Can't find updated standing yet, but here's what they'll look like:

New York   13-10 .565

Boston       14-11 .560

As I mentioned in my blog yesterday, 2 friends and I went to Erie, PA to see my friend's brother, Chris Homer.  He plays for the AA Erie Sea Wolves, part of the Detroit Tigers organization.  We started off the day at a golf course in Erie to play a quick 9.  I'm not an accomplished golfer but it was fun nonetheless.  I think I shot a 66, par was 34.  We then went to lunch and it was cool to hear Chris talk about being a professional ball player.  I think I'd enjoy that life.  Get up late, work out, take a nap, play some video games, hang out at the park, pitch an inning.  I could dig it.  What I found was most interesting was stories he passed on from guys on his team that were up in Detroit.  Magglio Ordonez is taking all the rookies out and buying them suits when they go to New York City.  How awesome is that? 

The game itself was pretty awesome.  We saw a heck of a pitcher's duel.  On the hill for Erie was Humberto Sanchez.  He pitched seven innings, allowed 5 hits, no runs, and struck out 13!  He struck out the side twice and had 1 span of 5 straight Ks.  I was more excited to see Binghamton Mets pitcher, Mike Pelfrey, who was just called up the day before.  He looked awesome!  He only pitched 6, but allowed just 2 hits and struck out 9, most of which were caught looking.  His stuff was nasty and the Mets have a good one in Pelfrey.  Erie took a 1-0 lead into the 9th which meant we were going to see Chris on the hill since he's the Sea Wolves closer, and he didn't disappoint.  He was facing the 3-4-5 hitters.  The first grounded out and he struck out the final two and picked up the save.  He came over and flipped his brother the game ball and made his day.  He'd been to games before but had never pitched when he was there.  Chris didn't disappoint.  We had a great time and are already talking about making a return trip.

As for me, I felt like Zack the Baseball Collector. The top of the first ended with a 6-4-3 DP.  The 1B was running off the field and I yelled "Hey first, up here."  He looks up and tosses the ball to me.  We were a few rows up from the dugout.  The same thing happened in the 2nd inning but he ran into he dugout with the ball after giving me the head shake.  He did though toss me another inning ending groundout in the 8th so I made out with 2 balls.  My friends asked how I knew he'd toss them up and I told them all about Zack.  So Zack, thanks for the tips.  Chris tossed a few balls up to us as he walked to the bullpen so we had a few more, I think 6 in total.  Not bad.  It pays to have connections.  Chris was also able to get us some team-signed balls which was awesome as well.  We were pretty appreciative.  I hope he makes it to "The Show."

The only drawback of the Erie trip was missing the Yankee game.  From what I gathered I missed a fun one.  We finished golfing at the start of the game.  As we were driving back to Chris's apartment, we heard Toronto score 2 runs in the first.  I was frustrated with Johnson's poor start.  When we left Chris's to go to lunch, the Yankees had bounced ahead with 4 runs in their half of the first.  So I was pretty excited.  We're at lunch and they had the NFL draft on, no YES Network.  The score crawled along the bottom and it was knotted at 5.  Again, I was frustrated.  We left lunch and I quickly grabbed my XM.  Next to the restaurant was a store that sold fireworks, swords, stun guns, tasers, dart guns, things like that.  I checked the score before going in, it was now 9-5.  I'm excited again!  We leave the store and have time to kill so we decided to drive to the mall a few miles down the road.  Jays had a run in with the bases juiced and I drove a very nervous 2-mile drive.  But Johnson got out of it, and phew, relief.  When we left the mall it was 13-6, and that's when I stopped worrying.  The Yankees scored in every inning!  Damon went yard twice!  A good victory, sorry I missed it.  But it was a roller coaster ride getting updates.

I missed the first-half of today's game as well.  I came in just in time to catch Andy Phillips hit his game-tying HR.  The Yanks are up 2-1 and Rios just got nabbed stealing 2nd.  It was a bad call.  Finally, one of those goes our way!  Farnsworth just struck out Vernon Wells.  2-1 going to bottom of 7.  Another good one from Mussina!  He continues to impress.

Carl Crawford just went deep for the D-Rays against Boston.  If the games stay their current course, we may be tied for first and headed to Boston.  Let's hope!

Giambi just went yard!!!!  Let's Go Yankees!!

J

Judging from what I've read on other Yankee-blogs, we're all pretty much in agreement that last night's game stunk it up.  A stagnant offense, questionable pitching (though improved) and a blown call all led to the Yankee loss.  But you have to give credit where credit is due, and the credit goes to Roy Halladay.  Before the season started, Halladay was my pick to be the AL Cy Young winner.  When he's healthy, Halladay is arguably the best pitcher in the AL.  If not the best, he's up there with Johan Santana.  The Jays are a legitimate contender for the AL East.

So a loss where the Yankees threw Jaret Wright against Halladay doesn't bother me as much as say if we had the Big Unit on the hill facing off with Josh Towers (tonight's matchup).  Towers needs to get lit up.  Then again, I expected Seth McClung to get lit up and we all know what happened.  I didn't like our chances yesterday so for me the game was a write-off.

I'm likely going to miss most of the game today so leave me some updates if anything bad/good happen.  I'll also be making the rounds when I return to get thoughts on the game from my fellow Yankee bloggers.  Some friends and I are heading to Erie to see the Tigers AA affiliate, the Erie Sea Wolves take on the Binghamton Mets.  My one friend's brother is the closer for the Sea Wolves, goes by the name of Chris Homer.  We're going to get in a round of 9 at the links and hang out with him until he has to head to the ballpark.  He's not regarded as one of the Tigers top 20 prospects, but who knows, maybe one day he'll make it to "The Show."  Wish him luck and enjoy your day.

