300 Yards, 300 Miles

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Batting practice

That's Jesus Montero wearing No. 83 in 2010. He will be one of the most watched Yankees in Tampa -- and hopefully New York -- in 2011.

Tampa, Fla., February 26, 2011 — Our Spring Training Trek starts anew Saturday, and we’re continuing our 2010 strategy, hoteling it just a short walk from George M. Steinbrenner (GMS) Field. So our 10-day trek is a series of short strides and long(er than ideal) drives. Saturday begins with the 1,000-mile flight South, shuttle to the hotel, and shuffle to the park to watch the Yanks host the Phillies, with Bartolo Colon throwing the first Yankee pitch of the preseason — 300 yards.
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Taj Mahal and Los Lobos at Tarrytown

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Taj Mahal and Los Lobos at Tarrytown Music Hall

Taj Mahal and Los Lobos at Tarrytown Music Hall

Feels like we got two shows for the price of one Friday night! Kudos to the folks doing the booking at Tarrytown Music Hall — what a treat to see Taj Mahal and Los Lobos on the same bill. Each did a set solo, with the Taj Mahal Trio opening the show and performing material from an impressive catalog developed over his 40-plus years performing, including classics such as “Fishin’ Blues.”

Los Lobos came on about ten and mixed in covers like “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (and a “Turn on Your Lovelight” tease) along with their original material, including tunes from their latest “Tin Can Trust.” Just a little after 11 p.m., Taj Mahal joined them for a two-song encore of “Guantanamera” and a favorite of Deadheads everywhere, the Hunter/Garcia “Bertha,” that had the whole music hall crowd up and dancing.

Hot Off the Presses

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Maple Street Press Yankees Annual 2011
Although I just served as a grunt (and lowly scribe), I’m delighted to announce the fifth annual Maple Street Yankee Annual, this one subheaded 2011. Compiled by the brilliant writer, editor (and Yankee fan) Cecilia Tan, the annual is a grab bag of everything a Yankee enthusiast would want at this soon-to-be magical time of year. Continue reading →

The Music of Neil Young: Live Rehearsal at City Winery

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Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield with Larry Campbell's house band at City Winery

Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield with Larry Campbell's house band at City Winery

So sorry that we are booked, but so excited that we were able to make the live rehearsal show at City Winery (fabulous Manhattan venue, by the way) for the Carnegie Hall benefit that’s happening Thursday night. From having attended the concerts showcasing the music of Bob Dylan (at Lincoln Center) and Bruce Springsteen (at Carnegie Hall with an appearance by Bruce himself), there was no doubt that it would be a great evening of music and this show did not disappoint (showcasing Neil Young, how could it).
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Escape From Winter

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We've seen the best — and the worst — accompanying a Yankees trip to Dunedin to play the Blue Jays.

As if my decades-old “Jones” for all things baseball were not enough, the foul New York winter is focusing my thoughts South a week before even pitchers and catchers report to Tampa for Yankee Spring Training, and almost three weeks before we join them for all the sun and fun. Stumbling along on week-old ice is not something to do when your mind is 1,000 miles away, but I’m able to survive the days simply because the alternative — like the broken ankle in February 1994 — is just too terrible to consider. (I missed seeing Michael Jordan wielding bat and glove!) Continue reading →

The Pettitte Two-Step

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Andy Pettitte Retirement Press Conference

Andy Pettitte Retirement Press Conference

Bronx, N.Y., February 3, 2011 — We all have our favorite Andy Pettitte moments. How to pick one or two? For me, it’s actually rather easy. When it comes to Andy P, think Peter O’Toole, because 1996 is My Favorite Year. Any Yankee fan who has been watching this team since that stunning season could easily point to magical Game 5 of the World Series, October 24, when the young Yankee southpaw stunned baseball by outpitching a superb John Smoltz in a 1-0 Yankee win in Atlanta.
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Gotta Go to Mo’s

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Mo's New York Grill

Enjoyed a great steak dinner here in what has become an off-season tradition for us.


In what has become an off-season tradition for us, Dan and I braved the snow flurries to head in to New Rochelle for dinner at Mo’s New York Grill with fellow Yankee fans Sharon and Bob. We’ve been scheduling up a dinner at Mo’s with them between the end of the season and an annual trek down to Tampa for spring training for a couple years now.
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Let’s Go Crazy…

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Prince at Madison Square Garden on December 29When I first saw the stage setup diagram on Ticketmaster for last night’s Prince show at Madison Square Garden when buying tickets, I was having trouble imagining how the glyph was going to translate into a stage environment. There was no need to have spent a moment thinking about it — it was fabulous! As was his purpleness, breaking out many of the tunes we all not-so-secretly wanted to hear from his catalog.
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