The Big Rainout

The Yanks were in a 1-1 tie in the top of the second when the rains came and washed away the game, making it more likely that AJ Burnett will have to pitch important innings in this one. Unless they go back to CC Sunday, which may or may not be possible. It's unfortunate that rain could play a roll in this year's ALDS, but so far it is. Go Yanks!

Finally!!!!!!!!

Ahmad Bradshaw scored on Eli Manning's 4th TD pass of the game, to give the Giants their first win against the Eagles in 7 tries. The Universe feels right again!!!!! What a game! Victor Cruz starting for Mario Manningham had 2 incredible TD passes, one where he took a shorter pass, broke some tackles and took it 74 yards to the house, and a second where he outfought Asoughma and another DB at to catch it at the goal line and cross the plane. Wow. And he wasn't the only second year player shining. Jason Pierre Paul had nine tackles, some tipped passes and 2 sacks!

Aaron Ross had his best game in years with 2 picks and some passes defensed. Michael Boley continued to make plays, as did a revived Rocky Bernard. Brandon Jacobs had the other touchdown on a 4o yard pass from Eli. He also scored a two point conversion.

The Giants knocked out Vick, and intercepted Kafka twice in the 4th. Kenny Phillips had the other pick.

This was really an incredible game. The Giants took a 14-0 lead in the first, then melted down, too bad penalties and allowed 13 points in the second. They had a valiant goal line stand in the 3rd that forced a field goal, then didn't allow another point as they scored 15 in the 4th for the win. Huge and perhaps re-directional win for the franchise. The season is now full of possibilities. Go Giants!

This Man Must Make The Postseason Roster

There were rumbling this week that the Yanks would leave Jesus Montero off of their postseason roster this year. That, of course, would be idiotic. As Jesus himself is now showing: he is not only ready; but he may already be elite. He's not only hitting with power, but he's taking his walks and collecting his singles as well. In scouting they grade power and hitting. 80 is the highest grade (though some organizations use different grading systems). Jesus Montero has 80 power and 80 hitting, and we're seeing why in his first taste of big league action. In three ab's today, he already has an RBI single, a 2 run double, and a solo jack, as the Yanks are crushing the Sox 9-1.

He's up again right now-let's see the AB. Takes a fastball high. Looks at a strike. Lays off another pitch away. Swing through one. Fouls one into the stands. Fouls back a pitch. Lays off a breaking pitch. 3-2... He thought he walked, as the pitch looked up but it was called a strike. Still, an 8 pitch ab, and he will get that high pitch eventually if he keeps laying off of it. That was his first out in two games.

The kid knows what he's doing and his catching has not been a problem. Keep this elite bat with the team. He'll help us win. Go Yanks!

Yanks Clinch

With a three run 8th, the Yanks today clinched at least the American League wildcard. Down 2-1, Nunez homered to lead of the 8th, and Cano later wrapped to a 2 run double to secure the Yanks' 3rd postseason appearance in a row. I think it's now 16 of the last 17 postseason births in a row for the Yanks. Hector Noesi started and looked pretty good, though he gave up a homer that had the Yanks down 2-1 heading into the ninth. The homer for Nunez was absolutely huge, and could send him on a well timed tear. We're gonna have to get some good starts if we want #28, but at least we're back in the tournament. The magic number for the East is 2 and for homefield throughout the playoffs it's 4. Go Yanks!

Giants Win

The Giants are still not firing on all cylinders like some of the other good teams are doing, but they did manage a win tonight against the Rams.   The D looks porous between the 20's but was able to tighten up in the redzone and allow only 1 TD tonight.  The offense is not looking good at all, as other offenses are producing many more yards and ppg's so far.   Int's and drops play a big part and Eli is getting sacked to often under the new line configuration.  Both units should improve and showed some signs of moving toward a more competitive level tonight.   Unfortunately, Mario Manningham received a concussion and Hixon seemed to re-injure his bad knee on a tremendous TC catch.   The Giants used the short passing game fairly effectively tonight and even looked like a WCO when they threw to Hynoski.   I don't know why they're not throwing more slants, instead of middle screens.   Hopefully they'll get some things figured out.   The DL has to get their more often because when they don't, big plays are happening.  JPP was held all night, and only got half a sack.   They have to improve this week in practice because the Eagles look more ready.   Go Giants!

