Under The Glare Of The Spotlight Jeter Still Has Ice Water In His Veins

Last night's game 2014 Yankee Stadium finale between the Baltimore Orioles and the Yankees will be like Woodstock. Everyone will claim they were there due to the incredible start, middle, and especially the ending of Derek Jeter's career in pinstripes.

With the fans on pins and needles waiting to see if Jeter would exit the 9th inning early to a standing ovation, closer David Robertson gave up a pair of home runs to blow a 3-run lead. Tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 9th, Robertson was quickly forgiven by the fans. The tie meant that Jeter would get at least one more at-bat in his home away from home, and what an at-bat it was.

John Sterling's call of Jeter's game winner: 

Jose Pirela, who has played 2,741 less games than Jeter, started off the bottom of the 9th with a single through the left side of the infield. Brett Gardner bunted to move the winning run into scoring position and set a showdown between Evan Meek, who was making his 23rd big league appearance, and Jeter. Would Buck Showalter walk Jeter to set up the double play? Just as Jeter plays until the final out or winning run, Showalter manages in the same manner.

When Orioles' catcher Caleb Joseph got into his normal squat behind home plate, you knew the 46,000-plus in attendance and anyone watching or listening on the TV or radio were relieved. And Jeter didn't wait long to let Showalter change his mind. In a very "Jeterian" moment, the Yankees' shortstop jumped on Meek's first pitch, and drilled it through the right side, just like he has done thousands of times before. Right fielder Nick Markakis has a cannon for an arm, but his throw was late as speedy pinch-runner Antoan Richardson slid across home plate with the winning run. Jeter raised his arms in exaltation and jumped in the air as he saw Richardson. (Incredibly, it was the Captain's first walk off winner in seven years).

Jeter's teammates quickly flooded the field and lifted him off the ground. And the smiles and tears flowed, Jeter included. He greeted all of his current teammates, manager, and coaches, his former teammates Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, and Gerald Williams, and his former manager Joe Torre. His parents, sister, nephew, and girlfriend all got hugs and kisses. And as the YesNetwork's Meredith Marakovits interviewed him on the field, he even allowed CC Sabathia and Gardner to give him a Gatorade shower.

The way the game ended left everyone mumbling, "did I just see that". Yes you did. Sadly, for the last time.

Yankees and MLB Roll Out New Security Measures

"You! Why are wearing long sleeves on an 80 degree day?"

Hopefully body scanning isn't next, though some fans may want to be frisked by the member of NYPD of their choice.

So leave those screws in your ankle and your retainer home when you go see Derek Jeter play his final season.

Press Release:
As part of Major League Baseball's initiative to standardize security procedures at all 30 Major League parks for the start of the 2015 season, metal detectors will be added at various entry points at Yankee Stadium beginning today, Tuesday, August 19, for the start of the Yankees' upcoming homestand.

The Yankees are introducing metal detection at select Stadium entrances this season - before the 2015 mandate - in an effort to acclimate staff and fans to the new procedure. The Yankees urge all fans to leave a few extra minutes for entry into the Stadium, especially with large crowds expected for this weekend's series vs. the White Sox.

Upon entering the ballpark, fans will be asked to remove cell phones and all large metal objects from their pockets before walking through the metal detector; they can be retrieved immediately after entering. All bags still will be checked, and only MLB-compliant bags - 16x16x8 or smaller - will be admitted.

Yankees Parking Lot Bond Holders May See Some Dollars

For those investors holding defaulted tax-exempt bonds used to build parking garages for the new Yankee Stadium, your ship may partially be coming in.

According to Business Week, The New York Soccer Club is in talks to buy a plot of land to build a new soccer stadium in the Bronx. The holders of the bonds have agreed to extend discussions an additional two years with the bond issuers if an agreement with the soccer club can be reached by January 3.

The team, a Major League soccer expansion squad, would buy part of the parking structures, which in turn would repay some of the debt to the bondholders with the rest of the money owed to be restructured.

The bonds, issued by the Bronx Parking Development Company, were trading this month at a low of 31 cents on the dollar. The bonds are set to come due in October, 2017, which may or may not be Alex Rodriguez's last time parking at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees to Honor Mandela

Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Don Mattingly, and Mariano Rivera are going to have some very esteemed company soon.  The Yankees announced on Monday they are going honor Nelson Mandela in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park next season. Mandela, who help unite a racially fractured country, passed away at age 95 last Thursday.

