Time For a Change: Switching The Line Up



Swisher should convince Jeter to get a
mo hawk.

 Six in a row and it's time to panic in the Bronx. Among Yankees fans, I would say that I amongst the cooler heads and won't overreact to a losing streak like this in May. But looking at the losing streak and the games even before the streak the Yankees had not been that impressive. Sure they were out homering everyone, but doing little other wise. So here is my pitch for what Joe Girardi should do with the line up.

1. Derek Jeter - Yes he stays on top of the line up, in the ideal world I would hit Jeter lower, but you can't do that to the captain unless he comes to you and asks to bat lower, especially after this weekend long drama with Jorge Posada hitting 9th. Jeter looked like he was improving, until the Boston series when he turned back into ground ball Derek.

2. Nick Swisher- Before he hits second I think Swisher needs to sit a day, he has looked off and his comments the other day about trying too hard to hit home runs was alarming. Give him a day to clear his head, and then insert him back into the line up hitting after Jeter. Sure the possibility of the ground ball double play could be large, but Swisher was great in this spot last year. He is going to see a ton of fastballs and good pitches to hit, since most pitchers would rather face Swisher then Tex of A-Rod.

3. Robinson Cano- Here is the first big switch, Cano hits third. Robby has frustrated me this season with his lack of patients at the plate but has been the Yankees second best hitter all season long. Other than his slump this past week, Cano has been fairly consistent and deserves the chance to move up and hit third.



If they can play the infield together, they can hit
behind each other

 4. Alex Rodriguez- A-Rod was hitting .385 when he hurt his oblique, since then he has hit just .180 and has looked lost at the plate. Either way, Girardi loves A-Rod in this spot, and it is the best possible spot for him.

5. Mark Teixeira- The move is basically flip flopping Cano and Tex in the line up, Teixeira had a great April and avoided his annual slump, but that seems to have carried over to May. No doubt in my mind Tex will bounce back, but how soon?

6. Curtis Granderson- "The Grandyman can, oh the Grandyman can" that line has been frequently heard on WCBS 880 when John Sterling breaks it out for Granderson. In his second season with the Yankees Granderson has been everything and more from what they expected from him. He already has 14 home runs and has a realistic shot of hitting 40. If Curtis hits 6th, he would be able to collect a few more RBI's. Although I am often against switching guys in the batting order when they are doing well, I do believe that what ever Kevin Long did that night in Texas last August has helped and will continue to show throughout the season.

Granderson has hit many home runs with that bat.

7. Jorge Posada- I hope hitting 7th does not bruise his ego, because this is the best spot for Jorge. I think he is going to turn it around and hit better than the way he has so far, I mean it can't possibly get worse, right?

8. Russell Martin- The Canadian catcher has hit a bit of a slump come May hitting just .167, but he is still getting on base and has had some good at bats. I like hitting him 8th since behind him will be Brett Gardner, and Martin has some speed, so if both get on I wouldn't mind a double steal.

9. Brett Gardner- The way he has played this month has been under the radar, hitting .341 in May and getting on base at almost .100 more than his batting average. The alarming thing has been that Brett has gotten caught stealing more times than he has been safe (CS-6 SB-5). Gardner's hitting may lead to him moving back up to lead off, but I am a big fan of him hitting 9th at this time, creating a double lead off. The one issue I have with Gardner is his lack of base running skills. Sure he is fast, but some of the choices he makes on when to go or not shock me, he also waits way too long to run and the hitter up at the plate take hittable pitches because of this.

Yankee Stadium Experiences: 2011 Yankees Opening Day

Rain had been in the forecast for the Yanks opener, but not even the weather cold hold back the excitement of opening day. The area around Yankee Stadium was packed with fans wearing Yankee jerseys, caps and jackets.

Instead of taking mass transit, my father and I choose to drive into the Bronx. Around 155th street, the police had sectioned off the street, and were no longer allowing cars to head towards the stadium. We were forced to park in the old parking garage that use to located next to the old Yankee Stadium. It had been talked about during the winter, but I can now confirm that parking is indeed $35 bucks. I had noticed that with the price increase it did seem like the lots, I saw were really empty.

