Tino powers Yanks in slugfest

Tino rounds the bases again 

The Yankees won their 5th in a row Wednesday behind the offense of Tino Martinez. Tino homered in his 5th straight game. After a rough start for Carl Pavano, the Yanks bullpen shut down the Mariners offense which is a good sign.

The Yanks have off tomorrow as they head out to the west coast for 3 games vs. the A's and 3 games vs. the Mariners.

Unbelievable

Felix Rodriguez 
Yankees relief pitcher Felix Rodriguez will be making a trip to the DL. Rodriguez apparently tore his medial meniscus in his left knee GETTING OUT OF THE SHOWER!!! How does something like this happen?? Anyway, he will probably require surgery and as a result will be on the shelf 4-6 weeks. Infielder Russ Johnson was called up from AAA Columbus to take his spot on the roster. Let this be a warning to everyone, be careful getting in and out of the shower, you never know when you'll suffer a severe injury!

Giambi, Cashman, Torre meet

In a somewhat suprising turn of events Jason Giambi, GM Brian Cashman, and manager Joe Torre had a meeting to decide how to get Giambi back on track. It is speculated that Giambi may be asked to go to the minors to work things out. As a veteran player, he must concent to this move and go through waivers which won't be a problem because no team in their right mind would take him. I hope he does go down because he's really hurting the team right now. It would be best for everyone if he works on this elsewhere.

Giambi demoted? 

Tino the Bambino

wang 
Make it 4 in a row for the Yanks as they beat the Mariners 7-4 Tuesday night. Chien-Ming Wang threw an impressive 7.1 innings giving up just 4 hits and 3 runs making this the 4th game in a row the Yankees starting pitcher has gone at least 7 innings.

Tino on fire 
Yet again the Yanks offense was powered by the scorching hot Tino Martinez who had a double and a two-run home run. This makes 4 games in a row that Tino has homered in and 5 out of his last 6. Mariano Rivera closed the door again picking up his 5th save of the season.
The Yanks go for the sweep tomorrow at 1pm on ESPN as Carl Pavano takes on Jamie Moyer.

Sierra Soon

Ruben Sierra, the Yanks designated hitter who has been sidelined with a bicep injury, will begin hitting again Tuesday and could play in some minor league games by this weekend. If everything goes according to plan, Ruben and his bat could rejoin the Yanks next week in Seattle. With Giambi struggling immensely, Sierra would be a welcome addition to the lineup.

Wright on track

Jaret Wright, the Yanks new free agent pitcher who is on the DL with a shoulder injury, got some good news Monday: he will not require surgery. Even better he can begin rehabbing at the Yanks Tampa complex this week. We could certainly use him back!

Giambi struggling, still playing

For Jason Giambi, struggling is an understatement. The former All-Star and MVP is batting just .196 with 3HR and 6RBI. Despite this, Joe Torre is sticking with Giambi, partially because he doesn't have many other options with Bernie Williams and Ruben Sierra hurt, and partially because he still thinks Giambi has some good baseball left in him. I've been watching Jason at the plate all season and I have to disagree with Joe. It seems every at bat he either walks or strikes out. HE CAN'T HIT! and if he does hit he just grounds out into the shift because he can't seem to hit the ball to the opposite field. Basically, Giambi is a HUGE waste of money and virtually untradable. The Yanks either have to stick with him and hope he comes around or release him and eat a BIG salary.



Giambi 

3 In A Row

The Yankees won a great game Monday night, giving them their longest winning streak of the season at 3 games in a row. Randy Johnson pitched a solid 8 innings giving up just 3 runs. The Yankees were powered by the red hot Tino Martinez who homered for the 4th time in 5 games. Tied at 3 in the bottom of the 8th Rey Sanchez came through with a pinch hit single, was moved over to second by a Derek Jeter sacrifice bunt, and driven in by a Tony Womack single. With the score 4-3 Yankees, Mariano Rivera pitched a dominating 1-2-3 9th and picked up the save.


