North of the border

First game of a new series, north of the border, hunting blue jays. Probably bad timing to talk about hunting, but I am talking baseball not real hunting.

~~ Yankees 9, Blue Jays 4 ~~

Considering the week this has been, even though none of it affected me personally, it bothered me emotionally, I needed a break, baseball heals me.

Except that when I turned on the TV to watch, I heard that the terrorist, suspect #2 had been surrounded. Instead of watching the game I watched the news and watched Twitter for game updates.

I did manage to see the first inning, the Yankees got on the board with 2 runs, then the Blue Jays came back and scored 1. Andy was pitching on 10 days rest because he had back spasms, he settled down after the 1st inning and the Blue Jays didn’t get another run until the 6th inning. By then the Yankees had 8 runs.

Robinson Cano got a chance to show off his sweet swing, he has the sweetest swing in all of baseball. For all those people who say Cano doesn’t hustle, he does, I think he doesn’t when he hits in the infield because he knows he can’t beat out the throw, but when he hits a long fly ball, like this was, he charges out of the batters box and runs at top speed. He has impressive amount of doubles, he wouldn’t have that if he didn’t run when he hits the ball.

There were 5 home runs in this game, 3 by the Yankees and 2 by the Blue Jays (one of which was a bomb by Bautista). Two of the Yankees runs were due to a throwing error by center fielder Colby Rasmus, he overthrew the ball to third and it went into the dugout which means Ichiro could advance two bases and score. Game one down, two to go.

~~ Questo è tutto, dice la principessa ~~ 😛

Game 15
Yankees 9-6 (0.600)

We sit in the stands
count balls, strikes, swings and misses
fly outs and ground outs

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MVP! MVP! MVP!

The chants were there this year, I heard them them all the time, I even participated in them. Curtis Granderson for MVP, and he had an amazing season, batting .262 and setting new career highs, including hitting 16 home runs off left-handed pitching. He led the league in runs scored (136), gave Jose Bautista a run for his money in hitting home runs (41) and in the 156 games he played brought in 119 runs. He is also the only Major League player to record 40 home runs, 10 triples and 25 stolen bases in a single season. Sounds like an MVP to me.

But he didn’t get it, neither did Robinson Cano (the best 2nd baseman in baseball), instead the award went to Justin Verlander, who also won the Cy Young award. I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve either award, after all he helped his team make it to the world series …… [snark]

That comment is because I am still sore at the person who didn’t vote for Cano last year because the Yankees finished in 3rd place at the end of their season. In fact in 2009 the AL MVP was Joe Mauer, of the Twins, the team the Yankees eliminated in the ALDS.

So now you know more about me. I am able to hold a grudge for years, I get it from my mom, I’m still mad at the Braves for hitting all those home runs off Andy Pettitte in 1996.

Home run #40 not a problem, we’ve got the broom

~~ Yankees 9, Blue Jays 3 ~~

The first I heard of this game was a Facebook post from Kasey, “I did not want Jose Bautista to get his 40th home run at Yankee Stadium! Thanks Soriano! Grrr” My reply to her, was mangled, but what I tried to say was, “Who cares if he gets #40, we swept them.” His home run didn’t help his team win, his home run record is meaningless and the thought that he is in the running for MVP is ludicrous. If Cano didn’t get it because ‘you can’t give MVP to a player who’s team is in 3rd place’, then Jose Bautista, whose team is 17 games out of first place, shouldn’t even be on the ballet. So the Blue Jays got a home run, Yankees got 3 home runs, and 9 runs to the Blue Jays 3 and the Blue Jays are swept out of town. As a team the Yankees have 193 home runs to the Blue Jays 166, suck on that Jose.

