Sunday, March 31, 2013
Hall of Fame Profile: George Herman Ruth
Yankees Finalize Their Opening Day Roster
The 2013 baseball season officially starts tonight with the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers playing the first game of the season with the Yankees starting their season tomorrow at 1:00 pm at Yankees Stadium against the Boston Red Sox. We finally know, with the Clay Rapada designation, the final roster for the season. Here it is:
CC Sabathia
Hiroki Kuroda
Andy Pettitte
Ivan Nova
David Phelps
Mariano Rivera
Dave Robertson
Joba Chamberlain
Boone Logan
Shawn Kelley
Cody Eppley
Adam Warren
Francisco Cervelli
Chris Stewart
Lyle Overbay
Robinson Cano
Kevin Youkilis
Eduardo Nunez
Jayson Nix
Travis Hafner
Brett Gardner
Ichiro Suzuki
Vernon Wells
Ben Francisco
Brennan Boesch
Phil Hughes
Derek Jeter
Mark Teixeira
Curtis Granderson
Cesar Cabral
Michael Pineda
Alex Rodriguez
Yankees Designate Clay Rapada For Assignment
In yet another shocking turn of events in the Yankees bullpen and on their 40 man roster the Yankees have announced that they have designated left handed reliever Clay Rapada for assignment. This move was made to make room on the 40 man roster for Lyle Overbay. Rapada has been battling shoulder bursitis in his left throwing shoulder all spring but there is no way, in my opinion, he gets past a team like the Washington Nationals and clears waivers.
Off Day Notes: Rapada, Wells, Overbay, 25 Man Roster
1. The Yankees have designated Clay Rapada for assignment to make a spot for Lyle Overbay on the 40-man roster. I knew the Yankees had to make a move to put Overbay on the roster, but I didn't see Rapada getting the boot, especially since the Yankees only have one lefty in the bullpen. This could be a way to get Rapada back into the minors like with the David Adams scenario or this is a goodbye to the side arming lefty. Still, I didn't see this coming. Rapada released a statement via tweets after his DFA:
@yankees it's been real...
— Clay Rapada (@pada5something) March 31, 2013
It was a good year.. But it is a business I appreciate the opportunity to pitch in the NY.. Fans are tough but awesome.Can't predict future
— Clay Rapada (@pada5something) March 31, 2013
2. Vernon Wells changed his number before tomorrow. 56 originally belonged to Tony Pena so Vernon Wells will now wear #12.
3. The Yankees have finally released their 25-man roster. Here's the roster for tomorrow:
ROTATION
52 CC Sabathia
18 Hiroki Kuroda
46 Andy Pettitte
47 Ivan Nova
41 David Phelps
BULLPEN
42 Mariano Rivera
30 Dave Robertson
62 Joba Chamberlain
48 Boone Logan
27 Shawn Kelley
38 Cody Eppley
43 Adam Warren
CATCHERS
29 Francisco Cervelli
19 Chris Stewart
INFIELDERS
55 Lyle Overbay
24 Robinson Cano
36 Kevin Youkilis
26 Eduardo Nunez
17 Jayson Nix
33 Travis Hafner
OUTFIELDERS
11 Brett Gardner
31 Ichiro Suzuki
12 Vernon Wells
45 Ben Francisco
22 Brennan Boesch
15-DAY DISABLED LIST
65 Phil Hughes
2 Derek Jeter
25 Mark Teixeira
14 Curtis Granderson
60-DAY DISABLED LIST
71 Cesar Cabral
35 Michael Pineda
13 Alex Rodriguez
Happy Easter From The Greedy Pinstripes
We just wanted to take a second to wish a Happy Easter to everyone out there that reads our blog. Thank you and we wish for you to have a good, happy, and safe Easter holiday. Enjoy!
Behind the music: The 2013 Yankees walk-up songs
When the baseball season starts, fans usually go to the ball park in order to take in nine innings of glorious baseball. As much as I enjoy going to the ball park to hear the crack of the bat, the fans cheering loudly and the food, I usually love going to the ball park in order to listen to the walk-up music of the Yankees. Music is one of my biggest passions, and to me the Yankees have done more than play great baseball over the years; they've also introduced me to new music and have filled up my iTunes with songs that I listen to on a consistent basis. Since Opening Day for the Yankees is tomorrow, I went on the Yankees website, found the list to some of the Yankees walk-up songs and took a listen to them, introducing myself to the different types of music that our players listen to.
