Yanks Get Pudge for Farns!

The Yanks have just completed a trade that brings Ivan Rodriguez to the Yanks for Kyle Farnsworth. Pudge is not the power hitter he was during his IRoid days, but he is a much better hitter than Jose Molina and still steady behind the plate. This is an outstanding trade for the Yanks as they sold high on Farnsworth and picked up a starting caliber catcher, who will also be worth a pick or two when he becomes a free agent in November. Great trade Cash!

Yanks Finally Clobber the O's

Bobby Abreu hit two homers, doubled and walked, and Joba Chamberlain pitched 6 innings of 5H, 1er, 6K, 0BB ball - in other words, the O's didn't have a chance. Arod had a hit and a homer and Xavier Nady broke out with a pair of RBI doubles. David Roberston came back from his worst outing ever to strike out the side in the 7th. He ended up giving up a homer on a strike 4 pitch in the 8th, but that just made it 13-3. The Yanks were more patient today than they have been recently and it ignited the O. I hope they stick with their classic strategy from now on. Go Yanks!

Yanks Lose and Lose Ground

The Yanks lost to the Orioles and lost ground to the Rays tonight as a late inning rally failed to overcome 7 innings of bad work at the plate and two surprisingly bad pitches from Marte and Mo Rivera. Girardi inexplicably sent Rasner out for the 7th when the Yanks were just down 2-1. Rasner promptly put two on. Girardi called on Marte who gave up an RBI single, then loaded the bases and gave up a double. The Yanks closed it to 6-3 in the 8th on a two run single from Cano, but Mo came in and gave up a homer to Aubrey Huff to make it 7-3 in the top of the 9th. The Yanks scored 3 by the time they had 1 out in the 9th but Cano and Betemit both K'd to the junkballing Sherrill and the Yanks lost. Joba goes tomorrow and hopefully Cash is finding some more help. Go Yanks.

Yanks Lose Their Second Straight

On a night when Jorge Posada accepted season ending surgery, it was his teammates that looked in need of emergency room attention. Moose had nothing, and his teammates had less. For the second night in a row Jeter screwed up a promising inning with yet another GIDP. Things went from bad to worse when David Robertson came in for the 6th, loaded the bases on some indifferent work by Molina and Jeter and gave up his first ever homer: a grand slam. It was 11-0 going into the bottom of the 6th. Once again, they made a fairly average pitcher look like Walter Johnson. This is a very strange version of the Yanks. Fortunately, the teams ahead of them also lost. Rasner is scheduled to go for the Yanks tomorrow. Go Yanks?????

UPDATE: The Yanks really could have come back in this one, and did to an extent, but once again they left the bases loaded (twice) and Bobby Meacham left runs on the bases with his perplexing work as our third base coach.

8 Straight!

Robbie Cano continued to hit balls all around and out of Fenway today, as the Yanks powdered the Sox 10-3 for their 8th win in a row. Andy Pettitte got off to a tough start after an ARod error, but finished the day with 6 innings and only 2 earned runs. ARod also had a good day at the plate with some key hits, but was hit up around his neck and shoulders in the 8th as payback for the Yanks not hitting Yukilis. I wonder how that works. No matter. The bullpen was too much for the Sox. Damaso Marte, recently returned to the mothership, whiffed David Ortiz during a 7th inning cameo. Veras, Edwar and D-Rob also contributed outs. The Yanks go for the sweep tomorrow and the pitcher might be Washburn. Go Yanks!

Trade Change

Apparently LHP Phil Coke and RHP George Kontos have been taken out of the Nady/Marte deal and replaced with RHP Daniel McCutchen and RHP Jeff Karstens. I slightly prefer this deal because a)it gets Karstens off the 40 and b) McCutch is two years older than Kontos and gives up lots of jacks. Nady and Marte are expected to be in Boston later today for the game. Go Yanks!

An Ace is Born!

