Jeter Laces 'Em Up For Last Opening Day

Opening Day is a magical time in baseball. Check that, it's a magical time in life. Despite all the crappy weather we've endured in the northeast - not all the snow has melted yet - it feels like it's 80 degrees and sunny when baseball starts. (And if you must, you can crank the heat up to 80 degrees in your living room).

This year though, the opener feels weird, and not just because it's in Houston. I will stop thinking Houston is still in the National League. I will stop thinking Houston is still in the National League. I will stop thinking Houston is still in the National League.

It's the last season opener for Derek Jeter. What? Get out of here. He's like, what..30, 31 tops, right? How did the skinny kid with the fade haircut and the supermodel on his arm get to be the solid, nearly faded-hairline, 40-year old (in June) with the supermodel on his arm?

Though I hate the phrase, "the core four" (not as much as "Quan-Gor-Mo"), Jeter is the last of the quad to be in the lineup and that ends this year.  We lost Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte to retirement last year. Just like that, two of the three remaining "Fantastic Four" joined Jorge Posada in street clothes. (Mo would definitely be Mr. Fantastic in that superhero reboot.)

You hear people, especially Joe Torre, wear out the word "special" in describing Jeter, but his play on the field and how carries himself off of it, have been just that. From his rookie-Opening Day  home run and over the shoulder catch to the flip play to his dive in the stands to his passing Lou Gehrig as the Yankees all-time hits leader to his 3,000th hit and of course his five World Series rings. And of course there is his Turn-2 Foundation.

Could there be a ring number six in the last hurrah? It's going to be tough, though he has a lot better chance than Mariano and Pettitte had last year. The Yankees spent a boatload this winter to re-energize the team, just as they did after the 2008 post-season swing and a miss.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Masahiro Tanaka, and Carlos Beltran woke the Yankees' payroll department out of their 2013 slumber. The pitching staff of CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, Tanaka, and Michael Pineda could be fantastic, if all are healthy, Sabathia learns to pitch with less speed, and Tanaka is the real deal.

The Yankees offense should be good, but again, health is a big issue, particularly when discussing Ellsbury. Beltran's knees are another matter for concern as well and of course, there's Mark Teixeira's wrist.

There's also no Robinson Cano, which is still weird to me. He's already getting obliterated by Yankees fans for leaving, which is as hypocritical as it can get since the Yankees have thrown their money around for years. No Yankees fans complained about that and they shouldn't when the reverse happens.

But back to Jeter. My thoughts are much the same as with Rivera last year. Enjoy every moment, whether good or bad. It's his last time around the diamond.

Be sure to check out Designated for Assignment for Jim Monaghan's discussion with Harold Reynolds on Derek Jeter.

Time To Go

It is said that there are three little words that every woman wants to hear. It is said that there are three little words that professional athletes never want to hear, but last night Mariano Rivera heard them.

Long time teammates, friends, and brothers in arms, Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter came out to the mound in the 9th inning of Thursday night's game with the Tampa Bay Rays to escort Mariano Rivera back to the dugout. It was a stroke of genius that occurred to manager Joe Girardi, a former teammate of all three players involved, in the 8th inning. He consulted with home plate ump Laz Diaz, who checked with crew chief MikeWinters, who in turn gave it the thumbs up. Pettitte and Jeter told Mo before the 9th started of what was to come, but it didn't lessen the impact at all.

Pettitte signaled for a right-hander and then Jeter said those three little words. "Time to go." That's all that Mariano needed to burst into tears, his head resting on Pettitte's shoulder while the tall Texan held him in a warm embrace and consoled him like you would any loved one.  It continued when Rivera held on to Jeter before the three walked to the dugout.

Many of the fans in the stands joined in the tearfest and you can bet there were plenty of people at home doing the same. The crowd roared on endlessly, just as it did when Bob Sheppard's recorded voice announced Mariano's entrance into the game in the 8th. Just as it did when the bullpen door opened and Mariano stepped out and broke into that familiar jog as "Enter Sandman" played for the last time for an active player. The Rays' players stood atop their dugout in applause as well, fully appreciating the moment. (They also would not take the field in the bottom of the 9th until Andy Pettitte came out of the dugout in response to the fans chant of "An-dy Pett-itte".)

