Well, the New York Yankees are at a crossroads. And that was well before Mariano Rivera tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee. I was talking with Mike this week and saying how this Yankee team was in a situation of seriousness. They have a veteran team, aging superstars and aging bench players. […]
Thursday night was possibly the most surreal sports night of my lifetime. Mariano Rivera, the most unflappable, dominant athlete (as compared to everyone else who does his job) I’ve ever seen, was in tears on my television set. Alex Rodriguez was also fighting back tears. For you see, four hours earlier we saw the video […]
I was in the midst of writing a “Girardi Needs to Yank Garcia from the Rotation” piece when the Yankees announced Sunday that Freddy Garcia is being removed from the rotation. He will not make his next scheduled start and will remain as the mop up guy* in the bullpen. *As opposed to the “roles” […]
In reading the blogs and listening to sports radio, it appears many Yankee fans are calling for Brian Cashman’s head over the Michael Pineda debacle, while others fail to find fault on the GM’s part. In this election season, everyone loves a good debate so I will refrain from offering my opinion on the Pineda […]
TRENTON, N.J. – Yankees fans, rightfully so, are a bit concerned about their favorite team’s starting rotation. Yes, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia have been inconsistent. The injury to Michael Pineda throws another monkey wrench into the picture. Help will be coming from veteran Andy Pettitte, but not immediately. The 39-year-old, who has made 479 […]
I made a trip out to Trenton this past Saturday for a rare 5:05 start to watch the Thunder play host to the Washington Nationals Double-A affiliate, Harrisburg Senators. Some seasons have seen Thunder manager Tony Franklin blessed with tremendous pitching staffs with zero hitting, and other seasons have seen him write in a tremendous […]
The setback to Michael Pineda this past weekend where he was shut down after only 15 pitches on Saturday, along with the recent struggles of the Yankees rotation, have turned the signing of Andy Pettitte from a “luxury item” to a thing of urgent necessity. So how concerned are the Yankees with Pineda’s latest setback? I spoke with a […]
The sky was high and the sun shining bright over the Fens on Friday afternoon. A brisk breeze kept the sellout crowd of ballpark patrons in modest comfort as they sat and partook in red hots and ate enough roasted peanuts to keep half of rural Georgia in coal and horse feed for most of […]
Back in 2006, the Atlanta Braves thought they had their slugger of the future in 6-foot-4, 240-pound Cody Johnson. Atlanta spent its first-round pick on the strapping Johnson, luring the native of Panama City, Fla., away from a scholarship at the University of Florida. Johnson did not disappoint. In 2007, playing with the Danville Braves […]
We’re all likely familiar with the cliché’ “There’s no time like the present”, and the old worn out saying carries no more meaning today than when talking about the Mets’ outfield situation. It’s not good. But as with everything else, there’s room for improvement, and quite frankly, when talking about the 2012 Mets, it won’t […]
The Yankees have started the season 4-4 despite the fact they have been without the expected quality pitching of ace CC Sabathia (he of the new five year, $122 million extension), and without any production from middle of the order hitters Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira. Robbie will come around soon, but it is Teixeira’s […]
Even though he had pitched two-thirds of an inning effectively vs. the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., last Sunday, Yankees right-hander David Phelps really made his mark with his effort Tuesday night in Baltimore. Phelps, 25 (he’ll turn 26 in October), threw 2.1 innings in the Yankees’ 5-4, 12-inning triumph, throwing 21 of […]
On the second night of Passover, a simple dinner discussion that evolved into an argument between the Matzo Ball Soup and the Brisket was the impetus for this list. Going through the Internet to find any definitive list, this wonderful piece by the ubiquitous Jonah Keri from 2007 was discovered listing the Top 18 Jewish […]
TRENTON, N.J. – At age 30, the last place catcher Gustavo Molina figured he would be arranging his locker is in the clubhouse of the Trenton Thunder, the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate. A veteran of 26 major-league games over five seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Mets, Boston, Baltimore and the Yankees – just 6-for-47 (.128) […]
Most popular sports profiling is based on assessing a player’s skill sets. In baseball, that means the so-called 5-tools of hitting for average and power, fielding, arm strength and running speed. Recent developments in sports and human performance have included new elements like brain design and personality assessments in their scouting and player evaluations. But what about […]
