Bronx, N.Y., April 3, 2008 — The debate goes on as the Blue Jays and the Yanks played another game Thursday where the offenses struggled. Is it that the hitters aren’t ready? Or are most of the guys who have pitched that good? Take your pick, but I wouldn’t dismiss the third school of thought on this either: It’s just too cold. Continue reading
Category Archives: Regular season
Offense on a Tightrope
Bronx, N.Y., April 2, 2008 — The Yankee offense hit its first peak at 7:23 Wednesday night, when A.J. Burnett fired three straight 94-mph fastballs out of the zone to Johnny Damon. Despite coaxing one soft grounder or fly after another, Mike Mussina was already down 1-0 on an unearned first-inning run, and fans were pumped that their leadoff hitter was all but on in the bottom half. Unfortunately, after a meek Damon bounce out to short on a 3-2 pitch, the second peak came two hours later once Burnett finally did allow his first walk, to Bobby Abreu leading off the home seventh. Continue reading
The Yanks’ Magic Window
Bronx, N.Y., April 1, 2008 — There was criticism aplenty going around the Bronx the last few days. First, devoted fans were understandably upset when the club and major league baseball rained out their opener against the Toronto Blue Jays Monday. Adults take off from work and pull their kids out of school for this day every year, but in 2008, the last year of the old Stadium? Seemed, I’m sure, to be an imperative in many a household. What a blow to have the day wasted, and then to sit until evening for the opener the next day. Continue reading
Rolling Thunder, Pouring Rain
Bronx, N.Y., March 30, 2008 — I will be attending my 26th consecutive home opener on Monday, with the weatherman predicting a questionable day for baseball. Colder than I want, but I’ll confine my hopes, prayers, dances, whatever, to a lack of rain. Attending April ballgames is always a bit of a crapshoot. We sat through six innings of snow in 1996, and earned free tickets to Doc Gooden’s May no-hitter for our trouble. They played nine that day, with Andy Pettitte besting Kansas City’s Chris Haney. Three years later the 12-3 drubbing of the Tigers in a downpour was mercifully called after seven frames. Continue reading
Munsters in Pinstripes
Bronx, N.Y., September 23, 2007 — The good news for the majority of Yankee fans that showed for the rare daygame in the Bronx Monday afternoon was that hard-throwing A.J. Burnett, who had shut out the club in Toronto little more than a week ago, would not be arriving to make his scheduled start. The bad news was that much of the Yankee club did not arrive either, or so it seemed. Continue reading
In the Big Inning(s)
Bronx, N.Y., September 23, 2007 — A favored term among baseball writers not that many years ago was the battery, referring to the day’s pitcher and catcher combination. The Yankee battery outdueled that of the Blue Jays in a 7-5 win in Yankee Stadium Sunday afternoon. Continue reading
Got Melk?
Bronx, N.Y., September 22, 2007 — I’m told there’s no truth to the rumor that the Blue Jays and Yanks have decided to suspend this coming Monday’s makeup of an April rainout, simply because they’ve more than made up for it in the nearly 10 hours of baseball they played in the Bronx starting with Friday night’s first pitch. Heck, throw in the 90-minute rain delay before Saturday’s tilt got underway, and they could suspend Sunday’s game too. Continue reading
The Time Machine
Bronx, N.Y., September 21, 2007 — The Yanks hosted the Blue Jays in the first of four Friday in the Bronx, the last regular-season night game in Yankee Stadium in the 2007 season. Following an oft-repeated script, it was a gorgeous night, and the Stadium was packed. Toronto came in after having swept the Red Sox in three at home, primarily on the strength of superb pitching. The bad news for tonight’s home team was that they brought all the great arms with them. Continue reading
A Beauty in the Bronx
Bronx, N.Y., September 19, 2007 — The Yanks looked to be in for an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel against the Orioles Tuesday night, until a fourth-inning offensive explosion. The only thing that exploded Wednesday was one ball off Hideki Matsui’s bat, and perhaps the blood pressure of thousands of fans. Continue reading
The Pendulum Swings
Bronx, N.Y., September 18, 2007 — Confounding “experts” both pro- and anti-Yankee, Mike Mussina turned in his best performance of the 2007 season in a 12-0 drubbing of the visiting Baltimore Orioles Tuesday night. Almost from the first pitch the cagey veteran was in control in a game that initially had the look of a pitchers’ duel. Continue reading