Hello… Memorial Day Weekend

What is Memorial Day? Memorial Day to some means the day off paid, barbecues and hang outs with friends, but to others it means so much more. To some it means the one day that their families and their serviceman and women get the recognition and respect that they so much deserve. This Memorial Day hits home for me especially because one of my very best friends has recently joined the Navy. This is his second Memorial Day away from home, but thankfully he got to come home. It won't always be like this, but I am grateful that it was this year.

So shake a veteran's hand and thank them for everything that they and their family do. Unless you've lived through it you will never truly understand. So, a big thank you to the veterans that are reading this and their families, and a very big thank you to our very own patrick (always with a little p) Walsh and Ken Reed (and anyone else that frequents the site that I was unaware served or that slipped my mind). I appreciate you, have the utmost respect for you and love you all.

Enjoy the day, and enjoy the long weekend, but just remember why we have it. Thank you.

And baby, four more days… and by the time the Memorial Day weekend is over, it will be one more day. How exciting!! I love you with all my heart and all my soul. Always have, and I always will.

This Day In New York Yankees History 5/26: DJ2K

On this day in 2006 Derek Jeter becomes only the eight player in New York Yankees history to collect at least 2,000 hits in his career. The little dribbler that became an infield single off Kansas City's Scott Elarton would put Jeter into the record books. The other seven Yankees to reach the milestone are Yogi Berra, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly, Babe Ruth, and Bernie Williams.


Also on this day in 2000 a fan at Yankee Stadium falls from the upper deck and remained motionless for five minutes on the screen behind home plate. The 24 year old man suddenly sits up and raises both his arms high and is immediately arrested.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5/25/18

And just like that it is game time here in the Bronx between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In the opener of a three-game weekend set between these two clubs the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound to face off with Andrew Heaney. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Follow us on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, and “Like” us on Facebook, The Greedy Pinstripes, to keep up with us and the team all season long. Enjoy the game, Mike Trout… Meet Gleyber Torres, and go Yankees!!

SPECULATION: Cole Hamels the Best #35 in Yankees History?

Let’s have a little fun today, shall we? It’s Thursday, it is almost the weekend, and why not. Let’s assume that the New York Yankees acquire Cole Hamels in a midsummer trade much like the team acquired Sonny Gray before the trade deadline in 2017, would Cole Hamels be the best #35 in the Yankees history?

Well first and foremost, no. Hamels could be here in the Bronx for a couple months and be gone by November. No one knows what the future will hold, but before we send too much time speculating let’s look at some of the other notable players to wear the #35 in New York Yankees history.

Michael Pineda wore the number from 2014-2017. One pine tar scandal and a few shoulder and elbow injuries later and Pineda is currently wearing the number in Minnesota. I think. Who can really keep up with that the Twins are doing these days?

Brendan Ryan wore it in 2013. David Aardsma wore it in 2012. Meh and meh. Mike Mussina wore the number from 2001 – 2008 though and will likely go down as the greatest player in the Yankees history to wear #35. Mussina won a lot of games here including 20 games, finally, in 2008 alone.

Hideki Irabu was called a fat toad by George Steinbrenner while wearing #35 in 1997, John Wetteland won a World Series ring wearing the number in 1996 and went to the postseason as the first Wild Card winner in the American League in 1995, Phil Niekro wore the number in 1984 and 1985, and even a guy by name of Yogi Berra wore the number in 1946 and 1947 before switching to the number he would have retired with the Yankees, #8. 

Would Hamels be the best to wear #35 with the Yankees? Spud Chandler, who wore the number back in 1937, says no… and I would have to agree. Hope this post was as fun to read as it was to write. Enjoy.

The Excitement of Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium...

The 2018 Old Timer's Day Rosters are loaded...