The roar didn't stop when Mariano emerged for a curtain call and when the game was over and #42 was the only player left in the dugout. Photographers clicked away as Rivera stared out on to the field with finality written all over his face.  He then walked to the mound and kicked at the rubber one more time before he bent down and collected dirt just as he had when the old Yankee Stadium closed.

The game itself was meaningless; a 4-0 loss to the Rays in which Ivan Nova made his final start of the season. In a post-game press conference, the closer admitted that it wasn't so easy to pitch in the 81st home game of the season. He had left the dugout, something he never does, between innings to warm his arm up in the clubhouse. He sat on the bench for what seemed like an eternity until he went out to the mound to start the 9th inning.

His pitches didn't have quite the accuracy they usually do since his legs felt a bit jelly-like, but he still retired all four batters he faced. In doing so, he became the Major League's all-time leader in career ERA with a 2.209 mark, slightly ahead of Eddie Cicotte's 2.210. (Thanks to the YES Network's research king Jeff Quagliata for that remarkable factoid.)

And then it was over; the #42 jersey disappeared into the dugout and then the runway to the clubhouse for the last time. It's not likely you'll see him on the mound again, even if Andy Pettitte has a game to save when he makes his final career start Saturday in Houston. But there is a good chance you will see him in centerfield in one of the three games if Joe Girardi grants his wish.

Sunday's ceremony was fantastic, marvelous, etc., but Mariano's final Yankee Stadium game was transcendental.

The moment

What they were saying:

Rays manager Joe Maddon via Twitter: "For me tonight was not unlike the Ripken moment. Hard to imagine anyone surpassing Mariano. It's like DiMaggio's streak: untouchable."

Rays pitcher David Price via Twitter: "Yes I did grab dirt from the mound tonight...a true role model...unreal what Mariano has done on/off field" #history

Andy Pettitte: "I didn't say anything at first, and I didn't expect for him to be quite so emotional.. He broke down and just gave me a bear hug and I just bear-hugged him back. He was really crying. He was weeping, and I could feel him crying on me."

Chris Stewart on Girardi's idea: "That’s Joe; it shows you the respect he has for the game, and for one of the best players to ever play it. To send those guys out there, that was a special moment. And to hear the crowd roar like that … we haven’t heard it too much this season, but you will never forget it."

Joe Girardi in describing the night: As good as it gets, this is as good as it gets."

Rays starter Alex Cobb: "I stopped thinking about the actual game I was pitching in and just the moment I was in. I never felt those emotions in a baseball stadium. It was the coolest thing I've ever been a part of to this day. I went out there after he pitched and all I was thinking about was that I was on the same mound that Mariano just took after all that happened. I probably should have been thinking about other things than that."

Mo Meets the media


Pettitte meets the media


Jeter discusses Mo's last inning


Girardi's presser

Yankees Prevail As Dempster Takes His Game Into The Dumpster

The New York Yankees - Boston Red Sox game last night could have been simply played like a normal baseball game between the longtime rivals. The fans would have booed Alex Rodriguez unmercifully, which isn't any different than any other time A-Rod played in Boston, and a winner would emerge after the usual four hour contest.

Except that Red Sox starting pitcher Ryan Dempster decided to make the moment and the game his own personal statement against A-Rod. In the end, the Yankees got payback at Dempster's actions and won the game, but home plate umpire Brian O'Nora handled things poorly and Yankees manager Joe Girardi was ejected as a result.

The best result of the night for the Yankees was the final score - Yankees 9 Red Sox 6. It was the third straight series win for the Pinstripes, who have won 7 of 10 since they were swept in a three game series with the Chicago White Sox.

The 2nd inning set the tone for the night when A-Rod stepped to the plate for the first time. Dempster, a onetime player rep who helped decide how PED suspensions and appeals would be handled, threw his first pitch behind A-Rod legs. The next two pitches missed their target - A-Rod, not the plate - and were inside and tight. Finally, Dempster's 3-0 delivery hit A-Rod in the back below his armpit.

That's when O'Nora made a mess of the entire situation. Instead of tossing Dempster for the obvious intent of the entire at-bat, he warned both benches. Girardi shot out of the dugout faster than he's run since he legged out that famous triple in Game 6 of the 1996 World Series.

Every vein in Girardi’s neck and head looked ready to burst as he screamed at O'Nora for his actions, or more precisely, inaction. O'Nora ejected him, but not before Girardi called Dempster another word for a cat.

