27 Outs Away From Number 27

The only reason the Yankees are even in this situation

The Yankees have found a way to succeed in every way in 2009. They’ve blown teams out, they’ve come from behind, they’ve walked off, and they’ve done it both on the road and at home (well, maybe not the walking off part). In an attempt to put the perfect cap on the perfect season,the Yankees have come into the home of the defending world champions, and come away with two huge victories. In one of the greatest managerial decisions in the history of my Yankee watching life, Joe Girardi has stood by his 3-man postseason rotation, and so far it’s given him the tactical edge going into the final game(s) of the year.

Some things to still be concerned about, if you believe in that kind of thing…

1.) Strikeouts… All but one starter struck out on Sunday. Against Joe Blanton and the Phillies bullpen. The Yankees have been uncharacteristically aggressive all post season, and that is never a bad thing for an inconsistent pitcher.

2.) A. J. Burnett will be pitching on 3 days rest against a well rested Cliff Lee. The Same Cliff Lee who had a complete game in a hostile, rainy New York atmosphere.

3.) The Yankees will be batting with a seven man lineup. Jose Molina has less RBI than Andy Pettitte this postseason.

Hit Hit Jose!

Onto the good stuff…

Johnny Damon stole two bases in one steal attempt. The man has come through in a big way in the last two series, and he has certainly become a true Yankee with his clutch performance.

Derek Jeter, hits in all but one game this postseason, and on base in all. The Philly fans were quoted as chanting, “Jeter sucks,” so I suppose they were referring to the way he sucks at sucking.

Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher have been a big part of the offense in Philly, 4 hits, 3 walks, 4 rbi, and both with a game winning RBI (Swisher on Saturday, A-rod on Sunday).

To quote my father… “There may not be another pitcher like Mo for another hundred years.”

Joe Girardi may be in the market for a new jersey number. Let’s go Yankees! 1 more win! Cliff Lee is human! Mariano Rivera isn’t! Get him the ball!

Yankees tie World Series or How I learned to Mute Joe Buck and Still Enjoy the Game on FOX

They should put Artie in the booth with Buck, then I’d listen.

I know the number one focus after a game like that should be how great the New York Yankees are, and how A. J. Burnett pitched the best game of his career, but I can’t get past how annoying the broadcast team for FOX network is. I muted the game in the 8th inning of game one, and watched the five innings to start this game with Buck and Co. on mute. I must say I enjoy my IPod a lot more than the ramblings of Buck and McCarver. The major downside was not being able to hear the crowd, so I hope someday, there will just be a crowd mic that could be listened to instead of the broadcast crew. On to the actual on-field stuff.

I wish A. J. Burnett could have pie’d himself.

Mariano Rivera has not made it look supremely easy, but he has still produced. He’s made four 2+ inning World Series saves in his career. If he does it again, he will have the all-time record.

The New York Yankees are still Pedro Martinez’s daddy. You can say what you want, but the man with the gleaming hair gets the loss.

Rollins, Utley, and Howard combined for 0 hits and 5 strikeouts, four of which were Howard’s.

Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui are the only Yankees with multi-hit games in this series. Matsui showed up in a gigantic way in game 2, and that’s why they call him Godizlla. The pitch Matsui hit for the homerun looked harmless until he launched it. Great piece of hitting.

Alex Rodriguez should have an error (on the Phillies lone run) to go along with his 0-8 and 6 strikeouts. If he’s going to make a play for the series M.V.P, he better do it quick.

Cole Hamels has given up 11 runs in his three starts this postseason, and has not once reached the seventh inning. Andy Pettitte has reached the 7th in all of his starts, and only gave up multiple runs once.

Saturday’s starter

Jerry Hairston Jr. didn’t set the world on fire, but he did get on base, something Nick Swisher used to do every game. I miss that Nick Swisher.

I cannot wait to watch a Yankees game on Halloween. It’s like my favorite thing in the baseball viewing world. Bring on game 3!

