tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189442342024-02-19T08:08:41.576-05:00New York Yankees Pinstripe PrideLara Schutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07432130368396598924noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18944234.post-79560781161765818482014-10-22T07:52:00.000-04:002014-11-14T07:58:19.454-05:00A Lament for Jeter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-RVZGsFwmVfpiF1FeqTQAESg73kEbJ0UxqL1p4mgTe6ePw2Tujd0hzQ_tH3ha51tTlVSqusm8mkOGjAKHF9bx_I927ljfSd3EBg9e1UIPpPieElD_7FX9bLk4WPnZQEF6jo/s1600/jeterRESPECT.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-RVZGsFwmVfpiF1FeqTQAESg73kEbJ0UxqL1p4mgTe6ePw2Tujd0hzQ_tH3ha51tTlVSqusm8mkOGjAKHF9bx_I927ljfSd3EBg9e1UIPpPieElD_7FX9bLk4WPnZQEF6jo/s1600/jeterRESPECT.jpeg" height="175" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/jordan/derek-jeter-re2pect">Nike</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;">Soon enough, I'll fully come to terms with the fact that</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;"> Derek Jeter</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">will not</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;">be the starting shortstop for the 2015 </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;">New York Yankees</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;">. But </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;">it </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;">is not this </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;">day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">As </span>Legolas Greenleaf<span style="font-weight: normal;"> once said, "I have not the heart to tell you. For </span></span></span><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">me the </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: normal; white-space: nowrap;">grief is still too near."</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Replace "Gandalf" with "Jeter" and the tunics and furry hobbit feet </span></span><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">with </span></span><br />
<span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">pinstripes </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: normal; white-space: nowrap;">and cleats, and you get the idea.</span></div>
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<span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stay tuned.</span></span></div>
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</script></div>Lara Schutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07432130368396598924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18944234.post-37675725886763940532014-10-21T09:00:00.000-04:002014-10-21T23:56:30.519-04:00World Series 2014 - The San Francisco Giants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We interrupt this regularly scheduled broadcast to bring you thoughts on the <b>2014 World Series</b>. And by regularly scheduled, I mean my average of five-measly-posts-every-two-years. I've been battling crippling writer's block for the better part of two years but decided to fight and claw my way out with a little World Series preview that focuses on the National League side of the matchup.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTr5QM3-FwAIia-HZAYib5Sinrq0_casAua4ShxWldvLwhBihxq5Rh_N5f4jYryGvw5o1-1APTiVOp_6WVn4pLygrPC8sJf53eu3Twhr1QIEJT1Dn5bvbUVJ-CzVIEWJVsd28/s1600/RoyalsPractice+JFS+10-18-14+0125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTr5QM3-FwAIia-HZAYib5Sinrq0_casAua4ShxWldvLwhBihxq5Rh_N5f4jYryGvw5o1-1APTiVOp_6WVn4pLygrPC8sJf53eu3Twhr1QIEJT1Dn5bvbUVJ-CzVIEWJVsd28/s1600/RoyalsPractice+JFS+10-18-14+0125.jpg" height="154" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Kauffman Stadium. Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article2962300.html">KansasCity.com</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The <b>San Francisco Giants </b>are, thus far, easily the most successful team of the 2010's. The '10's? Ten-ties? Have we actually settled on a name for this decade yet? I digress…</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Giants win the pennant. Photo courtesy of <a href="http://abc7news.com/sports/giants-beat-cardinals-in-nlcs-advance-to-world-series/354050/">ABC 7 News</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For all their success, they are surprisingly likable. Between San Francisco's eccentric fan base and eclectic roster, the Giants are an easy bunch to root for. You've got the boy-next-door, wholesome appeal of <b>Buster Posey</b>, the lovable enthusiasm of the "Kung Fu Panda," <b>Pablo Sandoval</b>, <b>Hunter Pence</b> and his excellent taste in headbands and <a href="http://wapc.mlb.com/cutfour/2014/09/28/96917666/gif-hunter-pence-inspiring-yes-movement-speech">motivational speeches</a>, and a trio of starting pitchers more country than… Any famous country trio you can think of (country music is not my forte). </span></div>
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<i style="font-size: small;">Photos courtesy of <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/panda-tear-giants-sandoval-hits-3-hrs-game-1-world-series-article-1.1191683">New York Daily News</a> and <a href="http://wapc.mlb.com/cutfour/2014/10/07/97892514/meeting-wwe-superstar-daniel-bryan-rendered-hunter-pence-speechless">Major League Baseball</a>, respectively</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Killion-Ishikawa-went-from-nearly-quitting-to-5828726.php">Travis Ishikawa</a></b> and <b><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/big-league-stew/ryan-vogelsong-unbelievable-comeback-story-adds-best-chapter-052200188--mlb.html">Ryan Vogelsong</a></b> both have incredible stories of toiling in the minors and Japanese leagues before persevering and making an impact at the big league level, and <b>Yusmeiro Petit</b> has been the stand-out player of the postseason thus far thanks to his stellar long-relief outings, including an unforgettably dominant performance in the epic, 18-inning affair between the Giants and Nationals in the <b>NLDS</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">San Francisco's rotation is anchored by true ace <b>Madison Bumgarner</b>, the unshakable 25-year-old that pitches like a crafty veteran. <b>Jake Peavy</b>, <b>Tim Hudson</b>, and the aforementioned <b>Vogelsong</b> are all solid starters who will likely be more reliant on the Giants' impressive bullpen than Game 1 starter <b>Bumgarner</b>. <b>Santiago Casilla</b> usurped the closer's role from <b>Sergio Romo</b> in September and has excelled in the postseason, posting a 0.98 ERA in 22 games. <b>Jeremy Affeldt</b> and <b>Javier Lopez</b> have also done some heavy lifting in relief and been excellent, neither allowing an earned run in the nine playoff games so far. Manager <b>Bruce Bochy</b> is another asset and gives the Giants an edge over the Royals, especially given <b>Ned Yost'</b>s sometimes baffling decisions that the Royals have so far overcome and managed to win in spite of.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bumgarner, Peavy, and Hudson. Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/21/sports/madison-bumgarner-a-durable-ace-goes-deep-for-the-giants.html?_r=0">The New York Times</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The only San Francisco liability to this point is <b>Hunter Strickland</b>, who has had a penchant for giving up massive home runs every time he takes the mound. The Giants are also very light on power, but so are the Royals, so if you're a fan of small ball, you're bound to enjoy this. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUzyaiUQGfniK8jpZwSvCxJ3TSyrWa0BB2orrxVnd5JvD5fC2vmox0b5ULGJ04rsQ1hbT8RUyAuSL6FPmjSDotAcA-UJ_XTha2N5YEpp1idGorlWNHo3z8XAr6TBqRakrbmA/s1600/harper-strickland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUzyaiUQGfniK8jpZwSvCxJ3TSyrWa0BB2orrxVnd5JvD5fC2vmox0b5ULGJ04rsQ1hbT8RUyAuSL6FPmjSDotAcA-UJ_XTha2N5YEpp1idGorlWNHo3z8XAr6TBqRakrbmA/s1600/harper-strickland.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hunter Strickland gives up another Bryce Harper home run. Photo courtesy of <a href="http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2014/10/08/postgame-notes-hunter-pence-keeps-cool-wall/">Mercury News</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My prediction for the series is <b><i>San Francisco in 6</i></b>. If the World Series had started within a day or two of <b>Kansas City</b> clinching their first World Series berth since 1985, I truly believe they'd have surged ahead, stayed hot, and won it all. But the young and highly inexperienced team had the wind knocked out of their sails with the long layoff and could struggle to regain the red-hot form they showcased throughout October. It will be six nail-biting games that will ultimately see the Giants continue their trend of taking home the trophy in even years (2010, 2012, 2014?). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let the games begin.</span></div>
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</script></div>Lara Schutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07432130368396598924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18944234.post-55841210448183489822012-07-24T16:25:00.002-04:002012-07-24T16:25:50.474-04:00Go Go Go Go, Ichiro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Yankees' acquisition of Ichiro yesterday would have been a blockbuster deal a few years ago. As it stands now, Ichiro is an aging superstar whose best days are behind him. </div>