Go Yankees!

J

Tanyon just gave up his 3rd HR in just under 7 IPs!! 

Two words: Colum bus.

J

I didn't get to see most of yesterday's game.  I had to finish clearing/cleaning out my apartment.  The lease is up Sunday and we moved into a house a few months back.  All I really had to do was clean the oven.  It was self-cleaning so I pretty much sat there and waited for it, which I guess takes about 3 hours.  i did get to listen to it on my XM, which is just as good.  I could live without the tandem of Waldman and Sterling.  They're alright.  Waldman drives me nuts and I can't stand Sterling's corny sayings/nicknames when a Yankee does something good.  "An A-Bomb, from A-Rod.  Robbie Cano don't you know.  Andy Phillips, fills it up."  I have to laugh at his stupidity. 

Chacon was again sharp.  That's promising as our rotation has shined over the last 5 or so games.  The rotation was the biggest question mark but as a whole the pitching staff has done extremely well and exceeded my expectations.  the Yankees have the lowest team ERA in the American League.  I didn't see that coming. 

Oh Captain, my Captain.  Derek Jeter is a man possessed.  He raised his average to a team leading .408.  Many people out there feel Jeter is going to make a serious run at the MVP.  While the possibility does exist, I just don't see it happening.  No real reasoning behind that, call it a gut feeling.  But he'll definitely get a lot of support, and rightfully so.  I hope that I'm wrong because that'll mean Jeter will have a monster year.  If he can sat the course, he'll be challenging Teddy Ballgame for the mythical .400.

The offense as a whole was a little disappointing in the Tampa Bay series.  The 2-run embarrassment on Wednesday and only getting 5 hits on Thursday.  That was bad considering the Yankee lineup.  But we always seem to struggle with Devil Ray pitchers.  Winning 2 out of 3 is good.  I'll take a 2 out of 3 mark the rest of the way.  That's be a win total of 104.  Chalk up another division title if that's the case.

I can't praise the pitching staff enough.  Mike Myers has been awesome.  He's yet to give up an earned run, knock on wood.  The biggest question mark is Jaret Wright.  He's scary and he's on the mound tonight.  The Yankees better put some eye drops on their bats to help them see the ball better because this may be a game the offense needs to win.  It'll be no small task.  The Blue Jays are throwing my choice for the AL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay.  The Yankees have done well this year against top tier pitchers (Zito and Colon).  Let's hope they're on their game tonight.

The next 5 days are pretty big games.  3 with Toronto and then 2 in Boston for Damon's return to Fenway.  We may see who the odds-on favorite is to win the East depending on how things go.  The Yankees need to show up because these games are pretty important.  Statistically, we're doing much better than the Red Sox.  But as we all know, the games aren't played on paper.  What would be the fun in that?

Come on Jaret, we need ya!

J

That was an ugly game.  A game the Yankees should have easily won. 

If you told before the game that the Yankees would have 20 baserunners, would steal 5 bases, would draw 14 walks, I'd say they'd score at least 8-9 runs, and that's an understatement.  The offense continues to get on base but always seem to falter with runners in scoring position.  Tonight was no exception.  2 for 15 w/ RISP.  16 runners LOB.  It's frustrating.  1 hit would have likely won the game.

Wang's pitching performance was wasted.  The rotation has looked very sharp over the last several games.  I'll take his outing any day of the week from any of our starters.

What's up with Bubba running into that DP?    How did the YES network call him the Player of the Game?

Cano continues to impress.  Another 2 hits and his hitting streak is extended.

Jeter was again clutch.  His 10th inning 2-out single kept it going. 

Am I the only one that thought Sheffield gave up on beating out the grounder to Wiggington in the 10th?  He always pulls up as opposed to hustling through the bag.  He probably wouldn't have beat it out but still put forth the effort if the game is on the line.

Rivera was off his game but he didn't really get hit hard.  He needs more work.  He's well behind his normal IPs through 18 games.

I liked the aggressiveness in this situation as opposed to the Baltimore game.  We weren't really hitting the ball so moving guys over with SBs and sacrifice bunts was a good approach.  We just needed the hits.

Al Leiter is an awesome analyst.  Anyone know where Michael Kay is?

How did they score only 2 runs????

J

Yankees have had 16 baserunners and 5 stolen bases tonight through 8 innings, and have only scored 2 runs??? 

That's bad.  That's very, very bad.

J

My friend Dave in San Diego left me a comment on an entry I wrote about Anna Benson.  In his comments, he mentions Todd Helton's current stomach ailment.  He draws comparison to the intestinal parasite that plagued Jason Giambi a few years ago, and questions if possibly it's related to the use of steroids or HGH, as many people thought Giambi's problem was related to steroid use.   Interesting.  Dave wanted to go on record as suggesting Helton could have used something.  Now, there's no merit to this, it's pure speculation.  So, if it comes out that Helton once used 'roids or HGH, you heard it here first, through my buddy Dave.  Personally, I don't think Helton is guilty of anything. 

Now, I have always thought of Helton as one of baseball's good guys, and I still do.  Do I think he's used performance-enhancing drugs?  No, absolutely not. Taking into account the current state of MLB, I can't rule it out.  MLB doesn't test for HGH so who really knows?  It's possible that HGH is being used by everyone.  Who knows?  MLB needs to find a way to test for it.  If a blood test is the only way, they need to find a way to get it done.  Until they do, everyone could be considered a suspected user.  There's no way to prove they're not. 