CC is now 19-7, this is the third year in a row he has had at least 19 runs. Which is why he is our ace and why we beg Cashman, “Please give CC whatever he wants!!” And before I forget:

~~ Questo è tutto, dice la principessa ~~ Sunday, September 4, 2011 😛

Lather, Rinse, Repeat ~ Wednesday, June 15, 2011

~~ Yankees 12, Rangers 4 ~~

No you are not seeing things, the score from this game and Tuesday’s game are exactly the same. And yes, there is another corny headline: “Tex’s two-step leads Yankees past Rangers”. Nick Swisher actually came up with the Texas Two-step line last season. Mark hit two home runs, so now Mark, Curtis and Jose Bautista lead the league with 21 home runs each.

The big surprise however was not that Teixeira hit two home runs against his former team. It was that Nunez and Pena each hit home runs. In total there were 5 home runs by the Yankees in this game. Stolen bases by Cano, Cervelli and A-Rod, two by Nunez (both in the same inning). Nice run support for Nova who although not having his ‘best stuff’, kept the Rangers to 4 runs.

We also got a look at a couple of new pitchers on the Yankee roster, Cory Wade and Jeff Marquez. Both pitched scoreless innings.

~~ Questo è tutto, dice la principessa ~~ 😛

Sometimes, the headlines are pretty funny ~ Tuesday, June 14, 2011

~~ Yankees 12, Rangers 4 ~~

This this one: “Job well done: Yanks solve righty Ogando”. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be a play on words, I’m a little bit clueless. I suppose they are referring to the fact that coming into this game Ogando hadn’t lost a game. The Yankees sure showed him who is boss of the Bronx, he gave up 6 runs in 1.2 innings. I would feel sorry for him, but he plays for the wrong team.

After not hitting much on Monday, the Yankee bats were really hot on Tuesday, Swisher, Granderson (hey Jose, Curtis says HI [stolen from @The_Stace]) and Cano. Curtis is now tied with Jose for most home runs. Gardner stole his 14^th base of the season.

CC pitched and gave up 4 runs in 7 innings, not a problem with the twelve runs the Yankees scored (part of me wonders if A.J. is making a CC doll, just out of jealousy, or maybe putting ex-lax in his cocoa puffs?, Nah ….. ). There is a problem with me typing all my posts on one day, my thoughts just all run together and the games start to mesh, not to mention I am watching the encore showing of the current days game so things could get a little confusing, just bear with me. Ayala and Pendleton pitched scoreless innings, no Mo, these guys are just hitting to many runs.

And Texas likes to hit our batters too, I didn’t realize it was open season on baseball players.

~~ Questo è tutto, dice la principessa ~~ 😛

Yankees decide to place Jeter on DL
Martin remains out with stiff back
Nunez ready to fill in while Jeter is out

Long long time ago ~ May 25

Sometime during this game, since I was not watching being that I had to work, I went up to one of my co-workers who is quite possibly a bigger Yankee fan then myself. By his own admission, he gets rather insufferable as the season goes along. Considering that he has to work in the same office as a die-hard Red Sox fan, I understand. I asked said co-worker if hunting Blue Jays was illegal. He grinned and replied, “Hunting anything in NYC is illegal.”

“Well I hope the Yankees don’t get in trouble then.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time. Remember when Dave Winfield got arrested?”

Yes, yes I do.

It was in 1983 at Exhibition Stadium, at the time the Blue Jays home stadium. The Yankees took the field for the bottom of the fifth inning, they had a 3-1 lead over the Blue Jays. As they finished their warm-up throws Dave Winfield was returning a ball to the ballboy when it hit a seagull, and killed it, in plain view of 36,684 fans. The ballboy got a towel and removed the bird and play resumed. Winfield was jeered by the centerfield spectators. Yankees won the game and headed to the clubhouse to pack up and go home.

They were met by plainclothes Toronto police officers with a warrant for Winfield’s arrest, charging him with cruelty to animals, they alleged he deliberately killed the bird. I guess seagulls are endangered in Canada. No they don’t want any of ours. Billy Martin was livid: “This is unbelievable!” he screamed. “They’ve come to arrest Winfield for killing that bird!”