Joba Chamberlain pitched seven 3 hit, shutout innings to beat Josh Beckett in Boston tonight, 1-0. Giambi drove in the only run in a game that was as tight as a drum from the first pitch to the last. Mo had to get a five out save after Farnz ran into some trouble. What a game. 7 straight and we have an ACE! Go Yanks!

Yanks Trade for Marte and Nady

Brian Cashman pulled a Friday Night surprise while the Yanks were playing the Red Sox. He traded OF Jose Tabata, RHP Ross Ohlendorf, LHP Phil Coke and RHP George Kontos to the Pirates for OF Xavier Nady and LHP Damaso Marte. This is a bit of a sad ending to Tabata's career with the Yanks. His development slowed with his hamate issues, and after jumping the team earlier this year the writing may have been on the wall. Nady is having a career year and is a right handed hitter with pop. Damaso Marte is a lefty reliever with closer stuff. We never should have traded him for Enrique Wilson in the first place, but it is good to have him back. Ohlendorf, Coke and Kontos all have good arms but weren't gonna make it with the super staff the Yanks are putting together. Good deal for Cashman. Go Yanks.

Yanks Make it Six Straight

Mike Mussina earned his 13th win by tossing 8 shutout innings. It was a tight game till the 5th when Justin Christian hit a two run double to start the scoring. The Yanks tacked on 3 in the 6th on a two run double by ARod and a sac fly from Sexson. Hawkins gave up the shutout in the 9th and Mariano Rivera had to come in to get the final out. Cano stayed hot with two more hits and Melky continued to heat up with two of his own. With the offday tomorrow, the Yanks should be in good shape for the three game series in Boston. Go Yanks!

Yanks Win Again

Bobby Abreu basically threw away his first two ab's, then after the Yanks had fallen behind 2-1 in the 6th, he hit a two run homer, then had an RBI double in his next AB. David Robertson got his 2nd in by throwing 1 pitch to end the 6th for Darrel Rasner who was 1 out away from a quality start. Veras pitched a prefect 7th. Farnsworth worked around a walk in the 8th and Giese worked around a hit in the 9th to seal the eventual 8-2 Yankee victory. That's 5 in a row, with a day game tomorrow before the trip to Boston. Go Yanks!

Yanks Destroy Twins in Opener

ARod hit #21 in the first and the Yanks sort of cruised from there behind Sidney Ponson, who pitched 5.2 innings of 3 run ball before giving away to Edwar who k'd us out of the top of the 6th. Cano and Jeter also homered as the whole team contributed quality at bats in their 12-4 romp over the Twins. Johnny Damon was back and that ought to help as Jorge Posada is back on the DL and could be gone for the season. David Robertson pitched a 1-2-3 7th and the re-worked LaTroy Hawkins pitched a serviceable 1 run 8th and 9th. Yanks have to keep grinding like this. Go Yanks!

Shockey Traded

Jeremy Shockey finally got his offseason wish today when he was traded to Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints for second and fifth round picks in the 2009 draft. Shockey was the player I wanted the Giants to get in the 2002 draft and has been a favorite of mine since then. Still, he did not respond well when his teammates won the Super Bowl without him and eventually forced the trade. It's a shame things ended this way, but the Giants did the right thing. Shockey's still a great player when he's healthy, but he is rarely healthy and the Giants could not afford the further distractions he was threatening.

In other news, they officially signed Terrel Thomas and Shane Olivea today, so good talent came in as great, but injured talent went out. Training camp starts Thursday, go Giants!

Yanks Sweep!

Andy Pettitte was ace-like today as he pitched 8 innings of 4 hit, 1 run, 9K ball for the Yanks at the Stadium. Jason Giambi hit a tie breaking solo shot in the 6th that would prove to be the winner off of Duscherer. Once again, they produced only two runs, but they also produced a win. Mo had an eventful save as Bobby Abreu messed up a fly ball and Jose Molina threw out a base stealer for the final out. Bobby Meacham got another runner thrown out, and the Yanks have to take a look at his position. Way to start the second half. Go Yanks!

Yanks Win in 12

Joba should have gotten the win, but eventually David Robertson earned it in the 12th. Joba left with a one run lead after working 6 innings of 1 run 8K ball. Veras then gave up a run in the seventh to tie it. Farnsworth pitched a 1-2-3 8th, and Mo gave up a run in the 9th. The Yanks got one back in the ninth, then couldn't push across another until Jose Molina was HBP with the bases loaded in the 12th. The Yankee heroes were Edwar Ramirez, who pitched two scoreless, Dave Robertson who pitched the 12, Robinson Cano who had 4 hits, and Jose Molina who gave up his knee for the team. The Yankee offense was back to its frustrating ways or this one wouldn't have been close. They have to do better tomorrow. Go Yanks.

Much More Like It

To start the second half, the Yankee offense started having quality at bats again and hitting wirh RISP. Cano got hits in both of his first ab's including a single and a three run jack. ARod was 3-4 with a walk and #20. Jeter started walking again, and all was well with the O. Moose was strong through 6 innings surrendering but 1 run. David Robertson struck out the side in the 7th. Edwar Ramirez got a ground ball out, then blew away the last two batters of the 8th on the change. And LaTroy Hawkins pitched a 1-2-3 9th (2 GB 1K). Big win! Joba goes tomorrow. Go Yanks!

Rest in Peace

A great Yankee and a great human being. He was my favorite. God bless his family, friends and fans as they cope with this.

Yanks Score

Jeter got his 200th, ARod passed Mickey and Brett Gardner went 2-2 with two walks, 3RBI and 2 runs scored as the Yanks put a 9 spot on the Jays. This outburst was much needed and covered a harrowing 5 inning performance by Darrel Rasner. It was Rasner's first win in a long time, and his place in rotation going forwards is shaky at best. The bullpen was once again terrificc and enough credit cannot be handed out to them and the coaches. Let's finish the first half on a high tomorrow. Go Yanks!

The Yanks Waste Another Quality Start

The Yankees sleepwalked through what might have been an outstanding start by Joba had they even played average defense behind him. Nevertheless, Joba gave them 6.2 innings of 3 run ball, but it was all for naught, cause these Yanks now hit just like their manager, Joe Girardi used to, which is to say not at all. Let's hope they're not too far back at the all-star break.

Gotta Bash the Blue Jays

The Yanks were supposed to have a day off Thursday and they end up taking one in Pittsburgh. The O has got to improve if they want to make a run. Heading into Toronto, the Blue Jays strong strong pitching is suddenly in the same disarray the Yanks' has been in all season. The Yankees really need a sweep here, heading into the all-star break. Go Yanks.

Yanks Win in 10!

Bobby Abreu plated Derek Jeter from first with a booming one out double to win it for the Yanks in the bottom of the tenth. They swept the short two game series against the first place Rays and are climbing back into contention. Sir Sid gave them six inning of one run ball, and Veras, Farnsworth and Mo held them the rest of the way. Jeter, who's looking a lot healthier, scored both Yankee runs today. This was a huge win and a big series for the Yanks. Tomorrow it's on to Pittsburgh for one, then on to Toronto for three. Go Yanks!

We Live Some More

Andy Pettitte put up zero after zero as he nursed a 2 -0 lead into the 8th. Melky who had already K'd three times keyed a 3run 8th with a lead off homer. Let's hope that gets him going again. Edwar came on and pitched a scoreless 9th for the 5-0 Yankee Win! Day game tomorrow and the Yanks will have to find away to win with Ponson on the mound. Go Yanks.

Yanks Win in Ten

In a game that saw Alex Rodriguez tie Mickey Mantle on the all time homer list at 536, it took a mamoth ab and two out single by recent call-up Brett Gardner to beat Laz Diaz and the Boston Red Sox tonight. Diaz made it interesting by calling strikes from Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson balls, but the Yanks were able to overcome a 4-2 deficit in the 7th then win it in the 10th on Gardners single off of Papelbon who had given up lead off single to Cano then gotten outs on Melky's sac bunt and Betemit's K. Gardner ground out the AB and won the game. That's two in a row. Go Yanks!

Back from the Dead!

