2019 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot

Mariano Rivera
Roy Halladay
Todd Helton
Andy Pettitte
Edgar Martinez (last chance on the ballot)
Fred McGriff (last chance on the ballot)
Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Mike Mussina
Curt Schilling
Manny Ramirez
Sammy Sosa
Larry Walker
Omar Vizquel
Andruw Jones
Scott Rolen
Jeff Kent
Gary Sheffield
Billy Wagner
Lance Berkman (first time ballot)
Roy Oswalt (first time ballot)
Rick Ankiel
Jason Bay
Freddy Garcia
Jon Garland
Travis Hafner
Ted Lilly
Derek Lowe
Darren Oliver
Juan Pierre
Placido Polanco
Miguel Tejada
Vernon Wells
Kevin Youkilis
Michael Young

All Rise for Aaron Judge in the Judge’s Chambers

All Rise for the Judge! Court is now in session in The Judge’s Chambers here inside Yankee Stadium. On Monday night court opened up inside Yankee Stadium as three rows inside Yankee Stadium turned into The Judge’s Chambers. A total of 18 fans were seen wearing black judicial robes with the Yankees logo on the front and Judge’s number 99 on the back honoring the Yankees rookie right fielder.

This is not uncommon around the league for fans to turn entire sections of the ballpark into a dedicated section for a player. Remember Mannywood in left field inside Dodger Stadium? Remember the King’s Court for Felix Hernandez out in Seattle? Well it’s kind of like that although in those sections any fans can buy tickets and sit there while the Yankees will choose certain fans to sit there. Obviously wearing an Aaron Judge jersey or t-shirt or a judicial robe will get chosen along with their families which could be kind of interesting. Those chosen will be given Styrofoam gavels stamped with “All Rise!” on the side to tap against the bench. The robes stay in the section.

I can see this section being turned into a place for charity groups, birthday parties, Little League teams etc. can go and hang out and be honored while honoring the Judge.

What an honor for a kid who has been in the Major Leagues for just a few short months between last season and this season but if you pay attention to the Yankees and head out to the games you know why the Yankees are honoring him so soon. He interacts with the Yankees fans on Twitter and Instagram and he has played catch with fans in the stands on more than one occasion. You can always see him giving kids baseballs in the stands in-between innings and such and he just treats the game how you’re supposed to treat it in my opinion, like a game. This isn’t a job for Judge and that mindset is just part of what makes Judge truly special.

Congratulations to him and I look forward to seeing everyone in The Judge’s Chambers this season and beyond. If anyone sits in those seats and wants to be covered here on the blog with your pictures showcased on the blog then contact me on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) or by shooting me an email at thegreedypinstripes at gmail dot com.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens… In the Hall?

I have sent my Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot in and on my ballot I listed a few questionable and/or controversial names. Two of those names were Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. With the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) ballots due on New Year’s Eve the early numbers suggest that I may not be alone in my thought process in adding these two to the ballots. Could we see a year where both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are in the Hall of Fame?

Ryan Thibodaux tracks the votes for the BBWAA and reportedly he has seen 122 of the 435 ballots come through as of the beginning of the week. According to Thibodaux the pair of historic suspected steroid users are garnering votes at a much higher rate than last year and at a much higher rate than expected. Last year Bonds had 44.3% of the vote while Clemens had 45.2% of the vote, as a reminder any player needs at least 75% of the vote to gain entrance into the Hall of Fame, but this year according to reports the pair each have tallied a whopping 71.3% of the vote to date.

Thibodaux also adds that Manny Ramirez, who has failed a pair of tests during the testing era and was suspended in both 2009 and 2011, has received 32% of the vote thus far. This is surprising and this actually makes me a little weary about what’s to come in the coming years but that’s another blog post for another day.

What a way to kick off 2017. Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds… both potentially Hall of Fame players finally. Stay tuned, it may happen. 

Let’s Discuss the 2017 Hall of Fame Ballot

Every winter when the hot stove begins to sizzle the Hall of Fame debate and vote heads to the center stage which always makes for a good discussion. This year will be no different with first-timers and former All-Stars Manny Ramirez and Pudge Rodriguez along with Vladimir Guerrero.

