NYC raises Yankee Stadium parking

The picture is dated from 2006. So in five years the price will have
been increased by $22.

The story was first reported by the NY Daily News , but it looks like the parking around Yankee Stadium is about to become a premium. To prevent from defaulting on bonds, the price for parking in 2011 will go from $23 to $35 for self park and from $36 to $45 for valet parking.

In the article it says that the reason behind this is so that the city can get money back, but how are they really going to get money? Its basic economics to know that once you pass a certain price, you will no longer make money. Does the city forget that three subway lines, along with the metro north all arrive at the stadium? If the lots were only filled to 60% on average during the regular season, what will it be like next year? Also who would ever pay $45 for valet parking? Last year when I would pass those lots, when they were priced at $36 their may have been like 20 cars in it.

Of course many will now be taking mass transit to the game, but if you insist on driving, the shopping mall right off exit four of the major deegan was charging $19 for parking this past year. If that price stays the same then you may want to try that out.

It is sad that parking is now about to become more expensive then Grandstand and Bleacher seats, but this is something that the Yankees cant be blamed for. The whole mess is up to the Bronx and NYC, eventually they will have to lower the prices if nobody is parking in the expensive lots.

First ever! NYY Stars and Pinstripes awards for the 2010 Yankees

NYY Stars and Pinstripes presents : The 2010 Yankees awards

Best Hitter: Robinson Cano

Following his 2008 season, some fans and media called for Cano to be traded. After all they had all labeled him as lazy, and had been benched that season for not hustling. Cano improved in 2009, but still struggled with RISP and had a poor Postseason. 2010 would be his breakout season, starting off in April and May hitting .400 and .336 respectfully. While A-Rod was hurt, and Derek Jeter and Mark Tiexeira slumped, Cano carried the team. Cano struggled at times but was the most consistent hitter over the years.

Best Pitcher: CC Sabathia:
Its always a tough choice when Mariano Rivera has another Mariano type season, but nothing can compare to what the big man did for the Yankees. That big man I'm talking about of course is CC Sabathia. CC in his two seasons has been everything the Yankees could ask for. Sure at times Sabathia may not always look dominant on the mound, but he always finds a way to keep the Yankees in the game. CC may not win the CY Young award, but at least he can take home this award.

Most Improved: Robinson Cano:
It was a tough choice between Robby and Brett Gardner, but since Cano did turn himself into an MVP caliber player, his 2008 season seems miles away.

Best Trade: Kerry Wood for a player to be named later:
At the time Wood had an era close to seven, and had been remembered as the injury prone player. But once the season ended and Wood had an ERA below one, during his time in pinstripes, this could be remembered as one of Brian Cashman's best trades. The Indians were trying to just dump salary, and the Yankees desperate for another arm in the bullpen took a chance. Wood will likely get a closers job elsewhere, and the Yankees wont get a chance to resign him unless they are willing to pay close to closer money.

Best off season pick up: Marcus Thames:
I had mentioned this earlier in the season. But when you think back to the off season Brian Cashman had signed Nick Johnson and Randy Winn, suddenly the best pick up was Thames. Thames did have the knack for the big knock, getting a few big hits during the season.
Editors note: Trades were not considered in off season pick ups. They also will not get their own award since the Curtis Granderson trade involved prospects and you wont be able to declare a winner till you see how they pan out. The Javier Vazquez trade could be considered a draw, although Boone Logan was a big gain for the Yanks.

Rookie of the Year: Ivan Nova?

Alright so I was just being silly adding this category, but I had not realized that the Yankees only had four players that could be considered rookies play for them this season. That list would include Colin Curtis, Kevin Russo, Eduardo Nunez and Ivan Nova. All four had contributed something to the team, but Ivan Nova made a few starts down the stretch of the season that helped the Yanks. Nova did walk a few too many, but I liked what I saw from the 23 year old Dominican righty.

MVP: CC Sabathia:

This could come as the shock out of all the awards handed out, but who was the Yankees MVP. It really came down to CC or Cano, and you could make great arguments for both. But when it came down to it, although Cano carried the team at times with his hitting, Tex and A-Rod still had 30/100 when the season was over. CC was the rock of the pitching staff, while Burnett was imploding all over, Pettitte was injured, Hughes struggled. Sabathia was always the Yankees most reliable starter, giving the team innings and always keeping the Yankees in the game.

Yankees first off season move: Sign Joe Girardi 3 years $9 million

According too Daily News Yankees beat writer Mark Fiensand, the Yankees have brought back manager Joe Girardi for three more seasons. Nine million over three years is a fair amount, the guy has won the Yankees a World Series and brought them to the playoffs for a second straight year.

I understand that many fans have had enough of Girardi, but who else could they Yanks have turned too ? They didn't have many options if they wanted to dump Joe. In fact the only guys I can think of that would have made since would be Tony Pena or Lou Pinella. Pinella is a bit of a reach, but the Yankees have always reached for the biggest name, so why stop now ? Plus Girardi has a great relationship with Cashman and the Steinbrenner family.

