

"I froze to death," says the second.

"That's awful," says the first man. "How does it feel to freeze to death?"

"It's very uncomfortable at first," says the second man. "You get the shakes, and you get pains in all your fingers and toes. But eventually, it's a very calm way to go. You get numb and you kind of drift off, as if you're sleeping. How about you, how did you die?"

"I had a heart attack," says the first man. "You see, I knew my wife was cheating on me, so one day I showed up at home unexpectedly but found her alone watching television. I ran around the house looking for her lover but could find no one. As I ran up the stairs to the attic, I had a massive heart attack and died."

The second man shakes his head. "That's so ironic," he says.

"What do you mean?" asks the first man.

"If you had only stopped to look in the freezer, we'd both still be alive."

and from BillyL

Two elderly women, Mildred and Hazel, were out driving in a large car, barely able to see over the dashboard.
As they're driving along to the grocery store, they approach an intersection. The light is red, but Mildred just drives on through, not hesitating for a second. Bewildered, Hazel thinks to herself "I must be losing it. I could've sworn we just drove through a red light."

A few minutes later, they come up to another red light. Again, Mildred drives right on through. Hazel is alarmed, but is still not sure if she's imagining things. At the next intersection, however, Mildred drives through another red light, prompting Hazel to turn to her friend. "Mildred, are you aware that we just ran through three red lights in a row?"

Mildred replies: "You know, I noticed that too!"

Hazel, flabbergasted, stammers, "You could have gotten us both killed!"

Mildred turns to her slowly, and says, "Me?! I thought you were driving!"

August 25th part two continued on August 26th

2011-08-26T08:44:00.001-07:00

August 25th part two continued on August 26th.

Need we say anymore? When I left you yesterday the Yankees were in the process of their comeback after Cano’s Grand Slam…..it was 7-6. After a pretty bad start by Hughes all was forgotten as that no longer was the story of the day…oh noooo…not hardly. By the time it was all said and done the Yankees scored three touchdowns and a safety to beat the Oakland team 22-9. Not only was the weather an indication of a totally different day at the park but so was the game apparently. Three Grand Slams later (a major league record and something that was NEVER in the history of baseball ever done in one game) and the Yankees tore the scoreboard up to secure the victory. I only feel sorry for those who left the park when the Yanks were down 7-1 in the rainy dreary third inning. Basically we could have and should have swept this series and almost did. I won’t get all into the actual game as we know the outcome…but it is amazing that the Yankees did not hit more than the three…After all, Both Gardner and Jeter came up at least twice earlier with the bases loaded…and for a while there were so many walked in runs with the bases loaded at any moment there could have been other subjects who attacked the baseball with the bases loaded. How many times were the bases loaded for the Yankees? SIXfreakingTEEN! One more note about this record…Baseball has been around for 136 years and soon will be recording the 200,000th regular season game and this was a first….
And all that to say this…How bout ole Jorge playing second in the 9th for the first time ever in his major league career…(he has played the position in his early non pro days)…he damn near threw his arm out for the final out in what was a funny ending to the game with Swisher impersonating a goalie making a save to his right side to catch Jorge’s throw. I loved it. Jorge talked Girardi into the move as he pleaded to be put on second-and Joe bit – I loved it!

We kept pace with the red*ucks who also won against the Detoilet tigers. The dumbrays this morning have yet again lost their support of the fans and commentators on sports radio….no shock there. Now we head into baltimoron where they still have yet to announce any change in plans for the games this weekend, yet it appears other teams were smart and have done so….idiots! Hello…there is a Hurricane heading up the coast you jerks….do something….think for once…oh wait, it is the baltimoron orioles…..

Gonna keep this short – it was nice talking to both BillM and his son MikeM who were at the park yesterday…as was BobG and I assuming Mark too…..I guess with extra bolg readers in the house the Yankees put on a show…not to mention I bet jeromeP was there too….maybe with his wife.

No Mo update OBVIOUSLY!!!

Again, be safe this weekend to the Northern readers….

Joke of the Blog:
I have so many to get out I may as well throw one in there today.

My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard an admin girl talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the beach. She drove down in a convertible, but said
she 'didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving’.

They Walk Among Us!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.I was going out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain.
My friend said, 'Ouch! The chain must rip
out every time she turns her head!"
I had to explain that a person's nose and ear
remain the same distance apart no
matter which way the head is turned...

They Walk Among Us!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

August 25, 2011

2011-08-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

A crappy rainy day that turned into a sunny one in NY leaves the Yankees and A’s with no choice but to play on as there is only one chance for the game to be made up, and with this being said that would mean the Yankees would have to fly from LA to play the A’s in NY only to fly right back to LA…and something similar for the A’s. Up until the 5th inning the Yanks were playing like a crappy raining day – more later….

BillM is enjoying the game as he brings in all the air at Yankee stadium…I got one text from him and that was it.

What is up with the Yankees leaving runners on 3rd? Come on already! With the bases loaded and one out Gardner pops up and Jeter dribbles a ball in the infield for the final out in the second inning.

BillyL, move to Florida-we don’t have hurricanes down here…or earthquakes for that matter.

Speaking of the moronas in Baltimore, with the hurricane heading up the coast the Yankees offered up the idea of playing a double header tomorrow and Monday while playing the final game either Saturday or Sunday ahead of or behind the storm…they nix the idea…so somehow or another 5 games are going to have to be played this weekend in Baltimore…go figure..this is the last trip down there this season….unless they pretend the orioles are the home team in NY in September I do not think they have any more common days off to have a makeup game.

Hughes looks like crap again, so I ask why the heck would you put in a claim on Carlos Pena of all people (thankfully that did not work out) when as usual we need pitching, pitching and more pitching?????? I have really tired of Hughes despite his last two starts.

Finally A-Rod got his first hit since coming back from the DL, not that it led to anything to speak of…

So it looks as though as of today the Yankees will be 1.5 games out of first as the red*ucks do not play until tonight…and let’s hope the texas wrongjers kick their buttocks. The dumbrays lost today………………………………………………………………………………………………………….hooollllldiiiitttttt…

I am about to sign off from the blog…let’s hope the Mo factor goes another direction below and the game continues the turnaround….

Thanks to Mr. Dontcha’ know Robbie Cano we have climbed right back into this game with his grand slam. It is 7-6.

RIP Baltimoron Oriole pitcher from the 70-80’s Mike Flanagan who was found dead yesterday. He was an announcer for the orioles and was “supposedly” looking forward to the upcoming series against the Yanks this weekend. I say “supposedly” and what is disturbing is the death is being considered a suicide….which makes no sense. He had financial issues but my word, who doesn’t these days?

Other notes:

Yu Darvish is being scouted by the Yankees. He is 6-foot-5, 25 years old, pitches at 93-94 mph with the ability to touch higher than that and is known for having an inventive and competitive spirit on the mound. He is 15-3 with a 1.59 ERA and 182 strikeouts in 158 innings for the Nippon Ham Fighters. Me? I say STAY AWAY!!!! We are about to get rid of the Kei Igawa contract….these guys do not fare well in the United States….

I understand that Feliciano has done well in Gulf Coast League baseball and Marte has done horrible….neither are a factor for the team this season. (funny, they just mentioned tyhis during the game on radio). Also, Sergio Mitre had his shoulder looked at and has been told he should be ready to participate in spring training 2012 activities……………………………..yawn!

Callups:
Here is the recent list I head thus far as possibilities. They all make sense to me.
Dellin Betances
Jesus Montero
Brandon Laird
Chris Dickerson
Lance Pendleton
Manny Banuelos

Sandman’s sand dune:
Maybe--------------------------------------------------------------------depending on today’s game…
Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -592
needed to tie 9
1
needed to overtake 10

Everyone in the path of the storm be safe.

Joke of the Blog: (two of them)
1. I couldn’t find my luggage at the airport baggage area and went to the lost luggage office and reported the loss.

The woman there smiled and told me not to worry
because she was a trained professional and
said I was in good hands. 'Now,' she asked me,
'Has your plane arrived yet?'...

They Walk Among Us!

2. While working at a pizza parlor I observed a man
ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut
into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time
then said 'Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry
enough to eat 6 pieces.

They Walk Among Us!

Closing Time-August 22, 2011

2011-08-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

Closing time:

Mo is now in single digits to tie Trevor Hoffman for the all time saves record. With 33 games left this particular record is in line to be broken this season. At the least that is what I am hoping for.

Anyway, the recent little road trip has come to a close with a good outing by all as we compiled a 5-2 record. Now we head home with a day off with the A’s en route to NY for what I hope is a horrible time for the Oakland team.

A-Rod came back without the explosion I expected yesterday, but in all fairness I personally would not have brought him back until we got home…but that is just me…so I continue to expect that explosion tomorrow night in the Bronx.

BillM is in NY from St. Augustine visiting his son Mike (what’s going on Mike-long time no type/talk/hear) and as a special treat BillM will be heading to Yankee stadium for the tour, something I would like to do myself..although our trip up for the first time to the new stadium last year was met with BobG and Mark who gave us their personal tour of various areas of the park. I almost want to go when there is not a game so I can make my way to all parts of the place without limitations…one of these days!

Both Grandy and Tex had homers yesterday, in fact they were back to back jacks…but Grandy did his with his legs as he recorded his 35th homer where as Tex did his the typical old fashioned way by smacking the ball over the left field fence.

Granderson really needs to be considered as a MVP candidate with the year he is putting up. In fact I have touted our entire outfield as the best for some time…speed, power and superb defense makes the tandem in left-center-right field a great group of players. BillyL shared a similar story about this just this morning. Getting back to Granderson, he is either leading ofr very close to leading in tons of categories, and to be considered not to be that type of player I agree that this is what the real value of the MVP is all about…not for the A-Rods, Adrian Gonzalezes, Ryan Howards or Prince Fielders to get the nod, but for the players who over achieved to help their clubs win. Granderson fits this to a tee…as did Cano last season but he was robbed. Just my opinion….take it or leave it. Besides that he is a super nice guy who actually gives a damn. Also, the guy hustles out every, I mean every hit his bat connects on even if the ball looks as if it is a home run he is not slowing down, that is the sign of a good baseball player. Anyone you can influence this piece of info…tell them to run out every hit ball cause you never know. Granderson’s got an inside the park homer instead of a double because of his hustle. At some point in the coming weeks I will show what I mean…I want to see him continue proving it before I get to breaking it all down…there is a month of baseball left. Don’t discount Nova either for a great season…he is only 13-4 for crying out loud…who would have expected that?

For those of you scratching your heads over how well Ian Kennedy is doing for Arizona…calm the heck down. First off, it is Arizona, second it is the NL…not NL East, but NL west…. Throw him back in the American League and he would not be as good as he appears to be…I promise.

