Assorted Baseball News

Another day, another walk-off win for the Yankees. That was their 11th walk-off of the year and they are on a tear, having won 9 of their last 10 games. When they are behind or tied, you almost have this hope built inside of you that they will be able to find a way to get it together and come out with a win. They seem like much more of a confident team this year, as opposed to the teams from the past few years.

As for around baseball, there are a lot of interesting things going on. Here are some worth noting:

• Pedro made his first start tonight for the Phillies against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He pitched pretty good for his first start, going 5 innings and striking out 5 while giving up 7 hits and 3 ER. Having that early lead must have been a huge relief for him and a weight off his shoulder I would imagine.

• Youk and Porcello got into quite the brawl the other night. I think it's unfair that they both received the same suspension. In these cases the starting pitcher always ends up benefiting the most as Porcello is only going to miss one start. Youk on the other hand is going to be out for 5 games. I assume they decided to do that so he would be ready in 5 days when the Yankees come to town.

• Matt Holliday is on a tear. This makes me so happy as I knew he had this potential to be good, and everyone would tell me how wrong I was and how it was an effect of Coors Field. Well, in 18 games as a Cardinal, Holliday is hitting .486 with 8 2B's, 16RBI's and 4 HR's. He has raised his overall average to .320. It will definitely be an interesting offseason in which Holliday will be a free agent.

• I have to vent for a few. This venting goes towards Leiter, Kay and O'Neill, and all the other rich people out there. I am listening to the games and these guys are all going on about Mitch Modell being in the ballpark. First, isn't he always at the park? Second, they were besides themselves trying to see if he would give them some free gift-cards. While I for one would be thrilled at the sight of a 100 dollar gift-card, I am not a millionaire. In fact, I am a poor college student working 1,000 jobs just to get by to pay for grad school. These 3 individuals have more money coming out of their butts and they were begging for gift cards? Why in the world do they even need these? It's not just them though, even these rich baseball players are like this. Damon got a 400,000 dollar car for free. The players get gift cards after doing an interview. Come on now, do these people really need it? I can think of about 300,000 other people that actually would be in need of help and actually use the cards on practical items. Its so ridiculous at times how the rich do really get richer for no apparent reason. Ok I am done.

• Ok wait, I am not done actually. Michael Kay, you need to stop putting down the children of America. Not all kids that go to summer school are there because they goofed off. Some actually have learning disabilities and need it to catch up, or others go to get ahead in school. Ignorant comments about children are not warranted, especially during a baseball broadcast. I note this because he has made this comment on more than one occasion and it makes me angry each time he says it. Don't get me wrong either, Kay is a really nice guy and keeps the broadcasts interesting. I just hate when I hear these comments in general about kids, regardless if there was intent or not.

• Back to baseball, I think Chad Gaudin owes the Yankees a big thank you. Had it not been for them signing him, he would still look like this
• Also wanted to note that my site was linked on baseball-reference. So anytime you look at Al Leiter's stats, you can be linked to the blog. Thank you to the individual who sponsored my site :) Your prize awaits you at some point.

• Lastly, there was a great article written in ESPN the magazine that is worth mentioning. The Yankees and Jason Zillo did a great job in July during HOPE week in which the team went around the community and did a handful of good deeds for those who were most definitely deserving. This link tells about an organization known as Camp Sundown that provided children with a disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) with a place to go in which they can meet other children that suffer from the same disease. Basically these children cannot be exposed to the sunlight and can only participate in activities that take place during the night time. It is a great read and the Yankees have really provided a great deal of exposure to many about this horrible disease which will in turn hopefully lead to them raising more money for research and also towards maintaining the summer camp that is provided to these kids.

Game 1: New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays

Tonight: LHP Marc Rzepczynski (1-3, 3.74) vs. RHP Sergio Mitre (1-0, 7.50), 7:05 p.m. YES

Tuesday: RHP Scott Richmond (6-6, 3.97) vs. RHP Joba Chamberlain (8-2, 3.73), 7:05 p.m. MY9

Wednesday: LHP Ricky Romero (10-5, 3.66) vs. RHP A.J. Burnett (10-5, 3.67), 1:05 p.m. YES

Tuesday's match-up should be interesting. The matchup on Wednesday of Romero vs. Burnett doesn't look great on paper for Romero, but you never know with baseball, right?

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• As for the Jays, I was shocked when I came home only to see that Rios was sent to the White Sox, for literally nothing. How do Jays fans feel about that? I guess that 60 million off the payroll is what the Jays were looking to unload.
  

• Aaron Hill hit his 27th HR of the year, which surpasses his career high of 17 HRs that he hit in 2007. Its amazing to see the career year he is having, especially at a time when half of the Blue Jays offense has failed to show up and deliver.

• Brian Butterfield has some Yankees ties and also ties to the Capital Region. Not only was he the first base coach in 1994 to 1995 for the New York Yankees, but he spent the previous year (1993) as a coach for the Albany-Colonie Yankees.
  

• Here's a trivia question from the YES Network broadcast. What player currently holds the record for most career hits as a Blue Jay?

• Cano has played a stellar second base this year, and at times it is shocking to see a first basemen that can actually field a ball cleanly.

• Check out this clip, I randomly found it on youtube. Its from an old Coca-Cola commercial that celebrated the Jays Word Series win.
  
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Yanks win, Jays win, good day in all

Baseball sure is a game you can't predict. After going 0-8 against the Red Sox this year, the Yankees were able take 4 straight and sweep them at home. They have played some good baseball, which mostly can be credited to some stellar outings from the pitching staff. As they always say, pitching is what wins yous ballgames. So very true.

• I wanted to make mentioned of a few articles I read that were worthwhile. First, I was very jealous of eyebleaf, who was able to attend the celebration on Friday, in which the Jays honored the players from the 92 and 93 World Series Championships. He wrote a piece about his trip, and it would suggest taking a look at some of the pics and video he put up on the blog. Al Leiter was at this event along with guys such as Joe Carter, Paul Molitor, etc. Definitely must have been a great day for the fans of Toronto. I can;t imagine what it was like during those years, as the team was so popular during that time period, drawing a record crowd of 4 million fans in one season. Must have been electric.