Let’s start with the new guys first. Manny Ramirez failed a steroid test in 2009 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and served a 50 game suspension for it only to fail another test in 2011 with the Dodgers as well. Rather than face his 100-game suspension Ramirez decided to ultimately retire to avoid the suspension. The next winter he applied for reinstatement and served another 50 game suspension for the failed test before riding off into the sunset for good after spending the 2012-2014 seasons in the minor leagues. Ramirez won’t make the ballot and he shouldn’t make the ballot. Period.

Pudge Rodriguez never officially failed a steroid test but he was named in Jose Canseco’s tell all book on steroids that was released in 2005. That shadow of a doubt alone will likely keep Pudge off the ballot in 2017 whether he really injected Canseco with steroids or not while a member of the Texas Rangers.

Vlad Guerrero was a nine-time All-Star in Major League Baseball and a 2004 AL MVP Award winner with the Anaheim Angels. Vlad finished his career with a .318 batting average, 449 home runs and 1,496 RBI in 16 seasons. If Vlad had reached that magical milestone of 500 home runs I don’t think this would be a discussion but at this point this looks more like a very solid career and less of a Hall of Fame career in my eyes. With the whole steroid era thing and Vlad being presumably clean though those 449 home runs as a clean player in a dirty era may look like 549 home runs to some of the voters.

Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds also have steroid allegations surrounding them and will likely miss the Hall of Fame for the fifth time. Jorge Posada also joins the ballot along with Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek, Edgar Renteria and others but none of them seem likely to make the hall unfortunately. Most will likely not even be on the ballot this time next year. Someone else who won’t be on the ballot next year, either way, is Tim Raines but you know what? I think, and especially after getting 69.8% of the vote last year, Raines will finally get in on his final shot.

What say you?

Most Popular Article of the Week: David Ortiz’s Letter to Yankees Fans

So I write a letter to David Ortiz this morning and by the afternoon we already have a response. Talk about service right? And only service you can get here at The Greedy Pinstripes mind you. I wish we had that much pull around the team and around baseball but instead I am referring to the article that Ortiz posted on the Derek Jeter owned Players Tribune where he wrote a letter to New York and the fans of the New York Yankees. To read the entire article head over to the Players Tribune and give it a read while I sample it for you here before tonight’s finale in the Bronx.

“The other day, one of my teammates comes over to me in the clubhouse and says, “Hey, you see what they’re gonna do to you in New York?”

I don’t know what he’s talking about.

I’m like, “What’s up? They gonna give me a pizza or something?”

He says, “Nah. Your last game, the fans are gonna pull their pants down.”

I’m like, “Nah, bro. Come on. Be serious.”

Then he shows me an article on his phone about some guy who’s trying to get everybody in Yankee Stadium to moon me.

This dude even made a whole website: moonbigpapi.com.

Bro.

Bro.

Come on.

Let me tell you something. If 50,000 people moon me, I promise you two things.

First, I’m gonna laugh so hard I might start crying.O

When the tears dry, I’m gonna step up to the plate and try to hit the ball all the way to the choo choo train. You gotta be careful. You guys don’t have Mariano no more, you know what I’m saying?

Listen, Yankee fans. I gotta admit something to you. And I’m serious about this. I got love for you.

It’s just a little bit of love, but I do.”

Okay. The fact that he’s seen MoonBigPapi.com and then plugged it on this post is absolutely amazing. I love it. So awesome. Carrying on.

“My mom did everything at home, and she still had side-jobs to get us extra money. In those days, you could buy clothes real cheap in Curaçao, so she used to take shopping trips to the island. She would load up two suitcases full of dress clothes and bring them back to Santo Domingo to sell them to the workers at the hotel resorts.

It was a way to make a little bit of extra money. She would do whatever it took to make sure we were fine.

When I was playing Double A ball in ’97, I got her a visa to come to the States for the first time. It was just the two of us chilling in Connecticut for a few days. She got to visit New York City before she flew back home, and she was just so happy. Her dream, her whole life, was to give her kids an opportunity. New York City, to us, was like the capital of the world.

My mom died in a car accident in 2002, before I got to the Red Sox and really started having success in the big leagues. My life has turned out amazing, but the only thing I wish is that she could be here for all this. When I take the field at Yankee Stadium for the last time, she’s not gonna be there to see it. That’s kind of tough, to be honest with you. But I know she would be so proud that we made it to the top of the world.”

Many forget that Major League Baseball players are also human. This is not “just a kids game” to them. This is life and they have a life outside of it just like you or I. Moving on.