A plaque will be dedicated in the Stadium's center field shrine on Jackie Robinson Day (April 15, 2014) prior to a game with the National League's Chicago Cubs. Mandela will join non-baseball related honorees Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and the 9/11 victims and rescue workers.

Mandela spoke at a rally at Yankees Stadium on June 21, 1990, a mere four months after he was released from prison. He donned a Yankees hat and proclaimed, "You know who I am. I am a Yankee!"

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

Mariano's Last Yankee Stadium Goodbye

One more time.

There will be a strange aura tonight in the Stadium of mystique and aura. At some point, around 9:45 or 10 PM, the Yankee Stadium loudspeaker will begin to blast "Enter Sandman", the bullpen door will open, and Mariano Rivera will jog in from the bullpen for the last time.

One would hope that Mariano enters the game in a save situation, but it really doesn't matter. Everyone, maybe even the Tampa Bay Rays, wants to see him out on the Yankee Stadium mound one last time.

I also wonder if this could be his last appearance, period. With the team eliminated from playoff contention could Mariano just be a spectator in Houston this weekend? Or could he put on a fielder's glove and stand in centerfield during the game as he has always wanted to. I actually hope he doesn't, but if it's something he really wants, you must fulfill his request.

Mariano Rivera is one of those players; Derek Jeter is another, which you will talk about for generations to come.  Just as older generations have talked about Mantle and Mays, Ruth and Gehrig, Cobb and Wagner, and others that came before us.

You'll talk about the Panamanian pitcher that didn’t look like anything special, but suddenly became a powder keg.   The two and four seam fastballs thrown as a set up man for John Wetteland when the Yankees returned to glory in 1996, and then the cutter, Rivera’s “gift from God”, that made him the greatest post-season pitcher of all time. More World Series rings handed out in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009 thanks in large part to one remarkable athlete.

You'll even discuss the failures in 1997, 2001 and 2004, because they are part of Mariano's legacy. This isn't an episode of Yankees Classics, where no game lost is ever shown. They are a testament to #42’s resiliency and his ability to bounce back.

Of course the successes are more fun to reminisce about. There was the three inning performance as the Yankees rallied against the Red Sox to win Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. It was a performance that gave Aaron Boone the chance to be a hero in extra innings.

Flash back three years earlier to the final game of the 2000 Subway Series with the Mets. The Yankees are up by two, a man on third and slugger Mike Piazza is digging into the right-handed batter’s box as the potential tying run. As soon as the ball came off of Piazza’s bat and headed to deep centerfield you could see the concern on Mariano’s face. But quickly it turns to exaltation, leaping up and down after the ball settled in Bernie Williams' glove for the final out and the fourth championship in five years.

How about the first World Series sweep in 1998 on the road in San Diego? The Yankees up three games to none and 3-0 in the 9th inning of Game 4. A 6-4-3 double play erases a base runner and then pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney's one hopper to third is fielded cleanly by series MVP Scott Brosius and thrown across the diamond for the final out. Mariano drops to his knee, arms raised as the Yankees win their first championship with Mariano as the closer.

One year later it’s time for another sweep. The Yankees are up 4-1 in the 9th inning of Game 4. Brian Jordan starts things with a long at-bat that ends with a comebacker to Mariano for the first out. Ryan Klesko has another one of his bats sawed off as he can barely lift the ball into the air for an easy second out. Then it is Keith Lockhart hitting one high in the air and into Chad Curtis’s glove in left field. The Yankees have the second of back-to-back-to-back championships and have won 10 straight World Series games.

14 years later, the first season in the new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees return to the Series for the first time since 2001. It's Game 6; the Yankees lead the series 3-2 and the game 7-3.  Joe Girardi goes to Mariano with one out in the 8th. Jayson Werth flails at strike three. Future teammate Raul Ibanez loses a splintered bat, but later reaches with a double. No matter, Pedro Feliz flies out.

Pinch-hitter Matt Stairs lines out to Derek Jeter to start the 9th. Then a rarity, Carlos Ruiz draws a walk. Then the non-rarities- Jimmy Rollins flies out and Shane Victorino hits a series ending grounder to Robbie Cano. The team has its first celebration in nine years and a fifth ring for Mariano, Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada.

That is the legacy of Mariano Rivera, the baseball player. Those are the moments we will all reflect on for regular and post-seasons to come. When we’re bundled up during the winter, wishing Spring Training was near. When new closers put the pinstripes on and hope to have just a smidgen of #42's success.

