Yanks Blank The Orioles

I'm keeeping this short and sweet tonight. I can get just about 7 hours of much-needed sleep if I fall asleep in like 15 seconds.

Robinson Cano is awesome.

That's all you're getting.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Offense Backs Up CC In 8-3 Win Over Orioles

Watched most of the game on fast forward tonight. The fam took me out for dinner figuring it would be a nice stress reliever. We didn't get back until the 2nd inning so I totally missed the Yanks score their first 2 runs. I DVR'd the game from the 2nd inning on and finally got caught up for the top of the 7th. It's been a struggle for me to start watching at first pitch. My kids start getting for bed around 7 and are down for the count by 8pm. We're in the process of getting our house packed up for our move and that took me away from watching until about 9:15 or so. It's interesting watching a game on FF. I usually stop it if something big happens. I stopped it quite a bit tonight as the Yankees poured on the runs. Love seeing that.

The bottom half of the Yankees order continues to impress. Not counting Posada, everyone 5-9 had a multi-hit game. Cano through Gardner combined to go 11-23. I talked yesterday about the mini-tears that Robbie Cano and Nick Swisher are on, each being 6 games long. You can now make that 7 games. Cano went 2-5 with a home run and Swisher went 3-5 with 2 runs and 2 ribbies. Cano is having a monster April. My prediction that he'll be the 2010 AL MVP is looking pretty good, eh? I can't believe he's hitting .390. I always knew Robbie was a good hitter. I didn't realize he was that good.

I see Posada is listed as day-to-day after being hit-by-a-pitch in the 2nd. I hope it's nothing serious and it doesn't sound like it is. If it happens to be, I'm glad we have Francisco Cervelli to fill in. He's having a phenomenal April. Maybe his oversized helmet has special powers? I can't help myself. Whenever I see him I say, "Gazooooo."

The top of the order had a better night tonight (4-17) than they did yesterday (1-18), but they're still under-performing. It's been the same story all year. Nick Johnson and Mark Teixeira are dragging ass right now. Johnson at least gets on base but his average (.143) and his SLG % (.232) leave a lot to be desired. And what's up with all the Ks? I thought Nick had this great eye. He's now walked 20 times and whiffed 20 times. Last year in 104 AB with the Marlins, Johnson struck out 18 times. He's got 20 in 56 AB this year. In his career, Nick strikes out once every 4.79 ABs. This year, it's once every 2.8 AB. Improvement needed. Just think for an extra million they could have resigned Hideki Matsui (.284/.359/.506).

CC Sabathia wasn't sharp tonight but still pitched pretty well. He gave up 11 hits and 2 walks but only gave up 3 runs. When you allow that many baserunners you're asking for trouble, unless of course you're a top-tier pitcher like CC. The best pitchers have an uncanny ability to get out of big spots. He got a big 2-out K to get out of a jam in the 1st. He got a big DP to end the 5th and another DP in the 7th. CC battled tonight and came out relatively unscathed.

One more tomorrow in Baltimore and then it's back home to the Bronx. A win tomorrow and the Yanks will return home with a 14-7 record. A loss will leave them at 13-8. Either way it was a pretty great month for the Yanks. They played a pretty tough schedule, complete with a west coast roadie and only 6 home games. A 13-8 start wouldn't be too shabby. But why settle for that? 14-7 would be so much better.

I'm so tired.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Offense And Bullpen Falter In 5-4 Loss To The Lowly Orioles

Good news! I was able to watch the game online tonight. My9 ain't gonna break my stride. My9 ain't gonna hold me down. Oh no. I got to watch the gay-ame. That was lay-ame. Bad news. I was doing work stuff so I didn't physically watch most of it. Was kind of like listening to it on the radio. While I'm grumbling about work, my boss just sent an e-mail. He wants us to work from 6am-7pm next week. My commute is 1/2 hour plus each way. Awesome. Just awesome. Enough about that.

I personally would like to punch Boone Logan and David Robertson square in the nose for blowing Phil Hughes' win. It wasn't Phil's sharpest outing but he still pitched pretty damn well. His biggest downfall were the 4 walks, specifically the back-to-back ones in the 2nd. His control though wasn't terrible. He did throw 62.4% of his pitches for strikes and that's not bad in my book. Phil has pitched well so far this season and I'd call his outing tonight a good one. Stupid bullpen. I was looking forward to adding a third "U" to my Hughes call but the pen didn't do it's job.

I don't know about you but I get so irritated when the "lefty specialist" can't get the lefties out. I'm talking about you Boone Logan. Your sole purpose is to get out the lefties, not walk them with 2 outs. That was painful. But it wasn't as bad as what Robertson pulled.

D-Rob totally crapped the bed tonight. A HBP followed by 3 straight singles, all with 2 outs. Horrible. I like D-Rob. But he can't be coming in there and doing that. Especially against the absolute worst team in baseball. The O's have 3 freaking wins for crying out loud. Ridiculous.

The loss though isn't all on the pitching. The offense didn't do their part. You don't win a lot of game where you score only 2 runs. You don't win a lot of games where your 1-4 hitters go a combined 1-18. They came real close there in the 9th but coming close gets you a loss. Big fail by the top of the order.

Robinson Cano is on fire. After a mini-slump, he's got a 6-game hitting streak. Over the last 6, RC is 12-23. I'm telling you. Robbie will be the 2010 A.L. MVP. He's that good. Nick Swisher is on a little mini-tear. In his last 6 games, he's 8-22. That's pretty good for Swish. Curtis Granderson on the other hand isn't so hot. In his last 6 he's hitting .000 (0-17). That slump has pretty much wiped out his hot start. He'll turn it around though. He's too good a player. Mark Teixeira though has me worried. Here we are almost 20 games in and he's sitting on a .129 average. I knew he'd get off to a slow start. I didn't think it would last this long.

Got to hit the hay. 5am comes mighty early. I needs me a new jay-oh-bee.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Identity Crisis

Today was the first day in I don't know how long where I didn't wear some form of Yankee apparel to work today. I would always be able to because we can pay to dress down every day (money goes to charity or company events). The new boss isn't a fan of our dess code so no more Yankee clothes. Sometimes I can get away with a t-shirt underneath my button down, but most of them you can read through the shirt.

Needless to say, I felt kind of lost and didn't quite feel like myself. It's been a rough couple of days at the old jobby-job and I was really looking forward to seeing the Yanks/O's game tonight as Yankee baseball is a great stress reliever. I just realized the game is on My9 so unless someone points me to a link to it online somewhere, it'll be another Yankee-free day in my life. I don't like those days. Somebody hook a brother up.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Javy Vazquez + Joe Girardi = Loss To Anaheim

Had another rough day at work today. Out the door at 7am and in the door at 6:45pm. Tomorrow I'm out at 5am and who knows when I'll get back home. Yay me. I don't have much time because the missus wants me to help her pack, so I'm going to try and make this quick. Here goes nothing.

Javy Vazquez needs to get better and fast. He can't keep going out there and pitching the way he is. He looks like he has no confidence. It's getting to the point where I get knots in my stomach whenever his turn in the rotation comes up. I'd be really irked if the Yankees had traded someone worth of value for him. Melky Cabrera isn't exactly a superstar. I'm especially curious to see what kind of reception he gets when he pitches during this homestand. Warm up the Bronx cheers.

I was eating dinner last night when Damaso Marte served up the longball to Kendy Morales. I was halfy paying attention. I saw the HR but not what led up to it. I had no idea that Girardi originally called for an intentional walk and then changed his mind. When I saw that in the postgame highlights I was a little irked by that. Not so much by him changing his mind, but because he didn't change it back after the count went to 3-0. Now I'm not a major league manager. Sure sometimes I pretend to be. Who doesn't? But even I know you call for ball four there. Or at least call for a pitch out of the zone that you hope he chases. It's on Marte too for throwing a meatball, but he never should have thrown a strike. Horrible call by the skip.