OK, calm down Tampa fans, radio personalities and sorry announcers…really…calm down…you will not be in the playoffs this season…so please shut up and let the real fans enjoy their real teams hunt down playoff spots. You were playing Seattle…calm down already. Man!! Let’s see how y’all do ‘gaints the De’toilet Tigers.….that being said they had better not make it ….LOL ---wait a minute…wouldn’t that be funny if they did take over the wildcard away from the red*cks?????? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm……

Now for my most hated recent subject matters…AJ Burn-out. I am 100% through with him and his brain farts or whatever he is going through. We have 6 starters as it is and he no longer is a factor in my mind. Plus with the call-ups and starters turned relieves from this group (Noesi, Banuelos, Bettances) I would not care at this point if the Yankees just threw AJ onto the DL with tightness in his big toe nail. What kills me about him is he has the stuff to be a good pitcher, but his mental makeup is not strong at all…he is a weak minded individual who pouts about the smallest crap and that throws his whole game off in a matter of one inning, usually the first for him of late. He can take is 10.70 August ERA and shove it in his bag as he packs to go back to his backwoods cabin-yea, he can be considered one of those hillbillies, let’s be honest. Screw him!
No offense…some of my best friends are from the back woods…remember, we lived in Newnan, Georgia for a while where Alan Jackson came from before moving to Florida….so I know “hillbilly” when I see it.

Meter Maid: This is the final time you will see anything other than Mo’s stats here….in honor and hopes of his impending feat. I am excited about it as it will be a long time before it gets broken. Closers like these two don’t come around too often for this long a time period. It takes a good 15 years or so along with a 40 plus saves a year career. Let me put I in perspective…..

Like Trevor Hoffman Mo has been with one team his entire career. We all know that. The next person still active on the All-Time saves list is Francisco Cordero 36 years old of the Reds and his saves record is at 315. He would have to pitch at least till he was 42 and average 47.666666666666666666666 saves each year to come close to 601 saves. After that you have Jason Isringhausen who is 39 years of age with the Mutts and has 300 saves. He was signed onto a minor league contract so as you look that over you can tell he won’t be around much longer in the big leagues…certainly not for at least 301 more saves. Both these two active 300 win pitchers have traveled with many teams during their careers. As mentioned, neither Hoffman nor Mo has worn any other uniform other than the Padres and Yankee uniforms….which counts for something I would think.

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -592
needed to tie 9
1
needed to overtake 10

2011 Pitching Leaders 2011 Home Run leaders 2011 RBI Leaders
Verlander-de'toilet tigers 18 Bautista-blowjays 36 Fielder-brewers 98
Sabathia 17 Granderson-YANKEES 35 Granderson-YANKEES 98
Halladay-phillies 15 Teixeira-YANKEES 34 Howard-phillies 96
Kennedy-arizona 15 Teixeira-YANKEES 95
Kershaw-LA 15

Joke of the Blog:

I seem to get a lot of jokes form my dad and dad-in-law. I was just noticing this…I guess they think they are pretty funny…which they must be to me as I keep using their jokes.
Again, some are old so don’t shoot the messenger. There are two here.
From Dad:
P L E A S E : Cancel your credit card before you die!

Can you believe this? Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die!

This is so priceless, and so, so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today.
A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for
February and March for their annual service charges on her
credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly
charge. The balance had been $0.00 when she died, but now
somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank.

Here is the telephone-call exchange :

Family Member: 'I am calling to tell you she died back in January.'
Citibank : 'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'
Family Member: 'Maybe you should turn it over to collections.'
Citibank : 'Since it is two months past due, it already has been.'
Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'
Citibank : 'Either report her account to frauds division or
report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'
Family Member: 'Do you think God will be mad at her?'
Citibank : 'Excuse me?'
Family Member: 'Did you just get what I was telling you - the
part about her being dead?'

Citibank : 'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'

Supervisor gets on the phone:
Family Member: 'I'm calling to tell you, she died back in
January with a $0 balance.'
Citibank : 'The account was never closed and late fees and
charges still apply.'
Family Member: 'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'
Citibank : (Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'
Family Member: 'No, I'm her great nephew.' (Lawyer info was given)
Citibank: 'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'
Family Member: 'Sure.' (Fax number was given)

After they get the fax :

Citibank: 'Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help.'
Family Member: 'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. She won't care.'
Citibank: 'Well, the late fees and charges will still apply.'
(What is wrong with these people?!?)
Family Member: 'Would you like her new billing address?'
Citibank : 'That might help....'
Family Member: ' Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot
Number 69.'
Citibank : 'Sir, that's a cemetery!'
Family Member: 'And what do you do with dead people on your planet???'

**************************************
(Priceless!!)
**************************************
And you wondered why Citibank needed help from the Feds?

From Dad-in-law:

Reverend Boudreaux was the part-time pastor of the local Cajun Baptist Church and Pastor Thibodeaux was the minister of the Covenant Church across the road. They were both standing by the road, pounding a sign into the ground that read:

'Da End is Near!
Turn Yo Sef 'Roun Now
Afore It Be Too Late!'

As a car sped past them, the driver leaned out his window and yelled, 'You religious nuts!'

From the curve they heard screeching tires, and a big splash...

Boudreaux turns to Thib and asks 'Do ya tink maybe da sign should jussay.....
'Bridge Out?'

August 19. 2011

2011-08-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday the 19th of August and the NY Yankees are still in first place……by a half a game. CC lodged his 17th win last night and a few bombs were reported being seen with pinstripes trailing behind the baseballs as they left the Minnesota skyline, especially one hit by Andruw Jones… an estimated 4hundredand34 foot blast into the 3rd deck of the Twits…I mean twins stadium.

I have to admit it…I was happy to see A-Rod on the bench with the team again. My best guess is the Yankees may hold him out until Tuesday in NY. If not Tuesday he will play on Sunday…but I think with an off day Monday they may hold him out. I am ok with that….as magical things take place in Yankee stadium and his return could be yet another one of those moments. Speaking of A-Rod,I thought it was nice of him to give fellow new inductee (Jim Thome) to the 600 homer club a hug before the game.
You see Joba was in the dugout last night? Looking very much like he needed a haircut – funny thing is I actually forgot about him….which actually is a good thing because he could be a contributor for us next year.

Hey JoeP…I have no idea why Girardi or the Yankees did not protest that final game in KC. I sure as hell would have. George and Billy Martin sure would have. Heck, even Joe Torre admitted the homer call was wrong. I don’t know….

Didja know: Gardner was a walk on with his college team? He went to the tryouts and was told along with the rest of the guys that if they made the team as a walk on they would be called the next day. The next day came and Gardner showed up to practice without getting a call and was allowed to practice with the team. He never looked back. He lives next to Mike Pelfrey of the mutts in Westchester. His birthday is next week on the 24th. I am still waiting for him to steal the 23rd straight base to break the consecutive steal without getting caught in a row record he and Jeter are currently tied.

Another didja know from the game last night…Granderson now is the 8th Yankee to have double digits in homeruns, triples doubles and stolen bases.

After this series in Minnesota we head home for 3 games with Oakland, another below par team. Then we head to Baltimore with yet another sorry team and finally end the month in boston for 3. September we have an interesting schedule…we take a trip out west for the final regular season trip cross country, then we head out of the country to the blowjays…so we start the month with the red*ucks, host the blowjays and morons of Baltimore and then do that west swing. Pretty tough travels…out west then out of the country, then face the main two teams in the AL East to end the season.
The last two weeks of the month we face the dumbrays 5 times (2 in NY, 3 in Tampa for the end of the season) and in between those series we host the red*ucks for 3.

By the way, Joe Madden, the dumbrays manager believes his team will be making a run at the AL East again….ya see? That is why I call them DUMBRAYS.

The bench is about to get a bit crowded as will the team buses. The teams can expand their rosters from 25 to 40 in September.

Meter Maid:

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -591
needed to tie 10
1
needed to overtake 11

2011 Pitching Leaders 2011 Home Run leaders 2011 RBI Leaders
Verlander-de'toilet tigers 18 Bautista-blowjays 35 Howard-phillies 95
Sabathia 17 Granderson-YANKEES 34 Granderson-YANKEES 95
Halladay-phillies 15 Teixeira-YANKEES 33 Gonzalez-red*ucks 92

Joke of the Blog:
This one has been around for a while and I got it from my dad a while ago.
Subject: Sex & the Fence

The husband leans over and asks his wife, 'Do you remember the first time we had sex together over fifty years ago? We went behind the village tavern where you leaned against the back fence and I made love to you.'

Yes, she says, 'I remember it well.'

OK,' he says, 'How about taking a stroll around there again and we can do it for old time's sake?'

Oh Jim, you old devil, that sounds like a crazy, but good idea!'

A police officer sitting in the next booth heard their conversation and, having a chuckle to himself, he thinks to himself, I've got to see these two old-timers having sex against a fence. I'll just keep an eye on them so there's no trouble. So he follows them.

The elderly couple walks haltingly along, leaning on each other for support aided by walking sticks. Finally, they get to the back of the tavern and make their way to the fence. The old lady lifts her skirt and the old man drops his trousers. As she leans against the fence, the old man moves in.. Then suddenly they erupt into the most furious sex that the policeman has ever seen. This goes on for about ten minutes while both are making loud noises and moaning and screaming. Finally, they both collapse, panting on the ground.

The policeman is amazed. He thinks he has learned something about life and old age that he didn't know.

After about half an hour of lying on the ground recovering, the old couple struggle to their feet and put their clothes back on. The policeman is still watching and thinks to himself, this is truly amazing; I've got to ask them what their secret is.

So, as the couple passes, he says to them,' Excuse me, but that was something else. You must've had a fantastic sex life together. Is there some sort of secret to this?'

Shaking, the old man is barely able to reply, 'Fifty years ago that wasn't an
Electric fence.'

