Quick Hit: The History Behind the Word “Yankee”

Have you ever wondered where the word “Yankee” actually came from? I have so I did the research and here is what I came up with just in case you were wondering.

The word Yankee is generally considered to be a word that refers to people from the United States if you aren’t living in the US and specifically refers to people from the North if you are currently living in the South. This obviously came from the American Civil War, specifically those who lived and fought in the New England area. The speech dialect in New England is actually called “Yankee” or “Yankee dialect” believe it or not.


The earliest recorded use of the word Yankee was from British General James Wolfe in 1758 when he referred to the people who lived in what was is now the United States. The word caught fire and began being used all across Britain as a derogatory word for the New Englanders and Yankee Soldiers. The word has evolved ever since as Mark Twain wrote a book “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” which was more aimed at New England residents and less towards a United States Citizen. More or less these days the term Yankee, when not being referred to in baseball terms, is used from Americans living in the southern part of the United States referring to the people living in or originally from the northern part of the United States.


The word also has some ties to the Dutch as they inhabited what is now known as New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Dutch given names of Jan (John) and Kees (Cornelius) were the most common Dutch names and sometimes combined to make a single name, for example Jan Kees de Jager. The pronunciation from the Dutch sounds much like the word Yankee and some believe that Dutch Americans were given the name from the native Dutch. There is also the theory that the Dutch word for pet, Janke, was where the term came from as when you pronounce the “J” in English it comes out with a “Y” sound. The final Dutch theory for the word was the slur “John Cheese” as the Dutch were heavy into dairy cultivation and even introduced the black and white dairy cow from Friesland and North Holland to America in the mid-1600s. When the Dutch would say John Cheese it would sound roughly like “Yankees” and the term stuck over time.

In New York though Yankees just means winning. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Yankees Postseason History Recap: Raul, You’re So Cool

“Raul, You’re so Cool!” Raul Ibanez spent just one season in a Yankees uniform, but it was enough to win the hearts and minds of a whole lot of Yankees fans. Ibanez didn’t hit for much in the average department during the regular season, but he could always be counted on for the clutch hit when the Yankees needed it and they needed it on October 8th, 2012.

The Yankees went into the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles trailing 2-1 to the Baltimore Orioles while the ALDS was tied at one-game each. The Yankees offense was struggling, and Alex Rodriguez was pinch hit for in the bottom of the ninth leaving many to question Joe Girardi and his binder. The questionable move ended up working out for the Yankees as Ibanez launched a home run into the right field seats at Yankee Stadium sending the game to extra innings.

The game remained tied until the 12th when Ibanez came back up to the plate and it was de ja vu all over again. Ibanez hit another home run to walk off against the Orioles and give the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the ALDS. Ibanez earned more than one pinstripe on this night. 

Quick Hit: The History Behind the Word “Yankee”

Have you ever wondered where the word “Yankee” actually came from? I have so I did the research and here is what I came up with just in case you were wondering.

The word Yankee is generally considered to be a word that refers to people from the United States if you aren’t living in the US and specifically refers to people from the North if you are currently living in the South. This obviously came from the American Civil War, specifically those who lived and fought in the New England area. The speech dialect in New England is actually called “Yankee” or “Yankee dialect” believe it or not.


The earliest recorded use of the word Yankee was from British General James Wolfe in 1758 when he referred to the people who lived in what was is now the United States. The word caught fire and began being used all across Britain as a derogatory word for the New Englanders and Yankee Soldiers. The word has evolved ever since as Mark Twain wrote a book “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” which was more aimed at New England residents and less towards a United States Citizen. More or less these days the term Yankee, when not being referred to in baseball terms, is used from Americans living in the southern part of the United States referring to the people living in or originally from the northern part of the United States.


The word also has some ties to the Dutch as they inhabited what is now known as New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Dutch given names of Jan (John) and Kees (Cornelius) were the most common Dutch names and sometimes combined to make a single name, for example Jan Kees de Jager. The pronunciation from the Dutch sounds much like the word Yankee and some believe that Dutch Americans were given the name from the native Dutch. There is also the theory that the Dutch word for pet, Janke, was where the term came from as when you pronounce the “J” in English it comes out with a “Y” sound. The final Dutch theory for the word was the slur “John Cheese” as the Dutch were heavy into dairy cultivation and even introduced the black and white dairy cow from Friesland and North Holland to America in the mid-1600s. When the Dutch would say John Cheese it would sound roughly like “Yankees” and the term stuck over time.

In New York though Yankees just means winning. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Recapping Yankees Postseason History: 1999

The rematch. The New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves. These same two teams met in the 1996 World Series with the Yankees taking the series in six games. New York didn't let it get nearly that far this time sweeping the Atlanta Braves to close out the 20th century.

Watch the entire series-clinching game above. Have a good evening.