Helton has always put up great numbers.  But now, since my friend Dave mentioned the possibility, I can't help but wonder if he had "help."  Arielle over at Dispatches From Red Sox Teen Nation recently blogged about the subject and raised some good points.  Anytime a guy does something great or plays better than he did in the past, Chris Shelton for example, questions of 'roid use begin to pop up.  It's obvious that people are still using.  Maybe not at the major league level, but 10 guys have already been nabbed in the minors.   It's still out there.  We all know it.

I really hope that the "steroid era" dies soon.  I'm kind of sick of the subject.  Someone is calling out Todd Helton for crying out loud.  He's one of the good guys, right?  Who's next?  Pujols?  Jeter? When Bonds retires, it'll be interesting to see if the media and the public lose focus of steroid use in MLB, or if it'll be something that still lingers around until we see the likes of Giambi and Sheffield leave the game.  Thankfully, we've already seen McGwire, Sosa, and Palmeiro leave.  Bonds doesn't appear to be too far behind.  Are we turing a corner?  I hope so.

And as far as I'm concerned, and I know many of you share this opinion, 61 is still the record. 

J

Derek Jeter is continuing to have a monster year.  He looks very comfortable in the 2-hole.  By going 3-5 he gets his average up to .391, second to only Miguel Tejada in the AL.  His 1st inning HR put the Yanks on top for good.  If he keeps it up, he may add an MVP to his list of credentials.  I know the MadDog wouldn't mind seeing that.

Mike Mussina again looked awesome.  I was a little worried after the 1st inning HR to Gomes (that guy is huge).  But he settled down and was awesome.  4 hits, no walks, and 7 Ks!  Not bad for 6 innings of work.  It looks like the change in his change is paying off.  He is switching speeds with the best of them.  Definitely a key to his success, and the Yankees success.

Matsui seems to be in a little slump.  Didn't he do this last year also?  He'll be fine and will be Godzilla-like soon.

Giambi appears to be the Giambi of old.  He has the highest .OBP and OPS in the AL, and is second in both in the Majors.  Just imagine if he played this way all last year.

The Yankees as a team are continuing to impress.  A team batting average of .308, second to only Toronto (.002 behind).  The highest team OBP in the Majors at .394 (.027 ahead of Cleveland).  Second in slugging % at .504 (.004 behind Toronto).  They have the second best team ERA in the AL at 3.63 (.005 behind Detroit).  Major League leaders in walks allowed.  It's hard to believe that the Yankees are 10-8?  Incidentally, we're ahead of Boston in every major statistical category except for doubles (43-40), Ks by pitchers (124-119) and saves (9-2).  Keep in mind that Boston has played two more games than the Yankees, so in all reality saves may be the only category they have the edge in statistically.  Unfortunately, it's the number of wins that matter most.  Boston is on top of the standings.  We meet head-to-head next week.  On paper, the Yanks have the edge.  But games aren't played on paper.  Should be a fun series.  Damon's 1st return to Fenway. 

Wang gets the ball tonight.  He's had some good outings but seems to always struggle for an inning or two.  Seth McCLung is on the mound for the D-Rays.  He's off to a rough start.  Let's hope if Wang falters, the offense picks him up.

Go Yankees!

J

Bored at work, surfing the web and I came across a column by SI's Tom Verducci that has me extremely encouraged about what's to come from Mike Mussina.  The column is titled "Wise Guys" and it basically discusses that the older, more experienced pitchers are having the most success so far this year.  Verducci details a conversation he had with Mussina after his dominant outing in Toronto, where Verducci compared him to Greg Maddux.  A comparison made because Mussina would throw hitters something soft when they were expecting something hard.  Mussina's reply: "That's right.  I've figured something out."

Mussina was pitching in an intersquad game.  Posada was at the plate.  The count was full and Mussina threw him a change.  Posada hit it well.  After the game, Mussina asked Posada how he was right on the changeup?  Posada replied that he could see his fingers on top of the ball as the ball was released, a tell-tale sign that the pitch was a change.  Moose was tipping his change!

Mussina ended up changing his grip so it's now undetectable to the batter.  He's also able to throw it slower and get better movement on it now.  How awesome is that Yankee fans?    We've definitely seen a new Mike Mussina this year.  He had an awesome performance against the Jays his last outing and his change was definitely working.  This could definitely explain the dominance that Mussina has shown this year.  An ERA of 2.67.  His walks are down and so is the opposing hitters' batting average against him.  The Blue Jays are the league's best hitting team statistically speaking.  They rank tops in batting average and slugging percentage, and rank second in OBP.  Moose shut 'em down.

How can we not be encouraged by this?  And to think, he's been using that grip since he started pitching.  It's amazing that no one ever noticed this before.  I would think that at least his pitching coaches, his battery mates, and/or a fellow teammate or two would have picked up on this. 

Mussina says it best: "And to think if I didn't bother pitching in an intrasquad game, none of this would have happened."  Thankfully for us Yankee fans, you did.  And thankfully, Posada noticed.  See Randy, he's not all bad.

J

Don't forget to vote in the poll.

With today being an off day for the Yankees, I figured why not change the poll?  To recap the last poll the question was: Barry Bonds is currently 3rd on the all-time HR list.  Where do you want him to end up?  As the HR king?  Ahead of the Babe?  I hope he never hits another HR? 