August 16, 2011

2011-08-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

As the dust settles on another day the dumbrays and red*ucks are set to battle a two-fer today that I am actually going to pull for the dumbrays to sweep. Today finds us back to April again with the YANKEES and red*ucks tied for first yet again. What else is new?
Let’s be totally honest here, AJ kinda stunk yesterday even though he finally got a win under is August belt. Thanks to Gardner and Jeter who accounted for most of the Yankee runs in some way or fashion it helped pull us even with the idle red*ucks.
Banged up club:
Looking for ARod? He is gonna be in a city called Scranton….en route to Minnesota where he will rejoin the Yankees who are 22-11 since his absence thanks to a team contribution. I have to say I worried about the chemistry being screwed up upon his return, but after hearing he and others form the team talk I have to say that I think this return will be a great one.
You are finally starting to hear a bit more about Rivera’s quest to become the all time saves leader. How long has this been appearing in the blog I type up? Heck forever it seems….I have been waiting and waiting for others to join in this monumental accomplishment.
So in honor of that I will just post his countdown or Meter box score once he hits the single numbers … …not that Granderson’s MVP type season is a joke or should be looked over by any means, not that he and Tex’s new era version of the M&M (Mantle/Maris) team leading homerun slugfest fight is a joke either….or as I call them the C-T connection (Curtis –Teixeira),
Meter Maid:

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -590
needed to tie 11
1
needed to overtake 12

2011 Pitching Leaders 2011 Home Run leaders 2011 RBI Leaders
Verlander-de'toilet tigers 17 Bautista-blowjays 34 Howard-phillies 95
Sabathia 16 Granderson-YANKEES 33 Granderson-YANKEES 94
Halladay-phillies 15 Teixeira-YANKEES 32 Gonzalez-red*ucks 92

One more thing::::: on the Meter maid track
I typed this the other day and I sort have lost myself on this one. Gardner now needs one more stolen base to make it 23 consecutive times in doing so that will be breaking a record held by Jeter since 2001-2002 at 22 swipes in a row without getting nabbed.
Gardner is number 20 with 122 career stolen bases for the Yankee franchise passing Alfonso Soriano.
Congrats Brett, even if you don’t break it you are with great company with Jeter.
Other notes:
September call-ups on the way. To me this is a very interesting time of the year as the callus for the minors are put into place on the roster. Although spring training is riddled with the same type of event this is more about seeing the real picks in the midst of a playoff race…and those picked are either one of two things….the future for the Yankees or trade bait for the off season. In any case they are here to showcase what talents they have more than likely in very limited roles, but a role nonetheless. So be ready to see some names on the Yankees you may or may not have heard of before.
Joke of the Blog:
From dad
HOW IS NORMA?

This is hilarious!!
A sweet grandmother telephoned St. Joseph's Hospital. She timidly asked,
"Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?"

The operator said, "I'll be glad to help, dear. What's the name and room number of the patient?"

The grandmother in her weak, tremulous voice said,
"Norma Findlay, Room 302."

The operator replied, "Let me put you on hold while I check with the nurse's station for that room."
After a few minutes, the operator returned to the phone and said, "I have good news. Her nurse just told me that Norma is doing well. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work just came back normal and her physician, Dr. Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged tomorrow."

The grandmother said, "Thank you. That's wonderful. I was so worried. God bless you for the good news."

The operator replied, "You're more than welcome. Is Norma your daughter?"

The grandmother said, "No, I'm Norma Findlay in Room 302. No one tells me shit."

TRUE STORY

And from BillyL-could not resist adding this one even though it is a bit risqué at the end…(that last comment can be considered the disclaimer)

Coffee and testicles

A guy goes to the Post Office to apply for a job.

The interviewer asks him, "Are you allergic to anything?"
He replies, "Yes, caffeine. I can't drink coffee."

"Ok, have you ever been in the military service?"

"Yes," he says, "I was in Iraq for one tour."

The interviewer says, "That will give you 5 extra points
toward employment." Then he asks, "Are you disabled in any way?"

The guy says, "Yes. A bomb exploded near me and I lost both my testicles."

The interviewer grimaces and then says, "Okay. You've got enough points for me
to hire you right now. Our normal hours are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. You can
start tomorrow at 10:00 am, and plan on starting at 10:00 am every day."

The guy is puzzled and asks, "If the work hours are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, why
don't you want me here until 10:00 am?"

"This is a government job", the interviewer says. "For the first two hours, we just stand around drinking coffee and scratching our balls. No point in you
Coming in for that."

August 11, 2011

2011-08-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely the season is ticking along.

I keep bringing up the same stat, what if we played the redsux better than we have (2-12 record)? Well, I was reminded of a similar stat…what if the redsux played better at the start of the season when they went 2-12?

We are in a interesting curve in the baseball world. After the dumbrays we turn back to a ton of mediocre teams until the end of the month when we end up back in boston for a 3 game set. By then it will be high time to know which AJ is on the staff, who will be on the way up as some September call-ups, how the magic numbers are lining up, are we a first place team or wild card team?

So today we wrapped up the series with the LA dangles, which are in wildcard contention. After that we as mentioned host the dumbrays, who are right behind them in contention for the wildcard…both are chasing the Yankees currently.

Mo-Mo Mo…he is ruining my party I have planned for his “Saves leader record” this season. He just recently gave away two games that should have been sure saves that dwindled his number down from the current 13 games needed to overtake Hoffman to 11….and as things progress I am thinking this will now spill over into next season…but who knows, it is Mo and there are certainly more than 13 games left for him to potentially save. ….I’m just sayin’…he almost blew it today which would have been horrific.

Rich n Maureen…got a call from the Yankees office down here today and my letter worked…go figure…so now all we need is for you to show up…

Ron n Tina, BobG n Mark-o, Chris n Gary and BillyL…the invoices will be going out in a month or so…FYI if you are gonna be down next spring.

Just past mid season report:
Granderson is flat out my team MVP player this season……directly in front of Robbie Cano…and I mean not by much.
Nova has been the most improved pitcher to me as has David Robertson.
Biggest disappointment by surprise is AJ BurnOUT. The guy has the goods but is a flat out head case…..he pisses me off quite honestly.
Pitching MVP is of course CC big boy Sabathia….16-6 and 4 of those losses were to one team we wont mention from BillyL’s area.
Gut check player is Gardner who is one stolen base in a row without being caught that will tie the record set by Mr. Jeter in 2001-2002.
Mr. Rookie thus far would be Eduardo Nunez…I like this kid and given some better infield work down the road I see him as a fixture on this team….Ayala looks good too.
Biggest bust: Pedro Feliciano, Rafael Soriano, although I think he looked his best yesterday, Boone Logan…I don’t care for this guy….

Meter Maid:
Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -589
needed to tie 12
1
needed to overtake 13

2011 Pitching Leaders 2011 Home Run Leaders 2011 RBI Leaders
Sabathia 16 Bautista-blowjays 33 Granderson-YANKEES 93
Verlander-de'toilet tigers 16 Teixeira-YANKEES 32 Gonzalez-red*ucks 92
Halladay-phillies 15 Granderson-YANKEES 32 Howard-phillies 91

Banged up club:

Some guy named ARod will be back in the lineup soon…I am probably wrong but I think the Yankees are something like 19-10 since he has been out of the lineup. Give or take a game or two - not bad considering he is our every day cleanup hitter. Maybe ARod should DH for a while and sit Posada for a “pinch hitting” minute. Plus, Jorge will backup for Tex at first on days you rest ARod and Tex can DH. Chavez can stay at third and share that with Nunez.….I don’t want to lose all the bats since they pretty much have been performing well. Not talking about the poker thing…today I don’t care and it sounds like it may be nothing to care about, so I am running with that…but not dropping my message to ARod-stay on track man…stay on track…

Enough out of me….

RIP Annette….(and “Newk” our dog)

Joke of the Blog:
THE POLITE WAY TO PEE-compliments of BillyL

During one of her daily classes, a teacher trying to teach good manners,
asked her students the following question: "Michael, if you were on a
date having dinner with a nice young lady, how would you tell her
that you have to go to the bathroom?"

Michael said, "Just a minute, I have to go pee.." The teacher
responded by saying, "That would be rude and impolite."

What about you Sherman, "How would you say it?' Sherman said,
"I am sorry, but I really need to go to the bathroom, I'll be right
back."
"That's better, but it's still not very nice to say the word bathroom at the
dinner table."

"And you, little Billy L, can you use your brain for once and show
us your good manners?" "I would say, Darling, May I please
be excused for a moment? I have to shake hands with a very dear friend of
mine, whom I hope to introduce you to after dinner."

The teacher fainted.

August 5th 2011

2011-08-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

You had to know something was bound to come out today from Kevin the big mouth. I got stung by a bee last weekend that from the picture of my hand I sent to my family got my father in law to admit I needed to be a boxer…the hand swelled up, and despite not listening to my wife to go immediately to the doctor I finally did…and was given a shot in a place known for sitting and some antibiotics I am still talking…much better now though…but for those of you with a significant other…it may be a good thing to listen to them. Not that the hand stopped me from working or typing…I have been pretty much letting the NY football Yankees do their thing on the field in Chicago. After two touchdowns and two safetys the other night last night they just got one touchdown.

If you look real hard at the calendar you may see the name of the moth being August, but it is actually April for the weekend….see, the Yankees head to boston this weekend for a three game set that virtually has the two teams tied for first. I have said it before and will again…the past games this season tell all…just imagine if we were able to beat the red*ucks a few more times than the one freaking time where we would be…still in first more than likely with a tad bit of a lead… There is no doubt to me that the pressure is on the Yankees…why you ask? Because of the head to head record and the idea that the red*ucks have our number and are in our heads…that’s why. Sure the lead for either team could potentially be three games come Sunday night/Monday morning if there is a sweep,…but that will not yet define this season…those head to head games however are huge…emotionally, physically and come playoff time the advantage could make or break a few things…..

AJ Burnette, or as BillM calls him..AJ Stinkette….had better get his act together soon….

Now for the “other” topic of the day…

ARod, really man? REALLY????? Does this guy know how to stay out of trouble? Yes, we have been doing just fine without his butt in the lineup, and Chavez has been more than great with his timely return from the DL, but as BillyL and I have discussed and I agree with Chavez is a slip away from being on the DL again….sad as that may be…by the way, speaking of Chavez-could someone please tell me that I am not crazy for thinking he looks like Donnie baseball especially with the mustache? Speaking of the stache—he and martin have started this Giambi like mustache thing…I wonder who George would feel about the facial hair??? But they seem to think it is a good luck charm…and I have no room to talk with all my things that MUST take place in a certain order to offer luck to the Yankees. Certain hats need to be worn, certain shirts are worn or when the Yankees are home or away…the list goes on and on….

Getting back to ARod, or as the radio announcers in Tampa like to know call him…Bet-Rod..I am pretty sure he is guilty, after all this is the same guy that was caught with the steroid scandal that had his cousin linked to the movement of ARod’s stash….and is the same guy that still employs the said cousin even though the links to performance enhancing drugs is out there…ARod is a product of his environment, the one he puts himself in. I think I mentioned this before on another financials Yankee topic…but this time the message goes to ARod…there are two people that reside in largo, Florida, a surrounding city of Tampa…that will be more than happy to hold your 50 or 500k or whatever the amount was that he had at the card game gambling party he got busted at. In fact Mr. Rodriguez…or ARod….since you are in Tampa working out how bout I drive to the park to retrieve the funds from you…save you a stamp….Better yet…stay over a few nights and clear your head….have some home cooked meals form Joyce…relax and watch a game or two on the flat screen….watch the birds in the back, put your feet in the sand and stay the F out of trouble for one in your damn life….you idiot! Does Pete Rose ring a bell?