Gotta bolt. Wife is getting agitated that she's packing up the house and I'm blogging. We sold the house and closing is coming up. Busy times here. I really need it to cool down a little. My stress level is probably at an all-time high.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Who's The Man? Andy Pettitte's The Man. (And So Is Robinson Cano)

Didn't see any of the game today as it was my son's first birthday party. I got occasional score updates via my friend's Motorola Droid (gotta get me one of those) and I was very pleased when I heard it was 6-0 after 5. My immediate comment to him was that Andy Pettitte is awesome. I just got done looking at the box score and my conclusion is that Andy Pettitte is the man.

I don't think I needed to see the game to know that Pettitte dominated the Angels. Just look at his pitching line. 8 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K and 65.8% of his pitches were strikes. It doesn't get much better than that. I haven't read any recaps of the game yet to know just how awesome he was. I'm not sure I'll get to tonight as the missus just realized she has to fill out report cards by Monday and she hasn't started yet. I'm sure I'll get to read something at some point but if anyone wants to share their thoughts on AP's outing, I'd appreciate that. I think it's fair to say that Andy Pettitte is the team's best pitcher right now, hands down. You can probably argue that he's one of the game's best right now too. I'll admit it. I didn't see that coming. You go Andy. Keep on rocking it.

Robinson Cano is also the man. He went 4-5 today and is 8 for his last 16. I'm definitely not backing down from my Cano = AL MVP prediction. He'd definitely get my vote for team MVP at this point. He's going to have a monster year. And to think, a lot of Yankee fans wanted him traded. For shame.

Brett Gardner had 3 hits and now he's sitting on a .340 average. He's put together a nice little run. Over his last 7 games, Brett is hitting 11 for 24. Wow. I didn't see this coming either but I'm loving it.

It's crazy that the Yankees are 12-5 and are on the verge of winning their 6th straight series tomorrow. It's a little hard to believe because they haven't received much production from Mark Teixeira or Nick Johnson. Teixeira's 1-5 performance today raised his average to .123. That's sad. You go 1-5 and your average goes up. Not good. Especially when it's from the reigning MVP. Nick Johnson isn't doing much better at .135. The Yankees need better production from those 2 and the sooner it comes the better.

The Yankees go for their 6th straight series win tomorrow. It's on Javy Vazquez to bring tomorrow's one home. Taking 2 of 3 from Anaheim in Anaheim would be mighty nice. I think it's pretty evident even if they lose that the Angels are no longer the Yankees' Achilles heel. Counting last year's ALCS, the Yankees have won 10 of their last 15 meetings (I think I did the math right). My how the tables have turned.

The team is definitely off to a great start. I don't think any Yankee fan could have asked for more. They're 12-5 and have gotten zero production from their 2-3 hitters and they've played the cream of the crop. The Red Sox are always among the best. The Rays are currently 12-5 and are widely regarded as one of the top 5 teams in baseball. The AL West is thought to be a toss up between the Rangers and Angels. Prior to running into the Yankees the A's were sitting on a 9-5 record. It's impressive that the team is 12-5 at this point. They're definitely the best team in the game right now. I don't think anybody out there can say they're not.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Nothing Is Worse Than Staying Up Until 1:30 Just To Watch The Yankees Lose

Today's the day first my son's 1st birthday party. The wife is out preparing and the little one is sleeping. I have about 10 minutes or so to crank out a blog entry before I have to move onto my next task. If I'm not getting it at work, I'm getting it at home. Anyway.....

The Yanks took it on the chin last night. It was one of those games that were both boring and exciting at the same time, if that makes sense. I couldn't wait for it to end but that had more to do with being exhausted and knowing I'd be lucky to get 5 hours of sleep (ended up with 4.5). A.J. Burnett wasn't exactly good last night. But he did what a SP is supposed to do and that's keep his team in the game and put them in a position to win. In my estimation he did that so I can't call it a bad outing. He definitely battled his was through 6-plus innings. I was surprised he lasted as long as he did. He threw want too may balls. About 57% of his pitches were strikes which isn't all that great. He got hit pretty hard too. But again, he had the team in a position to win so I don't view the outing as bad as it could have been. I think what drove me most nuts about his start was that as soon as he had the lead he gave it up. I hate seeing that.

Mark Teixeira's collision with the Angels' catcher was a nasty hit. I think it was a clean play but I think it shouldn't have happened. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with getting hit but again, clean play. Plays at the plate always run that risk and I don't think it was a blatant attempt to injure the catcher.

Joba Joba Joba. That was painful to watch. I can't decide if it would be more painful to watch as a SP or RP. I'm glad he's in the pen and I think he'll turn out to be an above-average RP, but last night I could do without. He got hammered and ended up taking the loss. I think it's safe to say that Kendry Morales owns JC. Morales is now 5-7 against him in his career. Put that in the the little playbook Joe. Remember that. I'm not saying to let the #s dictate the decision, but just remember it.

Nick Swisher hit his 2nd HR of he season. If you're new to the blog or just plum forgot, a few of us Yankee fans have gotten together to donate $$ to Nick Swisher's charity, Swish's Wishes. Basically, every HR Nick hits earns money for the charity. We're up to $37 per HR and also have a flat donation of $40 added to the mix, so the current amount that's going to the charity is $114. There's a "tracker" in the upper left sidebar that's updated with the total. Check if out if you feel inclined to look. Also, we'd love it if we could get more support. Drop me a line or leave a comment if you're interested and I'll add you to it. As you can see, no amount is too small. We've got as little as $2 per HR being donated. Anything and everything helps.

The game today is at 4:10pm on Fox. First pitch is about 30 minutes after the start of my son's party so I'll probably miss all of it. Andy Pettitte has been rock solid all season. I think he'll have a good start. Enjoy the game.

I went over my allotted time by about 15 minutes. Don't tell my wife.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

A-Rod Walked Across Your Mound? So What!

Since I missed yesterday's game because of my what is now my crappy job, I missed the episode between Alex Rodriguez and A's pitcher Dallas Braden. I still haven't seen the replay of it but it was definitely a hot topic on XM's MLB Network radio shows (at least I think it was, I only heard about 1.5 hours of it today because of my job). Anyway, here's my take:

A-Rod was just using his head. MLB's goal is to speed up games. Everybody knows that the quickest way to get from point A (3rd base) to point B (first base) is to go in a straight line. In this case the straight line happened to go right across the pitcher's mound. Alex was just using his melon and was trying to help speed the game along. Hopefully that makes Bumpkin' Joe West happy.

Seriously though, it sounded like a dick move on A-Rod's part, especially if it's some kind of unwritten rule or against the game's etiquette. Personally, I don't have an issue with it and I say that because A-Rod is one of my guys. I look at it as his attempt at getting inside Braden's head. But what do I know?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

I Hate My Job & Miss My Yankees

Ugh. We have a new boss where I work and he's running us ragged. I don't know if any of you watch The Office but if you do, it's kind of like the St. Patrick's Day episode where everyone worked late because the boss worked late. My The worst part is my commute is already 35-45 minutes so I now have to get up at about 5:30 or so to get to work on time. Ugh.

I crashed last before 9pm so I didn't see any of Phil's masterpiece. I would have punched myself in the face 100 times if he threw a no-no. I haven't seen any highlights but it sounds like the hit was a bad beat. Wish I saw the game.

I was in a meeting so I missed the beginning of today's game. I turned on the radio after it was already 3-0.

I'm going to try and blog later tonight but am making no promises. I hope too, but for all I know I'll be getting home at 8pm.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Stay Hot With Victory Over A's

I stayed up for about half the game last night. I actually fell asleep right before the A's pulled Gonzalez and woke up when A-Rod went deep to make it a 6-0 game. Then I turned it off and went to bed. I woke up today and saw the team held on for a 7-3 win to push their record to 10-4. I didn't get a chance to do a deep dive on the game but here are some things I noticed and/or have questions on.