20 people voted (thanks) and the masses have spoken.  18 people (myself included) hope that Bonds never hits another HR.  The remaining 2 votes were split, with 1 wanting wanting Bonds to surpass the Babe, the other wanting Bonds to be the all-time king of swing.  It's obvious that Bonds isn't thought of that highly by the public.  When Bonds retires, which is hopefully soon, the Steroid Era will retire with it.  The baseball can go back to being baseball.  Thanks Arielle for that line.

Our local sports radio station did a daily segment last year called the "Baseball Hall Of Fame Rejection Committee."  Basically, they kicked a guy out of the HOF each day until 1 was remaining, thus making him the Ultimate Hall Of Farmer.  They had narrowed it down to Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, with the "Say Hey" kid as the last man standing.  Personally, I disagree.  I would have chose Ruth. 

Now I don't think highly of our local (Buffalo, NY) radio station.  They know nothing about baseball.  They don't know much about sports in general, but that's my opinion.  Thankfully with the onset of satellite radio, I can now listen to national sports radio shows instead of the local garbage.  So here's what we are going to do.  We're going to pick the "Best Baseball Player Ever."  The 8 choices listed are the final 8 players that were left on the radio's segment.  Arguably, they are the best 8 players in the Hall.  There's also a spot for "other" if you disagree with the choices.

I'm going to create a separate post and link it on the sidebar, right under the poll.  Please add some comments and indicate who you voted for and why.  I think it's an interesting topic and we can build quite a discussion around it.  Feel free to make a case for current players or guys not yet elected.

Hope you enjoy and I hope you contribute.  Thanks!

J

Randy Johnson gave the Yankees what they needed today:  a shutdown performance.  8 innings, 3 hits, 1 ER, 5 K.  94 pitches, 63 for strikes!  If not for Miguel Tejada, we might have seen a no-hitter.  Tejada had all of the Orioles 4 hits, and took the Unit deep in the 2nd.  But The Unit settled down and only made that 1 mistake.  He looked nothing like he did in Toronto.  This is what I've come to expect from Randy.  He gives up the occasional longball but has good enough stuff to keep the opposing bats at bay.  With a potent offense behind him, he could easily win 20+. 

The hits seemed to come easy for the Yanks against Bruce Chen.  I'm still not sure why they were trying to steal bases when they were hitting him so well.  The team was having success against Chen, the middle of the order was up, why try to move up a base?  Let the bats move the runners around.  I like to see an aggressive approach on the basepaths, but it didn't seem necessary or even like a good idea, all things considered.  Flashback a few days ago to Toronto.  2 outs, Jeter was on 2nd, Sheffield on 1st, A-Rod was up.  The Yankees pull of a successful double steal.  A-Rod then gets intentionally walked.  Giambi comes up against the lefty and pops out (I think) to end the inning.  The double steal took the bat out of the reigning MVP's hands.  With 1 out, I like the double steal.  With 2 outs and A-Rod at the plate, bad move.  Each attempt, today and in Toronto, backfired on the Yanks.  Let's learn from this.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.

Giambi was the man today.  3-4, 2 HRs, 5 RBI.  He came so close to HR #3.  It was good to see him flash some opposite field power.  I know there's "chatter" of Giambi possibly being on the "juice" over at Bleeding Pinstripes, but I just don't see it.  The risk definitely doesn't outweigh the reward.  That goes for everyone, not just Giambi.  If on the off chance he is juicing, he has to be doing it on the down low.  I can't see Jeter or any of the Yankee brass allowing anyone to tarnish the Yankee image of "Pride, Power, Pinstripes."  A positive test to any Yankee would tarnish that image.  I'd like to think Donnie Baseball has a big hand in Giambi's success and comeback. 

Robinson Cano is doing an exceptional job batting in the bottom of the order.  He's hitting over .400 on his recent 12 game hitting street.  Cano getting on base is a great way to turn the lineup over to Damon and Jeter.  All Cano needs to work on is drawing a walk every now-and-then.  But if he keeps hitting the ball, I won't fault him for that.

The Captain continues to hit the ball well, another multi-hit day.  I voted "no" in the Mad Dog's poll on whether or not Jeter would win the MVP.  I may have to reconsider my vote if Jeter continues to swing the hot bat.  He's certainly playing well enough to get some MVP consideration.

The Yanks will enjoy an off-day tomorrow and then continue the homestand when the Devil Rays come to town for a 3-game set.  Let's hope we don't have a repeat of last year where the Rays take 11 of 19 from us.  That should never happen.  The Moose gets the ball for the series opener.  I feel pretty confident the Yanks will roll and win their 3rd straight.  Let's hope MC Hammer is right and the Yanks catch fire.  I asked my Yankees Magic 8-Ball if they will and "all signs point to yes!"  Have you ever known a Magic 8-ball to be wrong?

Let's Go Yankees!!

J

Andy Phillips gets doubled off on a line drive to the left side.

Derek Jeter gets picked off.

Sheffield gets caught stealing.

I like the aggressiveness, but I don't see why they'd risk losing baserunenrs when they're hitting Chen pretty well and can move the runners around with base hits.  Giambi just went yard again, upper deck style.  It's 4-1.  It should be at least 6-1. 

J

Randy Longball gave up another HR.  Keep the ball in the park Unit.  It's painful to watch you give up so many dingers.  I saw him pitch in Pittsburgh a few years back while he was in Arizona.  He pitched a complete game 2 hitter.  He gave up 2 bombs and lost 2-0.  The game lasted an hour and a half.  It was crazy.  Thankfully, the Yankees aren't the Diamondbacks.  Our offense can bail him out. 

