Bronx, N.Y., June 18, 2005 — The long-running Off-Broadway New York hit that survived the longest is the musical The Fantastiks, with a run of more than twenty years, but many blocks further from the Great White Way, a star who has been playing to rave reviews for almost 10 years brought 55,000 roaring fans to their feet in Saturday’s sixth inning in Yankee Stadium. Yankee shortstop and Captain Derek Jeter broke a 136-at-bat bases-loaded drought and and smashed his first career grand slam over the deep center field fence. He followed with a singleton shot to right to cap the 8-1 Yankee win, and a 2-0 lead in games over the visiting Chicago Cubs. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 16, 2005 — As one who confesses to being devoted to all things Yankee, I had a surprisingly negative reaction to a silly movie called “The Scout” that I saw a decade or so ago. Containing scenes filmed entirely in the House That Ruth Built, it tried to get the audience involved in a pitching prospect so dominant that he actually strikes out 27 opposing batters (for the Yankees in the Stadium!) in the minimum amount of 81 pitches. After seeing Randy Johnson operate on the Pirates Thursday night, perhaps I should give the film another chance. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 14, 2005 — Anyone entering a time warp almost 45 years ago who emerged during the Yankees/Pirates game in the Bronx Tuesday night would have felt right at home, as the 9-0 Bombers victory would have fit right in with the three drubbings New York handed Pittsburgh in the 1960 World Series (won by the Pirates in the other four games). After Bengals starter Kip Wells retired the first three Yanks in the first, they would not be set down in order again, they hit a home run, they scored in five different innings, and they notched at least one hit in every other frame. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 7, 2005 — I may be one of your luckier Yankee fans because I got to see some West Coast baseball last week. But if you’re thinking my good fortune derives from having missed the drudgery that has been Yankee baseball of late, take your your pain and frame it in the hometown radio feed from K.C. and Minnesota via XM radio and you’ll see that I dodged no such bullet. And although the 1970s’s It Never Rains in Southern California promise held true, there was more cloud than sun on the left coast while I was there, even if the hotel pool and hot spa were enjoyable nonetheless. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 27, 2005 — Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who was performing as expected in totally flummoxing the Yankee lineup in the opening game of three in Yankee Stadium Friday night, reacted angrily to first-base ump Hunter Wendelstedt as Derek Jeter and he nearly collided during an attempted 3-6-1 on a force out off the Yankee shortstop’s grounder in the third inning. The frustration was surprising as the Boston righthander was breezing through the Yankee lineup until Boston grabbed a mid-game lead, but if controlling the Yankee bats was coming easy, directing his pitches wasn’t, and the difficulty worsened as the innings passed. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 26, 2005 — Yankee fans and all of baseball are surprised at his resurgence, I’m sure, but Kevin Brown evened his record at 4-4 in Thursday night’s 4-3 Yankee win, and the aging righty with the balky back turned in another quality start. He allowed the Tigers three runs on 10 hits over seven innings, but he didn’t walk anyone and he struck out four. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 24, 2005 — Would you believe the grounds crew brought out snow shovels to treat the mound in the middle of the fourth? Or that fans were so cold they were letting foul balls bounce around them without moving a finger to snatch them? Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 11, 2005 — On April 29, the Yanks lost a game to the Blue Jays in Yankee Stadium in two hours and eight minutes. Two hours into today’s getaway afternoon tilt with the Mariners, the teams were tied at 9 runs apiece through just four innings. The Yankees leave town after the 13-9 win in a much-needed and impressive five-game winning streak, but Joe Torre won’t be using this one next time he wants to illustrate the way the game is supposed to be played. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 9, 2005 — Although I’m as enamored of Tino Martinez as any Yankee fan, he surprised me with a new facet to his game Monday night. With the exception of one ugly moment Friday, he has been supplying stellar defense at first base for the Yankees all season. And he has been swinging a hot bat of late that has Manager Joe Torre moving him up from the eighth to the sixth spot in the batting order. He comes to the ballpark every day ready to play, but what I didn’t know is that he has a sense of history too. One day after grabbing the major league lead among active players in Mothers Day home runs, he punctuated that achievement by blasting yet another exactly 91 years after President Wilson first proclaimed the honor to moms everywhere. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 8, 2005 — The initial weather report for Sunday in the Bronx called for the voluminous Saturday rains to taper off, with the day becoming a nice one around the time the opposing managers would be going to their bullpens. But Saturday had dawned with iffy skies, and while the day drifted toward the charming, Mike Mussina brought Yankee fans back from the brink with a masterful shutout win. OK. The skies were inclined to cut us a break. How about the Yankees? Moose gave the team a boost. Could enigma Kevin Brown follow it up? Continue reading →