Thursday, August 14, 2014

Cervelli Assures Fans After 5-3 Loss That The Season's "Not Over Yet"

When the Yankees blew a late lead in yesterday's 5-3 heartbreaker to the Orioles, their clubhouse must've been deflated.

For the second time in three days, they had blown a two-run lead in a frustrating defeat to their divisional rival, their third and fourth consecutive losses that dropped them all the way to eight out in the AL East Standings.

Nonetheless, after the contest concluded Yanks' Catcher Francisco Cervelli attempted to instill some much-needed hope in the club's fanbase, assuring ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews that this season, as bad as it's been, isn't yet over.

"Hell, yeah, we gonna fight," he said following the meltdown, in which Dellin Betances and Shawn Kelley combined to surrender four earned runs. "We gonna fight. We gonna win some games. This is not over yet." 

This weekend, somewhat unfortunetaly, New York will continue their road trip with a weekend set in Tampa, something that has to make some of their supporters cringe.

Still, considering the Rays are struggling this year and don't necessarily have a frightening rotation the Yankees could be able to take the series with a decent effort, a feat that'd certainly help them out in their race for the second wild card spot.

Rob Manfred To Be The Next MLB Commissioner

Should Masahiro Tanaka Even Come Back?


With the Yankees falling farther and farther behind in the American League East division and second Wild Card race should New York even risk it with their 25 year old stud right hander Masahiro Tanaka? Four doctors, including Dr. James Andrews the Tommy John surgery guru, agreed that Tanaka should rest and rehab his less than 10% tear of his ulnar collateral ligament and use PRP injections to speed up the process. With less than a 10% tear is it feasible that the tear could fix itself and Tanaka could avoid Tommy John surgery altogether so why risk coming back for a team that is seemingly going nowhere but down this season?

I don’t mean for this post to sound negative, not at all, but the realistic chances of the Yankees making the post season and then getting past a Wild Card Playoffs round and the likely probability of facing the Oakland Athletics and the Detroit Tigers on the way to the World Series seems unlikely. Using that line of thinking the risk of Tanaka tearing the ligament and being out for another full season over the chance of another World Series might not be worth it. The Yankees have Tanaka for six more seasons, assuming he doesn’t opt out of his deal, and the team has to think about that more so than an unlikely run at a 28th championship this season.


If it were me I would shut Tanaka down for the season, apologize to Derek Jeter profusely for not making the postseason in his final year, and begin to build for the 2015 season. Then again every time I write something like this the team goes on a 7-3 or 8-2 stretch so what do I know?

New York Yankees Off Day Movie Recommendation: The Babe Ruth Story


It's a Yankees off day and all our readers undoubtedly have that 2:00 feeling at work right now so why not spend the rest of the afternoon watching the Babe Ruth Story right here on the blog? This is the full movie and you don't have to pay or even leave the blog. Enjoy the off day Yankees family, we'll be back to work tomorrow as we take on the Tampa Bay Rays. Go Yankees!

The Cry For Homegrown Talent May Be Ill Advised: 2000


Another season and another World Series for the New York Yankees in the year 2000. This would be the last World Series the Yankees would win for nine more seasons after a couple heartbreaking losses in 2001 and 2003. Will this Yankees team be any different in the homegrown players department or will it be more of the same? Spoiler alert, it's going to be more of the same. Let's look:

Infield looks awfully familiar with Tino Martinez at first, Knoblauch at second, Brosius at third, Yankee farm hands Derek Jeter at shortstop and Jorge Posada behind the plate, and Jose Canseco(Athletics, Devil Rays) and Glenallen Hill (Cubs) getting the bulk of the DH time. Jim Leyritz did get some time as the designated hitter before Canseco was acquired dumped on the team.

The outfield was a mess in 2000 before the Yankees acquired David Justice from the Cleveland Indians to finish the year as their every day left fielder. The Yankees had their locks at center field with Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill in right field but left field was a mess. Clay Bellinger (Yankees), Lance Johnson (White Sox and Cubs), Felix Jose (Royals and Cardinals), Roberto Kelly (Yankees from 87-92), Ricky Ledee (Yankees), Luis Polonia (Angels), Shane Spencer, and Ryan Thompson (Mets) all spent time in left field.

The pitching staff didn't get much of an upgrade in 2000 over the 1999 team. Roger Clemens, Orlando Hernandez, David Cone, and Andy Pettitte were all there and they were joined by former Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves right hander David Cone.

The bullpen looked similar as well with mainstays Mike Stanton, Jeff Nelson, Jason Grimsley and Mariano Rivera getting the bulk of the calls from Joe Torre. The new guy this season was Randy Choate as he burst from the Yankees system to help out of the bullpen along with Ramiro Mendoza.