• Photos of Josh Hamilton have made it to the internet. I am sure these photos don't make his wife too happy. I am still trying to figure out why so many pro athletes get married at such a young age. They just cheat on their wives anyhow half the time. At least go sleep around and enjoy yourself without spreading the diseases to your wife at home.
  

• An embarrassing clip of a ballgirl fielding a fair ball. I don't quite understand the video she made, but whatever. I wonder if they will be asking her to come back?

• I noticed the fake umpires were back in Toronto the other day when the Yankees were in town.. Don't they realize their act is getting old? Even Bob Lorenz made mention of it on the post-game the other night.
  

• Just started the book Munson:The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain by Marty Appel. Looks to be a good read.
  

Steroids? Who me? I had no clue what I was taking.. But it sure wasn't any type of steroid..

"A ballplayer's got to be kept hungry to become a big-leaguer. That's why not boy from a rich family ever made the big leagues." Joe DiMaggio

I'll get onto steroids in a few, but I first have to make mention that my summer class is finally over!! Thank goodness, my life has returned for now, at least until classes resume at the end of August.

Since I finally have some time on my hands, I have made it my goal to finally catch on some of the dozens of baseball books that I have bought, but never had the time to read. The first book up for review, which I started and completed yesterday (took me about 2 hours to read, big font, very few pages) was Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball. I must make mention that I did not purchase this book: I found it at the library after tutoring and I thought it would be interesting to see what more Canseco had to say about steroids.

Overall, it was a decent read. I wouldn't recommend anyone paying for the book, as it certainly wouldn't be worth the money. The first book, definitely worth the money. I own two copies of it and would recommend that anyone. This one, like I said, not so much. But if you are heading to the library, or borrowing it from a friend, I would recommend at least taking the time to read it. As I said, it won't take you that long to get through it Here's a brief synopsis of what it contained (I know its long, so if you don't have the attention span to read it all, at least check out the most important quotes, which I did decided to bold):

• Followed the same mantra as the last book- He believes MLB blackballed him which was the reason why he decided to write both of the books. He said he didn't want to name people, but he really dint have a choice. He would have never gotten a book deal if there weren't a few names listed. As for why he didn't mention A-Rod in the first book, he believed that he had too much against him and people would say he used his name out of spite.

• He claims that he included information about Clemens' steroid use in his first book, which basically was speculation as he said he never saw him using, but how he always thought he was on steroids. Apparently HarperCollins, his publisher, removed the contents from the book. It was something he wasn't happy about, but they didn't give him much of a choice.

• He also stated that he mentioned Roger Clemens steroid use in the 60 Minutes interview that he was part of. His comments pertaining to Clemens were again removed from the final edited version that was on TV. He stated in the beginning that it could be a possible conspiracy on the Bush organization. Apparently Clemens is very close to the Bush family and he believed they were doing whatever possible to keep Clemens' name clean. I will add though that at the end of the book, he does state that his conspiracy could be flawed and that he realized his publisher may not have been keen on the fact that he didn't have actual experience with administering steroids to Clemens, as was the case with the other names that he listed within the book.
  

• Regarding Mark McGuire: He states that when McGuire joined the A's in 1987, he was very curious about Canseco's regime. He states, "The following year, not surprisingly, McGuire underwent a miraculous transformation, and shortly thereafter the fans began to call us the Bash Brothers. I wonder how that happened?" He's right and many of us were either blind or just didn't care or want to care. I was only a year old so I think I am rightly excused as far as being naive about this transformation.

• Found this quote to be dead on: "And here the thing: everyone knew. Nothing happened in the clubhouse that wasn't approved by the ownership. From top to bottom, the whole thing was institutionalized. Everybody knew about the bogus b12 shots, and everyone was using them. And you want to know why they were using them? They were using them because they were afraid of losing their jobs. It's that simple. They had to perform to stay in the game, and steroids gave them the edge they needed."

• He also talks about how there isn't a such thing as a "one time user." When one takes steroids, you are committing yourself to at least a 6 week cycle, minimum. It is a process and he states that players who say it was a one time, short time deal, are blatantly lying.

• This part is one I want to note, and this statement relates to the nonsense we are even seeing with David Ortiz. Canseco states that, "There were also plenty of steroids about steroid cream, which guys apparently kept slathering on by accident. Or it kept getting slathered on by their trainer when they weren't looking. 'I never knowingly took steroids or other performance enhancing drugs!' Jesus, How naive are we? If you're a professional athlete, one of the elite, you know exactly what your eating, how hard you're working out, how much you're sleeping, what (legal) supplements you're taking, and what (illegal) substances you're injecting. Your body is your career, and you watch anything and everything connected to it."

• He talks about his 10 year old daughter, and how he spends time with her watching movies, playing semi-inappropriate videos games, and teaching her how to play poker. Ill decline to comment and give my opinions about his parenting skills.
  

• Many good points where made in this book, if I have to admit. He touches on the subject of the Mitchell investigations, which I feel needs to be quoted. The other thing that really irked me was the shamelessness with which Mitchell betrayed his bias towards the Red Sox, for whom he was a director when the investigation began...Why the discrepancy? Does the Big Apple really have that many more juicers than Beantown? I seriously doubt it. I played on both teams, and when I said four out of five players were juicing, I meant across the board. And Beantown was no exception. This exhaustive report, which was conducted independently and with no bias whatsoever would have use believe that the New York Yankees were a bunch of juicers, while the Red Sox were almost as clean as a whistle. Again, I don't think so." He also mentions how there wasn't one current Marlins player on the report. He notes that Mitchell also serve on their board of directors.

