tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70303659738220468252024-03-14T00:07:45.811-04:00Pinstriped Hokie: A blog by Courtney LofgrenA blog all about the New York Yankees,the Virginia Tech Hokies and occasionally the New York Giants.Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-38341988978483538802014-08-15T11:08:00.001-04:002014-08-15T11:08:08.799-04:00Donate to Pancreatic Cancer research Seeing the overwhelming response to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has left me inspired and determined to find a way to donate to pancreatic cancer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiXfqx0gyeESwBPXRIZ66ZqtJ8gJVfyIxuCzVq8SMH-gr_w75il13eQ9KBni5iIBvASLSIGbM364oBmkYrn0WWv8FTegIJw7MCE9hzsMxodOmArI1Rua6cmisT_m2KP5wJyHxezMdPbm4/s1600/1917571_382701734579_1219800_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiXfqx0gyeESwBPXRIZ66ZqtJ8gJVfyIxuCzVq8SMH-gr_w75il13eQ9KBni5iIBvASLSIGbM364oBmkYrn0WWv8FTegIJw7MCE9hzsMxodOmArI1Rua6cmisT_m2KP5wJyHxezMdPbm4/s1600/1917571_382701734579_1219800_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
We recently found out that my Dad's colon cancer diagnosis was incorrect, and he in fact had pancreatic cancer.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, my family is not the first to deal with this disease and will not be the last.<br />
<br />
So, I'm issuing my own challenge: Donate to my page and remember my father's memory as well as others who have passed.<br />
<br />
Visit the link <a href="https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/CourtneyLofgren/KeeptheMemoryAlive" target="_blank">here</a>.Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-20343230924161468492014-05-24T10:15:00.001-04:002014-05-24T10:15:37.091-04:00One impossible year laterIt is nearly impossible to put into words how difficult this last year has been.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawLc4rftGPeR2Ggx410Gdvye1wo0AzM9zcQOVykxVf1tqOxaeVyq5n7slqeV0mU4kmWsbSXv0xq3W1wX0URW8PSASYXkRs6mlsQqZW34RBxaCNdX2bzAWhweWHzfV4kbt8U0qXYvoK19y/s1600/1013610_647066248637659_1016395152_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawLc4rftGPeR2Ggx410Gdvye1wo0AzM9zcQOVykxVf1tqOxaeVyq5n7slqeV0mU4kmWsbSXv0xq3W1wX0URW8PSASYXkRs6mlsQqZW34RBxaCNdX2bzAWhweWHzfV4kbt8U0qXYvoK19y/s1600/1013610_647066248637659_1016395152_n.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
Yes, I always knew at some point in my life I would have to say goodbye to my father. Never in a million years did I expect to do it at the age of 22, but I guess life isn't fair, is it?<br />
<br />
Our year of "firsts" was an up-and-down roller coaster ride which I don't wish upon anyone. It was unique in that we added another member to our family, when my sister got married six weeks after daddy left us.<br />
<br />
It broke my heart not seeing my dad there to walk his baby girl down the aisle, but we knew he was there. From the beautiful weather he provided, to the surprise visit from a butterfly, which we can only assume was him making a visit.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Two weeks after the wedding, we finally laid Papa Bear to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. It is true that we can't make a trip to see him without playing Carly Ray Jepson's "Call me Maybe." I sure hope his fellow service men don't care, because we all know daddy is dancing in heaven.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrL7Kq6r-FXUCnX-Q-gBypJVTh7hfs5PGEi_Rm88vJdNytXa-eh87YEclqSyHglgO2OrBu48-NCqdwn3mRo9RXaEWjkZddNgQQD-z9iOZqGaFXviMmC_vlg9l9CFe3f0xegwzMF-FoCxM/s1600/1003671_555200494537281_223990452_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrL7Kq6r-FXUCnX-Q-gBypJVTh7hfs5PGEi_Rm88vJdNytXa-eh87YEclqSyHglgO2OrBu48-NCqdwn3mRo9RXaEWjkZddNgQQD-z9iOZqGaFXviMmC_vlg9l9CFe3f0xegwzMF-FoCxM/s1600/1003671_555200494537281_223990452_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Since then, there have been so many moments where I wish I could have a conversation with him or given him a hug, but most of all, tell him how much I love him. I didn't do that nearly enough while he was here, and that is one of my biggest regrets in my life thus far.<br />
<br />
Whenever I go back to my parents' house, I wish he would be sitting in his chair in the family room watching a baseball game, or a documentary on the History channel. We don't have that luxury anymore. We only have memories.<br />
<br />
I've heard things get easier as time goes on. I hope this is true, but I wish he was still here with us. This may be selfish of me, but I can't help it. <br />
<br />
Instead, we carry our memories of daddy in our hearts every single day. I'm very happy to be a Lofgren. I just hope I'm making him proud.<br />
<br />
I'll end this post with a few lyrics from Billy Joel's "Lullabye."<br />
<br />
<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">I promised I would never leave you</span><br style="border: 0px none; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">And you should always know</span><br style="border: 0px none; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Wherever you may go</span><br style="border: 0px none; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">No matter where you are</span><br style="border: 0px none; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">I never will be far away</span></i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dcnd55tLCv8" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<br />Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-8195974160348671992013-05-31T09:35:00.000-04:002013-05-31T09:35:19.807-04:00Saying goodbye to our Papa Bear
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Below is the eulogy I gave last night at my father's funeral. </div>
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Six weeks. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Six weeks represents the short
amount of time that we all have had to process the news that my dad, Scott
Lofgren, was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately passed away. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Over the last few days, I’ve
started to try to process what has happened, and I’m grateful we had those six
weeks. I was able to learn so much
about my father in that short span of time and was able to see how he has
impacted so many different lives around the world. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwlBUi0o2sfRdc1eQhpNFB2XzmqAu0Bp1Nhm3zvVrhDstZjpnXxxIfmaF4XD5R26w71gO5fyCqyIZ8axtZUDNl0Y7OtJq03o_GbNWOLw7eaKzo5bcFTSdSOco3b51L8lP4vHXcUWmHOpF/s1600/073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwlBUi0o2sfRdc1eQhpNFB2XzmqAu0Bp1Nhm3zvVrhDstZjpnXxxIfmaF4XD5R26w71gO5fyCqyIZ8axtZUDNl0Y7OtJq03o_GbNWOLw7eaKzo5bcFTSdSOco3b51L8lP4vHXcUWmHOpF/s320/073.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
My dad was our hero in more way
than one. First, stating the obvious, he served his country for 20 years and
retired as a Lt. Colonel from the Army.
He was also our family hero, though. Who else would take care of all the big, disgusting bugs
found around our various houses?
Or take care of our car troubles, which let me tell you, my sister and I
have had our fair share of car troubles.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a>To most people, Scott Lofgren was a
hard ass when it came to business, and a kind, gentle soul whenever dealing
with something personal. This was
never more apparent to me than when he was hounding me day-in-and-day-out about
finding a job post graduation, only to start dancing around our kitchen to
“Call Me Maybe” on repeat ten minutes later. Many of you probably did not get
to see the goofy side of him, but that’s the way we’ll always remember our Papa
Bear.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">I’ve heard the expression “You’re
married to the Army”, many times over my life.</span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">I’m sure if you were to ask both my mom and dad that they
would agree with the statement.</span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Heck, Dad was a prime example as he wore his West Point ring alongside
his wedding ring, much to the displeasure of my mother.</span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">It is true that my dad was married to
the Army for 20 years of his life, but he realized his actual marriage and
family was more important than his career.</span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
My dad retired from the Army
because of his family. He was
offered a promotion, but knew his family was more important. During our last assignment at Ft. Hood,
it broke his heart when my sister came home on her first day of third grade so
excited to tell my parents that she actually knew someone in her class. He decided it was best if he retired
and settle into civilian lifestyle so my sister and I could graduate from the
same school. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmrMfAWbXEq24gig8chT8TuFP5xhHhHCmwRsRx1kRhTiZDomBHlgbW2GQsRrAJhL9Y8UCiZa61nUX9TNo4DNIeh6FRRgM6jRZ8qe-Y894i0z1gV4hWllZvCplqiwSKnw0zrywNrmvRVmH/s1600/photo+(8).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmrMfAWbXEq24gig8chT8TuFP5xhHhHCmwRsRx1kRhTiZDomBHlgbW2GQsRrAJhL9Y8UCiZa61nUX9TNo4DNIeh6FRRgM6jRZ8qe-Y894i0z1gV4hWllZvCplqiwSKnw0zrywNrmvRVmH/s200/photo+(8).jpg" width="200" /></a>But his love went far past that for
his lifelong partner, my mother, Arlene.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Anyone who knew my dad would know
that he really isn’t one to show too much emotion. He may not have been the most romantic person to ever walk
the face of this earth, but my Dad loved his wife until the day that he
died. It was never more apparent
than prior to his surgeries when we had to fight him for his wedding ring,
because he couldn’t fathom not being “married” for a few hours. He died wearing his wedding ring,
knowing his wife was right by his side throughout his final battle. He’ll be buried with his wedding ring,
as he would probably haunt us for the rest of our lives if we acted selfishly
and wanted to keep it for ourselves.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In July, my sister and her fiancé
Kevin are going to be married. We
all know that Dad was trying his best to hang on for the wedding so he could
walk his baby girl down the aisle.
We were fortunate enough to have a special ceremony that daddy could
take part in just prior to his passing.
Jennifer and Kevin, he will be there with you and you better believe that
he’ll make sure that there are no cicadas there to ruin your big day. We’ll all be wearing our bracelets as a
physical reminder that he’s not too far away from us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Before I finish, I think it’s
important to express that dad’s last job with Bentley was the first job he’s
truly enjoyed since his time in the Army.
He worked with them for the last eight years in the global education
department. He met a great number
of people all over the world through his extensive travel and genuinely enjoyed
working every day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Shortly after I went to Girls State
right before my senior year of high school, Dad became very actively involved
in the American Legion. He truly
enjoyed participating in local parades honoring the veterans on the Fourth of
July and Memorial Day Weekend.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Finally, my family likes to joke
that I was the son they never got.
They got both a girl and a boy with me because I am such a big sports
fan. It occurred to me the other
day that I’ll never be able to watch or go to a baseball game ever again with
my dad. That was our one
father/daughter and I guess you could say, father/son outing every year. I know that if my Yankees or the
Nationals win the World Series that he was pulling some strings with the big
man upstairs. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YOmUem44WiH33PC1N2uNXAxOiHPvXMUFphJk07hyphenhyphendw5HI2CMyNStnKWuhkPud541Uq4PWZB5ExRuZY36G1MmBNBPSgOHdkOixEomnW9JrzMjrY-YXnXQ2gl_3Lob5vf-9knGm7lYBH50/s1600/photo+(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YOmUem44WiH33PC1N2uNXAxOiHPvXMUFphJk07hyphenhyphendw5HI2CMyNStnKWuhkPud541Uq4PWZB5ExRuZY36G1MmBNBPSgOHdkOixEomnW9JrzMjrY-YXnXQ2gl_3Lob5vf-9knGm7lYBH50/s320/photo+(9).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Since there are so many of Dad’s
classmates from West Point here today, I think it’s appropriate to share with
you that Dad passed while listening to the West Point marching band. He truly lived by the motto of
“Esprit-de-corps”. </div>
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One of the last things Papa Bear
said to me while he was still awake, was
“You and I will stay together.”
I truly do believe we’ll all have the toughest guardian angel looking
after us. </div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-32966965754317416652013-05-27T18:15:00.001-04:002013-05-27T23:14:47.429-04:00Scott Lofgren ObituaryAfter an excruciating six-week battle with colon cancer, my father passed away on Friday, May 24, 2013. His funeral will take place on Thursday, May 30. His burial date at Arlington National Cemetery is still to be determined. Below is his obituary. Please consider visiting the Adams Green Funeral Home for more information about the services.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDW802ayShwnn1_8KEyIvFqBKFkIAYzJFCdWCx8uVXK9TPC0V201C1oR5I8zEZQoaMSlA_5nBan5MsJmm_Jbon5alPaeGYSi-_p9NjkqkWtRbSlzCSoq5NbNBtzb4hR6qCKq1sinQG4FXz/s1600/550336_444646205592711_2121341881_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDW802ayShwnn1_8KEyIvFqBKFkIAYzJFCdWCx8uVXK9TPC0V201C1oR5I8zEZQoaMSlA_5nBan5MsJmm_Jbon5alPaeGYSi-_p9NjkqkWtRbSlzCSoq5NbNBtzb4hR6qCKq1sinQG4FXz/s320/550336_444646205592711_2121341881_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Scott T. Lofgren was born on December 9, 1954 in Chicago,
Illinois to Howard and Elaine Lofgren.
He was a devoted and loving husband to his wife, Arlene and father to
his daughters Jennifer and Courtney. </div>
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He called farm country, otherwise known as Waterman, home
for 18 years of his life before starting the next chapter of his life at the
United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Scott graduated in 1977 from West Point
where he learned the cores and values that led to a 20-year career in the
United States Army as a Signal Corp Officer. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in October of 1997 to
Ashburn, VA which the Lofgren’s have called home since then.</div>
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Scott’s Army career took him and his family to Ft Gordon, GA
(Signal Corp Basic Course, Ft Hood, Texas (where he was assigned to the 1/16<sup>th</sup> Field Artillery and the 142<sup>nd</sup>
Signal Bn, and then onto Wright Patterson Air Force Base where he started his
Masters at AFIT (Air Force Institute of Technology). Yongsan, (Seoul) Korea was his next home for three years where
he commanded a company. After
Korea he returned to Atlanta to get his Masters in Computer Science from
Georgia Tech. After completing his
degree, the Records and Testing Dept in the Admissions Office at West Point
would then be his home for the next four years. </div>
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Scott and Arlene welcomed their daughter Jennifer while stationed
at West Point. After West Point
the Lofgren’s went to Ft Leavenworth, KS for the Command and General Staff
College where Courtney joined the family.
