The following news may upset a lot of females out there. There's a rumor swirling that Derek Jeter might be getting married to his girlfriend Minka Kelly. This rumor came about from Hideki Matsui.

Last season Matsui, Jeter, and Bobby Abreu made a bet as to who was going to get married first. Matsui got married last year before the season began, thus leaving Abreu and Jeter behind. Jeter said he didn't have a girlfriend so the bet was extended for him an extra year. That year is about to be up.

“We’ve got a bet going,” Matsui replied. “If he doesn’t get married within a year, I win the bet. Basically the bet was, whoever gets married first wins. Jeter said he himself doesn’t have a girlfriend, so he’s getting a one-year handicap” Matsui said last year.

Most people, myself included found this hilarious. Derek had a different take on it:

“That’s not hilarious, that’s sad, that’s real sad,” Jeter said. “If he wanted the money, all he had to do was ask. He didn’t really have to do it.”

Abreu earlier this week signed with the Los Angeles Angels and apparently didn't uphold his end of the bet.

“Bobby left without paying,” Matsui said.

Bobby was expecting a hefty contract this winter and didn't get it. He might have to give Matsui an IOU until the Angels come to the Bronx. Jeter's bachelor days may be numbered.



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Tags: Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Spring Training, Yankees

The following news may upset a lot of females out there. There's a rumor swirling that Derek Jeter might be getting married to his girlfriend Minka Kelly. This rumor came about from Hideki Matsui.

Last season Matsui, Jeter, and Bobby Abreu made a bet as to who was going to get married first. Matsui got married last year before the season began, thus leaving Abreu and Jeter behind. Jeter said he didn't have a girlfriend so the bet was extended for him an extra year. That year is about to be up.

“We’ve got a bet going,” Matsui replied. “If he doesn’t get married within a year, I win the bet. Basically the bet was, whoever gets married first wins. Jeter said he himself doesn’t have a girlfriend, so he’s getting a one-year handicap” Matsui said last year.

Most people, myself included found this hilarious. Derek had a different take on it:

“That’s not hilarious, that’s sad, that’s real sad,” Jeter said. “If he wanted the money, all he had to do was ask. He didn’t really have to do it.”

Abreu earlier this week signed with the Los Angeles Angels and apparently didn't uphold his end of the bet.

“Bobby left without paying,” Matsui said.

Bobby was expecting a hefty contract this winter and didn't get it. He might have to give Matsui an IOU until the Angels come to the Bronx. Jeter's bachelor days may be numbered.



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Tags: Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Los Angeles Angels, Spring Training, Yankees

They did it again! The Yankees have once again gotten the premeir player on the free agent market, this time it's Mark Teixeira coming to the Bronx. Oh happy days are here again!

The Yankees have now signed 3 of the 4 top free agents on the market this offseason, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and now Teixeira. Manny Ramirez is the other top free agent left and his still has a shot at playing in pinstripes. This has been an unbelievable winter for the Yankees and their fans. GM Brian Cashman has put together a solid team from top to bottom, one that complements one another quite nicely. The agreement that the Yankees reached with Mark is for eight years and $180 million. That makes $423.5 million dollars that has been invested in 3 players this winter but how could you argue with the moves? The Yankees desperatly needed pitching, the Yankees went and got it, they needed another bat to replace the departing Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu, so they got Teixeira. It's not like the Yankees spent for the hell of it, they spent wisely and they spent on needs, like I alluded to earlier this offseason. They now have the perfect guy to complement Alex Rodriguez in the lineup and makes the defense a whole lot better. He's a 28 year old switch-hitting first baseman about to reach the prime of his career, good move by the Yanks and thank goodness we didn't get Manny.

With the addition of Teixeira, this unquestionably puts the Yankees as the team to beat in the American League. The Boston Red Sox were on the verge of signing Teixeira until they withdrew their seven-year $170 million offer last Friday. The other possible suitors for Mark were the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles (Anahiem) Angels but they all didn't meet Teixeira's wants. The latter of the group, the Angles withdrew their offer on Monday to Mark and Tuesday afternoon he became a Yankee. It's really Christmas in the Bronx. I can't believe it, I feel like a little kid in the candy store with full access to everything. This is exciting and I can't wait for the season to begin. Don't tell me the Yankees buy their championships, because they gave the players what they asked for and simply had the money to do it. If other teams had it, they'd do it too.