It is high, it is far, it is gone.  Giambi knots things up.  Three straight singles by JoPo, Cano and Phillips and the Yanks are up 2-1.  Cano is on fire.  Looks like we're getting some good reads on Chen.  Let's pad the lead in case Randy gets into more trouble with the longball.

Go Yanks.

J

Big victory for the Yanks today.  For a while I didn't think they'd get the game in because of the weather reports and how it looked there during the BP show on YES.  Judging by the empty seats, I'd say most people thought it'd be a rain out.  They were saying yesterday on the radio broadcast that the entire series was sold out.  It certainly didn't look like it today.  Why those people weren't there is beyond me?  So what if it's cold and rainy?  It's late April in New York, odds are high that the weather will be bad.  It's Yankee baseball for crying out loud.  If you have a ticket, you get yourself to the stadium and cheer those guys on.  And you call yourselves Yankee fans?  Anyway, it's their loss because they missed a great Yankee victory.

Shawn Chacon was definitely the star of the game.  After getting hit around in his 2 relief stints, he bounced back and pitched like the Shawn Chacon we saw last year when he joined the Yankees.  He pitched a phenomenal game.  He saved the bullpen by pitching 7 strong innings.  He only gave up 4 hits and 1 ER.  Whenever he got into a jam, he pitched his way out of it.  He got Tejada to ground out on a comebacker with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out, then followed it up by getting Jay Gibbons to pop out.  That's no small task.  For all intents and purposes he did the same thing two innings later when he got Tejada to hit a sac fly with the bases juiced, then got Gibbons on another comebacker.  Tejada is always a threat.  He will come through if you give him enough opportunities.  He had them today, but was denied each time.  It was good to see a great pitching performance from the back end of the rotation.  It's something the Yankees needed and Chacon delivered.

Speaking of delivering, Matsui came through in the 6th with his bases loaded double.  Why couldn't he have done that the night before, right?  It was the first Yankee base hit with the bases loaded since the first game of the season.  16 at-bats met without success.  That's a horrible stat considering the Yankee lineup.  It's kind of shocking, especially when the team batting average is about .300.  Let's hope Matsui's double breaks the Yankees out of that slump and the team average with RISP goes up as well.  Timely hitting, we need more of it. 

Jeter continues to show us why he's the Captain.  Another 2 RBIs.  And Robinson Cano extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an 8th inning single.  So much for the sophomore slump!  Knock on wood.  It is early and anything is possible but I just don't see that happening to Robinson.  He's legit.  And knock on wood, he's only made 1 error.  Last year, he averaged about 1 every 7-8 games.  This year we've seen much better play in the field from Cano.  Let's hope it continues and he doesn't turn into another Alfonso Soriano in the field.

Boston got their butts handed to them again in Toronto.  The race just got a little closer.  I know it's only April and we're not even 20 games into the season, but every team in the East is playing pretty well.  The Jays got another setback by placing Burnett back on the DL, again!  He's turning out to be worth the money, isn't he?  Insert sarcastic tone here.  $11 million for a .500 pitcher who has only started more than 20 games 3 times in his career, and has already landed on the DL twice this year.  Can you say overpaid?  Don't get me wrong, I like what the Jays did in the off-season.  The Burnett signing was nice, but not $11 million nice.  Time will tell on that one.

The Unit gets the ball tomorrow.  It'd be nice to get on a little winning streak and take 2 from a team within our division.  Hopefully, Randy is up to the task this time and we don't get an outing from him like we did in Toronto.

Go Yanks!

J

I was reading a recap of the Orioles/Yankees game on Yahoo and I read something I didn't quite understand.  Check out the opening sentence and then the quote from Anna Benson:

"He had something to prove," she said, "and he proved it."

Can someone tell me what the heck he proved ?  She makes it sound as if he's a man on a mission.  He only lasted 5.1 innings.  He threw 103 pitches, 56 for strikes...not exactly a marksman.  He allowed 11 runners to reach base.  He gave up 3 earned runs, the equivalent of an ERA over 5.  Not exactly a great pitching performance, so I'm not sure what Anna meant with her statement.  He may have gotten the win, but he didn't beat the Yankees.  The Yankees beat the Yankees.

The fact is, Kris Benson is a mediocre pitcher, which is what the league is full of these days, he just happens to have a hot, outspoken wife so we all know his name.  His career winning % is below .500.  His career ERA is just about 4.25 which is high for a National League pitcher.  He's on his 3rd team in 3 years.  The guy is an average pitcher at best. He's not bad.  He's not good. 

If that's what he was out to prove, congrats, he did a good job.  Anna should be proud.  Man, she's an idiot.  If you really want to see how much of an idiot she is, go check out this and this on her website.   I don't know whether or not I should feel sorry for Kris.

J

There's no doubt that the called strike 3 to Matsui was outside.  The tying run should have scored on a walk.  Regardless, the pitch was close enough that Matsui should have swung.  If it's close, you have to swing.  No two ways about it.

That was pretty exciting.  You don't get much better than that.  Unless maybe you're down by four late in the game and hit 3 jacks to tie it up, and then win it in the 12th!  That would be pretty exciting, too. 

J

Am I the only one that noticed Gary Sheffield pulling up early on the 7th inning DP he grounded into?  I don't care if you know you're getting thrown out, you should still run hard through the bag.  I get so annoyed when I see that happen.  Drives me nuts.

Yanks are rallying!  Way to go Jorge!  Come on Robbie!!