• He takes a different stance in the book, in which he finally acknowledges that he doesn't believe players should use steroids. He does make a good point though about steroids and the history of the game. "And hell, its not like baseball has always been squeaky clean. the game has a rich tradition of cheating, gambling, spitballs, corked bats, and worse. The game has been around for 130 years and we've seen it all: the Juiced Ball Era. The Corked Bat Era. The Spitball Era. The Pitcher's Era. The Power-Hitter's Era. This will go into the book as the Steroids Era. It's as simple as that."

• "...when I saw things were getting out of control, and that I had to tell the truth about what was going on." I find some of the statements he made to be extremely egotistical. To me, I am confused how Canseco can sit here telling us how he basically introduced steroids to all these players, and then tell us how he found it his job to be the big man and clean the game up. I am glad he did it, and for that I give him credit, but I do at times wonder where his motives originally did stand.

Overall, I have to admit it was a pretty decent book. There were points in here that agree with and I believe. I think he clearly knew what was going on around him, as he was actually part of the game and using steroids himself. I believe every word he said about players he directly injected (Giambi, Ordonez, Palmiero, etc) but I believe his statements about A-Rod were purely fabricated.. While he was correct about A-Rod using steroids, I believe it was because he was tipped of by someone that Alex was included on the 2003 list of players that tested positive. It is just my belief that Canseco wanted to make himself part of the story, so he made up some sort of story that would include A-Rod discussing steroids with him (knowing that he did use steroids so either way he would look correct) which would put his name back in the paper. Since many see Canseco as a reputable source, now that many of his assertions have deemed to be correct, many would see this situation as something else that also did occur.

What a mess those Mets are

Another day, another injury for the New York Mets. I had thought the Jays had it bad with all of their injuries in the beginning of the year, but it looks like the Mets have really surpassed them in that regard. It seems like every day a different guy is hurt. Castillo the other day, now Niese. How many is that now? From their official site, it shows Maine, Nieve, Putz, Wagner, Delgado, Martinez, Reyes, Beltran, and another Martinez. And some people think they are still in it? Oh boy..

Anyhow, rough patch of games for the Jays. Watching Halladay last night was tough to do as I hate when the team cant seem to put anything together for him. Another complete game, another loss for the guy. He probably was hoping he would be traded out of Toronto, now he is just going to have to get back into the groove and realize he is here to stay, at least for now anyhow.

On another note, I just read online that the Jays are having a flashback Friday in which former players are coming to the stadium and signing for fans. Leiter is going to be there along with Joe Carter, Paul Molitor, and an array of other Blue Jay greats.. Does anyone wanna take a road trip with me to Canada??? I wish I was closer because I would definitely be there.

Big series this weekend as the Yankees are taking on the Red Sox in a 4 game set at home. Lets see if they can improve on their 0-8 record against the Sox this year. I guess it can't really get any worse, right?

Any other worthwhile baseball news going?

Some good news after a terrible tragedy

I read a great story today online that I wanted to share. I don't have time to really elaborate much, as I am way behind on this 15 page paper, but here is the link. It is about the young man who survived the crash that killed Angels Nick Adenhart. This individual essentially was internally decapitated and beat the odds of survival. He is now walking and is a true miracle. Never take your life for granted because you never know what can happen. Hopefully they can spark some action with MLB to start a MADD campaign. Drinking and driving is such a terrible thing and nothing good ever comes out of it.

Shelley Duncan: The Big Man Strikes Again

If you haven't read this article, I highly suggest you take a few minutes to do so. Chad Jennings of the Times Tribune wrote an amazing feature on Shelley Duncan for the Sunday edition. It really gives you an in-depth look at his career in baseball, going back to when he was a young kid and was hanging around the A's when his father was the pitching coach.

I have always been impressed with the work that Shelley has put into improving his game. It hasn't be easy for him the past few years, but he still has continued to keep his head up and put all the effort he has into an at-bat, each and every night.

Along with his on-field play, Jennings also dug deep into the life of Shelley Duncan outside the game of baseball. I found it interesting to read that he has developed the passion for fly-fishing (reminding me of the movie A River Runs Through It) and hiking in the woods at night, leaving behind the flashlight to guide him through the path. I can see Shelley running wild in the woods, but its hard to imagine him sitting still trying to fly-fish in the rough waters.

In concluding the article, I found the final sentiments quite fitting to describe the big man himself:

Shelley has a big swing that hits long home runs. He has a big personality that makes him impossible to ignore. Those things have defined him, but they're only part of the definition.

"I'm just me," Shelley said. "When I die, or when I'm done playing, I just want people to only remember me in this game for one thing, that I played hard every single time I was out there. Nothing else. That's it. Not as a home run hitter or as a funny guy, nothing like that. Just, he played hard."

That's Shelley Duncan.

How can you not root for the guy? A guy who not only puts his all into every at-bat for a game he loves and respects, but also for a guy who is a good dude deep down. It is something that is a rarity now in baseball which is a pretty sad thing. Hopefully he keeps on working hard (which we know he will) and will be seen back in majors during the September call-ups.

New Layout, not sure about it.

So I switched the layout around. I didn't like how the font was condensed to a tiny section, but I am not sure if I like the new layout either. The color scheme needs to be fixed. Any creative people out there?

So baseball-wise, the Yankees brought Shelley Duncan up to the majors since they were supposed to be facing 3 lefties for the Chicago series. Since the original starter was traded, the White Sox had to call up an emergency starter, who happened to be a righty, so Shelley wasn't needed. Since they acquired Jerry Harison Jr from the Reds yesterday, poor Shelley is being optioned down to make room for him on the roster. The poor guy. He finally earns his chance on the team, and they keep him up here for 1 day and don't even bother using him... At least he is on the 40-man roster now and hopefully will be back for September callups.

On another note, it will be cool for him if he makes it back to Scranton in time as the AAA Yankees are playing Pawtucket. Shelley's younger brother Chris was traded to the RedSox recently is starting for their AAA team. What a nice family reunion that will be. I am sure Shelley would rather be in Chicago though than back in the slumps of AAA.