As for now, welcome to New York Mark!

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Tags: AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Brain Cashman, CC Sabathia, Jason Giambi, Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, Yankees

While the World Series is being played out in "Tampa" and Philly, the Yankees are planning out their offseason plans in Tampa. Yea, their offices are actually in Tampa unlike the Rays who don't actually play there, but that's a story for another day. According to Mike Lupica of the Daily News the Yankees are ready to break the bank open to get back to the promise land. With about $80 million coming off the books this winter, it's almost certain that they will add that right back and may even surpass that.

"I'm not saying (the huge spending) won't happen," Brian Cashman said. "I know people expect us to go crazy. Even when we don't go crazy, people still look at whatever we do and say, 'There's the Yankees being the Yankees.' We're the Evil Empire even when we're not."

This is true. The one MUST this winter is getting C.C. Sabathia no matter the cost. We learned that not going after Johan Santana last year didn't help the Yankees in 2008. They certainly don't want an encore performance in '09 of their disappointing '08 so Sabathia is a must. It's just a matter of signing that check to C.C.'s liking. Objective 1 done.

Manny Ramirez in pinstripes? No way. It doesn't matter how Manny played the last few months in L.A., he will be 37 next season and you have to remember the way he sat out his final days in Boston because he didn't feel like playing. Besides, him and A-Rod in the same clubhouse?? OMG, the possibility of things that can happen there can only lead to trouble and backpage headlines, none of which would be good for the Bombers. Another factor in this is that the Yanks don't need hitting, they need desperately to fix their pitching. Manny would just be his own sideshow.

Objective 2, First Base. What's wrong with a guy like Doug Mientkiewicz? He was a solid defender and uhh well "decent" bat. Why do we need an all-star first baseman? Mark Teixiera would be a great bat in the lineup and a good guy to have on the team but if his asking price is too high why bother? Well he is switch-hitting and can put up .300 35 115 easily. Ok, so we give him a run for his money and see where we end up. So is signing Tex a must? That may depend on wheter the Yanks bring back Bobby Abreu, who looks to be on the way out. Figures, the only consistent guy with the bat is on his way out. Good job by the Yanks, you should keep this guy until his arms fall off because you know he will give you production. More production that Jorge Posada might give you the rest of his contract. Smart move by the Yanks...NOT!

Objective 3, another starting pitcher. Get Oliver Perez, while he also might be a little high in his asking price, he might fit into the rotation just fine being the 4th starter behind *Sabathia, Wang, and Joba. Yes this is how the rotation should look coming into opening day next year. If Perez isn't an option I do NOT like AJ Burnett. Reason behind that? He'll be Carl Pavano II, and we sure as hell don't want another one of those. So I don't even consider Burnett, unless he lowers his price dramatically. Derek Lowe? Hey why not? He pitched well down the stretch and is an experienced pitcher with postseason success. Take a gamble with him, he might be that workhouse the rotation needs, especially if the Yanks choose to part ways with Andy Pettitte.

Objective 4, centerfield? I question that because do we really need a CF? The answer is no. Do we want a stud out there? The answer is yes. Melky Cabrera wasn't the answer in '08, we thought he was. Brett Gardner can't hit yet and we don't know if he ever will. Austin Jackson? Ehh, let's not rush him up just yet. He looks to be your guy in center in the future but right now what is the right answer? I say leave Damon out there another year until his contract is up and give Melky and/or Gardner the other starts. Then evaluate this again next winter where more options could open up. But right now it makes sense for the Yanks to keep their trading chips and their money on getting a new CF for '09. Unless you can get a guy like Matt Kemp from the Dodgers, then CF shouldn't be addressed. Damon can still hit and produce, yes he has a weak arm but so did Bernie Williams and we were fine when he was roaming center.

