Bronx, N.Y., April 21, 2002 — Today, Roger Clemens’s performance was stellar and the crowd’s reaction to him was warm and accepting as he defeated a team representing an American League city about as far from San Jacinto as possible. From where you ask? Well, you see, 166 years ago today, an army of Texans led by Sam Houston vanquished the Mexican Army at San Jacinto, thereby assuring Texan independence. Three years ago, newly acquired Yankee (and son of Texas) Roger Clemens tied an AL record with his 17th consecutive victorious decision by beating the Texas (hmmm!) Rangers in the Bronx, 4-2. Continue reading
Author Archives: Dan McCourt
The Ministry of Silly Walks
Tampa, Fla., March 10 — It’s our last day here, and my reverie unavoidably latched onto the week that has been, and to the tasks that await me up north. Perhaps my mind drifted that way due to the display of emotion I was witnessing in center field before the Yankees/Red Sox tilt, as warming-up Red Sox players like ex-Yankees Michael Coleman and Rey Sanchez, along with Manny Ramirez, shook hands and even embraced with Yanks Ruben Rivera, Erick Almonte, Juan Rivera and (eventually) Derek Jeter. (Nomar, to his credit, had cut his stretches short and was signing autographs.) Then the mood was broken by a unique sight as the ageless Rickey Henderson showed off his new warmup routine, pogo-sticking his way across the outfield as he would lift his right knee very high and sort of hop, dragging along his left. Both el duque and John Cleese would have been jealous.
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Hip, Hip, Jorge!
TAMPA, Fla., March 9 — I’m sure George will have trouble taking this, the second loss to Tampa Bay in three days, and this one before a packed Legends Field crowd on what I’ve decided was one of Tampa’s 10 most beautiful days of the year. We’ve scored two runs on seven hits in two days and in the process made the likes of Sean Lowe, Josh Fogg, Tanyon Sturtze and former Mets prospect Paul Wilson look like Cy Young candidates.
This Day: a ‘Clear’ Winner
Clearwater, Fla., March 8 — First, it is vacation after all, and Jack Russell Memorial Stadium in Clearwater is 10 minutes from our Gulf-front headquarters, rather than the 25-30 minutes to Legends Field, not to mention the one hour to McKechnie Field in Bradenton where the boys were playing today. Second, we had just picked up our nephew from Philly at the airport, and although he has rooted on the Yanks with us many a time, how could we keep him from watching his hometown heroes in Clearwater at least one of his three days? (If you can’t relate to a boy — or girl — and their hometown heroes, you may be a great fan, but not one like me.) And last, the opportunity to see ex-Yank Ricky Ledee in his new environment was too much to resist.
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Brandon Yin and Yang
St. Petersburg, Fla., March 7 — The anticipated showers unfortunately did develop, but we enjoyed our day at Al Lang Stadium (for us, the non-Yankee Jewel in the Florida Baseball Crown) anyway, largely based on the exploits of Brandon number one, the lefty Brandon Claussen. The Rocket started and he was good, but the pesky Rays were taking his hard stuff the other way enough to scratch out single runs in all three of his innngs. (FYI, the Rays dealt Roger two of his three 2001 losses, and they would have won a third if not for a late Luis Sojo miracle double that preserved Clemens’s drive to 20-1.)
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Monuments at Legends Field
TAMPA, Fla., March 6 — Fun in the sun was today’s plan, and I don’t want to mislead you into thinking we didn’t execute that plan. But the Tiki Bar and the pool came after accomplishing the legwork required for presenting you with what I consider a Treat (with a capital “T”) on the one hand, and a mystery on the other. Pictured on the right is the Yanks’ Tampa version of Monument Park in 15 photos.
Luis XIII
Lakeland, Fla., March 5 — As Shane Spencer grounded out to third on a crisp, clear evening, the losing streak had grown to four, neither of today’s starters had been particularly effective (and Sterling Hitchcock’s first inning was truly dreadful), I was fearful of catching a nasty cold, my star first baseman had re-tweaked his hammy and our shortstop was out for five days with a stiff neck. So what else to write about other than a string of glaring positives?
Welcome to the GAP
Tampa, Fla., March 4 — “Tampa — 52 degrees, New York — 27 degrees” the Legends Field scoreboard proudly proclaimed during today’s second inning, but with the wind I bet you it was a lot closer than doing the math might lead you to believe. But I am here, I’m watching Yankee Baseball, so shame on me. (“Ah-choo!!”) But, as the home page photo showed, we are certainly in good (left) hands with Boomer (23 pitches in two innings — only seven [all strikes] in the first), Jason (a booming second-inning double) and Robin (the two-out single to deliver him).
Waste Management
Kissimmee, Fla., March 3 — I should have known better. It took 40 years of watching baseball to come to see that a visiting team up by two with a man on base and two outs in the bottom of the ninth was a team in danger of losing. And it held true today, even though we added three in the top of the tenth. Poor former prospect Ryan Bradley is #93 now, and he showed why in the 10th, a 5-run frame that ended on a first-pitch, no-doubt-about-it grand slam.
Auld Lang Syne
Tampa, Fla., March 3 — New Year’s image cliché: Infant confronts Father Time. Little did we realize that this image would await us when our late-morning flight to Tampa landed yesterday. But less than an hour later, there we were in Legends Field, sitting in the third base boxes.
The numbers on the stadium walls were inescapable and I’m sure Yankee fans will be seeing — and celebrating — them all year: 100 26 38. One hundredth year, with 26 World Series titles and 38 American League pennants. But although this team would seem to be all about “the glory years,” once new first baseman Jason Giambi’s windblown drive to left cleared the fence for a 3-0 lead in the first, it was obvious that today was a party for the new as well as the old. We missed both of Jason’s jolts, though we heard the crowd reaction to the second from across Dale Mabry as we parked the car.
New outfield phenom Juan Rivera, pictured here in left in front of the big scoreboard, is just one more reason this team may have better days in its future than in its past. His one-out seventh-inning line drive off the left center wall would have cleared most major league outfield walls, but not to worry. Future (again) third bagger (and truly “big” guy) Drew Henson calmly stroked a hard grounder past the shortstop to give the Yanks a 6-3 lead, ending the Blue Jays hopes for the day.
We’re in Kissimmee against the Astros today, a two-hour-plus drive. I’ve got to go. Happy New Year!
BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!