Bronx, N.Y., September 21, 2012 – Despite the dramatic turnaround a five-game winning streak signified, the fanbase that filtered into Yankee Stadium Friday night to watch the team start a key series against the A’s was a trifle skeptical that the Yanks were back. The two of three against the equally struggling Rays was nice, but Toronto is in freefall, and the three-game sweep of the Jays was not to be trusted. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., September 16, 2012 – The Yankees prevailed 6-4 over the Tampa Rays in an afternoon tilt under a gorgeous sunny sky in the Bronx on Sunday, in a game where it seemed early that the teams could have saved some time and money by giving much of their respective squads the day off. With Hiroki Kuroda pitching around a first-inning Ben Zobrist double and Matt Moore around a walk, the first nine outs of the game were recorded on strike outs, eight of them swinging. Continue reading →

September 15, Bronx, N.Y. – Riding a delayed “due to mechanical difficulty” train to Yankee Stadium for a Saturday midafternoon game on a gorgeous day in the Bronx, I read that on this day in 1776, British forces occupied New York City. Baseball fans are used to looking at years with ups and downs and, given how that year stands out in American history, I took this as a good sign. Continue reading →

September 1, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – The Yankees posted a huge 4-3 win against the charging Baltimore Orioles in a steamy Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Orioles scored largely off walks early, the Yanks responded in kind late. Both teams made good plays, both bad, but the visitors made the last error, and it cost them. Continue reading →

August 19, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – The Yankees cashed in their second straight series win while concluding their seven-game homestand Sunday night with a 4-1 victory over the Red Sox in the ESPN Sunday night game, the second time in three weeks Yankee fans have been “thrilled” to spend a late Sunday night in the Bronx. A home team win this time around notwithstanding, however, locals could be forgiven for having visions of the major league scheduling department filled with images of monkeys and dart boards. Continue reading →

August 15, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – It’s not rare that a fan’s mood undergoes a sudden change during a baseball game, but it’s usually directly attributable to something that has taken place on the field of play. I was weary from the 100-minute rain delay Wednesday night, but with wins in two straight vs. Texas, the Yanks had just taken a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third, and I was psyched. Continue reading →

August 14, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – The Yankees assured themselves of no worse than a split of their four-gamer hosting the Texas Rangers Tuesday with a 3-0 win, but you would have had to forgive Hiroki Kuroda if he doubted the runs would come, given his 1-0 loss to Felix Hernandez and the Mariners in Yankee Stadium nine days ago. The crafty righthander had a mesmerizing slider all night, and teased 44,000-plus with a no-hit bid for much of the game, but early on he missed a few too many times with his fastball, while his teammates were doing everything but scoring against Texas ace Matt Harrison. Continue reading →

August 13, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – It would have been easy to hype the first of four games between the two-time AL Champion Texas Rangers and the most successful franchise in the game in Yankee Stadium Monday night, but the record took care of that. Texas had the best record in the league by half a game to start, and the Yanks had the same lead at the end. Continue reading →