I hope whoever caught Jeter's homer sells it for top dollar

Seriously, the Hall of Fame can have Jeter's helmet, hat. uniform, bat and jockstrap.
No need for the ball.

Whoever caught the ball should sell it and send their kids to City College undergrad and Baruch College business school courtesy of Jeter's 3,000.

Sox are out of sync... but haven't we heard this song before?

A big market team was coming off a season where they improbably missed the playoffs. They spent big on players in the off season, shockingly signing one free agent that seemed to be heading to a different playoff bound team.

People started bitching and moaning how it wasn’t fair that they signed all of these great players but made the team the prohibitive pick going into the season.

Then things started going badly. They stumbled out of the gate, lost some embarrassing games and were a losing team in May. The team just didn’t seem to fit together. And the biggest superstar looked like a post steroid shell of his former self. People seemed to take great pleasure in pointing out that they were a great group of players but not a TEAM.

What team am I talking about?
Am I talking about the 2011 Red Sox?
Or the 2009 Yankees?

Remember how the Yankees stubbed their toe out of the gate after picking up Mark Teixiera, CC Sabathia and A. J. Burnett? They had missed the 2008 playoffs and the new pick ups didn’t look like they were going to help. The A-Rod steroid mess was the embarrassment of the off season. The new Yankee Stadium looked like a huge mistake and as late as May 13 they were on the wrong side of .500.

Then they won 10 out of their next 11 and by May 31st were in first place. By July they were in first place for good and in case you didn’t remember, they had a decent end to the year.



It took one positive stretch to put the Yankees back on track and by the end of the year they won their first World Series title in 9 years. (And which everyone reacted “They win it EVERY year!”)

So yeah, the Red Sox look out of sorts right now. Carl Crawford looks rotten now. The bats go dead one day, the pitching stinks the next.

The Red Sox look as out of sync as a Godzilla movie or an Italian Hercules film. But once thinks click, the Sox will go on a nice run and make all of us forget these bad first few weeks.

By the way, when the Yankees were a sub ,500 on May 13, do you know who was tied for first in the AL Central?

The Royals.

The Yankees went 87-42 the rest of the was and won the World Series.
The Royals went 47-81 the rest of the way and barely avoided 100 losses.

There’s a lot of season left.
Just get in sync.

IT'S THE MONOLITH!

When I saw the Gigantic block that suddenly appeared at Yankee Stadium and saw all the people walking up to touch it, I immediately thought of the Dawn of Man in 2001.

Come on! I can't be the only one who thought of that!

I love how George's monument dwarfs that of Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Miller Huggins, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth's.

Were we expecting something SUBTLE?
Don't complain folks. Steinbrenner wasn't a subtle guy. He's a guy who saw Yankee Stadium and said "I can do better"... TWICE!

Before anyone writes in saying I am not being respectful, remember I am a Red Sox fan who practically wrote a love letter to Steinbrenner after he died.

But look at that picture of David Wells and tell me he isn't going to throw a bone in the air and have it turn into a spaceship!

(Hey, we're talking about the Monolith and it is 2010! Eeerie. OK, not really.)

The Rivalry Gets A New Face for the New Decade

When the Red Sox roll into Yankee Stadium in 2020, there very well might be some kid on the roster who is only 11 years old today.

And that kid very well might turn to steady 32 year old veteran outfielder Ryan Kalish and ask what HIS first experience in Yankee Stadium was like.

And he'd relay the story about being a young call up on the 2010 Sox team and having family members come up from New Jersey to see him play.

"Back then there were still members of the 2004 and 2007 World Series teams in the line up. Big Papi homered, J. D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Lowell were still there. Buchholz was the starter. Papelbon was still the closer. I bet you don't even remember the 2004 team."

"I was 5 back then."

"Well I was the young kid... and I was only there because of injuries to Mike Cameron. And I struck out the first two times in the game, but in the 6th with the Red Sox up by 1 run, I cracked a 2 run homer that made the score 6-3... which was also the final. It was my entrance to the rivalry. I fit right in... and as the veterans slowly retired off, I became the leader of the team."

"Wow. So you are the connection to the great Red Sox teams of the 2000s?"

"That's right. They were the Big Papi/Manny years before I arrived. The Kalish years came later."

"And did you play in Fenway back then?"

"You bet. They build the 7UP Dome and tear down Fenway Park until 2015."

It's nice to look into the future.

Let's update the tally.

DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 36

April 4 - 9-7 win against Yankees (On Opening Night, the Red Sox overcome a 5-1 Yankee lead with a game tying HR by Pedroia and a go ahead passed ball.)
April 10 - 8-3 win against Kansas City (Beckett out pitches Zack Greinke and nearly gets decapitated by a line drive.)
April 14 - 6-3 win in Minnesota. (Okajima gets Morneau to pop up with the bases loaded in the 7th and Papelbon wiggled out of a 9th inning jam.)
April 20 - 7-6 win against Texas. (Darnell McDonald introduces himself to Boston with an 8th inning game tying homer and a walk off hit in the 9th.)
April 21 - 8-7 win against Texas. (The Red Sox were down 4-0 early only to win it on Youk's 2 out 11th inning double.)
April 23 - 4-3 win against Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 3-0 lead but win it on Adrian Beltre's bases loaded walk.)

