Wrigley Filled With Yankee Fans
Plenty of Yankee fans here. Batting practice over. Saw Buck & McCarver in their booth. Getting ready for 1st pitch
At The Billy The Goat Tavern
The Billy Goat Tavern is named after the famed goat that was not allowed into Wrigley and a curse was placed on the Cubs. Had a double cheeseburger which is what the SNL skit is based on. Will be heading to Wrigley shortly.
We Are Online From Chitown
Looks like I've got this down. Will be posting from Chicago through the weekend. Bad loss today meaning Cubbie fans will be pumped tomorrow. Should be fun.
Waiver Gems Come Through For Yanks
Have to give Brian Cashman his due. Temporarily it seems he has found some stop-gap measures to the team's pitching problems in the name of Brian Gordon and Cory Wade. Gordon held down a good hitting Texas Ranger team to 2 runs over 5 1/3 innings and allowed the Yankees to send the game to extra innings with Jorge Posada's run scoring double. The eventual game winner, Cory Wade pitched a solid two innings including a big inning ending strikeout of Josh Hamilton.
Of the two, Wade could really be a long-term gem. Wade was a top prospect with the Dodgers and had a fabulous 2008 before injuries derailed his career. If this guy can regain that 2008 form, the Yanks may really have found something. Gordon may be able to fill the Aaron Small role until Cashman is able to pull off a trade to bring in another pitcher or if Phil Hughes is able to come back into the rotation.
What has been evident with the team is that there seems to be some renewed energy. The infusion of youngsters and guys looking to take advantage of a second chance may have lit a fire under the established stars. As the Yanks head off to Chicago, they are not out of the woods yet but its possible that Cashman may have stabilized the ship. The key is to remain close and gear up for a long hot summer. A summer that hopefully sees the Yankee GM pull more rabbits out of his hat so this team can have a fighting chance in October.
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Heading to Chicago tomorrow morning for Saturday/Sunday games at Wrigley Field. Not sure how much I'll be able to post but also check out twitter. I will definitely be back for Tuesday's Thoughts which will probably be filled with plenty of Chicago references and who knows what else.
Bruins Champs, Yanks Win & MLB Realignment
Last night the Boston Bruins, led by Conn Smythe Trophy winner Tim Thomas, defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 to capture the Stanley Cup. The Bruins finally broke through on Roberto Luongo in Vancouver as Patrice Bergeron led the way offensively with 2 goals. The Canucks vaunted offense and power play shot blanks throughout the series and in fact allowed a back breaking shorthanded goal last night which pretty much sealed the deal before the end of the second period as the Bruins went up 3-0.
Going into this series, I believed that the Canucks had the better team. I will admit I don't follow the Western Conference teams that much, particularly the ones on the West Coast so I didn't really have any feelings about the Canucks. The Bruins, on the other hand, I have plenty of feelings about and most of them are not good. However, as this series rolled along beginning with the Alex Burrows bite and ending with Roberto Luongo's foolish comments about Tim Thomas, it found me actually wanting the Bruins to win. I can't believe it to be honest with you but its hard to look favorably on a team that whines, dives and seems like they have their share of cheap shots. Quite frankly, they deserved to lose. Well, a Canadian based team once again lost out on the Cup. Canada will have to wait until the Maple Leafs bring it home!!
By the way, I cannot believe the ridiculous rioting that took place in the city of Vancouver in response to the Canuck loss. What a joke!!!
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The Yankees continue to roll on with a convincing 12-4 win over the Texas Rangers. The Yankee bats continue to pound away with Mark Texiera leading the way. Initial reviews are good for Eduardo Nunez as he is 4 for 8 since replacing Derek Jeter, including a home run last night.
Today Brian Gordon will take the mound for the Yankees, the replacement for Bartolo Colon. Can Gordon be this year's Aaron Small??? I guess we will find out.
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There has been some confusion on the proposed Major League Baseball realignment. The proposal does not include a team to play an equal number of games between the leagues. In other words, the Yankees would not play the same number of games against the Red Sox as they would against the Mets. The balanced schedule would be amongst the AL teams, so the Yankees would play the Red Sox the same amount of times as they would against the A's. That is not the case now and actually penalizes the teams in the AL East. In fact, the realignment will make it hard to continue interleague play as it currently exists. You may see actually less interleague games which would be fine by me. That's one reason why I think the proposal merits serious consideration.
