Pics From The Stadium

These were the pictures I took when I was at Saturday's Jays/Yankees games. I would have taken more but I realized when I got there that I didn't have a memory card, so I could only save 20 pictures. I deleted a lot as the game went along not knowing what pictures I might take as the game went on.

I wish for a Yankee victory!!

Only 12 more home games left at the old ballpark. *sniff*sniff*

If only I had the $$ to make it to that game.

Jeter during BP

Edwar posing with some people that he knew.

Special Advisor to the Yankees, Mr. October

A view inside the Yankee dugout

Legends Suite Home Plate 3 Row 1 Seat 86

Lucky Day, Ned Nederlander, and Dusty Bottoms during the National Anthem

The Captain, no doubt scanning the crowd for some honeys, probably looking for the Yankee Hottie

The game's first pitch......

.....Steerike 1

Jeter getting ready in the on deck circle

J-Boogie's wife says: "Nice butt!"

Jeter's trademark dip

A-Rod, getting ready to GIDP

Ball game over. Yankees lose. Thuhh Yankees lose.

As I was leaving, I noticed this guy. Somebody needs to drop 70 bucks on a new jersey. Seriously? Robin Ventura? Robin Ventura had a total of 748 at-bats with the Yankees in 2002 and 2003. At least he wore it to a Yankee game. I took this picture at a Cardinals/Brewers game in St. Louis back in 2006:

Esteban Loaiza? I have so many questions about this one. 1)Why would anyone buy a Yankees Esteban Loaiza jersey? He appeared in a grand total of 10 games for the Yankees, in 2004. 2)Why would you rock this at a Cardinals/Brewers game in St. Louis? 3)Why would you wear this in 2006? Again, drop the $70 and upgrade.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I took a lot more pics but had to delete them. I had a nice video of Damon stealing 2nd, but erased that too, hoping I might need the space to capture a Mariano Rivera save, or a Yankee walkoff. Sadly, neither happened.

Peace, Love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

The Yanks Are Lying On Their Death Bed

Andy Pettitte was once a strong second half pitcher. He started out that way this year winning his first 2 games after the All-star break, but he's been garbage in his last 7 outings. With today's loss, Andy is now 1-4 in his last 7 outings. The Yankees as a team are 1-6. He pitched alright in a few of those outings but they don't come close to making up for the bad ones. And when he's bad, he's really bad. With Rasner, Ponson, and Pavano making up three-fifths of your rotation, you pretty much need Pettitte and Mike Mussina to pitch lights out baseball every time they start. Andy has been a let down. We need him to be better. Much much better.

The Jays jumped all over Andy early and you knew as soon as the first inning was over that this wasn't going to be the Yankees day. Roy Halladay has only allowed 5 runs or more in only 4 of his 28 starts. He's only allowed 4 runs in 5 starts. A 4-run deficit against Roy Halladay pretty much means you're going to lose. To Andy's credit he settled down and kept the Yankees in the game, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The offense has been blah all season and I had no reason to believe they were going to make a comeback.

I've stated a lot recently that if the Yankees wanted to reach the postseason by winning the wild card that they needed 94 wins. That's getting tougher and tougher by the day as the team keeps losing. The loss drops them to 72-64, which pretty much means they now need to go 22-4 the rest of the way. If anyone out there honestly thinks that's possible I'd love to hear why. I'm looking for reasons to believe, but when I think about it logically, I know there's no chance. If you throw out the first 8 games after the All-star break, the Yankees are 64-64, a 500 team. Pathetically average if you will. So for 94% of the played season, they've been a 500 ball club. I see no reason or signs that this team will all of the sudden flip the switch and run off 22 wins in 26 games. 16 of the last 26 games are on the road. They have to play in Boston, Tampa Bay, and in Anaheim. Those are the 3 best teams in the American League. Boston and Tampa are ridiculous at home, both winning over 70% of their home games. I don't know how I can expect the Yankees, who are 32-33 on the road, to win those games. I just don't see it happening. They've shown me nothing to make me think they can make a run. I want to believe they can, I really do. But like I said, there haven't been any signs to make me think they can. If someone can lay some reasons on me, please do. I'm really curious if there are any Yankee fans out there that believe they can pull this off. If anyone does, let me know.

Their "time of death" is rapidly approaching. 4 more losses and I'm calling it.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Oh Crappy Day

It's quarter after one, just got back from the Bronx, and today's game could not have gone any worse. What started out so promising, ended so badly, all thanks to an errant "throw" by Robbie Cano. Ugh.

Today was the day I've been waiting all season for. I had tickets in the Legends Suite section behind home plate. I redeemed a whole buttload of credit card points for the tickets and I couldn't have been happier that I did. The seats were awesome. It felt like you were in the action with each and every pitch. I took some pictures and will post them sometime tomorrow, though there aren't that many because I didn't know my wife swiped the memory card from my camera, so it only had room for 20 or so on it's internal memory.

We, my father-in law Dave and I, left yesterday afternoon and drove to Mt. Olive, NJ, which was a little less than an hour away from the Stadium. I was worried that it might rain today as all the forecasts I saw were calling for scattered thunderstorms. When we left our hotel to leave, around 8:45am, it was pretty cloudy. When we arrived at the Stadium about 50 minutes later, the skies didn't look promising. But then the clouds broke, the sun came out, and the day started out great.

We didn't rush to get down to our section for BP because they won't allow you into the lower sections of Yankee Stadium unless you have a ticket in that section, so we knew there wouldn't be that many people down there. When we got down there we were both instantly taken aback by how on top of things we were. I tried to take some good shots with the camera but everyone and their brother on the field kept blocking my view. Michale Kay was one of the big offenders. no matter who i was trying to snap a picture of, there he was, with his big melon, blocking my shot. Thanks a lot Mike. Even in person you find ways to annoy me.

After the Jays BP ended, we made our way to our seats, which were Legends Suite Home Plate 3, seats 85 and 86. For those not familiar with the section, it's set up into 3 rows. The first row (Legends Suite Home Plate 1) is your standard fold down seats, except with an extra (optional0 seat cushion. Same seats Rudy Guiliani sits in. The second (LSHP 2) and third (LSHP 3) rows are plush folding chairs, and both in the same row, so if someone is in row 2, the people in row 3 are looking at the back of their heads. Lucky for us, nobody sat in row 2. From the TV vantage point, we were to the right of the radar gun, about 5 seats away from Rich Monteleone, who is the guy sitting back their charting pitches. The seats themselves are as good as they look on TV. You literally felt like you were in the game. It was awesome. I have bleacher tickets to the 2nd to last game of the season and I'm not sure how I can even sit out there now. And memo to the Bleacher Creatures: box seats don't suck. Oh, and we sat next to 2 younger dudes who ran up a $194 tab, pretty much just on Jack and Cokes. My mouth dropped when I saw the bill. I'd have taken a picture of what $194 worth of empty drink cups look like, but the camera battery also died on me at the tail end of the game. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing because it's an ending I'd rather forget.