Yikes

Still feeling the effects from the shot he received from his brother last fall, Marc Staal was sent home from Ranger camp today.   This is a really bad situation, and right now his career is clouded.  And that's more important than the what it is doing to the on ice Rangers.  They are deep on D.   It's hard to tell what it is doing to their morale.    Staal wears an A and he's one of them.   We're wishing a speedy recovery to Marc, and he's in our prayers.

602

Mariano Rivera became the all-time leader in saves today.  He stands alone.   It's a counting stat, so he's been blessed with good health.  At the same time, 602 just doesn't capture just how freakishly dominant the man has been over those 602 saves.  He has an ERA+ over 200, and he is the only pitcher in history that is that high.  It's hard to say that a closer is one of the greatest pitchers of all time.  But in the case of Mariano Rivera, you really have to add him to the group.  I remember, early in his career, a lot of baseball GM's said, he would be an elite ace if the Yanks returned him to the rotation.  If they had he probably wouldn't have lasted as long because he's slight, but he also would have warmed up a lot less and still been elite.  We are very lucky he wasn't traded back in the `90s.   Rock on, Mo!

More Paul

Where there's smoke is there also fire?  Chris Paul has now joined Amar'e Stoudemire, under the aegis of Isiah Thomas at Florida International University.  Now there are a bunch of players there, but Isiah seems hell bent on helping the Knicks land Paul, and indeed he has been rumored to the Knicks for years.   Again, may not make the most sense, but he would make Amar'e and Carmelo better, and bring sanity to the court.  Maybe we can find another big rebounder/defender for cheap.   It will be interesting to see if the Knicks are able to add role players like Miami did after they assembled their big three.

601

The great Mariano Rivera just tied Trevor Hoffman for the all time saves lead.   He'll break it this year.  This is amazing and it came in an amazing game.   Colon was off and gave up 6 runs early.   But the Yanks got a three run jack from Alex and a two run bomb, his 40th, from Curtis Granderson.  Soriano looked good again.  But Mo is the big story.   Next save and he owns it!   Go Yanks!

Camp Begins

Camp opens today for the 2022-2012 Rangers.  Because the Rangers took care of business during the offseason, there are no distracting matters hanging over the roster.    They top orders of business will be: finding a Left Wing for Richards and Gaborik;  figuring out the 5th, 6th  and 7th Dmen; and figuring out the third line.

Wolski will probably get the first shot at playing Left Wing on the Richards line.   He's talented enough to make it work, and perhaps his contract status will give him extra motivation.   If not, the Rangers might have to disrupt the 2nd line by using Dubinski on the first. Stepan and Ruslan Fedotenko might also get looks.

The candidates for those last 3 d spots are all pretty worthy, with Michael Del Zotto and Tim Erixon leading the way. Emminger, Bell, VTank and Niemi are also in the mix.  Ideally, Del Zotto and Erixon would both make it, with VTank or Niemi as the seventh d.  I know some would rather have a vet like Bell or Emminger, but Niemi and VTank are getting older in the AHL, and it would be good to give one of them a chance.    Another issue could be the Rangers not wanting to pair Del Zotto and Erixon together due to their inexperience.  In that case they would probably send one of them to the AHL, and look for a veteran to pair with the winner.  

Ultimately, I think they should be willing to use Del Zotto and Tim as a pair.   The third pair won play a ton with the 4 stalwarts ahead of them, and it would be good for the power play to have both MDZ and Erixon around.    MDZ and Erixon are extremely talented, and I think they could be protected as they developed.  Otherwise, it might be wise to keep them both, but split up one of the first two pairs to team with the two kids.

