The Magnified Lows of a Long MLB Season...

 

Oswald Peraza, Luis Rengifo, and Anthony Volpe (Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

After sweeping the Royals, the Yanks have lost six straight…

Just when you thought the Yankees were getting a good mix of pitching, hitting, and defense, they forgot how. The team's hitting slump has been a primary culprit, but Friday night’s error by Anthony Volpe in the eighth inning that botched a potential inning-ending double play, allowing the winning run to score for the Los Angeles Angels, was the poster child of what ails this team. It is blowing the key moments of games. It seems like baseball always comes down to a few key plays and how you perform during the game’s most intense moments.

Anthony Volpe is what he is. He is a decent player on a team with championship aspirations. He is not a superstar and will never be. Being a good player on a great team is not a terrible thing. Great teams need good complementary players to support the elite guys on the roster. My only request is for Volpe, or anyone on the team, to make the routine plays.

Losing six straight games is certainly not solely Volpe’s fault. This has been a team effort, or lack thereof.

Every season has its highs and lows, and this losing streak will end. Will the Yankees be in first place in the AL East when they start winning again? Maybe, maybe not, but there are still more than three months left in the season. In other words, there is time to turn the ship around and point it in the right direction despite the recent lackluster play.

The sting of the losing streak is playing so pathetically against the team’s most hated rival, especially since the Boston Red Sox had been playing so poorly until they ran into the Yankees (or rather, ran over the Yankees). Then, an inferior baseball organization like the Angels has taken advantage of every mistake, every gift handed to them by the Yankees. These are two teams the Yankees should easily beat, and they would have earlier in the season. When the season ends, the Yankees will have a better record than either the Red Sox or the Angels. It is time for the team to wake up and start playing baseball to the best of their abilities. Hopefully, it starts today.

My biggest frustration with the Yankees in recent years is how they always leave a hole or two in the roster construction. For the longest time, it was left field after Brett Gardner’s career had ended. This past offseason, third base was such a glaring and obvious hole to even the most novice fans, yet the Yankees did nothing but try to patch it with converted in-house second basemen. There was a time that I loved DJ LeMahieu, but he is not helping this roster, and while Jazz Chisholm may have the heart to play third base, his highest and best use is his work at second base. Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez is the current name most often mentioned for the Yankees. The Diamondbacks are currently 36-37, nine games behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, and three games out of the Wild Card chase. It is the distance to the Wild Card that will determine if the D-Backs are buyers or sellers at the deadline, and whether Suarez will be available. I do not care if the Yankees acquire Suarez or another experienced third baseman; I just want a good third baseman to manage the position. Getting an elite player is unlikely, but the Yankees would be improved by putting people at their best positions…not asking them to play out of position.

If the Yankees were contemplating designating LeMahieu for assignment last year, it is something they need to consider in the coming weeks, especially if they can get Chisholm back to his natural second base. Oswald Peraza is another guy who needs to go. His spot on the roster can be upgraded. The former top prospect, who turned twenty-five last week, is not going to be a star, and the Yankees would be better served by getting a better infielder who can provide stronger support for Volpe at shortstop. No doubt if the Yankees dropped Peraza, he would get picked up by Boston and become a star. That is how it works these days as the Red Sox continue their rebuilding through the effective play of multiple former Yankees. Oh well, I have seen enough of Peraza, and I am ready for other options.

I am always amazed at how Boston can get itself out from under heavy contracts, and the Yankees never can. Boston stunned the baseball world following their recent sweep of the Yankees when they sent their best hitter, Rafael Devers, to the San Francisco Giants in a surprising trade. When I first saw the trade reports, I thought it was just another one of those hypothetical trades with a clickbait title. The Red Sox had strained their relationship with Devers, and regardless of whether it was Devers’ fault or the team’s fault, it was starting to look like an irreparable situation. The Red Sox made their bed when they signed former Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, pushing Devers off third base. The breakdown was how poorly the situation was handled. Better communication with Devers would have helped ease the transition, but there was probably much behind the scenes that we may never know. Still, shipping Devers away when the Red Sox had just started to build some momentum after a slow start does not seem like the best move for October aspirations. I would not say the Red Sox only got a bag of balls for Devers. There is talent in the young players they acquired. One (James Tibbs III) was a first-round pick in last year’s draft. The worst aspect of it is the talent acquired is not ready for the Major Leagues, outside of Jordan Hicks. Boston may get some value this year, but more than likely, the incoming players (most notably Tibbs and Kyle Harrison) will help in future years, not this year unless the Red Sox can reignite the hard-throwing Hicks to the potential he once held. Boston seems to get more out of their young players than the Yankees, and I expect the Red Sox will do more with their recent acquisitions in time. However, in any way you slice it, losing Devers from their lineup hurts this year.

Rafael Devers (Photo Credit: Jeff Chiu/AP)

It is funny that Boston will immediately find out what life is like watching Devers from the opposing dugout when they travel to San Francisco this weekend. I hope Devers gives Boston the taste of some of those clutch late-inning home runs. Let them feel the pain and aggravation that we have suffered over the years. Devers was the biggest Red Sox thorn on the Yankees’ side since David Ortiz. I am glad the Yankees will rarely see him now that he resides in the Bay Area. He is the Dodgers’ problem now.

