WHY THE YANKEES NEED THE HUNGER AGAIN

It’s the off-season early for the New York Yankees and all of us Yankee fans are walking around aimlessly with nothing to do. Yes, we could watch the postseason without the Yankees, and yes, I’ve told you numerous times that if baseball is on, I watch, no matter who’s playing.

But let’s face it, this is October and the Yankees aren’t playing, and I don't want to watch. I want to scream like Mark Wahlberg in the Other Guys, I cannot take it. Sometimes I feel like the more we try to do things right, the more we screw them up. The Yankees need that hunger back and the fans are craving it.

The Yankees looked like scrubs out there as I reflect on the ALDS, with the exception of Jorge Posada and Brett Gardner and even Derek Jeter to some extent. Where was the hunger? Where were the bats? I firmly believe that hot teams move forward and it all has to do with momentum. I don't necessarily believe great teams win it all. I think great teams need to be hot to win it all. The Yankees were great with 97 wins going into the ALDS, but they weren't great and hot, plain and simple. Now all we’re doing is sitting in front of our computers, looking at Twitter and bitching at each other.

I long for the days when Steinbrenner would put out a press release, thanking the Yankee fans for their support and apologizing for failing to win it all. Then, weeks later, we’d go out and find the top free agent out there and all would be well in Yankeeland again, we would forget, just for the moment, that we blew it.

Time is running out for some of our icons. Yes, Jorge Posada was close to possibly getting a 5^th ring, but we fell short. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are close to retirement; wouldn’t it be nice to get one for championship before they sail into the sunset? It would, for all of us.The pitching rotation will be a priority again this year, just like it is every year and while Cashman preached patience and picked up Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia and had lightening in a bottle, that charade won’t work this winter; fans get impatient, Yankee Brass gets impatient and I expect a big splash. Yes, Cashman needs to agree to a deal, but once that is done, CC Sabathia is next and then after what, who? I'm a fan of Mark Buehrle and I would love to get him, but who else? CJ Wilson? Matt Cain? Yu Darvish? Felix Hernandez?

Look, Felix is my top name after CC Sabathia. I’m not too big on “Pretty Boy” Wilson because I hate his pompous attitude. I’m also not sold on him. Matt Cain, yeah, he good, but we need him to be great. Yu Darvish…we’ve been through that Japanese pitching thing before. Felix Hernandez is the guy and if that means waiting until he’s a free agent, so be it; If it means being creative with you we unload for him, so be it. I have no desire to trade off someone like Jesus Montero for the King. After seeing him hit, it reminded me a hell of a lot like Miguel Cabrera. I can’t part with the guy.

Something needs to be done about Nick Swisher, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. Look, no doubt they are pissed that they didn’t deliver and they looked foolish in the ALDS, but let’s face it, they always do. 2009 is long gone, these guys get paid a fortune to perform, bottom line and October is the biggest show on earth, and they need to show up. They didn’t and it’s pathetic. If I’m the Yankees, I pick up Swisher’s option and I’m bringing in a bright young outfielder this spring and have him compete for Swisher’s job. Light a fire under Nick’s ass and let him know, no job is safe.

Alex is Alex and he’s owed a ton of money. You can’t eat his contract and you can’t trade him and the Yankees won’t, they want him to hit 700 and they want him the break the home run record in pinstripes... he’s not going anywhere. I also believe ARod wasn’t healthy and while nerves were a factor in the ALDS, he’s not better yet because of injury. Hopefully a long winter’s nap will heal this guy and in Spring 2012, he’ll be back.

Mark Teixeira seems to shrivel up at the wrong time...October. Not sure what happened to this guy. He’s a great hitter…when he hits, and I would never suggest we cut Tex lose for someone better, because; let’s face it, who’s better? Tex is one of the best defensive first basemen we’ve ever had; he just needs to get his swing tweaked by the King of Swing…Kevin Long. Maybe the pressure gets to Tex, who knows, but something‘s got to happen.

The Yankees hunger is gone while the hunger by the fans grows. We need something drastic, a shakeup… so we can stand up and say, “The Yankees put the best on the field and we will return to win it all.” Because, let’s face it, 1 championship in 11 years is not a dynasty, it’s average.

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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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ONE GAME AT A TIME

(Photo: AP)
The Yankee Stadium crowd was hushed today by Max Scherzer, doing his best Cy Young impersonation. Look, Scherzer is not an incredible pitcher, but for some reason, he has the Yankees number. You have to give him credit, he came into our house and took over. I watched today in frustration, but I didn't watch it real time believe it or not. Thank God for my DVR.