There will be more championships down the line, of that I have no doubt, but there will never be another Mariano Rivera confidently delivering the final pitch to seal the victory.

Thank you for everything Mariano.

Yankees Really Bobble Things This Time

I asked Bobblehead Mo about the fiasco, but he had no comment.

The game was bad enough Tuesday night - a 7-0 blow out at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays  - but it also brought the Yankees as far out on the edge of the cliff that they could go before they finally drop into the abyss.

Alas, there was also a sideshow to last night's funereal proceedings. It was Mariano Rivera Bobblehead night for the first 18,000 fans in attendance. With such a demand for the "doesn't look anything like the person" figurines, the Yankees had the objects delivered the day of the game. That was the first mistake of the night.

Mistake #2? Well, you probably can't classify it as a mistake since the truck carrying the tiny baubles broke down on its way to Yankee Stadium. People knew something was wrong when the Stadium's gates did open at their normal time. (A word to the wise - don't get bobblehead collectors riled/grouchy.)

Mistake #3 The first 18k through the gates got a voucher for when the Mariano not-look alikes arrived. That wasn't a mistake; the mistake was having 18,000 people wait in line around and under the Stadium to pick up the "preciouses" once they did arrive.

Mistake #4 Some of the bobbleheads didn't show up in one piece. If you're person 17,999 in line and your bobblehead is broken you are not going to be a happy camper.

Mistake #5 Watching the game from home...that mistake I cut off after a couple of innings.

Kuroda Throws His Cap Into the Cy Young Ring

If you look at the won/lost record of Detroit Tigers starter Max Scherzer, it's difficult not to imagine that he's the shoe-in for the American League Cy Young Award. It's difficult not to think that way when you see a gaudy 17-1 record.

Times have changed however, and there is a new way of looking at numbers in addition to a pitcher's won/lost record. Felix Hernandez won the award three years ago with a very ordinary 13-12 mark. He also led the league in ERA (2.27), games started, least hits per nine innings pitched, and struck out more than 200 hitters.

It takes nothing away to say that Hernandez had the benefit of pitching in a "pitcher's ballpark". He limited hitters to a .533 OPS at Safeco Field. Then again the Mariners inept offense hurt him as much as the home field advantage helped him. Seattle score two or less runs in 15 of Hernandez's 34 starts and 3-5 runs in 13 starts. Hernandez lost 10 of his 12 games when the M's scored two runs or less.

It also takes nothing away from Scherzer, but he also pitches in a "pitcher's ballpark". The difference between his season and Hernandez's is that, led by Miguel Cabrera, he has a devastating offense behind him as well. The Tigers have scored 3-5 runs in 10 of Scherzer's starts and 6 or more in 11 of them. Detroit has scored two or less runs in just two of Scherzer's start- a loss and a no decision.

To his credit Scherzer's been even better on the road (.500 OPS vs. .622 at home), but that was the wind up. Here comes the pitch.

Right-hander Hiroki Kuroda does his home pitching in a field made for left-handed hitters. Batters routinely deposit baseballs over the fence from right-center field over to the right field foul pole. Powerful right-handed hitters have no problem poking a long ball the opposite way either.

Kuroda is also in the AL East, a league chock full of big time hitting teams. That would normally include his team, the New York Yankees, but not this year. Due to injuries, age, and ineffectiveness, the Yankees look like a combination of the Bad News Bears (think of Rudi Stein in the original movie with Walter Matthau) and coach-pitch Little League.

It's led to an 11-7 record for Kuroda despite a 2.33 ERA and a league best 174 ERA+ (100 * (league ERA / ERA)). The Yankees have scored two or less runs in 11 of Kuroda's 24 starts (3-5 W/L) and 3-5 runs in 10 of them. (5-2 W/L). Just three times the Yankees went  wild and scored six or more runs with Kuroda on the mound. He's won all three of those starts.

The native of Osaka, Japan has pitched into the 7th inning or later 17 times. He's gone less than five innings just twice and once was because he tried to snare a Shane Victorino comebacker with his bare hand.

Quality starts is a nonsense statistic - 3 runs allowed in 6 innings is not anything of quality - but Kuroda has thrown 16 games where has allowed two runs or less and allowed three runs in a seven inning start to boot. He's 9-2 in those 17 starts with six no decisions . He's also pitched into the 7th inning or greater 18 times and left with the lead three times only to see the Yankees bullpen blow it. (The Yankees are 14-10 when Kuroda starts.)