Meter Maid:

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -586
needed to tie 15
1
needed to overtake 16

2011 Home Run leaders
Bautista-blowjays 33
Teixeira-YANKEES 31
Granderson-YANKEES 28
Tex now holds MLB record for homers
(12 times) from both sides of plate in a game

Joke of the Blog:

From Billy L-who is pondering a game visit this weekend….DO IT-DO IT DO IT!!!
Husband Down

A husband and wife are shopping when the husband picks up a case of beer and puts it in their cart. 'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife. 'They're on sale, only $10 for 36 cans he replies. 'Put them back, we can't afford them demands the wife, and so they carry on shopping. A few aisles further on along the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket. What do you think you're doing?' asks the husband. 'It’s my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' replies the wife. Her husband retorts: 'So does 36 cans of beer and it's half the price.'

He never knew what hit him.

Another one from BillyL
A fifteen year old Amish boy and his father were in a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide back together again.

The boy asked, 'What is this Father?'
The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, 'Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don't know what it is.'

While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old lady in a wheel chair moved up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened, and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small numbers above the walls light up sequentially.

They continued to watch until it reached the last number… and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.

Finally the walls opened up again and a gorgeous 24-year-old blond stepped out.

The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son.....

'Go get your Mother'

August 1, 2011

2011-08-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

Here is what pisses me off this morning, which is somewhat what pissed me off yesterday. All the sudden the dumbrays sports experts are now saying they are still in the race because the Yankees did not make any moves for the trade deadline.

I was not and still am not happy about the Yankees not getting any of their problem areas addressed, specifically the starting and bullpen areas. I had wanted a lefty starter and a lefty reliever and maybe a real DH if this person was out there to get, even for a three month rental. I do like that Cashman stuck to his guns and did NOT make a stupid deal just to make one, like going after the NL: pitchers that we were tied to…so on that note I am good, but I do not feel like we will be able to sustain this type of level in the pitching staff with the Colon/Garcia tandem. Sorry… I do like we have held onto our prospects but darn man?

Getting back to the top paragraph here and tying in the second what we all have to understand is we have some injured players coming back, which is somewhat like a trade in itself. The most important as far as the offense is ARod, who is really improving and hopes to be back after this road trip that takes us to the sox’s…white and red. The addition to the rosters in the September call-ups will bring up some of the youth we held onto during the trade deadline, sort of like Nova last year. Maybe Soriano will be a contributor and believe it or not Marte is still a possibility in September as he continues to work his way back. My real concern still is in the starting rotation…and ever since the Cliff Lee “drama” from last off season this has been the main worry for me and this team. We needed him then and still do…a lefty starter to compliment CC. I see Nova in the starting role Hughes was supposed to be in unless Hughes shows me something more in his next outing.

Great home stand just wrapped up as we did exactly what we should have during the stretch of playing the sorrier teams.

Next up---waivers wire deadline…

BillyL and JoeP-thanks for the updates…

Happy BD Gary!!!

Debates in baseball…

1. Instant replay or not…I fall on the Yes side for plays at home and home runs after the 7th inning.
2. Realignment…seems to be gaining steam in baseball along with adding two teams to the playoffs. I think realignment no if you break up the Yankees and red*ucks
3. Unwritten rules…I do not like these unwritten rules, such as how Verlander of the De’toilet tigers complained that the LA Dangles bunted to try and “break up his no hitter”. Hogwash…the point of the game is to win, not lay down and let someone no hit you. You had better believe if Gardner was at the plate he had better try to bunt to get on base. I don’t care if it is 10-0 in the 9th inning. What if you get one of those innings where you start hitting (see Saturday’s Yankee game)? After all, this is a pennant race…and besides, those personal accolades are just that-personal, nothing to do with the team. Just like you can win 1-0 or as the Yankees did Saturday 17-3-it is still a win. CC had a 1 hitter and who cares---we won the game. If he had a no hitter of course that would be great, but I lost not a bit of sleep over him losing the no-no last week…but was happy we won. I think Verlander is a selfish punk crybaby!

Banged up club:

Someone actually wanted the full revised injury list, so for the final time here goes the old format….I aim to please….after this I will tone down the format back to the one liner..

Player Injury Notes
Alex Rodriguez strained Quad 1 To 2 weeks
Damaso Marte, LHP left shoulder surgery 10/2010 Maybe September
Ramiro Pena Appenectomy On DL 7/18 after operation-???
Reegie Corona, INF broken right elbow Maybe August
Jeffrey Marquez, P right Shoulder tendinitis DONE
Pedro Feliciano, LHP torn capsule in left shoulder DONE
Sergio Mitre right Shoulder tendinitis DONE
Colin Curtis, OF dislocated right shoulder DONE
Joba Chamberlain, RHP torn ligament in right elbow DONE

Meter Maid:
Mo is getting cloooooser…
Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -586
needed to tie 15
1
needed to overtake 16

2011 Home Run leaders
Bautista-blowjays 31
Teixeira-YANKEES 29
Granderson-YANKEES 28

Joke of the Blog:

The Usher

An elderly woman walked into the local country church. The friendly usher greeted her at the door and helped her up the flight of steps, "Where would you like to sit?" he asked politely.

"The front row, please," she answered.

"You really don't want to do that," the usher said. "The pastor is really boring."

"Do you happen to know who I am?" the woman inquired.

"No," he said.

"I'm the pastor's mother," she replied indignantly.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"No,” she said.

"Good,” he answered.

July 28, 2011

2011-07-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Quick hits…

The Yankees are having a very good home stand this week despite losing to the Seattle moroners yesterday. Now they have a good two days off (game time tmrw is 7:05PM to regroup before the baltimoron orioles show up.

dumbrays are getting their buttocks kicked again and with all due respect they are now considered a “non factor”. I mean EVERYONE in tampa is all in on football already because the dumbrays started their fall just when football came back---how ‘bout that irony?

Red*ucks lost already today…

So considering we had an off day it was not a bad baseball day. The Yankees are “just” 2.5 games out of first, and for those who want to keep track of the wild card we are in the lead there by 5 games over the LA dangles (Angels). It is a bit early for me to start wild card hunting…..that is considered to be the last place playoff team slot. Of course if that is where we end up, which it won’t be, then I will take it at that time.

Of course NONE of this will matter in two years when they add two teams to the playoffs….the Yankees will never miss the post season.

The microwave oven:

The microwave is hot but nothing looking to promising for the Yankees at the moment.

Pitching---we freaking need pitching and it appears we will not be giving away the Trenton Thunder and Scranton Wilkes-Barr Yankee team for Colorado’s Jimenez. I whole heartedly agree that for a 27 year old National League pitcher is NOT worth the loss of the farm teams. Screw them…but who does that leave? The Dodgers Kuroda? I am not all warm and fuzzy about him (National League guy and ahem…from the far east…I do not really see how we would go down this road again (see Hideki “fat toad” Irabu - Kei “slow motion:” Igawa…..)---AND he is a damn righty, we need a lefty not named Cliff Lee. He is 36 years old and has a crappy record of 6-13 with a 3.11 ERA (the only thing good about him)….I don’t like him.

I am however ready to give up on Hughes. Sorry those of you who like him…but I think the past handling of Hughes has ruined him and Joba….I say bring back Nova and leave him in the back end of the rotation.

BillyL’s “leftover” wish list for the Yankees and my comments:

Erik Bedard-Seattle pitcher. 32 years of age with a somewhat injury stricken career …two things going for him to me are he is a lefty and he is from the American League.

Randy Choate-Florida Marlins and former Yankee pitcher. Been in the AL and NL, currently in the NL. He is a lefty reliever.
Gio(vany) Gonzalez-Oakland A’s. 25 years of age lefty-By far my choice of the person the Yankees should go after. He is a American league pitcher from Florida that is young enough to keep in the mix for years to come.

Other news:
Ryan Howard of the Phillies is building a home that rivals St. Jetersburg in the area. The 17500 square foot home will have a river flowing through the house to the pool, a bowling alley and other such amenities that has people here now talking about his planned home instead of Jeter’s finally…so---thanks Ryan….

Did anyone see the horrific call made the other night during the 19 inning Pirates-Braves game? ESPN decided to show the top ten worst blown calls in MLB history and I noticed that the Yankees were included in at least 5 of them, all in our favor. Funny thing is the dumbrays stink so much that was actually mentioned on talk radio (they have nothing else to talk about). Also, it has been mentioned if the call went against the Yankees like it did against the Pirates Mr. Steinbrenner would have had 4000 tapes of the play at the doorstep of the commissioner and the whole rule book would have been changed and the play in question would have been wiped out and replayed. This-is-true!

Meter Maid:

I am starting to get a bit excited about this Mo stat!

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -585
needed to tie 16
1
needed to overtake 17

2011 Home Run leaders
Bautista-blowjays 31
Teixeira-YANKEES 28
Granderson-YANKEES 28

Banged up Club:

Let’s face it. This time of year this long a#** list no longer really matters.

So in lieu of this feeling I have on the topic I am going to limit this to the obvious..

ARod is improving and is hopeful to be back by the end of the next road trip.

Chavez is back (thank heavens!!) and looks like he had not missed one day, which is a great thing.

Soriano is due back in a few days and I am not excited about him-he stinks! Why don’t I like him? He was a bad egg in the Tampa clubhouse last season but at least he pitched well for them, for us he has been a dud with all the same type of baggage. If he would at least pitch better I may be able to out up with his attitude…but until then he is on my black list….plus I really like David Robertson in the 8th inning spot ahead of Mo.
The rest that were on the list form the last email? Forget them, wait till next year and put them to rest….they are not worth the typing and reading.

Joke of the Blog:

The Best Way To Pray

A priest, a minister, and a guru sat discussing the best positions for prayer while a telephone repairman worked nearby.

"Kneeling is definitely the best way to pray," the priest said.

"No,” said the minister. "I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven."

"You’re both wrong," the guru said. "The most effective prayer position is lying down on the floor."

The repairman could contain himself no longer. "Hey, fellas," he interrupted. "The best prayin' I ever did was when I was hangin' upside down from a telephone pole."

Goat for Dinner

The young couple invited their elderly pastor for Sunday dinner. While they were in the kitchen preparing the meal, the minister asked their son what they were having. "Goat," the little boy replied.

"Goat?" replied the startled man of the cloth, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yep," said the youngster. "I heard Dad say to Mom, Today is just as good as any to have the old goat for dinner.

July 23, 2011

2011-07-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot to say, especially after last night’s game where we scored 17 runs against the Oakland Arse's in the hot as hell Bronx. Te only issue I had even in this blow out was two things, the red*ucks won again and Hughes, despite all the run support looked to me like crap, and that worries me. We need to make some moves NOW and I am at a loss as to what moves we have made to this point.

I am very happy for Brandon Laird in his debut in real pinstripes…

Hector Noesi has done well for the Yanks…he has a 2-0 record and a 2.91 ERA…remember I said to look out for this one? He has moved up quite well through the organization….

Way to go Tex…finally!

Yankees are still 2 back from the red*ucks and 6.5 ahead of the dumbrays . We have a5.5 game lead In the Wild card, but it is way too early for this talk….I see us in first…and again, if we had beat the red*ucks when we should have we would be in first….dammit.

