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2008 Post Season
Alas, no Yankees Dodgers (with our man Joe
Torre), Cubs, Phillies, & Angels clinched their divisions. Rays win
the AL East and Boston is the AL wildcard, they will play the Angels in the
first round (Angels are 8-1 against the Bosox) go
Angels! The Brewers win the NL wildcard. The Chicago White Sox and Twins
are still up in the air. The CWS must play a make up game in Chicago. Then if
they win, they must have a playoff game with the Twins. The Post Season Line Up (Dates are
the last World
Series Win -
Appearance
if different) AL: Red Sox (2007) vs. Angels (2002) Rays (never)
vs either White Sox (2005) or Twins (1991) Sox won the
playoff game NL: Cubs (1908-1945) vs. Dodgers (1988)
I'm torn between Torre and Piniella Phillies (1980-1993) vs. Brewers
(never-1982) ALCS: Red Sox (2007) 3-1 vs.
Rays (never) 3-1 Let's Go
RAYS! NLCS: Dodgers (1988) 3-0 vs.
Phillies (1980-1993) 3-1 Is it
Torre or the team he leads? - Dodgers' first post season sweep since 1963 vs.
the Yankees Oh well, Joe loses another shot at the WS! But at least he (or
was it Ramirez?) who got the Dodgers into the playoffs. WORLD SERIES: Red Sox (2007) or Rays (never)
vs. Tampa snatched defeat form the jaws of
victory on 10/16. Are they choking? They had a 7 run lead in the 7th, but
Boston tied in by the 8th and won in the 9th. TBS had 'technical' problems
and missed the first inning of the Saturday game. The hi-def feed from Staten
Island Cable didn't tell us anything about the problem. 10/18 - it looks
like the momentum is now in Boston's favor - bummer. Game 7 Sunday. The Rays
pull it out 3-1 to defeat the sox. Phillies (1980-1993)
4-1 vs. Rays (never) 4-3 Go RAYS! Game 5
suspeneded 10/27 in the 6th tied 2-2 The Phillies win it 4-3 in the
completed game 5 taking the series 4 games to 1.
2008 Review
The season began on April 1 after a rainout on
March
31 at Yankee Stadium, the last for the old ballpark. Off to a
good start - three great defensive plays, good starting pitching and hitless
relief (3-K's, 1 BB) led to a 3-2 win over R. Halladay and the Toronto Blue
Jays. April 17 - With injuries to Jeter, Posada, and back up cather Molina,
the Ynakees still manage to keep pace with the AL east Baltimore was in first place for most of the first week!
The Yankees and Boston are now tied at 9-7. April 27 - Yankees 13-13 and
Boston 15-12. Posada's shoulder is hurting and put him on the disabled list.
Wang is 5-0 (1 no decision). Joba loses his first game, but he and Mo (7 saves)
are almost unbeatable. The rest of the bullpen is so-so. The kid pitchers are
0-6 and Steinbrenner wants Joba to join the rotation. A-Rod's leg and
Hughes' oblique (later rib fracture - another Pavano?)
placed them each him on the DL. Ian Kennedy sent to AAA Scranton. He makes
some comment about the media. But pitches a one hitter for seven
innings. Kei Igawa is brought up and stinks up the place again - 6 runs in 3
innings - Yanks lose 6-5. May 14 - The world is officially upsidedown!
Tampa Beats
the Yanks and Mo in 11
innings 2-1 and take FIRST PLACE over Boston! May 16 - The basement Yankees to play three
against the disfunctional Mets. Game 1 - postponed rain Game 2 - Mets 7-4 Game 3 - Mets
11-2 The new Yankee secret to breaking a slump -
Golden Thong - is that like a silver slugger? The Yankee batting is
pathetic. After the frist 5 in the batting order, no one is batting over .250.
A-Rod is due back May 20 against Baltimore. The bull pen is beginning to wear
thin, giving up 10 runs to the Mets in two games. May 21 - Joe Girardi says
that they are stretching Joba Chamberlain's innings with the goal of making him
a starter during the season. This is a mistake, right now the Yankees have the
best inning 8 and 9 combo in the majors. And Farnsworth
proved it by giving up a two run homer in the 8th, on May 24, but the Yankees
had an 8 run lead cut to 6. What if it were a 2 run lead? But Joba
can't wait to start! May 25 - The Yankees finally pull a game out when
losing after 7 innings. Also the first game they came back from more than 2
runs down. They sweep Seattle and take their second series in a row. They are
25-25 and on the road again. May 27 - Ian Kennedy gives up two homers to
Baltimore and left with an injury. The Yankees hit four homers, but Baltimore
tied it when Ohlendorf gave up three more homers in relief. The Yankees scored
one in the 11th, but lost in the bottom of the 11th, when Hawkins gave up two
runs. Kennedy went on the disabled list, which may leave it to Joba
Chamberlain to start next week (June 3). June 3 - Today is
Joba the Starter day! It's interesting that the
designated 8th inning guy, Farnsworth(less) has already
lost two games, including one on June 2 in the bottom of the 8th, with the game
tied. Previously he came in with a four run lead and left with a two run lead.
Then on June 5, he let a 7-6 deficit become 8-6. Luckily Giambi hit a 2 out 2
strike 2 run walk off home run to win the game 9-8. One third of the way
into the season and Mussina (9-4) and Rasner (2.58 ERA) are the two best
pitchers! June 7 - on a day when Pettitte didn't have it and gave up 10 runs
including 7 runs to Jose Guillen, the score went back and forth until Rivera
gave up a first pitch home run to David DeJesus, a kid from Brooklyn, making
the score 11-10, Royals. But Posada hit a home run to tie it and Damon got his
6th hit of the game to win it 12-11! The Yankees rallied
back from four runs back twice. June 15 - Just when the statrting pitching
and offense seemed to be going in the right direction together, Wang gets hurt
running the bases, just before two home runs (A-Rod and Posada) gets the score
to 11-0 against Houston and they win 13-0. Wang will be out at least 6
weeks. The good news - Yankee pitching did over 20 innings of scoreless ball
and only gave up 9 runs, while the offense scored 38 runs. Rivera got his
20th save, that didn't happen until August last year. June 21 - Good news:
Dan Geise made his first start and threw 62 pitches in 6 innings. Bad News: he
made an error in the 7th that cost him 3 unearned runs. Earlier in the game,
the Yankees couldn't score with bases loaded and an inning later with two on
and no out. Yanks lose 6-0 when the bullpen further collapses and the offense
sputters. So June 24 - Rasner throws the next Yankee pitch to a
Pirate in
Pittsburgh since 1960 and it gets hit for a double then he got worse.
It seems that if the Yankee starter is good, the bullpen is great, but if
the starter is bad, the bullpen is TERRIBLE! The hitting is again in a
collective slump, especially with runners on base. Damon and Matsui are both
aching - Justin Christian, goes
2-4 - 2 RBI in his ML debut - Jetter and Cano have had a disappounting first
half. A-Rod is having trouble with runners in scoring position, but is near the
top in batting. Giambi is near the top in home runs. The Tampa Bay Rays are 4½ games in front of
the Yankees in the east. Go Tampa! June 27 - Subway series part
II The Yankee pitching stunk to say the least. Olendorf was so bad that he
was optioned in favor of Igawa, after giving up 6 runs in one inning of the
Yankee Stadium game. Then as incredible as it seems, Sidney Ponson pitched 6
innings of 5 hit scoreless innings. Game 1 - postponed game
- Mets 15-6 So the Mets technically swept the three games at Yankee
Stadium.
Real Game 1 - Yankees 9-0 - beat Martinez Game 2 - Yankees
3-2 - beat Santana Game 3 - Mets 3-1 - Choke-Rod came this|close to tying it
in the 9th. The Mets take the season serice 4-2 in subway games. Oh, the
new Mets manager, Jerry Manuel, says that the Yankees are the favored team in
NY. Took him long enough to find that out! Now let's get back to AL
games. July 1 - At the half way point - the world is still upside down! The
Rays and the Cubs are
the top two teams in baseball. The Yankee bats finally wake up after four
games, but the pitching let it get away and the offense goes back into a funk.
