Alex Rodriguez’s Return to Baseball?

Holy clickbait, Batman! Both here and by Alex Rodriguez on his Instagram account. On Alex’s Instagram account, the Yankees former third baseman and DH in case you’re new to the universe, Alex posted a video of him and his girlfriend Jennifer Lopez working out, presumably in their home. Alex captioned the video with “Comeback???” Later on in the post you could tell that this was an obvious joke and that he was just showing him and his Bronx-born girlfriend working out but I figured let’s have a little fun with it anyway here on the blog and get everyone excited about the man they call A-Rod pulling a Bernie Mac in Mr. 3000 and making a comeback.

Did I have you going? Check out the video. Alex is doing pushups, both with and without J-Lo on his back, and Lopez is seen dancing on the video to “Hypnotize” by the Notorious B.I.G. It’s worth a watch or two. Enjoy!

Quick Hit: New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund and Shady Dealings

There’s be’s some shady dealings going on here in the Bronx and I don’t likes it. In all seriousness though and as close to grammatically correct as I can get there really are some shady dealings apparently happening and being exposed when it comes to the “New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund.” The Yankees created this charity after the organization caught heat for taking public park land to build the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx with the promise of the team distributing millions of dollars in grants, sports equipment and tickets to the local community organizations in the Bronx. Apparently that isn’t what is happening in all reality.

The New York Times released a report this week stating that this fund has been lacking oversight since its creation and the money has not been distributed where it should be going. The word “corruption” wasn’t used but if it looks like a duck and it sounds like a duck… it’s corruption.

Between the years of 2008 and 2015 only 30% of the funding from the program has gone to an organization which is in the same ZIP code as Yankee Stadium or its four bordering zip codes. Instead the money has been allocated to wealthier and less affected areas of the Bronx.

This has nothing to do with the team really. The team itself and owner Hal Steinbrenner probably have little to nothing to do with the fund as it was merely a legal obligation for getting the stadium built but still. This looks terrible on the team and the organization, especially when almost 40% of the people living in the same zip code of the Bronx as the stadium resides in are under the poverty line. That money, if it went where it was intended, could do some real good in the Bronx and its surrounding areas.

Maybe something like this will make the money be allocated where it is supposed to go. One can only hope anyway. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 4/13

One more time ladies and gentleman, let’s do it. The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays will square off here in a few minutes in the finale of their three-game set this week in the Bronx. The Rays and Yankees have faced off head-to-head now six times in the season’s first nine games so these two teams should be well acquainted by the time this one is over. In the finale the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound making his second start of the young season while the Rays will counter with Matt Andriese. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV.

Follow along tonight and all season long with us on Twitter by giving @GreedyStripes a follow. Go Yankees!

The USA Today Ranks All 30 MLB Stadiums

The USA Today’s Ted Berg did something I wish I could do this week, he ranked all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums in the league. Now sure, I could rank them all day long but he has actually visited all 30 and that is the key component to my jealousy and to what makes this list unique and great. Make sure to visit the link to check out his write up’s on all 30 MLB stadiums and see where he ranks them but for the purposes of this post I will sample the Top 10 stadiums and the write up for good ole’ Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Enjoy.

1.       Petco Park – San Diego Padres

2.       AT&T Park – San Francisco Giants

3.       PNC Park – Pittsburgh Pirates

4.       Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs

5.       Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles Dodgers

6.       Kauffman Stadium – Kansas City Royals

7.       Coors Field – Colorado Rockies

8.       Fenway Park – Boston Red Sox

9.       Target Field – Minnesota Twins

10.   Citi Field – New York Mets

25. Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees:

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/08/ranking-best-worst-mlb-stadiums-30-petco-wrigley-pnc

Credit the Yankees for eschewing the typical new-old look popular when their stadium opened in 2009, but not for producing a ballpark that looks more like a Las Vegas casino version of a stately building than the actual stately building they intended. The giant videoboard is great and the sight of the 4-train rumbling past is very cool, but the Yankees play within a couple of miles of some of the best Italian food on this great planet and somehow dare to unironically serve Papa John’s Pizza at their ballpark. You have to admire the chutzpah, really. — Ted Berg

Yankees “One More Off Day” Yankee Stadium Music Recommendation

The New York Yankees are off one more day before returning home to the Bronx tomorrow night to play host to David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox inside Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium, the home of the Yankees and the place to hear some differing genres in music when players step up to the plate and enter the game from the bullpen. Players like Brian McCann, the Yankees catcher and a personal favorite of mine.