As for the Jays, Halladay wasn't traded and Scott Rolen was. I was surprised to see that Rolen actually requested to be traded so that he could be closer to his family. Well, at least the Jays got a few guys out of the deal and dropped some salary. How good are these prospects/players that they acquired? Rolen has been a big part of the Jays offense this year and they are definitely going to miss his bat.

Regarding the Halladay nonsense, it looks silly in a sense that they didn't trade him. If they weren't sure, they shouldn't have made such a big debacle about it as all this did was disturb a guy who is very meticulous with his daily routine.

Assorted News

The trading deadline end tomorrow at 4pm. It will be interesting to see if Halladay is traded. Any ideas if he will be, and if so to where?

It appears as if he will be staying put in Toronto, which will be to the delight of many Jays fans. If he does stay its too bad they had to go through all this nonsense for the past few weeks. You have to wonder if Halladay was looking forward to possibly switching teams, especially after some of the heartbreaking losses the team has been encountering as of late.

A few things to note:

• To anyone who has an iPhone or iPod Touch. Does anyone have the MLB AT Bat 2009 application? If not, I have to tell you, it is freaking amazing and probably the best 9.95 I ever spent. A few days ago the Jays game was featured as part of their TV games and I was able to watch the entire Blue Jays vs Mariners game. It was interesting watching it on such a small screen but I cant even tell you how clear the images were. It is amazing how far technology goes nowadays.

• Looks like the Yanks are going to be calling up a guy from AAA tomorrow. It looks to be either Austin Jackson or Shelley Duncan. I have a soft spot in my heart for Shelley so I hope its him, but if it turns out to be AJax, I guess I can accept that also. I will say though, if you don't appreciate Shelley because you feel he strikes out too often, look for similar results with Austin. I personally do not think hes ready for the major leagues, but I guess we may soon find that out.


• My husband, the great Mark Melancon, finally pitched in a game. About damn time Girardi. I still say the guy should be in the minors if he isnt going to get any work but what the hell do I know. I am just a girl who follows the game. The only experience I have is in complaining.


• Are the Jays really going to trade Scott Rolen?


• Aaron Hill and Adam Lind make me happy, really happy. At least someone on the team (along with Rolen) has decided to show up for the Jays


• Another day, another big player we find has used steroids. I guess at this point you can't be surprised. I think its one of those things where I would be disappointed if I found out someone like Girardi , Jeter, or Leiter used steroids back in the day. Hopefully that's not the case.


• Tough play by Coke. He almost had the ball which would have kept the game going. Instead the winning run scores and the Yanks lose. Oh well close call.

New Stadium-The Good the Bad, and the Ugly..

Since we are approaching game 101 of the season, I figured we have seen a good enough sample size to overview the positive and even negative aspects that exist with the new Yankee Stadium. I have been down there 3 times so far this year (2 regular season games and 1 preseason game against the Cubs) and there are things about the stadium that I enjoy and there are also things that I feel could be fixed. If anyone else has any opinions about this, please chime in.

Positives:

• The seats are larger and definitely more comfortable than those at the old stadium. I haven't sat in the upper level, so I am unsure if those are the same as the lower section. Regardless, more leg space is always a good thing and makes for a more enjoyable time.
  
• Larger array of food. I had a hard time putting this in the positive category, mostly because I don't go to a baseball game to eat sushi or gourmet food. All I need is a hot dog and I am good to go. For some though, this may be a positive so I figured I would throw it in this category.
  
• I have to say, I am impressed with the staff at the new Stadium. They are extremely friendly and if you need anything, there is always someone nearby to assist. They definitely have improved in that department.
  
• The screen is center field is amazing. I thought the Jays had a huge screen until I saw the one that the Yankees have. It is definitely incredible and one of a kind. I wonder how much that thing cost the taxpayers?
  
• I have heard the museums inside the stadium are nice. I have yet to see them as the lines are always tremendously long. I hope one day I will be able to.

Negatives:

• First and foremost, has to be the prices of the seats. The Yankees claim a majority of their seats are affordable to families, but I don't see that as being the case. The bleachers (12 dollars) are sold out and the cheapest you can typically find them on stub hub is for $40. I also find it comical that they have two entire sections that are obstructed from seeing half of the field. I walked past one of the sections, and I truly feel bad for people who have to sit in those seats, next to the restaurant. The view is horrendous and those 3 tiny flat screen TVs they put on the wall do not make up for it at all, especially when it is sunny out and there is a glare.


• The moat. I hate the moat with all of my heart. The Yankees wanted to keep the peons out of the rich section, and not only did they keep us out, but they also made the the stadium look like an embarrassment. The old stadium kept the people out, but they didn't have to build this huge concrete divider to keep them out. The blue railings worked fine. It has the feel of a class system, and I hate it. The people in the lower level Legends seats have the option of going inside their private restaurant while the game is going on. And there are also 3 other restaurants inside the stadium. I don't get it people. Are you coming to a game to watch baseball, or to sit and have fine dining? If I want to have a nice dinner, the last thing I am going to do is pay thousands of dollars at a baseball stadium.


• The out of town scoreboard is ridiculous. You can only see 4 games at a time which is something I don't understand. I also think the design of the boards is ridiculous. It is impossible to find the pitch count, speed and pitch thrown because there is so much going on. It was by far a more simpler design at the old stadium.


• I am adding food to this list actually. The prices are absurd and sometimes I wonder if I am at a baseball game or a amusement park. Do we really need all of this nonsense? This is one of the reasons I enjoy going to the Rogers Centre over Yankee Stadium.


• In addition, do we have to have those ridiculous people coming down the aisle every 2 minutes selling food? The new deal with the Yankees (at least for the lower level) is that they have these waitresses coming around with a hand-held device that takes down the food you want. They don't have the vendors guys who throw the drinks at you. Instead, these people come down during the game, sit in front of your face and take orders and carry a crap load of food in your vicinity for forever. For those of us who actually are going to watch the game, it gets old really fast. Just ask my friend. I was ready to trip these people because they obstructed my view on about 100 different occasions and they aren't quick about their job. They take their time.