The Yanks were in pretty good shape pretty much for the whole game up until Cano's error. That pretty much blew it right there. What would have been a 6-2 lead with 2 outs, ended up being a 6-5 lead when the inning was over. The bullpen tanked and the Yankee lead quickly became a deficit. When Jeter and Abreu both reached to start the 9th, the Stadium was rocking. I've never been in such an amped up atmosphere. And then A-Rod, as I predicted to my father-in law Dave, grounded into a DP. Dave predicted before the inning Alex would hit a walkoff. I went with the DP. And as soon as the DP was completed, you could feel the energy being sucked right out of the Stadium. Ransom flew out and that was it. Ball game over. Yankees lose. And what will likely go down as my most favorite Yankee Stadium experience ever, ended on the most sour of notes.

And of course, the Yankees lose and everyone else that matters wins. They again trail the Sox by 7 for the wild card and by my guesstimate, the Yankees can only afford to lose 5 more games before I officially write them off. They can still do what I said they needed to do and that's win the series, but a win today would have guaranteed that and opened up the door for a sweep, which would have made up for losing two to Boston. I said the other day that their best chance at winning 94 games was to take 2 from Boston and win every series the rest of the way while sweeping the Mariners and the Orioles, and while beating the Tigers in their make-up game. Since they lost 2 to Boston, they now pretty much need to win what's now today's game against the Jays, and sweep one of the other series they have, against either Tampa Bay (2 series = 6 games), Toronto (3), Anaheim (3), Chicago (4), or Boston (3), again while sweeping both Seattle (3) and Baltimore (3). If they can do that, they'll finish out 22-5 and end the season with a 94-68 record.

It's not impossible, but it's extremely unlikely. Stranger things have happened. Be back tomorrow with some pics from today.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Win One But Playoffs Still A Long Shot

Jason Giambi's late inning heroics breathed a little life into the Yankees' playoff chances, moving them back to within six games of the wild card leading Red Sox. They still have a tremendously deep hole to climb their way out of though. There are only 29 games left and making up 6 games is not going to be easy. Some might say, including myself, that it's impossible. While it's mathematically possible, when you look at all the factors, there's really not much of a chance. I've mentioned that a few times recently but for those new to the blog, don't remember, and/or are too lazy to scroll down (I'd fall into the category), I'll do a quick recap of why I think the Yankees' chances are slim and none: The Sox are on pace to win 94 games. The Yanks have 71 wins and would need to win 23 games to hit 94. They don't have the pitching and/or hitting to go 23-6 over the next 29 games against the teams they have to face. The Sox, and Twins, pretty much both need to have total meltdowns for the Yankees chances to improve. I don't see that happening.

The Yankees' rotation as a whole is pretty weak. Carl Pavano is, well, Carl Pavano. Ponson and Rasner both stink. Andy Pettitte is capable but inconsistent. Mike Mussina is the only Yankee starter that can be counted on to pitch well. Moose had another great outing today. I didn't see the game on TV but listened to it on the radio while I was at work. Moose did his thing and kept the Yankees in the game, allowing only 2 runs in 7 innings of work. Moose now has 28 starts under his belt and he's only allowed 4 runs or more 6 times. He's allowed 2 runs or less 17 times. He's the man, plain and simple. I didn't see the play but apparently Cano took too long in deciding to throw to turn a DP which led to a run. At least that's how Sterling made it sound. That would have been nice seeing that the Yankees only scored 2 for him. He could have left with a 2-1 lead and been in line for his 17th win. Moose now has 6 remaining starts and needs to pick up 4 wins to hit 20. I really hope he gets there but the offense needs to help him out. Man it's too bad the Yankees offense couldn't pick him up a 3rd run. God knows they had their chances.

Alex had another bad day at the dish, going oh-fer-4 with 3 Ks. He stranded 2 in the 1st and 2 in the 6th. The 6th inning pretty much summed up the Yankees' season in one half-inning. The first 2 guys get on and the heart of the order can't bring them home. Alex's first pitch foul out was especially disheartening. That would have been a nice spot for him to show everyone that he can come though in the clutch. I came so close to throwing my radio against the wall when I heard that happen. It's incredibly frustrating to listen to.

I really hope that Jason Giambi's 2 clutch hits provides some kind of spark to this lineup. His game-tying HR was huge. Not only did it tie the game but it got Moose off the hook for the loss. And nothing made me happier than his game-winner of Papelbon. I love watching him give up game-winners. Too bad it doesn't happen more often.

So now it's time to face the Jays. To keep hope alive they have to win this series. That's going to be tough to do considering they have to face Halladay and AJ Burnett. I think they can only afford to lose 6 more times. They have to win every series from here on out or their done. And just winning the series won't get it done. They have to sweep at least 3 of them. I don't see that happening, but I'll be watching hoping that it does.

I'm not sure how much blogging I'll be doing over the next few days. I have tickets behind home plate for Saturday's game. We're leaving tomorrow and staying about an hour outside of the city and I'm not sure how much of the game I'll see and I don't know if the hotel has any kind of "community" PC I could even use to blog about it. I'm really looking forward to Saturday. I think I'm 3 rows behind home plate near the Yankees' on-deck circle. I picked up the tickets by cashing in 24000 credit card points. I figured it's the Stadium's final season and I need to experience something like that once in my lifetime. I can't wait. Should be fun. I'll do my best to bring home a W. Enjoy the games.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Same Ol Same Ol

I'm at work listening to the game on the radio. Damon and Jeter reach base to open up the inning. In typical Yankee fashion, the 3-4-5 hitters fail to deliver. A-Rod is friggin' horrible. A first-pitch foul out to Varitek with runners on the corners. Earlier he whiffed with 2 on and 1 down.

Alex is going to end the year with an average north of 300, with 30-plus homers and 100-plus RBI. Normally I'd say that person had a great year. Alex's season however is a total failure.

9 more years of this boys and girls. Let's hope it's a 1 time thing. It better be.

J-Boogie

I'm Closing The Bonds Poll

Even though there is 3 days left in the "Should The Yankees Sign Barry Bonds" poll, I'm going to end it early since it's not going to happen. I knew the odds of a Bonds signing were slim and none once Matsui came back from the DL and assumed the full-time DH role. But anyway, thanks to the 47 people who casted a vote. Here were the results:

• 8 people (17%) said the Yankees should sign Bonds no matter the cost
• 2 people (4%) said the Yankees should sign Bonds but only at the league minimum
• 37 people (79%) said the Yankees shouldn't sign Bonds

So pretty much 4 of 5 people didn't want Bonds on the team. I'm certainly no fan of the guy, but to me it made sense. At least it did until Matsui came back. It wouldn't make any sense to carry Bonds in addtion to Matsui, Damon, Abreu, and Nady. If Matsui were out for the season, or wasn't coming back until late September, than I'd think they'd have been fools not to bring him in. Then again, what do I know. I didn't think they should have traded Hughes and Kennedy for Johan Santana and look where that got us. I'm still glad they didn't trade Hughes. I think he's going to be something special. Time will tell.