Every time McCann stands up at the plate in Yankee stadium “Till I Collapse” by Eminem blares in the Yankee Stadium speakers. Enjoy the last day off of the All Star break. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Colorado Rockies 6/22

The New York Yankees and the Colorado Rockies were slated to play a pair of short two-game series this season in Interleague Play and that final game comes this afternoon in the Bronx. The Yankees were swept away in Colorado during the two games played under the National League’s rules and New York will look to extract some revenge and get out of this series with a win this afternoon inside Yankee Stadium. That will be no easy task against this solid offense the Rockies possess and it will be no easy task with Jon Gray on the mound for Colorado. Thankfully for the Yankees they are sending CC Sabathia to the mound this afternoon to oppose him.

Sabathia has been vintage Sabathia since coming off the disabled list in the beginning of May and no pitcher has a better ERA in that time period than Sabathia. Since coming off the DL Sabathia is sporting a 0.82 ERA lowering his overall ERA to 2.20. Sabathia will look to make that even lower in his eighth start since coming off the DL tonight against the Rockies.

Gray struggled in his last start against the Miami Marlins and will look to do better tonight in the Bronx against the Yankees. In that start Gray allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts in six innings of work but he struggled to find command of his fastball and his slider for much of the start, especially in the early innings.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Yet another game played while I’m at work or while I should be asleep. Sigh. Oh well as long as the Yankees come away with another victory I’m okay with missing a game here or there. Go Yankees!

Yankees Sign 2nd Rounder Nick Solak

The New York Yankees have reportedly signed or are set to sign second round pick Nick Solak out of Louisville University. No terms or official announcements have come from the team at the time of this writing but according to the Chicago Tribune a deal will be struck over the weekend in the Bronx. Solak was the 62nd overall pick which comes with a $1.04 million slot bonus.

Solak finished the season hitting .376 with five home runs for the Cardinal and will immediately join the organization to begin his professional career after signing with the Yankees on Monday.

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox 5/6

You know what a day game after a night game means to an overprotective manager like Joe Girardi, don’t expect many regulars in the lineup this afternoon in the Bronx for the second matchup between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. While Joe Girardi could post the lineup any minute now, if he hasn’t already, one thing we know for sure is the pitching matchup. We know it’s going to be a tough matchup for New York as the Yankees send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to face off once again against the Red Sox ace David Price.

Eovaldi did not pitch well last time out against the Boston Red Sox and will look for much better results today I the Bronx. Eovaldi allowed six runs on 10 hits in just five innings of work last time out inside Fenway Park in an 8-7 Sunday night loss for the Yankees. The start before that was where he took his no-hit bid into the 7^th inning against the Texas Rangers so we are left with yet another case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Eovaldi. Who shows up this afternoon? Place your bets now.

Price was not the dominant lefty-handed ace that the Red Sox were hoping to acquire for the first three or four starts of the regular but he has turned it around since giving Boston a glimmer of hope. Price has been especially good lately on the road going 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA at home with 24 K’s in just 14 innings. Price will be on the road once again this afternoon but he has pitched so much in the Bronx during his career it may feel like a home game to him today.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside of Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The Yankees have done well against Price in his career all things considered but they will need much more offense in this game than they got the last time they faced Price if they want to come out of this with a victory. The Yankees pitching may finally be settling down a bit and now we just need the offense to come alive to make a run. Come alive. Make a run. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 5/3

The New York Yankees were swept away by the Boston Red Sox this weekend, how sweep it was not, but luckily for the team they had an off day to lick their wounds and mentally prepare for another tough division foe in the Baltimore Orioles. The season is not over Yankees fans, news flash I know, but it can be rather soon with this series and another Red Sox series looming in the Bronx over the weekend. There is already pressure on every Yankees player every at bat and with every pitch thrown and with every loss the pressure gets more and more immense. Donned with the task of not only getting the Yankees a win but alleviating some of that pressure is Luis Severino while the Orioles will counter with one of their best in Chris Tillman.

