Second-Half Sweep

The Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the first place Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon, pulling to within one game of Boston and starting off the second half strong.

All three victories came in tight ballgames and featured strong starting pitching, timely hitting, and a Mariano Rivera save.


Sunday's strong start by Joba Chamberlain was very encouraging, and Phil Hughes continued his lights-out dominance out of the bullpen. The hitting heroes were Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, who each provided a solo home run en route to the 2-1 victory.


Sunday was also Old Timers' Day, and marked the first Old Timers' appearances by a number of Yankees, including the recently retired Mike Mussina, who got a nice hand from the Stadium crowd. Don Zimmer also returned and got emotional as he stood along the first base line and listened to his ovation. Yankee newcomers A.J. Burnett and Nick Swisher seemed to particularly enjoy the festivities.

On Monday, the Orioles come to town as the Yankees look to keep the ball rolling and catch the first place Boston Red Sox.

Big Papi = Big Hypocrite

Joba Chamberlain is not a popular man in Massachusetts. And there is no love lost between the young Yankee hurler and Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis.





Yesterday, David Ortiz decided to weigh-in on the topic.

In response to the Joba vs. Youkilis feud, Ortiz said:

"None of that, man — just play the game the way it's supposed to be, and that's about it."

"This is a guy, as good as he is, the next step for him will be to earn respect from everybody in the league. He's not a bad guy, but when things like that happen, people get the wrong idea."

Now, I actually quite like David Ortiz as a person. But this is ridiculous. Hello, Ortiz, do you recall a longtime teammate of yours by the name of Pedro Martinez? No? Well, let me refresh your memory.

Once upon a time, Pedro Martinez pitched for the Boston Red Sox and was regarded as one of the most notorious headhunters of his era. Pedro enjoyed mango trees, long walks on the beach, and sending Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano to the hospital.

Ancient history, you say? Fair point.

Well, then, let me take you back to just two weeks ago. Josh Beckett- you know him, right?- was suspended 6 games for throwing at the head of (ex-Yankee) Bobby Abreu.

Remember that?

OK, David, just one more thing. Since you joined the Red Sox in 2003, more Yankee batters have been hit by Red Sox pitchers, your own teammates, than the other way around. That is an inarguable fact.

So, if you'd be so kind,

Shut your hypocritical mouth, Big Papi.

Wednesday Walk-Off

I spent a rain-filled afternoon (and early evening) at Yankee Stadium for Wednesday's series finale against the A's.


Thanks to some generous soul on Razorgator, my friend and I sat field level, a mere thirteen rows from Nick Swisher, for an unbelievably low price. Arriving early for batting practice turned out to be hugely successful. First, we managed to secure an autograph from Joba Chamberlain (after a pleasant wave from Hideki Matsui).


Then we received a baseball each from a random assortment of Oakland Athletics.


And to top it all off, we appeared on the new Jumbotron. Let me tell you, it is TRULY terrifying to find yourself prominently featured for a good 30 seconds to a minute on a 103-by-58-foot, 1080p HD big screen at Yankee Stadium, your face alight with 8,601,600 LED lamps.


The game got underway under grey, stormy skies. Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera hit back-to-back homeruns in the 2nd inning and Derek Jeter added his fourth homer of the season in the 4th.


But CC Sabathia was unable to hold any leads provided by his offense, and left the 7-7 tie game with two outs in the 7th. The Yankees loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the 7th but failed to deliver.


The Yankees emptied their bullpen as the game continued on into extra innings. Phil Coke, Jonathan Albaladejo, Mariano Rivera, Damaso Marte, and Edwar Ramirez each pitched an inning or less of scoreless relief before giving way to Jose Veras, who has struggled mightily thus far this season. Veras, however, provided 3 1/3 hitless innings, racking up 4 strikeouts and taking the game, still 7-7, into the 14th inning.

After celebrating the 14th inning stretch with a second rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," Nick Swisher led off the bottom of the inning with his third walk of the ballgame. After a fly out by Hideki Matsui, Melky Cabrera stepped up to the plate. To this point, Melky had one walk-off homerun in his career, back in July of 2006. My sister and I just so happened to be on hand that rainy evening to witness Melky become the youngest player since Mickey Mantle to hit a walk-off homer for the Yanks. Could Melky send me home happy once more?

Flashback to '06- Melky's Walk-Off

Yes indeed! Melky smacked a two run homerun to right field and celebrated the first walk-off victory at the New Yankee Stadium.


Despite the rain, it was a truly memorable day spent at the ballpark, and a great victory to build on heading into Boston.

Home Sweet Home?

Opening Day at the New Yankee Stadium

Indians 10 (WP- Cliff Lee, 1-2)
Yankees 2 (LP- Jose Veras, 0-1)

The New York Yankees did everything right during the pregame festivities at their new ballpark. Trying to evoke the ghosts of the past, Yankee legends, from Berra to Winfield, lined the infield. Bernie Williams played his haunting and melancholic interpretation of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in his old stomping grounds, center field. Babe Ruth's bat was laid across home plate as Derek Jeter stepped into the box. Johnny Damon collected the first hit in the history of the Stadium and Sabathia struck out the first batter. But it was all downhill from there.Starter CC Sabathia struggled with his control but managed a respectable 5 2/3 innings of one run ball. It took CC 122 pitches, though, so Joe Girardi was forced to go to the Jekyll and Hyde bullpen early. Thanks to a Jorge Posada homerun (the first in the history of the new ballpark) the game was tied 1-1 when Sabathia exited. By the time Jose Veras and Damaso Marte were finished, though, the game was out of reach, capped off by a Grady Sizemore grand slam. Veras and Marte were so bad that the listless crowd chanted, "We Want Swisher!" As easy as it was to blame the bullpen, the Yankee offense went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, an alarming trend dating back to last season. The first game at the New Yankee Stadium was memorable for all the wrong reasons, as Cleveland beat New York 10-2.