Girardi is not the best manager in the game, but is respectable. Until he is finally outed one day as Yankees manager, we will have to deal with his over managing at times, and his binder of match ups.

Think what happened to Cliff Lee's wife will effect his choice? Bull Spit

In a story that has been blown out of proportion, and can be found here or just by typing in a few key words to google, many have wondered will this effect Lee's decision during free agency? Not a chance.

Of course what went on to Cliff Lee's wife is terrible, but his latest quotes on that situation he realizes that it was only a few stupid fans who did that and you cant categorize 52,000 fans for what a few have done. Some believe that this incident may change Lee's opinion when it comes to making a choice during the winter as to what team he wants to sign for. But this incident is going to change things, if the Yankees offer him more money then any other team, then I think Cliff and his wife will be staying in New York.  It sounds sad, but is this really going to change his feelings on New York? Look at CC Sabathia, prior to him coming to play for the Yankees, reports were that his wife Amber did not want to come here. But once the Yankees offered more money, no body has heard any more stories about that.

If Lee is not going to sign with the Yankees that will be because he wants to stay with the Rangers. He is from that area (Arkansas) and is use to that life style. Especially if the Rangers are to win the World Series then it will make it much more difficult for the Yanks to sign him away.

Top 10 memories of the 2010 Yankees season

10. Curtis Granderson beats Papelbon and the Red Sox.

It was just the third game of the season, but Curtis Granderson lead off the top of the 10th inning against Jonathan Papelbon, with the score tied. Granderson launched a home run into the right field seats, his second home run of the series. The Yankees would win the game 3-1

9. CC Sabathia win 20

In his second season in pinstripes, and 10th in the majors CC Sabathia finally won 20 games in a season. It is still debatable if he should win the Cy Young award, but their is no question that he was the most important piece to the Yankees this season.

8. Derek Jeter passes Babe Ruth on the all time hits list.

It wont belong before Jeter hits 3,000 but on a Sunday night at home against Boston Jeter got a base hit to pass Babe Ruth. Possibly appropriate since the old stadium was called the house that Ruth built, the current stadium could be called the house that Jeter built.

7. The walk off wins

Marcus Thames started the pie trend with a walk off homer against Papelbon in May. Thames would get another big hit, this time on July 4th vs the Blue Jays. Swisher would also get a pair of walk offs against the Rays in the first game after Bob Sheppard and the Boss passed, and a walk off homer against the Baltimore Orioles in September. The last walk off was against the Red Sox, this time it was literally a walk off. Juan Miranda walked to bring home the game winning run, oddly he did not get a pie.


6. Yankees turn first triple play since 1968

It had been over 40 years, but the Yankees finally turned a triple play. On an April day game in Oakland, Kurt Suzuki hit a hard ground ball right to A-Rod who threw on to Cano for the second out, and threw on to Nick Johnson for the third out. Sadly what I remember best is Ken Singleton botching the call big time.

5. The Yankees clinch a playoff birth

It had been a September from hell for Joe Girardi and the Yankees, but on this night in Toronto it was reason to celebrate. The Yankees still had their eye on winning the AL East but would fall short and win the Wild Card.

4. A-Rod and Thames blast past the BoSox.

It was a sloppy game for both teams, but the Red Sox would take the lead late in the game. They would turn to closer Jonathan Papelbon to close out the win, but Alex Rodriguez  hit a monster home run to tie the game, and a few batters later Marcus Thames hit one into the seats to win the Yankees the game.

3. Yankees beat Texas with comeback win in game one

The Yankees were down 5-1 in the eighth but that didn't stop them from hustling. Brett Gardner started it off with a hustle base hit, that he just beat out. After that the Yankees began to take pitches and got a few hits. Next thing you knew they were leading the Rangers 6-5. After the game Michael Kay went so far as to claim that because of this win the series was over (Way to jinx it, big head!) cause of this rally.

2.Yanks steam roll the Twins

The Yankees came out struggling in game one, but after a few innings went back to the same old Yankees, getting the clutch hits. After game two when Andy Pettitte shut down the Twins, Phil Hughes would start game three at home. The crowd was loud and ready to go, just like the bombers who beat the Twins easily.

1. The ring ceremony




Who could deny that although this was early in the season, it was still the best part of the season. The excitement of seeing the rings, and another opening day at Yankee Stadium. It wasn't anyone on the 2010 Yankees that stole the show, it was 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui who was announced and embraced by his 2010 teammates. The Yankees would beat the Angels 7-5 behind solid pitching from Andy Pettitte and Mo shutting the door.

Honorable Mention: Tex and A-Rod's three home run games, Jorge Posada collects 1000 RBI, Hope Week, Jeter's inside the park home run.

**Editors note : These were on the field moments, that is why the passing of George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard are not on the list.

Marte to have shoulder sugery ; out till mid 2011

From River Ave Blues :  "Via Erik Boland, lefty reliever Damaso Marte underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder last Friday, and won’t begin to throw again until after the 2011 All Star break. Marte was afraid he’d never be able to pitch again, so he took this as good news. For all intents and purposes, consider him out next season. He won’t start throwing until after the break, nevermind facing batters and stuff.



