Yankees Acquire Ivan Rodriguez

The Yankees have traded Kyle Farnsworth in exchange for 14 time All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers.  This trade will give the Yankees offense more balance towards the bottom of the lineup, as Pudge is hitting .346 since the beginning of June.  Farnsworth has been spectacular for the Yankees this season, but the organization has a plethora of bull-pen options internally, especially with the emergence of Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras.  The newly acquired Damaso Marte can contribute to the 8th inning role and Brain Bruney is returning soon as well.  Joe Giradi and David Eiland have done a terrific job managing the bull-pen and that type of success can be expected to continue with the reliever stacked farm system the Yankees have amassed.  The offense has been the Yankees true culprit this season and the addition of Pudge will undoubtedly increase offensive production from the bottom of the lineup.  Pudge’s .295 batting average offers an immediate upgrade over Jose Molina’s .229 batting average.  Pudge has had a variety of experience in helping various teams making a push for the play-offs, including the champion 2003 Marlins.  Brian Cashman has done an outstanding job of giving the 2008 Yankees a chance to win now without sacrificing the future.

Should the Yankees make the postseason, Ivan Rodriguez has experienced a great deal of postseason success as well.

Yankees Annihilate Orioles

The Yankees demolished the Orioles 13-3 behind an offensive outburst.  Bobby Abreu led the way blasting two home-runs, driving in three runs and Alex Rodriguez followed close behind mashing a solo home-run of his own.  Xavier Nady recorded his first multi-hit game as a Yankee, including two doubles, and Nady will continue to improve as he gets settled in and adjustes to the American League.  The offense recorded 11 hits and the Yankees chances of making the postseason depend solely on findingd offensive consistency, as pitching has been the team’s strength.  Joba Chamberlain churned out another effective outing, pitching six innings of two run ball, allowing five hits, while striking out six.  Joba did not issue any walks and his control and command continue to improve with each start he makes.  The bull-pen shut the door on the Orioles after Edwar Ramirez was ejected for throwing towards Kevin Millar’s head upon reliving Joba.  David Robertson bounced back after allowing five runs on Monday pitching two innings allowing one hit which was a home-run, and Dan Giese pitched a perfect 9th inning.  The Yankees have 10 games remaining vs. the Angels this season and they play the first of these games tomorrow night when Andy Pettitte faces Jon Garland.       

Bobby Abreu charged the explosive offensive output going 3-for-4 with two home-runs.

Yanks Cruise Past Sox, Win 8th Straight

The Yankees extended their win streak to a season high eight games, crushing the Red Sox 10-3.  Andy Pettitte provided the team with a strong start, surrendering one earned run on five hits, while striking out seven.  In Andy’s last 59.2 innings he is 7-2 with a 2.11 ERA., continuing his trend of surging in the second half of the season.  The bull-pen continues to be the Yankees strength, allowing only one hit in three innings of brilliant work.  Lefty reliever Damaso Marte made his Yankee debut and shined, striking out David Ortiz on four blistering pitches.  The addition of Marte gives Joe Girardi increased match-up flexibility and he instantaneously bolsters the Yankees rock solid bull-pen.  Edwar Ramirez pitched 1.1 innings and astoundingly, he hasn’t allowed a hit since July 2nd.  The offense blasted past a 2-0 deficit logging 13 hits, including a game tying solo home-run from the red-hot Robinson Cano in the 4th inning.  The blazing Canois hitting .514 with 10 RBI since the All-Star break and he is certainly a staple of the Yankees current win streak.  The rest of the offense has followed Cano’s lead, batting .333 with runners in scoring position collectively during this streak, smacking clutch hits on a consistent basis.  The Yankees have now won four straight games vs. the Red Sox and they are 6-5 against them this season.  Tomorrow the Yankees look to sweep the series when Sidney Poson duels Jon Lester.

The scorching Robinson Cano has been all smiles bringing much needed consistency to the Yankees offense.