After Leavenworth, Scott and his family moved to Pirmasens, Germany
where he was in the 73<sup>rd</sup> Signal Battalion. A year later he took command of the 459<sup>th</sup>
Signal Battalion in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. Finally, Fort Hood, Texas was his last assignment where he
again commanded the 1114<sup>th</sup> Signal Battalion. </div>
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During Scott’s Army career, he was awarded the Legion of
Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (third award), Army Commendation Medal (fifth
award), Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal (second award),
Army Service Ribbon and the Overseas Service Ribbon (second award).</div>
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Following his Army career, Scott did not stay retired but joined the working world as a
civilian. Upon moving to Ashburn,
he worked for various companies including Cabletron, Integic, Intersystems and finally
Bentley Systems as the Global Director for Education. He was very active with the American Legion in Ashburn.</div>
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Scott is survived by his wife Arlene, daughters Courtney and
Jennifer and future-son-in-law Kevin Brener.</div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-72254522644314040212013-05-07T19:50:00.000-04:002013-05-07T19:50:34.582-04:00What baseball means to me<i>"We found a tumor on his brain. We have every reason to believe it is cancer." </i><br />
<br />
Those two sentences forever changed my life, my family's life and most importantly, my father's life.<br />
<br />
A month ago, I started my dream job with MASNsports.com. After months of searching for the perfect job, I had finally found a job where I would be working in baseball every day.<br />
<br />
It was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my young-life. Instead it was the first day of the nightmare I've been living ever since.<br />
<br />
<b>Cancer. Tumors. Surgery</b>.<br />
<br />
How does one even begin to process the above words. I'll let you in on a little secret ... you can't. <br />
<br />
Just four days after he was admitted to the ER, my dad had brain surgery. The neurosurgeon removed a tumor the size of a golf ball. But as we learned, this would be the easy step.<br />
<br />
It has been exactly 30 days since my dad was admitted to the hospital and he unfortunately will not be able to come home for another month at the very earliest<br />
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The man has had three surgeries in three weeks: Brain surgery and two back surgeries.<br />
<br />
He served our country for 20 years as a member of the US Army. He has continued to soldier on like he's receiving orders from a higher power. It's almost as if God is his commanding officer telling him not to retreat and to continue moving forward. Like the loyal soldier he is, Scott Lofgren is listening to his CO.<br />
<br />
Have you ever heard the saying "____ is spreading like wildfire?" Well, now I'm all to familiar with the phrase in a way I never thought it would be applicable.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I bet you're wondering what does this have to do with baseball? And the honest answer is, it really has nothing to do with this situation. <br />
<br />
When put into perspective, baseball is very low on my radar these days. I wouldn't even think about it, if my dad didn't continue to talk about it every day with me. <br />
<br />
Even if it serves as a distraction to him for five minutes when we're talking about Bryce Harper's injury or the Nationals' slow start to the season, it's therapeutic.<br />
<br />
We've watched games together from his hospital room, and although it's not nearly the same as watching it from our family room, it reminds me of happier, easier, simpler times.<br />
<br />
If I know my father, he's a stubborn man. He already told me he's going to do whatever he can to get better.<br />
<br />
We're nowhere near being in the clear. We need all the love, support, prayers and strength to continue this fight.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-58830251680481314902012-10-14T15:38:00.001-04:002012-10-14T15:38:52.019-04:00Derek Jeter out for remainder of postseasonTragedy struck Saturday night in the Bronx for the second time this season. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Yankees lost the heart and soul of their team when Derek Jeter, The Captain, fractured his ankle and will be out for the remainder of the postseason. Go ahead, watch the video at your own risk, I can't watch it without feeling nauseous. </div>
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What could possibly be said except that this is probably the most devastating injury the Yankees have suffered all season. Sure, they lost Alex Rodriguez for a few weeks to a broken hand and Andy Pettitte to a fractured leg of his own, but neither are Jeter. </div>
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<a name='more'></a>Jeter has played in 158 postseason games and has 200 hits - an entire regular season's worth of statistics. This will be the first time since 1981 that neither Jeter nor Rivera are on the playoff roster for the Bronx Bombers. </div>
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So what does this mean? </div>
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<div>
Well according to manager Joe Girardi, the Yankees aren't about to give up.</div>
<div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“I think some people left us for dead when Mo went down, and here we are in the ALCS,” Girardi said. “And Jeet is going to tell us, ‘Let’s go.’ That’s what he’s going to tell us. I’m sad for him because I know how much he loves to play and play in these type of situation, but he would tell us, ‘Let’s go.’”</span></span></blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well, what else was Girardi going to say? Of course the team will (try) to rally around Jeter's injury. The pitching staff could certainly do that, but how about the anemic offense? Outside of Ichiro, Raul Ibanez and Russell Martin, nobody is swinging the bat well. </div>
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No offense to Jayson Nix, Jeter's replacement, but seeing Nix up at the plate with two outs in the ninth inning isn't the most comforting feeling in the world. </div>
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The way I see it is, the Yankees are done. There's no possible way to recover from this. </div>
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Farewell 2012 Yankees, it was a good, but heartbreaking year. </div>
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Baseball can sure be cruel, can't it?</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">* Image courtesy of the Yankees' Facebook page</span></div>
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Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-77331021316962756422012-06-14T19:48:00.001-04:002012-06-14T19:48:24.110-04:00First place Yankees take on suprising first place NationalsWhen the season schedules were released earlier in the offseason, who would have ever thought that June 15-17 could be a series to prove a team's legitimacy? <br />
<br />
The schedule showed a three-game series between the Yankees and Nationals. The Nationals, who are perennial basement dwellers in a division that is normally dominated by the Philadelphia Phillies are shocking the baseball world with their play this season.<br />
<br />
That's right ladies and gentleman, the Nationals are on top of your National League East, with a 9.5 game lead over the Phillies. With a 38-23 record, the Nats have the second best record in all of baseball, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.<br />
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This also includes the Yankees. The Yankees sit atop the American League East with 37-25 record after winning nine of their last ten games. <br />
<br />
As I said before, who would have thought both teams would be in first place this late in June. Let's be honest, many thought the Yankees would be sticking around. With the Nationals, many including me, believed the team was at least one year away from having winning baseball in the District of Columbia. <br />
<br />
So how are both teams in first place after dealing with devastating injuries? The Nationals have relied on one of their greatest assets: youth, while the Yankees are relying on experience.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Two polar opposite characteristics. This is just one of the many reasons why this series is going to be so much fun to watch. <br />
<br />
The Nationals are relying on young phenoms <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpebr03.shtml" target="_blank">Bryce Harper</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/strasst01.shtml" target="_blank">Stephen Strasburg</a> to come up big in almost every game they've played in. Both have come as advertised.<br />
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Harper started the season in Triple-A before being called up in late April. So far, Harper is hitting .303 with seven home runs and has driven in 19 runs. He's one of the leading candidates for NL rookie of the year. Oh, and did I mention that he's only 19? He's also provided us with some <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzbhjzsyvGk" target="_blank">entertaining sound bites</a>, which never hurts. <br />
<br />
Strasburg has been tremendous in his first full season since returning from Tommy John surgery. He is 8-1 with a 2.45 ERA and was the first pitcher in the majors to reach 100 strikeouts. He's well on his way to making the All Star Game next month in Kansas City.<br />
<br />
The concern with Strasburg, however, is that the Nationals have placed an innings limit on him since he was out most of last season. It is believed that he will be limited to around 160 innings. He has pitched 68 already. Will the Nationals remove the innings limit, and possibly sacrifice his future, for a run deep in to the playoffs? Only time shall see. <br />
<br />
<br />
The Nationals' combined team age is 29.1. Let's compare that to the Yankees, who's average team age is 32.9. <br />
<br />
Except, they look much older. Earlier in the season, I thought the team was done when Mariano Rivera tore his ACL. While it did take a time for the Yankees to start winning consistently, I am pleasantly surprised with how they are winning these days. <br />
<br />
Unlike the Nationals, the Yankees do not rely on small ball to score runs. In fact they are hitting home runs to drive in runs. As a team, the Yankees have hit 96 home runs, which ranks first in the American League. (The Nationals have hit 62 for those wondering.) <br />
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What has perhaps been one of the most successful, and most surprising stories this season in the Bronx is <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pettian01.shtml" target="_blank">Andy Pettitte</a>. Pettitte announced he was returning to the land of pinstripes in mid-March. Pettitte actually looks like he has stepped back in time going 3-2 in six starts with a 2.81 ERA and perhaps what's most shocking, 40 strike outs in 41.2 innings. Pettitte is 16 years older than Strasburg and pitching, dare I say it, just as well as him. <br />
<br />
Pettitte is scheduled to start Saturday against Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann is 26, for those who were wondering. <br />
<br />
Both teams are sitting on top of their respective divisions. They have helped each other out by sweeping two division rivals, the Nats sweeping the Red Sox and Blue Jays while the Yankees swept the Mets and Braves.<br />
<br />
We all know only one team can come out on top.<br />
<br />
Will youth or experience prevail?<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">**Pictures from http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Bryce-Harper-spotted-with-family-of-beavers-residing-on-head.jpg </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://riveraveblues.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Andy-Pettitte-001.jpg</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">and </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/2S99qbp9Zla/New+York+Mets+v+New+York+Yankees/CmwZIp-TD1j/Alex+Rodriguez **</span>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-577456427472035402012-03-18T20:54:00.004-04:002012-03-19T14:59:40.096-04:00Welcome Back, Andy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFpCbO_rOjYtgqzGT7RfPljSNGyNgdlRn8wTO_pPbpshYIGFZRM3RyFBbM7pMSrk6kcwXoy9or1PFk4EUJimT3WepTTqyYD6I_ljd7wi0U9yIJM6eNrKO-kbxN7CflFFVPVrWxD69fIAQ/s1600/AndyPettitte33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFpCbO_rOjYtgqzGT7RfPljSNGyNgdlRn8wTO_pPbpshYIGFZRM3RyFBbM7pMSrk6kcwXoy9or1PFk4EUJimT3WepTTqyYD6I_ljd7wi0U9yIJM6eNrKO-kbxN7CflFFVPVrWxD69fIAQ/s320/AndyPettitte33.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In a somewhat surprising move on Thursday, <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/JackCurryYES/status/180692407279562752" target="_blank">Jack Curry of the YES Network</a> reported that Andy Pettitte did his best Brett Favre imitation by coming out of his one year retirement to return to the Yankees. <br />
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Pettitte was serving as a spring training instructor for the team in Tampa and many, including his former teammates, had noted that the lefty was in great shape. Nobody was aware that the reason why he was in such great shape was that he was secretly throwing bullpens since January 1, at his home in Texas this winter. In December, Pettitte was offered a contract somewhere between $10-12 million by general manager Brian Cashman, before Cashman traded for Michael Pineda and signed Hideki Kuroda.<br />
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Pettitte declined Cashman's offer, but he still continued to work out. Last week he threw a secret bullpen in front of Cashman, Joe Girardi, Gene Michael and pitching coach Larry Rothschild and that's when the contract discussions began. Pettitte agreed to a one-year $2.5 million minor league deal.<br />
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So what does this all mean for the Yankees?<br />
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An already crowded starting rotation just got even more crowded.<br />
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CC Sabathia and Hideki Kuroda will no doubt make the rotation. That leaves five more pitchers for three open spots. Pettitte will not be ready to join the team until early May at the earliest, but, what happens when he returns? Joe Girardi is going to have some tough decisions to make.<br />
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Michael Pineda has not been the greatest in spring training. His velocity is significantly lower than it was last season. He also came into camp overweight and still has excess weight he needs to lose. Pineda, in all honesty, could be sent to the minors if he still needs to build up his velocity.<br />
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Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes could also be sent down to the minors as both still have options. I honestly do not see the Yankees sending Hughes down as he has had an outstanding spring training so far. His fastball is topping out around 94 miles-per-hour, which is a significant improvement from last spring. Hughes has made his pitches and shown he's ready to prove himself after having a poor showing last season. The key for Hughes will be trying to remain injury-free. Hughes has had some freak injuries in the past. Nova, could be demoted as well. The Yankees demoted him last season, even though Nova was the team's most consistent starter last summer.<br />
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Finally the mystery man in all of this is Freddy Garcia. Over the winter, Garcia signed a major league contract and Cashman said Garcia proved himself enough last season saying he would not have to fight for a spot in the rotation because of last season's success. Well, Cashman may have to take back that statement as Garcia is certainly competing for a spot in the rotation. Garcia could be traded by the time Pettitte makes his return to the rotation. As <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/jon-heyman/17887077/garcia-could-be-yankees-trade-bait-but-dealing-him-wont-be-easy" target="_blank">Jon Heyman of CBS Sports pointed out,</a> that may be a bit tricky. Garcia currently has a bruised hand and has to approve of any trades before June 16. But, Cashman could get lucky as many teams are always looking for extra starters (including two in his own division).<br />
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Pettitte's impact on the club will go beyond the rotation. Pettitte is a veteran and will be 40 in June. He's obviously been around the league for a long time and his presence in the locker room could be beneficial to his teammates especially the younger guys like Pineda. Pettitte is always up front and will take the blame when things are his fault or not his fault. Accountability is huge, especially in the crazy spotlight of New York.<br />