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Over the weekend I may have limited posts as I'm heading to Wrigley Field to watch the Yanks and the Cubs. Wrigley Field is my favorite place to watch a game and it should be great. Still smarting over the fact that if Jeter was playing I may have seen the 3,000th hit. Anyhow, I will try to post and if not check out Twitter. I will definitely be back for Tuesday's Thoughts.
Life Without The Captain
Last night was a preview of what life will be like for the New York Yankees without their Captain, Derek Jeter. Jeter was placed on the 15-day disabled list forcing the Yankees to start Eduardo Nunez. Nunez went 2 for 4 with an RBI in a 12-4 rout of the Texas Rangers. While it will be a long while before Jeter is replaced in Yankee history, this is an opportunity for the Yankees to see what they have in Nunez as a possible replacement. Nunez will never be a Jeter, but the Yankees don't necessarily need him to be. They need him to be a good defensive shortstop, a 270-280 hitter and someone who can stabilize the most important position in the field. It also gives the Yanks the opportunity to showcase him for a possible trade to bring in a quality starting pitcher. This will be an interesting 2 weeks to see what the kid has got. It's tough to replace a legend but that's not really what the Yankees need right now.
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Encouraging news out of Tampa pertaining to Phil Hughes and his attempt to recover from a mysterious ailment that sapped him from his fastball. Hughes pitched 3 scoreless innings in an intrasquad game striking out 6 while walking only one. If he feels no pain after this stint, he will pitch for the Staten Island Yanks. What a boost it would be if Hughes can come back to where he was last year.
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Tomorrow, more on baseball realignment, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup & the Yankees.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While getting ready to go to work and thinking about my personal problems while Lebron thinks about the fact that he blew it again, here's what I'm thinking about:
* How much more can the Yankees endure?? Derek Jeter pulled up lame last night and it was determined that he has a Grade 1 calf strain. Not sure what that means but there is a possibility that he could be out for awhile. Here's hoping he's back soon.
* Well, it looks like we will get a look at Eduardo Nunez at shortstop for at least a few games. Remember this was a guy that Brian Cashman would not part with in order to get Cliff Lee from Seattle.
* More bad Pinstripe news: Russell Martin could be facing a stint on the DL. Martin was not in the lineup last night as his back was giving him problems again. If Martin is out for an extended period of time, how about bringing up Jesus Montero.
* This season is eerily reminding me of the Red Sox season last year. Plenty of injuries and no playoffs. However, the only advantage the Yankees may have is that Tampa Bay is not as good as last year and I'm not sure there is another team in the league that could challenge for the wild card spot. However, it's only the middle of June.
* The Stanley Cup finals continued home ice advantage with the Boston Bruins forcing a Game 7 by defeating the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. For the second time in this series in Boston, Roberto Luongo was pulled from the game. Maybe next time Luongo should keep his mouth shut.
* Not sure what to expect in Game 7. The games in Vancouver have been one goal affairs with the Canucks coming out on top. Hard to predict but somehow I'm thinking the Canucks will end up winning.
* Lebron James is the gift that keeps on giving. His ridiculous comments Sunday night after the Heat's bitter loss shows that this guy is an immature, self-centered jerk. Somehow when its all said and done I think D-Wade may regret the day that he recruited the self-proclaimed king.
* As the Mavs were running the clock down to a championship, I could only think about how this was reminding me how satisfied I was on the night that Joe Frazier defeated Muhammed Ali back in the early 70's. Of course, they would face each other two more times with Ali coming out on top but only after enduring a beating both times.
* Who would you rather have in their prime: Shaq or Lebron??
* With the Finals over, the NBA could be headed for a lockout. It wouldn't surprise me because many franchises are struggling and the debacle that was created by Pat Riley & Company in Miami last summer needs to be addressed. Otherwise, the league should contract down to 10 mega teams.
* The Knicks should learn a lesson from the Mavs victory, you don't need any more stars.
* There are reports that there could be a deal in the NFL lockout on or about July 4th. You know what, I could care less.
* And finally, is it me or does it seem that there are a lot of mediocre teams this year in Major League Baseball???
Justice Has Been Served: Mavs Are NBA Champs!!