Joba Outduels Beckett

The Yankees improved to 20-11 in one run games winning a 1-0 nail bitter vs. the Red Sox.  Joba Chamberlain tossed a career high seven innings, allowing only three hits, while striking out nine.  Joba had spectacular command issuing only one walk and he may be the Yankees answer to Josh Beckett.  Joba earned the win improving to 3-3 and he is now sporting a miniscule 2.30 ERA.  Kyle Farnsworth relieved Joba in the 8th inning, but was quickly removed after surrendering two hits, one of which was a ball headed for foul territory that Kyle over aggressively charged toward and gloved fair.  Mariano Rivera quickly restored order, earning his second five out save of the season striking out three Red Sox.  The defense made game changing plays behind Joba in the second inning, as Melky Cabrera made a spectacular diving catch in right center field robbing JD Drew of a base hit and Robinson Cano snatched a scorching ground ball up the middle flipping it toward Jeter to start a magnificent double play.  The offense was extremely quiet in the face of Josh Beckett, but Jason Giambi proved clutch driving in the lone run of the game on a weak grounder toward short.  This was a tremendous win for the Yankees and they have now matched a season high seven game win streak.  The Yankees have been extremely effective in one run games, which is a key requirement for true contenders.  Tomorrow Andy Pettitte looks to keep the momentum going squaring off against Tim Wakefield. 

Joba Chamberlain earned his biggest win as a starter, shutting down the Red Sox over seven outstanding innings.

Pettitte Dazzles vs. A’s

The Yankees edged the A’s 2-1, behind a dominant performance from Andy Pettitte.  Pettitte pitched eight economical innings allowing only four hits and one run, while striking out nine A’s.  Andy pitched phenomenal and the Yankees certainly need him at his best to charge into play-off contention.  Mariano Rivera relieved Pettitte in the 9th inning earning his 24th save and Jose Molina bailed Rivera out of the last out, nailing down the speedy Rajai Davis dashing for second base.  The pitching continues to be the Yankees strength and they are a key reason the team is 19-11 in one run games, tying Texas for the best one run record in the AL.  The 2007 Yankees were an abysmal 9-15 in one run games and Joe Girardi and David Eiland deserve a plethora of credit for amassing a sharp, reliable bull-pen.  Once again the offense was lackluster, but Justin Duchscherer is among the best pitchers in the AL.  Alex Rodriguez drove in Derek Jeter via a sacrifice fly and Jason Giambi drove in the go-ahead run launching his 20th home-run to right field.  The Yankees only left six men on base during today’s game, but struggled to get men on base, as they were limited to seven hits.  Robinson Cano continues to heat up in the second half and is six for his last ten.  The Yankees pitching staff has completely shut-down the A’s during the series sweep, limiting them to five runs, and the Yankees will go as far as thier offense at this point.  Tomorrow the Yankees look to gain on the Twins in the wild card standings, as Sydney Ponson faces Nick Blackburn.

Andy Pettitte paved the way to victory hurling eight outstanding innings.

Yanks Putrid Offense Gets a Free Pass

The Yankees defeated the A’s 4-3 when Jose Molina was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the 12th inning with the bases loaded to drive in Derek Jeter.  The Yankees astoundingly stranded 21 men on base and the first five batters were 3 for 24, including a 0-for-5 performance from Alex Rodriguez leaving six men on base, as he accounted for the worst offensive performance.  The Yankees will not become a serious contender until batters one through nine consistently hit with runners in scoring position.  Joe Girardi deserves a plethora of credit for finding ways to advance runners to scoring position, but unfortunately delivering the clutch hit cannot be taught.  The offense finds ways not to score runs when golden opportunities are handed to them.  The Yankees can clearly hit, as they rank 3rd in the AL with no runners on base batting .268, but when runners are on base they hit only .266 ranking 10th in the AL.  There is no excuse for the lack of ability to hit with runners on base and only the Yankees offense can take the blame for their ability to find ways not to drive in runs.  The pitching and bull-pen have done a spectacular job with the added pressure of a sputtering offense.  Joba Chamberlain pitched outstanding, allowing only one run in six innings of work while striking out eight A’s.  Joba only walked one batter and he will certainly continue to develop into a staple of the rotation for years to come.  The bull-pen surrendered two runs, but it’s unfair to expect them to be dominant every game, as the offense rarely gives them wiggle room in close games.  Although the Yankees won the game in the 12th inning the offense provided an extremely discouraging performance.  The offense looks to support the pitching staff when Andy Pettitte squares off against Justin Duchscherer. 

David Robertson earned his first major league win and he is quietly devolping into a reliable reliver.

