tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53154785397595653932009-11-08T20:06:40.906-05:00Baseball and the New York YankeesJeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-46101735982700188272009-06-13T08:00:00.002-04:002009-06-13T08:20:36.601-04:00

There is no question that the New York Yankees signed Mark Texiera for his outstanding bat and his superb fielding skills. This is a quality player who has been very consistent over the years and shows no sign of being anything else for a long time. That, however, is not where the real value of Tex lies. In addition to being a gifted athlete, Texiera is the guy who shows us what giving 100%

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-21293024630819803102009-05-19T10:11:00.001-04:002009-05-19T10:12:14.067-04:00

Mark Texiera has come on strong lately, scoring runs, driving in runs, hitting home runs and basically acting like the player everyone knew he was. The question is, what happened? The emotional answer is that Texiera loosened up a bit and got out of his mental funk after a brief discussion with Yankee great Tino Martinez. Tino has been on salary with the Yankees as a special consultant, which

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-27934715273045772102009-05-18T08:03:00.001-04:002009-05-18T08:03:45.272-04:00

One thing Joe Girardi is doing that I like is trying to get this team to manufacture runs. Paying small ball, getting guys on base, advancing the runners then driving in runs is something that you don’t often see in the power-hitting American league. When Joe Torre took over as Yankees manager a years ago, there was a fundamental shift in the team’s playstyle, which they slowly got away from

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-12528073435270886642009-05-17T16:58:00.001-04:002009-05-17T16:58:18.878-04:00

The Yankees earned their 3rd straight walk off win thanks to a 10th inning homer from Johnny Damon. Despite all the cheers from the fans in attendance, you could still hear the sigh of relief coming from Brett Gardner. In the bottom of the 9th, sitting on 2nd base, Francisco Cervelli dropped one down to the right causing Twins catcher Joe Mauer to come up and field the ball. Cervelli would have

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-30233317308485837922009-05-12T22:03:00.001-04:002009-05-12T22:03:58.472-04:00

Derek Jeter was out of the lineup and Matsui had to leave the game. Every injury hurts with this team, which has been behind the injury eight ball for most of the season. The Baltimore series was a bit of a pick-me-up as “two out of three aint bad”. Halladay just had much better stuff than Burnett, who wasn’t sharp but and the lack of run support didn’t help matters any. Yankee pitchers still

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-20949143079872135242009-05-08T09:30:00.002-04:002009-05-08T09:50:29.596-04:00

The injuries keep piling up. Here's my brief listCloser - RiveraSet up man - BruneyLefty specialist - MarteNumber 2 pitcher - WangCatcher - PosadaBackup catcher - MolinaRight fielder - Nady3rd baseman - RodriguezBackup 3rd baseman - RansomA-Rod should be back today. Let's also not forget other guys who have not been 100% but haven't missed a lot of time like Mark Texiera.With this many injuries

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-74696932326697157582009-05-05T10:03:00.003-04:002009-05-05T10:12:54.129-04:00

Phil Hughes took the mound again last night against the Boston Red Sox and quickly reverted to 2008 form. Namely, he couldn't even get past the fourth inning. Hughes was either trying to paint the corners all night, or else just had no control over his pitches. The umpire had a narrow strike zone and made some erratic calls, but Phil was all over the place.In his first outing this year, Hughes

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-77925957290342470752009-05-02T07:06:00.001-04:002009-05-02T07:06:29.353-04:00

For all of my Posada bashing, the guy can still hit when the chips are down. Last night he delivered a big hit in the bottom of the ninth to seal a dramatic come from behind win for the Yankees. Jorge’s hitting extremely well from the right side of the plate and last night’s late inning heroics were no exception. Relief pitching is a huge problem. Pete Abraham said that Girardi and Cash were

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-39076745900028067952009-04-28T08:55:00.001-04:002009-04-28T08:55:49.794-04:00

I’ve had enough of Jorge Posada, the biggest prima donna on the Yankee roster, vastly outstripping egos of guys like A-Rod (and this is in no way defending A-Rod). Let’s take a step back to last year when Jorge was struggling with injuries yet still managed to put up a stink about the possibility of playing at first base where he could actually help the team. Nope, he’s a catcher and would

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-43468905899546471362009-04-26T09:11:00.001-04:002009-04-26T09:11:22.466-04:00

The Yanks have lost the first two games to the Red Sox in heartbreaking fashion. Mariano Rivera blew a save and the next night Burnett blows a 6-0 lead. Despite all the horrific losses, the Yankees are still in a decent position considering they’ve been without Alex Rodriguez. The injuries are piling up and could be a problem soon. The bullpen just plain stinks right now. Mariano Rivera does not

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-81705913870191755722009-04-17T09:01:00.001-04:002009-04-17T09:01:11.354-04:00

The Yankees had their home opener yesterday afternoon and it was ugly. There wasn’t much to cheer about and the new stadium has drawn a great deal of criticism. The team is currently sitting on a 5-5 record at the moment and that’s about the way I feel about the team and season overall right now. There have been quite a few positives so far this year, but there have been a great deal of

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-41429583827315663032009-04-14T07:50:00.001-04:002009-04-14T07:50:17.677-04:00

I’ve had enough of the Joe Girardi era in New York. Last night’s loss was downright embarrassing and I can’t imagine any Steinbrenner being able to let that one go lightly. Who’s to blame here? Wang, the once staff ace who can’t throw a pitch to save his life? The dicey bullpen? Nope. It’s the coach. My personal soapbox for a long time has been the long reliever. The Yankees desperately needed

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-83682263808166313632009-04-11T09:11:00.001-04:002009-04-11T09:11:38.779-04:00

AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte have calmed some of the early histeria surrounding the Yankees season. After horrible starts by Sabathia and Wang, the new ace and the cagey veteran delivered superb performances in the third and fourth games of the Yankee’s season. AJ Burnett just has some wicked stuff and if he can stay healthy, he’ll be a dominant pitcher for the Yankees. Pettitte was all around

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-68806704168484875342009-04-06T20:11:00.001-04:002009-04-06T20:11:46.175-04:00

The Yankees two biggest offseason acquisitions came up empty in their Yankee debuts and the pitching staff was abysmal. CC Sabathia had no control over his pitches and had frequent communication issues with Posada. 8 hits, 6 runs over 4.1 innings for CC with no strikeouts. Albaladeho lasted 1.1 innings without giving up a run but Coke and Bruney got shelled. Mark Texiera went 0 for 4. The

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-10413479246829027102009-04-05T17:12:00.001-04:002009-04-05T17:12:42.527-04:00

The finishing touches have been put on the roster with Pena getting the final spot. Berroa, who I thought could be the surprise utility infielder, was sent back down along with Dan Giese. Giese will likely see play time in NY at some point if injuries pop up and Girardi does his famous bullpen dance. Berroa still has a little gas left in his tank and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him included in

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-67289604841866963882009-03-28T17:02:00.001-04:002009-03-28T17:03:04.632-04:00

According to Pete Abraham over at LoHud , Girardi is thinking of not having a long reliever on the squad, allowing him to keep someone like Albaladejo instead of Aceves, Giese or Tomko. This may sound like a small deal but it has got me up in arms. This was a bad move Girardi made last year in his disastrous coaching debut with the Yankees and it’s starting to look like he’s just going to go

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-50868397790506757992009-03-24T11:20:00.001-04:002009-03-24T11:20:43.417-04:00

Joe Girardi came out and announced that Xavier Nady would be the starting right fielder. Nick Swisher said all the right things in response. There has been a bit of discussion about Joe’s decision and many people have opined that Swisher is the strongest candidate. Doing a quick review myself, Nady seems to have the better bat, with a better average and more power. Swisher is by far the better

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-65136011613575900422009-03-17T09:39:00.001-04:002009-03-17T09:39:06.356-04:00

I get excited when spring training rolls around. I try to catch a few spring games on TV when I can, and always check the box scores to see who is doing well. Then I reach a point where I stop and ask myself, what do these numbers really mean? What can you really tell by watching someone in spring training? So far this year, I’ve been excited by the performance of a lot of people on the Yankees,

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-53270152422011186302009-03-12T17:22:00.001-04:002009-03-12T17:22:34.698-04:00

It’s not so much about the positions the Yankees need to fill, but rather about the players that need to go, and soon. Melky Cabrera is battling for the starting center field spot with Brett Gardner. Right now, Gardner is hitting a bit better than he has in the past and his speed on the bases is making him the early favorite. Scouts seem to think that Cabrera has a higher ceiling, but last year

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-69020123153790088472009-03-09T08:12:00.001-04:002009-03-09T08:12:55.782-04:00

Spring training has only recently begun and most Yankee fans have reason to be worried about the upcoming season. One of the main reasons for last year’s troubles was a plague of injuries and that slowly looks to be happening again this time around. The biggest news of the pre-season is A-Rods upcoming hip surgery which will take him out 6-9 weeks. The idea is that he’ll have arthroscopic

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-18925221688591145432009-02-27T11:32:00.001-05:002009-02-27T11:32:07.890-05:00

Alfredo had a remarkably successful stint in the majors last year. Moving from the Blue Jays to the Mexican league to the Yankees, Aceves quickly climbed the ranks of the organization when given the chance by New York. In six games with four starts he had an ERA of 2.40 in the majors last year and looking impressive in his end of the year major league appearances with a WHIP of 1.17. He has four

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-33210324146315085082009-02-18T10:08:00.001-05:002009-02-18T10:08:48.621-05:00

Chien-Ming Wang looked like the rotation’s ace last year until he was sidelined with an injury and the early-struggling Mussina rose up into the limelight. Thankfully the injury didn’t involve his arm or shoulder and he should return to form again this year. The published projections for Wang aren’t that hopeful. Both sources (the Bill James Handbook and Baseball Prospectus) are counting on Wang

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-66106075137266083122009-02-17T09:02:00.001-05:002009-02-17T09:02:59.428-05:00

New arrival AJ Burnett landed himself a decent contract from a team that needs stability in the rotation and is going out on a limb hoping he stays healthy. Burnett had a career year last year, getting 18 wins, a significant increase over the previous years mainly because it was one of the few years he was able to start  a decent number of games (34 to be precise). There are two big knocks

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-56277397404102397192009-02-16T19:02:00.001-05:002009-02-16T19:02:41.451-05:00

So the big man has a big contract. What can New York fans expect? If there is anything close to a crystal ball in this sport it’s a few choice publications, including the Bill James Handbook and the annual Baseball Prospectus guide. They provide predictions for a player’s overall statistical performance that is surprisingly accurate on a consistent basis. Both of these peg CC as a 16 game winner

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315478539759565393.post-73882405862970645862009-02-16T09:32:00.001-05:002009-02-17T09:04:01.544-05:00

Spring training is upon us and it’s time to get the Pinstripers blog back into action. The first thing to look at is the roster and what the projected rotation, bullpen and positions will look like. The current roster is workable, but in my opinion there is still a move or two to be made. Since things are in good enough shape, there is no pressure and Cashman is holding all the cards in his mind.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602884797655737782GoOrange@live.com0