April 24 - 7-6 win against Baltimore. (The Red Sox score 6 in the 7th and hold off a late Baltimore comeback attempt.)
April 26 - 13-12 win at Toronto. (The Sox blow an early 5-0 lead but hang on for dear life in a slugfest.)
April 27 - 2-1 win at Toronto. (Buchholz holds the Jays down for 8 but it takes a bases loaded walk in the 8th to go ahead.)
April 28 - 2-0 win at Toronto. (Daniel Bard wiggles out of trouble in the 8th to help Lester shut down the Blue Jays and finish the sweep.)
May 4 - 5-1 win against the Angels. (Juan Rivera misplays Jeremy Hermedia's 2 out flyball into a 3 run game winning double)
May 5 - 3-1 win against the Angels. (Papi and Beltre homer and the Sox hang on despite squandering many potential rallies.)
May 6 - 11-6 win against the Angels. (Dice-K puts the Red Sox in a 4-0 hole before they even bat. The Sox bats respond.)
May 10 - 7-6 win against the Blue Jays. (Sox blow an early 2-0 lead, take advantage of some errors and hang on.)
May 18 - 7-5 win in New York. (Sox climb back from a 5-1 hole. A day after hitting a walk off homer, Marcus Thames drops a fly ball to start the winning rally for the Sox.)
May 25 - 2-0 win in Tampa. (Big Papi supplies all the offense as Papelbon wiggles out of a 9th inning jam.)
May 29 - 1-0 win against Kansas City. (Zack Greinke holds the Sox to one run, but they make it stick)

June 1 - 9-4 win against Oakland. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 4-0 hole but Victor Martinez goes 5-5 and the Sox score 9 runs late.)
June 2 - 6-4 win against Oakland. (Dice-K puts the Sox in a 3-0 hole before they come to bat, but come back thanks to Papi's homer.)

June 8 - 3-2 win at Cleveland. (With Papelbon unavailable, Okajima, Ramirez and Bard hang on to make a winner out of Wakefield.)

June 19 - 5-4 win against the Dodgers. (Sox make 4 errors, blow a late lead and let Manny homer, but they win it in the bottom of the 9th on a Pedroia single.)
June 20 - 2-0 win against the Dodgers. (Dodgers blow an early bases loaded scoring opportunity and allow Buchholz to settle down for the win.)

June 24 - 13-11 win in Colorado. (The bullpen lets up 9 runs in 5 innings, but Pedroia homers 3 times including with 2 outs in the 10th to win a wild and stupid game.)
June 26 - 4-2 win in San Francisco. (An injury running the bases takes Buchholz out in the second, but the bullpen and Mike Cameron's bat and glove win the game.)
July 2 - 3-2 win against the Orioles. (Wakefield gets the win and J.D. Drew homers twice, but it is Nava's 2 out 8th inning bloop that landed between three fielders that breaks the tie.)

July 11 - 3-2 win in Toronto. (Jesse Litch took a no hitter into the 6th but back to back homers by McDonald and Big Papi win the game.)
July 17 - 3-2 win against Texas. (Youk ties the game in the 9th off of Cliff Lee and wins it in the 11th with a sacrifuce fly)
July 19 - 2-1 win at Oakland. (Beltre homers and Dice-K holds on to the win.)
July 22 - 8-6 win at Seattle. (Lackey lost a no hit bid in the 8th and the Mariners scored 5 in the 9th to tie before the Sox won in 13)
July 23 - 2-1 win at Seattle. (Bill Hall's barely fair homer gives the Sox the win on Beckett's return.)

July 26 - 6-3 win in Anaheim. (Papi homers twice and Buccholz and Papelbon each wiggle out of jams to get the win.)
July 27 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (Jed Lowrie's 2 run 7th inning double gives the Sox the lead and makes a winner out of John Lackey. )

July 28 - 7-3 win in Anaheim. (Youk ties the game in the 7th with a homer and Scutaro wins it with an 8th inning grand slam to sweep the Angels.)
July 31 - 5-4 win against Detrout. (Big Papi hits a 3 run walk off double to crush the Tigers in the 9th.)
August 1 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Sox blow a 3 run 9th inning lead but the Tigers throw away a 9th inning sacrifice bunt to give the Sox the win.

August 3 - 3-1 win against Cleveland. (Lowell homers on his first pitch back and plays sparkling defense to preserve the win.)

August 6 - 6-3 win in Yankee Stadium. (Cervelli drops an easy pop up, setting up the winning rally for the Sox.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 33