Then in the 7th they explode for 9 runs (but 6 are off a
AAA pitcher making his major league debut - ERA 162+). Yankees beat
Texas and avoid a sweep 18-7. Oh, A-rod hit a 3 run homer
when the score was 12-7. He is distracted by Madonna and
kabbalah Here come the BoSox This is the first time since 1997 that neither team is in first
place Game 1 - 7-0 Boston - pathetic 5 hits Game 2 - 6-4 Boston Damon
hurt - goes on DL on Sunday. Jeter's 'hit' was really the last out - umpire
blew the call. Game 3 - Yankees 2-1 - Mo works into and out of a bases
loaded no out jam Game 4 - Yankees 5-4 in 10 innings! Rookie Brett Gardner
gets the walk off RBI with a single. A-Rod tied the Mick with 536
home runs - now 13th place. and the (first place ) Rays. Game 1 - Yankees 5-0 - Jeter 2 RBI & two defensives plays -
Pettitte 8 scoreless innings Game 2 - Yanks 2-1 in 10 innings. Ponson
pitches well. Abreu drives in Jeter in 10th. A-Rod has been renamed
on this page, he's now M-Rod (for Madonna)
Just
after the Yankees win in Toronto, it was announced that Bobby Murcer
passed away. Rest in Peace, Bobby.
At the All Star break: The good news is that for the most
part, the pitching staff has been very good giving up an average of 4.35 runs a
game. The bad news is that the offense has gone missing as they have scored
only 4.59 runs a game. Four major players (Posada, A-Rod, Matsui, and Damon)
have been on the DL. Others have played hurt. They are 50-45 in
3rd place 6 games behind Boston (Tampa is on a 7
game losing streak) In the wild card, they are in 4th
place, 5½ games back. Last year they
were in 3rd place 10 games behind in the East . In the wild card
they're in 6 th place 8½ games out. Oh, and the Mets are suddenly unbeatable - 9 wins and only ½
game out of 1st(but they are playing poor teams). All Star
game: a celebration of
Yankee Stadium! Many Hall of Fame
Members lined up at their positions and were met by the 2008 All Star starters.
George M. (the Boss) Steinbrenner brought out four 'first pitch' balls for
Yogi, Whitey, Reggie, and Goose to throw to Jeter, A-Rod, Mo, and Girardi.
Excellent. Bobby Murcer was mentioned in connection with MLB fight against
cancer. The AL won again 4-3 in 15th, after a pitching duel that
went into 5th before a run was scored, then tied in the
7th and again in both halves of the 8th. 4:50 duration 15 innings AL Left 34 on base Jonathan (I
should close) Papelbon gave up a go ahead run in the top of the
8thbut, Billy (the Met) Wagner blew the save in the bottom of
the 8th. Mo (1.2 inn -2 hits-0 runs-DP) bent, but didn't break in
the 10th and could have won, but the NL got out of a bases load-no
out jam in the bottom of the 10th (3 ground
balls).
I guess M-Rod doesn't slide anymore.
Twice in the series against Oakland, he was out at the plate trying to score
standing. Maybe he doesn't want any brusies for Madonna. July 23 - The Yankee bullpen has exceeded expectations.
Farnsworth and Ramirez have each pitched 9 + consecutive HITLESS innings one or two innings at a time. Bonds to the Yankees? Please
*NO*! The Yankees trade for the right
handed outfielder and left handed reliever they have been missing. Ross Ohlendorf and 3 minor leaguers got to Pittsburgh for Xavier Nady
and left-handed reliever Damaso Marte. Boston series July 25-27: Game 1: Joba beats Beckett
1-0 Giambi gets the RBI on a 100 foot bouncer that just made
the outfield grass with the overshift and runners on first and third. What's
the deal between Joba and Youkilis? Joba throws at him again. He walked 1 and
struck out 9 (including Youkilis) otherwise. Farnsworth trips up, but Mo
recovers for the save. Game 2: Yankees 10-3 Pettitte holds Boston to 3 runs (1 earned) and the bullpen does the
rest. Game 3: Boston 9-2 July 30 -
After a blowout win against Baltimore, the Yankees announce that they traded
Farnsworth to Detroit for catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Cashman
called it trading Peter to pay Paul. But they needed hitting from behind the
plate. Getting Rodriguez gets that without losing the defense. Both players are
free agents this season. Aug 4 - Giambi
grew a moustache in June and came out of his slump, until the All Star Game.
Then he returned to his slump and shaved it off after Nady hit a HR on Aug 3.
On the 4th, Giambi went 3-4 with a HR! Aug 6 -
OK, it's official, he's back at being Choke-Rod or No-Rod. Again he grounds
into a doubleplay or strikes out or has an unproductive out while being the
tying run or having the tying run on base. But he hits the home run when the
score is 10-1 either with the Yankees winning or losing. Joba went to the
doctor and was placed on the 15 DL. Karstens, who was traded
to the Pirates (considered a bad trade) came four outs from a perfect game. He
beat Randy Johnson and the D-Backs with a two hit shut out and is 2-0 since the
trade. Aug 9 - Ian Kennedy tries and
fails again (then gets sent back to minors - he has an attitude
problem too). Then Dan Geise pitches 6 great innings and leaves with a
3-1 lead. But the bullpen fails big time giving up 2 runs in
the 8th and 8 in the 8th for an 11-4 loss. Aug
10 - Pettitte pitches well again, but Marte allows runners on base and
Mo allows a hit in 9th. Angels sweep. Yankees are 3rd place 4 games behind
in the wildcard race. They are scoring 4.8 runs a game and
giving up 4.5 runs a game - that's too close to win
consistently. Aug 12 - Mo blows his
first save in trying for a 5 out save. The score was 6-3 Yankees, but Marte
gets one out, but gives up two hits (why did we get
him?) and Mo gives up a home run. The Yankees won it in 11 with two home
runs (Choke Rod and Nady). Steinbrenner the
younger, is almost ready to concede the season due to injuries. What happend in
2006 when Matsui and Shefield went down, the others stepped up. They still
scored 930 runs. That isn't happening this year. The other hitters aren't
hitting in the clutch. Let's get another pitcher! PS it's not the pitching they
are giving up less than 5 runs a game, that's not bad. They are projecting 851
runs now. Will this become the rally cry for the rest of the
season? They finish a ten game road trip 3-7 - how sad. Then they
lose the first game of three against the Royals. The second was won in 13
innings and they finally get a blowout in the third game. Is this the beginning of the surge! No it's not.
No-Rod and Giambum strike out SEVEN times with
runners on base. Aug 26 - Here come the
BoSox again Neither team is in
first place, Boston is the wild card leader - must wins for the Yankees Game
1 - 7-3 Boston - pathetic - No-Rod two double plays when
the game was close. Game 2 - Boston 11-3 - Ponson guts out 4+ innings and leaves losing 4-2, but he pen
fails giving up 7 in the 8th. No-Rod drives in the first run in
1st. Game 3 - Yankees 3-2 - Pull it out on Giambi pinch 2 run homer
and bases loaded single in 9th They're not dead yet! If the pitching, for the most part is still good 4.5 runs a
game, but the hitting is only scoring 4.8 runs a game, who's to
blame? But then the lost weekend. Poor defense does them in against
Toronto.