Robbie Cano walked 3 times??

What happend to Javy? I thought he was cruising (I was half-awake) and noticed that he only lasted 5.1 IPs and threw 107 or so pitches? He run out of gas or something? At least he one his first game?

Jeter's hit streak was snapped. Bummer.

7 runs on 5 hits and 10 walks. That's timely hitting. Big up to Nick Swisher for his 2-out bases loaded two-run single. He wasn't a rally killer.

That's it for now. Gotta date. Can't be late. Hey, the girl's..oops, forgot where I was. BBD forever!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

The Red Sox Rotation Is Not Very Good And Neither Are The Red Sox.

Leading up to the start of the season all I heard was how great the Red Sox rotation was. This talk came from many of the hosts on XM's MLB channel and of course, Red Sox fans themselves. I know it's a small sample size and the numbers could, and probably will, change very quickly with a string of good outings, but right now the Red Sox rotation is so far from being the best in baseball. Though it's probably not, maybe it's a sign of what's to come. Yankee fans can dream right? So let's take a look at the numbers from Boston's awesome starting staff:

• Josh Beckett: 18.2 IP, 21 H, 8 ER, 5 BB, 13 K, 3.86 ERA
• John Lackey: 16 IP, 19 H, 10 ER, 7 BB, 8 K, 5.63 ERA
• Jon Lester: 16 IP, 21 H, 15 ER, 9 BB, 14 K, 8.44 ERA
• Tim Wakefield: 12.1 IP, 16 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 5.11 ERA
• Clay Buchholz: 10 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 8 K, 1.80 ERA

Add that all up and what do you get? A team that's 4-9 and 6 games out of first. You get a team that's lost 5 straight and is 1-6 against their 2 biggest division rivals. You get a team that's 1-6 at home. You get a team that's tied for the 2nd worst record in all of baseball. That's right. Their record is worse than the Mets. Ouch. How ya like dem apples there Red Sox fans?

Do I expect Boston to be this bad all year long? No. Do I think their rotation is as bad as they've pitched? No. Is it fun to crack on the Red Sox whenever I can. Absolutely!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Sweep Rangers & Andy Pettitte Is A Golden God

The Yankees may be tied with the Rays for the best record in baseball at 9-3. But there is no question as to which is the better team and sits atop the MLB power rankings. The Yankees are definitely a-number one, top of the list, kings of the hill and top of the heap. The sweep of the Rangers gives Yankees their fourth straight series win to start the season. The Bombers haven't done that since 1926. That's hard to believe I know, but it's true. This team is doing it all. They're pitching. They're hitting. They're playing solid defense. And they're doing it against the best of the bunch. They took 2 of 3 from Boston in Boston. 2 of 3 from Tampa in Tampa. 2 of 3 from their arch-nemesis the Angels in the Bronx. Then a sweep of Texas at home in the Boogie Down. Most baseball pundits think that the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox are 3 of the best teams in baseball, with the Angels and Rangers being the top contenders in the AL West. Starting the season 9-3 against those teams has to have every Yankee fan excited. Any Yankee fan out there not excited?

The Yankees starting pitching absolutely dominated the Rangers. CC, A.J. and Andy combined to go 3-0, pitch 21 IP, while allowing 3 runs on 13 hits and 5 walks while whiffing 20. That's an ERA of 1.29. Hot damn! CC started it off and A.J. and Andy definitely kept the good times rolling. Pettitte was again awesome today. He was again vintage Pettitte. He struggled early but quickly figured out how to correct himself. We saw Andy do this quite a bit last year. He'd give up a few early runs, would settle down and pitch his tail off. Today was no different except he flat out dominated instead of just getting by. Pettitte has been lights out all season. Sure, he's allowed a fair amount of baserunners (WHIP coming into today was 1.42) but he's found ways to keep those guys from scoring. AP has now thrown 20 IP, has allowed 15 hits and 9 walks. His ERA is 1.35. That's awesome considering those stats came against the Red Sox, Angels and Rangers. Yeah, I'm jocking Andy's nuts right now. As I wrote in my last post, he's awesome.

I was a little surprised today's game was as close as it was. It didn't feel like a 5-2 win. The Yankees had a lot of baserunners today but only managed 5 runs. They weren't terribly efficient with RISP. They went 1-7 and left 10 guys on base. The game shouldn't have been as close as it was. I'm still puzzled how the Rangers only gave up 5 runs because Rich Harden was awful. It was nice to see Mark Teixeira hit his first longball of the season. That was long overdue. Tex is hitting the ball better but he's still struggling. If he can string together a few good games in a row I think that will turn things around. He's standing on the verge of getting it on.

Brett Gardner filled in very well at the top of the order (get well soon Derek). BG reached base 4 times today (2 singles, 1 walk, 1 HBP) and swiped 2 bases. It's hard to believe BG's OBP is up to .444 (assuming I did the math right). I love having Brett hit in the 9-spot. His ability to get on base and speed compliment the top of the order quite nicely. I know he's not an OBP machine but he does well for a guy in the 9-hole.

Jorge Posada is a beast. 'Nuff said.

If anyone was wondering why I didn't post after Saturday's win it's because I was holed up in a car dealership buying a minivan with the wife. I think we devoted about 9 hours to it. It was brutal. I didn't see any of the game, so I took the day off. The Yankees now embark on a west coast roadie and west coast trips and I don't get along. It's hard to stay up that late when you've got a 2.66 year old and a 1 year old that both wake up before 6:30am every day. Add a job to it and it's tough to stay up past 10. I usually make it to 11 or so for the west coast games. So I'm not sure what my level of blogging will be over the next few days. There will be something. I'm just not sure what. Thankfully it's just 2 late weekday games. Maybe I'll nut up and tough it up. Knowing me I probably will because I love me some Yankee baseball!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

The Definition Of Awesome

Look up the word awesome in the dictionary and you'll find the following definition: Andy Pettitte.

I'll be back to expand on that later. Gotta go spend time with the fam.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Carsten In Charge: CC Dominates The Rangers In A Rain-Shortened Complete Game

I think I'm adjusting well to watching the Yankees while having 2 kids under 3 at home (soon to be 3 kids 3 and under). I thought it was going to be tough since they get ready for bed between 7-8 every night. I've gotten my routine down. I DVR the game while hanging with the kids (bath followed by some Handy Manny or Special Agent Oso). They turn in and and I turn on. I fast forward thru the game (on the slowest speed) making sure to stop and watch any key spots. It's not ideal for me but it works. Like CC pitching to Cervelli, I hope it keeps working.

CC is pitching like it's mid-August. Remember last year when he went 9-0 in his last 11 starts? Yeah, he's that good right now. I know. I know. It's been 3 starts but you can't deny that the big man is locked in. He pitched 6 dominant innings tonight and if the game didn't called I have no doubt he would have gone the distance as he finished with 73 pitches. His control tonight was downright remarkable. Personally, I think a great strike-to-ball ratio is anything above 65%. CC threw 58 of his 73 pitches for strikes. For those of you that are mathematically challenged, I'll be your hook-up. 79.5% of CC's pitches were strikes. Yeah, you read that right. 79.5%! I don't think I've ever seen anyone throw such a high percentage of strikes. It definitely looked like CC's game plan tonight was to attack the strike zone. Mission accomplished. CC finished with 9 Ks. That's a lot of swings and misses. I know he allowed 3 hits but for the most part he was unhittable.

I'm in favor of having CC always throw to Francisco Cervelli. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it. CC's last 2 outings, both with Cervelli as his catcher, were pretty darn close to perfect. I'm sure CC would do just as well with Posada. I'm sure he'd do just as well as if he were pitching to me because he's that good. Bottom line for me: don't mess with the mojo.

Derek Jeter and Robbie Cano both stayed hot and both are now rocking 10 game hitting streaks. It's the first time in the team's storied history that 2 teammates have opened the season with hitting streaks that long. They show no signs of slowing either.

