YankeesRedSox.com

Bobby Thomson passed away last night at age 86.  If you are a baseball fan, you probably have probably heard that famous call of his "Shot Heard Round the World" made by Russ Hodges

"There's a long drive...it's going to be I believe...THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! (I think he ends up screaming it 11 times) 

It has to be one of the most famous moments in baseball history and it capped off a remarkable comeback from 13 games down with 44 to play.  

RIP Bobby

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 03:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We saw an umpire make an unforgivable mistake in Detroit earlier this year.  We heard an umpire make totally unwarranted comments earlier this year.  Today we saw an umpire overreact again.  But last night, we saw conclusive evidence that MLB needs to rethink the way it handles umpires.

If you haven't read about it, the situation was this.  Joe Torre had been thrown out of the game and Don Mattingly was managing.  In the 9th, he came out to the mound to talk to his pitcher.  He started off the mound and then heard a question from one of his players.  Problem is, he had already stepped off the mound so by stepping on it again he made a second trip to the mound.  The Giants manager came out and said that the second trip to the mound meant the pitcher had to be removed and a new one brought in (with regular warmup as opposed to an injury)  The umpires agreed and the new pitcher promptly surrendered the lead and the game.  There's just one problem, the umps didn't know the rules.  The rule states that a pitcher has to be removed after a second visit to the mound- BUT

In a case where a manager has made his first trip to the mound and then returns the second time to the mound in the same inning with the same pitcher in the game and the same batter at bat, after being warned by the umpire that he cannot return to the mound, the manager shall be removed from the game and the pitcher required to pitch to the batter until he is retired or gets on base. After the batter is retired, or becomes a base runner, then this pitcher must be removed from the game.

So, Mattingly should have been ejected and the pitcher should have been allowed to finish pitching to the current batter.  That's the rule.  Unfortunately for the Dodgers, they didn't protest the game or they would have had a pretty solid case.  

But the bigger problem is how do the umps not know that rule?  The bad calls, the short fuses, those are all mistakes we can relate to as human beings, but if your job is to enforce the rules, you had better know those rules!   I can't wait to hear MLB try and spin this one, it's just another example of the need for a major overhaul in umpiring. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

I get it, you guys don't like the Red Sox and Yankees, but this is the ALL-STAR GAME!  Your team is in the AMERICAN LEAGUE, so you should root for the AL. Booing Red Sox and Yankees players in the intros is the job of NL fans tonight.  I understand that getting to a game before the third inning has disoriented you, but from this point forward, please root for the guys who might help your team get four World Series games at home this fall.  Then again, with the Rangers way ahead and their recent acquisition of Cliff Lee, maybe you have packed it in?

Oh one more thing, a moment of silence means silence.  Show some class.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

It was Opening Day 1992 when Andy and I took our first baseball road trip.  Fittingly, it was to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees and Red Sox start the season.  From our seats near the top of the upper deck in right, we watched the Yankees win and Phil Plantier launch a home run that led Andy to spend three innings talking about how great Plantier would be. We went to Fenway one September night later that season, freezing in much better seats as I got to see Fenway for the first time.  (As I remember, Plantier wasn't starting, but did get in as a pinch hitter.)

In 1994, we traveled to Wrigley where Andy dropped an easy pop fly, only to redeem himself with an amazing backhanded stab at Tigers' Stadium later that trip.  That same night in Chicago, we shook hands with Anthony Young, the pitcher who set the record for consecutive losses.  We dropped in on Riverfront Stadium and the Jake and almost made it to Camden Yards before a need to sleep overrode all other concerns.

In 2003 we went to the opening game of the last ever series at Olympic Stadium in Montreal and sat two rows behind the plate when a wild pitch bounced over the screen and into Andy's hand.

In between we have been to a lot of games at Fenway and a fair amount at both Yankee Stadiums, but it is time once again to hit the road.  So, today we embark on a new baseball trip. Off to see the "new" park in Detroit, as well as the new ones in Pittsburgh, Washington and Philly.  We will try and post, but we will definitely tweet as we travel the roads and see a lot of baseball.  It should be a blast.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

I am all for speeding up the game, but this crosses the line.  To have a veteran umpire refer to the Yankees and Red Sox as "pathetic and embarrassing" is a huge breach of conduct.  Umpires are supposed to be neutral arbitrators of the sport, yet Joe West clearly has a bad opinion about two of the teams.  MLB needs to step in here and punish West for his comments because they are totally inappropriate.  In addition, they need to make sure that his crew doesn't work any Yankees or Red Sox games this season. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

Since I am going on vacation tomorrow and won't be back until after Opening Day Night, I thought I would post my annual predictions now.  As always, use them at your own risk- I picked Kansas to win the National Tourney this year.

 
AL East

1- Yankees- I have said it before and I will say it again, Javier Vazquez was a brilliant trade.  I think his addition to the rotation and the fact that the Yankees did indeed get younger keeps them on top in 2010.

2- Boston- I am fascinated by what the Red Sox have done going the defense/pitching route.  I just don't think they have enough offense to win the AL East.  

3- Tampa- Probably the third-best team in the AL, if not all of baseball.

4- Baltimore- Getting better, but not there yet.  

5- Toronto- It's a rebuild and they are going to lose a lot this year. 

AL Central

1-Chicago- Until Nathan blew out his elbow, I would have put the Twins here.  Now, I think the White Sox get it done.  In reality almost any team in the AL West could win it- yes even KC.

2- Minnesota- Shame about Nathan, but they should stay in the race until the end.

3- Detroit- I bet Damon has a great year with the bat, but is relegated to DH by the end of June.

4- Cleveland- Some very promising young players, but they are rebuilding.