Damaso is under contract for under $4M next season, then the Yanks will buy out his 2012 option (another $4M) for $250,000. Since signing his regrettable three-year, $12M contract after the 2008 season, Marte has thrown just 31 innings with a 6.39 ERA. The ERA’s skewed by the ass kickin’ he took before going on the disabled list in 2009, though. He did hold lefties to a .136/.205/.242 batting line over the last two seasons (73 plate appearances), which is what he’s supposed to do. We’ll always have the 2009 playoffs, Damaso."

::Sigh::  As many may know I am a huge Marte fan. Was it the fact he was excellent vs lefties? Was it his funky delivery? Was it his 2009 Postseason, when he was in beast mode? Yes those are of of the many reasons, I loved the Dominican lefty. It should be known that I blame this on the World Baseball Classic, since that is where Marte supposedly got hurt.

Doesn't look as if we will have the chance to see Marte in a Yankees uniform again if he is out until mid 2011. The Yankees would be insane to pick up his option, only way I see him back is if they sign him to a minor league deal.

Yankees 2010 season video

Still hasn't set in yet that they are out of the playoffs, but it was still a great season. After watching the video you forget that although 2010 may not have had as many pie's it still had plenty of great memories.

Yankees 2010 season over....Rangers move onto World Series

This says it all....

Congratulation to the Texas Rangers. They out hit, out pitched and out played the Yankees. At this time the reality of not watching the Yankees for another four months has not set in. In the coming days expect a few new posts, but until then look on the bright side...just 114 days till pitchers and catchers.

Do or die once again... Hughes and Yanks look to stay alive one more night

Phil Hughes will be making the biggest start of his career with the Yankees still in a 3-2 hole. Hughes was knocked around in game one and is in desperate need to regain his form this time out. The Rangers will send Colby Lewis to the mound, hoping to crush the Yankees hope of becoming a part of history.

Since game two was last Saturday, both starters have had plenty of time to rest up. Hughes this year is 6-1 3.75 ERA when he gets five days rest, the Yankees would like to see this Hughes not the one who was beat up in game two. But it isn't all about rest, in game two Hughes was not locating his fastball, and threw way to many cutters. After watching the Rangers for the past few games, it is obvious that most of their hitters can handle a fastball, even ones as effective as Hughes. Hughes is going to need to throw his breaking pitches tonight to be effective, especially to Josh Hamilton who has killed the Yankees this series by hitting fastballs. But on top of what pitches to throw Hughes needs to have better command of his pitches. He may have walked just three batters in his first start in the series, but too many of his pitches were left in the middle of the plate. You cant do that against a team like Texas. I also would not be against Hughes throwing a bit up and in to Hamilton or any of the Rangers hitters, it just seems like they have become so comfortable up at the plate.

Colby Lewis dominated the Yankees the first time around, but it always seemed like the Yankees would get a few guys on and then not get the big hit. Well that could be the story of their entire season, they haven't hit with RISP. But prior to game two, only a handful of bombers had ever seen Lewis, and that was back when he was with the Rangers years ago. Now Lewis is a better pitcher then back in early 2000's, that with a combination that the Yankees always struggle against pitchers they have not seen before. But this time around the Yankees have seen Lewis once, his stuff didn't impress me and as long as the Yankee hitters take a few pitches a wait for a mistake they could force a game seven.

If the Yankees fall behind tonight in a close game tonight expect any of the pitchers to be available, because if they lose, their wont be a tomorrow until spring training 2011.

Yanks heading to Texas, but will it rain on their parade?

When Mariano got Elvis Andrus to pop up to Lance Berkman, it signaled that the Yankees were not done just yet. Game six would be set for Friday evening in Arlington,Texas, Phil Hughes would be on the mound for the Yanks while Colby Lewis would be going for the home team. But looking at the forecast from Weather.com , they are expecting scattered thunder storms on both Friday and Saturday.

So what does this mean for the ALCS ? Well the Saturday forecast looks much worse then Friday, but if the game is rained out of Friday and game six is going to take place Saturday, who will be starting? Of course the Yankees and Rangers could go with Hughes and Lewis who were scheduled to go, but they would both have the option of then bringing back Cliff Lee and Andy Pettitte, both on normal rest. If they were to elected to go with Lee and Pettitte, then Sabathia would be available for the Yankees on three days rest. The Rangers could go with CJ Wilson on three days rest, or go with Lewis, who by then would not have pitched for eight days.

The rain outs would benefit the Yankees, only if the games were to be rained out before hand oppose to the game being called in the middle of a game. Even though Hughes has pitched well against the Rangers in his career, the no brainier is to go with Pettitte and Sabathia. For the Rangers, its a tougher choice, do they want to send Lee out in game six and hope that they end the ALCS that night? Because if that is the case, its a risky choice, if the Yankees were to win against Lee then suddenly the Rangers are up against the wall. The series would be tied at three a piece but the Rangers would be relying on Wilson on three days rest, coming off a shaky start or Colby Lewis who would be pitching the biggest game of his career.