Mark Teixeira on the other hand? Yeah he's not so hot. He's sitting on 3 hits. What's really sad is his 3 hits were back-to-back-to-back and they all came in the same game. He started the season 0-17 and he's now 0 for his last 16. His 0-17 was the longest hitless streak of his career. He's 1 AB away from tying that mark, 1 week after he set it. Ouch. There's no 2 ways about it: Tex sucks right now. After 10 games last year he was hitting .206 (7-34) with an .878 OPS. After 10 games this year he's hitting .083 (3-36) and an OPS of .394. Wow. And we thought he struggled last year. Somebody needs a slumpbuster.

The game might have been rain-shortened but there's no question that the Yankees would have won had it gone the distance. The win puts the record at 7-3 which again, is pretty darn impressive considering the teams they've played so far. It's your turn A.J. Keep the good times rolling.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Robinson Cano Powers Yankees To 6-2 Win

Thanks to Mike D, I got to see the last 2 innings of tonight's Yankees/Angels game. He tipped me off to a website that was carrying the MLB.TV feed so I tuned in for the last 2 innings. I'm really hoping the website has the future My9 games on its site. I really thought the issue of the My9 games not being on TV here in Buffalo would have resolved itself by now, but no luck. Not for me anyway. DirectTV and TWC customers apparently get the games now. We FIOS customers are still out in the cold. So I didn't see much.

I'm especially ticked because I was really looking forward to seeing Phil Hughes pitch. From the little I gathered about his outing online (people's tweets during game), it wasn't the prettiest of outings. I can kind of tell that by looking at the box score. Phil threw 109 pitches in 5 innings of work. Not very economical. He walked 5 but had a decent strike-to-ball ratio (60.6%). He whiffed 6 so he got a lot of swings and misses. Allowing 3 hits and 2 earned in 5 innings of work isn't all that bad. But it sounds like his overall outing should be met with mixed reviews. I'm assuming there was some good and some bad. If anybody wants to share their opinion I'm all ears. I'm going to bring back a little something-something I did for Mike Mussina during his 20-win season. When Moose picked up the W, I busted out a Moose call, adding an extra "o" for every victory. So after his 20th it looked like "Moooooooooooooooooooose!" I'm going to do the same for Phil and break out with a "Hughes call" with 1 instance of the letter "u" per win. So today it's kind of lame since it's win #1: Hughes! I hope to add at least 19 more of those.

Didn't see any of the runs scored by the Yankees so can't say much about the offense. Robinson Cano is still on fire. He had 2 more pops today and knocked on 3. Just remember when he wins the 2010 AL MVP award that I predicted it before the season started. Can't imagine too many people did that. Here's a fun fact for you: Robbie has as many HRs (4) as David Ortiz has hits. That makes me laugh. Interesting Ortiz story: he's apparently getting sued by Jay-Z. As the story goes, Ortiz opened up a nightclub in the DR called it the "Forty/Forty Club." Jay-Z has a club in NYC called the "40/40 Club." Bam! Lawsuit! The rivalry runs deep.

I see Derek Jeter went deep for his 2nd HR of the season. I checked out the play-by-play and I'm not surprised that it was hit to RF. I don't think anybody in baseball has a sweeter "inside-out" swing than the Captain. It works rather well in the new Stadium.

Big up to Joba and Mo for picking up my fantasy team a hold and a save. Joba scares me a little. He lets too many guys on base (1.69 WHIP). Thank God the greatest closer in the history of baseball is not too far away. I know it's not Joba's fault the game turned into a save situation as DJ probably should have made that play, but still, bring that WHIP down my man.

The win tonight puts the Yanks record at 6-3. They've won each of the first 3 series and when you consider the opponents, it's impressive. The Rangers are up next and they're no slouch either. One could argue that the Red Sox, Rays, Angels, and Rangers are 4 of the best teams in the AL. If the Yankees can take at least 2 of 3 from Texas it should be obvious to everyone, not just us Yankee fans, that the Yankees are the team to beat.

To be the man, you've got to beat the man.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

My9 Means Some 2010 Yankees Baseball In Buffalo

For a 2011 update, please click here.

Here's an update on the My9 situation here in Buffalo. The situation being that the My9 games aren't carried on Buffalo TV. Well, some of you may be in luck. Here's where you may be able to find the games: Time Warner - check the local sports station (ch. 13). If it's not on there, check the other public access channels Direct TV- My buddy sent me a text and let me know he found a My9 game being broadcast on an Alternate YES channel. Check channel 633-1. (Hat tip to Koob) Verizon FIOS - no idea where to find the game. Want to know because this is what I have. (scroll down) Dish Network - does anyone even have Dish Network anymore? I have no clue. (scroll down) Hope that helps those of you looking for where to find the game. If anybody finds it on FIOS, drop me a line. I'll forever be in your debt. **Thanks to Mike D, the game can be seen online. He's not sure if this will work for all games, but it does tonight. He says it's rare to find baseball on this site, so don't get used to it. Here's the link, and beware of the popups (adult dating sites). J-Boogie

Son Of A *****...Yankees Games On My9 In Buffalo Suck Balls

**update on 4/15/10- click here for a more up-to-date post on My9 games in Buffalo

I just turned on my TV and flipped to the MLB Network because they're supposed to be carrying tonight's Yankees/Angels game. It wasn't listed on YES and I should have known that meant it was on My9, but I didn't put two and two together and I thought the MLB Network must have had exclusive rights to the game. Much to my disappointment, the MLB Network is showing the Reds/Marlins game. A visit to Yankees.com and I see that the game is on My9. Son of a *****!

It appears that we're going to have another season where when the game is on My9, the Buffalo market misses out. Quick refresher: the My9 games used to be carried on WNGS here in Buffalo. WNGS folded and the games went with them. When I talked to the local My9 affiliate last year they said they wanted to get the contract for this year. I guess that didn't work out because they're broadcasting the classic film, Robocop 2. Son of a *****!

I've gotten a few extra visits tonight from people looking for the game. Sorry gang, we're out of luck. I've flipped through all of the channels and the Yankees are nowhere to be found. There's a small chance that if you're a Time Warner subscriber that the game will show up on their local sports station. If you're DirectTV or Fios (like me), get used to it. As of now it looks like games on My9 means no Yankees games in Buffalo. I scanned through the schedule and it looks like there are 21 games on My9 this year. So it looks like we here in Buffalo will be missing 1/8 of the season. Son of a *****!

Hopefully there's a solution out there somewhere. Anybody got suggestions??

Peace, love and death to My9,

J-Boogie

Too Little Too Late For Yankees Offense In 5-3 Loss To Angels

I didn't get to see the game today. Correction. I got to see the 9th inning. I was hoping to see some pie, but instead I saw the Yankees go down 1-2-3. Next to games on My9, afternoon games are my least favorite type of Yankee games. I listen along at work but it's really tough to focus on and follow. Not to mention I can't really tweet about it. I had to leave a little early today to meet up with our realtor, so I did hear the 8th inning rally, which was as the title of this log suggests, too little too late.

The Yanks had their shot there in the 8th. Tying runs on base and the two hottest hitters coming up in Cano and Posada. Based on their hot starts I thought for sure one would come through. I was really hoping it'd be Cano because I thought it would signal the end of his troubles of hitting with RISP. Grounding into a fielder's choice? Not the way to get things done. Robbie still appears to be having trouble hitting in key situations this year. After today's game I think his average with RISP dropped to .222 and his average with runners on dropped to .231. It's hard to believe a guy hitting .382 would be that bad with runners on. I may have to start calling him Robbie The Rally Killer if he keeps it up. It's such a small sample size. I hope he turns it around.

