I’m just wondering: would anyone be interested in hitting a New York bar on Sunday night? I’d be down if we have enough interest. Thing is, I’m not sure where to go. I’m out in Queens, and honestly there aren’t many places around me that would fit the bill. Plus, I figure it’s easier to meet in Manhattan. So if anyone is interested and/or has any bar suggestions, leave a comment. We’ll get this going if we drum up enough attendees.
Game 155: Two to go
It’s the last day game in the stories history of Yankee Stadium. In 40 minutes, the Yanks will take the field on the House that Ruth Built for the last time under the sun. It is a bittersweet moment, to be sure.
Al Aceves draws the start today for the Yanks. In his last Yankee Stadium start, he held the White Sox to two runs on five hits and a walk over six innings. He is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings this year. Facing him will be Brian Burres, 7-9 with a 6.32 ERA.
Damon CF
Jeter DH
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Nady LF
Cano 2B
Ransom SS
Moeller C
Aceves P
Final Game Notes: The Biz of Baseball has the complete rundown of the ESPN TV coverage scheduled for tomorrow. If you can’t make it to the stadium for the farewell game, there are plenty of tributes to watch on the Worldwide Leader.
Photo Credit: The new Yankee Stadium by Librado Romero for The New York Times.
George to miss Yankee Stadium finale
According to numerous reports, George Steinbrenner will not be at Yankee Stadium on Sunday evening. Considering all that George has meant for baseball and all that he has done with the Yankees since buying the team in the early 1970s, I have to believe that he must be rather incapacitated if he’s missing the final game. For better or worse, it won’t be the same without him around.
Marquez to the AzFL
After pulling the Carl Pavano Special this year (pitching like crap when we wasn’t hurt), Jeff Marquez will be heading to the Arizona Fall League to make up for missed time. The Yanks still have one pitchers spot to fill, but it seems unlikely that Ian Kennedy or Chris Garcia will get the call. Maybe it’ll be JB Cox, assuming his knee’s okay? Otherwise I dunno who it could be.
Pavano wins last Yankee Stadium start too
While Mike Mussina earned himself a nice curtain call last night, Carl Pavano wishes he could win the adulation of the fans that way. Pavano, another high-priced pitcher who failed to deliver for the Yanks, won what will probably be his last start for the Yankees in a home uniform as New York triumphed over Baltimore 3-2.
Pavano threw five innings against Baltimore tonight, allowing two earned runs on six hits and a walk. He also struck out two. Somehow, improbably, Pavano is now 4-1 with a 4.99 ERA. While he probably has just two starts left in the Bronx, he is somehow pitching his way to another guaranteed contract, albeit one with incentives.
But while Pavano stymied the Orioles through five, the real pitching stars came out of the bullpen. Phil Coke, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte, Joba Chamblerain and Mariano Rivera combined for four shut-out innings. This group gave up just two hits — both off of Rivera in the ninth. Coke and Bruney faced two batters and struck them both out; Joba faced three and walked away with three K’s. With Bruney and Coke set to return and Mark Melancon and Humberto Sanchez waiting in the wings, the Yanks’ bullpen is primed for a huge 2009 season.
On the other side of the ball, Brett Gardner flashed his talents. He made a stunning catch in the fourth inning and then doubled in the game-tying run. As Joe texted me at that point, “Melky who?”
With their victory tonight, the Yanks moved back into sole possession of third place. They’re nine games behind Tampa and 7.5 behind Boston. They are on the verge of postseason elimination for the first time in fifteen years. Yet, the fans care about these final games at the Stadium, and the team is playing with an urgency we haven’t seen all year. While it might be a little late for the Yanks’ October dreams, at least they’re sending the stadium out on the right note.
Game 154: Going Out With A Bang
And so it begins, the final series at Yankee Stadium. It’s only fitting that the Orioles would close out the Stadium, since the Yankees’ franchise came about when the original Baltimore Orioles moved to New York in 1903. The Orioles became the New York Highlanders, who then became the Yankees in 1913. The rest is history.
If Mike Mussina’s send off was any indication of what we can expect these last few games, it’s going to be one exciting weekend. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Yankee baseball the next three days. They won’t disappoint us.
1. Damon, DH
2. Jeter, SS
3. Abreu, RF
4. A-Rod, 3B
5. Giambi, 1B
6. Nady, LF
7. Cano, 2B – .500-.545-.600 since the benching
8. Pudge, C
9. Gardner, CF – .364-.417-.455 with 2 SB in his last 3 starts
And on the mound, Carl Pavano.
A fan-unfriendly farewell ceremony
A few hours ago, Mike posted a link to the Yanks’ plans for Sunday evening. As farewell ceremonies go, it sounds like a pretty swell plan, but something about it bugs me.
For ticket-holders to Sunday’s game, the Yanks plan to open the stadium at 1 p.m., seven hours before the first pitch. From 1 p.m. until 4 p.m., these fans can wander around the field — on the warning track only — and tour Monument Park. Then, the normal pre-game batting practice routine starts. At 7 p.m., the Yankees will begin the pre-game ceremonies featuring former Yankees and artifacts from the stadium’s past. The game is set to start at 8:15 p.m.
The catch is that anyone who enters the ballpark for the hours of pre-game explorations and ceremonies doesn’t enjoy the privilege of re-entry. If you show up at Yankee Stadium at 1 p.m. and want to see the game, you’re stuck in the Bronx at the stadium for the next seven hours. I’d guess that only the most die-hard of obsessed fans will go. I have tickets, and I probably won’t stop by the stadium until at least Yankee batting practice at 4:40 p.m, if not later.
While re-entry isn’t the norm at any sports venue across the country, the Yankees should make an effort on Sunday to accommodate fans making their final journeys to the House that Ruth Built. A re-entry system wouldn’t require much thought, but it would require a little bit of work. As the number of fans who would take advantage of it are capped by the capacity of the stadium, it can be done. Yet again, though, the Yanks are neglecting the common fan. But that’s why, as Cliff Corcoran so aptly wrote yesterday, they’re building this new ballpark in the first place.
Update 4:28: Now that I’ve reflected for a few minutes on this, I realize I come across as bitter over this plan. I want to clear something up: I love this ceremony. I love the idea that fans will be able to spend time on the field and watch Yankee batting practice. I love that the team is planning to honor the stadium with former greats and an extensive pre-game ceremony. I just wish the team could find a way to be a little more flexible with re-entry on a day during which some fans could be in the stadium for ten or eleven hours.