Of course this is all hypothetical, the worst case for either team would be if the game was to start and then a long rain delay was to effect the game, especially if it is in the mid point of the game (3-5 innings).

Its a wonder why Yankees fans get a bad name

From NBC Sports : "Last night, after the game got out of hand, Yankees fans threw beer bottles and other debris into the Rangers bullpen as Neftali Feliz was warming up. For added color, they began a chant of “a–hole, a–hole” at someone, though it’s hard to tell who. You can see video of the bottles and chants over at Crossing Broad. Oh, and a fan ran on the field as well, though he was quickly taken into custody. People at the game tweeted, however, that the fan tried to fight the cops as he was being taken away, so he was obviously a brain surgeon."

I was at the game last night and did not notice the bottles and other stuff being thrown into the bullpen. I can say that, the a-hole chants are done at most games, and stadiums, usually aimed at an opposing teams fan. The fan who ran onto the field was resisting the entire time and was trying to kick and punch his way past officers and security.

So far in tonight's game, Robinson Cano hit a home run that just cleared the wall. It was close though as a few Yankee fans looked like they may have possibly interfered with the ball. To make matters worse of course TBS shows a close up of the fans flipping Nelson Cruz the middle finger and yelling at him.

Its ironic since much has been made (including some by myself) about how the new Yankee Stadium crowd just isn't the same as at the old place. I have heard stories about how the fans would yell and throw much worse things then they do now, but it wasn't reported as widely. Earlier this week it was reported that in light of the recent homosexual issues and suicides that the bleacher creatures would no longer chant "gay man" while singing the ymca.  But once the fans do something it is reported by the national media and makes the Yankees and their fans look bad. Of course fans should enjoy themselves and its great when the crowd is rowdy, but on the other hand it does make us all look like arrogant jerks.

It could be worse, it is already known that Yankees fans can be arrogant and obnoxious, but at least we aren't as bad as Phillies fans.

Yankee Stadium Experience : Yanks vs Rangers ALCS Game 3

I had gotten these tickets in the partial plan holders pre-sale, at the time it would have been game one of the series, but once the Yankees lost the AL East it became game three. Andy Pettitte would be facing Cliff Lee in a classic pitching, the starters lived up to expectations but the bullpen let it all slip away. More on that in a bit.

But lets start out by saying that earlier in the week I had been looking on google for shortcuts to get to the 161st street garage. I finally though I found a short cut, and it may have been but we passed the exit and took a quick tour of the Bronx. After that we finally made it to the parking garage, practically three hours early and it was already crowded, even with the parking cost $40.

It was my first playoff game since the 2003 ALCS game two, but unlike back then when they were very strict with security they hardly looked in my bag prior to game three. It was strange to see the teams taking batting practice in the dark, but the stadium look beautiful and there was a buzz around the park.

I wandered out to the bleachers and realized that the TBS crew were doing the pre-game show from the bleachers (section 239 to be exact). At one point Dennis Eckersley was standing five feet away and nobody approached him. That cant be said of David Wells who was getting cheers from the fans that began to surround the small make shift studio.

The temperature was really starting to drop, and the October feel became stronger as game time was becoming closer. Once the Rangers finished up there portion of batting practice, I headed towards the upper deck to my seats, but I could see that on field level the Lobel's line stretched for at least three or four sections, totally insane.

The crowd wasn't even in its seats, when player introductions began. Of course Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte got the largest ovations, but Robinson Cano also got a large ovation from the crowd. The introductions never get old, but my favorite intros would have to be for Opening Day and the World Series. Tino Martinez threw out the first pitch to another loud ovation and just like that baseball was set to be under way.

The Yankees did hold a nice moment of silence for Freddy Sez, and showed him on the video screen. The crowd began to chant "Freddy ! Freddy !"

Prior to the game I predicted that the Yankees would win the game 3-2, I was correct about the Rangers having two for most of the night, but the final score was no where near my prediction. Andy Pettitte looked locked in the first inning, until he gave up a hit to Michael Young. The next batter was Josh Hamiltion, and he took a pitch and hit a Yankee Stadium home run, right over the right field fence. Just like that the air was sucked out of the crowd and the Yankees were down 2-0.

Cliff Lee came out and shut down the Yankees the entire night, I like that the Yankees were making him throw some pitches and fouled off a lot of tough pitches but the result was always the same, Lee was just too unhittable. The Yankees didn't have a hit for the longest time, and had only one chance all night to score. That was when Brett Gardner got a hit with no outs, stole second and was left stranded at third.

Much has been made about the crowd at the new Yankee Stadium, not being as loud. But on this night the fans had nothing to get excited about. The few times that the fans were into the game Cliff Lee sat them down, along with the Yankees. The worst part was that when the Yankees went down in the bottom of the eighth, and with the score at 2-0 some fans began to leave. Maybe those fans had the right idea since the Yankees would give up six more runs to turn the game into a laughter.

Auxilary Press Box in sections 406 and 407.