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Most Yankee fans are grateful for Pettitte being back mainly for his success in October. His 19 career postseason wins are the most by any pitcher in Major League history. His return also reminds fans that they now have a trio of players (Pettitte, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera) from the dynasty years of the late 90s and early 2000s.<br />
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I for one, am very grateful Pettitte returned. I was devastated when he decided to retire and I can only hope he'll be as effective as he was for so many years with the Yankees. <br />
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I've included an iconic picture of Pettitte. It's the first thing I think of whenever I hear his name. What's more intimidating than starting into those deep brown eyes, especially during a meaningful postseason game? <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Image courtesy of: http://noahhunt.org/AndyPettitte/AndyPettitte33.jpg</span>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-15659283735943443892012-02-20T15:55:00.002-05:002012-02-20T16:25:57.425-05:005 Burning Questions Spring Training EditionYesterday officially kicked off the 2012 New York Yankees season as pitchers and catchers reported for the first day of spring training. Though the day consisted mostly of the players taking physicals and throwing long toss, <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/27362/no-manager-but-plenty-of-gm" target="_blank">without Joe Girardi</a>, the idea of baseball finally starting up again was music to my ears.<br />
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As the rest of the players begin to arrive in Tampa, here are some burning questions to keep an eye on for the next six weeks as the regular season approaches. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02gK7d5p0e5xzhzxyU6OyaJ7Ms-F6_nlO3VPmb9WWECXK-zF4Ebrk5RI08ugOPApKnR3ZB5z2AxdJAYDcNv01dC8l_i5KQeeDIm8kOvncf1JNl2VPZhgwOqyGA4kO2KaoxdX8pMAnLjw5/s1600/i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02gK7d5p0e5xzhzxyU6OyaJ7Ms-F6_nlO3VPmb9WWECXK-zF4Ebrk5RI08ugOPApKnR3ZB5z2AxdJAYDcNv01dC8l_i5KQeeDIm8kOvncf1JNl2VPZhgwOqyGA4kO2KaoxdX8pMAnLjw5/s320/i.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>1. After C.C. who's next?</b><br />
Joe Girardi confirmed today in his first press conference, that C.C. Sabathia will be the Yankees No. 1 starter, which is not a surprise to anyone. Sabathia showed up to Tampa noticeably slimmer, weighing 290 pounds, down from 315 which is the weight he finished last season at. But after Sabathia, Girardi will have to consider how to round out his rotation. He has the newly acquired Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda as well as Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia to round out his rotation. Thankfully, he has A.J. Burnett <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/sports/baseball/yankees-complete-deal-to-send-burnett-to-pirates.html?_r=1&ref=baseball" target="_blank">off of his hands</a>. <br />
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Too many pitchers is always better than having not enough. Pineada will obviously make the rotation as will Nova and Kuroda. This means the fifth starter's role will come down between Hughes and Garcia. Earlier in the off season, general manager Brian Cashman said Garcia will not have to compete for a roster spot but, that was before the signing of Pineda and Kuroda. If Garcia beats Hughes for the final spot, Hughes will obviously slide to the bullpen but will he be as effective? Hughes also showed up to camp looking slimmer as well while adding muscle. Would Cashman trade Garcia if Hughes beats him out? We'll see. <br />
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My guess: Sabathia, Nova, Pineda, Kuroda, Hughes. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFFmWmGin1LEdmCEh1TDMW7V59uOy6bkwtIFToLk1E8U5syzubHPi5-fUSUW5YdZnlP5O4jJ09ReLFGyIz4VZEBJXBLQEYFWY06-VsikxwavDj6zgJPHHrHnoETteLEeVCGVdDW_uc3sS/s1600/romine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFFmWmGin1LEdmCEh1TDMW7V59uOy6bkwtIFToLk1E8U5syzubHPi5-fUSUW5YdZnlP5O4jJ09ReLFGyIz4VZEBJXBLQEYFWY06-VsikxwavDj6zgJPHHrHnoETteLEeVCGVdDW_uc3sS/s320/romine.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><b>2. Who will be the primary back up catcher?</b><br />
Girardi all but confirmed that Francisco Cervelli will resume his duty of Russell Martin's back up in today's press conference. But, what if Cervelli's on again/off again concussion symptoms become a problem again? After trading away Jesus Montero to the Mariners, the Yankees are down to one player who is on the active roster: Austin Romine. <br />
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Romine impressed the coaching staff last season when he appeared in nine games for the Yankees. Though he is not as well equipped with his bat as Montero, his defensive skills go above and beyond Montero's. Romine is just 23 years old and another season in the minors may help his bat develop. But, if Cervelli or Martin down for an extended period of time, I expect Romine to be back with the club. He has the benefit of having worked with Hughes and Nova in the minors while they were all teammates. <br />
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<b>3. The DH situation </b><br />
While this may look like it's resolved, <a href="http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/yankees-agree-to-terms-with-ibanez/?ref=baseball" target="_blank">with the signing of Raul Ibanez</a>, I think the situation is anything but. The reality is Ibanez will be 40 in June and in all likelihood, his best days are behind him. The DH spot was already an overcrowded position for the Yankees, in my opinion. Andruw Jones was brought back to hit against righties while the team also has two aging veterans, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, whose bodies would appreciate a little break every now and then at the DH position. Ibanez, who will hit mostly lefties, knew what he was getting himself into though as his contract is incentive heavy contract. Ibanez was signed to a $1.1 million contract but has the opportunity to make $4 million with incentives. <br />
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<b>4. The health of Alex Rodriguez </b><br />
It's no secret that Alex Rodriguez's best and healthy days are behind him. Last season, Rodriguez was limited to just 99 games due to a lingering knee injury. Because of the injury, Rodriguez's power numbers were down with only 16 home runs and 62 RBI's. Everyone believed Rodriguez would continue to get healthy over the off season, but he had a mysterious knee surgery over the winter in Germany which was also performed on Kobe Bryant previously. Rodriguez has not played in 150 games since the 2007 season and at 36, he's more likely to have injuries than a 26 year old. For what it's worth, Cashman said that Rodriguez is healthy, but we'll see what happens once the grind of the 162 game season begins.<br />
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<b>5. Will Mark Teixeira return to form? </b><br />
Teixeira is an interesting player to take a look at. In the 2011 season, he played in 156 games and hit 39 home runs while driving in 111 runs, but hit just .248. Teixeira admitted he was frustrated with his lack of consistency and did not like that he was hitting just mostly home runs. Since Teixeira signed with New York, his number of hits per year has decreased dramatically. In 2009, his first season with the team, he had 178 hits, 2010: 256 and last year 148. It was particularly frustrating when runners were in scoring position and Teixiera often struck out or flew out to end a rally.<br />
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Fans should not be complaining about his production given the number of runs he drives in each year, but hearing that Teixeria is frustrated is comforting to know that he wants to improve and return to being the all around player he once was. Sadly, his days as an American League All Star may be over as Albert Pujols makes the switch to the AL this season. Teixeira will have to compete with Pujols, Detroit's Prince Fielder and Boston's Adrian Gonzalez to find a spot on the roster.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* Photos courtesy of:</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">AP</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://johnalbone.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/romine.jpg </span></i>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-73697259090879649082012-01-23T15:02:00.000-05:002012-01-23T15:02:45.854-05:00Pinch HittingToday, I am honored to be featured on the <a href="http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2012/01/23/pinch-hitting-courtney-lofgren/" target="_blank">Journal News' Yankees blog</a> as a guest poster. In my post, I talk about how the Yankees age actually helps the team rather than hurts them as many critics believe. Please check it out. <br />
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Special thanks goes out to Chad Jennings for letting me share my thoughts with so many people.Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-6103478321070026372012-01-13T21:10:00.000-05:002012-01-13T21:10:44.476-05:00Yankees Acquire Pineda for Montero; Sign Kuroda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGqEmDTa9cPz_UugPxM9scsUuYO83QsksXmMraxGkwR5_dliiDj9sOpin6hduh1E4fDUA0rrVAFkZ3xSUQli47UoS2nrFQUBUOcwF3NQiJlyTU3HaZZELOj94hadrzrZaoAtMwLqzfypO/s1600/4728826711_3e93feb254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGqEmDTa9cPz_UugPxM9scsUuYO83QsksXmMraxGkwR5_dliiDj9sOpin6hduh1E4fDUA0rrVAFkZ3xSUQli47UoS2nrFQUBUOcwF3NQiJlyTU3HaZZELOj94hadrzrZaoAtMwLqzfypO/s320/4728826711_3e93feb254.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Just about an hour and a half ago (around 7:30 p.m. EST) the Yankees almost broke the Twittersphere. <br />
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First, news started breaking that the Yankees had acquired Mariners No. 2 pitcher Michael Pineda and 19-year-old pitching prospect Jose Campos for catcher Jesus Montero, who kickstarted the Yankees when he made his debut in September and Hector Noesi, a promising young pitcher in the Yankees system. Noesi made a few spot starts for the Yankees and was lights out of the bullpen as well. <br />
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Jack Curry of the YES Network also reported that the Yankees<a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/JackCurryYES/status/157995526921535488" target="_blank"> agreed to terms with Hiroki Kudora</a>. Kuroda, 36, has spent his entire four year major league career with the Dodgers. He was 13-16 with a 3.07 ERA last season with 161 strikeouts. <br />
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In <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?id=pinedmi01&year=2011&t=p" target="_blank">Pineda</a>, the Yankees received a solidified No. 2 starter behind ace CC Sabathia. Pineda, a 6 foot 7 right-hander, was 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA who made the All Star team as a rookie last season. Pineda had a 3.03 ERA in the first half of the season but fizzled out in the second half with a 5.12 ERA, which could be attributed to a Mariners team that hit rock bottom last season. <br />
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Campos, spent his second year in the minors at low A-ball in 2011. He was 5-5 with a 2.32 ERA with 85 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 81.1 innings pitched. <br />
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Brian Cashman finally found the right suitor to trade away Montero. Montero, the 21-year-old catcher was most likely going to split time at catcher and DH, which was already a crowded enough position for the Yankees. Montero played in 18 games for the Yankees and hit .328 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI's. For those who believed that Montero would take over the catcher's position from Russell Martin may be disappointed but, Pineda should prove to be more valuable to the Yankees. <br />
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The piece of the puzzle that the Yankees may regret trading the most is Noesi. Just 24, Noesi made starts for the Yankees and appeared in 28 more. Overall, he was 2-2 with a 4.47 ERA. He stuck out 45 over 56.1 innings pitched. <br />
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A few days ago, starting pitching seemed to be one of the Yankees weaknesses. Now, the Yankees have an overload of starting pitching. In Sabathia, Pineda, Nova, Kuroda they have four proven starters. The fifth starter however is up for grabs. There are three possible pitchers that could win the fifth starter's role in AJ Burnett, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia. Expect a trade in the near future of one of the three for perhaps, another bat. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Image courtesy of ussmariner.com</span>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-58598877839354712802012-01-08T22:13:00.001-05:002012-01-09T09:13:26.582-05:00Jorge Posada's Yankee Legacy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XlaPaUb47_K44k-lw9J4HEUpgOqoTfICysKR-JJ3sDSGoCxB5XF33MwHLI1ahKtQWWdzFHfLIs563SeqAqNSSHg7CvAkBBvX9bvE2Sj-T-W9SRHsL4KnnJOmI7U4rgX2ETScCjBQDA8S/s1600/bilde.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XlaPaUb47_K44k-lw9J4HEUpgOqoTfICysKR-JJ3sDSGoCxB5XF33MwHLI1ahKtQWWdzFHfLIs563SeqAqNSSHg7CvAkBBvX9bvE2Sj-T-W9SRHsL4KnnJOmI7U4rgX2ETScCjBQDA8S/s320/bilde.jpeg" width="275" /></a></div>Yesterday afternoon, Sweeney Murti of WFAN reported that Jorge Posada <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/YankeesWFAN/status/155732481629364225" target="_blank">will announce his retirement</a> from the Yankees and from the game of baseball within the next two weeks.<br />
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As a fan of the game and the Yankees, it was refreshing to see Posada know when to bow out gracefully. The fiery catcher had a fantastic 16 year career for the Yankees. <br />
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Posada is a lifetime .273 hitter, with 275 home runs, a .374 on-base percentage, .474 slugging percentage and 1,075 runs batted in. <br />
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Though his career statistics may seem underwhelming compared to other Yankee greats, it's important to compare with other catchers who have worn the pinstripes.<br />
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Posada's 275 career home runs rank second all time behind Yogi Berra. His 1,664 hits rank third all time behind Berra and Bill Dickey. Posada also ranks second all time behind Berra on games played. (**All Yankee records.**)<br />
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Perhaps Posada's greatest contribution to the teams he played on was his defense and ability to call games. Though he never won a Gold Glove, Posada was responsible for guiding the dynasty pitching staffs of the '98-'00 teams. Those starting staffs included Andy Pettitte, David Cone, David Wells and Roger Clemens among others. Wells pitched his perfect game in '99 with Posada behind the plate calling the pitches. <br />
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He became a postseason hero among fans during the Yankees glory years by producing timely hits and driving in key runs. One of his most memorable hits was<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io22Z1ORnLI" target="_blank"> off of Pedro Martinez </a>in the eighth inning of the 2003 ALCS which allowed the Yankees to tie up the game and eventually win, sending the Bombers to another World Series.<br />
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Posada prided himself in his ability to stay healthy. The first time he was placed on the 15-day disabled list was in 2008, which also coincidently was the first time the Yankees missed the playoffs since 1994. Posada recovered nicely from a shoulder injury, hitting .285, 22 home runs and driving in 81 runs. It was the last great season for Posada, as he saw his playing time reduced due to younger catchers. <br />
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Though he batted a career-low .235 in 114 games in 2011, he still managed to hit .429 in the Yankees postseason series against the Detroit Tigers.<br />
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Posada's friendship with shortstop Derek Jeter, closer Mariano Rivera and Pettitte was well chronicled as the four earned the nickname of "the core four" during the latter years of Pettitte and Posada's career.<br />
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As Posada joins his "core four" teammate and friend, Pettitte in retirement, Yankee fans will now turn to Jeter and Rivera to cling to the glory years of the '90s. Rivera, could be entering his final season, with Jeter retiring soon thereafter. <br />
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The Glory Days of the "Cour Four" are really coming to a close. <br />