April 6 - 6-4 loss against the Yankees. (Scutaro's error leads to the winning run.)
April 7 - 3-1 loss against the Yankees. (Sox leave the winning run on in the 9th only to lose on Granderson's 10th inning homer)
April 9 - 4-3 loss in Kansas City. (Bard coughs up the lead, denying Wakefield a win.)
April 17 - 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Sox can't score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 11th... lost it in the 12th.)
April 17 - 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox comeback falls a run short, leaving two on in the 8th)
April 25 - 7-6 loss to Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 4-1 lead, leave the winning run on second in the 9th, let up 3 in the 10th and could only score 2 in the bottom of the 10th)
April 30 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (Tejada ties the game with a 2 out 8th inning homer and wins it with a bloop in the 10th)
May 1 - 12-9 loss in Baltimore. (Dice-K and Wakes get pounded, wasting 2 homers from Ortiz and an early 4-1 lead.)
May 2 - 3-2 loss in Baltimore. (Varitek is thrown at home trying to score with 2 outs in the 8th. Sox get swept in the 10th.
May 12 - 3-2 loss against the Blue Jays. (The Sox rally in the 9th comes up a run short and Kevin Gregg gets an ugly save.)
May 15 - 7-6 loss in Detroit. (The Sox blow a 6-1 lead and lose it on a 2 out bases loaded walk in the 12th.)
May 17 - 11-9 loss in New York. (The Sox come all the way back from a 5-0 first inning hole to take a 9-7 lead in the 9th... but Papelbon lets up a 2 run game tying shot to A-Rod and a 2 run walk off shot to Marcus Thames.)
May 21 - 5-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Big Papi's bid for a game tying 9th inning grand slam is caught at the warning track.)
May 27 - 4-3 loss to Kansas City. (Dice-K walks the go ahead run in and lets another score on a wild pitch as the Royals no name bullpen shut down the Hot Sox.)
May 28 - 12-5 loss to Kansas City. (Sox blow a 3-0 first inning lead to be blown out in Fenway.)
June 3 - 9-8 loss to Oakland. (Sox lose a slugfest where two Boston runners are thrown out at home.)

June 6 - 4-3 loss in Baltimore. (Sox rally to tie the game in the 9th only to lose it on a small ball rally in the 11th.)
June 10 - 8-7 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow an early 5-0 lead and then after rallying in the 9th to take the lead coughed it up with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th)
June 13 - 5-3 loss to Philadelphia. (Sox 9th inning rally comes up short)
June 22 - 2-1 loss in Colorado. (The Sox waste a solid Lester start and twice leave the bases loaded.)
June 23 - 8-6 loss in Colorado. (The Sox batter Ubaldo Jimenez around but Papelbon lets up 2 homers in the 9th to lose it.)
June 25 - 5-4 loss in San Francisco. (The Sox strand 11 runners in the last 4 innings wasting a solid Wakefield performance.)
July 5 - 6-5 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox spoil a 5-1 lead and 2 homers by Eric Patterson when Dice-K and the bullpen couldn't hold down the Rays.)
July 6 - 3-2 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox bats go dead and Kevin Youkilis goes down to injury.)
July 7 - 6-4 loss in Tampa Bay. (Matt Garza comes out of the pen, shuts down a late rally as the Rays sweep the Sox.)
July 10 - 9-5 loss in Toronto. (The Sox give Lackey an early 5-3 lead that he couldn't hold.)
July 18 - 4-2 loss to the Rangers. (Lester loses a rare game at home that included a Rangers steal of home.) July 20 - 5-4 loss in Oakland. (The Sox go up 4-0 after 2 but don't score again and lose it in the 10th)
July 21 - 6-4 loss in Oakland. (Buchholz can't hold on to an early lead as the Sox lose the series.)
July 24 - 5-1 loss in Seattle. (Lester's perfect game is foiled and the Red Sox bats die.)
July 25 - 4-2 loss in Seattle. (Okajima misplays a sacrifice bunt and the Mariners rally in the 8th to win.)
July 30 - 6-5 loss to Detroit. (Papi's grand slam makes it a 1 run game in the 9th but Cameron strikes out looking with the winning runs on base.)
August 2 - 6-5 loss to Cleveland. (Beltre drives in 5 runs by himself but the Red Sox leave the tying run on base with Big Papi on deck.)


All the way up to +3.

Are the Red Sox turning it around? Could they make a run this year?

Relax. I can't REALLY look into the future.

Look, I am happy the Yankees lost but...

The Royals beat the Yankees today and frankly, with KC on pace to lose 92 games, they need all the help they can get.

But when Mark Teixeira hit a difficult grounder with 2 outs and 2 on and the Yankees down by three, he beat out the throw to first base.

I thought it was the case with my naked eyes and less than one minute later no fewer than two replays showed he was clearly safe.

He was called out.

The Yankees would have had the bases loaded, 2 outs, Yankees down by 3 and A-Rod up, knowing an out would win the game for the Royals but a grand slam would win it for the Yankees.

It would have been pure baseball drama... and all instant replay screens showed it should have been.

But alas we can't have it because we can't waste that minute.

Ahhh the insanity of no instant replay.

I have to admit it... the Yankees do Old Timers Day really well

All those years I lived in New York, I never missed watching a Yankees Old Timers Day on TV. You may hate the team and curse them out... but they do ceremonies quite well.

And while it sucks that they have 27 World Series titles, you would think that every year would be a 10th or number divided by 10 anniversary of a title winner.

But the Yankees have yet to win a title in a year ending in 4 or 5.
That's strange, isn't it?

Either way, it's of course great to see Hall of Famers like Whitey, Goose and Reggie there.
But it was also amazing to see lesser Yankees get their due. The Hector Lopez's, Aaron Smalls and Homer Bushes of the world got nice hands.

You put on a good show, Yankees.
And the loss afterwards made it even better.

