Clearwater, Fla., February 26, 2013 – The biggest upset that took place at the Yankees/Phillies game Tuesday, even for a Yankee fan, was not that the home-standing Phils pulled off a 4-3 win on the strength of a two-home-run seventh inning off a nonroster invitee pitcher. Rather it was that they not only played the game following torrential morning rains, but did so on time, with no interruptions, amid nary a drop of afternoon rain. Continue reading →

St. Petersburg and Tampa, Fla., March 13, 2012 – Our travel through baseball mecca, southeast style, continued on Tuesday, with games in St. Petersburg in the afternoon, and the bizarre 1-0 Yankee loss to the Red Sox later in the evening. Once again the afternoon sun was hot and mostly cloud-free, and the evening pleasant, although a little more humid and less kissed with a cool breeze than the night before.

I won’t take a lot of time discussing the latter tilt; many with YES coverage will have seen it, and for others, well, there really isn’t much to say. The pitching news continues to be very good, with the caveat that no pitcher on either side in this contest was much challenged by the hitters. Nine pitchers posted 23 strikes outs among them, 13 thrown by the visitors. Home plate ump Marty Foster was a factor; 12 Ks were of the swinging variety, but Foster called the last strike on the other 11. The two teams split just eight hits evenly, with Jacoby Ellsbury’s first-inning double being the only one for extra bases. The Yanks received the only walk, and both sides had a pitcher called for a balk. The game was decided on errors: Zoilo Almonte’s shoestring attempt on Pedro Ciriaco’s ninth-inning single, and David Adams’s bad relay throw on the same play. Continue reading →

Dunedin and Tampa, Fla., March 12, 2012 – Another great day in West Florida, even if the second of two games we witnessed had the Yanks drop a 4-3 nail-biter. (Yes, I know they’re exhibitions, but I defy any true fan to see one like this in person and not get wrapped up in the outcome.) After watching the Blue Jays beat the Orioles under bright sunny low-eighties skies in Dunedin, we returned to Tampa for a three-hour-plus war of attrition between the Yankees and the Houston Astros. Continue reading →

Tampa, Fla., March 11, 2012 – A split squad of Yankees led by the staff ace and the starting infield treated a visiting split squad of Phillies pretty shabbily in a 3-0 shutout Sunday afternoon, while three hours south a traveling B squad dropped a game vs. the Twins. A day in Tampa that started with dark ominous clouds hanging over George M. Steinbrenner Field became a winner, as the intermittent cloud cover gave welcome periods of cool shade and little else.

Even though CC Sabathia walked shortstop Michael Martinez to begin the game, he set the tone by throwing strikes, finding the zone on the first pitch to the next 10 batters. Following his two-hit, three-inning outing, the Yanks kicked the stingy meter up a notch, beginning with Mariano Rivera’s first game action of the spring. Continue reading →

March 10, 2012, Orlando, Fla. – Despite the threatening clouds that dominated the skyline Saturday morning, gorgeous Champion Field was open and ready for business early. The Braves were hard at batting practice pregame, then the Yankees, both cooking, as would the 10,000-plus fans in attendance at game time, under a glaring sun only intermittently interrupted by big puffy clouds. Continue reading →

March 9, 2012, Tampa, Florida – The sun was hot and unrelenting in Tampa Friday as the Yanks, led by three scoreless frames from veteran righty Freddy Garcia, cruised to victory against a visiting squad from the Atlanta Braves. The largely absent Yankee offense made an appearance and, even if 3-0 doesn’t sound that impressive, the home team did force outfielders Michael Bourn and Jose Constanza, in center and left respectively, to repetitively retreat to the wall on a series of well-launched missiles. Continue reading →

March 2, 2012, Westchester County, NY – It was terrific and cathartic, as it always is, when I watched the first game of the Yankees’ 2012 Spring Training season on MLB Saturday afternoon. Granted, I’ve become used to seeing these live, but I can adjust until we go down next week, and however you see it, the first game is the first game. I’ve been through this many, many times, and I know it’s not about winning these games; it’s about the sun, the grass, the field, the new players: Hope springs eternal. Continue reading →

Tampa and Sarasota, Fla., March 7, 2011 — “I saw them ALL,” gushed the young girl who climbed to our section to rejoin her parents in the redone Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. A Yankee split squad was playing the Orioles Monday evening, and Sarasota, with apologies to the big stars in the Yankee outfield, was lucky enough to have the infield-dominated Bombers group make the hour-plus drive. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez lead this every-city popularity phenomenon, with Robbie Cano and Mark Teixeira bringing up the rear. Continue reading →

Kissimmee, Fla., March 6, 2011 — Following eight days of largely ineffective offense, I dreamed of hits Saturday night. Perhaps tonight I’ll dream of winning $1 million. The Yanks outlasted the Astros in Kissimmee 10-8 Sunday afternoon, outhitting the home club 21-17. A wind that was blowing out to all fields probably had a greater effect than any visions during my slumber, or at least that’s what most fans present were thinking, I’m sure. Continue reading →

Tampa, Fla., March 5, 2011 — After spending four days lamenting the lack of Yankee offense, on Saturday afternoon the team broke out for 10 hits and eight runs, with all of the latter bunched into a wild and fun home fourth inning, even if two Washington miscues got the rally ball rolling. Staff ace CC Sabathia failed to go three innings in his second start, and was tagged for five runs and six hits and a walk before handing the ball off to Joba Chamberlain. Continue reading →