Thoughts on Game 1 of the 2009 World Series

Public Enemy Numero Uno

The New York Yankees have lost game one of the 2009 World Series. Do you want to hit your panic button? Maybe. Should you? Definitely not. Here’s a little statistic that may put some minds at ease, Three times before players have homered twice against the New York Yankees in a World Series opener. Davey Lopes (1978), Andruw Jones (1996), and Greg Vaughn (1998), all three years the Yankees won the World Series*.

Derek Jeter, 3 for 4 against Cliff Lee, and the lone run to cross the plate. Jimmy Rollins will always be his backup, at best.

See

Cliff Lee, nonchalant fielding, Jorge-ass patting, and all, won this game single (left) handedly. Hope the Yankees get to him earlier and often when they see him next (prob: gm 4), but now they need to step up against the lesser arms of the Phillies’ staff.

I hear Pedro Martinez has been saying some pretty confident things about his game two start in Yankee Stadium. The same guy who tipped his hat, and called the Yankees his daddy. More on this tomorrow…

Chase Utley had an entire plotline dedicated to him in last week’s It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, so he was due to have a big game following that. Now the Yankees need to get into Green Man mode, and beat the Phillies down.

Ryan Howard meet Alex Rodriguez… Thanks for showing up. Has anyone seen Nick Swisher?

Robinson Cano, can anyone make more harmless solid contact?

Phil(thy) Hughes has lost the faith of at least me. I always preferred Joba for the late inning role, and I imagine next year will see them flip flopping roles. Until then, I’m not expecting to see much more of Hughes in this series. Joe G is crazy though, so he may just pop him right back on the mound.

Hideki Matsui is supposed to play half of a baseball game, and now, even when he gets on he messes up. When someone catches a fly ball, return to your base, that easy.

Positive thoughts, positive thoughts, positive thoughts. Damaso Marte has been owning left handed batting! Bring on tomorrow!

*Stat brought to you by Jesse Spector

New York Yankees, Back in the Series!

A lot of time has passed since the New York Yankees have last played in the World Series, and even longer since they last raised their arms in victory to end one. 2009 has presented them with yet another opportunity to extend their Major American Sports Championships lead with their 27th World Series victory. The Philadelphia Phillies present no easy task, but neither did the Minnesota Twins or the L. A. Angels of Anaheim, and the Yankees dispatched of both without losing a game at home, and playing .500 baseball on the road. The New York Yankees hadn’t won a series in which they lost to a walk-off in over fifty years, nor had they beaten Mike Scioscia in a Playoff series, but now they’ve done both. Compile all this with the two walk-off wins the New York Yankees already have over Philly this season, and things aren’t looking to shabby in the eyes of the New York faithful.

Alex Rodriguez has an OBP of .548 in this postseason… Read that again. Let it settle, and then remember that it’s against American League Playoff pitching. He’s been on base 23 times (14 hits, 9 walks), while striking out five times. Dude was a shoe-in for ALCS Co-MVP, but apparently the Major Leagues see brighter things in his future.

Mark Teixeria, who was blatantly cold with the bat during the first six games of the Playoffs (even his walk-off home run seemed understated), has four RBI and four hits in the last two games of the Angels series. Nothing like your most productive RBI man stepping up big in close out games. With A-rod doing what he’s been doing, pitchers are going to be very weary about give Tex the free base, and more strikes means more hits for this guy. Did I mention he’s the most clutch defensive player I’ve ever seen?

After going hitless in two out of three games with the Twins, Johnny Damon compiled nine hits, with hits in all six games against the Angels. Damon really picked up the slack any time Jeter didn’t, and that’s exactly why he was made a Yankee to begin with. Easily his best playoff performance in pinstripes.