5- KC- Yes, they could win the division, but chances are higher that they finish in last.

AL West

1- Seattle- Lee and Hernandez at the top of the rotation get them to the top of the division.

2- Oakland- Anyone else think Ben Sheets will have a big year for the A's?

3- Anaheim- They lost a lot in the offseason and will have a lot of trouble staying in contention.

4- Texas- As usual, baseball season will be over when the Cowboys report to training camp.  

NL East

1- Philadelphia- Still think they should have held onto Lee, but they have plenty of talent to finish first in the Nl East.

2- Atlanta- They're back and they will be dangerous.

3- Florida- Love the top of the rotation and they could definitely surprise, but I don't think they have enough to overtake the top two teams in the division.

4- Mets- Hated their offseason, but I think they have more than enough talent to stay ahead of the Nats.

5- Nationals- When will they call up Strasburg and why are they waiting?

NL Central

1- St. Louis- The best team in the NL outside of Philly.

2- Chicago- That's 102 years and counting on the North Side

3- Brewers- They will chase the Cubs for 2nd, but not the Cards

4- Cincinnati- When will Chapman come up?

5- Houston- One of the worst teams in the NL, but still better than...

6- Pittsburgh- I believe this will make it 18 years of sub-.500 baseball in Pittsburgh.  At least they have the Steelers and Penguins to ease their pain.

NL West

1- San Francisco- I am going against the grain, but they have wonderful pitching and some very nice young hitting.  

2- Colorado- Just a tad worse than the Giants, should be heavily involved in division and wild card races.

3- Arizona- Would any Yankees' fan be shocked if Ian Kennedy won 10+?  I won't and I think the rest of the team plays well too.  

4- LA- This will be the biggest test of Joe Torre since 1996

5- Padres- Will they trade Gonzalez and if they do, where will they?

Playoffs

Yankees win ALDS vs. Chicago

Seattle wins ALDS over Boston

Phillies win NLDS over Giants

Braves win NLDS over Cardinals

Yankees win ALCS over Seattle

Phillies win NLCS over Braves setting up a repeat World Series for the first time since 1978.  And just like 1978, I predict a Yankees' victory.

Will I be right?  Almost certainly not, but feel free to chime in with your predictions and enjoy baseball on Sunday night.  I will from afar and be back next week.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Tom Verducci at SI.com has an article about an idea to realign the divisions in MLB.  Basically, teams would be able to opt to pick which division they wish to compete in to based on geography and payroll.  The idea seems to be a way for a team like Tampa to escape the Boston-New York AL East and have a legitimate shot at competing for a division title. 

It's a compelling idea, but I want to hear more about it before commenting.  For example, can any team opt to switch divisions?  If so, I assume the Yankees or Red Sox would gladly jump at the chance to escape the AL East.  Move one of them to the AL Central, and you probably have both teams winning 100+ games this year.  Obviously, that defeats the point of the plan, so how would that work?  Also, how long would each move last?  Could a team flop divisions year after year?

I hope that if MLB does something like this, they also change the playoff format.  I would like to see winning the division mean more than it does.  Right now the wild card team doesn't really pay much of a penalty for finishing second.  How about adding another wild card team and having the two wild card teams play each other to advance to face a division winner?  Also, change the format of the LCS to match the World Series.  Why do you have extra days off in the semis that you don't have in the finals?  And, most of all, get rid of the stupid All-Star Game winner getting homefield advantage, it should go to the team with the best overall record, just like in hockey and basketball. 

If you could take Bud Selig's place, what changes would you make in the playoffs and divisions?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

If you are in the Northeast, chances are you woke up to some snow this morning.  And, the forecast sounds like we could get some real snow this weekend.

But, as the countdown clock to the left of this post shows us, it's only two weeks to pitchers and catchers!  

And we are exactly one month away from the first spring training game.

Finally, we are 61 days away from Opening Day (or night in the case of the Yankees and Red Sox)  

Hope that warms you up a bit.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Reports coming out of Minnesota say that Joe Mauer has reached an agreement in principal with the Twins on a ten-year contract extension. 

I felt all along that Mauer wouldn't leave Minnesota.  He is from there and with the new ballpark, the Twins have to show the fans they are willing to invest.  Obviously, he would have set off a huge bidding was between the Yankees and Red Sox if he had reached free agency, but it appears that won't happen now.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Was there anyone left who thought that Mark McGwire was clean?  I really don't have much to say about his "admission" today, but I did find this quote from baseball's commissioner to be interesting:

"I am pleased that Mark McGwire has confronted his use of performance-enhancing substances as a player. Being truthful is always the correct course of action, which is why I had commissioned Senator George Mitchell to conduct his investigation. This statement of contrition, I believe, will make Mark's re-entry into the game much smoother and easier."

So let's get this straight.  McGwire cheated the game for years.  He avoided telling the truth for years.  He wouldn't even admit to using steroids when asked by Congress and Selig feels fit to be "pleased" by him?  Now, let's look at a statement Selig issued 11 months ago when A-Rod admitted he used steroids:

"What Alex did was wrong and he will have to live with the damage he has done to his name and reputation.  While Alex deserves credit for publicly confronting the issue, there is no valid excuse for using such substances, and those who use them have shamed the game."

There seem to be some inconsistencies in these two approaches and I would LOVE to hear the commissioner explain why the two different statements.  A-Rod "shamed the game", but McGwire will have a "smoother and easier" re-entry into baseball because he told the truth.

From my view in the cheap seats we have two athletes who committed the same crime.  Neither one of them would have ever admitted it unless they had to.  I give A-Rod a little more credit for not dragging things out for years over this, but if one of them shamed the game, the other one certainly did as well.  So, why the two completely different statements?  Anyone have any ideas?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)