“When I was a kid, I used to tear the heads off my sister’s dolls and use them as baseballs. I’d steal a broomstick from my mom’s closet and hit the heads over this fence. Whoom, Barbie went flying into the sky.

I used to dream that I was hitting home runs at Yankee Stadium.

Nowadays, I hope the kids doing that same shit are dreaming they’re at Fenway.

Yankee fans, I got one final thing to tell you.

Thank you. For real. You pulled the best out of me.

When you boo me, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.

I’m not gonna lie to you. Sometimes I get outta bed in the morning, and it’s like, Damn. What happened? I got old. It takes me a long time to get my body ready for these games now. But I guarantee you this. When our bus pulls up to Yankee Stadium today, I’m gonna be ready to go. And when I hear you boo me, I’m gonna try to hit the ball over that white fence, all the way to the mother******* choo choo train.

Respect.”

Let’s hope not. 

David Ortiz’s Letter to Yankees Fans

So I write a letter to David Ortiz this morning and by the afternoon we already have a response. Talk about service right? And only service you can get here at The Greedy Pinstripes mind you. I wish we had that much pull around the team and around baseball but instead I am referring to the article that Ortiz posted on the Derek Jeter owned Players Tribune where he wrote a letter to New York and the fans of the New York Yankees. To read the entire article head over to the Players Tribune and give it a read while I sample it for you here before tonight’s finale in the Bronx.

“The other day, one of my teammates comes over to me in the clubhouse and says, “Hey, you see what they’re gonna do to you in New York?”

I don’t know what he’s talking about.

I’m like, “What’s up? They gonna give me a pizza or something?”

He says, “Nah. Your last game, the fans are gonna pull their pants down.”

I’m like, “Nah, bro. Come on. Be serious.”

Then he shows me an article on his phone about some guy who’s trying to get everybody in Yankee Stadium to moon me.

This dude even made a whole website: moonbigpapi.com.

Bro.

Bro.

Come on.

Let me tell you something. If 50,000 people moon me, I promise you two things.

First, I’m gonna laugh so hard I might start crying.O

When the tears dry, I’m gonna step up to the plate and try to hit the ball all the way to the choo choo train. You gotta be careful. You guys don’t have Mariano no more, you know what I’m saying?

Listen, Yankee fans. I gotta admit something to you. And I’m serious about this. I got love for you.

It’s just a little bit of love, but I do.”

Okay. The fact that he’s seen MoonBigPapi.com and then plugged it on this post is absolutely amazing. I love it. So awesome. Carrying on.

“My mom did everything at home, and she still had side-jobs to get us extra money. In those days, you could buy clothes real cheap in Curaçao, so she used to take shopping trips to the island. She would load up two suitcases full of dress clothes and bring them back to Santo Domingo to sell them to the workers at the hotel resorts.

It was a way to make a little bit of extra money. She would do whatever it took to make sure we were fine.

When I was playing Double A ball in ’97, I got her a visa to come to the States for the first time. It was just the two of us chilling in Connecticut for a few days. She got to visit New York City before she flew back home, and she was just so happy. Her dream, her whole life, was to give her kids an opportunity. New York City, to us, was like the capital of the world.

My mom died in a car accident in 2002, before I got to the Red Sox and really started having success in the big leagues. My life has turned out amazing, but the only thing I wish is that she could be here for all this. When I take the field at Yankee Stadium for the last time, she’s not gonna be there to see it. That’s kind of tough, to be honest with you. But I know she would be so proud that we made it to the top of the world.”

Many forget that Major League Baseball players are also human. This is not “just a kids game” to them. This is life and they have a life outside of it just like you or I. Moving on.

“When I was a kid, I used to tear the heads off my sister’s dolls and use them as baseballs. I’d steal a broomstick from my mom’s closet and hit the heads over this fence. Whoom, Barbie went flying into the sky.

I used to dream that I was hitting home runs at Yankee Stadium.

Nowadays, I hope the kids doing that same shit are dreaming they’re at Fenway.

Yankee fans, I got one final thing to tell you.

Thank you. For real. You pulled the best out of me.

When you boo me, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.

I’m not gonna lie to you. Sometimes I get outta bed in the morning, and it’s like, Damn. What happened? I got old. It takes me a long time to get my body ready for these games now. But I guarantee you this. When our bus pulls up to Yankee Stadium today, I’m gonna be ready to go. And when I hear you boo me, I’m gonna try to hit the ball over that white fence, all the way to the mother******* choo choo train.