I was wrong a few months ago. Moose STILL CAN BEAT the Red Sox. He gave the Yanks 6 scoreless innings of 4 hit ball. Veras pitched a dominant 7th and Farnsworth pitched a sound 8th. Mo made it interesting in the ninth, hitting Manny and Youkilis, giving up a run and loading the bases before getting the final three runs. This was a big win. If the Yanks can win again tomorrow behind Joba, they should be back in business. Go Yanks!

Thanks, Jags

Jaromir Jagr has left the Rangers as a free agent and signed with Omsk in Russia. And so ends an era. Jagr was a great Ranger and finally did what Lindros, Bure and other "stars" couldn't do: he got them back in the playoffs. He made them relevant again. He took them from the era of failur and floundering and was the bridge to the Lundqvist era. As Ranger fans, we can never thank him enough for giving us a hockey team again. Let's hope we're ready to win without him. Thanks again, Jaromir.

Yanks Lose

The Yanks looked totally flat tonight losing 6-0 to the Red Sox. Girardi had a long closed door meeting with the team after the game so let's hope that cleared a few things up. It better have.

The Rangers Add Two More

The Rangers added Markus Naslund and Dmitri Kalinin today as they got closer to having a full roster. These seem like good moves. Naslund isn't quite what he was, but he's still fast, a leader and a right wing. All thing the Rangers needed. It's a 2 year deal for 8M. Not too shabby. Kalinin got 2 years at 2.7. He comes from a program that stresses responsibility so he should be a decent low cost fill in while we wait for the kids. Nice haul. Go Rangers.

Yanks Finally Win, 18-7

Sidney Ponson had a poor second start, but the Yanks wouldn't let that stop them tonight. After Hank Steinbrenner ripped the team's offense, they scored a season high 18 to electrify the stadium tonight. Giambi had a grand slam and a two run double. ARod had a three run shot. Abreu drove in a few as did Cano and Damon, and Brett Gardner got his first big league hit and RBI and scored twice. Edwar Ramirez settled down the Rangers after they had taken a 7-6 lead off of Ponson. Edwar pitched two scoreless before giving way to Farnsworth and blowout closer LaTroy Hawkins. Good win. Now we need to win six more in a row. Go Yanks.

The Rangers Finally Score!

The Rangers got younger, faster and cheaper today by trading Tyutin and Backman for emerging wingers Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche from the Bluejackets. I love this move. Tyutin never became the franchise defender he was projected to be, and getting anything other than cap space for Backman is a blessing. The Rangers need to do more on offense and perhaps add another Dman now, but this was their strongest move so far. Well done.

Yanks Lose Their Third in a Row

This is the manager I wanted, and this is the manager I'm really disappointed in. The O has no fire and they're showing no resourcefulness. They're bunting when they shouldn't then not bunting when they should. Melky Cabrera continues to hurt the team with his ab's. Something's got to give, or this season's gonna end well short of October.

Remember the Redden Trade Rumor I Told You Last Year?

Well, Redden is finally a Ranger, for 6 years and 39M. Trades have to be on the way. I mean, they just have to. Right? Don't they? This is looking like a dark day in Ranger Salary Cap history. Please, suprise me and do something smart, Rangers.

Rangers Screw the Pooch

The Rangers re-signed Michael Rozsival for 4 years and 20M today. So far he is their only re-sign as they have passed on more important players like Jagr and Avery. I don't know what they expect, but this guy is gutless and isn't likely to change.

On the other hand, the Ranger signed three cheap forwards, Voros, Jamtin and Rismiller, all of whom are tougher than the guy they're giving the big salary to. Some trades are in the works. One of them will likely bring Boyle from Tampa.

I'm a little digusted.

Duhon is Knickbound

The Knicks are reportedly coming to terms with Bull back-up PG Chris Duhon on a smallish deal for some portion of the MLE. Duhon't best role would seem to be as a back-up point guard for the Knicks. That would mean they still need a starting point guard, since they're apparently buying out Stephon Marbury. Baby steps, Knicks fans.