Mo photo by Me

Mariano Rivera pitched seven entire innings in the Angels series with four strikeouts, two walks, and an earned run (at home!!!). Much won’t be made about the run he let in, and that’s because of his masterful dealing with the situations that followed. Mo made big pitches in pretty much every game of the series (game 4 wasn’t a game, hey-o!), and also could easily have been made a Co-MVP to go along with C.C.

Derek Jeter is STILL the King of New York, not even going to look at his numbers. Dude made a play with his chest!

Step Yo Game Up! (World Series Edition)

Joba photographed by your’s truly

Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, and Joba Chamberlin each gave up runs in the Angels series in games that the New York Yankees lost. Can’t happen. This bullpen needs to keep the gap between starters and Mo bridged. More confidence will be needed, and hopefully getting to the World Series will instill that confidence.

Nick Swisher has absolutely no hits on the road this postseason. Unacceptable.

Hideki Matsui has gone hitless in three games this postseason, and only has one multiple hit game. As a designated hitter I’d like to see more (especially in the RBI and HR categories). .395 OBP isn’t horrible that’s for sure, and he’s still the smoothest looking player not named Derek Jeter.

Brett Gardener has been on the playoff roster for one reason, to run. He’s done that, and yet has nothing positive to show for it. Not sure he’s a lock for the next round, perhaps his defense puts him over.

Put Your Live Game Eyes On

For as long as I can remember watching television, I can remember watching sports. Whether it was the Giants, or the Rangers, or even the Knicks who were great when I was a young impressionable mind. I’ve always found much more interesting story lines in between the painted boundaries than I ever found on any television “shows.” It’s much more intense seeing something that no one else has ever seen, in comparison to something that was scripted, rehearsed, shot, re-shot, edited, re-edited, and aired. Don’t get me wrong, as I grew older, and HBO allowed David Chase to create “The Sopranos,” television has certainly found quality beyond athletic trials and tribulations, but even still, those good “shows” are few and far between, professional sports are still providing the greatest drama the world is allowed to see on a day-to-day basis.

Which brings me to my next point, I’ve been a sports fan for pretty much all twenty-three years of my life, and yet I’ve never seen any of my top four favorite teams in games that mattered. I’ve seen the New York Rangers play a preseason game against the Anaheim (still Mighty at the time) Ducks in Las Vegas, and I’ve caught the New York Knicks play a few Summer League games in California, and Vegas, but that’s pretty much all I’ve seen regarding the teams I truly love. I’ve seen the Mets, who I basically hate, play live in San Diego, and Atlanta, and I’ve seen the New Jersey Nets lose game four of the NBA Finals to the L.A. Lakers, which was cool because I had the chance to see Shaq celebrate a Championship, but I don’t give a damn about any of those teams. Yeah, Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin, and Jason Kidd were an awesome trio, but all three combined couldn’t compare to how much I would have rather of seen Kurt Thomas (my favorite Knick that era) play live. Then about a week ago my friend Kris called me, and I awoke to…

“So I’m looking at ALCS tickets…” and the rest is history. Come Monday morning, not even six o’clock, and I’m in the shower getting ready to see the greatest show my eyes may ever witness.

The greatest shirt I own, which I wore under my jersey

The ride to California was a rather painless one. I was accompanied by the aforementioned Kris, another gentlemen named Kris, and another friend of theirs named Allan. We listened to mostly Kings of Leon on shuffle due to Kris being the driver, and that being his favorite ear candy in his musical rotation. We traveled from Vegas to Anaheim in about four hours and some change I believe. Could have been longer, or faster, not really sure, I just know I wanted to be there before batting practice was over, but we had some stops to make coming into the stadium.

Stop #1: Adenhart Memorial

The man was killed on the same street we rode into the stadium’s entrance, the day he started a Major League Baseball game. The coward that did it still hasn’t stood trial, and no matter how much you love the Yankees, or aren’t into the Angels, there’s just no way you can boo a team that has lost a player in this nature.