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But Ichiro has always enjoyed the spotlight and is a somewhat larger-than-life figure, not one to shy away from media attention but rather embrace it fully. Couple this persona with the fact that he went from worst to first and should be playing in October for the first time since his rookie season of 2001 and I believe Yankee fans will be seeing a rejuvenated Ichiro that thrives among the bright lights of the big city.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This trade is a shot in the arm for both Ichiro and the Yankees, who have become far too stationary on the bases without Brett Gardner. <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">He provides speed and defense and, while obviously not a home run hitter, I expect he'll take advantage of the short porch in right at least a few times this season. And while he's hitting .261 overall, his average away from the cavernous Safeco Field is a more Ichiro-like .296.</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6615/photos;_ylt=Anh4rfu2KmALKlzo1EObAguFCLcF#photoViewer=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Clego%3A19780928%3Atop%2Cphoto%2C8d069a68-ef83-39cc-9c00-e81b354193a3-l%3A1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EBRkRDafgcFMbKaQsbdJHkO59WvlHL4CvjRZocH3061nHIDlNpd-SFdfeYmvY7NQz2PDNmvRF5bSf8raAva4Lh0qFijTyQTzesHPvp5XjxhnR5IjPEixP7-7-fb0zXNCxdQ/s320/201207232200792040893-p2.jpeg" width="319" /></a></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ichiro tipping his cap to the Seattle fans after a lengthy ovation. (<a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6615/photos;_ylt=Anh4rfu2KmALKlzo1EObAguFCLcF#photoViewer=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Clego%3A19780928%3Atop%2Cphoto%2C8d069a68-ef83-39cc-9c00-e81b354193a3-l%3A1">Yahoo! Sports</a>) </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Another important aspect that has largely been ignored by critics of the trade</span>? The protection he'll be provided by the vaunted Yankee lineup. In his last game as a Seattle Mariner, Ichiro led off in a lineup that included FOUR men hitting below .200. After John Jaso (who has played in just over half of the games this season and is hitting .292), every single Mariner is hitting below .267. The Mariners are second to last in the A.L. in average (.230), home runs, RBI and runs scored and dead last in On Base Percentage and Slugging. Now he suddenly finds himself in a lineup full of productive superstars providing the sort of protection he could only dream of with the Mariners in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league. </span><br />
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He's not going to hit .350 or steal 40 bases but before this season's over, I think Ichiro is going to make his mark on this team and fully embrace New York and all it has to offer.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Check out Ben Gibbard's (</span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">) musical tribute to Ichiro</span><br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="166" scrolling="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F53864927&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Lara Schutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07432130368396598924noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18944234.post-44731769902988975942012-07-19T13:21:00.001-04:002012-07-19T13:21:08.731-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEYKwTwSXazGeiedVF0mrA-AkBDMxFvyg5UEmuEmH86BzXNWcRrEaZnj9V926dF9Qz_5msGGNzlVdJ1pip4y2tdeixX_NLpw6TehqbRsWr3V7CKtUmtBo0JsyOQiw8lCf5gg/s1600/7992_10100336578156732_240175591_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEYKwTwSXazGeiedVF0mrA-AkBDMxFvyg5UEmuEmH86BzXNWcRrEaZnj9V926dF9Qz_5msGGNzlVdJ1pip4y2tdeixX_NLpw6TehqbRsWr3V7CKtUmtBo0JsyOQiw8lCf5gg/s640/7992_10100336578156732_240175591_n.jpg" width="478" /> </a></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Lara Schutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07432130368396598924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18944234.post-41963263768494493662012-07-13T15:29:00.000-04:002012-07-13T15:29:09.401-04:00A Look Ahead to the Second Half...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Despite key injuries, the Yankees are in good shape heading into the second half. Owners of baseball's best record, the Bombers also have the largest division lead of any first place team. If you had been told all this back when Mariano Rivera went down for the season (and knowing later that CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte would both find themselves on the DL), I think you'd be quite thrilled with the results, no?</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What do you think are the keys to the Yankees' success in the second half? More production with runners in scoring position? Less reliance on the home run? Health? Russell Martin? Let me know in the comments!</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Lara Schutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07432130368396598924noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18944234.post-49974017412418077262012-07-10T10:47:00.000-04:002012-07-10T10:47:43.177-04:00Public Enemy Number One: Robinson Cano?!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In a game full of true ‘villains’
- cheaters and drug abusers and out-and-out criminals - an entire stadium,
during an exhibition home run hitting contest that, while fun (or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">supposed</i> to be) means nothing in the
grand scheme of things, decided to pour its collective vitriol out on one of
baseball’s best and brightest young stars. </div>
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<a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7497/photos#photoViewer=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Clego%3A19780928%3Atop%2Cphoto%2C51718394-b083-3147-9bd4-7eae7f1a8807-l%3A1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc162FSdLamPFmGOneelulGqjCggrjtQPD4He2Mfdfa8kGuHovb7Qote220dgNKAukBqbUkdYgq-c3ruI-Ge5WFtoJ_bY36_gyfBD-46O_b75AfUZBz-x-if45AF46wCMOJNU/s320/state-farm-home-run-derby-20120709-185016-602.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>
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Last year’s Home Run Derby was
one of the most memorable contests in some time. Baseball is a sport with a
rich history of being passed down from generation to generation. With his
father on the mound, Robinson Cano launched bomb after bomb and for a moment it
was as if the Cano’s were back in their backyard sharing that time-honored
tradition of father-son baseball bonding. When it was all over, Cano leapt into
his father’s arms victorious and every headline the next day harped on about
the feel-good nature of that moment.</div>
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Flash forward a season, and both
Cano’s looked as though they wanted to be anywhere but on the diamond as the
ruthless Kansas City crowd cheered every Cano out mercilessly (this including
his final out, the ‘gold’ ball that, when hit for a home run, turns into a
charitable donation). Some fan went as far as to fly a plane over the stadium
with a banner that read ‘You blew it, Cano’ in reference to his not selecting
Billy Butler for his American League squad. Some fans claim their issue is not
with Cano leaving Butler off but with him saying he would bring a Royals player
along and going back on his word, but according to Cano, Major League Baseball
wanted his selections a week before the All Star rosters were announced so he didn’t
know who would be representing Kansas City at the Midsummer Classic.</div>
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<a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7497/photos#photoViewer=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Clego%3A19780928%3Atop%2Cphoto%2Cffbc4cb6-24c1-32bf-9b26-f18e0762fabe-l%3A1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BpwVsXv72mbCxwbpmceb_qSZglWamKApjER77oLTGd68_PXUceOY-1GuPzVUj8NRiKBpu6oZSFl0drI7RQxF8l1rXQi7-1wYVIW9UPlKqWH2mzj9R2HYaro2l1oGW5U54Zs/s320/state-farm-home-run-derby-20120709-185215-248.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Robinson Cano hugs his father after failing to hit a home run in the 2012 Home Run Derby.</span></i> <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7497/photos#photoViewer=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Clego%3A19780928%3Atop%2Cphoto%2Cffbc4cb6-24c1-32bf-9b26-f18e0762fabe-l%3A1"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Yahoo! Sports)</span></a></div>
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This whole ugly episode starts
with, of all people, Billy Butler. Butler’s had himself a nice first half and
was selected as an All Star reserve, meaning he will get a chance to play in
the game in front of his hometown fans. You know, in the game that actually
counts. It’s impossible to argue with Cano’s choice of Jose Bautista (27 home
runs) and while Prince Fielder’s HR totals are low, he is a prolific home run
hitter who won the contest in 2009 and can (and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i>) put on quite a memorable show. Mark Trumbo seems to be the
player fans expected Cano to leave out in the cold, even with his 22 home runs
compared to Butler’s 16. Butler’s 16 home runs, by the way, leave him 16<sup>th</sup>
in the American League (not MLB, the <i>A.L.</i>) in that category, so Cano passed up
a lot of home run hitters more deserving. Just because he happens to play in
the ballpark doesn’t mean a player is entitled to a spot. And they say Yankee fans
have a sense of entitlement!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
While last year’s Home Run Derby
was memorable for sentimental reasons, the 2008 affair at the original Yankee
Stadium will always be remembered for the remarkable show Josh Hamilton put on,
launching some of the longest home runs the old ballpark in the Bronx ever witnessed.