A-Rod stood quietly alongside first base coach Mick Kelleher as both benches emptied, but no altercations took place. Girardi was still furious after the game ended. He told the YES Network:

"Ryan Dempster has hit six guys in his last 320 innings. He throws the first pitch behind him, intentional. He threw the next one inside, he didn't hit him...intentional. At some point Brian O'Nora has to give him a warning and he should have thrown him out of the game. It's the bottom line.

Everyone knows it was intentional and I don't know understand why he's left in the game, and then to give us a warning...You know Brian and I have a long history together. Back in 'A' ball, Double-A, and I respect him, but that was wrong.

You know the one thing you can't do is start changing the system, because maybe you don't like it. Ryan Dempster has been a player rep and he's been very involved in the union, and he knows this is what they decided to do. So you can't change it and take your potshots, and you'd have to have your head in the sand with the comments coming from the other side not to know that something might be happen.

So, I thought it was handled very poorly and I was upset about yesterday, because calls went against us that changed the complexion of the game. Then you have this...it's just flat wrong."

The complete interview:

Jerry Seinfeld once said the best revenge was "living well." In baseball, it's hitting a home run and knocking the pitcher out of the game. Down 6-3 in the 6th, A-Rod crushed a Dempster delivery into the centerfield stands. As he rounded first, A-Rod loudly clapped his hands and pointed both arms skyward when he reached home plate.

The blast fired up his teammates, who then took control of the game. Eduardo Nunez and Lyle Overbay reached on one-out singles and Dempster was pulled after he walked light hitting Chris Stewart to load the bases. Drake Britton came on and Brett Gardner introduced himself by ripping a ball to the deepest part of right-center field. Pinch-runner Jayson Nix, Overbay, and Stewart all crossed home plate as Gardner raced to third with a triple that gave the Yankees a 7-6 lead.

Mark Reynolds and Stewart added tack on RBI singles and Mariano Rivera got out of a two-out, two-on jam in the 9th when he got Jarrod Saltalamacchia to line out to left.

A-Rod was obviously upset after the game when YES asked him, "Joe said that should have been handled differently. The first pitch behind you should have been a warning and when you got hit he should have been tossed. Do you feel the same way?"

"Yeah I agree. That was..whether you like me or hate me, what's wrong is wrong and that was unprofessional and silly. And kind of a silly way to get someone on your team hurt as well.

YES: "Considering how many players have spoken out about you playing during your suspension, are you concerned about this at all moving forward?"

"I'm not at all. You know we um, that today brought us together. Joe's reaction was amazing. Every one of my teammates said "hit a bomb and walk it off. They were more...as pissed as I was. That's just not right."

There was a light moment when a reporter asked if Dempster should be suspended. A-Rod and the media laughed when he responded, "You're the asking the wrong guy about a suspension. I got an attorney I can recommend."

The complete interview:

And so it will continue to go.

Rain Out Theater - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was just one of the many A & B movies or TV episodes that WPIX (Channel 11) would show back in the 1970s when the Yankees got rained out on a Sunday afternoon.

The YES Network generally shows Centerstage or a Yankees classic.  Childhood is gone.

The Yankees finished the homestand 3-2 and take the road for a big trip through the AL East against the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. Then it's back home for the Mets and Boston Red Sox.

CC Sabathia, Sunday's scheduled pitcher, will start the series out in Baltimore against a yet to be named starter. Sabathia is 17-4, 3.00 in 26 career starts against the Orioles.

The Captain and Cash Visit With Francesa

Mike Francesa opened his WFAN radio show on Thursday with the Captain himself, Derek Jeter, and then brought on GM Brian Cashman to discuss the upcoming season.

Jeter maintains he will be ready for opening day, hedging just a little in saying he will need to get enough at-bats. Among the things Jeter discussed were:

1. He knew his ankle was broken in the ALCS the instant it happened. He was afraid to look at it though in case it was pointing in the wrong direction.

2. He likes the makeup of the current Yankees. It reminds him of the early teams he was on when the Yankees didn't need to rely so much on home runs to win games. Jeter further stated he prefers to play the type of baseball the Yankees will need to now play with so many home run bats missing from last year's lineup.

You can more of the interview at the YES Network.

Among the things that we learned from Cashman were:

1. The catching job will be held down by Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart. Why? Because they are out of options. Cashman didn't feel Austin Romine had any shot at the job when queried by Francesa. Since he has options and basically no Major League experience, Romine needs to start the season in Triple-A.