My biggest fear with Boston’s salary relief is that they will become a major player for Kyle Tucker when he hits free agency after the season. I know Tucker would be great in Yankee Stadium, but my preference is for him to wear the famed Pinstripes, not the Boston Road Gray uniform. It is hard to get excited about a potential superstar free agent signing, considering the Yankees have rarely been the winning bidder for the game’s best players in recent years. Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge, plus the brilliant signing of Max Fried, are the notable exceptions, but the Yankees have generally lost out on the game’s best talent. I assumed the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tucker’s current team, the Chicago Cubs, would be major bidders for his services later this year, but we can now add the Red Sox to the list of teams with stupid money to burn. Well, the Dodgers might be out with the news that their owner is purchasing a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers for ten billion dollars. Well, not out, but enough to give some pause about adding another high-dollar contract.

For all the negative comments on social media about Yankees manager Aaron Boone, I thought it was a class move on his part to add Joe Torre as an honorary coach for the American League squad during next month's All-Star Game in Atlanta. 

Joe Torre (Photo Credit: Corey Sipkin/New York Post)

Torre, as a former Braves player and manager, will be well received by local fans, and his presence next to Boone brings back so many warm feelings about those great Yankees teams under Torre.  Boone also added Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt to his All-Star coaching staff.

The trade deadline is a little more than a month away. It is time for Brian Cashman and company to start cooking. Fix what ails the team. I am not overly optimistic they will, but we can always hope. Go ahead, Brian, make our day.

Today is a good day for the start of a winning streak.

As always, Go Yankees! 

Ricky Ledee to Aaron Judge Trade Tree

 

Don't call it a comeback.... but we're back for the first time in what feels like forever with possibly a new set of content for all the Yankees fans reading today. How in the world did Ricky Ledee, I'll give you all a minute to Google the former Yankees left fielder in the dynasty years, lead the Yankees to their captain, Aaron Judge? That's what we are here to discuss with you all today.

The New York Yankees selected outfielder Ricky Ledee in the 16th round of the 1990 MLB Draft. While with the Yankees, Ledee spent parts of the 19998  - 2000 seasons in the Bronx winning two World Series rings with the club. After 62 games with the club in 2000, the Yankees needed an outfield upgrade for the postseason, which led New York to trade Ledee to the Cleveland Indians (Guardians) along with Jake Westbrook and Zach Day for popular star David Justice. 

Justice would stay with the Yankees for the 2000 season, winning a World Series against the New York Mets, as well as the 2001 season, seeing the team fall to the Arizona Diamondbacks in seven games, before being traded to the New York Mets prior to the 2002 season. Justice was traded in a rare cross-town trade with the Mets for third baseman Robin Ventura. 

Ventura was an All Star with the Yankees in 2002, falling short of the ultimate crown of World Series champions, before being flipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers halfway through the 2003 season. On July 31, 2003 the Yankees shipped Ventura off to the Dodgers for RHP Scott Proctor and outfield prospect Bubba Crosby. 

Proctor quickly became one of Joe Torre's favorite and most relied upon reliever during his stint with the Yankees, pitching in a league high 83 games in 2006. Proctor would throw in an identical 83 games during the 2007 season, but only 52 of those innings came with the Yankees, interrupted by another midseason trade back to the Los Angeles Dodgers. For what it's worth, New York didn't do much with Bubba Crosby after the trade aside from using him as our "starting center fielder" in the negotiations with then-Boston Red Sox free agent center fielder Johnny Damon. 

Another July 31 trade for New York saw the addition of infielder Wilson Betemit to bolster their bench, while the Dodgers added back Proctor to strengthen their bullpen. Betemit would spend two seasons in the Bronx, including the final year of the old Yankee Stadium in 2008, before the Yankees, who missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1994 strike-shortened season, went out and aggressively began adding to the team. Betemit was traded to the Chicago White Sox before the 2009 season, along with Jeff Marquez (draftyed and developed by the Yankees) and Jhonny Nunez (who was acquired in a separate trade involving Alberto Gonzalez from the Yankees side) for outfielder Nick Swisher and reliever Kanekoa Texeira. 

The Yankees would go on to win the World Series in 2009, behind Swisher and their flury of new additions, and were back on top of the baseball world. The team could not repeat their successes in 2010, nor in 2011 or 2012 before Swisher left the Yankees via free agency. Swisher would sign with the Cleveland Indians (Guardians) prior to the 2013 season, thus giving New York a compensation pick between the first and second rounds of the 2013 MLB First year Player's Draft. 

With the 32nd pick overall, the New York Yankees selected Aaron James Judge and the rest, as they say, is history. Judge has had a 62 home run season, breaking the American League single-season home run record, along with a 58 home run season in 2024, but the World Series trophy has eluded Judge since breaking through with the team in 2016. 

Imagine a world where the New York Yankees didn't have Aaron Judge playing in their outfield in the Bronx, kind of hard to picture right? Well that would have certainly been a reality had the Yankees not drafted Ledee way back in 1990. A lot of chips had to fall a certain way to lead the team to where they are today and I, for one, am happy with the progression. Judge will presumably spend his entire year with the Yankees as their captain of the squad and we all, as fans, have the likes of Ledee, Ventura, Proctor, Betemit and Swisher, to name a few, to thank for it.

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/9: Joe Torre Re-Signs w/ Yankees

On this day in 2004 the New York Yankees and manager Joe Torre agreed on a new three year deal, a three year pact that would be his last in Yankees pinstripes. The deal also included an additional six year deal in which the 62 year old manager would become a team adviser through the 2013 season.