All-Star Dreaming

Witnessing 49 hall-of-famers roam the sacred grounds of Yankee Stadium, seeing George Steinbrenner, the sole man responsible for building the modern dominant Yankee era make way to the infield in dramatic fashion, and the sight of Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, and Goose Gossage tossing the first pitch to Joe Girardi, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Mariano Rivera.  Can words or pictures really do these defining Yankee Stadium moments justice?  The sights and sounds of the overpowering moment overtook the emotions of all in attendance.  This could have been one of last profound historic moments at Yankee Stadium and it will be engraved in the extensive list of Yankee Stadium memories for eternity.  This moment was similar to that of a dream, a surreal moment, and I found emotions of attachment and disbelieve overtake my body.  The Stadium’s days are numbered and it finally started to sink in during this powerful moment we will be saying farewell to the holy baseball grounds in the near future.  The vision of masses of all-star and hall of fame talent on the same field that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle once gave their blood and hearts to felt like a true Yankee dream.  Once the hollowed grounds are no longer in existence this moment will only be a dreamy memory of a die-hard loyal Yankee fan.

My attempt to capture the surreal dreamy moment on camera from my seats at the 79th All-Star game (click picture to enlarge).

The Herculean Josh Hamilton Power Display

The first crack of the bat and Josh Hamilton nearly pulverized the ball out of Yankee Stadium, as the projectile, raging at breakneck speed slammed off the top of the Bank of America sign deep in Mickey Mantle territory.  The stadium erupted as me and 53,716 fans, exploded into moans of shock and awe.  Josh Hamilton nearly did the impossible, becoming the first and last player to crush a ball out of the Stadium.  Hamilton didn’t look back blasting 28 homers, and at one point the slugger sprayed 13 consecutive home-runs to all fields sending attendees into a state of disbelieve.  Hamilton demonstrated the type of power that would have impressed Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth making it a fitting home-run derby for Yankee Stadium.  The crowd was chanting his name loud and proud by the end of the thrilling round fully embracing the storied power hitter.  Hamilton wrote history cracking 28 home-runs in one round and the dramatic performance tired the home-run driller down.  Hamilton lost the derby to Justin Morneau, but he stole the show winning the hearts of all in attendance engraving memories of majestic towering home-run balls nearly escaping Yankee Stadium.  It was a spectacular experience and Josh Hamilton morphed what should have been a dull night into a herculean display of raw power.

My seats for the home-run derby were in home-run territory in the upper deck in right field.  It was extremely entertaining watching fans scurry for the long home-run balls.

All-Star Break

I will be attending the 23rd Home-Run Derby and the 79th All-Star Game the next two nights.  I will have full analysis of the unique events and the first half of the Yankees season in the comming days.  Stay tuned for updates…

A Baseball Legend Passes Away

Player, announcer, and baseball great Bobby Murcer passed away today July 12th, 2008, at the age of 62 due to cancer.  Murcer had a positive attitude in regards to his fight with cancer and was a shining star omitting positive energy.  Bobby always had an excellent approach to difficult situations, as he hit .291 with 17 home-runs and 65 RBI in 447 at-bats against Hall of Fame pitchers, and he approached his fight with cancer in the same fashion.  Murcer had an incredibly deep passion for the Yankees organization and the game of baseball, and he was truly a role model for fans and players alike.  Bobby helped mold the success of the Yankees franchise as he was passed the torch of success from Mickey Mantle and he eventually passed it along to Don Mattingly.  Murcer was never part of any championship run, but he was always loved and embraced by legions of Yankee fans, as he drove in 840 runs during the entire decade of the 70’s.  Additionally, he led the MLB with 119 outfield assists during that span succeeding Mickey Mantle with grace and poise.  One of Bobby’s most memorable games was when he delivered a two-run walk off single vs. the Orioles the day of Thurman Munson’s funeral.  Earlier in the game he hit a three-run home-run and he drove in all five of the Yankees runs during their 5-4 dramatic win.  Bobby always rose to the occasion and he will always be remembered as a staple of the Yankee family.  His contributions to baseball will be remembered through-out eternity and he will always be watching the Yankees from above.

Bobby Murcer always had a smile on his face and he leaves behind a unique and special legacy.  My deepest prayers and thought’s go out to Bobby’s family, the Yankee family, and all of his fans.