Since Mother Nature cranked up the heat, Kuroda has been phenomenal. In five starts since the calendar turned to July 1, the 38-year old has allowed five earned runs in 48 innings pitched. (He's 4-1 with three no decisions.) That calculates out to a 0.94 ERA, which also matches his WHIP during that period. He’s walked just eight hitters and struck out 35, and has not allowed a home run.

Kuroda is not only the Yankees ace, he's their MVP as well. Without him, there is no way the Yankees could even see the AL wild card on the horizon. So, if he continues to pitch this way through the end of the regular season, will he have a legitimate shot at the AL Cy Young Award? That remains to be seen, because no matter how good Kuroda's year is, Scherzer's won/loss record could still distract voters like the neon lights along the Las Vegas strip pulls in gamblers.

Donnie Baseball's Coming to Town

Don Mattingly had three misfortunes when he wore the Yankees pinstripes during his playing career. He was called up from the minors one year after the Yankees had been in the World Series for the third time in five seasons and in the playoffs in four of those five seasons.

Second, his work ethic took a toll on his back and shortened the productivity and possibly the length of his career. It definitely impacted his chances at being elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Finally, he retired right before the Yankees won four World Series in five years. Don Mattingly left his imprint on the New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium, and Yankees fans around the globe. To this day he is one of the most beloved players to both fans and his former teammates.

Mattingly returns to New York and the new Yankee Stadium for just the second time tonight (His other appearance was for the unveiling of George Steinbrenner's plaque) as the team he manages, the Los Angeles Dodgers, gets ready to play its first ever regular season game at the Stadium.

While he wasn't the babe magnet that Derek Jeter is, Mattingly was every bit the rock star his fellow captain is. He didn't need to go clubbing or appear in his own series of car commercials to be the most popular athlete in the Tri-State area.

From 1984 through 1987, there was arguably no better baseball player on the planet. During the four year stretch, Mattingly averaged 29 home runs, 120 RBI, 102 runs scored, 210 hits, 45 doubles, a .336 batting average, and 350 total bases.

He drove in 145 runs in 1984 and won the AL MVP Award by 93 pts over Kansas City's George Brett. Controversy ensued a year later when Mattingly finished second to pitcher Roger Clemens despite having led the AL in seven offensive categories and won his second of nine Gold Gloves.  He had 238 hits in 1985, 53 of them doubles, and finished with a .967 OPS.

Mattingly's 1987 season included a then record six grand slams. Remarkably, they were the only ones he hit in his career. That same season he tied Dale Long's Major League record by homering in eight straight contests.

However, too many swings off the batting tee and his perseverance to continually improve at the plate took its toll on Mattingly's back. (There has also been a story that Mattingly injured his back messing around with pitcher Bob Shirley in the clubhouse, but both players denied it.) He would only top 20 home runs and 100 RBI one more time in his career.

He went from being extra-ordinary to ordinary at the plate. It's the reason the six time All-Star has fallen short of election to the Hall of Fame. 2,153 career hits, 222 home runs, and 1099 RBI don't cut it in a sport driven by numbers, playoff appearances and championship rings.

Unfortunately, timing was everything when it came to Mattingly's baseball career. There was no wild card playoff entrant for all but one season of Mattingly's career and the Yankees did not win any division titles in his tenure in New York. (They finished in 2nd place three times prior to the 1995 season). That may have changed in 1994 had the players' strike not wiped out the last two months of the regular season and all of the post-season.

Mattingly finally made the playoffs in his final year thanks to baseball's implementation of the wild card in 1995. The playoffs started out like a dream come true in Yankee Stadium. The Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners in the first two games of the best of five series and Mattingly's home run in Game 2 sent the crowd into delirium. (The Game 2 victor was a rookie by the name of Mariano Rivera)

The baseball Gods were not kind though when the series moved out to Seattle. The Mariners won three straight games, the finale in their last at-bat in the 11th inning. The team flight home was extremely emotional as Mattingly said good-bye to his teammates, many of whom felt they had let their leader down. In his only playoff appearance Mattingly hit .417 and had a gaudy 1.148 OPS. It was the captain's 2-run double that snapped a 2-2 tie and given the Yankees the lead in the 6th inning of Game 5, but it was not meant to be. A 14-year career came to an abrupt end.