It sounded like Joel Pineiro really dominated the Yankee hitters today. He allowed 5 hits and no walks while striking out 7. I'd call that a pretty good day. I don't really have any critique of his counterparts performance. Without seeing much of the game it's hard to really tell how Javy Vazquez did. It's really easy to go by a guy's pitching line when he dominates. Not so easy when it's a sub-par start. If anyone who saw the game wants to breakdown his performance for me I'd appreciate it. I'll hit up some of my favorite blogs to see what the general consensus but the more opinions the better, so feel free to lay it on me. All I can say is it's not good to have two of your team's three losses and have a 9.82 ERA to boot. I hope he turns it around.

Do I come off as disliking Nick Swisher? I know I call him the "Rally Killer" and all, but I really am rooting for him. I think my buddy Don disagrees. We had a little back and forth today via text messaging about Nick and I think he thinks I can't stand the guy, and that couldn't be further from the truth. The last thing I am going to do is root for a Yankee to fail. I've broken down Swish's numbers a few times on this site, justifying the moniker I've bestowed upon him. I haven't run into anyone yet that disagrees with the name, except for my buddy. I'm curious if there's anybody else out there. Now before anybody jumps all over me (I'm talking to you Don), let me say that I do like what Nick brings to the table. He's a great clubhouse guy. He's a great teammate. He helps the lineup by seeing a lot of pitches. I see great value in all of those things. But I also see value though in being able to bring runners home and Swish, as I've detailed many a time, doesn't do well in that aspect. Believe you me, I wish that wasn't the case. I really am pulling for him. I really do hope he does better in that area. I'm probably a little hypocritical for not jumping all over Cano like I do with Swish. I wonder why that is. I need to see a shrink I guess. Any theories from the armchair shrinks out there?

Tomorrow is a big day for me as I'm a really big Phil Hughes guy and he makes his first start of the season tomorrow night. I'm glad the Yankees named him the 5th starter. I see great things in his future. A good outing tomorrow would be a step in that direction. It would be nice to win another series and be 6-3 after facing arguably the 3 best teams in the American League. That's a start I can get behind.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Breaking News: Nick Swisher Didn't Kill The Rally

At work, got the game on the radio. Nick Swisher was up with Cano on 3rd and 2 outs in the 5th inning. I was all ready to blast a tweet via text calling Swisher the "Rally Killer" when all of a sudden a miracle happened. Swisher tripled in Cano to cut the Angels lead to 2-1. I was expecting the strikeout but I'll happily take the hit. I find no joy in calling Swish "The Rally Killer." But he has definitely killed his fair share of rallies.

Looking back at last year's stats and some of his career numbers, you can see how bad he was:

• Runners on: 50-203 (.246) w/.855 OPS
• RISP: 57-119 (.227) w/.741 OPS (.223 w/.780 OPS)
• RISP & 2 outs: 8-49 (.163) w/.583 OPS (career .218 w/.781 OPS)
• Bases loaded: 3-19 (.158) w/.491 OP (career .267 w/.894 OPS)

The season is young, but Nick has had killed a few rallies this year. Had Swish come up empty in his 5th inning AB, his average with RISP & 2 outs would have dropped to .200. But he didn't and now he's rocking a .400 average. I know it's a small sample size (5 ABs), but I hope he's turned the corner. He's going to have a lot of chances this year to knock in runs. I hope he improves on his performance from last year. I'd love nothing more than to stop calling him "The Rally Killer."

Yanks are now down 4-1. Ugh.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Open Things Up In Style With A Ring Ceremony And A 7-5 Win

What a day for the entire Yankees Universe! It was awesome to see the boys get their World Series rings today. It was awesome to see them cap it off with a win. It was a perfect day all around.

I am glad I took the day off so I could watch it live and not on tape. The pre-game show kicked off on YES at 11:30 and the opening highlight package gave me goosebumps. That didn't compare to the feelings I got from watching the Ring Ceremony. I had tears in my eyes by the end of it. It was awesome to see Hideki Matsui get his ring last and I thought it was very classy of the Yankees to run up to him and show him some love. I love too how they gave Matsui and Swisher bogus rings. Classic and very funny.

I said earlier in the week that it would have been better had the Red Sox been in town for this. Nothing beats showing the Sox up. I definitely don't feel that way now. I don't think the ceremony could have been any more perfect. Having Matsui there had a lot to do with it. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Andy Pettitte was awesome today. Vintage Pettitte. Andy looks to be in mid-season form already. He allowed his fair share of baserunners but kept them all from scoring. I wish I remembered this stat I heard the other day, but it went something like this: Pettitte had the highest WHIP (or maybe 3rd highest) of all SPs that won at least 14 games last year. You would think a guy that allows as many baserunners as Andy would have a higher ERA. But he doesn't and it's a testament to how good Andy really is. He got some pretty big outs today when he needed to. The bigget were his 5th inning popout of Abreu and the 6th inning DP of Kendrick. The game could have been a lot closer with another pitcher on the hill. Andy has been solid now thru his 1st 2 starts. 12 IP, 11 H, 6 BB, 10 K, 1 ER, 0.75 ERA. Not too shabby.

The game was great until the 9th inning. David Robertson imploded and made the game a lot closer than it was. That was ugly. But as we Yankees fans all know, it's hard to worry when you enter the 9th with a lead and Mariano is in the bullpen. Have no fear, Mighty Mo(use) is here. Mo came in and did what Mo does best. He K'd Torri Hunter and got Matsui to end the game on a pop out to Cano. Thank God for Marinao Rivera. He's the man.

The Yankees offense had a pretty good day. Any time you collectively pick up 13 hits and 9 walks it's a good day. Everyone who had a hit had more than one. Of the 3 guys that didn't have a hit, Swisher walked 3 times and Teixeira walked twice. If a walk is as good as a hit, big-up to those guys. Tex is really struggling. His oh-fer today dropped his average to .111 and he's now hitless in 6 of the Yankees 7 games. He'll be fine though. He struggles early every season and his stats always fill in line with what's on the back of his bubble gum card.

Posada, Granderson, and Cano are continuing to rake. Posada has been the biggest surprise to me. He's 3 hits today bumped his average up to .429. Jorge has 9 hits so far, 6 of which have been for extra bases (4 doubles and 2 HRs). He's also walked 6 times. He has to be seeing the ball really well.

Nick Johnson hit the Stadium's first HR this year. Nicky had a great day at the dish. NJ went 2-3 with 2 walks. Hopefully it's a sign of what to expect from Nick when he hits at home.

The only negative I can think of about the offense today is that they should have scored a few more runs. The offense is good enough that if they have 20+ guys reach base they should score more than 7 runs. They hit 5-16 with RISP today which isn't bad, but the outs definitely hurt. They ended up leaving 12 men on base and everybody came up empty at least once. It's not a big issue. It's more of a small critique.

You still have to be very pleased right now if you're a Yankee fan. The win moves the Yanks to 5-2 and that's impressive considering who they've played (Red Sox, Rays, and Angels). Javy Vazquez makes his 2nd start tomorrow and I really hope it's better than his first start. It's a 1:05pm start which means I'm going to miss the game. Stupid work. It's always getting in the way of the Yankees. Work also means no Twitter. Bummer. I'm not sure if I'm going to DVR the game or just follow along on Gamecast, or both. We'll see. I'm glad Thursday's game is a night game. Day games and I don't get along. Enjoy it.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Swish's Wishes Giving Campaign Update

Just wanted to throw out a quick update on the giving campaign some Yankee fans are doing for Nick Swisher's charity, Swish's Wishes. So far, we've pledged to give $37 to Swish's Wishes for every home run hit by Nick Swisher. There's also a flat donation going to the charity for $40, so the current grand total pledged is $77! The total is being tracked in the upper left. Thanks to Fernando, Chris, Dan, Conor, Conor's Dad, Mike and Elyse for chipping in.