Hamilton didn’t even win yet his performance will forever be remembered as one
of the greatest Home Run Derby showings ever. The Yankee Stadium crowd oohed
and aahed appropriately, loving every minute of the spectacular show they were
watching, and guess what? Not a single Yankee participated in that Derby. The final
season at historic Yankee Stadium and no Yankee participant? After last night,
it’s a shock that no one rioted. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
In the end, what is supposed to
be a fun night that celebrates the game of baseball and the accomplishments of
the first half turned into an ugly affair that did nothing but make the fans of
Kansas City look bad. Prince Fielder’s eventual victory (on Robinson Cano’s
American League squad that finished one, two and three in the contest) is
almost an afterthought. What will be remembered about the 2012 Home Run Derby
is nothing to write home about.</div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Lara Schutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07432130368396598924noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18944234.post-58627414803478783632011-03-31T03:25:00.001-04:002011-03-31T04:00:32.803-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>"Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter <br />
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here..."</i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">- The Beatles</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://yankees.lhblogs.com/?nav=4"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpr-M4ESJUf4bEKohylfJ-7SN6wqZE0tgqrZc0QCj1ifbHXx7rJF_MbgDBcNRNtuom8Ny67RuSywrKiZAcE6Qu5zuxm1bDhkiGatRb6DH4dQCAzLiun48DcP0kElWI-jzsvkg/s320/bb63c26b1954ed07e80e6a7067006b70.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Opening Day.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">What's more exciting than those two words?</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">The Quest for #28 starts now.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-wuBFK1fEY-vWweOi3UvITH5Z_l6DPEtd3ISlCBBSN0YKYsMKpJDj_xSaGNy1PT6AtS-wZLVywUIfP0KmJRS7Z27UcctOwrB7XEqrLdPyhxKYPtyzOBKO5EI3s_SHa7o5Fo/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-wuBFK1fEY-vWweOi3UvITH5Z_l6DPEtd3ISlCBBSN0YKYsMKpJDj_xSaGNy1PT6AtS-wZLVywUIfP0KmJRS7Z27UcctOwrB7XEqrLdPyhxKYPtyzOBKO5EI3s_SHa7o5Fo/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Lara Schutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07432130368396598924noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18944234.post-71487657788779440982011-03-13T20:41:00.000-04:002011-03-13T20:41:43.313-04:002011 Division Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The biggest MLB storyline for the 2011 season will be the beastly American League Eastern Division. The A.L. East has been the toughest division in the game for the past few seasons, and this year will be no exception. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3MF1ogYA1ECKFSmvicvgy44ouni0QW3dTKLsIKRBlN0LzHAj8JPU6VgnTO0iKvdOpikfGFh9r1vAJMvxYcTPn1yNQ38yQoD0PVuXtPRPMfkV52ilwXge6MYnjvlsArk_MVU/s1600/610x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3MF1ogYA1ECKFSmvicvgy44ouni0QW3dTKLsIKRBlN0LzHAj8JPU6VgnTO0iKvdOpikfGFh9r1vAJMvxYcTPn1yNQ38yQoD0PVuXtPRPMfkV52ilwXge6MYnjvlsArk_MVU/s320/610x.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The <b>New York Yankees</b> are coming off a season in which they made it to the ALCS despite off years from Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and especially A.J. Burnett. The Captain has revamped his swing this spring, Teix is looking to start strong instead of dealing with his usual lackluster April, and new pitching coach Larry Rothschild is hoping to work his magic on Burnett. In addition, the Yankees still have a fearsome lineup that includes last year's MVP candidate Robinson Cano, the consistent Nick Swisher, and centerfielder Curtis Granderson, looking to continue his strong end to the 2010 campaign. Look for a better season from Jorge Posada, who should benefit from DHing and not having to worry about the wears and tears of catching on his 39-year-old body. With arguably the best bullpen in the league anchored by the legend himself, Mariano Rivera, the only question that remains with the Yankees is their starting pitching beyond Sabathia and Hughes. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7joiRZ7Pwu87K8G3_iwjuf_zXZVkwXdTYacxtAy5J4dPZZcynlzJmlCredl4tklSMkRpK0tbV5fu5E7X_BxVQtYMUOh0D27TSllLo9uPIVzpBQPGOctcURZp0uLM1md7mmkJ/s1600/crawford-gonzalez.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfV-d3TPS337kQhLUwtezLFdxsrm51nbTW7t6TIuW_Ysz1K47-SPOMoYguMlcwwq0IwV1hGxakZC-qqI3__Pg1ygAESqh81vEl4lpB_ID9cjWB17xqVR6jOIWzbJI0s3JoL-0/s200/crawford-gonzalez.jpg" width="200" /></a>The <b>Boston Red Sox</b> had an incredible offseason, solidifying an already impressive lineup by adding the likes of speedy Carl Crawford and slugger Adrian Gonzalez. Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis are strong again after being sidelined by injuries in ’10, so the Red Sox lineup is another force to be reckoned with. Questions do arise in regards to their starting pitching, though. Youngsters Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are reliable starters, but then you have to consider the remaining three- the often erratic Josh Beckett, an aging John Lackey, and the frustrating Daisuke Matsuzaka. Still, it’s hard to argue with many early predictions that the Red Sox might just be the team to beat.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5484/gallery/im:urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,ap:20050301:mlb,photo,ap-e9c42dae733a4d45a196ab95899aad6d:1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrsuSK8XB0cXCS7JuU9z1q1zWRj8KWIRuh_05iAPIjuzeGx2QPTmfbHlBg6MhhJwPTdTDG51a13FqOpoOUo0SFG_302rVrgEeFWvIrSmhmGN2jzwtHKqRRB1TZiM4mzCx3rQ/s200/ap-e9c42dae733a4d45a196ab95899aad6d.jpg" width="163" /></a><b>Tampa Bay</b> has been overlooked going into 2011. Their starting five is a talented group of young arms with enough firepower and experience to make opposing batters rather uncomfortable at the plate. The lineup is impressive, too. Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton are joined this season by two veteran superstars who each had a great deal of success with other A.L. East teams, Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez. As hard as that lineup will be to navigate, the issue with the Rays is, of course, their bullpen. Sending away their closer Rafael Soriano, as well as Benoit and Balfour, the only problems the 2011 Rays will have will most likely be the late innings.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the past, the <b>Orioles</b> and <b>Blue Jays</b> were the overlooked teams in the division. It might be time to give them a second look. Baltimore was an entirely different team after Buck Schowalter came along midway through last season and breathed new life into the Birds. Their 2011 revamped lineup is nothing to be scoffed at, with Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and Brian Roberts being joined by Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee, and J.J. Hardy. Jeremy Guthrie and Justin Duchscherer will anchor the rotation and propel the Orioles to what will probably be their best season in years. The Blue Jays, on paper, look to be the weakest team in the division, but being the weakest team in the toughest division in baseball doesn’t mean they can’t contend. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.betvega.com/tag/orioles-predictions-2011/"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwCItHKdpD18nKn4ErfnqZ7szU5851hFLYbvtvPMQlUAtF88DQVStPCQ1xX54lzYbRC9JMSfkxtdRIC-V_To3hPuYSsvoKXIOYiLpm-lkch-wDCdJNo2HOGwjU3RcL1DQX0Y/s200/2011-AL-East-Predictions-Odds.