Will the real AJ stand up, show up…look up…whatever …today????

Microwave oven:

Why in the hell did we ever re-sign Mitre? He stunk before for us over and over and now that he is back is on the DL after stinking yet again.

What’s the purpose of re-signing Marcus Thames again? Is this the “big bat” I was hoping for? I think not!

The rumors are out there of this guy or that guy, but nothing imminent or concrete other than the Yankees did ask about James Shields for which I was on board with…and as expected the dumbrays said “nope”.

Not that there is anything wrong with it, but why the heck are we even looking at the Dodgers Hiroki Kuroda? He is not exactly what we need….and again, not to be this way, we do not do well with the pitchers from the far east…sorry…I also say stay away from most NL pitchers…please!!!

The Yankees have some interest in Baltimore pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (32 yr old righty) and Colorado Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez (27 yr old righty). Neither excite me as they are both righties and one is in the NL…and again, why would the Rockies trade their best starter and for what???

No---again…NOOOOOO to Beltran….thank you.

Meter reader:
Nothing new here….
Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -583
needed to tie 18
1
needed to overtake 19

Banged up club:
A bit more updated this time around. The good news to me is Chavez is getting closer to coming back---as is Soriano…

ARod is itching to get back, and sadly we need his bat more than ever…even with a 17 run outpour. It shows throughout the lineup with him gone….

Player Injury Notes
Alex Rodriguez strained Quad Stiches removed 7/21. rehabbing
Jeffrey Marquez, P sore right shoulder Placed on DL 6/22
Eric Chavez, 3B bone bruise in left foot went 1 for 3 in Tampa, may be back during current homestand.
Rafael Soriano, RHP right elbow inflammation Played in rehab game in Tampa, may be back during current homestand
Pedro Feliciano, LHP torn capsule in left shoulder Began playing catch again in mid-July.
Damaso Marte, LHP left shoulder surgery 10/2010 Began throwing bullpen sessions in mid-July.
Reegie Corona, INF broken right elbow 60 day DL 3/22-not likely to return before midseason
Ramiro Pena Appenectomy On DL 7/18 after operation
Ivan Nova Sprained right Ankle On DL 7/20
Sergio Mitre right Shoulder tendinitis On DL 7/19
Colin Curtis, OF dislocated right shoulder 60 day DL 3/22-surgery in April ending his season
Joba Chamberlain, RHP torn ligament in right elbow Had surgery 6/16 to end his season.

Joke of the Blog:

A young cowboy sitting in a saloon one Saturday night recognized an elderly man standing at the bar who, in his day, had been the fastest gun in the West.

The cowboy took a place next to the old-timer, bought him a drink and told him of his great ambition to be a great shot...

‘Could you give me some tips?' he asked.

The old man said, 'Well, for one thing, you're wearing your gun too high - tie the holster a little lower down on your leg.'
'Will that make me a better gunfighter?'

'Sure will '

the young man did as he was told, stood up, whipped out his .44 and shot the bow tie off the piano player.

'That's terrific!' said the cowboy. 'Got any more tips?'

'Yep,' said the old man. 'Cut a notch out of your holster where the hammer hits it - that’ll give you a smoother draw'

'Will that make me a better gunfighter?' asked the young man.

'You bet it will,' said the old-timer.

The young man took out his knife, cut the notch, stood up, drew his gun in a blur, and then shot a cufflink off the piano player.

'Wow!' exclaimed the cowboy 'I'm learnin' somethin' here. Got any more tips?'

The old man pointed to a large can in a corner of the saloon. 'See that axle grease over there? Coat your gun with it.'

The young man smeared some of the grease on the barrel of his gun.

'No,' said the old-timer, 'I mean smear it all over the gun, handle and all.'
'Will that make me a better gunfighter?' asked the young man.

'No,' said the old-timer, 'but when Wyatt Earp gets done playing the piano, he's gonna shove that gun up your ass, and it won't hurt as much.

July 19, 2011

2011-07-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

The first game of the Tampa series we found ourselves down by that thing called the Trop where inside the Yankees were basically getting beat by the dumbrays. There are a few places around the stadium that we pretty much never frequent, but one new place in particular was on our list to visit someday. Well that was last night. Ended up knowing a couple of people there and the place itself was nice…they have indoor and outdoor seating with a huge screen over the bar for games, which of course had the Yankees on. The official story (for those of you that were watching the game which was halted due to a storm that blew through) was that lighting had struck the building, which I find ironic since I did not see nothing resembling lighting and the rain was rather light with some small pockets of heavier rain..no thunder, no lightning. Could it be that the Trop is a piece of junk and that something else caused the issue?

Anyway, last night we ended up salvaging a pretty bad early start for AJ, who gave up all their runs. The bullpen held them back while we chipped away at the lead and eventually overtook in the 9th leaving the bottom frame for Mo to nail down, which he did.

David Robertson continues to impress me with each passing outing. He is really making me think about him as a closer as he has easily handled wrestling the set-up role out of everyone’s hands. Good for him. Gardner continues to climb back on the horse he slipped off of recently and is now batting .286 as of Tuesday morning.

We will not be attending any of the games during this trip but are eyeing a possible game later in the year when the Yankees are back for the final series before the playoffs begin. At this point I do not think the dumbrays will be involved with anything resembling the playoffs, but if they are the Yankees will have a chance to hold our destiny….starting Sept 20th we play the dumbrays in NY for 2 games, then after a day off the red*ucks come to NY for three games. Then the Yankees fly to Tampa for three with the dumbrays to as mentioned, close out the season.

With that being said this does not mean we will be “out” of the Yankee lure while they are here….trust that!

Other notes:

I charged myself with a task I may not be able to complete. There was a commercial where CC is in a group with a bunch of players and mascots. This commercial was shot in our current town we live in Florida in an empty warehouse…I am trying to figure out where -------------------------for no good reason…just something to do I guess…….as if I have time on my hands….NOT!!

Ironic how I did not hear a word from the peanut gallery here at work, the wonderful dumbrays fans…..interesting….

The Banged Up Club:

Not the most up to date but I went with what I had….for instance, if Damaso Marte is “still” playing catch his arm is no longer a viable part of his body. If Feliciano is still on the 6 week schedule he will look like the incredible Hulk.

Player Injury Notes
Alex Rodriguez strained Quad rehabbing
Jeffrey Marquez, P sore right shoulder Placed on DL 6/22
Eric Chavez, 3B bone bruise in left foot Rehab game tonight in tampa
Rafael Soriano, RHP right elbow inflammation Rehab game tonight in tampa
Pedro Feliciano, LHP torn capsule in left shoulder On six-week strengthening program.
Damaso Marte, LHP left shoulder surgery 10/2010 Began playing catch June 10.
Reegie Corona, INF broken right elbow 60 day DL 3/22-not likely to return before midseason
Colin Curtis, OF dislocated right shoulder 60 day DL 3/22-surgery in April ending his season
Joba Chamberlain, RHP torn ligament in right elbow Had surgery 6/16 to end his season.

The Microwave oven:

It is pretty clear what the Yankees need, and in case you have been hiding under some rock in England somewhere we need a lefty starter STAT-PRONTO-AHORA-NOW!!!

The problem with the Yankees looking at the Rockies Ubaldo Jimenez is why do the Rockies even want to consider a trade of their ace pitcher who is young and has a good contract? What price would it affect our farm to bring one guy over to the AL form the soft NL? Why a righty when since Cliff Lee talks started last year we need another lefty? Something is fishy in the Rocky Mountains and it ain’t the beer.

After last night’s early part of the game it is apparent that for now Tex is not up for the part to step in while ARod is out of the lineup. Therefore we need to possibly consider a big bat in the lineup to “protect” Tex, or as BillyL and I have come to the possible conclusion, get Tex some glasses because he is not seeing the ball very well these days. Better put by Mr. BillyL is “he is not coming through in the clutch”.

Meter Maid:

The below is by far the most important stat to look for possibly this season. In 19 more saves Mo will overtake Trevor Hoffman for the All-Time Saves leader in Major League Baseball. SO yes, of course Jeter’s 3000th hit, which continues to grow was monumental-so shall this be.

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "
Hoffman 601
Mo -583
needed to tie 18
1
needed to overtake 19

Tampa Yankees:

With the way work schedules and gas prices have been it has halted a lot of extra trips to GM Steinbrenner field. Perhaps if the Yankees were not in town tonight would be the best time to go as Soriano and Chavez will be joining the team for their first rehab stops.
BUT—we won’t be there….

And in the end:

BMiller---hope to see you this week! On that root canal comment…ditto----almost…I had a good feeling last night even though as you out it AJ Stinkette gave away 4 early runs…. After all, the dumbrays just played well into the morning the night before and lost while the Yankees were here hanging out after winning in Toronto. The problem was we had no real experience against the pitcher they had last night….and we don’t normally do well against the no name guys for some reason….thankfully it worked out last night and we won late.

Joke(s) of the Blog:

I typically come across jokes from various sources. Today I decided to share three from the “usual suspects” BillyL, Dad and dad in law….mainly because I have 43 pages of jokes I have been saving and they keep coming to me.

First up BillyL

An elderly couple are attending church services.

About halfway through, Gertrude writes a note and Hands it
to her husband Fred.

It says, “I just let out a silent one, What do you
think I should do?"

He scribbles back, “Put a new battery in your hearing aid."

From Dad-in law

The lady replied, "Of course I do. It's the Bible."

He said, "Well, what about that guy that was swallowed by that whale?"

She replied, "Oh, Jonah. Yes, I believe that. It's in the Bible."

He asked, "Well, how do you suppose he survived all that time inside the whale?"

The lady said, "Well, I don't really know. I guess when I get to heaven, I will ask him."

"What if he isn't in heaven?" the man asked sarcastically.

"Then you can ask him." replied the lady.
From Dad

WHEN I SAY I'M BROKE - I'M BROKE!
A little old lady answered a knock on the door one day, to be confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner.

'Good morning,' said the young man. 'If I could take a couple minutes of your time, I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners...
''Go away!'' said the old lady. ''I'm broke and haven't got any money!'' and she proceeded to close the door.

Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his foot in the door and pushed it wide open.. ''Don't be too hasty!'' he said. ''Not until you have at least seen my demonstration.''

And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse manure onto her hallway carpet. "Now if this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horse manure from your carpet, Madam, I will personally eat the remainder." The old lady stepped back and said, "Well let me get you a fork, 'cause they cut off my electricity this morning."

After the break blog

2011-07-15T15:26:00.001-07:00

7/14/11
This just popped in my head….Now that Jetergate is passing by …what? What do I mean about Jetergate? Well it appeared that there were people touting Jeter as the savior of the All Star game and Major League Baseball. The fact that the guy wanted time off to ….well, go to Miami with his girlfriend for a little sunshine, rest and relaxation there were many in the world of baseball that were flat out pissed with him…I still stand my by last comment and say SCREW THEM…besides, Jeter would not have saved that pitiful All-Star game anyways…it stunk, and I did not even watch it…oh I taped it and watched it in fast mode –so it took me maybe ten minutes to watch the stupid thing.