Apparently too many spectators were traumatized by seeing the bird die. A freaking seagull! Canadians are weird, I should know, I’ve lived with one for 20+ years. Winfield was taken to the police station where he was booked, had to post $500 bail and promise to appear in court. He faced a stiff fine and possible jail time. Winfield convinced Toronto authorities that the death of the beloved fowl of Canada was a tragic accident and charges were dropped. While he was off the hook with the police, his teammates however, never let him forget it.

For the full story click here: FOWL BALL Dave Winfield, Bird Killer Chapter 170

~~ Yankees 7, Blue Jays 3 ~~

As I mentioned before, I didn’t get to see this game, I did watch the video clips on my phone. From the box score I can tell you that Jose Bautista was 1-3 with no runs and no RBI’s, making Freddy Garcia almost as good as CC Sabathia, almost. Not quite.

In the first inning a Blue Jay’s player hit a pop up, it was coming right to the pitcher’s mound, Garcia was there, but Mark was coming over to get so he moved off the mound, unfortunately Nunez was also coming over to get the ball and didn’t (apparently) didn’t hear Mark call it. Freddy ran into him, and since he is kind of a big guy, took Nunez out. As Paul O’Neill said, “Sometimes baseball isn’t pretty.”

But you know what is pretty? Martin gunning down Bautista at 2nd base, Mark and Andruw hitting the ball into the stands (Andruw did it twice!), Granderson knocking the ball over Bautista’s head and off the wall, Joba getting a batter to hit into a double play, Robinson Cano with that throw to first, Jeter starting off the game with hit number 2,976 and Mariano telling Kim Jones that 1,000 games means, “You are old.”

Paul O’Neill is pretty, and a win, a win is pretty. Next stop, Seattle. See you then.

~~ Questo è tutto, dice la principessa ~~ 😛

Birds are bad, Blue Jays are terrible ~ May 23

~~ Blue Jays 7, Yankees 3 ~~

Colon was pitching pretty good, top of the 6^th the game was tied, then boom boom boom, and the Blue Jays were up 5 runs, they ended up winning the game. I don’t like the Blue Jays. Have I mentioned Jose Bautista is pure evil?

It seems like the Yankees like losing the first game of the series. I certainly hope they do like they did with the Mets and win the next two. Tuesday CC takes the mound, Bautista has never got a hit off him, so I hope he has a better night then Colon did.

~~ Questo è tutto, dice la principessa ~~ 😛

Beat the Mets, Yankees beat the Mets

~~ Yankees 9, Mets 3~~

In yesterday’s post I forgot something, not really surprising, I tend to forget something every time, usually I remember too long after to mention and then I get annoyed. Jose Reyes got booed every time he came up to bat. Booing loud enough to drown out the cheers from the Mets fans. Today when I mentioned it to Kasey, she said there is usually one evil player on each team. Jose Reyes on the Mets, Jose Bautista on the Blue Jays, Josh Beckett or Ellsbury or Adrian Gonzalez or Jed Lowrie or Dustin Pedroia or Youkilis of the RedSox, most of those guys cause they are ugly.

So the Mets were ahead until the 7^th inning, they were probably already chilling the champagne for the celebration, wait, this isn’t the World Series! Then as David Cone said, “They had all zeros, till the seventh inning and now the Yankees have a snow cone (8). For all of you saying the Yankees are hitting too many home runs, the only home run hit in this game was in the first inning. The 8 runs in the seventh were base hits. A walk, a hit by pitch, a dribbler across the infield. Alex said, I was more lucky than good. A bunt that was bungled, a blooper that fell between the players, everybody got a turn to play, fun times in the Bronx.

Nova pitched well, unfortunately he doesn’t get the win since the Mets were ahead when he left the game. He got an ovation however and the Yankees did the win the game. And if the Yankees win the World Series, he will get a ring. Got to look at the big picture. Ayala gets the win, Lance Pendleton pitched the ninth inning.