Finally the 3rd line is a big question.   It's funny, but for years all we heard about our forwards is that we had a bunch of 3rd rounders, but now we don't have a stable 3rd line.    If Stepan isn't needed to play LW on line one, he will be the C for line three.  After that it gets interesting: Fedotenko, Avery, MZA, Hagelin, Bourque, Thomas and Christensen all competing for open spots.   With a stable 4th line of Boyle, Rupp and Prust, that means, there will only be two spots open for those players.   Now the Rangers can do the easy thing and just use Avery and Fedotenko there, and send the other kids down to the AHL or juniors.   But, hopefully, one of the Hagelin/Bourque/Thomas/MZA group show they would help the team more now.   In reality, they will probably send all of the kids down and trade or dump Erik Christensen.

Overall, Richards and Rupp really improve and stabilize lines one and four.   Line 2 could really breakout with Anisimov, Dubi and Cally, showing great chemistry and production when they were teamed last year.   Line 3 is unstable and will need to be created.

The first two pairs on D, should continue to excel.   Sauer has a little knee thing now and let's hope it doesn't last or become anything more.  Staal, Sauer, and McDonagh all still have upside, so we could see some big steps up from one or all three of them.

Goal is set with Hank and Biron.  

This is what smart rebuilding looks like.  Savor it Ranger fans.

Minor Matters

As you probably know, the SI Yanks won the NYPL title a few days ago.   That gave the Yanks titles at their two lowest levels.   This is good news and should make the next few years interesting in the system. Here's why: the GCL and NYPL teams feature rosters with the least amount of development from the Yanks.  Thus, we can conclude, they won their leagues on talent more than any sort of honing.  

Now, I and some others have begun to take a good look at player development.  In other words, are the Yanks doing as well as they should once they get their hands on the talent?  The progress or lack thereof by some of the biggest prospects in the system, Montero, Banuelos and Betances begs the question a bit.  Why wasn't Montero an even better hitter in his second AAA stint?  Where did the fastball control go for Banuelos and Betances?   Questions like that.

So now, we have a fresh crop of highly talented kids coming through the system, and it will be interesting to see if their development is anything close to linear, or if they don't meet the expectations they have created this year.  Should be fun.

Rangers Prospects Take 2nd, Camp Starts Tomorrow

The Ranger prospects who dominated their first 2 games, lost their third in 3 on 3 OT, then lost the final last night.   There is a lot of talent there, and the smallish guys, Thomas, Bourque and McColgan all showed make it anyway skills and abilities.   JT Miller also flashed big time.   On the defensive end, project McIlrath is coming along nicely, and Tim Erixon looks like he could be NHL ready.

And speaking of NHL ready, Ryan Bourque may be ahead of Carl Hagelin.  Wow, did he put on a show.       They'll both have camp to work it out.  Sadly, Andrew Yogan separated his shoulder and will be out for a bit.  He's got the talent, he's just had odd luck.

Overall, the team showed a nice mix of talent, speed and toughness.   They first two games, they looked like they'd been together for years.  If there's time we'll take a look at camp tomorrow.  Should be a pretty smooth one.

Even During the Lockout

Chris Paul to the Knicks rumors won't die.   According to various sources and suppositions, Isiah Thomas may or may not be working behind the scenes to get Chris Paul to the Knicks, once the NBA lockout is over.  This has been buzzed about for three years, and Thomas, is believed by some to have been instrumental to getting Amar'e to the Knicks and the Carmelo overpay done.  Interestingly, he was sent to talk to LeBron James on that last night, and he didn't get the job done.   That's one that is publicly known, so it's a little tough, given his Knick record, to give him credit for the deals that worked since he left.   Though the Carmelo overpay, was reminiscent of some of the bad players he overpaid for, so who knows?  But it continues to seem like Paul is the next likely piece, rather than Howard, or a more complimentary star and co-star for the big 2.   The Knicks do have Chauncey's expiring contract and future cap room.   And it still wouldn't fix the D.

Captain Cally!

Today the Rangers, in a move that was both expected and advocated here, named Ryan Callahan their 26th captain.  Staal kept his A, and Brad Richards was also given an A.   This is obviously a great honor for Cally and he more than deserved it.   Richards has worn A's for Torts before, so it should be a pretty comfortable fit.   Dubinsky and Hank may have gotten some consideration, and that speaks to the kind of leadership the Rangers are developing up and down the roster.  Best of health and success to Cally!  

