Archive for the ‘Blog Entries’ Category

The Yankees had a 9 game homestand where I feel that they needed to win at least 6. Did they do that? NO. But they did manage to get swept by the Tiger, then they swept the Mariners and then they lost 2 of 3 to the Cleveland Indians. This trend has to stop if the Yankees want to make it to the post season. I know the pitching is starting to come around but they have to continue to be consistent. I am not so much worried about the offense because when A-ROD and Jorge Posada are back then the offense will be complete. I think our key is pitching because as long as the offense does their part then the pitching staff will have to do the same because we are falling into another deep hole in the AL East. I know it is still early but we can’t have a repeat of last year or we will not make it deep into the playoffs.

The Yankees began a road trip in Detroit splitting the 1st 2 games and the 3rd was rained out. The Yankees need to have a good showing in Tampa against the RED HOT Rays who are coming off a sweep against the Angels. We need to win this series before we head home and open up interleague play against the cross-town Mets.

Okay, so its 3 weeks into the season, and your Yanks are only at .500.  It could be worse, and it certainly could be alot better.  They have two more series on the road, in Chicago against the White Sox for a three-game set and in Cleveland for four.  There is reason to be optimistic!!!  The Bombers were 12-4 against these teams last year, including 7-3 on the road (6-0 vs. the Tribe overall).  Mike Mussina has 2 starts, and Kennedy and Hughes have 1 apiece before this road trip is up.  Let’s hope they can make George’s boy Hank bite his tongue a little when they put some solid starts and wins in the left-hand column.  By the way, Joba belongs in the bullpen…don’t forget that Mariano Rivera is 38 (39 after the season), and making $15 million this season.  Joba Chamberlain, on the other hand, is only 22 and making $390,000 in 2008.  Sounds like a bargain!  A young power pitcher that can continue to make his mark for the winningest team ever, and then have the closer’s job when it becomes available, and then you pay him the big bucks?  Keep him in the pen and save that arm.  As it is, Darrell Rasner is 3-0 with an ERA at 0.72 for AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre.  Use the farm system, but don’t freak out, it is still only April. 

Chien-Ming Wang was on his game last night as the greatest rivalry in all sports resumed in the ballpark of the World Champion Red Sox, but the Yankees continued to show them who their “daddy” is.

Wang only allowed 2 hits including a fifth inning HR to improve to 3-0 on this early season. I feel that Wang has something to prove after not winning the CY Young award and failing the Yankees in the playoffs. This is the best start that he could have had, showing that he is most definitely their ace. Wang got help with a Giambi HR and an RBI double by Jose Molina. The offense is getting started again after they laid an egg in Kansas City losing 2 of 3 to the Royals.

Mike Mussina will take the hill this afternoon and will oppose Josh Beckett. This will be a big game for the Moose as he looks for his 2nd The Red Sox enter this game in last place in the AL East. I know it’s early, but the Sox are in the place they should be and if the Yanks win today and Baltimore loses, the Yanks will be all alone in 1st place. The Yankees are pretty much off to the same start as last year, but they really have something to prove this season as they are in search for Championship #27 in their last season in the “House that Ruth Built.” consecutive good start.

Yanks take it to the Sox and show them that even if they bury a Red Sox shirt under the visitors clubhouse, they still own them and they will NEVER have a drought like the Sox had before they won the World Series in 2004. GO YANKS!

Even though the Yankees had to wait an extra day to get the season started, and were outscored 9-8, manager Joe Girardi has to be happy with a 2-1 start. The offense hasn’t kicked into gear yet but A-Rod has gone yard for the first time this season, and the bullpen showed what they are capable of in these three games.

The Yanks had to come from behind in their book end wins in the opening series of the season but this is quite possibly the most potent line-up in all of baseball, except maybe for the Detroit Tigers and that is why this team is NEVER out of a game until the 27th out is recorded. This line-up has weapons from 1-9 and even on the bench, so they keep everyone guessing and on the edge of our seats for 9 innings.

The only concern I have at this point is Mike Mussina. He doesn’t seem sharp anymore and he is not fooling hitters the way he has in the past. He gave up all the runs in the middle game of the series, and if I am Girardi I would move him down in the rotation once Pettitte comes back from the DL. All in all it was a good series, and the Yanks are showing signs of coming alive and beginning the season better than last year.

Up next for the Bombers was a weekend series with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays….I mean Rays. Do you really think changing their name is going to help? Not this year but watch out for this team with young pitching and hitting this team may start to come to life in the next few seasons. If they can get some relief help and some starters for the back end of the rotation they can contend.

Ok, so I thought the Yankees would probably take 3 of 4. Boy was I wrong. They split with the Tampa Bay Rays, being outscored 19-7 in the first two games. They were embarrassed to say the least. I know it is still April but these are the games you should win, especially at home. Starting pitching was an issue in both of the losses and then final 2 games the starting pitching was a big reason why this team took the last 2 games outscoring the Rays 8-2. In the finally the Yankees had several season highs with 6 runs and 11 hits. The offense is showing signs of life but we have a long way to go. The question remains, can the Yankees score 1000 runs. Let us know what you think and stay connected with the Yankees right here and tell all your family and friends about Yankeescast.com!

If this isn’t your first time visiting Yankeescast, you’ll notice that our website looks a lot different today than it has for the past several months. We’ve been redesigning the site for some time and are happy to roll out the new version this week — please bear with us as a few kinks are being worked out.