• Monument Cave. I really don't need to go on and on about this. If you have been to the new stadium, you know what I am talking about. I think they forgot about it in their original designs and compensated by putting it wherever they could fit it. Clearly they didn't spend much time making this decisions because it looks absurd.

This picture was taken in the 4th inning. How sad does that look? I would die to have tickets that were that close to the field.

Farewell to Yankee Stadium

When I went to the game on Saturday, I parked in the parking garage on 153rd street. It is a further walk to the new stadium, but after getting lost in the middle of the Bronx on my last trip alone, I decided it was be smarter for me to just park at the nearest parking garage. That being said, because I parked so far away, I had to walk past the old stadium. I happened to notice a crack between the walls to which I could take a peek into the park. What a sad sight it was indeed (if you click on the picture you can see it larger).

I've been into Springsteen a lot as of late and Glory Days seems to be a fitting song for this and also my life in general.

Yankees vs. Athletics: July 25th, 2009

Back from the game yesterday in which the Yankees ended their 9 game winning streak, losing to the A's by a score of 6-4. It was a perfect day for baseball which left me with another lovely sunburn (not too bad thing time though). I have to say I was quite disappointed to hear that batting practice was cancelled. I know I shouldn't been shocked, as they typically cancel BP when they are playing a day game after a night game, but I was hoping that for some reason it was be on for Saturday. It was worth getting there 3 hours early though as I saw this lady I met in Tampa in March on the scoreboard and was able to catch up with her for a few minutes. I know I have said it before, but you seriously meet the best fans when you go to spring training.

Aside from that, I learned a few things yesterday that I figured would be cool to share.

• First of all, the security at Yankee Stadium is ridiculous. Upon entering the stadium, the lady made me take out my keys so that she could inspect them (don't ask me why. Does anyone have a clue?). After that, she made me take out my cell phone so she could check that. Then after checking my phone she wanted to see my camera. Then finally, she wanted to look throughout my entire bag. It was quite a process and it was something I have never experienced when going to a baseball game.

• Apparently the family section for the visiting team is located in the main box level. I for some reason thought the players got a discount on seats, but according to a certain player, the tickets cost 80 dollars a piece, which is the same price that they are listed on yankees.com. So not only do the players get seated in the second level (not bad seats, but also not great), but they are also charged the same amount that the fans are. Interesting.

• When I was watching BP, one of the clubhouse guys for the Yankees was talking about some of the things that the guys in the BP do to kill time. I guess they have a contest to see who can flick sunflower seeds into a cup that has been placed on the ground. He also was telling a story about how players would flick cups in the air and try to get them to land standing up. Apparently the guy on the team that was able to do this trick the best was the great Paul O'Neill. He raved about O'Neill's talent on mastering this skill.

• I am tired of the moat that the Yankees have around the rich seats. I was hoping to catch Leiter when he was on the field, but I was surrounded by the huge cement wall and couldn't get close enough. Him and Kay were signing balls for the rich fans that were lucky enough to be there. Let me note, that not many of the people sitting in the Legends seats arrive early for batting practice. Perhaps they are all inside enjoying the lovely array of food that is in the restaurant designated solely for these fans (not that I'm envious or anything, lol).

• The two guys behind me were quite annoying. I could overhear some of their conversations pertaining to baseball and I had all I could do to not intervene into it. I couldn't figure out where they were coming up with half of the stuff they were talking about. I wish I could remember more, but all that I can recall is the conversation they had about Phil Hughes and how he hasn't done a very good job in the bullpen and that Girardi uses him too much. He said something about Swisher too that made me just shake my head in disgust.
  

• Gotta love the bleacher creatures. Nick Swisher does this salute to them when they chant his name and it is so funny. Gardner shows his muscle to them and I can't remember what Cabrera does to them. Its pretty comical nonetheless.

• Apparently Michael Kay has a fan club. A group of four people sitting in section 334 had a sign for Kay what was shown on the jumbo-tron. It was funny and I hope Michael was able to see it. If not, here's a picture. The zoom on my camera is amazing I have to say.

• A Mark Melancon sighting, too bad he didn't actually get into the game. The man hasn't pitched in a game since July 10th. While I know he hasn't earned his way to pitch in close games, if you aren't going to use the guy, send him back to to AAA. He still has a lot of learning to do and its silly having him rot on the Yankee bench, practicing his skills on flicking a sunflower seed.
• I tried to write down the names of the songs that all the players come out to, but I could only recognize a few of them. This is what I got:

Nick Swisher: Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy
Mark Teixiera: I Want to Rock

Alex Rodriguez: Jay-Z: Public Service Announcement

Melky Cabrera: I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)

All in all, a good game. That is probably the last game I will be seeing at the stadium as the Yankees have priced me out. It was a fun time all around though, despite them losing to the dreadful A's. Can't win them all, folks!

Game Time!

Heading down to the stadium today to see Yanks vs. A's. This was a last minute decision but the way I look at it is life is short and baseball makes me happy, so why the hell not go? It is an expensive trip for me, thanks to the Yankees raising the tickets and the parking, but oh well, its just paper right?

Yesterday was a good day (sorta) for both the Halliday boys (Holliday, Halladay). Matt went 4/5 (2B, RBI, SB) last night for his new team and poor Halladay was snubbed of another win. What does the guy have to do to get a win? He pitched 9 stellar innings, giving up 1ER and 4 hits and 10K's. Could this have been the last time you see him wearing a Jays uniform? Will be a sad moment for the Jays if this is the case.

Well, time to hit the road. The long journey awaits me. Lets hope I can stay awake for the drive.

It's Offical.......

Matt Holliday has been traded to the Cardinals. In exchange for Holliday (and 1.5million dollars) the A's received three prospects: Brett Wallace (top offense player in their farm system), OF Shane Peterson, and RHP Clayton Mortensen. I am bummed to see him go as I wont be able to watch him play (unless I subject myself to watching a Mets game when they are playing the Cards).