1. Brennan Boesch: Brennan Boesch didn't waste any time in choosing his songs for the 2013 season as he went and chose two songs for his walk-up music. The first song was "Sail" by Awolnation. When I first took a listen to the song, I found it intimidating in a good way. It's not as intimidating as Evan Longoria's walk-up song (which is arguably one of the best walk-up songs in the Major Leagues), but it makes you think that something big is coming. The second song that Boesch chose was "We'll Be Fine" by Drake. This is one of those songs that has you nodding your head while Boesch comes to the plate. Boesch hasn't played a real game for the Yankees yet, but if I must applaud him on one thing, it's his good taste in music.
2. Brett Gardner: I have to admit that before I started watching Gardner play baseball, I did not listen to country music; at all. But in 2011, Gardner had "Dirt Road Anthem" by Jason Aldean as one of his walk-up songs and ever since then, half my iTunes is consumed with country music. This year, Gardner went with "Hell On Wheels" by Brantely Gilbert which is another great country song. Now, let's hope that Gardner's 2013 season is as dynamite as his walk-up song choice.
3. Chris Stewart: Chris Stewart is close to having one of the best walk-up songs on the Yankees if he only played the first twenty seconds of the song over the P.A. Stewart's song choice is "Forsaken" by Skillet and if there's one thing I must say, is that the guitar riffs were amazing. I wouldn't normally listen to music like this, but after today now I would. Now, all he has to do is play on a consistent basis so I could heart this song over and over at the ball park. I wouldn't mind paying money for that.
4. Curtis Granderson: We all remember the famous video where Curtis Granderson was picking his at-bat music and then almost cried when he chose "Friday." Well, maybe all those hours of going through his laptop did the Grandy Man some good. His walk-up song (when he comes back) is none other than "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See (Instrumental)" by Busta Rhymes. Not too fond of the lyrics, but I do love the beat, so a smart move by Granderson in just using the instrumental.
5. David Robertson: We all know that David Robertson is an Alabama boy. He was born in Tuscaloosa and he is constantly helping his hometown with High Socks For Hope. So it doesn't surprise me that his walk-up song is the awesome "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It's actually a good thing I know about this now because I made a deadly mistake in asking my Twitter followers last season what D-Rob's walk-up song was. Let's just say they weren't too happy with me during the game when they found out I seriously didn't know. Well, I know now and it's an awesome song. I'm looking forward to the 8th inning where I could sit back and listen to the tune that introduces us to the Yankees favorite set-up man.
6. Derek Jeter: The Captain won't be there on Opening Day for us to hear his walk-up music but he made sure that he chose a song. I'm not too fond of rap music but, "Otis" by Jay-Z and Kanye West was a decent choice by Jeter. It would be nice to hear it at Yankee Stadium when The Captain returns, but in the meantime I guess the closest we can hear this song is on Youtube (and on iTunes if you have it already).
7. Hiroki Kuroda: Hiroki Kuroda has some great taste in music! Kuroda's walk-up music is "The Whip" by Locksley and when I heard it for the first time, I heard some influence of 'The Beatles' in the chorus of the song. It's nice that Kuroda was able to take us back to the good music--without actually taking us all the way back to the 1960's.
8. Ivan Nova: Ah, is there nothing better than listening to some awesome Spanish music at Yankee Stadium? That's what Ivan Nova introduced to the fans when he made his walk-up choice "Marta La Reina" by Antony Santos. This is one of those songs where you can't help but get up from your seat and start dancing. According to the Yankees website, I don't think it's available for purchase but they have the song on Youtube where you can hear it over and over and over. It's actually a great song to hear on a Sunday morning (with your headphones on).
9. Mariano Rivera: Mariano Rivera's song choice is as fitting as his role on the Yankees. When the Yankees have a lead and they go to the 9th inning, Mariano Rivera comes in the game and puts it to bed, dubbing him "The Sandman." Rivera's song choice is the best song choice by far on the Yankees with "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. The guitar riffs in the song are simply amazing and when Yankees fans hear it, they can't help but get excited, knowing that the greatest closer of all time is coming in to make the opposing team's offense go to sleep. Yankees fans better soak in all of "Enter Sandman" that they can this season, since Rivera plans on retiring at the end of the season. I know I'll soak up every moment.
10. Mark Teixeira: If there's anyone that we can count on to take us back to when rap music was at it's best, it's Mark Teixeira. His song choice "It's Tricky" by Run D.M.C is a great way to pay a homage to rap at it's finest. Of course, we expect nothing less of Teixeira since he has been famously known of using classics from the Twisted Sisters in the past. But Teixeira didn't stop there. His second song choice was "This Town" by O.A.R. which is one of my favorite songs. Teixeira hit a home run with his song choices and I can't wait until he gets back on the field so we can hear it blaring from the P.A speakers.