At 3 o'clock, I was at my kid's Little League game. There's a lot going on as you can tell. My son told me as we pulled up to the baseball field, "Today, I'm going with my Cano stance." He was clearly honoring Cano after last night's grand slam. I looked at him and said "Just be you." My guy was on his own mission today, he was fighting for more playing time next game as well as a shot at moving up in the batting order. To him, the playoffs and his personal challenge we're similar. You have to give him props, he's hungry.(Photo: AP)
Meanwhile, Freddy Garcia gave us a good pitching performance today and delivered what we needed him too. In 5.1 innings, he allowed 6 hits and 4 runs and struck out 6. Although, it started out rough, with a quick 2 run home run by Miguel Cabrera and by the bottom of the first inning, it was 2-0 Tigers. The only thing that would make that worse would be Max Scherzer man-handling the Yankees... and he did. The Yankees we no-hit for the majority of 6 innings. Scherzer left the game just giving up 2 hits.

Meanwhile, back at the Little League field I was constantly pacing, watching my son play and listen to the radio at the same time. I was a wreck. My boy creamed a liner down the first line in his first at bat, but right at the first baseman. 0 for 1. Then, he worked a walk and came around to score. The next time up, he singled on a softy dribbler...my man beat it out. Then, in his fourth time up today, a nice line drive over the head of the second baseman and into right center. 2 for 3 today and a smile as he stood base. Good. One stress is over, my kid did good today, but now the Yankees need to win.

As we came in the house, we turned on the TV. It was 4-0 Tigers and then Curtis Granderson came to the plate and crushed a homer run to make it 4-1. The Tigers got the run back making it 5-1 in the top of the ninth off of Luis Ayala. More on him in a moment.
In the bottom of the ninth, Nick Swisher came up to face a lethal Jose Valverde. Well, he wasn't that lethal to Swisher who crushed a solo shot to make it 5-2. Then Jorge Posada came up and he cranked a shot to center and Austin Jackson was lost. Posada got a triple. Next, Russell Martin worked a walk and Andruw Jones who was 3-7 lifetime against Valverde came up. He had a nice shot to right, but ran down by Don Kelly . Jones sacrificed Posada home. One out.

Derek Jeter came up. Russell Martin was on first. After Jeter had him chucking pitch after pitch, Jeter eventually struck out. 2 outs now and hope was dwindling. Curtis Granderson came too the plate and it was a huge moment. Martin is now on second base. Granderson hits a high pop up to the Tigers side in foul territory. Alex Avila slips on the Yankees on-deck circle logo trying to catch ball, but misses... how ironic. I thought for sure, that would be the turning point. Then... Granderson walked.The table was set for Robinson Cano. Men on first and second and Cano is up. The score was 5-3. The rain was now pouring in the Bronx and with an 0-2 count on Cano, a soft grounder to second... Game over... Tigers win. The ALDS Series is now tied at 1-1.

Now I mentioned Luis Ayala and I noticed the Twitter world is hammering Ayala. Yes, Ayala is giving up runs, but I think I understand Girardi's thinking. I think Joe wants to have the big guys fresh for the next 3 games and if Ayala can get some outs and not allow games to get too out of control, that's a good thing in Joe opinion. Look I don't know if that's what he's doing, and if it is, I don't agree, but I think that's what his thinking is. My thinking is, this is the playoffs, we need to shut down the competition. Look, I really don't think we're going to see Ayala much more this ALDS. I really think it's a strategy by Girardi. All I'm saying is don't panic yet.

Final Score: Tigers 5 - Yankees 3.

Tomorrow in Detroit is Game 3. It's being billed as the Matchup of the Century...CC Sabathia vs. Justin Verlander. Interesting stat for CC... As a Yankee, his record in Comerica Park is 0-3 6.00 ERA. Now, stats don't mean much because CC could come in tomorrow night shut down Detroit. The good news is, if for any reason CC can't hack it, the Yankees have a well rested bullpen in Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera.

Justin Verlander at home is 10-3 with a 2.37 ERA but with no day off, anything can happen. Don't forget, Verlander has never pitched on short rest, CC has. It's going to be a tough pitched game.

Yankees need to pull this off... and I know they can. Let's Go Yankees!

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2011 ALDS YANKEES VS. TIGERS GAME 2 PREVIEW

(Photo: AP)
Last night's resumption of Game 1 was awesome. Ivan Nova proved to everyone he can pitch on the big stage against a very good Detroit Tigers team, while Robinson Cano continues to become a great postseason hitter. Did you know, that in Cano's last 10 postseason games--three series--he's hit .375 (15/40) with five homers, and 12 RBI (six in last night's game)? He's been amazing, and he's really one of the best hitters and probably the best second baseman in all of baseball, and because of it the Yankees have a 1-0 lead in the best of five ALDS against the Tigers.