And btw, the Ranger prospects have dominated their first two Traverse City games.  Ryan Bourque is going off!

Giants Remain on Strike as Hot Seat Warms

The Giants lost and lost badly on opening day.  This has to be an indictment of Tom Coughlin and his staff.   Here's why: the teams that were going to do well from the start, were going to be the teams that could install enough to win under the terms of the shortened practice schedule.   No coaching staffs had the benefit of mini-camps and OTA's, and all had to make do with what was left.  Coughlin knew those rules.   In fact, during the draft he kept talking about how he had to keep changing his plans to accommodate the ever changing shape of the negotiations.   It was clear today that neither Coach Coughlin or Coach Fewell got enough done to beat the lowly Redskins.

We all know the Giants have a remarkably complex passing game, which when fully installed can be very impressive.  It wasn't installed today, and it wasn't very impressive.

We also know that Coach Fewell runs an exotic, cover 2, 4-3.    Well it wasn't impressive today, either, and there were huge holes in the middle of the field and the intermediate zones that Fred Davis made a career out of today.

Now, it is only one game, and they have an extra day this week to get more installed, but their unpreparedness today is all on the coaches, and the seat has to be getting a little warm for Tom Coughlin. The job he did this offseason was unacceptable, especially for a coach who hasn't been able to get a loaded roster into the playoffs in two years.  Tick tock.

The Giants Will Be Good

The Giants are going to be good this year, possibly great.  The vogue this preseason has been for people to bash on the Giants and call this a transition year where they won't make the playoffs.   That's just nonsense.  The Giants went 10-6 last year, even though they lead the league in turnovers.  In other words, if they were able to turn it over a little less, they would have won even more games.  There's no reason to think they wont turn it over less this season.

A couple of recent studies have shown the league leader in int's usually falls way back to the pack the next year.  That's Eli this year.   Meanwhile, his targets are more explosive across the board.  Nicks, Mario, Hixon, Cruz and Jernigan can all beat corners and make big plays.  Nicks and Mario are a threat to score from anywhere.   This may seem counter intuitive, but Eli will actually have to do less this year than in the years he was throwing to Smith (poor yac) and Boss (average) who made the passing game more station to station than explosive.   If Beckum becomes part of the offense, too, he becomes another guy who can take it places.  Eli will have his biggest season yet.

Another reason why will be the running game.  Some are concerned about having two new starters on the OL.   Those people haven't been paying attention.  Coach Flaherty is probably the best OL coach in the league, and that was never more apparent that the production he got out of all of the subs and mix and matches he had to do last year.   The OL is more talented this year, and Flaherty will turn that into even more production.   Btw, they ran right and left sweeps in the preseason that look like they might be unstoppable when they do them with Bradshaw and Jacobs.

The additions of Da'Rel Scott is huge.  He, too, will make Eli's life easier with his ability to take it to the house from anywhere.   He just needs blocks and a little space.   Both he, Jernigan, and a healthy Cruz and Manningham really add speed to the team that just hasn't been there.

The offense will be outstanding.

The defense has taken some injury hits, but fortunately they have good depth and will be adding back Osi Umenyiora and Prince Amukamara in the next few weeks.   Those are some serious reinforcements., especially with the injury to Terrell Thomas.   But there is already a ton of talent on defense.

The DL is stacked with Tuck, Canty, Linval Joseph and Jason Pierre Paul starting.  Justin Trattou was added to the roster today.  He's a light DE, but has a quick first step and could help keep the rotation fresh through four quarters.    Bernard and Kennedy add some veteran beef.  

The Giants lost Jon Goff at Mike, but this may not be a tragedy.  While he is a much better athlete than Greg Jones, he is nowhere near as instinctive or phyiscal.   Jones makes up for all of Goff's tools with his brains, lack of false steps and willingness.  He is very much like a young Aaron Pierce.     Herzlich is now behind him on the depth chart, but if he ever comes all the way back, he'll bump one of the starters.

On the weakside we have Boley, who looked good in the preseason, backed up by Paysinger.  Paysinger, is another instinctive player.  He needs to eat more, but he's a capable playmaker.