Last night was a win for team play. It was a win for the lunch pail crew. It was a win for the people who put their head down and work every day. It was a win for the unselfish. Nearly a year after the Miami Heat staged the big coming out party for their recently signed free agents Chris Bosh and Lebron James, the big party belonged to the Dallas Mavericks as they took it to the Dream Team on their home floor to become NBA Champions.
As I have stated before, I'm not a big NBA fan but last night was a game I had to watch. Incredibly, despite a cold shooting first half for Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs led by 2 at half thanks to the incredible shooting of Jason Terry. How can you not like Terry. Coming off the bench, he picked his team up while their star was trying to find his way.
Nowizski, who couldn't buy a basket in the first half, rose to the occasion in the second half knocking down some key baskets at the end including a couple of 3s. What can you say about Jason Kidd. He may not have scored much but he provided leadership and tough D throughout the game and hit a couple of big shots in the 4th quarter, including an incredible 3 point shot with the 24 second clock winding down. It was nice to see this 17 year veteran get his first title. And how about little Jose Barea? Awesome game making some big shots for his team.
The Mavs were the better team at the free throw line. The Heat had almost twice the chances at the charity stripe and were terrible. The Dream Team made more turnovers than a baker while the Mavs protected the ball well. Rebounding is all about positioning and desire. Well, the Mavs had it and the Heat didn't. Several times late in the 4th quarter, the Mavs got critical offensive rebounds which allowed them to continue to work the clock and get second scoring chances.
I thought it was great that in the second half, with the Mavs beginning to pull away, ABC showed the big coming out party with the Big 3 preening and posing for the cameras. Could you imagine any other sports franchise doing that for their first presser after signing some big free agents?? The arrogance and immaturity of James and D-Wade was further on display a couple of days ago when they were caught mocking Nowitzski, who was suffering from a severe sinus infection but still played despite a 101 fever. Of course, the dynamic duo tried spinning their way out of it but it was as hollow as their play last night in the second half.
In the end, the Mavericks are champs because they were the better team. Not one of the Big 3 were able to put their team on their backs to bring their team back in the 4th quarter. They choked as evidenced by Wade dribbling the ball off his foot and James being in hiding for most of the second half. Speaking of James, this guy really needs to grow up and learn that sometimes you have to eat crow and be humble. But no not King James. After choking big time, he blasted his critics by saying that people who are happy that the Heat lost will have to get up this morning and go to work and deal with their personal problems while he is going to live his life the way he wants. Who gives a damn what you say Lebron. A champion knows how to win with humility and lose gracefully. You haven't learned that lesson because you've been pampered and catered to all your basketball life. We may have to go to work and deal with our personal problems this morning, but Lebron you have to wake up this morning knowing that you are choke artist and a loser. JUSTICE HAS BEEN SERVED!!!
Yankee Troubles Mount & New MLB Alignment
The Good Ship Pinstripe took another hit yesterday afternoon when Bartolo Colon limped off the field at the end of the top of the 7th with what appears as a hamstring injury that will probably have him on the disabled list. Colon has been the Yankees second best starting pitcher this year. The battered rotation is now left with Sabathia, the young Ivan Nova, the incredibly inconsistent AJ Burnett and the up and down, soft tossing Freddy Garcia. Hardly a rotation that can win a playoff series, let alone one that can win a division.
There is no deal that's going to be made at this point so the Yankees will have to go to the minors and bring up someone to fill Colon's spot. What compounds the problem is that the Yankee bullpen is a mess. They cannot rely on getting just 5 innings out of the starter and turning it over to the bullpen. The pressure will really be on the positional players. They are going to have to avoid prolonged hitting slumps, run smartly on the base paths and provide steady defensive play.
I guess we will find out a lot about this team now. Past teams have been able to dig down deep and weather the storm. They are going to need an Aaron Small like performance from someone. If they don't get one, turn out the lights the party's over.
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ESPN is reporting that MLB and the Players Union is talking about a new realignment that would create two 15 team leagues and 5 teams from each league making the playoffs. It's an interesting idea and would certainly give hope to teams like Toronto or anyone else not named the Yankees or Red Sox. It would eliminate the current ridiculous unbalanced schedule. A stumbling block could be how they deal with interleague play. This shouldn't be insurmountable in my opinion. I think it's something worth exploring. Baseball needs some new energy and this could be just what it needs.
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