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I'll leave you with a picture of the "core four" from the last home game at Old Yankee Stadium<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucaWIgolsOnEWPqg0tbYsvWrH49yO-lkdhqrZBP3Gob5vVOwWu1irh5BUOBUXRKdf6HmVljHcHk-ysvofJmIrHR87XVD5Z2w7ZtI6iOPF3x0QPctiw7b9YmGpi2SY8ajT93kEffj6UBWk/s1600/core-four-smi2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucaWIgolsOnEWPqg0tbYsvWrH49yO-lkdhqrZBP3Gob5vVOwWu1irh5BUOBUXRKdf6HmVljHcHk-ysvofJmIrHR87XVD5Z2w7ZtI6iOPF3x0QPctiw7b9YmGpi2SY8ajT93kEffj6UBWk/s1600/core-four-smi2.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">*Photos courtesy of Detroit Free Press and Sports Illustrated</span></i><br />
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Ps I'm going to miss this commercial.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y0iR05lYy1g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-50915911616883661542011-12-20T17:05:00.000-05:002011-12-20T17:05:07.865-05:00Brian Cashman's Christmas Wishes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">With Christmas just five days away, I thought it would be fun at what Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would like to see under his Christmas tree for the 2012 season. Fortunately for Yankee fans, the team is pretty much assembled for 2012, but, Cashman is always looking for ways to make improvements. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wish No. 1: A (reliable) starting pitcher </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iPQtqQQjVjCJe3sj8tk4imqiTUyUSVqEu5w0u643VhNTgnxjUjqSxAWZE6-YjHzPOpSJYgXSVltQaIjSMQ2gyEnlJSP-eBMU8zSSVjeocwG2v7ffoiQvPfUX4uXVmq1XN1TJo3zLMz6Q/s320/roy-oswalt-2d6c55199a288a12_large.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">When the offseason began, I like many others, believed that Cashman was going to overspend for a pricey free agent starting pitcher named C.J. Wilson. Wilson had previously expressed that he would not mind pitching in New York. As the baseball capital, New York is often one of the most intimidating places to play for free agents due to increase scrutiny from the press as well as from the fans. What was a big turn off for Cashman and other executives though was how forward Wilson's agent was in demanding a contract from the Bombers. The Yankees didn't budge and Wilson eventually signed with the Los Angeles Angels who no doubt could have bailed out the government with how much money they invested in Albert Pujols and Wilson. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: justify;">The free agent pitchers that are now available are at best, mediocre. </span><b style="text-align: justify;">Roy Oswalt</b><span style="text-align: justify;">, was once a top of the line starter when he pitched for the Houston Astros. However, once he got out of the offensively challenged NL Central and moved to the elite NL East, he struggled. I'm questioning what his stuff would be like in the best division in baseball, the AL East. He recently came out and said that he would only like a one year contract, but at what price? Oswalt was hurt most of the season last year with the Phillie and had one of his worst seasons (9-10 3.69 ERA). But Cashman proved last year that he is willing to take a risk on a proven veteran (see Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon). The Garcia gamble proved to be a huge signing for the 2011 Yankees. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Other possibilities: <b>Edwin Jackson</b>, <b>Erik Bedard</b> (I would highly advise against this), <b>Jason Marquis</b>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Wish No. 2: Somebody please take AJ Burnett from the Yankees</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDssD1ay3hIAzmjx1wiBZMWnHwR7lP-bfCwHQOI24-BHs3XjeYJ8SIzaM3WxKx7phPOgmGRUUjfg3y1IUe8YZe85-BK34Mn0Xa5_9dlRS8JU5u9mXtJPvR2X6_wElsT4vHyeCvVjP-70n/s1600/large_2aj-burnett415.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDssD1ay3hIAzmjx1wiBZMWnHwR7lP-bfCwHQOI24-BHs3XjeYJ8SIzaM3WxKx7phPOgmGRUUjfg3y1IUe8YZe85-BK34Mn0Xa5_9dlRS8JU5u9mXtJPvR2X6_wElsT4vHyeCvVjP-70n/s400/large_2aj-burnett415.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Where to begin with Mr. Burnett? After the 2008 season when the Yankees signed then free agents, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Burnett, I was fine with all but one signing. It's no surprise that I was apprehensive about the Burnett signing. Through his first three years as a Yankee, Burnett is 34-35 with a 4.70 ERA, the highest of all three Major League teams he's been on. Last season, Burnett was 11-11 with a 5.11 ERA. He also received 11 no decisions. He did not win a game in the entire month of July and it took an in game adjustment of his mechanical motion by pitching coach Larry Rothschild for Burnett to start winning games once again. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">However, One thing that I do admire about Burnett is his accountability. He will be the first one to take responsibility for his poor performances day in and day out. But, at some point, enough is enough. Unfortunately, I believe the Yankees are stuck with Burnett. He's signed through the end of the 2013 season and is still owed $16.5 million over each of the next two seasons. Who is going to want to be responsible for a 34 year old that is capable of self imploding on the mound at any point? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wish No. 3: Find the fountain of youth </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is more of a silly request than anything. Let's face it, the Yankees are an old team. Derek Jeter will be 38 in June, Alex Rodriguez will be 37 in July. Believe it or not, Robinson Cano will be 30 in October and Teixeira will be 32 in April. The youngest starter in the rotation will be Phil Hughes, who turns 26 in June, Sabathia is the next youngest at 32. What we learned last year is these players can no longer bounce back from injuries like they used to when they were younger, (see Alex Rodriguez knee injury, and Derek Jeter quad injury). The average age of the outfielders is 29.6. The youngest position by age will be at catcher. Russell Martin is 28 and if Jesus Montero can make the team, he'll be the youngest player on the team at the age of 21. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wish No. 4: Bring home Championship No. 28 to the Bronx</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the goal every season, no matter how unrealistic it may be. As we learned the past few seasons, Cashman will do basically anything except trade high end prospects for a short term rental, to guarantee winning the World Series. I expect to see more or less of the same this season. I hope for Granderson's sake that the team does indeed win. After the Yankees acquired Granderson two years ago, he changed his number because manager Joe Girardi chose to wear No. 28 symbolizing the team's goal for the season. While Granderson had a spectacular 2011 season, I'm sure he'd like to be reacquainted with his familiar 28. No player is currently assigned to 29. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's it for now. Check in soon for another preview! Happy Holidays! </div>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-1102913496225367532011-03-21T21:43:00.000-04:002011-03-21T21:43:29.428-04:0010 Days until Opening Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DgIKxLsEsl86xs8C-VG-jHNZJT9PShc73xrul3DIty7vVEzJy1aNfLbBF_48p4FVNDEDjzrQUBDHRnxSxbpAZDevtn1F3SfRYLz7eyD3JYoH2ebCJOJSJFSTVcoE0puZwv-5ziuXZYve/s1600/yankees-george-steinbrenner-field-222jpg-e7198bf65c682faa_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DgIKxLsEsl86xs8C-VG-jHNZJT9PShc73xrul3DIty7vVEzJy1aNfLbBF_48p4FVNDEDjzrQUBDHRnxSxbpAZDevtn1F3SfRYLz7eyD3JYoH2ebCJOJSJFSTVcoE0puZwv-5ziuXZYve/s320/yankees-george-steinbrenner-field-222jpg-e7198bf65c682faa_large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The 2011 MLB season officially gets underway exactly 10 days from now. With the season approaching so quickly, I thought this would be the perfect time to give a preview of the projected Yankees roster as well as discuss the remaining question marks for the team that is once again expected to contend once again for the world series. <br />
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Projected Roster:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf73bd5OEeWGg5uah1MNWcldYCEJOfaBEq4PdaieibrrnDTt5URJXUprnYENVYLR6fipUE-o9XYFYTzNR7RGvlivgqrkes8l5JGUQLzDQ9EbzRFvu2XI8_lyZbZIOh3GB35JZZtUmGnew7/s1600/i-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf73bd5OEeWGg5uah1MNWcldYCEJOfaBEq4PdaieibrrnDTt5URJXUprnYENVYLR6fipUE-o9XYFYTzNR7RGvlivgqrkes8l5JGUQLzDQ9EbzRFvu2XI8_lyZbZIOh3GB35JZZtUmGnew7/s320/i-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>Infield:</b><br />
C: Russel Martin - <span style="font-size: x-small;">For the first time in about a decade Martin will be the first starting catcher not named Jorge Posada. It will be interesting to see if Martin regained his offensive swing from three years ago when he was an all star for the Dodgers. </span><br />
1b: Mark Teixeira - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Teixeria will look to get off to a quick offensive start after a horrible start last season. Teixeira is hoping to remain injury free after having several nagging injuries throughout last season.</span><br />
2b: Robinson Cano - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cano will look to carry over his 2010 season to this season. If he does, he should contend for the MVP. Hitting coach Kevin Long believes Cano has the ability to hit 40 home runs. </span><br />
3b: Alex Rodriguez- <span style="font-size: x-small;">This spring, Rodriguez has returned to the form he had prior to his hip surgery in 2009. Rodriguez is leading the team in home runs this spring and hopes to continue that this fall. </span><br />
SS: Derek Jeter - <span style="font-size: x-small;">To put it plain and simple, Jeter is looking to avoid his disastrous 2010 season. After resigning with the only team he's ever played for, Jeter revamped with his swing with Long and is now hitting a solid .330 this spring. Hopefully, these results will carry over to the season. </span><br />
DH: Jorge Posada - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Posada will have to adjust to his first season as the team's full time DH. A break from catching everyday should benefit Posada's aging body, who like many Yankees is also seeking a bounce back season offensively. </span><br />
<b>Outfield:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4feFj9Dmh_yqXEwfLgVx7dYPzktziDUBYYxOGwgEswWTM2aQrdSpAqZIDe_-CwK3txtGlsR4wCwMDr6umI-2kI0xMgYV0riFoE21sDpb3oFOp9iA_IxHtaQ4lTYbt4SXwq81gLIaVOWzf/s1600/i-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4feFj9Dmh_yqXEwfLgVx7dYPzktziDUBYYxOGwgEswWTM2aQrdSpAqZIDe_-CwK3txtGlsR4wCwMDr6umI-2kI0xMgYV0riFoE21sDpb3oFOp9iA_IxHtaQ4lTYbt4SXwq81gLIaVOWzf/s320/i-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>RF: Brett Gardner - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Gardner too, revamped his swing with Long this spring. He's trying to become a better bunter after raising his average significantly last season. Gardner may bat lead off this fall which could be beneficial to Jeter.</span><br />
CF: Curtis Granderson -<span style="font-size: x-small;">After reviving his swing last summer, Granderson looked like an entirely different player offensively. In his second year in New York, Granderson is just trying to stay consistent offensively while remaining a solid force in the field. </span><br />
LF: Nick Swisher- <span style="font-size: x-small;">Over the last two years, Swisher has been very solid during the regular season but his bat has gone stone cold in the postseason. Swisher hopes to get off to a hot start and keep it going throughout the season. Last season, he hit a career high in home runs. </span><br />
<b>Starting Pitchers:</b> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84GyFihcPVBQmG7JJT9agZLAEEcgWZ5FoRsah3GrR1oJoGUfH-10ColJO3H-LQ-FEt_y869UyzsLMzrnb7qObVx91mCs0WNbti9HWwJZtz4vhm7fM6qGWv6XmGao4Iexfbc2TG0Aqyvlr/s1600/i-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84GyFihcPVBQmG7JJT9agZLAEEcgWZ5FoRsah3GrR1oJoGUfH-10ColJO3H-LQ-FEt_y869UyzsLMzrnb7qObVx91mCs0WNbti9HWwJZtz4vhm7fM6qGWv6XmGao4Iexfbc2TG0Aqyvlr/s320/i-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>SP: CC Sabathia -<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sabathia will look to repeat the two seasons he's already had in New York. This season in particular could be especially important for Sabathia as he has stated he might opt out of his contract following the 2011 campaign. </span><br />
SP: AJ Burnett - <span style="font-size: x-small;">How do I say this bluntly? I can't. Burnett was TERRIBLE last year. But, with the help of new pitching coach Larry Rothschild Burnett has made his delivery more simple and has looked tremendous this season. He's improved so much, he earned the second spot in the rotation ahead of Phil Hughes. </span><br />
SP: Phil Hughes - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Hughes is looking to improve his 2010 all star campaign, except he wants to be better. Hughes hit a wall after the all star break but still managed to finish the season with 18 wins. His goal though is to lower his ERA which was 4.19</span><br />
SP: Ivan Nova - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Nova was a dark horse candidate to even make the pitching staff. But, this spring he has already gone 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in four games this spring. Nova forced his way into the rotation and it will be interesting to see if his success will continue once the regular season begins. </span><br />
SP: Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Both Garcia and Colon are veteran starters who once had great success. Unfortunately, due to injuries to both, their careers are now in jeopardy of being over. Both signed minor league contracts in the off-season with a chance to make the team. Garcia already stated he will not go to Triple A if he doesn't make the major league team. As of right now, I have to believe that Colon has the upper hand over Garcia. </span><br />
<b>Bullpen:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEwOVmSvyD5nVr6ni74K3sVSWCrCKLXNwyUh4QZ3mR04s_Wjk8ZRDwbjP7KdeLJA__8YeHfhCul2OLuIB3rKepMqF1LDPCfF5usbKgznWba5egEauB0t6nNUNOHcfWzm5kSatuUmI2L3b/s1600/i-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEwOVmSvyD5nVr6ni74K3sVSWCrCKLXNwyUh4QZ3mR04s_Wjk8ZRDwbjP7KdeLJA__8YeHfhCul2OLuIB3rKepMqF1LDPCfF5usbKgznWba5egEauB0t6nNUNOHcfWzm5kSatuUmI2L3b/s320/i-2.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>P: Mariano Rivera - <span style="font-size: x-small;">After an interesting off-season, one in which Rivera admitted to entertaining offers from the hated Red Sox, he finally resigned. I expect nothing but the usual greatness from Rivera, although it will be interesting to see if he continues to age gracefully.</span><br />
P: Joba Chamberlain<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Oh Joba... what can I say about you? Chamerlain showed up much heavier then he was over the past two seasons. Chamberlain was also injured last week, with an oblique strain. Ironically, maybe it has something to do with his weight? Chamberlain will probably share the 7th inning duties with David Robertson.</span><br />
P: Boone Logan - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Logan came over to the Yankees in the trade that brought Javy Vazquez to the team for a second time. Fortunately for Logan, he turned to be the most important part of the trade and was one of the most important parts of the bullpen. He'll probably serve as the lefty specialist again. </span><br />
P: David Robertson- <span style="font-size: x-small;">Robertson proved his value to the Yankees last season as he was one of the team's most consistent relievers. Joe Girardi trusted Robertson so much last season that he became the 8th inning guy over Joba Chamberlain. This season however, he'll probably serve as the primary 7th inning guy as the team signed Rafeal Soriano. </span><br />
P: Rafeal Soriano- <span style="font-size: x-small;">Soriano had a career season last year with the Rays when he served as the team's closer. This season he will serve as the 8th inning man as he is a crucial part of the bridge to Rivera. If all goes well, when Soriano's contract is up and Rivera is retired, he may be the Yankees new closer. </span><br />
P: TBD (most likely Pedro Felicano)<br />
<b>Bench</b>: <br />
C: Francicso Cervelli (will start season on DL due to broken bone in foot) - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cervelli's spring training's have been plagued with bad luck for him. This season, was no different. Cervelli broke a bone in his foot and is in a walking boot. Because he is a catcher he can't do anything. Cervelli will begin the season on the DL with either Austin Romine or Jesus Montero.</span><br />
