Welcome to the Bronx Austin Kearns and Lance Berkman

Past trade deadlines for the Yankees have produced sub-par trades. I mean if you consider Kyle Farnsworth for Ivan Rodriguez a big deal than i guess not, but the last big impact player the Yanks acquired at the deadline that I can think of is Bobby Abreu (great deal). Yesterday the Yanks acquired two players that improve the team, Lance Berkman and Austin Kearns coming to the Bronx in separate deals.

Lance Berkman is the bigger name of the two, being a five time all star and known for his hitting ability. Due to his 10 and 5 rights (10 years in the league, 5 with the same team) Berkman had the right to veto any trade. Berkman turned down a trade to the White Sox and after that Brian Cashman was all over him. Cashman offered Mark Melancon and a prospect for "The big puma", who agreed to the trade. I think that it is a great trade for the Yanks, early reports are that the Astros will eat four million of Berkman's 7.5 million contract. Berkman can play first base and play the corner outfield spots, although he will see most of his time at DH. What I love the most about Berkman is that this year he is having a "down" year yet has an OBP of .372 and has 13 homers and 49 RBI. The only thing that worries me is that with Jorge Posada struggling to stay behind the plate, Posada will need to share the time at DH, possibly moving Berkman to the bench or outfield. With the move the Yanks can send Juan Miranda back to AAA Scranton.

With the addition of Berkman the line up could possibly look like this :
Jeter
Swisher

Tex

A-Rod

Cano

Berkman

Posada

Granderson

Gardner

You could always switch Berkman and Posada depending on who's hitting better.

The other deal the Yankees made that was over shadowed by Berkman was adding Austin Kearns to be a role/bench player. This season with Cleveland, Kearns was having a nice season hitting .272  with 42 RBI along with playing spectacular defense. When Kearns was told the news that he was going to the Yankees he said that playing time didn't matter to him with a team like the Yankees. You gotta love a player like that right away, it says something about Kearns, a free agent after this season, that he isn't worried about his next contract and his stats but more importantly helping the team win. The Yanks can now send down Colin Curtis who played decent in his time up and was a fan favorite, but the Yanks don't need him if they have Kearns.

Marcus Thames most likely will lose some playing time now that Berkman and Kearns are here but that's not a huge loss. Granderson may lose a bit of playing time against lefties since Kearns and Thames hit them well, most of all it strengthens the bench. For Kearns the Yanks gave up nothing just cash and a player to be named later.

The Yankees made two big moves that really helped the club out, the trade deadline isn't done just yet so more help could be on the way. The bombers could use some help in the bullpen so maybe a small move may be made there to help the club. If the Yanks don't make another move I wouldn't be upset they have already made two good trades. Now if they could just get rid of Chan Ho Park....

Yanks offering flex plans for $275..a seat

The Yankees have started to offer flex plans for the remainder of the season in which you choose four games to attend, of the four games you are allowed to pick one Red Sox game and three other (non Red Sox)remaining games. The catch is that the seats are in the field level and run for $275 a seat.

Sure the view is great from these locations but for $275 a seat or $2200 for a pair to all four games is not worth it. Another way that this deal is a rip off is you must buy either two or four seats, and when I attempted to buy a pair on Ticketmaster almost all the pairs are in the last few rows.

It has been well know that the Yankees have had a hard time selling these seats and on any given game that is not played against the Red Sox, Mets or on the weekend, many of the seats are empty for the entire game. Unlike the legends seating area that has an all you can eat buffet, the field level seats between the bases offer nothing other than waiters service that you have to pay for. In this deal the Yankees are throwing in free passes to the Mohegan sun sports bar, which is just other way to spend money.

If the Yankees were to really create something to put some butt's in the seat they should have added some sort of free food in the deal and/or had a playoff pre-sale option. The Yankees could have given out some sort of coupons for a certain amount of free food, or given out Bomber Bucks (Yankee money that can only be spent at Yankee stadium on food,tickets and merchandise). Another way to possibly increase demand would be give the ticket purchasers the chance to be in a pre-sale for post season tickets just like partial season ticket holders. Before some partial plan holders get upset realize this, by purchasing this four game flex plan the customer is probably paying the same amount if not more than most partial plan holders. I can speak for myself and say that my 12 game bleacher plan was just $288 before fees, so just one seat for this flex plan is almost the same amount for my 12 games with two seats.

I'm sure that some people who have that type of money may think that it is a great deal. But I'm sure that the expensive field level seats are available through single ticket purchase even for big games like the Red Sox. So if you were to buy just for the Boston game think again. Either way the Yanks hope that the embarrassingly empty seats will get filled.

Who Is Writing This Newsday Headline ? Ken Singleton ?

Mondays Newsday had this headline referring to A-Rod getting hit by a pitch in his final at bat in Sundays game. The headline may seem like a typical headline to some but i instantly though of Ken Singleton and his impulse to yell "look out !!!" any time their is a foul ball.  Although I am not a the biggest Singleton fan since I personally find it bland (When it's him and flash on the west coast trips i need to drink 5 red bulls to stay awake). But Kenny seems like a class act, and a Yankee season wouldn't be complete with a few "Look Out !!".

The Derek Jeter Drinking Game

Derek Jeter is loved by Yankees fans, disliked by many other fans in the rest of the league, and yet is respected by all. As many Yankee fans feel, it seems like forever Jeter has been involved with the Yanks and it will be one of the strangest things when he chooses to hang up his spikes. When you watch as many games as I do, you tend to realize that Jeter has certain traits that come with him. Please remember to drink responsible while playing, even if Jeter gets just four at bats in a game I'm sure you will have had enough to be legally over the limit so don't get behind the wheel. Please note I am not responsible for you, your action, behavior or any other embarrassing moment that may come from this game.