Sept. 3 - another Yankee first:
three days since the start of the instant replay rule for home runs, whose HR
is the first to get reviewed? A-Rod's tack on in the top of the 9th
at Tampa. The ball sailed above the foul pole in left and hit between the
regular pole and the extension behind it on the wall. The
TV replays looked like it was foul, but the official
camera reported it fair. At least this one saved having to use Mo to save the
game. Sept. 5 - so they go into Seattle
third worst record for a three game set
and get no-hit for 7+ innings. Wilson Betemit gets an RBI double in the 8th to
break up the no-hitter and the shutout. Pettitte had one bad inning and got the
loss. Oh, and Joe Torre and his LA Dodgers are in first place. Sept. 9 - One of the few good things to happen, Jeter
passes Babe Ruth on the all time hit list for Yankees. He's about 200 short of
Lou Gehrig's, 2,721 hits. He is also nine hits shy of Lou Gehrig's Yankee
Stadium record of 1,269, but time is running out on this one, as all records
for the Stadium will be sealed after this season. And rookie pitcher,
Alfredo Aceves, held off the Angels clinch one more day by beating them in a
game where A-Rod actually hit a meaningful home run early in the game.
Sept. 13 - It looks like Mike
Musina will never win 20 games in a season. Versus Tampa he's given up 5 runs
by the 5th inning, throwing 100 pitches. Will he come back? Sept. 14 - Jeter goes 9 for 11 in over the weekend and
tied with Lou Gehrig's Yankee Stadium record hits record! Rivera ties Lee
Smith for second place on the all time saves list with 478. After going 0-4
on Monday, Jeter wastes no time in getting 2 hits (and a sac bunt) for 1271 to
go ahead of Gehrig for hits in Yankee Stadium, a record that will never be
broken. Sept. 20 - Pitcher Alfredo Aceves,
probably a baseball first, pulls off an unassisted double play - Roberts on
second, the batter bunts a pop up that Aceves catches on the fly in front of
the mound and runs to second beating Roberts back. Oh, the Yankees win another
game (on Cano's bases loaded single in bottom of the
9th) 1-0, but too little to late. The Tampa Bay
Rays clinch the East title! - go Rays (who woulda
thunk!) Sept. 22 - Yankee Stadium
(1923-1973 & 1976-2008) closes on a winning note with Jose Molina hitting
the last home run, Giambi, the last hit (a bloop single), Pettitte getting the
last win and Mo getting the last out. Jeter winds up with 1274 Stadium hits and
made a speech thanking the fans. Stick a fork in them
. . . They're DONE! Officially - Boston won September
23. Sept.
26 - The Yankees won Friday's rain soaked game 19-8, against Boston's
AAA pitchers. The Yankees and Mets are tied for the most wins in New York! The
Mets are in second place in both the NL east and the Wildcard! On the last
day of the season, the Mets LOSE, the Brewers win
and the Mets CHOKE OUT again. It would be a sham if the Mets bring back Jerry Manuel after
firing Randolph mid-season. Sept. 28 -
Musina finally won 20 games in a season, the oldest player to get his first 20
game season. Will he or won't he return for 300 wins (270-153)? Boston wins
the last game on Rasner walking three in the 8th. But they didn't go down
quietly, tying the game in the 9th, but lose in the 10th. The Yankees finish
with the same 89-73 record as the Mets! The Yankees
offence scored an average of 4.87 runs a game. The Yankee pitchers gave up
4.48 runs a game. That's too close to win consistently. In 2007 it was 5.97/4.79 That was the difference, the hitting with
runners in scoring position was poor.
 Photos from the original
Yankee Stadium - Taken at the last game,
September 30, 1973. Additional photos of the exterior of the stadium added
September 13, 2008 taken in July 2008.
2008 Post
season
Joba the Starter Game 1 - June 3 Toronto - 2.1 inn - 3K - 4BB - 1ER - 2 Runs - ND -
Yanks lose by Bullpen 7 runs Dan Geise got the loss,
but only gave up 1 run the the rest of the bull pen giving up 6 runs in ONE
inning Game 2 - June 8 Kansas City - 4.1 inn - 5K - 1BB - 2ER - 3
Runs - ND - Yanks win by hitting 6-3 Dan Geise got the
win (his first) with 2.2 perfect innings. Game 3 - June 13 Houston -
6 inn - 2K - 4BB (2 IBB) - 1ER - 1 Run - ND - Yanks win on Jeter's HR
2-1 Veras got the win with 2 perfect innings- 3K's.
Fansworth got the save. Game 4 - June 19 San Diego - 5.1 inn - 1 ER -
9K's ND taken out at 100 pitches Got out of bases
loaded no out jam in second inning. Veras got the win in relief. Game
5 - Pittsburgh - 6.2 inn - 7 K - 0 runs - first win as starter Game 6 - July
1 - Texas - 4 inn - 2 runs - Rivera lost it in 9th (not blown save) Game 7 -
July 6 - 6 inn - 3 runs - 5K - Yanks win in 10 Game 8 - July 11 - Toronto -
6.2 inn - 9K - 3 runs - then the bullpen failed again Yanks get but 2 hits
off of Halladay. Game 9 - July 19 - Oakland - 6 inn - 8 K - 1 BB - 1 run -
ND. Yankees had 21 left on base! Veras allows the
tying run in 7th, Mo gives up lead in 9th, but Betemit , ties it. Molina gets a
walk off HIT By Pitch for the win in 12th. The last time the Yankees won an
a walk off HBP was 1965 (Clete Boyer - 12th inn too) Game 10 - July
25 - Boston- 7 inn - 3 hits - 9 K - 0 runs - Mo has 5 out save. Game 11
-July 30 - Baltimore - 6 inn - 2 runs - 1 ER - 6K's - Yanks win 13-3 Game 12
- Aug 4 - Texas - 2 HR - 5K - 2BB - left in 5th hurt shoulder. ND - Yanks tied
it in 8th. But, Yanks lose on Marte giving up a grand
slam in the bottom of the 9th. Joba: 3-1 in starts Yankees:
8-4 in Joba starts Joba returns to the bullpen in September. His 2009 season
is up in the air for starting/bullpen as he didn't reach the number of innings
originally planned for him in 2008.
Return to late
news
Martyman (a friend of
the JoeKorNer) thinks that the whole failure of the Yankees this year
and the lack of a championship since 2000 is all attributed to the new stadium.
He figures that the planning for the new stadium must have started in 2001,
just about the time that the weak single over Jeter's head in Arizona caused
the loss of the World Series. He thinks moving the stadium from it's current
footprint has brought a CURSE upon the Yankees! He
points to all the strange and tragic events that have taken place since then:
losing the 2003 World Series to the upstart Marlins - the 2004
Boston Massacre (we'll never live
that one down) - the quick exits from the playoffs - legendary under
achievements from the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi (to name but a
few) - injuries like Wang's foot (what a wus), Joba's
arm, Carl Pavano (pick one), Phil Hughe's rib injury,
Hedeki Matsui's knee - and the failure of not one but two promising rookie
pitchers to win even one game.
Update November 4, 2009! The Yankees
win their 27th
World Series, so you may ignore the above!
Sorry Martyman - NOT!
2008 Preview
The day after the Yankee loss to Cleveland, the Daily News said
that Tony La Russa may become the next Yankee Manager. I hated him when he was
with Oakland! A-Rod is non-committal about excercising his option to stay
with the Yankees. Pettitte has an option to stay Rivera and Posada can
become free agents Torre is left dangling by management. What a way to treat
the guy who brought the team to 12 post season appearances (one less than the
Braves). Most of the players want Joe to stay.