J

I took a little roadie today.  Drove an hour down the NYS thruway to Rochester to see the Norfolk Tides take on the Rochester Red Wings.  I actually didn't go for the game, but rather to see if I get Lastings Milledge to autograph a ball for me.  I was in the stadium for all of about 3 minutes when the Tides came off the field from BP.  Lastings came over and signed it for me on the sweet spot.  Nice.  Like most guys, you can't make out the signature.  I couldn't tell which way was up.  I had to look at a guy who had a card signed to figure it out.  Check his signature out on EBay.  Looks nothing like "Lastings Milledge."

I brought a 2nd ball and figured I'd see if I get Jose Lima to sign for me.  He came into the dugout about 5 minutes before first pitch.  Someone called him over, he came, and signed.  I gave him my ball and pen.  He got through the "Jose" when the pen "died."  It worked for me as soon as he gave it back so I'm not sure what that was all about.  So he signed the first half of the ball in blue ink, and the second half in black.  He then went back and traced over the "Jose."  I can live with it.  He actually has a pretty nice signature.  Very legible.

I couldn't help but laugh to myself at how he looked.  His hair was short, falling out, and it looked as if he dyed it with peroxide.  Imagine Krusty the Clown with short hair and no make-up, and that kind of looked like Jose.  Maybe it's a side effect of the Herpecin, I don't know, but he looked flat out crazy.  Nice guy though.

Yanks are in the bottom 8th and need some runs!  Giambi fouled out.  Not looking good.

J

Forgot to mention the Yankee signing of Carlos Pena.  I like this signing.  He'll do well in NY.  Decent power but could improve on the average.  I think it's basically going to squeeze Andy Phillips back to C-Bus.  Pena was a 1B with the Tigers but was released because there wasn't any room for him.  He's awesome defensively which will likely mean Giambi will be in the DH role at times.  Torre gives him 10 days or so in the minors before he'll be called up.

We awoke at 7:45am, ready to start another day and cheer the Yankees on to victory.  The plan was to be at the stadium and in line by 9am, which meant being showered and checked out by 8:50.  Everything went smoothly and we arrived at the stadium at 9am, and headed down to gates 5 and 6.  There were already 5 or so people huddled at gate 5, no one was at gate 6.  We took our place in line at the gate 6 doors and waited the 2 hours for the gates to open.  As the time passed, more people showed up, the majority of which went to gate 5, same as they did the day before and every other time I'd been to a Jays game. ********. 

The doors opened at 11am and I again sprinted down to the front.  This time I decided to go all the way to the little corner closest to the dugout.  First one there.  Mission accomplished.  The wife, who is a little slower, wasn't too far behind, which was surprising considering they stopped her to look through her purse.  The Jays were still taking BP and some Yankee pitchers were in the outfield playing catch.  Usually when the gates open, the visiting team is just beginning to stretch.  There weren't any Yankees out and I knew what that meant, no batting practice.  Bummer.  I still had hopes that Guidry would be out working with the staff.  He was.  Now all he had to do was stop by and sign some autographs.  Which he did, but he started way down the first base line, nowhere near where I was standing.  He was slowly making his way down toward the dugout when Chien-Ming Wang and Kyle Farnsworth started signing autographs.  They were even further down the first base line, pretty much in right field. 

Things weren't going well in my corner.  Guidry had stopped signing and was making his way back to the clubhouse.  He got near and I yelled "Gator!"  He stopped, looked, and came over.  He signed a ball for me on the sweet spot.  He signed for a few others and went back into the dugout. 

Wang and Farnsworth were still pretty far down the line.  Scott Proctor was then coming in and was called over to sign, and he obliged.  He signed for everybody.  He would be walking away, thinking he was done, then someone else would call his name and he'd go over.  Nice guy.  I didn't have him sign anything though.  Not really sure why.  I try to be somewhat selective in who I have sign a ball.  If you've read my previous posts, you know I'm not high on Proctor.  He's doing pretty well and I'm glad, but I still didn't want to use a ball on him.  I'm sure I'll wish I had at a later time.

Farnsworth and Wang eventually made their way down the line and both were happy to sign for the fans.  They both signed on the sweet spot for me and I was very thankful. It's always nice when these guys take the time to stop over to sign.  They all spent quite a while signing for everyone.  They probably each took an hour out of their time to stop over.  Everyone was pretty thankful which was nice to see because most people don't say "thank you."  It goes a long way.

Eventually everyone got kicked out of the area so fans that hold tickets for those seats could sit down.  It took a lot longer though then the Jays staff would have liked.  They usually kick you out 45 minutes before game time.  With probably 50 minutes to go, Rivera came over to sign and no one was leaving.  The ushers were pretty helpless.  They had no choice but to let everyone stay.  It was probably 20 minutes to first pitch when Mo left.  I didn't get his autograph because I already have it.  I got it last year outside the Yankees' hotel.  I've seen Rivera sign many times.  He's probably the most accessible Yankee.

Our seats were in the first row down the right field line.  They were pretty nice seats.  We had a good vantage point of the action. Mussina looked awesome.  He was definitely on his game.  Moose made the Jays lineup look pretty silly at times.  Glaus in particular.  Teach him to go deep on us twice in a game.  I'll go into battle with Mussina any day.  The guy may not own any rings or Cy Young hardware, but he's a top tier pitcher and is always sharp in big games. With some run support, he'll finally have a shot at both.