Yankees Old Timer’s Day is always an exciting event each year. I love the introductions and watching former Yankees greats take the field to the massive cheers of the home crowd. I cannot think of another team that honors its alumni as well as the Yankees. While I am grateful for each year that allows legendary Hall of Famer Whitey Ford to return to Yankee Stadium, the name which excited me the most this year was Andy Pettitte. It’s always fun when Andy makes a brief appearance during Spring Training or shows up while the team is on the road in Houston, but nothing is going to match his presence in the Bronx wearing the famed Pinstripes and the interlocking N-Y baseball cap. It will be Andy’s first appearance at Old Timer’s Day. The two greatest lefties in Yankees history will share the same field at the same time. Sweet...

I am also excited to see fellow first-timer Jason Giambi who will gleefully be sporting a Gleyber Torres jersey for the day.  

While I am not a fan of Yankees President Randy Levine, I do not appreciate the bitterness expressed by former Yankee Jim Leyritz who did not receive an invitation.  Leyritz directed his anger at Levine. He took to Twitter yesterday with “Yes it’s a joke already. Randy Levine and Debbie Tymon (Yankees SVP, Marketing) have said I didn’t do enough in Yankee history to be invited. How many sliders did they hit. Lol” I am appreciative of Leyritz’s contributions to the Yankees but he was never a star nor considered a key performer. Maybe the results of the 1996 World Series would have been different if Leyritz didn’t hit the eighth-inning three-run homer in Game 4 to tie the game which the Yankees eventually won in extra innings on their way to the championship in six games. I have no problem with the Yankees’ decision to pass on an invitation to Leyritz. Professionalism and character are part of the package for the invitees.  

Here is the complete list of this year’s Old Timer’s Day participants:

Jesse Barfield (RF, 1989-92 Yankees)

Ron Blomberg (DH...MLB's first, 1B, RF, 1969-76 Yankees)

Brian Boehringer (RHP, 1995-97, 2001 Yankees)

Aaron Boone (3B, 2003 Yankees; Manager, 2018-Present)

Jim Bouton (RHP, 1962-68 Yankees)

Scott Bradley (C, 1984-85 Yankees)

Dr Bobby Brown (3B, SS, 1946-54 Yankees)

Homer Bush (2B, SS, 1997-98, 2004 Yankees)

David "Coney" Cone (RHP, 1995-2000 Yankees)

Johnny Damon (OF, 2006-09 Yankees)

Ron Davis (RHP, 1978-81 Yankees)

Russell Earl “Bucky” Dent (SS, 1977-82 Yankees)

Al Downing (LHP, 1961-69 Yankees)

Brian Doyle (2B, SS, 3B, 1978-80 Yankees)

Mariano Duncan (2B, SS, LF, 1996-97 Yankees)

John Flaherty (C, 2003-05 Yankees)

Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford, "The Chairman of the Board" (LHP, 1950-67 Yankees)

Jason Giambi (1B, DH, 2002-08 Yankees)

Ron "Gator" Guidry (LHP, 1975-88 Yankees)

Charlie Hayes (3B, 1992, 1996-97 Yankees)

Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson (RF, 1977-81 Yankees)

Dion James (OF, 1992-96 Yankees)

Jay Johnstone (OF, 1978-79 Yankees)

Scott Kamieniecki (RHP, 1991-96 Yankees)

Don Larsen (RHP, 1955-59 Yankees)

Graeme Lloyd (LHP, 1996-98 Yankees)

Hector Lopez (LF, 3B, 2B, 1959-66 Yankees)

Lee Mazzilli (1B, OF, 1982 Yankees)

Ramiro Mendoza (RHP, 1996-2002, 2005 Yankees)

Gene Monahan (Trainer, 1973-2011 Yankees)

Jeff "Nellie" Nelson (RHP, 1996-2000, 2003 Yankees)

Paul "The Warrior" O’Neill (RF, 1993-2001 Yankees)
Andy Pettitte (LHP, 1995-2003, 2007-13 Yankees)

