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 recap some of the fun results from the first weekend of the regular season. Hear my thoughts on the homegrown Mets, Mariano Rivera, the shift, John and Suzyn on the radio, and Bobby Valentine doing a show in New York. Dan Levy of the Bleacher Report, and formerly the Sporting News and Washington Post, will […]
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 […]
“Doesn’t depend on how I pitch. Always I want to do my job, but I’ve made my decision already,” Mariano Rivera told reporters the other day. He added that his decision has been made, “even if I save 90 games, even if they want to pay as much money as they want to.” It sounds like we saw […]
The ’09 Yankees were a batter away from setting up their bullpen bridge and establishing a commanding 3-0 lead in the best of 7 Strat-O-Matic Sim Series. John Milner had other ideas as he hit a 3-run homer off David Robertson in the sixth to tie the game and erase Yankees leads of 5-0 and 8-4. The teams would […]
We have waxed poetic about Mariano Rivera for days now. I don’t think there is anything else left to say about his impact on the Yankees and the game of baseball. We all know he is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, but what about the entrance music that has become famous […]
I return to my regular time slot at 8pm for another edition of the Weekly Digest. I discuss Mariano Rivera‘s 601st save and his place with the greatest players in the history of the game, Terry Collins comments on the Mets team effort down the stretch, and the early reviews of the movie “Moneyball.” NYBD […]
Death, taxes, and Mariano Rivera collecting another save. That was my feeling after he notched number 601 against the Blue Jays yesterday afternoon. It shouldn’t be that ho-hum, but when a player achieves a certain level of excellence you start to take it for granted. That isn’t the case in the papers today you have […]
Last night the SNY booth was discussing old ballparks and it gave me the idea to reach out to my Twitter and Facebook followers to ask what old ballpark would they have liked to watch a game. Here are the responses I received: Ebbetts Field Polo Grounds Crosley Field Jarry Park Original Yankee Stadium Astrodome […]
Mariano Rivera collecting his 600th save last night made me think about the late nineties version of the Yankees. In recent years this group was represented by the “Core Four,” which is now the “Core Three,” and soon to be “Core Two” once the team parts ways with Jorge Posada this offseason. The 2012 version of the Yankees […]
Joel Sherman discussed the importance of David Robertson in a column in yesterday’s New York Post. Robertson is having a breakout year (1.23 ERA, 13.7 K/9), which is conjuring up memories of Mariano Rivera‘s dominant 1996 season. Despite John Wetteland winning the World Series MVP, it was Rivera and a host of middle relievers that […]
We can debate the merits of Curtis Granderson or Robinson Cano when it comes to the American League MVP award, but no Yankees player will win it. Why? It has nothing to do with Jose Bautista‘s stats or the fact that three Red Sox are having MVP-caliber years. Its institutional bias against the Yankees by the baseball writers. Take this […]
If I asked you what pitcher lead the American League from 1990-1995 in wins, complete games, and innings you probably would say Randy Johnson or Roger Clemens. You would be wrong on both counts as it was none other than the 1993 AL Cy Young Award winner, Jack McDowell. Sometimes overlooked during a career that was […]
It’s no longer too early to talk about the American League MVP. I believe the four favorites to win the American League MVP are Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Jose Bautista, and Curtis Granderson. I also believe you can make a great case for Granderson. Stating that a Yankees player should be MVP usually causes a […]
Bobby Abreu beat his old teammates last night with two homers, including a ninth inning shot off the great Mariano Rivera. We will get to Rivera’s recent struggles later on, but this hit was ironic since Abreu was the topic of a Hall of Fame debate with the beat writers on Twitter. Back in 2009 I wrote this […]