Again, the need this winter is pitching. Worry first and foremost on pitching and upgrading it, not just taking leftovers off the free agent bum list. No more Ponsons, Rasners, or anyone else like that. No more! I don't want to see it. Those guys combined for 35 starts this year, that is NO GOOD. This is your 2009 rotation if things work out right.

1- CC Sabathia
2- Chien-Ming Wang
3- Joba Chamberlain
4- Oliver Perez
5- Phil Hughes/ Andy Pettitte

Not a bad staff there. Gives you a little depth towards the end if Andy comes back. Each guy could give you at least 10 wins with the exception of Hughes who we have no idea what to expect. Mike Mussina is almost a sure lock to retire. Once the World Series is done and over with next week, then the "hot stove" will heat up. If my rotation isn't what the Yankees are looking for then what are they going for?

"We're always trying to push to get better," Cashman said.

They got the money, make it happen. If Hank Steinbrenner has his way, the bank will be shattered and the Yanks will get their wants, but I hope that means they got their needs too.

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Brain Cashman, Brett Gardner, CC Sabathia, Chien Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain, Manny Ramirez, Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, Sidney Ponson, Yankees

The end of September is nearing and so is the end of the Yankees season. it's a shame we didn't get more out of this team than we did. Currently, they stand 9.5 games out of the wild card and are in FOURTH place. My goodness! The Yankees are in fourth place in September. What the heck happened?

There isn't really one thing you can put to blame on this season. The bullpen was ineffective at times, so was the starting rotation, so was the offense, so was the defense. Injuries also plagued the Yanks this season. Ace Chien-Ming Wang, catcher Jorge Posada, Joba Chamberlain, Hideki Matsui, and Alex Rodriguez all missed significant time this season. Manager Joe Girardi did his best with the hand he was dealt this season but it ultimately wasn't enough as the Yanks season will end on September 28th in Fenway Park. How fitting.

The Yankees will move into the offseason with questions surrounding their GM, their first baseman, their centerfielder, their bullpen and starting rotation. Who goes, who stays? Let's take a quick look at who I think needs to go and who needs to stay.

Gone:
Jason Giambi: Still prvides some pop and average defense but age will get to him sooner than later.
Carl Pavano: Hasn't pitched bad since returning but it's time to get rid of a bad investment.
Melky Cabrera: He may still have an upside but I think his glory days in the Bronx are over. Excellent arm but you need to deal him to get at least a 5th starter or a reliever.
Ivan Rodriguez: Age is catching up with Pudge and hasn't brought anything to the table since his arrival at the trade deadline.
Ian Kennedy: Cant pitch in New York, 'nough said.
Hideki Matsui: Still a valuable and solid player but age is creeping up on him as well. It's time to deal him before his value plummets.

Keep:
Bobby Abreu: Still a solid ballplayer. Still hits .300 and drives in around 90 runs. Still a solid defender and a cannon for an arm. This is a no brainer.
Andy Pettitte: This one is 50-50. Depending on Andy and if he wants to return or retire, the Yanks have to bring him back, not for $16 million but something respectable as he can still be a #3 starter, at worst #4. Plus he's better than sending out Sidney Ponson, Darrell Rasner, or Ian Kennedy.
Mike Mussina: Here's your wild card. At 39 Moose is your Yankees 2008 MVP. Just as a reward for his work this year he deserves another shot with the team. #5 starter or more, he can prove to be a reliable guy in the rotation, a rotation that might need him more next season than they do right now.

That's just a quick peek at what the Yankees need to do this offseason. At season's end I will go further in-depth. But there is no reason to place blame on one part of the team. This was a teamwide letdown this season all across the board. So let's just address the needs of the team this winter and move forward into the new Stadium and get ready to reclaim the top of the AL East.

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, Joba Chamberlain, Jorge Posada, Melky Cabrera, Mike Mussina, Yankees

The Yankees are finding new ways to lose. This time, they found a way to blow a four run lead on an afternoon where the offense showed up and scored some runs, not to mention a decent outing by their starting pitcher Darrell Rasner.