Thanks again to those that voted.

J-Boogie

The End Is Rapidly Approaching

In my last blog entry, I mentioned that the Yankees could only afford 7 more losses the rest of the way. Make that 6. And if they continue to play the way they're playing, they'll lose those 6 games by the end of next week.

Tonight was another absolutely brutal game. Where's the friggin' offense? It's mind boggling that they could only manage 5 hits off of Paul Byrd. Pathetic. And nice of Alex to rap a few doubles when it really didn't matter. Why couldn't he do that like yesterday? Typical Alex. Failing to come through when it counts. Usually he saves those kind of games for the postseason. Somebody tell him there's still 30 games left.

There's no way the Yankees are going to win 24 of the last 30 with their current rotation. The trio of Rasner, Ponson, and Pavano have about 16-19 starts left between them. Can anyone honestly see those 3 losing only 6 games between them? And that's assuming that Pettitte and Moose win out. Ponson allows way too many baserunners. He allowed 11 tonight in his 4.2 innings. No idea how he only allowed 4 runs. Rasner only has 2 wins in his last 16 starts. He's 2-9 with 5 no decisions. The Yanks are 3-2 in those 5 games. And Carl Pavano? Do I even need to say anything? The Yanks really need to make some serious upgrades to the rotation in the coming days if they want to have any kind of chance. Those 3 won't get it done.

Did anyone else hear Michael Kay say in the 8th inning that the Red Sox were "going to try and hold onto their lead?" Hello? The score was freaking 11-2. Maybe if it were a 1-run game or if they were the 1927 Yankees, I could understand that comment. But come on. A 9-run lead against a piss-poor Yankee offense? They could have trucked out Bobby Doerr to pitch the last 2 innings and the Sox still would have easily won the game. Stupid comment. Typical Michael Kay. I can't stand him.

Tomorrow is a day game. Should be a good one. Moose vs. Lester. I think Moose has 7 starts left. He needs 4 wins to hit the 20-win mark. I think Moose has a good shot but he really needs some help from the offense. The last thing I want to see is Moose pitch a gem and lose some games by scores of 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, etc. He's been getting some run support lately. The Yanks have scored 33 runs in his last 3 starts with 9 runs being their lowest total runs scored.

Man I hope they come through tomorrow.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Can They Do The Impossible??

The Yankees currently trail the Red Sox for the wild card by 6 games with 31 games to play. The Sox are 76-55, a winning percentage of .580. If they continue to play 580 ball, they'll likely end up with 94 wins. The Yankees are currently 70-61 and in all likelihood need 95 wins to secure a post season birth, and 94 wins to maybe tie. That would mean the Yanks would need to go 25-6 the rest of the way, which is playing to a .806 winning percentage. No chance if you ask me. Maybe if they were playing creampuffs, but they don't exactly have the easiest of schedules ahead of them, as they have to face the 4 best teams in the AL:

• 3 games with the 80-51 Angels (in LA)
• 6 games with the 79-51 Rays (3 home/3 away)
• 4 games with the 76-56 White Sox (in NY)
• 5 games with the 76-55 Red Sox (2 home/2 away)
• 6 games with the 68-63 Jays (3 home/3 away)
• 3 games with the 62-70 Orioles (in Baltimore)
• 3 games with the 50-82 Mariners (in Seattle)
• 1 game with the 64-68 Tigers (in Detroit)

Can anyone honestly see the Yankees winning 25 games against these guys. They pretty much need to win 2 of 3 in LA, 4 of 6 against TB, 3 of 4 against the White Sox, 4 of 5 against Boston, 4 of 6 against Toronto, and sweep The O's, M's, and Tigers. If they can pull that off, they have a shot. That would be a 24-7 finish and 94 wins, which could get it done. And that's assuming the Red Sox and Twins play to their current winning percentages. This won't be easy.

So basically, they have to win every series, while sweeping those 3 chumps. No easy task. Especially when you look at how they're playing. But baseball is a funny game. Stranger things have happened. The Mets collapse. The Rockies magical run. The Red Sox winning 4 straight in the ALCS. If those things can happen, anything can happen.

Put me on the spot and ask me what I think their chances are and I'd say absolutely none. I just can't see them pulling this off. Not with how they've been played all season. Not with A-Rod pulling oh-fers and grounding into DP after DP. Not with Ponson, Rasner, and Pavano making up three-fifths of the rotation. I could go on-and-on.

7 losses. That's all they can afford. Anything more and we're likely looking at our first Yankeeless postseason in a long, long time.

I'll be watching and hoping for a miracle.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Blog Update

I have added a link under the "other cool blogs/sites" section on the left sidebar. The link is for Pitch3r.com. For those not familiar with Pitch3r, it is a site that lists MLB stories/articles from around the web and provides link to them by team, player, etc. It's kind of like 1 stop shopping for MLB news/blogs from around the web.

Now Warming Up: The Fat Lady

Yeah, I'm thinking the season is pretty much over. I've thought this for a while but the Yankees always seem to find a way to keep me hanging on to some hope. The winning streak after the All-Star break. Sweeping Baltimore. Coming into today I was feeling pretty good. I know sweeping the Red Sox is no small task but I really thought that these guys were going to make a magical run. And don't get me wrong, there's still time to do that. Just look back to last year when the Mets collapsed and the Rockies made that incredible run. Anything can happen. But what we saw tonight is pretty indicative of what's been happening all year, and that's not showing up when it counts.

Andy. Andy. Andy. You sucked tonight bro. 4.2 innings? 6 earned runs? 10 hits? 3 walks? Brutal. Absolutely brutal. The worst part about Andy's night were the 2 out hits. 3 2-out singles in the 2nd lead to a run, and 4 2 out singles in the 5th led to 3 runs. That was just awful. I was expecting him to be much better than he was.

Brian Bruney. Fine night to walk 3 straight batters. He hasn't always had the best control but he'd been better this year, walking only 11 in 21.1 innings. Way to pitch effectively.