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Take a deep breath and hold it. Can you smell it? The smell of peanuts and popcorn, the sound of a wooden Louisville slugger being swung by Alex Rodriguez connecting with a baseball and just waiting to see how far the ball will travel. It’s back…baseball is here and the quest for #27 is finally underway.

Pitchers and catchers reported Thursday, February 14, 2008 to the newly named George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. If things seem a little weird without #6, Joe Torre, around, it’s because Joe Girardi has been handed the reigns of the most successful franchise in all of sports. Does that mean the Yankees won’t win? HECK NO!! After the disappointing playoff exit last season in the ALDS, a.k.a. BUG GATE!!!, and those guys from Boston winning it all, again, they are primed and ready to go.

Reigning MVP A-Rod had a monster year last season, look for him to duplicate those numbers as he is LEGITIMATELY looking to continue his pace to break the all-time home run record held by you know who, a.k.a. Asterisk Man!. Derek Jeter has a solid season every year as the leader of this franchise. He is the quietest captain I have ever seen. He leads by example on and off the field.

And now to the big question mark from last year…PITCHING. For the most part the rotation stayed the same: Wang, Mussina, Petitte, Ian Kennedy, and Phil Hughes. Joba will probably start the season in the pen, where I believe he should stay to take over for MO when he retires, but that’s just my opinion. If we can get one more quality starter I think we will be a force to be reckoned with. The addition of Pitching Coach Dave Eiland was a great move. Although, I love Ron Guidry, but Eiland was in the minors with all of the young talent that we possess and he knows those pitchers better than anyone.

Only time will tell how well the boys in pinstripes will do. As we enter the final year of Yankee Stadium, if you have never been, you need to go. It is one of the most amazing places I have ever been to. Here are several keys that I have that I believe are crucial: 1) Stay Healthy, 2) Quality starting pitching, and finally 3) TEAM CHEMISTRY. The entire roster needs to work together because on a team with so many superstars there is NO “I” IN “TEAM.”

Here we go, we want to here your thoughts on the team. Please email us at hosts@yankeescast.com and let’s make this the most memorable year ever in Yankee’s History. GO BOMBERS!

Out with Joe (Torre) and in with Joe (Girardi). Now that several questions have been answered in this roller coaster ride, also known as the off-season (something Yankee fans have been accustomed to the last several years), it’s time to begin filling the voids.

Let’s begin with pitching. Hey Cashman, Johan Santana, Bartolo Colon, and Kerry Wood are all available, but let’s not have a repeat of signing Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright — just in case you forgot they WERE and still ARE a BUST. We have so much talent in the minors that we need to utilize and just sprinkle in a few veterans. This team has plenty of all-stars, so adding youth can only better this team. I think the team should do everything in their power to resign Mariano and Jorge, because they, along with Jeter, are the backbone of this team. I know they are getting up there in age, but they can both still produce at a high level. This team has so much talent. I just hope Girardi will be able to put together a team that can do it in April, as well as deep into the month of October.

Now that A-ROD has said he loved NY and wanted to finish his career here, he can be easily replaced — although, I am not so sure about his numbers. If we can get a third baseman, who can hit in the clutch, in the regular AND post seasons, then we should be in good shape.

Now comes the sad part. The hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium will be no more at this time next year. We, as fans, have a year to enjoy the magic of the “House that Ruth Built.” What a fitting end to an era if the A.L. could win the all-star game, which is in the Bronx next year, and then picture it with me: Game Seven of the World Series and the Yankees are down by 3. The crowd erupts as captain Derek Jeter comes to the plate with the bases loaded and 2 outs. The Capitan hits a deep drive to right… SEE YA! The Yankees have done it. #27 is finally here and it comes as the doors of Yankee stadium will close after the game. I know, I know… this may only be a dream, but a man can dream, right?

Join the Yankees as they open a new chapter in this storied franchise. It promises to be a great ride.

Here we go again. Another early October exit, and now the questions start about who will be back next season. Will Torre come back, and should he even be fired? What about A-ROD, will he opt-out? Throughout this winter Yankeescast will be on top of all the breaking news. We will be your eyes and ears to all developments in the Bronx. We want to know your thoughts on the series with the Indians, the moves that should be made (or not move). So in a nutshell, let the speculation begin. Email us at hosts@yankeescast.com and let us know your feelings on any or all of these things.

I know, I know, Yankee fans…we wanted our 10th straight division title, but I will take the Wild Card. At least we made it in, unlike our cross-town rivals (sorry I had to say it). Seeing all of the success that WC teams have had in recent years, I almost want it this way. Besides, we (the AL) have home field advantage in the World Series.

We were 6-0 during the regular season against the Tribe, but none of that matters anymore because we start fresh, both teams are playing well and now it’s WIN OR GO HOME!! Who would have thought that the Yankees would be in this position, but hey it is October and that is all the Yankees know…postseason baseball. Sure I have some concerns with the Rocket and the bullpen has been shaky as of late but Joe Torre will have everyone ready to go when the series with Cleveland starts. All we have left are 11 little victories. I have a feeling that in November we will be hosting the biggest parade NY has ever seen, but we still have a long way to go. Yankeescast will be here every step of the way providing a game by game recap. We also want to hear from YOU. E-mail us at hosts@yankeescast.com. Let us know your thoughts on this series and also your favorite playoff memories.

Congratulations to the 2007 New York Yankees on winning the AL Wild Card today! Stay tuned for special playoff episodes of Yankeescast, which will began the week of October 1st.

Send us an e-mail at hosts@yankeescast.com or give us a call at 347-410-9093 and let us know what winning the wild card means to you!

Go Bombers! 11 more wins to go!