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Friday, July 3, 2009

AJ Burnett beats Blue Jays, Mariano Rivera #503

The 2009 Yankees have more confidence and better chemistry than the 2008 Yankees, not to mention better pitching and injury luck. A.J. Burnett was dominant for the 4th start in a row, Coke and Hughes pitched the 8th, and Mariano Rivera was 1-2-3 in the 9th once again. The Yanks won a close game against the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 thanks to Cano and A-Rod's HR.

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Mariners beat CC Sabathia

CC just didn't have it last night. It happens to everybody. The Yanks' winning streak stops at 7. Hideki Matsui hit a double and HR, had a 10-pitch at-bat in the 9th before flying out. He cursed himself in Japanese in the dugout; his family was there, and I'm glad they don't allow swords in the dugout because he probably would have ran the blade through his stomach for failing in the 9th.

Mark Teixeira's slump has now affected his fielding for the first time all year.

Anyway, the Yanks still win the series even though they lost 8-4 last night.

This game had a yet another rain delay before the start, and it may have messed up CC Sabathia, I''m not sure. CC had already warmed up and was ready to pitch before the rain delay.

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Jim Leyritz arrested again


It's official- ex-Yankees catcher Jim Leyritz was arrested in Davie, Florida for attacking his ex-wife Karrie Leyritz. This comes on the heels of Leyritz being buddy-buddy with his former Yankees teammates in Miami when the Yanks were playing the Marlins. (Jim bought a ticket.) Their stories contradict each other, so I hesitate to judge. Besides, Jim may sue me. If I'm not mistaken his ex-wife or someone posing as her already posted on my blog the last time Jim was in trouble, so somebody is reading this.

But I must ask: how can a judge let him walk around for the next two months before his DUI trial?

Anyway, if Jim didn't accidentally kill Fredia Ann Veitch I would joking say that the Leyritz family would have a great chance to be on a reality TV show on cable. Instead we have another typical dysfunctional situation down here in Broward County, South Florida.

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A-Rod Hot, Mariano Rivera #502

Andy Pettitte finally pitched great at New Yankees Stadium, A-Rod is back to normal (2-run HR), and Mariano Rivera was 1-2-3 again, showing no signs of shoulder fatigue or age which WFAN's Mike Francesca's ranted about for a month straight on the radio.

Melky and Damon had solo shots, and the Yanks beat the Seattle Mariners 4-2. Aceves and Coke handled the 8th.

The Yanks have won 7 in a row since the Florida nightmare and the first game in Atlanta.

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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Yankees 2009 pitching rotation and Yankees bullpen

Once again, another month has passed and we are in July. So let's take a look at the 2009 Yankees starting rotation and Yankees bullpen.

Going into the season, the starting rotation was:

1. CC Sabathia
2. Chien-Ming Wang
3. A.J. Burnett
4. Andy Pettitte
5. Joba Chamberlian

After April, it was:

1. Andy Pettitte
2. A.J. Burnett
3. C.C. Sabathia
4. Joba Chamberlain
5. Phil Hughes
6. Chien-Ming Wang

And after May (cumulative):

1. CC Sabathia
2. Andy Pettitte
3. A.J. Burnett
4. Joba Chamberlain
5. Phil Hughes

And after June (cumulative):

1. CC Sabathia
2. A.J. Burnett
3. Andy Pettitte * he has the innings and Wins edge over Joba- that's it.
4. Joba Chamberlain
5. Chien-Ming Wang

Here's what I thought Joe Girardi's bullpen confidence level looked like after May:

1. Mariano Rivera
2. Alfredo Alceves
3. Wang
4. Coke
5. Brett Tomko
6. Dave Robertson
7. Jose Veras

Now after June:
1. Mariano Rivera
2. Alfredo Alceves
3. Phil Hughes
4. Brian Bruney
5. Phil Coke
6. Dave Robertson
7. Brett Tomko

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Mariano Rivera #501

The Yankees held on to defeat the Seattle Mariners thanks to Mariano Rivera and some late inning clutch hitting by Melky Cabrera and Derek Jeter after Brian Bruney blew the 8th inning.

