Video Killed the Radio Star and TV and Interleague Play Did in the All-Star Game

Everyone in the media continually tries to to figure out why the interest in Major League Baseball’s All-Star game has dwindled to the point that you wonder if it might not exist one day. The reasons why the ratings are at an all-time low are very apparent if you simply look at a few simple facts.

First though, let’s take a look at the ratings since 1967, as amassed by Baseball Almanac. From 1967-1980, the game averaged a 46.7 share of the television audience. The game averaged a 24.5 rating with the 1969 game the only time the share dipped below 20 during the period, and that occurred because the game was rained out the night before and was played the following afternoon.

Ratings began to decline over the next decade, though the share was still decent (36.8 avg) from 1981-1988. The ’81 All-Star game was the first game after a two month player’s strike interrupted the season. After the 1989 game, which had an 18.2 rating and 33 share, the game’s viewership steadily declined. The 2002 season saw the ratings drop below 10% for the first time. Last season saw an all-time lows of 6.8%, a 12 share, and 10.9 million viewers.

If you were a baseball fan in the 1960’s and 1970’s, the All-Star game and the post-season were the only times that you saw players like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Jim Palmer unless they were on your team. Fans were also fans of the league their team was in-if you liked the Yankees or Mets, you rooted for the American or National League in the All-Star game and in the World Series.

The All-Star game was a happening that you looked forward to. When else could you see so many future Hall of Fame players, especially at one time. When I was growing up the NL dominated the game, so I was really into, hoping the AL would finally beat the hated NL. In 1971 it finally happened in Detroit when the AL's sluggers pounded the NL pitchers. The most memorable shot being Reggie Jackson's home run blast off the tower atop Tiger Stadium. The AL wouldn't win again until Fred Lynn's grand slam catupulted the junior circuit to a 13-3 win. 

The AL finally exacted vengance with 18 wins over the period from 1988-2009, but something had changed and the excitement was gone.

A Change in the Air

Perhaps the All-Star game television ratings might have leveled off had the player’s strike not occurred in August, 1994. The regular season was wiped out and the entire post-season was canceled in one fell swoop by MLB commissioner Bud Selig.  Baseball didn’t start up again until April 2, 1995. Some fans would never return to the ball park, others slowly made their way back. (The last game I attended before the strike was August 9, 1994 and I did not return to the ball park until July 30, 1998.) Either way the game was badly damaged.

From that moment on, viewership (slightly) increased  from one year to the next just four times to date. One rise (13%) occurred in 1998 when everyone was caught up in the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa steroid fueled chase of Roger Maris’ single season home run record.  The next increase came in 2001 (10%) when Barry Bonds was in a steroid fueled chase of McGwire’s 1998 home run record.

The third rise in the ratings was in the 2006 game in Pittsburgh (15%), presumably because of the ceremony that was held mid-game in memory of Roberto Clemente. The final increase in ratings came in 2008 when the Yankees held their final All-Star game in the old Yankee Stadium. Ratings (11%) had to be helped by Josh Hamilton’s monsterous home run derby performance the night before.

Television’s Role in Dimishing the All-Star Game's Draw

With no cable TV and teams not broadcasting all 162 regular season games, any time you could watch a game it felt like you won a prize. There was a weekly nationally televised game, but that was it.  Then cable television began to appear and the landscape of televised baseball changed forever.

More regular season out of market games started to be televised in the late 1970’s and then ESPN came into existence in 1979 with highlights and replays of baseball games like you had never seen before. The Connecticut based station started televising baseball games in 1990, so you no longer had to wait for the one national game of the week to be shown. 

Over the next two decades, the MLB Network would be launched, other cable outlets (e.g. TBS) began to broadcast games, you could add the MLB Extra Innings package to your cable or dish plan, and the official MLB site provided video and audio broadcasts.

Baseball games can be found all around the dial or the internet now, which means you can watch Miguel Cabrera or Mike Trout just about any time you want.

The Death Blow

One of the ideas Selig came up with to increase fan interest was the implementation of interleague play. While most fans seem to love it, or least like it, it was a tremendous blow to the All-Star game. What started out quietly in 1997 with opponents playing 15-18 games against the other league is now an every day occurrence in the Major Leagues. Why bother watching an All-Star game when you can see players from both leagues on any day or night on a number of different television stations.