Stop #2: Gene Autry Stare down

It’s not every day you get to shake hands with someone who shaped the current generation of baseball. Gene Autry was also an American League guy, which I consider myself, so I had to pay my respects…. Especially since I was going to be yelling, cursing, and jumping around like an idiot in his house.

Stop #3: BP

Nick Swisher hanging out at BP, not batting, which sums up his current problems, I feel.

We didn’t get to see a whole lot of batting practice, but we did see some, which is tons more than I’ve seen every other day of my life put together, so I’ll take it! It was cool to see some heads that aren’t exactly a part of the Playoff roster, Xavier Nady was just hanging out.

X-man with his back turned

Stop #4: Tour the stadium

Nolan Ryan, one of like 10 players I’ve seen, and wished wore pinstripes.

Kris showed me around the stadium he basically grew up in. Things aren’t as fan-friendly as they used to be according to my boy. He told me of this line you could race down, and you’d be able to race a light that clocked in at Darren Erstad’s time down the first base line, the line is still there, but there’s a table covering it now, which is ridiculous. Kris said there used to be a batting cage where you could see pitches that came out as fast as a pitcher of your choosing, which also doesn’t exist anymore. Overall, the stadium has great views from everywhere, so it’s certainly not a bad place, just sucks it’s not as extravagant as when Kris was a kid.

The Game

The Day’s starters.

I didn’t take many pictures during the game, I was too busy watching the greatness that was. For the record, I called Derek Jeter leading off with a home run, and all the Angels fans in my section heard me, and can attest to that. After that went down, the rest of the game was just gravy. Andy Pettite picking a dude off? That happened. Alex Rodriguez hitting a home run to center? That happened. Mariano Rivera and Mark Teixeria playing a two man game with no outs, and bases loaded? That happened. Saw Jorge, hit-hit, and Johnny Damon shut up the Boston fans that were sitting behind me. Hell, I got even more than I paid for, the game went into extra innings!

The last picture I took, to bookend the entire day with 42’s. Enter Sandman indeed.

I’m not sure if the best part of the game was just seeing Derek Jeter play defense, or not having to see Mike Scioscia’s fat face. I just know that I’m lucky to have seen the best game of the three in Anaheim, and that the Yankees have been in the lead of this series the whole time. Here’s hoping they close it out tomorrow in Yankee Stadium!

Coming To America: The Youth of Hockey Finding a New Home

“The King”

When you decide at a young age that you want to be a professional hockey player, you dedicate yourself to playing hockey, but when it comes time that one of these Juniors finds their way to the big leagues across the ocean, they find that there’s more to playing hockey than just playing hockey. Ever had trouble understanding a teacher or boss when they’re speaking your language? Imagine having an entire coaching staff speaking a language that you only know twenty words of. Ever made friends with someone without the use of actual words? Do you know how to dial out to Russia or Sweden? Is your passport status squared away for the next 82+ games? You do know you need separate Canadian visas right? Did you pay the rent on your apartment this month because the team is going on an 6-game road trip. The amount of new responsibilities piled upon these players is countless, and all the while they must produce for their coaches, or they may just lose their job altogether.

Artem Anisimov

Artem Anisimov, A centermen for the New York Rangers, and a 21 year old native of Yaroslavl, Russia, scored his first NHL goal against Anaheim last Saturday. Anisimov had been in the New York Rangers system since the age of 19, when he joined the Rangers’ AHL affiliate Hartford Wolfpack for the 2007-08 season. Between his first game with the Wolfpack and his first goal as a full time NHL player, Anisimov had to mature in every way imaginable as fast as humanly possible. Nikita Khrushchev, another native Russian, once said of New York, “I don’t like the life here in New York. There is no greenery. It would make a stone sick.” Now I can’t say Anisimov feels the same way, dude is hard to find on record, but I can say that’s not even close to the worse thing I’ve heard a non-native New Yorker say about the City, which should say a lot about the difficulty involved with finding a comfort zone in such a place. Henrik “The King” Lundqvist was once in the same boat as many that come to the NHL looking for success at a young age, but in one of the greatest rookie seasons ever by a goalie, he found a home for himself much quicker than most. It’s not all hard times, and negatives though,