INF: Ramiro Pena or Jorge Vazquez, Eric Chavez - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Pena and Vazquez who are good friends, are competing against each other for a spot on the Yankees bench. While Vazquez has out hit Pena this season, he is not guaranteed a spot. Pena proved his value defensively last season so it will be interesting to see what the team decides to go with. Chavez is looking to regain his all-star form from when he was with the Athletics. Chavez has looked great this spring and if he remains injury free, it will be hard for Girardi to keep him on the bench. </span><br />
OF: Andruw Jones, Colin Curtis or Greg Golson - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Jones has played sparingly in the past two seasons with the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. Jones will most likely start at DH against left handed batters. He's become a defensive reliability, which is sad considering he was a 10 time gold glove winner with the Atlanta Braves. As of right now, Golson has the job over Curtis. Curtis, dislocated his shoulder earlier in Spring Training so Golson will most likely start the season with the Yankees. </span><br />
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Now, it's time to address what questions will follow the team around throughout the season. <br />
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1. Which AJ Burnett will show up?<br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Burnett who was the leader of the Marlins staff in 2008? The mediocre but effective Burnett in 2009 or the horrific Burnett of 2010? Hopefully it will be somewhere between 2008 and 2009. </span></li>
</ul>2. Will the Yankees be able to get by with Nova and Colon/Garcia as their fourth and fifth starter or will GM Brian Cashman make a trade?<br />
<ul><li> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Again, it's just something that's going to have to play out </span></li>
</ul>3. Will Derek Jeter bounce back?<br />
<ul><li> <span style="font-size: x-small;">All signs are indicating Jeter is now comfortable with his new swing but we will not know until he sees consistently decent pitching throughout the season. </span></li>
</ul>4. Will CC Sabathia opt out of his contract at the end of the season?<br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hopefully not, but he might because of the money that Cliff Lee got this past offseason. </span></li>
</ul>5. Do the Yankees have enough talent to make the playoffs?<br />
<ul><li>Offensively, Yes I believe they do. Pitching wise? Check back with me in a month. </li>
</ul><br />
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That's all for now. I'll be updating again soon!Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-72509773611425121112010-11-03T22:02:00.001-04:002011-08-15T15:03:14.306-04:00State of the Yankees: Offseason Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FHqOJ53AyBPXol3yMFxrwl264FSe9Avx-EamCU37kZ4BpIvQtkEGSjQ5tgD4TUTwP4t3sMRZX1KpUduZQDrpQy_g_0VxvGMpWcQul4tWmrxp669pRq0c7sr4Wfx7ylzMLRAwiDoQfvik/s1600/i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FHqOJ53AyBPXol3yMFxrwl264FSe9Avx-EamCU37kZ4BpIvQtkEGSjQ5tgD4TUTwP4t3sMRZX1KpUduZQDrpQy_g_0VxvGMpWcQul4tWmrxp669pRq0c7sr4Wfx7ylzMLRAwiDoQfvik/s320/i.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Two nights ago, the San Fransisco Giants were crowned the kings of Major League Baseball for the 2010 season. I know I have been slacking on my posts but school has consumed my life thus far. So here's a quick recap of the 2010 Yankees postseason.<br />
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The Yankees were crowned the American League Wild Card Winners after losing the AL East title to the Tampa Bay Rays. Winning the wild card was a good thing for the Yankees as they were able to play the Minnesota Twins in the division series. The last few years the Yankees have played the Twins in the division round they were able to dispose of them easily, particularly in 2003, 2004, and 2009. Nothing was different in 2010, as the Yankees swept the Twins.<br />
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The League Championship series was a different story for the Yankees. The Yankees won games 1 and five, but were outplayed severely by the Rangers. Cliff Lee was not the biggest problem, it was the Ranger's pitching in general and the Yankees inability to hit at all. Robinson Cano was the only offensive player who showed up to play in that series.<br />
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Following the postseason, the Yankees made some changes. Most notably, pitching coach Dave Eiland was given the axe in what General Manager Brian Cashman called a "personal reason". The public was given no other explanation but Manager Joe Girardi did not object. Girardi signed a new three year contract worth between $9 and $10 million.<br />
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Cashman's checklist for the remainder of this offseason should be a big one. Here's some areas that need to be addressed:<br />
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1. What to do with Derek Jeter?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQL-pRAiiY6cFf9SaJqf8Rlc6_SL0YQ15WpLkOc6kthy3oY55Xi1-NF_OY_Lh6i5SWy3YdH8JX0Qs7Ni861o7w3FUdaQrdVdQOBaix1WkfMOhk4R8uW-QGMf_yVlD4BSEzkWN37FtWlmWR/s1600/San+Diego+Padres+v+New+York+Yankees+T9N90fFdrFil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQL-pRAiiY6cFf9SaJqf8Rlc6_SL0YQ15WpLkOc6kthy3oY55Xi1-NF_OY_Lh6i5SWy3YdH8JX0Qs7Ni861o7w3FUdaQrdVdQOBaix1WkfMOhk4R8uW-QGMf_yVlD4BSEzkWN37FtWlmWR/s320/San+Diego+Padres+v+New+York+Yankees+T9N90fFdrFil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I like everyone else believes Jeter will be resigned. The biggest questions however are how long will Jeter resign and for how much? Hal Steinbrenner went on the radio yesterday to say that negotiations between Jeter's camp and the Yankees could get "messy". The issue will be how the Yankees decide to reward Jeter. I expect a very heavy incentive based contract. But, will they reward him for the 14 seasons prior to this year's dismal performance, where five championships were won and Jeter put up MVP-caliber seasons? Or, will Cashman try to play the card that Jeter is in decline after batting .40 points lower then his career average? My guess is they go somewhere in the middle. It has been rumored that Jeter wants to play until he is 42 - the same year Alex Rodriguez' contract will run out. I don't expect Jeter to earn a six year contract but I would assume he could get a three of four year deal. Just think, nothing will look worse then Jeter getting his 3,000 hit in another uniform - one without pinstripes.<br />
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Closer Mariano Rivera is also a free agent, but after having another amazing season his new contract should not be an issue. <br />
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2. How can the rotation be fixed?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINTqBj3Y_cP-xr-X8-TIlq0bK2Mjc_WEtelZcthFWBM9dqrf09yzkxLBns52kP8OCZ3AhgUJey208SI7pV8iX0uba_obfkjPWI8poV7nXfBms4OCy5De9HnODAV8FVTpLE0ajUvhSKgQ7/s1600/cliff-lee-texas-rangers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINTqBj3Y_cP-xr-X8-TIlq0bK2Mjc_WEtelZcthFWBM9dqrf09yzkxLBns52kP8OCZ3AhgUJey208SI7pV8iX0uba_obfkjPWI8poV7nXfBms4OCy5De9HnODAV8FVTpLE0ajUvhSKgQ7/s320/cliff-lee-texas-rangers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As of right now, three of the five starters are coming back. Unfortunately, this is not a guaranteed good thing. CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes were two of the more reliable starters this past season and should be able to maintain (in Sabathia's case) and potentially improve in Hughes' case their form for next season. A.J. Burnett was the most inconsistent starter in the major leagues all of last season. One could never know what would occur each time he took the mound. Hopefully, the new pitching coach that is hired will be able to correct Burnett. It is unknown what Andy Pettitte's plans are for next season especially since it was reveled Pettitte had injuries in the offseason in his back. After taking some time off I do expect Pettitte to come back after having one of his best seasons - minus the groin injury he experienced. Finally with one spot in the rotation up for grabs, I expect the Yankees to sign free agent Cliff Lee. The Yankees tried to go after Lee before the trade deadline in July when the Rangers acquired him from Seattle.<br />
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3. What about the bullpen?<br />
Last season, the bridge to Mariano was in pretty good shape. With David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain and Kerry Wood the Yankees had the best late inning bullpen relief in the majors. Chamberlain and Robertson will be back next season. The Yankees already declined Wood's option for next season and they will try to resign him at a lower price but that does not seem possible as Wood was lights out next season. Boone Logan was the Yankees most consistent and at times only left handed reliever in the bullpen. Look for Brian Cashman to add another lefty in the pen for at least Spring Training.<br />
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4. Will the Yankees go after Carl Crawford?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Z8QwWq_du14vrFCMSxwgA6gCouvcsRQV6f85d3T2WyEHyOFI0WXnZCYmBQyqcjQ4XgVEkxoSrrzNAjMzmP9x8Sc4qZI_TiYRYaAvvSyZDNPckDTdHGhiWAl19EOlI6LI5x1MlueTYq3y/s1600/carl_crawford-300x191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Z8QwWq_du14vrFCMSxwgA6gCouvcsRQV6f85d3T2WyEHyOFI0WXnZCYmBQyqcjQ4XgVEkxoSrrzNAjMzmP9x8Sc4qZI_TiYRYaAvvSyZDNPckDTdHGhiWAl19EOlI6LI5x1MlueTYq3y/s1600/carl_crawford-300x191.jpg" /></a></div>My personal wish is no. The Yankees did just fine this past season with Curtis Granderson hitting at a sub par level for the majority of last season. But hitting coach Kevin Long worked with Granderson in late July to revamp his swing. After Long fixed his swing, Granderson became one of the most reliable hitters in the Yankees lineup - especially in the postseason. Granderson has proven he can handle the spotlight of New York and I think it would be wise to bring Granderson back with a smaller contract. Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher should be able to handle left and right field respectively.Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-87633936031245064482010-09-09T21:28:00.001-04:002010-09-09T23:20:36.987-04:00Where is Derek Jeter hiding?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5hL0e34LsbeZ1jgnYwLRt_ySQC0X2hVNWWp_9jJa1x6qoPlUPdeg48LY47Q8VDrtzU096IFJHd7OXdG7jA77yb2FCw3dx4rezWU8w1C3hviLKVvO5E-HblDIaSlEPWTu763Xsk0_-HxP/s1600/i.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5hL0e34LsbeZ1jgnYwLRt_ySQC0X2hVNWWp_9jJa1x6qoPlUPdeg48LY47Q8VDrtzU096IFJHd7OXdG7jA77yb2FCw3dx4rezWU8w1C3hviLKVvO5E-HblDIaSlEPWTu763Xsk0_-HxP/s400/i.jpeg" width="295" /></a></div>The inevitable has happened. I'm writing a post bashing or rather questioning what Derek Jeter may or may not have left in his tank. <br />
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I had originally planned on writing this shortly after the All-Star break when it first became apparent that Jeter's slump was sticking around. But just as I sat down at my computer to write this post Jeter pulled out of his slump.<br />
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And then a dismal August and the beginning of September forced me to criticize my favorite player. <br />
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And here it goes.<br />
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It's not even so much the statistics that is so bothersome, it's just how quickly he has seemed to drop off so much from one year ago.<br />
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Originally I tried to play it off like he had an injury that he was not disclosing to the media. But manager Joe Girardi never disclosed any information on an injury and Jeter was never placed on the disabled list.<br />
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Even though he was never placed on the disabled list, Jeter has still suffered through pain. His suffering is from the lack of offensive production he is not having.<br />
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Let's look at the numbers - although normally this is arguably one of the poorest ways to judge Jeter - it's the best way to exemplify what I'm talking about.<br />
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Jeter's career batting average is .314. Last season, he batted .328 while finishing third in MVP voting behind winner Joe Mauer and teammate Mark Teixeira. <br />
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This season however, Jeter is batting a dismal .266. Well below the average fans and Jeter himself are used to. <br />
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So, what's the problem?<br />
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I wish I knew. He wishes he knew. Hitting coach Kevin Long wishes he could figure out how to fix the problem.<br />
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Over the past few seasons Jeter has grounded into more double plays then anyone else in the league. In an attempt to fix this problem Girardi moved Jeter into the lead off spot to avoid this situation. However, much like Jeter's offensive production this season, the plan has failed miserably. <br />
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Luckily this season Jeter has been able to hide a little bit under the radar, or as much as he can in New York. Fortunately the Yankees still have the best record in baseball even with Jeter struggling. <br />
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There are two pressing questions that remain regarding Jeter that will have to be addressed in the near-immediate future. <br />
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The first question, how will Jeter perform in the postseason?<br />
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Many believe that Jeter will be able to flip a switch and step up his game in the games that truly count to him and the team. However, I'm still not convinced. If that was the case, why wouldn't Jeter have made these changes already? <br />
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Believe me, this is not the way that Jeter would like to play in his last year of his contract. <br />
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Which brings me to the last point.<br />
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How will the General Manager Brian Cashman handle Jeter's contract situation this offseason?<br />
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It is widely speculated that the Yankees will reward Jeter for the greatness he has brought the organization over the past 16 years, including 5 world series championships and numerous All Star appearances, not too mention that Jeter is <b>THE</b> Captain.<br />
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I agree that the Jeter's contract should not be based on this season alone. But I'm not sure how I feel about rewarding him for his service to the organization.<br />
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I honestly can't even guess what management will offer him. But they will more then likely over-pay to keep Jeter in the organization. <br />
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Here is what Fox's <a href="http:/?%20Perhaps,%20but%20by%20that%20point,%20Jeter%20would%20not%20count%20against%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20luxury%20tax.%20In%20essence,%20he%20would%20be%20deferring%20money%20so%20that%20the%20Yankees%20could%20better%20compete%20while%20he%20was%20still%20active.">Ken Rosenthal</a> believes will happen<br />
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<blockquote><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"if Jeter took say, a three-year, $36 million deal, the Yankees could make it up to him by giving him a massive bonus for 3,000 hits and a lucrative post-career personal-services contract. Would $10 million a year for 30 years be excessive for this generation’s Joe DiMaggio? Perhaps, but by that point, Jeter would not count against the team’s luxury tax. In essence, he would be deferring money so that the Yankees could better compete while he was still active."</span></blockquote><br />
The only thing I know that will happen is Jeter <b>will</b> be in pinstripes next season. Can you imagine the PR disaster that would occur if that were not to happen?<br />
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Here's to hoping that Jeter will improve by season's end and that he will forgive me for criticizing him. I truly mean no disrespect!Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-54514488591248887772010-08-31T12:44:00.001-04:002010-08-31T12:46:17.515-04:00Hokies men's soccer retools with youthHere's my latest article for <a href="http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/15714/hokies-mens-soccer-retools-with-youth">The Collegiate Times.</a> Enjoy!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
A younger and revamped Virginia Tech men’s soccer team will be tested this season with a challenging schedule.<br />
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The Hokies will face off against eight opponents ranked in the top-20 preseason poll, including St. John’s and defending national champion — and in-state Atlantic Coast Conference rival — University of Virginia.<br />