2. Cash was really hoping Russell Martin would return, but things couldn't be worked out. Francesa asked if there was any miscommunication between the Yankees and Martin, but Cash said there was none.

3. You can tell Cash does not love the WBC, but he has become accustomed to it and shrugged it off.

4. Cash expects Curtis Granderson back the first week of May. Until them the team will "evaluate what we have" and they will also check the waiver wires. Right now there is no player ahead of the others to win the left field job.

5. Francesa asked, "Is Nunez your insurance policy at shortstop?" - Cash said Nunez or (Jayson) Nix and said that the team may only carry one of them. Francesa also asked if Eduardo Nunez had the chance to be the right-handed DH. Cash said he wanted something more, which I would interrupt as someone with the more pop/power in his bat.

You can hear more of the interview at the YES Network website.

Thursday games wrap up

The wins and losses don't matter during Spring Training, but the efforts do. Though the Yankees lost both games on Thursday (against the Astros and Blue Jays), there were some high notes.

David Phelps tossed three scoreless innings in 1-0 loss to Toronto. He allowed a couple of hits, walked a batter and struck one out.  Reliever David Aardsma tossed a scoreless inning and Juan Rivera was 2-2.

The Yankees lost to the Astros 7-6 after they had built a 5-1 lead. All fives runs came in the 6th inning when Melky Mesa belted a 3-run home run. Mesa, who's full first name is Melquisedec, has been mentioned as a possible fill-in in left field until Curtis Granderson returns. Mesa only hit .230 in 33 games after an in-season promotion to Scranton last year, but had 9 HR and 21 RBI.  Zoilo Almonte continued to impress with a pair of hits and an RBI.

Not such a great start for Dellin Betances, who showed the control trouble he struggled with last year. In one inning against the Astros Betances walked two and struck out two. Betances averaged 8.3 walks per nine innings at Triple-A last year, which led to a demotion to Trenton. He was a little better there with an average of 4.8 walks per nine innings.

Chris Stewart did something you don't see too often in Spring Training. He was ejected for arguing a call at first base.

Go to Mo

Mariano Rivera took the next step in his return by throwing an 18 pitch simulated game.

Yankees and Rupert Murdoch Not Perfect Together

If you know me, you know I hate Fox News and much of the way Fox Sports televises games. Fox Broadcasting is part of News Corporation, the mass media entity run by the 81-year old spawn of the devil, Rupert Murdoch. So you should be able to understand why I threw up in my mouth a little after I read that Murdoch is on the verge of purchasing a 49% share of the YES Network.

The team is not for sale according to an unnamed official, but at one time George Steinbrenner considered selling the team to another media dirt bag named Jim Dolan. Thankfully, Steinbrenner had a change of heart. Will Hal and Hank Steinbrenner stick to their guns at a time when the economy is hurting and the Yankees priced themselves out of packed houses with a new stadium that was aimed at those who eat pate and drink champagne?

While the NY media has been focused on the Mets money troubles and their involvement with Bernie Madoff, perhaps the Yankees are hurting as well. (Which means making less money; to you and me that's not a loss, but it is those who are a part of the lifestyles of the rich and famous.)

Selling a chunk of the network and/or the team itself is one thing, but to sell it to a scum bag like Murdoch is another. By now you know of the phone hacking scandal that News Corp was involved in, which led to Murdoch closing the doors on the 168-yr old "News of the World" and caused him to drop out of a deal to take over a satellite company that would have been worth billions of dollars. Numerous criminal charges were filed against the executives of News Corp., including Murdoch.

The Tasmanian Devil was even called unfit to run a newspaper empire by a British Parliamentary panel. Apparently the Steinbrenner family doesn't care who they deal with as long as their money is green.

This past Sunday, Murdoch caused controversy by tweeting about the "Jewish owned press" being anti-Israel. He later apologized, but pretty much said he didn't know why he was. He still felt he was right, which is no surprise. Fox News has built an empire by blatantly lying to their viewers and never having any accountability for it. As a matter of fact, Murdoch takes no responsibility for anything his companies or employees do.

Hal, Hank, Randy Levine, just say NO to the YES sale. I don't want Derek Jeter and CC Sabathia to one day get their checks from News Corp.

Mo to Entertain Retirement Thoughts?

He may have just been playing with the YES Network's Kim Jones, but in an interview on Monday, Mariano Rivera said he would think about retirement after this season. Then again, he's in the final year of a contract and this could all be for show.

Mariano Rivera talks with Kim Jones

Get Ready For The Showdown

In case you missed it on YES Sunday, here's the great recap/montage of the 2009 season.

Get Ready For The Showdown
Uploaded by KMFIS. - Discover the latest sports and extreme videos.

The Daily Yankeeland - 3/31

The last day of March is here, which means opening day is less than a week away. The Yankees are in Sarasota today to play the Cincinnati Reds at 1:05 pm. Joba Chamberlain will be starting for the Yankees. We'll try to Twitter as much of today's game as we can.

Believe it or not, Joba's arraignment on DUI charges has been postponed for a 4th time. In this case it's only for a day though, so Joba can pitch this afternoon.

Beginning May 4, the Yankees will offer tours of the new Yankee Stadium to anyone willing to fork over $20. The money will be going to charity.

1998 Superman Shane Spencer is now a minor league hitting coach for the San Diego Padres.

Former Yankees pitcher Ross Ohlendorf, included in the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte trade, has made the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation. He's allowed just 2 earned runs in 20.2 spring innings.

The Yankees Single-A affiliate, Charleston River Dogs, are working in conjunction with "Teacher’s Supply Closet" to help educators in the area. The Teachers Supply Closet assists educators in getting school supplies to children who can't afford them. The River Dogs are running a program to exchange $1 seats for anyone donating school supplies at their games.

The YES Network grabbed 13 Emmy Awards in ceremonies held Sunday night. It included 5 awards for the Yankeeography series.

Here's some info on Yankee Stadium catering (we weren't awake enough to read it).

You Say Nay to Kay

The response to the Michael Kay poll and post was overwhelming. Nothing close to Gallup or Harris, but 434 respondents was awesome.

By nearly a 2:1 margin you said, give Michael Kay the heave-ho. Only 10% of you were happy with the lead YESman, while 25% of you want him to share the play by play wealth with guys like Ken Singleton.

But a whopping 65% of you wanted to tell Michael Kay, "SEE YA", and have him "driven" from the booth.

If you truly want changes, write your congressmanthe YES Network.

YANKEES ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS NETWORK, LLC
The Chrysler Building
405 Lexington Avenue, 36th Floor
New York, NY 10174-3699
Phone: 646-487-3600
Fax: 646-487-3612

You Say Nay to Kay

The response to the Michael Kay poll and post was overwhelming. Nothing close to Gallup or Harris, but 434 respondents was awesome.

By nearly a 2:1 margin you said, give Michael Kay the heave-ho. Only 10% of you were happy with the lead YESman, while 25% of you want him to share the play by play wealth with guys like Ken Singleton.

But a whopping 65% of you wanted to tell Michael Kay, "SEE YA", and have him "driven" from the booth.

If you truly want changes, write your congressmanthe YES Network.

YANKEES ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS NETWORK, LLC
The Chrysler Building
405 Lexington Avenue, 36th Floor
New York, NY 10174-3699
Phone: 646-487-3600
Fax: 646-487-3612

YES, Bobby Murcer is Back

We were greeted with exciting news in today's Star Ledger, Bobby Murcer will be back in the YES broadcast booth tonight and this weekend, and will work out of the studio next week. Bobby was in the Stadium last night, and would have been broadcasting earlier this year if not for a health scare during spring training.

It had been a little over a year since Bobby's surgery for brain cancer, and the results of an MRI had shown the cancer might have returned. But doctors found that it was just scar tissue/residual effect of the surgery and he's doing well. He also spoke last night with Newsday's Anthony Rieber.

He joked about his current treatment regimen -- steroids. I guess I shouldn't say that," he said.

Murcer said he is "cancer-free" after a biopsy in March but added, "I had some setbacks after my biopsy and I'm still not 100 percent."

"I haven't been as strong this year as I was last year," he said. "But everything's all right. Just glad to be here."

In case you have seen it yet, MSG Plus+ is airing an interview with Bobby on their show Halls of Fame. Host Fran Healy has never been a favorite of ours (he may be one of the worst game announcers ever), but he does a good job in this half-hour segment that digs a little deeper than Bobby's boiler plate Yankeeography.