Selig impacted the game again after the AL and NL played to a 7-7 tie in 2002.  To make the game more important, he decreed that home field advantage for the World Series would be determined by the league that won the All-Star game. Fans have laughed at the notion ever since. Selig basically kicked a man when he was already down.

Until someone figures out another way to bring excitement to the game, don't look for the ratings to be anything spectacular in the future. That is if the game still exists.

UPDATE - The 2013 game got an 8.1 national rating, which means there was increase from the prior year for just the fifth time since 1998. It was about a 20% boost from last year's game primarily due to Mariano Rivera and it being the first game at the Mets home field since 1964.

All-Star Game Television Ratings Television Analysis & Ratings Breakdown
Year	Network	Rating	Share	Households	Viewers
1967	NBC	25.6	50	14,050,000	Not Available
1968	NBC	25.8	49	14,450,000	Not Available
1969	NBC	15.1	42	8,610,000	Not Available
1970	NBC	28.5	54	16,670,000	Not Available
1971	NBC	27.0	50	16,230,000	Not Available
1972	NBC	22.9	43	14,220,000	26,300,000
1973	NBC	23.8	45	15,420,000	27,600,000
1974	NBC	23.4	44	15,490,000	Not Available
1975	NBC	21.5	41	14,730,000	28,170,000
1976	ABC	27.1	53	18,680,000	36,330,000
1977	NBC	24.5	45	17,440,000	31,000,000
1978	ABC	26.1	47	19,030,000	35,529,000
1979	NBC	24.4	45	18,180,000	31,980,000
1980	ABC	26.8	46	20,450,000	36,270,000
1981	NBC	20.1	36	15,640,000	Not Available
1982	ABC	25.0	44	20,380,000	34,120,000
1983	NBC	21.5	39	17,910,000	27,190,000
1984	ABC	20.1	35	16,840,000	28,500,000
1985	NBC	20.5	36	17,400,000	28,210,000
1986	ABC	20.3	35	17,440,000	28,375,000
1987	NBC	18.2	37	15,910,000	24,295,000
1988	ABC	20.4	33	18,070,000	29,526,000
1989	NBC	18.2	33	16,450,000	25,840,000
1990	CBS	16.2	33	14,940,000	24,365,000
1991	CBS	17.4	32	16,200,000	24,670,000
1992	CBS	14.9	27	13,720,000	21,981,000
1993	CBS	15.6	28	14,550,000	22,306,000
1994	NBC	15.7	28	14,790,000	22,015,000
1995	ABC	13.9	25	13,260,000	20,163,000
1996	NBC	13.2	23	12,690,000	18,479,000
1997	FOX	11.8	21	11,420,000	16,723,000
1998	NBC	13.3	25	13,026,000	18,970,000
1999	FOX	12.0	22	11,890,000	17,640,000
2000	NBC	10.1	18	10,167,000	14,714,000
2001	FOX	11.0	19	11,198,000	16,029,000
2002	FOX	9.5	17	10,046,000	14,653,000
2003	FOX	9.5	17	10,156,000	13,810,000
2004	FOX	8.8	15	9,573,000	13,995,000
2005	FOX	8.1	14	8,884,000	12,330,000
2006	FOX	9.3	16	10,301,000	14,424,000
2007	FOX	8.4	15	9,343,000	12,530,000
2008	FOX	9.3	16	10,441,000	14,540,000
2009	FOX	8.9	15	10,754,230	14,610,000
2010	FOX	7.5	13	8,692,500	12,100,000
2011	FOX	6.9	12	7,712,000	11,000,000
2012	FOX	6.8	12	6,743,724	10,900,000

A-Rod Remembers How to Hit Home Runs

(Photo: Bradley C. Bower, AP)

With an upcoming suspension decision by Bud Selig and MLB hanging over his head, Alex Rodriguez continued his rehab from hip surgery Monday night as a member of the Trenton Thunder.

Playing a road series with the Reading Phillies, Lightning-Rod belted the first home run of his comeback trail and also added an infield single. He played seven innings in the field and handled everything that came his way.

But will he be able to handle what Selig has in store for him?