Respect.”

Let’s hope not. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 6/5: Manny Ramirez ties Roger Maris

On this day in 2001 the Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez is intentionally walked four times in one game to tie a major league record. The game lasted 18 innings and 5 hours and 52 minutes as Ramirez tied the Yankees Roger Maris in the history books.


Also on this day in 1992 the Mets first baseman Eddie Murray knocks in two RBI's to pass Yankees legend Mickey Mantle for most RBI's all time by a switch hitter. Murray's 1,509th RBI was knocked in at the old Three Rivers Stadium.


Finally on this day in 1939 the Yankees were shut out for the first and only time of the season when Tommy Bridges of the Tigers shut down the Yankees offense.

David Ortiz & Perennial Yankees Killers During my Lifetime

As much as I hate to admit this you have to respect what David Ortiz has done in his major league career. Sure you have the controversy of the failed steroid test and the Mitchell Report inclusion that wasn’t an inclusion because a Boston-area Senator was in charge of the report but if you can presume that he has been clean since, and every drug test he’s taken has suggested that he is, then you still have to think he has Hall of Fame numbers. Numbers, I didn’t say credentials. While his Hall of Fame credentials may always be up for debate and the fact that he has as many failed tests as Alex Rodriguez has may be as well you cannot deny the fact that he’s been a perennial Yankee killer. In fact there have been quite a few during my lifetime and we will showcase them here this evening in honor, for lack of a better word, of Ortiz.

Ortiz once had a teammate, speaking of failed steroid tests, in Manny Ramirez that made up one of the toughest middle-of-the-lineups in my recent memory. Ramirez faced the Yankees in 203 games and hit a monster 55 home runs against them with 165 RBI and a .322 batting average. Ramirez killed just about every team though. 

Speaking of Ortiz, Ramirez and the Red Sox there was a trio of starting pitchers that the Yankees simply could not get to on most nights consistently. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey all shut down some of the greatest offenses of my lifetime starting with Beckett in the 2003 World Series and ending with Lester and Lackey most recently before being traded away by the Red Sox. 

Speaking of the pitching side of things I can remember Roy Halladay mowing down Yankees with tons of consistency. It didn’t matter who the mighty Yankees sent at Halladay in his years with the Toronto Blue Jays the man they called Doc set them down with ease. I halfway remember skipping games on purpose that he pitched to save myself the aggravation. 

The final pair of teammates to completely torment the Yankees date back to my early years as a fan. Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez absolutely destroyed the New York Yankees. I can remember Tino Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. trading home runs on a Saturday afternoon in the Bronx more than once and it always seemed like the Mariners got the better of the Yankees. It started in 1995 in the ALDS and it went on that way until the Yankees beat the 116-win Mariners in 2001. Edgar killed Yankees closer Mariano Rivera at the plate, one of the few that could say that, and Griffey killed anyone and everyone put in front of him during his prime. All because as a child he got kicked out of the Yankees clubhouse when his father, Ken Griffey Sr., was a member of the team. Way to hold a grudge kid!

Jenrry Mejia, Steroids & Technicalities

I have to preface this article with a little semi-discussion about something. While reading the “You’re a Tool” post by Bryan Van Dusen here on the blog I just had to shake my head and almost snicker at Jenrry Mejia and his blatant ignorance to what he did wrong. Mejia used a well-known and “old school” steroid that was easily detectable and didn’t even bother to cover it up or try and mask it causing his third and possibly final failed steroid test in his Major League career. Mejia then had the audacity to complain about the fact that the MLB Players Union didn’t defend him through the entire process. Seriously? Anyway the failed drug test resulted in a permanent ban from MLB with an open door to appeal in one year making him the first to ever be banned permanently from the game, well technically anyway.

Remember a thorn in the Yankees side named Manny Ramirez that was suspended not once, not twice but three times after failing various drug and steroid tests? Well Ramirez never truly got the permanent ban because he simply retired from the game rather than facing his punishment. Back then it was a 100-game suspension for his positive test but the suspension became permanent when Ramirez chose to retire rather than sit out the 100 games.