The game slipped away from the Yanks in the top of the 7th.With the Yanks up 6-3 and Toronto had a man on first base and no outs. A groundball was hit to Robinson Cano, he fielded it, and flipped it Derek Jeter at second. Problem was, Cano's flip was erratic and got away from Jeter. This puts runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs. A walk later loaded the bases, and Joe Inglett singled to center. This shaved the Yankee lead down to 6-5. In the top of the 8th Brian Bruney gave up a single to Vernon Wells, next up Adam Lind facing Damaso Marte. Lind gets a base hit to right. Edwar Ramirez then comes in to try and calm things down. He gives up a hit to Jose Bautista and the game is now tied at 6. Next batter Greg Zaun hits a slow grounder that went all of about 75 feet got the go ahead run in for the Blue Jays. Rasner left with a 6-3 lead, now going into the bottom of the 9th the Yanks were down 7-6.

Jeter leads off with a single and Bobby Abreu walks to start the 9th. Here comes Alex Rodriguez, chance to the hero but he failed in another late inning spot. He grounded into a double play, his 11th this month! Next up Cody Ransom flew out to left leaving Abreu at second and the game was over. Heartbreaking loss to say the least for the Yankees.

The bullpen that had been so good last night, let the Yanks down today. Bruney, Marte, and Ramirez all pitched in Friday's 2-1 win. The difference between last night and today was Mariano Rivera. Girardi could've gone to his closer today but it would've marked the 3rd straight day in which Joe would've called upon Rivera to get more than 3 outs. At some point you got to let the guy rest. Now we see why Rivera is so valuable to this team. Maybe if he comes in in the 8th inning, the Yanks don't give the game away.

Up 6-2 in this game, the Yanks MUST win this game. It's just another bad result in a season full of them. At some point the Yanks will be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs if things keep going this way. Time is running out, 27 games left and 6 out. Time is not on the Yankees side.

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Brian Bruney, Cody Ransom, Darell Rasner, Demaso Marte, Derek Jeter, Edwar Ramirez, Mariano Rivera, Yankees

The Yankees took out their brooms yesterday in Baltimore as they completed a 3 game sweep of the Orioles. It got a scary towards the end in the ninth as the O's had the tying run on 3rd base with two outs but Mariano Rivera struck out Nick Markakis to end the game.

Robinson Cano went 4-for-5 with a HR,two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored. He hit the go-ahead HR in tghe top of the 7th to break a 7-7 tie. Cano called it the biggest hit of the season for him. Johnny Damon added a 3-run HR while Bobby Abreu added three hits.

“Being able to sweep Baltimore definitely puts us in a much better situation against Boston,” Damon said.

Boston comes into town on Tuesday to start a huge three game series with the Bombers. Their lead on the Yanks is five games in the wild card.

The Yanks blew a five run lead in this game. Yesterday's starter Darrell Rasner had his shortest outing of the year: 3 1/3 innings, eight hits, five runs allowed (three earned). It was a sharp contrast to his last outing in Toronto on Tuesday against the Blue Jays where he went into the seventh and gave up only one run on three hits.

Rivera entered the game in the eigth and was asked to get a four out save. Rivera up for the challenge excelled in making manager Joe Girardi pleased with his decision to bring in his closer early. With two oouts in the ninth Rivera walked Brian Roberts on four pitches. Roberts then stole second and an erratic throw by Pudge Rodriguez led to Roberts also taking third base on the play. With the tying run 90 feet away Rivera caught the outside corner on Markakis and the Yanks were on their way home with a sweep. It was their first road sweep of the season.

The Yanks have Monday off before their big series with the Red Sox. Let's see if the momentum stays with the Bombers against Boston.

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Tags: Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Darell Rasner, Joe Girardi, Johnny Damon, Mariano Rivera, Robinson Cano, Yankees

The Yankees mounted a late inning rally last night against the Baltimore Orioles as they won 9-4. Bobby Abreu went 5 for 5 and homeruns by Robinson Cano, Jose Molina, Cody Ransom, and Xavier Nady all contributed to the victory.