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The A.L. East is up for grabs in 2011.</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Go CC! </b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpipoIrSuc17k1hnY51EgZXKXV6qGa7xItxX5tmxA56Mgrpiyp-kX2DOJxXpv5VdXMbSbT5nvP43-1biWlZ0SbOqWKQkOhBq16AkOyzSs_PwfVFvpNYVWEz4Emy2YkiRNZ0l4/s1600/r4235346016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpipoIrSuc17k1hnY51EgZXKXV6qGa7xItxX5tmxA56Mgrpiyp-kX2DOJxXpv5VdXMbSbT5nvP43-1biWlZ0SbOqWKQkOhBq16AkOyzSs_PwfVFvpNYVWEz4Emy2YkiRNZ0l4/s320/r4235346016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Cruising through six one-hit innings, Vazquez was forced out of the game after bruising his finger in a successful bunt attempt. A trio of relievers, <b>Robertson </b>(coming off his best outing of the 2010 campaign), <b>Marte</b>, and <b>Chamberlain </b>combined for two scoreless innings and got the ball into <b>Rivera</b>'s hands with the 2-0 lead (courtesy of rookie <b>Kevin Russo</b>'s two-run double in the 7th) still intact. Things got a bit dicey with Mo in the 9th after back-to-back doubles by Bay and Davis, but he induced a ground ball to second to secure his 8th save of the season and a satisfying Yankee win that snapped a three game losing streak and left them four games back of the first-place Rays.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplAoRaYrz0QsLB_QWU6DLJU3RtbdfpDtY-VJRwHb3Xxo6Vo84rRM5jKiU3fYgwkA0YYmjMH4iBoy5c13OthdvV21ZzwWVzCQmsaX9K2kqGBRgW6hNam1Rw_gdNSofxJZPvW4/s1600/fe76aba17d3009ea90a4bd343684c6b1-getty-97588571ab025_new_york_yank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplAoRaYrz0QsLB_QWU6DLJU3RtbdfpDtY-VJRwHb3Xxo6Vo84rRM5jKiU3fYgwkA0YYmjMH4iBoy5c13OthdvV21ZzwWVzCQmsaX9K2kqGBRgW6hNam1Rw_gdNSofxJZPvW4/s320/fe76aba17d3009ea90a4bd343684c6b1-getty-97588571ab025_new_york_yank.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">On Saturday, two young right-handers face off at Citi Field, with <b>Phil Hughes</b> (5-0, 2.25) taking on <b>Mike Pelfrey</b> (5-1, 3.02) in the second game of the three-game set. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photos courtesy of <a href="http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0geurkAafdLTUUASENXNyoA?ei=UTF-8&p=new%20york%20yankees&fr2=tab-web&fr=ush-sports">Yahoo! Sports</a></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSLGjDnC9iflQ5f0u60oU3NyJqkzdDJdU6CnZJfdhfu-M29AJNgSO7Q5sotqM6QjHSfwvyTZj3WJ3wLHFs-LwzM-3uYhZoOLvzQoFlAH3At5mJk-eTdUlfVfr50p3dKZJZYI/s1600/0b9e78b6047f3c07c90e6a706700d8a1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSLGjDnC9iflQ5f0u60oU3NyJqkzdDJdU6CnZJfdhfu-M29AJNgSO7Q5sotqM6QjHSfwvyTZj3WJ3wLHFs-LwzM-3uYhZoOLvzQoFlAH3At5mJk-eTdUlfVfr50p3dKZJZYI/s400/0b9e78b6047f3c07c90e6a706700d8a1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRlYaTAo_dWejxX57H8LJtaxo6jXdYkyIJf1vXPo2aUrAQeCPf6DSIus95sd4PDY_-RiT4Q-NAhDdTF1X9zPNOmCMP0osaFrrSfpCYOfvFT1MADTf1JV_frz6vTAayf5QgpI/s1600/0d4a0b33048e3c07c90e6a7067008bd3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRlYaTAo_dWejxX57H8LJtaxo6jXdYkyIJf1vXPo2aUrAQeCPf6DSIus95sd4PDY_-RiT4Q-NAhDdTF1X9zPNOmCMP0osaFrrSfpCYOfvFT1MADTf1JV_frz6vTAayf5QgpI/s400/0d4a0b33048e3c07c90e6a7067008bd3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-w1-s1w3ErdZquUvEt4bJMSBCgNjVIDrNKT_hLKajI-jRUyAbxKVDuELFWdYzPabORPiCnTbZCVb0C_TZqX6vhXI36zc76FnNze9BdfMv0KDvUQDbn8pIt7LS2s1JWcqmTA8/s1600/capt.8cbe3c722cd84de3848467c6e92eb632-8cbe3c722cd84de3848467c6e92eb632-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-w1-s1w3ErdZquUvEt4bJMSBCgNjVIDrNKT_hLKajI-jRUyAbxKVDuELFWdYzPabORPiCnTbZCVb0C_TZqX6vhXI36zc76FnNze9BdfMv0KDvUQDbn8pIt7LS2s1JWcqmTA8/s400/capt.8cbe3c722cd84de3848467c6e92eb632-8cbe3c722cd84de3848467c6e92eb632-0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(All photos courtesy of Associated Press)</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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As a result, West stated, "It's pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play." He went on to say that this issue is "a disgrace to baseball."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Yes, the Yankees and Red Sox are a disgrace to baseball, according to a longtime Major League umpire. The same Yankees and Red Sox that provide the game of baseball with hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue (the Yankees, in fact, </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4274:inside-the-2010-forbes-mlb-franchise-valuations&catid=26:editorials&Itemid=39">brought in $441 million in 2009</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, $173 million more than the second-place New York Mets). The same Yankees and Red Sox who consistently provide the best television ratings for networks and make up more back page headlines than the rest of Major League Baseball. Yes, the very same Yankees and Red Sox who quite literally represent and define baseball in America thanks to the long, historic, and heated nature of their decades-old rivalry. What would baseball be without these two teams?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Since 1995, either the Yankees or the Red Sox have made the postseason </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >every single year</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. During that span, the Red Sox accrued two championships (2004 and 2007) while the Yankees won the Fall Classic five times (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009). During that same time frame, only the Florida Marlins became World Series champions more than once (1997 and 2003). For Joe West to come out and publicly criticize the two teams that have made baseball what it is today in such a way is absolutely ludicrous.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhAQJYWPHkPDcHfh-IRhy8D6VbVjr8g9TrorGnr5DuxXpU_HV6uvVeCQ8xJOKDmjj5FolnLcUPg6oCP80tMwE9KVRMaMCpJ9sXtkw6n8agfkmObe-06jJLmqyReqHS88OjBM/s1600/yankees+red+sox+opening+night.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhAQJYWPHkPDcHfh-IRhy8D6VbVjr8g9TrorGnr5DuxXpU_HV6uvVeCQ8xJOKDmjj5FolnLcUPg6oCP80tMwE9KVRMaMCpJ9sXtkw6n8agfkmObe-06jJLmqyReqHS88OjBM/s400/yankees+red+sox+opening+night.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457896988138056850" border="0" /></a></span></span></span><br />Boston and New York play long games because they are and have been the two best teams in baseball over the past decade. Both lineups are full, from top to bottom, of players who see more pitches per plate appearance than the rest of the league. Last season, the league average for pitches per plate appearance was 3.84; </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/sports/baseball/07kepner.html">the Red Sox were ten points higher at 3.94</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. The Yankees and Red Sox also ranked first and second, respectively, </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/historical/team_stats.jsp?statType=1&HS=true&Submit=Submit&c_id=mlb&groupByTeam=true&baseballScope=mlb&timeSubFrame=2009&sortByStat=OBP">in walks AND on base percentage</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. The Yankees scored the most runs in baseball last year while the Red Sox were third. And let's not forget that the Yankees and Red Sox play more primetime, nationally-televised games than the other M.L. teams and ad revenue and longer commercial breaks has quite a lot to do with the pace of games as well. Do you think all this might have something to do with the fact that they play long games?<br /><br />Mariano Rivera <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5066650">was asked about West's comments</a> and responded, <span style="font-weight: bold;">""It's incredible. If he has places to go, let him do something else. What does he want us to do, swing at balls?"</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mo sums things up pretty nicely with that quote, I think. As for me, I'm going to have to agree with Jonathan Papelbon for the first and probably last time in my life; during spring training, <a href="http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2010/03/25/papelbon-no-need-to-hurry-up-red-soxyankees-games/">Papelbon asked WEEI.com</a>, "Have you ever gone to watch a movie and thought, 'Man, this movie is so good I wish it would have never ended?' That's like a Red Sox-Yankees game. Why would you want it to end?"</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">(Photos courtesy of <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/photo?slug=e037ea82d3657ffd12e206aae127a3db-getty-">Yahoo! Sports</a>)<br /></span><!-- Search Google --><!-- Search Google --></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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After a long winter, baseball is back, and back with a vengeance.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Spring Training treated the Yankees well, and despite a few nicks here and there (especially this past week), the team will start the season relatively unscathed.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />So who is breaking camp with the 2010 Yankees?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Take a look!</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Starting Pitchers</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ouNeM0kLd92Zi2Vm8x1cBb3rqlOTvj2c9ohY_Fnj97_oDWcl7Qtzq5Zh1zYESoUpWsR_wmQkqsaCy-2GjMjKmg4rYEh5sfJnsE9iVi7KGBPRaoK6rfgyujpfg1WkJTysgW8/s1600/sabathia.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ouNeM0kLd92Zi2Vm8x1cBb3rqlOTvj2c9ohY_Fnj97_oDWcl7Qtzq5Zh1zYESoUpWsR_wmQkqsaCy-2GjMjKmg4rYEh5sfJnsE9iVi7KGBPRaoK6rfgyujpfg1WkJTysgW8/s320/sabathia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108410028001170" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-mRLwjuUHkFyTZw4_Z7zRYeHmSce-AAjqGMzq7DqzVbJjpX6g8Jg8Bn7N6n9__0yiYqXrzeMjWlGcRnURosgZEbgzzV1UPCeeWb3ip8NLXwvYmZxIL09Yx4E1UrDCLZkcOE/s1600/burnett.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-mRLwjuUHkFyTZw4_Z7zRYeHmSce-AAjqGMzq7DqzVbJjpX6g8Jg8Bn7N6n9__0yiYqXrzeMjWlGcRnURosgZEbgzzV1UPCeeWb3ip8NLXwvYmZxIL09Yx4E1UrDCLZkcOE/s320/burnett.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108026569243218" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKyD47uA2xE-QEPHhOsOJS83mhRAqSb_rNppPdFZPugvSH93cpHyvxTm7byW0oZJdIy6Vfl9G3natrMYlVfWIqNNj98ClNHh759_EmNTjZhzGZX8gslRzDyqGPbGaCz_pzmw/s1600/pettitte.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKyD47uA2xE-QEPHhOsOJS83mhRAqSb_rNppPdFZPugvSH93cpHyvxTm7byW0oZJdIy6Vfl9G3natrMYlVfWIqNNj98ClNHh759_EmNTjZhzGZX8gslRzDyqGPbGaCz_pzmw/s320/pettitte.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108251321748786" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_-o0PsPiOs_9tgaGBhyphenhyphenSZacRi5dPwolunNgEuBvsL9dpxeDAP9Mggr0_XIq12-Dimt1Xu2B-Yafp1v9C78_tMLp5sktt3dEMwi2eXQnbq_-dcvO6uJg7SYUo-e1ZoC7h8TM/s1600/vazquez.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_-o0PsPiOs_9tgaGBhyphenhyphenSZacRi5dPwolunNgEuBvsL9dpxeDAP9Mggr0_XIq12-Dimt1Xu2B-Yafp1v9C78_tMLp5sktt3dEMwi2eXQnbq_-dcvO6uJg7SYUo-e1ZoC7h8TM/s320/vazquez.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108413696612418" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5VGNnHgI4ulqyISBF9c5ZwpJGDMi3zG5mWfQtE7Y-p3cEyVxHZ23CUsQ7ZlPXGNxRwOW4l-TSPFw8v2T888e8JpUNtN0uOM2WjTKfXNQcyb1bFi_ukmxAGlQLc9LCCalqyE/s1600/hughes.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5VGNnHgI4ulqyISBF9c5ZwpJGDMi3zG5mWfQtE7Y-p3cEyVxHZ23CUsQ7ZlPXGNxRwOW4l-TSPFw8v2T888e8JpUNtN0uOM2WjTKfXNQcyb1bFi_ukmxAGlQLc9LCCalqyE/s320/hughes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108038638467858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /><br /><br />CC Sabathia</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, the ace of the staff, will start Sunday evening's grand opening in Boston against Josh Beckett. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >A.J. Burnett</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Andy Pettitte</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> remain integral, proven pitchers at the top of the rotation, and former Yankee </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Javier Vazquez</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> is back via a trade with Atlanta. One of the only true competitions in Spring Training this year was the fight for the fifth starter role, with </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Phil Hughes</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, Joba Chamberlain, Alfredo Aceves, and Sergio Mitre the leading candidates. In the end, manager </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Joe Girardi</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> chose Hughes and sent the remaining three candidates to the bullpen.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Bullpen</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2pYxrDhkmDJJSL6YNWzlt6SWx5CE4CdPwBDil4oS_Jng_tnm0SX7XW8qZozRCEKiNp0dByaGKjoJL-VHarbtQZOrkDSWOjZg8gt5EBmlwVFUgISXqwF2ifhWrCHD1wq9Kzg/s1600/aceves.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2pYxrDhkmDJJSL6YNWzlt6SWx5CE4CdPwBDil4oS_Jng_tnm0SX7XW8qZozRCEKiNp0dByaGKjoJL-VHarbtQZOrkDSWOjZg8gt5EBmlwVFUgISXqwF2ifhWrCHD1wq9Kzg/s320/aceves.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108020913653170" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsVdbAmc2tbHR-TVtodNhaCYs_wQ-cBhxGGjputlA5Tc0mkvjjcTs4cxZNQi31v9qMHWQM6ovJn35z1xz-z1geHpM7657RiJcOQN-1Io-AAsUKnC8MquHgP5dZ1BRiuYlp80/s1600/park.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsVdbAmc2tbHR-TVtodNhaCYs_wQ-cBhxGGjputlA5Tc0mkvjjcTs4cxZNQi31v9qMHWQM6ovJn35z1xz-z1geHpM7657RiJcOQN-1Io-AAsUKnC8MquHgP5dZ1BRiuYlp80/s320/park.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108250242926130" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZExFJykgnZku_4l8esZaV2KDSDcVn50NxqwysjhQn8RWknFzChmS8JEzbaqZ9UTVuppr6RZRUPsoeslzeoZ1Akz4YE_H7wAdrltdT0gaMlX14lECiGcyRM8TbHn44CuD4klE/s1600/marte.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZExFJykgnZku_4l8esZaV2KDSDcVn50NxqwysjhQn8RWknFzChmS8JEzbaqZ9UTVuppr6RZRUPsoeslzeoZ1Akz4YE_H7wAdrltdT0gaMlX14lECiGcyRM8TbHn44CuD4klE/s320/marte.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108045730109058" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwb4uVSYtQyIngTy-nmG8gV0IXW8OAtwZboGEun3J4-rzqhr5kTX2gFhpnmzgVKl5Em-S7j_6hexBIojBDwF41rLFooQQzZGlHmiithdvt3Ro-QlWTCluXXQC0npNIfR6uwvQ/s1600/mitre.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwb4uVSYtQyIngTy-nmG8gV0IXW8OAtwZboGEun3J4-rzqhr5kTX2gFhpnmzgVKl5Em-S7j_6hexBIojBDwF41rLFooQQzZGlHmiithdvt3Ro-QlWTCluXXQC0npNIfR6uwvQ/s320/mitre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108244509185218" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNXYOM5R_VfqkzOpRzpP6VDJZVUbuPOnz35bUF9uDMR0E7aQgibtVA48mHOVwm6diB435zAPUUI-pKDe1rLQxpen0z7vZ2CeEUIwO_OkdJaoVqTbfYqwi7EwdSi_oy1-DQiU/s1600/robertson.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNXYOM5R_VfqkzOpRzpP6VDJZVUbuPOnz35bUF9uDMR0E7aQgibtVA48mHOVwm6diB435zAPUUI-pKDe1rLQxpen0z7vZ2CeEUIwO_OkdJaoVqTbfYqwi7EwdSi_oy1-DQiU/s320/robertson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108267093224754" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6A_wlrCnoUVEXvZPLUF5oVTDmJhMpYHGDdgo3PvZ1hXYzOkSDwEPu9_YJ-0c3oFyB4d0TC9YdEyLYht2XVg5Aq0ZqEl8SMPNDZhebGj2aT7Srrgy6ikAcP2PpBdzjfKVXiss/s1600/chamberlain.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6A_wlrCnoUVEXvZPLUF5oVTDmJhMpYHGDdgo3PvZ1hXYzOkSDwEPu9_YJ-0c3oFyB4d0TC9YdEyLYht2XVg5Aq0ZqEl8SMPNDZhebGj2aT7Srrgy6ikAcP2PpBdzjfKVXiss/s320/chamberlain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108029544069298" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgof0y_XPbk6GkGyACx7fi6pFXNfevSspPSWjLgi3THgNM1F49QlxDP15QKr52savdewmgUVIY8USAbuWr-zaGQFMCkh4QrVu1rZyQ_9bCr3WHdeDDZIJ5Q6_J7Unl7r324qwc/s1600/rivera.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgof0y_XPbk6GkGyACx7fi6pFXNfevSspPSWjLgi3THgNM1F49QlxDP15QKr52savdewmgUVIY8USAbuWr-zaGQFMCkh4QrVu1rZyQ_9bCr3WHdeDDZIJ5Q6_J7Unl7r324qwc/s320/rivera.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456108256249081554" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Alfredo Aceves</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Sergio Mitre</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> are two considerations for long men out of the bullpen at this point, having lost the fight for the fifth starter role to Phil Hughes. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Chan Ho Park</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, a late addition to the team during Spring Training, will also be on hand, as well as the Yankees' only lefty out of the 'pen, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Damaso Marte</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Joba Chamberlain</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >David Robertson</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> are likely to battle it out over the set-up man spot in front of the great and incomparable </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Mariano Rivera</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /><br />Infield</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIXai4xRNf6q8J4TVETxXxgaKdpkQEhr3rLH_P7e8ky9GCNyeHutzACrTTvQyw_EPYzeq5UuU2iQCE3al-4CowwWw6_zLjUgBNrVD18eTQXW-YsfoUrUNC9xz0J36yeWd844/s1600/posada.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIXai4xRNf6q8J4TVETxXxgaKdpkQEhr3rLH_P7e8ky9GCNyeHutzACrTTvQyw_EPYzeq5UuU2iQCE3al-4CowwWw6_zLjUgBNrVD18eTQXW-YsfoUrUNC9xz0J36yeWd844/s320/posada.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456111197573931570" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEYRGQNQsED1aqOcZ3uRPbjMiGrOqTLZUk4uJ6bKyeYDVuyY67aXxjhB43CEOcJvKAlPyhde9Y0cEKVsXPQ5juej-Sa196cWLo8oDnP_GxTvtMRoV8AxlYYDCT3tM8VAxL5w/s1600/teixeira.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEYRGQNQsED1aqOcZ3uRPbjMiGrOqTLZUk4uJ6bKyeYDVuyY67aXxjhB43CEOcJvKAlPyhde9Y0cEKVsXPQ5juej-Sa196cWLo8oDnP_GxTvtMRoV8AxlYYDCT3tM8VAxL5w/s320/teixeira.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456111205966627698" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dwvUcrgWKpEc9ZqqlJ_Ag-Qzbu0t1SxYhaJohpDiQzTDl9isQoIlYH0T2V8YRE_uWX6FNzgjUvbPKPQPBMXXFbG_n4yyB624ImQ1yyq6ACfsgvaLp89sM7OHBfehYj9NpQc/s1600/cano.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dwvUcrgWKpEc9ZqqlJ_Ag-Qzbu0t1SxYhaJohpDiQzTDl9isQoIlYH0T2V8YRE_uWX6FNzgjUvbPKPQPBMXXFbG_n4yyB624ImQ1yyq6ACfsgvaLp89sM7OHBfehYj9NpQc/s320/cano.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456111015157318546" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CihMm9oi8eecxCP_snixSlviVOOk4mqRjSofZaOJS7vUyMPAvq7plSw3TkY3x1KO7nEmBahMAVGtU6B3_d9uE727nsMQuUSQhxTNKVlKY_lNezZZLPKxTrCAMOuKRYzd4Q0/s1600/jeter.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CihMm9oi8eecxCP_snixSlviVOOk4mqRjSofZaOJS7vUyMPAvq7plSw3TkY3x1KO7nEmBahMAVGtU6B3_d9uE727nsMQuUSQhxTNKVlKY_lNezZZLPKxTrCAMOuKRYzd4Q0/s320/jeter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456111022278547138" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiJM6qZ337uJo7kmCb1M-7Y6ocO7Uox73WxpqdmTIhEv5mP14GDIylbThxbMktjns3l0fQVraAeik8ZvDIugPyaadTwEmh8B-ZUEWhtOSFXJJhycDbtpNflRFw-K20UjcluE/s1600/rodriguez.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiJM6qZ337uJo7kmCb1M-7Y6ocO7Uox73WxpqdmTIhEv5mP14GDIylbThxbMktjns3l0fQVraAeik8ZvDIugPyaadTwEmh8B-ZUEWhtOSFXJJhycDbtpNflRFw-K20UjcluE/s320/rodriguez.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456111198508901442" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB7uzRJ8kM-q8-Npi6MSkkreo6Vg3N6Ggf6ANOQeWMpiChymvWX3UKKAX4VedMXlb6pQWXZC17iZ9ivLdw-Zbprp1eMYQiCYYJr9i0DK_cye9YH5yFOpGb0clWYCaF_xmkOg/s1600/pena.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB7uzRJ8kM-q8-Npi6MSkkreo6Vg3N6Ggf6ANOQeWMpiChymvWX3UKKAX4VedMXlb6pQWXZC17iZ9ivLdw-Zbprp1eMYQiCYYJr9i0DK_cye9YH5yFOpGb0clWYCaF_xmkOg/s320/pena.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456111032010127250" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKxmdAcBRF_IZvadu9nmXGzV2MZ9PovTcuRl9_mPJmHV5CPvH8gyeZeJ_bIxFZlH99hfPnP4R9nPctRt3CUzNq19dXRu1We7cZ8OlJnYPSrs3pSPHP7SeZHInt-pAnPfvptg/s1600/cervelli.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKxmdAcBRF_IZvadu9nmXGzV2MZ9PovTcuRl9_mPJmHV5CPvH8gyeZeJ_bIxFZlH99hfPnP4R9nPctRt3CUzNq19dXRu1We7cZ8OlJnYPSrs3pSPHP7SeZHInt-pAnPfvptg/s320/cervelli.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456111018956733954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The starting infield for the 2010 New York Yankees is exactly the same as the previous season; </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Jorge Posada</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Mark Teixeira</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Robinson Cano</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Alex Rodriguez</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, and Captain </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Derek Jeter</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> are the starters, meaning the Yankees literally have an All-Star at every infield position. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Ramiro Pena</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> will be the utility infielder, and following the departure of Jose Molina, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Francisco Cervelli</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> is the new back-up catcher. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><br /><br />Outfield<br /></span><br /></span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkfrAich-Ac8thbT6nNOiZ-naOzdUEq45mm5Z0sf4R_JOuQXPdzp-aoy0TsetvQGsKshL9Hmso1-nxR95wqdoX8NuL4b3sRLy3rvV7GqwQIfY7fmPagfxDDm9adqsbMJNBT-g/s1600/gardner.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkfrAich-Ac8thbT6nNOiZ-naOzdUEq45mm5Z0sf4R_JOuQXPdzp-aoy0TsetvQGsKshL9Hmso1-nxR95wqdoX8NuL4b3sRLy3rvV7GqwQIfY7fmPagfxDDm9adqsbMJNBT-g/s320/gardner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456114004827203874" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0xttaPobIMamzE_-Q4bQWwuM_K6H-sSTWEp14p9mDxy8jEvJZLtRBH8AvQ1U5-VTCIomgSLIhIQ35gTjnFM5GrkdKhakxZaBmGXKcCUznN4rAY_6-LFzpD9akKLU68hNdxw/s1600/granderson.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0xttaPobIMamzE_-Q4bQWwuM_K6H-sSTWEp14p9mDxy8jEvJZLtRBH8AvQ1U5-VTCIomgSLIhIQ35gTjnFM5GrkdKhakxZaBmGXKcCUznN4rAY_6-LFzpD9akKLU68hNdxw/s320/granderson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456114010812865170" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN76thite3cVTNCVI6zvzXZ9YrKB5rc4S7M6AKhQfmhDtkWyY9pyaeVTPQ3uEJbkkX9932tAu-AgCePOLF4Jb9f4QvVoYD_esclUcySgEPG9MtmNrdLWuF3_t9ArbQkKg9IF4/s1600/swisher.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN76thite3cVTNCVI6zvzXZ9YrKB5rc4S7M6AKhQfmhDtkWyY9pyaeVTPQ3uEJbkkX9932tAu-AgCePOLF4Jb9f4QvVoYD_esclUcySgEPG9MtmNrdLWuF3_t9ArbQkKg9IF4/s320/swisher.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456114012622345954" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbaieggac9lq3SuXMqzcIDOWeYwA_id4VJVoijBVE21LgdEEBm-NfZVlVof0f1jA-n29JvCYAVircfQMEdCQcyF0USTQER03qdAxzrsqQbnZwiGBJ8WsSJh6lr0OitdbrN1k/s1600/thames.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbaieggac9lq3SuXMqzcIDOWeYwA_id4VJVoijBVE21LgdEEBm-NfZVlVof0f1jA-n29JvCYAVircfQMEdCQcyF0USTQER03qdAxzrsqQbnZwiGBJ8WsSJh6lr0OitdbrN1k/s320/thames.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456114016411873714" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhF-f4JbTchfV55P4oiVaGx0SIrhoQBZdRcmbnCImBx8S3JNVHSnFreiUbOavLfKxHkiY-VRCOCYrVfH9fQeEH5l1K-X3NF3HVKPQ0rlyCsF5vAVTIILvp7R9Um8mon1ANgww/s1600/winn.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhF-f4JbTchfV55P4oiVaGx0SIrhoQBZdRcmbnCImBx8S3JNVHSnFreiUbOavLfKxHkiY-VRCOCYrVfH9fQeEH5l1K-X3NF3HVKPQ0rlyCsF5vAVTIILvp7R9Um8mon1ANgww/s320/winn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456114261208214194" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br />While most of the 2010 team looks much the same as the 2009 <span style="font-style: italic;">World Champion</span> Yankees, the outfield is where you spot the real differences. Gone are Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon, replaced now by </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Curtis Granderson </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Randy Winn</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Brett Gardner</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> will be the left fielder, Granderson's in center, and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Nick Swisher</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> will patrol right. Winn remains a backup, along with former Yankee </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Marcus Thames</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, who was the last man to be named to the Opening Day roster. </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Designated Hitter</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiQbShHdusQikcGltHflnsj_E3_oneAvWQQQUpdnNrcxE1BmQcQAmpf2CyJjclJkGyDEeqihxqybjICP8M9LwLDDVKIjV6M_MZUDV1gS-aOsBeXAFVWYUrv6ZejOwQLZt7YA/s1600/johnson.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 83px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiQbShHdusQikcGltHflnsj_E3_oneAvWQQQUpdnNrcxE1BmQcQAmpf2CyJjclJkGyDEeqihxqybjICP8M9LwLDDVKIjV6M_MZUDV1gS-aOsBeXAFVWYUrv6ZejOwQLZt7YA/s320/johnson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456111028091422306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui is a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim now, so the Yankees brought in their old farmhand, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Nick Johnson</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, for DH duties. Johnson will primarily DH but can also fill in quite capably for Teixeira when Girardi needs to give his regular first baseman a rest. </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So there you are. What do you think of the 2010 Opening Day roster?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><br />(All photos courtesy of <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/index.jsp">mlb.com</a>)</span><br /></div><img src="file:///C:/Users/Lara/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.png" alt="" /><!-- Search Google --><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Lara Schutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07432130368396598924noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18944234.post-73849202421138430372009-11-05T11:23:00.013-05:002010-04-12T00:47:35.324-04:00Start Spreading the News...<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCW8epwoKoiGT380UCNmDa3vCnH2GJm-qR6g-yywn0vNHhGq-s5pHijkUyEtZCTXRczgAWo91IPkeEf3vnDiae3BecwNFrS2HAl0UVNgJaH0BBhEXfH8IUcyKN_CbjHgnz2Mc/s1600-h/da4a75931600c986407572cc4889f7ed-getty-92343144cc368_philadelphia_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 345px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCW8epwoKoiGT380UCNmDa3vCnH2GJm-qR6g-yywn0vNHhGq-s5pHijkUyEtZCTXRczgAWo91IPkeEf3vnDiae3BecwNFrS2HAl0UVNgJaH0BBhEXfH8IUcyKN_CbjHgnz2Mc/s320/da4a75931600c986407572cc4889f7ed-getty-92343144cc368_philadelphia_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400668580652421938" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE NEW YORK YANKEES ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS ONCE MORE</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfWVlNpyg_rwcZrfukUBR4kBIBSnrVtQrwfeqlOZQaqWvonAr3-FrPku2xCBJ1hOyFHAiTzVkS56Eg0gZkKT2sy4IUlWC8mgp6gWzK19a4mWldiPbOSS0R51DYSH6hKRhHxM/s1600-h/b6ad0d031684c1b3e5700ef96629ef8c-getty-92343144cc329_philadelphia_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfWVlNpyg_rwcZrfukUBR4kBIBSnrVtQrwfeqlOZQaqWvonAr3-FrPku2xCBJ1hOyFHAiTzVkS56Eg0gZkKT2sy4IUlWC8mgp6gWzK19a4mWldiPbOSS0R51DYSH6hKRhHxM/s320/b6ad0d031684c1b3e5700ef96629ef8c-getty-92343144cc329_philadelphia_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667643905519298" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >CC Sabathia</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> was a bona fide ace, on and off the field, and an absolute gamer, taking the ball on short rest for virtually the whole postseason.<br /><br /></span> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZguU3lYZW0FRbMbwoZu6vh-N54hvb8nzHlCgxixz1ly8_vOM1jNXQNlyR3JUpLYUECW-Tg7pmJ00SpHgvvjJJpQ3BFjA9YvHXj2LiIi0uANwkWkQ1zVGBweafP3elOYv6bA/s1600-h/a8266af9e26504453d644465c61924ee-getty-92343144cc328_philadelphia_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZguU3lYZW0FRbMbwoZu6vh-N54hvb8nzHlCgxixz1ly8_vOM1jNXQNlyR3JUpLYUECW-Tg7pmJ00SpHgvvjJJpQ3BFjA9YvHXj2LiIi0uANwkWkQ1zVGBweafP3elOYv6bA/s320/a8266af9e26504453d644465c61924ee-getty-92343144cc328_philadelphia_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667504651844338" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >A.J. Burnett</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> helped foster a sense of camaraderie the </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Yankees </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">have lacked for years now, and pitched the game of his life against </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Pedro </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">and the </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Phils </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">in Game 2.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNSbQqusSsRiv2OL9MxgeEykZR0pA-P8CDlebTVFEEfVmwNXlBND5g56Axyj60OfoVrEKToF05JzifokgEJjwNJCQdpseDYR-M3PXrME5rXnAPPDB6bOj6HUtZYZLfAgDXkE/s1600-h/a21d58e85d14ad551a8508b5c5a44783-getty-92343144tl005_philadelphia_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNSbQqusSsRiv2OL9MxgeEykZR0pA-P8CDlebTVFEEfVmwNXlBND5g56Axyj60OfoVrEKToF05JzifokgEJjwNJCQdpseDYR-M3PXrME5rXnAPPDB6bOj6HUtZYZLfAgDXkE/s320/a21d58e85d14ad551a8508b5c5a44783-getty-92343144tl005_philadelphia_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667500271888850" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Andy Pettitte</span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, who almost got away during the offseason, cemented his legacy as one of the ultimate big game pitchers, becoming the <span style="font-style: italic;">all-time postseason wins leader</span> and </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">clinching every single game along the way.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89UqMp0Y4EP7osmJ086eVbiedPRdTvOQKAZrTQ4gwE0H0_L2fJO5SpSO3hBQO-LjhjgrMdAq2NooyINYkA-Fl5cM8FX_fIYps6H9pwwJEVy0qgwUhy2MIOuLlHw6ybSs77Qk/s1600-h/f6d9714db94ae612691919e4c6d3cdc9-getty-92343144cc359_philadelphia_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89UqMp0Y4EP7osmJ086eVbiedPRdTvOQKAZrTQ4gwE0H0_L2fJO5SpSO3hBQO-LjhjgrMdAq2NooyINYkA-Fl5cM8FX_fIYps6H9pwwJEVy0qgwUhy2MIOuLlHw6ybSs77Qk/s320/f6d9714db94ae612691919e4c6d3cdc9-getty-92343144cc359_philadelphia_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400668588234758530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Damaso Marte</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> seemingly came out of nowhere and dominated. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Joba </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">seemed to find himself again. And </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Robertson </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">got a few important outs as well.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzuzMGaiw_qS_NHaObBehVReB0qiKWOlZDzl8l8cJVZGa2d8J2lMY37xP6a-76UVCM2himC9_I9jRgFrEmJpwmR23puCsvAakTtxefvZm69yfVHQXZlqm4FSApub_r1tOAx8/s1600-h/capress-bbo_world_seriesnotebook-0410276456.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzuzMGaiw_qS_NHaObBehVReB0qiKWOlZDzl8l8cJVZGa2d8J2lMY37xP6a-76UVCM2himC9_I9jRgFrEmJpwmR23puCsvAakTtxefvZm69yfVHQXZlqm4FSApub_r1tOAx8/s320/capress-bbo_world_seriesnotebook-0410276456.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667646746826978" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And what more can you say about the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >greatest closer of all-time</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Mariano Rivera</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, who was</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> ready and raring to go in the 8th inning of nearly every win?</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3hGAYQ1IGf-usbDGPvK_iRkUpwCoqGjvrmykGDHiBP8inh9P8Dvq41HoxXVB_Hare9RKscnBlO1Z2O9Gz05mIG7KD9GbCogIB4CnaqZiGk_9ZiqzirLqrXeLDJxGSuzIGqQ/s1600-h/9f8deee5f71ab3e96ee12b0b919ea74e-getty-92343144cc353_philadelphia_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3hGAYQ1IGf-usbDGPvK_iRkUpwCoqGjvrmykGDHiBP8inh9P8Dvq41HoxXVB_Hare9RKscnBlO1Z2O9Gz05mIG7KD9GbCogIB4CnaqZiGk_9ZiqzirLqrXeLDJxGSuzIGqQ/s320/9f8deee5f71ab3e96ee12b0b919ea74e-getty-92343144cc353_philadelphia_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667314171870658" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">While the right side of the infield struggled mightily at times, </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Posada </span>was steady behind the plate (well, at the plate)<span style="font-weight: bold;">, Derek Jeter</span> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">was </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Derek</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jeter </span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Alex Rodriguez</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> was truly a revelation, seeming like a new man entirely and coming through time and time again.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93Tj14DuA8kFwLr6NReqk6isyaX55_mfrEve6cR1wVL7xQHt_AUxRgMQRsQK-Nm3thyfgCDRZEd0CGp3oAlsbmdHK1CRSv1C8tZURINDkpPG1QC_6WeYC634ighp9a1xBzUs/s1600-h/342a8afc5c81b5e9bbc0c890db23ee43-getty-92343144cc346_philadelphia_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93Tj14DuA8kFwLr6NReqk6isyaX55_mfrEve6cR1wVL7xQHt_AUxRgMQRsQK-Nm3thyfgCDRZEd0CGp3oAlsbmdHK1CRSv1C8tZURINDkpPG1QC_6WeYC634ighp9a1xBzUs/s320/342a8afc5c81b5e9bbc0c890db23ee43-getty-92343144cc346_philadelphia_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667317213622194" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Damon </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">caught fire (and the </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Phillies </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">sleeping on that unusual and heads up "double steal" in </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Game 4), </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Melky </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">was steady before going down with an injury, and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Swisher </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">had a Halloween homer that was huge. </span><br /><br /><b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicI7bZOCRLC5OSX3nkHSlsX8JpRWtUQzhrSojSzyQyfdkE8bwZoNhN2muFZUe4ahzsZyWqSNuavX2iD9t9k0mqJCkAw5owN6P1yCVzJ6v_YpGD307QXyOKnvaA0UgoapTFrfY/s1600-h/capt.ws28711050524.world_series_phillies_yankees_baseball_ws287.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicI7bZOCRLC5OSX3nkHSlsX8JpRWtUQzhrSojSzyQyfdkE8bwZoNhN2muFZUe4ahzsZyWqSNuavX2iD9t9k0mqJCkAw5owN6P1yCVzJ6v_YpGD307QXyOKnvaA0UgoapTFrfY/s320/capt.ws28711050524.world_series_phillies_yankees_baseball_ws287.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667646525342450" border="0" /></a></b><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And in what may have been his last game in pinstripes,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Hideki Matsui</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> came through with <span style="font-style: italic;">6 RBI</span> in Game 6 and won himself the <span style="font-style: italic;">MVP</span>.<br /><br /></span><b> </b><b> </b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmjXOMlZm394KdJCB9RjsxeoQyCo-UBBWRMNFh-3Cp0notIdnZgg0_S_PJxpsB34UBGMfYdWFzlZUg03h0vXIpNR1C6X2iNB910iKX9FCPQ78hrnMV4bNK76Ie4CYNUwqbA4/s1600-h/capt.ws40511050607.world_series_phillies_yankees_baseball_ws405.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmjXOMlZm394KdJCB9RjsxeoQyCo-UBBWRMNFh-3Cp0notIdnZgg0_S_PJxpsB34UBGMfYdWFzlZUg03h0vXIpNR1C6X2iNB910iKX9FCPQ78hrnMV4bNK76Ie4CYNUwqbA4/s320/capt.ws40511050607.world_series_phillies_yankees_baseball_ws405.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400668562845435602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The 2009 World Series title is back where it belongs.</span><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqzYjBdM5X-IZ6XeMIy9znOSfmzLf2hpdz3PFk6p8zbVQwVg6lnrHrIGPdhpkwNkeezTj0Iwi26Ki5p0ad5WW7Fl_hCs2rZXhs5Q4cFBV49_Dibne-ak6lWS6T-LvqRvRY2c/s1600-h/9a9d955d1bb218bb38567f4e7dbe08d3-getty-92343144cc367_philadelphia_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqzYjBdM5X-IZ6XeMIy9znOSfmzLf2hpdz3PFk6p8zbVQwVg6lnrHrIGPdhpkwNkeezTj0Iwi26Ki5p0ad5WW7Fl_hCs2rZXhs5Q4cFBV49_Dibne-ak6lWS6T-LvqRvRY2c/s320/9a9d955d1bb218bb38567f4e7dbe08d3-getty-92343144cc367_philadelphia_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667312217668194" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Yankees sure throw one hell of a housewarming, huh? <span style="font-weight: bold;">1923 </span>and now <span style="font-weight: bold;">2009</span>. Guess those ghosts made it across the street after all. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwRVEqyvz8ppADnAX_J15pvD1ji93uGNSnXjSt4vidTS8bHdDn8dLh7f-hWTOA03Gzmy4do603tPpj6NGEBJAa-b3Vx_AgAc0wMt4xoseMKU96_gBzj8cjadE0Foql88q27E/s1600-h/730353836a431f7f575a9487e218f09c-getty-92708382mt007_fans_react_to.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwRVEqyvz8ppADnAX_J15pvD1ji93uGNSnXjSt4vidTS8bHdDn8dLh7f-hWTOA03Gzmy4do603tPpj6NGEBJAa-b3Vx_AgAc0wMt4xoseMKU96_gBzj8cjadE0Foql88q27E/s320/730353836a431f7f575a9487e218f09c-getty-92708382mt007_fans_react_to.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667497856184722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >See you at the Canyon of Heroes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(All photos courtesy of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/nyy/gallery;_ylt=ApofnIBDH52Shp0LsD7IN4U5nYcB#photoViewer=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Cgetty%3A20050301%3Amlb%2Cphoto%2C4b3a87ab1dd18415013865725744d7b1-getty-92343144cc325_philadelphia_%3A1">Yahoo! Sports</a><span style="font-style: italic;">)</span></span><br /></div><b><!-- Search Google --></b><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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