It looks like an inside
job. Probably knowing that Torre wouldn't stand for a pay cut, the Yankees
offered him $5 million for one year, with $1 million in incentives for each level of the playoffs the Yankees
win. Like he wasn't trying to win in 2007! The Torre
era is over, with twelve trips to the playoffs, six World Series
appearances and four championships. He will be the standard by which future
Yankee managers will be measured. Joe Torre said he went to Tampa with the
idea of negotiating from the offer given. The Yankees didn't listen and Joe
said at that time he had to walk away. Joe said: "The one year ... the incentives; I had been there for 12 years and I
felt the motivation wasn't needed." If the standard is winning the
World Series, what does that say about Randy Levine, the president, who came
aboard just before the Yankees beat the Mets in 2000. How many WS wins has he
been responsible for? NONE! October 22 - Yankees begin interviewing Girardi,
Mattingly, and Pena for the manager's job. The way I see it, the contract with
whomever must have post season incentives. Also, if the Yankees don't make the
playoffs in 2008, the manager should get a pay cut or be fired. Look out guys! It looks like Posada will
get a $40 million three year conrtact. Mariano Rivera said Torre's departure
won't send him packing. Now Hank Steinbrenner (the Boss's son) says fans
have to be patient, the team is in transition. Is that hedging their bad decisions, or what? They have all
stars at most positions and, what most experrts say, are the top one or two
young pitchers on the staff. At least three positions are played by future Hall
of Famers. That's in transition?!! It
turns out that there were incentives in Torre's previous contracts (uh
oh!). ESPN Rumors on October 28 - A-Rod to be offered $25 to $30 million for
each of 5 years (after the three years in his current contract
exipres). Girardi to be offered the manager's job. That may mean that Bowa
and Mattingly are out. A-Rod is opting out of his contract - no more no-Rod,
he's looking for $300 million for 10 years. He used a lame excuse that he doesn't know what the other free
agents will do. The Yankees say they will not bid on him. The word came out
with one out in the bottom of the 9th of game 4 of the World Series. He was also a no-show to receive the
Hank Aaron award from the fans for the best offensive player of the season,
talk about offensive! Prince Fielder won for the NL, he was there and Hammerin'
Hank had high praise for him. So the self-fulfilling prophesy come
true, the Yankees are in transition. Torre may go the LA (trolley)
Dodgers. October 29 - It's offcial - Griardi is being offered the manager's
job at about $6+ million for 3 years. Mattingly will not continue as a Yankees
coach and may go to the Dodgers as a coach if Torre takes the manager's
job. November 1 - Joe Torre will be the Dodger manager starting in 2008.
Good luck Joe (except for interleague and WS games agaist
the Yankees) November 3 - The Yankees have taken the option for Bobby
Abreu. He scored 123 runs in 2007, second in the AL. Rumor has it that A-rod
was demanding that the Yankees start contract extention talks with $350
million! November 13 - Jorge Posada agreed to a $52 million four year
conrtact. November 14 - A-Rod, through a third party (not his
agent) is trying to work his way back to the Yankees. Because:There were no takers for his $350 millon -10 year demand,
afraid the Yankees may try for another third baseman, he really wants
to finish as a Yankee, his wife made him do it? Do the Yankees
want him back - how much of a pay cut will he have to take? The Yankees will
only talk without Boras, the agent. It looks like 10 years for $275 million
(plus incentives based on the home run
record), this also compensates for the Yankee loss of of the Texas money
over the last 3 years of the contract he opted out of. However it give A-Rod
the potential for over $300 million. Now for Rivera (3 years - $45 million -
wants 4 years) and a first baseman. Perhaps Lowell from Boston? (may not be true and resigned with the BoSox) Jose Molina
signed as back up to Posada. November 19 - A-Rod wins the AL MVP with 26 of
28 first place votes. It was the third time for him and the 22nd for a
Yankee. Rivera agrees to the 3 year $45 million contract. December 3 -
Pettite will return $16 million for the year. Last question: Will the
Yankees trade for Santana? December 13 - Sen. George Mitchell releases the
steroid report. At least 11 Yankees or former Yankees mentioned. The most
surprising: Andy Pettitte (say it ain't so) Well it was so,
but Pettitte said through his agent that he used HGH only twice in conjunction
with
rehabilitation from an elbow injury in
2002. Nine Yankees from the last championship team (2000) were in the
report.
A-Rod signs the contract - ten years - $275 million Plus up
to an additional $30 million for breaking various home run records. Oh, he
regrets opting out during game four of the World Series. December 18 - The
Yankees announced the schedule for the
2008 and final season at the old Yankee
Stadium.
 February 13, 2008 - Congressional baseball
steriods hearings begin. Opening statement by Rep Waxman (D-Ca) makes it look
BAD for Rocket Roger Clemens. Some of the deposed
statements by Andy Pettitte directly contradict Clemens' statements. McNamee
said that he reported on three players, two of which admitted, but Clemens
insists he didn't do steriods.
Here are Rocket's rewards . February 18 - Andy Pettitte reports to spring
training and holds a press conference about his uses of HGH during two times
that he was recovering from elbow injuries. He says the use, especially the
second time, was stupidity. Someone told him it
would help his recovery. He doesn't think it helped, since he now knows it
requires a long exposure for it to work.
The 2007 Post Season
2007 In Summary An awful start, hot middle, and
disappointing end. In the playoff: Jeter, Posada, Matsui were all
terrible A-Rod gets a pass from me Abreu, Cano, and Damon were
good Overall, the pitching was bad and the offense was non-existent. It
looks more and more that Joe Torre has managaed his last for the Yankees.
In 12 years, 12 postseason appearances, six trips to the World Series and
four championships. All this with a boss that second guesses on a dime and some
really bad personnel decisions over that time. The playoff picture World
Series Boston wins by a sweep - congratulations The Red Sox now have more WS wins (2) in the 21st Century than
the Yankees (0) Colorado (first time) vs. Boston -
Go Rockies! Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, while in Boston, said he was
rooting for Boston in the World Series. Then again, New England has many more
Electoral College votes (30) than Colorado (9). Now
only four teams have never been in a World
Series: Texas Rangers / Washington Senators(2), Washington Nationals /
Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays American
League ALCS Red Sox beat the Indians
4-3 ALDS Boston - East vs. Anaheim - West Game 1: Boston 4-0 Game 2: Boston 6-3 Game 3: Boston
9-1 Boston sweeps 3 games Cleveland -
Central vs. Yankees - Wildcard Game 1: Cleveland
12-3 Game 2: Bugs 2-Yankees 1 Game 3: Yankees 8-4 Game 4: Cleveland
8-4 Cleveland wins 3-1 Another
disappointing end Jeter, Posada, Matsui were all terrible A-Rod gets a
pass from me Abreu, Cano were good Overall, the pitching were bad and the
offense was non-existent. National
League NLCS Colorado sweeps Arizona
4-0 NLDS Philadelphia - East (see
Mets) Cubs - Central vs. Arizona - West Game 1:
Arizona 3-1 Game 2: Arizona 8-4 Game 3: Arizona 5-1 Arizona
sweeps 3 games Wildcard playoff: San Diego vs. Colorado (both
89-73) Colorado wins in 13 innings - both teams scored in
the 13th! Trevor Hoffman again blows a critical save!
Philadelphia - East vs. Colorado - Wildcard Game 1:
Colorado 4-2 Game 2: Colorado 10-5 Game 3: Colorado 2-1 Colorado sweeps 3 games Mets fans are
happy!
2007 Review
It's official - No Bernie. You win some Yankees win
9-5 Lose some 7-6 and some get rained out. Six errors
in frist two games - No-Rod pops out with bases loaded. Then when it looked
bleakest, Giambi gets it close and A-Rod hits a walk-off grand slam into the
black! So far the starting pitchers haven't gone more than five
innings. After 15 games, there's good news and bad: A-Rod has
earned his early stripes with 12 homeruns (two walk-off) in 15 games. Mo has
blown the only two save opportunities he was faced with. So far the Yankee
bullpen has had no saves. All the wins were blowouts or walk offs. The pitching
staff flip flopped. At first the starters were bad or injured. Now the bullpen
can't hold a lead. Yankees at Boston: Mo blows
a save for Pettitte, the rookie pitchers give up runs, but the Yankees with key
hitters out, still manage 17 runs in three games off the star Boston
pitchers. Yankees are 8-9, 4 games behind, in 3rd
place. Boston at Yankees: Better late
than never, Mo records the first save on 4/28 to break a seven game losing
streak. But then they stink up the house that Ruth Built. The pitching is bad and the most of the lineup is in a slump.