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“The rankings came out again and the ACC competitors are stacked up,” said Michael Brizendine, head coach. “All league games are dog fights. I think that we have some underdogs (on the team) like we did last year.”<br />
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The Hokies will look to new faces this season to improve upon a 5-12-2 campaign in 2009. There are 15 newcomers to the team this season, 12 of whom are freshmen.<br />
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Despite their inexperience, the freshmen will see significant playing time right away, including forward David Clemens, midfielder/forward Mikey Minutillo and midfielder Jose Velazquez.<br />
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“I think as the young guys get more comfortable you’ll see more out of them,” Brizendine said. “We have some exciting attacking players and most of those guys are young, so we have to get those freshman nerves out of the way as quick as possible.”<br />
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The team played the College of William & Mary Saturday in a friendly scrimmage. Although the Hokies lost 4-1, Brizendine was proud of the way they performed.<br />
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“From a learning perspective, I thought it went very well,” Brizendine said. “The score doesn’t obviously reflect it. But it gives us something to build on.”<br />
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A number of underclassmen received substantial playing time in the scrimmage, including Clemens — who played for 60 minutes.<br />
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Even with so many new faces, the team will still receive contributions from returning veterans.<br />
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“Clarke Bentley, Jon Snyder, Greg Cochrane and Dave Fiorello will be essential pieces to the puzzle, and they’re going to have to do well for us to have some success,” Brizendine said. “All those players play up the middle, so they’re always involved in what’s going on.”<br />
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The season goal for entire team, from the head coach all the way down the to players, is one thing: improvement.<br />
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“We want to do better in our league, we want to do better in our out-of-conference results,” Brizendine said. “Ultimately this will lead us to the NCAA tournament which is a goal.”<br />
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Bentley, a senior, said the players would like to see more wins this season, and hard work will be a main factor in reaching their goals.<br />
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“Individually, a goal for us would be to come out each and every training session and get better and work out,” Bentley said. “Hopefully if we come out and do that our results will improve and speak for our hard work. Numbers wise, I think that if we put the work in out here on the training field and then those things will come along like shutouts and goals.”<br />
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In addition, the players hope to continue the success in the classroom and on the pitch.<br />
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“We have a lot of goals set for the season ranging from GPAs and averages to finishing above .500 and making the NCAA tournament,” Clemens said.<br />
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He believes the preseason helped build the team’s chemistry and put the players in the right mindset.<br />
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“We’re looking to really find ourselves as a team,” Clemens said. “Hopefully we can come out with wins this season to really define ourselves and show everyone what we’re all about.<br />
“We’ve really become a family.”<br />
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The regular season will begin Sept. 3 with the UVa tournament in Charlottesville, where the Hokies will take on No. 12 St. John’s. The players are looking forward to a match that will show what the team is made of.<br />
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“Especially during preseason, we’ve been a much more exciting team,” Bentley said. “Going forward we’re going to be more fluid. Defensively we’re more experienced. We bonded over the summer, which was important because we’re trying to achieve hopefully something very special.”<br />
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The team will play its home opener Sept. 17, in its first crucial ACC test against Clemson University. With all the new faces on the team there is excitement in the air.<br />
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However, if the team starts out slow there is not a need to lose faith according to Clemens.<br />
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“It’s going to take us a couple games to come together,” Clemens said. “But we’re definitely on our way there.”Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-19116063323604082752010-07-14T13:37:00.000-04:002010-07-14T13:37:04.625-04:00A Tribute to "The Boss". 1930-2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvbS5SMjgxRsYiK3Ou-TYezsbggkxWnLkIKNIRraTyVhu5BtUau2h5mULtfucb9LyZGTYX9zd6ggv3Azj_TiYI141y1eGk90x7qDuUIv8WfXKcUNpgI-AwTghjfCvzh-qvQQYfd_p7Hwp/s1600/20070803george.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvbS5SMjgxRsYiK3Ou-TYezsbggkxWnLkIKNIRraTyVhu5BtUau2h5mULtfucb9LyZGTYX9zd6ggv3Azj_TiYI141y1eGk90x7qDuUIv8WfXKcUNpgI-AwTghjfCvzh-qvQQYfd_p7Hwp/s320/20070803george.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Early yesterday morning, Major League Baseball lost its very own Yankee doodle dandy, George Michael Steinbrenner III. Steinbrenner who was born on the Fourth of July was the most famous owner in sports history for the most popular and famous team in sports history.<br />
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Steinbrenner cherished everything about the New York Yankees from a very young age. Growing up in Cleveland he always rooted for the Yankees. When the Yankees would come to town Steinbrenner got excited seeing the luggage of famous sluggers like Joe DiMaggio being transported into the team hotel from the bus. <br />
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Born into a wealthy shipbuilding family, Steinbrenner attended Culver Military Academy, a prep school, where he learned the basic forms of discipline. It was at Culver where Steinbrenner learned about General Douglas MacArthur, one of his idols. Steinbrenner even had MacArthur's quote "There is no substitute for victory" hanging in the clubhouse. Steinbrenner then attended Williams College, like his father and then went on to Ohio State University for graduate school, where he met the love of his life, Joan. <br />
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At the tender age of 42, in 1973, Steinbrenner headed a group that bought the New York Yankees from CBS. At the time the group purchased the team for $8.7 million, a mere bargain considering the franchise is now worth about $1.5 billion. Here's the kicker though, Steinbrenner's share was only about $160,000. After his purchase Steinbrenner was excited to share the news with his dad, a man he desperately tried to impress from a young age. The elder Steinbrenner's response? It's about time George did something worthwhile.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyHIjntT962CD0sjYhOFAJeLAjT9k6l2vX51z-JlKO9u9o9sLLVljVdMjbSO2nzOA63O7uq9a3m57RIe9R4GgpMu-v_OfNN7vilRrKRCJZlNPv2qSUA8ZJoepb7KUpMUWHhEUag1X9Njn/s1600/George+Steinbrenner+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyHIjntT962CD0sjYhOFAJeLAjT9k6l2vX51z-JlKO9u9o9sLLVljVdMjbSO2nzOA63O7uq9a3m57RIe9R4GgpMu-v_OfNN7vilRrKRCJZlNPv2qSUA8ZJoepb7KUpMUWHhEUag1X9Njn/s320/George+Steinbrenner+17.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>At the press conference announcing George Steinbrenner's accession into the world of baseball, he famously made the statement that he would not be a hands on owner. He would not be apart of the everyday operations and he was just there to provide the money and to bring the club back to respectability. In the late 1960s and early 70s the Yankees became a laughingstock as CBS refused to appropriate the proper money to run a baseball club successfully.<br />
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Within his first six years of owning the club, the Yankees had made three postseason appearances while winning two World Series titles, the first of seven for Steinbrenner while he owned the club. <br />
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The Yankees of the 1980s and early 1990s were not so lucky. Steinbrenner felt that he should control the operations of the team and be more hands on, the opposite of his proclamation at the press conference introducing himself as the new owner some ten years earlier. <br />
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Throughout his tenure with the team, Steinbrenner hired and fired 15 different managers, the most in the time period in baseball. This also includes hiring and firing Billy Martin five different times. <br />
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Steinbrenner was also suspended from the game and his team for a total of 3 1/2 years. Once, for being guilty of contributing illegally contributing funds for Richard Nixon's reelection campaign. The other was for hiring someone to dig up information about one of his own players Hall of Famer, Dave Winfield. <br />
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During his last suspension, the one regarding Winfield, the "baseball people" in the front office were finally able to develop a farm system that would soon spit out stars such as Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter. The front office also began signing the right players which allowed the Yankees to return to the postseason. Beginning in 1995 and ending in 2008, the Yankees made the playoffs every year. They also won four World Series titles in that time period. <br />
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Today's baseball players can thank Mr. Steinbrenner's check book for the birth of free agency and how much they are making today. Free Agency began with Steinbrenner signing pitcher Catfish Hunter to a $3.75 million contract in the '70s. Some of the big names that Steinbrenner signed include Reggie Jackson, Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi, Winfield and Wade Boggs. <br />
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Steinbrenner was also known as a generous person off the baseball field. He donated millions of dollars to needy school children, veterans who served the country, fire fighters, police officers, and numerous charities. An elementary school in Tampa was renamed after him. He also has the baseball field at UNC named after him, because his children attended the school. He also donated $1 million to my school, Virginia Tech, following the tragedies of April 16, 2007.<br />
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I also know of a man who benefitted greatly from Steinbrenner's contributions. He paid for his high school tuition to Culver Academy, and became close friends with his son Hal. This man is forever grateful for Mr. Steinbrenner's contributions to him and his family.<br />
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The void that is left behind with Mr. Steinbrenner's passing will be unbelievably large to fill. There will never be another owner like him. I am grateful that he has been able to keep my favorite team so competitive for so long. I'll end the post with a few of my favorite Steinbrenner quotes I found yesterday as well as some thoughts from those who truly knew George Steinbrenner.<br />
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George Steinbrenner:<br />
<blockquote>"Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. Breathing first, winning next."</blockquote><blockquote>"I'm really 95 percent Mr. Rogers and only 5 percent Oscar the Grouch."</blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">From the Steinbrenner Family:</div><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"He was an incredible and charitable man," his family said in a statement. "He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports. He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it into a champion again."</div></blockquote>Derek Jeter:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', LucidaGrande, 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It goes back to the first time I ever met him down in the Gulf Coast League. I had just signed, and you know, he was this figure that’s larger-than-life. Yeah, I was a Yankee fan, so I was well aware of him and his reputation. He came up to me and talked to me by name. I was more shocked that he knew who I was, but I guess because he gave me some of his money, he had to know who I was. Right from that day he said, ‘We expect big things from you.’ I’ll always remember that, because first impressions, you never forget. He expects a lot.”</span></span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Joe Torre:</span></span></span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“A lot of the huff and puff and blow the house down, there was so much more to him than that. Going into the job, I certainly went in with my eyes wide open. We all witnessed what went on from day to day and how tough it was to work for this man. But I knew I was at a crossroads in my career and when I accepted the job – I never hesitated in accepting the job in ‘96 – he was a great guy to work for because all he wanted to do was win. And in doing that he certainly spent a lot of money. He felt a great obligation to the fans in New York. The players would gripe about him and I would gripe about him and all that – tried not to do it publicly – but all he wanted to do was win and that’s what the city of New York was all about.” </span></span></span></blockquote></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bud Selig, Commissioner of Baseball</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', LucidaGrande, 'Lucida Sans', Geneva, verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.7em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"He was and always will be as much of a New York Yankee as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and all of the other Yankee legends," baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. "Although we would have disagreements over the years, they never interfered with our friendship and commitment to each other. Our friendship was built on loyalty and trust and it never wavered."</span></span></span></span></blockquote><br />