It was about 45 minutes prior to the first pitch, but outside the stadium was packed. From fans holding up signs and yelling about Cliff Lee, to the long lines to get into the stadium. Luckily the lines moved quickly, and I was back into the stadium for the first time in five months.

I headed to the upper deck, where my seats were, but I noticed that with the cold rainy conditions not many fans were sitting in their seats, but rather were in the bars outside the stadium or in the different clubs that Yankee Stadium had to offer.

Not much has changed with the stadium for 2011, although I noticed that just like in the main level the Yanks have added pictures to the beams in the upper deck.

The stadium was empty while the Tigers were announced, and unlike past years their was no big roar from the crowd as any special Yankees were announced other then the usuals like Jeter, Mariano, A-Rod and Cano.

Even though, most of the fans were still just making their way to their seats, the park had an electric feel to it as a large American flag was held in center field and they had a jet fly over the stadium.

The game was as text book as could be, with CC Sabathia giving the Yankees a strong outing, and Mark Teixeria bashing a three run shot.

With the cold weather, many fans choose to abandon their cold plastic seats for the warmth of indoor areas or the concourse. Although up on the grandstand level the concourse was like a giant wind tunnel, and much worse then the seated area.

As the Yankees blew the small lead they had gained on the Tigers, the game began to drag a bit, but Curtis Granderson, who had already made a few nice catches smashed a home run into the second deck in right, and just like that the Yanks had a lead they could hand over to the bullpen.

Rafael Soriano made his bombers debut and impressed, and then Mariano came in to close the door on a 6-3 Yankees victory.

It was a quick exit out of the stadium, due in part since the stadium had been clearing out for innings prior, on the way back to the car some "Boston Sucks" chants could be heard in the distance on River Ave.

After the game I sat in 2 1/2 hours worth of traffic, but the feeling that baseball was back at Yankee Stadium made for it all worth it.




Some of the views from Yankees 2011 Opening Day vs the Tigers:

Fans packed into the Tommy Bahama bar at Yankee Stadium



\



2011 Yankees starting line up predictions

We are less then 24 hours away from the start of the 2011 Yankees season. This off season seemed much longer then the past few, in the past the Yanks were coming off a championship and had added high priced free agents. This off season? Neither, the best off season addition was Rafael Soriano, as we know no championship parade and worst of all Andy Pettitte retired and left the Yanks rotation very thin.

But opening day is a time for optimism, along with predictions on how the Yanks will do. So with that here is a break down of my predictions for the 2011 Yanks starting line up and pitchers.

Russell Martin: Last season Martin played very poorly, but part of that was because Joe Torre treated him as if he was Scott Proctor and played him at third during his off days. But will a bad hip and a change from the NL West to the AL East help or hurt Martin?
Best case: .290/12 home runs/ 70 RBI, plays in over 125 games
Worst case: .240/6 /42  and has to go on the DL for any amount of time
My prediction: .276/10/60 Martin stays healthy, other then the occasionally day to day stuff.

Mark Teixeria: Will this be the season that Tex gets off to a decent start? Well everyone sure hopes, I think that Tex wont be as bad as he was the past two seasons, but he will hit around .250 in April, a respectable but still low for Mark. Last year Teixeria was never able to really get hot, and suffered so many nagging injuries, the key this season, would be to just stay healthy and get off to a decent start.
Best case: .300/38/139 Tex manages to get off to a nice start and never looks back, putting up MVP like stats.
Worst case: .250/30/100 85% of big leaguers would love to have this line, but for Tex it indicates a poor season and a slow start. Also fans begin to lose some patients with Tex in this scenario, they start to compare him to the old A-Rod and say hes "not clutch".
My prediction: .280/34/120 Mark gets off to an OK start, and then heats up and has a year similar to 2009.