And then there's the worst of them all, A-Rod. 0-5 w/7 men left on base. A double play in the 3rd. A fly out with 2 on and one out in the 5th. And my favorite, an inning ending DP with the bases loaded and 1 out and the tying run at bat. Last year in these spots he was automatic. This year in those spots he's been absolutely awful. Coming into tonight's game, Alex was hitting .250 with RISP. He was hitting .245 with RISP and 2 outs. He was hitting .111 with the bases loaded. Not numbers you'd expect from last year's MVP. Last year A-Rod hit .333 w/RISP, .318 w/RISP and 2 outs, and .500 with the bases loaded. In his career, .303 w/RISP, .273 w/RISP and 2 outs, and .339 with the bases loaded. Not two ways about. Alex sucks in big spots. This year's numbers are remarkable considering he's hitting .308 w/28 HRs and 78 RBI. I never thought he deserved the boos before. He definitely deserves them now.

So now we're 6 back in the wild card and the stopper Sidney Ponson goes tomorrow. It might as well be my 1-year old son out there. I really think they're going to eat him alive. The WHIP finally caught up to him in Toronto. He's allowed too many baserunners all year and has found ways to wiggle out of trouble. The Red Sox lineup isn't going to let that happen. the Yankees are staring a 7 game deficit square in the face. I realistically thought the Yankees would take 2 of 3, winning Pettitte's start and Moose's as well. I don't think Ponson has a chance. And right now, I don't think the Yankees have much of a chance either.

Listen close and you'll hear the fat lady warming up.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Be Back In 10 Minutes

Considering I missed much of the O's series and yesterday was an off day, I decided to take a "mini-vacation" from blogging to get ready for the big stretch run.

The Yanks came up big against the O's but this series with the Sox is pretty much do or die. They almost need to sweep. I'm not even sure taking 2 of 3 would help the cause. Coming out of this series 2 back would be killer. 4 back with about 29 games left, that's going to be tough. Dobale, but tough. We have a shot at the sweep with Moose and Andy getting the ball. They really need to bring their A games.

Their backs are up against the wall. Everyone is counting them out. It's time to see what this team is really made of.

They can do this.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Quick FYI

Just a quick post to explain my absence over the last few days. My son's 1st birthday was Friday. Wow that year flew by. My mom came to town for his party and stayed with us. She stayed in the guest room/office which is where the PC is so I didn't have regular access to it to blog. Also, the trip to Toronto took a lot out of me and I'm still catching up. His party was today so I had to do a lot with that also. I tried to watch today's game but fell asleep as soon as I turned it on. I turned it on just in time to see Edwar give up a 2-run game tying bomb. And I think I was out before the next pitch. I woke up right when they brought Mo in for the last out of the 8th. I'd blog about the Yanks/O's series now, but tomorrow is an off day, so I'll save it for then. My apologies for the brief hiatus. It was a hectic week.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

I'm Going To Be Sick

After the commercial break in between the top of the 2nd and bottom of the 2nd, they cut to a shot of some guys sitting in the Yankee dugout. One of the guys had a big schnoz and I asked myself "who is that?" I then realized who it was and I vomited in my mouth. Carl Pavano.

Ladies and gentleman, the apocalypse is upon us. We should all be scared.

J-Boogie

Toronto Series Recap

Only one word can describe the Toronto series: disgusting. It was just not good baseball. Tuesday's game was a good game. The Yanks didn't have much going on for them offensively. Rasner pitched a great game. It was a shame that two dropped fly balls by Johnny Damon led to the loss. He had an absolutely dreadful night in the field. I'm not sure how the dropped ball in the 8th was not an error as that ball was more than catchable. Perhaps he's now "scared" of the wall after having injured his shoulder. Maybe it's that there's no difference between the OF "grass" and the warning track in the Rogers Centre and he couldn't tell where the wall was. Maybe both were contributing factors. Maybe they addressed it on the post game, which I didn't see. But a bad night all around.

The Yankees couldn't touch AJ Burnett all night. There was a gentleman standing next to me who felt he was "auditioning" for the Yankees. While I'm sure there is interest in AJ, I can't imagine it's that high. You know the rotation is going to be anchored by Wang and Chamberlain. If they're smart they resign Moose and don't bother with Pettitte. Pettitte will keep the Yanks wondering all winter what his plans are and they shouldn't hold things up for AP. Besides, Moose is one of the best pitchers in the last 20 years and who better to give guidance to the youngsters than Moose. And unless they totally give up on Phil Hughes, he'll be the 4th starter, leaving one open spot, which I'm sure they'll try to fill with a lefty, cough cough, CC Sabathia.

Andy Pettitte absolutely dominated the 2nd game. He was pretty much on all night. I couldn't help but wonder why they pulled him after 7 as he was cruising, had a 4 run lead, and had only thrown 83 pitches. Knowing Girardi he was playing the righty/righty match-up as the whole Jays lineup was pretty right heavy. Brian Bruney looked especially sharp also. I thought the team should have scored more runs, but they're the Yankees. Offensive explosions are a rare commodity these days. The offense which is made up of pretty much the same guys as last year can't seem to get things going. Man, who knew Jorge Posada was that valuable to the Yankee lineup.

And then there was yesterday's absolute trashing. I knew before the series started that the Yankees were likely only going to win 1 game based on the pitching matchups alone, with the middle game being the only one that favored the Yankees. After watching Toronto struggle offensively the 1st 2 games, I thought maybe the Yankee had a chance at beating Roy Halladay. And then the bottom of the 1st started and my hopes for a Yankee victory were quickly dashed. I didn't even stick around for the whole game, leaving after the 1st inning because I was absolutely exhausted. Usually I stick around any game I attend until both teams get hits because I'd hate to miss a no-no. I had planned to stay for the entire game but I was exhausted and getting home at 1opm as opposed to 2am, seemed like a great idea. I was absolutely worn down because hounding for autographs is tough work.

If you've been a long time regular reader of this blog then you've probably read some stories about my experiences trying to get autographs. I spent a lot of time standing outside the Yankees hotel hoping to score some stuff for my collection. I'd get there around 8:30-9 in the morning and I'd leave around 1:30am. I usually stay in Mississauga, which is about 15 miles outside of Toronto as it's cheaper and the parking is free. The morning drive is brutal. That was draining in itself. Anyway, I won't bore you with the details, but I did pretty well for myself over the 3 days. This is how I fared:

• Tuesday: Pudge Rodriguez on a sweet spot and Al Leiter on a Team USA WBC ball
• Wednesday: Joe Girardi and Derek Jeter on my 1998 World Series team ball, A-Rod on a 2008 All-star ball, and A-Rod on an authentic jersey (he signed the #1 on the back with a paint pen)
• Thursday: Mariano on an authentic jersey (he signed the #4 on the back with a paint pen) and Terry Francona

Now, you've probably just asked yourself, Terry Francona?? Yeah, Terry Francona. The Red Sox start a series with with the Jays tonight. They were in Baltimore on Wednesday and had an off day on Thursday, which meant they flew into Toronto very early Thursday morning. The 2 teams stay at the same hotel and this time their paths crossed. So for the majority of Thursday, the hotel was crawling with both teams. It was a pretty odd scene to say the least. There was one point where David Ortiz was leaving the hotel on foot and was crossing the street. On the other side of the street was Jose Veras. Ortiz crossed the street and he and Veras ended up hugging, and not just an ordinary hug. Veras rested his head on Ortiz's shoulder. The two then walked down the street holding hands, albeit only for a few seconds. It was more comical than anything else and I think they were playing it up for some odd reason. The 2 then went to eat together and happened to dine at the same eatery as Mariano Rivera and Edwar Ramirez. Very weird. I could have gotten Ortiz's autograph but I didn't follow him around town as he walked. He signed for those that did. I was hoping to catch him on his way back but he didn't return before I headed to the stadium. There were other Sox players that signed, but none I were interested in. And that was pretty much my hotel experience in a nutshell.