The big offensive highlight of the day was A-Rod's solo HR that broke the scoreless tie.  I captured the swing on camera and it came out rather nice.  There are more in the photo album.  Alex had a good series and has been on a little power trip of late.  The Yankee offense is just awesome.  There was 1 point in the game where the entire batting order, with the exception of Andy Phillips and Posada were hitting over .300, and Posada was at .295.  It was good to see them finally win a game where they didn't have to score 10 runs to win.   We very well could have scored more if not for that bad call by the umpire.  Horrible call.

The bullpen looked good yesterday as well.  Farnsworth pitched solid in relief of Mussina.  Mo was Mo.  You knew when he came in that the game was in hand.  It would have only been better if he came out to "Enter Sandman."

It was good to pick up the "W" and get back to the .500 mark.  We're trailing Boston in the standings but if you ask me, the Yankee schedule has been much tougher to date.  No question about it.  In time, their lead will diminish and we'll be back on top.  Yankees win!!  Thaaaaa Yankees win!!

J

I woke up Tuesday morning excited as if it were Christmas.  I could barely sleep because I was so anxious to get to the Rogers Centre to watch the Yankees.  It was only 8am and I still had 6 hours to wait before we left.  1:30 rolls around and we were leaving the house to grab a quick bite and get some money before we headed for the border.  Then something happened that almost ended our trip, only a few feet from my backdoor.  We have this landing outside in a back yard, kind of like a raised patio.  When I stepped off the landing, I slipped off the edge or just flat out landed wrong, because my ankle twisted, I dropped my duffel bag and fell forward to the rear of my car, writhing in a pain I've never been in. It took me a minute or two to stand up and bounce around on it, like you'd see an athlete do after twisting his ankle.  The wife thought maybe I should see a doctor and was worried that if I ended up needing medical attention, I wouldn't want to be in a foreign country.  I told her to get in the car because we've got a Yankee game to go to.

It kind of hurt to walk on depending how I stepped, but for the most part the pain subsided.  I couldn't wait to look at, but I'd have to.  This is what it looked like Wednesday night when we got home. 

Ouch! 

So we left, did our things and headed for the border, which was about 10 minutes or so away.  Barring any delays, we'd be in Canada at 2pm, plenty of time to get to Toronto, check into the hotel, and walk to the Rogers Centre.  Getting across the Canadian border was a breeze.  "Where you from?  Where you going?  Have a nice day."  In and through in about 15 seconds. 

We made it to Toronto in just over an hour.  No traffic and it was quite an easy drive.  At times, I glanced at my speedometer and I was going 85 MPH.  The ride was smooth and it certainly didn't feel like I was driving that fast.  The wife slept.  I listened to baseball talk on my XM.  Good times.

My goal was to get to the stadium by 4pm, about an hour and a half before the gates opened.  I like to try and get some autographs and when the Yankees are in town, that's how early you need to get there to make sure you're at the front.  We checked into the hotel, which was about a half mile from the stadium.  The only problem I have with Toronto hotels is that you have to pay to park and it's always in a public garage.  There was an underground garage right next to the hotel which was nice.  When we walked out of the garage we were confused as to where the hotel was in relation to our current location.  After finding our bearings, we made it to the hotel and checked in.  I asked the check-in guy, I forget what they are called, what was the rate for the garage.  He replied with "You don't want to park there.  It's not safe.  Don't leave any valuables in the car."  He gave me a sheet of paper with directions to another garage, one that they recommend to their guests.  It was like a quarter-mile away.  If anyone wanted to break into my '98 Corolla and steal some tissues, I was fine with that.  We took our chances with the unsafe lot.

We dropped off our bags, took a restroom break, and left for the stadium.  After the half-mile walk, which took about 10 minutes, we arrived at the Rogers Centre.  We would have made the walk in 5 minutes, but with my ankle and my wife dragging her feet, it took 10.  I kept picking up the pace but she kept slowing things down.  We walked down the steps to the gate where one would want to enter if they want to get to the Yankee dugout the quickest, which for those of you that want to know, is gates 5 and 6.  They're side by side and about 20 feet apart.  It was just after 4pm.

As we walked down the steps, I noticed that there was already a line formed at gate 5, probably about 15 or so people.  Gate 6 had 2.  We lined up behind the 2.  This is something that always puzzles me when I go to the Rogers Centre and it happens every time.  The line at gate 5 grows quickly.  The line at gate 6 doesn't.  Now gate 5 has about 5 ticket turnstiles, gate 6 has 2.  Gate 6 is actually closer to the dugout and you can easily get there faster than by going through gate 5.  As time went by, gate 5's line grew, gate 6's didn't.  There was a time I looked and gate 5 probably had 60 or so people to the 6 or so at gate 6.  But people kept showing up and going to gate 5.  Hello?  McFly?  Why would you get in the longer line?  Is the human brain conditioned to follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing?  It could have been that the tickets all print with gate 5 on it, but still, the shorter line moves is the better line, especially if you're 8th in line compared to 50th.  Finally, other people's lack of sense works in my favor.

As 5:30 approached, I was giving my wife instructions on what she wanted to do and where she wanted to go when she got in there.  She thought I'd have trouble running with my bad ankle but I wasn't about to let that slow me down.  the gates opened at 5:30 and I made a dead sprint to the aisle, ran down to the front of the field, turned left to run to the dugout and noticed I was easily going to be the first person to the prime spot.  Then I encountered a problem.  The Jays added a row of luxury seats right in front of the wall where players would come to sign.  I stopped, quickly trying to assess where I thought the best place would be.  Do I go to a now very small corner at the end of the row, closer to the dugout or do I stay closer to first base and hope that because there is more room they'd be more apt to sign there?  By that time, the other Yankee hungry fans caught up to me and now it was turning into a group decision.  We all chose to stay further from the dugout.  We would have gone into the luxury seats but they didn't let us.  Either way, I was in a good spot, because I was right at the front, where the corner was made.  But no one came to our spot.  In fact, the only Yankee that signed anything was Johnny Damon.  He signed where I would have been if I kept going.  But it didn't matter; I got his autograph last year when we were in Tampa Bay to watch the Red Sox play the Devil Rays on our honeymoon.  It was then 45 minutes to game time and the ushers cleared the area and we went to our seats.  The wife took some pictures of BP.  They're in the photo album.