Mike Mussina wasn't able to further along his quest for 20 wins for the first time in his career as he went six innings and allowed four runs and left when Baltimore had a 4-3 lead.

"I kept us in the game. We were never out of it,” Mussina said. “We got the at-bats we needed in the end.”

Moose entered the game with an 11.29 ERA against his former team entering last night's game so giving up four runs was an "accomplishment" on his part.

“To hold them to four runs the way I pitched the last two times against them, this was pretty good,” Mussina said. “If you can hold them to one run an inning, it’s not as demoralizing to your team. We were able to stay in and come back and win it.”

He now is 0-2 with 8.49 ERA against the O's this season in three starts.

Derek Jeter recorded his 2,500th hit of his career with a hit in the first inning. That puts him with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as the ONLY men to have at least 2,500 hits all as a Yankee. When asked about how he felt about his latest accomplishment, Jeter responded:

“It means we won the game today. I guess if you play long enough, you’re bound to get some milestones. More importantly we won. We needed this game.”

The Yanks didn't pick up any ground on the Red Sox and remain six games out of the wild card. Saturday, the Yanks send Carl Pavano to the mound....OMG hold on to your seats, we're in for a ride.

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Tags: Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Cody Ransom, Derek Jeter, Jose Molina, Mike Mussina, Robinson Cano, Xavier Nady, Yankees

This 10-game road trip has been a disaster for the Yankees. They are 2-5 through the first 7 games, they have lost 3 games in the AL East to Tampa and 1.5 to Boston in the wild card. Not to mention, they lost their ace-to-be Joba Chamberlain.

What's interesting to note is that the Yanks had a lead in each of the 3 games against the Angels this weekend and could not hold any of them. Ian Kennedy got rocked again Friday night and said..

“I felt like I made some good pitches,” he said. “I’m not too upset about it. … What was it, a bunch of singles and three doubles? I’m just not real upset about it. I’m just going to move on and I’ve already done that.”

...wow, did he really say that? That earned him a first class ticket back to AAA Scranton. Good move by the Yankees. He later apologized for those comments, but come on you got to be smarter than that.

Saturday, Dan Giese pitched 6 solid innings giving up only 1 run, but the bullpen blew up thanks in part to an 8-run 8th inning. The first 6 runs came before the Yankees recorded an out. Ouch! Joe Girardi was asked how he felt watching that 8-run 8th unfold...

“What do you think? You think it’s fun watching that crap?” Girardi snapped. “Silly question.”

...I agree.

Sunday, the Yankees were again ahead in the score, but could'nt hold on. This time a baserunning mistake by Alex Rodriguez in the 7th ended a chance at a rally that could've broke a 3-3 tie and a walk by Damaso Marte in the 9th to the 9th place hitter set up the game winning single by Chone Figgins. Those two plays sealed the Yanks' fate this weekend.

"We had a lot of opportunities. We have to blame ourselves," said Abreu, who grounded to second with the infield in and a runner on third in the fifth inning. "I wish I had an explanation. I don't think we understand what's going on."

The Yanks have a chance to redeem themselves with 3 games against the Minnesota Twins. A team they trail in the wild card by 2.5 games. It'll be worth watching to see how the Yankees respond to being swept this weekend in Anaheim. 44 games left to go.


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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu, Chasing 800, Damaso Marte, Dan Giese, Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Girardi

The 2008 HR Derby was one for the ages. If you didn't see the first round you missed the whole show.

Texas Rangers' Outfielder Josh Hamilton hit an amazing 28 HR's in the first round. Josh's 28 HR's was the most ever in the first round. Bobby Abreu previously held the record with 24, set in 2005. It was quite simply an outstanding performance. Some of the HR's he hit went places you didn't think were possible. He hit them 5oo feet on several occasions, he hit them all the way in the cheap seats in the right field upper deck. He went deep into the black seats in center, he hit the Bank of America sign in right, and he almost hit the 4 train! (ok, he really didn't but it looked like he sure was aiming for it, and came close).

"If the balls had been juiced, I would have had it," said Hamilton, whose teammates had been prodding him to knock one out of the Stadium. "I was close, right? I was trying to hit the subway."