The Yankees are now 6 games out of the wild card with 35 to play. I think they're pretty much done. Carl Pavano is getting the start on Saturday. If that's not a sign that things are bad, I don't know what is. Hopefully, Moose wins tonight and picks up #17. All I'm really looking forward to is him winning 20. Hopefully, the offense doesn't let him down. and hopefully, my hair magically starts to grow back. I don't see either happening.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

I'm Crossing The Border Eh

Just an FYI that I'll be taking off the next few days from blogging while I attend the Yanks/Jays series up in Toronto. I might pop in here and there, but that's doubtful. While I'm gone, I'd suggest visiting any of the various Yankees blogs over on the leff sidebar. They're all good.

I'll try to bring home 3 wins but while I'm gone hold down the fort and if anyone runs into Carl Pavano, take his knees out. Rumors are swirling that he's coming back this weekend. Woe is us.

J-Boogie

Blog Updates

Just an FYI that I've added some blogs to the "Awesome Yankee Blogs" section on the right.

Yankee Fan Blogs being one, and Reid's The Angry Bench Coach being the other. Some of you may remember Reid from his day at MLBlogs where his blog titled "Baseball is Heaven's Gift To Mortals."

Both sites are quality stuff. Give them a look.

J-Boogie

Just When You Think You're Out, They Pull You Back In

I was talking to my friend and fellow Yankee fan Don last night, sometime well after the Yankee game had ended. We were talking about how pitiful the offense was and I commented how I was going to be ticked if they had a similar output today against Moose. Don immediately said that wouldn't happen and they'd score at least 9 runs. For once in his life, my man knows what he's talking about. The offense exploded today, pounding the Royals for 15 runs and 17 hits. That's more like it. Everything was clicking today. It's about time.

Moooooooooooooooose! 16 wins baby. I was a little nervous at first. He didn't exactly start out the way I had hoped, getting knocked around pretty well in the 1st. I felt a little better about things when they flashed a stat during the broadcast that showed opposing team's average off Moose during the 1st 3 times through the order. Usually, teams do better off pitchers as the game goes on. I've rarely seen it go the opposite way, where the stats favor the pitcher as he gets deeper into the game. That's how Moose's season has gone this year. I wish I wrote down the exact numbers, but teams hit like 330ish off Moose the first time through the order, 280ish the second time through, and 230ish the 3rd time through. Like I said, you don't normally see that. It's usually the exact opposite. Maybe the blogosphere's resident Statistician Magician can help us out and drop some numbers on our collective asses. That's basically the way it went today for Moose. 6 of the first 9 Royal hitters had hits off Moose. And then he aptly retired 14 in a row. That's my boy right there. Way to shut things down. I still thought it was going to be tough as the team was quickly in a 3-0 hole. With the way this offense has been, nobody, except for maybe the aforementioned Don, would have expected this offense to break out like they did today. It was nice to see them bust out the whooping sticks right out of the gate and giving Moose some much needed run support. All that leads to win #16, career win # 266, tying him with HOFer Bob Feller on the all-time wins list. 8 more starts to win 4 more games and get to that elusive 20 win total. Very doable. If only Mariano hadn't given up that game-tying 3-run bomb in Minnesota. Oh well. One more time for good measure: Moooooooooooooooose!

Derek Jeter, with his 4 for 4 performance today, now has his batting average up to .295. Jeet has been swinging a hot bat, going 12-19 over the last 4 games. 300 is within reach. He'll be there in no time. A-Rod's 3-run HR in the 1st was so great to see. I was so afraid he'd K looking or ground into a DP, but he came through and set the tone for the rest of the day. That was big right there, both for A-Rod and the team. After that the flood gates pretty much opened. After a Giambi ground out, the next 4 hitters hit for the cycle, with Nady going deep, Cano singling, Molina doubling, and the lightning quick Brett Gardner hitting an RBI triple. There was no stopping these guys against Brian Bannister. The final nail in the coffin was the Giambino's grand slam. They got the big hits in key spots today. It was nice to see. And getting back to Alex, I really hope his 3-for-3 day with 2 walks snaps him out of the funk he's been in. We need that bat. We need all the bats really. More games like today fellas. More games like today. IS it me or have I become a big fan of repeating myself for "dramatic" effect.

So it's time for another road trip. The boys head north of the border for a 3 game set with the Jays (I'll be there!!), and then head down to Baltimore for a weekend series, before starting a homestand that brings the wild card leading Red Sox to town. The Red Sox by the are getting punked by the Jays again today, currently losing 5-3. Josh Beckett, and pretty much every Sox pitcher they've trotted out there, got hammered. Beckett gave up 8 runs in 2.1 innings before he was yanked. Assuming the score holds up, the Yanks will then be only 5 back of the Sox for the wild card. It's funny how quickly things change.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

ps- almost forgot. Congrats to Cody Ransom on his 1st hit as a Yankee, an HR!! Not a bad way to start your tenure as a Yankee. (Thanks to commenter Kishan for correcting me. I mistakenly listed it as his first ML hit, not knowing he had previously played for SF and Houston).

Yanks Pick Up An Undeserved Victory

The Yanks might have won today but they can't be happy with how they played. It was another typical Yankee ball game. They only won this one because the Royals had a late game meltdown. The Yanks were well on their way to getting shut out when KC's defense imploded on itself committing 3 errors in the 7th, which for all intents and purposes cost the Royals the game. But it's a victory nonetheless. Regardless of how it happens, 1 gets added in the win column. But it's not a victory to write home about.

The offense was again horrible. How can a lineup with such talent struggle so much? It's mind boggling. There's one thing they're good at and that's hitting into DPs. Another 4 today. All coming in key spots. The Yankees' half of the 4th inning is a perfect indicator of how this season has gone. Bases loaded, no outs, A-Rod whiffs looking and Giambi hits into a 4-6-3 DP. If I had hair on my head, I'd pull it out. This offense is horrible. And there's no excuse for it. It's hard to believe the pitching is this team's strong suit. They definitely won the game today.