Lou "Sweet Lou" Piniella (LF, 1974-84 Yankees; Manager, 1986-87, 1988)

Willie Randolph (2B, 1976-88 Yankees; Coach, 1994-2004)

Bobby Richardson (2B, 1955-66 Yankees)

Mickey "Mick the Quick" Rivers (CF, 1976-79 Yankees)

Nick Swisher (RF, 1B, 2009-12 Yankees)

Frank Tepedino (LHP, 1967-1971, 1972 Yankees)

Marcus Thames (OF, 2002 Yankees; Coach, 2016 to Present, Yankees)

Roy White (LF, 1965-79 Yankees)

Elston Howard widow Arlene Howard (C, LF, 1B, 1955-66 Yankees)

Jim “Catfish” Hunter widow Helen Hunter (RHP, 1975-79 Yankees)

Alfred Manual "Billy" Martin widow Jill Martin (2B, 3B, SS, 1950-57 Yankees; Manager, 1975-78, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1988) 

Thurman Munson widow Diana Munson (C, 1969-79 Yankees)

Bobby Murcer widow Kay Murcer (OF, 1965-74, 1979-83 Yankees)

The 72nd Annual Old Timer’s Day will be on Father's Day, Sunday, June 17th prior to the Yankees scheduled game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Heck, Rays Manager Kevin Cash (C, 2009 Yankees) might want to join the festivities.

As badly as it hurt to watch the Texas Rangers make mince meat out of the Yankees pitching staff on Wednesday night, it was probably salt in the wound to watch Danny Duffy and the Kansas City Royals bullpen hold the same Rangers to five hits and two runs last night. Duffy (2-6, 6.14 ERA) took a shutout into the eighth inning. Seriously? I hope CC Sabathia was watching and taking notes. 
Hats off to the Tampa Bay Rays for turning back a furious Red Sox rally to beat Boston, 6-3, yesterday. The loss reduced the Red Sox lead over the Yankees in the AL East to only one game. The Red Sox entertain the Atlanta Braves (29-19, 1st in the NL East) at Fenway Park for a three-game weekend series starting tonight. Glad to see them finally play some winning teams.  

The Major League career of reliever Ryan Bollinger lasted one game without an appearance. He was returned to Double A-Trenton after sitting in the bullpen for Wednesday night's loss in Texas.  His spot will presumably be filled by Tommy Kahnle who is expected to be activated off the disabled list today. Greg Bird is also expected to return this weekend. I still think Tyler Austin will be the odd man out with a free bus ticket to Scranton, PA.

Hopefully Luis Severino gets the Yankees back on the winning track tonight against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Given that we will not see Shohei Ohtani pitch this weekend, there's no doubt he'll be penciled in at DH to take his shots at Yankees pitching. I am sure if he watched the Yankees-Rangers highlights, he is drooling at the prospect. I trust Sevy will set the right tone for the series.

Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5/25/18

Good morning everyone and welcome to the weekend. This weekend the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium will play host to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a three-game set. Memorial Day weekend and Yankees baseball, now that is American. In the start tonight the Yankees will send out Luis Severino to the mound to face off with Andrew Heaney for the Angels. Let’s get to it here in the Bronx.

Severino has not lost a start in his last seven starts and will look to keep that unbeaten streak alive tonight in the Bronx against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In his last start against the Angels on April 27 the Yankees right-handed ace took a no decision. Severino last pitched against the Kansas City Royals five days ago where pitched six innings allowing three runs in an eventual Yankees victory.

Heaney took the loss in his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays after giving up four unearned runs in six innings of work. In Heaney’s last five outings the Angels left-hander has pitched to just a 1.45 ERA and will look to improve on his career 1-0 record and 1.50 ERA against the Yankees in two career starts.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Enjoy the game, make up your mind what city you want to represent already, and go Yankees!!