Severino has not had the start to the season he nor the Yankees would have liked after a strong debut in 2015. Severino has shown poor command of not only his fastball but of his slider as well and has been seen shaking off veteran catcher Brian McCann far too much. That shaking off landed Severino on the bench in his last start after just three innings due to him giving up six earned runs on seven hits in yet another bad start for the rookie right-hander.

Tillman started Opening Day for the Orioles but has not lived up to the distinction and the hype that usually comes along with that honor thus far this season. Tillman did have an impressive start last time out against the Tampa Bay Rays but has looked inconsistent for much of the season, a trend that he hopefully gets back to tonight in Camden Yards.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The last place team in the American League East Division against the first place team in the division. With this series this week and another Red Sox series looming in the distance this weekend New York is primed to make a move back towards the top of the division. Whether they are ready and able to do it is a whole other story unfortunately. It all starts tonight in Baltimore.

Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners 4/17

The New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners will finish off their three-game weekend series this afternoon in the Bronx. This pitching match-up should be an interesting game not only here in the states but around the world as a pair of Japanese-born pitchers face off head-to-head inside Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will send their ace Masahiro Tanaka to the mound this afternoon to face off with the veteran Hisashi Iwakuma in the rubber match of the series.

Tanaka will make his first start on regular rest this afternoon in the Bronx this afternoon after having at least five days of rest in his first two starts of the young season. Tanaka seemed to start slow in both starts this year but get stronger as the game went on which is encouraging for the Yankees as the season goes longer. 

Iwakuma has made his first two starts of the season against the Texas Rangers this season and will make his third start today in the Bronx. Iwakuma heads into the start with a 0-1 record with a 4.09 ERA that he looks to improve upon as her also looks to improve upon a career 2-2 record with a 3.50 ERA against the Yankees. 

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The Yankees welcome home the Oakland Athletics to the Bronx tomorrow night but one game at a time and you can't look ahead, especially against a good pitcher like Iwakuma. Go Yankees!

Randy Levine Battles StubHub, Makes Yankee Fans Look Bad

The ongoing battle between the secondary ticket market, specifically StubHub and the New York Yankees continued this week with the Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr., StubHub representative and the Yankees Randy Levine having a war of words over the Yankees print-at-home ticket ban. You would think that Diaz, a lifelong Yankees fan who confessed his favorite player of all-time was Graig Nettles, would side with the Yankees but like many of us the new policy and the recent comments by the Yankees COO Lonn Trost has left a bitter taste in many of our mouths.

To put the entire squabble in a nutshell and to paraphrase Diaz is upset that the Yankees fans are being disrespected and slapped in the face, and they are, while Levine thinks it’s all because the Yankees no longer “comp” tickets for Diaz to conduct business with at Yankee Stadium. Levine went on to say in an interview that “I guess there are no greater problems in the Bronx that he needs to spend time on than ticketing.” Naturally Diaz’s camp denies being comped tickets by the Yankees and now the Bronx borough president is considering siding with StubHub.

Not that my vote matters but I am on StubHub’s side too. Just saying. 

Starlin Castro & Girlfriend Yoselin Added to Wives& Girlfriends

The New York Yankees have a new second baseman, in case you haven't heard, and his name is Starlin Castro. Castro was a three time All-Star with the Chicago Cubs before a position change and a trade ultimately brought him to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium. With a new second baseman comes their talents, their baggage and their families. Especially their wives and girlfriends and this is what we're showcasing for you tonight, Castro and his girlfriend Yoselin as we have added them to the Wives & Girlfriends section of the site, SEEN HERE. 

Enjoy.