Ramirez later latched on with the Chicago Cubs as a minor league hitting instructor and seemingly turned his life around for the better. Ramirez credited the turnaround with finding God and a renewed faith and is now a staple in the Cubs clubhouse and in their organization. There is no reason that Mejia cannot do the same but Jenrry has to show some accountability, unlike what Ramirez did initially. Stand up, admit what you did was wrong and face your punishment. Sit out a year, appeal and possibly come back after two seasons. I know this sounds crazy coming out of a Yankees fans mouth but I am urging Mejia to be like Manny. Be like Manny Ramirez, not like the tool that Bryan Van Dusen thinks that you are. 

Looking Ahead to a Potential 2017 Hall of Fame Ballot

The 2016 Hall of Fame ballot and vote is officially in the books with Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza making their walk into Cooperstown on the BBWAA side of things. As far as the IBWAA goes we elected Piazza in 2015 allowing the Internet Baseball Writers Association of American to elect Ken Griffey Jr. and his former teammate Edgar Martinez into the hall. The 2016 vote is over but it's never too early to look towards 2017.

Here are some notable first time and holdover players that will grace the 2017 ballot:

Mike Cameron
J.D. Drew
Vladimir Guerrero
Derek Lee
Magglio Ordonez
Jorge Posada
Manny Ramirez
Edgar Renteria
Ivan Rodriguez
Jason Varitek
Tim Wakefield

I don't see any slam dunks on this list personally. I believe Vlad will get in and Posada will garner more votes than expected but that's about it. This could potentially open the flood gates of votes for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and others.

New Drug Added to MLB’s Approved List

All this talk of drugs around Major League Baseball makes me feel uneasy, especially when the league is actually adding drugs to the approved list like they did this week. I just feel like with the technology we have today and the lack of blood testing, although there is more than ever, that things can be masked and made to look like other drugs. The drug that was added to the approved list, although you still need an approval through Major League Baseball, is a drug that treats gynecomastia.

Gynecomastia is the swelling of male breast tissue and is often referred to as “man boobs.” Please be nice in the comments section. This disease is treated with the same drugs that Manny Ramirez failed a steroid test for back in 2009 and the same drug that many major league players have been linked to since drug testing was implemented and the Mitchell Report.

These estrogen suppressors are used as an alternative to surgery to treat a disease that surprisingly about half of all men suffer from. Steroids users have long used drugs that suppress or stop the flow of estrogen and they are used as the end of a steroid cycle to help the body regain its ability to produce testosterone naturally.

The player who received the exemption for this drug was not named in the report. 

Bob Nightengale is Drinking the Kool-Aid

Bob Nightengale is apparently a fan of the “red” flavored Kool-Aid that is being passed around by Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz because with his latest piece for the USA Today he went way off course. Nightengale didn’t beat around the bush in his article, SEEN HERE, either he got straight to the point making his case for Ortiz to be sent to Cooperstown, New York four years after his playing career is over. His opinion is his opinion and I respect him for it but sometimes a writer tends to dig his own hole, jump in it and begin to cover himself without even knowing it and Nightengale did just that in my opinion with this piece.

Here is a direct quote from the linked article above:

The man has 498 home runs, just two shy of the magical 500 mark that gains automatic entrance into the Hall of Fame, with the exception of those who have been caught, or linked to performance-enhancing drugs.

“With the exception of those who have been caught or linked to performance-enhancing drugs.” Oh you mean like the Mitchell Report in 2007 that showed Ortiz had a failed drug test? That same Mitchell Report that is keeping Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and will likely keep Gary Sheffield out of the Hall of Fame this season despite him hitting that “magical 500 mark that gains automatic entrance into the Hall of Fame?”

Bob, you can talk about the decline in home run hitting since drug testing was implemented and you can mention that Ortiz was not mentioned in either the BALCO scandal or the Biogenesis clinic fallout but that does not and should not erase his failed drug test from back in 2003, whether he bought “the damn pills from the mall” or not. His postseason resume means squat unless you’re willing to look past Andy Pettitte’s HGH use and willing to consider him for the Hall based on his playing career and postseason stats, but they won’t. You respect Ortiz, and so do I as a player, but he’s not in the Hall of Fame unless everyone is in the Hall of Fame. Bottom line. You’re better than that. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 6/5: Manny Ramirez ties Roger Maris

On this day in 2001 the Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez is intentionally walked four times in one game to tie a major league record. The game lasted 18 innings and 5 hours and 52 minutes as Ramirez tied the Yankees Roger Maris in the history books.

Also on this day in 1992 the Mets first baseman Eddie Murray knocks in two RBI's to pass Yankees legend Mickey Mantle for most RBI's all time by a switch hitter. Murray's 1,509th RBI was knocked in at the old Three Rivers Stadium.