Yankee fans are throwing Jeter under the bus? This Red Sox fan WON'T HAVE IT!

Wow... it is a strange world we live in. I am a Red Sox fan and I am coming to the defense of Derek Jeter who is being dog piled by Yankee fans.

Even Bizarro finds this odd.

Yesterday I gave Jeter what I thought was a deserved tip of the cap for his class and understanding his role on the team.

Kind of a quick harmless post from me. And it is good ammo against anyone who says I don't give the Yankees any credit.

I figured that was that and I would move on with my life.

But nooooooooooooooo.

I got a few comments on my page and even more private e mails from people all KILLING Derek Jeter.

My cousin Chris e mailed me wanting to know my opinion on Jeter not being at Bob Sheppard's funeral.

Lisa at Subway Squawkers, one of my favorite New York baseball sites, is on Jeter's case.
So is John Harper at the Daily News.
And Bill Madden at the Daily News.
And Mike Mazzeo from the Star Ledger.

And I bet a lot more if I had the time or energy to look more.

REALLY? We're really going to throw Jeter under a bus?
We're going to act like Derek Jeter hasn't been 100% respectful of the Yankee tradition and specifically the legacy of Bob Sheppard this whole time?

After all Jeter has done in a Yankee uniform, and this is coming from a Red Sox fan, to represent its tradition, its titles, its link to the past and its place in New Yorkers lives, you are telling me Jeter has NOTHING in the bank in terms of credit?

This is not some knucklehead like Ben Roethlisberger or some Rent a Yankee who couldn't get out of town fast enough like Randy Johnson. This isn't a dope like Vince Coleman who didn't know who Jackie Robinson was or Jack McDowell flipping off the Yankee fans.

This is the captain of the team.
This is the man who continued to have Sheppard's voice announce him when they went to the new stadium.
He's the one who paid tribute to him and The Boss in front of 50,000+ fans and did so without notes and was clearly choked up.

He's earned the benefit of the doubt.
If he wasn't at the funeral then he should be given a pass. There was probably a reason. Maybe it was a "if the whole team doesn't go, then nobody should go" thing. Maybe it was a "we will pay tribute our way... publicly and in a heartfelt way."

Whatever it was... maybe you shouldn't jump to the conclusion that he did the wrong thing or isn't showing class.

This isn't Steve Howe. It's Derek Jeter... and some day there will be a day for him in the Bronx and will have earned it. (I am assuming he has earned it. According to some Yankee fans he evidently still needs to prove his reverence for the franchise.)

By the way, the next time one of you Yankee fans accuse me of just slamming your team, remember how I came to your captain's defense.

(But if you don't give Jeter credit, what hope do I have?)

Is there any Louisiana Lightning left in that arm?

Ron Guidry was at Yankee Old Timers Day today... he looks pretty good.

I'm serious. With all of the lousy bullpens in baseball these days and everyone looking for a left hander, are you telling me that Ron Guidry couldn't make a staff or two?

OK, maybe not the Yankees, but are you saying the Mariners, the Orioles, the Royals and the Diamondbacks would have no place for him?

Make some calls, Ron.

Hey Giants... sign Johnny Damon already!

Seriously. Sign him.
It looks like he isn't going back to the Yankees.
The Red Sox aren't bringing him back and chances are the Angels, Mariners and Cubs aren't in the running.

Where is he going? St. Louis?

The guy is a winner, he would be a great spark plug and this would be a new challenge for him after winning on both sides of the great Red Sox/Yankee rivalry to win in San Francisco.

He already made a Bay Area cameo with the A's in 2001... he'll fit right in.

Besides, he is exactly the kind of offensive player they need. They aren't getting a big power hitter to come to San Francisco and see their home run totals tumble.

They need a guy like Damon who can hit a ball into the gap and take two. (Don't be fooled by his inflated home run total last year... he was taking advantage of the wind tunnel in the new Yankee Stadium.)

He'd be a perfect fit in San Francisco. And spare me any concerns for his defense. The Giants trotted out Barry Bonds all of those years when he had worse range than the statue of Willie Mays outside of the ballpark.

Giants, sign him already. Offer him a 2 year deal. Who exactly are you bidding against?

And Johnny... go to the Giants. You are a perfect fit there.
Who knows? You might be able to grow your beard back!

THE YANKEES ARE UNDERRATEDLY SENTIMENTAL

Well one of the residual effects of the bewildering Javier Vazquez for Melky Cabrera deal is it opens up left field again… and there is speculation that it was done do retain Johnny Damon… even though he’s 35 years old, his defensive skills are eroding and he already did what he was supposed to do (help lead the Yankees to a World Series title.)

Why would you sign him to a long term deal when he will clearly break down by the end of it? And sacrifice a talented outfielder (Melky)10 years his junior? And sacrifice that outfielder for a pitcher (Vazquez) who in 12 seasons has had 3 good ones and a meltdown in New York?

Because the Yankees are sentimental!

People refer to Yankees as the Evil Empire (and by people I mean Larry Lucchino.) But a more appropriate name would be Mr. Softee.