So lets begin :

• Jeter leads off the game and swings first pitch - 1 drink
• Jeter leads off the game, swings first pitch and hits a weak ground ball - 2 drinks
• Jeter hits into a double play - 1 drink
• Jeter swings first pitch with runners on and hits into a double play - 3 drinks
• Jeter fixes his batting gloves after a pitch - 1 drink , take addition drink if he steps out of the box also
• If Michael Kay says "Past a diving Jeter" or anything similar to that - 1 drink
• If Jeter attempts his famous "jump throw" and the runner is safe - 2 drinks
• If the "Flip play" is mentioned on air or by a fellow game participant  - 1 drink
• If the dive into the stands against the Red Sox is mentioned - 1 drink
• If either play mentioned in the last 2 rules, is replayed drink for the entire replay of the moment
• If an announcer calls a hit my Jeter to right field, "Jeterian"- 1 drink, if its on national TV (FOX,ESPN) take 2 drinks
• If an announcer mentions that he is the captain - 1 drink
• Jeter is seen on the top steps of the dugout - 1 drink
• Jeter's parents are shown on TV - 1 drink
• If the grudge between A-Rod and Jeter is mentioned - 1 drink, don't drink if the camera shoots to them standing/sitting next to each other talking.
• If Michael Kay mentions how hard it is for the manager to get Jeter to take a day off - 1 drink
• If any announcer mentions Jeters postseason heroics - 1 drink , take additional drink for each specific moment they mention
• Jeter is called clutch - 1 drink ,and take additional drink if he is called Mr. November
• If they show a shot of a female holding up a home made sign with Jeters name on it - 1 drink, if the sign mentions "love" or "marry" take 2 drinks. Take 3 drinks if it has both.
• Jeter is called Jeet by a teammate or announcer - 1 drink
• Is called by his full name of Derek Sanderson Jeter - 2 drinks
• Jeter disagrees with the umpire and says something to him, but doesn't get tossed - 1 drink
• Following a mound visit Jeter is the last one to leave the mound and is seen talking to the pitcher - 1 drink
• If Jeter is seen doing a fist pump - 1 drink
• Jeter hits a home run to the short porch in right field - 1 drink
• Jeter hits a home run to LF or CF - 2 drinks
• Jeter is seen clapping his hands following a hit - 1 drink
• Jeter hits a ball that lands in monument park and the announcer mentions how one day Jeter will end up there - 2 drinks
• Jeter is mentioned as the all time Yankee hit leader - 1 drink , take additional drink if they say how he will become the first ever Yankee to hit 3,000
• Jeter fouls a ball of his foot and it misses his guard - 1 drink
• Jeter jack knifes out of the way, and just misses getting hit by a pitch - 1 drink
• Jeter gets hit by a pitch - 1 drink
• Jeter gets hit by a pitch on his hand or wrist - 2 drinks , take an additional 2 drinks if any announcer mentions how Jeter dives into the plate when he swings and it often happens.
• Jeter gets hit by a pitch, taken out of the game, and is suppose to miss an extended amount of time - drink till you forget, since you know you cant replace Derek Jeter.

Remember drink responsible

No Home Homer from A-Rod

On Thursday night Alex Rodriguez made himself one step closer to historic home run 600, by hitting 599. The entire weekend fans were waiting for 600 to land in the Bronx, but those fans will have to wait until when ? Well nobody is sure but if it is going to land in the Bronx, it will have to wait until August 2nd. The Yankees will be on the road in Cleveland and Tampa Bay.

It is completely possible that Alex won't hit another home run this week and it can happen in August when the Yankees return home against the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox. Of course I don't have the power to choose when he hits the historic bomb, but I would love for it to be the first game back at the stadium or a game against the Red Sox.

It could happen as soon as Monday night in Cleveland, but any where it happens outside of the Bronx will ruin the moment for A-Rod. In Cleveland the fans are going to boo if the milestone homer is hit there along with possibly a few steroids chants. The same could happen in Tampa. although Tampa has been known to house alot of Yankee fans. But if Alex wants to soak in the moment, it has to be done in New York.

Why Tino !?!! Why !?!

While reading the NY Daily News yesterday, I came across this ad in the sports section.Yankee favorite Tino Martinez doing a corny ad for Bay Ridge Toyota. So my question is why Tino ? I don't think he needs the money, he got paid so much while in the majors and is currently paid by the Yankees to be a special assistant. Tino has worked for ESPN and the YES Network since he has retired from baseball. I was always a big Tino fan growing up and was upset in 2002 when they picked Giambi over him. But I'll admit that Tino in the booth is awful, his voice just doesn't sound right and he seems so nervous. Maybe they can try and get him to be in studio with Bob Lorenz, anything to prevent him from being in lame ad's like the one above.

(Sorry for the bad cell phone camera pictures)

Mike Francesa Does his Best Joba Fist Pump

Too funny, Joba hasn't pitched his best and I know Francesa has always hated him doing the fist pump deal.

New Ticket Window Added To Yankee Stadium Terrace Level

On my latest visit to Yankee Stadium I noticed the Yanks have added a new ticket window on the terrace/grandstand level outside of section 320C. It is a small window but I'm sure it will help, the other locations are on the main level 221, inside the great hall and the advanced ticket window outside the stadium. Even with the large amount of ticket windows, there is always a long line to wait and attempt to purchase tickets only to get to the window and be told the cheapest available tickets for the rest of the season are $100 and up.