Womack 

The Yanks seem to be doing everything well the last three games and appear to be set for a nice run. However they are still 8 games behind the Orioles so this will take some time. The look to rookie Chien-Ming Wang to continue the streak tonight against Seattle's Aaron Sele.


Wang 

Shef hurt, but plays on

In the 5th inning of Sunday's game, Gary Sheffield suffered a mild high ankle sprain. On a fly ball hit by Oakland's Eric Chavez, Shef ranged to his right and at the last minute the wind took the ball back to his left. As Shef tried to adjust he slipped on the wet grass causing the ankle sprain. The good news, he still caught the ball and is not expected to miss any time. He'll be in the lineup as the Yanks take on the Mariners Monday night at the Stadium.

Shef 

Milestone for Torre

The win on Sunday was Joe Torre's 900th as Yankees manager. Congratulations Joe! Let's try and get to 1000 before the end of this season!
After the game Torre said,"With every win we're closer to convincing ourselves that we're starting to play the way we can."


Torre 

What can Brown do for you?

How does seven shutout innings sound? Well that's exactly what Kevin Brown did as the Yankees shutout the A's for the second day in a row 6-0. I was on hand to witness this great game. It finally seems like the Yankees are starting to play like the Yankees. This game had everything from great pitching to defense to hitting.
With no outs and the bases loaded for the A's in the second inning it appeared as though Brown would implode yet again. The shocker, he did just the opposite and got out of the inning unscaved. After an Arod homer in the 4th and a Matsui RBI single in the 5th the Yanks took a 2-0 lead to the 8th. The struggling Tom Gordon came in and dominated the A's hitters retiring the side in order with one strikeout in the process. In the bottom half of the inning Tino Martinez came up with two on and no outs. He got the green light on a 3-0 pitch and planted it in the right field seats. Jorge Posada, the very next batter, hit a bomb into the upper deck in right field. Finally, Tanyon Sturtze came on to pitch a scoreless 9th. YANKEES WIN! THAAAAA YANKEES WIN!!!
It's too early to say, but with two consective shutouts where almost everyone performed well, we may finally be getting out of this funk. And with the Big Unit on the hill tomorrow the Yanks look to push their win streak to a season high 3 games.


randy ready to go 

Big Stein suffers Big Upset at the Derby

Steinbrenner 
George Steinbrenner's Kentucky Derby favorite horse Bellamy Road was upset in a big way finishing 7th out of a field of 20. The big winner was longshot Giacomo who went off at 50-1 odds paying a cool $102.50 for a $2 bet.

Giacomo wins 
Giacomo was the second longest shot to win in the Derby's 131 year history (Donerail being the longest at 91-1 in 1913). In fact, out of the top six finishers, only the third place horse, Afleet Alex, was under 20-1. With the second place horse, Closing Argument, going off at 72-1, this made for enormous payouts and Derby records for several bets: an exacta bet paid $9,815, a trifecta bet paid $133,135, and a $2 superfecta bet paid an astronomical $1.7 million!!! Man do I wish I bet on this race, I always bet a few bucks on the long shots when I go to the track! All I know is that the Yankees better keep winning because Steinbrenner must be in a baaaaad mood.

Fina-freakin-ly

The Yankees finally won a game and this time in old Yankees dominating fashion. Mike Mussina looked like the pitcher of old tossing a complete game, 4 hit shutout over the A's. Hopefully this will be the game to jumpstart the otherwise lifeless Yanks. Joe Torre said after the game, "A well-pitched ballgame really changes the personality. There's less tension, no question."


Moose after his complete game shutout. 