Kiwi is back on the strongside and he was exploding in that role, which is more joker or elephant than strict SAM.  Interestingly, they had Jacquin Williams practicing there this week, in the even that Tuck is out Sunday and Kiwi must replace him.   Williams is one of the best athletes on a very athletic team and he is also very physical.  It may not be this year, but at some point he could become a start linebacker, like the kind we used to have.   He's a very intriguing kid.

The DB's are still a good group with Webster, Ross, Phillips and Rolle starting.   They may use Rolle as a 3rd corner until Prince returns, but they should be able to cover well enough, behind a big passrush to help the Giants lead the league in turnovers again.

Last year's big issue other than turnovers was special teams.   A big issue was addressed when they added Weatherford, a far better directional kicker than Dodge was.   He will keep it away from DeSean.    And the coverage teams should be much improved with all the eager rookies theyve added.  Unless, of course, there is something conceptual wrong with how Coach Quinn is teaching them, and I'm certainly open to that idea.   Still, the directional punting should really help.

In all, the Giants should have far fewer turnovers and thus have a bigger season on O.   The D should be better for the development of JPP and Joseph, and the experience they all now have in the D.   Teams will at least benefit from a punter who can execute.  

The Giants will win the East.

Betances Called Up?

Word out here is that Dellin Betances is in the Yankee clubhouse.   This is great news, because I doubt they flew him 3000 miles as anything but a call-up.   Because of his size and remaining upside, I consider him the best pitching prospect on the farm.   Betances is younger, lefty and at the same AAA level, but I think big power righties last longer than short power lefites, though I am unwilling to trade either of them at this point.   Here's hoping Dellin and some of the other call-ups get a chance to pitch.   Build some huge leads, Yanks!  Montero is DHing tonight.    Go Yanks!

It's that time of year again, when Ranger Prospects gather in Traverse City, Michigan for the annual pre-cap prospect tourney.   This year, the Rangers are once again sending a strong team drawn from all levels of the organization.   The roster can be seen over at Rangers.Com http://rangers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=72740.   Kreider and Fogarty are not there because Kreider is still in school and Fogarty still wants to maintain his eligibility for Notre Dame.    But Thomas, Bourque, Hagelin, Miller, McColgan, St. Croix, Yogan, Wilson and Bruiser McNaught will be there on the forward side.   Of those guys, Hagelin probably has the best chance of making the Rangers this season, while Thomas has the talent to possibly surprise.  Bourque is turning pro, and if he can stay healthy, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he forces his way on if someone goes down.  He has been under the radar, but when he plays, his team scores.  He's similar to some of the smallish Devils forwards from their glory years, and the smaller Hab forwards from years ago.

It will also be interesting to see which JT Miller we get.  As you recall from the draft he was considered to be either a top 9 or top 6 forward.   The reports have gotten better through his work with Team USA this summer, and it will be interesting to see if he plays like a Thomas/Kreider level future star, or more of a scrappy third liner of the future.   Yogan is also interesting.  Like Bourque, when he plays, he scores, and he has all the size you want in a power forward.

On Defense, the big stories are Tim Erixon and Dylan McIlrath.   Erixon has a very good chance to make the team, and,  like Miller, he's either a very solid prospect of any absolutely great prospect.  We'll get our first look at him.  The big question right now is whether or not he can run the point on the power play.   And McIlrath is always a big story.   He's been filling out more and really dominated the prospect camp.   We want to see him keep filling out until he's ready to do to men what he has done to other teenagers.   No rush, as we are loaded on D for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, it's great the games will be on MSG this year, so check for time.  Go Rangers!

Woodson and The Knicks

One of the great defenders in Knick history, Mike Woodson, has returned to the Knicks in the defensive coordinators post, though he can also be seen as the coach in waiting. He seems to have been Larry Brown's DC during his successful Detroit run. And if that's not a sinister enough name for you, Isiah Thomas is said to have supported Woodson's hire. Still, he was a Knick pick before either Brown or Thomas entered the picture. I don't know if my ringer theory can be applied to coaches, and it really has been a long time since Woodson was a Knick, but I think he will do a good job and figure some simple things they can do to improve their D. Amar'e may be a bit of a lost cause, but Melo has shown some interest, and Toney Douglas and some of the kids, could become plus defenders.