Look at all of the people who come back for second acts as a Yankee (think Andy Pettitte, Joe Girardi, Nick Johnson and even Javy Vazquez). And how often they keep their own veterans around (Jeter, Rivera and Posada are all still there.) And when one player leaves (a la Matsui) Yankee fans cry about how they should have kept him.

Everything about the Yankees is sold on a bit of sentimentality.

Whether it is showing the clip of Lou Gehrig declaring himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth, or showing clips of Thurman Munson or pining for Ruth, Yogi or Mickey, the Yankees are always sold on mushiness.

Watch any Yankee highlight film or any Yankeeography on YES. They make Love Actually look as mean and gritty as a Scorsese film.

They are running out of numbers to retire and their Old Timers Day is a lovefest like no other in baseball.

They spent a billion dollars to make a stadium that looked like the OLD stadium (instead of the perfectly good and profitable stadium they were using.)

Even the calling of “27 titles!” is a call to the past.

Now contrast that with the Red Sox, who are usually portrayed as the more emotional and sentimental franchise. Look at all of the players they just set adrift the nanosecond their skills start to erode.

And so many greats leave Boston on bad terms that I could write up a 25 man roster of players in my lifetime whose left Fenway in a huff. (And it looks like Mike Lowell might be the next one on the list!)

But not the Yankees… even the guys who DO leave angry (Yogi, Reggie, Goose) are brought back as Prodigal Sons.

And now it looks like Johnny Damon might be the latest one to come back… and technically he hasn’t even left.

And the Yankees start a brand new century looking very similar to the last.

Better bring your handkerchiefs.

No offense to Hideki Matsui... but Mariano Rivera was the MVP

Nobody is denying Hideki Matsui had a great Game 6 of the World Series. Heck he drove in 6 runs by himself.

His two run homer off of Pedro Martinez got the scoring started... and when the Phillies answered with a run of their own, Matsui got the 2 out 2 run single that made it clear the Yankees weren't getting caught.

I still don't think he was the MVP of the World Series.

It's not a bad choice. Picking Phil Hughes would have been bad.

Matsui batting .615... he homered 3 times... he drove in 8 runs in the 6 game series...

All terrific.

He wasn't the MVP of the World Series.

Not to be harsh, but in a 6 game Series, the MVP should probably start more than half the games. (Not always... Dusty Rhodes should have been the MVP of the 1954 World Series... but I digress)

In this post season, every single closer blew a must win game for their team...
except one.

In this World Series, the mantra for both teams was get into their vulnerable bullpen. As Hughes and Chamberlain became less and less reliable, the Phillies would be licking their chops when Girardi pulled the starter.

EXCEPT for one pitcher.

The Phillies went into the later part of the Series not sure who would even pitch the 9th.

And yet basically their strategy seemed to be "Make sure Mariano Rivera doesn't pitch."

If Rivera pitched, the game was over.

That's kinda sorta a cut and dry definition of a Series MVP.

I said this to my dad last night and he replied "Yeah, but doesn't Rivera already have one?"

The answer is yes. He won the 1999 World Series MVP and the 2003 ALCS MVP.

He deserved those. And he deserved this one.

I'm sure Rivera isn't losing sleep over this and Matsui has been a great Yankee and it is easy to forget that this is his first World Series ring (doesn't it seem like he belongs with the Riveras, Posadas, Jeters and Pettittes as guys who have won a few?)

But when Rivera came out in the 8th, the roar of the crowd was that of people who knew the game (and the World Series title) was theirs.

They were right.

Because Rivera, the most valuable player of the series, was in the game.

A self pitying Red Sox fan guide to picking an NLCS team to root for

The Red Sox season is done. It's been done since Sunday afternoon. Hopefully Red Sox fans have calmed down a little bit.

The playoffs march on and there are some questions to ask... like who should we root for?

Now only a total sadistic Red Sox fan is questioning who they are rooting for in the ALCS. It's pretty cut and dry. Root for the California Angels (or whatever the hell they are calling themselves) and avoid the displeasure of seeing a parade in New York.

We need a few more years to chant "2000!"

The NLCS is a little harder to

Well there are pros and cons for each team and this being Sully Baseball I will break them all down before the first pitch of tonights NLCS.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

5 reasons for a Red Sox fan to root for the Dodgers:

- Joe Torre's revenge would be nice. Let's face it, any chance to see Steinbrenner and company get their come uppance is nice.

- Don Mattingly wins a ring... but not as a Yankee. You can't hate Don Mattingly. He was a classy and intensely unlucky player. It's nice to see guys like Mattingly, currently on the Dodgers coaching staff, get rings. Even nicer when that doesn't include the Yankees.

- Jim Thome deserves a ring. He would have a ring with the 1997 Indians if Jose Mesa could have held on to the lead in the 9th inning of Game 7. He's a bench player now, but I'm sure he doesn't mind.

- Frank McCourt is getting a divorce. He's a nice Boston boy who also happens to be a multibillionaire. That multi is going to get a lot smaller once he heads to divorce court and pretty soon this Dodger team will be dismantled faster than the 1997 Marlins squad that denied Thome a title. Better get that World Series title in NOW!

- Manny Ramirez gave us too many good memories. Yeah he was on juice and he pushed a dude to the ground and quit on the team... but remember all of the home runs? The peeing in the Green Monster? The 2004 World Series MVP? Come on! It's MANNY!