It really bothers me that the Yankees are being greedy. Scoring all these runs so Mariano can’t get anymore saves on his record. Greedy little buggers. Attendance tonight was 48,293.

~~ Questo è tutto, dice la principessa ~~ 😛

I’m going to name my next child Nova ~ May 6

No not really, first some notes: Eric Chavez ‘irritated an old fracture’ in his foot and has been put on the D.L. Ramiro Pena has been called up from the Minor Leagues to fill his spot in the roster. I like Pena, he isn’t a power hitter but he has pretty good defensive skills in the infield.

Nick Swisher was scratched from the line-up with a cold, Andruw Jones replaced him in right field.

The Yankees claimed right-handed pitcher Jess Todd off waivers from the Indians on Friday and DFA’d Kevin Russo. Who is Jess Todd? I dunno, we shall see.

The Yankees longest losing streak this season has been 3 games. How sweet is that?

~~Yankees 4, Rangers 1~~

So how good was Nova? Freaking good. So good that if my mom calls again when he’s pitching I’m not answering the phone. I know, I am the worst daughter ever, that has never been questioned.

His numbers are stellar, 7.1 innings pitched, 2 hits and 1 run, but they don’t tell the whole story. They don’t tell how comfortable he looks on the mound, how Russell says its a dream to catch for him cause he doesn’t get hurt, how his fellow pitchers, congratulate him in the dugout. If this pitching performance had been at Yankee stadium, we would have been on our feet “NOVA! NOVA!” Rafael did not give up the lead and Mariano picked up his 12th save of the season.

Defensively the boys were on their toes. Cano to Teixeira, Jeter to Teixeira. A sweet double play to end the inning, which I MISSED! Thank you mom. Mark Teixeira got the ‘Defensive Play of the Game’ for snagging a hard hit line drive.

Also missed was Curtis’ second home run on the game, his first went 433, I didn’t hear how long the second one was because I was ON THE PHONE. He has now hit 10 home runs this season which puts him in first place, ahead of that evil Jose Bautista.

~~ Questo è tutto, dice la principessa ~~ 😛

Champagne Supernova

This is his “unofficial” nickname, but as someone noted, you know what happens to super novas. He pitched 6.1 innings like his last time out gave up two runs, his last outing was 1 run. So he is doing good, but one thing puzzles me, on Twitter someone was tweeting about Nova pitching like it was a bad thing. I know his ERA is up there, but that is because he had some bad starts the beginning of the season. He has settled down and is pitching much better, no supernova crash and burn. So he gets the fireworks, because this game wins the series. Jose Bautista did not kill any Yankees this trip.

~~Yankees 5, Blue Jays 2~~

Because I was pretty tired I was asleep when the game aired, so I decided to watch the Encore. Into the second inning I was seeing on Twitter about a special announcement by the President, which I knew what it was, but I switched over to watch anyway, just out of curiosity. So I missed part of the game.

I was there to see Mark hit a home run in the first inning, and also I saw Adam Lind hit a home run off Nova. It didn’t seem to bother him. I missed Curtis 3 run home run in the 5th inning that took the Yankees from tied to up 3 runs.

When I came back it was the 6th inning. Nova started the 7th inning, then was taken out for David Robertson, who didn’t do so well his last time. He didn’t give up any runs this outing, but he did walk Bautista. Then Logan came in for the final out and he kind of ‘accidentally’ caught the ball, it bounced toward him and he had his glove kind of behind his back and the ball popped into it, he looked behind him for the ball, then in his glove and, Oh there’s the ball, throw to first get an out.

Mariano came in, got his 10th save of the season, 569th save of his career, only 32 saves to tie Trevor Hoffman.

Robinson left after the top of the eighth, he has a bruised palm, I laughed when I read ‘Chavez, Er, PH-Grounded out for Cano in the 8th’.

~~ Questo è tutto, dice la principessa ~~ 😛