Young Proves Sterling Is Right

 
You've heard the mantra thousands of times on the Yankees' radio broadcast. The "voice of the Yankees" (Mel Allen is turning over in his grave), John Sterling, will utter the phrase, "You can't predict baseball, Suzyn" at least once a game. The Suzyn, of course, is Suzyn Waldman, Sterling's sidekick on WFAN radio.

Last night the Yankees' Chris Young proved that Sterling has been on the money with that statement all along. Young, cut by the Mets on August 15 due to a complete lack of productivity (it's safe to say he sucked), hit a very improbably walk-off, 3-run home run that gave the Yankees a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays and kept the unrealistic dream of the playoffs alive for another day.

If Thursday night's game was a championship bout, the Yankees were down on the mat and the referee had counted to seven and was about to count to eight. Rays' starter Alex Cobb was within six outs of a no-hitter (there was no perfect game due to an error charged to centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who dropped a routine fly ball in the 3rd inning.) when Young broke it up with a double to the gap in right-center.

With the no-no gone, Rays' skipper Joe Maddon sent for Brad Boxberger to face Brendan Ryan. Joe Girardi countered with Martin Prado and the pinch-hitter promptly deposited a 2-run home run into the left field seats. Suddenly, the Yankees were alive...if you consider a team that struggles to get three runs a game, alive.

Hard throwing lefty Jake McGee came on in the 9th to close things out, but hit Chase Headley in the chin to start the inning. McGee was clearly shaken up by what had occurred and left a pitch up to Ichiro Suzuki. He's not the hitter he once was, but Ichiro can still occassionaly use his bat like a master swordsman. He did against McGee, lashing double to left-center.

Zealous Wheeler pinch-hit for Stephen Drew, but was clearly overmatched and struck out for the first out of the inning. That brought up Young, who had a .630 OPS when the Mets kicked him to the curb. He fouled off a 98-mph fastball and then jumped on a 97-mph heater that left quickly left the field of play. A wild celebration ensured, complete with Gatorade dousing.. You could predict that.

But you can't predict baseball, Suzyn.


Notes

As a Yankee, Young has a 1.667 OPS. He's 6-12 (.500) with two home runs, two doubles, and seven RBI.

Michael Pineda had pitched beautifully since his return from shoulder soreness earlier this year. Last night was not his night though. He gave up a pair of home runs to shortsop Yunel Escobar, who entered the game with four home runs for the year. Pineda has been a victim of a lack of run support, but last night his teammates bailed him out. Shawn Kelley improved to 3-5 with the win.

A scarey moment occurred in the 7th inning when Boxberger hit Derek Jeter in the elbow with a pitch. Jeter's left arm went dead, but he remained in the game.

Tampa Yankees Hitting the Highway

In a move that has been in the works for quite a while, the Tampa Yankees (Florida St. League 'A+' ball) have reached an agreement to move north to Ocala, FL.  George M. Steinbrenner III will continue to host Spring Training for Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and the rest of the Major League Yankees.

The city council of Ocala, a 90 minute straight shoot up route 75 from Tampa, will be presented with plans Tuesday for a proposed $45MM stadium and entertainment complex. The city's mayor, Ken Guinn, said a half-cent sales tax for a five year period would pay for the new ball park, though the tax would have to pass referendum.

If all goes as planned, the Tampa Yankees could begin play in Ocala in 2016. The reason for the move is a reported lack of interest in Single-A baseball in the Tampa area, especially with a Major League team located nearby.

The Steinbrenner family owns the Kinsman Horse Stable, which is located in Ocala. There is no word on future plans for GMS III Field outside of Spring Training use. While it will mean the loss of several jobs, the county and Tampa Sports Authority will not be affected since there are no ticket surcharges on Tampa Yankees tickets.

Spring Training Jeopardy

"I'll Take Unsolved Mysteries for $200 Alex"

"The answer is..."


"What is the team A-Rod will play for after he opts out of his contract?"

Alex Trebek: "Correct"

Alex Rodriguez has spent the past three season in Yankees pinstripes. To categorize them as yo-yo like would be an understatement. There was the blown 3-0 lead to the Red Sox (which of course went well beyond his fault) in the 2004 ALCS. The 2005 MVP season was followed up by a disappearing act against the Angels in the divisional series. And last year was an out and out disaster. When a player hits .290-35-121, that's really saying something. Yes, the Yankees won the AL East, but they were blitzed in the division series by the Tigers. After going 2-15 the prior year, the best player in the game followed that up with a 1-14 performance. He was a psychological mess the entire year. There's no question in my mind that some Yankees fans will never given A-Rod the approval he seeks. Part of it, of course, is because of A-Rod's own actions and words. A perfect example would be when he told reporters last season that he was playing hurt, and then refused to specify what the injury was.