To me, this is a great deal for the Cardinals. Although they did give up three prospects for a guy that is basically a half-year rental, this is an acquisition that could really help them towards the end of the season and into the playoffs. You never know how prospects are going to turn out, so at this point its hard to gauge whether or not they gave away too much for him. What do you guys think?

In regards to Holliday, i still here people talking about how hes not really that "great" of a hitter. They claim the only reason he put up good numbers was because he played at Coors. While his numbers are down this year, you have to take into account several different factors that would have very little to do with talent and more of circumstance. For one, he made the transition from the National League to the American League. He has had to adjust to different pitchers and also a different ballpark. We all know Oakland's Coliseum was made for pitchers, and it is something that would obviously have an effect on the number of HR's he has been able to hit at home.

All in all, just remember that Holliday was just as successful in Colorado when he played away from Coors. Check out a post I wrote a while ago that compared his home and away stats. He is a great player and you will see that based on the large salary he is going to be receiving next year. Whether the Yankees go for him or not remains to be seen, but nothing has ever stopped them before from signing a guy for a crap load of money. I know a lot of people want to stay away from him and his contract, but in the end I would rather see him out there than Johnny Damon. Can you imagine how many HR's he would hit at Yankee Stadium (aka Coors East)?

Perfecto!!!!!!

Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game today against the Rays. Congrats to him as this is an amazing and difficult accomplishment that only 17 others (in the modern era) have been able to attain. We can now say Randy Johnson is no longer the last to throw a no-no. I cant imagine being there today; that's a once in a lifetime experience being able to see a perfect game live.

On a different note, is anyone else shocked to see how bad of a year Kazmir is having?

Get the umps some glasses, or something

Did anyone see that horrific call the home plate umpire made against the Twins last night? Unbelievable. Are these umps getting worse as of late or what? Check this out: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=290720111

Halladay? Holliday? Halliday? Spare me

The more I hear and read about Roy Halladay, the more I find myself getting annoyed at the people who for some reason find it impossible to spell or pronounce the man's name correctly. I know this sounds silly but it is driving my crazy. Matt HOLLiday is the guy who plays on the A's while Roy HALLaday plays for the Jays. The letter A makes an AHHHH sound people. And to the 12 people who spell it Halliday, just don't talk about him if you cant spell it. Its not like he has a name like Mientkiewicz. Oh well, enough with me being anal.

Last night, Halladay had another stellar outing for the Jays, pitching his 4th complete game of the season in which he gave up 6 hits and only 1 earned run. Crazy that it was his first win since June 7th.

It's too bad the Jays have fallen out of it so fast. There are in 4th place in the AL East and are 10 games behind the Boston Red Sox. While they aren't technically out of it yet, the chance of coming back at this point in the year with the number of injuries they still have to their pitching staff is pretty much slim to none. They would probably have a better chance if they were move out of the American League into the National League East.

Anyhow, here are a few pictures of the bat I got at the AAA Scranton game. It is my most prized baseball artifact as I have been trying to get a black Louisville slugger for soo long! Thanks to Shelley, truly a good man!

Are the Jays destroying their youth?

The large number of young starters landing on the DL this year has really made me question the way the Blue Jays are handling the young pitchers within their organization. To me, it seems like the past few years have been filled with a large number of their young players either landing on the DL or having some sort of season-ending surgery. While I know all teams have their share of injuries, the number of injuries on this team has just been entirely too high.

A concept that you really have to think about in regard to the development of young pitchers is something known as the "Verducci Effect." Verducci has stated:

“Why can’t they throw 200 innings? Simply put, they’re not conditioned for it yet. It’s like training for a marathon. You need to build stamina incrementally. The unofficial industry standard is that no young pitcher should throw more than 30 more innings than he did the previous season. It’s a general rule of thumb, and one I’ve been tracking for about a decade. When teams violate the incremental safeguard, it’s amazing how often they pay for it.”

Lets look back at some of the players, going back to 2006:

Jesse Litsch: Drafted by the Jays in 2004 in which he made his first major league appearance in 2007. While in the minor leagues he threw 75.2 innings in 2005, 158.2 in 2006, 187.1 in 2007, and 196 in 2007. The jump in innings from 2005-2006 (73IP) is insane and it is no wonder that he had to have TJ surgery this year.

Gustavo Chacin: Was called up by the Jays in 2004 and had a stellar 2005 season in which he went 13-9 with a 3.72 ERA. In 2002 he threw 119.2 innings which was followed by him only throwing 69.1 innings in 2003. I am going to assume that he suffered some sort of injury that limited his innings during that year. It is important to note though that the following season (2004) he threw 167.1 innings; almost 100 more than the year before. He threw a record 203 innings in 2005 and on June 21st they threw him out there going on only 3 days rest. He spent over 3 months on the DL in 2006 with elbow and forearm problems and in 2007 he was also placed on the DL with left shoulder pain. How can you be surprised at the number of injuries he sustained during the 2006 and 2007 season, when you look at the way they abused him.

Shaun Marcum: Was first called up by the Jays at the end of the 2005 season in which he was placed in the bullpen. There wasn't a huge increase in the number of innings he pitched as he threw 148 innings in 2004, 157 innings in 2005, 137 innings in 2006, 159 innings in 2007, and 151.1 innings in 2008. He ended up having TJ surgery 9 months ago and has missed the entire 2009 season so far. I think they were careful in dealing with Marcum, as he was transitioning out of the bullpen during the 2007 season.

Dustin McGowan: Drafted by the Jays in 2000, making his first appearance in 2004. He threw 111.1 innings and 2006 and jumped to 162.7 in 2007, Had surgery in 2008 for a torn labrum and missed a majority of the 08 season and has yet to return to the team in 09.

I could go on and on. The number of injuries to these young guys is insane. I also think it's crazy to think that they have had 12 players so far this season called up to start a game (many of them being these young rookies). Some other pitchers that have suffered injuries and could be included in this list are:

• Casey Janssen
• Robert Ray
• Scott Richmond- debatable
• Brandon League

While I am uncertain if there is a correlation between the injuries the young guys are getting to the way they are handling the pitchers, it is something that needs to be explored further (if it isn't already). The Jays have developed some really good arms within their system and it is a shame to see so many of them going down and needing surgery at such a young age.

