Bronx, N.Y., May 8, 2008 — Nature abhors a vacuum, or so I was told in science class a significant number of years ago. This thought popped up as I watched the Cleveland Indians not take batting practice about noon Thursday afternoon. The Stadium staff had it all set up for them, with green tarp stretched on the field around home plate, various screens propped up through the infield and outfield, and the big batting cage sitting empty as well. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 6, 2008 — Well, the baseball weather has finally arrived in New York, and the Yankees finally got a day off — at home — yesterday. All of which, sadly, made Tuesday night’s loss that much more disturbing. We’ve come to look on the young Joba Chamberlain as every bit as automatic as Mariano Rivera, and we got burned for that this night. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 4, 2008 — Well, beat the drum and hold the phone — the sun came out today

After a month of frigid temps, rain, everlasting road trips, injuries, and no days off, the baseball season arrived in the Bronx in earnest on Sunday afternoon. The Yanks had been home for six days, but the hard breeze that carried them here from Cleveland Monday night chilled the city and the ballpark all week, the Tigers swept the Yanks three straight, and the home team was earnestly trying to sweep the visiting Mariners in an effort to redirect a season seemingly headed south. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 2, 2008 — For the third straight game the Yankees jumped out to an early lead Friday night, 1-0 over the Mariners after one, and 3-0 after two. There were two glaring differences, however. First, although Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera came up with huge base hits with runners in scoring condition, the quick lead this time was a gift courtesy of sloppy Seattle fielding. Second, and far more important, they hung on to win this one. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 30, 2008 — It seemed the perfect night for baseball in the Bronx Wednesday night. Well, not perfect really, but what are you going to do when major league baseball schedulers and Mother Nature have apparently conspired to keep your team from appearing under optimal conditions, seemingly forever? Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 30, 2008 — With the way the Yankee offense has been sputtering of late missing a few key performers, and the discouraging results gleaned so far from their two young starters, it was pretty difficult to approach any of the three games vs. the Tigers this week brimming over with confidence. The hope was that the team would be so happy to finally be home that the level of their play would rise dramatically. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 29, 2008 — Well, the Yankees finally arrived home from the road trip that wouldn’t end Tuesday, or did they? Fans, and team members, I’m sure, have been praying that they could return to a schedule resembling normality, a little home cooking, and warm and dry conditions. Well, that’s a no, a yes, a no, and a yes. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 17, 2008 — It has been no secret for the last few years that Yankee starter Mike Mussina needs to spot his diminished fastball, hitting the plate’s black with some throws, deliberately missing it with others. Given the fine assortment of off-speed changes and benders in his arsenal, it is a strategy that can work for the righthander. On Thursday night in the Bronx, we found out what happens when he can’t hit his spots with his other pitches. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 16, 2008 — It didn’t take long for the 55,000 Red Sox and Yankees fans who crowded into Yankee Stadium Wednesday night to learn that they were in for a different kind of game. Clay Buchholz’s Sox had fallen to Chien-Ming Wang and the Yankees 3-1 in Fenway Park just five days earlier, in a well-pitched, tight contest, and the same starters toed the rubber this night. It oversimplifies things to say this was an”other” game entirely; it was almost “other”worldly. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 7, 2008 — The Yanks of 2008 seem to be building a reputation for doing things the hard way. They struggled to an opening series win over Toronto by eking out two 3-2 victories. And now they have salvaged a four-gamer with Tampa Bay by winning the third and fourth games in frigid Yankee Stadium. Continue reading →