Not a good night for the pitchers
By · CommentsTriple-A Scranton (4-3 win over Richmond)
Cody Ransom: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI – 3 straight games with a jack
Chris Stewart: 3 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 E (throwing)
Greg Porter: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
rest of lineup: combined 0 for 17, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP – Eric Duncan drew a walk & was hit by a pitch
Al Aceves: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K – 43 of 65 pitches were strikes (66.2%) … taken out after strugging through the 2nd and 3rd innings
Steven White: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 8-1 GB/FB – 17 of 34 pitches were strikes (50%)
JB Cox: 1 IP, zeroes, 2 K
Brian Bruney: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – schedule to pitch tomorrow night as well
Scott Strickland: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Game 100: Rollin’
By · CommentsIt’s hasn’t been pretty and it certainly hasn’t been textbook, but the Yanks have managed to trim a full three games off the division and Wildcard deficit since the All-Star Break. As the season hits the century mark in terms of games played, take solace in the fact that only five teams in the AL have a better winning percentage than the Yanks. By the end of the night that number could be down to just four.
The Twinkies managed to push a run across in the 9th inning last night, so this is another test for Joe’s yet to be unproven theory that if a team is being blown out and they score in the final innings, they’ll carry that momentum into the next game for a win. Tonight would be a great night to disprove that theory.
Kevin Slowey’s been pounded his last two starts, but that means diddly squat tonight. Yes, I just said diddly squat.
1. Damon, DH – so much for that 0-fer I was talking about yesterday
2. Jeter, SS
3. Abreu, RF
4. A-Rod, 3B
5. Giambi, 1B
6. Cano, 2B
7. Cabrera, CF
8. Moeller, C
9. Gardner, LF
And on the mound, Darrell “From Waiver Claim to Yankee Fame” Rasner.
Notes: Rasner is 3-2 with a 2.67 ERA when Moeller catches him, 2-5 with a 6.87 ERA when anyone else is behind the dish … Dan Giese has pitched one inning in the last 19 days … Triple-A reliever Steven White is missing … Melky Cabrera has a 70 OPS+ this month, his second highest monthly mark behind April (135)
The great Yankee Stadium security problem
By · CommentsJeremy Olshan and Rebecca Rosenberg, two of the New York Post’s more reliable reporters, penned an interesting story on Yankee Stadium security that showed up in Alexander Hamilton’s former newspaper this morning. The Yankees, in light of the recent heat wave and sun advisories, have taken to confiscating sunscreen containers from fans claiming these bottles pose a terrorist threat to Yankee Stadium.
Guards had advised patrons to apply sunscreen outside and then hand over the bottles. Inside the stadium, fans can get a one-ounce bottle of SPF 15 sunscreen for a whopping $5. With dermatologists calling out the Yankees and the Post noting the hypocrisy of the team in light of MLB’s Play Sun Smart anti-skin cancer initiative, the team has since caved to common sense and will now allow sunscreen into the stadium.
In light of the inherent absurdity of the situation — Sunscreen as a terrorist weapon? Really? — and the obvious commercial benefit that the Yankees enjoy by forcing their fans to buy sunscreen at a mark-up of nearly 100 percent, the Yankees come out of this dust-up looking pretty chintzy. They were confiscating sunblock at a time when people need the most and providing an inferior product at a higher price inside. While scientists made be debating the effectiveness of these sunblocks, we still the skin protection.
Never before had sunblock been an issue, and it just shouldn’t have happened at Yankee Stadium. We can take in water; we can take in sunblock. We’re baseball fans, not prisoners, and whichever official signed off on this decision should bear the brunt this bad publicity.
* * *
In a similar vein, today’s story reminded me of something that happened to me recently at Yankee Stadium. Last week at the Home Run Derby, I picked up a few clear plastic bags for my stuff. I always double-bag them at Yankee Stadium because the free bags they hand out are rather cheap and flimsy.
When I returned to the Stadium the next night for the All Star Game, the security guard looked at my bag — my supposedly clear plastic bags from the night before — and told me I had to take my stuff out of those bags and put it into clear plastic bags. These bags, sort of gray and not very transparent, weren’t clear enough for her. I told her, “These are your clear plastic bags I got here last night.” Her reply: “Oh. That’s not so good.”
I had a second bag with me that had some water in it. That bag was a perfectly transparent bag from the Fan Fest – the DHL All Star Fan Fest. The security guards made me take my stuff out of that bag and put it into some of the less clear plastic bags. Lesson: Plastic bags distributed by Yankee Stadium security are not clear enough for those very same security guards one night later.
Trust me: I understand that we live an age in which we have to be careful. I’ve lived in New York City my entire life, and I, like everyone else, has felt the emotional impact of a terrorist attack. But at some point, we have to draw the line between absurd security measures and practical responses to real threats.