All Fixed!!!!!

Well 100 dollars later, the PC is finally fixed. So freaking amazing, though I am not thrilled with HP and their technical support. Between the 6 hours of their nonsense and being hit on by a 27 year old tech guy from HP named Eric from from the Philippines, I am just glad that the thing is alive and working.

So this week baseball has been pretty monotonous and filled the Roy Halladay trade talks, which are becoming quite tedious and annoying. Not sure what more I have to add to the debate except the Jays better make out with some amazing guys if this deal is done. The rebuilding stage will be hard for Jays fans but hopefully it will head them towards the right directions for the organization. I think keeping the young guys healthy should be a big thing for them to work on for the coming years. They have built up decent prospects but too many of them seem to be heading to the DL (I know injuries happen, but cant you say they have had way too many there the past few years that raise some sort of concern?).

Aside from that, I went to the minor league game on Sunday. Since the AAA Yankees field is a mess, they moved their game against the AAA Mets to Syracuse, which was actually a pretty good game. Sergio Mitre pitched fantastic and looks to have earned his way to being the number 5 starter. Shelley Duncan also gave me his baseball bat which was something I was beyond thrilled about. Anyone who knows me knows the obsession I had in getting a black Louisville slugger, which was also the model that Duncan uses in AAA.

Ivan Nova throwing a side session before the game

Angel Berroa: Back and better than ever

All Star Break

I have come to realize how much I am reliant on the computer. I can't wait til mine gets fixed.

Regardless, I have some great pictures from my trip to Syracuse over the weekend. I will post them once I have a working PC. Mitre looked absolutely great as he pitched 8 scoreless innings while striking out 5 and giving up only 6 hits. He induced 2 DP's on that sinker of his and would have had 3 had it not been for the 2B making a terrible play.

It is important to note though that while he has had 2 tremendous consecutive outings in the minor leagues, both of these wins have come against the Mets AAA team. They have a very weak farm system and it is evident from the names of the players they have developing in AAA. It will be interesting to see how his stats in the minor leagues translate to major league hitters. I would say I personally would be skeptical and hold out any regards about his pitching until you actually see him make a major league start.

I also see that my boy Roy Halladay has been the topic of many discussions as of late. While I would love be able to see him pitch more (which would happen if he was a Yankee), it kills me to see the Jays team lose a guy that they have depended on for so long. He has kept hope within the organization and I think losing him would be a huge blow for many of the Jays fans. To be frank, I am getting tired of the Yankee mantra of 'lose one game and commit suicide' approach. You cant win every single day and the spoiled approach is becoming tiring for me to read about. As it is they got 3 of the best free agents out there during the off season and now they want another one of the best pitchers in the league on the team. I can see why many people are tired of this organization.

Anyhow, I guess its going to be a wait and see approach type of thing. It will be interesting to see if Halladay does get traded before the deadline and also to see the different players the other team is going to have to give up in order to acquire him. It is going to be painful, that's for sure.

What did we do without computers?

No updates as of late because my computer decided to die on me the other day. I am not happy about this as my HP is a little over a year old, and my warranty just conveniently had to have recently expired. Conspiracy I tell you. Its also a conspiracy that the piece I need is out of stock and only one outside company makes it. Who knew a power supply was such a rare thing to have.

Regardless, I am heading to see AAA Yanks play the AAA Mets and I hear Angel Berroa has just joined the staff. What a joy. I actually am intrigued to see Mitre pitch as he is starting for Scranton tomorrow. Should be a nice day and fun all around. My mom cancelled on me so it appears I'm going to the game alone. Oh well,, works for me i guess.

Hopefully the computer will be fixed soon because I'm severely addicted.

Melancon Promoted

If you read my blog, you probably can tell I have a slight fascination with Mark Melancon. I think he has the potential to be great. While I thought he would be called up before September, I didn't think it was going to happen again this soon. He has been promoted as of a few hours ago and it looks as if he will be joining the team in Los Angeles tomorrow. This is a great opportunity for Mark and hopefully he will show some success this time at the major league level. I am not sure if he was ready as of yet for this but the team needs a reliever after using Aceves for 3+ innings so Melancon is the man.

Hopefully the fans will have patience with him. I am excited to see him back in the big leagues.

Enough is Enough

I am tired of hearing the Roy Halladay nonsense. It is VERY unlikely that Blue Jays are going to trade their best pitcher to the Yankees unless it is for a crap load of amazing guys. It is fascinating how some fans think you can trade a team 6 crappy guys and get a dominating guy in return. If the Jays do ship Halladay out, the other team is going to feel a lot of pain from it. They are going to have to give up some really good and talented guys.

I will be disappointed and angry if the do let him go. He is one of the few things the Jays actually have going for them. He is the one guy in the starting rotation that you can actually count on and he is the only guy in their rotation that actually has experience. It is that experience he has which lends its way to helping the younger starters as he is seen as a mentor within this organization. Just look at the kind words Burnett has given about Halladay and the help he provided him with.

I don't blame Roy though. A guy of his caliber should be on a winning team. The Jays need to start changing the way they handle their pitchers because there are far too many injuries towards their young guys. Whether it is just something that is naturally happening or if there is a problem within their organization in abusing thee young arms is something I am not quite sure of. But until Rios and Wells start to get it going or the Jays move out of the AL East, the hope of them making it into the playoffs is quite dim.

If they do make a trade, who would you want them to acquire?

Yanks vs Toronto- July 4th

Well, I sure picked a great day to head down to the Stadium. It was a beautiful, sunny day out and the Yankees won in dramatic fashion. It was the first regular season game I was at in which they won on a walk-off hit and it was almost as good as the All-Star game I was at last year. My seats were amazing too as I was in the front row right down the first base line. Gotta love stub-hub that's for sure. I'm not sure I understand the additional 20 dollars they charge, but it all worked out as the seats were great.