Earlier this season on the Yanks first home stand I waited on line for 45 minutes, since I had $5 dollar coupons for the terrace,grandstand or bleachers that came with my ticket plan, only to be told they only had single tickets. The next time i tried was in mid-May and still had to wait on a shorter line but they did have tickets for a few games. What is really unknown about the ticket windows is that they also do upgrades, I keep wanting to see if I can upgrade within the same price range to a better location. In the future I plan to see if the lines for ticket sales at this new location are any shorter.

Yankees Quick Hits

Just a few notes that are not worthy of each having their own post :

• The Yanks plan to honor Ralph Houk who recently passed away by wearing a black armband. Not to make light of the situation but with the Stienbrenner and Sheppard already having patches, if the Yanks make the World Series they may run out of room with all the patches.
• The new song that Derek Jeter comes up to bat is "Blow the Whistle" by Too $hort. To say the least I am not a fan, I liked when he came up to Biggie Smalls.
• The Yankees unveiled a painted mural of George Steinbrenner in right field behind the bleacher creatures. They had previously had a list of all 27 championships in that area.
• Friday night Derek Jeter hit his second career inside the park home run, his first since August 2nd 1996.
• To top only Jeter's homer was Alex Rodriguez who hit career HR 599. Ticket prices are sure to rise on Stubhub,so if you plan to go buy quick. I personally would like him to hit it Saturday against Kyle Davies, the same pitcher whom he hit career #500 against.
• The Yanks have the best record in the majors and were the first team to 60 wins following Friday nights victory.

Yankee Stadium Experiences :Yankees VS Angels July 20th 2010

It was time to make another trek to the Bronx, this time to see the Yankee-killing Angels. This game was apart of my 12 game ticket package in section 235 of the bleachers.

As always I had left very early to head up to the stadium, to avoid traffic. If you drive to the stadium, here is a bit of advice when parking. Park at the 161st street garage, it is by far the easiest of the garages to leave, they have multiple exits and is close to the major degan. The garage is close to gate 4 and that is were i entered.

The lines to enter the stadium were really long because it was cap night. Although it is a nice feature that the Yankees give out free hats, it is really lame that their is a huge sponsors logo on the back (I also only wear fitted hats). Outside of gate 4 there was still a memorial made by fans in memory of George Stienbrenner, very nice touch that it has not been taken down.

For batting practice the seats were really crowded on field level so I headed out to the right field bleachers. The sun was brutal there, and there wasn't much action until Hideki Matsui returned and hit a few bombs out. Eventually I headed to my seat and was greeted by a few dopey tourists who insisted that the bleachers were general admission. It is difficult to notice that the numbers are on the bottom of the bleachers not the top (Which will one day cause for awkwardness when people are looking between others legs to find the seat number. So ladies remember not to wear a skirt). Once that was settled, the players had began to warm up and the crowd was continuing to come in. One fan that was sitting to my left had on a Ramiro Pena shirt, by far the oddest player shirt I have ever seen (Although I plan to buy a Damaso Marte).

Phil Hughes was making the start for the Yanks and pitched well the first few innings before giving up a few long balls one to Macier Izturis which really annoyed me. The game itself was one that i rather forget, after Hughes left the Yanks bullpen was lit up for another six runs. It did not help that the Yankees scored two first innings runs off Sean O'Sullivan and then did not record another HIT until the 7th inning. The game itself was really slow, and seemed to have lasted for ever, possibly because I was already annoyed at the way the Yankees were playing.

A few times fans tried to start the wave, much to my disgust. I hate the wave and it should never be done at Yankee Stadium ! I know i go to the games because I want to see the Yankees and watch baseball, not to be distracted by a bunch of dopes doing the wave and watching it go around the stadium. When the game is a blow out aside from complaining about fans doing the wave I enjoy just watching what is going on in the stand, one thing I noticed was their was a large fight in section 202 of the bleacher.

The night had few bright spots and many negatives, here are a few things that bothered me.

• Derek Jeter no longer comes up to Biggie Smalls as his walk up song,maybe this is why he is hitting .269.
• Juan Miranda was the DH and can't hit.
• Curtis Granderson has really struggled at the plate, and it has gone under the radar.
• Jonathan Albaladejo takes so long between pitches and can't throw strikes
• When Hideki Matsui was introduced in the starting line up, many cheered for him including myself. When Matsui came up for his first at bat I still cheered for him. What annoyed me was when he hit a home run to make the game a blow out that fans stood and cheered for him then. I was not about to cheer then no matter how much I liked Matsui, he just hit a home run against the team I'm rooting for.

As always i stayed until the last out of the game,it was easy to exit the stadium since many had left earlier in the game. In the end it was a game that I would love to forget. Next trip to Yankee Stadium will be August 2nd against the Blue Jays, I will be sitting field level for my birthday.

2010 Old Timers Day

It was that special time of the summer, when all the Yankees greats gathered in the Bronx to hear their names called one more time. Old Timers Day 2010 (For the remainder of the post it will be referred to as OTD) was more somber than most, with the passing off George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard this past week. OTD is still a special event that only the Yankees could pull off with all the legendary players that have wore the pinstripes, outside of Opening Day,OTD might be my favorite game.

I had purchased the tickets to the game earlier in the week as a present for my father,following the deaths of two Yankee icons I knew it would be a special day. The draw back was I made the purchase on stubhub so I got stuck with crappy print out tickets.

Once I had arrived around the stadium, the crowd was larger than for most games, even arriving 30 minutes prior to the start of the OTD ceremonys. I got to my seats in section 417 and noticed that the Yanks now have a new Budweiser ad out in left field (Yes something only a Yankee nerd would notice) and that the outfield grass that had been torn up and looking dry from the boxing match back in early June, looked alot better.

The great part about sitting in the grandstand is that after row 5 you are covered from the elements, and if you are sitting near the top of the section you get a nice breeze. The breeze and being covered from the sun was a must for today with how hot it was. Prior to the start of the OTD ceremony, I spotted a gentleman wearing a "Costanza" 00 Yankees Jersey, making what I assume is a reference to Seinfeld. Since Seinfeld is one of my favorite shows, this had made my day.

As always the OTD festivities were well done, they honored the 1950 championship team and had moments of silence for the Boss and Sheppard, along with a video tribute for Bob. On a sad note Yogi Berra was unable to attend since he fell in his home yesterday. Berra was sore, but was fine other wise. I was surprised this year, it seemed like a lot of recent old timers were not there ( Strawberry, David Wells, Willie Randolph, Paul O'neill,Al Leiter, Dave Winfield, and that is just to name a few).

In what was a very classy move the Yanks introduced Bob Sheppard's wife last and all the old timers, many of whom had their names announced by Sheppard, crowded around her. The game its self is always fun to watch, possibly for the wrong reasons. I find it hysterical watching the old players out there trying to play like they did back in the day. Mickey Rivers hit a ball all the way to the warning track in right center field, which impressed me. With how hot it was out, I was surprised to see many of the old timers taking part in the game.

Between the OTD game and the current Yankees game I went to get food and get away from the annoying lady sitting next to me. I felt like I was at the old stadium up in the grandstand/terrace level it was so packed. The lines for food and the bathroom were long where ever you went, but I was able to find a sausage stand that wasn't too bad. The sausage its self wasn't anything special for eight bucks, but I was glad with the sausage to bun ratio. While we are mentioning concession stands, I feel the need to mention that if you order a drink from rolling cart stand, it comes in a bottle, unlike at the regular concession stand that only have cups and never have tops.

The real game was about to begin and I headed back to my seat in row 13. A.J Burnett gave up a run in the first inning already putting the Yanks in a bit of a hole. Burnett just didn't have it again today and gave up four runs over two innings, and was taken out of the game early because of a cut to his pitching hand.

After A.J departed to boo's from the capacity crowd, Dustin Moseley came in and pitched alright for his first two innings of work even though he threw a lot of balls. Finally in his third inning of work, Moseley fell apart and gave Tampa Bay a 8-2 lead and with the six run advantage many fans headed to the exits.

I stayed to the final out of the Rays 10-5 beating of the Yanks, and here are a few notes about the Yanks.

•  Jeter dropped his season average to .269 and left six base runner stranded.
• Robinson Cano ripped a ball to left field for a double and his only hit. Cano has such great power the other way, makes sense why he hits so well at Fenway Park.
• Burnett's record is now below .500 at 7-8
• During the 7th inning stretch, to honor Bob Sheppard they had a recording of him singing "Let me call you sweetheart"

When Jorge Posada grounded out to the pitcher in the bottom of the 9th it marked the end of a long day of baseball. It takes a true hardcore baseball fan to be able to endure a long day of baseball, even though the Yanks lost it was well worth it.

This one was for the boss

For the first game back from the all star break, there was a lot of buzz around Yankee Stadium. As mentioned in my previous post, ticket prices were sky high and hard to come by following George Steinbrenner's death. The buzz around the house that George built would quickly turn to somber feelings before the game when the Yanks held a moment of silence for Sheppard and Steinbrenner. Their was also a video tribute to the boss, Jeter gave a quick speech and Mariano Rivera put flowers on home plate during the ceremony.

Once the game began, the crowd was in a quiet hush, still mourning the loss of two iconic figures in Yankees history. What has been over shadowed this entire time is that the bombers were facing the Tampa Bay Rays who are only two games back.

The game may soon become a Yankees Classic following the out come. The Yanks were down in the 8th inning when Nick Swisher blasted a solo shot to tie up the game. With the game still tied in the bottom of the 9th, and with two runners on Derek Jeter stepped to the plate. Earlier in the week Jeter had called Steinbrenner more then a owner, but a friend. With a base hit Jeter could win the game, add to his legacy and include a story book ending all with one swing. Jeter wasn't able to get the job done and passed on the opportunity to be the hero to Nick Swisher. Swisher,who was born in Ohio, just like Steinbrenner, came through with a base hit to right field to score Curtis Granderson from second.

The Yanks won in dramatic fashion and allowed for a player not named Marcus Thames to get pie this season. Not only was it a big win, cause they won it in walk off fashion for the boss. But the Bombers also picked up a game on the second place Rays.

A few quick hits before I go

•  Nobody was in the public announcer booth in honor of Sheppard. Throughout the night their were no announcements over the P.A
• Saturday is Old Timers Day, the plan was to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1950 World Series team. With the death of Sheppard and Steinbrenner expect it to be a bit over shadowed.
• The Yanks wore patches on there jerseys honoring Sheppard and the boss. They will continue to wear them throughout the season, Sheppard's patch is on the sleeve while Stienbrenner's is above the interlocking NY on the home jerseys and above "york" on away jerseys.

This weekends ticket prices are insane !

A few weeks ago I planned to buy tickets to Saturdays Old Timers Day for my fathers birthday. At the time the prices were pretty high and i passed but i was looking at the Friday and Sunday games also against the Rays. The prices weren't too bad considering the Rays and Yanks are playing great baseball and are only separated in the standing by a few games.

Following the death of George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard, the prices for the Friday and Saturday game went through the roof ! As i write this their are only 1,495 tickets available for Friday, the cheapest pair is $50 and its all the way out in the outfield grandstand. Many are expecting a tribute for the boss and Sheppard on Friday, but with old timers day the following day it may not happen. Of course the Yankees could honor both on both days.

Old Timers day is always special and a unique event, possibly because the Yankees are the only team to do it. Although I am going to the game and would enjoy seeing a special tribute to Sheppard and Steinbrenner, their is a part of me that wouldn't like to see that happen on Saturday. Old Timers day is suppose to be about the old players and to honor them. To have an extravagant tribute and such for George and Sheppard would take away from the other events. On the flip side it would be nice of them to honor them in front of the current and former Yankees that will be in attendance.

For OTD the tickets are still very expensive but obstructed view bleachers and foul pole seating in the grandstand can be had for $40. Other section are much more expensive, but prices may drop since their are more tickets,3678 to be exact at this time.

If you are looking to go to one of the games this weekend, the cheapest is Sunday which can be had at face value or below. But if you are looking for Friday or Saturday keep checking stub hub as the games get closer since most sellers will get nervous and want to rid them selves of the tickets. The Yankees do still have tickets available if you can afford tickets priced at $250 and up.

Yankees in the All Star Game

Last night was the 2010 All Star game out in Anaheim. The Yanks sent eight players to represent, all of which got booed by the Angels fans. So lets take a look at how each of the bombers did.

Derek Jeter hit second, and started at short stop. Jeter was 1 for 2 with a walk and a strike out. Jeter almost got hit twice and had to do his typical lung to get out of the way. Of course the balls thrown near him were close to his hands, causing me to plead with the TV to take him out before he gets hurt. Jeter left the game in the 6th inning, to allow for Elvis Andrus to get time at short.

Robinson Cano was the Yankee to be in the starting line up. Cano played second base and hit 8th in the line up, the first time he had hit 8th since 2008. Cano seemed to struggle a bit in the field, possibly due to the weird shadow pattern that was in the infield, but got the American League their lone run with a sac fly.

Nick Swisher pinch hit for Ty Wiggington in his lone at bat and struck out. Swish did hit four home runs in the home run derby the night before but did not make it past the first round.

Andy Pettitte pitched the third inning and showed why he deserved to make the all star squad. Pettitte struck out two batters, in his one inning of work, the same amount that Ubaldo Jimenez and David Price combined for in four total innings.

Phil Hughes was thrilled to be invited to the all star game in Anaheim, close to where he grew up. Following his pitching performance I'm unsure if he is still as thrilled. Hughes gave up two runs and two hits in just 1/3 of an inning. Hughes got the loss in the game even though it was Matt Thornton who gave up the hit that caused Hughes base runners to score. The real reason Hughes only was able to pitch that 1/3 of an inning is cause of the innings limit (Relax I'm just joking about that).

The other Yanks never got into the game, Mariano Rivera pulled out due to injury, CC Sabathia was not available to pitch because he had pitched on Sunday, and Alex Rodriguez was on the bench when the National League recorded their first victory since 1996. Many fans were curious to know why A-Rod was not used as a pinch hitter in the last inning to try and tie the game for the AL. But it was later found out that Alex had a sore thumb and was only going to be used in an emergency. A-Rod was the only player that did not get into the game.

The National League won the game, so they will have home field advantage in the World Series. So if the Yankees plan to make the series again and win it in front of their home crowd they will have to win in four or five. This years game seemed to go real quick, but was kinda on the boring side. The introduction and the whole ceremonies took longer then the first four innings. Lets hope the MLB can get that right next year since the game itself did not start till 8:52pm. Next year the game will be held in Arizona, and should be controversial with the new laws Arizona has put into effect.

A sad day in Yankees Universe, the boss passes away

The day that ever Yankee fan has dreaded, owner George Steinbrenner has passed away. The boss purchased the team in 1973 from CBS for nine million dollars, today the Yankees are worth an estimated 1.3 billion.

Steinbrenner was known for wanting to win and firing managers. His will to win was only second to breathing, Steinbrenner changed the game with the way he would put money into the team and was never afraid to take risks on players who had a troubled past (Steve Howe,Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry). For years people around baseball and fans have criticized George and the Yanks for spending so much money money on players. But what is never realized is how the Yankees put all the money that they make back into the team, unlike other teams that pocket that money.

Big Steins first big free agent signing that would change the game was Dave Winfield, signing him to a 10 year 23 million. It wasn't long before the Boss had lost his patients with Winfield calling him Mr.May and trying to dig up dirt on him by contacting Howie Spira a known gambler. Steinbrenner was suspended from baseball for attempting to dig up dirt on Winfield, when it was announced fans at Yankee Stadium began to cheer, they had had it with the boss.

The 1980's are know for being a low point in Yankees history, they didn't win a single title and found themselves often at the bottom of the standing. But George never quit trying to turn his struggling club into a winner, going out and trying to get the best player and managers. Some players didn't want to come to New York because of Steinbrenner because they knew they would be in his firing line even after the smallest of slip ups.