The Yankees hitters choked all night with runners in scoring position, but finally blew it open in the 8th.

Joba Chamberlain was OK again. We saw a typical Joba game: 5.1 innings, 3 runs, 96 pitches. That's OK for a 5th starter, and that's what his role was pencilled in as this year anyway...time to lower expectations before each start, folks.

Phul Hughes looked fantastic in the 7th.

Anyway, A-Rod had a great HR, and it was cool seeing Ken Griffey, Jr. back in a Mariners uniform. He sure aged...but that's life.

Ichiro was in vintage form last night- he got cheap infield hits and stole 2nd, 3rd, and came home. He makes baseball look so easy.

Mariano Rivera threw out the first pitch- he didn't want to, but he was coerced. The fans gave him a great tribute and he was embrassed, but he was touched on the inside. He told his friends that it would be funny if he threw out the first pitch and the last pitch; his prediction came true with a 1-2-3 9th for his 501st save.

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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Yankes trade 2 minor leagers for ERIC HINKSE


The New York Yankees traded two minor leaguers to get 3B/RF/1B/LF Eric Hinkse today. He will be put on the roster before the game tonight.

Rumor mill says fan favorite Ramiro Pena will be sent down to grow in AAA by playing every day. The only other option would be to send Cody Ransom down, but he was never given a 2nd shot this time since coming off the DL. Plus, Cody has no upside, and Pena can get valuable experience by playing every day in the minors. At least that's what conventional wisdom says.

Since Xavier Nady will not be coming back any time soon, Hinske gives a "veteran presence" in multiple positions.

Who is Eric Hinkse? He's a former 2002 Rookie of the Year. Whoopee. Actually, I shouldn't be too hard on him- he's been exactly league average for 8 years, and he was overpaid by the Blue Jays, of all teams. He bounced around, picked up a 2007 Red Sox World Championship, and found himself in Pittsburgh, where he was traded today to the Yanks.

Keep your expectations low: he's a .254 career hitter, with a pedestrian career OB% of .337. In his career he averaged 18 HR per 162 games, but only has 1HR this year. Last year he hit 20 with the Rays.

But just for the record, yes, TECHNICALLY he is an offensive upgrade to Ramiro Pena and/or Cody Ransom. This is purely a stats head computer move, and he will probably wind up producing more runs than Pena.

It's just than Pena rocked even though he was a light-hitting defensive backup shortstop. The veterans fed off him in the clubhouse. I know that doesn't matter to Brian Cashman. Can't really say what I would have done as GM. I'd probably send Cody Ransom down instead.

Who did the Yankees trade?

Casey Erickson- right handed pitcher, drafted in 2006. Had good numbers, good strikeout-to-walk ratio but for some reason was kept at Rookie League and Single-A even though he 23. Maybe they didn't like his stuff?

Eric Flyer- Catcher/outfielder. Yanks traded marginal pitcher Chase Wright for him. So that tells you where he was at. But some scouts said he has talent. Had a couple of good minor league years.

Would these guys ever be promoted?

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Monday, June 29, 2009

Mariano Rivera 500 saves, RBI, Yanks SWEEP Mets


Mariano Rivera outclassed the Mets last night; it could be argued he outclasses MLB all the time anyway. The Baseball Gods rewarded baseball's most humble closer last night at New Shea Stadium to earn his 500th save and his 1st RBI, when he worked a 3-2 count against his cross-town cocky mirror image, K-Rod.

If I wrote a Hollywood script like this, it would have been rejected for being too unrealistic.

ESPN was praying to broadcast Mo's 500th save; not only did they get their wish, but the drama of the event was better than they could have imagined.

After the Yankees capitalized on fielding mistakes by the Mets in the 1st inning to make the score 3-0, it looked like another blowout. But Wang was just OK again and showed some improvement, but made it 3-2 in the 6th, but the Yanks' bats were silent against Livan Hernandez.

The Mets had the momentum the whole night, and it looked their luck was about to change after Phil Coke and Phil Hughes came out of the game after shutting them down, and Brian Bruney was running a Walk-a-Thon.