Welcome back Bobby!

YES, Bobby Murcer is Back

We were greeted with exciting news in today's Star Ledger, Bobby Murcer will be back in the YES broadcast booth tonight and this weekend, and will work out of the studio next week. Bobby was in the Stadium last night, and would have been broadcasting earlier this year if not for a health scare during spring training.

It had been a little over a year since Bobby's surgery for brain cancer, and the results of an MRI had shown the cancer might have returned. But doctors found that it was just scar tissue/residual effect of the surgery and he's doing well. He also spoke last night with Newsday's Anthony Rieber.

He joked about his current treatment regimen -- steroids. I guess I shouldn't say that," he said.

Murcer said he is "cancer-free" after a biopsy in March but added, "I had some setbacks after my biopsy and I'm still not 100 percent."

"I haven't been as strong this year as I was last year," he said. "But everything's all right. Just glad to be here."

In case you have seen it yet, MSG Plus+ is airing an interview with Bobby on their show Halls of Fame. Host Fran Healy has never been a favorite of ours (he may be one of the worst game announcers ever), but he does a good job in this half-hour segment that digs a little deeper than Bobby's boiler plate Yankeeography.

Welcome back Bobby!

Michael Kay, Yea or Nay?

We've been hearing a lot of anti-Michael Kay talk over the last year. Let's quickly re-phrase that a bit. We've been hearing a lot of anti-Michael Kay talk for years, but it has gotten a lot louder the last year. We're only referring to his work as the lead Yankees broadcaster for the YES Network.

Not his work on Centerstage, which we feel he does very well, or on his radio show, which we could take or leave. There have even been "Fire Michael Kay" blogs started.

Let's review some of our own complaints about Kay as well as a lot of what we've been hearing from others. We won't even bring up his "fivehead". Oops, we just did.

Repetitiveness

Kay definitely has a penchant for repeating himself. We don't mean the kind of repeating that Tim McCarver does, where he's still dissecting a play from three innings ago. We're referring to his constant mentioning of certain things. Some examples:

The size of Kevin Mench's head; Every time the Yankees play the team Mench is on, Kay goes on about how large Mench's melon is. Okay, we get it. It's a throwback to the '70s when Frank Messer couldn't stop talking about how Carlos May had half his thumb blown off.

The repeat use of phrases, especially corny ones. "He's like the girl with the curl. He's either very good or very bad."

The "Martini Glass" defense to describe the shift when Jason Giambi comes up.

Part of this next example is obviously an issue with the YES director and production team. Every time David Cone is in the booth we don't need to see the last out of his perfect game. Kay is only partially duplicitous (we use that word here because he loves to use it) here since he just intros the clip.

Another irritating Kayism has even bothered his fellow broadcasters, though it's usually good natured. That would be Kay's use of $5 words to describe a scene that could be easily stated in a more user friendly manner. Don't get us wrong, education and expanding your vocabulary is great, but this is a baseball game not an English lit class. Some examples:

"His speech was filled with vitriol."

Act your age. We are all for immaturity, but when you're 47-years old trying to sound 20, you just sound stupid.

"Are you guys down with that?"

The corny factor.

"When we come back we'll put a bow on this one." Heck we can't even stand when he thanks us for tuning in.

Asinine gimmickry - "QuanGorMo" to describe the Yankees 7th thru 9th inning was stupid, and "Generation Trey" to lump Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy together is obnoxious and loathed. What makes the latter worse is David Cone has picked it up. On the bright side, no one else has.

The obvious - Asking John Flaherty about his approach at the plate. Flaherty, except for a year or two, couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag. We don't want to know what his approach is.

The home run call - Coming up with a distinctive home run call is tough. No question about it. But "See ya" is really weak. It's also become the rallying cry for those who want Kay out of the booth. We also hate it because of the guy we played golf with one time who yelled it every time we hit a ball into the woods. We heard it a lot.

Exaggeration - You have to keep things interesting during a broadcast, but Kay overplays many plays. The grounder in the hole at shortstop is a routine play. It shouldn't sound like Brooks Robinson just dove into foul territory, got up, and threw a runner out. Kay is guilty of this all the time. Every ball hit to the outfield is "driven" even if it's a routine fly ball.