Also on this day in 1965 the Houston Astros opened the first domed stadium when they hosted the New York Yankees at the Astrodome. During the opening ceremonies 24 astronauts threw 24 ceremonial first pitches in the "Eight Wonder of the World" as the Colt .45's became the Astros.



Finally on this day in 1963 Yogi Berra made an appearance on the television soap opera General Hospital as Dr. Lawrence Berra, a brain surgeon. Yogi did this as a favor to former Indians infielder Johnny Berardino, now known as Johnny Beradino who played Dr. Steve Hardy on the soap.

Meet the 2019 Yankees: Manager Aaron Boone

The hiring of Aaron Boone as the new manager of the New York Yankees was not a smooth one nor was it a popular one among fans as all sides had very strong opinions on the matter. Me personally, I couldn’t care less. That may come off as a little shocking, given my very opinionated demeanor and tendency to rant and rave, but it shouldn’t. None of the managerial options stood out above the rest in 2018 and I personally got the sense of “six of one, half dozen of the other” while looking over the candidates and following the interview process. Aaron Boone had no managerial or coaching experience, but neither did Carlos Beltran. Hensley Meulens would have been nice, but honestly how much impact does a manager really have? Especially on a team loaded with talent. How many times have we seen the talent bail out Joe Girardi over the past 10 years? More than once, so Yankees fans need to not panic so much and trust the process. Boone will be fine; the Yankees will be fine and we as a fan base and as an organization will survive this.With a full season under his belt, Boone and his analytics should be much better here in 2019 for the New York Yankees. Let’s meet the man that may already be more hated than Clueless Joe 1.0 and Clueless Joe 2.0, Mr. Aaron Boone. This is Meet a Manager: The Aaron Boone Edition.


Aaron John Boone was born on March 9, 1973 into the world of Major League Baseball. Aaron was the son of former Major League player Bob Boone, the grandson of Ray Boone and the brother of eventual Seattle Mariners star Bret Boone. Aaron spent time with the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Indians, the Florida Marlins, the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros from 1997 through 2009 before eventually retiring and heading into the Broadcast booth with ESPN as a part of their Sunday Night Baseball crew as well as a contributor to Baseball Tonight, also on ESPN.

Boone’s amateur career started at Villa Park High School in Villa Park, California where he played for the school’s baseball team. During Boone’s senior season the right-hander was named the Century League’s co-player of the year, catching the eye of the then California Angels who selected Boone on the third day of the 1991 MLB First Year Players Draft. Boone did not sign and instead went to the University of South California where he played baseball for the USC Trojans. In 1993 Boone also played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League leading his team to the league’s championship. Once again Boone’s name was called during the MLB Draft in 1994 but this time it was the Cincinnati Reds doing the selecting, and this time it was Boone who was signing the contract thus starting his professional career.


Boone toiled around in the Reds minor league system until making his debut in June of 1997 for the Reds. On the final day of the 1998 season Boone was a part of history with the Reds as on the last day of the season Cincinnati became the only team to every start two sets of brothers in their infield starting Stephen and Barry Larkin beside Bret and Aaron Boone. Boone started to become a household name in 2002 hitting 26 home runs and playing in all 162 games but the third baseman really began to catch the eye of the league when he was named to the 2003 All-Star Game for the National League. One team in particular took notice of Boone’s accomplishments that season and that team was the New York Yankees who traded three prospects to Cincinnati that summer for Boone’s services and Boone was worth every penny and every prospect. Why? The new shot heard round the world.

During Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series Boone hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning of the Boston Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield to give the Yankees a dramatic 6-5 victory while also punching the team’s ticket to the World Series. Boone will forever be known for this home run as the Yankees prolonged the Curse of the Bambino for at least one more season. Boone was on top of the world after the 2003 season and the only thing that could bring him back down was a pick-up basketball game of all things. Boone was playing basketball, something that was specifically written into his contract that he was not supposed to be doing and tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee prompting the Yankees to release Boone on February 27, 2004. The Yankees later acquired Alex Rodriguez in a trade with the Texas Rangers while Boone went on to sign a two-year deal with the Cleveland Indians in June of 2004.


Boone missed the entire 2004 season with the knee injury before spending the 2005 and 2006 seasons with the Indians. Boone signed a one-year deal with the Marlins before the 2007, another one-year deal with the Washington Nationals before the 2008 season and a final one-year deal with the Houston Astros for the 2009 season before officially retiring in 2009. Boone underwent open-heart surgery to replace a bicuspid aortic valve in his heart missing most of the 2009 season. Boone made his return to baseball on August 10 playing for the Astros Double-A minor league team before being activated by the big-league club on September 1 when rosters expanded. Boone played the final month of the season with Houston before retiring at the end of the 2009 season.

Boone went on to become a guest analyst for MLB Network in 2009 covering the ALCS between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before joining the ESPN crew for Baseball Tonight and Monday Night Baseball in 2010. Boone also called the 2014 and 2015 and 2017 World Series for ESPN Radio with Dan Schulman.


Even if things don’t work out for Aaron as the manager of the New York Yankees, don’t feel bad. Boone married Laura Cover and has her shoulder to cry on when he goes home every night. If that name sounds familiar, Cover was a Playboy Playmate and was Miss October 1998. Boone is doing just fine. Welcome back Boonie!

2 1/2 Weeks to Tampa...

The Yankees’ Migration to Florida Begins…

When the calendar page turns next Friday, we will enter a month WITH Yankees baseball for the first time since last October. It may not be “real games” but we’re getting the band together again in Tampa, FL and the Yankees will be playing their first organized exhibition game in less than a month when they travel to JetBlue Park in Fort Myers on Saturday, February 23rd to take on the bullpen-challenged Boston Red Sox.

I don’t know about you but I am ready to see the guys at Steinbrenner Field and watching the navy blue spring jerseys in full force.  

Before pitchers and catchers report to camp in roughly two and a half weeks, I’d really like to see the Yankees formally introduce their off-season acquisitions in a press conference at Yankee Stadium. It doesn’t appear it is going to happen but I always loved it when the Yankees held press conferences at the Stadium followed by photo sessions down on the often snow-covered field. It seems like ages ago when the Yankees acquired James Paxton, yet we’ve only heard his voice in interviews. Most of us have yet to see the smile on his face and the Big Maple tattoo on his arm as he talks about the excitement of being a Yankee.

Photo Credit: The Seattle Times (Ken Lambert)

If I owned the Yankees, I’d pull Paxton, Troy Tulowitzki, DJ LeMahieu, and Adam Ottavino to New York before they head to Tampa. Heck, Ottavino is already there so it would save Hal Steinbrenner some money.  

Nice post yesterday by Bryan Van Dusen entitled “Bryce Harper Will Be a Yankee”.  It’s worth checking out if you haven’t already done so. The way the market is playing out seems to be opening the possibility that Harper could find his way to Yankee Stadium. While I’ve long been a Manny Machado guy, I don’t really see the fit with Manny anymore given the infield acquisitions and the optimism Didi Gregorious could be back sooner than expected. Will there be a mid-summer “acquisition” better than Didi? I don’t think so. But as Bryan outlined yesterday, Harper fits the Yankees so many ways. I am sure they’ve heard the words of the newest Yankees talk about the reasons they joined the team. The theme of of an organization that wants to win every year resonates as does the lifelong dreams of wearing the famed Pinstripes. We know Bryce desires to be a Yankee. Hal Steinbrenner can make it happen and provide Yankee fans with one of the greatest young players in the game today (to go with our collection of other great young players).  

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated

The Boston Red Sox are seemingly hamstrung by their payroll. Not that I want the Yankees to be in a similar position, but the time to strike is now. Show no mercy. I want a roster that ensures the Red Sox are the team battling for Wild Card position this season and not the Yankees. The weakest position on the team, in my opinion, is left field. Brett Gardner is simply no longer the player he once was. Getting old sucks. I have no trust in Clint Frazier’s ability to stay healthy until he proves that he can. Jacoby Ellsbury? Please. Bring Bryce Harper to New York. His presence would help the other guys in the lineup and he’d deflect pressure off guys like Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez. 

If the market moves in the Yankees’ favor and they do sign Harper for less than original estimates, it will be one of Brian Cashman’s best moves in his Yankees career. Bryce Harper, New York Yankees. It sounds so right (or should I say ‘so lefty’?). Works for me. Let J.A. Happ pick out a new number. I hope he has that problem.  

Staying with the “it’s just money” theme, the Yankees got a good idea what it might take to retain CF Aaron Hicks when the Los Angeles Dodgers signed oft-injured CF A.J. Pollock to a five-year, $60 million contract this week. Hicks, if he can stay healthy this season, figures to command an equal if not greater deal. I probably wish Estevan Florial was closer to The Show but the Yankees will have some tough choices next off-season with Hicks, Didi Gregorius and Dellin Betances.  

It’s great to see the finalization of Adam Ottavino’s three-year contract. I am really excited about his presence on this year’s team. I wanted Ottavino to wear Number 0 but I understood the concerns of those who didn’t want the Yankees to issue a number that has never been worn in the history of the franchise. In the end, I am glad the Yankees made the decision to allow Otto to wear his number. I know many wanted Number 2 to be the last single digit worn but there’s no disrespect with Otto continuing the tradition of single digits. I was a little surprised when the Yankees retired Joe Torre’s Number 6. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the manager and I loved the championships he brought to the organization, but it’s not like he played on the field with number 6 and it’s not necessarily a number we strongly associate with him. I get retiring Casey Stengel’s number but honestly I think retiring numbers should be reserved for players, especially when the organization has so many retired numbers. Aaron Boone managed 162 regular season games last year plus the Wild Card game and ALDS, yet we could probably count on one hand the number of times we actually saw his number. Boone could win the next five consecutive World Series but I wouldn’t retire Number 17. The recognition should be for the players, not the coaching staff. Players have a greater effect on the success of a manager than the manager has on the players. The point is, Number 6 should still be in circulation, and Otto’s number 0 should not be the last single digit.

Well, since Number 6 is retired, I do think they should honor Roy White and give him equal credit for the number in the way Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra share the retirement of Number 8. Roy White was such a huge and consistent part of the Yankees in the early years of my fandom. The lifetime Yank deserves his day in the sun at Yankee Stadium, and recognition with a plaque in Monument Park. White played 15 years for the Yankees from 1965 through 1979. He was always overshadowed by the bigger names but he was the consummate professional and the glue on so many of those great Yankee teams. Maybe his numbers did not warrant the sole retirement of his number but he deserves credit for it as much as Joe Torre in a shared capacity, in my opinion.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Speaking of retired numbers, it will be interesting to see if the Yankees take Number 35 out of circulation now that Mike Mussina has been elected to the Hall of Fame. I was pleased to see Mussina make the HOF but he was never a lock to make it in my opinion. There are certainly a number of players who are equally deserving, or maybe even more so, that have never gotten the call. Nevertheless, I am proud of Mussina’s accomplishment. I had felt he should go into the Hall of Fame with his Orioles cap but I was pleased with his decision to go in with no logo like fellow Hall of Famer Roy “Doc” Halladay who was equally great on two teams (same as Moose).  

Mariano Rivera. What else can you say? The first man unanimously selected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame. There is no one better deserving of the honor and recognition.  We were privileged to see one of the game’s greatest and the best to ever play his position for so many years at Yankee Stadium. Growing up, I always thought how cool it would have been to see Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle (in his prime) play. As it stands today, I am glad I was able to see guys like Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter, and the Sandman. It makes up for never having seen the earlier legends. Congratulations Mo! You were one of a kind and we may never see someone of your greatness again. It was our pleasure to watch you.

Lastly, I was disappointed to see Al Leiter’s departure from the YES Network. I get his reasons for stepping down (to spend more time with his family and mentor his 18-year-old son Jack who will most likely be seen on Major League mounds in about a half decade or so). I was glad to hear Al will continue to appear on MLB Network but his voice will be sorely missed in the YES Network broadcast booth.  

I am excited that Baseball is right around the corner. After next weekend (the Super Bowl), all eyes will turn to America’s greatest game. Well, maybe not basketball fans and March Madness, but for the rest of us, the dawn of the 2019 season is on the horizon. Can’t wait.

As always, Go Yankees!

World Series: Dodgers vs Red Sox...

LA wins NLCS to advance to Fall Classic…

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been my favorite National League team and now they represent my final hope for ending Boston’s season without a championship. The Yankees couldn’t stop the Red Sox and neither could the defending Champion Houston Astros. I wasn’t too confident heading into Game 7 of the NLCS, especially with the game being played in Milwaukee, but the Dodgers showed the resiliency they’ve had all season to win the game in convincing fashion and propel themselves into the World Series for the second consecutive year.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Nothing against the Milwaukee Brewers. I think they’re a fine baseball team and I have much respect for former Miami Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich and former Yankees Erik Kratz and Curtis Granderson, but as a Minnesota Vikings fan, the thought of a World Series between the fan bases for both the Red Sox and Green Bay Packers was a bit too much for me. I am glad the Dodgers bailed me out. I guess I should also thank former Yankee Clay Bellinger and his wife for giving birth to Cody and setting the stage for young Bellinger’s go-ahead two-run homer last night.  

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Stacy Revere)

I wish the Dodgers had a more formidable bullpen outside of closer Kenley Jansen but the Red Sox proved you don’t need a great bullpen to make it to the World Series. I doubt we’ll see Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw closing out games in the World Series like he did Game 7 of the NLCS. But down the stretch, the Dodgers pen performed about as well as you could so I think I’ll take my chances with Dodger Blue over the course of the next four to seven games. The Dodgers have the bats to get into Boston’s bullpen and I think that will finally be the Achilles Heel for the Red Sox.  

It will be fun to see Manny Machado back in Boston. Like Manny’s response last night while celebrating when asked if the win was sweet after the boos from the crowd. He said “what do you think?” and took a swig of champagne. Perfect! There is no love lost between Machado and the Red Sox from his days in Baltimore, and I am sure much will be written in the coming days about his villainess in the city. No doubt the boo birds will show up in full force on Tuesday night. I’d love to see Machado to emerge as one of the heroes of this World Series. It makes a nice segue for his future as a Yankee.   

As previously written on this blog, I have finalized the wager with my long-time friend, Boston-area native/resident and die-hard Red Sox fan, Julia (@werbiefitz on Twitter). We have had numerous wagers over the years involving the Yankees and Red Sox. It was not meant to be (for me) this year so I am jumping on the Dodgers bandwagon for the latest wager. Well, it’s not really ‘bandwagon jumping’ since the Dodgers have long been my NL team and that wouldn’t have changed even if they had lost 115 games this year like the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees are still my primary team, but for the rest of October, I am bleeding Dodger Blue.  

For our wager, the loser must change her (okay, his/her) cover photo on FaceBook to a picture of the winning team celebrating their World Series championship for seven days at the conclusion of the 2018 World Series. The loser must also read a book chosen by the winner, and then post a minimum 500-word essay about the ten things they learned reading the book. Not a book review, but rather information that he/she did not previously know about the winning organization. The essay must then be posted on Social Media for all to see.   

For Julia, since the Dodgers are going to win, I’ve chosen Brothers in Arms:  Koufax, Kershaw and the Dodgers’ Extraordinary Pitching Tradition by Jon Weisman.

Should I lose, which is obviously not going to happen, Julia has chosen Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston by Howard Bryant.

We’ve had fun with these wagers over the years. I’ve had to take pics of myself wearing Red Sox hats, including a pink one, and Julia, a Red Sox fan from birth, has had to wear a Yankee hat…in public…in Boston. Since I don’t live in the New York City area, I’ve been fortunate I haven’t had to wear a Red Sox cap in the Bronx, but I am sure it is inevitable if we keep up these wagers.  

Game On, Julia! I am ready. My beloved Yankees may not have been able to take down the Red Sox this year, but I get a second chance with the Dodgers. 2018 has been a year of resiliency for the Dodgers who were once ten games below .500 (16-26) during the regular season.  They’ve battled back a few times, with their backs to the wall, and have always prevailed. They may have lost the 2017 World Series to the Houston Astros but this is a year of redemption. You’ll always have your 108 regular season wins, but sorry, my friend, your season will end on a down note. You may want to go ahead and buy the book in advance so that you are ready to start reading.

My prediction:  Dodgers in Six (with hat tip to former Yankees and Dodgers manager Joe Torre).

My apologies, I now return you to Yankees Baseball…

After celebrating Mickey Mantle’s birthday yesterday, today’s “Birthday Boy” is alive and well at age 90.  Happy Birthday to the Chairman of the Board, Edward Charles “Whitey” Ford!

Whitey was born on October 21, 1928 in New York City. A lifetime Yankee, Whitey pitched for the Pinstripers in 1950, served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War (thank you for your service!), and resumed his career in the Bronx from 1953 through 1967. Ford was 236-106, 2.75 ERA, and had 1,956 strikeouts for the Yankees. He was a ten-time MLB All-Star and he won six World Series championships. In 1961, he was the AL Cy Young Award winner and World Series MVP. Andy Pettitte may have surpassed Ford for most wins by a lefty in franchise history if not for Andy’s three years in Houston. Pettitte, who won 256 games overall, finished 17 wins behind Ford while wearing the famed Pinstripes. It is very appropriate for Ford to remain at the top of the list, closely followed by Pettitte, another former Yankee I hold in very high regard.   

I get excited to see Whitey Ford every year on Old Timer’s Day. His health is in decay (I know, it happens to the best of us) and there will be a day when he is no longer able to take part in the Yankee Stadium festivities. Like Mantle, he was a great, great Yankee, and perhaps the greatest living one. I am so proud he is among the greatest of Yankee Legends.  

I’ve seen a few Yankee fans say the team should sign Patrick Corbin, J.A. Happ, and Nathan Eovaldi for the starting rotation next year. The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo wrote this morning in his Sunday Baseball Notes that Eovaldi, currently part of Boston’s World Series roster, should command a deal comparable to the one that Alex Cobb signed late last off-season with the Baltimore Orioles (4 years at $57 million). If the Yankees are successful in signing Corbin and retaining Happ, that’s probably too much for the Yankees to sign Eovaldi as well, especially with young guys like Justus Sheffield, Jonathan Loaisiga, Albert Abreu and Domingo German waiting in the wings. If the Yanks lose out on Happ, I’d have no problem with an Eovaldi reunion but I am not really expecting it to happen.  

As for Corbin, Cafardo notes the Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Atlanta Braves will also be vying for his services. Here’s hoping “blood” is thicker than water. Assuming all dollars are fairly equal, I hope Corbin chooses his Yankee family roots. While Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado would be nice free agent signings (or in the words of TGP’s Daniel Burch, “luxuries”), Corbin is clearly the one I want and the one the team needs. Patrick, we’re waiting for ya, bud! Come join the Party in the Bronx! We will be spilling champagne in 2019!

After previously withdrawing his name from consideration for the managerial gig with the Cincinnati Reds, Joe Girardi has withdrawn his name from consideration in Texas for the Rangers job. I am a little surprised but I have always felt Girardi’s dream job is with the Chicago Cubs. I can’t see Joe Maddon staying with the Cubs too many more years so maybe that’s what Girardi is waiting for. Who knows. Maybe he is starting to understand the reasons he is no longer Yankees manager. As for the Reds, they’ll name David Bell as their new manager on Monday. Bell, like Yankees manager Aaron Boone, comes from a baseball family.  His grandfather, Gus, and his father, Buddy, were both Major Leaguers. Boonie is creating a new trend…analytics AND baseball in the blood. 

Lastly, a shout out to Didi Gregorius! He was sharing his million-dollar smile last night at the Knicks game. It didn’t help the Knicks win (they lost by two to Boston) but the pic put a smile on my face. It was a reality check to see his heavily wrapped elbow but the dude can light up any room with his effervescent personality. I can’t wait to see him back on the playing field, starting at shortstop, next summer.  

As always, Go Yankees!

This Day in New York Yankees History 6/30: Yankees Pull a Kansas City in All-Star Game

On this day in 2002 the Yankees became the first team in the American League since the 1956 Chicago White Sox to have four infielders and a catcher on the All Star roster. Jason Giambi, Alfonso Soriano, and Jorge Posada were voted in by the fans and Derek Jeter and Robin Ventura were chosen by the AL manager Joe Torre.


Also on this day in 1961 Whitey Ford became the first American League pitcher to win eight games in one month. Ford would throw a complete game win over the Washington Senators as the Yankees would win 5-1. This would be the Yankees 22nd team victory in June, a great month.


Finally on this day Cy Young showed why Major League Baseball would soon name their prestigious pitchers award after him, well that and leading the majors in wins and losses in his career, on this day in 1908 as Young no-hit the Highlanders 8-0. The 41 year old Red Sox pitcher would pitch his third no hitter of his career against the team that would soon be the New York Yankees.

Joe Girardi, Meet Buck Showalter

Man, you have to feel for manager Joe Girardi right now, don’t you? The man that has managed the New York Yankees for the last ten seasons was not offered a contract after the 2017 season leading the team to hire Aaron Boone, an inexperienced manager, to lead the Baby Bombers. Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it and this entire situation seems awfully familiar to me. Remember when, like Girardi, Buck Showalter managed through some bad seasons in New York only to be fired a season before the team began a dynasty? Does this not have the same feel to it? Does Girardi not seem like he is following the same pattern as Showalter did, and does that make Boone the next coming of “Clueless Joe?”