The team retired Mattingly's number 23 on August 31, 1997, but he still wore it for several seasons as a Spring Training instructor with the team. He was then named the team's hitting coach prior to the 2004 season. After three seasons he became manager Joe Torre's bench coach until Torre's 12 year run ended after the 2007 season.

Mattingly was a finalist with Joe Girardi for the Yankees job and then joined Torre as hitting coach with the Dodgers. He lost out to Manny Acta for the Cleveland Indians job for the 2010 season, but then replaced Torre when he retired after the 2010 season.

The 2013 season came with a lot of expectations after new ownership threw money around like it was going out of style. Injuries and under achievement beset the team early on though and the Dodgers enter tonight's game in last place in the NL West, seven games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks.

There has been talk that Mattingly's job is in jeopardy. No matter what happens, he will always have a home in the Bronx.  The fans will prove that tonight.

Welcome Back Donnie Baseball!

Yankees Hope For More O'Neill Bull's-eyes

Paul O'Neill was a fixture in right field for nine years in the old Yankee Stadium. Fans in the right field seats would hold signs with bull's-eyes on them, prompting O'Neill to hit a home run to them. Never mind that quite a few misspelled his last name (O'Neil).  Now the Yankees are hoping that O'Neill's nephew Michael will one day be a fixture in the new Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees used their third round pick (103rd overall) to select Michael O'Neill, the son of Paul's brother Mike. The 6'1" center fielder is a junior at the University of Michigan.

Unlike his southpaw uncle, Mike throws and bats right-handed. He was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was a member of the All-Big 10 second team. As a sophomore he led the Wolverines in batting average and slugging percentage despite missing 15 games due to an injury.

O'Neill junior season was even more successful as he led the team in almost every offensive category and was an All-Big 10 first team member.

O'Neill, who will turn 21 next week, was also drafted out of high school by the Yankees in the 42nd round of the 2010 draft.

MLB.com's scouting report had this to say:

Back in 2010, Ryan LaMarre had scouts checking out the University of Michigan outfield regularly, eventually going in the second round. Now it's O'Neill's turn. Paul O'Neill's nephew really knows how to hit, making consistent hard contact and spraying line drives to all fields. He has mostly doubles power, with some room to add strength, and average speed, though he's smart on the basepaths. He should be a solid average defender. It's not clear where O'Neill profiles, with not quite enough speed for center and not enough power for a corner, but his ability to hit at the college level will certainly help him on Draft day.

Yankees Turning to Groupon as Attendance Drops

There's clearly been a direct affect of a chillier spring on attendance at New York Yankees games, but it's nothing compared to what the price of tickets, food, beverage,  parking and/or mass transit has done to keep fans away. The Yankees wanted to build a palace and they did, but they priced out the average baseball fan in the process. The Steinbrenners still don't seem to understand that.

Fans turned en masse to Stub Hub the last few years to find cheaper seats. The Steinbrenners didn't dig that tactic, so they made it harder for fans to get seats this year through Stub Hub (no e-tickets, no pick up window near the Stadium) and came up with their own re-sale plan with Ticketmaster. Yeah, that ticked off fans too. Everyone hates Ticketmaster.

Now the Yankees are turning to discount broker Groupon to sell tickets to games that aren't as attractive to fans.  Through Groupon, fans can buy seats up to 54% off for a series with the Seattle Mariners May 14-16 and the Cleveland Indians June 3-5.

Here's an idea Yankees. Drop your ticket prices, your hot dog prices, your beer prices, your parking prices. Remember...over there at the old Stadium...plenty of people in the seats. And maybe you can put mannequins in the Legends Seats to make it look more people are there. Or hire seat fillers like they do at the Oscars.  Yeah, that's the (overpriced ticket).

Fans are willing to pay to see Derek Jeter, but at these prices people don't want to pay the same amount to see Jayson Nix.

Beer Here, Screwed There

If you have ever had the pleasure, mmm, luxury..mmm..good fortune of sitting in the Legends Seats, you can order up some over-priced food and have it delivered with a 20% service charge.

You're thinking tip money for the waiters/waitresses right? Well you would be wrong. 32 of the wait staff is suing the Yankees for unpaid tips. (perhaps the money is helping to pay A-Rod's contract)

You can get all the details from Yahoo's Jay Busbee by clicking here.

