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Archive for the 'New York Yankees' Category

Where Does Derek Jeter’s Ascent Up the Hit Chart Take Him?

Monday, April 16th, 2012

One of the early surprises of the season is the offensive output of Derek Jeter. Going into tonight’s matchup against Minnesota, Jeter is hitting a robust .366 with 2 HRs and 6 RBI. The slow bat that turned him into a below league average hitter the last couple of years has disappeared. I was ready to […]

Mark Teixeira Needs To Adjust His Approach or His Career Could be Over

Saturday, April 14th, 2012

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 […]

Is Cano Worth $300 Million?

Saturday, April 14th, 2012

Robinson Cano batted cleanup yesterday. Although Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher were the offensive heroes in the Yankees 5-0 home opening victory, it was Cano that I was focused on. How far we have come from the winter of 2008 when many thought Cano was a lazy underachiever. Just four years later it’s conceivable that he is the future focal […]

Many Not Surprised With Phelps’ Success

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

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 […]

’98 Yankees Overrated?

Monday, April 9th, 2012

The Yankees 0-3 start is reminding everyone of the ’98 squad that won a then American League record 114 games. Allen Barra of The Village Voice points out various reasons why this group isn’t anywhere near the class of that historic team. The good folks at Baseball Think Factory linked up this piece and provided their usual pithy comments. […]

The Charm of John and Suzyn

Sunday, April 8th, 2012

I decided to do something different for the Yankees-Rays Opening Day game by listening to a couple of innings of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WCBS 880. The due referred to as “Ma and Pa Pinstripe” by Bob Raissman of the Daily News, is always under fire. They are obvious homers, very un-fundamental in […]

One Day, This Ending Could Be For Real

Saturday, April 7th, 2012

Only the Yankees and Mariano Rivera blowing a save could make for mass hysteria on Opening Day. All the other 29 teams have experienced the natural roller coaster ride that even having the “second best closer” in baseball brings. Rivera blowing a lead is rare; on a big stage like Opening Day it’s unheard of, especially in […]

Molina Taking Double-A Demotion in Stride

Friday, April 6th, 2012

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) […]

Profiling the 2012 Yankees

Friday, April 6th, 2012

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 […]

Yankees 2012: Raising the Bar Even Higher Than Normal

Friday, April 6th, 2012

How good are the 2012 Yankees? On paper they appear to be a 100-win ball club and the favorite to win the American League pennant. Paper doesn’t count once the bell rings 3:10 pm today in Tampa. Everyone thought the 2011 Red Sox were going to challenge the 1927 Yankees as the best team ever. […]

Thoughts on Chris Stewart Deal

Thursday, April 5th, 2012

I reached out to a good friend in the Giants organization who had this to say about new Yankees backup catcher Chris Stewart: Chris Stewart is not only a fine guy, he does crossword puzzles. He can catch and throw but there is no bat. He will be a nice addition to the Yankee Clubhouse and […]

Bobby V on ESPN 1050 Each Week, What Do You Think?

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

In an interesting turn of media events, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine has signed up for a weekly segment with Michael Kay on ESPN 1050. The news was broken by Daily News media columnist Bob Raissman. I have never heard of an out of town manager having a weekly segment on an opposing city’s station. In a way, […]

Did the “Yankee Way” Hurt Pineda?

Sunday, April 1st, 2012

Back in the fifties, Baltimore GM Paul Richards laid the foundation for the “Oriole Way.” Baseball fundamentals became uniform in every detail between all classes within the organization. Players were patiently refined until fundamentally sound instead of being hastily advanced to the next level. The Orioles became a powerhouse because of it. Branch Rickey invented […]

Adam Warren in Long Relief Would be a Bad Move

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

As everyone knows by now, Michael Pineda will be starting the season on the DL due to right shoulder tendinitis. Though it’s still way too early to come to any final conclusions, this does not bode well for Brian Cashman and his gamble/trade that sent highly rated prospect Jesus Montero to the Mariners. When the […]

Yankees Finding New Ways to Kill Young Pitching

Friday, March 30th, 2012

So reports indicate that Michael Pineda is pitching for a rotation spot today. What I thought was a silly media meme to make it through the demands of spring training news content has become a reality. Apparently the velocity concerns of the media are also shared by the Yankees. Despite the wicked slider and changeup, the 89-93 […]