My Thoughts on Sports Betting and Major League Baseball

I touched on this a bit in a previous post this week, but I wanted to take it one step further and really give my opinion on the United States Supreme Court’s decision to legalize sports betting in the United States. I think this is going to be terrible in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time you have to wonder how much is really going to change? Those two statements seem contradictory, I understand that, but if you really think about it they aren’t. Let me explain.

Before if you wanted to do any sort of sports betting you couldn’t just run down to an online casino and do so, but those who wanted to do it still did it regardless. They might make a trip to Nevada and Las Vegas, or they may know a guy who knows a guy. Either way, sports betting was happening regardless, now with this ruling it is up to each individual state whether they will allow sports betting or not. I believe that all this ruling will do is make it easier for those who want to bet to do so. Convenience wins once again.

The players are going to want a cut of this and so are the teams. Will this drive down prices at the ball parks since there will presumably be added revenue for the teams and for the players? I doubt it, but there should be. This is going to be potentially a huge money-making aspect for the league and I think if the top executives, owners, and players benefit from it I think it should trickle down to the fans as well. Again, it won’t, but it should. The league has asked for a 1% integrity fee from these sports bets and have even been on record as willing to go as low as 0.25 percent on this fee. That doesn’t sound like a lot of money but when you consider how much money is spent and wagered in gambling every single year the amount of money the league would garner from this before they do anything significant would be astronomical. That is before you consider advertisements and such as well.

This is going to be terrible in the grand scheme of things because the rich will continue to get rich while the fans continue to foot the bill. The owners will get their integrity fee and the players will receive a portion of that, it is going to happen either right away or when the two sides meet for a new collective bargaining agreement in 2021. This could potentially lead to a strike if either side cannot agree to terms and meet in the middle, which could be detrimental to the progress that the league has made since the 1994 strike. But, to go back to my original statement, are things really going to change that much? Obviously, they will if we see another work stoppage, but hasn’t the owners and the players always gotten rich while prices for the fans have continued to go up? Television stations and such for teams have been making teams money at an all-time high, yet ticket prices continue to go up. Merchandise continues to go up. Concessions continue to go up. Do you think any of that will change when, not if, the league, owners and the players start receiving money from legalized gambling? If your answer is yes, think again, because it won’t.

The only constant is change, except when it comes to greed and money. Think on it, and reinstate Pete Rose.

Hello… Fridaaaaaay!

Good morning everyone and a Happy Friday to you all. We made it! Pay day, the weekend, or whatever Friday means to you I hope it is great for you regardless. Tonight, the Yankees start a three-game weekend set with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim which should be fun so stick around for that. Other than that, this is going to be hopefully a relaxing holiday weekend for me. I have a couple things to do on Saturday, but other than that I am free! I love it. That means more time with my family and more time with my baby!

I hope everyone has a good weekend, but I especially hope that you, my Kari, have a great weekend. I love you. Five more days. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 5/25: Mariano 1K

On this day in 2011 Mariano Rivera became the first pitcher to appear in 1,000 games for the same team. The 41 year old right handed pitcher compiled 572 saves and 75 wins during his 17 seasons in New York at the time.


Also on this day in 2002 former major league pitcher and former Yankee David Cone was hired as a part time television analyst by the YES Network. Cone'd deal included covering five games for the Class A Staten Island Yankees, he would be a radio announcer with WCBS for the June 14th game between the Yankees and the Mets, and would be a pregame and post game show announcer.


Finally on this day in 1922 Babe Ruth was called out at second base trying to stretch a single into a double and started a tirade. Babe Ruth threw dirt in an umpire's eyes and then went after a heckler in the stands. Ruth finished by standing on the roof of the dugout and calling the crowd yellow cowards. Ruth would receive a one game suspension, a $200 fine, and would lose his captaincy.