Yankees All-Star Break Report Card: Starting Rotation

Hiroki Kuroda has plenty to smile about this season.

It's that dreaded time of year- no, not the mosquitos, humidity, or next to last place...okay, some of that is it. No, it's time for All-Star break Yankees report card. And oh has it been an ugly marking period. Let's start right off with the pitching since that is what has been keeping the Yankees afloat all year.

Starters

CC Sabathia - It appears that all those innings and all those pitches thrown have finally caught up to the big guy. Lost velocity, lost pinpoint control, lost games. Everyone hoped that Sabathia's off-season elbow surgery would strengthen the ace's game even more in 2013, but the opposite has occurred. (No, I'm not blaming the surgery.)

Sabathia is no longer the ace of the staff and has been throwing like a middle of the rotation guy. He's given up four or more runs in 10 of his 20 starts this season. Sabathia has allowed 21 home runs already, one less than the career high he gave up last year. Here's hoping he finds a magic (legal) elixir during the break.

Grade: C

Hiroki Kuroda - The Yankees have to be thanking their lucky stars every day that the 38-year old native of Japan decided to stay in New York instead of returning to the LA Dodgers or his home country. Kuroda's 2.65 ERA is second best among American League starters and he has a 1.74 ERA at home. A remarkable stat for a right-handed pitcher in left-handed hitter friendly Yankees Stadium.  Kuroda's 8-6 record would be a lot better if he didn't have some of the worst run support in the Major Leagues. He definitely should have been selected for the AL All-Star team.


The Yankees have scored two runs or less in four of Kuroda's six losses. He's 7-2 when the team scores three or more runs. I'm not a believer in quality starts, but for those of you who are, 12 of Kuroda's 19 starts fall into that category. He also won his last start in which he tossed five shutout innings in a start shortened by
a 73 minute rain delay in between.

Grade: A

Andy Pettitte - The Texan will one day have his number 46 retired and has or will break many of the Yankees pitching records. In what is likely his last season, he'sbeen anything but the Andy Pettitte we are all used to seeing. Every start seems to be a scuffle. He won his last two outings despite giving up runs early.

Pettitte's season didn't start out this way. In April he looked as dominant as he did in his outstanding 2012 season that was interrupted by a broken ankle. The last two months have been the worst for the 41-year old; he's allowed 27 earned runs in 49 innings pitched.

Grade: C

Phil Hughes - Jekyll & Hyde have been more consistent than Phil Hughes the last few years. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted last week that the Yankees are "aggressively pushing" to move Hughes to another team. Hughes is a free agent next year and the Yankees would be better off with getting some talent in return rather than draft picks.

Grade: C-

David Phelps - The Notre Dame product showed a lot of potential last year and made a nice transition from the pen to the rotation when injuries opened up a spot this season. He had a four game stretch in May where he allowed eight runs in 27.1 innings over four starts. He bounced back nicely after the Mets knocked him out in the first inning to pitch six inning games in which he allowed one earned run and four hits, and struck out 13.

His last two starts were poor and fair respectively and then he was placed on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. It's possible he won't have a spot to return to when he is ready due to the recent starts by Ivan Nova.

Grade: B-

Ivan Nova - The Yankees have been waiting for Nova to return to his 2011 form when he won 16 games and was a model of consistency. Perhaps that time has finally come. After a shoddy April, Nova went on the DL with inflammation in his bicep. He made a pair of solid relief appearances in May, but was demoted to Triple-A.

Nova came back with a vengeance in June with a good start and a long relief appearance that saved the bullpen. So far in July, he's thrown one complete game win and threw eight innings in another victory. In 17 innings he allowed eight hits, walked three, and struck out 17. It would only make sense that his spot in the rotation is now his to lose.

Grade: C+/B- tough one to call

Steinbrenners Must Decide: Pass or Play

The Yankees need their big man to come through in the clutch.

The All-Star break has arrived and the New York Yankees are slowly fading into the sunset or AL East basement. If not for the underachieving Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees would already be dwelling in the place where no Yankee has finished since 1990. That team won just 67 games and finished last among seven teams. It's remarkable that entering Sunday's play the Yankees were only six games out of first place.

It's all well and good that the Steinbrenners want to meet a $189MM payroll goal next year, but they have to decide what to do this year. Either make moves, somewhat regardless of salary implications, to try to make the playoffs or sell parts and start to build next year's team.

Injuries and salaries have hamstrung the current squad and the chances of getting those injured players back are getting less and less probable. Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis are already out for the year. Derek Jeter came back after missing the entire season and immediately got hurt with a different injury. Will his second half be a wash or will he contribute? 

Curtis Granderson broke a forearm when he was hit by a pitch, then it was his finger's turn when he came back and got hit by another pitch. He has just gotten the go ahead to take dry swings. A return in mid-August seems to be the likeliest scenario..

Francisco Cervelli appeared to be very close to a return from a broken hand when an old elbow injury acted up. He's also facing possible suspension due to the Biogenesis case.  Speaking of which, Alex Rodriguez is on a slow road back from his second off-season hip surgery and may be hit with a whopper of a suspension. Rumors came out on Sunday that A-Rod was working a plea deal with MLB. Considering this is not yet a judicial matter for A-Rod, the term "plea deal" is awfully strange for this process.

The Yankees need help with their lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen. Hiroki Kuroda has emerged as the ace of the staff with CC Sabathia in a #2 or #3 slot. Sabathia is as competitive as ever, but his fastball and pitch location is not what it was. Andy Pettitte has won a couple of games of late, but has struggled for most of the year and has looked more like a #5 starter than a middle of the rotation guy.

Some of the help for the pitching staff could come from within the organization. Ivan Nova has appeared to recapture his 2011 form, but that is based on a small sampling of work. That being said, his last two starts have produced 17 innings pitched, 17 strikeouts and just three runs (1.59 ERA). He's also limited opponents to eight hits and three walks (0.65 WHIP). Nova has allowed nine earned runs in 35.1 innings (2.29 ERA) over his last six appearances, half of which were starts.

The secret weapon/unknown factor could be Michael Pineda, who has returned strong from career threatening shoulder surgery. It appears that Yankees want to take things slowly with their prized possession, acquired from Seattle in the Jesus Montero deal. After a rehab stint, the Yankees activated Pineda and sent him to Scranton to continue his way back to the Major Leagues. The hard throwing right-hander has had mixed results in his two starts. He allowed two runs and struck out seven over five innings in a win against Lehigh Valley, but gave up a pair of home runs and six runs in four innings in a loss to Syracuse.

Then there's Vidal Nuno, who was impressive in Spring Training and made three starts and a couple of relief appearances in April and May. The southpaw allowed four runs over 17 innings in his starts, but won just one of them due to a lack of run support. Unfortunately, he's been out of action since June 8 with a strained groin.

Among the current starters, Phil Hughes continues to look good one moment and bad the next. Sometimes both at the same time as he did Saturday against the Twins in his final start before the All-Star break. Hughes dominated for much of the game, but allowed four runs and three home runs and took a tough loss. Word is that the Yankees are aggressively shopping him and they should. They need to get near-ready prospects or a Major Leaguer in return rather than wait to see if the draft pick they get as compensation when Hughes leaves, will pan out.

David Phelps started out strong, but has struggled of late and ended up on the DL. Phelps could move back to the pen, possibly sharing a long man role with Adam Warren,  or work on his stuff in Scranton, or return to the rotation.  The Yankees might even try Warren as a starter since he's done such a good job in long relief. A lot will depend on how Nova does while Phelps is out or if Hughes is moved.

Brian Cashman could look at the number of pending free agents to supply another starter as well.  There's quite a list of starters that might be available, but not a lot of quality.

Matt Garza: The Cubs right-hander had a stress fracture in his elbow last season and a latissimus dorsi strain during Spring Training this year. He came back seven weeks later and has been an effective member of the Cubs' starting rotation. Garza is 6-1, 3.17 with a 1.141 WHIP and 62 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched. With his  fastball clocked in the mid-90s, the 29-year old is in demand. ESPN's Bruce Levine has Toronto and Texas as the leading candidates to land the former Tampa Bay Ray. Thus far there has not been any indication the Yankees are interested. (At least if the Yankees did get Garza they can rip that ugly as hell goatee off of him.) Whoever does land Garza will pay a hefty price to land him.

