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



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2011 Yankees pitchers predictions

This was the big issue this winter. The Yanks missed out of Cliff Lee and then Andy Pettitte decided it was time to hang it up. The Yanks rotation has many question marks, but the bullpen looks as strong as ever. So can the Yankees hit their way into October? Or will the pitching surprise everyone, and lead the charge in the quest for title 28.

CC Sabathia: Entering year three in the Bronx, CC has given the Yankees everything and then some that they had expected from him when he signed here. He has battled for the CY Young award, and pitched phenomenal in the postseason, the biggest question is will he leave New York after this year.

Best case: 22-6 2.81 ERA 215 Strikeouts. CC wins the CY Young and leads the bombers back into the playoffs on his slimmed down back.

Worst case: 15-10 4.02 ERA 167 SO Sabathia begins to eat a box of Captain Crunch a day, his knee is an issue, or ::gasp:: he gets hurt from throwing so many innings the past few years.

My prediction: 20-7 3.12 ERA 190 SO The big man is an consistent as ever, and anchors the bombers rotation.

A.J. Burnett: Will we see bad A.J. or will we get to see good A.J.? When Burnett is doing bad, he looks lost and gets hit hard. When he is doing well, his stuff is moving all over the place and is as close to unhittable as anyone in baseball. But what A.J. shows up?
Best case: 17-9 3.88 ERA 206 SO Burnett shows off his 2008 form, shutting down the Red Sox and looking like the pitcher the Yanks signed.
Worst case: 11-13 4.89 ERA 174 SO I don't think it can get any worse for Burnett, especially after last season. The worst case has Burnett looking lost at times, getting bombed by Boston and blowing leads. The boo birds will be out, early and often.
My prediction: 13-10 4.19 ERA 186 SO Burnett comes back and has a season similar to 2009. Burnett is going to struggle at times but will also have enough starts where he will shut down the opponent.

Phil Hughes: 2010 was a break out year for Hughes, winning 18 games. But Hughes struggled in the second half of the season, and fell victim to giving up the long ball. Now their are reports that his velocity has dropped, will his wins do the same?
Best case: 19-8 3.45 180 SO. Hughes proves that he last season was no fluke, and can be the Yankees second ace.
Worst case: 12-10 4.87 ERA 152 SO. Phil takes a step back, dealing with injuries, Hughes tries to do his best but instead looks like Burnett circa 2010.
My prediction: 16-8 4.09 169 SO. Hughes falls back to earth, but is still very solid. I would be very concerned with the chance that he suffers an injury since his innings went up by 90 from 2009 to 2010. This year that could catch up with him.

Ivan Nova : Yankee fans love to see the big stars, but they also love to see the home grown kid find a way to succeed in the Bronx. Nova last year had flashes of success, but would also flash signs of being just a kid.
Best case: 15-7 3.76 ERA 155 SO. Just call his super Nova if this is the case, cause he will have blown expectations out of the water.
Worst case: 3-9 5.72 ERA 82 SO and a trip to Scranton. Nothing could be worse then the Yanks having to send down Nova because he is doing that poor. In his starts, Nova wouldn't be able to get past the opposing line up for a third time, thus leaving alot of games early.

My prediction: 12-9 4.32 ERA 134 SO. He's just a kid so lets remember to cut him a break, he will have his good starts and then have some bad starts. But has a performance that gets him a chance to start a playoff game and hold a spot in the 2012 rotation.

Freddy Garcia: Steady Freddy might not be able to live up to his nickname for much longer, but the Yanks will hope that they can squeeze one more season out of his right arm, or atleast enough juice from it to keep them afloat.
Best case: 14-7 3.83 ERA 141 SO. Garcia parties like it's 2005 again, and his shoulder has no issues.
Worst case: 4-10 5.66 ERA 67 SO. Garcia gets hurt,or struggled and the Yankees cut him and rather go with one someone in the minors or Bartolo Colon.
My prediction: 11-8 4.63 ERA 93 SO. Freddy isn't great, but gives the Yankees innings and quality starts for a fifth starter.