It’s bad enough that the Yanks don’t allow fans to bring in tote bags or small backpacks, but when security guards start questioning the validity of the clear plastic bags, perhaps it’s time to start rethinking the security measures. When tubes of sunblock on overwhelmingly sunny days become security threats (or is that a business threat?), perhaps a level head should step in and assess the situation. Are the Yankees really this absurd?
ByLast night, Jarrod Washburn faced the Boston Red Sox. He didn’t beat them, but he kept them in check for 5.2 innings. Today, Washburn finds himself the subject of some Buster Olney-inspired trade rumors. The Seattle lefty, owed $13.6 million before the end of 2009, could be a good fit for the Yankees, and according to the ESPN scribe, a possible trade would involve Kei Igawa, a secondary prospect and large sums of money heading from New York to the northwest. While, according to the Seattle Times, the Yanks — and anyone with any baseball sense — would prefer A.J. Burnett, Washburn wouldn’t be a bad choice. He’s a lefty with success in Yankee Stadium and a 2.65 ERA over his last 51 innings. This is, of course, just a rumor, but it’s an intriguing one nonetheless. · (114) ·
Sign with big Hollywood agency; hit a home run
By · CommentsMaybe a few more Yankees should think about signing with hot-shot talent agencies. A few hours after word got out that A-Rod had inked a deal with the powerful William Morris Agency, the Yanks’ third baseman kicked off a 12-run rout of the Twins with a two-run home run in the first.
Word of the deal first broke in the Wall Street Journal last night. Matthew Futterman’s article, available here only for WSJ subscribers, talks about A-Rod’s decision to sign up yet another management company:
The decision reflects the growing importance of Hollywood in athletes’ attempts to turn themselves into enduring brand names that can attract corporate sponsorships in addition to their big-ticket employment contracts. Major agencies, meanwhile, see star athletes as a growth niche. As TV ratings dwindle and movie box-office stagnates, sports-rights fees and the value of sports teams are growing. The marketing prowess of golfer Tiger Woods has become the envy of celebrity handlers…
For Mr. Rodriguez, the move marks the latest turn in his relationship with Scott Boras, one of baseball’s most successful and controversial agents. It was Mr. Boras’s decision to announce during last year’s World Series that Mr. Rodriguez would opt out of his contract with the Yankees. That move dented the future Hall of Famer’s reputation and forced him to pursue a new deal directly with Yankees brass.
Mr. Boras, who has represented Mr. Rodriguez throughout his career, said he will continue to represent the slugger in any baseball-related negotiations. “I do Alex’s baseball work,” Mr. Boras said Monday. Now, with what is likely the final contract of his sports career complete, Mr. Rodriguez is turning to William Morris to burnish his image as an athlete with appeal beyond his sport.
Right now, while A-Rod is one of the highest paid players in any sport with a guaranteed contract of at least $275 million over the next ten years, he lags in endorsement deals. According to Bloomberg News, A-Rod earns just $6 million a year in endorsements, putting him 20th on a recent Sports Illustrated list of top-grossing athletes by endorsements.
The agency, with offices in New York, LA, Nashville and London, will look to expand the reach of the A-Rod image, and the Yanks’ slugger, destined for the Hall one day, will also see his earnings reach new heights. It’s just another day in As The A-Rod Turns.
ByWhile Monday’s news of the day was Jorge Posada and his injured shoulder, the other injured Yankee cog made a decision about his immediate future. According to the four-letter, Hideki Matsui will not undergo surgery yet and will attempt another rehab on his knee. More important, however, is this news that doctors have recommended that he go under the knife and that Brian Cashman is not optimistic that Matsui will rejoin the club any time soon. This will be the last rehab attempt before surgery, and I don’t expect to see Godzilla back in the Bronx this season. · (36) ·
The uninspiring Austin Jackson was named the Eastern League Offensive Player of the Week thanks to his .643 BA. Phil Coke was named EL Pitcher of the Week. Allowing 5 hits with 21 strikeouts in 14 IP will earn you that honor. Brian Baisley won NY-Penn League Offensive Player of the Week honors, but he’s the oldest position player in the league, roughly 6 years older than league average.
TPA posted their Midseason Top 10 Yankees’ Prospects. Hard to argue with that list, very well put together.
Remember, the number in parenthesis following a player’s name is the round he was selected in if he was an ’08 draftee.
Triple-A Scranton (6-4 win over Richmond)
Alberto Gonzalez & Nick Green: both 0 for 4, 1 K
Eric Duncan: 0 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Matt Carson: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K – threw a runner out at come from CF … OPS’ing over .860 this year
Juan Miranda: 0 for 4, 2 K
Cody Ransom: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K – 17 homers this year
Ben Broussard: 2 for 3, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB
Chris Stewart: 3 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SB
Kei Igawa: 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 7-10 GB/FB – 69 of 107 pitches were strikes (64.5%)
Chris Britton: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 10 of 11 pitches were strikes (90.9%)
Billy Traber: 0.1 IP, zeroes
Steven Jackson: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