Anyway, the game this afternoon is huge. In a best of five--or seven--series, visiting teams like Detroit really aim to win one of the first two games in the series so they can go back home and win their home games and win the series. With that being said, it's very important that the Yankees get this one. Justin Verlander is going on Monday in Game 3, so the Yanks would love to have a 2-0 lead.The pitching matchup for Game 2 is Freddy Garcia (12-8, 3.62 ERA) for the Yanks, against Max Scherzer (15-9, 4.43 ERA) for the Tigers. Garcia has an 18-8 career record against Detroit with a 3.88 ERA while losing his only start against the Tigers on May 4 in Comerica Park while going 7 innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out a season high eight batters. Some guys who've had good success against Garcia in their careers are Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera, Alex Avila, and Delmon Young. Ordonez is hitting .327 (17-52) with a homer and six RBI while Cabrera is hitting .391 (9-23) with three homers and six RBI career against Garcia. Some hitters who don't fare quite as well against Garcia include, but aren't limited to, Victor Martinez, Austin Jackson, and Ryan Raburn. Martinez is a .233 hitter (7-30) while Jackson and Raburn each hit .222 (4-18) and .111 (1-9) against Garcia, respectively.(Photo: AP)
Max Scherzer is 3-0 in three starts with a 2.84 career ERA against the Yanks, while going five innings and allowing six runs in his first start of his season on April 3 at the Stadium, and pitching eight shutout innings while striking out eight Yankees at Comerica Park on May 4. It's tough to find too many players who've had good success in a big sample size against Scherzer, but Mark Teixeira is 3 for 10 with a solo homer and Curtis Granderson is 3 for 12 against Scherzer. After last night's 0 for 5 Alex Rodriguez probably won't enjoy seeing Scherzer because he's 0 for 8 in his career against him.
(Photo: Getty)
The other starters that include Russell Martin, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, and Brett Gardner have combined to hit .166 (10-60) against the Tiger right-hander in their career. It should be interesting how this one will turn out.

This would be a huge win for the Yankees if it can happen. Being up 2-0 and putting Detroit on the brink of elimination would be great.

Go YANKEES!!!




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY

Obviously, you know by now tonight's game was rained out. The game was tied 1-1 and the Yankees were to come up to bat in the bottom of the second inning. This game, according to Joe Torre, will be resumed tomorrow evening where the game left off.

First pitch of the new Game 1, will be tomorrow evening at 8:37pm ET. Both managers will go with their Game 2 starters. Ivan Nova vs. Doug Fister.

Then, Game 2 of the series is now scheduled to be played at 3:07 p.m. on Sunday, Freddy Garcia vs. Max Scherzer.

Game 3 would then be Monday... CC Sabathia vs. Justin Verlander.

One final thing, the rain is supposed to fall all day tomorrow. Tom Verducci just said that there was possible discussion that if it rains all day tomorrow, there could even be a double header on Sunday to get the games in. But we have to just take it one day at a time.

WTF.

By the way, my personal observation... TBS doesn't do baseball too well. during this whole mess tonight, I found myself longing for Craig Sager, at least I could chuckle at his outfits. My guess is he refused to have any rain get on his blazers so he bailed. That's a joke Mr. Sager... don't get upset.


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2011 ALDS: BYB YANKEES NOTES

Yankees against Verlander: Justin Verlander is 4-3 with a 3.97 ERA against the Yankees. The Bombers hottest hitters are Derek Jeter (.357 AVG/10 H). Jeter has also struck out 7 times against Verlander in 28 at bats. Jorge Posada (.333 AVG/7 H/5 RBI), Brett Gardner (.375 AVG) and Russell Martin (.400 AVG/2 H in 5 AB). Nick Swisher has 3 home runs against Verlander but is only batting .167 against him and has 19 strikeouts. Wow.

Nick Swisher: No one’s better than George King III and he had a piece in the New York Post about Swisher and his struggles in the postseason. Read it HERE. He writes that part of the problem, according to Kevin Long is Nick Swisher gets too amped up. Swisher says “I get jacked up and my emotions are high. That’s my fight, to control my emotions.” Since 2009, Swisher is batting 12-81 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs in 5 postseason series. In 2 ALDS, Swisher is batting .208.

Tigers against Sabathia: CC Sabathia is lifetime 15-12 pitcher against the Tigers. He carries a 4.54 ERA. The hottest Tigers hitters against Sabathia are Miguel Cabrera (.563 AVG/2 HR/11 RBI), Austin Jackson (.286 AVG/1 HR/2 RBI), and Magglio Ordonez (.268 AVG/3 HR/18 RBI).

Freddy Garcia: Freddy gets the nod for Game 3. Garcia is 6-2 in the postseason. When he was a member of the White Sox in 2005, he was 3-0. In my humble opinion, Freddy Garcia earned this spot in the ALDS.

Justin Verlander: The Yankees faced Verlander 2 times this season. Both times the Yankees were patient with him and made him throw a lot of pitches until he was knocked out of the game. Both times Verlander had a no decision against the Yankees. Patience will be key once again.