The pitching was terrific today. Ponson surprised me. I've been predicting his downfall since day 1. I don't know how he does it. But as long as he keeps doing it, I'm cool. The bullpen today was outstanding, giving up only 1 hit in 6.2 innings. Bruney got the clutch out there in the 7th with his bases loaded, line out inning ending double play. That was big. Damaso Marte is suffering from Yankee lefty-speacialist syndrome. Every Yankee "lefty specialist" I can remember as of late, can't get out lefties. Lefties are hitting .273 against Damaso, with an OBP of .385 and a SLG of .545. I wasn't surprised at all when he came in to face the lefty Teahen and walked him. Typical. Everybody else though, greta job. Way to keep the team in the game and give the offense numerous chances to finally scratch won across. As has been the case so many times this year, the bullpen gets the game ball.

The other game ball has to go to Brett Gardner. 3 hits and the game winning single. Good for him. I'll get excited when he does this consistently. Melky has a good game every once in a while too. Joe, the blogosphere's resident Statistician Magician, left a comment in one of my previous entries that Gardner looks like he is better at drawing walks than Melky and maybe that's what the Yanks are hoping for. I'd agree with that. Gardner has a lot more plate discipline and it could translate into a much better OBP than what Melky is capable of. I'd agree with that but I still think, as does Joe, that the Yankees OF needs to be Abreu, Damon and Nady. I'm desperate to buy but I'm far from sold on Brett. Hopefully his second stint goes much, much better than his first. I won't complain if it does. And if you're not checking out Joe's blog on the regular, you should. I recommend it. It's one of the very few Red Sox blogs i read and enjoy.

Joe Girardi continues to irritate me with his decisions. You'd think he'd have learned by now that putting in a pinch runner for Jason Giambi rarely works. It's a lesson that Joe Torre had trouble learning also. It seems that more often than not the pinch runner doesn't score and Giambi's spot in the lineup comes around again in a key situation. I wish I could put together a laundry list of examples when this has happened, but it's not something I've ever tracked, but I've noticed it happens a lot and always seems to backfire, like it did today when he pinch ran Ransom for Giambi in the 7th and the very next hitter, Nady, hits into a DP. The game goes extras and Giambi's spot in the order comes up 3 times. And who do we have to rely on? Wilson Betemit. Ugh. He may have walked twice but still, who would you rather have up? Giambi or Betemit? No-brainer. Wilson had a chance to win it in the 12th and what did he do? Whiffed. Good job fellas.

So the Yanks picked up an undeserved win. It wasn't pretty but I'll take it. Too bad both the Twins and White Sox won. The Red Sox are currently getting shut out by Roy Halladay. Hopefully that score holds up and we can pick up a game and move to only 6 back in the wild card race. 6 back with 39 to play. Yeah, I'm not liking our chances, especially if they continue to play like they did today. My man Moose goes tomorrow. Hopefully he brings his A-game because it's unlikley the offense will give him much support. Score him some runs guys. Score him some runs!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

So What Else Is New?

You. Have got to be. Kidding me. Is it possible that the 9th inning of tonight's game could have gone any worse? Holy freeholy. The go-ahead run scores on a wild pitch. Justin Christian gets picked off. And the Yankees, in typical Yankee fashion, leave the bases loaded. Yankees lose. Thuhhh Yankees lose. So what else is new?

My jaw hit the floor when Justin Christian got picked off in the 9th. I know the kid is a rookie, and I know he has blazing speed, but there is no excuse for that. He steals a base or two here and there and thinks he's automatic. It's the same thing with Melky and his arm. He throws a few guys out at the plate and thinks he can do it every time, so he overthrows the cut off man, the run scores, and the runners advance. Same thing in my eyes. Christian's mindset needs to quickly change from "I'm stealing" to "I'm stealing if I can." I think he has it in his brain that he has to steal no matter what. Girardi needs to squash that. Speaking of Joey G, as much as this is going to hurt, I have to give Michael Kay credit for what he said after Christian's blunder. Kay commented that one of the reasons Girardi was brought in as manager was because of how well he does with the fundamentals and squeaking out a run or two here and there. Yeah, I'm not getting that from this team. They're playing horrible baseball.

Super Mariano has been less than super lately. He's now given up runs in 4 of his last 7 games. 5 if you count the run he gave up against the Angels. He's 0-2 with 2 saves and 1 blown save in those 7 games. His numbers, while still awesome, have been getting progressively worse. When it rains it pours.

So why did they send down Melky and bring up Brett Gardner? If you didn't read my last post, this is what I said about that move, "I'm not sure that bringing Brett Gardner up does the team any better. They're pretty much the same type of player. Having Gardner in the lineup is almost like playing Melky." Gardner in his return to the bigs went oh-fer-4. Melky could have done that. Sure he threw a guy out at the plate, but Melky could do that too. Like I said, they're pretty much the same player, a sucky one if you will. Brett looks totally lost at the plate. I've seen nothing from him that makes me think he'll succeed on a big league level. The Yanks are giving him a second shot and I really don't know why. I hope he proves me wrong, but i don't see it happening.

Andy Pettitte had a decent outing. Not his best, not his worst, but good. His 2 unintentional walks did him in. They pretty much led to all 3 of the runs he gave up. He pitched well enough to give the Yanks a shot to win. Too bad the offense didn't come through. So what else is new?

And as we've seen so much over the last week or so, when the Yanks lose, everyone ahead of them wins. Tampa Bay won. The Twins won. The White Sox are currently tied in the 9th. The Red Sox got rained out. The Yanks aren't doing themselves any favors by playing such poor baseball. Like I said Thursday, it's gut check time. Time to dig deep and pull a Michael Phelps on these fools. Man that dude is awesome!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Making Moves Y'all

According to Pete Abe's blog, the Yankees made some moves today. Melky Cabrera was optioned to the minors and Richie Sexson was released. The Yanks recalled Brett Gardner and also Cody Ransom.

I've made it perfectly clear here that I'm not a big Melky fan. He's nothing more than a 4th OF at best. I never understood why he got as much love from the Yanks as he did. Don't get me wrong, he was good out of the box, but his value has been rapidly declining ever since. It was time to move him out, but I'm not sure that bringing Brett Gardner up does the team any better. They're pretty much the same type of player. I'd almost argue Melky has more value. For one he's a switch hitter whereas Gardner strictly hits from the left. Melky probably also has a leg up on Gardner defensively, definitely having the better arm. I would assume that this means Johnny Damon is the new everyday CF, with Nady taking over the full-time gig in LF. If it's not that way it should be. Like I said, having Gardner in the lineup is almost like playing Melky. Unless they're trying to send a message to Melky, or give him time to figure things out int he minors, I don't quite get it. (edited to add @ 4:45- Gardner is the starting CF tonight. Now I really don't get this move??)