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.7em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div></span></span>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-89494255760713704832010-07-11T18:41:00.002-04:002010-07-11T20:08:46.633-04:00Farewell Mr. Sheppard!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUNwRo6ymaGmrE05v-3-RW07B8ZIl6LRNKzEiWhmAdepmsyO64VnvGkm-AqETD6t2ByFZ8nzkF2HhlEubtj2RrTnCBf8nsOe9kt7TNZAkF-wplbVTGfVnRFPGoW3h-2PO1OTVf1luTRZk/s1600/data.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUNwRo6ymaGmrE05v-3-RW07B8ZIl6LRNKzEiWhmAdepmsyO64VnvGkm-AqETD6t2ByFZ8nzkF2HhlEubtj2RrTnCBf8nsOe9kt7TNZAkF-wplbVTGfVnRFPGoW3h-2PO1OTVf1luTRZk/s320/data.jpg" width="320" /></i></b></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Early this morning, longtime New York Yankees and New York Giants public address announcer, Bob Sheppard passed away. Sheppard was 99 years old, and would have been 100 in October. Sheppard served the New York community for over 50 years, calling the different baseball (1951-2007) and football (1956-2005) games between the two teams. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sheppard began his career with the Yankees in 1951. His debut, April 17, 1951 was also the same day legendary center fielder, Mickey Mantle too made his debut (Mantle was 21 years Sheppard's junior). Although Mantle may have received more attention throughout his career, Sheppard was still highly regarded by the players, coaches and fellow media members who covered the team. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sheppard had a philosophy to the way he introduced the players. He believed that any PA announcer should be clear, concise, and correct, which to a fan should be nothing out of the ordinary. Sheppard would actually be disappointed with many of the announcers that are around in this era across the major leagues (we won't even discuss the NBA as to honor Mr. Sheppard). Here's what he had to say about the state of the announcers a few years ago.</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"A P.A. announcer is not a cheerleader, or a circus barker, or a hometown screecher," the epitome of the old-school style once said. "He's a reporter."</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fans can actually credit Sheppard for the correct pronunciation of Hall of Fame center fielder Joe Dimaggio's last name. Sheppard believed that a "short a" would have been equivalent of nails on a chalk board.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sheppard attended what was then St. John's College (now University) and was a seven time Varsity athlete. He was both the College's quarterback as well as the first baseman and his graduating class president. After graduating he moved on to Columbia University where he earned his master's degree in speech, where he soon became a college professor before leaving for the Yankees. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Players and fans received chills at the beginning of each game when Sheppard would simply greet everyone in the stadium with "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Yankee Stadium." Once the game began, players would walk as slow as they could to savor every last moment of hearing their named called by the almighty Sheppard. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Reggie Jackson dubbed him "the voice of God" and the nickname stuck, although Sheppard, a devout Catholic did not particularly like the nickname. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before Sheppard took his extended leave of absence after what was eventually his last game on September 5, 2007, Derek Jeter asked Sheppard to record the introduction that Sheppard did for Jeter, so that he could always walk up to the plate for as long as he was a Yankee. Sheppard agreed to which he said was an honor to have a player of Jeter's calibre request his services.</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"</span><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100711&content_id=12178760&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> of the greatest compliments I have received in my career of announcing," and wryly added, "The fact that he wanted my voice every time he came to bat is a credit to his good judgment and my humility."</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the record, Sheppard pronounces Jeter's name "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Derek Jeet-tah". </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For every championship team that Sheppard was a apart of, he received a championship ring. This includes countless World Series rings from the Yankees and a Super Bowl Ring for the four world championships with the New York Giants. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is some reaction to the passing of Sheppard from the Yankees and around the world of sports:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Derek Jeter, shortstop:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><blockquote><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"Players changed year in and year out, he was the one constant," said Jeter, who will continue to have a recording of Sheppard's voice announce his at-bats.</span></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"Every time you heard it, you got chills," Jeter said of having Sheppard recite his name. "I remember him asking how to pronounce it to make sure he was pronouncing it right."</span></div></blockquote><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">George Steinbrenner, Yankees owner:</span></div><blockquote><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"I am deeply saddened by the death today of Bob Sheppard, a good friend and fine man whose voice set the gold standard for America's sports announcers. For over a half century, fans were thrilled to hear his unforgettable voice and players were thrilled to hear his majestic enunciation of their names. Bob Sheppard was a great member of the Yankees family and his death leaves a lasting silence. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Mary, and their family."</span></div></blockquote><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">John Mara, New York Giants co-owner:</span></div><blockquote><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"Bob Sheppard was the most distinguished and dignified voice in all of professional sports. We are very proud of the fact that he was the voice of the Giants for so many years. Bob was a true gentleman and the consummate professional. There will never be another one like him."</span></div></blockquote><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Joe Girardi, Yankees Manager:</span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"></span></span></span></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"It is extremely sad," Girardi said. "When I think of Bob Sheppard, you think of all the tradition with the Yankees. You think about Ruth and Gehrig and Yogi and Joe D and Mantle and I think you mention Bob Sheppard. That's how important he was to this franchise."</span></div></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"You realized you hit the big lights when Bob Sheppard announces your name."</span></div></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">As a fan that has grown up in the age of announcers who attempt to hype up the crowd while introducing the players, I wonder what it would have been like growing up in an era with announcers more like Sheppard. I question the announcers who feel the need to hype up the crowd for certain players. Isn't that just contributing to the player's already enormous ego's? I'm going to agree with what Sheppard said earlier about how it's his job as a media member to introduce the players. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Even though Sheppard never slipped on the Pinstriped uniform or wore the royal blue of the Giants, he was a big member of both organizations. He even has his own monument in the hallowed Monument Park at Yankee Stadium, which is reserved for Yankee greats like Ruth, Mantle and Yogi. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">It will be interesting to see how both teams honor the greatest announcer in sports. I expect the Yankees to add the black armband onto their sleeves when former or current players die. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I'll leave the post with the greatest </span><a href="http://twitter.com/jadande"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">twee</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">t I saw from the day regarding Sheppard. It's from ESPN writer J.A. Adande:</span> <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div></span><br />
<div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"Your attention please. Now ascending to heaven, Number 1, PA announcer, Bob Sheppard. Number 1."</span></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></b><b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></b></b><b></b></blockquote></span></b></b></span>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-5608585165522611852010-06-17T12:09:00.000-04:002010-06-17T12:09:05.864-04:00Pictures from Orioles series & other information<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
First off let me start off by saying I have been slacking for the last two series. But, let me say nothing major happened against the lackluster teams of the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros. <br />
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Alex Rodriguez was forced to come out of the season finale against the Orioles due to what he called a sore groin. It was later diagnosed as tendentious in his right hip flexor, the same side in which Rodriguez had surgery on his right hip last season. Consequently Arod sat out the entire Houston series and skipped the series opener against the Phillies on Monday. Rodriguez returned last night to the game as the designated hitter. It is not known when he will take the field.<br />
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In the Houston series, a Yankees sweep, Jorge Posada returned to catching and his stroke returned on the offensive side of the ball, hitting two grand slams in two games. Phil Hughes also earned his ninth win of the season on Saturday. Andy Pettitte also continued his masterful season, earning his eighth win. With his start against the Astros on Friday, Pettitte can now boast that he's pitched against every team in the Major Leagues except of course for the New York Yankees.<br />
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Now I'll leave this post with some pictures I personally took at Camden Yards, when Phil Hughes beat the Orioles last Tuesday. The final score of the game ended up being 12-7. The highlight of the game was when New York scored six runs in the seventh inning. <br />
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So as promised here are the pictures.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_xXwqvTIp7pzJTud4Wx9qFmKGL4mTd6c0ltr3BjhD1s_IkYVRaoIz4pdDoHhU-WxU5DlcPiuzRIZao1evWpkxOsd49fbOca3niQSechGqcDn3vCwdEajfUqJI4QdSLJ1yEt8luAwDybA/s1600/DSCN4126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_xXwqvTIp7pzJTud4Wx9qFmKGL4mTd6c0ltr3BjhD1s_IkYVRaoIz4pdDoHhU-WxU5DlcPiuzRIZao1evWpkxOsd49fbOca3niQSechGqcDn3vCwdEajfUqJI4QdSLJ1yEt8luAwDybA/s400/DSCN4126.JPG" width="337" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_xXwqvTIp7pzJTud4Wx9qFmKGL4mTd6c0ltr3BjhD1s_IkYVRaoIz4pdDoHhU-WxU5DlcPiuzRIZao1evWpkxOsd49fbOca3niQSechGqcDn3vCwdEajfUqJI4QdSLJ1yEt8luAwDybA/s1600/DSCN4126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooC5-yFSsQi1boq97axKoJkyvXh1fa0C99P7pcEnuNpg4ozkz_8GXwePJnAvLBb8iS-RYyvwP6Y8CpHRx__g_Tl2__eLiaIV5NJUZVClE9j9GtXCrobMRQ-O_NWiCViKIzQHME3ZZjvcY/s1600/DSCN4134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooC5-yFSsQi1boq97axKoJkyvXh1fa0C99P7pcEnuNpg4ozkz_8GXwePJnAvLBb8iS-RYyvwP6Y8CpHRx__g_Tl2__eLiaIV5NJUZVClE9j9GtXCrobMRQ-O_NWiCViKIzQHME3ZZjvcY/s400/DSCN4134.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtB0mtT-v4D5uyTWoVgMHR82sCDCPfuiLIjNGhOYsdCtjFfTPx96qroDetyHtgPqn4Tr9N4uQ54e9UNe9GPXyUjjKYzmcaODKazL_V7rMVcI4BP3EPcmVf2fdyUWPAFpR-gZUUaUFcuDw4/s1600/DSCN4140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtB0mtT-v4D5uyTWoVgMHR82sCDCPfuiLIjNGhOYsdCtjFfTPx96qroDetyHtgPqn4Tr9N4uQ54e9UNe9GPXyUjjKYzmcaODKazL_V7rMVcI4BP3EPcmVf2fdyUWPAFpR-gZUUaUFcuDw4/s400/DSCN4140.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDxYaKrqHGy38unoNNjXGOOEo2T6mzyhiqOhDKRlvVczn53gLMamgH1YgWxwQIKvZEAKoziovjDrvQcIlq35u5PKjdppbbBOfRTOl67y4SBff1GlxjjNwyJOZYkC68O0jmn5HL4RJJxW9/s1600/DSCN4162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDxYaKrqHGy38unoNNjXGOOEo2T6mzyhiqOhDKRlvVczn53gLMamgH1YgWxwQIKvZEAKoziovjDrvQcIlq35u5PKjdppbbBOfRTOl67y4SBff1GlxjjNwyJOZYkC68O0jmn5HL4RJJxW9/s400/DSCN4162.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7LEB-fg7WzptKe3dKhfulP7A-6pw4OjuEnP3DzpiYy7sEcxIX9yHXJ13MKdVCna4D5UHJFZ2V0jzKsP2XgZf34gpVn5Yu7fXsWfxMzRhxXfA7gUkfw6o2rTF-ZuU1xvDHW5_eHsqEgEn/s1600/DSCN4173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7LEB-fg7WzptKe3dKhfulP7A-6pw4OjuEnP3DzpiYy7sEcxIX9yHXJ13MKdVCna4D5UHJFZ2V0jzKsP2XgZf34gpVn5Yu7fXsWfxMzRhxXfA7gUkfw6o2rTF-ZuU1xvDHW5_eHsqEgEn/s400/DSCN4173.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPw7dhi51GHMx9hW9_SBFVgLgKlbA7xXtxhpnjENMPuvMzvrtdtgwIWgaolIjvtNzvZzgpK989G72pNpcBcnHKS6svt5yqbQZuCIbHEzmJBpCI412IBepb9TzXIm4VTmiLUQGwVn0Co6H/s1600/DSCN4174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPw7dhi51GHMx9hW9_SBFVgLgKlbA7xXtxhpnjENMPuvMzvrtdtgwIWgaolIjvtNzvZzgpK989G72pNpcBcnHKS6svt5yqbQZuCIbHEzmJBpCI412IBepb9TzXIm4VTmiLUQGwVn0Co6H/s400/DSCN4174.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-27711024257483910042010-06-07T21:30:00.002-04:002010-06-07T21:36:17.812-04:00Blue Jays take two of three from Yankees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zuII7afW8EZWrCsRUesDBFSwjdAaIKjFeZL0WCSlEl3FGywPUXH5earbo-7atTy-jh0B0Urz9-Ce-EfYma3m5L02uq0AXhJGNwAy6cCNIyQ1U9MRbAmf7Aah2IKTdT3BEkF29Oa69Vq1/s1600/i.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zuII7afW8EZWrCsRUesDBFSwjdAaIKjFeZL0WCSlEl3FGywPUXH5earbo-7atTy-jh0B0Urz9-Ce-EfYma3m5L02uq0AXhJGNwAy6cCNIyQ1U9MRbAmf7Aah2IKTdT3BEkF29Oa69Vq1/s400/i.jpeg" width="277" /></a></div><b>Opponent: </b>Toronto Blue Jays<br />
<b>Location: </b>Rogers Center, Toronto, Canada<br />
<b>Yankees Overall Record: </b>35-22<br />
<b>Series LVP: </b>Mark Teixeira (see below)<br />
<b>Quote of the series: </b>comes from <b>Joe Girardi </b>on Mark Teixeira's struggles throughout the season.<br />
<blockquote>“I think sometimes when you see players of Tex’s caliber, you think it’s easy,” Girardi said. “It’s not easy. It’s tough, and you go through physical battles. You go through mental battles. There’s a lot of things you have to fight through. When a guy like Tex is where he’s at right now, we’re all a little bit surprised because we haven’t seen it, but it happens.”</blockquote>The trip to Toronto, the first series the two teams have played against each other all season, was rather unforgettable for the Bombers<br />
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On Friday, AJ Burnett had his first truly bad start of the season since the Boston series in early April. Burnett could not seem to get anyone out, allowing six runs in six innings. Compared to his last start in which he had zero walks, Burnett had four, which for him is still pretty remarkable. Unfortunately when his pitches missed, he paid severely. The majority of the runs that were given up were via home run. Toronto leads the league in home runs, so it was not that big of a surprise. As for the offense, the Yankees would have been better leaving their bats behind in New York. Rookie Brett Cecil held the Yankees to just one innings, which is pretty amazing considering the offense came off the dismal pitching staff of the Orioles. <br />
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Saturday's game, a 14-inning affair, came down to the battle of the bullpens between the two teams. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they wasted another phenomenal start by starting pitcher Andy Pettitte, denying him his eighth victory of the year. Pettitte pitched into the eighth inning once again and allowed just two runs. He struck out ten, which he hasn't done in many many years and lowered his earned run average to 2.47. The only offense of the day came via a Derek Jeter two-run home run. The Toronto pitching staff was able to keep the Yankees from scoring again, which wasn't too difficult, as New York could not seem to string together hits when men were on base. Chad Gaudin eventually gave up the winning run in the bottom of the 14th inning. <br />
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Sunday's game brought the Bomber's first win of the series while also allowing the offense to score more then two runs. Javier Vazquez finally got his record back to .500 by earning his fifth win of the season. Vazquez had one of his best games, going five innings and allowed only two runs, while striking out nine. Joba Chamberlain returned to his role of the MIA eighth inning relief man, and allowed one run in just a third of an inning. Manager Joe Girardi was thrown out in the eighth inning for arguing a third called strike call against right fielder Nick Swisher. In that same inning, second baseman Robinson Cano hit the go ahead two run single. The team was held scoreless before the eighth inning, when Brett Gardner scored on a wild pitch and Derek Jeter also hit a RBI double. Mariano Rivera earned his 14th save of the season.<br />
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So who was the biggest goat of the series? None other then Mark Teixeira, the first baseman who has not been able to hit anything this season. Teixeira had many opportunities to pick up his team throughout the series when there were runners on base but, like the majority of the season he couldn't come up with the big hit. Teixeira had one of his roughest games of the year on Saturday, by going 0-5 with five strikeouts. Girardi needs to seriously considering moving Teixeira out of the three-hole until he can find his swing. Seriously what is the point of having a hitter in the three hole strikeout every time before the clean up hitter, Alex Rodriguez can even make it up to the plate? <br />
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<b>Next Up: </b>The Yankees head to Baltimore for a three game series against the Orioles. I will personally be seeing Phil Hughes pitch against Kevin Millwood tomorrow!Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-86894398309067241202010-06-04T20:42:00.000-04:002010-06-04T20:42:37.931-04:00BREAKING NEWS: Eiland takes leave of absence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvF2WiXT0-1je4BmwDbLJN-DU0ZVwIsE3wzbXUxp77T2xuIOQIj6sarrvom3YRFCqYnUIgIDpkfBGHnZb-o_HedSYE6ymiu-IHariPKiaQ74ROWB7x2f5EbrQhqcCUffsAzw8ryuHTUcp/s1600/2507930636_71793acb5d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvF2WiXT0-1je4BmwDbLJN-DU0ZVwIsE3wzbXUxp77T2xuIOQIj6sarrvom3YRFCqYnUIgIDpkfBGHnZb-o_HedSYE6ymiu-IHariPKiaQ74ROWB7x2f5EbrQhqcCUffsAzw8ryuHTUcp/s320/2507930636_71793acb5d.jpg" /></a></div>Before tonight's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced that pitching coach Dave Eiland is taking an indefinite leave of absence. It is unknown why Eiland is taking the absence. Girardi was really broad and only gave the following information. <br />
<blockquote>“Dave Eiland took a personal leave of absence,” Girardi said. “He’ll be gone as long as he needs. That’s all I’m going to share.”</blockquote>This could be killer to the Yankee pitching staff who have one of the best in the league. Bullpen coach Mike Harkey will fill the void that Eiland is creating via his absence. <br />
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It is also unknown if Eiland traveled with the team to Canada.<br />
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Here's hoping for everything to be okay for Eiland and his family. We hope to see you out there soon Dave!Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-63471179903741068412010-06-04T12:42:00.000-04:002010-06-04T12:42:10.853-04:00Yankees sweep O's for second time this season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjna8v1QW0a5is4X3pDqLqqF8KTaQArU4G9BhOabuAMaqmRoTcZeKfL5YUfOenWt28NZHSZTu_BQcpJ_f8I13GqXVJba8SXbj3wk5Vf8AqobKs9wZ6ZmtqJfD7GB13dJmt4dUFWuzbarmlg/s1600/i.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjna8v1QW0a5is4X3pDqLqqF8KTaQArU4G9BhOabuAMaqmRoTcZeKfL5YUfOenWt28NZHSZTu_BQcpJ_f8I13GqXVJba8SXbj3wk5Vf8AqobKs9wZ6ZmtqJfD7GB13dJmt4dUFWuzbarmlg/s320/i.jpeg" /></a></div><b>Opponent: </b>Baltimore Orioles<br />
<b>Location: </b>Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY.<br />
<b>Yankees Overall Record: </b>34-20<br />
<b>Series MVP: </b>The Yankee offense who made the Baltimore pitching staff pay for their mistakes<br />
<b>Quotes of the series: </b>comes from <b>Nick Swisher </b>on Robinson Cano's inability to make an out.<br />
<blockquote>“I think we’re all just trying to keep pace with him,” Swisher said. “It’s been special to watch. Guys are looking at each other in the dugout saying, ‘Let’s see how hard he hits this one.’”</blockquote>The Yankees continued their dominance against the lowly Baltimore Orioles with their second consecutive sweep of the O's this season.<br />
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Tuesday night's game allowed Javier Vazquez to earn his second win in his last three starts. Vazquez took advantage of the dismal Orioles offense. He allowed just one run in seven innings, earning his fourth victory of the year. The offense was led by Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson. Cano and Jeter each had two hits a piece and Granderson hit his second home run since returning from the disabled list. The final score of the game was 3-1. The only down side to the game was an injury to Mark Teixeira, who had to leave the game after fouling a ball off of his foot. Although it was not serious because he was in the lineup for Wednesday's game.<br />
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Wednesday's game belonged to two Yankees who are having very special seasons; starting pitcher Phil Hughes and second baseman Cano. Hughes pitched seven very effective innings, allowing only one run while striking out seven. He lowered his earned run average to 2.54. With the way Hughes has pitched this season, he is the second best pitcher in the rotation right now, behind only Andy Pettitte. On the offensive side of the ball, Cano led the way with three hits, one of which a home run, his 12th of the year. Cano's average sits at an outstanding .372, which believe it or not is second in the league. Nick Swisher also had three hits while continuing to show he's improved his swing to get on base more. Last season he hit around .260 and now he's currently hitting .320, which would be a career high for Swisher. The Yankees won the game with a score of 9-1.<br />
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Thursday's game was played in the afternoon, as both teams had to leave town. CC Sabathia won for the first time in five starts allowing three runs over seven innings. He would have been able to go another inning if not for the unbearable humid temperatures. The offense was led by Alex Rodriguez and Brett Gardner who both hit home runs. Rodriguez, is now the all time active home run leader following the retirement of the Mariner's Ken Griffey Jr on Wednesday. Joba Chamberlain was able to hold the lead and turned the ball over to Mariano Rivera who earned his 12th save of the season.<br />
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<b>Next Up: </b>The Yankees head north to Toronto for a three game series. This will be the first time the two teams meet this season.Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-73959689756870414522010-06-03T14:00:00.008-04:002010-06-03T17:45:12.442-04:00Dear Mr. Commissioner<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To Mr. Alan H. "Bud" Selig, Commissioner of Baseball,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqN9HWsuEi2-MRP_u12VnTEm1BCtzWY_tjG48kytkB_icqshmSwcw9U12YveQx9Se0enr45qtgEfAjbXkebbsZts0ETX_joOdk_ZEfc9lmbH0D8JTiagheWhO9q7UWTb-_gJ0XQ8s8gXQp/s1600/bud-selig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqN9HWsuEi2-MRP_u12VnTEm1BCtzWY_tjG48kytkB_icqshmSwcw9U12YveQx9Se0enr45qtgEfAjbXkebbsZts0ETX_joOdk_ZEfc9lmbH0D8JTiagheWhO9q7UWTb-_gJ0XQ8s8gXQp/s320/bud-selig.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hey Bud. How are you doing? Fancy a chat about the current situation of the umpires in your league, Major League Baseball?</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">No Chat?</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How about some </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: line-through;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">criticism </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">or ways to improve the current situation.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First let's refresh your memory of everything that's happened regarding your umpires over the past month alone.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It all started in Chicago. The White Sox were playing the Cleveland Indians. Chicago Ace Mark Buehrle was called for a balk in the first inning, a feat that is rarely, if ever called on Buehrle. Who made that call?</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everybody's favorite umpire, Joe West. Now you may recall West's </span><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Umpire-Joe-West-Red-Sox-and-Yankees-a-disgrace?urn=mlb,232956"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">comments</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> at the beginning of the season about the Yankees-Red Sox, the two biggest revenue-generating teams in your leauge.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvDoWMUlnml6BcxvPuEh2-yNjlHv5BchkZhcjnS2hkKMMpSFTT__xtTVic7skRmVgJ27ihxvtvG6gy15BY3L_ndlWpeTkdL5iSRxogadfxOBHM1FouGm6kXuplWqwwZxBc7w4eJvyNF4a/s1600/610x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvDoWMUlnml6BcxvPuEh2-yNjlHv5BchkZhcjnS2hkKMMpSFTT__xtTVic7skRmVgJ27ihxvtvG6gy15BY3L_ndlWpeTkdL5iSRxogadfxOBHM1FouGm6kXuplWqwwZxBc7w4eJvyNF4a/s320/610x.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyways back to Chicago. Following the first balk, Ozzie Guillen, the White Sox manager came out to argue the call and was then tossed from the game, though not a shock to anyone.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Two innings later Buehrle was called for another balk. He then tossed his glove in disgust with West's call and was then tossed from the game. Funny thing is, Buehrle never actually committed a balk on either condition. Major League Baseball is supposedly "investigating" the incident. We still haven't heard what's going on with that situation.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The second major incident happened Memorial Day weekend in Texas. In a game between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals, another umpire committed a major blunder. Astros ace, Roy Oswalt was displeased with the way one of his pitches was called in the third inning. Oswalt felt he threw a strike but his pitch was called a ball. Oswalt then yelled something towards the first baseline.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Home plate umpire Bill Hohn asked him what he said. Oswalt replied "I aint talking to you". And then Hohn lost his cool and </span><a href="http://astros.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8551711"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">tossed</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Oswalt. No explanation was given to Oswalt's ejection. It almost seemed like Hohn was actually jealous of Oswalt's popularity and wanted a piece of the spotlight himself.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And finally we come to the BIGGEST blunder of them all.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We all know the story by now but here you go Selig, just so you can ponder how to "fix" the situation, although I don't know if that's possible.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODoEI52hkRw_lPSuecyn_SUrDDzhyphenhyphenfvbN0x5DBSixbn1VLWCDOKKSOvUmOHLNqXuwmievKQ30FH67AqBLYA9UJiNiUQGP9JBgKFlN0eZF7vKTCnjS71M-n054lE3Ks6cGIwlZQp5z0waO/s1600/a409fd13-94c3-44ab-83c2-093e127ac81a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-ZDvmd1H6seLyWUvFqiJFjRi6XcIvS5KAX43T_jQhyphenhyphendn1aS1cWAZ0ZlCfLwf24csIOeSu9iFNCp7WCw32Erc_CvK8Yk_gTLK9_OaYYoMRDoX0-tEX4w56Oc7hE-X8jWTfRn7knZoSJJO/s1600/a409fd13-94c3-44ab-83c2-093e127ac81a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-ZDvmd1H6seLyWUvFqiJFjRi6XcIvS5KAX43T_jQhyphenhyphendn1aS1cWAZ0ZlCfLwf24csIOeSu9iFNCp7WCw32Erc_CvK8Yk_gTLK9_OaYYoMRDoX0-tEX4w56Oc7hE-X8jWTfRn7knZoSJJO/s320/a409fd13-94c3-44ab-83c2-093e127ac81a.jpg" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tigers stater Armando Galarraga had a perfect game through 8 2/3 innings. He appeared to get the final out of the game on a ground ball to the hole between first and second. The throw clearly beat the runner, even to the naked eye.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Umpire Jim Joyce made a mistake which after the game he admitted to. The Tigers handled the situation with class and claimed Galarraga still had a perfect game in their eyes. Galarraga and manager Jim Leyland did not blame Joyce but still wishes the call went the other way. The only problem is in the record books he doesn't. Joyce later apologized to the Tigers. Here's what he said after the game.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #252525; line-height: 18px;"></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I just cost that kid a perfect game,'' Joyce said. "I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.''</span></div></blockquote></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"It was the biggest call of my career,'' said Joyce.</span></div></blockquote></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now Mr. Selig, you have one of the last biggest tasks of your career to take care of before you retire.</span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What to do with this situation? Many believe you should overturn the call and give Galarraga the perfect game. </span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The only problem with that is where does it stop? Will everyone get to appeal plays they know are wrong only after seeing instant replay? </span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's my solution to fix the situation we have brewing with the umpires.</span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First, find some new umpires. Many of the umpires that we have now in the league have been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Bring in new umpires. Fresh young eyes in the game could make a huge difference. </span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Plus this way we can get rid of the ones who like to complain like cowboy Joe West. </span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Second, regarding instant replay. Don't allow it! Keep it the way it is by only allowing it for home runs. Let's face it baseball games are already long enough, we don't need another 10 minutes added on to each reviewed call. One of the greatest things about baseball is it's an all or nothing call live on the field. If a mistake happens, the players have the ability to work around the calls on the field. </span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Finally, have a talk with the umpires and remind them that the fans pay to see the players on the field, not the umpires. Sometimes the umpires get a little to caught up in themselves (West and Hohn) and don't remember that people pay money to see people like Buehrle and Oswalt pitch. </span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So Bud you have a lot of work to do. Get to work and come up with a solution fast!</span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Courtney</span></span></i></span></div></div>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7030365973822046825.post-32422036154569881022010-06-02T10:58:00.001-04:002010-06-02T11:03:36.779-04:00Yankees take three of four from Indians<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzfr5IXk9HCRedaqPhJ4o3H9SG6PkHXF0c-zK6Ce28q0jQp5K_wxWSJd2XX2vLnNti4uWCjjjfRPl74n6o49dT72KlHPwpIaYvt_cdAFVbey24m6HNfLMGxOHe7kCzPu9xgy0af_jHdNG/s1600/2f15946b-763d-4d4c-bb33-02f1853ec02f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzfr5IXk9HCRedaqPhJ4o3H9SG6PkHXF0c-zK6Ce28q0jQp5K_wxWSJd2XX2vLnNti4uWCjjjfRPl74n6o49dT72KlHPwpIaYvt_cdAFVbey24m6HNfLMGxOHe7kCzPu9xgy0af_jHdNG/s320/2f15946b-763d-4d4c-bb33-02f1853ec02f.jpg" /></a></div><b>Opponent: </b>Cleveland Indians<br />
<b>Location: </b>Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY.<br />
<b>Yankees Overall Record: </b>31-20<br />
<b>Series MVP: </b>third baseman Alex Rodriguez<br />
<b>Honorable Mention: </b>Andy Pettitte<br />
<b>Quote of the Series: </b>comes from manager <b>Joe Girardi</b> on the team's overall performance in the month of May<br />
<blockquote>"Obviously you would've loved to have a better record in the month of May," Girardi said. "But 29 games in 31 days, some split doubleheaders, suspended games — we went through a lot. We went through some injuries. I thought our guys just kept going at it, and I'm proud of them for that."</blockquote>The Yankees returned home from Minnesota and got back to winning ways in the Bronx. The mediocre pitching staff of the Indians and the resurgence of the Yankees pitching staff was quite the dose of medicine the Bronx Bombers needed.<br />
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Friday's game allowed the Yankees offense to break out for the first time in a little more then a week. The offense scored eight runs in an 8-2 victory. Phil Hughes was once again masterful and allowed two earned runs, while lowering his earn-run average to 2.70, second to only Andy Pettitte. Hughes earned his sixth win of the season while striking out eight. Curtis Granderson returned from the disabled list and was in centerfield for the first time in over a month. To make room for Granderson on the roster, veteran Randy Winn was designated for assignment. <br />
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Saturday's game was rather unforgettable. CC Sabathia was a bit wild once again. Although he did have to sit through a lengthy delay in the third inning as Indians starter David Huff had to be attended to after taking a <a href="http://yankees.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8461705">liner</a> from Alex Rodriguez off of his head. Huff was sent to the hospital and was back by the eighth inning. But Sabathia gave up five runs in six innings. His ERA stands at 4.16, much higher then normal. The biggest culprit in Saturday's game though was reliever Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain allowed four runs in 1/3 of an inning. The Yankees lost Saturday's game with a final score of 13-10<br />
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In Sunday's game AJ Burnett pitched eight masterful innings allowing three runs, only one earned, and had eight strikeouts. Burnett's biggest strength of the day was he had no walks, which almost never happens. (This is the guy who pitched a no hitter and had around nine walks in the same game.) The offense broke out and scored seven runs. Mark Teixeira hit his eighth home run of the season. Mariano Rivera came in in the ninth to pick up another save on the season.<br />
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Finally, Monday's game belonged to two people. Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte. A rejuvenated Pettitte pitched seven innings and allowed only one run. Oh did I mention he's 38 years old? The fact that Pettitte has been around for 15 years and still manages to rake up wins and have the second lowest ERA in the league at 2.48 in amazing. Rodriguez hit his second grand slam of the season, and 20th all time after Mark Teixeira was intentionally walked in the seventh inning. Rodriguez hits virtually everything in site after Teixeira is intentionally walked before he goes up to bat. Hopefully opposing managers won't read those statistics. Derek Jeter also had two hits in the game in the Yankees 7-2 victory.<br />
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<b>Next Up: </b>The Yankees are in the middle of a three game set with the Baltimore Orioles. <br />
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</b>Courtney Lofgrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13831329782974266403noreply@blogger.com0