My best memories of the App Star game was when me and my brother would spend summers in Pennsylvania with the grandparents and the one who loved his darn Phillies…well, this was a ritual we watched together….sometimes with a couple of friends we made while staying there year after year…(now sing the Archie Bunker song “those were the dayyyyys”….

Listineing to al ton of rays baseball talk and they are flat out pa-freaking-thetic…man they suck! These fans have all but given up even though according to the stats I am remembering form the radio broadcast this morning (and it is now almost 3PM) (((Let’s see how good the memory is…)

The rays have 77 or so games left, every 3 series they play either the YANKEES or red*ucks…starting this Friday. 36% of their games left are between these 2 clubs….I for one do not want them in the race, however I do not want them to quit just yet in light of the fact they play the red*ucks so much. Now there is talk of who they will dump once they are out of the race after the next two series against the two teams ahead of them. James “big Game” Shields and/or BJ Upton. They are even talking about James going to the YANKEES as a landing ground…but I for one do not see that happening straight up---IF Cashman was even looking into that. I would suspect a third or fourth team would need to be involved in that to bring him into Pinstripe heaven. What the Yankees need to do either way the dumbrays play out is they need to beat the red*ucks when they play them because if it were not for their head to head record being so crappy we would be in first place now, not them.

More to come as the mood hits…..

OK the mood did not take long to hit…less than 24 hours away and we now have seen the imposter leave the scene and the real Barftolo Colon showed up…Facve it, it was bound to happen an just about on cue it did…everyone thought he and Garcia could not possibly make it through the season doing so well…

Bottom line is I see it like this, the first week after the break is what I call Spring Training II. This is the week that those who plan to be a part of the team show up to play, the others make the GM’s job clearer as they see the broken pieces fall apart pretty much on cue. Thus in this order I see the Yankees needs to continue to compete into October as follows:

1. Starting pitching-preferably a lefty
2. Strong middle relief…Mitre and Logan can join Colon on the bus out of town. Not sure the dude we got from the Nationals organization yesterday will be the answer for us although he is a lefty pitcher.
3. Big bat…sorry Jorge….but your days as the fulltime DH are numbered right behind the days numbered as a catcher.

Onto the next game:

Go Rays-beat the heck out of the red*ucks while we kick some blowjays buttocks.

Nice to hear from you Gary and Chris the other day….
and finally,

this is BillyL and my time of the year when we become two Yankee GM's and plot the Yankees moves ...BillyL...I am already enjoying it...the Trade deadline!!!
Joke of the Blog, from Dad...

Not really a "joke" but it is sort of funny, sad and true...

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one
> year ago, you would have $49.00 today.
>
> If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago,
> you would have $33.00 today.
>
> If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers
> one year ago, you would have $0.00 today.
>
> But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year
> ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans
> for recycling refund, you would have received $214.00.
>
> Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to
> drink heavily &recycle.. It is called the 401-Keg.
>
> A recent study found that the average American walks about
> 900 miles a year Another study found that Americans drink,
> on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. That means that,
> on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon!
>
>
>
> Makes you damned proud to be an American

Mid Season Report Card

2011-07-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

Mid Season report card…Kevin style

Fresh off a good, no great series with the dumbrays and into the All Star break the Yankees find themselves one game behind the red*ucks…

In no order here is a simple A-F grade in my opinion…as good ole JoeP says from this side of the universe (for those that know him of course, not Joe Pepitone…)
Jeter A- It rose after he got back from his injury break, and was boosted a ton by his recent 3k adventure.
Gardner C+ too inconsistent and streaky to sustain a good average…still like him a lot though. Pretty low grade for a guy I consider my favorite…but I am not here to make friends, just sayin’ what I see.
Tex B Tex has been, about average and on the good side…lower than normal average but he is hitting the ball well..
ARod C Not as happy with ARod’s average and his power is down. Maybe his 6 week in season injury operation will prove to turn him around.
Granderson A
Cano B- Congrats to Cano on the home run derby…now hit some of them for your team in the second half why don’t ya?
Swisher D+ Not too happy with Swisher these days….I don’t know, up and down too much…hurt and then not…good games and then so-so games….
Martin C+ He started out like a star named Thurman, then turned into a “turd” like Rick Cerone who I did not like as a Yankee…still don’t.
Cervelli D I like his enthusiasm…and that is almost about it….
Posada C This IS his last year, right?????
CC A+ Question remains will he take advantage of the good season thus far and opt out? He may be in the Bahamas right now pondering that with his family….
AJ B- Started out great and has tailed off a bit in his recent starts…
Nova- B Not bad…finally beating the 5th to 6th inning curse here and there
Hughes C I expect a lot out of him…so far I see nothing…
Colon B+ The words I ate talking about him taste pretty good….like a nice pepperoni Pie. Since being all over him from spring training I don’t mind being wrong as long as we are winning.
Garcia B- About what I expected….
Mo B, not as automatic as he used to be…but still better than 99% of the rest of the league at 42 years of age, or is he 43 now?
Robertson B+
The rest of the bullpen B
The rest of the bench B
Coaching staff B

Biggest disappointment: Eric Chavez….who the hell gets injured TWICE while on the damn DL? Talk about being needed with ARod down he would have been the [perfect choice to take over….I like him and was liking what he was bringing to the team before his firsts injury…..

All in all I give the entire team a B at this point. Considering we have lost 8 out of 9 games to the red*ucks we should be in first place just because of that record if things went the way they normally do year after year. In fact just in those games we should be 3 games up minimum.

Upcoming the Yanks is a road trip to the blowjays, then to Tampa to play the dumbrays..then home for a 9 game home stand with the Oakland Arse’s and Seattle Moroners. and the baltimorons. By the time that all wraps up so will the trade deadline and I predict a better than active trade season for the Yankees. Middle relief? Starter perhaps? 3rd base help? One big bat for the lineup?

I will not be looking at the All Star game mainly because I don’t really care. I may tape it though and hope Robertson enjoys his first trip and Cano does not pull anything trying to be a star…Granderson, I hope you too don’t get crazy out there.

By the way….I predict another 49 wins the rest of the season---that’s 102 wins for the season.

By the way again:::
Screw MLB and anyone else who does not agree with Jeter for not attending the all-star game. The guy just got off the DL and if it were up to me I would ban the rest of the Yankees

Joke of the Blog:

My father just recently sent me some really funny ones but I am still working from the bottom of the pile I have….

HOTEL BILL~~~~Priceless!!
A married couple is traveling by car from Victoria to Prince George, BC . Being Seniors, after almost eleven hours on the road, they were too tired to continue, and decided to take a room. But, they only planned to sleep for four hours and then get back on the road . When they checked out four hours later, the desk clerk handed them a bill for $350.00.
The man explodes and demands to know why the charge is so high. He told the clerk although it's a nice hotel, the rooms certainly aren't worth $350.00 for four hours. Then the clerk tells him that $350.00 is the 'standard rate'. The man insisted on speaking to the Manager. The Manager appears, listens to him, and then explains that the hotel has an Olympic-sized pool and a huge conference center that were available for them to use. 'But we didn't use them," the husband said.

''Well, they are here, and you could have," explained the Manager. The Manager went on to explain that the couple could also have taken in one of the shows for which the hotel is famous. "We have the best entertainers from New York , Hollywood , and Las Vegas perform here," he says.

"But we didn't go to any of those shows," the husband said.
"Well, we have them, and you could have," the Manager replied.
No matter what amenity the Manager mentioned, the husband replied, "But we didn't use it!"
The Manager is unmoved, and eventually the husband gave up and agreed to pay. As he didn't have the check book he asked his wife to write the check. She did and gave it to the Manager.
The Manager is surprised when he looks at the check. "But ma'am, this is only made out for $50.00."
''That's correct. I charged you $300.00 for sleeping with me," she replied.
"But I didn't!" exclaims the Manager.
"Well, too bad, I was here, and you could have."

PLEASE~~~DON"T mess with Senior Citizens. We didn't get there by being stupid!!!!
Kevin

July 9th 2011

2011-07-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

5/30/95 first hit

4/2/96 first Home Run

9/25/00 Hit #1000

5/26/06 Hit #2000

8/16/09 #2674 by a shortstop

9/11/09 #2722 NY Yankee hit leader

1996 rookie of year

5 gold gloves - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010

12 time all-star, 2000 MVP

5 time world champion - 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009

7/9/10 #3000 hit, 5-5 3 singles, double, Home Run (#3000) and game winning hit. I thought he was gonna go for the cycle myself….but just as exciting.

The above tells the story of this past Saturday, when Jeter took control of the quest for 3000 hits. We know the story by now and I won’t go into the whole thing again. I want to point out the great sportsmanship by the Rays, and even the few Rays fans we encountered after the game down here. As much as I question his leadership as the team captain I too want to take the moment to congratulate Jeter with this huge accomplishments…the ONLY Yankee to have done so, which is hard to believe. You could even see the happiness in Damon’s eyes from the visitors Ray’s dugout.

And to think Jeter a month earlier said he would not hit a homer to hit the three thousandth hit, joining Wade Boggs as the only two players to hit the historic shot by way of the home run.

Good for him! Better for us as we also won an important game.

Now, how is ARod? Injured apparently and maybe heading to surgery and a month long DL…more on that to come later as it unfolds.

Only fitting Mo was on the mound to save the game for the Yanks.

Also of note the great news (to me) that Jeter, Mo and ARod have bowed out of the All-Star game…better chance to rest and not hurt themselves is how I look at it. That leaves Cano and Granderson with Martin as the lone NY reserve player. I am not even interested.

So there you have it…history is done for this chapter….and as of this trying there is no other injury update today. Today starts a new shorter Meter Readings…. with ARod hurt(ing).

Can you believe it is almost a year since George passed (7/13)?

Other quick notes:

BobG and buddy Andre were at the game today and I was glad to hear that they were there….as it was a special time to be at the park.

Joe P was probably happy with the outcome as he had predicted a 7th inning hit last night (Friday) but with the rainout the outcome was, well, better I guess.

Mom noted that this makes Jeter the 28th player to hit 3000…thus solidifying our quest for World champions for the 28th time just as Girardi wears the same number…I like it!

Nice to hear from you Fran and Benny…and nice timing…

Happy Birthday mom-n-law…..

Th Th Th That's all folks.......................

Meter Reading:

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "

Hoffman
601

Mo
-581

needed to tie
20

1

needed to overtake
21

Joke of the Blog: From Dad….this is clean and hilarious!!

After a long night of making love, the guy notices a photo of another man, on the woman's nightstand by the bed. He begins to worry.

'Is this your husband?' he nervously asks.