Last palce 6½ games behind Boston. It's only May! May 6,
2007 - Wang pitches perfectly into the 8th with one out. Yankess win 8-1 and
5-0 against Seattle after getting blown out 15-11 on Friday. The Rocket is
back! Clemens signs to start in June. May 14, 2007 - I don't want to talk
about it. 17-19 and 8 games out. If the hitters hit, the pitchers give up more
runs. If the pitchers pitch a gem the hitters don't hit! Damon thinks it's
over. How sad. May 16, 2007 - The beginning of what might be the
end... Lose 2 of 3 to White Sox, then lose 2 of 3 to the Mets. It takes
another rookie debut to beat them, but Mo gives up another homer.
(Is anyone looking for a new closer?) 19-23 -
10½ games behind Boston. They lost their swagger. Won 2 from
Boston, but swept by the Angels. June 1 - Not that he's been hitting, now
Giambi is out at least 3 weeks, perhaps for the season. June 2, 2007 -
Clemens is scratched from his 2007 debut with a "fatigued right groin" He
might pitch over next weekend. Yankees pull out 2 of 3 from Boston with
A-Rod getting the winning Home Run in the 9th and Mo getting the save
. They beat Boston's two best bullpen pitchers Sunday
night! June 8, 2007 - Joe Torre became the first person to get 2000+
hits as a player and 2000+ wins as a manger! June 9, 2007 - The Rocket wins,
giving up 3 runs in 6 innings. June 10, 2007 - Up to six wins a row and 8 of
10. A-Rod two home runs against Pittsburgh. Mets don't help in AL wild card
by losing 2 of 3 to Detroit! Boston is 4-6 in last 10 games. June 18 -
took 2 of 3 from the Mets, and went 9-1 in the last ten. But lost a game to
Boston, who swept the Giants. 8½ games back
(3½ in the wild card). Second in runs scored. Then they fall of a
Rocky cliff and face a Giant task, which they foul up! Late June-Early July
- No hitting, poor bullpen. Is it April again? Pitcher Kei Igawa can't get
past the 4th inning. Andy Pettitte gets bombed after not getting any
support. The Rocket keeps fizzling out. Almost everyone is in a slump,
what's the batting coach doing? July 3 - Torre has shaken up the line up and
they win 2 from the Twins. Then they faced Santana (two
unanimous Cy Young Awards) After 81 games they are 3
games under .500. July 9 - at the All Star break - so far the season
has had its ups and downs and it's a Long (hitting
coach) season. Inconsistant hitting and pitching and for half the games
they couldn't get both together. In the East they're in 3rd place
10 games behind. In the wild card they're in 6 th place 8½
games out. I'm NOT ready to say it's over
now. A-Rod (most votes) & Jeter will start
in the All Star game. Posada is the back up catcher. Starting the last few
games of the first half, they are 14-5, breaking ties and comming from behind,
and outscoring Tampa 49-26 in a four game set that they lost the first game
14-4! July 30 - They lost 3 in a row, but won 1½ games in Baltimore
(the half was the suspended game). They've won all but one series since the
break. A-Rod is looking for HR #500. It's been four games since 499. If he
had hit one in the suspended game, he would have 500 now, since the all the
HR's since then would jump up one in the count. He had two chances with the
bases loaded on Sunday, but couldn't connect. No one has made #500 a grand
slam. August 4 - He hit the first pitch for a 3 run HR off of Kyle Davies,
who was just traded from Atlanta, welcome to the AL! 8/7 -
Oh yeah, Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run  August 13 - So Boston pays a premium
for relief pitcher Eric Gagne and he gives up 7 runs in 4 innings! Then two
21 year olds (Hughes and Chamberlain) for the Yankees help the Yanks sweep the
Indians in Cleveland! (Is Brian Cashman a genius or
what?) The Yankees are 4 games behind in the AL East and tied for the
lead in the wild card. And the Yankees (66-51 .564) have a better record
than the Mets(65-52 .556) The Scooter,
Phil Rizzuto passed
away on August 14. August 20 - The Yankees are 4 games out in the
east Boston fans think they have moved from the rearview mirror
to the back seat! They are ½ game behind Seattle in the
wildcard, but have played 3 more games - 1 more win. The Yankees lead the
majors in runs scored (735) and lead the AL in batting, on base percentage, and
slugging. August 27 - Lost the road trip with one more game tonight. Boston
visits the stadium tomorrow! August 30 - The Yankees sweep BOSTON. Among
other things: Pettitte (12-7) beats Daisuke Matsuzaka
(13-11) Clemens no hits them for 5.1 innings Wang (16-6) no hits them for
6 innings Cano hits 2 HR off of Schilling The bullpen is great (though
Fanrsworth did give up a 2 run HR) The Yankees again maul Hideki Okajima
(1.17 ERA) The Tampa Bay comes in and the Yankees lose 2 of 3! How
sad. But another young pitcher, Ian Kennedy, does well in his
debut. Yankees are 6 out in the east, but lead the wild card by 2 games,
with Seattle (9 losses) coming in for three games. September 10 - Yankees
are 5½ games out in the east and 4 games AHEAD in the wild
card. A-Rod has more clutch hits this season than in any in the past and has
hit 52 home runs. That's the Yankee righthander season record and the major
league record for a third baseman (it had been the Phils' Mike
Schmidt) September 15 - Started a 9 game road trip 5-1 (the
loss was 2-1 heartbreaker - with the bullpen depleated) On to
Boston! Game 1 - 8-7 Yankees. They beat Boston again in a
game Matsuzaka started. They had Matsuzaka on the ropes, but couldn't break
through. In the 8th they scored 6 runs, mauling Hideki Okajima again and
giving Jonathan Papelbon the loss! Game 2 - So Beckett (19-6) outlasted Wang
(18-7) for the Cy Young and the game - Yankees lose 10-1. Game 3 - Sunday
night baseball! Jeter stuns Schilling (8-8) in the 8th with a 3 run homer!
Yankees hold on for 4-3 win! Chamberlain (2-0) gets the win, but gives up
his first earned run (ERA-.50). So the road trip ends 7-2 with the
Yankees 2½ ahead in the wild card. Boston would have to collapse for
the Yankees to take the east. The Yankees (85-64) have better record than
the Mets (83-65)! September 24 - Everything is falling into place! The
Yanks are 1½ games behind Boston (who clinched at least the wildcard) in
the east. Their magic number for clinching the wildcard is 2 games. They had a fitting tribute to the Scooter on Sunday. September 26 - The Yankees clinch at least the
wildcard with a 12-4 win over Tampa (OK, so I didn't root for the
Rays!) Wang got the win for his 19th win - the first Yankee
since Tommy John to with more than 19 in two straight seasons. Meanwhile, across the river, the other team
was in 1st place since May, has been tied for 1st by the
Phillies! 9/28 - now the Mets are in 2nd place
and in danger of missing the playoffs! But John Maine pitched a no hitter
through 8 innings on 9/29 and the Phillies lost, so they are tied again. It
comes down to Sunday, the 162nd game!