The Yankees were fresh off a trip to the American League Division Series as a Wild Card team in 1995 when Showalter was not brought back for the 1996 season. Joe Girardi led the Wild Card winning Yankees to the American League Championship Series in 2017 and was within one game of the 2017 World Series. In 1996 the Yankees did not bring back Showalter and brought in a surprising choice for manager in Joe Torre. See the offseason and the Aaron Boone signing for similarities in the story, they happened. The 1995 Yankees were young and had a promising group of players coming through the farm system including Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and eventually Jorge Posada. The 2018 Yankees? You know the names. Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Tyler Austin and others.

The Yankees had to sacrifice Showalter in order to get Torre, and that led to a dynasty. Whether it would have led to a dynasty with Showalter running things is a discussion for another day. Will the sacrifice of Girardi lead to another dynasty under Aaron Boone? Stay tuned, but how could it not?

This Day In New York Yankees History 5/18: Joe Torre Returns

On this day in 1999 after missing the team's first 36 games Joe Torre returns to the Yankees dugout to manage his first game of the season. Torre missed the first month and a half due to a successful surgery for prostate cancer. The Yankees would lose the game 6-3 against the Boston Red Sox but Torre would receive a two minute standing ovation from the Fenway Park crowd when the scoreboard lights up welcoming him home.

Meet a Manager: Aaron Boone

The hiring of Aaron Boone as the new manager of the New York Yankees was not a smooth one nor was it a popular one among fans as all sides had very strong opinions on the matter. Me personally, I couldn’t care less. That may come off as a little shocking given my very opinionated demeanor and tendency to rant and rave, but it shouldn’t. None of the managerial options stood out above the rest and I personally got the sense of “six of one, half dozen of the other” while looking over the candidates while following the interview process. Aaron Boone has no managerial or coaching experience, but neither did Carlos Beltran. Hensley Meulens would have been nice, but honestly how much impact does a manager really have? Especially on a team loaded with talent. How many times have we seen the talent bail out Joe Girardi over the past 10 years? More than once, so Yankees fans need to not panic so much and trust the process. Boone will be fine; the Yankees will be fine and we as a fan base and as an organization will survive this. Let’s meet the man that may already be more hated than Clueless Joe 1.0 and Clueless Joe 2.0, Mr. Aaron Boone. This is Meet a Manager: The Aaron Boone Edition.

Aaron John Boone was born on March 9, 1973 into the world of Major League Baseball. Aaron was the son of former Major League player Bob Boone, the grandson of Ray Boone and the brother of eventual Seattle Mariners star Bret Boone. Aaron spent time with the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Indians, the Florida Marlins, the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros from 1997 through 2009 before eventually retiring and heading into the Broadcast booth with ESPN as a part of their Sunday Night Baseball crew as well as a contributor to Baseball Tonight, also on ESPN.

Boone’s amateur career started at Villa Park High School in Villa Park, California where he played for the school’s baseball team. During Boone’s senior season the right-hander was named the Century League’s co-player of the year, catching the eye of the then California Angels who selected Boone on the third day of the 1991 MLB First Year Players Draft. Boone did not sign and instead went to the University of South California where he played baseball for the USC Trojans. In 1993 Boone also played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League leading his team to the league’s championship. Once again Boone’s name was called during the MLB Draft in 1994 but this time it was the Cincinnati Reds doing the selecting, and this time it was Boone who was signing the contract thus starting his professional career.

Boone toiled around in the Reds minor league system until making his debut in June of 1997 for the Reds. On the final day of the 1998 season Boone was a part of history with the Reds as on the last day of the season Cincinnati became the only team to every start two sets of brothers in their infield starting Stephen and Barry Larkin beside Bret and Aaron Boone. Boone started to become a household name in 2002 hitting 26 home runs and playing in all 162 games but the third baseman really began to catch the eye of the league when he was named to the 2003 All-Star Game for the National League. One team in particular took notice of Boone’s accomplishments that season and that team was the New York Yankees who traded three prospects to Cincinnati that summer for Boone’s services and Boone was worth every penny and every prospect. Why? The new shot heard round the world.

During Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series Boone hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning of the Boston Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield to give the Yankees a dramatic 6-5 victory while also punching the team’s ticket to the World Series. Boone will forever be known for this home run as the Yankees prolonged the Curse of the Bambino for at least one more season. Boone was on top of the world after the 2003 season and the only thing that could bring him back down was a pick-up basketball game of all things. Boone was playing basketball, something that was specifically written into his contract that he was not supposed to be doing and tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee prompting the Yankees to release Boone on February 27, 2004. The Yankees later acquired Alex Rodriguez in a trade with the Texas Rangers while Boone went on to sign a two-year deal with the Cleveland Indians in June of 2004.

Boone missed the entire 2004 season with the knee injury before spending the 2005 and 2006 seasons with the Indians. Boone signed a one-year deal with the Marlins before the 2007, another one-year deal with the Washington Nationals before the 2008 season and a final one-year deal with the Houston Astros for the 2009 season before officially retiring in 2009. Boone underwent open-heart surgery to replace a bicuspid aortic valve in his heart missing most of the 2009 season. Boone made his return to baseball on August 10 playing for the Astros Double-A minor league team before being activated by the big-league club on September 1 when rosters expanded. Boone played the final month of the season with Houston before retiring at the end of the 2009 season.