11. Phil Hughes: Phil Hughes's walk-up song is pretty vague. There's no artist next to his song choice "Tomorrowland" so I did a search on Youtube and it sounds more like Hughes is ready for summer in a club than ready to play baseball. If this is his song, I'm not too fond of the techno-beat, but I can see it getting fans excited.
12. Robinson Cano: Robinson Cano simply outdid everyone when it came to choosing songs. He didn't choose two songs, he went the extra mile and chose three! His first song was "El Que No Aguante La Presion" by Secreto El Biberon which is a great song choice. It reminds me of summer like Hughes's song choice, but Cano's song reminds me more of running through fire hydrants that have water coming out of them than the club. Cano's second song choice was "Me Kitee" by Black Point. Again, it reminded me of summer. Cano's last song was "Te Prendo" by Chimbala. As far as Spanish songs go, all three of Cano's song choices hit it out of the ball park. Simply great. If his goal was to get Yankees fans on their feet while he comes to bat, he succeeded.
13. Vernon Wells: I'm not a fan of rap music, but if you choose a song with Dr. Dre and Eminem, then you are in my good graces for the entire season. And that's exactly what Vernon Wells did by choosing "Forgot About Dre" by Dr. Dre & Eminem. The beat is fantastic and this was when rap was still at it is greatest. It's great that someone chose a throwback song, and now I will await his arrival to the plate just to hear this awesome song.
The Yankees choosing their own walk-up music is a way for them to connect to their fans. It shows fans what kind of music their idols like and in their own way, they introduce you to music you may have never heard of before. The Yankees are always winners in the fans eyes, but they've become more than. They're role models with impeccable taste in music. So the next time you go to the ball park, open your ears when your favorite Yankee goes to the plate. You just might have a new favorite song that you'll want as soon as you get home.
Trenton Thunder Roster Finalized
With not many surprises here and an "All Prospect" kind of outfield the Yankees Double A affiliate the Trenton Thunder's roster has been finalized. Check it out!
C - J.R. Murphy
C - Kyle Higashioka
C - Tyson Blaser
1B - Kyle Roller
2B - Jose Pirela
SS - Walter Ibarra
3B/LF - Rob Segedin
INF - Kevin Mahoney
INF - Reegie Corona
OF - Tyler Austin
OF - Slade Heathcott
OF - Ramon Flores
OF - Neil Medchill
OF - Shane Brown
SP - Nik Turley
SP- Francisco Rondon
SP - Matt Tracy
SP - Caleb Cotham
SP - Zach Nuding
P - Jeremy Bleich
P - Aaron Dott
P - Shaeffer Hall
P - Tommy Kahnle
P - Kelvin Perez
P - Josh Romanski
P - Graham Stoneburner
P - Branden Pinder
P - Ryan Pope
2013 Predictions : Derek Jeter Potential Milestones
- Derek Jeter is a mere 11 hits behind 9th place Eddie Collins on the all time hits list. Jeter is also a meager 15 hits behind Paul Molitor for 8th place on the all time list. Jeter is 115 hits behind Carl Yastrzemski for 7th place on the all time list for hits. Honus Wagner is only 116 hits in front of Jeter for 6th place all time on the hits list. Tris Speaker is only 210 hits ahead of Derek Jeter for 5th place on the all time list. All of these men are within striking distance of the captain in 2013. We do not use Cap Anson's 3435 hit total as a correct total because walks used to be counted as hits back in the early 1900's.
- Derek Jeter is 17th on the all time list for hit by pitches with 163 in his career. I am not sure if this is really supposed to be a good thing or not but Derek stand 2 HBP's behind Kid Elberfield for 16th place and 4 HBP's behind Alex Rodriguez for 15th place. Hopefully this is one milestone that Derek does NOT reach.
- Derek Jeter sits 40th on the all time list in games played with 2585 games played. I know this may be a tall task but if Jeter plays 150 games he will jump all the way to the 26th spot with 2735 games played passing notable players like Willie McCovey (39th), Lou Brock (35th), Paul Molitor (30th), and George Brett (27th).
The Season Starts Tomorrow & There's Still Haters
The 2013 Yankees baseball season starts tomorrow, although we have a game tonight between the Rangers and the Astros that officially kick off the 2013 season, and apparently there are still haters hating on the Yankees. I found this video and while it was supposed to be comical, and while it does hit on a few valid points, it just goes to show you that we are still the most hated by non fans and most loved by true fans sports organization in the world in my very humble opinion. Enjoy!