*”It’s fun to come home and hear how people appreciate what you do and they recognize how well you’ve done over the last couple of years. It’s always fun, people say congrats and you did very well; it’s always fun to hear. But in the long run it’s relaxing to be here (in New York) and not as many people recognize you in public. … I played five years in Sweden. Even though they write about the NHL, you’re more in the media when you play over there than here because of the time difference and stuff like that. It’s good to relax and walk around here (New York) and just live a normal life.” -Henrik Lundqvist

There’s definitely both sides to the Coming to America coin, so the speak, but it just seems commonplace for fans to ignore these factors when criticizing young players in the NHL. It’s not like everyone was given everything on a silver platter like Wade Redden. Speaking of going both ways, Some Canadian junior players were recently duped in a foreign country themselves…

**”The promise to about 100 mostly teenage hockey players was that scouts from European pro teams would be watching them at a summer tournament in France, according to police, but when the southern Ontario players arrived in the small Alsatian city of Colmar, each having already paid about $2,800, not only were there no scouts, there was no tournament, police said.”

You can never be too safe when you’re a young athlete looking for career advancement in a foreign country.

*Excerpt from The New York Rangers’ Official Site

**Excerpt from Calgary Sun

New York Football Giants Move To 4-0

“Remember me, Mike Vrabel? I ran your ass over on the way to a Super Bowl ring.”

New York Giants: What a game! It begun with the Giants recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff in the red zone, and it all went well for Big Blue from there. It wasn’t a perfect game by any stretch, the defense basically called in the fourth quarter, Mario Manningham broke the golden rule of receiving* multiple times, and Eli Manning injured the heel on his right foot. I was also a bit unimpressed with the Giants’ pass rush today. After all the work the Eagles did against the Chiefs last week, I figured Justin Tuck (who seems to find a new injury every week, sadly) and the gang would be in the Kansas City backfield all day. They surely weren’t a non-factor, but they also didn’t cause as much chaos as I imagined they would.

Brandon Jacobs, the REAL Brandon Jacobs, has entered the arena. After running over Brian Urlacher in the preseason, B-Jacobs has been on indecisive mode. He wasn’t moving piles, he wasn’t punching in touchdowns with any consistency, and he wasn’t breaking tackles. Today he did all those things, aside from scoring a TD, and he didn’t need to go outside the tackles to find his yardage. Ahmad Bradshaw remains the most effective number two running back in the league. I imagine his conversation with Mike Vrabel went something like this… “18-1… That’s right… 18-1!”

Is it just me, or does Steve Smith fall over more than any other human, in any line of work, ever? He’s like the anti-yards-after-catch for the most part. To be fair, that may have to do with Eli Manning putting the ball below his waist-line 7/10 times. Hakeem “New York” Nicks looked great on that screen. That touchdown clinched the game, and got Eli off the field, so it was bigger than pretty much any other play today. Kevin Boss was a non-factor in the passing game, again, but the way he got up off the ground, post-injury, to get the clock stopped at the end of the first half, was truly impressive. In the days where I have to watch Wade Redden pretend he was hit by the same gunshot as J.F.K, it’s nice to know some players can put the team ahead of their pain. That’s right, I hate Wade Redden’s play so much, I’m letting my criticisms leak into my football thoughts.

The Man

Mike Boley is the man. The guy makes big plays when it matters, and even though he interfered with a pass in the end zone, he also blocked such a pass earlier in the game with his head. He brings pressure well, covers well, and is willing to lay heavy hits. This defense, although shorthanded (especially in the secondary), is possibly more talented in the second and third levels, than the defense the Giants had in Super Bowl 42. Kiwi with a late game penalty for face-masking Cassell, which is something I hope doesn’t happen in any games that matter this season. The whole defense broke down in the fourth quarter, and I don’t know if it was a sign of fatigue, or mental-laziness, but this cannot become a theme in the future, if the Giants want to win this division.