Robinson Cano: I love to watch Cano play, and that starts with the fact that I have really gotten to see his game grow since 2005. The Yankees are really counting on Cano to have a season similar to 2010, but are the expectations too high?

Best case: .340/35/125 Cano turns into an absolute beast, hitting for a higher average and adds more power to his game

Worst case: .281/22/88 Cano starts to swing at balls over his head and in the dirt, and the famous "lazy" tag comes back out.

My prediction: .324/30/108 I will say right out that Robbie is my favorite  player, but it seems like everyone expects his to improve by alot, I think Cano will be consistent and have a slightly better season then last year.

Derek Jeter: Ah the captain, this is a tough one since not many shortstops have managed to put up a decent season over the age of 35, but Jeter is determined to change that.

Best case: .330/16/70 The man gets his 3,000 hit, and the fans forget about 2010.

Worst case: .250/9/60 Yankee fans watch Jeter declining right in front of their eyes, suddenly rumors are popping up that Jeter will be moving to the out field, since his defense has gotten worse.

My prediction: .296/10/66 Jeter improves from last season, but still hits into the famous double plays, still lacks range and short and we still hear the rumors. But its Derek Jeter! We look past the flaws and love him anyways.

Alex Rodriguez: uh oh its 2011, an odd year, you know what the means right? A big year for A-Rod, or atleast you would think so since he won the MVP in 2003,2005,and 2007 and shut up the critics in 2009 with a postseason for the ages. But does the trend continue?
Best case: .300/45/136 A-Rod stays healthy and has the big season that everyone expects
Worst case .268/25/110 A-Rod struggles with little injuries or is forced to spend a large chunk of time on the DL. His defense declines more and he still cant catch up on fastballs.
My prediction: .278/33/128 It might be an odd year, but that doesn't equal a huge season in my eyes. But the third basemen finds a way to stay healthy and still have a very very good season.

Nick Swisher: Every ones favorite goof ball had his best all around season last year, but was it a mirage or is he for real.

Best case: .300/30/100 Swish still improves, and suddenly a big pay day will be awaiting him.
Worst case: .255/24/73 Last season was based off luck, and the old Swisher comes back.
My prediction: .284/30/93 It was a quiet spring for Swisher, but don't expect him to be so quiet with the bat this season, I expect alot of the same from Swisher, including an increase in RBI's since he will be batting behind Cano.

Curtis Granderson: It was the tale of two seasons for the Grandy man. The first half: awful. The second: amazing. What half held the real Granderson?
Best case: .291/30/90 Kevin Long shows why he is the best at what he does and suddenly the Granderson trade looks like a steal.

Worst case: .244/16/60 Granderson cant hit lefties and is benched while Austin Jackson has a good season with the Tigers.

My prediction: .273/26/78 Granderson will struggle at times, but he is more consistent and has a nice season.

Brett Gardner: Back in 2008 I hated Gardner, and begged for the Yankees to either send him down or just keep his around as a pinch runner. Good thing I'm not a scout, because Gardner has turned into a great all around player.
Best case: .300/10/52 Brett continues to play great defense, and steals alot.
Worst case: .260/4/36 Gardner battles injuries, and struggles. But still steals alot.
My prediction: .283/8/49 Gardy has another impressive season, and steals...alot.

Jorge Posada: We saw the first core four member retire this past winter, could this be the final season of Posada in pinstripes?
Best case: .285/25/80 Posada is healthy, happy and hitting. Girardi even tosses him a bone and lets him catch every now and then.
Worst case: .240/15/48 Posada battles injuries and has a tough time ajusting to DHing full time. To make things worse he complains about it to the media, causing an issue.
My prediction: .255/22/73 Posada will still hit as long as hes healthy, and aside from the occasional grumble he takes DHing well and the Yanks welcome him back in 2012.

Curtis Granderson more important in 2011 then you think.

Much has been made about the Yankees issues this spring, who is going to round out the rotation? What will the bench look like? Will father time stay on the side of Derek Jeter, A-Rod and Mariano Rivera? But one of the most over looked questions has been which Curtis Granderson will show up?