My Night On The Beat

One year ago yesterday, Sept. 1, 2010 I had one of the most exciting and memorable experiences of my life. When I was a kid I wanted to be the centerfielder for the Yankees. But as you get older and can’t hit a curveball you realize those dreams aren’t going to happen. So you look for other outlets to express your love for baseball. You play softball after college; it’s not quite the same, but there’s great camaraderie as well as beer.

Anything associated with baseball was cool. Whether it was as a bat boy (I was too young when I contacted the Yankees to be one), a beat writer, or one of the team's announcers. Growing up I read the Star-Ledger sports every morning with breakfast. Actually, I still do that to this day. The newspaper was the only place to get in-depth details about the game, the teams, the players. There were no blogs, no ESPN, no 24 hour baseball network. With the advent of blogs, I started this site to combine my love of baseball and of writing/expressing myself. I began to write for other sites as well and that’s where the opportunity of a lifetime came about. A full access press pass to the New York Yankees – Oakland A’s game in New York. For a “practice” run, I had covered a Trenton Thunder game weeks before, but other than speaking briefly with the Thunder manager, Tony Franklin, I hadn’t really interacted with any of the players. Now I was to be among the guys I watched on TV all the time, the ones I cheered on, and some who are destined for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

It was a 7:05 pm game, so I arrived at Yankee Stadium about 3:45 based on excellent advice from friend Jerome Priesler, the bestselling author and Yankees blogger for the YES Network. I actually didn’t feel TOO nervous, just butterflies of excitement. I signed in at the press gate, got my credentials and got help getting to the press box by an Oakland A’s camera man. I exited the elevator and saw recognizable faces in the cafeteria. I made way into the press area and looked out over the field. It was all I could do not to smile from ear to ear.

I found a seat next to the San Francisco Chronicles' Susan Slusser, who I got to interview this year, and started to see some of the “regular” beat guys. The Ledger’s Marc Carig, ESPN’s Wally Matthews and Andrew Marchand, the Daily News’ Mark Feinsand, Sweeny Murti of WFAN radio.

Suddenly they all got up and headed out…I naturally followed. It was time for Girardi’s pre-game press conference. As you’ve seen on TV, Girardi sits at a table facing the press. Everyone puts their recorders on the table before things begin. Media relations head Jason Zillo than conducts the presser, calling on reporters, who then have a mike passed to them. Kim Jones of the YES Network generally goes first and CBS radio’s Suzyn Waldman is always ready with a question or two. For this particular game, it seemed like Feinsand and Murti did most of the asking. I sat there quietly observing and then raised my hand. I asked Girardi how he planned to use Jonathan Albaladejo, just recalled from Triple-A Scranton, in the bullpen.

Once the presser was over it was time to head to the clubhouse. As I stood by the entrance door looking over the lineup to the evening’s game, Derek Jeter walked past me. Oh, this was very real. Players began to file in, though not everyone came into the clubhouse during media time. No Mariano Rivera sighting. The biggest topics of the day were Andy Pettitte, who was recovering from a groin injury, and was scheduled to throw a bullpen session, and Alex Rodriguez, who was working his way back from a calf Injury. Neither was in sight. It was time to head out on to the field. Here I got a chance to talk to Carig, who graciously gave me pointers throughout the night and was/is a great guy, MLB’s Bryan Hoch and Kim Jones. Fans lined up on the field to get autographs from players. Tony Pena hit fungos, Derek Jeter warmed up his arm, and players took turns in the cage. Nick Swisher greeted a young fan in a wheelchair, making the kid’s day and days to follow.

I noticed some of the press in the dugout and I decided I had to do it. I sat on one of the wooden benches at the top of the dugout and peered out. It was all I could do not to give signals to an imaginary third base coach. Suddenly it was announced that A-Rod was in the hallway, ready for questions. Reporters moved like an ocean wave during a storm, scurrying back underneath the Stadium. I stood next to the Yankees third baseman, arm stretched out. It is one thing when you stand next to a basketball player; you expect them to be literally larger than life. I was once next to the Boston Celtics 7-ft center Robert Parish. “Hello Mr. Waistline”. A-Rod is a big guy.

Once that was done, pitching coach Dave Eiland talked about Pettitte’s throwing session. Later Pettitte would entertain us himself with how his throwing went. Back in the clubhouse I talked to Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, and Marcus Thames. Teixeira assured me that his sore toe and thumb were good- they really weren’t. Granderson talked about the hitting adjustments he had made with hitting coach Kevin Long and the affect they were having. Who knew what impact there would be a season later?