The move not to bring Mariano Rivera in the ninth, befuddled me. It was just a 2-0 game and  Cliff Lee was up to 118 pitches, so the Rangers would be going to closer Neftali Feliz. The Yankees had impressive at bats against Feliz in game two and had come back against him earlier in the season. But instead of using Mo, Girardi went to Boone Logan and David Robertson who got hit hard. The night ended with Sergio Mitre on the mound, never a good sign. Once the inning was over it was 8-0 Texas and many fans had departed.

The Yanks will have to hope from a good start from AJ Burnett tonight, or else they put themselves in a tough spot. I still have alot of faith in Burnett, but the Rangers have out played the Yankees in every one of these games, except for one inning and that was in game one when the Yankees came from behind.

Since last week I was unable to buy tickets to any of the World Series games, this looks to be my final trip to Yankee Stadium in 2010. Thank you for reading about my Yankee Stadium experiences, this season but make sure to keep reading about other Yankee related posts. Until 2011, as Michael Kay would say "see ya!"

Who will be left standing up 2-1 after game three ?

It will be Andy Pettitte vs Cliff Lee in game three at Yankee Stadium, Monday night. After Phil Hughes, got rocked in game two this has become a huge game, especially if A.J Burnett is going to be on the mound game four.  During the game I was receiving texts from friends who were saying that after the game two loss the series was over, and the Yankees were doomed. The negativity didn't end from friends, on Twitter  you would have though the Yankees had just been eliminated. But don't join in the negativity party ! Here are some reasons to feel good about the Yankees and games three and four.

• Andy Pettitte will be on the mound at Yankee Stadium. Pettitte has the most Postseason victories in MLB history, and has always showed up for the big game. The last time that Pettitte lost a game in the Postseason was in 2005 with the Astros. The last time he lost a game as a Yankee was 2003, during the World Series, when he lost game 6 against Josh Beckett.
• Cliff Lee has had his way with the Yankees this season, along with the 2009 World Series, but he is human. The Yankees hit him well in game 5 of last years World Series, and earlier this year they got to him in Texas and handed him a loss.
• Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson, both lefty batters have hit Lee well in the past. Gardner in limited at bats has hit .375, while Granderson has hit .286 with a home run in 42 at bats.
• Derek Jeter is hitting .385 against Lee, and Nick Swisher has also had success hitting .286 with two home runs.

• The Yankees will be playing at home were they had swept the Rangers this season. In September when the Yankees were battling to win the east, rumors were floating that the Rangers had no interest in playing in Yankee Stadium. Sure Yankee Stadium is not the same as it was during the old days, but to a young inexperienced team playing in front of a large crowd it could be unnerving.
• Similar to the last Point, Tommy Hunter is set to start game four. In the ALDS he struggled against the Rays. Against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, on national TV could be an issue for the young pitcher.
• The Yankees have been saying that Burnett will get the start for game four, and although some fans and media have been against the idea, it could work in the Yanks favor. Burnett this season against Texas in three starts had an ERA of 2.50, while striking out 17 batters and holding the team to a .232 average. Burnett can be wild but the Rangers are free swingers, and Burnett pitched well in last years postseason at home. Plus it would be only one start in the series for Burnett. The other option is CC Sabathia, who has an ERA close to five over his last five starts. If they used CC that would mean moving up Hughes start, it would be the first time he would have ever thrown on three days rest, along with Pettitte who is still coming off an injury and is 38 years old.

Why so sad Nolan Ryan ? Yanks steal game one

When the Yanks were down, and Nolan Ryan's Rangers had a 5-0 lead, George W Bush and Ryan were having a good time. Once they saw that lead slip away in the eighth inning, they had a different expression.

World Series Ticket Pre-sale = Epic Fail

Earlier today the Yankees announced that season ticket plan holders had a pre-sale to buy World Series tickets. The problem was not many holders were able to get tickets.

From reading around on different Yankees message boards not many fans had success today finding tickets. I know personally that I went on at 1pm and tried for Grandstand in game 5, and got nothing. At the same time I was on another computer and tried game 3, best available, and got nothing. This was a similar trend for many others who logged on right away and came away empty handed.

The very few fans who were able to score tickets to games 3-5 at Yankee Stadium, got either very expensive field level seats, or seats in the wings of the grandstand. Some didn't even bother searching for pairs or tickets and went straight for single seats.

Of course they're are all different reasons why less fans got seats. One is that Fox and MLB take many tickets away for personal use, add that in with a smaller stadium, and your going to get less supply. The Yankees also guarantee seats for all fans who have full season and 41 game plans for every game throughout the postseason. The Yankees also have tons of fans (and scalpers) who have partial plans, so if 15,000 fans are all trying for a limited supply of tickets, its going to be tough. It also doesn't help that since the American League lost the all star game, there will be one less home game.

The public sale for World Series tickets will be Monday, don't expect much, but its always worth a shot to try.