If anyone out there wants to join us, please let me know via comment. No amount is too small and every pledge is appreciated. It's for a good cause. We hope you join us.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Take 2 Of 3 From Rays Behind A.J. Burnett

How can you not be excited if you're a Yankee fan? I know it's early. I know that the season is only 6 games old. But to take 2 of 3 in both Boston and Tampa? That's something to be excited about. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays are widely thought of as the 3 best teams in baseball. The Yankees went into Fenway and took 2 of 3 from the Sox. The Yankees went into Tampa and took 2 of 3 from the Rays. How can you not feel good about the team's start if you're a Yankee fan? It's pretty clear right now who's on top of the hill. But again, it's early. Things could change. But again, how can you not be excited about how the season has started?

Today's game didn't start out too hot. A.J. Burnett had an awful 1st inning and it looked like the bad version of A.J. Burnett was pitching. All things considered, I was very happy that the Rays only scored twice in the 1st. Personally, I think it was a bad bit of managing by Joe Maddon. The 1st 2 guys each singled and stole 2nd. Why would you have your 3-hitter sacrifice himself? You have a 1-run lead, a runner on 2nd, and one of your best hitters at the plate. That was the time to go for the jugular, not give up an out. Maybe if it were later in the game but not in the 1st inning. But I'm glad they did. Thanks for that Mr. Maddon.

After the 1st inning, A.J. had a somewhat easy-go of things. He retired 10 straight after the 1st inning. When Upton reached in the 4th, A.J. picked him off. When Burrell reached in the 5th, he got doubled off on the fly out to Granderson. While I'm on the subject of that play, I don't see why Burrell took a hard slide back into 1st. Supposedly he wanted to get hit by the ball. Whatever. If you ask me it was bush league. Moving on. It wasn't by any means Burnett's most dominant outing, but it worked. His control was off. Only 53% of his pitches were strikes. He walked 3 and only whiffed 1. Last year he almost struck out 1 an inning (195K in 207 IP). His control was definitely lacking today. But a win is a win. He didn't have his best stuff but he kept the Rays from scoring. And that's what good pitchers do. They find a way to get things done when their stuff isn't there.

I missed part of Joba pitching in the 8th inning. It was my brother in-law's birthday and we were in transit to his house. I missed the leadoff single and the RBI triple. It doesn't come off as the best of outings, but I guess the silver lining is that he stranded Crawford on 3rd. I'll let this one slide. Luck for JC the Yanks had a 7-2 lead.

I said this before the season started and I'll say it again. I'm really digging this lineup. There's just so much talent in it it's scary. If you knew that through the 1st 6 games that Nick Johnson would be hitting .136, Mark Teixeira would be hitting .125, and A-Rod would be hitting .259 with no hoime runs, you'd be foolish to think that the Yankees would be 4-2. It'll be really scary when those guys get hot and everything is running on all cylinders. Thankfully, the rest of the lineup is pretty much raking. Cano = .360. Posada = .353. Granderson = .348. Swisher = .333. Gardner = .294. Jeter = .286. As you can see the team is rocking 5 thru 9. They definitely deserve a lot of kudos for what they've done so far. I'd go as far as saying they're carrying the lineup.

Congrats to Nick Swisher for hitting his 1st HR and earning some bank for his charity, Swish's Wishes. If you're a regular reader you know a bunch of us are donating money to Nick's charity every time he goes yard. If you want to see an up-to-date tally, it's located in the upper left. If you'd like to join in on the fun and want some more info, check out this post. Now on the flip side, Nick needs to start hitting the ball when it counts. If you're a regular reader, then you've probably seen me call him "The Rally Killer." The RK made another appearance today. He came up in the 2nd with 2 out and Granderson on 2nd and he struck out swinging on 3 pitches. He came up in the 2nd with 2 out and runners on 1st and 2nd and he fouled out. In the 6th he grounded out with 1 down and Granderson on 2nd. That time however Granderson moved to 3rd and then scored on a wild pitch. It doesn't go down as a hit with RISP but I'll take the productive out. I really don't like calling Swish "The Rally Killer." But he kills rallies. The numbers don't lie.

The first road trip is in the books and so far so good. Now it's time for the real fun. Tuesday is the home opener and it's time for the boys to get their rings. Tuesday should be a pretty good time. I'm glad I took the day off. It all won't be fun and games as there is still a game to play. Those pesky Angels are coming to town. Wow. Who makes this schedule? Open on the road against the Red Sox and Rays. Open up at home against the Angels and Rangers. Talk about tough. It doesn't let up either. After the Rangers they have a 9 game roadie which includes make a trip to the west coast. The Yankees' schedule in April is definitely not a walk in the park. It's off to a great start and after beating the Sox and Rays, I'm confident they'll make it through it just fine. If you think I'm wrong, let me know.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Booogie

CC Flat Out Dominates In Yankees 10-0 Victory Over The Rays

Today's Yankee game was extremely fun to watch, wasn't it? CC's no-hit bid definitely gets top billing. I fully blame my sister for the no-hit bid falling apart. She brought her little one over for a visit today and sometime around the 6th inning she was talking about how they had to go. I zipped into the room and told her she was forbidden to leave. I did my best to keep her from leaving but she escaped in the 7th. Next thing you know, Kelly Shoppach is singling to left and the no-hit bid is over. I'm definitely going to lay the smackdown on her when I see her in a few weeks. In hindsight I should have hidden her car keys or got Tonya Harding on her. My bad. Next time I'll be prepared.

CC was insanely good today, looking like he was in mid-late season form. The Rays never stood a chance. His fastball was popping ad he maintained that velocity throughout the entire game. He threw 62% of his pitches for strikes. He was just flat out awesome. CC is the type of pitcher that gets better as the season moves on. If his outing today is a sign of what to expect this year, they might as well hand him the Cy Young Award right now. But it is too early to get ahead of ourselves. He had a similar, albeit not as dominant, outing in his 2nd start last year. In his 2nd start last year, which was in Kansas City, CC threw 7.2 shutout innings, allowing 6 hits, no walks, and he struck out 6. His numbers through his first two starts this year are better than those from his first two starts last year. Considering this year his 2 starts have been against the Red Sox and Rays, and not the Orioles and Royals, it's a little more impressive. I definitely think he'll have a better year this year than he did last.

I thought for sure that he was going to get the no-no today. There was definitely something magical in the air. Typically, every no-hitter has a couple of outstanding defensive plays (see DeWayne Wise). The Yankees defense today had several outstanding plays. Mark Teixeria laid out to his right to rob Jason Bartlett of a hit to end the 6th. A-Rod made a sweet diving grab and made a phenomenal throw to first to rob B.J. Upton of a hit to end the 7th. CC had a ball deflect of his pitching hand that Robbie Cano fielded to get Willy Aybar in the 8th. At least I think it was Aybar in the 8th. I thought for sure that ball was ticketed to CF. Had CC not deflected it to Cano the no-no was probably over. The defense today was just outstanding. A-Rod had an especially great game in the field. Dude has an absolute cannon.

Word on the street is that Kelly Shoppach was CC's last batter regardless of what happened. Had Girardi pulled CC Sabathia with a no-hit bid I think Yankee fans would have run Joe out of town. Personally, I have mixed feelings on it. I understand that the big picture is what matters. I get that it's the 2nd game of the season and you don't want to push CC beyond his limits. But you can't pull a CC Sabathia type of pitcher from a no hitter after 8 innings. You just can't. You've got to let him finish what he started. I would have probably respected the decision had they lifted CC after 8 no-hit innings, but I would have been incredibly ticked. I think every Yankee fan would have been livid. In the end though the discussion is moot because Shoppach singled to LF. Damn you Kelly Shoppach.

It was nice to see Mark Teixeira finally join the party. It took Tex 18 ABs to pick up his first hit of the season. His 0-17 start was the worst of his career. I tweeted after the hit that I wanted to see him pick up at least 5 more in a row. So far so good. Tex finished the day with 3 hits. Had it not been for the "Ortiz/Giambi shift" he probably would have gone 4-4 because if I remember it correctly, in his first AB he lined out to the 2B who was positioned in short RF. Hopefully his 3 hits today end his dry spell.