In 1993 Steinbrenner was reinstated to baseball, many say George came back and wasn't the same type of owner. His will to win was still the same but he seemed to trust the people around him alot more. Steinbrenner made the right choice to trust his people since the Yankees won titles in 4 of 5 seasons. At the same time , as he was satisfied with the clubs winning record George would find ways to increase revenue by signing record endorsement deals with Adidas and selling the TV rights to MSG. Once MSG's right to the Yankees TV rights ran out , Steinbrenner though outside the box and created the YES Network. The YES Network changed the sports industry dramatically and started the trend from other teams to create their own networks.

In recent years the boss really began to mellow and wasn't seen around the Yankees as often. It was known how in the past Steinbrenner would never be afraid to rip into an employee or player, but as he got older he showed his softer side. Steinbrenner would often donate money to Charity's and always wanted to help out under privleged kids, service men, fire men and police officers. Following the Yankees championships and winning teams, the fans began to realize what a great owner they truly had. In 2004 on opening day, with Steinbrenner in the house giving a live interview the fans began to chant "Thank You George". Steinbrenner tried to hold back tears as the fans continued to chant his name. With the all star game in the Bronx in 2008, Steinbrenner rode out to the field on a golf cart to hand out the baseballs that would be used for the first pitch. The fans stood and applauded to give him the respect that he had earned.

Two of my favorite Boss moments are more recent. One is when he called Hideki Irabu a "Fat pussy toad" for failing to cover first base in a spring training game. My other favorite story about George comes from Buster Olneys book "The last night of the Yankees dynasty". During the 2000 World Series against the Mets at Shea Stadium, a water pipe broke inside the Yankees clubhouse. George was furious and insisted that the Mets had planned this as a way to distract the Yankees from their goal of winning a championship. While he was inside the clubhouse ranting about the Mets and how this was planned out, pitcher David Cone was also inside the clubhouse. There had been a hanging light fixture that had been flickering the entire , Cone said to George that the Mets were trying to record/tape the Yankees. With out hesitation Steinbrenner yelled for someone to get the light, but at the same time grabbed the closest bat and began smashing the light.

.556 winning percentage, 16 division titles, 11 American League pennants, 7 World Championships under the boss. Last seasons championship was dedicated the George, and every time I walk into the new Yankee Stadium I will think off the boss. Here is a clip of him being portrayed on Seinfeld.

  

Thank You Mr.Steinbrenner, for being the greatest owner in sports. You will be missed R.I.P

Yankees Mid-Season Report Card

So with the All Star break among us, we are at the half way point of the 2010 season. It seems like just the other day the season was starting up in Boston, with Curtis Granderson hitting a home run in his first at bat and Chan Ho Park blowing the game. The Yankees find themselves with the best record in baseball, and it seems as if the team has not clicked yet. The offense hasn't been consistent all season and their is still no obvious option to Mariano Rivera, but the starting pitching has held them afloat. So on that note, let the grading begin !

Pitchers

Alfredo Aceves- B : Ace was pitching just as well as he was in 2009 before he got hurt. Aceves was suppose to be back following the all star break, but has had multiple set backs and may not pitch again this season.

A.J Burnett- C- :Burnett started the season out great, and was 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA. His season would go south from their going 3-5 and has raised his ERA to 4.75. Burnett's last two starts before the break were an improvement, Burnett is going to be inconsistent the rest of the way as he has been his career.

Joba Chamberlain- D : Joba has not found his 2007/2008 form. No lead is safe any more when he comes into the game. If the Yankees have one big need, it would be this area.

Chad Gaudin- C- : Gaudin was with the Yankees last season and in spring training before he was let go. Gaudin went to Oakland,pitched poor and was released. Gaudin came back to the bombers and has mostly pitched in mop up duty.

Phil Hughes- A- : Hughes did not make his first start until April 15th, and was expected to pitch like a fifth starter. Hughes has exceeded expectations and made the All Star team. Hughes hit one rough patch in late June but it seems to be past him. My only concern with Hughes is the Yanks plan to limit his innings.

Boone Logan- C- : Logan has been called up and down a few times this season. He has pitched the same way, one outing is great, the next is awful. Logan's biggest problem is he walks too many.

Damaso Marte- B+ : Has been living up to his role of getting lefties out (.146 BAA). Marte can also get righties out (.190) and should be given a shot at the set up role if they don't get help.

Sergio Mitre-C : Before the "Meat-Tray" went on the DL, he had been pitching well in his limited time. Sergio got hurt at a time when the Yanks really needed him but should be coming back soon and may be taking Gaudin's roster spot.

Chan Ho Park-F : Park has been an area of concern, from the moment he made his 2010 debut he has been awful. Park has gotten hit hard often and spent time on the DL. If he continues to pitch so poorly he could be designated for assignment.

Andy Pettitte-A : For years we have seen Andy pitch well in the regular season and then pitch phenomenal in the post season. This season Pettitte has pitched like it was the post season having his best season since 2005 and is on his way to an all star appearance.

Mariano Rivera-A : Mo is having another great season at the age of 40; he has battled knee and oblique injuries but still has been able to save 20 games.

David Robertson- D :  Has been inconsistent all season, last season pitched well following the break and the Yankees hope he can do that again this season.

CC Sabathia- A : Sabathia started the season off well, before hitting a rough patch in May in which he did not win a game. Since May,CC has rolled off eight straight wins before he heads to Anaheim to be in the ASG.

Javier Vazquez- B : Had a forgettable start to the season, heard the boo"s from the fans and even had his start skipped a few times. But since May 12 Javy has pitched to an ERA of 2.75

Infield

Robinson Cano- A+ : What can you say bad about the MVP candidate? Nothing. Cano has been an offensive threat all season picking up alot slack left by A-Rod and Tex, especially early in the season. Cano will be starting in the all star game Tuesday, and has quited many critic's who loved to call him lazy.