The Yankees used more and more homegrown talent in the bullpen but still relied on trades and free agency to collect their fourth World Series title in five seasons. Joe Torre, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill, Bernie Williams, Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblauch, and Jim Leyritz among others would never see another World Series in Yankees pinstripes.

Bud Selig Replacement Could Be Named Today


Here is the official write up from the AP and David Ginsburg:

BALTIMORE (AP) — Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is looking forward to writing a book, teaching history and taking it easy when he retires this winter.
Before that happens, however, he hopes to introduce his successor — perhaps as soon as Thursday.
Baseball's 30 owners will meet in Baltimore this week to vote on Selig's replacement. A seven-man committee whittled down an expansive list to three candidates: MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred, Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner and MLB Executive Vice President of Business Tim Brosnan.
"The process has worked just the way I thought it would," Selig said Tuesday at the Orioles' home ballpark. "I gave them a great list of names, and these names were on it."
To win Thursday's vote, a candidate must receive approval from at least 23 owners.
"A lot of other people are making predictions," Selig said. "I'm staying out of that business because I don't know."
Asked what would happen if there is an impasse, Selig replied, "This seven-man committee has done really good work. We'll see what happens."
This is what won't happen: Selig changing his mind and sticking around.
"I thought long and hard before I made my announcement in October of last year," he said of the announcement, actually made Sept. 26. "I just celebrated my 80th birthday. In life, there's a time to come but there's also a time to go. I'm looking forward to that. I have a lot of things planned."
Those plans include writing an autobiography, teaching at two or three universities and "maybe a little peace and quiet."
"It's time for baseball to move on and it's time for me to move on," he said. "If anybody would have told me back in September of 1992 I'd be here 22 1/2, 23 years, that would have not been conceivable. So, I'm done."
Before he leaves, Selig hopes to see the feud resolved between the Orioles and Washington Nationals over their broadcast rights. The Orioles own a controlling stake in MASN, which televises Nationals games as a result of an agreement when the team moved from Montreal. The Nationals want higher annual broadcast rights payments from MASN, and the network isn't willing to pay the desired amount.
"MASN is an inner-club dispute," Selig said. "It's an important goal before I step down. We've tried very hard, and we'll continue to try. We're doing everything we can."
As far as Thursday's vote goes, Selig has only one priority.
"The only goal I've really had all along is, when it's all over that people can say, 'Well, it was really fair,'" Selig said.
He was delighted to see that, even though the sport doesn't have a salary cap, small-market teams such as Kansas City, Oakland and Tampa Bay have flourished.
"The things we set out to do in the '90s, that was the objective," Selig said. "I always have regarded my job to be to provide hope and faith in as many places as possible. And we've done that. Baseball is better off as a result of it."

Yankees Off Day Walk Up Music Recommendation


Chase Headley is one of the newest members of the New York Yankees and apparently is a fan of contemporary christian music. Headley walks up to two different songs this season Third Day's "Surrender" and Jeremy Camp's "Take My Life." Give both a listen here on the blog to get your off day started the right way. Enjoy the day Yankees fan and do a good deed today.

Jeremy Camp


Third Day

Hiroki Kuroda Not Skipped After All, Blame Girardi


Here on the blog we were excited to learn the news that starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda was skipped this week due to a rain out in Baltimore but just 24 hours later that is no longer the case. Yesterday we praised Girardi for skipping Kuroda so I guess we have to blame him today, no?

 Kuroda will start Sunday in Tampa Bay and will essentially replace Chris Capuano. No reason has been given for the move as of yet but the only reasoning that makes sense is that the Yankees feel like they have a better shot to win on Sunday with Kuroda. The Yankees need all the victories they can get at this point, especially in a stadium down in St. Pete that the team has consistently struggled in, so if that's the reasoning then I can get behind that.

I don't necessarily agree with the fact that Kuroda should pitch Sunday or that he would be a better option than the more than adequate Capuano but I could be wrong. There is no word on whether Capuano will start Tuesday and everyone get an extra day or if he has been skipped so stay tuned.