Yankees vs Rangers preview

Tuesday night it was decided. The Yankees would be traveling to Texas, and the AL East champions season was over. After the Rangers lost two straight at home, and the Rays tied the series I though that it would be a Rays/Yanks match up in the ALCS, but the pitching of Cliff Lee proved me wrong. So starting tomorrow night the ALCS will start up in Texas for the first time ever. The Yankees have had their way with the Rangers in the past during the Postseason (1996,1998,1999) but can that was long ago, can the Rangers start a new trend? Here are the position by position break down of the clubs.

Catcher : Jorge Posada vs Bengie Molina

The battle of the aging catchers, the difference? Molina is much better defensively while Posada is the better hitter. Molina can still hit, and we saw that last season while he was with the Giants, but this season had a huge drop off. That said Molina had a nice series against the Rays, blasting a home run and even stealing a base. Posada also had a nice three game series against the Twins, my biggest concern this series with Jorge is will he be able to throw runners out? The Rangers have alot more speed then the Twins, and over the last few weeks of the season Posada only threw out one base runner in 26 attempts. That said it should be interesting to see if in game four of this series when A.J. Burnett pitches if Joe Girardi will ask for Posada or Francisco Cervelli to catch him.
Winner : Slight edge to Posada,because of his hitting, but defense will be key in this series for him.

First Base : Mark Teixeira vs Mitch Moreland

We have our first mismatch ! Moreland is a rookie who has been in just 47 games in his career. While Tex is a player who can hit 47 home runs in a season. Jorge Cantu is the other option at first for Texas, but that doesn't seem to be too frightening, although he has improved since his Rays days. Tex hit well in the ALDS, including a clutch home run in game one. The Yankees would love to continue to get production out of him, something they didn't get much of last postseason.
Winner: Mark Teixeira, c'mon was it that hard?

Second Base : Robinson Cano vs Ian Kinsler

This is close, if you had asked this a few seasons ago, the easy answer would be Kinsler. But after Cano had an MVP caliber season, the answer is no longer that easy. They both play great defense, and are much better then the average second baseman. Kinsler hit three home runs in the ALDS, and could be another weapon to the Rangers powerful line up since he is now healthy. Cano is already a valuable weapon, and should be be fazed about facing Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson.
Edge: Robinson Cano, can't deny a guy coming off an MVP type of year.

Shortstop : Derek Jeter vs Elvis Andrus

Well it would be easy to say that after the type of season Jeter had that Andrus is the better player, and I think that is correct in the long run. But Jeter impressed me in the three games against the Twins and late in September Jeter seemed to be righting himself. Andrus plays a better shortstop then Jeter, but can also hit, he may not be a player with much pop (6 career home runs in 293 games) but he can run. Against the Rays Andrus stole three bases, so it will be key for the Yankees to keep him off base.
Winner: Derek Jeter, its October a.k.a his month

Third Base: Alex Rodriguez vs Michael Young

A-Rod had three of his best seasons of his career in Texas, then asked to be traded, became a Yankee, was booed by the fans in the Bronx, then won a ring last season and it seems like now all is forgiven. Texas was also the place that A-Rod allegedly began to take performance enhancing supplements. Michael Young on the other hand, has remained a Ranger through out his career and during that time has spent time at each infield position. I consider Michael Young to be one of the most under rated players in baseball, even though he isn't the same player that he was a few seasons ago he always provides solid defense while putting up respectable offensive numbers. But with that said, he still isn't in the same class as A-Rod.
Winner: Alex Rodriguez, He may not have the same type of Postseason like he did last year , but hes still A-Rod.

Left Field : Brett Gardner vs Daniel Murphy

Josh Hamilton had been playing left, but I plan to list him as the center fielder. Until then Daniel Murphy will be out in left field for the Rangers. Murphy had a big hit against the Yankees earlier this season off Mariano, to win a game for the Rangers. Murphy is a solid player, but doesn't have much power. The same could be said for Brett Gardner, but Gardner is a game changer with his speed. If the Yankees are going to score runs off Lee and Wilson, they are going to have to get Gardner on base so he can run.

Winner : Brett Gardner, I like the versatility of playing all outfield spots and for his speed.

Center Field : Curtis Granderson vs Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton comes into the series struggling. After sitting out most of the last month of the season JHam looked rusty, and was swinging at pitches out of the zone. Granderson on the other hand was having a great three games against the Twins. So even while Granderson had a great series and swung the bat well the entire month of September, it is hard to go up against the likely AL MVP. Granderson will once again have his hands full with facing Lee and Wilson, both tough lefties. Hamilton will be a key out for the Yankees because if he starts to hit, look out.

Winner: Even an injured Hamilton, beats out a hot Granderson.

Right Field : Nick Swisher vs Nelson Cruz

This is one of the toughest match ups. Both play at the same level of defense, Cruz does have suprising speed for a large guy, and Swisher isn't too fast. Both have about the same power, Cruz may have more, while Swish hits for a higher average. Cruz was banged up most of the season, and Swisher has dealt with a knee injury over the last month of the season.
Winner: Even, too many similarities to choose a clear cut winner.