Francisco Cervelli-B : A fan favorite for his passion and love of the game, Cervilli got off to a hot start and was a given when it can to hitting with RISP. Cervelli since the end of May has slumped and behind the plate he can get a bit lazy. But still brings the energy that is needed on an older team.

Derek Jeter- B : The captain hasn't had his best season this far. Jeter has swung at alot of first pitches this season, and more then even seems to be hitting ground balls at an alarming pace. Jeter still has driven in alot of runs, even though from July 12 to July 6 he didn't drive in a single run.

Nick Johnson-F : This was the player that was suppose to replace Hideki Matsui ? Johnson has been a bad signing by Brian Cashman, with the option to sign Johnny Damon or Matsui he picked Nick. Although Johnson is a great fit for the Yanks line up with his extreme patients, but he didn't hit and got injured.

Ramiro Pena-C+ : Sure the young utility player is only hitting .195 but in a line up full of stars, his main goal is to play defense and he has done that job well. Pena does have 10 RBI in only 82 AB's.

Jorge Posada- C+ : The veteran back stop is the only member of the core four to not be at this years all star game, and of the four has started to show his age. Posada has been beat up all season, but can still hit. Georgie's defense on the other hand has been awful, allowing alot of passed balls and not throwing many runners out.

Alex Rodriguez-B+ : Much has been made of how A-Rod hasn't hit for power this season, but he still has 14 homers and 70 RBI. The main concern with Alex is his hip, but it hasn't effected his defense. What is considered a below average season for A-Rod would be a career year for many other players.

Kevin Russo- C : Doesn't get much playing time, when he was first called up he got a few clutch hits but since then his average has dipped along with his playing time. Still an asset in the late innings of a close game if called upon for defense.

Mark Teixiera-C+ : Tex has always been a slow starter but it took him till late June to finally hit. Tex still plays gold glove defense, and should be a force with the bat in the second half.

Outfield

Brett Gardner- A- : Gardner has played a solid left field and has hit so well many have forgotten about Damon. Gardy has exceeded all of my expectations for him this season and was a borderline all star. If Gardner continues at this pace, this off season their will be no need to chase Carl Crawford.

Curtis Granderson-C- : The big off season trade landed Granderson in the Bronx. In his first at bat he hit a home run, and hit well the first month of the season. Following a stint on the DL Curtis has come back and struggled at the plate especially against lefties (.212 AVG).

Nick Swisher- A- : During the off season Swish lost a lot of weight and worked on his swing. The dedication has worked out, Swisher has his highest average ever and made the all star team.

Marcus Thames- B : The king of the walk off this year has done his job of hitting lefties. His defense on the other hand.....

R.I.P Bob Sheepard

It seems as if long time Yankees announcer and "the voice of god" as Reggie Jackson said, has passed away today at the age of 99. It's amazing how Sheppard was able to announce from Joe Dimaggio till Derek Jeter along with many other greats. Here is a great video from 2000 when it was Bob Sheppard day at the old Yankee Stadium, its ashame he never was able to announce in the new one. R.I.P

I have finally lost my patience with Joba

Joba Chamberlain came in and the lead quickly left. That has been a sight that Yankee fans have seen often over the past two seasons. Through out that time i have always hoped Joba would revert back to 2007 form, even in 2008 he was solid in the bullpen and as a starter. But since 2009, Joba is not close to the same pitcher he was before. Their are many possible reasons why, some include his weight,the Yankees innings limits, walks to many, and he cant repeat his release point at the exact same spot.

Most Yankee fans would love to see Joba succeed, since hes a home grown kid and seems like a likable person. Many Yankee fans have quick knee jerk reactions, we saw in April that fans were already booing Javier Vazquez after his first start. Joba is the latest to join that list, since the second half of 2009 when Joba really started to struggle. Joba was once the fan favorite trotting out of the bullpen to a loud ovation, the fans loved the Joba fist pumps and the excitement the young pitcher would bring. Their was once talk the Joba would likely take over for Mariano Rivera, the Joba we have seen this season is far from that pitcher.

So tonight with the Yankees winning 1-0 against the Mariners and King Felix, Joba came into the game and the lead became a deficit. Joba gave up a long grand slam to Jose Lopez. Javier Vazquez had pitched seven shut out innings and with one swing his victory was turned into a no decision. So with the Mariners up 4-1 and myself venting anger at Joba, I finally realized that i have also joined the many that have lost there patience with the hefty right hander. I still like the Joba the person, but when he comes into the game my blood pressure rises. I do partially blame the Yankees for juggling him back and fourth between the rotation and the bullpen since 2008, but enough is enough. Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman need to realize quickly that if they plan to win the 2010 World Series, Joba can not be the set up man to Mo. Girardi needs to either give another pitcher a try (Marte or even dare i say Robertson) and Cashman should be looking to add an arm through a trade.

When will the All Star game return to the Bronx ? Not for a while

In 2008 with the original Yankee Stadium set to close Bud Selig picked the old stadium to host that season's all star game. When the event rolled around the old stadium was packed and held a great pre game ceremony honoring many of the living Hall of Famers. George Stienbrenner even made an appearance to hand out the baseballs for the ceremonial first pitches. Unlike this season when half the Yankees roster is headed to the game, only four Yankees were there to represent the club. Joe Girardi was chosen by Terry Francona to be a coach, Derek Jeter and A-Rod were voted in by the fans and Mariano Rivera also made the team. The game was a classic with the American League winning in the 15th inning. The night before the Home Run Derby was one of the best to date, Josh Hamilton put on a show but eventually lost to Justin Morneau.