4-0, 3-0 on the road, 2-0 in the division, and Oakland coming to the Meadowlands next week… Big Blue needs to do what they could not do against the Browns last season, go 5-0.

*Golden Rule of Receiving: If it touches your hand(s), you gotta catch it.

Quick Shots – New York Rangers (Gms 1 and 2)

Coolest picture ever?

Rangers: After two games, the New York Hockey Rangers now stand 1-1-0. After a tough loss that could have gone either way with the defending champs on opening night (3-2 L @Pit), the Rangers bounced back wonderfully against the Senators (5-2 W vOtt). They start the season with one of the dreaded back-to-back weekends that have seemingly been a problem for the Rangers in recent years. It’s early in the year, so I’m not sure if stamina is heightened or lessened (stamina building versus physical fatigue), but the Rangers didn’t seem to lose a step in the later frames of the second game. They still managed to get out-hit by Ottawa, which is something I fear will remain a constant in the ongoing season. Perhaps Aaron Voros’ late period fist spattering will deter some would be assailants, but I doubt it. Dude usually gets his ass handed to him, and I bet on about half the World’s scorecards have him losing here as well (to a much smaller player in Mike Fisher).

3 Stars (after 2)

1. King Henrick Von Doom: I now bestow this nickname on our King, for he has shown that he can look down the barrel of not just one oncoming goal scorer’s stick, but multiple, and still maintain his supreme dominance. When you look into the mask of the man that robs you of another goal, remember the word “Doom,” for it defines everything you were thinking. Seriously, the King has already bailed this team out more times then I care to count, and it’s only the second game of 09-10. Hail the King!

2. Brandon “Dubi Dubi Do” Dubinsky: The man held out till way longer than I ever hoped, or expected, but he basically had a hat-trick (at least according to one official) in game two of this double dip. He kills penalties like a champ, and somehow even finds holes in the defense while shorthanded. I’m predicting a 92 point season for this first line centerman.

3. Marian Gaborik: He’s already proving to be able to put up points, he’s already proving he can excite people just by creating, and he’s already growing on me. I need to see more Gaborik in a Blueshirt.

Dog House (taking names, and keeping them there until they claw their way out)

Go back, please!

Wade “Can’t keep the puck in” Redden: The worst contract in professional hockey.

It’s early yet, but Brash is already about to jump right on this list as well. I can’t stand seeing him wearing the Rangers’ uniform. Disgraceful. Remember one important thing after reading this article, Hockey is back!!!

Yankees Series Recap #5 (vs A’s)

New York Yankees sweep series 2-0

Game one of this series was supposed to be on 4/20, but due to Mother Nature, the game was postponed. This shortened the series to two games, and gave the Yankees an impromptu day off. This wouldn’t have been as big of a deal if Wang was pitching in an effective manner, but he hasn’t even been close to effective, so it was nice to get a chance to skip his turn in the rotation.

Game one of this series saw the third straight great start from Andy Pettitte this season. This is the first time in Andy’s career that he’s been able to go through seven innings in his first three starts of the season. He’s been around since 1996, but perhaps like Mike Mussina, he’s getting more refined with age. Andy P and Mariano Rivera tied the record for most wins/saves as a duo when Mariano closed out an Andy Pettitte win for the 57th time in their careers as Yankees. An epic milestone, that I hope to see them pass by a wide margin this season.

Game one also featured every starter reaching base (Swisher the only man w/o a hit), and seems to be a turning point in Hideki Matsui’s season. Up until this two game set with Oakland, Godzilla has not seemed himself at the plate, and with fluid being drained from his knee, everything seems to be running a little bit better, tighter. With Matsui bouncing back from the slow start, and Xavier Nady not going to miss too much time, the Yankees offensive depth seems situated once again.

