Category Archives: Grandstand View

You’ve seen what it looks like on television — feel the game from the grandstand at Yankee Stadium.

Out Pitch

Posted on by

April 3, 2011, Bronx, N.Y. – The 2011 Yankees made a lot of noise yet again Sunday afternoon, with four more home runs and seven runs scored. But an offseason bugaboo raised its ugly head, simply because they did not get a good start. Compounding matters, fifth-in-the-rotation candidate Bartolo Colon relieved a beleagured Phil Hughes and failed to stem the tide, dooming Yankee comeback efforts to failure. Continue reading →

Often Upon a Season

Posted on by

A..J. Burnett

Tossing aside talk of a cold and temperature, A.J. consistently pounded strikes in his first start of the 2011 season.

Bronx, N.Y., April 2, 2011 – “I’m going to tell you how it’s going to be,” starts the song Not Fade Away by the Grateful Dead, and watching A.J. Burnett fashion four strike outs the first time through the Detroit batting order, I was doing a little predicting myself. It was clear from the outset that Burnett was comfortable on the mound, throwing his heat and his bender for strikes. High cheese at 94 and an 83 mph curve had Austin Jackson on his heels; a swing and a miss at a four-seamer two throws later sent the ex-Yank prospect to the bench. Continue reading →

Pen Power

Posted on by
A welcome late-morning sight

The only people happier than baseball fans are typographers, at least with these two classic clubs playing the game.

Bronx, N.Y., March 31, 2011 — Twenty-four hours removed from all but starting the 2011 season on the disabled list, Curtis Granderson flew into New York a day after his teammates and ended up having the best day of all in a 6-3 Opening Day victory over the Tigers in a damp and very chilly Yankee Stadium Thursday afternoon. Facing ex-Yankee southpaw Phil Coke leading off the seventh inning, Curtis broke a 3-3 tie with a no-doubt-about it blast to right field. Oh, and he made a few plays in the field too.
Continue reading →

Hot Off the Presses

Posted on by

Maple Street Press Yankees Annual 2011
Although I just served as a grunt (and lowly scribe), I’m delighted to announce the fifth annual Maple Street Yankee Annual, this one subheaded 2011. Compiled by the brilliant writer, editor (and Yankee fan) Cecilia Tan, the annual is a grab bag of everything a Yankee enthusiast would want at this soon-to-be magical time of year. Continue reading →

The Music of Neil Young: Live Rehearsal at City Winery

Posted on by
Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield with Larry Campbell's house band at City Winery

Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield with Larry Campbell's house band at City Winery

So sorry that we are booked, but so excited that we were able to make the live rehearsal show at City Winery (fabulous Manhattan venue, by the way) for the Carnegie Hall benefit that’s happening Thursday night. From having attended the concerts showcasing the music of Bob Dylan (at Lincoln Center) and Bruce Springsteen (at Carnegie Hall with an appearance by Bruce himself), there was no doubt that it would be a great evening of music and this show did not disappoint (showcasing Neil Young, how could it).
Continue reading →

Escape From Winter

Posted on by

We've seen the best — and the worst — accompanying a Yankees trip to Dunedin to play the Blue Jays.

As if my decades-old “Jones” for all things baseball were not enough, the foul New York winter is focusing my thoughts South a week before even pitchers and catchers report to Tampa for Yankee Spring Training, and almost three weeks before we join them for all the sun and fun. Stumbling along on week-old ice is not something to do when your mind is 1,000 miles away, but I’m able to survive the days simply because the alternative — like the broken ankle in February 1994 — is just too terrible to consider. (I missed seeing Michael Jordan wielding bat and glove!) Continue reading →

The Pettitte Two-Step

Posted on by
Andy Pettitte Retirement Press Conference

Andy Pettitte Retirement Press Conference

Bronx, N.Y., February 3, 2011 — We all have our favorite Andy Pettitte moments. How to pick one or two? For me, it’s actually rather easy. When it comes to Andy P, think Peter O’Toole, because 1996 is My Favorite Year. Any Yankee fan who has been watching this team since that stunning season could easily point to magical Game 5 of the World Series, October 24, when the young Yankee southpaw stunned baseball by outpitching a superb John Smoltz in a 1-0 Yankee win in Atlanta.
Continue reading →

Gotta Go to Mo’s

Posted on by

Mo's New York Grill

Enjoyed a great steak dinner here in what has become an off-season tradition for us.


In what has become an off-season tradition for us, Dan and I braved the snow flurries to head in to New Rochelle for dinner at Mo’s New York Grill with fellow Yankee fans Sharon and Bob. We’ve been scheduling up a dinner at Mo’s with them between the end of the season and an annual trek down to Tampa for spring training for a couple years now.
Continue reading →

Better All the Time

Posted on by

Bronx, N.Y., October 9, 2010 — Although the larger story may have been that the Yanks swept the Twins in three games to win the 2010 ALDS in Yankee Stadium 6-1 on Saturday night, for Phil Hughes the bigger aspect may have been a more personal one. Exactly one year ago, the Twins put an ugly inning on Phil at the worst possible time, and although to all accounts he seems to be a pleasant young man, he really seemed to have enjoyed the chance to get back this time around. Continue reading →