Tampa, FL., March 8 — Perhaps it was the two walks sandwiched around a Doug Mientkiewicz single in the five-run sixth that sent me off thinking about the fun and adventure one can find on the water in the Tampa Bay area, but I really think I was still avidly rooting for a Yankee comeback from an 8-1 deficit to the Twins. The home-standing Bombers had been coming up just short all day, falling to a bounce here, and a carom there, and things were ripe for the kind of dramatic turnaround these Spring games are famous for.
Who’s on Third?
TAMPA, FL., March 6 — That was the question in Yankeeland a month ago, and we got the answer weeks ago. But the trade and the paperwork were one thing. The play on the field is another. The book on the left side of the 2004 Yankee infield is far from written, even if there were a few positive paragraphs inscribed in the Foreword Saturday in Legends Field.
The Sultans of Swing
Tampa, FL., March 5 — It changed on Kevin Millwood’s 20th pitch. Not that it was a bad day before then. The weather was a gorgeous, hot-and-sunny kind of afternoon New York area Yankee fans have been dreaming about through a long, cold, brutal winter. Continue reading
The Rites of Spring
Clearwater, FL., March 4 — One of baseball’s undeniable charms is its simplicity, an aspect that has lent itself to some great writing. It is not a pursuit that lends itself to long tortured, multi-claused sentences, but rather short bursts of descriptive prose. The words writers use to describe the action of the game, the tools employed, and the results on the field of play all lend themselves to straight, to-the-point reportage.
From the Top of the Deck
New York, N.Y., February 16 — Well, it’s official. Even the Yankees Web site says so now. The Yankees have a new third baseman, and it’s megamillionaire Alex Rodriguez, the shortstop of the Texas Rangers until a couple of days ago. Boston fans are generally angry, and fans of small-market teams that dot the landscape are aghast that the Yankees have gotten the best player in baseball, again. Continue reading
Everybody’s Talking at Me
Bronx, N.Y., October 26, 2003 — Everybody’s talking at me.
I don’t hear a word they’re saying.
Or I guess I don’t want to. I was there for the crushing, stifling Game Six World Series loss last night, as I was for the life-asserting, uplifting ALCS seventh-game win nine days before. Continue reading
Seize the Day
Bronx, N.Y., October 21, 2003 — Hard-throwing Marlins righty Josh Beckett brought his “A” game Tuesday night, and he was every bit as good as the Yanks had heard. He struck out 10 on the night, and surrendered only three hits before leaving with one out in the eighth. He retired the first 10 Yankee hitters on a mere 35 pitches. Continue reading
Roll Over Beethoven
Bronx, N.Y., October 19, 2003 — The Yankees tied the Marlins at a game apiece Sunday night behind the brilliant pitching of Andy Pettitte. Now, repeat that three times. Because at least three Andy Pettittes appeared in this game, with one taking the mound to start each of the first three innings. Continue reading
A Win We Earned?
Bronx, N.Y., October 17, 2003 — Yankee fans, delighted that Roger Clemens had outdueled Pedro Martinez on every level less than a week ago, had grown into a fit of fervor by the time the hard-throwing Yankee righty threw Thursday evening’s first pitch past Johnny Damon for a strike at 8:20. The crescendo of cheers grew as a foul strike and a bouncer to Jeter at short followed. But Todd Walker put a professional at bat on Clemens, and by the time he singled into right on the 10th pitch he saw, the crowd had already grown restive.
Even though Garciaparra followed by lining an 0-1 pitch to right center and Ramirez flied harmlessly to right on six pitches, the Rocket had been tested and pushed to 21 pitches. And Clemens did not come back from a shaky first in any better shape. By the time he had surrendered a single, home run, and double in a sloppy second, the Red Sox had already struck 22 of the 30 strikes he had thrown. You know as much as you need to about Clemens’s night when I tell you that the Yankees managed to hit their 22nd offering tossed up by Pedro Martinez when Bernie Williams fouled off a two-out pitch in the sixth. Continue reading
Hey Ho, Let’s Go!
Bronx, N.Y., October 8, 2003 — Well, the Wednesday night American League Championship Series game had a very early turning point. We just didn’t realize how dramatic and conclusive the failure to score in the bottom of the second inning would be. The game was scoreless, and even though Wakefield had retired the first four Yankees in pretty meek fashion on 14 pitches, Yankee fans were excited and upbeat. Continue reading