After another bathroom break and a stop at the concession stand (popcorn, soda, nachos and apple juice), we went to our seats.  We sat in the lower level in right-center field, first row, on the aisle.  We were right above the NL out-of-town scoreboard if you're familiar with the stadium.  A good view and you can see all of the action.

In the first inning, A-Rod stepped to the plate and went yard.  He hit the ball the other way to right-center and it was heading right in our direction.  The ball was tailing away from me and it dropped into the bullpen behind the scoreboard for a home run!  The ball was probably 10 feet or so to my left.  If you saw the game or can view the replay/highlights on MLB.com's Gameday, you can see me reach down with my left hand in an attempt to catch it (even though there was no chance) and then raise both arms in the air to celebrate the dinger.  The next pitch Giambi goes yard and the ball is coming to the exact same spot, except this ball isn't tailing, it's coming right for us.  I'm thinking to myself that I'm getting this ball.  The ball stayed up there and was definitely reaching the seats.  I remember saying to myself "please drop in the front row."  It wasn't dropping.  The ball was going to land in the 1st 3 rows so I'd have a shot.  As it came down, I jumped up to make an attempt to catch it.  It sailed a few inches over my fingers into the 3rd row, 2 seats directly behind mine.  I turned to play the rebound and maybe grab it off the ground, but the guy had a glove and made the snag.  You can see on the replay my valiant attempt at glory.  The leap, the miss, and grabbing the railing when I landed.  If you look closely, you can see my wife cowering and covering her head, thinking it would hit her.  We caught the replay several times on Sports Centre and the other Canadian sports channel.  It was kind of neat.  I forgot to DVR the game so I didn't have it at home.  By pure luck, I turned on the YES Network last night after we were home and the replay was on.  Giambi came up in the 3rd and they showed his HR from the day before.  And there we were.  I was able to rewind and record.  Gotta love modern technology.

The Yankees were stoked to a 4-run lead, but as you all know, it didn't last long.  The Unit just didn't have it.  Scott Proctor did another stellar job in relief and may be earning his way to roster spot when Dotel and Small return.  Johnny Damon is the man.  We had a perfect view of his catches, including the face-plant into the CF wall.  He's worth every penny.  Gary Sheffield on the other hand?  How he could drop that ball, I'll never know?  He just flat out blew it.  The fans were brutal on him the rest of the game, deservedly so.  There were also a lot of "Yankee S*ck" chants throughout the game, which only got louder as the Toronto lead grew.  Some Yankee fans in our section thought a proper comeback to the Sheffield taunting and the "Yankees S*ck" chants was a "USA!  USA!" chant.  I was puzzled by that.  They always beat us in hockey, they beat the US in the WBC, and the Jays were whooping us.  That game, the Yankees did s*ck.

But tomorrow would be a better day. 

J

Got back from Toronto a few hours ago.  I took up the new camera to take some pictures.  I created some albums for your viewing pleasure.

The first day the roof was closed so the pictures are a little dull.  It could have been we didn't really know how to use it to it's fullest capacity.  Most pictures were taken from our seats, which was front row, lower level OF in right-center, just above the NL out-of-town scoreboard, right where A-Rod and Giambi hit their HRs.

The second day the roof was open and the pictures look much better.  Our seats this time were front row down the right field line, even with the RF.  The wife snapped a lot of Jeter pics.  I think she has a crush.

I'll post more about the games and the trip tomorrow.  I just wanted to post the pics.

Hope you enjoy and please don't forget to vote in the poll.  It's on the left side of the blog.

J

Time to hit the showers

New York. New York.

I want to be a part of it

I'm leaving today

Start spreading the news

We're off to never-never land

Take my hand

Enter night

Exit light

Here I come to save the day

It's a lot easier to catch without a wall in your face

Glaus had a nice day at the plate. Thanks to the Moose!

It was a ball

Final score: A+

Drive the ball with your legs

It is high. It is far. It's gone! An A-bomb from A-Rod.

Keep your eye on the ball

In the ready position

Get ready

Hey Johnny. Look this way.

Here's the pitch. Strike 3!

Moose in the windup

Worth every penny

Making dinner plans?

Sheffield: "You do look better with short hair." Damon: "Thanks, man." Matsui: "I look so pimp in these shades."

Super-sized Jeter.

Idiot fan getting arrested for running on the field. Must be the extra alcohol in the Canadian beer.

Torre giving the Ump a lesson on what constitutes a catch

Sheff checking things out

He caught this one!

Warming up

More Jeter

Jeter again.

"I think it's that way dude."

Strecthing

The wife likes Jeter.

Mo signing autographs

Me next, please?

"I need your pen."

Chien-Ming signing a ball.

Dude signed for everybody.

Scotty signing autographs

Ron Guidry hooking me up!

Lookin' at the scoreboard

Eyes front!

Shawn chillin' in the pen (before givin' up the long ball)

The Giambino!

A little catch and release during warmups

For the ladies!