The rules of the HR Derby nowadays make no sense to me. They combine the HR's for the first two rounds to determine the finals. Then, in the final round the total is wiped out. So in the finals we have Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins vs Josh Hamilton. Mornaeu ended winning the Derby because of his 5 HR's to Hamilton's 3. Hamilton stole the show and hit enough to win next year's HR Derby. This is something MLB should look into.

The attention is still on Hamilton. He at one point hit 11 HR's in a row. I was working right across the street from Yankee Stadium yesterday and couldn't see all of the Derby but after getting dinner from McDonalds, I found time to sit down just in time to see the 11 in a row. I finished my dinner before he made an out. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Neither could anyone else who was watching with me. It was so good the sell out crowd in Yankee Stadium were chanting his name.

"Standing at home plate and having Yankee Stadium chant your name," Hamilton said. "Is there a better feeling?"

After a performance like that, there aren't too many better.

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Tags: Baseball, Bobby Abreu

As if Game 1 wasn't bad enough for the Yankees, in Game 2 of the doubleheader they called on Sidney Ponson to lead the way. Oh boy....

You know what, Ponson wasn't bad at all. Thank goodness. He gave the Yankees excatly what they needed. A quick turn-around after Game 1's disaster. He gave them 6 shutout innings. You couldn't ask for more. Bobby Abreu also helped the Yank's cause with a 4 for 4, 3 RBI performance.

This, from the Yankees stadnpoint was the type of game you wanted. Good pitching by Ponson, a good performance by the offense and good work by the bullpen. Pedro Martinez starting for the Mets was ineffective. He gave up 6 runs, walked 5 in his 5.2 innings of work.

"I'm not doing my job," Martinez said. "It's time to be getting better, not getting worse."

With the 9-0 win by the Bombers, it gives them their first win of the 2008 Subway Series. The Mets had won the previous three meetings, all at Yankee Stadium. With the final out of Game 1 recorded at 6:03 pm, it left little time to regroup and travel to Shea Stadium in time for Game 2, which was slated to begin at 8:10. According to the always lovely Kimberly Jones on the YES Network, the Yanks arrived at 7:11pm.

"It almost felt like you were in high school or a summer-league team, scrambling to play the second game," Joe Girardi said.

A memorable day in New York baseball. If you're a fan of either team then yesterday was a great day. Yanks-Mets coverage ALL DAY. Can't get any better than that. Well, of course if both teams make it to the World Series, then that would be better.

I'm all baseballed out. I'm not sure if thats even a word, but I'll run with that. Both teams are back at today at 3:55pm on FOX. Andy Pettitte vs Johan Santana, get ready it's going to be another great game. I'm looking forward to it, it's the main attraction of the series pitching-wise. Can't wait to see what happens.

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Tags: Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Joe Girardi, Mets, Sidney Ponson, Yankees

It seems as nothing comes easy to the Yankees anymore. Last night the Yanks were on the verge of losing but held tight and pulled out a 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins in 12 innings.

Chien-Ming Wang didn't look like the ace he was in May as he had another rough outing. You have to wonder if this is something worth some concern. He's is 0-2, 5.67 in his last five starts.

"When he's off, it's not like he gives up 10 or 12 runs," Joe Girardi said. "He's not going to be on his A-game all the time, so you have to give him credit for battling and keeping us in there."

The Yanks came close to falling to defeat a couple times in the extra frames. In the bottom of the 10th Ross Ohlendorf served up a double to Mike Lamb that appeared to being heading out of the park but bounced off the baggie in right field instead. After an intentional walk to Nick Punto, Ohlendorf went right at rookie Carlos Gomez. He struck him out on three pitches.

"He's pretty aggressive," Ohlendorf said. "I felt pretty good about my slider tonight, so I just threw him sliders."

The go-ahead hit came in the top of the 12th, Bobby Abreu singled home Johnny Damon and the Yanks never looked back. For the second straight night the Yankees were looking in the face of defeat but victory prevailed for the Bombers. They have taken the first two games of the four-game wrap-around series against Minnesota.