Finally on this day in 1939 the Yankees were shut out for the first and only time of the season when Tommy Bridges of the Tigers shut down the Yankees offense.

David Ortiz is "Angry" With Alex Rodriguez

Excuse me and accept my apologies for posting this, I usually stay away from the he said she said nonsense and the gossip columns but this was just too comical to pass up. Apparently David Ortiz is "angry" with Alex Rodriguez and has not spoken to him in a year over comments his lawyer, not A Rod, said last year on his "Free me I'm innocent" and "I'm suing everyone" tour. I believe the exact quote from Joe Tacopina, Rodriguez's lawyer, was "I'm not going to start naming all the other players, but some of them are God-like in Boston right now, and people seem to forget that."

First of all Rodriguez didn't say it and secondly Tacopina was just doing his job, what's the issue here? Plus, what many people conveniently forget or purposely ignore, is the fact that Ortiz used steroids. Ortiz got a pass on the subject and has moved on to taking selfies with President Obama and hugging Commissioner Bud Selig like he is the new face of Major League Baseball. Ortiz, you took steroids and you got called out for taking steroids, I'm not seeing a problem here.

We're not in High School anymore, grow up. Oh and before you go on MLB Network's Hot Stove and adamantly deny your steroid use again let's remember THIS New York Times article that mentioned you and Manny Ramirez both were on that same list as Alex Rodriguez the first time. I find it hard to believe that Manny and A Rod were users on the list, and that is confirmed, and you were wrongly accused.

Scott Boras is in Hot Water

Scott Boras may be in some hot water after a report came out that the agent attempted to cover up Manny Ramirez’s steroid use. According to the report Boras attempted to get Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch to fabricate certain records to overturn Manny’s 50 game suspension. This dates back to May of 2009 when the suspension was handed down by Major League Baseball.

Naturally Boras denied all the allegations and denies ever having met Mr. Bosch in his life, and why wouldn’t he? Ramirez, now out of the game, refused to take a phone call or talk about the allegations. The cover up was detailed by saying that with the proper patient charts Ramirez could state that he accidentally used his elderly uncle’s testosterone cream believing it was aftershave. The cream apparently contained hcG, a fertility drug that is banned by MLB.

When caught and suspended Manny was quoted as saying his doctor prescribed the medication that forced the positive test for “personal health issues” with no further explanation. Multiple sources after the fact stated the substance linked to the failed test was hcG so this story, at least on the surface, seems to hold water. Stay tuned, the Bronx may still be burning when it comes to Alex Rodriguez a former Boras client. 

But this is pertaining to Manny, that's probably why this is the first you're reading about it. 

Quick Hit: Manny Ramirez Upsets The Locals

Manny Ramirez was a tool, plain and simply. Manny, much like David Ortiz, was a roid head that disrespected the game, the Baseball Gods, and his naturally given talent every other player would kill for. This was no more evident than on this day in 2008 when the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox were playing an all important series at Yankee Stadium.

The back story was that Manny Ramirez complained about knee pain and asked to be left off the starting lineup for the series in New York. Manny was then sent for a team ordered MRI which showed no inflammation, damage, or reason for the supposed soreness. The Red Sox then decided to send Manny up as a pinch hitter in a tied game in the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium to face the great Mariano Rivera.

Red Sox Nation was visibly upset when Rivera went on to throw three straight fastballs that Manny never bothered to swing at, striking out. It was clear that the relationship with Manny and the Red Sox was over at that point and Ramirez took his talents to the Los Angeles Dodgers after this season and the Yankees have a good bit of history to remember him by.

This Day In New York Yankees History 6/5

On this day in 1992 the Mets first baseman Eddie Murray knocks in two RBI's to pass Yankees legend Mickey Mantle for most RBI's all time by a switch hitter. Murray's 1,509th RBI was knocked in at the old Three Rivers Stadium.

On this day in 2001 the Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez is intentionally walked four times in one game to tie a major league record. The game lasted 18 innings and 5 hours and 52 minutes as Ramirez tied the Yankees Roger Maris in the history books.

Papi Goes the Weasel

Seems like just yesterday when David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez were sharing a drink and a cigar on the golf course at Ortiz's charity golf touney. Through all of the allegations and scandal that ARod was dealing with, all was well in the cozy seat of a golf cart in the sun drenched beauty of the Dominican Republic.All was right with the world.....ahhhhhhh.