5 reasons for Red Sox fans to root against the Dodgers:

- We're supposed to root FOR Joe Torre? Really? Isn't it more fun knowing that he couldn't make it back to the World Series after the 2004 collapse?

- We're supposed to root FOR Jim Thome? The guy hit 7 homers in 3 Division Series against the Red Sox... and every one of them seemed to travel 14 miles.

- LA fans should be satisfied with the Lakers winning! It is unseemly for a fan base to be overly greedy (keeping in mind some Patriot fans are still pissed the 2007/2008 season wasn't PERFECT.)

- You know Frank McCourt did something really bad. You don't file for divorce from a multi billionaire without some serious sh*t hitting the fan. Once we find out what he did, we'll be glad he never hoisted a World Series trophy.

- We're still mad at Manny! Let's face it... it didn't end well. And if he wins with the Dodgers, it will start all of the short term memory barkers saying "See! The Red Sox should never have let Manny go!"

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

5 reasons for Red Sox fans to root for the Phillies:

- It would be fun to have a new Back to Back World Series winner. Especially to have people stop reminding us that the 1998-2000 Yankees were the last champs to repeat.

- They are building a potential dynasty from within. With all the talk about only teams that buy stars winning titles, it would be nice to see a team become a force with home grown stars. They already have 2 home grown MVPs (Howard and Rollins) and a home grown NLCS and World Series MVP (Hamels.) Maybe they can create a blue print for other teams and have everyone stop whining about the Red Sox and Yankees signing every free agent.

- It will really P*ss the Mets off. Hey 1986 will never be totally in the rear view mirror... and besides with big price busts and front office scandal, isn't it fun seeing the Mets turn into MLB's answer to the Knicks?

- PEDRO! The Phillies have Pedro Martinez, the guy who was the ace during the single most exciting period of Red Sox fandom in our LIVES. He deserves another ring!

- They are hard boiled passionate Northeastern fans with a New York complex! Sound familiar?


5 reasons for Red Sox fans to root against the Phillies:

- I don't want anyone else laying claim to the title "Team of the Decade." This is OUR decade damn it! We won two World Series titles and we're the only ones!

- I'm still not over the Jamie Moyer trade. Granted Moyer might not even play in this post season, but who knew that when the Red Sox traded him away in 1996 he'd still be a big league pitcher worth 12 wins a year 13 years later?

- What kind of a stupid name is Phillies? Seriously, it's not the Boston Bostonians. Our team has a dignified name based on the color of our footwear.

- The Phillies were originally in Worcester. You can look it up... the city of Philadelphia snatched a Massachusetts based team and tore the heart out of a fan base! Granted that happened in 1882 when Chester Arthur was President... but in New England old wounds heal slowly.

-Phillies fans are obnoxious. Seriously they boo their best players. They are never happy and complain even after they win. Who could like a fan base like that?... oh wait.



So make your choices Red Sox fans... and make your reasons as petty as possible.

As for me, I have rendered my decision and I will be saying... (Drum Roll Please.)

LET'S GO PHILLIES!

Yup, back to back titles from a home grown club like the Phillies is good for baseball. Plus I have many Phillie fan relatives and friends.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to see which NL Team will probably get their butts kicked by the Yankees in a week or so.

Don't play game 3

Seriously... don't play game 3 of the Division Series. Any hope of this being a competitive series ended tonight.

What else could any Twins fan (or Yankee hater) want than a 2 run lead and a rested and ready Joe Nathan on the mound on the 9th?

Or maybe bases loaded nobody out and the Twins facing a Yankee bullpen that had already used Rivera, Chamberlain, Hughes and Coke.

It could have been a series changing win.

Hell, it could have had a ripple effect across the entire post season!

1-1 going to the Metrodome? 

Suddenly the Yankee season in jeopardy with a loss in Minnesota!

But noooooooo.

We got Joe Nathan somehow afraid to throw a strike until he wound up throwing a meatball to A-Rod... and threw a ball into center field.

We got Joe Mauer unable to score from second on a single.

And now we have the specter of the final ever game at the Metrodome be a Yankee celebration.

Don't play it. 

The last games at the Metrodome was the wild sweep to finish the season and the jaw dropping extra inning do or die playoff against the Tigers.

Wouldn't it be better to have the lasting image of the Metrodome be Carlos Gomez leaping through the air, rather than the Yankees high fiving in front of a silent crowd?

Just don't play the game.

OK, how about this for a compromise?

You play Game 3... but you play it in the OLD Yankee Stadium... for old time's sake.

I mean the old stadium is just sitting there.

Remembering Bryan Harvey

It is fitting that Derek Jeter is probably going to pass Lou Gehrig to become the Yankees All Time hits leader in Yankee Stadium on September 11th.

Jeter means as much to New York as any person in the past decade.
Gehrig was the native New Yorker who brought dignity and class to the Yankees.
And this date will of course always be linked with the city.

It has the potential of being one of the great Yankee moments and as usual, Jeter gets it.

“I’m happy that I was able to do it here at home,” Jeter said. “We had so many special moments across the street. Hopefully this is the first of many memorable moments here at the new stadium.”