The Daily Dozen - August 13, 2014

The Daily Baker's Dozen - August 13th, 2014 - No Pine Tar Allowed Edition
(Twelve Thirteen Takeaways from Tonight's Game vs. the Fake New York Yankees)

1. Everyone knows the Baltimore Orioles want to be the New York Yankees.  They are so jealous...they can't stand the fact that the Yankees were the original Orioles and that Babe Ruth, a native of Baltimore made it big in the Big Apple instead of the Big...well, Biggest City in Maryland.  They have even gone as far as to go out and get a former Yankee manager in Buck Showalter to man their helm.  Well...la-di-freaking-da...say one more thing about Jeter! I dares ya!
Thanks for the memories Buck! (Photo Credit: Washington Post)

2. Michael Pineda is BACK!  And boy was he...he made his first start in the majors since April 23rd, which was shortly after his Pine-tar-gate (everything has to have "gate" added to the end...) incident in Baaaaaaahston.

3. So which part of Mark Teixeira's body will he injure next?  Marky Mark and the Funky Bones was back out there tonight, which begs the question, for how long this time?  Oh Teixeira, you're on the Mark!

4. Pineda was on a 80 to 90 pitch count limit.  What if he got to 80 pitches and was throwing a no-hitter, would the Binder take him out?  Well, we got that answer as after 67 pitches and 4 PERFECT innings he was removed from the game by Girardi for....Betances?  In the 5th? Whaaaaa....?
Right on Burch!

5. Of course the .176 hitter breaks up the double perfect game.  Stephen Drew got the first hit of the game off of Chris Tillman in the 3rd.

6. Francisco Cervelli was an unlikely power source tonight.  He doubled his total home run for the season and increased his RBI output by 33%.  That would be more impressive if his total numbers weren't 2 home runs and 8 RBI.

7. Give the Governor a HARUMPH!  Did anyone else hear the Orioles fans booing Derek Jeter every time he came to the plate?  They might be the only ones to do so on a regular basis this season.  Showalter must be rubbing off on them.  If you didn't get the tag line, watch Blazing Saddles and get back to me...
"I didn't get a HARUMPH outta that guy..." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTmfwklFM-M)

8. Nelson Cruz breaks up the perfect game for Pineda in the 5th.  I'm sorry to say that it was all my fault. #Knepper'sFault.  See my tweet after the 4th inning below:
Sorry Pineda...truly sorry...

9. So there was a "batter's interference" on Stephen Drew in the 6th inning?  What exactly is batter's interference.  What a freaking crappy call...he was directly over the chalk!  Totally changed the game...umps blew that one!

10. Joe Girardi promptly got ejected after arguing the call.  For once, I agree with the Binder...you suck Jerry Davis!  You be the judge on this one...
The ball is clearly passed Drew at this point and he is DIRECTLY
above the chalk...(Photo Credit: MLB.com from Video)

11. Betances is to Robertson what Rivera was to Wetteland in 1996.  The only difference however is that Rivera wasn't brought in for 3 innings in the 5th inning of a game.  What the heck was that all about???  That 3rd inning proved to be the death nail for the Yankees as Dellin left a hanging curve out there for Schoop to tie the game at 2.

12. Jeter was 0 for 4 tonight and is in a mini-slump if you will.  He if 4 for 20 in his last 7 days batting .200 with only 1 RBI.  Maybe it's time for a few days off for the Captain.  Maybe give Drew some time at Short?

13. In the "That Escalated Quickly" category...Adam Jones hits a 3-run bomb to put the Orioles up 5-2 in the 8th inning effectively ending the Yankees chances for a win and potentially putting away the AL East title for the O's.

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/14: Phil Rizzuto Passes Away


The best part about being a fan of the New York Yankees is the history, the aura, and the prestige of watching not only a team that wins a lot but watching one that expects to win a lot. The worst part about being a fan of the Bronx Bombers is watching those players grow old, retire, and eventually pass away. This was the case on this day in 2007 when Yankees legend and play by play man Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto passed away in his sleep. Rizzuto was the oldest living Hall of Famer at the time when he passed away at a New Jersey nursing home from complications with pneumonia. Rizzuto was 89 years old.

Scooter was the Yankees shortstop during the dynasty seasons in the 1940's and 50's, appeared in numerous commercials, did color commentary for the Yankees, and even sung with Meat Loaf on his song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" that won a Grammy.

Also on this day in 1933, a little happier moment in Yankees history, New York retired the #44 jersey of Reggie Jackson in a pre-game ceremony. Mr. October was fresh off an induction into the Hall of Fame after playing with the Yankees from 1977-1981 helping the Yankees reach the playoffs four times and win two World Series championships.

Finally on this day in 1960 Mickey Mantle was booed by the Yankee Stadium crowd and benched by then manager Casey Stengel for not running out a routine ground ball (cough Cano cough). The ground ball resulted in an inning ending double play in a Yankees 6-3 loss to the Washington Senators. On the play Roger Maris was also hurt as he bruised his ribs sliding hard into second base trying to break up the double play.