Rivera came out and battled a Mets scrub for a long time before getting him out, so he threw a lot of pitches. In the top of the 9th, Luis Castillo and the "super professional" Alex Cora let a popout drop between them, and that's when I knew the Old Gods of Shea had returned.

K-Rod sucked, and for some reason he and Mets manager Jerry Manuel started to pitch to Derek Jeter with 2 outs even though Mariano was on-deck. Jeter broke character and cracked up- kinda like when Clark Kent would wink at us. Did they fall for Joe Girardi's decoy of Fransisco Cervelli stretching on the on-deck circle? After getting behind the count with Derek, they intellionally walked him. Rivera came up, showed he has a great eye, took a nice swing, ran the count full, and took the walk and RBI. 4-2 Yanks.

He came out for the 9th, and picked up his 500th save. It was a true Subway Series game because the atmosphere was ecstatic, jubilant, and it felt like a World Series game. It was a celebration of Mariano.

This is why baseball is a living history and part-mythology. Games like this make you appreciate the game, makes you feel the drama, makes you think that the game is much more than stats, projections, and peaks and valleys.

Rivera's post game interview was telling: he just focuses on his work and doesn't worry or compare himself to historic closers or his peers, and gives them more credit than himself.





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Sunday, June 28, 2009

A.J. Burnett 1 hits Mets

A.J. Burnett has been hot in his last 3 starts, and it culminated in him almost no-hitting the Mets at Citi Field last night. His fastball and curveball were nasty and vintage A.J. He had 10 K, 1 hit, and 3 walks in 7 innings. Brian Bruney and Dave Robertson didn't give up a hit in the last two innings against the lowly Mets.

Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada hit HR, and A-Rod got an RBI. It seemed as if the Mets have up after Jorge's HR. 5-0 looked like 10-0 to them.

This was a game that was totally dominated by the Yankees to win this Subway Series. Wang on ESPN sounds scary tonight, but we'll see what happens.

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Darryl Strawberry interview video and comments

GUEST BLOGGER: Dr. Richard Hoffman, sports psychologist

Michael Kay interviewed former New York icon darryl strawberry on YES Network's Centerstage.

Watching this interview, if you don't know the man's history or personality type (Enneagram Type 3), you may get inspired or feel happiness that someone beat an addiction.

At the risk of being a cynic, Strawberry didn't pass my smell test. I've seen other athletes or celebrities talk about how they are clean now, and how convincing they are. Part of the embarrassment of messing up is that everyone gets to know your personal life, your sins, and the gossip. Numerous books, newspaper articles, peer interviews, and court records lend a lot of insight into guys like Strawberry or former WWF Champion Superstar Billy Graham or Boy George or the dozens of former idols that threw their life down the toilet like they did with cocaine when the cops bust the door down.

Yes, I sympathize with my fellow humans. Yes, I hope they really are passed their addictions and patterns of lies. But it's a struggle each and every day. That's not something Strawberry admits to anymore.

Before I list the comments Straw made, let me give a full disclosure: 1) yes, I did have preconceived notions in my head about Straw. Some who don't really know the grim details about his life would be much more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. 2) Dwight Gooden in his own way- has some issues with Straw in his own book, Dwight Gooden: Heat. I tend to side with Gooden. 3) Strawberry actually handled this interview VERY well, and seemed genuine, honest, physically healthy, had a great sense of humor, humble, and self-aware. I don't expect most readers to see what I saw. If you wanna think I'm skewed...well, more power to ya.

Okay here we go:

1) Firstly, Strawberry was on the YESNetwork to promote his new book. 'nuff said.
2) Strawberry had explanations (or excuses?) for his downfall. Such explanations included a) Being from the hood; b) Not having guidance in the majors; and c) Having a dad that told him he'd never amount to anything.
3) When asked about his first wife, Lisa, you know the one according to most accounts he got into fights all the time with (maybe even physical fights)- he didn't hesitate to say the marriage was a mistake, and that they never got along. He said it was a forced relationship due to her pregnancy. In a joking way, he assassinated her character.
4) During Michael Kay's Hit-and-Run segment, where Kay throws names at the guest for a quick response- Straw was unable to make a statement on Doc Gooden. Why? Guilt? Negative feelings? He didn't hold back to take a shot at Gary Carter, however.
5) His current state of happiness and enlightenment is tied to his new wife. What happens if she leaves?
6) Probably the most telling statement Straw made, however, was telling Michael Kay that he has NO temptations anymore to fall back into his addictions. None. Zero. Nada. He's CURED.