Another good sign is that the Yanks offense scored five runs and was able to jump out to a lead early on an RBI double by Gary Sheffield. After the game Shef said,"Later on, hopefully, we'll find out this [game] jump-started our offense. We've had enough of the season to see what we're made of. Now, we've got to go out and play the way we're capable of."
Kevin Brown (0-4) will square off with Rich Harden (2-1) tomorrow at the stadium. I will be in attendance on what looks to be a crappy day weatherwise with 20+ MPH winds and no sun in sight. Hopefully the game won't be as bad.

The Boss speaks AGAIN

George Steinbrenner had some more comments for the Yankees and their coaching staff Friday in USA Today. With each loss he seems to be getting more and more impatient. You can't really blame him with over $200 million invested in a last place team with a 11-19 record thus far, but I hope he doesn't jump the gun and do something stupid.

Bronx Bummers

The Yankees lost their 4th game in a row on Friday night. I watched this game from start to finish and let me tell you, it was UGLY. It started out well as the Yanks actually had the lead, though that lasted only two innings. Following with the trend of this year, Carl Pavano gave the team a good pitching performance, but the Yanks bats were nowhere to be found.
Down 3-1 in the bottom of the 8th the team showed some signs of life. John Flaherty led off with a walk. After a fielders choice by Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter singled. Jorge Posada was sent in to pinch hit for Tony Womack and delivered with a one-run single. Jeter and Posada successfully stole third and second respectively. Next up Gary Sheffield grounded out to shortstop, but drove in the tying run in the process.
Here's were everything started to go wrong. With two outs and Arod up at the plate a wild pitch was thrown. The pitch got only about 10 feet away from the catcher, but for some reason Jorge Posada and his below average speed thought he could make it to third. Needless to say he was thrown out and killed the rally in the process.
After a scoreless 9th things went from bad to worse in the top of the 10th. The Yanks closer Mariano Rivera walked the first batter, struck out the second, and hit the third putting runners at 1st and 2nd with 1 out. The next batter hit a grounder to shortstop that Jeter couldn't handle, loading the bases. Next Scott Hatteburg hit a grounder to Tino Martinez at first who bobbled it then rushed a throw home despite having no chance of getting the runner. The throw was errant and allowed two runs to score without recording an out. Next, Arod made the third error of the inning on a grounder to third. After Rivera walked in the third run of the inning the Yanks finally retired the side. Needless to say this was very hard to watch. The Yanks of the past would have definately won this game, but this year it just seems they're flat with no confidence. Things need to change, and soon.

Tension Mounts

Joe Torre spoke with the media Friday and said there's no doubt the team is very tense right now. Everyone is trying to carry the team on their back. He added that on a scale of 1 to 10 the tension level is an 8. Hopefully everyone can relax and start playing like they should very soon.


tough times 

Horseplay

Bellamy Road 

Saturday afternoon is the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby. You may ask how does this relate to the Yankees. Well, owner George Steinbrenner has a horse, Bellamy Road, who just so happens to be the 5/2 favorite to win and starting in the 16th position. Should Steinbrenner's horse be upset many believe that the Yanks will take some of the heat, so here's hoping Bellamy wins.

In related news, a horse Joe Torre is part owner of, Sis City, was upset on Friday at the Kentucky Oaks. Sis City entered the race as the 3-5 favorite yet finished a disappointing 4th, beaten by 4 1/2 lengths.


sis city 

Bernie ok

Bernie Williams had an MRI on his right arm Friday. The results were a mild strain in his right tricep. He was in the lineup Friday night and should not miss any time.


bernie 

Funny Story

On a side note, a large shipment of Yankees caps that were supposed to be given out at the Stadium on Friday and Saturday was hijacked early Tuesday. Half the shipment however did make it to the stadium. They will be given out to fans while the remaining eligible fans will receive a voucher good for a cap in the future. In other news the Yankees hitting and pitching are still missing. Anyone who has any information on the whereabouts of either of these two necessary commodities please call 1-800-YDOWESUCK.

Brown shelled AGAIN...

