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Bronx, N.Y., September 24, 2011 – The celebration of the 50th anniversary of Roger Maris’s 61st home run, delayed from the rain-drenched Friday night, went off without a hitch Saturday afternoon, even better perhaps because this day was exactly one week from the actual anniversary, which falls after the regular season ends. The Maris family and two of Mickey Mantle’s sons took to the field following the announcements of Maris teammates Bob Cerv, Bobby Richardson, Moose Skowron, Whitey Ford, and Yogi Berra. Continue reading Roger, Freddy, and Jesus

Bronx, N.Y., September 20, 2011 – The Yanks won their second straight game of a homestand that they hope will witness their clinching of the AL East crown and home field in the upcoming ALDS and ALCS. And they did it behind yet another masterful outing from Ivan Nova, a rookie right-hander who pushed his season mark to 16-4, and all but guaranteed that he’ll be toeing the same mound on October 1 in game two of the ALDS. Continue reading I-Van and the Grandy Man

Bronx, N.Y., September 19, 2011 – My friends and loved ones are not buying it, but I’m here to tell you, the 6-4 Yankee win over Minnesota wasn’t just a baseball party on a gorgeous afternoon, capped by a moment for the ages. Continue reading That Winning Feeling

Bronx, N.Y., September 5, 2011 – What began as a quiet September callup rewarding a year of good service, and auditioning for the big club, has dramatically morphed into a debut with all the subtlety of Sherman’s March to the Sea. Joining his new teammates four days ago in a cramped visitors’ clubhouse in Fenway sure not to be too much of a culture shock for a guy plying his trade in the minors, Jesus Montero scored a run in a key Yankee win, and had followed with his first hit, and then his first two-hit game. The “March” leaped forward Monday. Continue reading Batman and Robinson

Bronx, N.Y., September 4, 2011 – Showing no signs of his 128-pitch effort in Boston Tuesday, staff ace CC Sabathia did exactly what he was supposed to Sunday afternoon, dominating the visting Blue Jays into the eighth inning in a 9-3 Yankee win. The fourth-place Jays (with a record good enough for third in four of the other five divisions) reached him for base hits early, but not as often as he was striking them out. Continue reading CC and the Cap

Bronx, N.Y., September 2, 2011 – Ivan Nova survived a shaky first inning Friday night with a big helping hand from Brett Gardner. Nova was plenty good all by himself going forward from that point, but was so was Toronto’s Brandon Morrow, so it’s a good thing Gardner continued to be in a helpful mood. Brett’s sixth home run of the year, a two-run shot in the home third, equaled an early Blue Jays lead, and the Yankees took sole possession of first place in the AL East with a 3-2 win in Yankee Stadium. Continue reading Ivan Not Terrible

Bronx, N.Y., August 25, 2011 – It was a day of extremes at Yankee Stadium Thursday afternoon. The skies opened in the morning, making the legions of fans traveling to the park wonder if they were wasting their time. Despite discouraging weather repors, however, the rain slowed, then stopped, although intermittent showers continued through the early hours of the game. Continue reading The Longest Day

Bronx, N.Y., August 24, 2011 – Perhaps the most convincing, and simultaneously bizarre, argument supporting Curtis Granderson as the 2011 American League Most Valuable Player is emerging in Yankee Stadium this week. If Curtis doesn’t hit, the Yankees don’t win. Team captain Derek Jeter has gone 6-for-8 over two nights, teammate Nick Swisher has homered three times for five runs, and Robinson Cano has extended the Yankees’ longest 2011 hitting streak to 15 games. Still the team has dropped back-to-back home games to the lowly A’s. Continue reading Bronx Quake

Bronx, N.Y., August 23, 2011 – The oft-injured A’s righty Brandon McCarthy put on such a mesmerising clinic on throwing strikes in the A’s 6-5 win in Yankee Stadium Monday night that for all intents and purposes it appeared the Yankee offense took the first seven innings off. Of course they did not. In fact, as my scorecard incredulously tells me, McCarthy had just one solitary one-two-three inning through seven-plus (although a base hit, double play grounder also got him through the home fourth facing just three batters as well). Continue reading The Thrill or the Agony

Bronx, N.Y., August 13, 2011 – Just when Yankee fans were thinking it was safe to put aside the offense and devote all their attention to the starting rotation, a familiar figure rode into town Saturday and stole the show, driving in six runs in a 9-2 win. The all but gone Jorge Posada took his turn in the lineup as the DH, striding twice to the plate with the bases loaded. All he did was drill a two-run single to give the Yanks the lead in the second on a 1-0 pitch, then lift a grand slam to right to make the game a 7-0 laugher three innings later. He had a single in the fourth as well, but the “underperforming” DH failed to plate a run with that one. Continue reading Hip Hip