Ervin Santana: This guy is one of the biggest enigmas in baseball. One minute he looks like he's pitching likeJohan Santana (Ervin's actual real name) in his hey day with the Twins, the next he's pitching like Carlos Santana...the guitarist not the Indians catcher. He's had two seasons with an ERA above 4.00 and three season over 5.00. He's also had four seasons under 4.00 and once finished 6th in the AL CY Young voting.
Santana is a streaky pitcher in the way some sluggers are streaky home run hitters. It's hard to tell what you'll get out of him from one start to the next. So far he's not available, but I would expect that to change.

Bronson Arroyo: It's hard to believe that Arroyo is 36-years old. It seems like just yesterday he was a young, brash pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and mouthing off to A-Rod. Arroyo's been in Cincinnati eight years now after Theo's Epstein dealt him for Wily Mo Pena. Yes, Epstein would like to forget that deal ever happened. Arroyo is one shy of 100 victories in a Reds uniform and has been a workhorse, averaging better than 200 innings a season. With the Reds in the thick of a pennant race he isn't likely to go anywhere.

Of the three, the Yankees have the best shot at getting Santana.

Unfortunately, the remaining pending free agents are either not available (i.e. Atlanta's Tim Hudson) or aren't any better than what the Yankees have now (Guys like Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Vargas). Another option for Cashman is try to obtain a pitcher currently on a team that is already out of the pennant race. One such pitcher would be John Danks from the Chicago "almost everything must go sale" White Sox. On the plus side, Danks is left-handed, but he is coming off shoulder surgery and is ridiculously overpaid at $14.25MM a year and has three more years on his current contract. No thanks.

Kyle Lohse is on a horrible Brewers team, but is in the first year of a three year, $33MM contract. Lohse also seems to be strictly a National League pitcher. He wasn't very good or consistent in the AL. Perhaps a pitcher like Kyle Kendrick could become available closer to the deadline if the Phillies decide to rework the team. That is the biggest problem in trying to obtain front line talent. There are just too many teams still in the playoff race, particularly with the addition of a second wild card in both leagues.

For now it looks like the Yankees will have to do some fixing from within. Guys like Nova and Pineda may be better than anything Brian Cashman can up with in the next month.

Even the Twins Give Hughes the Blues

The Yankees entered Saturday with a 5-0 record this season against their opponent, the Minnesota Twins. Their record against the Twins since 2009? 26-7. That doesn't include their playoff victory that year on the path to their 27th World Series title. The Twins have been eliminated from the playoffs by the New Yorkers in 2003, 2004, and 2010 as well. The Yankees have treated the Twins like every day is Cindo de Mayo and the Twins are a pinata that the team has continually busted open with a 42 oz. bat.

None of that mattered yesterday when Minnesota won their first game of the six played this season. Phil Hughes pitched an outstanding game, tying his career high with 10 strikeouts, but with this Yankees lineup you cannot give up runs. Phil Hughes did just that as he was once again haunted by the long ball. Three of them to be exact.

Hughes have up an early blast to Trevor Plouffe to tie the game at 1-1 after Robinson Cano had provided an RBI single in the 1st inning. Rookie Sam Deduno allowed six hits and three walks in seven innings, but the Yankees failed time and again to get another run on the board.  Perhaps the worst moment came with runners on the corners and two outs in the 4th.

Zoilo Almonte broke from first in an attempt to steal second base. Vernon Wells headed for home as soon as catcher Ryan Doumit's throw attempted to cut down Almonte. The rookie then made a rookie mistake - instead of stopping short of second base to allow Wells to score, Almonte slid in to the bag and was tagged by out Pedro Florimon, well ahead of Wells reaching home plate.

It was one of the best chances the team would get as Deduno and the Twins relievers kept the Yankees runners stranded at first base. Cano 1st inning hit was the only one in a measly four chances with runners in scoring position (RISP).

With the game still tied in the 7th, Doumit lined a home run a couple of rows deep in right field to put the Twins ahead for good. Hughes' day ended when he surrendered a 2-run shot to Florimon in the 8th. For a team struggling to score runs, a three run deficit is too much to come back from.