'No, silly,' she replies, snuggling up to him.

'Your boyfriend, then?' he continues.

'No, not at all,' she says, nibbling away at his ear.

'Is it your dad or your brother?' he inquires,

hoping to be reassured.

'No, no, no! You are so hot when you're jealous!' she answers.

'Well, who in the hell is he, then?' he demands.
She whispers in his ear

'That's me before the surgery.' ...

July 6th, 2011

2011-07-09T16:45:00.001-07:00

I thought, yea, why not? Since the Captain is back I may as well type something. Besides, I always say I am not going to type anything and then something in Yankee land catches my attention and my mind starts to go…so, here goes the latest entry to Kevyankee land, a new amusement park coming to your area soon.

First, the competition: I want to state that I am ever so happy the red*ux pitcher John Lester the molester is injured, just because. Did you know the floundering dumbrays also practice the walk off party of shaving cream? I know this is not a patent by AJ and the Yankees, but I find it funny that as much talk these teams have against the Yankees they end up being the first to attach to an idea formulated in Yankeeland. But hey, it is a free world.

The All-Star voting has ended and the Yankees are well represented this year. ARod, Jeter, Cano and Granderson represent the team in the position player roles and Mo will close out the game IF he is not too injured. The surprise for the Yankees is the omission of CC who is leading the league in wins and sports a 12-4 record. Also, I would have liked to have seen David Robertson make the staff, but oh well---I tried with my many votes.

The Yankees have had a great recent run and have sported a record of 51-33 18 games over 500. In the past 10 games they have a 8-2 record, in the last 24 they are 18-6 and still hold a 1.5 game lead over the red*ux. The dumbrays, who are 5 games out will close the pre All Star half of the season for 4 games, where Jeter will be breaking the 3000 hit plateau.

Last night the Yankees gave the dumbdians a drubbing with all the Yankees getting a hit except for cervelli who went 0-5. Her e is why I bring him up…was he sick last night or something? Because when whats his face came into the game in the 9th inning and could not find the plate if it were standing right in front of him…and only did so when Jorge came over from first to calm him down. Isn’t that what Cervelli is supposed to do? Way to step up to the plate Cervelli and take control of your pitcher. Get is his ass and get him straight….Like Posada had to do for you. So I ask again, was he sick last night? I like him and his energy bnut that was not a good look on his part.

Hughes is back tonight! Should be a good game…KEY WORDS ARE IT “SHOULD BE”

Anyone see the Core 4 DVD? No? Good…one again they are touting Mo, Jeter, Posada and Pettitte…but no Bernie…

That’s all for now…

The Banged Up Club:

Player
Injury
Notes

Eduardo Nunez, SS
tightness in right hamstring
Day to day

Mariano Rivera, P
Sore right triceps
Day to day

Jeffrey Marquez, P
sore right shoulder
Placed on DL 6/22

Eric Chavez, 3B
bone bruise in left foot
Began light baseball activities in late June.

Rafael Soriano, RHP
right elbow inflammation
Threw 32-pitch bullpen session July 1.

Pedro Feliciano, LHP
torn capsule in left shoulder
On six-week strengthening program.

Damaso Marte, LHP
left shoulder surgery 10/2010
Began playing catch June 10.

Reegie Corona, INF
broken right elbow
60 day DL 3/22-not likely to return before midseason

Colin Curtis, OF
dislocated right shoulder
60 day DL 3/22-surgery in April ending his season

Joba Chamberlain, RHP
torn ligament in right elbow
Had surgery 6/16 to end his season.

The Meter Read-short version:

3000 hit club-"The Jeter Meter"

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "

2011 Home Run leaders

Clemente
3000
Hoffman
601
Bautista-blowjays
28

Jeter
-2996
Mo
-580
Teixeira-YANKEES
25

needed to tie
4
needed to tie
21
Granderson-YANKEES
25

1

1

needed to overtake
5
needed to overtake
22

Congrats to Tex who the other day reached his 300th career homerun.

Joke of the Blog:

Yesterday I had an appointment to see the urologist for a Prostate exam.

Of course I was a bit on edge because all my friends have either gone under the knife or had those pellets implanted.

The waiting room was filled with patients.

As I approached the receptionist's desk,
I noticed that the receptionist was a large unfriendly woman who looked like a Sumo wrestler.

I gave her my name. In a very loud voice, the receptionist said,
"YES, I HAVE YOUR NAME HERE;
YOU WANT TO SEE THE DOCTOR ABOUT IMPOTENCE, RIGHT?”

All the patients in the waiting room snapped their heads around to look at me, a now very embarrassed man.

But as usual, I recovered quickly, and in an equally loud voice replied 'NO, I'VE COME TO INQUIRE ABOUT A SEX CHANGE OPERATION, BUT I DON'T WANT THE SAME DOCTOR THAT DID YOURS."

The room erupted in applause!

DON'T MESS WITH OLD RETIRED GUYS!!!

June 29, 2011

2011-06-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Yankees made some trades....

Well, not really- just an injury update where we get back some of our wounded soldiers very soo.

first up is Barft....I mean Bartolo colon who has been rehabbing in Tampa and is close to retunring, possibly this weekend in Queens againts the mutts.

Jeter, the almost member of the 3000 hit club has been in Tampa as well going through all sorts of drills, in fact, if he could have counted his at bats here he would be looking at the over 3000 club by now as he has been hitting the ball well...running and taking a shot or nthree at short.

Hughes, the youngin in the group has had a pretty succesful run with trenton and is real close to joining the big boys again....

That's all for now on the "who is close to returning"......the rest are ....not..

Speaking of, Joba was in the dugout and had had his surgery.

YES-we need a good lefty starter still!!!

Kudos to Swisher and Posada..and ARod who is not yet hitting homers but is hitting even with a sore body.

The Meters:

Homers-"A-Bomb Blast Meter" Homers-"A-Bomb Blast Meter II" RBI-"Arod RIB Eye Roast Meter"
Bonds 762 Aaron 755 Aaron 2297
Arod -626 Arod -626 Arod -1882
needed to tie 136 needed to tie 129 needed to tie 415
1 1 1
needed to overtake 137 needed to overtake 130 needed to overtake 416

3000 hit club-"The Jeter Meter" Saves-"Mo Down Meter " Grand Slams-"Arod 4Score Meter"
Clemente 3000 Hoffman 601 Lou Gehrig 23
Jeter -2994 Mo -578 Arod -22
needed to tie 6 needed to tie 23 needed to tie 1
1 1 1
needed to overtake 7 needed to overtake 24 needed to overtake 2

The Jeter Steals Yankee show All-Time Run Scored leader 2011 Home Run leaders
Henderson 326 Henderson 2295 Bautista-blowjays 24
Jeter -327 Arod -1807 Teixeira-YANKEES 24
needed to tie -1 needed to tie 488 Kemp-dodgers 22
Broke record end of May 1 1 Granderson-YANKEES 21
needed to overtake 0 needed to overtake 489 Fielder-brewers 21
Konerko_whitesux 21
Tex Messages-Homers
Chuck Klein 300
Tex -299
needed to tie 1
1
needed to overtake 2

Joke of the blog:

No offense to the blond readers of the blog.

FINALLY...THE BLONDE JOKE TO END ALL BLONDE JOKES

A Blonde woman was speeding down the road in her little red sports car and was pulled over by a woman police officer who was also a Blonde.

The blonde cop asked to see the blonde driver's license. She dug through her purse and was getting progressively more agitated.

'What does it look like?' The driver finally asked.

The policewoman replied, it’s square and it has your picture on it.'

The driver finally found a square mirror in her purse, looked at it and handed it to the policewoman. 'Here it is,' she said.

The blonde officer looked at the mirror, then handed it back saying, 'OK, you can go. I didn't realize you were a cop..

Seeya, off to the beach for a minute....game is taping and we are losing 1-0. very early though. Kay talking with Flaherty about Prince Fielder running his at bat out. yea...every player should be doing that instead of staring at their ball to the wall in the outfield that really is not a home run....

65th Old Timers Day and more..

2011-06-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a mostly rainy day here in Florida, which was perfectly fine for us as we need the rain so bad it is not even funny. Of course saying that it has rained a lot in the past few days, so it slowly getting to the area known as the “enough is enough “stage. But considering my spring, summer and early fall outfits consist of bathing suits, tank tops and a various amounts of visors (of course one is a Yankee one) to almost cover my head the rain does not bother me and I get to save money from the lawn sprinkler activity. Getting back to the rainy Sunday; we took care of some small chores and it got to a point where the “lazy settling in” came in….and on came the TV…and on TV for the next almost 11 hours was the pre recorded Saturday Yankee game, the old-timers festivities and game and then the Sunday Yankee game. Mixed in (see below) was a completion of another Yankee show about Girardi that was begging to be watched. All in all a good Yankee event.

Michael Kay said it perfectly during the Old Timers event yesterday at the stadium near the end of the festivities before the Old Timers game. With all the past and present legends in house he stated that it was no shock or surprise that the day we honored the Yankee family history the current Yankees were sitting alone in first place, albeit by a half game, but how fitting?

I have not heard if BobG and gang were at the park yesterday,. I know he was there Saturday and was contemplating another trip to the Bronx Sunday…so BobG if you went I am awaiting the report on how things went live?

The show of gratitude by the Yankee organization to Gene Monahan was tremendous. Here is the “brief” list on what “Geno” took away from the game yesterday in honor of his 49 years of Yankee service and upcoming retirement.

The Yankee players bought him a new Ford pickup truck

The Yankees gifted him a new riding tractor for his yard along with enough Scott’s supplies to cover the entire outfield at Yankee stadium.

They arranged a surprise visit from his two daughters and fiancé to attend the event.

They gifted him and his family a trip to Italy.

They arranged for his favorite country artist Garth brooks to pass a message on to him inviting him to superior service and tix to Garth’s upcoming Vegas show. He also received a autographed black cowboy hat by Garth Brooks.

A big NASCAR fan, Geno was awarded a signed racing helmet by I am guessing the whole field of drivers along with a “A #1” treatment to the upcoming race…full free pass…Geno loves NASCAR.

They gifted him the old wooden Yankee stadium fencing from above his locker from the old stadium.

They gifted him a portrait painted by Thomas Kincaid of the old stadium…(one of our favorite artist too)

Two seats (#7 and *) of the old stadium. BobG, see-you could have just gotten yours if you worked 49 years for the Yankees, although yours were your season tix seats so I see the attraction to them in your home now.

And best of all…..a dog…

During the press conference where he announced he would be stepping down to move to North Carolina where he wanted to ride a tractor on his land with a new pickup truck and a dog…(and other things of course) I bet at the time he had no idea that the Yankee family was actually listening and taking notes, as they fulfilled just about everything he mentioned that day. Talk about going out in style. But seriously, I know no other trainer for the Yankees as he has been ion the position all my life…and it was always expected that he would be there…in fact I never really thought anything different each year….he has helped mend many of our Yankees faves and will be missed…Congrats Geno, enjoy your retirement.