To his credit, Kay does a good job of getting the analysts involved in various discussions. But, we have a major issue with the guys in the suits who gave Kay exclusive play-by-play rights. Back in the day we enjoyed the rotation of announcers. At that point they rotated between radio and TV. What makes this worse is that the best play-by-play guy YES has is Kenny Singleton, and he only gets to have that role when Kay doesn't accompany the team to the towns he hates (i.e. Kansas City).

While he probably has a better grasp of the game than John Sterling, he too, like Sterling, seems like he spent his formative years at tap class rather than actually playing the sport. He makes pointless points, that wouldn't be agreed upon by smart baseball people. We also have an issue with Kay kissing ass on YES and then ripping the same people on his radio show (i.e. Joe Torre after his departure).

We would like to see Kay go...back to radio. We were annoyed at first by the Sterling-Kay extravaganza, but they grew on us. Since Suzyn Waldman is horrible on the radio broadcast, it would be a natural fit.

Michael Kay, SEE YA.

Now please fill out our poll and tell us what you think.

Michael Kay, Yea or Nay?

We've been hearing a lot of anti-Michael Kay talk over the last year. Let's quickly re-phrase that a bit. We've been hearing a lot of anti-Michael Kay talk for years, but it has gotten a lot louder the last year. We're only referring to his work as the lead Yankees broadcaster for the YES Network.

Not his work on Centerstage, which we feel he does very well, or on his radio show, which we could take or leave. There have even been "Fire Michael Kay" blogs started.

Let's review some of our own complaints about Kay as well as a lot of what we've been hearing from others. We won't even bring up his "fivehead". Oops, we just did.

Repetitiveness

Kay definitely has a penchant for repeating himself. We don't mean the kind of repeating that Tim McCarver does, where he's still dissecting a play from three innings ago. We're referring to his constant mentioning of certain things. Some examples:

The size of Kevin Mench's head; Every time the Yankees play the team Mench is on, Kay goes on about how large Mench's melon is. Okay, we get it. It's a throwback to the '70s when Frank Messer couldn't stop talking about how Carlos May had half his thumb blown off.

The repeat use of phrases, especially corny ones. "He's like the girl with the curl. He's either very good or very bad."

The "Martini Glass" defense to describe the shift when Jason Giambi comes up.

Part of this next example is obviously an issue with the YES director and production team. Every time David Cone is in the booth we don't need to see the last out of his perfect game. Kay is only partially duplicitous (we use that word here because he loves to use it) here since he just intros the clip.

Another irritating Kayism has even bothered his fellow broadcasters, though it's usually good natured. That would be Kay's use of $5 words to describe a scene that could be easily stated in a more user friendly manner. Don't get us wrong, education and expanding your vocabulary is great, but this is a baseball game not an English lit class. Some examples:

"His speech was filled with vitriol."

Act your age. We are all for immaturity, but when you're 47-years old trying to sound 20, you just sound stupid.

"Are you guys down with that?"

The corny factor.

"When we come back we'll put a bow on this one." Heck we can't even stand when he thanks us for tuning in.

Asinine gimmickry - "QuanGorMo" to describe the Yankees 7th thru 9th inning was stupid, and "Generation Trey" to lump Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy together is obnoxious and loathed. What makes the latter worse is David Cone has picked it up. On the bright side, no one else has.

The obvious - Asking John Flaherty about his approach at the plate. Flaherty, except for a year or two, couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag. We don't want to know what his approach is.

The home run call - Coming up with a distinctive home run call is tough. No question about it. But "See ya" is really weak. It's also become the rallying cry for those who want Kay out of the booth. We also hate it because of the guy we played golf with one time who yelled it every time we hit a ball into the woods. We heard it a lot.

Exaggeration - You have to keep things interesting during a broadcast, but Kay overplays many plays. The grounder in the hole at shortstop is a routine play. It shouldn't sound like Brooks Robinson just dove into foul territory, got up, and threw a runner out. Kay is guilty of this all the time. Every ball hit to the outfield is "driven" even if it's a routine fly ball.

To his credit, Kay does a good job of getting the analysts involved in various discussions. But, we have a major issue with the guys in the suits who gave Kay exclusive play-by-play rights. Back in the day we enjoyed the rotation of announcers. At that point they rotated between radio and TV. What makes this worse is that the best play-by-play guy YES has is Kenny Singleton, and he only gets to have that role when Kay doesn't accompany the team to the towns he hates (i.e. Kansas City).