In closing, I hope Darryl stays clean and healthy. It is possible. People do change. People can overcome addiction. I've seen it. But it seemed as if his answers were programmed. He's been through dozens of rehab programs and church counseling- he knows what to say, he knows the routine. He never had a high IQ..he's a jock, kinda like A-Rod.

You can call me a doubter, but realize I do hope he proves me wrong. He is in a good environment now with a supportive wife. He does charity work with here, so he feels giving. I believe in forgiveness, and he shouldn't be tied down to his past. But...I just got bad vibes. He's a preacher now?
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DAMIAN SAYS: Here is video from that interview (can be viewed in Internet Explorer or Google Chrome, not certain under most conditions in Mozilla Firefox).

Strawberry Interview 1
Strawberry Interview 2
Strawberry Interview 3

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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Whatever happened to Dave Mlicki

Dave Mlicki...his name always comes up during the Subway Series because the greatest game in his career was shutout against the Yankees. He was an underdog in that June 16, 1997 game vs Andy Pettitte, but he won.

Now that I think of it, it's amazing how long interleague play has been around.

Dave's had a slightly below average major league career, if not an uneventful one. In typical Mets history fashion, of course it would have been someone like him to shine in a Subway Series.

Mike still has memories of his big game: "...like it was yesterday. I remember the excitement in the Stadium, all the Met fans chanting, ‘Let's go, Mets' in Yankee Stadium. I thought that was really cool."

So what is he doing now at only 41 years old? Besides being on Facebook.com, he seems like an all-around nice humble nice guy. He's pretty much into his golf club and his wife and kids. He is very active in his kids' athletics. Mets fans who see him always bring up the one game he is famous for, and ask for his autograph.
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The 1997 Mets, managed by Bobby Valentine had this pitching staff:

Rick Reed
Bobby Jones
Mark Clark
Dave Mlicki
Brian Bohanon and Armando Reynoso

The sad part was, as a Mets fan in 1997, I was sold on that staff and thought "they had a chance". Mets fans of 2009 should take heed.

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CC Sabathia, Yanks bats destroy Mets


When Derek Jeter was interviewed last week amidst the Yankees National League slump, he said a baseball season has its peaks and valleys, and the Yanks are just playing through a bad stretch, but thing will start to pick up.

Things have picked up.

Watching the ineptitude of the Mets last night made me feel happy. Not because I "hate" the Mets, but because the Baseball Gods of Flushing were in full force last night. It made me feel that baseball was more than stats, peaks, and valleys. Made me believe the Mets curse was still alive.

Three errors at the beginning of the game, Mike Pelfrey's high pitch count, allowing CC Sabathia to get an RBI single, a double-A first baseman who had seen a psychologist after getting sent down from Spring Training, a screen graphic showing that the Mets have half the team on the DL, a rain delay...yeah...welcome to Queens, NY.

Suffice to say the Yanks really shined last night- Brett Gardner 5-6 (triple, HR, 3 singles, stolen base)! Pretty ironic because I was reading a stats head forum where they ripped Joe Girardi for benching Nick Swisher a a few games and playing Gardner.

A-Rod now has more homeruns than Reggie Jackson, and he seems more mobile at 3B.

Ramiro Pena- subbing for Derek- had a great game with the bat and the glove.

CC Sabathia was dominant- actually was throwing a perfect game for a while. Heck, the Mets made BRETT TOMKO look great for 2 shut-out innings!

Final score 9-1. Doesn't necessarily mean the Yanks are going to bully the Mets all weekend, but it does give us a glimpse into the two teams when one team has all cylinders on, and another team looks like a lost submarine with no one at the helm.

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