So the other day I started to think about the 2008 game and how I wished I was able to attend, that lead me to wonder, when will be the next time there is a mid summer classic in the Bronx. Well it wont be for a while that the new Yankee Stadium gets to play host.

What makes it worse is that the Mets have not hosted an all star game since 1964, so it looks like in 2013 they will get the game at Citi Field.If  Major League Baseball gives the 2013 games to the Mets, then the Yankees might not host a game until the 2025-2030 range the earliest. MLB is going to want to spread the wealth of the ASG around, especially to smaller cities that actually get a financial boost from the game, unlike New York. But Yankees fans should not worry to much about the all star game since, the Yankees have a team of all stars on the field every night.

Today 10AM :Welcome Cliff Lee ! Later that day : Who needs Lee !

Following a Yankee victory, late last night while many on the east coast slept Brian Cashman began to discuss Cliff Lee with the team that was just beat by the bombers. Many media outlets were reporting that a deal was close to done, with Cliff Lee heading to NY and the Mariners receiving Jesus Montero,David Adams and another prospect. Last minute the M's backed out according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports because of Adams ankle injury. The Mariners then turned to the Texas Rangers and traded Lee to them for Justin Smoak a young first baseman and three prospects.The Yankees were annoyed at how the M's backed out and one Yankees official was quoted as saying "You just don't do business that way" according to Rosenthal.

With all the hoopla surrounding Lebron James and his decsion to go to Miami and create an All Star team with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh this trade would have done the same for the Yankees(My opinion on Lebron is he took the easy way out,and should have stayed in Cleveland). The Yankees would have actually had too much starting pitching had they added Lee this season.

With the rotation the way it is currently with CC,A.J,Pettitte,Hughes and Javy their isn't anyone you can clearly just remove. CC and Andy would not be removed in any way since they are both having all star seasons. Vazquez could have been possibly traded but has pitched the best of the starting five since May 12th pitching to a 3.05 ERA. Javy is in his last contract year, and has a partial no trade clause. A.J is owed so much money that it wouldn't make sense to put him in the bullpen and make it hard for the Yanks to trade him. Hughes hasn't pitched as well the past few starts but still has had a break out season, he is still 80 innings away from his innings limit. So if Lee was traded to the Yanks it would have made the most sense to go with a six man rotation until Hughes reached his inning limit and then use him in the bullpen.

When they first announced the trade look near for the Yankees, I wasn't too thrilled at the idea of adding a pitcher that they really don't need. Then the thoughts of the famous Sports Illustrated with George Steinbrenner and the 2003 Yankees, with the headline saying "You can never have enough pitching". I also though about how great the post season rotation would be come (aside from the fact the rotation will look like something out of a video game). The negative about the deal would be killing the farm system by removing Zach Mcallister,David Adams and Jesus Montero for a player that can be easily bought this winter.

Maybe its the arrogance of being a Yankees fan but the Yanks are going to get Lee this off season anyways so why trade away a top hitter like Montero who has been compared to Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. In the mean time I was happier that the Yankees would not be facing Lee tonight and with the Texas Rangers being in a financial mess it seems very unlikely they would be able to re-sign him.

Yankee All Star happenings: Rivera Hurt and withdraws, Cano in HR derby

Today the home run derby contestants were announced, one of those participants will be the Yanks own Robinson Cano. While if this was 10 years ago i would have been delighted that a Yankee was part of the derby. But nowadays I want the Yanks to have nothing to do with the derby, the home run derby is know to have messed with the swing of many of the participants. Two past HR derby participants that struggled to regain there swing following the home run hitting contest, is Bobby Abreu and David Wright. Both batters are similar to Cano, they would hit for power but at the same time they were both more of  line drive hitters.

When Bobby Abreu was part of the home run derby in 2005, he put on a show hitting a record 24 homers in his first round. Abreu would win the event by hitting a total of 41 dingers, that season before he took part, he had hit 18 home runs and was hitting .307. Following his 41 exhibition homers he hit just .260 and only six home runs. Prior to 2005 Abreu's lowest home run output in an entire season was 20, since then his highest total has been 20.

The other example is cross town rival David Wright, in 2006 he was having an MVP caliber first half and was named to the All Star team. Wright also participated in the derby that season and in the first round hit 16 home runs. Wright would hit a grand total of 22 and would lose to Ryan Howard. That season before the derby Wright hit 20 home runs and drive in 74 runs, after the derby he hit just 6 home runs and drove in only 42 runs.

So as you can tell I am not a fan of Cano taking part in the HR derby, especially since i would consider Wright and Abreu hitters who are similar to Cano. All three are more of the line drive, gap hitting type. Cano is having such a good season and such a smooth swing that the Yankees could not afford for him to slow down and have his swing tinkered with. Cano in the past was known for getting into bad habits such as chasing pitches out of the zone, he has since taken a more pitches and doesn't chase as often.

The other news of the evening is that Mariano Rivera has pulled out of the All Star game due to injuries. Rivera had said prior to Tuesdays game against the A's in Oakland that he would not take part in the mid summer classic due to a left side injury and a knee injury. Mo will be available to pitch for the Yankees before the break, but is limited to one inning. This is a mature move by Mo to rest and help his team rather then aggravate the injuries worse.