He is a true Yankee legend, cementing his place in the team’s lore (as if he needed it.)

So why am I thinking about Bryan Harvey?

You remember Bryan Harvey, don’t you?

He was darn good closer for the Angels and the Marlins in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He got Cy Young votes in 1991 and 1993 and won the Rolaids Relief Award in 1991.

Currently he is the pitching coach for the Tulsa Dillers in the Rockies organization and his son is a pitching prospect.

According to Derek Jeter’s interview with Michael Kay on CenterStage, as a minor leaguer he was almost traded to the Florida Marlins for Bryan Harvey.

The trade would have made sense seeing that the Yankees desperately needed a closer and Jeter was a few years away from making the team.

It was one of those trades that used to be made all of the time in Yankee land. A young player is shipped off for a recognizable player… and soon former Yankee farm hands like Doug Drabek, Willie McGee, Greg Gagne, Jose Rijo and Jay Buhner star for other teams while the veterans break down in the Bronx.

Of course injuries ended Harvey’s career after one game in the 1995 season. Jeter was called up later that year where he backed up veteran Tony Fernandez.

An injury to Fernandez opened up the shortstop position for Jeter and he won Rookie of the Year and played a big part in the 1996 World Series title… and then the 98 title and the 99 title and the 2000 title and the 2001 and 2003 pennants…

He became bigger than any superstar that George imported.

He became the most loved home grown Yankee since Thurman Munson.

And to think he could have been a Marlin… and inevitably been traded elsewhere when he asked for a bigger contract.

Or he could have been fit in with a smaller team and become like Michael Young… a star player that nobody had heard of.

Perhaps he would never have been a star!
Some people just click in right environment.

Dave Stewart was a mediocre spot starter and middle reliever bouncing between the Dodgers, Phillies and Rangers. He went to Oakland and became a Cy Young candidate and World Series MVP.

Of course there are critics of Jeter who say he is overrated and start blathering stats… obviously not watching all of the big rallys he contributes to and all the big plays he’s made over the years.

Others say “Well if the Yankees had Nomar or Tejada or Vizquel or A-Rod instead of Jeter, they would have won just as many titles.”

How do they know that?
Don’t they see the number of teams that think they can slap together stars to win instantly… only to see the teams fall on their face. (Go look at the team in Queens if you don’t know what I mean.)

And who knows what makes the perfect combination for a winning team? Those Yankees championship teams won year in and year out during the steroid era without a single player hitting more than 30 homers. They did it without an MVP or a Cy Young winner in the title years. And statistically you could find better players at every position…

Yet somehow they had the right combination to win.

Take Jeter out and replace him with someone else, you may not have the right mix.

It’s like saying “The Godfather” would have been as good if Harvey Keitel played Tom Hagen instead of Robert Duvall. Heck he’s not the main character and Keitel is good!

Yeah, but would it mess up the balance of the movie? Would the scenes with Sonny work as well? Would the scenes telling the Don about Sonny’s death have worked as well?

We’ll never know if another shortstop could have done the job as well as Jeter. What we DO know is that it worked in a spectacular manner.

And I also know that Yankee fans would have been denied this night if Bryan Harvey became a Yankee in 1994.

New Yankee Eric Hinske... not sure I get it

The Yankees picked up old friend and one time Rookie of the Year Eric Hinske from the Pirates today. 

Hinske was a left handed bat off of the bench for the 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox. 

He also homered in the World Series last year for Tampa and made the last out (and was criticized by my wife for his lack of desire.)

Now Hinske is a nice complimentary player and certainly helps the Yankees bench... so I can't really slam Cashman for this deal.

But I can't say I 100% get this deal.

Or 50% get this deal.

The Yankees are a good solid team but they could use a few parts for the second half.

However I never thought they had a LACK of left handed DH/outfielder types.

Johnny Damon is left handed, can no longer play centerfield and needs to DH from time to time.

Hideki Matsui shouldn't even own a glove anymore and these days is a mediocre left handed DH.

Nick Swisher is a switch hitting outfielder who can't play centerfield.

And Jorge Posada at this point should be a switch hitting DH and put young Francisco Cervelli under his wing as he seems to be playing well (and bringing some youth to the Yankee line up.)

Better get ANOTHER one!

And his place on the roster, plus the inevitable recovery of Jose Molina might mean that Cervelli will be sent down... because you wouldn't want young hungry players who are doing a good job on the 25 man roster!

Now I've heard the logic being that Hinske would give some of the players a rest and play third base for A-Rod once a week.

Um, really? Hinske came up as a third baseman and was shifted to first base and the outfield. Don't teams usually do that because the player can't handle third base?

He's played third base 21 times in the last 5 seasons. Am I still the only one stunned that the Yankees still don't have a jack of all trades infielder?

Hey, who am I to criticize Brian Cashman? OK, so I've done it before... but I just don't get this deal.

Watch him go on a tear and win the AL MVP

Craig Stammen... IMMORTAL!

It’s getting silly.

The other day I wrote that Craig Stammen, he of the 0-2 record and 5.86 in 5 career big league games, would come into Yankee Stadium and throw a perfect game because the Yankees bats turn to jelly when they face a new pitcher.

It wasn’t a perfect game… but 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball with no walks and his first career victory is nothing to sneeze at.