Game 11: Do Over


Indians 5 (LP- Jensen Lewis, 1-1)
Yankees 6 (WP- Brian Bruney, 2-0;
Save- Mariano Rivera, 3)

Derek Jeter hit the game-winning homerun in the 8th inning of a tie game and Mariano Rivera saved it with a scoreless 9th to secure the very first victory in the new Yankee Stadium.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The "Bronx Bombers" lived up to their moniker Friday afternoon, belting 5 solo homeruns (Damon, Teixeira, Cabrera, Cano, Jeter). The only other Yankee run scored via a throwing error by the Indians' Vinnie Chulk. It was just the right margin for victory. Joba Chamberlain, making his second start of the season, was not impressive, allowing 5 earned runs in less than 5 innings. Girardi was forced to go to the bullpen early once again, but, unlike the previous afternoon, Phil Coke, Jonathan Albaladejo, Brian Bruney, and Rivera got the job done by throwing 4+ scoreless innings. Earning the first victory at the new home of the New York Yankees was great, but the Yankees went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Timely hitting is sorely lacking thus far.

Game 12: Brutal


Indians 22 (WP- Fausto Carmona, 1-2)
Yankees 4 (LP- Chien-Ming Wang, 0-3)

Please don't make me recap this game for you. Look it up here if you must, but I advise against it.


Saturday afternoon's debacle featured 6 Cleveland homeruns and 16 surrendered earned runs between Chien-Ming Wang and rookie Anthony Claggett in only 3 innings. Every Yankee pitcher gave up a run (or eight) and every Cleveland starter had a basehit (or 4).

Embarrassing is an understatement.

A Look Ahead

The Yankees will try to salvage a split of the four-game series on Sunday afternoon when the newly appointed stopper A.J. Burnett takes on the Indians. Who will be opposing him, you ask? Why, none other than our old friend, Carl Pavano! Well, Carl is scheduled to pitch; he very well may break a rib or stub his toe or suffer a bee sting between now and 1:00 p.m. so it's best if you just tune in and see if he makes it.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

The Good: Game 5

WP: CC Sabathia (1-1)
LP: Horacio Ramirez (0-1)

CC Sabathia took the mound Saturday afternoon looking to rebound from a rough Opening Day outing in Baltimore. Any panic over Sabathia's first start was quickly abated, as CC pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings, racking up 6 strikeouts and dominating the Royals. Nick Swisher had another big day, scoring 3 runs and driving in 3 with the help of a triple and a long 5th inning homerun. Jorge Posada drove in 3 runs thanks to two consecutive doubles and Xavier Nady also had a multi-hit ballgame to propel the Yankees to a 6-1 win.

The Bad: Game 6

WP: Juan Cruz (1-0)
LP: Phil Coke (0-1)
S: Joakim Soria (3)

Joba Chamberlain made his first start of the season in the series finale at the revamped Kauffman Stadium. Despite a rough 4th inning (made rougher by a Nick Swisher fielding error), Joba showed flashes of dominance and ended up striking out 5 over 6 innings while allowing only one earned run. Chamberlain left the game with the Yankees trailing, but the offense came back against Gil Meche in the 7th thanks to an RBI double by Nady and a Mike Jacobs error. The Yankees were winning 4-3 with no one on and two outs in the 8th when Joe Girardi pulled Damaso Marte in favor of Jose Veras. Veras came in and promptly walked one batter before yielding to Phil Coke. Coke then allowed three consecutive base hits and the Yankees found themselves trailing once again. Joakim Soria came in to pitch the 9th and dominated, striking out the side and securing a 6-4 Royals victory.

The Ugly: Game 7

WP: Scott Kazmir (2-0)
LP: Chien-Ming Wang (0-2)


Chien-Ming Wang allowed 8 earned runs and could not get an out in the 2nd. Jonathan Albaladejo entered with the bases loaded and allowed all of Wang's baserunners to score on a Carlos Pena grand slam. Tampa Bay scored 15 runs off the combination of Wang, Albaladejo, Edwar Ramirez, and Phil Coke. Just to further exemplify how ugly this game was, the most successful Yankee pitcher Monday night started the game as the first baseman and hit a solo homerun in the 4th- Nick Swisher.


Swisher, who apparently can do everything, pitched a scoreless 8th, even striking out Tanyon Sturtze's best friend, former Red Sox Gabe Kapler. Swisher kept the ball from his first (and hopefully last) Major League strikeout. It was obvious that Tampa Bay's season opener at Tropicana Field would not go the Yankees way right from the start. Trailing 4-0 in the top of the 2nd, Xavier Nady smoked a ball 400+ feet to dead center that B.J. Upton effortlessly tracked down at the wall with an over-the-shoulder basket catch that would make Willie Mays proud. On the night they raised their very first American League Championship banner, the Tampa Bay Rays crushed the Yankees, 15-5.

Don't Be Alarmed...

...because it looks like old Kyle Farnsworth has returned, just in time to renew his role as the setup man now that Joba's headed to the rotation. Excellent timing, Kyle. Ugh, God help us.