Boston took the east
when Rivera blew a save (he is human) against Baltimore
(who have killed the yankees this season). And on the last day, it's over. The Mets
complete the collapse
by losing to the Marlins 8-1 at Shea, while the Phillies beat the
Nationals. The Yankees finish 94-68 for the season. See the Playoff Review
2007 Preview
Is Joe Torre done? Will Sweet Lou
Manage? 10/10/06 - Torre says he spoke to
Steinbrenner, who said Torre will remian the manager So no Lou. 10/17/06 Lou Piniella will manage the
Cubs. Will Choke-Rod be traded to Chicago? But
which team? - The ChiSox have more to offer. 10/25 His agent says that
Cashman said there are no plans to trade him. Will Bernie
Return? What about Moose, Wrong (I mean Wright), and the Boo Unit? Fasano and Green become free agents. Stay
tuned for As the Bombers Turn Surgery for Giambi,
Johnson, and Phillips Who will coach? Pena and Bowa may
get manager jobs. Girardi is available. The new Collecive Bargaining Agreement between the owners and
players was signed 10/24/2006. The old one was to expire in December. The new
CBA will be in effect until 2011. Don Mattingly
(Donnie Baseball) was named bench coach. Lee Mazzilli is
out. Joe Girardi to YES Network(?) 11/10/06 - Gary Sheffield has his $13
million contract option picked up and is traded to the Tigers for minor league
pitchers: Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan and Anthony
Claggett, all right-handers 11/12/06 - Wright is traded to Baltimore
for right-handed reliever Chris Britton. 11/28/06 - Mike Mussina signed to
$23 million for two years. 12/8/2006 - Yankees sign Andy Pettitte to a one
year, $16 million contract. Is the Rocket far behind? I'm still not getting my hopes up for a WS win in
2007 12/25/2006 - The Boo Unit is on the trade block? Japanese
pitcher Kei Igawa gets a five-year, $20 Million contract. 1/4/2007 the Boo
Unit is gone! Traded to Arizona for 3 pitchers and a minor
league shortstop It looks like firstbaseman Doug Mientkiewicz is on
his way to NY. He will platoon while Giambi is full time DH. 1/7/2007 -
Miguel Cairo agrees to terms of a one-year contract. Where does all this
leave Bernie?Out in the cold, it appears. 1/23/2007 -
Robinson Cano switched his uniform number from 22 to 24. Is the Rocket behind
this? 1/25/2007 - Bobby Murcer thanks fans for prayers for his fight against
cancer. 1/31/2007 - Commissioner Bud Selig officially announced that Yankee
Stadium will host the 2008 All Star Game on July 15th. This is the
fourth time the
House
that Ruth Built will host the game. New York City also hosted four
other games at the Polo Grounds,
Ebbets Field, and
Shea
Stadium. 2/6/2007 - Third baseman Alex Rodriguez wrote a
children's book, Out of the Ballpark, in which a
secondbaseman named Alex wins a ballgame after making an error earlier in the
game. (wishful thinking?) 2/10/2007 - In a number
of interviews it appears that the Yankees may offer a non-roster invite to
Bernie Williams to spring training. Will he accept? He's not saying
yet. 2/20/2007 - Bernie says No thanks
No-Rod says he and the Captain are no longer off field
best of friends! 2/27/2007 - Pavano hurt his
foot (will he pitch?) Abreu is out for 2 weeks - will
Bernie be offered anything? 3/9/2007 - Pavano cancels one start and pitches
well in another. 3/14/2007 - A-Rod now says it's up to New York fans if he
will stay beyond 2007. With a week to go, some pitching questions, no
Bernie, but a good spring! Let's Go
Yankees! Back to top of 2007 news
2006 Baseball Review with
an unabashed prejudice toward the Yankees
The 2006 Post Season
11/21/2006 - No MVP for the captain - but he did get the Silver
Slugger and Hank Aaron awards. 11/3/2006 - Yankee shortstop and
captain,Derek Jeter, won his third consecutive Gold Glove in 2006. He committed only 13 errors and fielded at
.975 Congratulations to the St. Louis
Cardinals Beat Detroit 4-1 in the World Series Interesting side note about the World Series: Tony La Russa
is the second manager to win a WS in each league Won with
the Oakland A's - 1989 Jim Leyland won with the Florida Marlins - 1997 could
have also been the second Sparky Anderson did it with Detroit and
Cincinnati Who is that guy, Jeff Weaver? Released by the LA
Angels (of Anaheim) to make room for his
brother. Sorry Mets Fans, St. Louis takes the
NLCS 4-3 Game 7: 1-1 until the 9th inning! St. Louis
3-1 Detriot takes the ALCS 4-0 Money
Ball can't win championships! Manager Ken
Macha gets fired by Billy Beane, author of Money
Ball. Who is that guy and what did he do with the real
Kenny Rogers? Three wins (ALDS, ALCS, WS) no runs allowed.
This guy had NEVER won a post season game. Gave up 11 runs for the Yankees
and Mets in two appearances. Lost game for Mets with bases loaded walk. Oh,
he had pine tar on his hand! So he cheated. Unfortunately the video can't be
used to prove it. Besides he only gave up one hit after he cleaned his
hand.
New
York Yankees Pitcher Cory Lidle was killed on 10/11/2006 when the plane he was
piloting crashed into a 50 story building on Manhattan's east side.
Divison Series: Congratulations
to the Mets, Detroit, Oakland and St. Louis for making it to the LC
Series! Yankees vs Detroit Game 1: Yankees 8-4 Jeter 5-5 with a HR - Abreu 4 RBI - Giambi HR Game 2:
Detroit 4-3 Damon 3 run HR and that's it Mussina
had a 3-1 lead and blew it away. It was all down hill from there. Choke-Rod
3 strike outs - what's $25 million for? Game 3: Detroit 6-0 Five hits off K. Rogers who couldn't pitch in the playoffs
before. The Boo Unit was pathetic, but the 3rd base umpire didn't
help. And Choke-Rod was 0-3, Damon 0-4, Giambi 0-4 It's over Game
4: Detroit 8-3 Scoreless over 20 innings. no hits till
the 6th. I'm rooting to Tampa Bay -
I won't be disappointed Mets vs
Dodgers Game 1: Mets 6-5 (only in NY
Baseball) Game 2: Mets 4-1 Game 3: Mets 9-5 Minnesota vs
Oakland Game 1: Oakland
3-1 Game 2: Oakland 5-2 Game 3: Oakland 8-3 First Oakland win since
1990! St. Louis vs San Diego Game 1: St. Louis 3-1 Game 2: St. Louis 2-0 Game 3: San Diego
3-1 Game 4: St. Louis 6-2 Regular
Season
In 2006 I'm rooting for the Tampa
Bay Devil Rays because I know I won't be disappointed. OK, just kidding
Only in New York can a
professional baseball player get a base hit and it turns into a double
play: 10/4/2006 - Mets vs Dodgers Martin got a single and Kent and Drew
got tagged out at the plate by LoDuca 8/2/1985 - Yankees vs. White
Sox Henderson singles and Mecham and D. Berra get tagged out by
Fisk. Fisk saw them both coming, Lo Duca didn't see the second guy, but got
a clue from the umpire's reaction Back to Post
Season
Regular Season - Random
Comments Read the
latest Opening day at Yankee stadium: Jeter wins it with a 3
run home run in the 8th. It was the 9th home opening day win in a row - a
league record. There was something wrong with
Wong April 29, 2006. The Yankees tie a major league record of scoring
in all eight (8) innings of a home game. It's nver been done by a visiting
team, score in all nine (9) innings. They are in second
place, 1 game behind Boston and have out scored opponents 140-90. that's
projected to 1060 runs for the season. Then on May 9, a new low for
the team, the Boo Unit gives up 7 runs (2 earned) had two wild pitches.
Choke-Rod commited two errors, goes 0-3 and grounds into a double play. They
lose 14-3 to Boston. They are still in second place 1 game
behind Boston. They have outscored their opponents 186-134 and are projected to
score 1004 runs. The week beginning May 11 it got worse. With
mediocre pitching by Shawn Chacon, some stellar and some sloppy plays, they
lose again to Boston, but worse lose Hideki Matsui for at least three months
with a broken wrist. As an aside, Hideki Matsui lost his
consecutive game streak, which stood at 518 with New York and 1,768 overall.
They are still in second place 1 game behind Boston.