Who's not loving Robinson Cano in the 5-hole? I'm still on board with my Cano = 2010 AL MVP prediction. I really think RC is going to have a monster year. He's definitely off to a really hot start. He went 2-5 today with a HR and 3 RBI. Most importantly he picked up a base knock with RISP. We didn't see a lot of that from Robbie last year. I don't think it'll be a sore spot with him this year.

The entire offense, for the most part, had a great day. I know, silly statement considering they scored 10 runs. But if you break it down, there weren't a lot of holes. 5 guys had multiple hit games. 6 guys knocked in runs. They were 6-13 with RISP. 7 guys walked. The team only struck out 3 times. Every starter had a hit except for Nick Johnson. But as my friend Don will argue, he saw a lot of pitches and that hooked up everyone else. So we'll go with that. Curtis Granderson got a hit off a lefty. Despite it not scoring a run, "The Rally Killer" Nick Swisher got a hit with RISP. A-Rod picked up his 1000th hit as a Yankee. There wasn't much to balk at today. It was all good, a baby-baby.

The series with the Rays wraps up tomorrow and then it's home to the Bronx. Can't wait until Tuesday's home opener. It's going to be cool to see the team get their rings. I've got the day off (yes just to watch it) so I won't miss any of it. But first, it's A.J. Burnett vs. James Shields. I'm hoping A.J. does his best to 1-up CC. If he's got his curve working, it's definitely possible. Let's go Yankees.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

My Condolences To Dustin Pedroia

In what must be a hard blow to Dustin Pedroia, Meinhardt Raabe has passed away at the age of 94. Who is Meinhardt Raabe and how does it affect Dustin Pedroia you might ask? Raabe played the Munchkin coroner in The Wizard of Oz. Dustin is a munchkin, ergo, my condolences. I've heard that DP ahs already been added to MLB's bereavement list and will miss the next 3 games.

In all seriousness, RIP Mr. Raabe.

J-Boogie

Yankees Get Stymied By David Price, Lose 9-3

Well that wasn't pretty. The Yankees just didn't have it tonight. Hat tip to David Price for that. Price looked really good until he ran out of gas in the 8th. Not sure what Joe Maddon was thinking leaving him out there once the trouble started. I thought Dusty Baker was managing the Rays there for a second. The Rays have to be really happy with Price's outing. Wait, why I am writing about Price? This is a Yankees blog last time I checked. But seriously, Price pitched really well.

On the flipside, Javier Vazquez didn't pitch well at all. Scratch that. Javy started out pretty well. He looked solid for the first 3 innings. I was really excited when the Yankees went up 2-0 in the 4th. I thought it would be enough based on how he was throwing. But then the wheels fell off and things got bad real quick. I'm sure there are a lot of Yankee fans out there already dumping on Vazquez. Message to them: stop! There is absolutely no reason to think that Vazquez is going to suck this year. It's one start and it's the first start. He'll be fine.

Things might have been a little different for Javy and the Yanks had Girardi started Brett Gardner. There was a liner into LF that Marcus Thames dived for and missed. I'm not saying Gardner would have caught it but he's a lot faster than Thames so it was possible. Had the ball been caught, the inning would have ended and the Yanks would have been down 3-2. It could have been an entirely different story.

Not real much to discuss about the offense. They didn't do much against Price. Mark Teixeria is still oh-fer-April. For the life of me I don't understand how a hitter like Tex, who has a career .289 average, struggles so badly at the start of every season. It's mind-boggling. It really is. He's now 0-16 thru the 1st 4 games. He's due. Now if anybody out there is worried about Tex, don't be. It happens every year. He'll finish the year with a .290+ average. He'll have at least 30 hrs and 100 RBI. He won the MVP last year after his terrible start. History can easily repeat itself with Tex.

Nick Swisher is not doing anything to get me to stop calling him "The Rally Killer." Nick is picking up right where he left off last year. For those new to the blog, I started calling Nick "The Rally Killer" last season. He was absolutely horrible with runners in scoring position. Last year he hit .227 with RISP, .163 with RISP and 2 outs, and .158 with the bases loaded. He lived up to the moniker again tonight when he whiffed with the bases juiced in the 8th. I was definitely hoping for a different outcome. I'm still dying to drop my first 10 spot to his charity. There are a few of us who are down to donate (see upper left). An HR in the 8th would have been huge tonight. Heck, a hit would have been nice. I don't have much faith in Nick in a big spot. I love him at the start of a rally but not at the end of one.

The loss drops the Yankees to 2-2. I know some people out there are already hitting the panic button. It's the 4th game of the season guys. There is no cause for alarm. The big man gets the ball tomorrow. Game is at 3:10pm and is on FOX. That means Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. Ugh.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

The Grandyman Can

They keep replaying John Sterling's Granderson HR call from last night's game on MLB Network Radio on XM. It's pretty comical. For those that haven't heard it, it starts out with "Oh Curtis. You're something sort of grandish" and it ends with Sterling singing, "The Grandyman can. The Grandyman can." Funny stuff. At least he changed it from just "you're something sort of grandish." That's apparently from some old school musical call "Finian's Rainbow." Yeah, it was over my head too. The call is still kind of silly, but it's much better with "the Grandyman" lines added in.

Personally, I think sterling's HR calls are more of a joke than anything else. Who can forget such classics as "For the Betemit of the Yankees," or "Fill it up, Phillips"? God those are terrible. I'm not a big Sterling fan. Sometime he's tolerable but most of the time I find him to be God-awful. But that's just me.

Want more Sterling? Check out IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, IT IS....caught. You want funny? Go there now.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Curtis Granderson & Chan Ho Park Lead Yankees To 3-1 Win Over Red Sox

Awesome win by the Yanks tonight. Taking two out of three in Boston is a pretty damn good way to open up the season. The best part of it was that they sacked Jonathan Papelbon with the L. I never get tired of seeing him get rocked. Someone tell me why I drafted him on my fantasy team. Not on one team, but on two. Yeah, I'm a dummy.

I'm pretty happy that the Yankees took two of three in Boston. If I told you before the series started that the 2-3-4 hitters would combine to go 2-36 and no Yankee starter would earn a decision, you'd think they were swept. Sure they could have played better but winning 2 of 3 is a very good thing.

Granderson's HR was huge but the player of the game is without a doubt Chan Ho Park. Talk about a total 180. Chan Ho Park was a different pitcher tonight. I'm not sure if the Yankees are still passing around a WWE Championship belt but if they are it better go to Park. He was flat out awesome tonight. I totally didn't see it coming. He not only gave the team 1 shutout inning. He not only gave the team 2 shutout innings. He gave them 3 shutout innings. Nicely done CHP. It's too early though to know which Chan Ho Park is the real one. Hopefully it's the one we saw tonight. It's going to be nice having two long men in the bullpen. If the Yankee starter ever gets into trouble, Aceves and Park could easily enter the game and keep the other team down giving the Yankee offense ample time to score some runs. We saw it a lot last year. We'll see it again this year.

Great outing tonight from Andy Pettitte. He struggled a little early on but he settled down and pitched a great game. You think I'd know by now that I shouldn't worry so much that Andy allows so many guys to reach base. He allowed 10 guys to reach base and allowed only 1 run. Vintage Andy. Andy has a career WHIP of 1.36. He lets 'em on but he doesn't let 'em in. You gotta love Andy. So glad he came back this year.

Not a lot of offense tonight. The top of the order, except for Jeter, has been struggling. Johnson, Teixeira, and A-Rod went a combined 0-12 tonight. The trio had a pretty bad series at the plate, combining to go 2-for-36. Johnson and Teixeira are still hitless. I'm not concerned and if you are, you shouldn't be. We all know Mark Teixeira is a slow starter. Nick Johnson is going to have a really high OBP. And A-Rod, is well, A-Rod. If the rest of the lineup stays hot and those guys get going, watch out.