Boone went on to become a guest analyst for MLB Network in 2009 covering the ALCS between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before joining the ESPN crew for Baseball Tonight and Monday Night Baseball in 2010. Boone also called the 2014 and 2015 and 2017 World Series for ESPN Radio with Dan Schulman.

Even if things don’t work out for Aaron as the manager of the New York Yankees don’t feel bad, Boone married Laura Cover and has her shoulder to cry on when he goes home every night. If that name sounds familiar Cover was a Playboy Playmate and was Miss October 1998. Boone is doing just fine. Welcome back Boonie!

Meet a Prospect Special Edition: Aaron Boone

Watch the entire Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS above

The hiring of Aaron Boone as the new manager of the New York Yankees has not been a smooth one or a popular one among fans as all sides have very strong opinions on the matter. Me personally, I couldn’t care less which may come off as shocking, but it shouldn’t. None of the managerial options stood out above the rest and I got the sense of “six of one, half dozen of the other” while looking over the candidates and while following the interview process. Aaron Boone has no managerial or coaching experience but neither did Carlos Beltran. Hensley Meulens would have been nice but honestly how much impact does a manager really have? Especially on a team loaded with talent. How many times have we seen the talent bail out Joe Girardi over the past 10 years? More than once, so Yankees fans need not panic. Boone will be fine, the Yankees will be fine and we as a fan base and as an organization will survive this. Let’s meet the man that may already be more hated than Clueless Joe 1.0 and Clueless Joe 2.0, Mr. Aaron Boone. I guess we should be calling this Meet a Manager and not Meet a Prospect but regardless here we go, this is Meet a Prospect Special Edition: The Aaron Boone Edition.

Aaron John Boone was born on March 9, 1973 into the world of Major League Baseball. Aaron was the son of former Major League player Bob Boone, the grandson of Ray Boone and the brother of eventual Seattle Mariners star Bret Boone. Aaron spent time with the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Indians, the Florida Marlins, the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros from 1997 through 2009 before eventually retiring and heading into the Broadcast booth with ESPN as a part of their Sunday Night Baseball crew as well as a contributor to Baseball Tonight, also on ESPN.

Boone’s amateur career started at Villa Park High School in Villa Park, California where he played for the school’s baseball team. During Boone’s senior season the right-hander was named the Century League’s co-player of the year, catching the eye of the then California Angels who selected Boone on the third day of the 1991 MLB First Year Players Draft. Boone did not sign and instead went to the University of South California where he played baseball for the USC Trojans. In 1993 Boone also played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League leading his team to the league’s championship. Once again Boone’s name was called during the MLB Draft in 1994 but this time it was the Cincinnati Reds doing the selecting, and this time it was Boone who was signing the contract thus starting his professional career.

Boone toiled around in the Reds minor league system until making his debut in June of 1997 for the Reds. On the final day of the 1998 season Boone was a part of history with the Reds as on the last day of the season Cincinnati became the only team to every start two sets of brothers in their infield starting Stephen and Barry Larkin beside Bret and Aaron Boone. Boone started to become a household name in 2002 hitting 26 home runs and playing in all 162 games but the third baseman really began to catch the eye of the league when he was named to the 2003 All-Star Game for the National League. One team in particular took notice of Boone’s accomplishments that season and that team was the New York Yankees who traded three prospects to Cincinnati that summer for Boone’s services and Boone was worth every penny and every prospect. Why? The new shot heard round the world.

During Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series Boone hit a walk-off home run in the 11^th inning of the Boston Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield to give the Yankees a dramatic 6-5 victory while also punching the team’s ticket to the World Series. Boone will forever be known for this home run as the Yankees prolonged the Curse of the Bambino for at least one more season. Boone was on top of the world after the 2003 season and the only thing that could bring him back down was a pick-up basketball game of all things. Boone was playing basketball, something that was specifically written into his contract that he was not supposed to be doing, and tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee prompting the Yankees to release Boone on February 27, 2004. The Yankees later acquired Alex Rodriguez in a trade with the Texas Rangers while Boone went on to sign a two-year deal with the Cleveland Indians in June of 2004.

Boone missed the entire 2004 season with the knee injury before spending the 2005 and 2006 seasons with the Indians. Boone signed a one-year deal with the Marlins before the 2007, another one-year deal with the Washington Nationals before the 2008 season and a final one-year deal with the Houston Astros for the 2009 season before officially retiring in 2009. Boone underwent open-heart surgery to replace a bicuspid aortic valve in his heart missing most of the 2009 season. Boone made his return to baseball on August 10 playing for the Astros Double-A minor league team before being activated by the big-league club on September 1 when rosters expanded. Boone played the final month of the season with Houston before retiring at the end of the 2009 season.

Boone went on to become a guest analyst for MLB Network in 2009 covering the ALCS between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before joining the ESPN crew for Baseball Tonight and Monday Night Baseball in 2010. Boone also called the 2014 and 2015 and 2017 World Series for ESPN Radio with Dan Schulman.

Even if things don’t work out for Aaron as the manager of the New York Yankees don’t feel bad, Boone married Laura Cover and has her shoulder to cry on when he goes home every night. If that name sounds familiar Cover was a Playboy Playmate and was Miss October 1998. Boone is doing just fine. Welcome back Boonie!