Kuroda, Rain, and Pen Dominate the Twins

Kuroda has been the Yankees ace and should be an All-Star

I am starting to honestly believe the Yankees could win 160 of 162 meetings with the Minnesota Twins. Last night the Yankees endured a 73 minute rain delay to win their 5th straight meeting with the Twins this season and their 3rd straight win overall.

Hiroki Kuroda lowered his league leading ERA to 2.65 (Just 1.74 at Yankee Stadium) by throwing five innings (one after the delay) of six hit ball in a 2-0 Yankees win. The Yankees pen, particularly Boone Logan, came up big over the final four innings.

The Yankees had managed just one hit in 3.1 innings off Twins starter Scott Diamond, but jumped on Ryan Pressly in the 5th for a pair of runs. Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano provided RBI singles to account for the Yankees runs.

Yankees reliever Preston Claiborne breezed through the 6th, but put two aboard in the 7th. A call to the bullpen sent Logan in to the rescue. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire called for Chad Parmalee to bunt the runners on first and second over, but the right fielder fouled off two attempts and then Logan struck him out swinging.

Logan's real challenge came up next though- the back to back duo of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. To make matters worse, Logan gave the Twins the equivalent of a bunt when he wild pitched the runners over a base. But the left-hander caught Mauer looking with a curve ball for strike three and Morneau couldn't hold up his swing for an inning ending strikeout. A disgusted Morneau flipped his bat in the air and threw his helmet, but was not tossed from the game.

Mariano Rivera picked up his 30th save with a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Notes

The Twins displayed some remarkable defensive plays in the game, no better than when Aaron Hicks threw out Vernon Wells trying to stretch a double into a triple. A fan use Google Earth to estimate the throw was 325 feet.

A-Rod Has a Sit Down With MLB

According to the Associated Press, Alex Rodriguez met Friday with MLB investigators looking into the Biogenesis Clinic in Florida. A-Rod has been implicated in the case along with Ryan Braun and approximately 20 other players.

Though he met with them, there is no indication that A-Rod cooperated with the investigation. Braun had previously met with representatives of MLB and refused to answer their questions.

Jeter Given a One Week Vacation

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman helds a brief news conference a short time ago to let the world know that Derek Jeter has a grade-1 strain of his right quad muscle.

Cashman would not rule out a return to the disabled list if Jeter hasn't improved enough after he sits out this weekend's series with the Minnesota Twins and the four day All-Star break next week.

Derek Jeter: Now You See Him Now You Don't

Hit number 3, 305 in progress.

The Yankees are 1-0 with Derek Jeter back in the pinstripes. And it may stay that way for a while. The Yankees rallied from a 3-0 deficit to the KC Royals Thursday afternoon and pulled out an 8-4 victory. The win gain a split of the four game series after the Yankees dropped the first two.  Jeter picked up his first hit, an infield single on the first pitch he saw from Royals' starter Ervin Santana, his first RBI, and his first run scored of the season. And then he picked up his first tight quad.

Jeter, who DH'ed and batted second, left the game after a 1-4 day  and headed for an MRI machine. His status for this weekend's series with Minnesota depends on the results of the MRI and how the Captain is feeling.

It was the only thing that put a damper on the day. With Brett Gardner sore after being hit with a baseball Wednesday night and Travis Hafner hurting, because he's Travis Hafter, Jeter came to the Bronx one day earlier than expected.

Eduardo Nunez started at shortstop and of course had to make an error in front of his unofficial mentor. Andy Pettitte struggled through another start, but battled long enough to pick up his 252nd career win, good enough for 44th place on the all time Major League wins list.  He put his team in a 3-0 hole in the first inning, but Jeter and the boys struck back quickly.

The crowd was sparse for an afternoon, non-divisional affair, so the ovation when Jeter stepped into the batters' box was not as loud or as long as you would have expected. Then again, most fans did not know Jeter would be playing on Thursday.  Any nerves he may of had were channeled through that first swing that resulted in a dribbler inside the third base foul line. Veteran infielder Miguel Tejada tried to make a bare hand grab, but couldn't come up and Jeter raced to first with career hit #3,305.

Joe Girardi called for a hit and run, and Robinson Cano came through with a single to center that sent Jeter to third. Vernon Wells' sac fly brought him home for the Yankees first run of the day.