Thames wasn’t the friendliest sort. I asked him about his recent hot streak and he was short and terse with his answers. I talked more with Carig and Mike Mazzeo, who was interning with the Ledger at the time and is now with ESPN New York, and Feinsand. It was just about game time, which meant back upstairs to the press area.

I got some food and gobbled it down as Michael Kay walked by and nodded to me through the cafeteria window, just before he engaged in some discussion with Waldman. Done eating, I grabbed some more caffeinated soda for the long night ahead and got back to my seat and my laptop in the second row of the press box. The first row is reserved for the big hitters. Suddenly John Sterling popped into the press box to talk with a friend. And then it was game time. One of the nice things I look back on now was hearing Bill Shannon’s announcements in the press box. Shannon worked as official scorer for the Yankees and Mets games for 32 years before he tragically died in a fire this past off-season.

The big story of the game itself was A.J. Burnett. Just as it was on September 1 of this year. Burnett had not won in August for the second straight season and the Yankees wanted/needed him to turn things around. He was a better pitcher on that night, limiting the A’s to three runs over 6 Innings and the Yankees won the ballgame 4-3.

A short time later it was back to the meeting room for Girardi’s post-game press conference. Though you can get more interesting information after a loss, I was glad the Yankees won so they would be in a better mood. That was one of the reasons I hadn’t spoken to any of the Thunder players after the game I covered. They had lost and played poorly. The faces in the locker room did not yell out, “come and talk to me”. Thankfully, Franklin was in good spirits.

Girardi was asked many of the same questions you’ve heard this year when it comes to Burnett. He had really improved in his dealings with the media and I was impressed with the way he conducted the post-game. When it was done it was back to the clubhouse where reporters were already camped out at A.J. Burnett’s locker. Burnett speaks in hushed tones and it was nearly impossible to hear what he was saying. I found an opening between media members and stuck my arm through with my recorder. Waldman was miffed at the crowd and let out some epitaph. I inwardly chuckled.

We all then gathered around Jeter, Teixeira, and anyone else who came in and had a part in the game. Then it was back to the press box to write my story about the game. It was very surreal looking out over a darkened Stadium and I reluctantly put my laptop and recorder away and headed out for the ride home. It was around Midnight.

I felt a true appreciation for how hard and tiring a beat writer’s job can be. I didn’t even have to worry about deadlines or making sure I got the quote, and it was still exhausting. But man was it worth it.

FullCountPitch - Opening Day Memories

Later this week, another set of Opening Day games will be upon us. (Notice I capitalized both words. The opening of the baseball season should be a national holiday; after all, it is the national pastime.) Even though your team may open the season on the road, it truly is not Opening Day until the home opener. Nothing is better when the season and home openers coincide. Having to wait a week for your home opener is just maddening. Whether you actually go to the game, watch it on television/computer or listen to it on the radio/computer, it’s one of the best days of the year.

It’s the kind of day when Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes hits three home runs to open the Cubs’ 1994 season. The day that a future Hall of Fame member, Bob Feller, no-hit the Chicago White Sox in 1940.

It is the day your team is as good as any other team. It doesn’t matter if you end up 30 games under .500 after 162 contests; on Opening Day all things are equal. Pitchers’ ERAs are a perfect 0.00; batters can hit a 1.000. The stands are packed, the stadiums are in pristine condition, and everyone is nice. It’s a party; it’s a happening. And nothing is more disappointing than losing on Opening Day. Your team isn’t going 162-0, but 0-1 is just an ugly way to start the year.

Let me share some of my favorite and/or most memorable New York Yankees Opening Days with you.

Click here to read the rest of this free article at FullCountPitch.Com

Andy Pettitte Hideki Matsui Reggie Jackson Mickey Mantle Roger Maris Paul O'Neill Wade Boggs

Hey, It's Andy Pettitte

Forgot this tidbit about yesterday's game. As we were approaching the parking garage, doors opened in the middle of the Stadium, and a black SUV pulled out on to the road.

It was none other than Andy Pettitte behind the wheel. I jokingly said to my wife, "let's chase him".

By the time we got out of the parking garage he could have been in Florida.

The above pic, courtesy of Yahoo Sports, is from today's game. That's this year version of the holiday-let's make money off the consumers hat. Not as bad as last year's all red, but hideous nonetheless.