Miss the stache, but Giambi is no Tex.

Game two was about as exciting of a 15th game in a baseball season as you can ask for. C. C. Sabathia struggled through 6.2 innings of work, walking four and only striking out two hitters. He’s not been great with the command this young year, but he still manages to get deep into a game despite that. If he can reverse his BB/K ratio from this game, he’ll be the monster the Yankees need at the top of the rotation.

For anyone who was worried about the bullpen in New York, this game should have calmed your worries a bit. The bullpen went 7.1 innings in this game, all of which were shutout innings. Six pitchers combined to blank the A’s, and give the Yankees the chance to win this game in fourteen innings. The gutsiest performance I’ve ever seen from Jose Veras, who pitched the final 3.1 innings of the game. I couldn’t be more impressed by the bullpen as I am today. Just love to see such perseverance, even early in the season.

Mo Money

The extra innings weren’t exactly necessary, as the Yankees blew bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the eighth. Both Melky Cabrera (who hit the first ever walk-off homerun in Yankee stadium history) and Brett Gardner (who was pinch hitting) decided to jump out of the way of two pitches that could have given the Yankees a lead on a HBP. When you’re a bottom of the order guy, and you want to make an impression on your coaches/teammates/fans, you take those pitches for the team. Instead of busting the game wide open, Melky strikes out, and Brett Gardner hits a routine ball to the defense. If the Yankees lost this game, I’d be very angry at both players. Would they have risked being injured by those pitches? Maybe, but they’re both replaceable, so just do it next time, ladies.

HOT

Dude can even pitch!

Nick Swisher: The guy has been on base for the Yankees in every game this season! If he’s not getting extra base hits, he’s walking to first. I love this guy as a Yankee, and think he adds more than anyone gives him credit for. Keeps the team loose with his personality, and keeps the Yankees moving forward with his plate performances.

Andy Pettitte: Seven innings of work, no walks, no strikeouts, and a big win. He’s modified his pitching style to suit his aging arm/shoulder, and it’s come with big results early this year.

Mariano Rivera: Seven innings of shutout work this year. Still the best pitcher on the Yankees staff.

Derek Jeter: Jeter has been getting clutch hits at a ridiculous rate. His batting average isn’t anything to be amazed by, but his average with RISP is the highest on the team. He put the Yankees ahead twice in game two against Oakland, and seems to be in top form early this season.

Robinson Cano: He has hits in all but one game this year, and is batting an impressive .367. He’s been moved up the order to the five slot, which is where he may remain for a large portion of the season. He’s a notoriously slow starter, who is starting hot, something I’ll take as a good sign of things to come.

NOT

Chien-Ming Wang: Skipped…

Who?

Cody Ransom: The Yankees are lucky they have Mark Teixeira at first, otherwise Ransom may have 5+ errors in the field already. His throws barely make it to first, his bat is laughable, and his confidence doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Ramiro Pena should be starting the majority of days A-rod doesn’t, and starting in Boston, I expect that to be the case.

C.C. Sabathia: One strong start this year, and a bunch of questionable work aside from that. He’s currently at 14 walks and 12 strikeouts. He’s going to have to step that ratio up, especially at Yankee Stadium, if he’s going to become a fan favorite in New York.

Yankees Series W/L/D Record: 3-1-1

Sean Avery rules! New York Rangers are 11-2 in first round playoff games while he’s in the lineup. Fact

New York Yankees Series Recap #4 (vs Indians)

Yankees tie series 2-2

The first ever series at the New Yankee Stadium, and the Yankees just barely squeak by with a draw. They blew the first game in the late innings, got rocked in game three, but pulled out two character wins in the even games of this series. Chien-Ming Wang was blasted by the Indians in game three (third time in as many starts), and was then blasted by Johnny Damon in the press afterward. He didn’t question Wang’s ability to try, but he sure wasn’t nice about the facts. Wang has lost three games for the Yankees, made the bullpen’s lives harder, and the team cannot go on with such performances every five days.

