Joe Mauer Clears Waivers!?!?

Joe Mauer clears revocable waivers and the question never got asked... how? The American League got first dibs in putting in a claim for him and according to record everyone would go before us except for the Rangers but NO ONE put in a claim for Mauer. My question is, and yes I know I am a little behind, why the hell not? No one wanted to block another team from trying to acquire Mauer? No one wanted to take a shot in the dark? I mean that is essentially what it is, a shot in the dark, because I do not think the Twins would trade Mauer but still. I am pretty disappointed in Brian Cashman right now for not putting in a waiver claim with our current catching situation.

Granted I know that the Twins are still on the hook for approx. $133 million through the 2018 season, I know that Mauer has battled some injuries lately, and yes I know that he had an absolutely awful 2011 season but the guy has stuff that you just cannot teach and do not find every day. He does not fit into the 2014 luxury tax threshold plan the Yankees have but again Joe Mauer is a once in a lifetime kind of catcher that you do not pass on. The hefty AAV of $23 million may be the only downside I see to getting Joe in pinstripes.

Combine the fact that he is a left handed hitter with Kevin Long and mix in a little bit of Yankees Stadium and you will see why the possibility of Mauer on the Yankees absolutely intrigues me. Not to mention that even with a huge contract he will still only be 35 years old when the contract ends so I do not see another Alex Rodriguez situation here. We would have him for his prime and some other team can suffer through his decline, presumably.

Get it done Cash!

Curtis Granderson Right Hamstring Hurt MRI Scheduled

Granderson has left the game with a tight right hamstring.
MRI being scheduled now.

Granderson has been removed from the game against the Orioles. More news to come... stay tuned

Orioles @ Yankees 9/1/12

Update:

Yankees down 2-0 early

Curtis Granderson removed in the 2nd inning due to an apparent injury after yet another strike out

Phelps allows a home run to make it 3-0 Baltimore

Cano hits a home run to pull within 3-1

Eduardo Nunez brings them within one with an RBI single 3-2 O's

Jeter bases loaded walk ties the game at 3!

E6!!! Yankees take a 4-3 lead!!!

#untuck Yankees win 4-3

The Yankees will host the Baltimore Orioles in the second game of their weekend series that could determine the AL East division winners. The Yankees lost last night with ace Hiroki Kuroda on the mound due to zero run support, shocker for Kuroda, and yet another shaky bullpen appearance. The Yankees will send David Phelps to the mound to face off against Wei Yie Chen for the Orioles. The game will be televised on YES at 1:05 pm ET.

Lineups

1. Jeter SS
2. Swisher 1B
3. Cano 2B
4. Jones RF
5. Granderson CF
6. Martin C
7. Nix 3B
8. Nunez DH
9. Ichiro LF

Go Yanks!!

Don't forget to post your MEGA PREDICTION GAME predictions in the comment box!

Take A Stadium Journey Of The Old PNC Field

Our friends at Stadium Journey are finishing their Yankees affiliate tours with a tour of PNC Field. Now I know that this was done BEFORE all the renovations and such that have essentially made the Scranton team an away team all this year but I still think it is a great look. We can see and compare how much was done when the renovations are done early this year. Take a look and enjoy reading up on the former home of the AAA Yankees affiliate Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

Pedro Feliciano Strong In Possible Last Rehab

In what could have been Pedro Feliciano's last rehab assignment he was, yet again, a little shaky but overall got the job done. In one inning he allowed a home run, to a right handed batter, and got the next three batters. He only threw 13 pitches and recorded one strike out. Feliciano may see one more rehab assignment but I can see him coming up the pen as early as Sunday and as late as next week.

Alex Rodriguez & David Aardsma Tampa Yankees Results

As you know both David Aardsma and Alex Rodriguez began their respected rehab assignments last night with the High A Tampa Yankees. The Tampa team ended up winning the game.... but that is not why we are here we want to check on our stars.

Alex grounded out in his first at bat, walked in his second at bat, and drew boo's in his third at bat with a strike out looking. He did score a run on a Tyler Austin double but we are not paying him to walk and run the bases. Alex struck out swinging in his fourth at bat and really heard it from the crowd.

David Aardsma was on the mound for the first time in what seems like forever after hip surgery and Tommy John surgery in that same game last night. Aardsma pitched to four batters, walking one, in his one scoreless inning. He has come a long way so I am not even worried about the results I am just glad he is back and working his way back to the majors.

Yankees Announce First Round Of September Call Ups

Welcome to September who will hopefully be good to the Yankees, unlike August. With September comes expanded rosters and September call ups. The Yankees announced their first round of September callups late yesterday and they include Francisco Cervelli, Eduardo Nunez, Chris Dickerson (finally). Cory Wade, Adam Warren, and Justin Thomas. The Yankees will need to make a 40 ma roster move to include Dickerson on the roster and I expect that to have something to do with Dellin Betances. Call it a hunch but that is what I expect.

Orioles @ Yankees 8/31/12

Yankees lose 6-1

The Yankees will begin a weekend series with AL East foe and wild card hopeful the Baltimore Orioles at Yankees Stadium tonight. On the mound for the Yankees will be Hiroki Kuroda looking for yet another quality start. On the mound for the Orioles will be Miguel Gonzalez who has not pitched in 11 days. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on the YES Network.

Lineups

1. Jeter SS
2. Swish 1B
3. Cano 2B
4. Granderson CF
5. Chavez 3B
6. Ibanez LF
7. Martin C
8. Ichiro RF
9. Nix DH

Go Yankees!!

Mega Prediction Game


Do not forget to get your predictions in before first pitch. Here are mine:

8/31- 9/2 Baltimore Orioles Vs New York Yankees

Game 1 Win - 3 Pts (Gonzalez vs. Kuroda)
Game 2 Win - 1 Pt (Chen vs. Garcia)
Game 3 Win - 2 Pts (TBD vs. Phelps)

The Next 10 Days Will Make Or Break Our Season

The title says it all the next 10 games will absolutely make or break our season. We spend the next 10 days facing the only two threats to us winning the AL East division, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles. It starts tonight when the Yankees will host the second place Baltimore Orioles for a three game set at Yankees Stadium only three games ahead in the standings and includes a three game set with the Rays and another four game set with the O's.With just 4 games separating these three teams and with us playing each other a ton in the next month things should get all figured out, or more jumbled up.

We are set up as well as we could want for the Tampa Bay series as we have Phil Hughes, CC Sabathia, and Hiroki Kuroda set to pitch in the three game set. The series is down in Tropicana Field in Tampa where we have had some trouble as of late but this is a veteran team and this is officially crunch time. The best news of all is that we miss David Price so I want to feel good about this series, as hard as it has been lately to feel optimistic about anything to do with this team.

After the Tampa series we travel to Baltimore for a big four game set that will really determine the AL East in my opinion. The Yankees will have CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, David Phelps/Freddy Garcia, and if everything goes well Ivan Nova will be eligible to come off the 15 day DL.

The Yankees basically control their own destiny. It is a pretty simple philosophy but it could not be more true... If we win, we are in. If we lose, things get interesting. I am getting older now and do not want even MORE years taken off my life with a division run down to the last weekend... so just win!!

Take A Stadium Journey Of George Steinbrenner Field

Our friends over at Stadium Journey are at it again and this time visiting George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida home of the High A Yankees affiliate the Tampa Yankees. The first line of the article I found amusing as it says "George Steinbrenner would not be amused" and it totally caught my attention. This will tell you everything you need to know about the stadium and a little bit of the history of the Yankees and their presence in Tampa, Florida. Check it out for a great read!