I still have a feeling the Knicks will do something after the strike and before the season to improve their roster. I'm not sure it will be a 3rd superstar, but it could be another regular star or two.

CC and Jesus

Right now, both CC Sabathia and Jesus Montero are doing what they are meant to do - kicking ass for the Yanks, but it could get interesting or just unfortunate in the next few months if CC opts out.

Here's why, if CC opts out, and the Yanks decide to play hardball as they have been doing with more and more players lately, he could end up somewhere else, and then the Yankees could be held up to include Montero in a trade of a #1. So it is hugely important that the Yanks do whatever they must to prevent CC from opting out, because if we lose him, we are probably losing both. And I once again don't think there will be any pitcher on the market worth what Jesus Montero is showing he very well might be. He had another game tying hit in the Yanks loss today, and he took another walk. Patience and pop. The Yanks usually have to pay 25M per for that kind of bat, now that have 6 years of low salaries and superstar production to reap from Jesus.

By the way, I have no idea what the new Yankee austerity is all about, but they didn't spend a ton in the draft and have not bought anything expensive in IFA this year. Now, they are either loading up for a run at Yu Darvish, or they are being pennywise and pound foolish in the amateur and FA markets again. It's a losing formula.

It could be a pretty scary offseason if CC opts out. Hopefully they will just win #28 and do what it takes to keep CC. The chain reaction would be brutal.

Probably

Not gonna do the Yankee Game wraps anymore. I stopped doing the losses last year, and now, unless something significant happens, I'll stop doing the day to day stuff. No use for them really, and I'd rather concentrate on longer posts about the four organizations, prospects, transactions and stuff like that. They're more fun for me, and you guys seems to enjoy them more. Cheers,

Phil

Giants Lose Goff

Looks like Greg Jones is going to play a lot sooner than expected. The Giants, yesterday, lost Jonathan Goff to an ACL tear. This is bad news for Goff but less bad news for the Giants. The Giants are likely to bring in Kawika Mitchell or some other vet for insurance, but Greg Jones will probably get the start Sunday. Greg Jones is an Antonio Pierce clone. Slightly undersized, slightly under athletic, but an absolutely instinctive football player who doesn't waste steps, and thus plays fast. He will make some rookie mistakes, but probably not the same one twice. It will also be interesting to see if the Giants start working Mark Herzlich there. If Herzlich continues to improve, he really can be something special. Anyway, it will probably be a one or two down position while the kids learn, or to protect whatever veteran stopgap they add. Go Giants!

Yanks Prevail After Long Delay

Dodging raindrops all the way the Yanks just managed to win, yet again, 5-3 over the Orioles. Phil Hughes pitched 6 innings of two run ball, but did not figure in the decision. He was also 1 pitch away from 6 shutout innings but he gave up a 2 run jack with two out in the 6th. It was an 0-2 pitch, too. Sheesh. Anyway, he didn' figure in the decision. Posada, Cervelli and Gardner all homered for the Yanks, C and G doing it back to back. Wade got the win after facing 1 batter in the 7th. Robertson pitched another scoreless inning. Mo got the save, he's getting close to the record. The Yanks have 200 innings. The Yanks are undefeated in the Montero Era. Day game tomorrow.

Jesus Times Two!!!!!!!!!!!

What an exciting game in the Bronx! Garcia didn't have it, but that didn't matter, because Tex homered and Cano hit a grandslam early to put the Yanks up 8-7 when Garcia left the game. Then the O's tied it up at 8 with a homer off of Scott Proctor. And then the fun began. In the bottom of the 5th Jesus Montero lead off the inning with his first big league homerun to give the Yanks a 9-8 lead. Later he homered again, this time with Martin aboard for an 11-8 lead. The O's picked up another run and then got a run off of Mo in the 9th, who, like Garcia was a little off. But they could not catch up to what Jesus had wrought. Yanks win 11-10.