While he probably has a better grasp of the game than John Sterling, he too, like Sterling, seems like he spent his formative years at tap class rather than actually playing the sport. He makes pointless points, that wouldn't be agreed upon by smart baseball people. We also have an issue with Kay kissing ass on YES and then ripping the same people on his radio show (i.e. Joe Torre after his departure).

We would like to see Kay go...back to radio. We were annoyed at first by the Sterling-Kay extravaganza, but they grew on us. Since Suzyn Waldman is horrible on the radio broadcast, it would be a natural fit.

Michael Kay, SEE YA.

Now please fill out our poll and tell us what you think.

Lets Go to the Video Tape

The YES Network has produced several spring training reports and here they are (until they tell Youtube to take them down):

Joba Chamberlain


Johnny Damon


Brian Bruney


Ian Kennedy


Phil Hughes


Shelley Duncan

Lets Go to the Video Tape

The YES Network has produced several spring training reports and here they are (until they tell Youtube to take them down):

Joba Chamberlain


Johnny Damon


Brian Bruney


Ian Kennedy


Phil Hughes


Shelley Duncan

The Daily Yankeeland

Peter Abraham of the Journal News informed us that reporters will be getting a sneak peek of the new Stadium today. He will be posting some pics this afternoon and will also be trying to answer some of the questions that readers have sent him.

David Cone was introduced as a new YES Network announcer yesterday. In speaking with reporters, Cone took some of the blame for the rampant use of steroids in the game today. Cone was one of the players negotiating for the new collective bargaining agreement that was struck after the 1994 strike. The players' association rejected a proposal for P.E.D. testing.

"Certainly in retrospect, I think there's plenty of blame to go around. Certainly I share some of that blame as being involved with the players' association at that time," Cone said yesterday. "It's something I'm not proud of. It's humbling. It's embarrassing."

Yesterday was the 113th anniversary of Babe Ruth's birth. He is remembered fondly by his 90-year old daughter, Ruth Stevens. She's still amazed at how her Dad is admired with such great reverance.

“I think daddy’s just one of a kind,” said Ruth Stevens, (seen between her mother Claire and her famous Dad in the photo to the left), 90, from her Arizona home. “It’s just wonderful that 60 years after he died people are so interested in learning about and remembering him. My family does the best they can to keep daddy’s name out there.”

Ruth's buried in his native Baltimore and now a local attorney is spearheading a campaign to purchase a headstone for Ruth's mother. Catherine Ruth died of tuberculosis at age 38 and was buried in an unmarked grave.

The Daily Yankeeland

Peter Abraham of the Journal News informed us that reporters will be getting a sneak peek of the new Stadium today. He will be posting some pics this afternoon and will also be trying to answer some of the questions that readers have sent him.

David Cone was introduced as a new YES Network announcer yesterday. In speaking with reporters, Cone took some of the blame for the rampant use of steroids in the game today. Cone was one of the players negotiating for the new collective bargaining agreement that was struck after the 1994 strike. The players' association rejected a proposal for P.E.D. testing.

"Certainly in retrospect, I think there's plenty of blame to go around. Certainly I share some of that blame as being involved with the players' association at that time," Cone said yesterday. "It's something I'm not proud of. It's humbling. It's embarrassing."

Yesterday was the 113th anniversary of Babe Ruth's birth. He is remembered fondly by his 90-year old daughter, Ruth Stevens. She's still amazed at how her Dad is admired with such great reverance.

“I think daddy’s just one of a kind,” said Ruth Stevens, (seen between her mother Claire and her famous Dad in the photo to the left), 90, from her Arizona home. “It’s just wonderful that 60 years after he died people are so interested in learning about and remembering him. My family does the best they can to keep daddy’s name out there.”

Ruth's buried in his native Baltimore and now a local attorney is spearheading a campaign to purchase a headstone for Ruth's mother. Catherine Ruth died of tuberculosis at age 38 and was buried in an unmarked grave.

But You Still Don't Have a Dance Coney

David Cone has made peace with the Bronx Bombers and will be joining the YES Network's broadcast of about 50 Yankees' games. King George had been annoyed by Cone's return to baseball with the Mets in 2002 (and probably his deal with the Red Sox in '01), but it's all water under the bridge.

Coney will replace Joe Girardi in the booth and David Justice as host of the kid-oriented "Yankees on Deck".