The bottom of the order on the other hand is off to a pretty good start. Curtis Granderson had a damn good series. His HR off Papelbon was a thing of beauty. There's a lot of talk during the game and after it that it was his "Yankee moment." I think it was a great moment, but I'm on the fence about it being his "Yankee moment." I know it came against the Red Sox. I know it was off Papelbon. But it's the 3rd game of the season. It's a little too early for me to call it a "Yankee moment." It's close, real close, but I can't call it a "Yankee moment."

Dick Clark: "Snails. Molasses. Turtles. Paint drying." Me: "Things that are faster than Jorge Posada." Ding ding ding. Holy cow Jorge is slow. The Yankees are lucky that JD Drew made a crappy throw on Swisher's single. He would have had Posada by a mile if that throw was online. And what is up with Posada not sliding? If my memory serves me correctly he pulled the same crap last year. You'd think as a catcher he'd know the drill.

It's always good to win a series. It's always good to win a series in Boston. Not a bad way to open the season. Off day tomorrow. Enjoy it.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Get First Win Of Year Out Of Way With 6-4 Win Over Boston

Great win by the Yankees last night. It wasn't the prettiest of wins but a win is a win and it was nice to see them get their first win under their belts.

The bullpen was awesome yesterday. Alfredo Aceves is quickly becoming one of my favorite Yanks. He's consistent, reliable, and gets the job done. I'm curious to see what Ace's role this year will be and how Girardi will use him. Ace can wear so many hats back there. He can pitch a few innings if needed. He could come in and get the team a key out. I feel confident that anytime we see Ace the Yanks will be in the ballgame and have a pretty good chance of winning, kind of like they did last night.

Joba last night looked a lot like the Joba of old. He had good pop on his fastball and his slider was untouchable. It was good to see the first pumping, especially since it was in Boston. I like seeing that much enthusiasm from him so early in the season. You can tell with Joba that every outing matters. I hope this is a sign of what to expect from Joba this year. If it is, consider the game over as soon as he gets the ball. Joba and Mo will be the new Mo and John Wetteland. We all know how good that tandem was.

It's always good to see Mariano on the hill. He's the G.O.A.T. and it's a joy to watch him pitch. I love watching the Sandman put the other teams to sleep, especially the Red Sox.

A.J. Burnett wasn't particularly good yesterday but he wasn't particularly bad either. He was effective but he needs to be better. His strike-to-ball ratio was decent (61.7% strikes) but he was a little wild (3 walks and a HBP) . Posada hooked him up too with by blocking some bad pitches. A.J. will get better. Not concerned about his performance or that he only lasted 5 innings. The starting pitching in this series hasn't been very effective. It's not like CC, A.J., Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are bums. Those guys will be fine. Well, maybe not Beckett. At least I hope not.

I predicted before the season started that Robinson Cano would be the AL MVP this year. He's off to a hot start. Robbie is going to excel in the 5 hole, especially if he can get by his hitting with RISP troubles. He's had a few chances with RISP this year and granted he hasn't picked up a hit, but he's had 2 productive ABs with 2 productive outs that have led to 2 RBI for Robbie. He'll hit this year with RISP. I'm confident of that. I loved seeing the late-inning bomb that was the final nail in the coffin too. Robbie has a sweet swing. I wouldn't be surprised to see him end the season with at least 30 pops.

I like that Nick Johnson walks a lot and sees a lot of pitches. Dude is truly an OBP machine. I would like to see him hit the ball though. It has only been 2 games so there's plenty of time to pick up some base knocks.

Looks like Mark Teixeira is off to another slow start. He's 0-9 thru the first 2 games. We've seen this with Tex year after year. No worries.

I don't understand why Girardi started Marcus Thames yesterday. I know he does well versus lefties. I know Jon Lester is as tough a lefty as they come. But it's the 2nd game of the year! Brett Gardner should have gotten the start.

Well gang, my lunch is about to end and I've got to get off to a meeting. Andy Pettitte v. John Lackey tonight. Sox fans have to be pretty geeked up about Lackey. I'd love to see the Yanks hammer him. It would be awesome to leave Fenway with 2 wins, wouldn't it?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Four Hour Baseball Games = Next Day Posts

The worst thing about Yankees/Red Sox games is that they last at least 4 hours. It makes it real tough to blog right after the game. On most nights, I'd probably suck it up and post something, but it's Tuesday and I really don't want to wait to watch Lost. So a post about tonight's great Yankee win will be coming tomorrow. I'll be writing about:

1. The bullpen - Aceves, Joba and Mo = awesome
2. Robbie Cano will be the 2010 MVP
3. You down with OBP? Nick Johnson is an OBP machine!

All that and much more. Yankees win. Thuhhhh Yankees win.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

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Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Pitching Falters In Opening Night Loss To Red Sox

I woke up this morning in more pain than I was in yesterday. Again, spent the weekend scraping paint and painting my garage. Forearms and shoulders are killing me. I'm so out of shape. After watching last night's loss to the Red Sox, I'd say the Yankees pitching is pretty out of shape too. They were far from being in top form. Thing started out real well and then the wheels fell off.

CC Sabathia started out well. He looked real good to me in the first few innings. He had a few rough spots but pretty much came through them unscathed. I'm not sure what happened to him in the 5th, which is when things started to turn. I don't think it had anything to do with his physical condition, meaning I don't think he was running out of gas. His strike-to-ball ratio was just under 56% which to me isn't anything to write home about. He only walked 2. Conclusion: He wasn't attacking the strike zone. CC would have probably made it through 7 innings if he had thrown a few more strikes. At one point, he had a 4-run lead and had only allowed 1 hit. Hope he learns his lesson and attacks the zone next time.

The Yankees bullpen didn't have a banner night either. David Robertson gives up the tying run on his first pitch. The team gets the lead back and Chan Ho Park quickly gives it back up. Damaso Marte was crazy wild. Joba wasn't any better. Hopefully, this isn't a sign of things to come. They were pitiful last night. I'm definitely not sold on Chan Ho. Hopefully, it was opening night jitters and nothing more. He has to earn my love. Last night's performance isn't the best way to do that.

I love the Yankees lineup. As I've written before, I think it's perfect. Collectively, the lineup had a great night. Anytime you score 7 runs you should win the game. I'm really liking my Cano-for-MVP prediction. Robbie hit the ball hard all spring and it continued yesterday. He came up with RISP and while he didn't pick up a hit, he at least had a productive out. His groundout scored Teixeira and moved A-Rod to 3rd, which put him in position to score on Posada's AB. Good night for Robbie.

Great night for Jorge Posada at the plate. 3 hits. 2 RBI. 1 HR. Maybe his Dad should call him in the dugout more often. Except next time maybe he should give him some catching tips. He's got to catch that pitch from Marte. If it hits the glove the catcher has to stop it. Period.

Loved the double steal that Jeter and Gardner pulled off. Great call by the coaching staff. It worked perfectly. Gardner had a good night at the plate also but his arm needs a little work. What was up with that throw to 3rd or home? I have no idea where he was going with that. It was ugly.

Derek Jeter had 2 hits. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Nick Johnson went 0-3 with 2 walks. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Nick Swisher killed a rally. Yeah, that sounds about right. I really was hoping Swish would homer in the opener so it would get the fundraiser of to a good start, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. The pledge drive is picking up some love from the Yankee fans on Twitter. I hope to get their "pledges" and track them on the "tracker" which is in the upper left part of the blog. If you want to donate, please let me know. No amount is too small. Someone on Twitter said they'd do $1/HR. You gotta love it.

So the title defense didn't get off to the best start. Keep in mind before you declare the season over that the Yanks lost their first 8 games to the Red Sox last year. Keep in mind that they love to start slow. We've seen this before. No cause for alarm. No reason to be concerned.

For those of you lucky enough to be in front of a TV today, enjoy Opening Day! I'm jealous. Lucky jerks.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie