WHY THE RED SOX JUST GOT WHACKED

Look, I’m not going to sit here and kick a team while they’re down…well, maybe I will, after all it’s the Red Sox and I am no fan. But I’ve noticed an increase in media sniping of the Sox the past 24 hours and I like it. Yes, a report late last month suggested that the Sox were eating chicken and drinking beer during the final games of the season…DURING THE GAMES. USA Today, among others keeps the story going with the "startling details". Read it HERE.

Then there were reports that Terry Francona couldn’t control his team (read HERE), then suggestions that he was fired, then that he left on his own. And what does Theo Epstein do? Well, one thing he didn’t do was stick around. It appears he's taking the next bus to Chi-town and suddenly, Beantown is crumbling.

Let me tell you... I would never normally write a piece about the Boston Red Sox EVER unless it was needed, and with all the buzz about Theo Epstein jumping a sinking ship, I just wanted to offer a few logical pieces of opinion. It’s probably the nicest back handed compliment you’ll ever read so mark down this moment.

Theo Epstein is a smart man and while he brought the tools he needed to try and bring the Sox their 3 championship in 11 years, he failed, that being said, it was clear his time was up. Let’s not forget, the Yankees won only 1 World Series in 11 years; the Red Sox won 2 with Theo as their GM. Let’s also not forget that he’s a lethal weapon in baseball. In fact, he and Brian Cashman are both in my opinion geniuses and let’s not beat around the bush, having the money to spend, well, that helps a lot too. Theo will do wonders for the Cubs and I can see him helping them win it all, I have no doubt. But it shocked me the way he just left the team behind, all the while showing face like he actually gave a crap about his Sox team. Then, suddenly, he disappeared.

All that said, I’m glad Theo’s gone. He’s good at his job and it hurts the Red Sox badly and helps the Yankees immensely.

Secondly, let me say what isn’t said enough…Terry Francona is the classiest baseball guy around and while I hate the Red Sox winning anything.... even a carnival game, Francona deserved his 2 championships (that kills me to say.) Francona is well respected and I found it terrible that things ended the way it did for him. That too though, at the end of the day, hurts the Red Sox and for that, I thank the baseball Gods. Right now, the Red Sox have nothing but a bunch of overplayed players and controversy surrounding beer drinking while games are being played. Losing clearly is for losers.

All this turmoil will help the Yankees in 2012 and beyond. The Yankees may have lost the playoffs in 2011, but the Sox didn’t even get there and let’s face it, no one likes a loser. If the Sox want to complete, they need a leader, someone who Theo and Terry were before they lost control of their team. Luckily for us, all the reports are positive about the Yankees and Cashman's love for each other and if we can keep Cash, the Yankees are in the drivers seat.

It may be October with no Yankee baseball, but be positive and look beyond. As long as the Yankees keep winning next season and as long as the Red Sox keep crumbling, things will look pretty damn bright, and you can’t argue with that. I like my chances right now. Are you listening Las Vegas? Next time don't make odds in March... remember, a Red Sox / Phillies World Series? Who are you kidding?

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WHY SABATHIA WILL TEST THE MARKET

"I love it here. There's nothing like pitching in pinstripes. There's nothing like pitching in front of the fans in the Bronx. I've had a great experience.”

–CC Sabathia

CC Sabathia would be a fool to tell the world he’s coming back to the New York Yankees a few days after losing the ALDS and actually do it right on the spot. Why would you expect him to just rush into Cashman’s office and sign a contract? He has an opt-out clause, right? He has that opt-out clause for 1 good reason, so he can exercise it. That’s what players do.

It’s exciting to know that our big ace loves New York and yes, we can hang on every word but we need to sit back and let things unfold. The ALDS just ended, and the Yankees season is complete. Players are taking a few things from their lockers at the stadium the next few days and then they’ll go home, watch some football, enjoy the family and then the agent and CC will chat. No doubt, they will conclude that testing the market is the best way to go, why not? This is a 19 game winner and for the past 3 years he been a true Yankee ace... plus he has 1 World Series ring. So, they’ll see what’s out there and who has money to spend, and this in turn, will drive the price up for the Yankees and ultimately, at least in my heart, CC will come back and the Yankees will spend more than they wanted to have CC back with the ball club. Expect that to happen at the end of the winter sometime, I say, right before Christmas. Yes. CC will be back with the Yankees, but it's going to take a few months. Let’s face it, there’s no one else out there and the Yankees know it. I mean, CJ Wilson is not Sabathia... you know what I mean?

All will be great in Yankeeland again, but I’m positive weight will be an issue in CC's contract this time around as well as some type of agreement that CC needs to be treated with respect, meaning, no more 6-man rotation bullshit if it means sacrificing his starts to “try out” starters for rotation spots. I believe both factors affected CC down the stretch in 2011 and if his agent was smart, which I know he is, this will be a valid point for his client. Yes, the Yankees could do the 6-man rotation thing, but CC pitches on his regular rest, no matter what. Respect the man that brought the Yankees 59 wins in 3 years.

Look, my gut tells me CC Sabathia will be back in pinstripes, no doubt, but he’s got to go through the opt-out routine, that’s just the way it is.

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WHY THE 2012 YANKEES WILL LOOK DIFFERENT: PART 1

Should he stay or should he go? That is the question. Here is one man’s bitter opinion:
Brian Cashman: 13 Playoff appearances, 11 Division winners, 6 AL Pennants, 4 World Titles in 14 years. Well, you can’t argue with success. Cash seems to do well under the New York pressure and even though the checkbook is huge it's often the cheaper, less publicized
moves that pay off. Cash stays as long as he’s willing to master the circus.

Joe Girardi: The Yanks are 384-264 with 1 World Title in Girardi’s 4 seasons at the helm. Joe has done a decent job but there are times where he seems to over-manage. He seems to rely more on his binder and less on the flow of the game; which is strange for a former catcher. Girardi has shown he can handle the New York media but I wonder who is handling the egos in the clubhouse. Maybe it's time for a change…Luis Ayala: 2-2, 2.09 ERA in 52 games. Ayala was wasn’t too bad. He’s serviceable out of the bullpen; a place where good pitching is hard to come by. My gut was to let him go, it seemed like runners were always scoring on him, but after analyzing the numbers he fared quite well
with runners in scoring position. I have little doubt but to bring him back.

AJ Burnett: 11-11, 5.15 ERA, 173 Ks in 33 games. Do I really need to say it? As inconsistent as he was this year, it was actually an improvement over 2010. He’s the victim of his own mind. He can throw good stuff when he wants. It's all mental for this guy. Maybe the pressure is too much. He’s signed through 2013 so it doesn’t matter that I’d dump him quicker than it takes to say AJ.
(Photo: Getty)
Joba Chamberlain: 2-0, 2.83 ERA in 27 games. He was just starting to get it together before he got hurt. Clearly the Joba rules messed this kid up. I say trade him while he still get some value. He’s probably only worth a few prospects, but maybe he could have the same success
as his buddy Ian Kennedy is having elsewhere.

Bartolo Colon: 8-10, 4.00 ERA, 135 Ks in 29 games. At 38, Bartolo pitched better than anyone would have expected, and I thank him for his service and everything he did for the Yanks this year, but if the last 2 months are any indication, I wonder if there’s any gas left in the tank or is it time to head off to the scrap yard.Pedro Feliciano: He lost the entire season to injury. He’s signed for 2012 with a team option for 2013. Right now there’s no guarantee he’ll throw next year either. Looks like Hal will be eating this $8 million.

Freddy Garcia: 12-8, 3.62 ERA, 96 Ks in 26 games. Another guy with zero expectations but delivered mightily. While he is less overpowering than he used to be, he knows how to pitch and still be effective. The Yanks would be crazy not to give him another chance. He was quite the bargain at $1.5 million. Maybe he gets a bump next year!

Phil Hughes: 5-5, 5.79 ERA, 47 Ks in 17 games. While 2011 was another year of highs, lows, and injury; Hughes may not be the starter the Yanks thought he’d be. But as he showed late in the season he might be a bullpen threat. Casey even wrote about it with WHY THE PEN IS WHERE HUGHES BELONGS. I say trade him while he still has some value or
keep him and leave him in the pen.

Boone Logan: 5-3, 3.46 ERA in 64 games. I’m sorry but to be the only lefty in the bullpen you need to be a little more dominating. He gave up more hits than innings pitched and lefties had an OPS of .789. That’s way too high for the only lefty in the bullpen. There’s got to
be something better out there.
Damaso Marte: Marte is 2-6 with a 6.02 ERA in the 4 years he’s been here. He continues to be hampered by the injury bug, there’s nothing that says he’ll ever get back and be effective. The team holds an option for 2012 which should be declined without question.

Sergio Mitre: 11.81 ERA in 4 games. Why did he come back? And what is Girardi’s love affair with this guy. I wouldn’t even trust him to pitch peanuts in the stands. Get rid of him...now.

Hector Noesi: 2-2, 4.47 ERA in 30 games. I see a lot of promise in this guy. Over the last 2 seasons he’s been quite effective at Trenton and Scranton. Even at the major league level he had glimpses of effectiveness. If given the chance he could turn out to be a great # 2
or #3 starter in the rotation.

Ivan Nova: 16-4, 3.70 ERA, 98 Ks in 28 games. What a future this kid will have if he keeps this up. He definitely stepped it up this year. He was a big reason why the Yanks won the division this year. Nova was 12-0 in 16 starts from June 10th on. It's clear this kid will be here
for years to come.
Mariano Rivera: 1-2, 1.91 ERA, 44 Saves. He’s 41 and still doing it with just one pitch. The greatest closer ever can stay as long as he wants.

David Robertson: 4-0, 1.08 ERA, 100 Ks in 70 games. How many times did he come in with a runner on 3rd and nobody out and got out of it without giving up a run? He is the bonafide setup guy to Mariano and the heir-apparent for the closer role.CC Sabathia: 19-8, 3.00 ERA, 230 Ks in 33 starts. CC is the ace of this staff and was a workhorse. Maybe he tired during the stretch which led to his less than stellar performance in the playoffs. He’s owed $92 mil over the next 4 years but can opt-out now. After the
A-Rod drama from a few years back, I fully believe CC is opting out. The big question is, then what? I’m thinking with few viable #1 starter options out there, the Yanks will pay and pay big for Sabathia to come back.

Rafael Soriano: 2-3, 4.12 ERA in 42 games. I never liked this signing. Soriano is selfish and does not seem to be happy in the setup role. Bruised egos are a clubhouse cancer. He’s signed through 2013, but has an opt-out clause and I sure hope he uses it.
(Photo: Getty)
Cory Wade: 6-1, 2.04 ERA in 40 games. Wade signed with the Yanks midway through the season after being released by the Rays AAA team. He joined the bullpen and was an instant success. Hopefully Girardi didn’t overuse him and his arm holds up next year and he can become a cornerstone of the Yanks pen.

More is coming... look for Part 2 soon.

-- Lem Allen, BYB Freelance Writer
bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com




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WHY THE YANKEES WILL RISE AGAIN

I woke up early today. I went to be around 2am this morning but I couldn’t sleep and woke up at 5. I decided to go into work early this morning. While I traveled, I kept thinking about everything that could have been done differently in Game 5. The reality is, everything was done right, except of course the timely hit that would have propelled us into the ALCS.

I’m mad at the Yankees right now. I’m not sure why, I understand baseball. John Sterling says it all the time, “It’s baseball Suzyn, you can’t predict it.” Bottom line, last night’s game was ours for the taking and we didn’t take it. But, like a real Yankee fan, I did what I was supposed to do this morning; I threw on my Yankee jacket and walked out the door to go to work. After all, I’m a Yankee fan, I’m a true Yankee fan and I’m not going to NOT wear my jacket because they lost. I’m not ashamed, I’m just disappointed. My family was asleep when I left and I knew that when my son found out this morning, he'd be crushed. I put his 2011 Topps Yankee set back on his nightstand with a note "It didn't work this time, we'll try again next April," I wrote. He gave it to me to put next to the television last night for as he put it "Good luck for the Yankees." Man, I'm superstitious, but it must be rubbing off. He’ll be disappointed and I get that.

I received a text from a good buddy of mine this morning. He’s a huge Tigers fan. He wrote “Tough one.” Yeah, it was. The dude wasn’t rubbing it in. We have a mutual respect for each other’s teams. He could have razzed me, he could have told me the Tigers were much better. He didn’t. He understands defeat, so while he was just texting me as one baseball guy to another, it stung, but with win comes loss. I get it. That’s not even a baseball thing, it’s a life thing.

My iPod this morning had a song called Goodnight, Goodnight by Maroon 5. While the song itself has nothing to do with the New York Yankees, I just found it ironic and the first set of lyrics I heard hit home to how I was feeling:

“I licked my wounds but I can’t see them getting better. Something's got to change... it cannot stay the same.”

Change is needed and we'll be hearing about it soon enough. We can try and blast Joe Girardi but personally, I don't think you can. You definitely can’t blame AJ Burnett this time Ladies and Gentlemen, he was the best pitcher for the Yankees ironically… 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in this ALDS. You can’t blame Granderson, Cano, Jeter, Gardner… and you can't blame the bullpen, no. What about our hero this ALDS... Jorge Posada? Nope, they were all terrific.

I know... when we lose, we’re always looking to blame someone. You want to blame Ivan Nova for being hurt? You can’t. How about CC Sabathia for giving up the 3^rd run? Personally, I wouldn't.

Blame the Yankees for not having the timely hit. That’s it. Blast Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher for being the heart of the lineup and giving us absolutely nothing, but then, may I suggest, you don't blame them either... instead, let's just move on. Bitching about those guys won’t change anything. Season’s over. Steinbrenner said it best: "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing."

Take a minute and applaud Brian Cashman. After all, every move he made this season turned to gold. We fell in love with Russell Martin... the Freddy Garcia & Bartolo Colon combination was amazing. How about Nova, huh? Remember when he almost went to the Mariners last season? We had 97 wins… the best record in the American League, that’s a great run.

We have nothing to be ashamed of... being disappointed is another story, but one thing you can't do is hide the interlocking N-Y. Don't NOT wear the Yankee cap like you're punishing the Yankees. Instead, embrace it. I wore my gear proud today. I was looking for someone to say something. I wanted to engage. I wanted to get it off my chest and move on. Yes, we're the Yankees and we blew it, but we rise above it. Bottom line... we lost, we didn't die. It could be worse... we could be Red Sox fans.

So yeah, as I was writing this, ironically another close pal just sent me a a text. He knows I’m a gigantic Yankees fan. He wrote “Sorry about your Yankees. You’re the biggest fan I know and I know you’ll rise above it. They’ll be back.”

Damn. It is crazy how things happen. I believe in my New York Yankees, no matter what and he’s right, we will be back, it’s the Yankee way. So, take a day or 2 and forget about the loss, but don't be ashamed of our New York Yankees...EVER. After all, we had a great run... all of us... together in Yankeeland.

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WHY IT'S "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHT THESE EYES HAVE EVER SEEN!"

The Yankees in the playoffs! I stole that line from Ned Beatty who played the role of Rudy Ruettiger’s father in the film Rudy, a film that still makes me cry like a little bitch. I like that line because while it’s simple, yet says so much.

Emotionally, I watched the mountain the Yankees had to climb this year and when you looked at that opening day Pitching rotation, there is no way in hell that you believed that the New York Yankees would win the American League Eastern division. But’s exactly what's happened.

Seeing Jesus Montero and Eduardo Nunez pouring champagne on Robinson Cano is truly extraordinary. Seeing Curtis Granderson and Rafael Soriano smiling ear to ear actually makes me really happy. And thinking about Brian Cashman’s patience rule come into play, it’s almost like he was Biff, using the Delorean to get the Sports Almanac and bringing it back with all the solutions to bring the Yankees yet another postseason berth.

Admit it, you believed in your Yankees, but did you REALLY BELIEVE when Phil Hughes went down and Bartolo Colon suddenly filled the void? Did you believe that Curtis Granderson was going to have a season for the ages? Did you truly believe that DRob would emerge as the greatest 8^th inning guy you’ve ever seen? Yankee fans believe in their team, but you just never know how 25 individuals will come together. When AJ Burnett started falling apart, the bullpen and offense lifted him up. When Rafael Soriano lost his 8^th inning job, he accepted anything to help his team win, and checked his attitude at the door. And when Jorge Posada was called upon to pinch hit, he never complained and he delivered.

These are my New York Yankees. And while they are terrific this season, you have to also give some created to Joe Girardi. Yes, sometimes the Girardi binder pokes in it’s head and tries to lead Joe, but Joe’s less dependant lately, and he’s developed into a pretty damn good manager I’d say. Maybe Manager of the Year and I’m impressed.

One things for sure though, it’s not over. Not only do we need to keep winning, we’ve achieved 2 goals but we need to achieve 3 more:

WINNING THE ALDS: A short series win is more important now because it tests our pitching. We’ve seen the Yankees win plenty of Series’ this season and I’ve always preached that winning every series will get the Yanks to the playoffs, but now we’re going and it starts all over. We need to strike early and often and never lose the focus. We need to play hard until the end of the season and keep momentum going into the playoffs.

WINNING THE ALCS: A slightly longer series but important just the same. The prize is winning the World Series but you can’t do that until you win the ALCS. I believe that when we get through the ALDS, winning the ALCS will happen, again it's momentum. That’s the key.

WINNING THE WORLD SERIES: You can’t go to the World Series and lose. We’ve experienced that before and it sucks. The Marlins... the Diamondbacks... those losses still sting. We’ve learned our lesson. The World Series is a must win, and winning it all in our house is always better.

Yes, when the Yankees clinched and Soriano locked it down, followed by the Yankees having alittle celebration, it was in fact "The most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen." But let’s be honest, it's bigger than that now, seeing them in the playoffs is, and then going further will be as well. I want to have more of that. We’re almost there.

As Jeet says “One game at a time, one game at the time.”

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THE CASHMAN QUESTION

Since Brian Cashman has been with the New York Yankees, there have been some pretty significant developments. The Yankees have won championships with some great pickups and have also fell short with some real flops in players like Carl Pavano. We’ve praised Cashman when things go well, but just as fast, we’re ready to turn on the guy as soon as we get a loss. One thing Cashman has never done though is second guess himself. In fact, when the promotion of Jesus Montero happened, did you notice how fast the media went into full effect giving Cashman credit for not trading off Montero, Ivan Nova and Eduardo Nunez to Seattle for Cliff Lee at the 2010 trade deadline? Read HERE.

Brian Cashman doesn’t have a contract for 2012 Ladies and Gentlemen. While we haven’t won the World Series yet, we’ve won the AL Eastern Division and Cashman deserves credit. Patience was his word of the winter and spring and bringing in players like Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia and Russell Martin have proved genius. Larry Rothschild on the pitching beat was clearly a better selection than Dave Eiland too. Bob Klapisch has a stat I didn’t know. Since Rothschild has come over, there is a significant difference in ERA. “…the Yankees went from seventh to third in the American League in ERA, dropping from 4.06 to 3.66 entering Thursday.”

But let’s go deeper into something that has proven significant this season. Carl Crawford. Crawford has done absolutely bunk with the Red Sox this year and he’s getting paid a boat load of money. No one could have expected Crawford to perform this way, but remember the winter and remember how arrogant Carl Crawford was about the Yankees not signing him. Read WHY GARDNER TRUMPS CRAWFORD from February. I like Brett Gardner instead of Crawford. Bottom line, Cashman won that battle, he stuck to his guns and he didn’t cave. Yes, the Yankees have a lot of money and the Yankees can sign anyone they want. But the Yankees didn’t sign Crawford. We dodged a bullet. And in a story that came out today Cashman admits he faked wanting to sign Carl Crawford so the Red Sox would pay more. Genius. Read HERE. Cashman says:

"I actually had dinner with the agent to pretend that we were actually involved and drive the price up... The outfield wasn't an area of need, but everybody kept writing Crawford, Crawford, Crawford, Crawford. And I was like, 'I feel like we've got Carl Crawford in Brett Gardner, except he costs more than $100 million less, with less experience.' "

I love that.

How about giving Ivan Nova a shot this season. Nova’s provided surprising stability this year in the Yankees rotation. He’s matured and him being given a chance stems back to Cashman’s belief that Nova could improve. He has, and that goes back to Patience.

The point is, you can say what you want about Cashman, but some of the moves he’s made this year are dead on and he needs to come back to the New York Yankees. We need to offer him a contract, bottom line. He’s contributed to 5 championships by getting talent we needed to win. In this re-emergence of Moneyball, Cashman does it his way… Brianball.

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WHY CASHMAN'S PATIENCE WILL PROVE VICTORIOUS

You can sit there and tell me that the Yankees are inching closer to the playoffs and it has nothing to do with Brian Cashman, it has to do with talent. I’ll tell you you’re half wrong. Of course talent is part of it, but let’s be perfectly honest; the New York Yankees had some opportunities to upgrade both in the off-season and in by the trade deadline and Brian Cashman kept saying 1 word... Patience. I was getting crazy this past winter and I just couldn’t understand why the mighty Yankees weren’t living up to their world famous spend rep and just pulling the trigger on any and everything we could get our hands on. Cashman worked the phones slowly, kept calm and picked up a few broken down pitchers for cheap. While it was unusual, you had to trust the inner workings of Brian Cashman’s brain. Not only was he refusing to part with youngsters like Jesus Montero and Austin Romine, he had faith in guys like Ivan Nova and Eduardo Nunez.

Let’s face it, the season started and when Phil Hughes went down with “dead arm”, all of Yankeeland was screaming that we should have "done something" and we blew it. Cashman never blinked. He stood with his arms crossed like Miyagi at the end of the Karate Kid and smiled. He knew what to do. He didn’t cave and he didn’t panic. He threw a washed up pitcher named Bartolo Colon in to fill the hole and that paid off beautifully. We rode that through to July 30^th and when Colon started breaking down, we went to a 6 man rotation to figure it all out. While I never ever like making rotation decisions this late into the season, what the hell do I know?

We all wanted Jesus Montero up after the season started, but as the season went on, Montero started slowly at Scranton. Some suggested maybe he wasn’t the player we thought he was, others thought trading him at the deadline for pitching was a good idea, me included by the way. Again, what the hell do I know? But Brian Cashman didn’t budge. He had confidence in his guys, nothing was going to change. So we stayed the course.

Eduardo Nunez filed in for Derek Jeter while Jeet was out and while his bat was terrific, his fielding may have been the worst I’ve ever seen. Yet, Cashman stuck with the kid. Overtime, he’s improved a bit and is constantly involved in the team's operations.

The point is Brian Cashman has made some pretty smart decisions this season. Look, you may not like him but he knows his Yankees and he gives a shit. He never lost focus; he never gave up and at the end of the day, that’s something you really have to respect. The Yankees are in first place right now. The Rays are closing in on the Red Sox for the Wild Card.

What would be a better day for me is if on the last day of the season, and the Yankees had won the division and the Rays got the Wild Card. Then, all of Vegas could get into a tizzy, the odds from April don’t mean bunk. Then you'd see Brian Cashman...the mighty Brian Cashman looking out on the field as the Yankees start yet another playoff run. He'd be smiling with his arms crossed, like Miyagi at the end of the Karate Kid, and God Damn it, his look will say it all… Patience.

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THE MARTE & FELICIANO COMEDY HOUR

This amazes and it should you too. Not that I really thought it was possible that Pedro Feliciano or Damaso Marte would return this season, but I had a glimmer of hope, but I just may need to give it up. Read about it HERE.

I recently wrote THE EXTRA LEFTY THE YANKEES NEVER HAD and in it, I described how there were several opportunities out there to gather a lefty and we even had one for a moment in Aaron Laffey and then he disappeared after 1 appearance in pinstripes. Sad, I even remember a feature in which he was interviewed saying how it was a dream come true. Read it HERE.

That being said, I also wrote about how Feliciano and Marte were going to pitch in a Gulf League game on their road back. One problem. Both experienced soreness. Trust me; these characters will not be back this season. It’s the school of Carl Pavano. I’m not saying they’re faking it, I’m saying the signings are ridiculous.

So what’s next? Luckily, we have a few options. Manny Banuelos is in the minors and while young, he’s a definite option. Cashman has stated that he doesn’t want to bring the kid up, but there’s nothing wrong with having an extra lefty in the pen, especially if we are making a run for the playoffs.

There is also that thing called a waivers deadline. Cashman is already doing it, and by doing it, I mean scoping out which lefty pitchers are out there that teams placed on waivers. Believe me, if there is an option, Cashman will do it, but I know he won’t force it. Why? Because he already forced it with Feliciano and Marte and he’s paying for it.

Look, the Yankees are winning, that is a good thing, but we’re stumbling through some days and all I’m saying is, a little extra help can’t hurt, that’s all.

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WHY BASEBALL NEVER STOPS

Hurricane, Smurricane, let's play ball.

It's bizarre how the East coast was, bracing for the end of the world. If you went into any food store on Saturday, it looked like this.

That's what's left of the vegetables. All over the news, it was crazy, telling us to leave town, and businesses are shutting down and make sure you have batteries. Yes, I appreciate all the important information, but each one fed off each other and by the time it reached Saturday at 12pm in the Tri-State area, it was practically reported as Armageddon. It reminded me of this terrific Walt Disney Cartoon I watched as a kid:







But the reality is, it was a bad storm and by the time it hit the Tri-State area, it gave us a shit load of rain, that entered my basement around 6am this morning and then... stopped. Yes, it is sad to report that there was some tragedy and is definitely major flooding, but the reality is, if you took steps to keep your family safe, flooding that's in my house is minor. My rug can be replaced, my kid can't.



As I kissed everyone goodnight last night, I had 1 weird thought in the back of my mind; would the Yankees play? Is it really that important? Now, as I look out my window, I realize, it's over, and while destructive, life continues... baseball continues... the Yankees quest for 28... continues.



So, the Yankees day night double header hopefully happens today and the first game set to start at 1:35 p.m., is still scheduled to be played as planned.

The match ups today are most likely Bartolo Colon vs. Zach Britton. The Yanks were going to have Nova, but now he's pitching game 2.

The night game matches Ivan Nova vs. Brian Matusz.

An interesting nugget from Mark Hale of the New York Post says the Yankees are furious with the way Major League Baseball handled the rescheduling of yesterday's games. Apparently one of the games from yesterday we rescheduled for September 8th. WTF. Read the story HERE. Hale writes:

"Brian Cashman said his team was left out of the rescheduling arrangements for one of the two games postponed yesterday, which is now scheduled to be played Sept. 8. But the Orioles insist they've done nothing wrong and maintain both Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association approved the Sept. 8 date."

I get it. The Yankees should be pissed, a night game and then they need to travel to play first place Boston. You want to be rested when you play those guys, not worn out. It sucks...whatever though, it's BS but we'll have to deal with it. Game on.



So listen, if you're going to the game today in Baltimore, have fun. Remember, the worst is behind us. Now that we know that everyone is safe, it's play ball, and thank the good Lord for that.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WE'RE HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

Hurricane Irene has hit and BYB Headquarters is temporarily closed. As part of our vow to you, we will get back to work as soon as we can, but of course, family comes first. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite posts on Bleeding Yankee Blue...enjoy:



EXCLUSIVE: WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT PHIL RIZZUTO



WHY MANTLE & MARIS ARE STILL INTRIGUING TODAY



WHAT CASHMAN WAS REALLY SAYING



WHY I SMELL A TREND



EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: KIMBERLY JONES



WHY GOD MADE YOGI A YANKEE



WHAT GARDNER TRUMPS CRAWFORD



WHY IT'S MONTERO'S TURN



WHY JETER IS EPIC FOR 1 GOOD REASON



QUEST FOR TURKEY LEGS!



2000's MOST EXCITING PLAYER: CANO OR SORIANO?



WHY IT'S JUST BASEBALL SUZYN



WHY THE 2011 AL MVP PLAYS IN THE BRONX



WHY G.G.S. IS A.O.K



EXCLUSIVE INTERVEW: HIGH SOCKS FOR HOPE



Back soon.



Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.