Curtis Granderson began his Yankees career with a blast, literally. In his first at bat as a Yankees, Granderson hit a home run at Fenway Park. That was Grandersons bright spot for the first two months, the newly acquired Yankee struggled mightily hitting just .225 before getting hurt, missing a month of the season. Once he came back he wasn't the same player the Yankees traded for. He was hitting just .239 as late as August 11th with just 11 home runs. At that time he went to Kevin Long for help, he changed up his stance and finished the year hitting 13 home runs from August 13th on, and hit .278 in the month of September.

With the issues the Yankees have with the pitching, they are going to have to out hit teams, during many of their games. They will need the Granderson that arrived after August 11th, and many fans are expecting that Graderson, but if he does not show up the Yankees could be in for alot of trouble. As each of the star starting players get older, the Yankees need players like Granderson to step up. Brian Cashman would love to see the soon to be 30 year old outfielder turn it up a notch, after all he traded away Ian Kennedy and Austin Jackson to get him, and both young players that had break out seasons for other teams.

While much of the hype this spring will be about the rotation, Jeter and A-Rod, the unsung story should be about Granderson, and what to expect from him in 2011.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

One game down, two to go. Yanks win 6-4

Tex and the Yankees roll in game one against the Twins. Some big moments include Curtis Granderson hitting a go ahead triple,and Mariano Rivera getting out of a bases loaded jam in the 8th. But the team hero last night was Mark Teixeira who gave the Yankees the lead after CC blew the previous one. Tex struggled last postseason, so lets hope game one is a sign that Tex is primed for a big postseason.

George Steinbrenner monument ceremony 9-20-2010

If you missed it last night, aside from Curtis Granderson going off on the Rays. The Yankees dedicated a monument to late owner George Steinbrenner.

Save that date ! 2011 preliminary Yankees schedule released

It seems like just yesterday Curtis Granderson was starting his Yankees career at Fenway Park with a home run. Boy, how the season has gone by so quick, and next thing you know the off season will be back and the winter doldrums will be sneaking back in. But anyways before this gets out of hand and I complain about winter, the 2011 preliminary schedule was released today and can be found here .

If you are too lazy to click the link, or would just like to read some of the tidbits here we go :

• The Yanks open at home against the Detroit Tigers. It will be two seasons that the current Yankee Stadium is up, but can we still call it New Yankee Stadium ?
• They play 18 games at home in April. I hate this since it will be cold and New York is known for poor weather during this time of year. Will also kill season ticket holders who are trying to re-sell games.
• The Red Sox make their first trip to the Bronx on May 13-15th, while the Yankees will be greeted at Fenway April 8-10th.
• The Yankees visit the Rays for a short two game starting May 16th, this will be their first meeting of the season.
• This year the Mets come to the Bronx in May and the Yankees go to Queens in July.
• Whether you hate of love interleague play it is here to stay. The bombers visit the Cubs and Reds , and host the Brewers and Rockies. It will be the first time the Brewers have faced the Yankees at Yankee Stadium since they were an American League team.
• The Rays don't come to the Bronx until July 7th.
• The Yanks should get use to having their suitcase with them in August, they play 20 games on the road.
• Once again the Yankees end the season on the road in Tampa Bay. This has bothered me for a while, the last time the Yankees ended the season at home was 2006, the time before that was 2003.
• The 2011 season will end on a Wednesday.

Yankee Stadium Experience 8/18 Yanks vs Tigers

8/18 tix with Jorge and Mo on them.

It was time to head back up to the Bronx, this time to see former Yankee Johnny Damon and the Tigers. I had on my Yankees Damon jersey and was looking forward to seeing him during batting practice in left field. Once I got to the stadium, it was drizzling and Damon was shagging fly balls in center field. Damon would eventually head in to take his turn hitting but by that time security had kicked all the fans out of the field level that didn't belong.

So it was up to my seats in the bleachers, I had noticed it a few times but in the bleachers behind section 237/238 area there is a sign that says "Advanced ticket kiosk", yet no kiosk is in sight  only hot dog and beer vendor.

Wholly Guacamole nachos for $8.50

Since my friend and I had some time to kill before the game we grabbed nachos from Wholly Guacamole. For $8.50 they gave you a fair amount of nachos along with as many toppings as you want. In other stadium news I also saw somebody actually buy a shirt and program from the souvenir stand located below my seats. For most of the season, it seemed as if nobody even would look at the small stand but i guess tonight was their lucky night. I'll never understand paying $30 for a player tee when if you go to modells you can get them for $18.

The line ups were announced and Damon got a warm reception, nothing Matsui like but still a nice cheer, Damon was 1-3 with a stolen base. It was Jeremy Bonderman who was once suppose to be a star against Dustin Moseley. The Yanks got a quick lead on back to back homers by Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano, but not before Brett Gardner was hit by a pitch. The Gardner hit by pitch was something I had expected after Monday when he slid hard into second to try and break up a double play, Carlos Guillen was hurt on the play and has missed the past few games.

Moseley was so-so for his five innings he was in the game, he did give up two bombs to Miguel Cabrera (who had hit a ball 15 rows up in the left field bleachers during batting practice and left a dent on the bench). But the Yanks offense woke up, even Ramiro Pena joined the cause with a RBI triple (who needs A-Rod !). Curtis Granderson also would add a homer against his former team. Granderson seems ready to break out of his season long slump, although he did strike out against a lefty with the bases loaded later in the game.

For this game I was sitting in my bleacher seats in 235, at the start of the game even with the Yanks offense putting some runs on the board the crowd really didn't seem into the game. By the fifth with the Yanks holding a 7-4 lead the bleachers got a bit rowdier. It started with a fight a few sections over between two girls, both being ejected. Thought out the game I heard a few Detroit sucks chants and the ol' A-hole chant (not exactly that way but you should get the point).

As the Yankees pounded away at the Tigers holding a 9-4 lead in the eighth, the Yanks called Chad Gaudin in. Gaudin hit the first batter Miguel Cabrera and then proceeded to load the bases. A grand slam would have lead to the lead cut to one, but apparently to some it didn't matter. The people in section 235 were to busy trying to start the wave. The wave starters kept trying and started to get off the wave a few times, and since 235 of the bleachers is right below, yet next to the main section. One fan was trying to convince the wave starters to start the wave towards the main section, while leaning over the railing I made sure to tell him to jump. The Yanks managed to get out of the inning by only allowing one run, and for myself I was lucky that the fans finally stopped trying to do the wave.

This is not the same sign, but you get the point

The Yankees would nail down the 9-5 victory by bringing in the great Mariano Rivera to finish it. Through out the game I had noticed that the security at the stadium now holds small stop signs at the top of each section. On the sign it reads to please be curtious and wait until the end of the at bat to go to your seat. It is a great idea since it can get really annoying with people walking up and down sections, but the bleacher guards didn't have any sign. I guess the figure that for the fans paying the cheapest tickets, it doesn't matter if they get bothered with people moving around all game.

Overall it was one of the rowdier games of the season, even though it wasn't against an opponent that the Yanks have had a long history with. It should be noted that this was the bombers first win that I had attended since June, I had been on a three game losing streak. The final from the Bronx : Yankees 9 Tigers 5

Next probable game September 1st vs the Oakland A's.

Oh, and one last note, when Jorge Posada comes up I am all for the hip,hip Jorge chants. But if nobody is responding please do not continue to yell it. It just seems silly when a fan keeps yelling hip hip.

Some Pictures from the game :

Looks like this places has closed down, it was right across from the old stadium.

Over cast Yankee Stadium.

View from left field during batting practice.

What was once a tray of nachos is now empty. Nice Yankees logo at the bottom.

The shop that I never see anyone buy stuff from until tonight.

The crowd early in the game.

May have been a quiet crowd at the start but once the camera guy comes around people wake up and try and get on the big screen.

The people in my row kept moving over and eventually this is what my size of my seat turned into.