Today I downloaded the regular season calendar to my phone, for the second time. Fortunately I figured out how to delete one.
Unlike previous years, this download does not include spring training games. Opening day for the Yankees is April 1, April Fool’s day. I don’t know if that is a good or bad thing.
In an attempt to be more regular in my blogging I am trying to not worry about how good my writing is, just going to do it and not stress over it.
The other night I was with a friend at a bar, we were talking about accents, which lead to a discussion about words no longer in use. She said her aunts used to tell her, Go tell your uncle I want a Highball. Following that with the statement that if you went to a bar and ordered a highball, most bartenders wouldn’t know what you mean. I told her I knew because my mother used to sing a song and Highball was in the song. Because I was feeling a wee bit cheeky, I sent the following text.
Notice the first response is baseball related. Yep, my addiction to baseball is mom’s fault.
The Yankees signed Andrew Miller to a four-year $36 billion deal, when this happened the speculation was that the Yankees wouldn’t try to keep David Robertson, which turned out to be true, no offer was made to D-Rob from the Yankees and he signed a four-year $46 million deal with the White Sox. He will be their new closer.
While I was expecting to hear the news that Robertson signed elsewhere, it still hurt to read the news. I briefly, for about 30 seconds, considered quitting the Yankees, it was their fault after all, but where would I go? The White Sox? After all a team is not one player.
As closer for the Yankees in 2014 Robertson had 44 save opportunities and was successful 39 times. He struck out 96 batters over 64-1/3 innings. Andrew Miller has been signed as a reliever, not a closer which leads me to wonder who will be closer for the Yankees next year.
One of the things the Yankees are criticized about is their lack of ‘home grown’ talent. “The Yankees buy their championships.” Here was a player who came up through the Yankee system, who was home-grown talent, who took over for Mariano Rivera, the best closer in baseball and did an admirable job. And the Yankees traded him essentially, for Andrew *bleeping* Miller. I think that is what I am maddest about.
But I am just a fan, and I will get over this. Baseball is a business after all, albeit one that breaks your heart.
Whenever I see a Yankee hat I wonder “Are they really a Yankee fan or are they just wearing the hat for a fashion statement?” It is the best known brand symbol in the world and maybe some people think, since they are in NY they should identify themselves as Yankee fans, even if they are not. After all, the hats can be found pretty cheap if you know where to look.
Before you think I am an arrogant Yankee fan, I asked some friends of mine who live in London, as in, they have lived in the UK all their life, why most people from England are either Yankee fans or Red Sox fans, and he told me, Those are the only two teams I know. Sort of proves my point about how well known the Yankee logo is known.
There has been much talk lately about gift baskets.
If you read The NY Post, a newspaper with the journalistic integrity of Fox News, you know what I’m talking about. Actually, you don’t even have to read it, since people are talking about it everywhere.
Here’s my take on it, I don’t believe it. But even if it is true, besides devaluing his autograph, what harm is he doing? There’s never been any hint that the women were anything but willing participants and with his reputation, I’m sure they knew what they were getting themselves into.
Enough of that, I prefer to talk about the classy Derek Jeter we all know and love.
Young crime victim receives Jeter souvenirs
To summarize (and because sometimes articles get archived): Evan Sachs stabbed an 8-year-old boy five times in the back. When Judge Jerald Carter sentenced him to 14 years in prison, he asked the boy’s mother who his favorite sports star was. “Derek Jeter” was the reply. He had asked the question in response to the mother’s concerns about how fearful her son was since the attack.
“You tell your son . . . he will be as big as Derek Jeter” when the defendant is released, he told her.
A few weeks later, a package arrived at the boy’s home. The package contained a signed baseball, signed photo of Derek Jeter, Yankee teddy bear, magnet and “Derek Jeter’s All-Star Manual: 10 Life Lessons.”
The rest of the article goes on to talk about how the mother tracked down who arranged for the package and approached the judge to thank him. The judge then proceeded to reassure the boy that he is safe from his attacker and dropped another surprise: In the spring, he said, Jeter would like the boy to sit in his box for a Yankee game.
“If that happens,” him mom said, “it will be the highlight of his first nine years.”
Report: Yu Darvish bid tops Dice-K I’m not quite sure how this works, like a lot of things in the business end of baseball, as I understand it, this pitcher, Yu Darvish wants to come to play in the MLB. So the MLB teams that want him have to bid for him. Then his team (the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters) decides if they’ll accept the bid, then the team who made the bid gets to ‘talk’ to the player, to see if they can reach a deal. I don’t know if then the team has to pay MORE money to the player. I can’t find that out. However, the bidding has closed and the highest bid is a lot of money.