Holding A-Rod to zero hits in three at bats is pretty impressive although these days not such a rare occurance. (A Rod would finish 0-4.)

So once again… the existence of an advance scout for the Yankees can not be believed and a team that could rank as one of the worst in the history of baseball came into Yankee Stadium, took 2 of 3 and had three virtually unknown starters shut the Yankees down.

And despite my critics implication that Sharion Martis shouldn’t be included among the unknown and the lousy, I will disagree.

He was unknown in Yankee Stadium and his ERA would have been a decent credit score. A top line up in a band box ballpark should get more than 1 earned run in 6 innings off of him.

And before I am accused of not doing my homework… yes I know Craig Stammen, the pride of Versailles Ohio, put up good numbers in A and AA ball in 2008 and looked solid in Syracuse at the beginning of the year. But he was a struggling rookie in search of his first win.

A pitcher like that should get his first win pitching in a pitchers park like Petco against a lame hitting team like the Padres… not shut down the supposedly powerful Yankees.

Tonight the Yankees face Sean West… a rookie who has pitched 5 games in the bigs.

How could the Yankees POSSIBLY beat him?

Do the Yankees have a scouting department?

Someone named Fernando Nieve came into the wind tunnel home run machine known as new Yankee Stadium yesterday afternoon.

He had never faced the Yankees before... therefore he stymied them.

Doesn't that happen a lot to the Yankees?
Some pitcher you have never heard of shuts down the Yankee offense.

And in between talking about Broadway musicals, Suzyn (sic) Waldman and John Sterling will marvel about how terrific this young kid is... only to see the same pitcher get hammered in his next outing.

Don't the Yankees have scouts?
I mean the same organization that paid a total of $46 + million for Kei Igawa could throw around some scratch to have a guy or two sit in the stands and try to figure out a plan of attack against an unknown pitcher.

Just a thought.

If you are an opposing team facing the Yankees and you don't happen to have an ace (a la Roy Halladay) in your rotation... just go to your AAA affiliate and bring up a kid they've never heard of before.

You'll win 2 out of 3 games.

If the Yankees wanted to replicate Coors Field...

Then they should just go all the way and sign Dante Bichette, Andres Galarraga and Larry Walker.

It's getting a little ridiculous in this new ball park.

I think if Babe Ruth played there today, he'd his 15 homers.

AND HE'S BEEN DEAD SINCE 1948!!!!

Sully Baseball thanks Joe Girardi for the win last night

I was driving home last night listening to the game on my XM Radio.

Joba was rolling along in the 6th and I thought to myself "Jeez. We can't hit him. He's going to shut us down!" For the first time the new Stadium was rocking and I was wondering if Joba had taken a turn towards acedom.

It was an emotional day for Joba, with the troubles in his family and the teams struggles with the Red Sox.

The team was wound tighter than the crew of Das Boot and maybe a big win would let off a lot of steam.

Joba overcame his first inning struggles and looked like he was about to take the team onto his broad shoulders and give the 2009 Yankees some hope.

Just then with 2 outs and nobody on in the 6th and the Red Sox totally baffled by the guy... Girardi took him out.

And for that jaw droppingly horrible moment of managing, every Red Sox fan in the world thanks you, Joe Girardi.

For the second straight year, utter insanity has gripped the Yankees front office.

I felt like sending Girardi a thank you note.

It is official... Joba Chamberlain insanity has spilled into 2009. They didn't even let him finish the 6th inning!

At that moment I relaxed. It was only a 4-3 lead at the time, but I said "OK, they'll get some insurance runs and be fine."

Lo and behold the final score was 7-3. A taught game wasn't even a save opportunity by the end.

As a Red Sox fan, I can say I love the Joba insanity, but I am starting to feel bad for the guy.

A big win last night could have blown off a lot of steam for the club and maybe give the team an emotional turning point.

But the lunatics using abaci have determined an arbitrary number of pitches for Joba to throw. And no matter what the game situation is, he MUST be taken out no matter what.

And because of that, the Yankees are hell bent on making sure that the bullpen equivalent of Huey, Dewey and Louie pitch 2 or 3 innings per Joba start.

The tyranny of the pitch count is reaching an insane apex with the Joba rules. They were designed to keep him healthy, and he STILL landed on the DL last year.

Yes I know a young pitcher shouldn't blow his arm out a la Mark Prior... but shouldn't there be a little glance towards "game situation?"

Sabotaging a possible emotional boost for an arbitrary pitch count is R. P. McMurphy level insanity.

And if they keep this up, they will be like the men in the ward asking to watch the World Series... on TV.

Sully Baseball solves the Yankee Stadium reentry problems

So the Yankees had fans who paid hundreds of dollars for the cheap seats couldn't get back into the stadium after officials told them the game was called?

Security at the new Stadium couldn't come up with a system that would allow someone who was already in the park to come back?

Really?

Here's a suggestion from your pal Sully to keep another humiliating episode.

It's called a hand stamp.

Using the Rubber Stamp Man's prices, each one costs about $9.99.

There are four gates, put 6 ushers at each gate.

BOOM! I solved the problem at the $1.5 billion Stadium for $239.76.

Just trying to help.