I'm not going to run through the entire bullpen because relievers are tough to predict. But I will give my prediction on the great Mariano Rivera.

Mariano Rivera: Simply The Best

Best case: 3-1 1.33 ERA 70 SO. Rivera finds another way to wow us all

Worst case: 2-4 3.03 ERA 55 SO. Mo cant strike any one out, and suddenly looks like a human.

My prediction: 3-2 1.83 ERA 64 SO Mo is a machine, no matter what age.

Overall I think the Yankees are going to finish in second place, due to the lack of starting depth. But this team is good enough to make the playoffs as the wild card and still win over 90 games. In fact I think the Red Sox win the division, but I'm not so sure they run away with it. Wouldn't surprise me if the Yanks only finish a game or two out.
Final Record: 94-68 wild card winners, lose in the ALCS

Yankee video mixes

Searching across Youtube and found some well done Yankee tribute videos by Chesterbball18.
Check them out:

Alex Rodriguez


Robinson Cano


Nick Swisher


Brett Gardner


Mariano Rivera

Report: Yanks and Mo agree to 2 Year $30 million deal

From the NY Daily News : "According to a source familiar with the negotiations between the Yankees and future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera, the 41-year-old will sign a two-year deal believed to be worth $30 million by Friday night"



Well it was just a matter of time, unlike with the Jeter negotiations, Mariano had the upper hand in the deal. If the Yankees didn't want to give him what he wanted they would have been the ones who were screwed, after all who was going to close? Joba or David Robertson? Yesh neither are great options and the only closer on the market was Rafael Soriano, who had a great season in 2010 but has had an otherwise shaky history.

All in all it is great to know that Mariano will retire as a Yankee, it is rare now that a player stays on one team his entire career, but when someone has been as effective as Mariano then it is well deserved. I expect this to be Mo's last contract, but until the lights finally go out for good, cue up some Enter Sandman.

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 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.

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 ).

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.

Yankees half game up over the Rays with 19 to play

While most of the country will be watching the football season start, I know I'll be tuning into the Yanks and Rangers. The Yankees have lost the last two games in heart breaking fashion, both games they could have easily won. Joba did his best impression of himself, replicating game 4 of the 2009 World Series when he gave up a home run to Pedro Feliz. Well this time he gave up the tying shot to Nelson Cruz. A few innings later with Chad Gaudin in Cruz homered again for the win. The last night after a clutch hit by Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera walks two batters and hits a batter to give the Rangers a victory. So it is safe to say the Yankees cant wait to leave Texas.

The bombers may want to bolt from the lone star state, but it wont get much easier. The Yankees will head to Tropicana field to play the surging Rays and defend their slim lead in first. It will be like a small playoff preview, the games should be sold out down in Tampa (if they are not then they don't deserve to have a team anymore). If the season ended today and the Yanks won the AL East, they would have to face the Texas Rangers. The Rangers may have been swept in the Bronx in April, but since then the Rangers have had their way with the Yanks outside of one game that the bombers came back to win. So winning the Wild Card may not be the worst thing in the world for the Yankees, since they would get to face the Twins.

Yankee Stadium Experience 9/1/2010 A's vs Yanks

It was the first day of September but it still felt like August. It was a hot,humid night and I was heading to see the Yankees face the A's.

I parked at the River Ave garage, and walked right out and went across the street to gate 8. Gate 8 is by far the quickest entrance into Yankee Stadium, even for big event like the Red Sox or Mets the lines are much shorter.

The tickets I had for the game were in section 305, I had purchased them with one of the five dollar coupons that they give out to season ticket holders. Once I got to the seats I realized it was the same section that Russell Branyan of the Mariners had hit a home run into a few Saturdays ago. When your up that high and your looking at home plate it makes you appreciate how far the ball really went.

Of course my bad luck, my seats were in the middle of a row and people kept getting up and down the entire night. I understand if people need to use the rest room or get food but it gets ridiculous after a while. The other thing was that one of the seats that belonged to myself and my guest had gum on it. I had to make sure that a bad was placed over the gum to prevent it from being on my jersey.