Both of Montero's blasts were to the opposite field. He has easy and comfortable power to all fields, and that's just one of the myriad reasons we never supported trading him. Not for Lee, or anyone. This is our future 3 or 5 hitter and his bat is priceless. The Yanks best homegrown hitting prospect since Mickey Mantle. We are very lucky he was never traded.

Alex Hits One as Yanks Romp!

Yanks just beat Toronto 9-3 behind CC. They got homers from Jeter, Alex and Swish. They've reached their cruising altitude and are now 4-0 in the Montero Era. It's kind of funny that no one is considering them a great team yet. I guess that's what happens when they've had so many great regular season teams but only 1 title since 2000. It may be unfair to them. Btw, a hot Alex makes them scary. Go Yanks!

Clutch Cano!

Yanks were down 4-3 in the bottom of the 7th when Robbie ripped a two run double to put the Yanks up for good. Jesus Montero got his first hit, as the Yanks moved to 3-0 in his era. Colon was up and down, but the Jays were also a little flukey. Fortunately the Yanks grinded it out and won 6-4. Still in first! CC goes tomorrow. Go Yanks!

Yanks Move into First!

Ivan Nova just won his 15th game. He gave up two runs in a sloppy first, and would've given up more if it was not for two great plays by Brett Gardner. Gardner then made another great play later and tied the game at 2 with a 2 run bomb. Been a while since we've had a Brett Gardner win, but this was one. After the first Nova was great pitching up seven and only giving up 3 hits while K'ing 4 and walking 2 (Bautista intentionally). Cano knocked in the winning run, and now has 99 RBI's. Soriano pitched a scoreless 8th and Mo pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. Btw, Andruw Jones also made a few terrific defensive plays. Great outfield D, really has helped. And think of all those years we still got by without it. Let's stay in first! Go Yanks!

Giants Beat Pats

Now Jerry and the coaches have some really tough cuts to make. RB is one of them. They cannot cut Da'Rel Scott, he's just been too explosive and it's a dimension they have been missing. What's more, Andre Brown might deserve the nod over DJ Ware. He too showed some explosion and we know he can catch. The other really crazy decisions will be at LB where all of the rookie linebackers look like players. I think Dillard is a goner, but Adrian Tracy, who flashes sick talent, may even get cut, though they should consider making him a DE. Though Sintim got hurt tonight and that might simplify things. The Weatherford/Dodge duel seems dead even. Jernigan was up and down again tonight, but his ups are so exciting they have to keep using him. Devin Thomas looks like a keeper as the kick returner. We'll see what they do with Hixon, Clayton and some of the others. Some really tough cuts this year, and I don't envy the FO at all. Jerry likes competition and they gave it to him.

Meanwhile, the coaches have their work cut out for them to get this team ready for their Sept. 11 game in Washington. Go Giants!

Yanks Move to 1-0 in the Montero Era

Jesus was 0-4 but he did get hit by a pitch and score the winning run in the Yanks 4-2 over Jon Lester and the Red Sox. They stranded a ton of runners, but AJ Burnett, who did not get the win, pitched well giving up just the two runs. The pen was tremendous. Granderson made a game saving catch! Martin singled off Bard to score Dickerson, who was running for Tex who got hit on the knee and left the game, and Montero. Mo K'd Gonzalez to end it. Just a very exciting game and the Yanks are now tied in the loss column again. Good stuff. Maybe we'll see "Good" AJ for awhile. Jesus had some good AB's, though they were for naught. He lined out to right his last time up, so it will come soon. I hope they keep playing him. Go Yanks!

The Montero Era Begins

Finally, the Yanks have called up Jesus Montero. It has been a surprising circuitous road to the Bronx for their best hitting prospect in decades. Last summer, he was traded to Seattle for Cliff Lee, only to have Seattle back out of a deal they had already agreed to. Tough as it's been without Lee, that was our good fortune. Then after destroying AAA as a 20 year old last year, the Yanks sent him down this year to work on his catching. But he is finally up and at from this point on the top prospects are usually safe for awhile. Ler's hope Girardi doesn't screw around and gets him in the line-up most days. Laird, Dickerson and Scott Proctor, of all people, were also called up. Phil Hughes needs to be rebuilt.

Montero will probably DH tonight.