As for Richie Sexson getting released? I'm a little surprised by that too. I thought he's done alright for the Yanks, better than expected. He hit .250 with an OBP of 371 as a Yank. Not superstar numbers, but not bad. He was pretty much there to hit against lefties, which he seemed to be doing a good job of for the Yanks. He was hitting .273 with an OBP of .393 and a SLG of .455 against LHPs. Seems decent to me. Ransom has some OK #s this year for Scranton. Overall, he's hitting .255 with an OBP of .338 and a SLG of .482. Against LHPs, he's .203/.303/.520. Nothing to excited about. So again, this move, like the other one, not making a whole lot of sense. It's not like Sexson was making millions.

These 2 moves aren't going to do much to improve the Yankees chances at making the postseason. It makes me wonder if something else is on the horizon?? Cough, cough, Barry Bonds. Don't forget to vote in the "should the Yanks sign Bonds" poll in the upper left.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

ps- if the "plagiarizer" reads this, that's how you do it. Credit the source and expand on it with your own insight. Not too difficult.

Gut Check Time

The worst case scenario for the Yankees happened yesterday. They lost and all the key players ahead of them won. Yesterday could not gave gone any worse for the Yankees. Hopefully, the off day gives them time to recharge, and maybe, just maybe, might energize them enough to make one final push. Here's where they currently stand:

AL EAST
Tampa Bay 72-47 -
Boston 70-51 3
New York 64-57 9

WILD CARD
Boston 70-51 -
Chicago 67-52 2
Minnesota 67-53 2.5
New York 64-57 6

I've pretty much written off the AL East. They're 10 back in the loss column with just over 40 to play. The Rays would have to totally collapse, which is highly unlikely, or the Yanks pretty much have to run the table against both the Rays and the Red Sox to pull that off, again, highly unlikely. For those not familiar with the schedule they have 6 games left with each. Catching Boston for the wild card is possible, but I'm not liking our chances. And even if we do catch the BoSox, we still need some help leap-frogging the other two. It's gut check time. Time for these guys to dig deep and show us what they're made of.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

What A Difference A Year Makes

I didn't catch much of the game today, which is usually the case during Wednesday day games. They always start during a standing meeting and always seem to fall on Wednesdays when there's a meeting that follows the 1st meeting. I try to follow along on the Yahoo gamecast as best I can, but I can't really pay it much attention.

I saw on the gamecast that we jumped out to an early lead, scoring in the 1st. When my 1st meeting ended, it was still 1-0. I was liking their chances. And then I come back an hour later and it's 3-1 with Giese on the hill. Ugh. I listened all for about 15 seconds when it became 4-1 Twins. I heard the "rally," if you can even call it that. Last year, A-Rod would have yanked that pitch out of the park. This year, not so much. What a difference a year makes. It's frustrating to watch.

In looking at the box score, it doesn't look like the Yankees did much of anything. 5 hits and 2 walks? This offense is capable of so much more. Actually, maybe they're not. They haven't exactly torn the cover off the ball this year. Maybe it is what it is. And what it is is mediocrity. Coming into today, the Yanks were ranked 5th in the AL in batting average (.272), 3rd in OBP (.344), and 6th in SLG (.425). You'd think that those stats would mean they'd score more runs. They rank 7th in runs scored (578), which works out to 4.79 runs a game. Last year, they averaged 5.98 runs per game. What a difference a year makes. It's frustrating to watch.

So it's back to the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium for a 3 game set against the 54-65 Royals. This might be just what the doctor ordered. Back at home where they're 36-26 against a team with a 26-31 road record. They really need to sweep these guys. The up-to-date standings have the Yanks 8.5 back of the Rays, 5.5 back of the Red Sox, 3.5 back of both the Twins and White Sox. It's actually worse than that because they're 10 back in the loss column against the Rays, 6 against the Red Sox, 4 against the Twins, and 5 against the White Sox. 41 games left in the season. There's time to make a run, but if they continue to play like they have been, it'll be over before we know it. Last year at this time the Yanks were 67-54, 5.5 games out of 1st and only .5 games back in the wild card standings. They're only 3 games worse than they were last year but they looked so much better. So much better. What a difference a year makes. It's frustrating to watch.

Peace, love, and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

J-Boogie Gets Plagiarized!!!

There is a post about tonight's Yankee extra-inning victory, but I wanted to give this top-billing. If you scroll down or click here, you'll find that entry. But if you want to read about someone stealing my work and passing it off as their own, read this first.

Wow. I never thought this would happen. I've been plagiarized by a fellow Yankee blogger. Jason from Heartland Pinstripes (great blog, check it out if you're not already) tipped me off that a blog popped up at our old stomping grounds, MLBlogs. It was the "blogger's" first post and he pretty much ripped off a post I did the other day word for word. He even used the same title as I did.

How messed up is that? It's crazy. What's even more crazy is that the "blogger," if you can even call him that, got busted on it in his first post. Jason made sure to point out to him in his comments that he pretty much ripped my post off. Thanks Jason for having my back. Wow. I'm not even sure what to think here. I'm pretty dumbfounded that something like this happened. I wouldn't say I'm upset about it, far from it actually. It's just really, I don't know, odd I guess. I'm a little miffed just on the whole principle of things, but I'm not going to sweat it. If money were involved that would be a whole other story. But seriously. How hard is it to give credit to someone for their opinion, and then lend your own thoughts to it? That would have been the sensible, not to mention the right thing to do.

Sadly, not much will come of something like this. MLBlogs is a free site. The "blogger" can just create a new blog and no one is the wiser. I'm not sure what will become of the "blog." I wouldn't be surprised if it's the one and only post. Actually, I just noticed he updated it, and added this line and is trying to pass it off like it was always there: "Check out what my friend over at Baseball and the boogie down put together..." He then added this comment, "wow... are you both blind?" There's only one word that comes to mind, and that's "douchebag." And dude, whoever you are, we're not friends.

For those that are interested in reading what he wrote, err, I mean stole, here's his post:

With Bonds still available and willing to play at the League minimum i believe the Yankees need to pull the trigger.
why????
If the Yankees were to sign Bonds, they can easily option Christian back to the minors. If i'm Girardi I then park Melky's rump on the bench, move Damon to CF, put Nady in LF, and have Bonds DH. Damon needs a day off? Fine. Put Melky in CF. Nady needs some rest?? put Damon in LF and put Melky in CF. Oh, Abreu tired? Put Nady in RF, Damon in LF, Melky in CF. Melky basically would become the 4th outfielder with the acquisition of Bonds. which truthfully is all he should be.
Lineup:
Damon (CF)
Jeter (SS)
Abreu (RF)
A-Rod (3B)
Bonds (DH)
Giambi (1B)
Nady (LF)
Cano (2B)
Pudge (C)

Talk about a sick Lineup. Even if you shake it up, say move Abreu down, Flip-Flop bonds and A-rod, whatever. It's a billion times better than with Melky in there. If you ask me... It's a really smart move Considering it will only cost the league minimum. Isn't that what we're doing with Sexson anyway? If the Yankees don't do it some other contender will. they'd all be dumb not to.
Sign him before 9/1 and he'll be eligible for the playoffs. Rosters also expand on 9/1, so sending down a guy like Christian who gives you late-inning speed on the bases is only temporary!
Desperate times call for desperate measures!