Oh also a quick tip on food, I have noticed that although the selection is not as good, the further towards the "wings" of the upper deck you go the shorter the food lines are. I would assume the same applies for restrooms.

Otherwise the game was alright, A.J Burnett actually pitched well this year when I went to see him and Mark Teixiera and his thumb seems fine since he drove in three of the four Yankees runs. In the Terrace section it should be noted that unlike the Grandstand their is no breeze at all.

The attendance was a tad smaller then most games this season, just creeping over 45,000 (45,222) and the crowd seemed out of it for most of the night. The biggest cheers at one point seemed to be for the wave that made it around the upper deck, but that all changed once the great Mariano Rivera came in.

One last thing some idiot in my section was wear a shirt that said "A-Hole" with the number 13. The guy was also wearing an A's hat so it was obvious who he was rooting for and who he was against. But it made my night that people kept yelling at him and giving him crap about the shirt (although they kept it fairly clean). Although I never appreciate fans of the opposing team, I would rather they wear their own teams stuff then wear a shirt bashing the Yankees. When you do that anything that happens to you during the game is your own fault.

The Yankees won 4-3 but the Rays and Red Sox also won. So the Yankees still have just a one game lead over the Rays. Next game for myself will be Monday September 6th vs the Orioles.

Yanks vs Rangers 8/10/10 wrap up : Yanks don't play big in Texas

Other then the heat here in New York you would have though that tonight's game in Texas was game 1 of the playoffs. In what could end up being a playoff match up this October, the Rangers won the game in walk off fashion in the 10th inning with a David Murphy single off Mariano Rivera.

Truth be told I had never expected the Yankees to compete in this game with a line up that included Marcus Thames hitting third, Austin Kearns hitting fifth and A.J Burnett making his first start since experiencing back spasms.Burnett pitched well giving up three runs over seven innings and was saved from getting a loss when Alex Rodriguez hit a clutch solo homer to tie the score at three in the eighth.

The game would go into extra innings and Joe Girardi would summon the great Mariano Rivera to keep the Yanks in the game, but something surprising happened. Rivera would give up the walk off hit. If you are looking in the box score it will show that Rivera gave up three hits. But two of the hits were hit so soft that the Yanks could not get the runners out.

Yankees Player of the Game: Alex Rodriguez

A-Rod hit the game tying home run, and had this been pre-2009 Postseason it would have lead to a debate over if he was clutch or not. Alex also had a brilliant diving play in the tenth inning on a Vlad Guerrero ground ball that was ticketed to left field. At the time the play saved the Rangers from winning the game, but was over shadowed once Daniel Murphy got the base hit to win it.

Second Guess Move of the Game :

Sadly their are a few moves to choose from, starting with why didn't Girardi pinch hit Posada for Cervelli in the eight inning when the go ahead run was on third base. Girardi said following the game that Posada's shoulder was sore and he would not have been able to catch. If that really is the case then I think that it may be time to bring up Jesus Montero and give him a shot. I know that Montero is not much better then Posada defensively but at least he has hit in the minors, and in the spot tonight would have been able to catch had Posada been used as a pinch hitter. Cervelli hit a weak jam shot to the first baseman, and Brett Gardner continued to slump by not getting the run in.

Honorable Mention : The timing on when Girardi was going to use Mariano Rivera.

Currently the Yankee universe is in panic, the Yanks have now lost two games in a row in heart breaking fashion and Wednesdays game does not get much better with the Rangers throwing Cliff Lee. Javier Vazquez will go for the Bronx Bombers, last time out Vazquez struggled with his command and his fastball lacked velocity. If there is any consolation it is that following the Rangers series the Yanks head to Kansas City to take on the lowly Royals for four games and then head back to the stadium for games against the Tigers and Mariners.

This one was for the boss

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

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

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

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

A few quick hits before I go

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

Yankees in the All Star Game

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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