Well, A funny thing happened today on ESPN radio. The ever so boisterous talk show host Colin Cowherd had a chat with Joe Tacopina and within a blink of an eye, buried one of ARods few remaining friends in baseball. That bridge was burned when this comment was made by Tacopina...

“No one else was compelled to say anything and no one else did say anything,” Tacopina said about the time period when a Selena Roberts book was released detailing Rodriguez’s alleged PED use and the Times story broke. “People were denying stuff. And I’m not gonna start naming all the other players, but some of them are God-like in Boston right now, and people seem to forget that … Alex came clean and admitted something when he didn’t have to.” 

Let's get real, no one is really surprised by this comment. Ortiz has dealt with allegations of steroid use for years now and for good reason, as Cowherd stated...

When it’s too good to be true, it is … Here was a guy in May of 2009, batting .222 with a slugging percentage of .300, no injuries and he couldn’t hit … He’s significantly better today than several years ago. Interesting story. The story of David Ortiz hitting .733 is about as believable as Big Foot.” 

Although, with it coming from the mouth of Tacopina, this will certainly have an immediate backlash. Let it be known though, it certainly won't be coming from Yankee fans! 

The steroid accusation is so freely used by Sox fans (2nd only to "buying our team") as the reason for the Yankee's championship success. Even after Manny Ramirez and his suspensions for anything from steroids to his...female fertility pills..heh, heh...Manny being Mary? Anyway, it still seems that it just disappears within the gates of Red Sox nation. 

I figure, if ARod is going to keep shooting off cannons while the ship sinks, why not aim it at the Red Sox?

Rangers Release Manny Ramirez, Time To Get Greedy

As many of you probably do not know Manny Ramirez was the reason we started the "Get Greedy" campaign which eventually turned into The Greedy Pinstripes. It was the off season before the 2009 season and the Yankees had already signed Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and traded for Nick Swisher and were looking to reload. Enter Manny Ramirez who would have gave us a right handed power bat that we lacked other than Alex Rodriguez, who would have single handedly fixed our hitting with runners in scoring position and in clutch situations problem, and could have been hidden in left field in Yankees Stadium. I went hard after Manny Ramirez and spread my "Get Greedy, Get Manny" campaign all over the internet before he eventually decided to sign elsewhere but the Yankees may have a second chance now that he was released by the Texas Rangers yesterday.

The Yankees are probably too far out of the playoff race now with somewhere around a 2% chance of making the post season in 2013 for it to matter by why the hell not make the move at this point? We could easily sign Manny to a minor league deal and he is a Corban Joseph 60 day DL transfer away from being a September call up. Manny is in his age 41 season and has been hitting .259/.328/.370 with three home runs in the minors for the Rangers before his release. He drew some questions about his bat speed playing with Texas but absolutely annihilated Taiwanese pitching to the tune of .352 with eight home runs before coming back to the states so the bat is still there, in some capacity anyway, I would think.

Make a long time Yankees fan happy by finally completing the "Get Greedy, Get Manny" campaign by making this sign Brian Cashman and you may get some of the faith back that I used to have in you.

Get Greedy... Get Manny? No Thanks

As many of you probably do not know the name of this blog was essentially hatched way back in 2009 when the Yankees wen't on a spending spree signing CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and acquiring Nick Swisher from the Chicago White Sox. I, myself, and dm23HOF were all members of a forum that will remain nameless where I started the, albeit sarcastically, "Get Greedy...Get Manny" campaign. I campaigned for the Yankees to get greedy, blow the payroll up, and sign Manny Ramirez. I pointed out that he was right handed power bat that we could use, would easily solve our clutch hitting problem, would bring in millions in merchandise sales and all that jazz, and could easily be hid in left field. Thankfully, hindsight being 20/20, the Yankees did not sign him and the "Get Greedy" campaign ended. When we decided to leave the forum world for the blog world we decided we had to include the "Get Greedy" campaign somehow in the blog and it's title and thus the Greedy Pinstripes was born.

Now I said all that to say this, Manny Ramirez has signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. After opting out of his contract while playing professionally in Taiwan there was some speculation that the Yankees might look at Manny but they never seemed to show any interest. We're not getting greedy and we're definitely not getting Manny, oh well. Yankees tickets will be sold nonetheless.