Yankees Postseason History Recap: Mickey…. Mantle

Now here’s one I didn’t see live and in person, the game was Game 7 of the 1952 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Vin Scully was working for the Dodgers then and Mickey Mantle was hitting for the Yankees and that’s exactly what he did in this deciding game.

In the Top of the 6^th inning with the score tied at 2-2 the Yankees center fielder stepped up to the plate to face the Dodgers Joe Black. Mantle proceeded to hit an eventual game-winning home run to right-center field against Black and later added insult to injury with an RBI single in the seventh inning to give the Yankees their fourth straight World Series ring.

This was also the second consecutive World Series victory over the Dodgers which never hurt since they were both native New York teams.

Yankees Postseason History Recap: Babe Ruth Calls His Shot

Rumor and legend has it that one man once pointed to the center field wall before an at-bat essentially calling that he was going to hit a home run. The man was Babe Ruth of the Yankees and it happened in Game Three of the 1932 World Series.

Ruth called his shot in the fifth inning against Chicago Cubs pitcher Charlie Root and did so while leading the Yankees to a 7-5 victory. I can’t think of another man, even in legend, that called his shot and actually hit one in a game let alone a World Series game so I guess that’s just part of what makes the Great Bambino special.

Here is a little nugget of personal information from me as well while we are on the subject. One time one of my teammates in Little League had an older brother who told us he would give us a $20 bill if we called a home run and hit one. Me being me, greedy, called the shot and promptly took a fastball to the calf. Even in Little League pitchers didn’t take kindly to calling your shot. That was as close as I ever got to being Babe Ruth and boy it hurt. 

Yankees Postseason History Recap: Raul, You’re So Cool

Since the New York Yankees are not in the postseason and since I won’t be doing game threads again until the World Series I figured let’s take a look back at some of the best Yankees moments in the team’s 113 season history. Every night we’ll end the day with a Yankees postseason history recap if we can while the 2016 playoffs are going on. Enjoy and if you have a suggestion leave it below in the comments section.

“Raul, You’re so Cool!” Raul Ibanez spent just one season in a Yankees uniform but it was enough to win the hearts and minds of a whole lot of Yankees fans. Ibanez didn’t hit for much in the average department during the regular season but he could always be counted on for the clutch hit when the Yankees needed it and they needed it on October 8^th, 2012.

The Yankees went into the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles trailing 2-1 to the Baltimore Orioles while the ALDS was tied at one-game each. The Yankees offense was struggling and Alex Rodriguez was pinch hit for in the bottom of the ninth leaving many to question Joe Girardi and his binder. The questionable move ended up working out for the Yankees as Ibanez launched a home run into the right field seats at Yankee Stadium sending the game to extra innings.

The game remained tied until the 12^th when Ibanez came back up to the plate and it was de ja vu all over again. Ibanez hit another home run to walk off against the Orioles and give the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the ALDS. Ibanez earned more than one pinstripe on this night. 

Recapping 2016: For The First Time in Yankees History….

The New York Yankees made a bit of history in 2016 but it’s not the kind of history the team probably wants to be remembered for. This wasn’t a Yankees team setting a franchise record for home runs, wins or even RBI. Nope. This team was too busy setting another record. A record that has never happened in Yankees franchise history. For the first time ever in the 113-year history of the Yankees the team failed to throw a complete game in 2016. The binder says hello.

In 2004, 2007 and 2008 the New York Yankees put up just one complete game in each of those three seasons while last year the staff managed three complete games. In 2016 the rotation managed none. The Yankees staff did set a record for most strikeouts in a single season this season as well so you have to take the good with the bad but after 1123 years you figured the team would be running out of firsts to accomplish.

If this doesn’t tell you that at least an arm or two need to be added next season then I don’t think anything will. Dellin Betances is begging for it right now. 

Quick Hit: The History Behind the Word “Yankee”

Have you ever wondered where the word “Yankee” actually came from? I have so I did the research and here is what I came up with just in case you were wondering.

The word Yankee is generally considered to be a word that refers to people from the United States if you aren’t living in the US and specifically refers to people from the North if you are currently living in the South. This obviously came from the American Civil War, specifically those who lived and fought in the New England area. The speech dialect in New England is actually called “Yankee” or “Yankee dialect” believe it or not.


The earliest recorded use of the word Yankee was from British General James Wolfe in 1758 when he referred to the people who lived in what was is now the United States. The word caught fire and began being used all across Britain as a derogatory word for the New Englanders and Yankee Soldiers. The word has evolved ever since as Mark Twain wrote a book “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” which was more aimed at New England residents and less towards a United States Citizen. More or less these days the term Yankee, when not being referred to in baseball terms, is used from Americans living in the southern part of the United States referring to the people living in or originally from the northern part of the United States.