They have outscored their opponents 196-142 and are projected to score 992
runs. With Matsui and Shefield out now, is Soriano
due to return or will they go to the farm or get someone else? Wang
became right and Wright became wrong, but then they both became good. They are in first place, but is that because Boston has been rained
out two days in a row? The Boo Unit failed again 4
runs in 6 innings and Choke-Rod had another error Then on May 16, they go
down 9-0, come back to go ahead 11-10, go down 12-11 and win on a walk off
homer by Posada in the bottom of the 9th. This was the first time in history
that a team down 9-0 wins on a walk off homer. And the first 14-13 score in
Yankee Stadium (including football games) 'Subway
Series' Round #1 (May 19-21) Game 1: Yankees
go up 4-0 and lose in 9. Game 2: Mets go up 4-0 and get tied in 9th
and lose in 11th. In each case the team's closer lost or blew the
save. Game 3: Mets won 4-3. But Yankess left 15 on base. On May
22, the outfield batted 7, 8, & 9! June 1 (52 games): After Farnsworth
snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, his third, the Yankees are in 2nd
place ½ game behind Boston. They have the most runs
scored in the Majors. This with Sheffield, Matsui on the DL and Jeter out for 2
games. Mariano Rivera injured his back before the game. Farnsworth then
blew a save in the next game, but Jeter drove in the wining run in the 9th and
Farnsworth got the win. The bullpen blew a third save in a row (Proctor),
but Damon hit a home run and Wang got the save! Scary note: On June
15, the Mets (41-23) and Detroit (42-24) are 1-2 in overall record The Yankees are second in total runs (366) and are in
1st place by 1 game ahead of Boston. By late June the
bullpen completely fell apart. but the Yankees are second in
the majors in runs scored. On June 25, they were shut out for the
first time by Anibal Sanchez and the Marlins bullpen. Then things got worse
- The bullpen collapsed again and again and the offense disappeared and the Yankees are falling further behind in runs scored and the
wild card race. But when all seemed lost and Atlanta had gone ahead 3-2 in
th 12th, A-Rod hit a 2 run walk off home run to win it.
Thanks for nothing to the Mets, they get swept by Boston. The Marlins did what the Mets couldn't! (one out of three
anyway) 'Subway Series' Round #2 (June 30, July
1-2) Game 1: Yankees shut down Mets 2-0 on a 5
pitcher one hitter Game 2: The Boo Unit was awful Mets win
8-3 Game 3: Then Wright was very wrong, but the Yankees came from
behind! Including 2 home runs by A-Rod. Yankees win 16-7 The
Mid Season Review: At the All Star Break - 86 games
played 2006: 50-36, 2nd place 3 games behind 2005: 46-40, 3rd place 2.5
games behind All in all, not bad. Boston is right where the Yankees
want them, in 1st place by 3 games. Thank you
Chicago! Beat Boston in 19 innings 6-5 in last game.. The bullpen over used, but now improving since the staters are
improving. All of the starters had ups and downs, except Mussina. By the
end of the half season Johnson and Wang were doing well, Small is gone and
Chacon is going. Wright seems to have righted himself. The last game was
pitched by Kris Wilson, who only lasted 2-1/3 innings. The bullpen is improving
because three pitchers are able to go at least 6 innings. But then fell
apart again in the last game, giving up a 5-3 lead. With the injuries
(Matsui, Sheffield, Cano), The Yankees are 4th in runs scored.
1000 seems out of the question now. They would need to average almost 7
runs a game to do that. Choke-Rod is not a clutch hitter by any means. Put
him up with the game on the line, he'll strike out or hit into a double
play. All Star Game -
Pittsburgh With 2 outs and nobody on in the top of the
9th, with an 0-2 count on Michael Young, the batter, the the NL
snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with a blown save by Trevor Hoffman
(460 career saves). A 2-1 NL score became 3-2 AL score and Mariano Rivera, of
the NY Yankees got the save. BTW, two players from the other
NY team scored each of the NL's runs. And lost the MVP honors to Michael Young
of Texas, who drove in the 2 runs.This was the 10th time in a row the NL didn't
win the All Star game. It's the fourth time the AL won home field advantage
for the following World Series. Returning from the break the Yankees
sweep Chicago Then choke-rod can't throw an out to save
himself And Mo gave up a walk off home run At the end of July,
things looked much better. Both Sox teams took a little slide, while (except
for Toronto) the Yankees won all of their series. This put them in a virtual
tie with Boston for the East and with Chicago and Boston for the wild card.
Then the trades made, bringing Sal Fasano (C), Bobby Abreu(OF), Cory Lidle(P),
and Craig Wilson (OF,1B,C) to the team. I don't know what's
worse losing a one hitter (August 6 against Baltimore) or losing a 1 run game
where you leave 15 men on base (Chicago August 10). Boston again for
five games in four days! (8/18 to 8/21). The Yankees start 1½ games
ahead in the AL East. with Boston 3rd in the wild card. Boston Massacre II Games 1
& 2, a split double header. Game 1:
Yanks 12-4 Key: walk Oritz when he can do
damage. Game 2: see-saw to Yanks
win 14-11 Yanks 5-4, 7-5, Sox 10-7, Yanks 14-11 with 7 in the 7th. Game
sets ML record for length of 9 inning game, 4:45! 34 hits between them. 19
pitchers threw 756 pitches in 2 games! Game
3: Yankees 13-5. 39 runs in 3 games agaist the Sox The first
time the Sox gave up 12 or more runs in 3 straight games and within about 28
hours - 1:00PM Friday to 5:00PM Saturday. It's the third time the Yankees
did it. They also did it in May 1936 and in May 1998. Game 4: Yankees 8-5. Another see saw, pitting
Mussina aganist Schilling. This too became a battle of the bullpens &
closers. Papelbon couldn't hold the Yankees and Rivera got the win
as the Yankees tied it in the ninth and won it in the tenth. Game 5: Yankees 2-1 The first 5 game sweep at
Fenway since 1943! David (Boomer) Wells was great, but Cory Lidle was
better. Yankees outscored the Sox 49-26. The Yankees are 6½
games AHEAD of the Red Sox. As
of 8/20 the Yankees lead the majors in runs scored. Then on 8/25, Choke-Rod
struk out FOUR times - and reached on an error (0-5) $25 million for
what? He also had SIX strikeouts in a row going back to the last at bat
on 8/23 8/27 - good news - RBI single - bad news three more
strikeouts Proctor loses what would have been his first save with two walks
and a homerun (9 bad pitches not 1) End of August review: First
place, 8 games ahead of Boston. By the end of August A-Rod
was 0-24. But on 8/31, he goes 3-4 with 2 RBI. Boston trades Boomer Wells to
San San Diego - many key player hurt or sick, is the east
over? Matsui returns 9/12 goes 4-4 with a walk And
I get a batting practice 'home run' (Box 664 C-16 - Left field tier
boxes) Jeter goes 0-0 with four walks and a HBP, Torre takes him out in 7th
breaking a 21 game hit streak. Jeter said he wasn't going to catch Joe D.
anyway! But Rule 10.24(b):
CONSECUTIVE
GAME HITTING STREAKS see bottom of the page - Baseball Almanac.
A consecutive game hitting streak shall not be
terminated if all the player's plate appearances (one or more) result in a base
on balls, hit batsman, defensive interference or a sacrifice bunt. The streak
shall terminate if the player has a sacrifice fly and no hit. Oh,
and Abreu got 6 RBI in the 1st inning and 7 in the game - the 7th came a foot
low from being a grand slam! And this says much:
 September 20, 2006, the Yankees lose to Toronto,
but Minnesota beat Boston allowing the Yankees to clinch the AL East
championship! Oh, by the way, this is the first time the Yankees and the
other New York team each won their division east title in the same
year. With 2 games to go, the Yankees clinched home field through the
playoffs on 9/29/06. They also tied with the other NY team for best record in
baseball. Both are 97-65 with 50-31 home and 47-34 Road
records! How's that for even? The Yankees finish 97-65. Toronto 2nd
and Boston in 3rd Jeter and Cano miss the batting title to
Mauer of Minnesota. Mauer is first catcher in AL to win batting title. But he
did have some rest as DH through the season. Other interesting
things: After being in first place most of the season,
Detroit winds up the wild card (lost last five games) St. Louis came close
to being shut out of the post season (lost 7 of last 10 games)
See the Post Season
Season Preview So we
lose Gordon, get Farnsworth who helped Atlanta lose in the playoffs. They
liked Giles for CF, though that became a dead deal. At the last minute they
extend talking to Bernie W! Then signed him for one year as DH Nomar Garciaparra to play first base? the three best shortstops of the late 1990's all playing the Yankee
infield! He went to Brooklyn... I mean the Dodgers Octavio Dotel
signs with the Yankees. He is recovering from elbow surgery.