Kevin Brown proves why he's an immense waste of money yet again as he was absolutely SHELLED in a 11-4 loss. Brown proceeded to give up 6 runs in the first inning putting the Yankees in a very deep hole early. His record now stands at 0-4 and he has lost his last 7 starts dating back to last year. With a huge salary of about $15million he is virtually untradable especially with this kind of performance.

Yanks shake up roster...

With such a poor start the Yankees have decided to shake up several spots on their roster.

1. The Yanks center fielder for the last 15 years, Bernie Williams, will be "given a rest", making him basically a bench/DH player.

2. Hideki Matsui will move from left field to center field.

3. Tony Womack will move from second base to left field.

4. Robinson Cano will be called up from the minors to play second base.

5. Randy Johnson will miss his next start with a slight tweak of his groin.

6. Lefty Sean Henn will be called up to take Johnson's spot in the rotation.

7. To make room on the roster reliever Steve Karsay will be designated for assignment basically ending his tenure with the Yankees.

As a big Yanks fan I was shocked to see so many changes so early, but if Torre thinks that this shakeup will get the team going I'm all for it.

Arod named co-AL player of the week

Arod 
Alex Rodriguez was named co-AL player of the week. From Monday April 25 to Sunday May 1 A-Rod hit .429, with 5 home runs, drove in 12 runs -- 10 of them in one game -- and had a slugging percentage of 1.190. The five home runs tied a Yankees record held by Lou Gherig for most home runs in a week at Yankee Stadium. Despite Arod's great week the Yankees won only two of the six games. Arod shared the honor with the Chicago White Sox pitcher Jon Garland.

D-Rays Domination continues...

It seems that the last few years the yanks have owned the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. So what better time to play them in a 4 game series then now? Well, the trend continued as the Yankees beat the Rays tonight 6-2 behind Mike Mussina. Moose pitched 7 innings giving up only 5 hits and two runs. The struggling Tom Gordon pitched a scoreless 8th and Rivera struck out the side in the 9th. Utility infielder Rey Sanchez broke the game open with a 2-run single in the 8th. Although nothing special, with a Red Sox and Orioles loss, its a step in the right direction. The Yankees now find themselves 6.5 games out of first place, but can hopefully build on this win.

Help on the way

Help is on the way for the Yanks. In the next week, assuming everything stays on schedule, the Yankees will be getting back two key players: Tanyon Sturtze and Ruben Sierra.

Tanyon Sturtze 
Sturtze before he got hurt was probably the Yankees most effective and consistent reliever of the season. With Tom Gordon struggling he could be a big help. Ruben Sierra will hopefully give the Yankees offense some much needed help as DH or a pinch hitter off the bench.

Modest Goal

With such a bad start and the team showing few signs of turning things around, Joe Torre has decided to set a modest goal for the team: get to .500. He added, "As a Yankees manager, that's not a very lofty goal. But that's the first stop. We can't worry about where we are; our goal is to get ourselves straightened out."


Joe Torre talking to Gary Sheffield 

First Losing April....

Sorry for the delay in posts, but nothing exciting was missed. The Yanks finished up April with a record of 10-14, making this year the first time they've had a losing record since 1991. I attended the games Friday night and Sunday afternoon, both of which turned out to be extremely disappointing losses. Friday night, Randy Johnson pitched a complete game making only one mistake, a two-run homer to Eric Hinske. However, one mistake was all it too since the Yanks only got 3 hits and failed to score a run and lost 2-0. Sunday was even worse. Carl Pavano left in the 6th inning with a 3-run lead, but the bullpen couldn't hang on as the Yanks lost 8-6. Manager Joe Torre referred to this game as "an ugly game; if not the worst of the year, darn close." General Manager Brian Cashman added "I thought (Sunday's) game was the worst one we had this year." I'm so glad I could be in attendance for this game. The Yanks are 2-5 in games I attended leaving me wondering, should I write a letter to them and ask for my money back???