Designated Hitter : Lance Berkman/Marcus Thames vs Vlad Guerrero

Berkman had a big game two for the Yanks in the ALDS, while Thames added a homer into the mix in game three. But Vlad Guerrero has had a tremendous season, and shows no sign of slowing down come the postseason. Guerrero is a tough bat to get out because he has great plate coverage, he also has tremendous bat speed even for a guy who is getting up there in age, so you cant sneak a fastball by him. The best thing to do would be throw him breaking balls that are just off the plate, this way even if he does hit them, they shouldn't be leaving the yard.
Winner: Vladamir Guerrero

Bench:
Neither bench jumps out at you, the Yankees will have either Thames or Berkman to pinch hit. But neither can play the field or run so once they enter the game it really is just to hit. Ramiro Pena and Greg Golsen could come in for defense or steal a base if needed, especially Golsen. The other option off the bench would be Austin Kearns, who is a solid player. The Rangers counter with ex-Met Jeff Francoeur, who has some pop and a great arm  in the outfield. Julio Burbon is a threat to steal, although he doesn't have the best steal percentage, he is still very fast. Jorge Cantu can hit one out and Christian Guzman was having a decent season with the Nationals before being traded. Guzman does have a bit of speed left also.
Winner: Rangers just have more well rounded players on the bench compared to the Yankees, who have a player who can do just one thing well.

Starting Pitching:

Not long ago they were teammates.

Girardi announced that it would be Sabathia,Hughes,Pettitte and Burnett in that order. I am a big fan of that since Hughes has pitched great on the road,especially in Arlington these past few seasons. The first three have minor question marks, that may not even matter. With Sabathia it will be if he has too much rest and trys to over throw, Hughes still is young and his struggles late in the season and in the 2009 Postseason are still fresh in my mind. Pettitte will be making his fifth start off the injury, and will be against Cliff Lee in what should be a cool evening in the Bronx. The last thing the Yanks would need is for the groin to feel tight. The Yankees do catch a major break in only seeing Cliff Lee only twice in the series. Lee,who could be a future Yankee, has had great success against them and throws strikes. I would recommend that the Yankees don't attempt to wait him out, but swing at the first fastball or flat breaking pitch in the zone. C.J. Wilson did lead the AL in walks, so the Yankees should work the count on Wilson and try and get him out of the game quickly. Lewis and Hunter both were shaky in ALDS starts, especially Hunter. If the Yankees can rattle them, it would be a major benefit.

As for Burnett who I did not mention above, I do have alot of faith in him against the Rangers. This season he had a few decent outings, and will be going against Tommy Hunter who stunk against the Rays. If the Yankees can rattle Hunter at Yankee Stadium, and Burnett gives a decent five innings, it is a simple gain for the Yankees.
Winner: Yankees, especially since they wont see Lee three times

Bullpen:

The Rangers have alot of young arms, but they are all effective and can really dial it up. The Yankees pen has been solid through out the season, and Kerry Wood has been above expectations. Wood did struggle a bit in the series against the Twins, but his aggressive style is good against a aggressive Rangers team. The Rangers did rally twice against Rivera this season, but that was the regular season. Neftali Feliz is a great closer, who throws hard, but also can get wild. The Yankees did get a big come back win against Feliz in Arlington earlier this season.
Winner: Yankees, only cause of Mo

Prediction : Yankees win in six

Rays or Rangers? The choice is yours

Tonight at the Trop the Rays and Rangers battle to see who will face the Yankees in the ALCS. As a Yankees fan you hope that Cliff Lee and David Price throw over 100 pitches, and the game goes 18 innings. But who matches up better for the Yankees?

The Rays and Rangers can both hit, but the Rays have struck out almost 300 more times then the Rangers as a team. Both teams are made of power and speed, but the Rays have stolen close to 50 bases more then the Rangers. The teams are equal in home runs, with the Rangers having just two more, but batting average is an east win for the Rangers who have hit .29 points better then the Rays. The Rays do draw more walks, and the teams have similar on base percentages.

Now aside from stats both teams do have thier share of scary hiitters. The Rangers have Josh Hamilton who could easily be the MVP, Vlad Guerrero who the Yankees have seen and been hurt by numerous times while with the Angels.Texas also has a pair of all star sluggers in Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler who may not have the best stats this season, due to injury but are both major threats.

The Rays on the other hand have a perfect mix of speed and power. Carl Crawford is a perfect example of a guy that can hit one out, but at the same time could get on base and steal with ease. Evan Longoria had another great season, but has been banged up over the end of the season. Carlos Pena has had the worst season of his career, and Ben Zobrist fell back to form. But the Rays as a team each contribute, and the key for the Yankees if they face them is to keep them off base, because with Posada behind the plate the Rays will run all over, it doesnt help that many of the Yanks pitchers dont hold runners on.

Pitching the teams are very similar, both are full of young arms and have a lefty ace. But the Rangers have the better starting staff, with four starters having ERA's below four. The Rays have a slight advantage with experience since many of the starters are the same ones that helped the Rays make it to the 2008 Postseason. The Rangers do have Cliff Lee, but he is the only pitcher other then Darren Oliver to have experience.

