Bronx, N.Y., June 6, 2006 — Yankee fans were licking their chops as the Tuesday 7:00 pm game time approached. No matter how many times we learn to never assume anything about this crazy game, we keep falling into that trap, building hopes and expectations based on the numbers, on what ballplayers have done in the past. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 5, 2006 — When the Yankees made the decision to promote Melky Cabrera to play in their injury-filled outfield, one supposes they felt that he would benefit from watching the vets, and absorbing their advice like a sponge. But Melky stubbornly ignored Jason Giambi when he signaled that the 1-2 pitch to him had not rolled far enough from the plate last night, and bolted for second. Thus began the bizzaro world that was Monday night in the Bronx. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 29, 2006 — Even in gorgeous weather, it can be depressing watching the Yanks play on getaway day, knowing they’ll typically be out of town longer than I would like. But it’s even more challenging when the offense leaves town before the rest of the team. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 16, 2006 — Sue and I held the same debate we often do when Bubba Crosby came in as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning of the Yankees/Rangers game in the Stadium Tuesday night. As one who eagerly and loudly lends his voice to supporting the team when they’re home, I consider “Bubba” one of the best names to yell, and I said so. She likes him too, but claims his name is “all about football.” All I can reply after the scintillating, comeback, 14-13 Yankee win is, “Point taken.” Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 14, 2006 — I got greedy Sunday afternoon, deciding the Yanks would play their third straight game under semi-pleasant skies in a weekend that seemed doomed to bring to the fore the title of Julia Roberts’ first Broadway show running some 90 blocks south, “Three Days of Rain.” So I showed up clad in shorts, and ready to lend support, with my no. 41 Randy Johnson Pinstriped home jersey fluttering in the breeze. I guess the only good news is that the weather disappointed more than Johnson did. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 12, 2006 — I’ll chalk it up to a rainy Friday with a weekend forecast for more, but it’s a rare day when I’m not eager to attend a ballgame in Yankee Stadium. The disappointing Thursday loss to the Red Sox contributed to my malaise, I’m sure, as did a tough week at work. And the experience of witnessing Hideki Matsui’s horrific accident first hand figured in as well. But bottom line, I was reluctant to train and subway it to the Bronx among the crowds because I suspected the game would be rained out. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 11, 2006 — The Yankee/Red Sox contest in the Bronx Thursday was finally played to a conclusion in three hours and 59 minutes. It was a tough loss for the team and its diehard Yankee fans, but the heartbreaking moment came much, much sooner. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., May 9, 2006 — To many attending Tuesday night’s Yankee game against the Red Sox, the big fear was that the weather would ruin the festivities. I arrived in the Bronx via the 4 Train at 6:32, 37 minutes before first pitch, in an intermittent light rain that threatened to become much more. But the rain had subsided by the time I took my seat, and although the evening ended much cooler than the 61 degrees at which it began, the weather played just a small part in how the game would transpire, with one glaring exception. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 30, 2006 — It is not with a self-congratulatory tone I tell you that scoring games can be a weird way to enjoy a ballgame. It’s a sport that reduces itself well to numbers, but if you love the game like I do, the experience definitely adds up to more than the sum of all the figures. I was musing about this right after the Blue Jays had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the third of Sunday’s last of the three games in Yankee Stadium. Sad to say, the superb Mike Mussina was in a bit of a pickle, not only due to a few tosses a bit too much in the zone, but also because game veteran Bernie Williams was having a forgettable inning in right field. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 28, 2006 — Although the big crowd who showed up for the series opener vs. the Toronto Blue Jays in Yankee Stadium Friday was eager for a good time, it did not take long to realize that a significant percentage of them were not confident in the contest’s result. Jaret Wright, coming off a disappointing 2005 season and an ineffective outing in his only previous start this year, would be facing former Cy Young Award-winning righty Roy Halladay, whose 3.60 era coming in was exactly half that of Wright’s. Continue reading →