He will be available mid-season Crosby to start in center? Until . .
. Johnny Damon was signed! But when he cuts his hair,
will he lose his powers? Look at what happend to Giambi and
Johnson! Miguel Cairo is back as a utility infielder! As the
season starts: Some pitchers will start the season on the DL Yankees have
four coaches who were managers On paper, a great lineup. But we all know what that paper is
worth!
2005 Baseball Review with
an unabashed prejudice toward the Yankees
In 2006 I'm rooting for the Tampa Bay
Devil Rays because I know I won't be disappointed. OK, I'm kidding!
A-Rod wins MVP Lots of home runs and hits, but little in
clutch. He edged out Boston's David Ortiz, clutch hitting designated
hitter.
Congratulations to the Chicago White Sox for
winning the 2005 World Series. The longest cursed streak is still the Cubs, who haven't won since
1908. How will this play in the windy city in 2006? The Nationl League teams
have now lost 8 straight games since the Marlins beat the Yankees in game 6 of
the 2003 series.
It seems that overriding everything else
this year, the umpiring is terrible and in the playoffs in particular. At one
time the umpires were rewarded with playoffs and WS games on merit. If these
are the best. . . I have never seen so many missed and bad calls in all the
years of watching baseball. I'm not even talking about ones that need a replay
(which cannot be used in baseball) to determine what happened. Between the
dropped third strikes that weren't, tags made without the ball, and a bunch of
downright bad ball/strike calls, I will be surprised if MLB doesn't crack down
on the quality of the umpires this off season.
2005 World Series Houston-never in WS
vs Chicago WS - hasn't won since 1917 (and threw 1919
series) Who to root for? There is a formerYankee starting rotation with Hernandez, Contreras,
Clemens, and Pettitte in the World Series. Game 1: Chicago wins 5-3
Contreras wins, Clemens out hurt after only two
innings Game 2: Chicago wins 7-6 (a back and forth
battle) Pettitte off hook for loss Ex-Yankee
J Vizcaino drives in tying runs in top of
9th Podsednik (no homers in 500+ at bats) wins it with a walk off
HR. Roof opened or closed? - Does it
matter? Houston couldn't score with 34 men left on base
through the series. 15 in the 14 inning game 3 at home Game
3:Chicago wins 7-5 in 14 innings Houston ties it in the 8th
and had men in scoring position in a number of extra innings, but couldn't come
through. Longest WS game in history Game 4:Chicago sweeps
1-0 First 1-0 game since 1996 Yankees vs.
Braves Former Yankee starters from both teams One win, two no decisions in three starts.
Two injured.
Houston managed to grab defeat from the jaws of victory in game
5. St. Louis was down 4-2 with two outs in the 9th. Then a single, a walk
and a DEEP home run by Albert Pujols
wins the game for the Cardinals. To be
continued. . . Houston did make it into the World Series for the first time
by beating the Cardinals 5-1 in game 6.
The Houston team (Colt .45's /
Astros) was created 45 years ago on 10/17 and the Colts football team
scored 45 points - the day they almost won.
Chicago kicks out the Angels in five games. In the five games
the Chicago starters pitched all but 2/3 of an inning. The four consecutive
wins (the Angels won the first on adreneline), were all complete games. The
bull pen pitcher threw a total of 7 pitches. The White Sox haven't won a
pennant since 1959 and a World Series since 1917. They (the Black Sox) threw the 1919 WS. Is this the year of
redemption?
More of less with a $200,000,000 payroll (I just wanted to see the number one more
time) Yankees win game 1: 4-2 Musina, the best .500 pitcher wins Angels win game 2:
5-3 Wang tough loss when defense goes
down Angels win game 3: 11-7 Johnson's crap out Yankees win game 4: 3-2 Leiter gets his first post season win since
1993 Angels win game 5: 5-3 Musina
had tough luck and then got clobbered Johnson pitched like he was supposed
to, but it was too late A-Rod-no-rod, sheff, godzilla, all
busted Bernie's last stand?
And the Red Sox are dethroned in
three games. El Duque gets out of a bases loaded no out inning. The next Boston
win will be in 2090! Renteria, who made the last out in the 2004 WS for the
Cardinals, made the last out in the ALDS for Boston this year! The Chicago
White Sox haven't won since 1917.
San Diego, with a bearly over .500 win-loss, loses the NLDS in
3 games!
Braves-Astros game 4: first time in one post season game, two
grand slams! Then the game goes 18 innings with Clemens getting the win in
relief when Burke hits a walk off homer! Atlanta chokes again. Up 6-1 in the
8th, becomes 6-5 on the Berkman grand slam and tied in the 9th with 2 out by
the Ausmus home run. And the same fan caught the Berkaman and Burke home
runs. He's giving both to the
Hall of Fame
There were many changes for the
Yankees in 2005 A whole new starting rotation Randy
(The Big (inconsistant)Unit) Johnson is the ace (sometimes)? The low
point 8/21: 3 homers in a row, then 2 singles and another homer in ONE inning
to Chicago The high point was going 5-0 against Boston, the team he was
brought in to beat. However he did pitch five great games against
Boston, including the clincher. Tino Martinez is back. How will Jason
(I'm sorry for something, I can't say what) Giambi
play? (Cold - HOT -
Cold) After a dismal start (and the fact
that the Yankees haven't won a World Series since 2000), I turned in my
special NYY license plates on 5/6. on 5/15 Joe Torre won his
1800th game as manager Randy Johnson won his
250th game & the Yankees are at .500 As
of 5/27, they are 16-2 I like to think that
the streak was because I turned in the plates Then they lose six in a
row, including a sweep by the Royals. What's $200 million paying
for?
At the mid point (81 games 7/4/05): In 3rd place
42-39 The starting pitching is suspect at best Wang seems to have the
'Wright stuff' (but Wang is hurt, but returned strong) Offense is good (#3
in runs), but can't hit in the clutch (only 11 come-from-behind comebacks
this year - they had 28 by this time in 2004) The bullpen only has three
good pitchers Sturtz, Gordon, and Rivera And from nowhere
to Yankee stardom: Robinson Cano (14 HR, 62 RBI .295
BA in 131 games) Aaron Small (10-0)
'Career minor leaguer ' Shawn Chacon (7-3 2.76
ERA(from Rockies oblivion))
Chien-Ming Wang (8-5
4.02 ERA in 18 games) The above pitchers saved the Yankees
season going a combined 25-8 Update 10/1 They WON the East! And Johnson returns to being the big craper by giving up lots of hard outs and a pair
of homers (5 runs total) by the third inning of game 3, the one he was supposed
to win. Then the Yankees tied it, but the bull pen gave it all back and more.
At least the Red Sox are out.I like to think it's because I turned in the license
plates;-)
Poor Willie and Mazzilli Two former Yankee
coaches: Maz was fired after the Orioles played poorly. (Even though they were in first place) I don't think
Willie knew what hit him (except for the Subway
Sandwich)
Now that the Expos are moving to
Washington DC, it is interesting to note that the Washington DC area has
not had a baseball team since 1971 But the Washington
Senators have a more recent World Series win (1924) than
Chicago Cubs (1908), Chicago White
Sox (1917)and until 2004, The Boston Red Sox
(1918) |