Alex Rodriguez: “The knee is ready to go,” is what Alex Rodriguez said. I’m not quite sure ARod will be has dominant as he was in 2009, and that could hurt a bit. In the 2009 postseason, Alex hit 6 homers and batted .365. If Alex can’t hack it and the knee is bothering him, I suspect Eric Chavez, a former Gold Glover would get the call at 3^rd.

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FREDDY GARCIA: REVIEWING OUR PROJECTIONS

FREDDY GARCIA

• Projected: 3 wins, 5.35 ERA, 12 starts

• 2011: 12 wins, 3.62 ERA, 25 starts
  

Well, well, well, didn't we botch this projection? Freddy Garcia was brought in to Yankee camp this spring to try to make one of the final two spots in the rotation this season. Although Garcia didn't pitch well in Spring Training, he was named one of the final two starters. This season Garcia's fastball velocity sat at 87.2 MPH while being used 36% of the time. He used his slider, and his split-fingered fastball 23.8% and 22.4% of the time, respectively. You can read all of his pitch types as well as his other Fangraphs stats HERE.

He proved time and time again that you don't need electric stuff to survive in the AL East. You can live on the corners and not in the middle of the plate to be effective. Joe Girardi gave Freddy the nod for Game 3, and we look forward to it.

Read other stories about Freddy here:

WHY FREDDY'S ON A MISSION

WHY FREDDY DESERVES A ROTATION SPOT

WHY FREDDY GARCIA IS THE YANKEES ROCK

WHY GARCIA SHOWED HEART



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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WHY GOD IS SMILING ON YANKEELAND

I feel like I'm getting Punk'd. I feel like I'm being watched, and I keep containing myself, not to get too giddy, like someone's about to jump out from behind a door in my house and point their finger at me and laugh hysterically. Then Ashton Kutcher will come out and tell me it's all a joke, that the Red Sox really aren't this bad. But the reality is... they are. Couple that with the Yankees just looking so good right now and it's the perfect recipe for Yankeeland.
David Ortiz said it best a few weeks ago and believe me, all of Red Sox Nation heard him and groaned. "Hell yeah, you've got to panic." To me, that's giving up. You never show your hand and never show doubt in your club publicly. That statement did both. Remember when I wrote WHY RUSSELL MARTIN HAS BALLS? That statement by Ortiz demonstrates no balls.
Today was a beautiful day in the Bronx. Seeing the number 61 on the field to honor Roger Maris, with no asterisk by the way, was awesome. I've always read about and appreciated Roger Maris for all he did in pinstripes and I'm so glad he's honored in the Bronx.

Let's start with AJ Burnett today. The guy looked good. They guy looked like he can handle another game and he looked like he's the "good" AJ right now. Although, I noticed a "look" while he was coming off the field today. It wasn't a look of a dominant pitcher. It was a look of a pitcher who was still uncertain with himself. A pitcher who clearly still has confidence issues. Look at it, tell me what you think:This was after the 4th inning.

2 stories today, the Yankees offense continues to be great and AJ Burnett. Burnett will give Girardi a headache I'm sure, now Joe must decide who follows Ivan Nova in the rotation; AJ Burnett, Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon.

Today Burnett went 7.2 innings, he allowed 5 hits and only 2 runs. He had 6 strikeouts and allowed 2 homers today. Ultimately, he did good. Enough to think maybe he'd be in the running for the 3rd man in the rotation in the ALDS. Personally though, if it came down to me deciding, I'm choosing Freddy Garcia because of his veteran grittiness and that Burnett picture doesn't excite me. That's my bottom line.Jorge Posada had his 14th homer today and 2 RBIs. I love Posada at DH from the left side and it's clear, Jesus Montero will be in against lefties, so that DH platoon seems to be working out nicely, wouldn't you say?

Derek Jeter was 3 for 4 today and is batting .300 Ladies and Gentlemen. I'm just saying. Oh Captain, my Captain...lead us.

One play stood out and spoke volumes today. There was nothing better than watching Carl Crawford miss a ball he should have caught off of Jeter's bat today. But this is what was really telling; As the ball bounced, he swatted at it and missed, and as the ball continued to the wall, he actually looked at his glove like someone put a hole in it. I'm not kidding. I had to take a picture of this play because it was laughable. This is a guy that has a monster contract and he can't do a thing right right now. So why is this play significant to me? Because Jeter came around to score on an Alex Rodriguez hit. Runs win ballgames.

David Robertson came in and closed out the game nicely. Houdini does it again. The future New York Yankees closer? I don't mean to sound like I'm pushing Mariano out, I'm not. I'm just saying, the future's exciting.

Final Score: Yankees 6 - Red Sox 2

Game 2 tonight, keep rolling Yankees!

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