SPECULATION: Why the New York Yankees Will NOT Acquire Cole Hamels Before the July 31st Trade Deadline

The New York Yankees fans have been clamoring for a month now for the team to acquire another starting pitcher for the stretch run. As silly as that sounds here at the end of May it is simply what we as Yankees fans have come to expect, and not only expect but demand as well. Yankees fans demand not only excellence, but borderline dominance and perfection as well which was never more evident than on Tuesday night when potential trade target Cole Hamels shut the powerful Yankees offense down in a victory for the Rangers. The discussions regarding Hamels and his potential acquisition by the Yankees were running rampant before the start, and since the discussions have only become more aggressive from the fan base. Unfortunately, I may have some bad news for everyone reading this as I do not believe it will be the New York Yankees who acquire the 34-year old veteran left-hander’s services before the July 31^st trade deadline.

The New York Yankees have some wiggle room in terms of payroll flexibility while still maintaining a payroll that stays below the luxury tax threshold, but not as much as say a team like the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are a young and exciting team that are drawing comparisons to the 2017 version of the Baby Bombers. Young and hungry can only take a team so far, though, and the team has obvious holes and needs in their pitching staff. The Yankees and the Braves may be preparing to go head-to-head in a bidding war for Cole’s services, and that is a bidding war that Brian Cashman may not want to get into.

The Braves have a lot more money to spend this season and next than the New York Yankees do, and they have a better farm system as well. The Braves have arguably the best farm system in all of Major League Baseball, but they have something else that may put them ahead of the Yankees in the potential Hamels sweepstakes. The Braves have a GM who is not afraid to pull the trigger on a big deal, top prospects being involved or not. Cashman, and I personally love him for it, has shown a huge reluctance to deal top prospects and the type of prospects that the Rangers would likely demand if a bidding war were to ensue.

It wouldn’t take Gleyber Torres or Justus Sheffield to acquire Hamels, presumably a true rental for the Yankees unless they fancy picking up his huge option for the 2019 season, but it would likely require Clint Frazier, Chance Adams, Estevan Florial, Domingo Acevedo or an equivalent prospect or two in order to bring the lefty to the Bronx. Would Cashman be willing to part with any of them? That’s a tricky question and a question that history would say “no” to, but we know that the Braves would pull the trigger in a heartbeat including any of their top prospects not named Albies or Acuna.

Also, you have to keep in mind that Hamels is 34-years old, soon to be 35. Hamels has one-year left on his deal past the 2018 season, a team option that can be bough out for $6 million. All signs and speculation point to, assuming he was acquired by New York, the Yankees buying out his deal for the 2019 season and giving him his $6 million along with his walking papers next season. The Braves, on the other hand, would likely keep Hamels next season with the hopes of either competing, or with the hopes of getting some prospects back in another July 31^st trade if the team cannot replicate their early success from this season to next season. Hamels has a no-trade clause, albeit limited, and will likely weigh all options when being asked to waive it. You have to think at his age his security and future are far more important than chasing a title, especially when he already has a World Series ring under his belt.

Many believe it is a foregone conclusion that Cole Hamels will be the 2018 version of Sonny Gray who was acquired by the Yankees at the 2017 deadline, but I am not so sure. Obviously, the Yankees could pick up Hamels option for the 2019 season and allow him to replace CC Sabathia in the rotation, but that is a huge “if” for Hamels who controls his destiny. The allure of pitching in the Bronx may be a big factor for the left-hander, but the possibility of entering a pitching free agent market beside potential free agents like Clayton Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel at age 35 may trump that. Pitching for Atlanta, a National League team with much fewer eyes on the veteran lefty, may make more sense not only for the Braves, but for the future of Hamels as well.

There is a lot that can happen between July 31^st and now, and truth be told this is all speculation anyway, but right now I wouldn’t be surprised if the Braves came in and swooped up Hamels before the Yankees could make a deal. A more laid-back atmosphere, “easier” lineups to face, security for the 2019 season, and a young and hungry team with an aggressive GM may be too much for even Brian Cashman to compete with, but then again, they don’t call him the “Ninja” for nothing.

Stay tuned.