Greatness in Baseball Yearly Awards (GIBBYs) were announced on Friday night as the final word on Major League Baseball’s awards season. The Yankees had three: Derek Jeter for Performance of the Year, David Robertson for Setup Man and Robinson Cano for Wow Factor. Jose Valverde of the Tigers won Closer of the Year, which I was going to cry about, but it’s just for the year, and his numbers were better then Mo’s this year. However, Mo is still the greatest of all time. Speaking of Mo ….
Rivera recovering well after surgery on throat He had polyps removed from his vocal cords. We haven’t heard the results of the testing on the polyps, but this is one area where bad news usually travels faster then good news. Pretty sure he’ll be fine.
Yankees take two players in Rule 5 Draft Left-handed reliever Cesar Cabral, so if I understand this right, he was with the Red Sox, then the Royals picked him in the draft, then the Yankees paid the Royals for him (sounds a little bit like a slave auction, hmmm). So was he a Royals, or a Red Sox? The other player is a right-handed pitcher Brad Meyers, who was a starter with the Nationals.
The Yankees are keeping Hector Noesi as a starter and released Greg Golson. Good-bye Greg, I’ll never forget that throw you made from right field, it was a beauty.
Freddy Garcia will be a Yankee next year, they offered him a one year deal and he accepted. He likes playing in Pinstripes.
All eligible Yankees tendered contracts Joba, Phil, David, Brett, Boone (Boom-Boom-Boone) and Russell (HI! Russell) are all coming back next year. Russell even tweeted it. If it wasn’t so late I would find it and post a link.
Cano and Swisher are coming back, of course Cano is a no-doubter (as is Swisher in my mind). There is talk that the Yankees might use Swisher for trade, but I doubt it. If you trade Swisher, who’s going to play right field? Not only that but he can relieve Mark at first and he is good for 30 home runs a year and contributes to the clubhouse moral. Not only that, he loves New York and would cry if he had to leave.
The biggest news of all (pun intended) is that CC is coming back. So we will have our Ace, our Big Stoppa, our Great Devourer of Innings. He also let the fans know, he posted a video saying he wanted to let the fans know himself, he is coming back to New York.
However, the Yankees are not the only ones busy acquiring things during the off-season, I got these two beautiful pins.
On the subject of football, I’m not really a football fan, but I’ve been trying to keep myself occupied instead of just moping about waiting for baseball to start again. I have been a Bills fan since I lived in Buffalo, it wasn’t that hard to abandon the Bucs when I left Florida, and I still am. However, I decided I can root for two teams. I picked the Ravens for 3 reason. One is they beat the Steelers (TWICE!) and I hate the Steelers. Two is their uniforms are purple (pretty!). Third is the quarterback is a real cutie (his wife is pregnant with their first baby, how presh is that!). So I bought some cute purple stuff, a t-shirt, some fuzzy socks and a dog tag (it has an engraveable back, I don’t know what I would put there but if I ever do, ….. So I am hoping they make it to the superbowl. If not them, maybe the Giants, I can root for the Giants, they are almost a New York team.
The categories are listed below. Of course I voted for the Yankee players, maybe I’m prejudiced, but if I didn’t believe the players were the best, ….
Anyway if you click on this link, you can vote for the players you think are great!
Player
Starting Pitcher
Rookie
Closer
Setup Man
Defensive Player
Breakout Player
Comeback Player
Wow Factor
Manager
Executive
Postseason MVP
Saw this on Facebook.
This is something that I know I shouldn’t let bother me, but I can’t get past it. How do you give a golden glove to Dustin Pedroia instead of Robinson Cano? Because he had a higher fielding percentage and made fewer errors? He also had fewer chances, fewer put outs, fewer assists and fewer double plays! Not only that but he didn’t help his team get to the post season, didn’t prevent their historic collapse and he’s an ugly, sawed off, runty garden gnome.
Now I feel better.
After two days, Ramos rescued in Venezuela
Starting with some good news.
And this means I don’t have to stop hating Papelbon
Outfielder Curtis Granderson named the AL’s Outstanding Player in the 2011 Players Choice Awards, as selected by Major League players.
Gardner was given a nod with his second consecutive Fielding Bible Award, indicative of the best fielder at a position in 2011, as announced in “The Bill James Handbook”.
Granderson was tabbed as the Bombers’ Player of the Year, closer Mariano Rivera took honors as the team’s Pitcher of the Year and right-hander Ivan Nova’s rookie campaign earned respect as the Yankees’ Breakout Player of the Year.
Granderson and second baseman Robinson Cano selected for AL Silver Slugger Awards at their respective positions, as announced by Louisville Slugger. (Curtis’ first and Robbie’s third)
The Foxx Loves the Yankees 