Game one felt great at first for Yankees fans. Paul O’neil in the booth, Bernie Williams playing guitar on the field, Babe Ruth’s bat being passed around the team’s dug out, and even a Yankee with the first homerun in the stadium’s young history. Once Joes Veras entered the game, and to a worse extent Damaso Marte, they just gave the entire game away in the seventh. Veras has been inconsistent so far this season, in fact everyone in the bullpen has been shady at some point in 2009, but I expect more from players during the grand opening of the new Yankee Stadium. Jorge brought his A-game, where was everyone else?

Game two wasn’t exactly a dominant performance from the Yankees, but they manage five homeruns (all solo shots), and one of which was a game winner by the Captain, Derek Jeter. That game was exciting until the end, and it was the first win by the Yankees in their new home ball park, rightfully saved by the “Right hand of God” Mariano Rivera. It was nice to hear “Enter Sandman” for the first time at the new stadium, and it all worked out, despite giving up two hits. When a team hits five home runs, you rarely see a score as low as 6-5, but that’s how it shook out on Friday.

Saturday’s game was probably a mess, but I missed the beginning due to the New York Rangers second playoff game (2-0). By the time I had a chance to turn the game on, Wang was pulled already, and I wasn’t going to let the 12th game of a 162 game season ruin my playoff celebration. Yes, Wang is sucking, but I don’t need to listen to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver to find that out. I hope all the Yankee haters out there got their fill with this ridiculous game three loss because I doubt we’ll be seeing many more. Perhaps Wang needs to be sent down to work his mechanics out, and the Yankees can bring Phil Hughes up while we wait that out.

Hot

Getting it going…

Mark Teixeria: Received a shot to numb the pain in his injured wrist, and has nothing but good things to show for it. He hit multiple homeruns, and has an RBI in every game since his shot (prior to game 2 of this series). Not only that, but he mad a tremendous play at first base in today’s game on a shot from Victor Martinez. Best play I’ve seen a Yankees player make at first base since the championship years with Tino Martinez.

Nick Swisher: Dude has reached base in literally every single Yankees game this season. What more do I have to say? He started the rally that busted the Yankees game wide open in the finale with double after going 0-3 on the day.

Robinson Cano: Batting a ridiculous .388, which is a far cry from where he was at this time last season, Robinson is doing his best to help carry the offense until A-rod returns. He’s been solid at second, turning some nice double plays, and overall being just as consistent as Jeter is on the left side. When his confidence is up he’s a hard out, so let’s hope this carries throughout the season.

Brian Bruney: Since his first appearance he’s been lights out. He’s definitely the current set-up man to Mariano Rivera, and this is the second straight season he’s look great to start the year. Let’s hope no year ending injury comes up to bite Bruney like it did last year. It’s crazy how much weight he’s lost over the last two seasons, dude used to look like Moes Manuel from HBO’s Deadwood.

Pruitt Taylor Vince, who I think Bruney used to resemble

NOT

Chien-Ming Wang: 0-3 with a 34.50 ERA. It’s going to take at least 4 complete scoreless games for him to bring his ERA anywhere near respectability. Still could bounce back, but it’s not looking great.

Way to point out the obvious…

Johnny Damon: Dude’s arm is the reason game 2 was as close as it was, and now he’s talking jive about another Yankee? How about you don’t throw like a seven year old girl, and focus on that, instead of other people’s problems? Also, if you’re going to talk shit, you better not go 0-3 the next day, which Johnny Damon did. STFU and play baseball douche.

Yankees Series W/L/D Record: 2-1-1

By the way, I feel like a bigot having to put Indians into my title… Change your racist ways American sports… I’m looking at you Indians, Redskins, and to a much lesser extent, Braves.