"Hopefully we're not done," Damon said. "Hopefully we can come out here (today) and put together some more good at-bats. It could have gone either way today, but our bullpen showed its strength and we showed some perseverance. No quit."

Two good wins for New York and good signs. Ohlendorf got himself into and out of trouble by being aggressive. A sure confidence boost for the youngster. They're going to need him this season in big spots and last night was an example of how good this kid can be.

The Yankees have pulled to a game over .500 for the first time since May 4th. Another good sign as it points to the Yanks heading in the right direction. The starting rotation gets a boost from Joba Chamberlain on Tuesday so things are definately looking up in the Bronx.

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Tags: Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Chien Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Girardi, Johnny Damon, Ross Ohlendorf, Yankees

After getting swept by the Detriot Tigers in the middle of the week, the Yankees responded with their own three game sweep of the Seattle Mariners this weekend.

“It’s been kind of streaky,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “I’d like to shorten one streak and lengthen another.”

The Yankee offense which was quiet for much of the Detriot series came alive in the recent days. Led by Derek Jeter and his four hit performance on Sunday, the Yanks were able to complete the series sweep with an 8-2 victory at the Stadium. Bobby Abreu also contributed with three hits of his own, Johnny Damon drove in two runs, and the Bombers got back-to-back homeruns from best buds Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano.

The other story in this game was the pitching of Darrell Rasner (1-0). Making his 2008 debut, Rasner pitched well. After giving up a first inning two-run homer to Adrian Beltre, Rasner settled down to pitch six innings, giving up five hits on only the two runs, and struck out four. His performance was much welcomed as he was filling in for the injured Phil Hughes, who has yet to record a win this season and is also on the DL until at least July.

Before Sunday's game the Yanks sent down struggling pitcher Ian Kennedy to Triple-A Scranton to work out his problems. Japanese import Kei Igawa will most likely take Kennedy's spot in the rotation when it presents itself next weekend.

Rasner's performance was the third consecutive start in which a Yankee starter pitched six innings, following Chien-Ming Wang on Friday and Mike Mussina on Saturday.

“Just try to run with this opportunity,” Rasner said. “I think I’m finally getting back in the groove.”

The bullpen was also effective in the victory on Sunday. Ross Ohlendorf, Kyle Farnsworth and Mariano Rivera each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

With the series sweep of Seattle, the Yanks are (17-16) and responded to co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner, who said he was “disappointed” with the season this far on Friday. The Yanks have an off day Monday but are back at it with the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday at the Stadium. The two teams split a four game series last weekend in Cleveland. Andy Pettitte (3-3) goes for the Yanks.

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Tags: Andy Pettitte, Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Chien Ming Wang, Darell Rasner, Derek Jeter, Ian Kennedy, Joe Girardi, Johnny Damon, Kyle Farnsworth, Mariano Rivera, Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Yankees

These are NOT your New York Yankees playing out there. It can't be. They look like the Yankees, but sure aren't playing like them. If you saw last night's 8-4 loss to the Detriot Tigers then you know what I'm talking about.

Ian Kennedy pitched well through the first 2.2 innings, then gave up four runs before he got the final out of the inning. Bobby Abreu misplayed two flyballs that arguably could've been caught. Instead he stumbled and crashed into walls. As a result, the Tigers were all over Kennedy and the Yanks. Kennedy never made it out of the fifth inning. His final line for the night: five hits,four runs and three walks over 4 2/3.

The Yankees offense did little again. Abreu got the Yanks rollin out of the gate with a three run homerun in the first but that was it. They left 11 men on base, 28 for the series. A series that saw the Tigers get their first three game sweep in the Bronx since 1966.

Earlier in the day, it was revealed that Phil Hughes would be out for at least two months with a strain in his rib cage. With him out of the rotation the Yankees need to find a replacement. With Kennedy and his 8.37 ERA in six outings, they also need to find a replacement for him.

"He's still having that inning that he's having a hard time closing out, and he's not giving us the distance that we need," manager Joe Girardi said. "It's frustrating for him and it's frustrating for us. ... We have to talk about it. We don't need a fifth starter as much in May as we did in the month of April. We have to figure out what's the best plan for Ian Kennedy."