Sunday in the Park With George..Steinbrenner

Gorgeous Sunday in the metro area. Sergio Mitre will have the task of beating the Twins once again. And he'll have a Bat Day crowd watching, so he'd better be go.

Bat Day was, and possibly still is, the best promotion day of all time. I was supposed to go in 1971, but got salmonella and had to miss it. But...back then there were two Bat Days in a season. I made it to the second one and got THE bat. A Bobby Murcer bat. Awesome. My sister also got one, which I eventually got a hold of as well. I used one to play baseball with and preserved the other.

The highlight of Bat Day was when Bob Sheppard would ask everyone in the crowd to raise their bats high in the air. Those 14-and under in the crowd of 55,000 would immediately do so. There was also the "off-label" use of the bats, protection on the way home through bad neighborhoods.

* * *

Brett Gardner is having a fabulous season. Yesterday he stole his 17th base in 18 tries, despite the fact that Joe Mauer's throw appeared to have him dead to rights. But Gardner managed to elude the tag of Orlando Hudson and then a re-tag after he slid passed 2nd base.

Marc Carig of the Star Ledger has a nice profile on the Yankees speedy outfielder.

* * *

Nick Johnson received a cortisone shot in his troublesome wrist, but surgery has not been ruled out.

Curtis Granderson has begun running, but is expected to miss another two weeks.

Chan Ho Park will be activated today with Ivan Nova the likely candidate to be sent down.

* * *

Former Yankee Curtis Pride continues to inspire others.

The End of An Era

photo courtesy of NY Daily News

It's been unofficial for a couple of years now. Yesterday it became official. Bob Sheppard, the "Voice of God" officially retired as the Yankees P.A. announcer.

It was just a matter of time. Mr. Sheppard, 99 years old, had never fully recovered from upper respiratory issues that sidelined him over the past two seasons. And though he never used the word retired in his official statement, Mr. Sheppard did say,

"But," he acknowledged yesterday, "I don’t intend at this moment to see myself back as a public address announcer at Yankee Stadium, feeling the way I do now."

Reached at his Baldwin home, Sheppard hedged, but only slightly, saying, "It wasn’t a resignation. It wasn’t quitting. It wasn’t throwing in the glove."

So he isn’t ruling out a future return? Sheppard laughed.

"Let me start from the bottom: I am now 99 years old," he said. "I don ’t think a man 99 years old goes back to work after two years of separation."

All of us Yankees fans have missed the impeccable speech, the succinct pronunciation of each name, and the low-key manner in which Mr. Sheppard delivered his announcements. Listening to an over the top presentation like the one delivered by Detroit Pistons' P.A. man John Mason makes you appreciate Mr. Sheppard even more.

We hope one day to hear the "Voice of God" echo throughout the new Yankee Stadium, but if not, we will always treasure the memories.

Ronan the Barbarian

TOH to @fletch788 on Twitter for pointing this article out from Big League Stew.

It looks like Ronan Tynan won't be singing "God Bless America" at Yankee Stadium any time soon. For that matter, he may not be singing it anywhere, except for perhaps Fox News or a John Birch Society gathering.

Seems Ronan made anti-semitic remark to a realtor that was showing an apartment in Ronan's building.

"The trouble started when Tynan, 49, bumped into a real estate agent showing an apartment in his East Side apartment building to a doctor from NYU Medical Center.

"The agent told Tynan, 'Don't worry, they are not Red Sox fans,' according to apartment-hunter Gabrielle Gold-von Simson.

"'I don't care about that, as long as they are not Jewish,' was Tynan's reply.

Oh Ronan...Ronan...Ronan...ya big jug earred dumb ass. 2009, the year of the not-so-heartfelt apology.

Portrait of Stupidity

Nothing personal against the pictured fan, but you have to be a real IDIOT to throw back a home run ball hit by an opponent. Okay, it was a quaint little thing started by Cubs fans in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field (definitely not friendly if you are the opponent), and unfortunately, has spread throughout baseball.

It's a thrill to get a ball at a game, whether it be a foul ball or a home run. You just caught a home run by a major league baseball player, possibly a star, and your first inclination is to throw it back.

Yup, idiot is the word.

Nothing But Net

Some new pics of the old Yankee Stadium from WCBS-880 chopper pilot Tom Kaminksi. The deconstruction crew has put safety netting around the Stadium. They may be preserving some stuff, but mostly it's to keep fans from getting conked on the head.

You can see more of Tom's photos at WCBS radio's website.