With Scott Boras as his agent, there's no question that A-Rod will do some serious soul searching and most likely will opt out of his contract. With the recent contracts given out to Alfonso Soriano, JD Drew, and others, Boras will definitely be pushing for it.


"I'll Take Unsolved Mysteries for $400 Alex"

"The answer is..."


"Who are candidates to replace Joe Torre?"

Alex Trebek: "Correct Again"






Who else could make George cry?!






There's always an outside chance Torre could stick around longer if he and King George decide it's not time. Obviously there is no managerial contract beyond the 2007 season at this point. I think Torre has done a tremendous job since he's been here, but I for one felt that maybe it was time for a change after the 2006 campaign. Joe has made some odd and poor decisions since the 2003 World Series when he let that idiot Jeff Weaver actually get on the mound. That being said, I did NOT want Lou Piniella coming back to the Bronx. No Bobby Valentine, no Larry Bowa, no Lee Mazzilli. So I'm glad Torre will get the chance to finish his contract. Beyond that, I can't honestly see Don Mattingly stepping in as manager in 2008. I love Donnie Baseball, but I don't know if he would be ready for a big step like that. I'd rather see Joe Girardi get the job.

"I'll Take Unsolved Mysteries for $600 Alex"

"The answer is..."


"What is the title of Bernie Williams' next album?"

Alex Trebek: "We'll accept that."






Heir to Mantle and Clapton?






Bernie Williams is da man. His number 51 will be retired; he'll have his day in front of the Stadium faithful. And as much as it pains me to say it, it's time to begin that retirement now. He had a good season in 2006. Not fantastic, not horrible, just good. He's clearly not the same hitter, especially from the left side, and he doesn't have the speed to roam centerfield any more. He doesn't have the arm of a corner outfielder. The bat is slower, the legs aren't as quick, the body aches - it happens to the best of them. The Yankees need to let a young guy like Melky Cabrera develop as a 4th outfielder, with an eye on possibly starting one day. Here's to all the success in the world for Bernie as the next great guitar God.

"I'll Take Unsolved Mysteries for $800 Alex"

"The answer is..."


"What is the minimum numbers of wins it'll take to win the AL East?"

Alex Trebek: "Yes! We would have also accepted, 'the minimum number of days Carl Pavano will be on the DL."







Pitching will be the key as usual to having another banner year








I'm figuring the Yankees will get 47 wins out of Chien-Ming Wang (17), Andy Pettitte (17), and Mike Mussina (13). That leaves another 48-51 wins to be picked up by the combination of Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa, whoever else steps in, and the bullpen. It's most likely the AL East runner-up misses out on the AL wildcard, so the Yankees are going to have to push to the finish. Boston will have rebounded and Toronto gained a lot of confidence last season.

"I'll Take Unsolved Mysteries for $1000 Alex"

"The answer is..."


"What is what Roger Clemens won't be wearing in the Hall of Fame if he plays for the Red Sox again"

Alex Trebek: "Great job, you ran the category!"




Hmmm, should I stay or should I go now...




Roger Clemens has already started his "I don't know what I'm doing this year" game. What is clear is that the Yankees, Red Sox, and Astros are the only 3 teams that Clemens would consider pitching for. And one thing is even clearer than that. If Clemens returns to Boston he can forget EVER wearing a Yankees cap in the Hall of Fame. As it is he should be wearing a Red Sox hat since that is where he made his career.

And give the Hummer back too!

One Mo Contract

Mariano Rivera reported to Yankee's camp a day earlier than necessary yesterday and it was quite clear from his comments that the Bernie Williams situation was weighing on his mind. Mo is in the final year of a 3 year deal and thus far there has been no contact from the Yankees regarding the future. More precisely, Mo realizes that a similar situation could happen to him. He would like to avoid that and hopes the Yankees show him the respect he's earned.

"If they want to talk, we're willing to listen," Rivera said Monday following a pre-spring training workout. "But I'm going to bring nothing to the table. I'm just going to focus on what I have to do and see what happens. I have a contract for this year. That's what matters. All I have to do is focus on this season. I just have to worry about being able to help the team as much as I can."





A healthy and "ready to go" Mariano Rivera works out in Tampa




"I know that I have one more year, that is this year," Rivera said. "After that year, I don't know what's going to happen. Definitely I want to finish my career here, but if they don't give the respect that I deserve, I have to move on.





Gotta go to Mo!






"The Yankees always give me the respect," Rivera added. "When the time comes, if they want me back, they want me back. Otherwise, I'm not going to sit in my house crying. I have to move on."

Here's to hoping the Yankees do the right thing before this season is over.