What looked to be a decent pitching match-up between Wang and Halladay turned into somewhat of a slug fest. I was surprised to see Roy struggle so much against the Yankees, and I wonder how much of it had to do with him pitching at the new stadium for the first time. It is hard to use the bandbox of Yankee Stadium as an excuse though because if you execute your pitches correctly, the ball isn't going to fly out of the park. From what I could see from my seat, he didn't have much of his curveball and had entirely too many 3-2 counts.

While Halladay struggled and gave up 5 ER's, he still managed to give the team length by going 7 innings. You could tell he was off his game as he only struck out 3 guys (He is averaging 7K's a game so far this season). Hard to put him down though as he is just coming back off the DL and has pitched so well for the team this year.

As for Wang, I was surprised to see him taken out in the 5th inning by the trainer. He has had such a rough year and hopefully he is able to come back healthy and be a part of the rotation at the end of the season. Does anyone have a clue how long this injury could keep him out for?

All in all, a great game. It wasn't the best pitched game (as 12 pitchers combined were used for both teams), but the offense really came through. I have to say that Adam Lind had turned out to be a great offensive guy. I can remember reading about all the potential he had when they first drafted him, and its great to see him really having a breakout year for the team-- especially since they are at a point where they need asmuch offense as they can get with Rios and Wells playing so poorly.
Burnett greeting his old teammates (Rios and Carlson) before the game. Raul Chavez was such a nice guy. Not only was he so kind to hand me a ball during BP, but this little boy next to me was hit with a foul ball on the arm. I felt terrible for him as he was hysterically crying and his father seemed to have little regard for it. Chavez noticed he was hit and came over to see how the boy was doing. He looked at his arm and then signed the baseball for him. Really nice gesture there by him.Yankees donated 25,000 to the 4ALS. Great move by Major League Baseball on raising money around the leagues for ALS. The amazing bleacher creatures during role call. Look how packed it is there. Jorge was pied while being interviewed. Im loving the reaction from Burnett and everyone around him.

Hello, Roy

Heading to the game tomorrow I am so excited to see Halladay pitch again against Wang. Should be a good game. I will have my itouch with me so I might be able to update from the game. Look for me though, ill be in the front row, in the lower level past the first base side..

Have a good 4th everybody! :)

PS Those fake umpires are back in NY. I want to assume that it will get old by tomorrows game, but who knows. The announcers seem to love them.

Nady and Hughes

Well the news is in- Nady is officially having Tommy John surgery next week and will miss over a year. That is the end of his career as a Yankee and it is too bad that it had to come during a time in which he is a free agent next year. I have to give the guy credit as he really tried to put off the surgery and come back to contribute to the team. I guess I officially saw his last game when I was in Syracuse last week. He was a nice guy too, I hope the best for him on the road back to recovery.
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As for Phil Hughes, what does everyone think of him being in the bullpen, for what looks to be an extended period of time? I think this is the same situation that you have with Joba. If you are against Joba being in the pen, I would think you have to be against Hughes in the pen also. I guess it is the short term solution that they will use for the remainder of the season, or until they get someone in the pen that they can trust?

Lets look at it this way. What if the Yankees either bring up Melancon at some point in the year or acquire a reliever before the trade deadline. If the guy is successful do you keep Hughes in the pen, or do you send him back to the minor leagues to build up his innings? I guess if there is an injury, you have an easier decision to bringing him back to start, but if that isn't the case, then what do you do?
Stats as a Reliever:
11IP
2ER
5 Hits
2 BB
2 Holds
16K's

Also, in his past 4 outings he hasn't given up a hit. While he's doing quite well in the pen, this can not be a long term solution. I am sure CC Sabathia and Burnett could be successful relievers as well.

Ricky Romero

The 2009 Blue Jays have been dealt with an array of injuries to their pitching staff. While Roy Halladay recently returned back to the team after being placed on the 15-day DL, there are still 6 other pitchers that are injured and unable to contribute to the team. With these injuries, it is surprising that the Jays have a record above .500. While the offense has stepped up their game (more specifcally Lind, Hill, Rolen, and Scutaro) it is important to note how much the young starters have filled in for the injured guys and have done relatively one.

While I have focused a portion of these posts on rookie Scott Richmond, I have to take the time to mention young lefty-handed pitcher named Ricky Romero who has been stellar during his first year pitching in the major leagues. Romero is a 24 year old who was drafted by the Jays back in 2005. He suffered injuries (shoulder and elbow) during the 2006-2007 year which shortened the amount of play he had in the minor leagues. While he has struggled within the minor leagues, he was able to make the major league roster out of spring training this year.

His first start in the majors came on April 9th, against the Detroit Tigers. It was an interesting match-up as he went against the Tigers rookie named Rick Porcello in which he was able to record his first win of his career. In his first 3 starts of the season, he went 2-0 with an area of 1.71. It was shortly after this in which he strained his oblique muscle and was placed on the 15-day DL.

After returning off the DL, Romero has gone 4-3 and with the exception of two subpar outing, he has done pretty well. He started today against the Rays, pitching 8 shutout innings; giving up 4 hits and 7K's. His ERA has dropped to 2.85 and he has a record of 6-3 for the season.
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Pitches:
Ricky Romero has a repertoire that consists of 4 pitches: fastball, change, slider, and curveball. The scouting report of Romero when he was drafted by the Jays in 2005 stated that:

"Romero has three solid, major league-ready pitches that he can throw for strikes almost at will, including a fastball that sits at 90-91 mph and touches 93-94. He also has an excellent curveball and a better feel for a changeup this year after he reduced his reliance on his curve. But Romero gets his highest grades for his makeup, temperament and competitive zeal. He is an excellent student of the game who understands the science of pitching, and is a master at controlling the tempo of a game"

While he had developed these 4 pitches, he strayed away from using them all during the four years in which he was in the minor leagues. After struggling in the minors, Brad Arnsberg finally convinced Romero during spring training to have confidence in all four of his pitches, which is something you can see has worked very well for him.