New York Won’t "Bury" Aaron Hicks, Says Paul Molitor

The New York Yankees currently have their four outfielders set heading into the 2016 season. Brett Gardner will be in left barring a trade, Jacoby Ellsbury will be in center, Carlos Beltran will be in right field and recently acquired Aaron Hicks will be on the bench after coming over from Minnesota. Many of us Yankees fans don’t know what to expect from Hicks, most of us haven’t seen him unless he’s playing against New York, but his former manager Paul Molitor feels confident that not only will Hicks handle the pressure in the Bronx but he will also thrive.

Molitor was Hicks’ manager in 2015 with Minnesota and was a coach with the ball club in 2014 so he knows Hicks probably better than any of us writing or reading this. Molitor feels good about Hicks and his chances of “making it” in New York. Molitor calls Hicks a “cool character” and wished him well in the Bronx with his new club.

This is important because not everyone is cut out for the limelight of New York. Randy Johnson wasn’t, Zack Greinke probably wouldn’t be and David Price (cheap, yet respectful jab incoming) never could be comfortable here. Welcome to the Bronx Mr. Hicks, I’m now even more excited about your arrival to the family.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles 9/9

The New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles are just about ready to kick off the finale of their three game set this week in the Bronx. The Yankees may be looking past this game a bit and who could blame them as the Toronto Blue Jays, the team they are chasing in the American League East, come to town tomorrow night for a huge four game series inside Yankee Stadium. It's Joe Girardi's job to keep the team focused on tonight and CC Sabathia's job to get the team started with a strong pitching performance. Opposing Sabathia will be Ubaldo Jimenez for the Orioles. The game will begin at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

To see any of the four games this weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays be sure to click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog. Be prepared to open your wallet though as these games are some of the most expensive third-party ticket buying games of the season, and for good reason. If you can't make it to the Bronx or you need your arm and a leg that it will cost to see the game at this point simply jump on Twitter and give @GreedyStripes a follow to interact with us during the game and root for the Yankees for the remainder of the 2015 season.

I'ts CC Day, let's see if that's going to be a good thing or a bad thing. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 9/6

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays will finish off their three game set this afternoon inside Yankee Stadium with the pitching match-up that the Yankees should have seen coming. It seems like if the Yankees play a one-game series against their American League East rivals it feels like today's starter Chris Archer would start that game. New York ALWAYS faces Archer, always, and I can't explain it. Anyway the Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound looking to oppose Archer in the finale of the three game set. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and TBS.

• Nova heads into this start this afternoon looking to end a three game personal losing streak. Nova gave up three runs in six innings in his last start against the Boston Red Sox and missed a no-decision by about five feet on the Didi Gregorius deep fly ball in the 9th inning. Nova has faced the Rays once already this season on July 5th and gave up for runs in five innings in a loss for the Yankees. 

• Archer heads into this start after notching his 18th quality start of the season last time out against the Baltimore Orioles. Archer shut out Baltimore for six innings while allowing just four hits and three walks with six K's in his 12th victory of the season. Archer is 3-0 in his career with a 1.54 ERA in five career starts inside Yankee Stadium.

It's Labor Day Eve and it's a day game in the Bronx so the ball may fly in the Bronx like it has a tendency of doing during the day. The Yankees have to be able to hit the ball first and that is no easy task against Archer, especially when the Rays right-handed is arguably having his best season of his young career. Must be the hair. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 9/5

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays continue their three game set head-to-head inside Yankee Stadium this afternoon with a day game in the Bronx. Day games after night games in New York usually mean two things, the ball will be flying out of the stadium all afternoon long and you can expect to see quite a few of your key veteran players sitting on the bench for this one. The Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound this afternoon to face off against an old face and familiar foe in Matt Moore for the Rays. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the Fox Sports One Network and MLB TV.

• Eovaldi has not taken the loss in any of his last 13 starts thanks to great pitching and a ton of run support from the Yankees offense. Last time out Eovaldi was limited to just five innings after giving up five runs on eight hits but the Yankees were able to win the game 20-6 over the Atlanta Braves. Eovaldi is 9-0 with a very respectable 3.32 ERA since June 20^th.