The bullpens are again very similar, although the Rays may have a slight advantage since Rafael Soriano is a stronger closer then Neftali Feliz, who has a higher WHIP. Again the bullpen's are very similar, but the Rays have a bit more expereince.

Both teams had great season's and its understandable. They both can hit and pitch and rely on youth. The youth could help a team, but the inexperince could also hurt. I think that tonight the Rays are going to pull out a win at home, but the Yankees should be aware of facing them. I do believe that the Yankees dont care either way who they face and will be prepared no matter what, but of the two teams I feel the Rangers match up better cause of the lack of experience.

Looking back at 2009 Postseason

Cant wait for the ALCS to get started already, would love to see a 2010 Postseason montage just like this one of 2009.

2010 ALDS review : Yankees over Twins in 3

Last night the Yankees finished off the Twins, and are one more step closer towards the goal of as always, winning the World Series. But the Yankees will need to continue to play the way they did against the Twins, since they will have a tough match up in either the Rays or Rangers. But before we move on to the next series, lets review the last one.


The Good

• Curtis Granderson had a nice three games going 5-11 (.455) while driving in three runs. Granderson had a clutch triple in game one and seemed to be in the middle of a few rallies.
• He only hit .286 but Derek Jeter, had good at bats and hit the ball hard a few times, just right at the fielders.
• Lance Berkman was irrationally disliked by Yankee fans because he got off to a slow start but in game 2, had a pair of clutch hits.
• The hitting in general was great, it was a team effort all around, and all players contributed. Only one batter hit below .273, and that was Brett Gardner (.200)
• What happened to those question marks behind CC Sabathia ? Andy and Hughes came up big for the Yankees. Hughes was lights out in game three, pitching seven shut out innings , while Pettitte gave seven strong innings of two run ball in game two.
• Mariano Rivera is just so good, doesn't matter that he struggled in September.

The Bad

• It is hard to find issues when the Yankees just outplayed the Twins, but their excellent play could come back to burn them. The Yankees now have to wait six days between games, of course rest is always a plus, and the Yanks can set the rotation, but they were playing great baseball and never want to see the momentum broken up.
• CC struggled on a few extra days rest, of course I have the most faith in Sabathia , but he will have to wait an awful long time again before his next start.
• Kerry Wood looked shaky in the bullpen. His command is always an issue, but he did give up a few hits. The only thing I was upset about in game three was that Girardi brought him into a 6-1 game, and then Wood struggled. The last thing they want to do is hurt his confidence after he was so good.
• Joba Chamberlain didn't pitch in a single game,and I cant even remember him warming up once. David Robertson only pitched .2 innings.

Yankees sweep the Twins away, move on to ALCS

After winning the first two games of the series on the road the Yankees came home to a loud crowd Saturday night and finished off the Twins.

Much was made about the question marks in the Yankees rotation following CC Sabathia. Well ironically, Sabathia struggled in his first start, but was still able to pitch well enough to earn himself a victory, but Pettitte and Hughes out pitched him.

The Yanks bats contributed, in all three victories. Derek Jeter looked to be back to old October form, while Curtis Granderson had a nice series in his Yankees playoff debut.

The Yankees will now have to wait six days until they play again Friday night, when they will be the visiting team.
Make sure you check back tomorrow as the ALDS report card will be released to wrap up the series. Until then just eight more victories until the Yankees accomplish the mission for title 28.

Girardi always over manages...

Girardi, should have left that rookie in! I mean the last thing the Yankees need is for Rivera to be over worked (Possibly in the bathroom if its Taco Bell ).

Round one resurgence : Two down one to go

The Twins would once again score first, but the Yankees would be the team that would once again have the last laugh. In game two of the 2010 ALDS the Yankees sent Andy Pettitte to the mound. The start was surrounded by question marks, he had three starts since his return from the DL and had an ERA of 6.75. But Andy showed up once again in the big stage, pitching seven inning while giving up just two runs.

Curtis Granderson had a productive night going 3-4 while Lance Berkman had two clutch hits. His first was an absolute Lazar to left center that left the yard and gave the Yankees the lead. His second clutch hit would come with the score tied at two, Berkman stepped to the plate, and after a question pitch that was called a ball , Berkman slashed a double to left center to score Jorge Posada.

Its great to see Berkman who had struggled during his time with the Yankees this season come through in clutch spots in the Postseason. Fans had been losing patients in the switch hitter, but with a few postseason hits all can be quieted.

Pettitte on the other hand showed that he is healthy and still able to get the job done when it mattered. This game was significant for the Yanks since they are unsure what they are about to get out of Phil Hughes when they return home for game 3. It also locks up the fact that if the Yankees do advance that they know that they will have at least to pitchers they can rely on. With the victory tonight Andy has a total of 19 Postseason wins, and although people may argue that he has done it over three rounds of playoffs it is still an impressive stat.

So who is tonight's player of the game in the Yankees 5-2 win ? Well it would've easy to say Andy Pettitte, but Lance Berkman also deserves credit for getting a pair of go ahead hits. They both deserve credit for the Yanks victory so they are the co-players of the game.