Girardi's club is 14-16 and headed in the same direction as last year's team and the 2005 Yanks, down....but not out. Both the '05 and '07 teams made it to the postseason after dreadful starts so there should still be optimism. You could look at the injuries as a reason to justify the record or you could blame all on Hughes and Kennedy. That wouldn't be right because the offense hasn't done much either. The missing links of Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez seem to be the biggest losses. Posada is good at helping a pitching staff, one that needs all the help in the world and Rodriguez is one of the most feared hitters in the game.

The biggest concern is the pitching and after last night's outing where do they go from here?

"I think I've proven I can pitch here in the past," Kennedy said. "I might not be pitching that well now, but it's only my fourth or fifth start. It'll work out sometime."

Sometime needs to be sooner than later...A LOT sooner. If this keeps going on, the question then becomes how desperate are the Yankees going to become? At this rate, we're going to find out very soon.

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Ian Kennedy, Joe Girardi, Jorge Posada, Phil Hughes, Yankees

Chien-Ming Wang has answered all the critics so far this season that say he is not a certified ace. Was his two-hit shutout against the Red Sox enough to silence the critics? Possibly.

Wang has taken a new approach to pitching this season and has added some pitches to his arsenal. A four-seamer to lefties and a slider. Both have proven to be effective this season. After Friday night's gem, Wang is 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA on the 2008 season. He struck out three while not allowing a walk on 93 pitches in his complete game effort. His only mistake was a homerun to J.D. Drew in the fifth. A homerun that Bobby Abreu could have very well have caught had he jumped half an inch higher.

"Your team looks awfully good when your guy can go out and pitch nine innings," Alex Rodriguez said. "I'm glad I'm playing behind him and not facing him."

In the first of 18 meetings this season, the Yankees strike first. They won last year's season series 10-8.

Jason Giambi provided the blow that put the Yanks ahead for good last night with a homerun in the seventh inning that broke a 1-1 tie. The Yanks tagged on more with Melky Cabrera's sac fly in the same inning and Abreu running out an infield hit in the ninth as the Yanks won 4-1.

Wang has three of New York's six wins so far this year. The bullpen got the night off which is a good thing because usually these Yanks-Sox series feature each team pulling out every trick from under their sleeve in order to win these games. The next two games should be interesting, but for now the Yankees have been led by their ace into enemy territory and led to victory. Not a bad start to the rivalry for the Bombers.

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Chien Ming Wang, Jason Giambi, Melky Cabrera, Yankees

The first series of the season is over and for the Yankees, it was a good one.

The Yanks defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Thursday night. Phil Hughes looked good in six innings of work while manager Joe Girardi played small ball in order to pick up his second win of the year.

In the bottom of the 8th, Melky Cabrera led off with a single to right, then Johnny Damon pulled off a sac bunt but since Toronto reliever Scott Downs couldn't hold on to the ball, Damon was safe at first as a result of the error. Next up was Derek Jeter who also bunted and got Cabrera and Damon into scoring position. Bobby Abreu wasted little time as he got a bloop single to score the eventual winning run.

Hughes allowed two runs on four hits in six innings of work to go along with four strikeouts. Not a bad outing for the 21-year old Hughes. His curveball seemed to dance all over the strikezone tonight, a good sign indeed

.“Phil Hughes was ready when he got to camp, and he wanted to grab a hold of this role,” Girardi said

The Yanks also got to use Joba Chamberlain in the 8th and Mariano Rivera in the 9th to secure the win as they did Opening Night. The Blue Jays had the tying run on third base but Rivera struck out the final batter to win the game for New York.

Next up for the Yanks, the Tampa Bay Rays for a four game series. Let's not forget the fireworks these two teams set off in Spring Training, so this series should be something to watch.

(Frank's articles can also be found at OnTheBlockNY and HotStoveNewYork.com )

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Tags: Baseball, Bobby Abreu, Derek Jeter, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Girardi, Johnny Damon, Mariano Rivera, Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, Yankees