The Royals bounced right on Pettitte for another run and a 4-1 lead in the top of the 2nd, but the Yankees came right back with two of their own. Austin Romine (double) and Ichiro Suzuki (single) provided the two out RBI hits before Jeter grounded out to end the inning.

The Yankees pounded Santana in the 5th to take control of the game. Ichiro drew a one-out walk, stole second, and moved to third on Jeter's ground out. The Royals elected to intentionally walk Robinson Cano, but Santana then walked Wells to load the bases. Lyle Overbay hit a grand slam in the same situation Wedesday night, and delivered again, this time with a 2-run single. Nunez and Zoilo Almonte added RBI singles, before Almonte got thrown out at third to end the inning.

Girardi pulled Pettitte with two outs in the top of the 6th to keep him out of further trouble and the pen was magnificent, especially Shawn Kelley and David Robertson, who combined for five strikeouts in 2.1 innings.

Jeter got his final at-bat of the day and hit another grounder, but this one knocked in the Yankees' eighth run of the day.

Cano Tops Donnie Baseball

Robinson Cano rose to a prestigious height during Wednesday night's win over the KC Royals at Yankee Stadium. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Cano is the first Yankee to have at least 100 hits and 50 RBI before the All-Star break in four straight years.

Cano breaks the record he shared with Don Mattingly, who accomplished the feat in three straight seasons from 1984 to 1986. Cano entered Thursday's play with 102 hits and 62 RBI this season.

Tartabull a Failure as a Father

Maybe Tartabull can borrow some money from Costanza.

Danny Tartabull manned right field and the designated hitter spot for the Yankees from 1992 into the 1995 season. Tartabull earned $20.2MM over that four year stretch and over $32MM in his career. Apparently Tartabull doesn't have that money any more or chooses not to spend it. (This doesn't even take into account the money Tartabull earned for eating a donut with a knife and fork on Seinfeld.)

There’s no other way to explain the fact he owes $276K in child support payments. Tartabull never won an MVP award in his decent career, but according to reports he has won the honor of top deadbeat Dad in Los Angeles County. Tartabull is #1 on the most wanted list among the deadbeats, which is a term that really does not do justice for such a heinous act.

Back in 2011, the slugger pleaded no-contest and was charged with failing to make payments for his two sons. He was given probation at the time, but hasn't made a payment and compounded matters by being a no show in court.  LA County has taken action by ordering Tartabull to surrender to authorities and serve a six month jail term.

I have said it often and I will always stand by these words. I don't care what kind of relationship you have with your ex, these are your children. To not be responsible for your children is one of the worst crimes, and it is a crime whether there is a judicial or non-judicial factor to it, you could possibly commit.

If it was a matter of not having the money the courts would certainly work something out with Tartabull, but his failure to appear in court spoke volumes about his lack of character.

Bob Sheppard's Voice to Ring Out Again: The Return of Derek Jeter

Jeter will be all smiles today...unless you ask him about his ankle.

Thursday, July 11, 2013, a holiday, festive day...weather permitting. It's the day that Derek Jeter returns to the Yankees lineup in a day time contest with the Kansas City Royals.

The Yankees captain has not manned his position in Yankee Stadium since he broke his left ankle in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against Detroit last October. He had hoped to be ready for Opening Day this year, but had a setback and then a new fracture was found on the ankle.

Jeter spent the past week rehabbing with the Triple-A Scranton Railriders and appeared to be moving free and easy in the field and when running.

Outside of the cup of coffee he got in 1995, Jeter has never played less than 119 regular season games in any season. The prior low total occurred in 2003 when Toronto Blue Jays catcher Ken Huckaby landed hard on his left shoulder and dislocated it.  Hopefully Jeter's ankle injury soon becomes a distant memory like his shoulder injury.

Expect Alberto Gonzalez (most likely) or Luis Cruz to be DFA'ed to make room for Jeter on the roster.

Here's to the Captain, Bob Sheppard, and some normalcy in Yankeeland.


UPDATE - Jeter will be the DH in his first game back. Totally off on the roster off. Travis Ishakawa, who played one game, struck out twice, and got booed, was designated for assignment. I gather another move will be made within a few days to add a pitcher or outfielder/first baseman to the roster once Jeter shows everything is cool.