It was good to see Joe Torre in uniform again, even though he often soured in my mind I still like the guy, but I grew tired of his managing…yea, he did help guide us to many great moments in his 12 years a the helm…but putting all that aside again, it was good to see him in uniform…

It was good, no it was GREAT to see Piniella in uniform again as he was my favorite growing up. Sweet Lou and his #14 in right field…..also, to see him talking to ARod was a flashback moment as he mentored ARod when they both were tied to the Mariners back when ARod was a rookie.

It was even better to see Bernie! The ovations for the three above were touching but the one for Yogi was special, as he is up there in age I was glad he was able to attend…the guy is spectacular and a nice guy in person.

The old timers game ended in a 2-0 with the Yankees beating the Yankees…which reminds me of the time I had the baseball computer game (one of those Nintendo things I think) and in order for me to remotely enjoy the thing I had to have it set where the Yankees played the Yankees, because I did not want the Yankees to lose.

Anyways, the runs were scored by an old formula where Bernie doubled and Tino homered. Both had their neatly served up pitches by two David’s…Boomer Wells and Cone.

I liked just about all the interviews but one that stood out was from Strawberry as he mentioned the Boss and how much he had helped Strawberry get through tough times.

Even Giambi was seen enjoying the festivities in the dugout…and how about his ovation by the Yankee fans the first game back for him (as a visitor) and how fitting of him to hit a homer and have a pretty darn good day as the Rockies DH?

Boomer was funny, as usual as he called out Paul O’Neal wondering where he was….

Thought it was funny how they were talking about how a lot of the attendees were also the same group that are in Fantasy Camp here in Tampa. Funny because I had mentioned that to Joyce earlier…and if Bernie ever decides to sign up to the fantasy camp events it will be really tough for me to not do so as well….

Can anyone tell me exactly why it was finally mentioned how important Bernie was to the whole youth revival of the 9’s Yankee teams? I will never understand why it seems people always focused on the Core 4 when there were 5? Jeter, Mo, Posada, Andy and Bernie…

Did you hear the really old Yankee song played? Wow,,,talk about nostalgia…have not heard that jingle in years….maybe because I am in Tampa and not NY able to attend the home games, I don’t know…all I know is I heard it and had to laugh…remember that RonF and our train rides to the Bronx with the Staten Island “dog patch” neighborhood gang?

Was not touched by the singing of the National Anthem by Bobby Murcers’ niece, nope, sure wasn’t! I am all for the version of the anthem that do not stray away from the real version…all the “himming and hawing” that some artist do destroy it to me. Really, don’t mess with the anthem, please…she sucked.

Was hoping that Jeter would have been in the house especially for Gene Monahan, in fact he could have driven up with David Wells, Tino and Piniella…all in the area down here.

How bout the game?

The Yankees were involved in a perfect game----against them up until the 5th inning with one out Cano broke the trend where they were losing 3-0 with no base runners of any kind.

Don’t count this to heart, but ARod is about to start hitting homers…he has been hitting the ball great of late and has knocked in his 6th run in 6 games……………………………………………..unless he is hurt…which if he is could be why he is not hitting homers…no leg support. I think for those of us who have been watching you can see he is clearly limping.

The Yankees went on to win 6-4 (another Tex blast tied him for the majors lead with bautista with 23 Homers.

(((suddenly got a taste for this cheese cake Joyce made…too bad it is at home and I am at work on lunch break)))

My Gardner update:

Gardner laid down a perfect bunt up the fist base line, then stole second…mirror image of the game before where he laid down the perfect bunt to third and then stole second. Both times he scored…and is sporting a respectful for him .282 average….

TV note:

I recently watched the Yankeeography program on YES about Joe Girardi and his life in baseball. If you get the chance try and check the show out. I have to say it never went away with how he has been and was a pretty good show.

Future Yankees:

The Yanks picked up Dante Bichette Jr in the recent draft and he is projecting to be a third baseman. He is only 18, 19 in September and is committed to attend the University of GA. Keep an eye on him as he can possibly be the future third baseman of this team. Along with him I have been keeping some tabs on the following players: Cody Johnson, Slade Heathcott and Melky Mesa.

Meter Maids:

Homers-"A-Bomb Blast Meter"

Homers-"A-Bomb Blast Meter II"

RBI-"Arod RIB Eye Roast Meter"

Bonds
762
Aaron
755
Aaron
2297

Arod
-626
Arod
-626
Arod
-1881

needed to tie
136
needed to tie
129
needed to tie
416

1

1

1

needed to overtake
137
needed to overtake
130
needed to overtake
417

3000 hit club-"The Jeter Meter"

Saves-"Mo Down Meter "

Grand Slams-"Arod 4Score Meter"

Clemente
3000
Hoffman
601
Lou Gehrig
23

Jeter
-2994
Mo
-578
Arod
-22

needed to tie
6
needed to tie
23
needed to tie
1

1

1

1

needed to overtake
7
needed to overtake
24
needed to overtake
2

The Jeter Steals Yankee show

All-Time Run Scored leader

2011 Home Run leaders

Henderson
326
Henderson
2295
Bautista-blowjays
23

Jeter
-327
Arod
-1805
Teixeira-YANKEES
23

needed to tie
-1
needed to tie
490
Granderson-YANKEES
21

Broke record end of May
1

1
Fielder-brewers
21

needed to overtake
0
needed to overtake
491
Kemp-dodgers
21

Konerko_whitesux
21

Tex Messages-Homers

Chuck Klein
300

Tex
-298

needed to tie
2

1

needed to overtake
3

Banged up club: Not much new here…..

Player
Injury
Notes

Derek Jeter, SS
mild right calf strain
15 day DL 6/14, maybe late June. Just started to hit.

Bartolo Colon, RHP
strained left hamstring
15 day DL 6/12, began throwing program June 21. May return late June or early July.

Joba Chamberlain, RHP
torn ligament in right elbow
had surgery 6/16 to end his season.

Phil Hughes, RHP
right shoulder inflammation
60 day DL 5/25, hopes to be back in July. Reached a cool 95 MPH on fastball in first rehab start.

Eric Chavez, 3B
bone bruise in left foot
60 day DL 6/8. no timetable for his return. Has hit in the cage and took ground balls June 18th. May be back in July

Rafael Soriano, RHP
right elbow inflammation
60 day DL 6/15, maybe early July he can throw to live batters

Pedro Feliciano, LHP
torn capsule in left shoulder
60 day DL 4/15. on conservative 6 week treatment program until early July. Maybe mid season return.

Damaso Marte, LHP
left shoulder surgery 10/2010
not likely to return until after All-Star break, more like September

Reegie Corona, INF
broken right elbow
60 day DL 3/22-not likely to return before midseason

Colin Curtis, OF
dislocated right shoulder
60day DL 3/22-surgery in April and likely done for season

Other:

The Yankees are off tonight as are the red*ucks…the dumbrays host the Reds. Up next the Brewers come to town. Of some importance is Prince Feilder coming in with a homer happy bat.

Did you know that Ron Blomberg was the very first DH against the red*ucks back in 1973? He walked.

TV poll yesterday was which franchise other than the Yankees should hold a Old Timers day like the Yankees…the Montreal Canadians, Dallas Cowboys or boston celtics. Joyce and I were in agreement that it should be the Cowboys. We don’t want a Canadian team to have the honor; we do not want anything out of boston to win so the Cowboys (not a fan) was all that was left.

Happy belated birthday to Jeter who turned 37 yesterday…and to what would have been the 49th for my brother Saturday.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY IN THE OFF CHANCE I DO NOT TYPE AGAIN TILL NEXT WEEK…ONE NEVER KNOWS…I GET THESE URGES EVERY SO OFTEN AND SOMETIMES NOT TOO OFTEN…(REALLY???? I COULD HAVE FOLLD MYSELF ON THAT ONE TOO). (HAPPY BD GEORGE STEINBRENNER – JULY 4TH)

Joke of the Blog:

I am almost positive everyone may have read this at some point pr another, but here goes:

FORREST GUMP GOES TO HEAVEN

The day finally arrived.

Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven.

He is at the Pearly Gates, met by St. Peter himself. However, the gates are closed, and

Forrest approaches the gatekeeper.

St. Peter said, "Well, Forrest, it is certainly good to see you.

We have heard a lot about you.

I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast, and we have been administering an entrance examination for everyone.

The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven."

Forrest responds, "It sure is good to be here, St. Peter, sir. But, nobody ever told me about any entrance exam.

I sure hope that the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was."

St. Peter continued, "Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions.

First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T?

Second: How many seconds are there in a year?

Third: What is God's first name?"

Forrest leaves to think the questions over.

He returns the next day and sees St. Peter, who waves him up, and says, "Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over, tell me your answers"

Forrest replied, "Well, the first one -- which two days in the week begins with the letter "T"? Shucks, that one is easy. That would be Today and Tomorrow."

The Saint's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, "Forrest, that is not what I was thinking, but you do have a point, and I did not specify, so I will give you credit for that answer."

"How about the next one?" asked St. Peter
"How many seconds in a year?

Now that one is harder," replied Forrest, but I thunk and thunk about that, and I guess the only answer can be twelve."

Astounded, St. Peter said, "Twelve? Twelve? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?"

Forrest replied, "Shucks, there's got to be twelve:

January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd ... "

"Hold it," interrupts St. Peter. "I see where you are going with this, and I see your point, though that was not quite what I had in mind ... but I will have to give you credit for that , too.

Let us go on with the third and final question.

Can you tell me God's first name"?

"Sure," Forrest replied, "it's Andy."

"Andy?" exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St Peter. "Ok, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions , but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as Gods first name?

"Shucks, that was the easiest one of all," Forrest replied. "I learnt it from the song,

'ANDY WALKS WITH ME,

ANDY TALKS WITH ME,

ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN.' "

St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates, and said:

"Run Forrest, run!"

and now one for the 4th of July:::::i think from my dad....heck, I must be having a senior moment...

A Great Senior Moment!

Here's a quote from a government employee who witnessed a recent
interaction between an elderly woman and an antiwar protester in a D. C.
airport. There were protesters on the tram platform handing out
pamphlets on the evils of America . I politely declined to take one.

The elderly woman was behind me getting off the escalator and a young
(20-ish) female protester offered her a pamphlet, which she politely
declined. The young protester put her hand on the old woman's shoulder
as a gesture of friendship and in a very soft voice the young lady said,
"Lady, don't you care about the children of Iraq ?"

The old woman looked up at her and said, "Honey, my father died in
France during World War II, I lost my husband in Korea , and a son in
Vietnam. All three died so a bitch like you could have the right to
stand here and badmouth our country. If you touch me again, I'll stick
this umbrella up your ass and open it."

~ God Bless America ~

Not so much a joke, but a funny statement/story