Bronx, N.Y., June 28, 2011 – The Tuesday contest between the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and the Yankees in the Stadium was an intriguing one on several levels, and not just because each club sits atop its division. With many a Yankee fan clamoring for starting pitching help over the winter, the Yanks never really set their sights on the available KC Royal righty Zack Greinke once the Cliff Lee plans were foiled, much to the displeasure of some of theiir fans. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 26, 2011 – The weather gods smiled on the Bronx Sunday afternoon on one of the most special Yankee days of the year, as the Old Timers came and entertained us – and each other – yet again. Five Yankee widows and 47 Old Timers were feted, and retiring Yankee trainer Gene Monahan came in for special attention. Before the longtime Yankee staffer was given a string of gifts including a Garth Brooks 10-gallon hat and concert, a multi-signed Nascar helmet, a trip to the Alps, a sitdown lawnmower and a Ford truck (perhaps with a dog?), laughing taped interviews with stars like Derek Jeter – “he’s been here 100 years, I think” – and Don Mattingly – “he worked on Babe Ruth, you know” – set a loving and comical tone. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 16, 2011 – The Yankees finished a sweep of the Texas Rangers Wednesday afternoon in, yes, the first true hot afternoon of baseball of the season. They got great outings from two pitchers who weren’t even in the organization a few days ago, and completed what started as an 0-3 homestand at 6-4. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 15, 2011 – The Yankees played the part of very poor hosts yet again Wednesday night, humiliating the Rangers with yet another blowout. Texas manager Ron Washington was forced to call on three relievers once the Yank abused a quality starter for the second night running, although this time they more pestered southpaw Derek Holland to distraction rather drove him out, as they had with Alexi Ogando after he retired just five batters the night before. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 14, 2011 – Where do you start describing a game where the offense pounds out 14 hits good for 12 runs? Do you highlight home runs from Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano, and Curtis Granderson, or perhaps Curtis’s back-to-back two-run hits with Mark Teixeira that turned a crack in the door against 7-0 Alexi Ogando into a blowout? Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 13, 2011 – Baseball in the Bronx. It was beautiful in Yankee Stadium Monday night. The sky was not cloudless, far from it, with a seemingly solid bank of white cloud, that turned to silver, then a deep vibrant purple, as the sky darkened beyond the stadium wall, to the East over the Bronx and south Yonkers. The pre-dusk sunlight dazzled as it glistened off the white facade just above the grandstand in deepest right and left field. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 11, 2011 – Coming off his worst start of the 2011 season and the news that, as expected, the Yankee rotation had taken a big hit with Bartolo Colon being added to the disabled list, Freddy Garcia took the mound vs. the Indians Sunday afternoon needing to provide a quality start. No nugget of baseball history was required, not a perfect game, or a no hitter. No minimum number of strike outs came to mind. He simply had to keep his team in the game until the Yankee bats could solve Tribe righty Josh Tomlin, off to a 7-3 start and one of the reasonss Cleveland has held first place in the AL Central for so long. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 11, 2011 – Despite succumbing to back-to-back strike outs starting Saturday’s contest in Yankee Stadium, the Indians seemed to not realize that early was their only chance in this game, at least until much later, due to unforeseen circumstances. Among the league leaders in strikes-to-balls thrown ratio, Yankee starter Bartolo Colon got off to what seemed a bad start, at least for him. With a pervasive mist covering the Bronx and a nasty, bone-chilling, unrelenting breeze blowing right from the first pitch, Bart uncharacteristically failed to a throw a first-pitch strike to any of the first seven Cleveland batters. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 10, 2011 – I’m as willing as the next guy to deride hideous marketing choices made over the years, such as naming running shoes after the demonic incubus, or an exploding car after a horse. But the Yankee employee who decided that Friday night was a good one to have the team honor their veteran ex-catcher and current DH Jorge Posada by giving out figurines in his likeness before the game “hit a home run,” so to speak, and it may have helped the team as well. After two forgettable months, Posada’s batting average had climbed to .199 before the game, and he singled his first three times up to raise it further. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 7, 2011 – Some of my oldest and dearest Yankee fan friends, a crowd whose makeup doesn’t change all that dramatically if I recast it without the word, “Yankee,” will be surprised to read this, but yes, count me in. Sign me up. I’m ready. Continue reading →