The word also has some ties to the Dutch as they inhabited what is now known as New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Dutch given names of Jan (John) and Kees (Cornelius) were the most common Dutch names and sometimes combined to make a single name, for example Jan Kees de Jager. The pronunciation from the Dutch sounds much like the word Yankee and some believe that Dutch Americans were given the name from the native Dutch. There is also the theory that the Dutch word for pet, Janke, was where the term came from as when you pronounce the “J” in English it comes out with a “Y” sound. The final Dutch theory for the word was the slur “John Cheese” as the Dutch were heavy into dairy cultivation and even introduced the black and white dairy cow from Friesland and North Holland to America in the mid-1600s. When the Dutch would say John Cheese it would sound roughly like “Yankees” and the term stuck over time.

In New York though Yankees just means winning. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 9/12

For only the third time during the regular season in the history of these two storied franchises will the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium play host to the Los Angeles Dodgers in an interleague matchup. These two teams have played eight times inside Dodger Stadium which could lead me to another rant about MLB schedule makers but really at this point who cares? They are going to do what they are going to do and that's that. Onward to the game that will showcase the Yankees sending Bryan Mitchell to the mound to square off against one of the Dodgers top prospects in Jose De Leon. This is going to be fun.

Mitchell pitched wonderfully in his last start and first start in the Major Leagues and may have earned the rotation spot for New York for the remainder of the season. I don't believe anyone expects him to be as dominant as he was last time out going forward but if Mitchell can give the Yankees innings he may help lead them to the postseason in 2016.

De Leon will make another start tonight for the injured Scott Kazmir and will be looking for his second win of his MLB career as well. In his debut as a starter De Leon struck out nine batters in six innings of work but he did allow four runs in the start.


The historic game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network for Yankees fans and MLB TV. I cannot emphasize just how awesome this series is going to be for the teams and fans of both sides. When two historic teams go head-to-head inside historic baseball stadiums, although of course the new Yankee Stadium doesn't hold the same prestige as the old mind you, it's just fun all-around for everyone involved. Need a win. Get a win. Go Yankees!

WATCH: Documentary 56: The Streak

It seems like the older I get the less “fun” I like to have. Sure I still love to have fun but I think my idea of sun has changed since turning 30 and having children. No longer do I want to drink and stay up all night being rowdy and such since now my idea of fun is taking my son to a baseball game or popping some popcorn and watching a movie with my family. I said all that to say this, and no I’m not just rambling believe it or not, I know what I will be doing on Sunday, May 15^th. It will be fun, at least in my opinion, because it’s Yankees related. I’ll be sitting on my couch watching a documentary surround Joe DiMaggio and his 56 game hitting streak.

This Sunday at 8:00 pm ET on MLB Network Ed Burns will narrate the latest documentary to be showcased on “MLB Network Presents” when he narrates “56: The Streak.” This day is important because it marks the 75^th anniversary of the day that DiMaggio began the streak and record that may never be broken.

I’ll be watching and I thought many of my fellow Yankees fans would like to watch as well so I thought I’d pass along the news. Enjoy!

What if Alex Rodriguez Ties and/or Passes Babe Ruth in 2016?

This time last year every media outlet, every camera, every microphone and every person’s full attention was on Alex Rodriguez for all the wrong reasons. Alex was preparing for his first full season in the Major Leagues since missing all of 2014 with a steroids related drug suspension and was also preparing to not only tie but pass Willie Mays for fourth place on the all-time home runs list for MLB. The drama only started in March of 2015 but this time around the attention will be on Alex for a different set of reasons. Can he be a leader in the Yankees clubhouse? Can he mentor the young guns the Yankees are currently stockpiling on the roster and can he come close to matching the production he put out in 2015? And in the same breathe what will happen if and when Alex ties and passes former Yankees great Babe Ruth?

I pose the question because the Yankees and Alex had a bit of a debate, let’s call it a debate anyway, over his $6 million home run trigger bonus when he tied Mays on the all-time list. The Yankees refused to pay Alex the money for reasons that have been beat into the ground more times than we’d all like to remember or admit and in the end the team and Alex decided to donate a portion of the money to a charity of Alex’s choice to settle the discussion. Will there be a peaceful resolution this time around or will Alex want the money that was written into his contract?

I don’t pretend to know the current financial situation that Alex is in after all the legal fees he accumulated and such but you would have to think that he could still “use” an easy $6 million in his bank account. The problem here, and I mentioned this last year as well, is that he set a precedence last season when he agreed to donate the money. In the eye of an outsider that seems like Alex admitted at least some wrongdoing or guilt in the situation while allowing himself to forfeit the money. What makes him any less “wrong” or “guilty” or any more “worthy” of the money this time around just because he seemingly turned his life around and his career both on and off the field?

For all I know the Yankees may simply write the check and not bat an eye lash but if the history of the situation is any indicator of the future I just can’t see that happening. I may be exaggerating a little bit but it seems like the whole organization would stop and bend down in front of you to pick up a nickel so imagine what they would do for $6 million in change? I can see another fight on the way and it’s going to come down to whether the Yankees want to get out “Yankee Way’d” by Alex Rodriguez again or not.