• Moore returned off the disabled list from Tommy John surgery on July 2^nd this season and made just six starts before being demoted to the minor leagues. Moore dominated pitchers in the minor leagues after finally finding his command, showcased by recording 16 of 18 outs in a single game by strikeout, which earned him a September call up. Moore is now making his first start since returning looking to improve on his 1-3 record and 8.78 ERA this season.

The Yankees face off against Chris Archer and these same Rays tomorrow afternoon in the finale of the three game series making this game almost a must win for the club. Facing off against Archer is always a tough task for the Yankees it seems like whether it is day or night so getting a win today would be huge for the team’s confidence and their standings in the American League East Division. The Yankees have the right man on the bump to do that today with their leader in wins taking the mound. I’m confident, what about you? Go Yankees!

UPDATED: Predicting the Yankees September Call Ups

The New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman spoke on many things this week including the team's playoff chances, August trade rumors and September call ups. We did one of these posts already this season with a promise that the post would likely be updated once we got closer to September and I am a man of my word. I am more or less confirming what Cashman said in his interview, that Aaron Judge would not come up and neither would Jacob Lindgren because of health while Robert Refsnyder was coming up on September 1st, but here is the list regardless.

Outfielders:

Rico Noel

Slade Heathcott

Infielders:

Robert Refsnyder

Jose Pirela

Catchers:

Gary Sanchez (assuming health, left game this week w/ hamstring injury)

Austin Romine (if Sanchez is deemed unhealthy on September 1st)

Pitchers:

Branden Pinder

Nick Rumbelow

Caleb Cotham

Nick Goody

Chris Martin

Andrew Bailey

Johnny Barbato

On this list we added Johnny Barbato, the team has to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft anyway, and Andrew Bailey that finally seems healthy for the first time in almost three years. We also added the possibility of Austin Romine finding his way back onto the 40 man roster assuming that Gary Sanchez and his injured hamstring are done for the 2015 season. Cole Figueroa was removed from the list because he is a DFA candidate to make room for Barbato, Bailey or who Mixe Axisa from River Ave Blues called "the designated pinch runner" Rico Noel. Noel fits the mold of Antoan Richardson from 2014 and many players in years past whose job is to solely come off the bench and steal a base late in a game. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 8/24

The New York Yankees and the Houston Astros are ready to get their three game series going tonight in the Bronx with three great pitching match-ups. Tonight the Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound searching for his 14th victory of the season while the Astros will counter with Scott Feldman. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11, MLB Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees have two more games with these Astros before heading back out on the road so you have two more opportunities to click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and two more opportunities to see the team live inside Yankee Stadium. If you can't make it to the Bronx or you have to root from afar like I do simply jump on Twitter and give @GreedyStripes a follow to root for the Yankees during each and every Yankees game this season.

Eovaldi is ready to keep Eovolving and win that 14th game this season and I'm ready to watch it all go down. Go Yankees!

Andy Pettitte Tells The Andy Pettitte Story

Andy Pettitte is the best person that can tell the Andy Pettitte story and he does so in this five minute video. Andy touches on everything from his relationship with God, his HGH use, and so much more. It is a very touching story and everyone needs to watch this. This is Andy Pettitte Day.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 8/21

I have said this more than once but there isn't a better way to spend a Friday night in my very humble and very biased opinion than to watch the New York Yankees play baseball. Whether you're still filing your way into the Bronx and Yankee Stadium or whether you're sitting at home ready to watch the game from afar this is the best way to kick off a weekend, well as long as the team wins anyway. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound looking for that victory while Carlos Carrasco will be on the mound for Cleveland looking to oppose Tanaka. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network or MLB TV. 

The Yankees finished off HOPE Week capping off another great week by the organization and look to cap off another great week with another victory tonight. Click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to grab a pair of tickets for this weekend's series with Cleveland. If you can't make it to the Bronx then jump on Twitter ad gives us a follow, @GREEDYSTRIPES, where we root on the team from afar each and every game for the remainder of this season. 

Happy Tanaka Day, it's #TANAKATIME. Go Yankees!