Sound familiar? It should. It's verbatim from what I wrote a few days ago. And here's how you know he's full of it: I didn't write this part and he credits me for doing it: With Bonds still available and willing to play at the League minimum i believe the Yankees need to pull the trigger.why???? He asked the question, and used my post to answer it. Incidentally, now when you click on the comments, it says page not found. Interesting. Can you say guilty?

Again, one word comes to mind. Danny Mac, the floor is yours.....don't let me down.

J-Boogie

10am update: The post has disappeared??? Interesting.

Bullpen Woes Continue But Yanks Win In Extras

Just when you think things can't possibly get any worse, Mariano blows his 1st save of the season. Ugh. What makes it especially worse is that it happened to my man Mike Mussina, costing him his 16th win of the season. I so couldn't wait to bust out a Moose call with 16 Os in it. Damn. If he ends the year with 19, this will be the one that got away. I hope it doesn't come down to this game. But at least they won, and that's what matters. Too bad the Red Sox and White Sox both won. No ground gained, no ground lost. Let's hope at least the Rays lose. They're currently down a run in the bottom of the 8th.

Moose was again on tonight. He's been the one point of consistency all year. I shudder to think how far out of it we'd be without him. I really hope the Yankees do the sensible thing and bring Moose back for another go around. He's truly reinvented himself and he's definitely the current ace of this staff. A rotation made-up of Moose, Joba, and Chien-Ming Wang isn't a bad 1-2-3. If Phil Hughes can get it together, which I think he will, next year's rotation is going to be one of the Yankees strong points. Oh man. I'm talking about next year. Not a good sign.

I got ahead of myself and thought for sure the game was over when Girardi brought Mariano in. Finally a move of Girardi's I agreed with. And of course, it backfired. Go figure. It was the right call bringing in Mo for 5 outs. Marte, as he's done so often since being acquired from Pittsburgh, couldn't get the job done. He needed to be yanked. He's been a huge bust. Counting tonight, he's thrown 7.1 inning as a Yankee. 9 hits, 9 earned runs, 11.05 ERA. Who knew he'd suck just as bad, if not worse than Kyle Farnsworth? Perhaps Girardi needs to re-evaluate his choice for the 8th inning setup role. Too bad everybody else sucks right now too. Now add Mo to that list. This is the 3rd game in Mo's last 6 outings where he's given up a run. That magical season of his is slowing starting to turn. Don't get me wrong. He's still the man. I'll take him any night in any situation, of anybody else. He could continue to tank and my faith in him wouldn't waver. He's earned that, not just from me, but from all of us.

What the heck is up with A-Rod? Talk about sucking. In his last 10 games, he's 7 for 36 (.194). His average has dropped 12 percentage points in those 10 games. He's horrible with RISP. He's grounding into DPs. Not what we've come to expect from Alex. He did come through and give us what we expect of him in the 12th with his solo shot to dead center. That was clutch. Hopefully that turns him around because they need him to produce if they want to have any kind of shot at making a run.

Xavier Nady is awesome. His 2-run bomb in the 12th out it out of reach. In his 17 games as a Yankee, he's now 21 for 61 (.344) with 6 HR and 17 RBI. No complaints here. It's amazing he was a "throw-in" in the Marte deal.

Johnny Damon is the man. 3 more hits tonight for JD. He's locked in. He's hit safely in his last 12 games, and in 17 of his last 18. It's his 6th straight multi-hit game. He's had 2 or more hits in 7 of his last 8 games, and in 10 of his last 16 games. Like I said, he's the man. You'd think with him setting the table the way he has would lead to more runs and more wins.

I hope everything is OK with Derek Jeter. Getting lifted for a pinch runner in a key agme isn't a good sign. If everything is OK with him than it was a bone-headed move by Girardi. I understand thinking maybe Melky would score on a double, but the odds of that happening were small, so keeping Jeter in would have been the right move. Besides, Bobby Meachem probably would have held the runner anyway. Man he's brutal. If the season continues to go the way it's been going, a few heads are bound to roll, namely Meachem and probably hitting coach Kevin Long. Long should be real worried about his job. This team has been awful all season when it comes to hitting in the clutch. Long has to figure something out.

They all do.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Move One Step To Closer To Golfing In October

Aaargh. I'm trying to think of the perfect adjective to sum up how I feel right now but I'm drawing a blank. But every Yankee fan right now has to be feeling the same way, so you know where I'm coming from. This series with the Twins is pretty big. The Twins started the day 3 games ahead of the Yankees in the wild card standings and what do the Yankees do? They get shut out. They were just pitiful tonight and it all falls on the shoulders of Joe Girardi.

I am so sick of Joe Girardi trying to live off the mentality that you need to have as many righties in a lineup against lefties as you possibly can. Girardi is obviously a big lefty/righty guy and that mentality is a proving to be a huge mistake. It burned them the other day when he pinch ran Pudge and pinch hit Melky. It burned them tonight by sitting Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi. John Flaherty made a sweet comment on the broadcast tonight that there are only about 45 games left and you have to put your best lineup on the field every night. Johnny Damon is leading the league in batting average. He should definitely have been in the lineup. Jason Giambi's OPS against LHPs is .919. He should have been in the lineup. Instead we have Justin Christian (0-4), Melky Cabrera (0-3 with a rally killing DP), and Richie Sexson (0-2 w/1 BB). Smart move Joe. Smart move. Now I can see maybe sitting Damon and Giambi against a lefty if the pitcher shuts down lefties, but that's not the case with Glen Perkins. Coming into tonight's game, lefties were hitting .338 against Perkins. It's not as if he's a lefty killer. What's even worse is the 2 Yankee lefties, Abreu and Cano, accounted for 3 of the Yankees 4 hits, combining to go 3 for 6 with 1 walk. Again, smart move Joe. Smart move.

So with the loss the Yankees now find themselves 3.5 back of the Twins. The Red Sox are 3 defensive outs away from beating the White Sox. If that score holds up, the Yanks are 5 back of Boston. These are the game the Yankees have to win. And to do that they need the best team on the field every day. It's gut check time and they can't be trucking out a weak lineup like they did tonight. Terrible job Joe. Just terrible.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie