Bronx, N.Y., May 23, 2007 — The strangest thing happened in Yankee Stadium Wednesday evening as the Yanks were beating the Red Sox, 8-3. Present (and former) Yankee southpaw Andy Pettitte pitched superbly, but there is nothing unique there. He did it here routinely from 1995 through 2003, and he has done it virtually every time out in this, his return season. The twist in this game was that the Yanks scored early with Andy on the mound, and that they kept on scoring all night long. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 21, 2007 — Although it’s an easy bus ride, I’m sure no Yankee players used that form of transportation to get from Queens to the Bronx Monday night, to start a three-game series with the Red Sox and a six-game homestand. Coming off a weekend-saving win over the Mets Sunday night, the Yankees rode a struggling Chien-Ming Wang to a 6-2 victory. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 10, 2007 — I have early memories of a finely crafted set of bookends from my parents’ house. It was elephants imbedded in a fine leaden base that could hold many volumes before sliding. I compare them to a pair of middling lighthouses we use for that task now. They are short on detail, the paint is chipped, and worst of all, they have no heft and can hold up only the thinnest of books. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 9, 2007 — The most faithful of Yankee fans could be forgiven if they were getting a little nervous during the visiting third inning Wednesday night. The Yanks battered Seattle’s Cha Seung Baek for 41 pitches and a quick 5-0 lead in the first inning of Friday night’s game, only to fall when Kei Igawa failed to take advantage of the big score. A quick rally this night was giving the crowd an unpleasant whiff of deja vu. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 8, 2007 — Overcoming their anger and frustration at a Monday loss that should not have happened, the Yanks recovered to beat the Texas Rangers 8-2 on a pleasant but cool Tuesday evening in Yankee Stadium. A blown call of rare proportions Monday had soured the mood among players and fans alike. The home team’s repeated failures to produce with men in scoring position had left them vulnerable, and Adrian Beltre made Mariano Rivera pay. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 6, 2007 — The Yankees and the Mariners squeezed a lot of baseball, and oh so much more, into one of the shorter ballgames of the year in Yankee Stadium Sunday afternoon. A scoreless pitchers’ duel through four, half the game was over in one hour and one minute. But not half the drama. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 29, 2007 — Baseball in the Bronx made a rare appearance under pleasant conditions Friday night, as the returning-from-the-road Yankees met the visiting Seattle Mariners in the first of four. And the almost 50,000 faithful that filed into the Baseball Cathedral for the 7:09 first pitch were treated to an early, home-team, offensive explosion. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 26, 2007 — Philip Hughes took the loss in his major league debut Thursday night, as the Yankees’ losing streak stretched to six games. The team fell 6-0 to A.J. Burnett and the Blue Jays in a chilly Yankee Stadium, where the team hosts rival Boston in the first of three Friday night. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 17, 2007 — A key moment in rookie lefthander Chase Wright’s debut in Yankee Stadium Tuesday night came in the top of the second inning. Due to his own wildness, Wright had dug himself a 1-0 hole in the first, but his Yankee mates pounced on Indians starter Jake Westbrook for a quick two-spot. But Chase surrendered a full-count single to Casey Blake and walked Jhonny Peralta on four straight to start the second frame. Continue reading →